~Chapter 2- Sky Bandit Women~

Brass was in the middle of one of his favorite stories when guards came to his cell. He set it down and prepared to link his cuffs behind him.

"Want me to man the library again?" Brass asked.

"Not yet. The Warden would like to meet with you," the stone guard replied.

"...Oh," Brass replied. With how predictable things had become in the prison, it didn't take much to surprise him. "Do you know what he needs?"

"Not sure."

Brass was escorted through a portion of the facility he was previously unaware of. They took a turn down an unexplored corridor and began climbing the winding staircase of a tower. Through the barred windows, Brass could see they were high above the prison.

On their way up, they passed by a large metallic circular hatch barring entry to whatever was beyond it. But it was far denser than the security measures in the rest of the prison, with sizable hatches keeping it fastened securely. Brass knew this special metal wasn't cheap to mold. Creating such an oversized door seemed unnecessary. Especially up here.

They passed by it and reached the top of the tower. Brass and the guards waited outside a wooden door.

The guard knocked, "Warden, we have Brass with us."

The door opened. In the doorway was a short Densius, wearing the Warden's signet on its shoulder. The rocks and minerals comprising its body were a teal color. While most Densius had a pair of eye stones to see, the Warden had several more strategically placed across its body, allowing it to always see its surroundings.

Warden Opal gave a rocky smile, "Come in, Brass."

Brass stepped in, and Opal promptly undid his cuffs. The Warden's quarters were simple. A desk, a bed, a few chairs, and a table. There was a horn set in the corner of the room. When anyone spoke into it, the sound reverberated through the prison, allowing one to make an announcement. There was a window in the room that provided a view of almost the entire prison.

"Wait outside for a moment," the Warden said to the guards, and they left the two of them alone.

Opal turned its back, but one of its rear eyestones still had a view of Brass, "Everyone seems to like you here, Brass."

"I suppose so. There are certainly a few who aren't fond of me."

Opal circled its desk, "They're the exception rather than the rule. I'd like you to do a favor for me."

"What were you thinking?"

"A gang called the Sky Bandits were just incarcerated here. But the authorities couldn't find any of the belongings they stole. They also captured all of them, except their leader."

"I'm not sure how I could help with that."

"I'd just ask you to keep an eye on them. Be friendly. If they happen to mention anything about their leader or where they're keeping their stash, let me know. Only if you want to help though. I won't force you."

"I suppose I can do that."

Opal's stone mouth smiled wide, "Excellent! I'll make sure you get additional time in the library as well. Maybe a few extra rations each day. If you discover something, I bet I could convince the mayor to reduce your sentence."

Brass winced when his sentence was mentioned. He composed himself and replied, "I certainly won't mind extra time in the library. But it's better if I don't get additional rations. That would only upset the other inmates."

"Fair enough," Opal shrugged.

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The Warden didn't waste any time. Brass was sent to the library right away. It'd been a few days since he worked there, there was plenty to be done. When inmates saw that the library was open that day, many visited him to check out new books.

One of the cell blocks was brought to the recreational area. Nine women and one Densius. Among them were three new women.

One had long red hair, a rounded nose, and a cold expression on her face. Brass had a difficult time reading a specific emotion from her. His best guess... boredom.

Another had curly blonde hair that came down to her shoulders and a feisty smirk on her face. As Brass watched, he noticed this one would make prolonged eye contact with guards and other inmates, as if to encourage some sort of reaction.

The third was a brunette with her hands on her wide hips, her eyes calmly darting around the recreational area. There was an inquisitive nature to this young woman.

They were the women of the Sky Bandits. Typically, gangs of criminals would be separated into different cell blocks, but the Warden must've placed them together intentionally. Perhaps, it thought they'd be more willing to talk together.

While Brass attended to his duties, he'd occasionally glance over to check on them. After they finished their meals, the blonde one strode up to one of the guards to start some conversation. She pouted her lip when they wouldn't give her the attention she wanted.

While Brass was in the middle of returning books to their appropriate place, a woman's voice sounded from behind, "I heard you're in charge of the library?"

Brass turned and saw the three young women had come in. The red-haired one had begun perusing the bookshelves. The other two were looking at Brass, especially the blonde. She was batting her eyes while looking at him.

"I wouldn't say that. They've been having me look after the place more often lately."

"Seems like a nice deal," the brown-haired one replied, surveying the quantity of books.

"I don't recognize the three of you. Are you new?" Brass asked.

The blonde one slid onto the table between them. She laid on her stomach, crossed her legs behind her, and propped her head up with her arms to look at him playfully, "That's right, sir! I'm Michta."

The brown-haired one circled the table, "I'm Diva. That quiet one over there is Bonnie."

The red-haired woman named Bonnie raised a hand, her eyes still on the book that she had pulled from the shelves.

"Nice to meet you, young ladies. I'm Brass. You seem rather young to end up in a place like this."

Michta batted her eyelashes and smiled, "Age is just a number, sir."

Brass raised an eyebrow at her. Michta must've been popular with Ralosian men. "Hmm. Well, tell me if there are any books you want checked out. Let me know if you see anything you like, Bonnie."

Without taking her eyes from the book, Bonnie raised a hand and formed an 'OK' with her fingers.

Brass picked up one of the returned books and recognized it needed to go to a section on the balcony. He grabbed the ladder from the side of the room and set it up so he could get up there.

Diva asked, "Going up?"

"Yup," Brass replied as he stepped onto the ladder and reached for the book that belonged up there. But before he could, Diva snatched it up.

"Don't worry, I got it," Diva said.

Brass looked at her. The young woman seemed to rise unnaturally. He looked at the ground and saw that she was floating above it. She rose through the air up to the balcony and levitated there.

"Where do you want it, Brass?" She asked, levitating around the balcony as if it were the most ordinary act in the world.

"Err- Educational," Brass said to the young woman flying over him.

Diva drifted through the air to the educational section. Before placing it on the bookshelf, she looked at the book and queried, "Someone was reading about a board game?"

"Yeah, it's a strategy book. A lot of us play during recreational time," Brass replied, "Would you like to check it out?"

Diva looked over the book before replying, "Why not?"

Diva slowly levitated back to the ground. Brass recorded her name and the book in his ledger.

"Thanks, old timer," Diva smiled.

"Not a problem!" Brass answered. He couldn't help but say "I've never met someone who could ... fly!"

"Me neither. Besides myself, of course." Diva replied, casually floating off the ground once again.

"How?" Brass asked.

"... It's something I picked up as a kid. I'm not sure why I can do it and no one else can. It certainly is handy though."

Michta continued to lounge on the library table, turning over and outstretching her arms. Bonnie perused various books along the walls, taking care to place them back in the precise place she took them from. Diva took a seat and began thumbing through the pages of the book she had checked out.

"You three don't seem very bothered by your stay in this prison," Brass remarked.

"I doubt we'll be staying very long," Michta replied, bringing her legs into the air.

Brass chuckled, "That's not the first time I've heard that. Planning some grand escape?"

Michta smirked, "Something like that..."

Brass glanced at Diva, "Planning to fly out of here?"

Diva placed a finger to her lips, "Shhh. That's a secret."

Brass shrugged and returned to sorting his books, "I'd suggest getting to know the other inmates in your cell blocks rather than wasting your hour with me."

"Are we bothering you?" Diva asked.

"Not at all. I'm just advising that you make some new friends while you're here."

Brass heard the quick rip of paper behind him. He glanced back and saw Bonnie looking through another book, still showing little emotion on her face.

"Something wrong, old timer?" Diva asked promptly, setting her book down.

"No, not at all," Brass replied, mindful of what book Bonnie was holding.

Their recreational area ended, and the guards rounded them up, leaving Brass to continue his work in the library. Though, he kept an eye on Bonnie as she left. Before leaving the area, Bonnie stooped down and placed something beneath the dining tables.

Once the recreational area was empty, Brass stepped out of the library and checked beneath the table.

"What is it?" A guard asked.

"One of them left something..." Brass found a slip of paper underneath. Something ripped from one of the books. On the piece of paper was a single word.

Strength

"We should leave it there," the guard stated, "I want to see if anyone picks it up."

"Makes sense," Brass slid the piece of paper back to the spot where Bonnie had left it.