Ris stood awkwardly behind her mother as her mother hugged her friend and introduced Ris.

“This is my daughter Ris, you’ve met her before, right?” Ris’ mom asked her friend.

“Oh yes yes, we met at the party a couple weeks back, right?” The woman asked Ris, “The one at Kane’s house?”

Ris nodded, still feeling a bit awkward. She didn’t know the woman too well, only that she was her mom's friend.

“Oh! Lin, how is your new job at the Ministry of Civil Works going along?” Ris’ mother asked the woman, whose name was apparently Lin.

Lin bristled a little, but Ris’ mother didn’t seem to notice, “Oh, it’s going just fine,” Lin giggled a little, “I started the other week and I fit in so well…” Lin said a few things that Ris didn’t pick up on, “If you ever want, I could totally recommend you for a job.”

Lin had put on a very fake smile, as though she was uncomfortable. It was the sort of smile Ris would put on whenever her mother would go on about her personal life and Ris had to pretend to be polite.

After a few moments of the two speaking, another woman appeared from the shadows behind Lin. She was a much younger woman, around Ris’ age, Ris assumed. It had to have been Lin’s daughter, the girl that her mother said she’d probably be friends with.

The woman looked directly into Ris’ eyes but said nothing. She remained completely silent.

Lin perked up, “Oh, this is my daughter, Longyu!” Lin exclaimed, “Say hello, Longyu…” Lin mumbled.

Longyu nodded politely to Ris, “Hello… I am Lu Longyu, a pleasure to meet you…” Longyu said in a monotone voice, “I look forward to getting to know you…”

Longyu’s sharp and cold eyes cut through Ris like a dagger, piercing her very being. Ris felt strange around her.

An awkward silence filled the area for a brief moment as Ris and Longyu stared at each other, their mothers taking glances at their daughter's while making awkward and forced conversation.

Longyu then took Ris by the wrist and almost dragged her away. Lin seemed relieved by this and then became more engaged in her conversation.

Longyu led Ris down a rather long hallway, doors appeared along the walls every now and then.

“Where are we going exactly?” Ris asked.

“My room…” Longyu responded.

“Uhm… What are we doing in your room…?” Ris asked. She then promptly muttered something under her breath.

Longyu didn’t respond. She kept pulling Ris by her wrist. Eventually, Longyu came to a halt. The door to her room looked rather simple, a single non-reflective, non-transparent sliding door. Nothing fancy as would be expected of a Government worker.

Longyu quickly opened the door and shoved Ris in. She then looked around the hallway, as if looking for anyone following her, then quickly launched herself into her room, locking the door behind her.

“Uhm, Longyu…” Ris started.

“First off, call me Lu,” Longyu said, “Second, I need your help… I am planning something…”

Ris looked at Longyu in a confused fashion, “What do you mean? What are you planning and why do you need my help?”

Longyu inhaled deeply, “I had a dream the other day… When the Waterfront Skyline District incident happened,” Longyu said, “And it was then that I decided to hatch the plan that I had been making for the past few years.”

“Alright… What does it have to do with me then… I don’t really follow the chain of events.” Ris said.

Longyu seemed to groan, “If you’d let me finish…” Longyu scarily glared at Ris.

“Right right, go ahead…” Ris said in response.

Longyu cleared her throat, “Anyway, as I was saying, I had a dream the other day, and in my dream, I saw a woman that didn’t look familiar at all,” Longyu said, “And guess who that woman was?”

Ris shrugged, “I don’t know…”

“The woman was you,” Longyu said, “You are the one that will help me destroy the government.”