Morning progressed like normal in the city of Sirqu.

  The streets had long been flooded with footsteps as folks trekked up and down sloped blocks. From the ports to the shops, hustle and activity ran throughout the mountainous town.

  Not just limited to the roads, people zipped across via roofs and buildings. Naturally, several of those people were in cloaks.

  Deprived of any large crowds was the very tip of the peninsular city where the Cosondera headquarters was located.

  Inside, the halls were sparse and quiet. Daylight penetrated the windows and bounced off the carpet and walls. Quin could see trace particles in the air as he passed by each glass.

  He and his team just returned to the city from a fateful trip that nearly turned fatal. Immediately, Quin was summoned by the Aerviv and shortly thereafter, he and Ythan made their way to HQ and its calm passageways.

  Quin had so much to ask the Aerviv but before all the questions, he was uncertain about Fyful’s response. As far as their mission was concerned, it ended in failure.

  Even though it became the source of a fierce battle, the chroniclers never set foot in Sononcoly for their anniversary piece.

  What would happen to the team, he wondered. What would happen to him?

  He and Ythan traversed the HQ when at the end of a narrow hall walked one man. Though he wore a modest outfit, it did little to change the magnanimity around him.

  Ypro Fyful marched up to the two men and as he neared, Quin felt the air tense up along with him. It seemed like that was the natural reaction whenever one was in the presence of the Aerviv.

  “I send you out on an innocent, innocuous mission with little chance of any danger,” he started as he strode closer. “And you come back the victor against an underground conspiracy that tried to destroy us? My boy, you are destined for nothing but great things.”

  Ythan couldn’t hold back his smile. “Oh, thank you father.”

  A brief look of surprise appeared on the Aerviv. “O-oh yes. A fine deed you have done son. A remarkable bounce-back for sure.”

  Ythan’s smile evaporated. The cover up wasn’t lost on him.

  “This is what it’s all about,” the Aerviv stated firmly. “It’s about keeping chaos at bay. Doing our utmost to keep people safe. It’s about pooling our strengths and resources for the betterment of our world.

  “I had planned to show you those things after this mission boy-o. But nature decided to show it for me.

  “Still, you stepped up to the challenge and took care of it. A fine performance. You are well on your way.”

  Quin raised an eyebrow. “What about the mission itself sir? The Yerps we accompanied never made it to their destination, and one of them perished. Is something going to happen because of that?”

  “Don’t concern yourself too much with that boy-o. Sometimes, circumstances beyond our control can force us to alter our best laid plans.

  “Lady Orno has been understanding of the turn of events and won’t press on with how the mission fared.”

  “How about a reward then?” Ythan asked. “Our actions back there should earn us some sort of commendation.”

  Fyful clasped his hands together and silence took over the hall. That tense air returned. It always gave Quin a chill.

  “That’s not a bad idea,” said Fyful. “A special mark will be on the cloaks of all those who took part in the battle up north. To signify and identify those whose active role contributed to our continued existence.”

  Ythan displayed a puzzled face. “That’s not what I-”

  “And as for you boy-o, if you lost your mask, don’t worry about it. You won’t need one since I’m promoting you past junior Tyroviv status.

  “No one should think of you as ‘new’ anymore after what you’ve done.”

  “He hasn’t been a Cosondere for even two months,” Ythan pointed with a half scrunched face.

  “Yes, new Tyrovivs are usually masked for half a year, but outstanding feats deserve outstanding exceptions.”

  “Then where’s my promotion?”

  Fyful made a long groan in exasperation before he turned to Quin. “Can you give us some time alone? We have to unpack some things.”

  “Oh uh, yes sir,” Quin responded.

  He turned for the opposite direction and set away from father and son. It turned out Quin wasn’t the only one with a bunch of questions to ask. He would have to wait his turn.

  Until then, Quin had time to occupy himself with whatever was on the mind. He figured a step outside would help him decide.

  It felt like forever ago when Quin was last here. Back then, he still had to adjust to the sight of light after his stint in the Pit.

  Back then, everything moved too fast with enough time to only think about the next task.

  Things still moved mighty fast, but a lull point had arrived and back within the familiar limits of Sirqu, a comfort hit Quin in a way he never experienced.

  He took a few more steps outside before he turned back at the three storied headquarters. The trees and grassy landscape, the ponds and wooden bridges.

  He never thought of it before, but why weren’t the other bases similar in appearance?

  He understood that with Sirqu’s rocky regions, he wouldn’t see any colony of towers. But it surprised him that other places didn’t have their own cozy tracts away from the hustle and bustle, though Odlassi had Shonona.

  Quin traveled through the city on ground. Ythan returned the back-half of his first pay, so plenty of options were available to him.

  Despite the crowds, everyone made sure he had space in front of him. He saw a few glances before they looked away.

  This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

  Then he saw another and another then another. Eventually it started to mess with his composure.

  Before he even knew it, Quin’s habits kicked in and he walked into the less crowded roads of the city.

  During his courier days, he knew which paths to take and which to avoid. He also knew which roads were free of noise and clusters.

  As he strolled through one quiet road, Quin looked at his Tyroviv attire. If he saw a Cosondere down this road, he would have turned the other way in a hurry.

  Instead, he was the Cosondere down this road.

  How would his past self perceive his new self, he wondered. As much as his environment appeared the same, it was he who changed drastically.

  Could he enjoy the same small comforts as before, or will those things eventually change with him?

  “Quin?” he heard a familiar voice call out. A very special voice.

  He turned to see someone else down the road. By herself in a long beige skirt and bright purple blouse, she stood where daylight shone at its brightest.

  The narrow path placed her right at the center of Quin’s view and everything else blurred to obscurity.

  Right there before his sights, it was her. It was Aesther.

  Quin watched as she scurried over to him, her dress creased in the sunlight. Her steps echoed in his head. Despite her movements, everything went in slow motion to his eyes.

  She possessed a worried look though, and Quin wondered if something was behind him. He turned to look back when he was caught off guard by a tight embrace.

  “I’m so glad to see you,” she blurted. “I heard about what happened at Comi. You said that’s where you were going. I didn’t know if you were okay or not. Thank goodness you’re alright.”

  Quin briefly lost control of his senses. Her enchanting voice reverberated through his entire body.

  With Aesther so close, Quin could only see the strands of her brown hair as they tickled his face. Her lemony pine scent ran up his nose and soothed both his brain and soul.

  The full warmth of her body warmed Quin up to a sweat when he started to sweat over what to do next.

  Aesther released her hug. “I mean, are you?” she asked as she stared at Quin. “You look like you’re alright. You don’t look like you were badly injured.”

  “Oh I’m fine,” Quin told her. “The Shanli were there, so they would have helped. I made it out no worse than I entered.”

  Aesther sighed in relief. “That’s good to hear. We left Comi the night of the attack. We heard about what happened after that, and...I just didn’t know if you were there or if anything happened to you or...” she sighed again. “You’re fine.”

  A wave of warmth washed over Quin’s heart. He never thought she would be so concerned about him.

  They never met up at Comi, but she still had him in her thoughts. A generous comfort since she was on his mind before Sononcoly. He wondered if it meant something significant.

  “So we’re back to meeting in Sirqu,” Aesther mentioned with a bright smile. “It was nice seeing you out of the city. I imagine we’re going to be doing that a lot with what we do. Oh! You said you had something for me last time. Do you still have it?”

  The moment had finally arrived. There they were alone on an empty road. Nothing to stop him or get in Quin’s way. Nothing to cut their meeting short. She even waited in anticipation.

  After all the time, effort, and squandered chances, the moment finally arrived.

  And yet…

  The other sandal wasn’t even on Quin’s person. He left it back with all his other items, useless without its twin.

  If only this moment happened sooner. He looked away from Aesther and frowned.

  “I had something yes, but...it got lost in the chaos.”

  Aesther raised a hand to her mouth. “Oh. That’s unfortunate. I’m sorry to hear that.”

  “Me too.”

  She frantically waved it off. “Oh, please don’t be too sad about it. It seemed like something important, but I appreciate the thought all the same.” She moved closer. “You can alway-”

  In her attempt to cheer Quin up, something caught Aesther’s foot and she tripped over.

  Quin’s arms acted on their own and tugged him over to catch her.

  Once again, Quin was very close to Aesther and this time, he saw more than the strands of her hair.

  He felt the warmth of her breaths as the they stared at one another. Her alluring hazel eyes lined up parallel to his; they put him in a trance.

  Her mouth opened ajar in shock. Quin saw her button nose wriggle before she instantly sucked in air.

  Aesther snapped away to sneeze and the distance between them grew. A short silence followed after. Quin paid no mind to it. He engraved the close up image into his memory.

  “I’m sorry about that,” Aesther said. She looked down and inspected her shoe.

  “Thank goodness. No holes. I hate stubbing my toes or cutting my feet somewhere. It’s why I’d never wear sandals or anything like it.”

  Quin’s heart, mind, ears, and eyes honed in on those words. “What?”

  Aesther nodded. “Yeah, they’re awful. They fly off my feet. They can break apart real easy. Worst of all, they can’t protect my feet from the weather or something falling. I’d much rather wear boots. Something like what you wear or what Papa wears. Hopefully, I can buy a pair...what’s wrong Quin?”

  He turned away and leaned over at a wall. One palm kept him upright while the other planted itself firmly on his face. He couldn’t believe his ears.

  “I uh...I haven’t slept yet. I didn’t know you felt that way about sandals. I would have imagined you’d like stuff like that.”

  “Uh-uh. I want to travel and be like Papa. I can’t do that if my shoes keep falling apart. So yeah, I wouldn’t wear sandals.”

  “...Oh.”

  “Speaking of Papa, I better get back before he gets upset. It’s good to see you’re okay Quin. Take care and get some rest.”

  Aesther ran off and left Quin to himself and the countless thoughts in his head. The whole time, she actually disliked sandals.

  The effort and hassle just to present her with his gift only to hear her say, “I wouldn’t wear sandals.” If only he had asked first.

  Quin shambled his way down the road and back along the crowds, unbothered by their presence. His eyes looked off in the distance to nothing in particular.

  His face sloped down as he reached a sloped road. He stopped right before the street declined. He thought about all the “missed opportunities”.

  The many chances he had and how they’ve been dashed again and again. He even thought it was wasted for good after Sononcoly.

  The whole time, those wasted chances were actually favors in disguise. It all led to one word on Quin’s mind.

  “SHIIIT!!!” He shouted at the top of his lungs.

  Everyone stopped to look at the Tyroviv and Quin stopped to notice the attention. His eyes zipped around before he abruptly zipped to the roofs and departed the scene.

  Unbeknownst to Quin, more people watched him from further away. One of them was Ythan. Up from a higher location in the more affluent part of town, the blue cloak looked on with discontent.

  He couldn’t look for too long though as he was smothered by a lady with blue eyes, black hair, and a smile.

  “Dammit Quisis, can you give me some space?!” Ythan growled.

  “I can’t help it.” she replied as she nuzzled the Neraviv’s blue shirt. “You could have been gone forever. I never thought a mission so simple could turn out so dangerous. I just want to make sure I’m not dreaming.”

  “Well you’re not. Besides the mission ended up kiboshed. I’d expected you to be a little more distraught about that.”

  “As long as you’re alive, I can live with that. The mission more or less went exactly how I wanted it to go anyway, so I have no qualms.”

  “What?” Ythan asked with Confusion painted his face before he quickly dismissed it with a grumble.

  “Well now that you’re done saving the day, maybe you should get some rest back at my estate.” Quisis’ hand traveled up Ythan’s torso. She gave an enticed expression. “It must have been a tense few weeks. If you want, I can help loosen you-”

  Ythan swatted her hand away. “A Cosondere’s job is never done. There’ll be other missions soon enough.”

  Quisis lightly sighed before she presented a modest smile. She clasped Ythan’s hand between hers as she looked straight into his eyes.

  “I know how much of a hard worker you are. Even though there are people here who don’t really appreciate all you do, some of us really respect and value your efforts.”

  Ythan looked away. “Thank you Quisis. That means a lot.”

  Quisis grinned from ear to ear as she let go and began to set out.

  “I’ll leave you alone now, but I’m serious about that invitation,” she stated. “The moment those cloaks become unbearable for you, think about me and this mission. You know where to find me.”

  As she walked off, Ythan felt something in his hand. The very hand Quisis just held on to, it turned out she left some parting gift.

  Ythan opened his palm to discover a blue dolphin key chain. The very same type given to him by that mysterious man days ago with their pitch for Ythan to forsake the Cosondera.

  It took very little time for the Neraviv to connect the dots on the mission’s real purpose.

  “Kisses!” Quisis waved as she made her exit.

  Ythan glanced at the chain before he tried to spot Quin again. When that proved fruitless, his eyes returned to the blue dolphin.

  Seconds went by as he examined it. Finally, he grasped it in his hand and instead of it being thrown aside, he placed it in his cloak behind him.

  No words, he groaned then bolted for the roofs.