Lena was running for now. She wanted to be carefree, no stealing, no searching for knowledge, just liberty. She closed her eyes as she was running. Everyone was tossing from her way, not wanting to be hurt. But anyway, they would have been fine, as Lena is very agile. This time, she didn’t even bother to put her troll disguise to pass unnoticed. She would have been noticed anyway. And she does not need to hide, as for now, she does not steal. Peoples were looking that weird human run like if her life was depending on it. She finally stopped in a small alley to take her breath.

Why was she running? To escape. Not to escape something tangible, but rather to escape her doubts. Her doubts about what was happening on Derse. Her doubts about what could happen on Prospit. Her doubts about herself. Her doubts about the life...

She began to wonder how she could evacuate these doubts. Maybe by talking to someone. But who? She has no friend, no confidant. And yet, she wonders if that was better like that... Her mask was rock hard, as always. And she does not want to wear it off. Not for now. Maybe never.

The thief suffers no opinions. She cannot... She is not able to support them... She fear to not being good enough...

But maybe... just a random troll she does not know, and likely never see again? Like the one that was here, the sea dweller? It is not like Lena will see her often... Only that time, to chat? So yes, here we go.

-Hey, hello. Can we... talk?

Like always when she was talking to someone, the feelings time was over. Now with the adamant hard mask of sureness and knowledge. Or was she that sure?

Allpha ran along the sides of the street, searching through her open bag as she did so and bumping into others ever so often. She was receiving lots of dirty looks for her disruption, but paid no heed to them. "Oh, gee... I think I have everything."

She had been off shopping for fabric to make clothing. Her father had always preferred to simply keep on his military unifom, even at home, though Allpha could never understand why. She didn't see how the stiff fabric of his uniform could be comfortable, though she supposed it must be after so much wear. She took it upon herself to learn to sew, and started making both her and her father's clothes. She was far from a skilled seamstress, and her finished pieces were obvious homemade, but her father encouraged her to keep learning.

She leaned against the side of the wall, letting out a long and drawn out sigh. She didn't wish to go home just yet, but she had nothing else to shop for and she wasn't working that evening. Her father might get worried if she didn't get home soon.

Suddenly, she heard an unfamiliar voice, asking to talk.

Surprised, she turned her head a little and peeked at an unfamiliar human.

No, wait... she stared at her intensely through her shaggy black hair. "Oh. Uh. Hello. You want to talk to me? About what? Whatever for?"

She hardly ever talked to humans. They were in a higher caste, they liked to shoot her suspicious looks when they thought she could see them, they liked to whisper about trolls rebelling and they vicious ways. Humans didnt scare her, but they intimidated her.

Lena almost wanted to slap her head. What got through it? She was human, and human were (surely falsely) considered better than trolls. Trolls are so similar to human, after all! Not like these carapaces... Now, she needed to think of a smart thing to say. The troll sure looked a little intimidated, but at least she wasn't one of these extremists highbloods. Hmm... Why not that?

"Oh, I'm sorry if I startled you... I do not want to criticize you, as I am sure many other humans do... As I said, I only want to talk to someone, and you are here. I mainly want to talk about what would happen to Prospit in the future, if the... new power in command on Derse takes the war on here. I love this planet, and I don't want to find it destroyed..."

Oh... Yeah... Hard to keep a mask when you are talking about doubts. She had been better to think about it before, but now was too late. And... why talk about the possibility of invasion to a TROLL, a SEA DWELLER, at that? It was not like Lena to do thing without thinking like that... Just, wow... At least, she thought about it in time, and tried to minimize the damages. She will try to be more sensible with this girl.

Either way, she will wait the answer of the troll. It would not be a very good idea to stay, but it would surely be a worst one to flee, just like that, after talking to this troll...