I'll talk to Flora about escaping.

You get up and stretch. There’s no point hiding it anymore. You might as well talk to Flora and actually get to know her. Not so much as a client but as a person. You suppose you’ve done a pretty good job building your relationship up to this point, but you had to be mentally personal with her. It’s gone on for too long as it was. Not to mention, this was your first real chance of escaping, you should talk to her before she's scooped out by Amara again.

You knock on Flora’s door and step back to wait for her. When she does answer the first time, you knock again and wait. It takes a while, and you think she might be with Alexandra still, but the doorknob twists, and Flora step out. Her bangs are pulled back, highlighting her face like drawn curtains, bringing attention to the stage. Her eyes don’t wander; they land directly on yours.

“Warren,” Flora smiles slightly and looks around, somewhat worried. “What are you doing?”

“I’ve come to talk to you,” you reply bluntly. “I have nothing else to do.”

She lowers her head. “That’s awfully kind of you, but what if we’re–”

“Damn the others,” you say flatly to cut her off. “If we’re caught, then we’re caught. They can do nothing about it, so why worry about it?”

Flora frowns and takes your hand, dragging you into her room before anyone can see. What you said wasn’t technically accurate, but you felt confident enough to say it out loud, so you did. “You’re being foolish. Amara could disband you from the group now and have you killed by one of her goons in town.”

“Well,” you start. “If that happens, then I guess I’ll just die. But, on the other hand, she and Alexandra have degraded me more times than I’d like to admit at this point, so she might be doing me a favor by killing me.”

Flora frowns even deeper. “Please don’t say that, Warren. You’re my only hope of getting out of here. I need you. Desperately.”

You exhale and apologize. Kenji says, you didn’t know Flora that well, but every time you see her sad, it chips at your heart. Is it possible to not know someone and still feel so much pity for them? “Is there anything you’re not telling me about this little escape mission you have in mind?”

She blinks, now looking like you’ve done something repulsive in front of her. “You’re going to doubt me now? After everything that has happened to you?”

You stare at her firmly and now. She scoffs. “Jesus, Warren. What have I done to make you distrust me? I’m sorry I haven’t been able to work with you as much as I want, but–”

“Just answer the question. But, please, I’ve got to know if what I’m doing is worth all the headache I’ve gotten these last few days.”

“No,” she crosses her arms. “I’m not keeping any information from you. I suppose– well, I guess I haven’t actually told you how scared I am of either one of getting caught. I don't know what she'd do if Amara found out anything we’ve talked about. And now that we’re staying at one of her playgrounds, I don’t know what she’s capable of.”

Kenji didn’t make it seem that big of an issue. In fact, you don’t think she’s got many options on her hands if she’s laying low now that Benjaimins Caravan is here. A caravan Kenji described as being beat on, and Miranda said would be likely hiring to swell their numbers up soon. Come to think of it, despite being in Amara’s “playground,” you still had to go out and do errands this entire time. You suppose you’ve had some freedom to play around, but how much was it for show?

“We’ve been too distracted with Amara,” you say. “I think she’s… I think we just think she’s got everything in control. But, besides that, she’s got bigger fish on the fryer.”

Flora seems unsure, so you continue. “You’re aware of the fuck up with ARS in Bozeman, but we’ve got the Canadian government on rolling in, the Russians dispersing in the state, and a mercenary group operating in the same area. She tried to rope me into helping her before drugging me.”

“Wait, wait, wait–” Flora waves her hand out. “What is happening?”

You shake your head. “Forget the details. Listen, we’re the least of her worries. If you don’t have any weight holding you down, I think we might have a shot of getting out here. Soon.”

Flora falls to the bed. “This is a lot, Warren. Just an hour ago, I thought everything was still talk, and now you’re telling me there’s an open door.”

“If there’s nothing to hide…”

“Yeah, yeah,” she squirms and moves closer to you. “I’m scared, is all. I don’t know. I don’t like Amara, but she’s protected me so much that I couldn’t imagine leaving the safety of her network.”

You grab her shoulders and make her look at you. “Flora. If nothing is keeping you here. Then tell me there isn’t. I can get us moving as soon as the weekend.”

Flora’s eyes gloss over before they dart away. “Why are you pressuring me to make this choice? And what’s up with this third-degree? I already told you I’m not hiding anything from you!”

“Then am I safe to assume we’re committed to leaving the ARS and that you’re ready to see your family again?” You shake her, causing her eyes to widen.