it's a metaphor for consumerism, i think

chapter 4 oh its actually kind of serious now. sorry

Uncomfortable silence met the both of us after my excalmation.

Artemy ... all this time I wasted today looking for him, and he was just in jail?! I should have guessed... he's too silly for this world. The feds would have gotten him for it sooner or later. Wait, there was something I had to ask him anyway

"Arte,my i have spent litreally the entire day looking for you" I said while crossing my arms. He just looked up from the corner where he was sitting, making himself look small and all but he was not small at all. False advertising. "And I wanted to ask you whether or not you hat something to combat the plague. I, my son is sick." he looked a little unsettled at that "I need to.. to save him, tonight preferably. He wont take my medicine unless I can cure all of my kids"

"You have children?" is all artemy replies.

"dawg why is eveyrone so worried about that. Yes I have children I adopted approximately twenty yesterday" i show all 20 of my fingers yes that includes toes ! "but the point is that i have this problem. surely you have something? youre dr medicine guy. you know the cooky steppe shi"

Artemy stares at me for a pained moment, his eyes becoming sadder by the second as he thought about something, then he shook his head "I don't, especially not for twenty children. At most I have tinctures but.. but they're not better than any other immunity booster." he let his voice fall away as I looked more distressed by every word "I'm sorry."

"Ohhg... oh no. oh no no no." I start pacing the cold stone floor, not realizing the feds had taken my gucci balenciaga prada luis vuiton chanel stamatin boots because I was hiding things in them (which apparently isnt allowed in jail, can you imagine that) (also i had to look up fashion brands for this bit .. the lengths i go...) "I need to get out. I need to go to him. I need OUT. i need OUT NOW !!" I grabbed the bars of my enclosure and started rattling them "GUARDS LET ME OUT. MY SON IS IN DANGER"

"I AM A SON IN DANGER IF I LET YOU OUT" one of the guards replied angrily, showing me his rifle (wow so cool) "SO SHUT UP"

"Woohghhfhgfughfj" i whined rattling the bars some more.

"Mara, come here." Artemy insisted from behind me, motioning me over to sit beside him while I looked at him with big sad eyes. I conceded, dropping down dramatically with my dogs stretched out in fron t of me. Artemy very pointedly avoided looking at them

"I'm sorry." I finally mumbled, pulling my knees up to my chest to make myself feel and seem small. He just placed a warm hand on my back, in a way, attempting to comfort me. Artemy is so nice man pilled.

His hand pulled away after a few seconds "Don't be. You have nothing to apologize for." he took a deep breath, clearly choosing his words very carefully, before he continued "So.. seeing as you're here, it's safe to assume nobody is coming to save me from jail?"

"Nobody knew you were here." I replied, placing my face on top of my knees "Again, I've been looking EVERYWHERE, and asking, too." I sighed "At least Dankovsky knows where I am, maybe he'll.." Nah, probably not.

"Dankovsky? What were you doing with him?" His voice was nothing but curious, but it felt kind of like a jealousy trope. Nahhhh thats way too cliché i wouldnt write that (i would)

"He was helping me when i couldn't find you with trying to find a cure for Notkin."

"Notkin has the plague?" I nodded gravely

"Which is why I need to get out as soon as possible. Maybe if I can manage then.." i bit my tongue and looked at the bars that held us. "Well, huhm, I don't really get why I was arrested in the first place. I thought they just put on fire the people they thought were Shabnaks?"