Enter the House

It's quiet.

You take a look around and notice the area's less familiar. No more ash lingering in the polluted air, the sharp smell of burning fuel now replaced with something sweet and potentially rotting. Not altogether unpleasant but not entirely welcoming either. As you draw closer to the Grey outskirts, you realize there are more abandoned buildings than inhabited ones. It was an empty forest of cracking concrete and chipped cobblestone. You slowly count your way down to building number 3188, 3190, and eventually 3192.

As you stand before the stout brick-layered building, there were small nuances you couldn't help but notice. For one it was newer than the other buildings surrounding it. Despite its dishonest attempt at blending in, the new masonry and steel barred windows were a dead giveaway. Freshly potted plants on the inside window sills, unchipped graveled stairs, and a tough reinforced door with a lion-shaped door knocker. No average Joe living in either the Grey or Red could afford such luxury. Whoever owned this establishment had money and did a poor job of hiding it. A rare combination to survive within the lower rungs of society.

You wipe your hands onto your back pocket and approach the door. The knocker echoes loudly as you bring it down once.

"Bzzz- Yes, who is it?"

The voice comes from the lion's head, which startles you.

"Bzzz- Hello?"

"Yes! Hi, my name is Gael Oak. I, um, I came to see if you were hiring, from your flyer. This is the Auction House? Building 3192?"

Your question hangs, unanswered. Perhaps it was a one-way intercom. You look around, unsettled. Maybe this was an elaborate **** attempt or something. You start calculating how many guys you can take on with just one arm.

"Bzzz- Come on in."

And with that, you can hear the smooth rumbling of several gears and locks turning as they come undone. After a short while and a soft click, you know the door is unlocked and you step inside.