11.5
I already ate plenty this morning, but food is hellishly expensive out here—I don’t even want to know what Yvonne paid for those snacks—and she’s offering. I’m not up to date on the customs of this place, hell, I don’t even know where Cath is originally from, but I really don’t want to be rude. As discretely as I can, I turn on my comm so Zane and the others can hear what I’m saying and don’t get antsy when I don’t return in two minutes. I swear he became ten times more jumpy than usual the minute we left Hytha. I’d probably be in the same boat if I wasn’t feeling so oddly determined.
Today, we’re going to have answers after all these weeks.
I may not be as nervous as Lalia, but the anticipation is certainly there.
Cath points at a chair in her kitchen. It’s a warmly painted room of yellows and oranges, striking against the dim of the rest of the city. I sit carefully, setting Bat in his back between my feet, under the table. His snout pops out, little eyes taking in the small apartment, nose wiggling. A window out to my left no larger than my tablet shows the roof of the bar and a cluster of bright lights and metal and cables of other buildings. Far above, I catch sight of the next layer of the city. This place is like living in a can. At least, in my ship, I can go where I please and stop at any planet I like.
“So, you’re wanting directions?” Her back is to me, but she’s amused by the word. “What awful thing will you be getting yourself into if you can’t be finding it on your tablet?”
“It’s not that awful, just weird.”
She turns from the stove to give me a skeptical eyebrow. “Well?”
“Do you know of any place where I can get an encrypted DNA file tested against someone else?”
She places a chipped ceramic bowl of unfamiliar sautéed vegetables in front of me and sits in the chair opposite. I try to ignore her eyes wandering my uncovered implants like she can see into the very pores of my skin, reminding myself she’s been nice enough before, and it isn’t like I wouldn’t stare if I saw someone who looked like me. Still makes me want to crawl under the table right alongside Bat.
“You are looking much worse than when last I saw you.”
“Thanks.”
She looks at my bowl. I spear a slice and put it into my mouth. I still don’t recognize the purple plant, but it’s crunchy and spicy enough I don’t think it could taste bad no matter what it was.
“Can’t any hospital be testing DNA?”
I wrinkle my nose. I was hoping I wouldn’t have to give details, but I suppose it won’t hurt. As far as I know. “I need to test my old DNA file I got…when I was snooping somewhere I wasn’t supposed to be. I need to test it against someone else. That’s multiple layers of suspicious and I don’t want anyone reporting me.”
She raises an eyebrow, chewing a bit too loudly. “Found some of your relatives?”
I never did tell her much the first two times I saw her, but one of the things that were discussed in brief was you’re too young to be out on your own, go back to your family, and a pretty argument-closing I don’t have one.
“Actually, they found me. Mostly. I can’t get rid of them even if I were to try.”
In my ear, Zane snorts.
Cath raises another eyebrow.
“It’s a long story and really I shouldn’t be telling you that much, I really just want to know if you know of anyone who won’t ask questions about such a weird case. I know there has to be someone like that around here, I just don’t want to go in blind, and I don’t have a lot of time to be here.”
That last part’s a lie, but I don’t want to give her the idea this place makes me nervous.
“Hmm, hmm,” she hums, inspecting her food. “Possibly.”
I try not to smile if only so it won’t freak her out. “I can pay you.”
“How much?”
“How much do you want?”
“Well, you are being smarter than you were when you were fourteen. Barely.”
I pick away at the food—it really isn’t too bad, and I doubt anything she could put in it would kill me. “That is a very low bar. How much do you want?”
Inspecting a vegetable on the end of her fork, she says, “I be wanting you to get me something.”
I manage not to make a face while Zane grumbles something in my ear. “What’s something?”
“I be having an old neighbor who doesn’t get along with me—”
“I don’t do hitman jobs—”
She waves me away. “He stole my pepka.”
This is going to be a long day. “I’m really afraid to ask what that is.”
She gives me a look like she’s much too old for my crap. Which is probably correct. “It is my pet.”
“Oh.”
“They are very rare and exotic. She is my little angel. But they are being very difficult to get and he was always wanting one. I know he be taking her.”
I try to keep a straight face. “How do you know?”
She gestures to the window. “She be sitting in the window all times. He used to walk by and look at her. I found my window open.” She taps her nose. “He be having the worst perfume. Here’s a tip: don’t be burglarizing someone’s pet in their home with strong cologne.”
“Right, sure,” I say, and can hear Lalia laughing quietly in my ear. “Why don’t you just go get your…pet?”
“I am old woman—”
“Old woman with a shotgun—”
“Shh,” she hisses. “Eat your food. I be telling the local authorities but they don’t believe me.”
“So you want me to get it?”
“Her. It is a her.”
“Sorry.”
“He is old man too and you are being terrifying. You won’t have any problem.”
I’ve had entirely worse trades than that, I suppose. Paying her off would be better though. Rubbing my eyes, I grab my tablet and search up pepka, muttering to myself. Cath watches me passively while I scroll through. It’s a cute little critter, small enough to fit in my hand, usually a fuzzy white or silver, with little ears and funny little claws. Everything about them says they’re friendly and loyal. If I’m completely honest with myself, I kinda want one now. Bat would love it.
All I can think is it’s gonna be hell to find a little critter someone can hide in a drawer.
“Okay, so I reiterate,” I say, rubbing my temples. “You might be an old lady, you’re an old lady with a shotgun. You kinda scare me and I’ve been up against…well, actually, I’m not going to tell you what I’ve been up against—”
Cath grins.
“—Why don’t you go get…”
“Plum.”
“What?”
“Her name is Plum.”
Sure, why not. “Why don’t you go get Plum yourself?”
Chewing a vegetable, she eyeballs me for a moment and says, “He isn’t precisely my neighbor anymore. He moves a few streets down.”
“So?”
“I’m almost certain the son he moved in with can be cracking my head with his bare hands.”
I raise my eyebrows.
She shrugs. “As I was saying. You are being terrifying. You won’t be having trouble. You have been being up against things you won’t even tell me about.”
I level her the dirtiest glare I can, but her expression doesn’t change. That’s what I get for trying to be clever, I suppose. Serves me right.
“It should only take an hour or so. Less. And that boy won’t be calling the authorities, he be having not-so-legal things in his house, if you be knowing what I say.”
Yeah, people don’t tend to call the authorities around here for minor scuffles. I don’t know if going and pointing a gun at some old man counts as that, but it’s not the authorities that make me not what to do this. It’s getting involved in anything that makes me not want to do this. Still, it is only a little bit of a detour, and the likelihood Cath will lead me astray feels decreased if I’m bringing back her beloved pet. It feels like better goodwill, and I won’t even have to hand her over a huge chunk of my hard-earned money I got from rescuing Anya.
Sighing, I say, “Look, do you have a picture? I’m not going to go and steal this animal back only to find it was never yours.”
Cath grins.