Being human hurts, and her new flesh burns in the intensity of her light. She screams and tries to draw it in, muffling all things.

(In the water is a woman, naked and glowing and simply floating there, not quite touching the cold waves, as if the water itself shies away from her. Steam rises from wherever the greatest intensity of her light touches.)

"Ho there!" Sarah calls out when the strange woman becomes visible. "...Do you need help?"

A muffled shriek, and her glow recedes - and she splashes into the water, flailing, sinking, unable to coordinate her limbs enough to swim.

She curses under her breath and directs her ship closer, before diving into the waves after the sinking woman.

They're soon both on board again, and the ship's doctor hurries over with blankets.

"Are you alright?" the doctor asks.

"I'm fine," says Sarah, glancing at the woman.

Who can't quite figure out this 'talking' thing, her mouth opening and closing uselessly. She eventually makes a sort of 'unh' sound.

The doctor sighs, says, "Let's get you inside and clothed. Captain?"

"We have enough spare provisions. We'll get her back to London, maybe find someone who knows her."

There is general assent, as the doctor hurries the strange woman inside.

Some time later, she's been clothed and taught how to form sounds - marvelous, that humans speak in such a way - and has figured out how to stop shimmering. When it came out she lacked a name, the crew dubbed her Lillian. Apparently in honor of someone, she didn't understand who.

They're approaching this 'London,' now, and Lillian has pressed herself against the front of the ship, watching the approaching lights in wonder.

It's a lovely city.

When they dock, she initially stays on the ship as instructed, but then it's been a while and her curiosity overcomes her, and while none of the crew are looking she slips onto firm ground, gazing in open-eyed astonishment. All the buildings! And the people! All sorts of different people, she'd never heard 'lesser' beings could be so interesting.

Kim has been tracking the judgement since they fell from the sky. Sometimes by herself, sometimes with other reports from her fellows.

Now she waits in a shadowy corner, rifle levelled. She's ready to end the judgement's life, to preserve the Great Chain, to ensure life continues in the way that is right and proper. 

There's a rather mangy looking cat over there. He looks grouchy and sad, so Lillian walks up to him - she doesn't have all her words, but she can hum an old song her mother sang, and giggle when the cat jumps onto her shoulder, purring. The cat's fully willing to give instructions as to proper care and petting, and whispers in her ear between rumbles.

Mostly welcomes to London, and a confirmation that she's been told the highlights, so far. He asks her if she's been told about the Bazaar, she says not much, and he lowers his voice and leans in to whisper quieter -

She comes into view, and Kim knows it's her, that she is the target. She's mostly suppressed her glow, but no one else in London has that...brightness she has. Kim sucks in a breath, and aims for her head.

...but can't. She can't pull the trigger. The judgement is...well. She's bright, and joyful (her smile), and beautiful. There's just no one in London that could have the light she does. But she has to be put down, she's a weakness in the Chain, and it must be protected. Kim puts her eye back to the sight, and levels the rifle again.

The cat leans in, whispers - "I suggest you run."

Lillian startles, looking around, even as the cat digs his claws in her shoulder - and meets the gaze of her would-be assailant.

...and Kim can't. Her gun lowers. She meets the gaze of the fallen judgement, and feels a shift in her heart.

She could rescue her, get her somewhere safe. Away from the cult. Maybe they're wrong about her, anyone that innocent couldn't actually be bad, could they? 

Then she remembers her fellows, posed ready to shoot should she fail-

Her gun comes back up, aiming at someone on a roof, and fires. The person crumples. Kim doesn't wait to see if it's fatal, and vaults over obstructions to get to the judgement. 

"We have to go. Now," she orders, grabbing the woman's arm and tugging her into the shadows.

What just happened, what was that noise -

She follows along after, craning her neck around.

(The cat hisses at the newcomer, then digs his claws in and clings on).

A shot ricochets off the wall just by the judgement's head, and Kim pulls her away quickly. "Keep running! Head down!" She pushes her ahead, and then readies her rifle.

As soon as a familiar shape comes into view, she lifts her rifle, aims, and pulls the trigger. 

Like the first, she doesn't check to see if they're dead. She simply holsters her rifle and runs to catch up with the judgement. 

She glows a bit when she's startled, then whips around to glare at where the shot came from - but lets herself be dragged. "What's going on?"

"They're (we're) trying to kill you. We've got to go before they actually get a shot in." 

Where's the closest inn? She remembers one being not too far from the docks, but that's not far enough from them. Further in, there'd be a safe space for now...she hopes.

Too late!

A bullet rips through her shoulder, and she screams, a high-pitched, distressed sound. Her blood shimmers golden, and sizzles where it falls. What is this stinging, what is this hurt in her flesh?

She whips around, something gathering about her - 

"This is not the time to fight! Those weapons can harm others, too!" the cat on her shoulder hisses. He then yowls and jumps down, calling out, "Follow me!" and darting into a narrow alley, barely visible at all.

No! NO!

Kim turns and fires at the pursuer, not caring to make a perfect hit, only to stop whoever was hurting the girl- and sees her cat sprint away. "Follow the cat! I'll watch our backs."

She keeps firing as she backs up.

She pokes at the wound, still a bit stunned by her own blood, then glances after the cat - and grabs her would-be rescuer and starts dragging.

Incidentally, all the lights on the street go out, rushing towards her before melding into her skin and vanishing.

Humans can't see in the dark, right. (It's incredibly uncomfortable, she can hardly breathe in the dark, but - Better than people getting hurt.)

"Wow," Kim says on a sigh, watching as the lights get extinguished.

Her serious demeanour returns once the girl starts dragging her away, and slips her hand down to grab hers and runs after the cat. She tells herself it's too keep her getting shot and keeping up, not because to keep her safe- 

She sees the girl getting uncomfortable, and takes a tighter grip on the girl. "I've got you. I'm not letting go. We need to keep moving."

"Right."

She follows the cat through the twists and turns of the alleys of Wolfstack, breaking into Spite and then clambering up to the roofs of the Flit. Lillian is nimble, never putting her feet wrong as she leaps across rooftops, even in the darkness.

Before long - another high-up alley, a short maze through an abandoned building, and a rickety door, leaning against the wall rather than hinged. The cat skids up to it, and mrows.

A single bright feline eye peaks out from a gap beneath the door. "Password?" says a young, feminine voice.

"Hiro, I don't have time for this - " spits the cat. "Let us in."

"Not without the password, Senna!" she sing-songs, but the door creaks open nonetheless to her "Hey!"

A rather grubby child looks out. "Wot you want?" they ask, putting a hand on one hip. "This's my hideout."

Kim manages to follow, albeit less gracefully, her landings are always heavy. 

Once they reach the door, Kim keeps an eye and a rifle on the way they came. "Ascendant Protectorate are after her. We need somewhere to lie low."

Doesn't mention that she is one of them...formerly one of them? A problem to consider later.

"And that's my business because...?"

"It's not. We're asking for help. You refuse us, we'll keep moving. But she-" Kim looks at the judgement. "...my friend is in need of medical attention. If I can just have a few hours to help her, we'll get out of your way."

"Rena! Be nice!" comes from further in, and a girl comes forwards, elbowing aside her friend who moves rather grouchily. "Come in, we don't get adults here much so you better follow our rules."

"Thank you, my lady."

The girl giggles, even as her friend rolls their eyes, and sketches a curtsy, pushing the door open wide enough for the two women.

"Come in! Come in! We'll lay down a feast! We got victuals and decorative mushrooms galore!"

Kim offers a quick nod and a twitch of a smile to the little girl. She likes children, never had the chance to have any of her own. 

Once inside, however, her manner turns clinical. "We need a quiet, private place so I can tend to my friend's wounds. If possible."

"Uhhh - the back bedroom! I think you'll fit."

"Thank you. Could you take us?" She gathers the injured judgement close to her.

"Sure. This way." And she leads them through yet more cramped, labyrinthine halls to a bedroom decorated heavily with brocaded cloths and paintings. "Here! Uh, medical stuff - we got some bandages? Somewhere. I'll go get them." And she scampers off.

Lillian glances over at her rescuer. "Hey. Thanks, for helping me out. I'm fine, though. Are you okay?"

"I- I'm fine. I was part of the group sent to kill you." That was blunt. Honest though, and Kim is nothing if she's not honest. "I'm not going to, though. Kill you. I think they're wrong about you. At least, I think they're wrong. I've never seen anyone as bright as you."

She directs the girl to sit down, so she can inspect the wound. "I'm Kimberly Fett. Kim, usually."

"...I don't think humans'd be able to kill me all that easily. And the sailors named me Lillian."

“Nice to meet you. Hold still.”

Kim feels around the wound to see if the bullet is still inside. 

Her blood is exceptionally hot. Scaldingly so, even with her trying to suppress it.

The bullet's not easily findable, but there doesn't seem to be an exit hole.

"What're you looking for?" Lillian asks, shifting uncomfortably.

Kim flinches back with every touch of her blood, but continues none the less. “I’m trying to get the bullet out. It’ll fester.”

She pauses. “At least, that’s how it works in humans.”

She focuses - "It's keeping me from healing, but I don't think I can push it out. Can I have a knife? ...What does 'fester' mean?"

“Are you sure you can get it yourself?”

"Yes. I can feel where it is."

Kim draws a knife and hands it to Lillian. 

The thought that she was handing her a weapon to end Kim’s life never crossed Kim’s mind. 

Lillian would not, actually, need a knife to kill her, though it'd certainly be cleaner and with less risk to bystanders.

She feels along her front - then stabs herself through her shoulder. The bullet is closer to this side, after all. She widens the gash, pain clear on her face, and then dives in to dig out the bullet.

As soon as it's removed, the wound drips and merges closed, only a golden, flaky residue and the stains on her clothes indicating it was ever there.

“You really are a judgement.” Kim doesn’t sound disappointed. Just curious. 

She doesn’t know how to react to this. Lillian is capable and miraculous and Kim doesn’t know what to do now. 

"Ah - half of one. My mother says my father was a devil. I heard the Judgements couldn't see the Neath, so - I came here. To buy myself time, the Bazaar still has this city and then two more left."

“You came here to see what you were missing out on?”

Kim shakes her head sadly. “The Bazaar isn’t the only thing with a stranglehold on the city.” 

She strangley didn’t include the Ascedants in this group, despite the fact they did their best to keep the Great Chain going. 

"No. The Judgements objected to my mother breaking the Chain. My half-sister tried to hide me, but the other Judgements could still peer into her domain, so I left before they could send a world-dragon after us. ...That still might happen, but I should be safe here until the seventh city ends."

“You’re...you’re half human?”

"Father was probably a devil, but mother may have been wrong."

“What man isn’t.”

Kim takes a steadying breath. “I was sent to kill you for falling from the Chain. A blesemphous action. But you don’t strike me as someone who would do such a thing lightly. Did you demon father tell you to leave?

"I've never met him. I learned that the Judgements had learned of me, and usually in this sort of situation the sentence is death. It wasn't the idea of my own death that bothered me, but my sister's."

“That’s very noble. Most of your kind would only care about preserving themselves.” 

Until now, that thought wasn’t an insult. 

"I'm hoping to change that."

“...why?” 

That doesn’t make sense. As a judgment, she has the highest place in the city. Why change things when you’ve got the best of life has to offer?

"Caring only about ourselves is wrong. The Judgements rule as gods, many consuming the souls of those below them. It needs to stop. What's the purpose of power if not to help those without?"

“The purpose of your power is to empower those below. To be the power that we can all rely on. You make things make sense!”

...does she even believe that anymore? 

"Maybe we could set up multiple worlds, if someone prefers a singular leader. But everyone should have as best a life as they can and want."

“And you believe us worthy of free will?”

"Everyone is."

“A kind thought, for a kinder time. There are people that would greatly benefit from a less kind system.”

"Like who?"

"Those who appreciate what segregation can offer the greedy."

She's not accusing Lillian, who seems to want the best. It's a lovely, if naive thought. The downtrodden rarely accelaterate above their station-

Then, Kim laughs. Was this not the system she defended with her life? "Not that you should listen to me. You're the first thing to make me question it."

"It's why we need an equal system, though, so the greedy can't take from others."

"Say you had the chance to do that. Where would you start? How would you keep it equal?"

"I don't know yet. I first met a human two weeks ago. But the Judgements not eating souls would be a place to start."

That, more than anything, weighs heavily on Kim's heart. Until today, until just an hour (hours? She has no way of knowing) ago, she hadn't questioned the way things were. It had to be right, because if it wasn't then Kim had no steady grounding. And if it was, she would have to turn her gun on Lillian. 

And she did not want to do that.

She runs a hand over her braided back hair, sighing. "They must've been special, this human you fell from on high for."

"More fell on... I couldn't figure out how to move when I fell, and she dove into the zee to get me out of the water."

Just then - the kid from earlier comes barging in. "I found the supplies! - Oh, huh, it healed? - Well, this alcohol should be good for getting up the stained stuff. Why's your blood all weird?"

"She had one-too-many spoonfuls of honey. But thank you anyway. We should g-"

Kim frowns, and looks around. "Where's your shouldercat gone?" She asks Lillian.

"Senna? He's talking to Hiro. They hissed at me when I tried to eavesdrop, though, they're sharing secrets."

"Well, that doesn't that just fill me with confidence," Kim says drily. 

She pauses though, and manages a lip-twitch of a smile at the girl. "Thanks for taking us in. You're a good kid."

"Heh. You guys are pretty neat. You're gonna hafta trade some, though, we could use someone tall to put up paintings."

"I think I can do that. We will have to keep moving soon. People might start turning up on your front door, and they will be less inclined to help put up paintings."

"Hm. I might be able to point ya somewhere else, or Senna knows a buncha little places."

"I'll certainly ask him. Or maybe he's coming with us?" She asks, not really expecting an answer, but turns a small smile at Lillian.

"He's nice! I like him."

"Senna doesn't like practically anyone, 'cept Hiro."

Who wouldn't like the attention of an angel? Kim thinks, looking at the brightness in Lillian's eyes. 

Maybe now isn't the best time for fond stares and thoughts, especially not someone who is still mostly a stranger.

"For now, I suppose I'm your handyman? We can decide what we're doing once the pictures are up and centred."

"'Kay! The pictures're this'a way..." And she directs Kim and Lillian in hanging a wide variety of paintings and sketches and other assorted decorations. Lillian manages to coax a couple of stories of the Neath out of her, though their veracity is a little bit dubious.

Kim laughs through her nose at some of the more outlandish ones, but doesn't correct the child. It's amusing to see her so excited to tell stories to new people. 

Eventually hangings are hung and tweaked and sufficiently ruled over, to Sophie's great satisfaction.

"Hey, food!" Sophie eventually remembers. "Rena, food!"

"We don't got much more'n mushrooms, mebbe some tea. A bitta crab, too?"

"...If it's an imposition, I don't need to eat."

"...Nah, you're fine. Sophie likes ya."

"Food would be appreciated, thank you." 

Been a while since breakfast, and that had been little more than plain toast. She'd been anxious to get going, to get set up for...

She looks at Lillian, again.

Lillian is going to help the kids set up a proper "feast." Sophie's now switched to teaching her Neath-songs.

It turns out that this particular 'angel' cannot sing. At all. In the slightest.

Kim laughs. "Like alley cats fighting!"  

She joins in with the singing, though her voice isn't much better than Lillian's.

Sophie actually can sing, and is trying to coach Lillian, with little success.

Kim is happy to watch, fondly amused, and is impressed by Sophie's tenacity.

Eventually food is scrounged up. It's mostly old dried mushrooms and a bit of crab and some bread of dubious origin and an old mushroom-flavored tea, but Lillian is impressed, having had nothing but fish and hard tack up until now (and not much of that, when the sailors realized she didn't need to eat, as provisions are always precious).

"Are you all kids? Do you have adults looking after you?" Kim asks Sophie and Rena.

"Don't need 'em. Here's better'n the orphanage."

"How long has it been just you guys?" 

"Uh, I've been on the streets... Two years? Met Rena a couple'a months ago."

"Always been just me. Someone killed the orphanage director and I ran. Unluckily it didn't take."

"You've both done really well to look after yourselves," Kim says gently. "It's not easy living on your own. And you've got such lovely accommodations now."

"Heh. Yeah. Way better'n most."

"What do you do with yourselves when you aren't rescuing grown ups?" 

"I sell mushrooms and stuff! Rena's tryna practice being sneaky, they're not very good yet."

"It's a hard skill to learn! Senna should try to teach you, cats are very sneaky."

"Hiro doesn't like sharing secrets, and Senna's not around too much. Maybe, though."

"Sometimes secrets are better kept to yourself," Kim says, nodding. She doesn't know Hiro, but she knows how damaging the truth can be, even when it seems a small thing. 

"Are you going to use your sneaking powers for good, once you acquire them?" Kim says with a mock stern look, slightly ruined by the smirk in her lips.

"...Maaaybe. I'm going to change things, though."

"Good! Things need to change, everything's so - sad."

Kim wonders if she's reading too much into Rena's look, but knows what she means. Until the Protecterat found her, she was living hard. 'Changes' could only be good things.

She does agree with Lillian, though rescuing her was the big change in Kim's life. She's not sure what she's going to do now, apart from keep her safe.

"Until now I would've blamed blasphemers for that. I suppose it's always been this way," she muses.

"As long as the Judgements have ruled, probably."

"Before today I wouldn't have even thought to question if life would be better without them. It's still a strange thought." 

Melancholy steals over Kim for a moment, and she clenches her fist. She shakes it off quickly, letting a blank look fall over her face, like a mask.

Concerned glance.

"The Judgements? Don't the Masters rule?"

"The Judgments are the highest power," Kim says. "The rule the Great Chain of Being and ensure that life in the Neath continues."

A sideways look at Lillian. "At least, that's what I was told. In any case, the Masters boss us around and the Judgements boss everyone," she says to Sophie.

"The Judgements are actually the ones who enforce death, it's one of their rules, and the reason true death is rare in the Neath is that here's hidden from their light."

True death. Final death. And not beings of pure light and life, but enforcers of death. Huh. And here she was thinking that they only ate the souls of blasphemers and those deserving.

"The Protectorate sure got things wrong," Kim says, not sure if she's sad or happy about that fact.

"I think a lot of people don't know much about them."

"I suppose that's planned. Nothing more frightening or awe-inspiring than something you don't really understand."

"...I'm not sure they actually think that much about other beings, unless someone's transgressing."

"Not so much the case with you?" Kim says, smiling softly. 

"I try to care for everyone I can."

"I much prefer your way," Kim says. "I'll do everything I can to help you."

She almost says that she has nothing else, but that isn't pertinent when a few hours ago, she was going to kill her.

"Thanks, that means a lot to me."

"Don't thank me yet, we've got a long way to go before you can change anything."

Kim still feels the rush of warm affection, despite her own words.

"I'm glad I met you, though."

Kim's rendered speechless for a moment, her heart thudding in her chest. Glad?

She laughs a little, and clears her throat. "Yeah...well, you too."

(The kids are making 'ick' faces.)

"All right, all right, sorry to upset your delicate stomachs," Kim says teasingly. 

"We're not delicate, you're just weird."

Well. They're not wrong about that.

"Very weird," she agrees. "We'll be out of your hair before long, so no need to worry if it's catching."

"Eh. I guess you're not all that bad."

"The highest of compliments. Thank you very much."

Eyeroll.

She giggles. Human children are delightful.

Kim agrees with that!

"I'll help with clearing the table, and then some directions would be welcome. We'll need to keep moving."

"So soon? Kay..."

"If things settle down, we'll come back and visit. Promise."

"Definitely."

"That'd be nice!"

"We think so too." She's very confident speaking for Lillian on this. 

But for now, she helps clear away the table.

Once they're done:

"There's some holes near the docks, places the gangs don't go too much. Or Senna might know somewhere...?"

"Mrow," the cat agrees, stretching. "There's Starveling's new human, if you want people. Or the marshes to the south, if you want no one at all. Or the docks, like Sophie here said. I've heard that ship's captain you came in with has place she vanishes to, also; no one's said quite where."

"Does the captain know what you are?" She asks Lillian.

"...I kind of fell on her, and she was the one who pulled me out of the zee. I wasn't all that good at hiding, yet, but I never said anything, and I don't know what she guessed."

"Do you think we can trust her?" 

Not trusting people who're nice to her honestly hadn't occurred to Lillian.

"She's nice. To me and her crew."

"And the information the Protectorate got didn't come from her or her crew, as far as I can tell."

Kim taps a finger against the table, thinking. "I would rather involve as few people as possible, at least until the Protectorate loses the scent. Would you like us to try and get a message to the captain? Let her know you're saf- alive?"

"- Probably, yeah."

"I know someone who's da was a zailor. He might be able to run your message. Prolly for a fee."

Kim digs into her shoulder bag, coming up with a handful of pennies and rostygold. "Here. And take some for yourself too."

"Oh, this should be plenty, thanks! What's the message gonna be? Maybe something in code so the Protectorate won't find it!"

"You got any ideas for that? Only codes I know are Protectorate ones," she asks Sophie, but looks up at Lillian to include her too.

"I barely know English."

"...I gotta book of codes. From some spy who wasn't watchin' her pockets too close. But the target's gotta know the code too. Maybe just don't be obvious, like a letter from a friend sayin' you're fine, and you're settling in, have found somewhere to stay. She can't know that many new people."

"Smart, hanging onto that." Kim's voice is approving. "I'll grab some paper and a pen, please?"

She writes a simple message, signing it from Lillian. The Protectorate had no name for the fallen judgement, so she doesn't fear putting that down.

"Got it. I'll get this to started running?"

"Yes. And thank you for your hospitality." She bows to Sophie. 

To Senna: "You said something about the marsh-lands?"

"Mrr. They're not entirely empty, but there's hideouts in them, some abandoned. Not many people go down there, but they're not entirely safe, either."

“Fewer people is better. They’ll be looking for me too, now.”

"Alright. It's past Watchmaker's Hill, I know some paths through the flit but we'll be on the ground for some of it."

Kim thinks for a moment, and then takes off her rifle and bag, slipping her coat off. “Here,” she says, and hands it to the children. “They’ll recognise me if I wear it. You guys do with it what you want.”

She slings her bag and rifle back on, then unties the scarf from her neck to wrap her hair in, tying a knot on the top of her head. “All right. You ready to go Lillian?”

"Yeah, I'm ready," she says, then says her goodbyes to the children, thanking them for their help.

Kim does the same, and there’s a weird longing in her heart to take them with her. But it’s dangerous enough with just her going with Lillian, she won’t put children in harm’s way too. 

“Show us the way, Senna?”

The cat nods sharply and leads the way, again across the rooftops of London, largely avoiding sightlines to the street, and then into the streets of Watchmaker's Hill. They avoid the more trafficked areas around the Medusa's Head, slipping into the Marshes soon enough.

The marshes are practically pitch-black outside the lamplight of London, and strange sounds echo around them. Lillian slips into the mud a few times before figuring out how to walk on top of the marsh.

The beasts of the marsh seem to be avoiding them, for now.

Kim has no torch to guide her way, and she is remarkably flat footed, but she steers Lillian each time she sinks, eventually just keeping one hand on her elbow to keep her steady. 

Only for that. Nothing else. She’s not thinking of any other reason but that. She hopes. 

Eventually they do find their way to a more solid bit of ground, a dilapidated shack jutting out of the marshes. Senna wriggles in to confirm it's empty, then gives them the all clear.

The shack has cobwebs and other old signs of sorrow-spider infestation, but no evidence of any current such inhabitants. There's a half-rotted table, and a single bed somehow still standing.

Senna cleans his whiskers, then says, "Not much, mrr. But the next place is a day's walk at your pace, and we'd be crossing Blemmigan territory."

"...What's a Blemmigan?" Lillian asks.

Senna sends her a wry look. "Carnivorous mushrooms. Rather nasty. Though I don't know how they'll react to you."

"It's fine for now. Plan is to eventually circle back to the docks, get Lillian to the ship. Get her out of London quietly enough the Protectorate doesn't know she left," Kim says, giving the shack a thorough inspection for sorrow-spiders and evidence of other people who might come back. 

Though, she does look back at Lillian after a moment, brow furrowed. "Unless you don't want that, of course."

"I can't change things if I'm at zee. I'm willing to lay low for a short while to keep other people safe, but - I don't fear for my own life."

Kim pauses for a moment, thinking. The Protectorate won’t stop looking for her, but getting them off the scent means Lillian will be able to start changing things- but she would have even more freedom if the Protectorate were gone. 

“Then I’ll fear it for you,” she says fiercely. 

"Thanks. So, what now? Do we wait for them to follow us out here?"

"We wait to see if they will. Better that they don't, that means we get away cleanly. We'll have to head back into London for supplies, that'll be a good time to scope out whether they've found us out or not."

"I want to help people at some point, not just stay hidden out here."

"I'm not going to stop you from doing that, cross my heart. But just for right now, we need to lie low. It's not forever."

Kim pauses, then a slight laugh comes to her lips. "Though, if you were to insist we start tomorrow, I wouldn't stop you."

"What good will lying low do? Won't they still be looking for us even later?"

“You hoping to start your revolution from the tomb-colonies?” Kim says, but she sounds more impressed than anything else. “They will, but they won’t know where to start looking. Means we can move about the streets, rather than the shadows.”

"So we stay here until we know they lost the trail?"

"Yes." 

Kim wasn't sure how long that would be, however, so omitted that from her reply.

"What do we do in the meantime, then? Humans need food, right?"

"Occasionally, yes." Kim dives into her shoulder bag, looking at her supplies. "I have enough for a few days. And if it ends up being longer, I can venture into the Bazaar."

"There's rats, too, out here," the cats says. "And plenty of mushrooms. If you're not picky."

"You'll find me the least picky eater in London." She's not actually the biggest fan of rats, but a meal is a meal. 

To Lillian, "We won't linger here long enough for your revolutionary spark to dull. I promise. You'll be out delivering us to a better tomorrow in no time."

"Alright."

And to getting settled in, as much as they can?

(Lillian does not need to sleep, so she has no objection to sitting or standing by the door and keeping an eye out while she thinks.)

Kim gets to work gathering whatever dry material she can find to start a fire in the dilapidated stove. Enough to keep them warm in the chilly marsh, and to cook rats, should she get desperate. 

“Penny for your thoughts?” She asks the quiet Lillian. 

"The laws here are strange. I looked at them some on the ship, but I was - distracted, trying to learn your language. It's just... I guess this place really is far from the Judgements' light."

“Laws for the lawless never really stick. Especially since lasting punishment doesn’t particularly work.” She thinks of the tomb-colonies, and even though the threat of them is frightening, true death frightens her more. 

"It's the Judgements' laws I'm worried about, and it's not just death being rare, it's - the chain's weaker, here. Souls have - something like more potential to them. I don't know what it is yet, though."

“An avenue to investigate. That will mean a trip into Hell,” Kim says with a look of distaste. 

"I might be able to track down my father, if we go there."

“And we can be certain the Protectorate won’t follow us.”

She looks at Lillian with a little concern. “Are you sure you want to find him?”

"I'm not. I don't know if he'll help or hinder us. But - I want to know who he is."

Kim is not a particularly physically affectionate person, so the urge to hold Lillian, to comfort her, is alien and strange. She shakes it off.

"We'll be in the area, we may as well. You don't have to tell him who you are."

"He might guess, though I suppose my mother might not have told him about me."

"Could he steal your soul? Is that even possible? Do judgements even-"

"We - are souls. I don't know that mine can be stolen."

"I'd rather not test that theory, but we'll need to investigate that avenue anyway." Kim sighs, which then turns into a yawn. "Excuse me."

Nod.

She settles in by the door.

Kim settles on the opposite side, taking her rifle and bag off to set them down. She's not...sure what to do now. 

"...do you want to small talk? I have some comments on the weather," she offers weakly.

"We can. I don't really know what to talk about, though. The weather here is neat, it's not at all like the High Wilderness."

"How about a question for a question? You tell me something about the High Wilderness, I'll tell you something about the Neath."

"Okay. Hm... When I fell, I felt another light, to the East of here. Do you know what that was?"

"It's the Mountain of Light. Haven't heard much beyond rumours about it, unfortunately."

"Huh. Maybe we can go there, someday."

“Good thing you know a zee Captain.” Kim smiles. 

“The sun. Does it shine as brightly as a Judgement?"

"It is a Judgement. All the suns, all the stars, are."

“All of them? Including you? You were a star?” Kim could easily believe that. Lillian did have a celestial beauty. 

“You’ve given yourself a hard job, unseating the very heavens.”

"I don't know if I count, I never took my place."

“It won’t matter to people down here, they saw a glowing creature fall,” Kim says gently. “You can take that as encouragement, that people will listen to you like you have the words of God.”

"They shouldn't, though. No one should be placed above anyone else."

“Some people need guidance.”

"They should listen to me because I'm right, not because I can glow."

Kim laughs. “Mm, glowing shouldn’t play a part in decision making.” 

She wriggles a bit, getting comfortable on the floor. “What do you want to do first? To complete that goal. We discussed Hell...”

"I don't know this place well at all. Allies, maybe?"

"That'll be slightly harder to do," Kim says. She's a little against talking to other people, at least for the moment. But she's not going to lock Lillian up until things are safe. 

She doesn't want that.

"Maybe we'll make a trip back to the Flit urchins sooner rather than later," she says with a smile.

"They did seem very knowledgeable about the city."

"They are. Second only to the cats," Kim laughs. 

"It would be nice to see them often. They're sweet."

"Very much so."

Kim grins.

"All right, Hell to maybe find your father, find the urchins for to see about allies-" 

A thought occurs to her. It's not really a done thing, but it can't hurt to ask. "Senna, could you and your fellows be lookouts?"

"Mrr. Perhaps. The cats are hardly united, but we... Dislike... The current order as much as most."

"Dislike we can work with. Thank you."

Kim taps her chin again in thought. "Maybe the revolutionaries...no, they're as likely to kill you as the Ascendant are."

"The zailors didn't tell me much about the factions. Who are the revolutionaries?"

"Mostly? Crazy."

Kim thinks a little. "They mostly oppose the Masters and the Bazaar. I've heard that there's a more...organised group wanting to start the 'Liberation of Night', whatever that means. I guess the Ascendant oppose them, in a way. There's a natural order to things and the Ascendant would die and kill to keep it."

Kim gestures to herself. "Present company excluded."

"...Who are the Masters? And the Bazaar's a sweetheart, at least from what I've heard."

"The Masters of the Bazaar. They're...uh...odd."

"Do they rule here?"

"Mmm...no? Not in the literal sense. They control the Bazaar, which is large and plenty of echoes flow through it. The revolutionaries would rather it not be controlled by them. I'm...not actually sure they have a plan for the after."

"I think you mean a different thing by the Bazaar than I do? It's the creature this city is resting on. You seem to mean something with money?"

"...the what?"

"I thought what the zailors were calling the Bazaar is the creature under the city? Those spires are part of it's body."

"I know what it is, it was a messenger for the judgements until recently - my sister told me this really romantic story of how it fell in love with this area's judgement, but the judgement loved another and sent the messenger to relay its love, and the other judgement rejected the first, and the messenger begged the council of judgements not to make it deliver the rejection, or else its love would die of heartbreak. They gave it seven cities of time to find a worthy love story to deliver with the rejection, to convince it love still existed, but my sister said it's on five cities and still hasn't found one."

“London is the Fifth City,” Kim quotes, like she’s realised something terrible. 

She falls against the wall, hand against her head. “We live atop a giant creature longing after a judgement.”

"I think it'd be a good ally, it also probably doesn't like the Chain."

“Especially considering the time limit.” Kim’s voice sounds very far away, even to her. 

“I wonder if the Ascendent would worship it over the Great Chain if they knew.”

"I don't really know that much about humans... Are you okay?"

“I’m...I don’t know. It’s, a lot to take in.”

Kim laughs suddenly. “I do believe that I am trusting your word because you glow. Sorry,” she says, a little ruefully. 

Lilian doesn't really know what to say to that, and isn't sure of human rituals of offering comfort.

Kim isn’t particularly good with physical affection anyway, after years of being told it was a weakness. 

She shakes her head, like she’s repressing what she actually feels, and offers Lillian a smile. “I hope you don’t mind, but I’m going to grab a few hours sleep. I won’t do anyone any good if I don’t.”

"Okay. I don't need to sleep, so I can stay up in case something happens."

“Wake me if you hear anything. Or if you need anything.”

Kim finds the comfiest bit of ground near her, folds her arms up to rest her head on them, and is seemingly asleep in moments. 

"Alright."

She sits and sort of - changes her focus, from the material world before her to the world of the judgements. The rules here are strange - she's been in the lightless wilderness between realms, but here... This is within a realm, just hidden from the ruling judgement's light, and she's more and more convinced something else is influencing the rules.

She could probably change them, given enough time and motivation. She doesn't particularly want to, especially since she's never actually established a realm before.

Kim meditates until she sleeps, fitful and uneasy, but she does manage it. 

Nothing of note happens in the night.

Kim wakes, and blearily forces herself upwards, stretching out sore and cold limbs. She smiles at Lillian.

Then she pauses, and stands up, running through a series of full body stretches.

Lillian watches, interested.

"You want me to show you some?" Kim says as she lifts herself back up.

"Sure? Why are you doing it?"

"Muscles are stiff. This warms them up so I don't get cramps. Or stiffness."

She settles into a first position, raising an eyebrow at Lillian.

Lillian copies, smiling.

Kim takes her through a few easy poses, fluidly changing from one to the other. It's clear that despite her bulk, Kim is quite flexible and has an easy grace with the movements.

Lillian - is having zero trouble with any flexibility questions.

(She likes moving this body, it's interesting to learn new ways to point it.)

She doesn't have an easy grace, her body sometimes jerks into the pose, so this is also really good practice for moving naturally.

Kim corrects Lillian’s stance a few times, with quick, gentle touches. Just to make sure she’s properly stable, though her hands do want to linger. 

Lillian doesn't mind at all.

(There's one occasion where she really, logically, should've fallen over at some point, but doesn't.)

(Kim definitely notices, but quite likes gently correcting her stance, even if it doesn’t matter)

Kim stretches her arms a certain way, and there is an audible pop. She sighs in pleasure. 

"This is fun."

“I’ve always found it relaxing. Helps when you’re on your feet all day.” She pauses, and grins. “Helps humans anyway, I’m not sure that a judgements body gets stiff.”

"I'm not really made of the same stuff humans are? I just compressed my star-stuff down a lot and made it human shaped. We - can get tired and something that's I think close to sore, but it's more mental or spiritual?"

“Yeah, never seen a star with a leg cramp,” Kim says. 

She tilts her head, considering what Lillian said. “Is there anything I could do to help that? Or soothe it? Stretching works for me when I’m sore, we could find something to help when you get mentally so?”

"Thanks, but - I think just resting? And doing - relaxing things. My sister and I would - it's not singing, but it's close - at each other when one of us felt tired, or just whirl through the High Wilderness together in silence. I don't know what human things are like that, though."

“We could try human singing and running in silence? If it helps. I’m not much of a singer but I’ve been told I’m not cat screechingly bad, no offence Senna.”

Kim relaxes out of the last pose, shaking her arms out. Her face pinches while she ponders her next words. “What’s it like? The High Wilderness.”

"It's - different. I only remember being in the same orbit as my sister, and then fleeing through the space between realms and then briefly to here. The space between realms is - it's not the same kind of lawless as the Neath, it's. There's no sense to the world there. No rules, just a thrumming. My sister's realm... She kept it orderly. Didn't have any inhabited planets, even. The rules made sense and were clear and beautiful, but also - I think it's what humans mean by cold. I... Don't think I paid attention to the same things a human would, though."

“It sounds lonely. I’m glad you had your sister.” 

Kim knows a lot about loneliness. Before the Ascendant, she had no one. Now, she guesses, she has Lillian, but for how long? 

"It was. I'm glad I met you."

Met while Kim was attempting to kill her, Kim thinks to herself. 

She does manage a small smile. “You too. I promise I’ll keep you safe while you wage war against the Chain.”

"Thanks. That means a lot to me."

Kim nods seriously, but a soft smile rather ruins the effect.

"Do you want to stay here today, or keep moving, or what?"

"We'll stay here a few days, keep our heads down, and then we'll head back into the city proper. I'm sure the urchins know a quick, quiet way to Ladybones road."

"Okay. Here here, or moving around?"

"Here, here. Then at least they're coming to us."

"Works fine for me."

"We'll have you out saving the world in no time."

"Hah. Thanks. It's... A lot, I know. But I think, with you on my side... It might be doable."

Kim smiles broadly, and a blush comes to her cheeks. She coughs awkwardly. "Yes...well. I'll do my best."

She can't seem to stop her smile.

"I will too!"

"You know, I really believe that."

Grin, and a comfortable pause. Then: "What now?"

"Now we wait," Kim says.

A few days later with no one kicking down the door of the shack, Kim feels Lian is safe enough to move on. 

"We'll need to keep our heads down, but we can head back into the city."

"That's good. I like spending time out here with you, but - being around people's nice, once I have the opportunity."

"I've never much liked being around people. Probably why I like you," Kim says with a half-smile.

"Aw, thanks! Are there any people you do like? I don't want you uncomfortable when we're talking to others..."

“Well...I, uh. I’ve always liked kids. They’re honest.”

"They seem it."

“The ones that live in the Flit are the bravest. It’s gotta be so hard, living on their own like that, no one looking after them.”

"...What do you mean, looking out for them?"

“They don’t have parents or guardians or anything. It’s just them.”

"Why do they need parents?"

"Someone's gotta look out for them, make sure they get food and sleep. Kids should be focused on playing and learning, not scraping by."

"...I think there's a fundamental disconnect somewhere here. We're smaller and then get bigger, but other than someone to tell us about history and how to control our domains and how to interface with the government, we don't need - well, help. I was only with my sister so long because I was weak and small and hiding."

"Kids shouldn't have to do it on their own, though some part of me does agree with you. They do need someone to help them figure out the world around them."

"No - it's - no one would say 'new Judgements shouldn't have to do it on their own' - if you set a newly made Judgement in the High Wilderness alone I'd expect them to be just fine, that's very common and not objectionable at all?"

"So, if you were a full Judgement, you would've just been thrown into your place? With no...training?"

"Knowing my mother? Yes, that's what happened with my sister, though she was taught some things about the world once she was nearly old enough for the Council to notice her."

"I'm kinda glad that you decided to come down here, then."

"I am too. But are small humans not like that?"

"Small humans aren't born with complete knowledge, they have to learn everything bit by bit. That's where parents usually come in."

"Oh. But you said something about food and sleep, why wouldn't they have that?" She knows that humans need it, even though that's a very silly design, but she can't imagine a design so silly that children wouldn't have them too.

"Food isn't free, and sleeping can be dangerous. Things aren't always safe around here."

"And kids can't defend themselves?"

"They shouldn't have to."

"So those kids were alone and shouldn't have been..."

Kim nods, gravely. "That's just it."

"We should try to find them."

"Thinking of starting your own orphanage?"

"Helpless small people is really bad species design! And if there's a reason, they shouldn't be left alone! This system is horribly run!"

Kim laughs at that. "You're offended by human design? I'd apologise, but I feel like I should be offended."

"Only at the silly parts! Though I guess the silly parts are why there's anything at all, and not just a clockwork world like my sister's."

"The silly parts are unfortunately where life happens, good or bad. Though I very much appreciate your offence on our part."

"It'd be neat if worlds got more of a say in how their system's run? Or better if it was possible to move freely between systems."

“I doubt humans have that kind of broad vision, but the sentiment is nice.”

"Mhm. I think there's some species it'd work well for, though."

“Well, let me know when you find one, hey?”

"I haven't explored very far, but when I was hearing examples, some actually are designed to do long-term planning better than humans, who're optimized for short-term reactions. There's trade-offs to both, of course."

“Pros and cons in every species, making each one unique,” Kim muses. 

"Yeah, that's the - idea - though most aren't optimized for quality of life."

“You make it seem like a game, creating life.”

"...I guess some Judgements probably view it that way? But it's. Like - creating something beautiful. Most create things for their own glory, not wondering if their creations want to be that way, or if that's what's best for the world."

“You’d rather make some beautiful and functional?”

"I'd rather create beings who're happy. Maybe that means beautiful, I don't know."

“I’ll agree with you there. I’d much rather be happy than beautiful, though it’s not often you’d be asked to make that choice by god.”

"Yeah. I think some choice is important, though I don't know how I'd do it. I've never designed a system before."

“I am kinda curious about that. System building. The idea of other worlds out there.”

"I haven't seen too many, just heard bits of pieces of stories. And - they weren't the type of stuff I find interesting so much?"

"You'd rather learn from down here?"

"Yeah. People are - interesting."

"I'm glad that we provide some entertainment."

"It's not just entertainment! I like learning about people. I want to know more about the kids, and more about the captain, and every sailor and every person we've passed. I could spend an eternity just talking to people, I think."

"I don't think I can relate to that. This has been the most talkative I think I've ever been."

"My sister wasn't a people-person either, I don't think. I can do the talking for us, though!"

"I would be very grateful for that." Kim smiles. "All though, people are gonna notice you more than me."

"That might help sometimes."

"They'll never see your shadow coming," Kim agrees.

"Mhm! I'm also a lot more durable than you, I think. I won't say humans can't kill me, but..."

"But they'd find it more difficult than, say, me?"

"Most likely, yes."

"I'll make sure to stand behind you then."

"I won't mind. I don't want you getting hurt; I wouldn't be able to heal you without changing the laws."

“You could rewrite humans to heal faster?”

"I've been poking at it some, and - I'd have to fight this system's Judgement, which might draw attention, but... I'd have options, for a rewrite. Healing faster, harder to kill, if I had any experience reset your state to 'uninjured' but that's hard..."

“Harder to kill would be far preferable to undying.” Kim finds herself very drawn to the ideas that Lillian is saying. To be able to shape this world for the better-

Well. It sounds like the opposite of what the Protecterate were. 

"I wouldn't want to risk it, at least not until I'm more confident I'd actually win, but, in an emergency..."

“An emergency that requires you to change the very fabric of the world,” Kim says with a laugh.

"Saving you would be worth it."

Kim’s not sure what to say to that. She dips her head with a small smile, feeling warmth blossom in her gut. 

"Though I'd ask you avoid risking it, I'd fight a Judgement for you but I would rather put that off."

“I’ll make sure to only run into smart fights,” Kim agrees. 

"I'd appreciate that!"

“I live to please,” Kim laughs. 

"You're amazing, you know?"

For a moment, Kim doesn't know how to react.

Then she giggles.

Lillian chatters less as the lights of the city grow in the distance. She seems to almost fold in on herself, mildly nervous - mostly about something happening to Kim. Slipping into the city isn't difficult, and they're in Watchmaker's Hill soon enough. The heights of the Flit aren't very thorough on this side of the river, and the nearest crossing points are in the direction of the Bazaar, either towards Wolfstack Docks or Veilgarden. 

"Do you think it's safe to go back by the docks?" Lillian asks quietly.

"You want to tell your friends you're all right?"

"I'd like to, but I don't want them in danger, either. I also don't know if we're going back to the Flit or straight to Hell."

"As much as I would like to take you to them, I'm almost certain the Protectorate will have people watching the docks. That's where we found you last time." 

"Yeah. And I don't want to endanger them, either."

“Then we’d better head straight to Hell. Maybe we can visit your friends later.”

"Straight to Hell it is, then!"

"This way." Kim leads her towards the station.

She follows, mostly succeeding in keeping her head down, but occasionally glancing a bit too curiously around herself.

Kim keeps an eye on her charge, telling herself it’s for her safety, but nonetheless finds her eye drawn back for a more fond, warming reason. 

Moloch Street Station is dark and gloomy and crowded, smelling of sulfur and coal dust. The damned shuffle onto the train, some like their hopes and dreams have been crushed, some smiling and waving to the weeping relatives they leave behind. There's a bored-looking devil taking tickets, and, through the crowds, a ticket-seller can be spotted.

Lillian looks like she's biting back a comment.

“Stick by me. We’ll be okay.” Kim heads towards the ticket seller, offering her hand to Lian. 

Nod, and hand-holding.

Once she reaches the ticket seller, she pulls a serious look back onto her face. "Two, thanks."

He seems bored, names a price in an even tone, then hands them the tickets. No questions asked.

Kim takes the tickets, heading for the train, keeping a tight hold on Lian’s hand. 

Lillian follows.

The line for the train is long and tense, and the train itself is crowded and unrelentingly dim. The air feels heavy, and there's a smell of smoke to it. Lillian keeps her head down, stops filtering the air (though does keep making a pretense of breathing) (breath is a novel sensation, but the smoke makes her new lungs hurt, so), and tries to surreptitiously glance around.

Most of the damned are staring blankly ahead or down. Some are sobbing. One brave person seems to be doing their utmost to remain cheerful.

Kim keeps a stern look on her face, and tries to shield Lian as much as possible. 

"You okay?" She asks.

"Yeah. It's just - the atmosphere."

"I guess you can feel it more deeply than I can. Are you okay?"

"I will be. Thanks."

"This'll be over once we find your father. Then we'll head back to the Flit. Promise."

"Yeah. Just gotta keep that in mind, huh?"

"Exactly. Think how excited those kids are gonna be to see us."