Hunching into my baggy, old-fashioned clothes, I took a peek at the people staking out my money. Just like before, the professional army didn’t blend with surroundings. At all. I hoped they did better on their actual job in the field, but had serious doubts about it.

A couple of titans sat ramrod-straight at the eatery nearby and wondered what this mysterious time off they were supposed to portray could possibly be. Two more men crouched in an alley of potential escape. Perhaps more were present, but this was an overkill already.

I found myself irrationally disappointed not seeing any pale faces. Safe Zone Two was in the central lands, and far from jurisdiction of Raktkalises, so I didn’t really expect to. Regardless, some anticipation has crept in.

No matter. The money belonged to someone undeserving, and I still had a vested interest in seeing it liberated.

Right after leaving the bustling streets, I typed out a location and sent it to my mystery correspondent. If they decided to overreach and cover both avenues of approach, some soldiers would have to be retracted and told to head to a bogus meeting spot.

A reply came eerily quick.

“30 min.”

The city was big. I had no idea how they expected for me to materialise anywhere in such short duration. Simply waiting for the tram might take more than this.

It reeked of an out-of-touch snoot. After all, the ruling class had no concepts of a real city life. Public transport was as incomprehensible to them, as this meeting time – to me.

As I stared dumbly at an obfuscated screen, my ears picked up a heavy thrumming. Helicopter. An unusual direction. The heavy flier was headed towards the city centre – away from all military installations. Dignitaries almost never used this form of traversing. Singular loud target in the backdrop of vast sky was far too attractive of a morsel.

Were they passing through? I mentally followed it. Thumping stopped smack dab in the middle of skyscrapers. The echo was unmistakable.

How curious. I wasn’t sufficiently conceited to assume it had anything to do with me. Nevertheless, the development was simply irregular enough for my professional side to want this information. I might be under threat, but I always was. Life didn’t stop. Best of luck to them cornering anybody in a bustling metropolis anyway.

I elbowed myself onto a doddering tram, leaving several contenders bent over on the pavement behind me. That hardly helped the inside situation. Unnameable wild beasts were preferable to this crowded travesty of a ride. I always lost something from my pockets. Gripped the voicebox tight and resigned myself to a misplaced vial or two. Hopefully a nasty one.

I and the working class trundled up the downtrodden streets towards opulence. It’s really the overcrowded suburbs that needed skyward expansion, but understandably, only the comfort of people with money mattered. Dull brick blocks gradually made way to more elegant, impractical designs. In all honesty, glass walls had no right to grace this climate, but electricity and heating hasn’t been a problem for ages. A lot of things gradually got worse, but not infrastructure meant for defence.

I disembarked a stop earlier. Eager to escape the smelly hotbox, but also to give myself a wider berth of approach. Had no desire to get right in important people’s faces.

Did not even need to look to find the curious crowd. Citizens have been animatedly whispering about an unusual development, wondering about a possible emergency. In truth, as soon as I saw the black mechanical aggregate prominently bulging above their heads, I knew this was nothing but a rich brat acting spoiled.

“Kalantan delegation? Today?”

“Why land here?”

“Papers went flying out the windows!”

“They don’t seem in a rush.”

“Oh, look. This made mayor descend from his tower.”

“You think he’ll explain anything?”

“Not to us. Besides, dude looks more confused than you.”

This couldn’t possibly be happening. It can’t be a coincidence. What a dedication! Which city had he even flown out from? When?!

I wanted to simultaneously howl with nervous laughter, chuck a something vile at them, and run away. Held myself back. Out of immeasurable danger, sure, but mostly because I did not have the right items on hand. I was running low on supplies today.

I did desire to vandalise, though. So much so, I began looking around for other sorts of mischief.

Containing the urge, removed myself from temptation. I had nothing to do here. Had it been somebody of importance, then I’d have needed to nose around where the dignitary was staying and why. Now? Not so much.

Strolling down the path and away from the commotion, I spied some wide-eyed Kalantans going about their day. The whitely-dressed servants, not statuesque fighters – albeit they also milled about not far off, too.

“Fucking tourists,” a woman moving boxes silently cursed. “All this mess for a shopping trip?”

“Some of us have work to do.”

The life on this alley has been thoroughly disrupted. It wasn’t just their extravagant arrival, nor even the damage that caused to the tiered open-air crops. The guests from province also drew in the crowds.  

Coincidentally, that obscured the view – and gave me improper ideas.

I stalked behind one of the milky eyesores and, upon seeing an opportunity, grabbed a servant’s mouth as though to stifle the scream. In reality, I just needed to provoke sharp intake of breath. The next moment, tension in muscles eased and she became pliable. Not unconscious, just unreasonably relaxed.

I pocketed the noxious flower dust and walked us through an employee door. Threw someone’s jacket over that distinct gown and used a shawl to cover the shiny beacon atop.

The break room’s exit lead deeper into the mall. I guided a stupefied girl by holding her up at the waist. We didn’t look as natural as I would have liked, but the gawkers were busy elsewhere.

Now, where to? I hadn’t given this impulse any thought.