- But why are you here then? - Milo furrowed his brow. - Why did you even agree? Omillian bloodlines?

- Not sure about my bloodlines… - the service woman confoundedly rubbed her chin. - But I’m here because of my family, yes. I wanted to be as far as possible from them for as long as possible. And… I suppose my interest for the other cities and foreign languages has the same source.

- Oh… - Milo's eyebrows were both raised in surprise now.

- Yesss… - Amelia exhaled. - That’s why one can call my situation hopeless. Do you… have another vacancy?

- I’m afraid, no. Our staff is small and fully staffed, so to say.

Ami sighed heavily.

- Is it really so hopeless? - Station’s Chief asked sympathetically. - The Continent is big. You are young. There’s a lot of cities. Why not Prime? Or Zeth. We’re not talking about Lim, they don't have a clearly dedicated force to maintain order, as far as I know, because they just don't run amok.

Ami made a sharp, angry gesture full of annoyance.

- I’ve tried! Tried a lot, tried this, tried that, tried banging my head against the city's bureaucracy and immigration policy… I've got nothing and nothing. - Amelia frowned bitterly. - Oh, not absolutely nothing, silly me... I've got depression and fatigue. You forget I'm not a witch. And this Continent is no place for someone like me. Unless you don't want to live in Kantine. And I really don’t want to… Prime doesn't want me... Lim is too far. And there were no business trips there. It's easier to go to Youlle and settle there, but they won't let me in either... At least my mother didn't succeed there.

- Your mother has been to Youlle?

- Yes and no... I know she went there once, I know she didn’t reach the city, I know it's an embittered ghoul now living in our house. That's all I know. Everything in between is gossip.

- Didn't she tell you?

- No. We don't talk for many cycles. If we don't call incoming orders a conversation. I can have that type of conversation at work. In a more respectful way.

- Is your mother also a militia?

- No. She’s just malicious… Sorry. She was an explorer and a cartographer. I only learnt that from the notes. When I was younger, I used to hide in the shed from my family. That's when I found her travel notes. I got in a lot of trouble for it, but it was worth it. It changed my whole life. As I said, my family is a real inspiration to learn new languages in the hope of hearing something more pleasant in a foreign language. And to become a vagabond, to see if the whole Mainland is populated by swamp ghouls. 

- And. What are the conclusions?

- Not sure yet... I've met some nice people here and in Prime. And the good thing is that I know a bit of every language now. Nothing at a decent level, but still better than most of the Kantine people. Better than nothing.

- Depending on the level of ambition, this branch will grow with the tree, and the height will never seem sufficient, you know. - The Truthful Chief remarked sternly. - And what about your Secretary? Should he know at least a couple of languages at an average level, enough to get the job done?

- Our Secretary does indeed know a few languages. At a very mediocre level. He has a full-time translator. Who knows enough to get the job done. And neither of them would move anywhere, I'm sure. They have grown into their precious fields.

- I see...

Having lost his last hope for a successful solution to the problem, the Station Chief looked lost in thought.

- So. What now? - the Kantinian interrupted his thoughts impatiently, scratching her wrist nervously.

- I... really don't know. - Milo shifted his sad gaze to the window. - With Prime, we've had a little delay in fulfilling the agreement. They have several secretaries, but they can't spare any right now. That's understandable. 

Times are hard for them, especially these cycles. We also can't afford the internal chaos of changing secretaries, the need for training and explanations now will only take away our remaining resources and lead to more destabilisation... As I said, we have a small staff, with just enough work for the people we have. Everyone has their own responsibilities, everything is in place and working... I would rely on Zeth, but I guess if we don't get a reasonable answer from here, the programme will be postponed indefinitely until things get better in Prime... Or shut down the entire project... Sadly. Sandra will be really unhappy about this.

The thought obviously made him nervous.

He stood up and walked around the office, taking wide strides as if trying to escape from disturbing thoughts, and returned to his seat.

- A funny thing... is that the Kantinians fulfilled their part of the contract. - he said with a slight, slightly strained smile.

- And as always, they did it crookedly. - Amelia scoffed.

- They shared an employee at least. It means something. 

- Not a very valuable one, though. You know Kantinians, they're very practical people, and they wouldn't give away anything of value. Those who knew about fertility cycles and types and varieties of vegetables stayed home.

- Good thing local values are different.

- Best thing ever. And it's a shame I have to go back...

The service woman, distracted by the conversation , was overcome by heavy sad thoughts again.

- Well, unless you're willing to try... - Milo, not refusing the chance to somehow solve their common problem, narrowed his eyes slightly. - We can help each other. You don't want to go home. I don't want to bring bad news back to my superiors... They have waited long enough for this programme to start. And they want the results... But of course you can rest in town for now, even if you refuse, and I'll ask the Chief for a place for you to stay. You need to rest. And we'll wait for someone else.

“Oh my ghouls!..”

The service woman exhaled painfully, clutching one hand with the other in a nervous gesture.

Housing in Omill was an incredibly great thing, you know. Even if it's only temporary. Definitely more than nothing and worth coming all the way to Omill. It's a way of celebrating their failure, but away from home, with chic.

This “someone else” sounds paralysing and almost physically painful. Someone more lucky, more capable, and “normal” enough to work with boring documents without a steady wish to tear them apart or smash to the wall almost immediately... 

She's sooo jealous.

Oopsie. She bit her gums.

"Whatever. Amelia. Please. Fail again. Disgrace yourself. Die here... But there's no coming back. And no “someone else”. They don't deserve it. They shouldn't take our place here. There’s no people on the whole Mainland who wants to be there more than we do."

Acknowledged. No coming back. Right.

- Yessss... - Amelia hissed and sighed heavily again. - There's no going back... I'm in.

Her voice was heavy and muffled. The air in here seems to be getting heavier because of her growing black inner emptiness. The office began to blur into coloured blobs, but then all her attention was focused on the source of the sound, which was Milo.

- Are you... sure?

- …Yessss. I'm not at all ready for secretarial work... But I'm even less ready to go home now. It's a mockery of my fate what happened, but I'll take it. 

I'm afraid I won't be an employee of the cycle, but if I accept the appointment, I'll do my best.

She shook her head irritably.

- We're also willing to put in some effort and give you time to adjust. If you're not doing well, we'll ask Lucy to come back. I think the Station can handle a few lights of paperwork downtime. At least we are trying. It's worth it, I think... The old Mainland-wide project deserves it.

The Truth Station Chief's voice betrayed relief. Apparently his boss, Sandra, was a tough woman.

For a moment, a visceral silence hovered in the office.

"Well done, Amelia. Maybe it’s the beginning of something good outside of the home city.”

And maybe it's the beginning of the end... the beginning of the biggest disgrace of our lives... Or our death from being crushed and suffocated by these boring duties... Or the beginning of nothing, if we're lucky.

“Anyway it’s out Kantine”.

Definitely...

- Thank you... - Amelia murmured, the full weight of the decision continued to sink in. - I'll get instructions from Lucille right away.

The blood that had long coloured her cheeks began to throb loudly in her ears and pulsate in her temples.

- Do it. Good luck then... And later, if I'm not buried by all this urgent tablet work... which has now increased, I'll fill you in on some of the latest cases and introduce you to our people... But right now I've got a full table of things to do. 

Milo sounded exhausted, and a pile on his desk was really impressive.

- Yeah, right… Thanks for your time. And tell me... - Ami stared at her potential boss with a questioning look, feeling a respectful mistrust. - How did that vile witch not burn you? Even the documents in my hands were damaged.

- It’s easy. I didn't allow a reaction or even the thought of one. There was no fear or retaliatory anger in me. I was whole. - He drew a ball in the air with his hands as an explanation. - The fire found nothing to hold onto and couldn't get close. In general, the witch's kind of fire is useful because it burns out what's unnecessary.

- Unnecessary non-witch people? And their papers? - Ami asked, a little confused.

- Scared non-witch people with papers. - Milo confirmed.

- But how?! Well. Alrighty. Thanks again...

Although his explanation meant nothing to Amelia, she decided not to start her career by pissing off her boss and simply left the office. 

There is no guarantee she won’t piss him off later. In fact, with her temper, there is a guarantee that it will inevitably happen. And more than once.