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Eden looked down. Right... She had forgotten because they were relatively well-behaved, but they probably needed to take a walk. It was impressive they hadn’t soiled the room yet. Unless they had and she just didn’t see... Well, with a bit of luck, maybe they had soiled somewhere that would annoy Dante.
“Thanks,” she said, walking up to him.
Rolf curved his lips in an attempt at a smile, but he looked like the kind of man who just didn’t know how to. Instead, his eyes were on Beer, who had run to bite his shoelaces, excited.
No words were exchanged between them while they left the room. Rolf was actually the one man around that Eden was most likely to trust... He had this kind of demeanor of someone straightforward without a hint of malice. She wouldn’t say it out loud but Eden was feeling okay with this man. Moreover, the way he looked at Beer or stole glances at Bullet in her arms spoke volumes. He was just interested in the pair of pups, not her.
They walked together in silence, Rolf a step ahead to guide her. Beer was having no trouble chasing behind, amused even, while Bullet was quiet in Eden’s arms. The middle-aged man took her to an elevator and after ascending a few floors, it suddenly opened onto a large terrace. Eden was surprised. This wasn’t just a large terrace; it had some grass growing in square patches. Even more incredible, there were trees! She let Bullet down for him to go and play with his brother while she went to one of the trees.
“...Is it a real one?” she asked.
“Yes. It’s genetically modified, though. All of these are.”
Eden nodded. There wasn’t anything surprising about that. An organic tree couldn’t simply grow like that in a place like the Suburbs. That would have been too hard. Still, she loved being able to see a large full-grown tree. Hundreds were growing in the farms and greenhouses of the Core, but in the Suburbs, the pollution in the air and the ground had made it almost impossible for anything to grow from their soil. Those trees must have cost a fortune... both to buy and to keep.
A few steps behind, Rolf got down on his knees and actually took out a bag of food and some treats, immediately getting the pups’ attention. Beer and Bullet began barking and jumping around, both excited and visibly hungry. Eden watched the stern man gently indulge the pups’ whims, playing around with them, making them run after a treat or bark for more. It was cute to see such a big and cold guy totally smitten by a pair of puppies...
“...How long have you been with the boss?” she asked, putting her hands on the bark of the tree, pretending not to care much.
“Since just before he took over.”
“You don’t mind... what he did?”
Eden couldn’t understand how a man who had killed the previous leader himself could be so... respected by his men. She didn’t care, as she loathed the last Tiger, but it was quite a mystery how those men could simply change their allegiance after a murder. Moreover, it wasn’t just respect; she could tell Dante’s men would follow any order he gave without blinking. If he moved, they moved. If he said anything, took a breath, or stayed quiet, they obeyed every command. Rolf also seemed like a very strong and determined guy, but she knew by his demeanor that his boss came first before anything.
“No,” he simply answered.
Eden frowned. Was he unwilling to expand on the matter or was it some sort of taboo? She hated half-answers but she could tell he wouldn’t say more. She had to find another angle.
“...What about his plans to attack the other territories?”
“If the boss decides to, we will.”
Eden frowned. What was wrong with them? They were fine with being sent to their deaths just because Dante De Luca had decided so? She wanted to roll her eyes. Instead, she glanced down. Beer was still playing with the big guy, hoping to get some more treats. Bullet met her eyes and hopped back toward her, yapping cutely at her. Eden let the time the pup took to get back to her pass in silence before she tried asking a question again.
“Why did he kill the previous boss?”
“...It was his decision.”
“That’s it?” Eden raised an eyebrow.
“...He was one of the possible successors anyway. The boss got rid of the other candidates and his predecessor and that settled it. There was nothing else that needed to be discussed.”
Eden just couldn’t understand this strange world they lived in. It wasn’t just about killing or getting killed; they didn’t even seem to hold any regrets or resentment toward a man who had murdered their previous leader... If someone came to replace Dante, would none of his men try to avenge him? Was that so simple?
“...I don’t understand,” she muttered.
“It doesn’t matter much if you do,” said Rolf, surprising her. “Most people in the clan will follow blindly regardless of who the boss is. It just happens that Dante De Luca is probably the one we are the most willing to follow.”
Eden frowned, confused once again. She had valued her freedom her whole life. The concept of being willing to follow someone regardless of their own aspirations wasn’t something she could ever agree to. Her own reasons for staying around were still unclear too. She had understood running was pointless and, for now, that was her best excuse.
Instead of adding another question she probably wouldn’t get a proper answer to, she decided to turn to the trees and wander between them. She liked to touch them and feel that strange warmth under her fingers, wondering what was happening inside. She had heard trees were alive, just like humans. How similar were they? Just like humans, trees were struggling to survive but it wasn’t their own doing... Sometimes, Eden hated her own species for putting the rest of the living beings through such hardships. She had seen pictures of wild, gigantic forests before and wished she had lived in those times when she could have simply stepped out and taken a breath of fresh air or grabbed a fruit from a tree like this. This was a dream only the people of the Core were allowed to live now.
Beyond the edge of the terrace, she stared at the Core. Just like the previous nights, no Overcrafts were coming to the Suburbs. Normally, there would have been at least a couple flying in or out every hour. Even if they weren’t going to the Suburbs, they could travel from one Core to another just like that. What could possibly forbid those journeys, even temporarily? Eden just couldn’t think of anything good... and she didn’t like doing nothing about it either.
“Watch the dogs,” she suddenly said, walking back to the elevator.
“I’m supposed to watch you,” said Rolf, immediately jumping back to his feet.
