Despite the sun being its highest in the sky, clouds concealed it, and as such, Hyde felt as though the day had grown even colder. He had put Rilon’s coat back on, but that had not helped him much.

He reckoned that it was the time of year. It was November, anyway — he thought he could taste oncoming snow in the air.

Until a few moments before, he was deciding to let Rilon back out to find his brother, but then after a sharp reminder from the alter about his fears of the outside, he reminded himself that he had a meeting to honor.

Letting Rilon back out could wait. It was more than likely that Asiah was the last person he wanted to see at the moment.

Hyde now stood at the edge of the city square, where the sea of people stood, watching as yet another person gave some sickeningly sentimental speech that Hyde couldn't care less about.

He felt like an outcast, listening to the murmurings.

It was too boring here.

After the person stopped abruptly in their speech, Hyde shook his head and moved on down the street, away from the crowd.

“How long will this last?” The question was meant to be for him and him alone, but he knew that Rilon was going to reply regardless.

At most, a few days.

“I guess I’m laying low until then.”

I feel like you don’t have to. Rilon muttered. His voice had a hint of regret. You wouldn’t. For all we know, they probably think Lear died of some natural cause or whatnot.

There was a pause before he snarled, Pathetic. He’ll go out respected like any other leader here.

“You’re starting to sound like me.” He didn’t want to admit that he was impressed, but it exposed itself in his tone.

I — shut up.

Hyde chuckled. “I’ll make that choice, dear Arlett.”

He gradually made his way out of the city square, taking cautious glances behind him to make sure that nobody noticed. One person missing in the crowd wouldn’t matter; it was one less person who cared.

Where did she say she would be?

Hyde Park Library, Edward.

“Ha,” Hyde laughed humorlessly. “Hyde Park.”

Of course, she’d do that.

Don't flatter yourself, Edward.

“Oh, I wasn't trying to,” Hyde muttered. “Where's that park at, anyway?”

West from the square, about three kilometers or so.

“Excuse me, three what?” Hyde briefly paused on the street, then started up again as he knew that standing would waste idle time. “What else do you know? The total square root of land area on the planet?”

I have a doctorate in chemistry and medicine, Edward. Do you think I'd stress myself out more with... pitiful cartography?

Again, Hyde hesitated, before drawing out a slow, “No.”

Good. Now keep going and get us the hell out of here. Three kilometers isn't going to walk itself.

He'd stopped more times than he would have liked which only tired himself out quicker.

Hyde took a glance at the sky, noting the sun's position. Three quarters.

What should have taken him an hour or two at most had taken him twice or maybe three times that.

He was late. He was never late.

Hyde forced himself not to panic. Ottawa — as he knew from most meetings — could be impatient, or she could be very patient. It all depended on how long she had been forced to wait.

He’d learned about her impatience the hard way during their second meeting. She wouldn’t listen to reason or any excuse, and when Hyde attempted to reason with her, she wouldn’t speak unless it was to someone else. He had finally cracked, giving her a reasonable answer, to which in turn she cracked and mentioned that the day previous had been rough for her, then laughed it off as if nothing had happened.

Hyde couldn’t exactly remember the reason he had given, only the way Ottawa had laughed about her apology and how casually she had brushed off the subject.

It pestered Hyde like a piece of a song that refused to leave his head.

“Oh, my dear Arlett, what do I do?” It wasn’t meant for anyone but himself, just a simple chiding for being so forgetful.

What do you feel like doing, Edward?

He stared at the library, which was a small, two-story, brick building that felt intimidating all the same.

Oh… you like her, don’t you? Rilon’s tone suggested amusement, even though it was made out to be more like a question out of surprise.

Hyde walked up to the door, a rectangular and translucent piece of glass. The figures inside were shapeless blobs without faces, but one appeared to be sitting at a table, impatiently watching the door.

Hurriedly, Hyde pulled the door open and stepped inside. The figure sitting at the table noticed his presence and narrowed their eyes.

“Where have you been?”

“I — well there was a memorial,” That, in part, was a truthful statement. He regretted how casually he made out the next statement. “The President died. I couldn’t risk my luck not showing up.”

Ottawa shook her head, which, by the look on her face, was out of disbelief. “Oh,” She relaxed as she spoke, offering Hyde a weak smile. “It’s that ‘bad luck will come to you if you don’t go to a funeral’ type… thing?”

She didn’t give Hyde a chance to reply. “ I get it.”

She got up from the chair and pulled another from across it until it sat beside her. “Come here, then. It isn't worth making me more impatient than I already am.”

Hyde mentally rolled his eyes but smiled. He joined her at the table, turning the chair to face her.

“So... Why aren't you there, then?”

Ottawa leaned back in the chair, sighing deeply. “I never cared for the man.” She held up her hands, gesturing to the other people in the library. “Neither did these people.”

Well, good. Rilon muttered, annoyed. I need to get out of here, Edward.

“I thought you didn't need to, Arlett.”

Well, I — Rilon grumbled, then muttering something Hyde couldn't decipher, and frankly didn't want to.

After a while of silence, Hyde sighed, staring at the floor. The carpet had somehow gotten his full attention, the patterns swirling in what Hyde likened to the flash of neuronal synapses.

But how would he know such things? Wouldn't such thoughts normally occur to Rilon? Was this some half-forgotten memory or was this something Rilon was forcing into his brain?

“Are you alright?” Ottawa suddenly spoke as he shook his head.

He looked up to meet Ottawa’s gaze.

“Was that a yes or a no?”

“No, uh… yes?” Hyde flashed her a fake — although fairly large — smile. “Honestly… I’m just bothered by… a lot.”

“How much? A little lot?” Ottawa leaned over and lowered her hand to barely an inch above the floor, then leaned back in the chair as she moved her hand over her head. “Or much a lot?”

Hyde bent over and took hold of her hand, lowering it to around a midpoint. “This much.”

He knew she was joking, but took it seriously anyway. They smiled at each other, although Hyde could see how flustered Ottawa was as it sparked in her eyes. She pulled a face before pulling her hand slowly away with a poorly stifled laugh.

Hyde shied away, trying to hide his face in his hands. It proved to something more along the line of Rilon’s childish mannerisms, so he stopped himself.

Now he was just a maniac staring at his hands.

Before Ottawa could see, he clasped his hands together and rested them on his lap.

You’re not cut out for this.

There’s a thing called panic, dear Arlett. We all experience it differently.

Says the one who’s panicking.

“I -” Hyde sighed once he realized what he said was spoken aloud. When he glanced at Ottawa, she had gotten up from the table and was browsing a nearby aisle of what appeared to be newspaper archives or maps of some sort. She turned around as though she had known that Hyde had been staring at her, but whipped back to face the shelf, quickly ruffling her hair with her hands.

“Ott?”

“Nothing.” Her reply was instant, her voice panicked. “It’s nothing.”

“What is?” Hyde stood from the chair and strode to the aisle. He found Ottawa with a newspaper in her hand, pretending to read it as though to avoid staring at Hyde.

“What're you reading?”

Ottawa startled, holding the paper close to her. Her face visibly paled. “I said it's nothing.”

“Are you sure it's nothing?”

“I'm quite certain.” Ottawa let go of the paper, which nearly fluttered to the ground before Hyde caught it.

He scanned the page of yellowed paper, which he seemed unimportant, before handing it back to Ottawa.

“It was a distraction. I caught you.”

“Alright, you did.” Ottawa took a glance at the paper before pulling a face and stashing it away back on the shelf. “Congratulations.”

She bowed briefly, smiling. Hyde rolled his eyes and shook his head.

“Alright…” Ottawa took a glance around the library. “What's the point of being at a library if we're not going to do anything?”

“Right,” Hyde sniffed, glancing around the library. It appeared to have grown emptier in the short time since he had entered. “That’s exactly right.”