Соня

Sonya and I have known each other for many years. When we met, she was one of those unfortunate people who were crawling in the dark and dangerous alleys of the slums. She had long blonde hair (however, it was difficult to see it because of dirt and lice), which she braided for a long time. She was one of us: another pathetic and helpless creature, lost in the chaos and bustle. She was constantly caught and beaten for stealing, and I often shared the vegetables I got with her. In return for my kindness, she tore off some stolen bread for me. Days, weeks and months passed, and soon we knew each other pretty well. Oh, Sonya was a good girl. She hung out with various merchants all year round and studied the black market better than anyone else. Am I surprised that she has become so friendly with Nara? Of course not. After all, Nara was the most dexterous and violent thief in our slums. Starting to work together, they began to complement each other so well that no one else could catch them. Each of their business brought a good profit. They have always shared with us the money and goods they have obtained. And yet we were constantly harassed by other gangs. One evening Sonya came to us. He and Nara got tired of other gangs always harassing us, and they decided to create their own organization. This would strengthen the position of us orphans living in the alleys of the Rastport. He and Nara told us what they want to achieve: we had to start living well as a family, eating and drinking plenty. We never dared to dream of such a thing. So the Rustlers appeared, and we finally found a home.Rustlers quickly earned a reputation in the Rastport. Nara's harsh temper terrified other gangs, but they were not given to understand Sonya's great plan: she wanted to make the Rustlers stronger and more influential than any other of the Rustport gangs.Blood and roses… These, in my opinion, are ideal symbols for Nara and Sony. Nara flooded this sinful land with the blood of countless opponents, and Sonya was a beautiful rose blooming in the mud and covered with sinful thorns. To earn a good income, we, the Rustlers, needed to find our niche. It eventually turned out to be a new market for... "special" goods. This was our chance to get rich. Nara bribed officials so that the ships of the Rustlers could bring the loot to the city. The loot was stored in the port, and Sonya was engaged in its sale. Each of them was doing their own thing, and we managed to get a good hold of a new business. Over time, Sonya realized that smuggling was not a safe occupation at all: she herself always respected and observed the unwritten code of smugglers, but more and more people appeared in the gang, and not everyone was so idealistic. Some people did not disdain to work for several sides at once for their own benefit. Someone gave out all the secret routes of the Rustlers, and now they could be robbed. And worst of all, the traitor could be someone from the "family".Fear has settled in the hearts of all of us. Someone we trusted, with whom we shared bread and fought shoulder to shoulder, betrayed all our secrets to our rivals. Nara easily destroyed those who tried to waylay us, but the seeds of suspicion have already taken root in the soul of many Rustlers.It was then that the first quarrel happened between Nara and Sonya. Nara wanted to execute those who were suspected of betrayal, in front of all the Rustlers and for their edification. She was thinking of starting with those who were accepted into the gang later. Her rage and confusion terrified me, and I knew how arrogant many "veterans" treated newcomers. They no longer had enough of the riches they received from the Rustlers. They craved even more power and secretly plotted, involving newcomers in them. Sonya, on the contrary, was not sure of the need for such harsh measures. Perhaps she didn't want to know how treacherous those with whom she grew up in the mud and slums were. Anyway, she didn't want to kill traitors, preferring a more "humane" exile.The argument ended with Nara running away, slamming the door. Sonya didn't say a word: perhaps she despised herself for her doubts and was worried about the quarrel with Nara. Personally, I think Sonya still believed in the original purpose of the Rustlers: to give a safe haven to those who are forced to dig in the mud among the slums. How could she, having achieved this goal, expel someone from her "family"?Nara is gone. One day she went to sea and never came back. Sonya sent Rustlers to search, but they did not find a trace. Other gangs decided that without a Bunk, we lost the most reliable defender, and began to stare at what had definitely belonged to us before. Discontent among the Rustlers also grew. I heard in the taverns that some of our people were thinking of staging a coup. Not everyone supported Naru. Some of the veterans secretly rejoiced, dreaming of taking the leading place of Sony. Sonya finally began to understand what was going on, and stopped trusting the old guard and tolerating her antics. Suppressing pity and pain from the loss of the Bunk, she began to look closely at those around her. Having easily figured out the traitors and thoroughly tortured them physically and mentally, she threw these people back into the dirt and filth — broken and useless to anyone. No one expected that this girl, who used to burst into tears if someone stole a piece of moldy bread from her, could be so cruel. Sonya dealt with traitors even more ruthlessly than Nara, and soon no one dared to think about treason. The whole Rastport was terrified. Sonya stopped feeling sorry for her own, and the orphans she saved had to pay dearly for their privileges.Now I can barely recognize her as the old Sonya. She shaved off her long golden hair and stuffed roses on her temples. She doesn't smile at me anymore—she just looks at me with an icy look and, apparently, wonders if I'm going to betray her. She trusted us, and we couldn't repay her with unquestioning loyalty. Now she is constantly watching the Rustlers, and even if she has a hard time, she will never back down. She knows that Nara will be able to return only if the Rustlers become even stronger. The dormouse is like a thorny rose made of hot iron. She crushed countless traitors, got rid of the remnants of kindness and gained supreme power. The Rustlers became not just an empire that he and Nara built together, but a living testimony to her determination and greed. I can only watch her sinful life. Someone will call it cruel, someone will call it great. Sonya will never be satisfied with what she has. Once she had a kind heart, but now the life and death of Rustlers are in her full power. However, she no longer has to deal with dirty things personally."Desire, like a rose, breaks through the sinful earth, saturated with blood. This is my weapon."