Talk to Amari. No need to make things awkward.

“Nice to meet you finally. The others talk about you like you're some kind of savior.”

Amari chuckles. “I probably am to some of them, but my reputation far exceeds my name. Especially this far north.”

Her voice is very relaxing. Very feminine and controlled - there’s also an accent you can’t pin, but she’s undoubtedly not European like you had suspected. Amari extends out her right hand and catches a snowflake. The town burning behind you has cast an odd light to ignite the night. Her dark almond skin is two shades darker than Delilah’s and looks twice as delicate.

“What is your reputation?” You ask, which triggers her to let out a slight chuckle.

“The less you know about me, the better,” Amari replies.

“I’m putting my life on the line for you. I think it’s better if I know what I’m why doing it, ya?” You tread carefully with your conversation piece; you aren’t sure how easily Amari is offended.

Luckily, it seems she figured these questions would be coming from you, so she entertains you. “I’m sure you’ll hear it from the others sooner or later. They can explain what I do just as well as I can.”

“I know you guys run guns and equipment to different factions. How serious are your trades?”

“Oh, there’s more than hardware involved, but we sell plenty of weapons to everyone. So we aren’t picky about our clients. I have connections to keep us going throughout the downtime of winter even, but it isn’t just hardware.”

Even in the dim lighting, you can see her sly smirk. You make brief eye contact when she turns to you, but she doesn’t linger long. She turns to face the backs of the others that are now in front of you. Her dark hair flows gently in the cool breeze that envelops you and carries the scent of gun oil and cleaner against your face. “All you ever do is contracts, right?”

“Give or take a few odd jobs,” you tell her. “But, being a contractor is my profession, sure.”

“Mm,” she agrees. “Good job taking care of Flora. She can be a handful sometimes. I’m impressed you were able to evade your captivity. Those Heights people aren’t exactly kind to outsiders.”

“How’d you end up so comfy then?”

She glances at you and then looks up. “I’ve got a way with words and promises. A fair perk to have when you’re away from friends.”

You kind of want to know if she sold herself along with the words, but you have a feeling that she’s too much of an elitist to have just anyone touch her… though, she’s talking to you, so you suppose she’s not too much of a snob. Your eyes catch a peek at her as she trails off ahead.

The remainder of the ride back is done in silence. Not even Flora has the nerve to say anything, which seems to suit the rest of the group just fine. Underground, there’s a short celebration for the arrival of Amari. Even in Alexandra’s tattered condition, she manages to get up and give her honors to her proper boss.

Once you are settled in, Amari pulls you aside. “I see that you’re comfortable with everybody, but I still don’t know a whole lot about you.”

“What do you concur we do about that then?”

Amari gives you a toothy grin and crosses her arms as she leans against the wall. “Well, I have some contacts in Billings I would like to visit. Unfortunately, they haven’t seen me since my absence. I was, uh, tied down in the Heights for a while, so they probably have some inquiries about some of their packages and what-not.”

“What would you have me do with you in Billings?”

She shakes her head in response to your follow-up question. “You ask too many questions, Warren. If you want to stick around for the winter, I’d suggest you just follow the others and keep your questions to yourself, K?”

You pucker your lips and lean against the same wall. “I can do that for you if that is what you prefer.”

“Mmhm.” She looks at you with her dark brown eyes, waiting for you to answer.