Kanasa was a lot less of a dirt town than Hickshaw. Fruit orchards grew in the distance and the presence of guards gave him a sense of security sorely lacking in the past few towns. The Data Sorter made Kanasa one of the second-wave towns built in the human spheres. One of the few that didn’t feel as though it was a shanty town unfairly assigned to be something proper. The clotheslines that hung above him didn’t really help with that definition. As he wandered through the busy streets, the sights and sounds seemed to buffer him wherever he went.

Fresh Fruit straight off the vine! 5 for 25 Kel or 20 for 10 UC!

Mirepod massages! Rest your joints and feel 10 years younger! Only 40 Kel!

IDS: Kel. A cash currency within the Human Sphere. UC. Union Coin is to be distributed to Union members as declared through a meeting by the Notary, Human Representative Nasir Habib, and Mechanoid Representative Reimos.

Lucia had advised him to keep recording at all times but he didn’t expect this. With the data sorter in full launch since the unfortunate incidents in the past that Shoa did not want to think about, he never expected it to be so active! Each fruit had a definition and origin with years of stories behind them, fabrics, and stories from the city filled his screen. There were even a few faces that the IDS picked up on from previous interviews. With all the information running straight into his brain, Shoa felt like he was a couple more factoids away from beginning to burst. The dizzying high of information carried him from the street, and straight into the body of a stranger.

“Hey fella. Are you doing ok?”

In spite of all the loud noises and disorienting pop-ups, the voice of the man behind him seemed to cut through everything. His soft amber eyes stared directly into the amber flitters as Shoa began to gather his thoughts. The first of which was the amount of time he had spent staring and not getting out of the way of the increasingly impatient patrons of whatever stall the two had stopped at. The man nodded towards an alley to get out of the traffic. With the glares now turning to muttered curses, Shoa was compelled to follow him.

The jingling of the man’s golden bells at the end of his braids sounded each step until he turned around to face Shoa. He looked the Mechanoid up and down and stated the obvious. “You’re new here, aren’t you.”

“Yes. Was it that obvious?.”

“Yeah, it is. So what made you want to go sightseeing in the middle of the street? Kanasa isn’t that kind of place. You’d want Reaseano for all that.”

“I’ll have to take your word for it.” Shoa sat down in the alley. Filthy but what of it. The man sat next to him, his beige jumpsuit fitting in well with the dirt.

“What’s the matter?”

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

The robot sighed. “A lot of things. I ran off from my coworker after a stupid argument and now I’m in the middle of a city I know nothing about. In the middle of a place I know nothing about.” Something resembling a chuckle crawled out of his speakers. “She even has everything important with her and I stormed off like… like…

“A child?” Another chuckle, this one more from amusement. Shoa found his laugh nice. “That must be harsh. Though you probably don’t wanna sit in a bum alley. How about we take this somewhere less crowded?”

Shoa found no fault with the idea and followed his new friend.

…

Rhys kept her head forward and hands in her pockets. Her duffel bag was zipped up tight and held at her side. Of course, that scrap head would leave her with all the important stuff. His badge, his money, goddamn it. It was always an issue walking with an obvious bag like hers. Doubly so in a place like Kanasa.

Especially in a place like Kanasa.

Kanasa and Reaseano were sister cities. Both of them were ones where merchants and salesmen went to offload their goods and keep themselves afloat. Both of them value the sound of stacked Coins and approved paper but as the “little sister” Kanasa was the city that valued it over morals. Now she needed to find that asshole before someone decided that Mechanoid Copper would be better off in a chop shop than in his body.

“Wait a sec,” Rhys thought. Why was she even thinking about this guy? She still had some of the pay given from her last job, and according to Lucia, she had more on the way from the whole Vegas thing once that was sorted out. Screw the job, Screw the Vegas punks, and Screw the Tincan. There was a Morning Star in town and Shoa was the metal equivalent of a grown-ass man. Tonight was her night to enjoy herself.

…

The barkeep slid the man another drink, but his eyes were not meeting his customer. The IDS identified it as the kind of rum that men with sizable pockets asked for. As he sat on his stool, Shoa was able to take in the man. The dark-skinned man didn’t seem to have a speck of dirt on him. His nails were immaculately clean and his skin glistening. The braids in his black hair reached down to his chin as the golden bonds at their ends rattled with each of his movements. His eyes were as amber as the golden hour and at that moment, they were wide open in response to the tale Shoa gave.

“So all of them were gone, just like that?”

“All except the thing. It was monstrous. I don’t know if we could even consider it alive.”

“Where is it now?”

“Burnt and buried. Mr.Hartland took care of that.”

“Ah, of course.” The man took a drink from his mug. Not a spot stained his lips or spilled but Shoa couldn’t see his reaction to news.

“Did you know anyone from Hickshaw?”

“I knew people.” Another sip. “ No one I would feel bad about on a personal level. Just basic relationships. A shame that things went the way they did though.” The regret dripped off each word yet Shoa could hear the rum messing with the tone of his voice, the slurred sincerity.

“It just seems like things are becoming problematic out there. What are you going to do once you’re done here, friend?”

“I… don’t know. I probably need to find my partner again. Running off like that was unbecoming.”

“I understand. Do you need a place to stay for the night? On account of you lacking the funds for one.”

Shoa felt the need to go to a Morning Star Inn. Even if he left his badge, he would still be alright. Yet for the first time in his life, he met someone who wasn’t going to kill him. Someone who thought he was interesting on some level. Like an actual sentient being. “ If you wouldn’t mind me staying the night, of course.”