Stepping outside of the station, we were greeted by the blazing hot sun bearing down on us. “What the hell? Since when did D.C. start to feel like Arizona?” Vanessa muttered under her breath.
“Since the world started coming to an end, I guess.” I looked around for any sign of humanity. Finding none, I started walking to the right, with the rest of the group trailing slightly behind me.
I looked over my shoulder to see Leresa venting to Dantae while Rexir doted on his younger sister, making sure to hold her snacks in one hand while holding her hand with the other.
“They’re a funny trio, aren’t they?” Hazeel smiled, bumping shoulders with me. “So, where are you headed, Leo?”
“Well, if I remember correctly… found it.” Only a few hundred feet from the station was the Smithsonian National Postal Museum.
Vanessa walked up from behind me, and took up my right side opposite Hazeel. “A museum? Why did we come here?”
“It’s just a starting point.” I said, eyeing the building. “I know we said that we’d meet back up with Alpha and the Valkyries, but I don’t want them putting their lives on the line fighting the clones when it should be us taking care of our own problem.”
Vanessa smiled and nodded. “So you wanted to go straight to the white house from here and confront Christian instead. I see.”
“Well, now that the circumstances have changed, that’s not quite it.” I said, stopping at the street corner.
“I really am curious about why all these people have disappeared. If we can figure something out, then I’d rather spend my energy there, as opposed to beginning our battle immediately. As far as we know, the enemy isn’t aware of our presence yet. I’d like to keep it that way, in the meantime.”
Vanessa nodded, while Hazeel took me by the arm, her ears twitching. “Leo, I can hear something that way.” She pointed across the street to a bakery.
As much as I strained my ears, I couldn’t hear a sound. I supposed that was more of a testament to the wood elf’s superior hearing more than anything. With no traffic to worry about, we stealthily crept up on the building, before hiding against the outer wall.
“Our hotel is right down the street.” I pointed in the direction of the Kimpton George. “If something goes wrong, we all reconvene there. It doesn’t matter if we have to take off the suppressors and voidwalk. Am I understood?”
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“Of course.” Hazeel said, and the rest of the team nodded, save for Zare, who was still eyeing her candy with glee.
Rexir pinched her cheek, forcing the princess’ eyes to shoot back up and look at the rest of us. “U-understood.” She answered back, averting her gaze as a blush began to spread on her face.
I sent Leresa and Rexir to the other side of the establishment, while Vanessa kept Zare safe at the rear exit. Hazeel and I rushed to the entrance and she swung open the door, while I rushed through, and came to a stop.
Standing in front of me was a woman with long and curly black hair, tanned skin and wearing a pair of ripped jeans with a leather jacket.
She turned, revealing a shirt that read, ‘I went to America, and all I could afford was this stupid shirt.’ Her eyes went wide, and she dropped the cup of coffee she was holding, causing the hot drink to spill all over the floor.
I sighed as waves of coffee smell and nostalgia washed over me. I could see I wasn’t the only one, as tears began to well up in the girl’s eyes. “Leo.” She whispered my name, and a grin grew on my face.
“Leo!” She ran towards me, only to be accosted by Hazeel with a swift hand to her throat. The wood elf lifted her off the ground, and despite the treatment, a smile broke out on the girl’s face.
“Let her go Hazeel, she’s a friend.” I said in Azurian so she’d understand faster. Hazeel seemed confused, but put the woman down, hugging me from behind afterwards.
“I don’t like this woman.” Hazeel said in her native language. “She was definitely trying to hug you just now.”
“Your jealousy is too much sometimes.” I sighed, stroking her cheek above me. I returned my gaze to the woman who had recovered.
“Is- is it really you?” She asked, reaching her hand out as if she was afraid I was an illusion. Hazeel slapped it away, earning a pinch on the thigh from me, which she moaned at.
I shook my head, and hugged the woman, startling her badly. She jumped in my arms, banging her head on the side of my face.
We separated, and I could only laugh at the absurd expression on her face. “I’m real. I’m back.” She buried her face in my chest, and I hugged her back.
“False alarm.” Hazeel said into her suppression bracelet. The four outside came to the entrance, and the girl in my arms nearly lost her mind when she saw Vanessa.
“How-!?” She cut herself off. “But I-, you-, she-!”
Vanessa laughed as she ran up and embraced the woman. “Don’t worry. I know that you’re not to blame. There’s more to this than who is at fault.”
“Mhm.” She started crying again while hugging Dantae, and finally Rexir couldn’t take being left in the dark any longer.
He came up to me and grabbed my arm, prompting Leresa to walk up next to him. “Rexir believes it's time you share who our mysterious friend is.”
I gave him a reassuring smile, and clapped the woman on the back. “Everyone, meet Maria. She helped us out some ten odd years ago, and I’m hoping she can do the same now.”