As Kai led them through the Dark Room and towards the staircase at the back, he smiled a little.<br/>"PM isn't just a criminal organization. There are people here who do legitimate, everyday work, people who get paid to tend the plants down here, or do the plumbing for HQ. We have electricians, grocers, carpenters, pretty much any job you can imagine. The kids are their children.<br/>"See, the crime is kept to the top 10 floors, and no one is allowed up there without the correct password, and we don't tell the kids what goes on up there until they're of age to decide whether to stay or go. Usually, that's 18. Then, we're honest. They usually meet Ghost, then Plum and myself, then Thyme and some of the other criminals, and we tell them what we do. Interestingly enough, they aren't surprised, most of the time. A lot of them choose to stay regardless." His brow furrowed, and his tone changed. "Thing is, Nons aren't all equal up above. See, you may not have known we existed, but I can almost guarantee you've met at least one vampire before, or a werewolf, or something. Things are easy for them, and for faeries too. They look human enough, and of course they don't cause any trouble.<br/>"But when was the last time you saw a lamia like Pare slithering down the sidewalk? Or saw dryads like Brae and Fuji enjoying a meal?<br/>It's like Nons are okay as long as people can pretend they aren't Nons at all, but as soon as their physical appearance reflects their heritage, they're monsters...<br/>"When I was about nine, maybe ten, my family and I were walking somewhere. Maybe to get some food or something? Anyway, we passed this alley, and I could see a naiad probably no older than you getting the living shit beat out of her by some shitbag humans. They were taunting her. 'You dirty fucking blue-skin! What makes you think you have the right to walk around with humans?'"<br/>Kai shook his head, a look of utter disgust on his face. They had reached the stairs and begun to climb, with Kai maintaining a gentle hold on Mira's hand. "Naiads...the only thing different about them is their skin. It's a little bit blue tinted, and some of them have sideways pupils...like frogs. The humans we passed beat that naiad girl to death because her skin was a different color than theirs. I remember seeing it on the news, that she had died due to 'unknown circumstances' even though a street camera had caught the bastards coming out of the alley covered in her blood.<br/>The police didn't do a damn thing. Then again, neither did mom and dad." Kai shook his head. "Nevermind. Point is, the kids are here so that we can keep them safe until they're old enough to make their own decisions. Down here, they get the same education they'd get on the surface, with the added bonus of learning a few trades when they reach middle school age. Funny enough, they tend to get into colleges easier than the kids from the public schools up top." His grin was back, but it was halfhearted. "As for my godkids, their parents knew my parents. I dunno how they got involved with PM, but when they asked me to watch over their kids, I said I would.<br/>"As for Antra, you'll get used to her. I don't have time to get into specifics, but Cil made her. He's some kind of sorcerer or something."<br/>With that, they had reached the top floor, and Kai released Mira's hand, making his way over to three silver bowls resting on a wooden table. In each was a clear liquid, and Kai pointed to each one in turn. "Water. Alcohol. Something Cil makes. Not sure what it is, but he says it's some kind of cleansing fluid wrought from stardust or some bullshit. Either way, every time we come up here, you will wash your hands in each of these bowls before and after handling these plants." He said as he did so himself. "You should assume that everything you see up here is dangerous. Not necessarily poisonous, just dangerous. If you learn how to handle them, though..." Kai reached out to a nearby stalk that looked quite dead, using one finger to stroke it with a delicate touch. Suddenly it burst open to reveal a black flower that pulsed with soft blue light.<br/>"You can do shit like that. Got it?"