"Basically, the city's second phase is comin' along nicely." The gruff gentleman sitting across from me says between sips of his drink. "Yer gonna be able to visit soon, once the elevator is up n' runnin. I'll have one of my boys get a report on yer desk by tomorrow mornin'."

"Excellent. You're ahead of schedule, for once."

"Only because yer people gave us a reasonable timeframe, fer once." He shakes his head. "City hall ain't easy to please."

"Correction." I take a sip from my drink, pointing a maniucured nail at myself. "I am not easy to please."

"Don't I know that."

We share a laugh, followed by a quiet moment as we take small bites of our meals. We hardly ordered much from this restaurant, and yet we have been here for over almost two hours. The young couple seated across from us came and went in the time that he and I have been here. It feels like neither of us want to leave, though our weekly meeting is almost concluded. 

"I quite enjoy these business lunches of ours." I tell him, reaching across the table to touch his hand. "Your work is so, very interesting."

He smiles back at me, turning his hand upright to take mine in his. His thumb strokes the side of my hand, his callouses rough on my skin. Not that I mind, since my hands are no different. "Likewise. I reckon we should do this more often, Miss Saverine."

"Haven't I told you not to call me that?"

"You're right, Mayor." He says, clearly amused with himself. In return, I give his hand a tight squeeze, enough to get a grunt out of the big guy. He forgets just who it is he is with. "Only joking, Rin. You can let my hand go now."

"Why?" I feign ignorance, loosening my grip. "Does it bother you?"

"Not so much as it's unprofessional. We're here for business, not pleasure." He reminds me. "I worry about your image."

I gaze at him intensely, before finally letting him go. "You are right. What sort of example am I setting? I'm not twenty anymore." I sigh.

"Could have fooled me."

I smile, gazing at him silently. I take in the details of his face. His short stubble, graying hair, the wrinkles near his eyes, and the way one eye is very slightly less open than the other. He does the same to me, though I cannot be certain if he is doing the same.

"Shall we go? I finished eating a long time ago." I put a hand out as he reaches for his wallet. "No need. This meal was paid for before either of us sat down."

He gives me a look of irritation. "Won't ya let me treat ya, even once?"

"Of course not." I explain, as we get up. "It is only natural for a boss to treat her subordinates."

The two of us leave the restaurant, walking side by side down the street. We keep going until we reach the corner, at which point he stops me.

"Do you have anythin' else to do today?" He asks. "I'm wonderin' if city hall can survive the afternoon without ya."

"I have a meeting in fifteen minutes, then another in about an hour." I tell him, unenthusiastically. "I am sorry, Daedalus. It will have to wait until next week."

"Hmm." He grunts, clearly disatisfied with my answer. His tone sounds serious, but the look on his face says otherwise. "Well, what if it can't wait until next week?"

"That would be troublesome." I fold my arms over my chest. "I would have to push my meetings to tomorrow. How urgent is this matter?"

"Plenty urgent." He smiles, wider than I think I have ever seen. Those eyes of his, usually so distant and serious, now seem playful. I did not know he was capable of such an expression.

"I suppose it is out of my hands."

"Glad to hear it." He takes my hand in his, leading me. "Come with me. We'll make a stop by my workshop first."

I do not question him, allowing him to take me where he wants. All the while, I try to keep up with him. He is a very large man! Strong, tall, and exceedingly smart. I am quite strong for a woman, let alone one my age, but his strides are longer than mine. I am practically jogging in an attempt to match him. Some consideration would be nice, but I am not upset over it.

A short time later, we arrive at a large building in the industrial district. It's one I've seen many times before, but have never actually entered. He takes me inside, through a maze of hallways, and to a locked room. I expect him to pull out a key or perhaps a keycard, but he simply places his hand against a panel and the door unlocks.

"Wow. That almost looks like magic." I gasp.

"It's a scanner. Checks my hand to authenticate." He explains, trailing off once he notices how confused I am. "Have you heard of biometrics?"

"I have not." I tell him. There is no need to put up airs. I feel I can be honest with this man. "What are those?"

"No two people are exactly alike. Take yer hand for example-"

"Oh, I know about that." I stop him. "Fingerprints, correct?"

"Exactly. There are other things too."

"I see. But how does your device understand that? Can it see you hand with one of those cameras?"

"Not quite. I can go into more detail if ya like." He offers.

"That will not be necessary. I understand the general idea..." I begin to pace around, taking in all of the strange objects around me. Half finished designs, hundreds of wires, and chunks of metal are strewn about the area. One object attracts my attention more than the others. I walk over to it, sitting on a workbench, and pick it up. "What is this?"

"That would be a digital ruler." He explains.

"Oh." I slowly place it back down, embarrassed. "I am sorry. Everything here looks so interesting. Though, I have no clue what any of it does. Growing up, the most advanced 'technology' we had was a loom. Electricity was something reserved for the Brobs. I apologize for my ignorance."

"Hey, Rin." He comes over to me and makes me look him in the eyes. "There ain't any shame in not knowing somethin'. It's only shameful if ya choose to stay that way." He gives me an encouraging smile.

"Thank you." I return it, regaining my confidence. "In that case, may I ask some questions?"

"By all means." He takes a seat in a nearby chair. "What would you like to know?"

I take a look around the room and point at the most complicated looking thing. It's a metal, box-like thing with colorful lights and a glass exterior. Warm to the touch, and faintly humming.

"That would be my work computer. Do you know what those are?"

"Vaguely. I have seen some before, in Elysium." Below it there is a strange object with serveral buttons. Hesitantly, I press one. This causes a screen to light up, and for me to gasp. "Did I break it?"

"Nope." He chuckles. "Just woke it from sleep. I really should shut this thing down more often."

I turn and look for something else to ask about. My gaze doesn't travel far, landing on another box-like device, only much larger. It looks like an oven, with a translucent panel that opens up. Inside, I see an... Actually, I am not quite sure what I am looking at. Whatever it is, it is moving rather rapidly around a mass that rests below it.

"I have never seen something this odd. It moves as if it is alive. It is fast..."

"That would be a fabricator." He explains, gesturing to the mass inside. "Without gettin' into the technical nonsense, it's an electronic builder. We give it a design and it builds it from scratch using the material in front of yer face."

"Really?" I ask, in disbelief. "Can it make anything?"

"Yes and no. It makes parts, which are usually part of somethin' bigger. There are limits associated with it." He taps on the glass with a knuckle. "As you can see, it's pretty darn speedy."

"I do not even want to ask how it moves that way." I laugh, somehow finding the machine funny. "I will assume it is magic."

"Hardly! Everythin' seems like magic til ya know how it works." 

He then walks over to the nearby wall and stands in front of yet another device. He does not say a word, instead making odd gestures with his hands in front of him. Suddenly, I hear the sound of something moving behind me. I spin around, only to be met with a rather large, arm-looking machine. It reaches toward me, tapping me on the shoulder. I instinctively punch it, causing the man-made horror to make a strange noise. Upon turning around, I see that his arm is positioned similarly to it. I quickly make the connection.

"Are you... Controlling that thing?"

"Indeed I am. Or I was, until a minute ago." He gestures with his arm but the machine does not respond.

"Did I...?"

"Yes, but it's no trouble. The thing was already on it's last legs."

"I do not even want to ask how that works. I am fairly certain my head will explode." I joke.

"Maybe some other time." He then hands me a key card, which I accept. "If that's all ya want to know, then let's get a move on. This is what I came for in the first place."

"A keycard? What is it for?"

"You will see. Come on, we're headed to MG tower."

The two of us exit the building and make our way over to the last area in all the city that is still under construction. We pass by several workers who all greet their head engineer and mayor as they walk by. Eventually, we arrive at the base. It is a building which will soon become a reception area. Above it, stands the tallest building in all the city. So tall, in fact, that I can hardly see the top from down here. Overall, the structure is complete. The remaining work is for the outside area, such as decoration. Everything inside is functional, even the elevators. Speaking of which...

Daedalus then helps me scan the card on the wall, which causes the elevator doors to open. "After you."

I hesitate. It is embarrassing to admit, but I have never felt comfortable in these things. Even in city hall, I always opt to take the stairs. A moving box that could fall at any moment simply unsettles me. "I would rather not. Can we take the stairs?"

"We could. But do ya want to climb a hundred seventy floors?"

I blink twice. "Did you say-"

"I did indeed, ma'am. This here tower is roughly eight hundred fifty meters tall. The stairs are only meant to be used in an emergency."

"I see." A frown appears on my face. 

He sees this and offers a hand. "I promise it's safe. I know it's unfamiliar, but are ya willin' to trust me?"

Upon hearing that, I feel I have no choice but to accept. I take his hand and step inside. The doors then close and I experience movement. It unnerves me. Very little in this world can do that anymore. Strangely, this does just that. I shut my eyes and grip his hand tightly. 

"We're already halfway up." He assures me. "Won't be long now."

When it feels as though I cannot handle it anymore, the elevator comes to a stop and the doors open. I eagerly step out, onto stable ground again. He follows close behind. Once I've overcome the anxiousness from the ride up, it is quickly replaced by amazement. This room is huge, with a curved, glass window that goes around the entire area, like part of a dome. We approach it, looking out upon the city, and even Jeannine's bedroom beyond it. Everything seems so small down there. Cars appear to be dots. People are hardly visible.

"This is breathtaking." I blurt out. "What a beautiful view."

"It's one that we hope everyone will enjoy, soon enough." He points to the keycard in my hand. "Technically, no one is allowed up here. Yer the first civilian."

"I am honored. Thank you for showing me this, Daedalus."

"Anytime, Rin." He brings my hand up to his lips and kisses it. We share a tender moment before he ruins it by bringing up work. "Anyway, I'll get the reports to you soon. We've got lots planned. Next week, I should be ready to present the plans for new developments."

I sigh, disappointed in myself for thinking this man could ever get his head out of work. "I look forward to seeing them. And our next lunch."

The two of us head back to the elevator and use the card to open the doors. The ride is still scary, though not nearly as much the second time. I am still holding his hand, which is a wonderful distraction. Soon enough, the doors open up and we step out.

"Mayor Rin! Finally!" A young man's voice calls to me.

I am then met with Nick, who runs up to us, very much out of breath. Daedalus and I release our hands and quickly right ourselves before he can notice. "Hello, Nick. Ehem, what brings you here, of all places?"

"I really need to speak with you. Not as Mayor Rin, as Saverine." He says, rather seriously. He looks positively distraught. His eyes are pleading. "I would...be extremely grateful."

Daedalus and I exchange glances. He shrugs and gives me a silent nod of understanding.

"I was about to get goin' anyway. Nice to see ya, boy. Don't give the Mayor any trouble, ya hear?"

"Thanks. See you later, sir." Nick waves as the older man walks away, leaving us two alone. The young man's expression somehow becomes even more serious. He looks me in the eyes, unblinking, and speaks. "I have a problem, and I don't know who else to go to. Saverine, you are one of the wisest people I know. Maybe you can help me?"

"Is this work related?" I ask, curiously. I doubt it is, but I want to encourage him to get to the point.

"No. It's highly personal." He frowns. "Is that okay?"

"It is fine, Nick. Enough beating around the bush. Come out with it."

Nick spends the next few minutes talking about Sara, the friend of Jeannine's who spent two days here in her place. I assumed she was Jeannine's backup, the person she could take over should anything serious happen to her. From what I have heard, she is a friendly girl, if not a bit rash. That is until he tells me more about her. He shares a horrifying story that makes me reconsider all that I knew about her. I now understand why the mere mention of her name used to set him off. He ends his story with the events of her recent stay, and a question.

"That's the whole thing, sparing some unimportant details." He blows air out of his mouth. "I don't know how to feel about her. I'm conflicted."

After listening to him, I begin to see the full picture. He is indeed conflicted, though, I believe he is not coming to me for advice, rather, an answer. He wants me to tell him what he should do, definitively. I will not do that. I will, however, help him find it himself.

"If what you say is true, there is a much bigger problem." I act as if the situation is more dire than it is for effect. "Can someone like her truly be trusted around us? Who is to say she won't decide to try Lillis again?"

"She isn't a threat. She's changed, and no, she would never." He declares, without a doubt. "I truly believe that."

"Well then. This seems like an issue of forgiveness."

"It...is." He sighs. "No matter how kind she is, no matter how nice her words are, I can't shake this feeling. I'm afraid of her."

"Afraid of her, or something else?" I suggest.

"What do you mean?"

"It sounds like you are afraid to forgive. You think doing so will make what she did okay, correct?"

"When you put it like that... Maybe?"

I put my hand on his shoulder and look him in the eyes. "I have had my fair share of terrible experiences with Brobs. I will not claim that they were better or worse than yours, but they stuck with me for a long time. Know that you are not alone, Nick. This city is full of people with stories like yours. I urge you to talk to someone you trust. They might be able to help you find clarity."

"Wait, but what about you? If you were in my place, what would you do?"

"I would take the advice of my older, wiser, friend." I tell him, sternly. "And I would look deep in my heart for the answer. Remember, you don't owe anyone anything. Do what you feel is right, and more importantly, fair."

"Okay." He nods, taking a deep breath. "I got it. I'll do that. Thank you, Saverine."

"You are welcome, Nick." I move my hand from his shoulder to his back and pull him in for an embrace. He groans as I squeeze him tightly. I then whisper in his ear, before letting him go. "I am proud of you for dealing with this so well on your own. You are strong, and I respect that."

"Th-Thank you..." He stares at his feet, unable to look me in the eye.

"Do what you need to do, and let me know what you ultimately decide." I instruct him. "But first, you will walk me home. It's the least you can do after interrupting my meeting with engineer Daedalus."

"Actually, I've got somewhere to-"

I open my eyes wider, daring him to finish his sentence. He practically turns to stone. 

"Nothing. After you, Mayor Rin."