After seeing her sister home, Kaura decided to return to the rabsad and take a walk there, hoping to run into Auran. Intrigued by what Laura had told her about his family, she wanted to talk to him. Maybe they could reach the kind of openness that would let them discuss those mysterious phenomena.

In truth, he had always drawn her in somehow. He didn’t seem to interest her as a man, yet she remembered how, when they first met, she’d noticed his mouth and thought, I wonder what it’s like to kiss him. His expression was stern, his way of looking and moving rather rigid — yet his lips were strikingly sensual, and that intrigued her.

She had walked enough and lay down on the moss-covered hill not far from Auran’s dome — close enough to see the exit — and began to wonder whether he might have left while she was having dinner with her sister. After lying there for a few minutes, she called for her flipp and sat up.

Since there were very few people left in the rabsad, the tracker showed that the flipp would land quite nearby; she would have to wait about twenty minutes. The moss gave a gentle spring beneath her palm, and the air was cool. Kaura leaned back on the hill again and closed her eyes, drifting into sleep without meaning to.

“Damn it!”

Kaura woke to a loud curse.

By her flipp stood Auran, raising and lowering his wristband, trying to figure out why the transport wouldn’t open.

“It’s mine,” the woman said, unable to hold back a laugh.

Auran flinched and looked at her irritably.
“Why is the flipp parked inside the perimeter ring?” he grumbled automatically.

Kaura blinked at the pointless complaint but quickly shot back, “Didn’t seem to bother you when you were trying to get in,” she said with teasing irony.

Her sarcasm was feigned; in truth, she was flustered — she had expected a friendly conversation with Auran, not a skirmish.

Realizing who he was sparring with and instantly regretting his tone, Auran tried to smooth things over.
“Oh, that was just my ‘best defense is offense’ reflex — so you wouldn’t start scolding me for trespassing on your ride,” he said with a light, apologetic grin. “Sorry about that — my head’s still a mess. Rough days. I was out volunteering in the quake zone.”

“Yes, I saw your reports!” the girl replied with genuine admiration, relieved that their talk was finally turning friendly. “You did a great job!” she added sincerely.

“Maybe we could take a walk?” Auran suggested. He found this woman very pleasant and just wanted to unwind. “That is, if you’re not too tired after today.” He remembered seeing her lying on the hill a moment ago.

“I’ve actually rested already,” Kaura said cheerfully. “What about you?”

“I got some sleep after flying back from Kailab, so I’m feeling pretty lively too.”

A second flipp — the reporter’s — landed about five meters away. Auran and Kaura both laughed and started down the path.

“And then there’s that shitty—uh, I mean shifty Tirak,” Auran said with a laugh. “Officially he’s in charge of everything, but in reality the aidmen handle the rescue work and help people without his involvement. He just sits in his URCC — I actually made a video about it, just uploaded it — and he’s forming some kind of odd unit that’s supposedly dealing with escaped convicts and security, but what they’re really doing is anyone’s guess. The whole thing feels off about that guy.”

“Yeah, you can feel it even just seeing him on screen. I watched your report — creepy man!” Kaura shivered.

The man felt an urge to tell her what he had seen in the URCC after the aidmen’s departure, but he held back. Though she inspired trust, it wasn’t the kind of information one should begin a closer acquaintance with.

Kaura, meanwhile, was waiting for Auran to mention the strange phenomena that had followed the catastrophe — and wondered how she might hint at them herself. Or maybe I shouldn’t? she thought. That’s probably not the best way to start getting closer to someone you barely know.

“Let’s not dwell on unpleasant things — there’s already enough heaviness around.” The backpack with the helicams hung from one shoulder. Auran tried to shift it to the other, but the strap slipped, and the pack dropped onto the path with a dull thud.

“Oh, Gravity, you are a heartless bitch,” he muttered, picking it up.

Kaura smiled, and the tension vanished instantly.

“While I was there, I managed to visit an awe-inspiring place,” the man continued. “During a break, my friend and I flew out to the canyon of the ancient, vanished River Pau. It’s an awe-inspiring place — we walked along the riverbed, deep and incredibly wide; it takes your breath away when you think that once a full-flowing stream ran here. I kept imagining it as a raging current — though maybe it wasn’t — but the place itself just radiates power.

“What’s interesting is that the main channel stands out sharply — much deeper and narrower than the rest (which makes sense) — and that depth looks exactly like a fault in the crust. There’s a theory that the river actually sank along that fault, slipped under the mantle, and then evaporated from the high temperatures. Boiled away, basically.” Auran smiled.

“That sounds amazing! I’ll have to visit it sometime,” Kaura replied.

It was already quite late, and the air had grown noticeably colder. The light strips along the paths shimmered more softly, reflecting in the polished surfaces of the flipps. They were just finishing the loop of the large promenade and approaching their vehicles. A silent pause hung between them — both wanted to start a conversation about the wave and the auras, but neither could think of a delicate way to do it.

“It’s gotten colder,” the girl said, just to break the silence that had started to turn awkward.

“I didn’t even notice,” the man replied absently. “It was nice running into you and taking a walk. Took my mind off things — I’ve been feeling heavy-hearted since Kailab.”

Auran finally looked at Kaura — for all this time, he had only glanced at her. Their eyes met, and a wave of emotion swept through them both. At that very moment, they saw each other’s radiant auras — both startled and confused.

“It was nice for me too,” Kaura murmured. “I should hurry — it’s late, and I don’t want my sister to worry,” she rattled off quickly and hurried toward her flipp.

“Yeah, of course,” Auran said, almost running to his own as well.

The flipps lifted off one after another in manual mode. After a few moments, Kaura came to her senses and switched to autopilot. What’s wrong with me? I need to show Auran that I’m calm about this phenomenon — otherwise, he’ll never open up to me.

Auran’s flipp was already gone.