The two guards stood up from her table and surrounded June.
"Come with us. Lady. The Steward requests an audience with you. You may refuse if you wish, as is your right."
She could say no, but that was a bad idea. Obviously.
"I'll come along with you boys, but you'll have to explain to my boss why I had to leave."
The Guards nodded and slapped a check onto the bar. It was worth ten hundred Pounds- Or a thousand Pounds.
"We'll take her for a few hours. If your boss doesn't find out, you can keep it. If he does, give this to him as an apology for taking his employee away."
The bartender nodded without a word.
The guards didn't drag June or anything of the sort, instead, they motioned for her to get dressed and follow them, which she did.
The crater was at the heart of the city. Not too big, kinda small in all honesty. In it were only a few things of note.
Historically, it was where the first ruler of the city, simply known as the Captain, led the first arrivals and established a city to last. Which was then inherited by the Steward. Both of them kept their names hidden, instead referring to themselves with their titles.
Now it was where the generator was, a spiraling totem of steam, smoke, magma, pipes, and conductors. All in synch powering the city, aided by smaller generators scattered throughout the city limits.
Other than that, it was where the Steward lived, containing his home, a small greenhouse where his food was grown, alongside a water-heating plant, which took the ice and melted it into boiling water with the generator's heat.
They took a staircase down, leaving June's legs aching as they descended a good kilometer.
It was known as the crater, but honestly, it would be more accurate to call it an abrupt and random cylindrical hole. It probably wasn't even a crater, June complained to herself but kept moving.
The Stewards home was not too fancy, it showed he was affluent, boasting thick wooden walls, quality windows, and a two-floor set up.
It was designed for a happy couple to live in with plenty of room for children to spare.
It was only occupied by the Steward and his one daughter now.
June was escorted inside, the building had the occasional employee, cleaning the home, and chatting with one another, but even on the way down, and especially now, there was relaxed security.
Knowing the Steward, he probably sent most of his security to protect his daughter and secure every street around her. It was no secret how much he cared for his only family.
She took off her warm clothing, leaving only her frivolous and appealing red dress beneath. Showing a good portion of her cleavage and accentuating her figure.
She stood before his office, and after the guards knocked, she was prompted to go inside.
She did just that.
Sitting behind a wooden desk and surrounded by bookshelves on his sides, with a large window behind him showing the mighty generator thumping with energy, stood the Steward of her home.
His hair was brown, his eyes blue, his beard trimmed in a messy and lax way, some breadcrumbs scattered throughout it.
He was leaning forward, his eyes sharp, neither in a conniving, scheming way. But in a comfortable way, as if he was true to himself on every level, and couldn't care enough to sit straight and proper.
He was no fool though, his eyes settled on June and jumped to her large assets instinctively, but then he immediately corrected himself, a bit more wary than before.
"...I apologize." He spoke, voice filled with a diplomatic cool, "For interrupting your work, and for staring."
June chuckled, "It's no problem my Steward, should I kneel or something?"
The Steward scoffed, "Oh please, fuck off with that." He casually swore, the guards not even blinking at his words, "I'm here to talk about something far more important than manners."
June gulped down, clearing her throat, "O-Oh? Whatever could you mean?"
"You fucking bitch." The Steward said, voice brimming with the explosive energy of the titanic machine looming past the window behind him, "You think you can manipulate my daughter? My family?"
June looked into his eyes. A big mistake.
His blue eyes were open wide, seeing every inch of her, digging into her soul. A void of desperation and rage unfurled before her, threatening her, begging her, just begging her, for a reason to explode and destroy everything she loves.
All she had to do? Make one mistake. Give the man who caged his monster with the chain of morality an excuse to unleash it all.
June gulped, this was the kind of madman the Steward was.
He didn't shout or raise his voice, he spoke in a restrained yet barely civilized way. If his beliefs didn't cage him, he would have jumped over that table and beaten her to death at this point.
"M-My Steward, if I may..." The Steward nodded, eyes filled with flickering patience, "I did not know it was your daughter, and neither was I trying to manipulate her. She walked into a brothel, I assumed she was there for our... Services. Is that not natural?"
The Steward tapped his fingers on the table, the taps echoed across the room.
"You asked for her Identification Book. Why?"
That fake civilized self took on its form once more, his eyes narrowed as he contained the desperate humanity within him. Good.
'He's asking questions now. I can't slip up or else who knows what he'd do to a risk factor so close to his daughter.'
"She claimed to be your daughter, I didn't believe her. So I asked for proof, treating her words as a bad joke. Was I supposed to believe every person that claims to be some sort of relative of yours?"
The Steward nodded. His anger was not sated, but he could not blame the woman before him for his mistakes. Punishment would be unfair, no matter how bitter he may be.
"...Fine. You're off the hook as of now, but now that you have the necessary context, you should tread lightly."
June nodded, a bit of sweat falling down her cheek.
"Hmm... Say, Miss June." The Steward pondered out loud, "Why not guide my daughter through the city? If she wants to learn, a guide would be beneficial. No?"
June paused.
She was gonna worm her way to Marry's fragile little heart anyway, wasn't this the ideal opportunity? Of course, danger was certainly involved, but hey, no risk no gain.
"...I would be honored." She said, and the Steward pulled out an already written contract for her.
'He was acting as if he had only thought of this now, but he had everything planned out before I even glanced at his house.'
June internally shook her head and read through the contract.
It was luxurious, but not luxurious enough to make her rich. Just enough for her to be presentable, eat well, and rent a simple home if needed.
"...Steward, I do not intend on quitting my current job." Her eyes sharpened.
"That was never the implication, Miss June. I simply wish to treat my employees well."
'When I was a threat to his daughter, I was a "fucking bitch," yet now that I'm an asset, I'm "Miss June."' She mused to herself.
She nodded and continued reading.
There were a few... quirks. Such as the fact the employer held the right to have somebody watching her at all times throughout the day, excluding during "bathroom and washroom activities," whatever that was supposed to be.
The Steward also held the authority to fire Juna at any moment without any reason. Juna could also quit whenever she wanted with no warning and was not required to provide a reason for quitting.
A shockingly fair deal. She was expecting the Steward to leverage his authority more, but he seemed to desire a more equal footing with his employees founded on mutual respect and trust.
'How respectable... And fake.'
She signed and shook hands with the Steward, who smiled.
"I look forward to working with you, Miss June." He said with the same smile a politician would have after securing a fantastic deal, "Be a good guide to my daughter." His hand tightened.
'That was an order. With a promise of misery attached.' June noted and smiled back.
"Of course, Steward. The honor is all mine." She said with a sharp glint in her eye.