(Scars do not appear to be cause of death –shock ... - Bad Request

Soego's gaze hardened a little, and for a moment I worried that he knew we
had been through his things. "Perhaps."
He said nothing else.
Chapter 35 - Soego's Tale
With hair brushed and teeth polished, a 14-year-old Soego straightened his
clothes. True, they were ragged and threadbare, and utterly unremarkable
stitched as they were from old drapes scrounged from a meek peddler in the
Hive Market, but it was still his best shirt and he had to make an impression.
While he shared the abandoned warehouse with twelve other stray youths,
he was the oldest, and with age came the privilege of privacy. Soego lifted a
loose floorboard to reveal his stash, plucking a vial of perfume from among
the stashed treasures he kept: a slightly tarnished bronze pendant, a small
bag of fire lotus seeds he nicked, and a pair of old shoes he wore when he
was ten (they were still fine, stout leather, and he didn't have the heart to
let them go when he outgrew them). The fine crystal vial held a pinkish oil
that glittered bright in the daylight that filtered through the windows. It was
something he kept on an idle whim, the result of tickling a few pockets, but
today he was thankful he didn't sell it after all.
True it was a scent for women, but a rosy aroma was better than the stink of
grime and sweat so prevalent in the Hive. The previous week he had fairly
bathed himself in it and it had drawn enough sniggers and teasing to turn
him red in shame. Still, Soego was smart enough to know he had best not let
that get in his way.
With two fingers dabbing a drop of the remaining perfume at his neck he
was ready to go.
~~~~~
The crowd of youths joked and chatted as they sat in a circle before the
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