"Oh, I wouldn't say that" Thaal crowed in response "A prison and a fortress look awfully similar should one blur their eyes. Of course, the Overseer has forced us to trade our old cells for the larger one we explore now, but from a certain point of view, we already are free. Free to talk. Free to fight. To explore. Free to plan. From where the Overseer sits, she may seem to be pulling the strings, but, should we tug hard enough, it will be she who is tied to us. In the meantime, I suggest we hurry up and press this advantage before the Overseer decides she wants to start bladdering on again. Perhaps the first step in achieving a status greater than that of a rat might be to start helping, wouldn't you agree, 'sir'? Complaining about futility achieves nothing"
"That's right. Keep watching. Keep up that effort and soon you'll be watching the inside of a cell again. What were you locked up for again, Nishiki? Criminal negligence? Or was it just public loitering?"
"Dead weights. The lot them" Thaal groaned, continuing to work around the tarp. No rest for the wicked, it seemed. "We're wasting our breath. We'd be better off leaving them behind regardless of their supposed power, if they're taking advantage of our hospitality and labour now, they will surely do so again. I shan't be putting my life on the line for such likes of them, and I doubt the rest of our new Corps will be too thrilled to do so either"
"The less we put down to chance the better. We can't be relying on luck if we want to get out of here in one piece, now can we? Maybe sealing that body back up inside a crate might be the best course of action; the less time that thing is in contact with the air for, the slower its decay. We need to limit our exposure to potential infectants. Wedge it shut with some of that rebar if the lid won't stay down. On the double"