Celeste's stomach dropped. Of course. Of course she'd meet someone like her on her first day!

"I don't understand. Why would Darren have been dating her? Why would he have smarted off if she was so important?"

"She was using him. Darren was just an upstart, an ex-cop who happened to know the right people and got lucky enough to rise up in our world. An idiot. Now, a dead one. Are you sure that's all Morgan said to you? She didn't want anything?"

"I'm sure. I mean, as long as I'm nice to her, I should be okay. Right?"

Nancy was quiet.

"Nancy? Right?"

"No. I'm sorry, Celeste. Morgan only shows up to places when she means business. The fact that she showed her face at the Black Cat means everyone there is fucked. Something's about to go down — and either you're on Morgan's side, or you're already dead. You still think it's a coincidence you got this job?"

Celeste wanted to laugh. She wanted to cry.

She'd thought herself lucky at first. That this was her big break. How could she have been so naive? The previous manager must have known Morgan would arrive soon. Who in their right mind would be scared of Darren? Nancy and the others were right — he'd thought flashing his implants would impress people, make him a king among criminals. Instead, he'd made himself a laughing stock.

No, the manager had quit so that they wouldn't have to face Morgan. But the Black Cat needed someone to operate it.

And that someone was now her.

"Leave town," Nancy said simply. "It'll be difficult. Morgan knows all, sees all. Doesn't let people see her face and just walk away so easily. If you leave tonight, maybe you can —"

"No. I ain't going nowhere."

Nancy blinked. Tried to speak, but her words came out as a croak until she cleared her throat. "I must've misheard you. It sounded like you said —"

"I ain't going nowhere." Celeste clenched her teeth, hard. "This is my chance at a better life. My only chance."

"Yeah, and it's your chance to lose it!"

"You don't get it, Nancy. The world I come from, there's nothin' left. Nothin' but desperation, fingernails clawing up a brick wall, not even tryin' to reach the top 'cause it's too far away. Just make it a few inches higher. Climbing away from nothing. Climbing towards nothing, but it's better to climb than to sit still, even if it's all the same.

"I'll do what the person before me couldn't. I'll learn how to run a Murder Café, and I'll own it. Nobody thinks I can do it. Nobody thought much of me back home, either. Well, I'm gonna prove y'all wrong. The café ain't mine in name…but in practice, it will be. Eventually, I'll be the owner. It'll all be mine to run as I see fit."

Celeste barely realized what she was saying until the words were out. They didn't sound like her own. And yet she wasn't surprised to hear them.

Deep down, she'd always wanted this. Wanted something more than survival for survival's sake. Radiant City was a city of wealth and excess. Why shouldn't she have a sliver of it?

"You want to make a power play?" Nancy asked, agape. Her voice was a mixture of awe and disbelief. "I didn't think you had it in you. Well, I guess that's why you're doing it. Count me in."

"Count you in on…what, exactly?"

"I want to make you a deal. If you're going to learn how to run a Murder Café and not die doing it, you'll need info. But I need the same. You tell me what I want to know about the goings on in the Cat, and I'll tell you the stuff you don't already know. The more you know, the harder it'll be for Morgan to corner you. And," she added, holding up a finger, "when you're about to make your move, you cut me into it. I want to be your assistant. How's that sound?"

Celeste didn't need to think about it.

"There's no time like the present. What do you want to know, and what can you tell me about Morgan?"

"Tell? Nothing I'd say out loud. In this city, you never know who's listening. But I can type it on your phone."

That was agreeable.

"You need one of three things to survive Radiant City," Celeste said wistfully. "Guns, cybernetics, or friends. Sounds like the beginning of a beautiful friendship, Nancy."

Nancy rose. "It does. Get some rest, Celeste. You'll need it for tomorrow."