In an old house, a young Chlorophite named Flora was cooking something on a stove. It was a meal, though she kept looking towards the door, as if she was waiting for someone to come by. She finished cooking whatever was in the pot and put it into two bowls, it was grey and cheap, but it would have to do. As she was getting ready to set the bowls down on the table, a man came back and walked to the table. Flora ran over to the man, her father.

“DAD!” Flora ran to and hugged her father, Cedar. “You’re home late…”

“I know, sweetie… I missed you.” Cedar said. “Things have been getting tough, that asshole keeps raising my debt!”

“Dad!” Flora said.

“I’m sorry… it’s just… Soo makes me angry.” Cedar looks down at his food. “We can’t live like this.”

“Are you saying… are we leaving?” Flora asked, Cedar’s eyes darted around the room.

“We need to, pack the house while I’m away tomorrow… we’re going tomorrow night.” Cedar got close to Flora. “If I’m not back by this time tomorrow… search the area between my mattress.”

“Okay…” Flora said.

“Your mother wanted me to get you out of here long ago… we can’t wait any longer…” Cedar said as he embraced Flora for a long time.

The next day, Flora had been frantically packing her and her father’s belongings away so that they could run as soon as he returned. She heard the door crash open and looked at a clock, realizing that it was too early for his return. She ran downstairs and was met by an older Chlorophite who pointed a gun towards her.

“Hmm… is this all?” The Chlorophite said, this was Soo, Cedar’s boss. “Park’s brat is all that’s left here…”

“Seems it is… his wife died about five years back.” Another Chlorophite was reading off a tablet. “He only had one daughter, Flora Park.”

“I see… well, Cedar’s debt was piling up and we need someone to pay it.” Soo pulled Flora up from the ground. “You’re working for the Venom Company now… you’re paying off your father’s debt… even if it kills you.”

“Where’s my dad?” Flora looked up at Soo and was about to cry.

“He’s currently turning into fertilizer… and that means his debt is yours now.” Soo said. “Worth about 80 Million Constells…”

Flora looked around, realizing that she was trapped now. She had no choice but to work for Soo, she had no way of escaping now.

Five years had passed since that day and Cedar’s debt, now Flora’s, has grown a lot as time passed. She wasn’t made for the kind of work that she was doing, working as a mercenary and repo girl. With every failed job, her debt would only rack up. She was getting screamed at by a young Chlorophite, Leif Soo, the new leader of the Venom Company and Soo’s son.

“You stupid little… why is it that whenever I find out that we lost out on a payment, it’s always you!?” Leif screamed at Flora.

“I keep telling you, I don’t like doing this kind of work.” Flora said, shaking.

“Memememeh… You think I care about what kind of work you wanna do!?” Leif mockingly shouted. “You’re here to do what I tell you to, at this rate, you’re gonna be working until you drop dead like that idiot you called a dad.”

“Yes sir…” Flora looked down.

“What’s her current debt?” Leif asked.

“95 Million, sir… this past job would’ve netted about 1000 Constells.” Another Chlorophite, Viney, said.

“How about we just tack on 5 Mil and make it a cool 100?” Leif laughed at Flora.

“You can’t do that!” Flora shouted. “That’s worth way more than the actual job!”

“Oh, I can’t?” Leif said. “Then how about we make it 200 Million?”

“BUT!” Flora shouted.

“Buzz off will ya? I got some babes to meet, you hear?” Leif laughed again.

“Yes sir…” Flora turned around and started to walk away.

“Just remember… anyone that crosses me… belongs to me…” Leif said slowly.

Flora had trudged back to her home, which was starting to fall apart. She was very close to just giving up and trying to run… but she wouldn’t be able to escape on her own. She was all alone in this world, until she heard that knock at the door, she walked towards the door and opened it slowly. Ryuu, Kidd and Clef were at the door, covered in black dust and oil.

“Um… hello?” Flora asked.

“Someone is home… this is like the fifth door we knocked on.” Ryuu asked.

“I feel stupid just walking from door to door.” Clef said. “If this was what traveling was, I would’ve probably taken my chance against the fall…”

“Miss… you wouldn’t happen to know if there’s a mechanic around here?” Kidd asked.

“Well… there’s one…” Flora realized it was one of Leif’s mechanics. “But you don’t wanna go there!”

“Shoot… must be haunted.” Ryuu said.

“It’s probably not haunted, ghosts don’t exist.” Clef said as she looked at Flora. “Would you mind if we just stayed here for the night, our dinky little ship is a death trap now.”

“I… I don’t know…” Flora said, sheepishly.

“Listen, we can pay you if we need to… we just need someplace to stay.” Kidd said.

“P-pay?” Flora perked up at the thought of pay. “Yes!” 

“Eager… I like it!” Ryuu said. “We’ll pay you whatever you want!”

“Within reason… you always forget the within reason part, Ryuu.” Kidd said.

“Come on in… I was getting ready to make some dinner.” Flora said. “Hope you like grey mystery meat.”

“Mystery meat?” Clef said as she looked around the house. “Hey, you wouldn’t mind if I asked a question, would you? It might be a little personal…”

“Um… that depends…” Flora said. “Go ahead…”

“All the houses we’ve seen, it all looks abandoned. Why is everything so… broken?” Clef asked.

“Well…” Flora looked around, making sure they weren’t watched. “Everyone in this town is in debt, all leading up to Leif Soo.”

“Jeez… everyone? This place is huge, dude must be making bank…” Ryuu realized what he said. “Sorry…”

“It’s fine, it’s just life now… has been for decades.” Flora said. “His father did it until he died, then Leif took over and made things worse.”

“How so?” Kidd asked.

“Leif helps to pay off the debt of people that need it.” Flora said.

“That doesn’t sound too bad.” Clef said. “I’m guessing that’s not the end of it though.”

“Yeah… he employs people in the Venom Company in order to pay it off.” Flora said. “He then finds ways of adding onto that debt until it gets so high that we can never leave the company.”

“He’s extorting people?” Ryuu said. “That’s cold!”

“Yeah… it gets bad for some people.” Flora said as she held up a tablet, showing her debt.

“You owe 200 Million Constells?” Kidd exclaimed. “That’s insane!”

“Why not run off then?” Ryuu asked. “You can come with us! Join our crew!”

“Thanks for the sentiment… but it won’t matter. Leif will find and kill us, he always does.” Flora looked down at the ground. “I’m stuck here…”

“Hmm… I have an idea… I think you guys will like it!” Ryuu said.

“Ryuu no!” Kidd shouted.

“Please no…” Clef said.

“Just hear me out, this guy deserves it!” Ryuu said. “We’ll give him a little taste of pain, we know he’s gonna need it. We’ll make it a marzipain!”

“Yikes… really had to make that? What a shitty joke.” Clef said.

“Come on, you gotta admit it’s a little funny.” Ryuu said.

“No…” Kidd said. “But… as much as I don’t wanna do it, we probably should do it.” Kidd said. “Deal out a little 88-style justice.”

“Well, I was hoping for my first team outing… better now than later.” Clef said.

“Wait, you guys are really willing to help me out on this? You barely know who I am.” Flora said. “There’s a catch isn’t there?”

“Not everything needs a catch, friend!” Ryuu said. “Wait… did we ever get your name?”

“Oh, right! My name is Flora… Flora Park.” Flora said.

“Love that name!” Clef said. “What can you do?”

“What can I do? What do you mean?” Flora asked.

“What are you good at? You a navigator, fighter, medic?” Kidd asked.

“Well, I’ve been training as a medic since I was younger.” Flora said.

“You’re a medic, can you tell me what this is?” Ryuu started to lift up his sleeve.

“Stop showing people your wart! It’s disgusting!” Kidd smacked Ryuu.

“Sorry…” Ryuu said. “But… a medic can be useful!”

“What about fighting? Are you willing to help us fight?” Kidd asked.

“Well… no…” Flora said.

“You gotta be willing to fight for your freedom, miss.” Kidd said.

“Easy, kid! Not everyone is trigger happy like you.” Clef said. “Besides, between the four of us, you, me and Ryuu will be fine. You just stay behind us, got it Flora?”

“Right!” Flora said. “Are we… really doing this?”

“When the weak are being threatened… the strong have to be willing to protect them… That’s what my Gramps always told me!” Ryuu said. “We’ll make this guy pay for what he did, we’ll beat it into him so hard, that his great grandkids will feel it!”

“Ryuu, can we bump down the intensity a little?” Clef asked.

“Right! Keep forgetting that not everyone will be so easy to help fight…” Ryuu said.

“Wait… hide…” Kidd pulled Ryuu and Clef into a nearby closet as Leif crashed through the door.

“Leif! What are you doing here?” Flora asked.

“That’s Mr Soo to you!” Leif said. “We’re just looking around, we got reports of a strange group of people walking around, knocking on doors.”

“Really?” Flora asked “How weird…”

“You haven’t seen anything, have you?” Leif asked.

“Can’t say I have…” Flora said.

“Hmm… Viney, get the bio scanner.” Leif said as Viney took out an object shaped like a grocery scanner.

“On it sir!” Viney said as he began to point it around the room.

“Is this necessary?” Flora asked.

“Better to be safe than sorry… can’t have jackasses like that running around.” Leif said. “It’s not like you have anything to hide, right? You’re too stupid to properly hide people anyway.”

“I know…” Flora watched as Viney began to scan near the closet door, the scanner beeped.

“Nothing… no one is here but us.” Viney said.

“Dammit… we have to find them! Next house!” Leif looked at Flora and began to walk out. “I’m gonna be keeping an eye on you… Viney, put the door back!”

“Yes sir!” Viney picked up the door and put it back in place as the two left. After they were gone, Ryuu and the others snuck out of the closet and met back up with Flora.

“That was Leif?” Ryuu asked.

“He sounds like a total brat…” Clef said.

“That’s not the worst of it…” Flora said. “Wait… how did you guys not get caught by the bio scanner?”

“Ryuu is surprisingly good at playing dead.” Kidd said. “Hasn’t come up much, but he likes to tell us that for no reason…”

“Hey, it worked out this time, didn’t it?” Ryuu said.

“Fine, it worked out!” Clef said. “That’s not important though, what do we do now?”

“Yeah, we can’t just go in guns blazing. It may be a mercenary company, but it’s probably huge.” Kidd said. “If what Flora said is anything to go off of.”

“Wait, that’s right!” Ryuu turned to Flora. “How well do you know their base?”

“I know it pretty well, I haven’t been everywhere in the building, but I know where all the important stuff is.” Flora said.

“Good, you’re gonna have to guide us so we can get to Leif… Can’t wait to show that guy the what for!” Ryuu said.

“You have anything to defend yourself… if you need to.” Kidd said, going easier on Flora.

“Well, all I have is this bo staff that Leif makes us all carry.” Flora picked up an old staff in the corner. “It’s not too tough though, it’s more like a fancy stick.”

“It’ll have to do, you don’t have to fight if you don’t want to… just stand behind us.” Ryuu said.

“Okay… thank you.” Flora said. “I’m sure that everyone in town will appreciate it.”

“You don’t have to thank us, it’s just what we do.” Ryuu said as the group began to head out.