For the next few hours, Terrence and I were scrolling through all of the pictures we had managed to take in the house. Analysing Isobel's diary wasn't too difficult once I had gotten used to the grammatical errors, scrawled handwriting, and pictures and symbols used. Of course, I had to write down on parchment next to me what I was able to get as well as check with Terrence as to what a certain picture could mean, but it just took a bit of time.

"Anything interesting, Charles?" Terrence asked

I looked down at the parchment beside me and hummed.

"Unless you count cleaning up a mess made by a leaky barrel, not so much. It seems that Levi and Furlan do all the difficult negotiations and 'gang business'. She just seems to be someone they look after and bring along on lower risk missions," I replied as I looked out of the window for the nth time that afternoon. Nothing to note.

The entries I had managed to snag pictures on were like reading the journal of a coked up toddler. Grammar and spelling was yet to be introduced to this individual with most things being spelt phonetically. Handwriting was an issue at times as words sometimes merged into one and other on top of the fact that everything written was beyond scruffy, like a five year old, words were shaky, overly large and written in odd ways like drawing a circle and adding a long tail to look like a 'g' whilst in fact being an 'e'. Not to mention the drawings that went along with the entries.

Faces were circles with two scribbles for eyes, no nose and a single line for lips. Bodies were neck-less with arms that were formed like that of a neck pillow with stumps for hands and sharp needles in place of fingers.

"We'll get something to eat after this, fuck me I'm starving," Terrence mumbled

I looked up and massaged my neck. We had been at this for too long and I really needed a drink, though I doubted they had anything top shelf, if they did, I assumed it would be counterfeit.

I rubbed my eyes as I scanned the next picture. Each word I had to decipher caused a new wave of pain to pass through my skull. The blue light of the screen and the amount of hours I spent gazing at it, writing whatever I could make out and piecing together everythin then having to work out if the information was useful was tedious and in all honesty, I wanted to stop.

Yet I pressed on, promising myself this would be the last entry of the night.

'tooday sum boys did sumfing bad too me i went hom and bigbro aksd wy my hare wos shoter it mad me sad but bigbro went to them with a nife and sed they wont hurt me agen I luv my bigbro'

This was possibly the best written day I had come across and lacked any symbols and cryptic language, however, it was still somewhat difficult to read. 'some boys did somfing bad' implied a possible assault or mugging or maybe even a combination of the two. It also proved my theory that Levi was the 'protector/strong man' of the group.

Someone who was devoted to his family would be easy to take down should anything happen to them. Maybe catch them first and lead him to them or simply tire them out and make him surrender himself? Then again, it wasn't up to us. With Erwin in charge of the operation, he would be the one to call the shots based on our discovery. Then again, I trusted his judgment with my whole heart. He seemed to be able to read people like books, being able to say the right things at the right time when it came to comforting people or persuading people to give money to the Corps.

"Done," I announced

Terrence yawned and cracked his back.

"Fuck me, I'm starvin,'" he grumbled

"You better be for whatever crap they'll serve us," I teased

Yet at the same time, I was worried about what they would serve us. Call me a snob, but I wasn't looking forward to eating out this week. The literal shitty conditions we were living in made me anxious about picking up any diseases whilst down here. Although our bodies regenerate seemingly every day, we can still get diseases. Granted, they last 24 hours tops, but it's not fun and takes away any time that can be used usefully.

We clambered our way down the creaky stairs and into the crowded bar area which reeked of sweat and sewage. Definitely not a good smell to have in one's nostrils whilst eating, however, I wasn't in the mood to be fussy. I just needed nutrients and then a nice long sleep.

The bar area was more or less empty save for a few men drinking at the bar, all having a rowdy conversation about a cock fight that would take place later today. I turned my nose up at their conversation as although I am a meat eater, needlessly using animals in sport was just plain cruel. Terrence also looked at the men in disgust and we found a booth in the corner and looked at the menu of which consisted of mainly soups at exceedingly cheap prices.

There were other options such as meat with potatoes and vegetables, however Erwin had warned us before we went down into the underground that we should not trust the meat that we come across anywhere I the underground due to the fact that a lot of meat that makes its way down here is very likely to be rancid.

So Terrence and I would have to live off oatmeal, potatoes, vegetable soups, and probably whole loaves of bread to prevent us from getting nosebleeds (a side effect I still question to this day). More or less our diet in the Survey Corps, except possibly more questionable and may give us an upset stomach if we're not careful.

All of the soups were given a name but not much detail was given as to what was in them. Just very vague names like: 'winter delight' and 'seasonal stew', and my personal favourite: 'Yummy in my tummy soup'. No pointers as to whether they had meat in them, so Terrence and I would just have to bite the bullet and see what came out.

"God, this is depressing: 'Yum Yum Soup'? 'Delicious Surprise'? I think I'd rather shit on my hand and clap than discover what any of these things are," I sniffed

Terrence hummed in agreement.

"All of the names sound scarily Disney-esque, but hey, they might not taste so bad?"

"Are you making a statement or asking me?"

"Statement and at least try one of the soups. They might make us ill, but we need to keep our food count up,"

I sighed and clenched my teeth. I knew he was right, but if I got sick, I was going to hold him responsible.

"Fine, I guess I'll try the 'Seasonal stew' with a basket of bread," I said to Terrence

"Hmm, I kinda' want to go for the 'Yummy in my tummy soup', but I don't want to sound like a knob," Terrence snided

"You always sound like a knob," I replied smartly

"Ugh, go fuck yourself,"

"Gladly,"

Terrence got up and gave me the finger, to which I responded with a chuckle and blew a kiss at him. Terrene walked over to the bar to give our orders to the guy at the bar.

I glanced around in disgust at the place. It was definitely worse than the first inn we stayed in Trost as the ceiling was damp with mould and occasionally dripped in several places. The smell was much worse as the location is more or less the sewers of the capital, meaning that not far from here was a literal river of excrement that seemed to creep through the cracks in the building.

The lighting was also worse as everything was dim. No outside light to help counter the lack of lighting inside the building made everywhere seem dark and cold, but also added a cloak of darkness for cretins like cockroaches, woodlice, earwigs, and other beasties to move around and possibly sneak into my food, crawl into my hair…

Ugh.

Terrence walked back with a tray that held two wooden cups, which I assume contained ale or mead as well as several plates and sat across from me in the booth. I stood up slightly to see what was on the plates, yet my eyes refused to adjust.

"'t's cheap as chips down here. Soup, drinks, bread, and a few snacks, all for a few bronze 'uns," Terrence beamed

"Probably for a reason," I groaned as the smell of the soup wafted in my direction, making my nose scrunch

"Grin and bear it, eh? Just had a thought, why don't we take these to our room and watch the house from there? I mean, I doubt we'll miss anything but still,"

I rubbed my eyes and stood up.

"Nice thinking, then you take first watch? I swear I'm going to keel over as soon as I'm done eating," I groaned

Terrence patted me on the back.

"Sure thing, Charlie,"

We made our way up the stairs and through the hallway, careful not to spill any of the food or drinks on our tray, passing rooms with various knocks, bangs and hushed voices coming from them. As I turned a corner, I nearly bumped into scrawny middle-aged woman wearing a tattered dress with bare dirty feet passed us, pocketing coins as she passed was followed by a rather normal looking teenage boy with a smile plastered on his face, walking whilst adjusting the belt around his slim waist.

I averted my eyes, knowing all too well of the transaction that took place.

"Ah, fuck. You like that? You like that, huh?"

I shuddered.

Once we got to the room, we hurried inside and locked the door before going over to the desk by the window and looking out. As soon as I was sat down, I picked up a piece of bread and gnawed on it. Granted, it was slightly stale and had a slightly earthy taste to it. But food was food after all.

Terrence placed the 'Seasonal Stew' in front of me and I was pleasantly surprised that it didn't smell too bad. I picked up my spoon and stirred it, examining the contents with curiosity. I guess missions and travelling internationally had numbed me from being disgusted by ingredients long before coming here. Offal, chòudòufu, duck tongues, scorpions, crickets, white ant egg soup, just to name a few of the things I've tried and surprisingly enjoyed that had thickened my stomach.

From what I could see, there were dumplings, intestines and other innards (possibly pork although it could very likely be dog), meat, carrots, potatoes, leeks, and soy beans all in a thick, brown stock that had very obviously been thickened with flour or any other starch.

I tasted it and hummed.

"Surprisingly not too bad. How's yours?" I asked Terrence

Terrence scrunched his nose.

"I've had better," he sighed

As I dipped my bread into the soup and occasionally had some of the nuts, olives, and pork skin that Terrence had also bought whilst keeping a close eye on the house across the road. All I could see were the two guys walking around the living area, not really doing anything to note. Occasionally, they would look out of the window however, they probably wouldn't be able to see us properly.

For the next few hours, Terrence and I made idle conversation whilst eating and drinking, yet I never once saw anyone come to the house or leave it, leading me to the conclusion that they were either done for tonight or just resting before wreaking havoc on the town.

I felt at my hair for a bit that had been dyed with coffee and cut to just under my chin which heavily contrasted to my long peroxide mane that would've been easily noticed down here. Strangely, Dyed hair doesn't regrow like normal hair. Rather, it still regrows, just underneath the dyed hair. To put it into perspective, it will grow from the last point of the brown dye so my hair would look extremely odd the next time I went to sleep, yet it should be easy to sort out with a pair of scissors. All I need to do is wash my hair to get the dye out which I doubt will happen by the end of the week, meaning that when we check into the fancy hotel Erwin booked, we will look very out of place.

God, I was looking forward to that.

"Gotta piss," I hummed

"Go for it," said Terrence

I yawned and stretched and made my way over to the stack of hay in the corner.

'Just like Trost,' I thought to myself as I lifted the skirt of my dress and squatted.

"God, I wish we could bug that place," Terrence groaned without turning around

"It would make this whole thing so much easier, we could listen from the comfort of that fancy hotel room Erwin booked for us," I sighed

"That's the only thing keepin' me goin'," Terrence groaned

"Same here. You think they have duck feather pillows and soft warm beds?" I asked

Terrence scoffed.

"Should fuckin' well hope so,"

I finished up and put my skirt down before walking over to the bed.

"You mind taking first watch?" I asked

"Go for it,"

I stripped off the dress but kept my underdress on before slipping into the dirty hay-stuffed mattress and pulling the thin duvet that could barely protect me from the slight nip in the air. Yet the whole day hung so much weight on me that I suddenly didn't care and sleep soon hit me.

I stuck my thumb up.

Shaken, scared, alone in the middle of nowhere in Arizona, the darkness of the night forming a cloak on the once bright and dazzling sky causing the temperature to drop. I needed a lift, just to a gas station or payphone. I needed to call home and get home. The mission report was going to be one hell of a mess.

Just as I was losing hope, a battered red and rusted pickup truck stopped by me and rolled down its windows to reveal a man in his late thirties, big built and a forgettable face.

"Where to, girlie?" he asked

"I need a ride to a gas station," I replied in an American accent

"C'mon in, darlin'," he said as he motioned to the door

I climbed in and I guess my stranger danger guard had dropped as this was the safest I felt in weeks. The guy hadn't tried anything with me, he wasn't too creepy, he made idle, yet comfortable conversation with me.

"So what's a girl like you doin' in the middle of nowhere?" he asked

Lie.

"My boyfriend and I had an argument and he drove off without me," I replied

He tutted.

"Some guy he is for leavin' you out here all alone,"

So off guard.

Pass gas station.

"Hey, sorry you mind stopping here?"

Guard coming up.

"Ah, that place ain't the safest at night, there's a better one up here,"

He Lies.

Turn.

Look in the back seat.

What's there?

Zip ties.

Gag.

Small girl's shoe.

Small girl's dress.

No.

Not safe.

Fuck.

Play cool.

"Hey, sorry. Can you stop here?"

Ignore.

"Hey sir, you mind stopping here?"

"No can do, girlie,"

Dark tone. Bad tone.

He knows you know.

He's excited.

"Sir, I need to pee,"

His had goes on my knee.

"Then piss yourself. I like the way it smells,"

Gag.

Retch.

No weapon.

Too dangerous to try and overpower him.

Pass gas station.

Breathe.

Open the door and jump.

Pain.

Run.

"Get back here, you bitch!"

Call home.

Get home.

I jolted up in a cold sweat, gasping for breath and shaking involuntarily.

Arizona. A mission that was a complete shit show and ended in a shit show.

I looked at the desk and saw Terrence was sound asleep with his head in his hands. I had no clue what time it was and without the sun, it would be difficult to predict the time. I got out of the bed and walked over to see the lights in Levi's house were off. They had either gone out or had gone to bed meaning there would be very little point in waking Terrence to put him to bed.

After the memory resurfacing, I decided the best course of action would be to get a stiff drink to calm my nerves.

I felt my hair had grown back, so I picked up the scissors from the desk and cut away at the hair that had grown back. White and pink tips et al. I felt all the hair drop to the floor and the cold breeze once again hit the back of my neck.

I put the dress on and picked up a few bronze coins before tiptoeing out of the room and going downstairs.

I walked over to the bar and in a rough accent that wouldn't be too out of a Clint Eastwood film, I asked:

"Can I get somethin' strong and top shelf?"

The guy at the bar nodded, took five bronze coins and handed me a tumbler of brown liquid, possibly whiskey. As much as I would have loved to have added ice, I doubted they had any.

I was planning on taking my drink up to my room when I was caught slightly off guard by three figures hunched around a table two tables away from the bar. All of them were people I instantly recognised as the targets. In order to play cool, I found a place on the corner of the bar and took sips of my drink whilst looking to the side.

Due to the fact there weren't many people at the bar, their voices travelled easily, and I was able to catch parts of their conversation. Surprisingly a lot of it was about Lobov. From what I could gather, Lobov had promised them citizenship if they promised to:

1. Retrieve the documents held by Erwin Smith that exposed Lobov

2. Killed Erwin Smith

As smart as Levi seemed to be. He was stupid.

Lobov was as likely to kiss my arse and lick it clean as he was to giving thugs money and letting them live above ground. What was more likely to happen was once the deed was done, he'll send them back underground with less than half of the money promised. From rumours on the streets, Lobov is very fucking close to bankruptcy.

Hope is the one of the most dangerous and influential weapons a man can use.

"Hey, you guys want more drinks?" the guy, Farlan asked

"Sure," replied Levi

"Yes!" replied Isobel

I continued sipping my drink as Farlan walked over to the bar before I caught his eye and smiled sweetly before looking down coyly.

He was cute, but not my type. Plus Erwin wanted minimal contact, yet I guess a little flirting never hurt anyone, plus it could possibly lead to me going back to his and being able to properly go through his stuff and maybe have more things let slip in front of me to utilise.

"Hey, can I get three mugs of cider and a top up for the little lady at the bar," he said before shooting a wink my way.

Hooked.

He gave the bartender money before passing me another glass of whiskey.

"Thank you," I said as sweet as I could in my rough accent

"My friends are expecting me, but I couldn't help noticing you looking so lonely at the bar. What's your name?"

Think fast.

"Veronica. Veronica Duke. And who do I thank for the drink?"

The guy ran his hands through his hair (possibly in an attempt to look cool) and sent a charming half smile my way.

"Farlan Church. At your service, Miss Duke," he chuckled

I picked up my drink and stood up. The whiskey sending warm waves around my body.

"I'll be in room 15 if you need me," I said with a wink before heading up the stairs. Very much aware of the gaze of the trio crawling up my back. Should he come knocking, Terrence can hide in the cupboard and the reports can be shoved under the bed.

The brief meeting means he knows of my existence meaning I can build a rapport before going to being known as Charlotte Hill to him.

I chuckled again.

Veronica Duke. Why did I have to make a 'Heathers' reference? I mean I auditioned for the SOSO production of it and actually got a part but had to give it up as I was in Shanghai when the production was being put on. I auditioned for the part of Heather Duke but ended up getting Veronica which was a huge fucking deal as it meant I would get to grind up on Noah Brooke but alas, some things aren't meant to be.

I walked back into the room and sat at the desk, looking out at the house whilst lost in a daydream of life before this in an attempt to forget about the fact that this sight was going to be very fucking familiar for the next six days.

Six days later…

Terrence and I made sure we had everything we needed before vacating the room. All files, notes, and phones were in a bag that hung over Terrence's shoulders. All hair had been burnt in the fireplace. Any trace of Terrence and I having been in that room had been taken care of. All as if we hadn't existed.

We made our way down the stairs and out of the inn. The fact that it was very early in the morning meant it was easy to move around without bumping into many people. I caught a glimpse of the occasional MP and woman of the night yet nobody of note was around. Further along the route, I saw market vendors setting up shop and soon, we were at the stairs to the outside world.

Terrence handed over the toll charge to pass up.

The climb was long but once we were at the top, it was so worth it.

A cold fresh breeze hit my face and the sensation was overwhelming. The air smelt less like shit and much cleaner. God, how I missed this. I could've cried.

"This is it," I whispered to Terrence as we spotted the carriage that would take us to the hotel where we would find comfort, good food, and most importantly, cleanliness. How I missed being clean and not have oily residue building on my face and hair.

"Seriously, if I were to go one more day without a shower, I'd cry," Terrence whispered

I hummed in agreement and rubbed my slightly sweaty arm.

"Ugh, same. I just want to do a full-on exfoliation of just everywhere as well as burn this dress, I swear to god it's gotten heavier with the oil and sweat that's built up on it,"

"Gross!"

"Or sleep on that uncomfortable bed, I bet it was riddled with mites," I replied whilst gently massaging my back

Terrence scratched his arms in response.

"Don't remind me," he shuddered

Once we got to the carriage, we noticed the driver had gotten up and opened the door for us before letting us climb in and closing the door behind us. He must've been under strict orders by Erwin to not say anything to us as I noticed the look on his face screamed: 'filth!' or it could have been the stench of our bodies without deodorant. Although I noticed that the odd whiff of BO wasn't considered as shameful here as it was back in the world I had come from, I had noticed that Terrence and I's body odour was more… pungent than anyone else's after a day than it was for them after a fortnight.

The early sunrise across the city and the large, beautiful buildings passed us by, decorating the pale white buildings with splashes of brilliant sunlight adding to the awe of the city. There were no more streams of literal shit or 24/7 complete darkness with only street lamps as a guide.

"What hotel has Erwin booked us in for again?" I asked

Terrence thought for a moment.

"Something like 'The Grand Capital'," he replied

I hummed.

"Sounds fancy," I uttered

After fifteen minutes of entering the outskirts of the city and entering the countryside, we realised that fancy was an understatement.

Despite staying in some of the most upmarket hotels in the world, this took the biscuit for this day and age. I had yet to stay somewhere with a dent on this since arriving here and heaven above, I was going to rinse it for everything that I had.

The hedges that led up to the hotel were shaped into perfect circles and were lined with rosebushes of seemingly every colour. In the centre was a lawn that had been delicately trimmed and edged with a large white marble statue of a horse standing majestically in the centre. It stood so tall, so boldly that I couldn't help but gasp in amazement.

Once we stopped at the large marble entrance, I couldn't help but feel very self-conscious about how Terrence and I were dressed and how much grime and build-up we had on our skin and hair. Why wasn't there like a halfway point where we could clean and change without having to pass judgment?

I grabbed Terrence's hand as the carriage came to a stop and the carriage door swung open. I reached into the pocket of my dress, pulled out a silver coin and handed it to the driver.

"Thank you," I mouthed

The driver nodded in response and climbed back up on his post.

The January breeze bit harshly on every inch of skin exposed, making it more of a priority to get inside and out of the icy chill than be too self-conscious to go inside the hotel and get warm in my own personal room. As much as I love Terrence, I just wanted a bit of privacy as well as to get clean, have a proper nap, have some proper food, and just enjoy this time off. Plus, Terrence and I paid for our rooms rather than using Erwin's/ the Survey Corp's money, meaning we both paid for the fanciest rooms in the hotel. We never really got the chance to splurge whilst here, so I guess this was our way of going wild.

As soon as Terrence and I stepped through the door, I immediately felt the awkward atmosphere swallow us whole. The glances from the staff and the early birds confirmed my suspicions that we would stick out like sore thumbs.

We tentatively approached the front desk, taking in the elegant surroundings that would be our retreat for the next few days as well as attempting to ignore the looks of confusion and disgust aimed at us by both guests that were lounging by the fireplace having morning tea and staff.

The woman at the desk looked at us wearily and smiled tightly, most likely trying to hide the fact she wanted to gag at how bad we smelt as well as stop herself from saying something somewhat offensive.

"Welcome to The Grand Capital Hotel. How can I help you?" acid seemed to drip from the last word she spoke

I chose to grin and ignore it.

"Hello there, we have two rooms booked under the names Hill and Baker," I said in my enhanced formal voice then quickly added "I'm dreadfully sorry for our attire, we've been doing charity work in the Underground and we haven't had access to clean water or clothes. I know we're lowering the tone at the moment, but I have been told that luggage had been sent to our rooms,"

As I spoke, I noticed the woman at the desk widen her eyes, likely shocked by the way I was talking yet she seemed to relax as soon as I mentioned the luggage arriving and soften when I mentioned the charity work.

"Ah yes, I recall luggage being delivered to the upper suites yesterday morning addressed to a Ms Hill and Mr Baker. I'll quickly draw up the paperwork and get you two settled in as soon as possible. I'm sure you're both anxious to have a wash and get some clean garments on you. I think it's so noble of you two to-"

I blanked out her ramblings as soon as I noticed the parchment requiring us to enter our details and put down the entire payment for our stay before noting that at check out, any additional services would be charged then.

The services included in our payment were:

-Access to the guest bath house

-Breakfast and dinner at the hotel's restaurant

-Access to the croquet lawn

-Room service and house keeping

-Free use of the 'Wellness Centre'

-Use of kennels

Looking through that list gave me a sense of joy. It was just like old times.

Finishing up a mission and being given the option to ease up on everything (as soon as reports were handed in) and pampered beyond belief as a way to keep us in the game. If we didn't have this downtime provided by SOSO, more agents would have dropped out. This was Erwin's bribe. Do this for him, stay in the game, get rewarded.

And I didn't mind it one bit.

As soon as the paperwork was signed, and we handed over our payment of 5 gold coins each (I had yet to part with more than 2 in order to pay for dresses to accompany me on this trip. If we were going to stay here, I wanted to look the part), we were given the keys to our rooms. The woman at the desk then beckoned one of the bell boys over.

"John, would you mind showing Ms Hill and Mr Baker to their rooms? Ms Hill is in the Forest View Suite and Mr Baker is in the Valley Retreat Suite. Please take good care of them,"

John the bell boy smiled tightly and nodded politely.

"Of course. If you two would like to follow me,"

As we climbed the giant stone staircase, I couldn't help but be in awe at everything in here. I know I must be sounding like a broken record, but I had never seen such finery since coming here. This was the closest thing to materialistic comfort I had experienced. Even the way I was being led to my suite just made me feel that one little bit special. I wasn't part of some organisation. I wasn't just Hill from the Baker and Hill duo or Hill from Erwin Squad. I was a guest. Not fodder that could be replaced.

"The Forest View Suite," John the Bell Boy said as he handed me my key

I thanked him

"I'll meet you in two hours," I said to Terrence as I unlocked the large oak door and walked inside.

It took my breath away.

The first thing that grabbed my attention was the large glass door that led onto a balcony that overlooked the large woodland and croquet lawn. I took my shoes off and strode over to the window, in passing, noticing the large fireplace that seemed to have been gently smouldering, making the room toasty and warm.

In the knowledge that no one would be able to see me, I stripped myself of my greasy garments and remained by the fireplace whilst remaining entranced by the view from the window. I had just noticed that the mist had gotten thicker, making the dead woodland look ominous and creepy yet at the same time, there was something beautiful about it.

On my right was a four-poster bed with beautiful emerald green curtains and bedsheets that just seemed to be inviting me to jump down on it.

Giving into temptation, I pursed my lips and turned around, outstretched my arms and allowed myself to fall backwards onto the soft springy bed. Oh, how I missed this! The feeling of no springs, no hay but goose feathers? Springs? Whatever they were, it was like heaven caressing my back. Like I had landed on a cloud and I didn't want to get up.

Yet I knew I had to.

On the table in the middle of the room was a suitcase with my clothes and most importantly, my pyjamas and Pip the cat. It just felt right having something to nuzzle into my chest as I slept. Pip was something of a comfort to me as he reminded me of home and my childhood, when times were simple and I didn't have to think about espionage or giant human eating machines.

I smiled sadly as I sat up and opened my suitcase and pulled Pip from on top of my dresses and coat. I pulled him into my chest and sniffed the top of his head. I had no idea how, but he still smelt of my dad's old home.

I walked into the large door marked 'Bathroom' and walked in. Again, nothing short of magnificent.

At the far end was a large cream marble bath that overlooked the woods. Not missing a trick was on a small table in front of the bath which held a bottle of sparkling wine and two champagne flutes. I walked over and inspected the bottle: 'Hunter's Creek' not the most expensive of wines but still, good booze is good booze.

I turned the tap on the bath labelled 'hot' and looked at the shelf above the magnificent bath. Bottles of all different shapes and sizes made up of different scents, essential oils, and colours lined the shelf, all individually labelled in cursive writing. Things that rivalled my make shift shampoo and conditioner and body scrub. Things that I had never seen whilst shopping on my time off.

There were even scrubbers, those wooden massage things. The fucking works.

However, that wasn't the only thing that surprised me. There was a detachable showerhead on the wall by the side of the bath. No cubicle or shower curtain, just a showerhead and drain, which honestly worked for me. Have a shower whilst the bath filled to the top? Fuck yes. This was the dream.

I turned both hot and cold knobs and experimented on twists to get the perfect temperature.

Even when the water wasn't satisfactory, it was miles better than the showers back in the barracks and compared to no shower in the underground, it was heaven. Once I had found the perfect balance, everything just felt so much better.

I massaged my scalp with my fingernails and watched in awe as clumps of coffee dye came out of my hair. Even without shampoo, this stuff was a wonder to get out. I reached over to the shelf and grabbed a blue bottle labelled 'Blue Morning Hair Clean'. Sounded dreamy enough.

I opened the bottle and was hit with the beautiful smell of… well, I'm not sure what it smelt like. It was fruity and light and crisp, but I couldn't quite place what kind of fruit was used but holy hell it was good. As I massaged it from the roots to the tips of my hair, feeling the clean sensation wash over me.

Once I was sure all the dye had left my hair and that my hair was clean, I put in 'Blue Morning Hair Soft' onto my tips and got rid of the tangles, I rubbed some exfoliation scrub all over myself, I turned the shower off to see that the bath was more or less full.

Perfect.

Climbing in was the best feeling in the world. Allowing to just be engulfed in the warm embrace of the water was just heavenly. I tied my beautifully clean hair above my head and settled into the bath water.

Smiling to myself, I leaned over and grabbed the sparkling wine bottle. It might be something like 8am, but fuck me, I deserved it. I took the top off, enjoying the loud and satisfying 'pop' fill the bathroom. Not bothering with a glass, I took a swing of the bottle and relaxed even further into the bath as the sharp but sweet taste of wine filled my mouth. If I were to get sloshed, who would be there to yell at me? Terrence? Nah, he'd probably laugh.

I looked out of the window by the bath and couldn't help but be in awe of the cold morning. The sun was still rising behind the woods and there was still a mist hanging around the field. I could just about make out the shape of a stag by the opening of the woods. Just standing there majestically, unaware of the possibility of a hunt taking place soon.

I took another swing of the bottle, feeling a euphoric numbness and hunger take hold of me.

God, the unspeakable things I would do for a cheap kebab with a side of hummus and chips.

Once I had decided I had had enough of being in the bath, I stood up and climbed out, remembering to pull the plug out of the bath and walked over to the double wash basin where the towels were. I wrapped one around my head and another around my body then brought the sparkling wine with me, still taking the odd swing of the bottle to pass the time.

Once I was sure that my body was dry enough, I took the towel off from around my body and opened my suitcase. Now this was going to be a challenge.

I had gone to a tailor in Yarckel District after attending a training exercise just outside the city in my time off and paid him a few generous pieces of sliver to fashion me a weekend wardrobe and send it to me. I honestly don't remember why I did it other than because I felt like it but, in this moment, I realised it was the best decision I think I had ever made.

I put on the bloomers and stockings, then came the corset.

Even in my slightly wine hazed state, I still knew how to put a corset on. To a degree. I mean, they're more or less just Spanx on steroids, just with more pulling involved.

I worked out the lacing and just started to pull the laces. Immediately, I noticed my back straighten and that each breath I took was shorter. I wasn't going to go all out and pull until I couldn't breathe, but just enough so I could fit into the dresses the tailor had sent.

Once the hell of getting a corset on was complete, I had to choose between an emerald green jacket and skirt with a white ruffled blouse with a black ribbon around the collar or a baby blue high collared dress both of which would be finished off with a long fur coat that I had won against a rather well off fellow who had bet his wife's coat in a game of rummy at a high end pub in a small well to do town in Wall Rose.

In between sips of wine and air drying my hair, I had decided on the emerald green ensemble.

Just then, there was a knock on my door.

"Room Service," said a deep Scottish voice

I chuckled and walked over to the door and opened it. Standing in the doorway was Terrence in a long dark grey tweed jacket that reached the back of his knees. Under his jacket was a dark green vest that had a brass chain attached to each of the brass buttons, then beneath that was a crisp white shirt with an upturned collar and bow tie. His hair was down, reaching his chin, yet it still looked clean cut and handsome.

"I see you aren't ready," he said as he looked at me standing in my stockings, bloomers, and corset

"And you are. You do clean up well," I said as I allowed him into my room

"Thank you," he replied as he stepped in

I noticed he had eyed the wine bottle and wasn't surprised when he didn't comment on it. After all, we all have our vices and sometimes it's best we don't bring them up.

"Once you're dressed, do you wanna go into the city for breakfast or stay in and get room service?" Terrence asked as he took a seat on my bed.

"What's the menu like?" I asked

"Pretty damn sweet. There's what they call a 'Full Breakfast' which is more or less a full English with smoked ham, eggs, sausages, black pudding, tomatoes, mushrooms, and toast. There's pastries, toast, oatme-"

"Why don't we get a Full Breakfast each and get some pastries to go with it. Ohh and a pot of tea. Do they do fruit juice? Because I could murder an apple juice," I rambled

Terrence laughed

"Yeah, they do,"

"Good,"

I put on the blouse and skirt without issue before putting on the jacket. I then walked over to the full-length mirror by the bed and looked at myself in complete content. I looked like I could easily blend into an Edwardian city. For once, I couldn't help but feel pretty. I know training before coming here had given me an attractive figure, but I had never had the chance to dress up so much. On nights off, I dressed for comfort and never wore anything so fine.

"Suits you," said a voice from behind

I turned around to look at Terrence. He was still on the bed, yet his gaze made me feel like he was much closer, like he was next to me. Not in a romantic way, but in a platonic, almost brotherly way.

"Yeah, it does," I whispered as I childishly twirled

I then stopped and put my hand on my hip

"Now that I'm dressed, how about you order us some breakfast?"

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A/N- Thank you so much for reading!

I'm so sorry it's been a while, but I started university and have had so much on but I'm still updating this story, albeit slowly and steadily.

I started this story when I was 15 but rewrote chapters a year later and I've definitely deviated from where I was originally going with this but I've enjoyed writing it so much and seriously, the reviews have always pushed me to write, and for that, I'm thankful to all of you for reading, commenting and critiquing my work, it means the world to me.

The next chapter is currently underway, and fingers crossed, I don't take forever on it like I did with this one.

Comments and criticisms are always welcome!