Arcane: Broken Mechanism

Finn, an Asian looking man, quite muscular, but not too much. He had a mohawk haircut. Almost his entire body was covered in tattoos. He was dressed in a very good quality shirt and a yellow jacket. The pants were well cut.

He continued to look at the newcomers. One eyebrow rose slightly

"Biba and Boba, may I inquire about your visit with this one?" he nodded his chin dismissively towards Sirion.

Sirion felt irritation boiling inside him. Finn didn't even bother to hide his disdain, as if he'd already decided that this was just another street urchin unworthy of his time.

"Boss," the stocky one began, looking down guiltily, "we found him in our neighborhood. He ran away, but we caught him. He's the kid who was begging for a place to sleep a couple of weeks ago."

Finn slowly leaned back in his chair, rested his elbows on the armrests, and clasped his fingers together in front of him. His gaze was impenetrable, but the thin smile on his lips betrayed either interest or a slight mockery.

"Well, kid," he drawled, tilting his head slightly to the side, "I take it you've decided that you can ignore our rules. Take a room and not pay. What's your name?"

Sirion met Finn's gaze, trying not to show fear, but his voice betrayed him.

"Sirion..." he said, his voice a little muffled, hoarse. Finn chuckled softly, and his grin widened.

"Your name is unusual, but you act like common Zaun trash. Well, Sirion, tell me: why did you decide to run away?"

Sirion took a deep breath, trying to find words that would not make his situation worse. He needed to say something, but every word could cost him too much.

He felt his mind racing with options. He couldn't tell the truth - who would believe he was from another world where people watched Zaun shows for entertainment? And what good would such a confession do him? He'd be considered crazy or worse.

Okay, calm down. I need something logical... Something that could pass for the truth, he mentally urged himself on as Finn waited patiently, drumming his fingers on the wooden surface of the table.

"I...just got scared," he said, his voice shaking. "I saw you coming for that guy on the street, and I thought I was next. Thought I'd better leave than wait for you to come for me."

Finn laughed quietly, but there was no good-naturedness in it.

"Scared?" he asked, rising from his chair. Now his figure, tall and imposing, loomed over Sirion. "Afraid... of us?"

Sirion barely managed to keep himself from shaking, but he nodded anyway.

"I thought if I stayed, it would end badly. I... I didn't want trouble, really."

Finn came closer, his gaze seeming to burn through Sirion.

"You know, boy," he began, "in Zaun, it's normal to be scared. But running? That's weakness. And weakness is not forgiven here. Do you understand me? Tell me, why couldn't you get the money to pay on time?"

"I... was looking for work," he finally muttered, trying to give his voice a little more confidence. He had no idea what the kid he was in was doing. Maybe he wasn't looking for money at all and was just living in the room. "I wanted to find something to pay for the room. But I couldn't find anything.

Finn raised an eyebrow, his eyes seeming to burn through Sirion, assessing every feature of his face.

"Looking for work, huh?" he drawled, his voice indifferent, but his gaze sending shivers down Sirion's spine. "On the roofs? In the vents? An interesting way to look for work, I must admit."

Sirion almost groaned in frustration - his "excuse" clearly did not work. He tried to think of something else that might sound more convincing.

"Well... I heard that they pay more at the top," he added, pretending to be embarrassed. "I thought maybe I could find something there."

Finn chuckled softly, shaking his head like a teacher who had just caught a student in a lie.

"Do you really think I need such cheap fairy tales? Listen here, kid," his voice grew colder, and his smile disappeared. - If you decide to do something here, then you better tell the truth right away. Lying won't help anyone here, especially you.

Sirion swallowed silently, realizing that getting out of this situation would be more difficult than he expected

The boy remained silent, looking down as if examining the floor. His thoughts revolved around one thing: "What should I do now? How do I get out of this trap?"

Finn, seeing that there was no answer, leaned back in his chair, clasping his fingers on his chest.

"So you're silent," he drawled with a grin. "That's better. Silence is sometimes smarter than bad excuses."

"We found him hanging around the slums," one of the escorts joined the conversation, clearly trying to rehabilitate himself in front of his boss. "He says he has no debts, but he's been living in our area for a month. We decided he could be useful. Boss, the kid is pretty dexterous and very fast. If he were trained a little, he would become an excellent courier. Of course, in our city everyone can jump on roofs well, but only a few can do it the way he does.

Finn raised his hand, silencing him. Then he looked at Sirion again, as if studying him.

"You look like a small boy, but you have something… different. You say you could be a good courier? You've got my attention, boy. I can find a use for you, one way or another."

Sirion felt his insides tighten.

"A use?" he asked, trying to hide the tremor in his voice.

Finn nodded, smiling slowly.

"We're simple here, boy. If you want to live in this area, you either pay me or work for me. I don't need the money, because you don't have any anyway. That leaves the latter option."

Sirion was silent, feeling a heavy weight on his chest. Working for the local crime boss? It sounded like a one-way ticket. But if he refused, the consequences could be even worse.

Finn noticed his hesitation and continued:

"You're smart, that's obvious. So I'll give you a chance. You'll run for me. Messages, packages, nothing complicated. If you do it, you'll survive and maybe even earn something. If you fail or try to escape from us until you pay your debt… well, you know what will happen. Not even the Hound of the Lower City will save you."

Sirion wanted to object, but the words stuck in his throat. He had no choice. He just nodded, hoping that this would solve the matter at least for a while.

"Excellent," Finn clapped his hands, as if summing it up. "I'm glad we found common ground."

He looked at his men:

"Take him down, let Jerry show him what needs to be done. And, boys, make sure he doesn't disappear on his first mission and don't let him even think about running away from us. Good messengers are hard to find these days, they die like flies or fall into the hands of the Enforcers like cattle."

Sirion was grabbed by the arm and led out of the room. It seemed to him that every step echoed with a buzzing in his ears. Now he was trapped, drawn into a game where any mistake could cost him his life.