Janice – Wednesday, 1:15pm.

“Don't be so nervous,” an innocuous man named Glenn said. “If I can't tell, no human can.”

The tan-skinned woman beside him, going by the name Janice, was hesitant to walk inside the cafe.

“You're only going to draw more attention if you act all intense like that,” Glenn continued.

“I know, I know... I just...” Janice paused and took a deep breath, steeling her nerves. “Okay.” She walked forward and pushed open the glass door of the cafe.

About a dozen people were sitting down at the coffee shop's tables, minding their own business, sipping drinks and enjoying afternoon snacks. Anywhere else, it might've been strange to see two people walk in without taking their sunglasses off, but for them, it was a precaution more than anything else.

Glenn led the way to an empty table, and they both sat down.

“Should we order something to not look suspicious?” Janice urged.

“Calm down. We're fine. You wanted to get away from Tenna's place to relax, so let's not squander the opportunity.”

“...Yeah. So, anyways... like I told you... I want to go back to Miyatama.”

“I thought you said you wanted to relax,” Glenn repeated with a smirk on his face. “I kid. Go on.”

“I know it sounds crazy, but I have some unfinished business I need to take care of there. People I have to find.”

“You mentioned. Zev and Carson?”

“Mainly them... yes.”

“Carson, sure, but regarding Zev... you're aware of the phrase about the fine line between bravery and stupidity, right?”

Janice forced a quick smile. “Yes, I know. But I've been doing a lot of thinking, Glenn. A lot of soul-searching. Other than those logging setups and campsites I frequented so often back in the day... where else is there for me to go? Don't– don't say Tenna's hideout.”

“Now now, you and I both share the same sentiments about her.”

“Right.”

“But, you do have a point, I suppose. Much easier to find a place to stay in Miyatama than Ystets, anyway.”

There was a lengthy pause.

In the midst of their meeting, Glenn kept looking around the room without an ounce of subtlety, occasionally staring down the other people in the cafe.

Janice continued, breaking the silence. “Well... the money and phone you gave me? I can't tell you how much that means to me, really. And I don't like asking for favours, especially after you've already shown me so much generosity.”

“No need to beat around the bush, Jan. Let's cut to the chase.”

“Could you... maybe help me figure out a way to get to Miyatama?”

Glenn bit his lip and looked down at the table. “Are you looking for directions, or a lift?”

“Weeeellllll...” Janice peeped. “I'll take what I can get.”

Glenn flashed another smirk. “Don't think we're going to be doing much in the next handful of days, as far as operations go,” he explained, keeping his voice very quiet. “The assault on Maroon has things pretty hot out there. Not to mention it was one of the tightest escapes we've had yet.”

“I couldn't see anything in the back of that truck, but I could sure hear it all.” Janice winced.

“Be glad you couldn't see it.”

Janice solemnly nodded.

“So, yeah... I don't see a problem with giving you a ride,” Glenn continued.

“Oh! I thought you were saying you weren't going to be able to.”

“No, no, I mean I'm free to do things in the meantime since I'm not caught up with Tenna's business.”

“Ah! That... that would be awesome, to have a ride to Miyatama! Are you sure?”

“It's not an issue. I enjoy driving, and I have piss all to do back home. Watch news. Organize our stores. Mess with Eckire. Gets stale after a while.”

“Ah! My goodness, thank you so much! Maybe there's still hope for finding them after all.”

“Glad to help a volon in need.”

Janice's eyes shot open. “Not so loud!”

Glenn shut his eyes. “We're in Ystets, remember? I'd wager at least half of these people are volons themselves. If a human suddenly made a ruckus about volons in here, it wouldn't end well for them.”

Janice carefully looked around the cafe, discreetly side-eyeing the other patrons to look for any identifying features. She couldn't see anything out of the ordinary; everybody else looked like perfectly normal humans. Without being able to closely inspect the other peoples' eyes, she had no way of discerning a human from a volon in hiding.

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

“That's... creepy...” Janice mumbled.

“How so? We're doing the same thing.”

She creased her brow. “Wait, why are we bothering with these sunglasses, then?”

“Because I didn't know how many of the customers in here were humans. I have a much better idea now.”

“...Elaborate, please? How can you tell?”

“Once you've been around long enough, you start noticing minute details volons often get wrong when mimicking humans. It's mostly body language. Unusual limb movements, rigid posture, and most only have a very rudimentary understanding of colloquial speech.”

A lightbulb went off in Janice's head. “You've been spying on the others in here.”

“So to speak. I could tell you with high certainty that at least half of the 13 people in here are not human.”

After a brief moment of awe, Janice quickly looked down at herself. Prior to coming to the cafe, she'd shifted her skin to be a darker, more human tone rather than her usual grey. “Can you tell that I'm...?”

“Aside from your rampant paranoia... no, actually. You're rather well-adjusted. Besides, not like any human would be able to tell even if you weren't; you certainly look the part, and that's all you need in most cases.”

“Good... but it's... just not easy to be calm about this. I don't want to get caught. I don't want to go back to Maroon's “lab.””

“Yet you want to go back to Lower Miyatama.”

Janice huffed. “I want to know my acquaintances are safe more than I'm scared of being imprisoned again. And some answers wouldn't hurt, either.”

“Okay, well said.” Glenn clasped his hands together on the table. “Just calm your nerves, and you'll not be noticed by anyone.”

“Right... I'll do my best.”

The remainder of the meeting was largely devoid of meaningful conversation. Glenn continued with some small talk, including a bit of cheeky gossip about Eckire and Tenna, before walking over to the front counter and ordering some refreshments for the two. Janice got a small glass of lemonade with a bran muffin, and Glenn ordered a dark roast coffee.

Before long, they'd finished both their snacks and their talk, and they prepared to leave the cafe. This time, Janice led the way.

She took a few moments to take a deep breath of air as she opened the coffee shop's door, allowing the fresh outdoor breeze to waft over her body. Shortly afterwards, her gaze meandered over to the neighbouring city in the distance.

Even from afar, Miyatama was a breathtaking view. Suspended in the sky, positioned atop a myriad of enormous structural supports, was an entire city, shimmering in the bright afternoon light. It was the first time Janice was able to took a good, long look at such a marvel of engineering.

“It's something, isn't it?” Glenn commented as he walked out of the cafe, sharing the view with Janice.

“It's incredible,” she wistfully replied.

“It's a shame they lost the lower city to misguided bureaucracy. The top is still pleasant, at least.”

“Ah?”

“Lower Miyatama isn't known for being the safest or most progressive place on the planet. Although, High Miyatama is a different story.”

“And down there is where we were. Zev and I.”

“Yep. You two and a wide array of other volons.”

“Glenn... were there any other volons in there like us?” Janice was confident she already knew the answer to her question, but she couldn't help but ask anyways.

“Not that I'm aware of. Better off asking Tenna about that, since she knows the most out of our group.”

“I'll just take your word for it.”

Glenn chuckled and continued along to his truck with Janice in tow.

“I wonder if Zev is still there. Or if they're even alive,” Janice pondered.

“You probably know better than I do. How resourceful are they?”

“Oh, uh... good question. I don't really know.”

“More on the feral side, yeah?”

“Yes, that's right. I don't actually know what Zev is capable of, as far as urban survival goes. I didn't get to spend that much time with them.”

“The odds are stacked against them with Maroon on full damage control after the assault. I doubt they'd be taking any more prisoners after that.”

Janice looked down at her hands again, opening and closing her fingers. “You really don't think anybody will know?”

“If you keep worrying about it, everybody will know.”

Janice sighed.

“You're fine. Seriously. Take it easy.”

----------------------------------------

A mere five minutes later, Janice found herself on the road to Miyatama in Glenn's pickup truck. Neither she nor Glenn had any compelling reason to go back to Tenna's base before their road trip, so they got moving without delay.

The truck was noticeably old and stuffy; there was a powerful, musty smell that permeated throughout the entire cabin, thus, Janice opted to leave her passenger window unrolled. She rested her arm out the window, slowly waving her hand through the rushing wind.

Normally, the city buildings and the plentiful pedestrians would be an intriguing sight for her. Her time in the great outdoors, away from any dense urban landscape, had given her a curious and eager disposition while traversing city streets. However, after Glenn's remarks about the sheer quantity of volons present in Ystets, she couldn't help feel rather unsettled.

...Unsettled, and beyond anxious. Janice knew Miyatama was where she needed to go, but it was still a terrifying endeavour nonetheless. She did have a friend in Glenn, but she didn't know the extent of his goodwill and generosity; he'd been exceedingly pleasant to her thus far, but she had no intentions of pushing it.

Where will I stay? Does Glenn have any contacts in Miyatama, maybe? He did mention it would be easy to find a place to stay there...

No. I can't keep stewing like this. Just ask him, for goodness' sake!

Janice exhaled, puffing out her cheeks. “Hey,” she spoke up.

“Yep?”

“Do you know of any places in Miyatama I can stay?” she asked.

“Sure.” He paused for a few seconds before continuing. “Motels and B&Bs are a dime a dozen in Miyatama. Might not be the best quality, but it probably won't be much worse than what we have back at base.”

Damn. “Know of any decent ones?”

“Sure, a couple. I'll give you some details once we get there.”

At least that was somewhat reassuring.

Glenn reached over and pressed some buttons on the truck's dashboard, prompting a groovy, electronic song with a powerful, driving beat to begin playing. He smiled and gently nodded his head to the beat.

Janice wasn't sure if that was a cue to shut up, or if Glenn just wanted some music. Either way, she mirrored his actions and sunk back into her seat, enjoying the tunes. Only then did she realize how tense she'd been the entire drive thus far.

It still wasn't exactly easy to unwind, but with a quick reminder that this was the last bit of respite she'd have for a while, she consciously eased her muscles, starting with her legs and ending with her arms and neck. She rolled her shoulders and adjusted her seat position to something slightly more comfortable.

“Do you know how long it'll be until we're there?”

“30 minutes, give or take a few.” He must have seen her wiggling about in her seat, since he reached over again and patted on her on the leg. “You're not in this alone, Jan. I doubt I can help with your manhunt, but the least I can do is lend you a hand here and there. And I'm not exactly the therapist type either, but if you get overwhelmed, give me a call.”

Janice smiled, almost feeling tears welling up in her eyes. She inhaled sharply through her nose to stop it from happening. “Thank you, Glenn. I... I-I really can't thank you enough.”

“Volons look out for each other. Just like you are with Zev.”

She hadn't thought about it that way until Glenn mentioned it just then. “Yeah... I guess you're right, huh.”

“Of course I'm right,” he teased. “Let's enjoy this drive, yeah? This is one of my favourite songs.”