A last minute planning.

Lily tapped her dusty boots on the side of The Courier's Rest. Watching with distast as dust rid itself from her black boots. She peeked her head in past the entryway, her eyes spying Lyra sitting behind the lobby's counter. Her hands moving deftly with a needle and stitch, repairing what looks like Joshua's worn jacket.

"Hey, I'm back," Lily announced. Lyra perked up, her hands abandoning their task as she promptly placed the fabric on top of the counter. She raised herself from her chair and made her way to greet Lily.

"Oh good, glad to see you safe, Lil." Lyra's hands wrapped around Lily's form. The shorter woman stiffly returned the hug.

"Are you busy?" Lily asked, pulling back in order to create some distance between the two. Her golden eyes searched for the taller woman's form, worry creasing her brow.

"No," She cast a look behind her at the ward of fabric and abandoned needle. "Nothing that can't wait until later."

"Good," Lily grabbed Lyra's hand gently, winding her arm around the other woman as she looped their arms together. "We're going to the market."

Stopping by a safe, she plucked out a hefty coin purse, stuffing it into the pockets hidden on her person. Turning she led the dark haired woman out the door and onto the dusty underground streets

"Wh-where are we going?" Lyra's question was stuttered out between her amused laugh, her face lighting up at the unexpected company.

"We're getting something for those legs." Lily mused, holding her free hand up she silenced the other woman's complaints before they happened. "I'm not asking you Ly, we want to do this for you."

"I…" She paused, her smile shifting slightly as her gaze dropped to the dusty path. "I know but… can I be truthful?"

Lily raised a fine eyebrow, her expression returning to a neutral look as she gave the taller woman a curt nod. Lyra stopped walking, causing Lily to turn slightly and face her downcast friend.

"You.. Should be saving for citizenship, not…" She huffed a breath, still not meeting Lily's golden stare. "I'm not going to make it, I'll only hinder you more than I've done so already… I'm not going to pretend like I'm ever going to actually see the sky, I know I'm going to die down here."

A silence fell between the two friends. Lily's face hardened as she took Lyra's free hand in her own. The dark haired woman's face lifted to finally meet Lily's stare. The other woman's eyes began to water, a few streaks of tears dropping already.

"I'm not going to pretend like I know how it feels, Ly. I'm not going to fill you with false promises and hope." Lyra's watering eyes worsened. Lily tightened her grip on her friend's hands. "But we're in this together. Tim, Josh, you, me? Together. You're just as much part of this family as the rest, we're all going Topside. I'll be damned if we don't."

"Lily…" Her voice was strained as one hand slipped from Lily's grip to rest on the shorter woman's face. "I… I saw what's in your diary.. You're putting so much already on the line for us..."

Her stomach suddenly felt like a led ball was dropped into its pit. The blonde woman struggled to keep her face carefully plain as she regarded the other woman intensely. Lyra's face softened into a sad smile.

"I don't understand what's in there, but it seems big… really big." She sighed, something sad. "Lillian. You don't have to pretend to be strong all the time, we'll never see you differently. You can lean on us."

Lily felt her features shift into something more somber. She was never able to properly hide her feelings from the taller woman no matter how hard she tried. Her free hand rose to Lyra's, resting on the palm that cupped her cheek.

"Ly… I know what I'm doing." She winced, searching for the right words. "What I choose to do is my choice. I promise you that. I'll deal with the consequences of my actions, not you, not Josh or Tim." a moment passed before her shoulders dropped. Her voice is quieter. "Whatever you do, don't tell anyone you saw what's in my diary Ly, I'm serious. Knowing what's in there can get you killed."

Lyra's eyes widened slightly, her tone dropping to a whisper.

"I know that knowing stuff from outside of the walls is illegal, but surely not that bad?"

"Ly, people have been executed for less." Lily's tone was quiet, but incredibly dark. The blonde woman's expression was serious as she gently pulled Lyra's hand from her cheek, shoulders rising into a tense posture. "Let's not talk anymore about it here. Focus on getting to the market and finding the medicine vendor Josh was talking about earlier."

Lyra parted her mouth like she wanted to say more but thought better of it. Nodding her head she looped her arm back with Lily's, letting the shorter woman lead the pair through the gradually growing crowds.

Joshua had spoken the night before -after the revelation of Krass' horrid reputation- that he had tracked down a medicine vendor who would be spending only a handful of days in the core markets of District One. Apparently he was a traveling underground "Doctor" or as much as one can be underground. His stall was marked by a loose faded yellow scarf he hung next to his stall.

Lyra spotted it first, pointing it out for Lily, who promptly led the pair over towards the stall. The man behind it was awfully lanky though seemingly well fed. Supposed you would be, being an underground doctor. Lily shook her head, making her way to the front and waving his attention down.

"Ladies, how might I help you?" His tone was pleasant, a pair of dirty spectacles rested on his face as his long ginger hair was pulled into a loose ponytail, green eyes welcoming.

"You got anything for leg-rot?" Lily replied bluntly. Her face set into a neutral almost bored look as she stared at the merchant.

"Lily, be nice." Lyra hissed, nudging her elbow into the shorter woman with a frown. She shook her head looking towards the lanky man. "Sorry, she's not a people person."

"It's quite already, she wouldn't be the first begrudging customer. You need something for leg rot, correct?" The ginger man asked, his hands shuffled through different sacks, eyes focused on his task. "Has it begun to blacken?"

"N-no…" Lily tossed the dark haired woman a questioning glance. Lyra startled. "No…! it's not. But it is becoming more tender, and I'm beginning to get more tired more frequently."

The pair received a hum from the man, as he finally pulled out a small sack full of medicinal contents. He held it up in his hands.

"One a day, whenever you wake up. And please take it with water." He placed it on the counter, hand still resting on it.

"How much?" Lily interjected, her tone flat as she stared blankly at the other man, he winced.

"23 gold." Lyra visually blanched her eyes passing between the man and her friend.

"Fine." Lily pulled out her coin purse, counting the gold and dumping it into an awaiting bag the ginger man held. "23 gold. And the medicine?" Lily demanded.

He nodded, passing the quaint bag over to Lyra who nodded in thanks. Lily scowled at the man. Of course it's 23 bloody gold. She pulled on Lyra's arm, ready to leave the markets and be done with it.

"Oh-ah. Thank you!" Lyra tossed over her shoulder, frowning at Lily's instance to leave.

"Good luck ladies." His tone was somber, as he watched the pair leave. Lily scoffed, turning her gaze away as she made her way back towards The Courier's Rest.

"I… Lily you didn't-" Lily held her hand up, casting Lyra a firm stare.

"I don't care." She bluntly stated. "We agreed we were going to help."

The track back was quiet, Lyra kept tossing the blonde woman concerned looks, mouth parting and closing as she fought internally to say something. Lily sighed, her posture relaxing slightly.

"I'm sorry Lyra." Lily's tone was quiet, her gaze still ahead of the pair. "I'm tense. Can't help but feel like everything's gearing to blow."

"No, it's okay. I shouldn't keep asking you to leave me behind." Lyra admitted, her gaze traveling from Lily's form to ahead of her.

"You really shouldn't," Lily was looking at Lyra now, her expression firm.

"I-"

"We all care about you, Ly. Especially Josh. You want me to tell him we're forgoing your health just so we can reach topside sooner? We leave that rot untreated for too long and you'll end up with no legs." Lily's blunt reply had Lyra flinching back, her eyes wide and mouth parted. Lily returned her golden stare to the dusty path ahead, The Courier's Rest coming into view. "We'll get out of here, Ly. We'll get out, our way, and that's not leaving you behind."

Lyra's mouth closed, her eyes trailing to the path ahead, but this time her gaze seemed firmer. An understanding was reached as they entered the Rest, The familiar silhouette of Joshua greeting the pair, the man rising from his seat.

"Ly, Lily." He greeted, a hand raising to the nape of his neck awkwardly. "Good to see you." Lily snorted at the greeting, amusement pulling her mouth into a smirk.

"Yea- Good to see you too smooth-talker." He shot Lily an annoyed glare, his arms folding across his chest and Lyra left the blonde woman's side to stand besides Joshua.

"Yea-yea, laugh it up." He shook his head, face souring.

"Mmhm. Tim didn't arrive with you?" Lily glanced around the lobby, her golden eyes darting around curiously.

"No, he might've gotten jobs further out than me. Got local stuff today." He shrugged. "He shouldn't be too long, why do you ask?"

"We should all probably have a talk together about heading topside." Lyra's head snapped in the direction of Lily, confusion twisting her fair features.

"I'll explain when Tim's here. We should probably head upstairs. My room?" Lily had already started towards the dusty old stairs, hand resting on the slightly rotting railing. She turned her head to look at her two friends. Lyra opened her mouth as if to say something again before she closed it and started towards Lily's room. Joshua threw her a curious glance as he passed her. Lily waited at the foot of the steps for their friend.

Timothy's lanky figure entered the lobby not long after, to which Lily waved over the blonde man as she gestured to the top of the stairs.

"Josh and Lyra are already in my room. We're going to have a talk." Tim shot her an unreadable glance, nodding for her to lead the way.

As the two entered Lily's room, she noted that Lyra had settled herself on Lily's bed, Joshua had pulled up one of her spare chairs next to Lyra, hand holding hers. Tim took the other chair, the object scrapping sharply on the wooden floor before the lanky man sat himself down. Lily closed the door and locked it, taking a step away as she leant up against her chest of drawers.

"So, what's the role call for?" Lyra asked first, her free hand twisting in Lily's sheets, the musings causing the neatly folded bedding to become crumpled.

"Earlier the boy and I were discussing.. Well everything. We're going to push topside as soon as we can." Lily informed. She reached up and placed her hand on the dresser behind her, running a hand through her light blonde locks, a few stray pieces falling from her loose ponytail at the action.

"But- how? We already spend so much on my medicine, we can't possibly pay for both." Lyra's head twisted as she regarded both Timothy and Joshua, silently asking for backup.

"Lily plans on taking another one of Krass' jobs." Timothy gritted out, his expression falling from a neutral to a look of bitterness. Lyra's head spun in the direction of Lily, her deep blue eyes widening from the revelation.

"Lily- You can't. The man's insane!" Lyra blanched, her features stuck between indreduality and shock.

"We don't have the time nor the options to do anything else." Lily challenged, her gaze firm.

"We have time, we can just lay low for a bit, let it all blow over!" Lyra's hands twisted in Lily's sheets. The taller woman's face scrunching up in frustration. "You can't seriously consider doing something so impulsive?"

"Lyra." Lily's tone was commanding, her firm stare turning dark as she regarded the other woman. "The Ravagers are growing more and more bold as the days pass. Vex is leaning harder and harder on the Couriers for work, the Dwellers are getting angsty at the lack of Forrent and the Vultures are too quiet." Lily pushed herself off the drawer. Her arms folded across her chest as she regarded her friends.

"That's just the tip of the iceberg." Lily pointed at Lyra's legs. "We keep putting it off, and that's only going to worsen-"

"The medication can placiate that" Lyra argued, her face flush with anger.

"Ly," This time Joshua spoke up, his face twisted in pain as he took hold of her other hand, pulling her attention to him. "The only real reason we were able to afford that medicine without taking a huge blow to our savings was because Lily did the job for Krass."

Lyra's eyes widened, her gaze shifting between Lily and Joshua, betrayal crossing her features.

"What do you mean?" Her voice was quiet and harsh. Tears welled in the taller woman's eyes and Lily wanted to reach out to the other woman, but decided against the action.

"That we can't lay low and wait. Lily's right." Timothy finally spoke up, his eyes on the floor as he grimaced. "I don't like it, in fact I hate it. But if we stay, and refuse to take Krass' jobs, we'll most likely get pulled into the impending war between Districts, why do you think Lady Caroline has been getting more and more tense?"

"Pair that with your leg rot, and we'll end up spending all we saved keeping you healthy, and that might only last us a month. This doesn't seem like something that's going to blow over so quickly. The only sure-fire way to get your help is topside." Lily's tone turned soft, her face still firm but lost the intensity to it.

"Our options are limited, and while it's a gamble this is the best one." Joshua summarized. "We're backed into a corner, Ly." Lyra's face twisted in pain, her hands dropping from Joshua's hold. The man looking in just as much pain as her.

"The only person putting their neck on the line is me." Lily pointed out. "And I'm confident I can handle myself. I do this last job for Krass, we take the money from the job and all our savings and bust our ass topside."

"And if they pull a quick one on you?" Lyra challenged. Lily sighed, reaching inside her coat her hands slipped comfortably into the grip of the gun Kenny had given her.

"Then I have this." Lily presented the firearm to the group. Timothy blanched as both Joshua and Lyra's mouths fell open.

"Where in the bloody walls did you get that?!" Joshua shouted, his gaze incredulous as his abrupt jolt caused Lyra to flinch.

"You can't be serious!" Timothy echoed, his face white with shock.

"It doesn't matter. And I don't intend on using it. Not unless our backs are against the wall and it's our only option." Lily tucked the gun back away. Checking her pockets for its bullets once more before she casted her gaze up to the group. They seemed to all be varying degrees of unsettled. She could understand why.

She was honestly unsure if she could even pull the trigger should the moment called for it. It unnerved her how comfortable the weapon sat between her hands, the weight felt right, like she was raised using them. Truth was she had only shot a handgun a handful of times. And never once has she felt safe holding the sturdy weapon. This place really has changed her, she realized with a jolt.

The room felt thick and heavy. Silence had fallen upon the group as the latest revelation was dropped. Lyra had finally fallen silent, her face pale as she grasped onto Joshua's shirt. Timothy looked tense, teeth gritted together as his grip on his chair turned his knuckles white. Joshua's expression was unreadable, his eyes locked onto Lyra's quiet form.

"We do what we have too, it's them or us." Joshua's statement caused a ripple throughout the room. Lily's eyebrows rose slightly in surprise. Timothy whipped his gaze to Joshua, a look of confusion crossing his face. Lyra was still silent, not looking anywhere but at her fists.

"Yes.." Lily's tone held understanding. Joshua would put it all on the line for Lyra, that Lily could see now. Timothy seemed completely torn, his expression dancing between Joshua and Lily like he was now looking at strangers.

"You realise you're talking about murder, right?" Timothy's tone was incredulous, eyes wide as he looked at Lily. "You're not… You're not seriously considering using that on someone."

"I'll do what I must." Lily's tone was harsh. Her hands swiped the hat sitting behind her, placing it on her head once again as she tossed the younger man a stern stare. "If it means that you live? Then yes, I'll pull the trigger."

Timothy flinched back, seemingly intimidated by the much smaller woman. Lily fought to keep her expression blank as she stared down the lanky man. Inwardly she was shocked by how certain she was on the topic. A pit formed in her stomach that she refused to acknowledge.

Whatever was to come, she wouldn't hesitate or second guess. This was the underground, mercy wasn't an option.