Chapter 45
Two Sides of a Coin
Lila had still been watching the union man on the stand when two words drifted past—"Orlova," "Mayor." She turned, saw Eren staring toward the far end of the steps, followed his gaze, and muttered, "She's getting involved herself."
Eren didn't answer.
She clicked her tongue. "Pretty, huh?"
Eren pulled his eyes back. "Huh?"
Lila shot him a hard look that left him briefly lost.
She wasn't really angry.
The woman was beautiful—and she knew how to use it.
Lila didn't scare easy. Still, she knew she could never learn that presence on the stand.
Mayor Orlova didn't take over at once. She gave a slight nod to the people below, then held out a hand toward the union representative, inviting him to finish. The middle-aged man hesitated, then gave her half a step.
When she took the megaphone, the smile was still on her face.
"Everyone—I know times have been hard. Mines, plants, haulage, logistics—none of it's easy. You stood up to speak, and the town hall thanks you for that."
Her voice wasn't loud, but it carried clearer than the union man's. Each word landed like a bead wiped clean.
"But Rusak is everyone's town. We can't let it tip into chaos. I hope you'll file your demands through proper channels. The town hall will bring union representatives, Guild representatives, and the relevant staff to the table. Hours, expanded hiring, insurance, housing support—all of it can go on the agenda."
Someone in the crowd yelled, "How many times have we already done that?"
Another voice jumped in at once: "Every time, nothing. Just wait!"
Mayor Orlova didn't raise her voice. She only drew the megaphone a little closer.
"I know how anxious you are."
Her other hand lifted. Fingertips skimmed past the packed shoulders along the front of the stand and pointed toward the outer rim of the crowd.
"But look—this mother holding her child. He's crying so hard he can barely breathe. She's been backing away this whole time. And behind her are more people like her—brothers and sisters with no banners, trying to get through an ordinary day. Is that what we want?"
She drew her gaze back from the shifting heads and let it rest on the union representative's face.
"I'm here today to give you a clear answer. The union may leave three representatives. This afternoon, register your demands at the town hall. You'll get a formal receipt, we'll set a date, and we'll sit down and go through each item."
"Would the rest of you please disperse first—make way for the children, for people who need to get home and start a fire for supper. Thank you."
The last word was barely out before she'd handed the megaphone to a clerk behind her and started down the steps herself.
Several clerks followed at once. The one in front spread his arms and held the workers shoving forward half a step away.
Mayor Orlova glanced back at them.
"It's fine. Don't stop them."
The clerk lowered his arms. Already past him, she went straight to the edge of the stand and offered her hand to the union representative.
He looked sour. He hesitated, then shook anyway. Mayor Orlova didn't hurry to let go; she only dropped her voice and said a couple of words to him. From where they stood, Eren and the others couldn't catch it.
The cursing below dropped a notch.
Mayor Orlova kept moving into the crowd. Clerks stayed at her side; a few times they tried to keep people back, and each time she lifted a hand and waved them down. She steadied an old woman who'd nearly tripped on a banner pole, then crouched in front of the mother with the child and asked the boy a couple of questions. He was still crying, so she took a small toy from a clerk and passed it to the mother herself—nobody did it for her.
A seam opened at the outer rim. Mayor Orlova followed it and passed right in front of the three of them.
She saw Nova first.
"Getting squeezed?"
Nova tipped his head up and shook it.
"No."
"Good."
She smiled, peeled off one thin glove, and shook his hand.
Nova was half a beat late putting his out. Her fingers were cool, the grip light, gone almost at once. Then she brushed the top of his head—comfort, and half a show for the crowd.
Lila stood beside them and said nothing.
Mayor Orlova lifted her eyes and nodded to Eren and Lila as well.
"This end of the street will stay blocked a while. Don't cut through the middle. Stick to the shopfront walls—you'll get out faster."
Eren answered, "Thanks."
She didn't linger. She turned and walked on, gradually leaving the square behind.
Nova watched her back and said quietly, "The mayor seems pretty nice."
Eren didn't answer.
The street was still packed. A few workers shook their heads and edged back, muttering that the town hall only ever stalled. People on the outer ring exhaled and tugged their companions away, afraid the ones under the peaked caps would write their names down.
Eren looked at the megaphone still on the steps.
"Let's go. Nothing left to see."
They took the route Mayor Orlova had pointed out, skirting along the shopfront walls, shoved now and then from behind. By the time they finally broke free of that junction, Nova was a little dazed from the crush.
Red Tea had said that after the interview, whoever was on duty could point them toward the school too—but with the streets like this, doubling back didn't make sense.
Lila eyed the road still jammed ahead. "Skip the school for today?"
Eren nodded. "Yeah. Too messy. We'll talk when we see the list tomorrow."
Nova didn't object. He fell in with them toward the inn.
That same afternoon, Red Tea didn't make it straight back to the mine.
The mess in front of the Mint had chewed up the morning. Several streets stayed blocked, and the knock-on hit the mine warehouses too.
Red Tea sat in a small office on the second floor of the west warehouse. Today's mine-guard interview roster lay on the desk.
Two knocks at the door.
"Come in."
The middle-aged man who'd run the morning interviews pushed the door open. He still wore that gray-blue vest, sleeves rolled to the forearm, a sheaf of papers pinched in one hand.
"Captain—preliminary list for today's batch is ready," he said.
Red Tea took the sheets and scanned them top to bottom.
He didn't speak right away. He only tapped a blank spot on the list with one finger.