"Scare off outsiders and keep danger away?"
Beside the reservoir, Srimani carefully cut in. "Emerald City has pretty good security, and you don't look like troublemakers or people with any valuables. Uh, sorry, I mean, where would the danger come from?"
The abandoned reservoir fell silent.
Woniak snorted.
"Danger? There's too much of it."
Uncle Hauser sighed. "Everything. Everything that comes from normal people is dangerous to us."
Srimani was completely bewildered.
"Looks." Shilai suddenly spoke up, drawing the attention of many people. "The looks of normal people, their words, and everything they can do because their bodies are 'normal'—all of it hurts us."
"Not just that. Their pity, sympathy, contempt, curses, rejection, isolation—there's too much of it." Uncle Hauser stopped working and sighed. "And we... On the surface, in their eyes, we can only ever be half a person."
He gestured at his own height and made a mocking face.
"Ha! It's much better down here than up there." Woniak folded his arms, the huge lump on his shoulder bobbing up and down. "I heard someone even found an underground vein of pitch crystal and made a fortune..."
Srimani raised his eyebrows. "Then why are you still here?"
"We... Someone has to give up wealth and glory to stay behind and look after everyone." Woniak's voice grew quieter.
Everyone burst out laughing.
"So, Twenty-Four, have you found your parents?" Dorothy asked.
Tales frowned.
Find her parents?
Shilai froze. A few seconds later, her expression darkened.
"No. I'm still looking for them."
"I'd advise you to give up as soon as possible." Woniak snorted disdainfully. "They abandoned us at birth. That alone says a lot."
"I..." Shilai hesitated.
"Wuwu, wuwuwu." Bobo offered an opinion that no one could understand.
"It's all right. People like us..." Hauser continued dismantling the old