They stopped talking to each other, and looked at her.

"...I'm not sure we should tell one as young as yourself." one said.

"Why? They're just statues made to warn others not to go against the new world order." the other told them. "Monuments of their victims." they continued.

"The statues ARE the victims!" the first one insisted.

"They have a way to turn any dissenters INTO the statues, and Shelly will be the next one!"

"Word is they have a special weapon that can do it." one said.

"A rumour." the other interjected.

"A rumour that changes all the time. Some say it's a special gun, some say it's magic, some say it's a mutant working for them." they sighed.

"Them?" she asked.

"They were a group that attacked that school for mutants." one of them told her. "Because their attack was so successful, almost all died during it... and it was a crippling blow to mutants and their equity and equality in this world." they continued.

"Now the group has gained significant political power, and they intend to 'cleanse the world of mutants'." they finished.

"Nobody knows for sure what happens." one told her.

"REGARDLESS of what some people push as the truth." they then added accusingly to the other.

"Nobody sees what happens to their victims." they told her further.

The first one just sighed.

"Regardless, I fear we'll never see Shelly alive again." they said.

"You should keep moving. It's dangerous to be out here alone." they then warned her.

The two were silent, looked at each other, and then looked at her.

"What you do is none of our concern, though we strongly discourage you from doing so." one said.

"But they're taken to... well, what used to be the city hall." they told her.

"It's been transformed into a hideous and horrific stronghold and bunker." the other one explained.

"People go in there... and then the statues appear."

The building itself still had SOME remnants of a city hall to it... but for the most part, it was a stronghold... barricaded and guarded as such, as was shown by the pair of armoured guards standing at the front door.

"....yes?" one of them asked her when she got close enough.

"What do you want?" they asked further.

"An audience with the leader? That's impossible right now." the other commented.

"He's busy dealing with a traitor at the moment."

The guards were silent for a moment, as she said what she did.

"This building is the stronghold for our leaders." one told her.

"Formerly city hall." the other told her further.

"And yes, they would have moved. This section of city is no longer residential." they then added.

"So you best be moving along, little missy."

The guards narrowed their eyes.

"We do what we have to do." one told her.

"Move along." the other said. "Whomever you're looking for, they're not here. he said further.

"Odds are they're in the Dainsberry District, if they lived around here." they then informed her.

"Now shoo!" they ordered.

"We have work to do."

The guards watched her leave, before they returned to their post.

She heard them muttering amongst themselves, and heard a few choice words.

Notably, she heard 'dissenter', 'punishment', 'stone', and 'display'.

It gave her a good idea as to what they were talking about.

As she moved, the few people she saw had a very similar theme about them.

They were either angry, scared, or saddened. It seemed that they lived in fear, and we NOT happy about it. But there seemed to be nothing they could do.

Some looked at her strangely, but they never did anything about it.

It was probably because a young child wandering on her own was rare to see, but they didn't want to do anything about it, for fear of appearing suspicious, or standing out.

There was silence for a moment, before a voice responded from within the depths of the cold air.

"....is that really you?" the male voice asked.

"...my, my, I'd know that aura anywhere." he then said further.

"Come further inside." he beckoned.

"...unless you were followed." he suddenly added curtly.