Pre barely had time to process Vian’s warning before Mirome reappeared and rematerialized them all into a modern but cozy-looking dining room. A buffet of late-night fast food was spread across a long glass table where, on opposite ends, sat the leaders of Connext: CEO Javid Guharku and his partner and COO Alden.

Javid was a handsome disheveled mess: long, curly dark hair, open flannel pajama shirt, hastily thrown on sweatpants. Everything about him oozed controlled chaos, an effect that was emphasized dramatically by his aura. Coding-like lines of green text emanated out of him, scrolling upwards and fading away.

Similar to when Pre first saw Xinder’s aura, she understood Shaan’s power immediately. An ability to speak the language of technology, to code any electronic to his will. It was formidable- much stronger than how anyone else’s aura had felt. It seemed… old. As if he had had it for decades rather than years.

After wiping some ketchup from his mouth with a cloth napkin, Javid stood and reached out to shake her hand. “Pre. Apologies for keeping you up even later. Tomorrow seemed too far away to meet you. When we got the call about your match, we were so excited we just couldn’t sleep. Thank you for indulging us.”

Pre was caught off guard, too absorbed in her musings about Javid’s aura. “Ah - no worries! I mean it’s ok. I understand. And thank you!” Vian gave her a sharp look and she shut up. No wonder they insisted that they should do the talking.

“So,” Vian said, crossing their arms and glaring at Alden, “It’s late. You’ve met. Is there anything else you need?”

In contrast to his partner, everything about Alden was immaculate to the point of dullness. Average hair and height, unassuming features, smooth, wrinkle-free t-shirt. Even his aura was muted: faint gyrating lines that clicked into each other like gears. But when his bland eyes met Vian’s, a new depth of passion rose in his them.

It was clear that they hated each other.

Deliberately ignoring Vian, Alden addressed Pre. “Won’t you have a seat?”

Pre sat, feeling more self-conscious by the minute. Rolling their eyes, Vian sat next to her.

“There are no alternate motives,” Javid said in response to Vian’s earlier statement. He said it in the same voice a parent would say There are no monsters under the bed. “As I said, we simply wanted to be the first ones to meet and congratulate you.” He gestured towards the assortment of food with a concerned parent’s care. “Are you hungry? Would you like to eat anything? It might be a little cold by now but the insulated containers should have kept it fairly fresh.”

As if on cue, Pre’s stomach rumbled loudly. “Ah, sorry. I haven’t eaten since the party and I’m usually not up this late, so…”

“Please, please!” he urged.

Pre reached for a package of fries but caught Vian’s eye. They were glaring at her now as if Pre’s hunger had betrayed them all.

Sheepishly, Pre slid the fries towards herself and began eating.

Vian rolled their eyes again then turned back to Alden. “And? What’s your deal?”

“I don’t have a deal,” Alden said, matching Vian’s snappy tone. “I was woken up with news of your latest match. I was hungry so I ordered food. Now here I am and so are you. What more is there to know?”

Javid interrupted them. “Alden. I know you’re tired and hungry but Pre and Vian are here as guests. We should extend them some courtesy.”

“I will when they do.” The words were punchy but the heat was gone from them. They proceeded to unwrap a burger, apparently set on ignoring them all now.

“So,” Javid continued, breaking the awkward silence. ”Pre. You’ve certainly had an interesting night.”. He wasn’t eating. His eyes were fixed on Pre as if watching her for something. “It’s not every day you go from being unranked to having a perfect match. How do you feel?”

Vian was also watching her closely. They couldn’t lead the conversation if Javid was asking Pre direct questions. She suspected that he did that intentionally.

“Tired, honestly,” Pre said.

“Yeah,” Vian said, chiming in, “Pre was pretty drunk when she kissed me. I think she’s sobered up now but she must be exhausted.” Their eyes flickered to her. “Right, Pre?”

The memory of Vian leaning in towards her face, the feel of their lips…

“Yes,” she agreed. “Yup. Suuuper drunk. Couldn’t control myself. After all, it’s Via-” Vian shot her another shut up look.

“So drunk,” Pre finished.

“How lucky for you then,” Alden said. “Drunkenly kiss a stranger at a party that you weren’t invited to, and now you have a perfect ranking.” His hazel eyes slid over to Vian. “What a coincidence.”

Vian didn’t even blink. “Yeah. Real lucky.”

“Of course, Pre, you see that these are exceptional and unusual circumstances. One kiss wouldn’t normally warrant a ranking, let alone a perfect one.” Pre noted that Javid was telling her these things, not asking, not leaving any room for her to doubt the absolute truth of his words. “You two must have a very special connection.”

Pre thought of all the interactions she’d had with Vian. She didn’t know what to make of them. Attractive, yes. Scary, definitely. Special, undeniably. But did they have a special connection? Pre couldn’t think of anything particularly special about herself. Why would Vian have a special connection with her?

“It’s weird, isn’t it?” Vian said. “After all, we never matched on Connext. You’d think such a highly-intelligent algorithm could have predicted something that was literally perfect.” Their tone was light but even Pre could hear the question in it.

“Ah,” Javid said, leaning back and spreading his hands in innocence. “Well, even though your match is perfect, our algorithm, sadly, is not. And sometimes, pyaare, things in life just can’t be predicted.”

This answer seemed to only agitate Vian more but they didn’t respond so Javid continued his questions for Pre.

“So, Pre, have you noticed anything different? Anything new or… strange?”

A slight shake of Vian’s head told Pre her answer. “No,” Pre said, innocently eating another fry. “Nope. Just tired.”

Javid’s eyes flicked to Vian. They maintained their perfectly bored expression as they stared back at him. A silent conversation passed between them.

“Ok,” Javid said a moment later, conceding the telepathic battle. “That’s fine.” He stood up again, this time as a dismissal. “You should probably get some sleep. We have comfortable accommodations here at Connext if you’d rather not return to your apartment.”

“She can stay with me,” Vian said. Pre looked at them in surprise. “After all we have a lot to talk about.”

Ah, Pre thought, yes they did.

“Oh. Yeah. Sure. Thanks.” Pre stood. “It was really nice to meet you both. I mean, I’m honored. Thank you for the fries.”

“It was our pleasure,” Javid said, standing at the same time and shaking her hand again. “You two seem perfect for each other, quite literally. We wish you all the happiness.”

Alden didn’t stand, only looked up at Pre with their cool, hard eyes. “Yes, best of luck to you,” he said. Pre nodded and began to walk away when their voice stopped her short. “And don’t forget,” they added, “where all the benefits of being a Diamond come from.” She turned back to him and saw the expression on their face. They were not particularly intimidating or frightening, but Pre understood what he meant.

We will give you everything. But step out of line, and we’ll take it away.