Chapter Text
The first thing Lucy noticed about Sandrock was the heat. The sun beat down brutally, frying her skin like an egg as she trudged through the equally hot sand towards town. She didn’t bother mentioning it to the young woman showing her sound town– her new coworker. In a desert town, everyone would already be well versed in the scorching sun. Even as Mi-an explained that she hailed from the cool, lofty heights of Tallsky, she’d already been here for a month and seemed well adjusted, wearing long sleeves to protect her skin and sensible boots that stood up against the shifting sand. In her head, Lucy mentally shifted through her itemized list, putting protective clothes at the top of the list. Sweat beaded along her brow, and she wiped it away, adding a hat to the list as well.
“Any tips to help me get started?” She asked the tall, slender brunette who’d excitedly welcomed her on the train platform.
They were both builders, fresh off of their apprenticeships and looking for their first job. A difficult ordeal as an inexperienced newbie and as a woman. Lucy had been passed down for job after job in Highwind, seeing them go to men she’d graduated with instead. When she’d discovered the position listing in Sandrock– as she’d been pouring over the listings bulletin in the Highwind Commerce Guild– she’d leapt at the opportunity. Surely there wouldn’t be so much competition out here.
There was none, as it turned out. She hardly had to go through an interview, only having met Trudy briefly before the mayor extended the offer. If she’d had more options, she might have seen that as a warning. But she had no options, and she needed something to get her out of her parents’ house. She loved her mom and dad, but her mom especially was… overprotective. Or just pushy.
Her mom had worried as Lucy packed for this move, wringing her hands so tightly that it was a wonder she didn’t break them. “You’re going to be all by yourself,” she’d protested, “In a place that’s known for monsters and even bandits! Who’s going to look out for you?”
“I will,” Lucy had promised her mother firmly, “I’ve been taking self defense classes for years. And besides, I think most of what that is hearsay. I doubt it’s actually that dangerous, or no one would live there.”
It was still a wonder people actually lived out here simply because of the weather conditions. Lucy pulled back her long, emerald green hair, desperate to get its sticky weight off of her neck. She was used to having her hair up, as it got in the way of building and didn’t mix well with the strong gusts up in Highwind. But sooner or later she could see herself considering chopping off all of her thick hair just for some relief.
Her mother would cry at the thought. Lucy had been growing her hair out since she was a child, and it hung to her waist, even pulled back.
But Mi-an had long hair too, and it didn’t seem to bother her. In response to her previous question, the woman gave her a bright smile. She had this lightness about her, this energy that thrummed and never seemed to stop.
“When you’re setting up your workshop, you should pick up some feather dusters!” Mi-an exclaimed. “The sand can build up in your machines and corrode them if you’re not careful. Especially on sandstorm days.”
“Sandstorm days?” Lucy asked dubiously.
“Yeah! They get sandstorms here. You’ll want to get some protective gear for that. I’ve only seen one since I got here.” Mi-an shook her head, her eyes widening. “The wind was so strong. It’s like a heavy rainstorm, only sand instead of rain. I didn’t go out in it. I don’t particularly want to be pelted by sand.”
Lucy tended to agree with her. Note to self, get gear for sandstorms.
They walked up the main road that stretched through the little town. Lucy had already gone through here once when she met with Trudy at City Hall. At that point she’d still been so wrapped up in trying to not trip over her feet that she’d hardly looked around, but now she took the time to take in the sights. There was a saloon at the top of the street, one that Mi-an claimed had the best food in town.
“Granted,” she’d laughed, “It’s the only place in town. But the food is really good, and the owner is really really nice. I stayed there for a few nights while waiting for my place to be finished. Owen never let me pay for room and board– called it his welcoming gift.”
“That’s very generous.” Lucy eyed the neon blue moon hanging over the establishment. She would have to go in and introduce herself soon. The first thing she’d learned about the job was that most of her income would come from commissions, which meant it would be in her best interest to get on the good side of the locals. Gain their trust. Trust in her and trust in her work meant more business for her.
Mi-an gestured across the street. “Come on. You haven’t been in the guild yet, have you? You’ll want to meet Yan and file the rest of your paperwork.” She paused and threw over her shoulder, “Yan is… a character. But thankfully he’s a pretty hands off boss. You won’t have to deal with him much, save for the weekly inspections.”
Lucy grimaced. She’d had her fair share of difficult professors and managers, and she crossed her fingers, hoping he was merely annoying and not truly problematic. At least she could go ahead and get a feel for him before she had to actually report to work next week.
She followed Mi-an up the steps to the guild, her gaze snagging on something pinned to the wall by the door.
“What’s this?” She paused, staring up at the painstakingly hand drawn portrait of a masked man, his hat pulled down low on his head. It was a wanted poster, the name ‘Logan’ written below the image.
“Oh!” Mi-an stopped and skipped to her side. Lacing her fingers behind her back, she rocked on her heels as she explained, “That’s Logan. He’s a bandit around these parts. Apparently he’s been causing a lot of trouble.”
“So bandits are a thing.” And he had caused a great deal of trouble, if the reward amount was anything to go on. Lucy’s eyes widened on the number of zeros attached to the gol sign. “What did this guy do?”
Mi-an tilted her head. “I don’t really know. Raided some supply trains I think.”
Lucy pointed. “He’s got that kind of bounty on him for robbing a supply train?”
Mi-an shrugged, then stiffened as she remembered, “I always heard that he blew up the Church of the Light.”
Well that would do it. “Huh,” Lucy muttered. She gazed up at the portrait. Drawn in black graphite, it was impossible to tell what color those piercing eyes were. She imagined it was a sharp shade, like blue or green, something befitting the dramatic intense gaze.
The wide brim of his hat and the bandana pulled up over his nose covered the majority of his features, but something in his bearing caught her eye. Lucy had seen pictures of criminals in the newspaper in Highwind. They looked like villains, their vileness evident in beady eyes and shoulders curled in on themselves, as if the moral weight of their crimes pulled them down.
Even if the artist had taken creative liberties, the strong and confident shape of his broad shoulders and the clear look in his eyes were impossible to fake. The first thing Lucy noticed was the cut of his gaze, as if this man had something to prove.
Despite hiding his face and being smacked with one of the largest reward bounties Lucy had ever seen, Logan didn’t look like the typical villain.
But then, she supposed she’d never seen a bandit before. She shouldn’t assume every bad guy was ugly. There was a first time for everything.
Pulling her gaze from the portrait, Lucy mentally shook herself and turned to Mi-an. “Let’s get out of the heat.”
Mi-an was more than happy to oblige, already going on about the resources available to them in the guild hall. As Lucy followed her through the door, she refrained from stealing one more look at the wanted poster.
She would need to be careful, if her mother had been right about Sandrock after all. Monsters and bandits and sandstorms… oh my.
For a first real adult job, she’d picked an interesting one.