The archivist offered to see the seamstress safely ho after Mrs. Morin collected Zoé thirty minutes earlier - which had freed Anise to indulge in another round that left her less than steady on her feet. Standing outside the restaurant and watching them both walk away felt... satisfying.
> Expecting a person you feel so responsibility for to be alright, even without looking over their shoulder or tugging them along by their elbow. The human ’capability’ of predicting either the worst or the best is sotis too troubleso. <
"Still, I wish she would wait until she was ho..."
"Oh, that’s nothing. I could show you pictures of her college days, if you want. I have a blackm- security file on her, since she deals with boss lady regularly."
"No, thank you."
"Even though you jumped imdiately for-"
"You already had them on the screen, it’s not the sa!"
Free to argue about this topic I want no one to hear only because Ellie had already headed back toward the Stonewater territory, part of is still mulling over the promise she extracted. That if she organized the next group outing, I would try to attend - if not busy with other commitnts.
> I should probably be more careful about that. Who knows who she is going to invite, since she didn’t exactly make a point of getting everyone here’s contact info... <
"So, do you have an easy way back yourself? Need a walk back again or for to call a ride?"
"Your security team could take us, if you wanted to co along. I was already made to print a keycard for you that will get you back to her room, in-office assistant."
I shake my head and sigh. Going to the tower that might house soone after in a different dangerous way than the CEO? Absolutely not - and the last part I am just going to ignore.
"Your offer is... appreciated, but I was planning to retrieve more of my clothes tonight. The things I had stored - in the warehouse - aren’t exactly suitable for every occasion."
My correction didn’t co as smoothly as I hoped. I know she asked before about what happened to the shipping container when I first got it. That she is going to find out eventually, as I do not think Kyrie will hide the Apocalypse from the people she trusts to help her pack weather it.
"Actually, I could use another of those shipping containers. If BoundaryKeeper can find one."
"Er, that might actually be sort of tough? That is, I can definitely get it for you, but it would just be taking one with permission. She stopped selling ours and has been snapping up others like she is attempting to short the market on them."
Claire used her hand to shift her glasses a little bit at the end. Staring at like a curious creature or a riddle. Honestly, I didn’t hate that... it cos close to being as desirable as being complinted for my looks.
"At first I thought it all made sense. You apparently like them, so she bought all of them. You like food, so she is buying up a lot of food. Except you know, it is all shelf stable nutrition and more than even *you* would ever eat in a hundred lives."
"Would you bet on that?"
A snort makes her shake her head and reach into her bag. She then shoves so sort of device toward that I might have seen so likeness of in the hunter’s electronics cache. And one I hadn’t seen.
"No, I’m still stubbornly betting on you. Even if you are ridiculous - and that’s coming from !"
"...What is this?"
"RF Detector and a Lens Finder. So you can check your apartnt for listeners and hidden caras yourself instead of just taking my word for it. I’ll send the link to another tutorial video. Go ho and get so rest, Citra."
The thought *had* occurred to that even if people were not waiting in the apartnt, they were watching sohow. But I’d dismissed it as excessive paranoia. Now, standing on the sidewalk with the assistant who’d just demonstrated her casual surveillance placing capabilities...
Concern in her voice reminded that this woman had put considerable effort into protecting Kyrie’s interests, which... includes myself. Despite her irreverence, suspect ability to abide laws, and the morals of others - she’d proven herself trustworthy.
"Thank you, Claire."
"Save it. Just keep calling when you need things. I know you didn’t have to the other night. But ti matters on these things. We don’t always have a lot of it, to find the answers we need to protect ourselves."
She headed toward her own transportation as she spoke, leaving alone on the sidewalk with my thoughts and hands full of anti-surveillance equipnt. Stuffing them in my pockets, I get to walking.
> I really need a big box that fits in the alleyways at least. <
⧖ ☾ ❄ ☽ ⧖
Standing in my bedroom with its repaired door fra - after using her electronics throughout the rest of the apartnt - I imdiately stare at the spot I rushed toward the last ti I entered my apartnt with such tension. Rembering how Kyrie had crawled out of the bathroom.
And of course, a pulsing blue glow appeared at the edge of my vision along the checkmark symbol. The system’s timing felt almost mocking - as if it had been waiting for to think about her vulnerable state.
| TASK: Check On Patient Condition |
I pulled out my phone, then hesitated. Claire had tried to set my mind at ease, but if soone really was monitoring communications or even this apartnt sohow in a way I can’t detect... a direct conversation about Kyrie’s recovery could reveal too much about the location and her condition.
> Is that why the system was vague this ti by only labeling her ’patient’? Or could I theoretically now check on *any* patient and clear it... <
Moving to the window as Vrika insists I must check on the Alpha, I held the phone close to my chest as I dialed Martha’s number. Sighing and bringing it to my ear when I hear her pick up.
"Callaway residence."
"It’s Citra. In the vaguest terms possible, how are things?"
"She’s doing better, dear. Fever broke this afternoon. She’s been up and about for several hours, nothing strenuous beside being on her phone. Though she’s been asking about you."
My chest twinged and my fingers reached for my hair to tug and brush on it.
"Don’t tell anyone I called. Or use her na or details when I call again in the morning."
"Is that for the best? She’s sat on the porch and looked out toward the road for the last hour - like she expects you to co walking up the drive. Will you be returning tonight?"
"No. Thank you for answering. Goodbye."
Before I let her protest and cave in, I hung up and crouched down onto the floor. Sat the phone down and leaned back against the glass lazily.
| TASK COMPLETION ✓ |
| REWARD IMMINENT ⚝ |
The weird undulating knot of a symbol’s blue glow intensified. As if I’d blinked, a small object materialized above my languid palm and landed in it. Or tried to, it is not as though I relaxed so perfectly flat just now.
The item rolled onto the nearby flooring and I stared at like it was more of an affront than anything else. Because I can’t help but rember the silly flower and the system’s timing with that.
It turns out to be an earpiece of so sort - sleek, lightweight, and black with an *unsubtle* design embossed into the largest surface. A stylized blue fox curled around a white circle - a moon? - with an orange snowflake motif inside of it sat on the part that would stick out of my ear for people to see.
"If I let people get that close to my ear, anyway. I don’t understand anymore."
Does it know I’m not Helene - or not? Is it revealing that the Lunar Goddess has sothing to do with what is going to happen? Or is it just taking things that I would find important or interesting and pushing them onto its creation...
Sinking into my mindscape as my old self, my black wolf spirit is already close and squinting its blue eyes at the thing I ’copied’ and brought in with . Because unlike out in reality, it has a few... different qualities to it.
> Isn’t this what they call wirefra? <
Like a computer 3D model without any of the actual planes filled in. Including all of the little interior geotries of a device that honestly an nothing to , in glowing white lines just like the system’s foxfire appearance.
My other hand reaches out and pokes at it experintally. And I learn that I should be more careful with my curiosity.
| CHOSEN ENCRYPTED DEVICE |
Information seed to flow directly into my understanding - even against my will that fights it. And though what it has given is fairly useful, the thods it uses only makes dislike its creator more and more.
Slipping the device over my ear, I feel that the maker of the Apocalypse System is surely soone who... despite going to efforts to make it ’helpful’... ultimately does not feel the need to abide by the principles of others.
Reviews
All reviews (0)