I did not dream of carnage that night. Of course, it was because I was unable to sleep at the cheap place Rufus got us, where we had to fit all three of us into one room. Because Rose was there, I feel that Blake couldn’t say what she wanted to me, and I quickly got bored of the Mirror World too. It seemed that they might have looked different, especially of those I learned were from the fourth Mirror World, but the people and their world looked mundane and boring.

The two different humans didn’t interact differently at all, maybe because they had gotten use to the animal parts slapped across their unnatural bodies. I remembered, the beast-people I saw where supposed to be just as close to me as were the eternally youthful ones, but although I didn’t think much of them, I wanted to know more.

Again, Rufus acted weirdly and took us out to see the city. There was a time when we had such a thing, tourism, but I couldn’t remember that, so the idea of staying in a city to see new views was strange to me. There was not much to do either, because it seemed that my money wasn’t accepted anywhere and I couldn’t change it. We only relied on Rufus, but I felt that he was being paid overtime for babying me, because I always imagined that his entire budget went into sunglasses and cigarettes.

Rose sipped a hot beverage, and gave me a sip, but it tasted like a disgusting blend of apple juice and coffee and I was surprised how she could like it. Blake sat next to us in this open square, and from her purse handed me strange bills, and that was how Rose got the drink.

“Here. I had some in my house and I thought to bring them.”

But even if she did have them, it would have made no sense for her to bring them.

“By any chance, are you a clairvoyant?” I said.

It wasn’t a very joke, but she laughed genuinely. I didn’t even think, and I guess she thought I wasn’t angry at her anymore, which was far away from the truth. Yes, she would always be my friend, but I needed answers, not alien coffee.

The weather was cruel. In Luminaire City, seasons are only memories and the only other time I experienced anything like winter was when I was training Rufus’ wand, so every time a breeze rolled over me, I felt the pull of worse times. I was almost certain now of Rufus’ intentions and I waited like in front of a wave. I couldn’t enjoy my time because I was so preoccupied, but I learned maybe from Rose’s surprise Zen that it may be a skill I could train, that is, to let time pass.

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Speaking of Rose, I wondered sometimes how she liked being here, but when she got to the room, she said a word to Blake, and took my arm. Blake stepped outside and I waited, for what she had to say, but this time she did not look aloof.

“What will you do now? Can you live the way you were before now you’ve seen the world?” she said suddenly, “I will continue to work for the Bureau, I think. Now that I know that the travel time between here and my school is mute, I can spend some time here and learn how to fight proper.”

I would have said something about her plan, that I didn’t approve of one bit, but her eyes moistened

“No, Rose, you don’t have to become hero,” I said.

“But now a sizable chunk of humanity is all holed up in Luminaire City. There will be another Josten one day, and I’ll be ready.”

“But they don’t need us. They have plenty of agents, and besides, at least for me, I’m busy.”

She came to her senses, “I see. But that’s not what Clara told me. They are not popular anymore, and that we two were the last ones outside of the system. Oh! Forget it. I didn’t think about your feelings.”

“No, it’s okay.”

Someone knocked on the door, and Rufus was with Blake now. He said, “Change of plans. Thing is I forgot that I need to work the day after tommorow, so we should leave a little before end of the day. Sorry.”

But while Blake took in the mood from seeing Rose, he did not. Or at least didn’t want to discuss it, and the next day was another uneventful time in a mysterious world, and I felt that weight again, when I was packing onto Rufus’ ugly vehicle. It was what happened before we left, that was the unexpected sight.