Mannik had sat quietly and patiently during his commander's speech. Once the food was refused, however, he reached for the cold bird, only to have his hand smacked. Sarah moved the plate back in front of Adelmar without looking at Mannik, who sulked quietly.
Something the girl said made him glare angrily at her. "Can't get much worse for us. How'd it feel, girl? To be taken away from your home? Imagine how many people go through that here! And you being taken will be a thorn in the Hadar's side. Don't you think they will be ashamed they didn't protect you? They will want you back. Our price is cheap enough..." Sarah glared at the male for a moment, before turning to Adelmar.
"Miss Wislawa...please ignore him. Mannik has grim view of Above. Not that I can blame him, but he shouldn't take it out on you." She stated pointedly. Mannik obeyed and stayed silent. She paused for a moment, evaluating her captor. Whether or not she was aware, Adelmar's words worried Sarah deeply, though she didn't let it show. All of Below had risked quite a lot to bring her here. Sending her back risked even more, with the information she now carried about them. Just the fact that she knew this housing complex was bad.
She opened her mouth to speak, but a large crack cut her off. She glanced backwards with an irritated expression. Mannik waved at her, signaling to stay seated. The tiny room they were currently in opened to an even smaller area, clearly seen through the open doorway. There was a small bed, space to turn around while standing, and a huge silver box. Mannik opened a side of the box and poked around inside until it started to quietly hum again.
This done, Sarah turned her attention back to Adelmar. "My apologies...our air purifiers don't work very well sometimes..." She frowned. "You don't have them Above, do you? I forgot for a moment. The dome you live in with plants and recycled oxygen makes it so you can breath. Here, we don't have any sealed rooms, but because of the smog, our air must be constantly purified. Plus..." She paused to point at a vent near the ceiling. "That connects directly to the next room. We have one purifier for even ten apartments. So the purifiers are a bit overworked and short circuit on occasion. So, lesson one...if you hear or see one go out..." Sarah leaned forward to tap the gas mask Mannik had removed from Adelmar. "Put this on. If you have to go outside for any reason, put it on."
"Now, as to your living arrangements...We...didn't anticipate..." She faltered slightly, glancing to Mannik. The male's green eyes peered evenly at the woman from Above.
He finished the sentence for Sarah. "That I would return. Much less with you."
Sarah hesitated, then nodded. Once Mannik sat back down she reached over to pat his hand. "So, we actually didn't make plans for that..." Her gaze turned to Mannik once more, her eyes narrowing when she saw he'd snatched a strip of chicken off the plate. "Well...you two already know each other, and Mannik...you can keep her safe, and let her know what she needs to know to survive until we hear from Seven. We'll send a message tonight..."
Mannik chewed the meat, obviously not understanding. It dawned on him slowly. "Wait...it's...a girl...from...there!" He finally spat out. "I can't watch her! I'm no babysitter! And it's already a pain!"
"Mannik will take you to his home. If you need anything, he will be more than happy to assist you. My name is Commander Imhoff, by the way, dear. Leave the robin, Mannik..." She gave them a curt nod, then stepped into the small room, tugging a curtain down.