Richie walked into the back room and turned on the light.
Eddie was still where he had been the night before, trying to pull off the ropes. He looked up as soon as Richie entered the room and shot him a nasty glare.
"It'd probably be a lot quicker if you used your teeth," Richie said, smirking at the sight in front of him.
"Do you know how many diseases you can get from that?"
"Nope, my Tenebrian ass isn't educated," Richie said, hopping up on the counter above where Eddie was sitting, still struggling with the ropes.
"Get your feet away from my face, Tenebrian."
"You're the one trapped in the ropes, Lucantian." Richie watched Eddie huff irritably, his wrists red and raw from having scratched them against the rope all night. "Why'd you run away from Luceat?"
Eddie didn't respond, so Richie hopped off the counter and sat in front of him, crossing his long legs beneath him.
"Luci?" Richie asked in a teasing voice, getting a scowl from Eddie.
"It's none of your business," Eddie snarled, getting increasingly more frustrated.
"You're on our turf, Eds. It's kind of my business."
"Don't call me that."
Richie rolled his eyes with a smile. "Tell me why you're here, Lucantian. I mean, you went to the ports alone, but you don't look like an ambassador. They usually don't dress in those kind of clothes."
"What's wrong with my clothes?" Eddie looked extremely self conscious, eyeing the clothes he'd been wearing for nearly sixteen hours.
"Nothing, it's just not what an ambassador would wear."
Eddie laughed dryly. "And how would you know what an ambassador looks like, Tenebrian? You aren't allowed to leave Tenebris, let alone Divisus."
"True, but the only people outside of Tenebris that we have interactions with are Lucantian ambassadors. They wear more... outsider type clothes. Things meant for cooler weather. You look like you're wearing pajamas, Eds."
"Don't call me that!" Eddie snapped, glaring at Richie. "I have a name!"
"Fine, Edward, tell me the truth."
Eddie glared at him again before returning his attention to the ropes on his hands. "There's nothing to tell."
"Look, I'm not asking to report back to someone. I'm asking because I'm genuinely curious as to why a Lucantian kid who's obviously the son of a council member would leave. You left a life full of everything you needed," Richie said, and he could see the wheels turning in Eddie's head.
It seemed for a second like Eddie was going to respond with a real answer, but he then shook his head and looked at Richie, glaring. "It's none of your business," he says shortly.
"Fine, but while you're stuck here, maybe consider coming up with some kind of answer. Not everyone is as nice as me," Richie said, untying Eddie's hands and retying them behind his back so he couldn't loosen them up again.
"I hate you," Eddie said, watching as Richie stood to leave the room.
"Don't worry, I'm not too fond of you either," Richie responded before leaving the back room and entering the main area.
He was pleased to see Bev and Stan just walking in, both smirking when they realized Richie had shown up.
"So it looks to me like you aren't all against the rebellion, huh, Rich?" Bev asked, playfully ruffling Richie's hair, even though she had to stand on a chair to do it.
Richie shrugged. "Shit's not gonna change unless we change it first," he said, smiling at how pleased his friends seemed with that response.
"We've called you five here today to discuss something important," Donald said, quieting down Bev and Stan who had started talking to Richie about their excitement from his joining the rebellion.
Andrea didn't look pleased but didn't stop Donald from speaking.
"Henry, Patrick, you two are scouts and can get to Luceat ports. Bev, Stan, and Richie, you three are smart and can hunt better than anyone in Tenebris. We want to send you five on a mission."
"A mission?" Richie asked, his mind automatically running through all of the things Maggie would say if she knew he was joining an illegal group.
Andrea sighed. "Yes, a mission. There have been secure packages going in and out of Luceat, and with Klais being elected, we have reason to believe that there's something dangerous coming our way. We want you to find out what's in those packages and who's sending them," she informed the group, monitoring their different expressions.
Patrick and Henry seemed bored, Bev looked excited, Stan seemed to be mutual, and Richie was terrified.
"Wait, you mean-"
Donald cut Bev's question off. "You may have to leave Divisus. It's for the good of the Tenebrians and for their safety. If Klais is planning something dangerous, we need to know what it is. Which actually brings me to another point." He paused and looked to Stan, Bev, and Richie. "The Lucantian. I want to know what he knows. You've narrowed down he's of a high status, so he must know something."
"He won't talk," Richie said with a shrug.
Donald sighed, then nodded to Patrick and Henry who stood up and began walking to the back room.
"Where are they going?" Richie asked, realizing that Eddie was way smaller than both of them and unable to defend himself. "Why am I thinking of him? He's a Lucantian and he hates me!"
"They have more... persuasive techniques to get the kid to talk. We need what he knows, and he's an enemy. Sometimes things that we don't want to do need to be done," Donald said before walking to a closet and pulling out three leather bags. "There's clothes in here, as well as small portions of food and weapons. You'll leave once Patrick and Henry are done with the Lucantian."
"Are they going to kill him?" Bev asked, and Richie could sense the fear in her voice. Whether she hated Eddie or not, she didn't want him killed.
"Depends on if he gives them what they want. They're a bit more hostile than most Tenebrians, but it benefits us," Donald said.
"We can't kill him!" Richie shouted, slamming his hands on the table, the sound echoing through the room.
"Why not?" Donald asked, his eyes narrow. "He thinks of us as nothing, Richie."
"Because, uh," Richie glanced over at Bev and Stan who were shooting him suspicious looks. "He's necessary! He's a future ambassador and that means we won't need to kill Pona shipmen. We can just take their ship and Ed- uh, the Lucantian can guide us."
Both Bev and Stan could tell Richie was lying, but Donald didn't know him that well.
"Fine. If he tries to escape, you're in charge of killing him, Richie."
Richie nodded in agreement, sprinting back to the room where Eddie was trapped with Henry and Patrick.
