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Those spirals really are rubbing you the wrong way. Can't be an UNSTABLE thing, your eyes are just bright pink. No spirals. You don't recall Wendy having any either...hm. You'll worry about it later.
"Well, as you can see, we're on behalf of Z-Company. Benjamin was sent here on their behalf and I, one of their associates, followed him here."
[DELUSIONAL] "Wait we were?" Benjamin questions with an insulting honesty. "I didn't know that."
The two cognizant miners and even Casey give him some nasty side eye given...he's literally wearing one of their jackets.
"Oh!" Benjamin gets the hint, though. "Yes, yes, sorry! My mind evades me sometimes."
"Are you lyéng to us, madémoiselle?" The tall miner is getting a bit too close to your group for comfort, especially with the pickaxe in his hand.
"Vhat a schtrange man. Imposter, like zose Fanni obsessed fools?" The short miner hisses through clenched teeth.
"Oh, no no, sir and miss!" Casey immediately jumps in to reschedule the improv trepanation. "See, our friend here is what you would call 'mentally damaged'. 'Autistic', perhaps. 'Retarded', if you wish to be medical! 'Special', in other words! He is being completely honest with his intentions but please be patient with him!"
"The fuck?"
"What did you call me?"
"Wie?"
"Quoi?"
You and the others stand around in awkward silence before the short, boxy miner lets out a deeply amused, husky laugh. "Fery funny. Okay. Speak, zen." Well! It seems like Casey's impromptu 'defense' of Benjamin was enough to get you an in with them.
Benjamin can't quite decide whether he should be laughing, crying, or seething with rage. He emotionally defaults to what you can only guess is his version of a 'professional' persona. "Thank you, miss Casey. We've heard some quite worrying rumors about the health of the miners here. Your friends over there-" He gestures towards the group of miners seemingly wandering around in circles. "-are a bit, uh, unusual."
"Consider it a charity case, due to the rather poor conditions of this town. Do you know of anyone severely injured by working down there? We've heard about the mines being closed, after all." It's shocking how quickly he got his act together. The normally bird brained pharmacist speaks with a calm, rational tone that's completely discordant to how he normally is
"Many, oui. We used to 'ave fairtay, aftair all." Forty? It said 23 on the sign, so that's a difference of 17. The implication there is...
"Don't tell our boss but a few uff our men got approfal from ze guarts zree days ago to keep miningkt. Somezzingkt about 'one in, might as vell let ozzers in'. Ve lost some to a kafe in." Three days ago? If she's implying what you think she's implying, that narrows down the timeline a bit. The cave in might've been what informed the other parties that they should move in personally?
"Someone's been messingkt around down zere lookingkt fur somezzingkt ent, vell, poof. Huge khunks uff schtone kame krumblingkt down."
