"It's been so long, yet we still haven't gotten any information from the other party… Are we sure they'll even come?"
The words left the lips of a skinny slum dweller, his voice carrying the weight of worry, his shoulders hunched.
In front of him stood the burly man from before. His arms were folded across his chest, his forehead creased with a heavy frown. His silence lasted long enough for the air to grow stale, before he finally exhaled, his tone low and grim.
"I do think so too… but with how she's changed these past few days, just releasing her might cost us our lives. Especially since—" he gritted his teeth, his jaw clenching, "—she hasn't eaten a single grain of food. Her family would butcher us without hesitation, without a single thought spared."
The man's voice grew darker, quieter. His hand rose, fingers digging into his own scalp as he clasped his head.
