"She tasted the smallest bowl, which belonged to the Little Bear, and it was just right, and she ate it all."
Émilie heard someone yell, "She's found the portscreens!" as another declared, "Get her out! She found us without his approval!"
As any person, guilty or innocent, would do in that situation, Émilie ran. She got as far as the back door before they caught up, and tackled her to the ground. An arm pushed down on her throat.
"Why is someone like you here? And why were you not at the meeting place?" the one holding her growled.
Past the white spots obscuring her vision, Émilie could see that he had fur all over his body and an animalistic snout. She writhed in panic for a moment, thinking that it was one of Levana's hybrid soldiers before she realized that those weren't supposed to be a threat anymore. This man resembled more a bear, though it looked like he had used some kind of Lunar technology. While she had thrashed before, now she couldn't move in terror. What was he doing here? What were all of these people doing here?
She thought of all her assets in this situation and found only one. Attempting to smile prettily as well as she could in her condition, Émilie gestured toward her neck. She was partially released. "Apologies, Mr…. Um- Mr. Bear. I-I was lost looking for my friend's farm," she croaked as sweetly as possible in her current predicament. She figured there was no reason to lie.
The bear-man moved back a little. "Wolf?" he growled.
"You know him?" she asked desperately, hoping for a way out.
"Yeah, I know him," he sneered, glaring at Émilie. "His girlfriend called the police on us one time, right after he became the first one ever to beat me in a match. Sound familiar?"
Émilie shook her head vigorously, trembling with fear. Nothing she was trying was working, but this was her last opening. He had shifted away a little bit, listening to Émilie.
She took her chance. Émilie dove between Mr. Bear's legs and ran as fast as she could towards the exit, not bothering to look back. She knew that they were following her, and they were gaining on her quickly. She put on one last boost of speed, using the last of her energy. She was impossibly drained by all this excitement.
To her astonishment, she made it outside. She slammed the door behind her just in time and staggered to a small gathering of bushes nearby as the fighters and spectators pounded on the door behind her. As she crumpled to the ground and her lids slid shut, she briefly wondered whether they would maim her or strangle her and dump her in the woods once they found her in the bushes. Whatever the case, she could do no more now but faint into a dreamless sleep, shaken by the events of the day.
Émilie awoke to a stinging in her cheek and a burning in her throat- probably from being choked. Had she been slapped, as well? She brought a hand to her cheek and groggily looked up to see flaming red curls haloed by the sun. Scarlet, she thought. She barely had time for her next thought, and not nearly enough to complain about her rude awakening, before her friend started shouting incomprehensibly at her and pulling her arm. Émilie scowled and stood up at Scar's incessant tugging.
She nearly fell from the way her head was spinning, but with a steadying arm around Scarlet, the pair managed to stumble out of the shrubs and onto an overgrown path. Behind them, a warped iron door rattled and shook. Just like that, everything came rushing back. Émilie tugged frantically on Scarlet's red hoodie, leaving mud from the ground on the bright vermilion.
Scarlet looked over with a scowl. "You just had to wipe mud on me, huh Ém? C'mon, we need to get away from here. You shouldn't come to the Morel farm. Do you have your basket?"
Émilie looked up at Scarlet desperately, wiping away an errant tear. "Scar, they're doing something in there! They had these phones, and altered their bodies in horrible ways," she cried.
"I know," Scarlet said.
It was all Émilie could do not to recoil, though she probably would've tripped on a tree root or something if she had let go of Scarlet. "Why didn't you do something? Oh, for all the stars. You have the rulers of the Eastern Commonwealth on your side!"
Scarlet glared right back at her. "I did, Ém! I called Iko for you, and she's on her way with Kinney. If I had known that they were bringing other people into this, then I would've done it earlier. Otherwise, there's nothing we can convict them for. They won't admit to the fights. Just be grateful I got to you in time."
Émilie hung her head in shame, just in time for Scarlet to walk her into a tree.
"Oops," Scarlet said nonchalantly. Though Émilie didn't doubt that it had been an accident, her friend didn't sound exactly sorry either.
"You're right, Scar. I'm sorry. I was scared and angry. Anyway, I should've known you would never pass up a chance to kick butt. You are Scarlet Benoit-Kesley, after all." Émilie smirked at her friend. Even Scarlet herself couldn't deny that she did tend to dive headfirst into trouble quite often. She was not one to run away scared.
Reaching a clearing, Émilie looked around and was beyond relieved to find that she recognized the area as Scarlet's farm.
However, she was less excited to see the face of her boss staring at her from the hover runway.
"Aces," Émilie whispered.
Scarlet laughed. "You sound like Thorne."
Gilles looked angry, though Émilie couldn't possibly imagine why. She was on an errand for him, after all!
Though, she had taken a much longer time than she had anticipated. And, as Émilie now recalled, she had been chatting with the other waitresses instead of working earlier this morning… Now that she thought about it, Émilie's boss had a lot of good reason for being angry at her. She only hoped that she wouldn't get fired for this. It was hardly Émilie's fault that she had gotten lost and attacked! Well, unless picking flowers counted. Today was not her day.
Émilie waved nervously at Gilles, her other arm still looped over Scarlet's neck and her hair spilling out from her bun. He glared back.
"Émilie, care to explain what you were doing for three hours at the Morel farm instead of at the Benoit farm like you were supposed to be?"
"I got lost. I'm sorry, Gilles. It won't happen again, I swear on all the stars."
"Fine," he grumbled in response. "Just get those deliveries in order so we can leave." He stalked off to the hover.
Émilie silently thanked her boss, though she kept up a cool facade just to spite him. At least she wouldn't have to be walking back after this whole ordeal.
Inside the house, Wolf was stacking up piles of produce for Émilie to put in her huge basket that had miraculously survived the day. He waved politely, and Émilie couldn't help but remark that despite his lupine additions, he was still quite handsome.
Back when he had first appeared at the Rieux Tavern, she had even had a crush on him, but so much had changed since then. A revolution, for one. But there had also been Scarlet and Wolf getting married, and their friends Cinder and Kai after that, also known as the rulers of the Eastern Commonwealth, Selene and Kaito.
Now, as Scarlet entered the room behind her, his eyes lit up and he immediately went to her side. They were so cute together, it was almost unfair.
Scarlet reassured her that Iko would comm her for intel when she arrived, and Émilie was ready to go.
Émilie would have to get them something for helping her out today. Iko and Kinney, too. She was beyond excited to see the effervescent and stylish android that she had met a few months back. But before she left, she had a question.
"How did Gilles know I was at the Morel farm if he thought I was here?"
Scarlet shrugged. "I suspect that he has a tracker in your basket. He worries, y'know, especially with your former gossiping tendencies. Rightfully so, based on your little escapade today."
Scarlet really did have an awfully frightening evil eye, but Émilie hardly noticed it; she couldn't help but seethe over what Gilles had done. On top of that awful fighting ring, Émilie would now have to worry about being tracked. No more detours to visit that little farm boy she liked, then. Oh well. She would have to get back at Gilles somehow.
With that, Émilie hugged Scar goodbye and went out to the hover with the goods, ready to clock into her shift at the bar. It was going to be a long night.