Nobody's Servant 1.0

Heart To Heart

There are many who say no news is good news. But if someone told me that right now I'd have more than a passing thought to bite them, and not playfully.

It's been 14 days since I sent Lucia that note, and there's been no reply. I'm sure you know me well enough by now to guess that my mind immediately flew to the worst case scenario, but I take the time to remind myself that any number of things could have happened. Maybe she just had to re-relocate and hasn't had the chance to check on account of how busy she's been.

That's what I tell myself for now, resigning myself to getting on with my day again. In that same vein, I resign myself to the idea that I probably won't have much time to entertain any recreational reading. On my way out, I conjure the book on the spiderfolk of Kiue out of storage one last time, setting it on a return cart and showing myself out. A missed opportunity.

I thought briefly about sending a note to Nym about my new theory, in regards to what might be in his brother's office, but if my correspondence is being monitored, that's the exact kind of thing I don't want to allude to knowing anything about. I'll have to make it an in-person conversation. Just... after I've taken care of a few other things. I've been through too much to let something like slow evaporation be the end of me.

By the time I make it back down to the station, the hype surrounding Samsara has long passed, no longer able to reach her as she makes her way elsewhere along those stretches of track behind junctions requiring special clearance to proceed past. I can wait for the next train in peace.

Even Suraokh does not break that peace, initially, as silent as his arrival always tends to be. When he speaks, I cannot actually be sure how long he had already been by my side on the bench.

"You have proven to be quite a handful, is that on purpose?"

"Goddammit you need to approach more gradually than that," I shoot, trying to recapture some of my composure. A furtive glance around us indicates that while people are noticing us but paying no special mind, Suraokh's sudden materialization escaped attention.

"I'm afraid you're not the one making demands here," the kangaroo says, his glass eyes fixing on mine. "We're going to talk about your little adventure."

"Out here in the open? There are people everywhere."

The tiny dots of light in his eyes roll. "Watch this."

He stands, lifting an arm to wave at the nearest vigil officer, going so far as to get right up in their face and pace around them. They do not respond.

I begin to stand as well, about to test that myself, but with my knees still bent in mid-rise, Suraokh slides right back over and places his hand on my shoulder. "Nobody can actually hear us. As far as anyone actually listening knows, we're talking about our scarves."

Relief is momentary, rising to the surface of my face and evaporating in the dry heat of exasperation as I finally look down and take note of his attire. "Ohhhhhh gods, you did get the same one," I groan, sinking back onto the bench.

"I said I would, yes. You see, I like to do what I say, which conveniently gets us right back on topic..." His hand, still on my shoulder, grips vice-tight as he plants himself down again, pulling down on me to bring me to eye-level. "Because I believe I strongly implied bad things would happen if you let your secret slip."

My gaze freezes on his, taking note of the distant, too-deep points of light in his eyes, reminiscent of our escape from the place in which he made me like this. "You can't hurt Nym," I mutter, trying to call his bluff, but fear makes me stumble over my words.