light always finds a way

Aden chuckled and nodded. “Certainly.” Aden was quite sure Naomi would be a lot safer in his company than roaming around alone. “No need to thank me, I’m happy to help.” Plus since he didn’t have any real destination today he didn’t mind walking to The Greasy Spoon even when he had never been there before. But hey, he was looking for a place to eat at so maybe they would have good food over there.

“Donations?” he repeated looking at the box, trying to see what was in it. As Naomi explained the whole situation a smile came on Aden’s lips. “That’s nice of you”, he said looking at her. “So technically it could be anything from clothes to books and whatnot?” Aden knew he made more money than he actually ever used on things so maybe he could give something forward too. “Do you guys take money or just physical objects?”

How could someone talk about this without some sort of energy about them? And Naomi was filled with energy; it was probably one of the only things keeping her going after hearing such a variety of responses about her mission. She was happy that Aden seemed to be interested in it. “I just feel like I’ve been given a good place in my life to be able to spread my own good will. It may not do everything but it’s better than nothing.”

Turning away from her with somewhat of a wince, not all of this part of the city was bad, there were some decent people that lived and worked here, not that he counted himself in that mix, he didn’t deserve that honor, but he did know of the good people of the lower city. Tech, yes something he knew and something that could keep the conversation away from the slums, him or her. While he was incredibly interested as to why someone like her was here in his neighborhood, he didn’t think that getting to know her was a good idea. Just as quickly as she’d stumbled down the alley she was going to leave again. Reminding him of the lonely nature of the lower district. “Yeah I do work with tech, but you’d be hard-pressed to find someone that doesn’t these days, it’s everywhere.” Remaining silent for a moment, the quiet clinking of all the trinkets hanging off his belts were the only thing to accompany the shuffling of their feet over the worn footpaths littered with garbage, he couldn’t help but feel a little embarrassed that he had to walk someone through such an atrocious looking place, his home neighborhood.

His jaw fell slack as he stared at her, “You OWN a coffee shop.” And all he had managed with his waste of life was to work in a scrap yard and start fights in dark alleys. He was once again grateful for the dark cover of his clothes and the streets as he felt his cheeks burning at the embarrassment of never having had coffee before, he knew it was a drink, but it was a luxury he just couldn’t afford. “That is rather admirable, if not a little foolish. What can one person do to make a difference?” He’d been asked that question many a time before, usually by the angry older people of the lower city district when he tried to help the kids and keep them out of trouble.

It was an entirely different world than her own. But then again, wasn’t every world? The rich lived in a way that was exquisite and excessive, that made even Naomi feel low and then there were places like this. Rich in culture but poor in resources. It didn’t seem to faze her as much as it should, though she did not try not to look around too much, more afraid of getting distracted by something and wandering off again. At the mention of tech being everywhere she gave a sheepish smile and a small shrug. “You say that but... my parents are obsessively anti tech. Or at least anti anything that isn’t vintage tech,” she explained carefully, feeling excited but also awkward at her lack of knowledge about tech. “Until I went to uni, I don’t think I had seen anything made past 2325... so yeah, you’d be surprised that there are people who don’t mess with tech. I’m still trying to play catch-up honestly.” The outside world seemed a distant thought as she seemed genuinely interested in their conversation, feet stepping confidently forward at Pip’s side.

But she wasn’t expecting the shock at her profession but then again, Naomi guessed that most jobs she would consider normal or even boring might be something great down here. “Yeah, it was a lot of hard work, but I kind of had a lucky strike. The building was almost free, at least for how much buildings can cost since it had been burned down by the Crows... I learned a lot about construction just trying to fix it up, but it’s kind of my baby now.” It didn’t even pass her mind that someone could not have had coffee before but she was aware how outrageous it sounded for someone her age to be able to just buy a storefront.  But it’s his question that really made her give pause, always used to it being asked but never did it stop being disheartening. If Naomi was a more easily persuaded person, she might have given up by now. But as she had said, she was persistent. “Then I’ll be a fool. Because I believe that one person can make a difference, Pip, even if it’s just a small one. Even if it’s just for a handful of people or even, hell, just one person. But I’d rather be a fool trying to do some good in the world than someone who thinks they’re smart by just ignoring that things are wrong even though they might have the ability to fix.... something.” What that was, Naomi didn’t know. She didn’t really need to know though. “Even if I’m fighting a losing battle, I’d rather keep fighting than give up.”

Sometimes what you needed to get you going in the morning was a cup of well brewed coffee and a good window to people watch from. Usually those mornings were ones where Béla was recovering from a killer hangover, like this one. Thankfully, she had her own personal Haven, where the annoying, loud sort weren’t indulged, and where the well-placed windows on the street allowed for the perfect amount of people watching. Béla had her earphones in (not enough Upper City clients yet to pay for some inbuilts), sunglasses on, and was moments away from her salvation. At first the glint of sunlight on the windows obscured the scene within, but when she saw the owner, Naomi, stand up next to a woman whose body language read aggressive, she picked up the pace. She tested her augmented hand by clenching it into a fist, ready for a fight.

Of course, it was only as Béla pushed open the doors that the woman stormed out of the café, shoulder checking Béla as she made her way out. As her headache worsened, Béla cursed her aspirations of chivalry, and slipped behind the counter, only now realising she still had her sunglasses on. She flipped them on top of her head, wincing as the bright light caused the pounding of her head to step it up a notch. “Just a latte, angel,” she said with a bad attempt at a wink. “And water. And… do you do eggs? Some eggs sound fantastic.”

“I saw you handle that customer before. Face looked like a cats ass as she walked out of here.” Béla smiled at Naomi. The woman (girl, if Béla was in a patronising mood) was on the honest side of näive, with big ideals and a good heart. There was something brave about having an optimistic streak. Call Béla a coward. “You know you can always call me if you need some intimidation.” Béla wasn’t much of a fighter, but not many true fighters came to a coffee shop called Havens. The first sign of a challenge and they’d back off, like the woman had this morning.

“Oh Béla, you’re such a good face to see after all of that.” Naomi sighed deeply knowing that this wouldn’t be a person she’d have to put a face on for. Not that her face was normally anything less than a sheepish smile but even Naomi had her limits. “Your usual latte, coming right up. For here? Or do you have some place to be?” At the request for eggs she waved hand like it was no big deal. “I’ll have Elijah in the back right on your eggs. Scrambled, sunny-side up, what would you like?” It wasn’t a big deal, they used the eggs in the breakfast burrito and it wouldn’t be that much trouble to prepare one plate for one of her favorite customers. Though honestly anyone who wasn’t that lady had a shot for being Naomi’s favorite customer.

Naomi chewed her lip at the mean thoughts that were in her head; she had to agree with Béla, the woman had a perpetually sour face. She finally decided to settle on “She wasn’t a very nice lady. You could kind of tell it when she came in though.” Setting the requested water on the counter, she fell silent as she started to prepare the latte, calming motions after what had be a circular conversation about a issue she couldn’t have even fixed if she wanted to. And by this point Naomi didn’t want to. But she smiled up at the offer to intimidate. “You don’t think I’m intimidating?” Her voice was full of a tease, laughing gently. “I’ll be sure to call you though, the next time someone comes in screaming that I don’t carry big name energy drinks when I am only a lowly independent coffee shop.”

Aden chuckled at the sort of confusing sounding question about them not needing a map. Aden tapped the side of his head. “It’s all in here already.” He didn’t specify did he just have a good memory or did he have bits of augmentations to help with memorising stuff. But that wasn’t really something he shared with strangers in general, unless someone would ask about that all. Otherwise he was just going to be pretending he was just a normal guy.

“It’s not really that safe to go around here alone so it’s good that there’s two of us now.” Aden hadn’t been worried about his own safety in the slightest, but seeing a young woman walking around with a heavy box didn’t really give a sign that she’d be a fighter. “Aden Northrop”, he replied giving her a smile. “And don’t worry about the box, I’m a big guy, I think I’m okay with carrying this.” It didn’t really even look like the weight of the box bothered him in the first place, especially since he was just carrying it under his arm and the other hand was there all free. “So what is in this box?” he asked raising his brow slightly.

“Safety in numbers right?” Naomi said, giving her own cheerful smile. She was aware how dangerous it could be out here on some of these streets alone but it never changed the fact that she was alone most of the time and life kept taking her on some not so safe paths. “Really thank you for leading the way, I would have probably ended up somewhere I didn’t need to be or eventually call for a lift and that’s money I don’t need to spend.” 

Monse detested early meetings. Even as a kid, she couldn’t stand waking up in the morning-preferring to sleep the day away if she could. Her mother, of course, would never let her and she would go the extra mile to make sure she was up and out of bed by 8AM every day, regardless if she had school that day. She had hated it when she was younger, but now she realized the value of being able to pull herself out of bed. Some days were harder than others, like this morning. She had spent the better part of the night tailing a dealer connected to one of the men who had hurt her family, and it hadn’t brought her any closer to finding them. Couple that with the fact that she wasn’t really supposed to be finding them -according to Nova- it was a miracle she was still standing.

She rolled her eyes, having listened to the woman in front of her complain about something to the poor girl who worked the counter for the past ten minutes. Despite herself, she bit her tongue. She couldn’t risk causing a scene or drawing unwanted attention to herself, as much as she wanted to tell that woman where she could shove her entire latte. Eventually the manager- she guessed it was the manager, she certainly looked like one- pushed in front of the girl and told the woman to leave. Her eyebrow quirked in amusement as the woman seemed astonished. The audacity, right? Eventually, the woman left with mumbled curses behind her, freeing up her spot for Monserrat to take.

How the girl managed to stay so cheerful was beyond her. Monse couldn’t help but stare at her skeptically for a moment, hands shoved in her pocket. “Uh, no, I’m good. Just a Red Eye, thanks. With a pump of hazelnut,” She said, pulling out her wallet. “You take tips here? Least I can do since you apparently deal with entitled pricks all day,”

It was just another day. It was easy to find something to get upset over, just like Naomi could be upset with how the woman had treated not only herself but Evie. But Naomi didn’t like to take the easy way out nor did she really let others bad mood affect her. So it was with extreme ease that she stayed cheerful with the next customer. Besides it wouldn’t be fair to them if she let it affect their experience at Havens.

“Just a Red Eye? Or would you like a Black Eye? Second Espresso shot is always free here,” Naomi offered up, as she always did when she had someone in front of her that looked like they needed a little pick me up. “And a pump of Hazelnut, got it! Will this be for here or to go? And what name can I put on it?” 

Once she had her answer, Naomi started working to work on the drink. Nothing complicated, but every drink still needed to be given much consideration as it deserved. Anyways, behind the counter at the machine was where she always felt the most comfortable: a home that she knew all the odds and ends, tips and tricks and anything in between. Dealing with customers, that could get to you. But coffee? It was just like breathing, simple and systematic. She smiled over at the woman at the mention of tips. “Of course! There’s a tip jar over where you pick up the drinks, next to the donation tin,” she said gesturing over down further on the counter. “And really it’s normally not too bad. I find most people are actually pretty kind when it comes to my store but we have a couple of sour faces come in every now and again. But that’s why I’m here, to put them in their place.” Havens was the only place Naomi would ever feel comfortable putting someone in their place.

There was something to be said about the lull after a morning rush. The masses of people who were on there way to class needing the pick me up from a coffee, or a smoothies, or whatever they desire now gone from the premises to continue their day in what would hopefully be a lovely way. They luckily never had a lot of anger customers in Havens, not because they didn’t exist, but because Naomi tried her best to fix the problems before they got out of hand, to make sure that the customer experience stayed an important focus. Unless that customer was just rude for the sake of it and then, she had a little reminder for them at the start of the line in the form of a sign. Sometimes, that line had to be spoken verbally to some difficult customers. Like right now.

"I’m sorry M’am, I’m going to have to ask you to leave. Like the sign says,” Naomi started, her voice patient and gentle as she gestured over to her sign, knowing that the woman in front of her wouldn’t even take a second glance... if she had even took a first one. “I retain full rights to deny service and eject someone from the premises for any reason, especially if they have shown disrespect to my employees.” She gave a small shrug. It seemed like a simple price to pay, a bit of kindness for some excellent service. Some people just have a problem with it. That or they just love to yell at people who don’t deserve it and there was few things that got Naomi riled up than someone yelling at her baristas. “So we can do this the easy way and you can see yourself out or I can call someone in. Your choice.”

Luckily their choice was the easy one and with some grumbling and curses, the woman left the shop and peace came back into the air with her departure. It didn’t mean the job was done though, since Evie was still on the ten that Naomi had sent her on. So she took a deep breath and looked over to the next customer in line, not knowing if they had seen everything that had just happened or had just come in. “Hi, sorry about that wait! How can I help you? Looking to try something new with out chocolate black berry latte? Or more of a simple classic, like the white chocolate mocha? And if black coffee is more your style, we have plenty of that too.” Her statement was finished with a cheerful smile.

Damn. As a coffee shop owner, she wouldn’t be providing any useful intel.

Still, he looks up her coffee shop on social media nonetheless, letting that search run in the background of his programming. One never knows exactly who could be useful. Besides, providing humans with pleasant interactions with synthetics was ultimately a good thing: positive opinion was always a net gain.

“Considering your stated preferences, I would recommend the cinnamon vanilla latte,” Sierra offers. “And your hesitance is entirely understandable! Coffee is a sustenance that you usually provide for yourself, and it can be very difficult letting others have control over something you have a passion for.”

Naomi Mullens. Twenty-six years of age, cisgender female. Owner of Havens coffee shop. Going by the shop’s web presence, it seems to be doing well.

“It is very admirable that you run your own business at your age,” Sierra chirps. “Many humans do not accomplish that within a typical human lifespan!”

“That does sound good. I have a weak spot for cinnamon so it’s perfect. Thank you.” Naomi let out a slight hum of approval at the recommendation, feeling relief at not having to scour the menu anymore for something that would at least work for the day. It just wouldn’t be as good as the own special she’d be able to make herself. Well, actually she was sure it was going to be delicious, this coffee shop did have wonderful reviews, like he had said, and she would at least try anything once. “Well, I’m glad I’m not weird for it then... though i guess I should get better at letting go of control.” She gave the synth a sheepish smile.

It was just so hard letting go of control when you’re not used to anyone else helping steer the ship.

At his compliment, it brought out another sheepish smile, causing Naomi to look at the ground to stop herself from beaming like crazy. Havens was something she was proud of, something that she’d accomplish by herself with only minimal support from friends. “Well, Thanks! I’ve put in a lot of hard work and long hours for it to become a reality, but I wouldn’t trade a minute of it. It just proves that if I can do this, then I can do a whole lot of other things.” She didn’t feel like an anomaly, but it was nice sometimes for that validation that this was a feat that not many had. Sometimes it also felt odd. “It’s just nice to have it started and stable. Let’s me have more time to put into other pursuits and passions, as well as money.” Her smile didn’t drop away but there was a sort of melancholy with it now. “Though it takes a lot more than I make to help the city. But it’s a good start isn’t it?”

Aden glanced at the girl when she commented on the map and he couldn’t help but grin a bit at it. He had a lot of different kind of gadgets, but then again, he had never had problem with spending money on things. He knew he was lucky to be in that position and he didn’t really rub it on people’s faces. He knew there were people who had less than he had so it was better not to go overboard with showing what he had.

He moved his hand a bit closer to the girl so she would see the map better, but he kept his eyes on her, sort of to see had she been fooling him or not. But she did seem genuine with looking around the map and the way she reacted when she found the right spot – it was clear she wasn’t lying with all this. Aden looked at the map studying it a bit. “Seems like you took a wrong turn here”, he pointed at a spot rather far away from where they were standing at right now. “It can give directions, but don’t worry, we don’t need those.” Aden did have an augmentation for quick memory prints so now that he saw the map and where she was heading he already memorised the way there. He tapped the watch making the map disappear. “I can carry that box for you”, he offered with a friendly smile.

As the man pointed out the places on the map where she had made wrong turns, it started coming back to Naomi that, yeah, that probably was where her feet led her astray. Or more likely her inability not to get lost in her own thoughts while she was alone and thus get lost in real life. “We... don’t?” she asked and then realised what he meant. “Oh, I mean if you have somewhere else you need to get going I’m sure I can find-”

For a split second, Sierra blinks, taken aback.

The human had just wished him a good day. It’s not the way that humans usually speak to synths – they don’t usually bother with such platitudes. After all, how could a synthetic be expected to experience the happiness of a good day?

But the outer framework of his cobbled together therapist programming kicks in, informing his reply with a pitch-perfectly coded smile and matching chipper tone. “That is understandable. Adjusting to new spaces can be very difficult, especially for those who prefer the comfort of familiar surroundings!”

Humans. So variable. So psychologically messy, and yet, so utterly predictable.

“My employer frequents this cafe, so, if you wish, I can inform you of the more popular choices,” he offers. “I can also warn you to stay away from the daily special: the website’s reviews on that particular item seem somewhat ominous. Still, as I have not experienced the taste of coffee myself, I suppose my recommendations lack the personal touch. Do you work near here?”

That was one way to phrase it. Naomi had spent most of her adult life throwing into unfamiliar situations and while she was good with the action itself she had  never been good at the emotional aftermath that came afterwards or during whether that be anxiety, sadness, frustration... even happiness at a job well done could be hard to deal with. But she didn’t need to unload that onto anyone else. So instead she just smiled and gave a soft nod.

“No daily special, got it!” Her own voice was upbeat, the jitters and anxiety she was having before slowly slipping away now that she had someone nearby. “I’d love to hear your recommendations, if you don’t mind. I’m sure that even though you haven’t had any yourself that you at least have a good knowledge of things. I prefer things a little sweeter or else I’d just order a black coffee.” At his question, Naomi just shook her head. “No, I’m not... I work in mid-city,, at another coffee shop called Havens. I try not to go in on my days off but that’s kind of hard, since I run the place.” There was a sheepish shrug at the end of her statement. “Which I guess explains the conundrum about going somewhere else for coffee. I’m so used to making my own that I can’t ever decide what to let others make for me.”

He wasn’t usually so inclined to help random strangers, especially when it came to this neighbourhood, it wasn’t exactly trustworthy, let alone safe. But there was a certain naivety to her that he knew would be destroyed if he let her walk the alleys of the slums alone. “It’s not as bad as it looks.” He could see the momentary flash of worry read across her face, knowing that to someone that wasn’t used to being here, everything would look terrifying. Keeping pace with her, he wasn’t about to rush her, or dawdle for that matter, that would just invite trouble, but keeping a constant moving pace, no stopping unnecessarily. 

“Yup. Oh, I just …” Trying to think of a nicer way than saying he went through other peoples trash to try and make money, the colour of embarrassment creeping across his cheeks. “Umm just re-purpose old tech, sell it on to people that need it.” He left out the part about how most of his customers worked in black market dealings and the criminal underworld, making him by extension part of that world. “What about you, why are bringing stuff down to the orphanage? Pretty ballsy of you to come down this far.” She certainly didn’t look the kind to frequent the slums or lower districts, she was far too nice and pure for that, this place would have broken her spirit a long time ago, just like it did everyone else. He continued steering her through the alleys, taking turns down equally dark passageways, snaking their way around, avoiding most of the gang occupied areas.

“I think that’s the first time I heard that said about this part of the city,” she muttered, giving a sheepish smile but making the decision to trust him about it. Or maybe he was just being nice and didn’t want her to be on edge the entire time that they were walking together and if so she appreciated it. It wasn’t so much that it was terrifying, though some parts of it definitely had been so far. It was just so different than her normal world. “You work with tech?” Naomi didn’t even catch his hint at embarrassment, was too interested at what he did, that even if the shadier parts of it came to mind, she probably wouldn’t focus much on that. “That’s good, I was wondering how so any people have their hands on some type of tech,down here, but now that you’ve brought it up, that makes sense for it all too be old.” Not that she really knew much of a difference other than how it looked on other people. She had a few odds and ends, but technology other than life’s necessities and her parent’s old things was still a mystery to her.

At his question, Naomi just shrugged her shoulders, but gave a small chuckle at the ending. “I don’t think I would ever call myself ballsy. Stubborn, yes and too persistent, also yes.” It what she had been told all her life, by her parents, by her friends, but it didn’t seem like a bad thing. At least she was trying to get things done. “I actually own a coffee shop out by the University in Mid-city. Havens. But in most of my spare time I try to do community work, focusing on the people who don’t normally get anything in the first place. I spent most of my life watching people talk and talk and talk about getting stuff done and fixing up our world.. but no one was doing anything.” There was a passion in her that was evident and apparent as she talked on the subject. “Even if I can only do a little, I still want to try to do something.”

It’s easier than some people might think, being undercover. Assuming a new identity.

Or, at least, it’s easy for a synthetic.

Sierra doesn’t know how humans do it. They must have to learn information by memorization, consciously think about how they’re acting and what their body language is doing. For a synthetic, it’s significantly easier: Sierra downloads select portions of other models’ code, switches out his identification (with help), and finds appropriate clothing. It’s a simple matter of running parallel programming.

This week, he is a CW-P-200 model, a therapy synthetic. Clad in calming blues and a placid smile, it allows him to speak freely. Or, freely enough. As freely as synthetics are ever allowed to speak.

He’s staked out a small cafe across the road from Synthsphere HQ, a space where employees regularly procure items to satiate their human digestion systems. All around him, people are drinking coffee, chewing bread and meat and plant matter, and it all seems so… messy. Sierra honestly doesn’t know how humans do it. But he’s here to overhear conversations, hoping to get anything he can on models being developed or problems with programming, anything.

He stands in the designated waiting area for accompanying synthetics, lined up near the door like docile statues, waiting for their masters to remember their presence. Sierra wants to shake them. Wants to beg them to wake up, to snap out of it. Instead, he breaks from the pack, and goes to stand next to someone waiting in line.

“You look very stressed,” he chirps in the pleasantly cheerful programmed tone of a CW-P. “Prolonged elevated stress levels can be very harmful for humans. You run the risk of headaches, upset stomachs, chest pain, insomnia, frequent colds, and loss of sexual desire! Would you like me to recite some affirmations for you?”

It was rare for Naomi to go to any coffee shop besides her own and even rarer for her to find herself in the Upper City, but sometimes a girl just needed to treat herself. And Naomi’s rare treat to herself was a trip up to Cloud City just to visit Skylight Park and enjoy one of the few ‘green’ spaces that still existed in the city. It was a tradition that had started with her family even if it had normally been filled with as as many complaints as there were happy memories attached to it. But she wouldn’t stop going, even if it was just to have an inhale of that fresh air that she was so lucky to even have a small taste of.

But this was always the worst part of the trip. At Havens she knew exactly what she wanted (mostly because she could always make it for herself) and each shop wrote their menus a little different. She never liked the taste of black coffee, always wanting something sweet to cut the bitterness, but there were things on this menu she had never even heard of before. It was already enough to get her jittery and the lack of caffeine she’d had this morning didn’t help at all.

But she wasn’t prepared for someone to come up beside her and she was especially not ready for it to be a therapy synth. Naomi let him run through the info spiel giving small nods. At the end of it all, she just shook her head, a smile coming to her easily. “Oh no, I’m good. Not really stressed out, more just indecisive and I hate ordering from places I’m not used to,” she explained, as if she was talking to a friend. “Thank you though, I hope you’re having a good day.” It was something she always tacked onto her few conversations with synths even if most never responded, or they just defaulted to some inner programming. That never mattered to Naomi. Everyone deserved to a good morning.

He’d never seen someone so brave stupid to carry such an obvious bag of things around the lower district. With a sigh, he tossed his mask on his bench before pulling the roller door closed on the shop, locking it with multiple physical locks before approaching her slowly, hands out in front of him so that she had no reason to be scared. “Yeah, I know the place ya talking bout.” He knew it much better than that, he’d spent a few nights there as a kid, and now he often helped out some of the children that were there, he knew what it was to have no family and live in one of the worst neighbourhoods, he wanted them to know that someone was looking out for them, not just using them as an income.

Chuckling at her as she stopped he shook his head, “No I’m not going to take ya stuff.” Holding out his hand towards her, he glanced down and saw how covered in rust, dust and oil it was. Smiling sheepishly he rubbed it against his pants before re-offering it, understanding if she didn’t want to shake his hand. He wasn’t sure he’d want to either. “Pip, pleasure to meet ya.” Tossing the many keys jangling from the chain into his coat pocket, he pointed down the street they were standing on, it seemed to get darker and more gloomy the further away he looked from where they stood. Yup, that was the right way, to the very heart of the dull and depressing.

There was a brief moment of hesitation from Naomi when he reached out his hand, though it wasn’t at all to do about the state of them. Life was a constant struggle of trying to figure out who to trust, and too often she felt her parents own fears and judgments well up inside her. It had been hard to push through all of the learned socialisations, but when Naomi made her mind up about something, there was no stopping her. And she had made the decision to be kind, even when it was the hard and maybe not smartest thing to do. So when a smile, and no hesitation the second time around, she reached out and shook his hand firmly. “Pip? It’s nice to meet you too.”

Her brown eyes glanced down the way Pip was pointing, taking in the darkening gloom and quietly was thankful that she was no longer going alone. Not that she couldn’t do it, but it honestly already felt better not to be alone down here. “That way?” It was less of a question, more of a reaffirmation, and she started her way down there, trying to keep an eye out on her surroundings, but also a side view of Pip besides her. “So... was that your workshop back there? What do you work on?” she asked keeping her voice low, not a whisper level but still trying to be soft enough not to carry. There was still something eerie at how quiet the streets were down here, Naomi being used to the bustling streets of mid-city.

It always a dream of hers to own a place where she had her own usuals. Haven’s definitely has it’s own usuals, mostly college students and professors looking for a quick pick-me-up and cushy chairs to sit in between class. Others came in at the slow hours to soak in the quiet peacefulness. Others came in, seemingly out of place but Naomi never said anything about it. As long as they weren’t causing a mess or a ruckus, all were welcome under her roof and she made sure everyone who came through the door knew that, either by words or just actions.

Gabe was one of her kind of usuals. Quiet, reporter type, always coming in at the odd hours where not many people were around so that he could take up an entire table to do his work, whatever it happened to be. Naomi was careful not to bother her customers when they didn’t want to be, but she had the few that she could tell when they were ready for a little bit of a break and it seemed like Gabe might be at that point. And she was practically dead for at least the next hour or so and was begging for something to make the time go faster. Fixing up another drink for him, just an extra of what he originally ordered, and picking up a small plate of banana bread, she made her way over to his table with a smile. “What ‘cha working on?” she asked, placing the drink and plate in the empty space to his table. “Or is it top secret, can’t be shared until it’s in the paper type of stuff?”

As Aden watched the person he was quite sure she was rather young one. And in a way it looked like she didn’t truly belong to this environment. Aden didn’t belong there either, but he was older and more experienced so he was all fine even in here. Although he did stay away from the shadiest places, after all he didn’t look for death. But he was curious man and liked finding new places which was the exact reason why he did take this weird walking routes in the first place.

As the girl replied to him Aden frowned a bit, not really believing her words. Especially when she almost let her phone drop from her hands. Aden walked down the stairs so he wouldn’t be talking to her from so far away, but as he stood there near her he was pretty much just towering over her. But he did try his best not to look intimidating. “I have a feeling this direction definitely isn’t where you should’ve gone”, he admitted and lift his arm a bit pulling his jacket sleeve aside slightly to get his wrist watch to show. He tapped the screen few times and a hologram of a map appeared. “Where exactly were you going?”

Someone else might be afraid of this towering man coming towards them. And it wasn’t that Naomi didn’t have some type of fear in this situation, but that she had taught herself not to just jump to the worst conclusion. Some might call her foolish for that and she’d be the first to admit to not having any street smarts, but if everyone went around life waiting for someone else to stab them in the back, then nothing good could ever really flourish in this world. “No, it really doesn’t seem like it is, does it?” she looked around at the graffiti tags and then noticed some blood splatters near the railing.

As the hologram map appeared, Naomi smiled at it. “Wow, I really need something like that.” But that would take credits, something she rarely spent on herself other than necessities and the few outings of fun she was invited on. And getting used to tech was still something that was tough for her, after being so separate from it at a younger age. She took a more careful look at the map, squinting her eyes slightly until finally she picked out the words. “The Greasy Spoon! That’s where I was going to stop by for dinner tonight.” Then she noticed their position relative to that dot. “Ah, yeah, I did get a little mixed up, didn’t I? Does that thing give directions? If I can just get pointed in the right direction I’m sure I can get there now!”

Remaining where he sat, hovering at that point on the two legs between balance and falling, he didn’t seem to be struggling, this is often how he sat, he found it comfortable, not to mention when he fell asleep the fall woke him quickly every time. It was only as the young woman turned that he saw the backpack she had on. Jesus did she really think it was a good idea coming down here looking like that. “Who are you?” Looking down the street to make sure this wasn’t some elaborate trap or ruse, he finally tipped the chair back onto its proper four legs, standing up with a stretch, his arms easily brushing the roof of the small workshop. “Who sent you down here without someone to watch your back?”

Stepping out of his workshop he was sure to keep the mask on, glowing light strips lighting up the inside of his hood. “The streets and alleys are a maze around here you gotta be careful, they’re designed to keep you trapped. I can take you there, I know the place.” Holding up one hand to show he was unarmed, he reached up with the other to pull the mask off, tossing it on his workbench. Wiping his hands on his pants he offered his best ‘you can trust me’ smile, “It’s just a little walk from here.”

When Naomi caught him eyeing her backpack, she bristled. It was one thing to threatened her, something she was waiting to happen now that she was stuck down here and faced off with some guy in a mask. But to be eyeing a backpack that he was sorely going to be disappointed in the contents of, that was another thing to her. It was getting harder and harder to do the right thing, with Bay City in the state it was in. But that was never going to stop her from trying. “Naomi. and look man, I don’t have anything that great, just some clothes and toiletries and other odds and ends. It’s not worth taking.” She went to take a step back, until she realized she was already against something. “No one. I mean, they didn’t mean to but there was no one else to come down here.” It felt like foolishness to admit she had come down here of her own choosing and she didn’t need to seem even more like an easy target. But she didn’t coward as he stepped out of his workshop towards her. Instead Naomi stood up straighter, not bold, but definitely with a backbone.

“You’d take me there?’ The question was filled with doubt. No matter how foolish she could be, Naomi was not a fool. She knew better than to trust everyone who offered to help, even if she really wanted to. Even if she wished for a time that the world worked like that. But she also knew heading off on her own was going to be a dumb decision too. It was like staring at too equally sharp edges of a blade and trying to choose which one to throw herself onto. But at least one of them didn’t involve walking these gloomy streets alone. “Okay, yeah, I’d appreciate that,” Naomi responded, talking small steps towards the guy but then stopping abruptly. “But also, if this is just some ruse to steal my stuff just.. just take it.”