"Does Silco know you're doing this?"
"Silco," C hummed, her fingers tracing the edges of the sack, eyes dancing mischievously. She suddenly grabbed the head underneath, and a heavy, muffled grunt emerged.
"Silco was only after the trinkets. I believe it is time we step out of the shadows and force Piltover's hand."
'Tobias…' Orion thought, eyeing blood dripping from beneath the sack. 'He's worse for wear.'
"You're dead if he finds out. This is reckless. All for a ransom?"
"A ransom? Don't be silly. Little flower, we have grander plans than a mere ransom. Silco, however, waits too long in the shadows. The longer we wait, the less people will remember why we fight."
"Then," Orion began, his eyes widening with dawning realization, "you're not planning to ransom? You're planning to fight and..."
Orion turned his head to the thugs chuckling in amusement, Chem-masks dangling from their heads or waists. His eyes darted between bizarre flowers and bushes he had never seen as he remembered the toxic traits of the Red Blossom Flowers he had picked.
"A trap," Orion breathed. "You're purposely luring them here…"
C laughed playfully, releasing Tobias's head and rotating to Cassandra instead, rolling her head in circles like a doll.
"What a smart flower," she cooed, her eyes flashing with amusement through her venomous delight. "You're absolutely right! Silco preferred his quiet games from the shadows ever since the last uprising, but I want us to take the initiative again!"
Her expression darkened into disgust and disappointment. "Worse yet, your appearance has distracted him. He left earlier today for the mines, and last my people saw, he was skulking to the Last Drop."
"Vander?"
"Mhm."
"Isn't that a good thing?" Orion asked, confused. "They can mend old wounds and reunite the streets!"
"Hardly," C replied with disgust. She rolled her eyes and shoved Cassandra's head forward, eliciting a pained grunt. "You think speaking to the man who threw away so many lives is a good thing? I warned Silco not to reopen the past, yet he chose to ignore me."
C's voice shifted to mocking somberness as her gaze cast upward to the cracked glass ceiling above. Her hands betrayed her false calm, clawing violently at the air.
"But that's Silco, isn't it? He will sacrifice everyone and say it's all for the future, for Zaun! We are tools for the moment. If he convinces Vander, their relationship will be as illusionary as the one he built with me. But Vander will be too gullible to see otherwise."
Her gaze slid back down to Orion, her tone returning to its snake-like quality. "Silco views you, us, as tools. Piltover will never accept you. And Vander? Vander is a traitor and a coward."
A low murmur rippled through the gathered thugs, their voices blending with the hiss of Chemtech augmentations. Orion noticed how their eyes, half-mad and hungry, gleamed with conviction at her words. They weren't just listening, they were feeding their conviction with her words.
A dangerous unity birthed by treachery.
Orion's gut twisted. This was indoctrination and if his next words wrong, he would be killed.
"Join me, Orion. I know you are capable in both mind and body," she outstretched her hand, a smile with a hollow expression. "Those fools live in the past. We are the future."
Silence fell on the scene, broken only by the soft brustle of leaves and the screeching metal of the ventilation system. Orion, staring at her hand, tightened his expression and clenched his fists.
'Shit. Silco could still have loyal men here. He isn't stupid. Worse, right now she's planning an ambush. That means the Enforcers might be on their way here! I don't have much time!'
"Didn't Silco give you a second chance?"
C snorted.
"Silco didn't give me a second chance. He made me a useful pawn. Second chances usually come with… a leash." She gave a soft chuckle at the end, her fingers back to playing with the sacks.
Her eyes returned to Orion, starting to lose their patience. "Do you think you're different? Special? Do you think he will view you as anything but another tool to discard when your usefulness is over?
"You've seen how Silco thinks. He uses people. Join me, Orion. We can ensure Zaun rises and bring Piltover to heel for trampling on our people!"
Before Orion could respond, muffled shouts and clattering boots echoed from outside.
"The Enforcers are here!" a thug shouted, his voice trembling with anticipation.
The thugs exchanged smirks and began fastening their Chem-masks to their faces. Excitement rippled through them, their movements slower and more deliberate as they prepared for the ambush.
C eyed the door down the hallway as she fastened her own mask, her eyes glinting dangerously.
"Decide quick, little flower. Piltover's dogs are upon us, but tonight, they will learn to fear the name Corina Veraza and those who fight for Zaun!"
'She's no different,' Orion thought, his jaw tightening with frustration.
Orion extended a hand, drawing a gleeful expression through her Chem-mask as she tossed him a spare.
"Good choice, my flower," Corina cooed with satisfaction.
Around them, the thugs cheered before one yanked a lever. The room was plunged into darkness and the thugs faded into the botanical garden. Orion watched anxiously as the air grew thick with an unknown pollen, making it difficult to see through the goggles.
'I need to stop Corina here and escape. This is going to be tough.'
Orion exhaled slowly, stepping back into the shadows. His hands trembled as the impending fight sent adrenaline surging through him.
'Time to dance.'