I left Iter alone in the front room and went into the kitchen. Taiga jumped down and followed, sensing with the arrogant optimism of a cat the possibility of a treat. I'm not sure what I did wrong, but I must have crossed a line somewhere. I left the god to create some space, unsure of how to recover. I puttered around in the kitchen for a while, cleaned some dishes, wiped down the stove, and thought about lunch options. I wasn't hungry in the slightest. Taiga meowed and tried her forepaw trick again. It slid right off my occupied perception.

I'd known Iter for a little over a day. I knew next to nothing about him. He wasn't even human, he was a god. And yet, I was leaning on him pretty heavily. That was strange. True, he's the only person who knows anything about this weird hero stuff. Was it odd to be so focused on that? I should be digging out my resume and updating it, and start looking around for a new job. Apply for unemployment. Check in with some of my acquaintances. That was the right next move.

This thing with Bushra. We'd left it open, but there's no chance that's even a viable option. I get she wants to get back at Complyze. A part of me wants to burn that place to the ground. I worked there for 6 fucking years. I had no illusions about anyone giving a shit about me as a person there, but I thought my work had value. I had no idea they were so corrupt. Framed for theft? Bushra for sexual harassment and extortion to steal her app? These weren't strangers or wild stories on the news. I knew Jon, we had drinks after the last Sales Kickoff, toasted the end of another run. Ben, well, he was a coldhearted bastard. But this? This whole thing made no sense.

Taiga must have given up and left at some point. I brought up my Status. There it appeared, floating in the air like a hologram. WTF was this even for? A part of me had dove right into this, hero and magic and all. A new place where I could start over, where I made a difference, where someone needed me. It was so easy, it felt so good to believe. I closed the window, and saw my reflection in the glass of the microwave oven.

Is that what's going on with Bushra and her app? From one failed fantasy to another? That was stupid. I turned away and went to make a new cup of coffee. I'm a piece of shit for dragging this out and getting her hopes up. I'll take a look at the app she sends over. If it won't work, I'll let her know straight out. If it does… well, it's a good portfolio of work for her. Maybe I'll connect her with a couple of my contacts to help her find something new. We were both screwed over, so welcome to the club. People getting screwed right and left in the SF Tech world. What makes us special? Learn and move on. No one cares. I collected my cup of coffee and, having no reason to stay, I wandered back to the front of the house.

Iter was sitting at my desk near the front window, looking at the barren trees and old houses glimmering in the deceptive winter sunlight. He had his head propped up on the back of his hands, elbows on the desktop. As I walked into the room, a reflection on the glass momentarily turned the window into a square of blinding light. Iter seemed to grow more intense against that brilliant backdrop, the light flowing off him like his godly raiment, a haloed radiance glowing behind his silvery hair. My breath caught. I felt transported to the Divine realm once again, the god before me, observing all of creation in his infinite estimation. In awe.

A single step forward, and the vision was gone. In its place, a distracted man in modern clothes, sitting at the window and staring at the sky. Iter turned and looked at me, his expression impassive, a stranger. Then he smiled faintly.

"We have no desire to partake of that beverage you are drinking, Mai, but We find its aroma most appealing," Iter remarked.

"It's coffee," I said, still reeling from the impact of that fleeting vision.

Iter's smile deepened and a dimple appeared against that flawless face. "Yes, We know." It was like ice breaking and melting away. "But We have not experienced it firsthand."

I opened my mouth to reply, but was interrupted by the doorbell ringing for the second time today.

✦ ✦ ✦

"How are you feeling?" Kris stood in the hallway, in a bulky sweater and slim, torn jeans, a far cry from her usual conservative, professional attire. She gave me a swift once over, apparently relieved by what she saw. She smiled, "You look well."

"Yeah, feeling much better. A good night's rest and a shower will do wonders." I smiled back. Then I cocked my head. "What's up?"

"Checking in. I wasn't sure how mobile you'd be. Anything you need done? Have you eaten?" Kris rapid-fired, her eyes wandering around as if she could find the answer to these questions in the faded hallway wallpaper.

"I'm fine, Kris." I soothed, and led her further in toward the front room. "Come on in. Want some coffee?"

"Sure," the corners of her mouth drifted upwards, then froze as she saw Iter standing in the center of the room. "Oh, I didn't know… I mean, I didn't realize, you, uh, had someone here," Kris faltered, clearly drawing conclusions at Iter's presence.

"Iter's staying with me for a bit. But it's not what you're thinking," I continued, chuckling. It was tempting to tease her, but I decided to give her some relief instead. "We're not together or anything. He's just helping me out for the time being." Iter looked at me, puzzled. I wasn't sure what he was about to say, but I forestalled that by escaping. "I'll get that cup of coffee for you."

When I returned, both Kris and Iter were sitting on either end of the sofa. Iter was gazing at Kris in mild interest, but Kris was staring straight ahead uncomfortably. I handed Kris and Iter each mugs of coffee, and Kris reached for hers desperately with both hands, like a drowning person grabbing a pole. Iter took his more calmly, though he simply lifted it up to inhale the aroma, before cradling his mug in his lap.

"Ah, thanks," Kris tried to take a sip, and quickly discovered it was too hot, then settled the mug in her lap as well. Her eyes continued to float about the room, adrift.

"Thanks for coming by, Kris," I started, sitting down in the lounge chair. But then I suddenly didn't know where to go next. I realized that though we'd known each other a long time, the last time Kris had been in my place was shortly after I'd moved in. Six years. "It's good to see you," I offered gently.

"Yeah, good to see you, too." Her face relaxed, losing some of its rigidity. "Uhm," she said, after a moment, "I came to see if I could help out somehow. But since, uhm, Iter's here, I'm not sure…" She trailed off. Her lips quirked up in a half smile.

"Yeah, I don't need any laundry or dishes done, but it's kind of you, thanks." Taiga sauntered into the room and went over to investigate Kris. She reached down to give the cat a pet on the head, which Taiga avoided. The cat jumped up on the couch between Kris and Iter, and started cleaning her fur. Iter watched the cat curiously.

When had Kris and I become so distant and awkward around each other, I wondered? After college, we'd been busy, sure, but we'd enjoyed a drink or two now and then. It was probably around the time my dad passed. I'd dove into work, trying to bury conflicting thoughts and emotions. I'd come up with excuses to avoid anything that touched on that nerve, and Kris had been pretty close to it, if only tangentially. We'd stayed friends, of course, but it stretched and thinned over time with every postponed drink or rainchecked meal. I hadn't realized how close it was to fading away altogether.

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

The silence was too heavy to bear. Kris had cooled her coffee enough to take a sip, but her presence here gave me courage. I leaned forward.

"I do need your help, though," I began, not quite sure where I was going. But I felt oddly guilty for being healthy despite Kris's concern, and needed to respond to her gesture somehow. I spotted the box on the table. "Since, uhm, I'm out of a job at the present, I've decided to help a former colleague with bringing her app to market," I began, inspired by who knows what impulse. "I'm familiar with the basics of a business plan, but, well, I guess I could use some help on the finance side."

Kris looked up at me, eyebrows raised. "You're starting a business?" Taiga had finished her grooming, and was now curled into a black and orange ball. Her ears twitched from time to time, betraying her monitoring of the room. Iter seemed equally still and watchful.

"Well, exploring our options is probably the best way to put it. But it sounds promising so far. Would you be able to help us out at all? I know you're busy," I pulled back a bit, suddenly realizing this could be a big ask.

"Of course, I'd be happy to help out!" The words seemed to rush from Kris's mouth, leaving us both a little shocked at her forcefulness. "I mean, uh, yeah, things are starting to slow down for me at work."

"Really?" I blurted. "Didn't you say it was end of year planning? I thought you'd be swamped."

"Yeah, well, that's true. But I have a good team, and they do most of the work anyway," she chuckled self-deprecatingly. That sounded hollow to my ears, the Kris I knew was meticulous to a fault. I expected she was deeply involved in everything that went on with her team. But I wasn't going to call her out on something she was obviously putting aside for my sake. I'd simply watch and make sure she didn't overload herself too much.

"That would be an enormous help, but I'm doing some discovery first. I probably won't need anything right away."

"What's the product?" she asked, and I regurgitated everything Bushra had told us, leaving out the extortion and fraud aspects.

"So there are some intellectual property considerations we'll want to be aware of. And, of course, I'm still figuring out the addressable market so we won't be competing head-to-head against their strengths. But Bushra's as smart and talented of a developer as I've ever met. There's something there to build, I'm sure of it." I found my previous doubts growing smaller as I worked to sell Kris on the idea.

Kris listened intently the whole time, her gaze serious. "Where's your funding coming from?" Straight to the point. Kris's accounting persona was in full effect.

"Well, as I said, I'm going to need some help on the finance side," I rubbed the back of my neck, embarrassed. "Right now our costs are two employees and her cloud services account, but that's only going to accumulate." I smiled sheepishly. "I was thinking we'd get a proof of concept together, write a business plan, and then see what other funding sources we might go after.

"I mean, that makes sense at this point," Kris began, nodding slowly. "But don't discount trying to get your first customers as soon as possible. Money coming in makes money free up all down the line. The faster you turn the idea of your company into a reality in people's minds, the easier everything becomes."

"Yeah, that's if we can get someone to buy it at this stage. I need to test it out first. Everything else comes after I know what we have."

"Of course," Kris agreed, leaning back. Then a broad grin formed on her features. "It's been a while since we talked like this."

"Yeah," I agreed, grinning back.

"You're really okay?" she queried. Her eyes searched mine.

"Yeah, I'm feeling fine, really." I settled back, too. "And Iter's helping, too, so you don't need to worry."

"Iter," Kris half turned in her seat to face Iter over the alert cat between them. "I'm sorry we were ignoring you," she dipped her head.

"We are quite content to watch how you two get along," he replied. He inclined his head as well, though with more regality. Kris blinked, and looked over at me, and I remembered.

"Ah, yeah, he said he's fine," I translated belatedly for Kris. Then back to Iter, "Though I'm sorry as well, Iter. I feel like I'm taking you for granted a lot recently."

"It is of no consequence. We are here to assist Our Hero. It is Our wish to not intrude." It felt more like talking to an attendant rather than a god, but I didn't know how or if I should bridge that distance between us. I set it aside for now, and turned back to Kris, "Iter has some strange notions about assisting me, but I guess I'll simply take advantage of his support for now." I grinned weakly, bemused.

"I still can't get over how easily you two communicate. I guess people do change when you least expect it." Kris added with a complicated expression of her own. I felt uncomfortable having that look turned on me, and I heard Iter chuckle. He had his mouth hidden by his cup of coffee when I turned to look at him, but there was most definitely a soft laughter coming from his direction.

✦ ✦ ✦

Kris took her leave soon afterwards, finishing her cup of coffee and mentioning some errands she had to run. Taiga leaped from her resting spot when Kris stood up, and raced ahead of us to the hallway, nearly getting caught up in our feet as she sped toward the bedroom. When I came back to the front room after saying goodbye, Iter was still sitting on the sofa, frowning in thought.

"Are you and Kris close?" he asked finally, his brow furrowed slightly.

"It's complicated," I sighed. After a moment under his gaze, I elaborated, "We've been friends since we were young, but sometimes all that history adds up and weighs you down." It felt like all my tethers had come loose, once I'd left my parents home and finished school. The last thing I wanted was to be confronted with old memories. Kris didn't press, she never did. She'd always been a worrier, keeping her concerns bottled up. I was typically the one going back to her for forgiveness whenever we'd fought. Maybe she'd been waiting for me all this time. "She's still the best friend I have, but maybe you don't always want someone you care about to see all your faults."

"A Hero should have good companions to rely on," Iter pronounced. I looked at him, the tangent bouncing off my brain. I didn't feel very heroic. I didn't have some lofty goal, some heroic mission. I wasn't going to save the world. I was struggling just to save myself.

I went to sit down on the sofa next to him, and pulled the box of my personal items in front of me. I took a breath to clear out old regrets, and set my empty coffee mug down. I pulled the box toward me. I may not be a hero. I may be a fool for even considering Bushra's plan. I stared at the exit paperwork laying on top of the pile. I may only be trying to avoid this bitter reality. I'd have to decide what to do with this soon. But there was something else I wanted to check. I began unpacking the box and laying out its contents in separate piles on the table. Iter watched for a moment, then leaned over next to me.

"What are you looking for?" he inquired.

"I'm not sure," I responded truthfully. I had my map up and was watching it closely as I moved each item from the box to the table. Besides the paperwork, there were an insulated metal coffee mug I preferred, a number of little Gundam mecha toys I collected, my headphones, a small Studio Ghibli-themed desk calendar I'd picked up at a craft fair in Japantown, and some random stationary and office supplies, including a stapler for some reason. After I'd removed most of the contents, I directed my attention to one item in particular. On my map, a question mark was hovering over the item resting on the table. It was a small envelope, and inside was an invitation in glossy, heavy cardstock. It was for a networking event in the south bay, in Santa Clara. By some quirk of fate or luck, it was happening this evening.

It was a customer meet-up, the kind of event you use to source prospects and discover new opportunities in existing accounts. I didn't recall seeing this particular invite before, but I'd received and attended a few. I'd even presented at similar events sponsored by Complyze. What made this one interesting is that it was hosted by Integrated Hardware Solutions, or IHS, the vendor I'd been accused of extorting. The same company that employed a particular manager who I'd fought with two days prior. A message popped up to the right of my vision:

Event: Investigate the Accomplice

Attend the meetup hosted by Integrated Hardware Solutions and probe into the crime.