Kiara approached at dusk.
"Hey. You and Alicia are the only humans here.
You must be hungry.
Alicia eats what Liana prepares.
Takashi and Liana are finishing… whatever that is.
We can go somewhere."
I agreed.
She guided me through Santos.
The port city.
Salt, fish, metal in the air.
Stalls and cramped houses pressed against filthy narrow streets.
Mechashops and roboshops sold secondhand prosthetics.
Outdated models still found owners.
Sparks jumped from rusted joints.
Relics still breathing.
The city glowed with chaotic vitality.
I felt strange wanting to belong to it.
I smiled.
Life extended far beyond what I knew.
"What? See something you like? Just say."
Kiara watched me.
We passed food stalls.
I stopped at one particularly unsanitary stand.
Skewered fish and fries.
"It could be this. It looks…"
I leaned closer.
"Appetizing."
The owner was large.
Tight clothes.
Rusting robotic arms that creaked and shed soot.
His beard nearly brushed the food.
"Evening, comrades. What'll it be?"
I swallowed hesitation.
"One vegetable skewer."
I turned to Kiara.
She stared at me.
The vendor's eyes flicked between us.
Then I remembered.
She didn't eat.
"Oh. I forgot."
An awkward smile.
"It's fine. Maia used to do that too."
She smiled faintly.
Maia.
The name drifted like a disturbance in the air.
She used to do that too?
What else did Maia do?
Kiara spoke of her easily.
I masked the reaction, watching passersby.
Moments later, I received the food.
"We can eat by the sea. Up there."
Kiara pointed toward cargo ships.
"Good view."
We crossed the crowd.
An elevator carried us to the top of a freighter.
Rain misted lightly.
From above, the city glittered.
People reduced to moving sparks.
Market lights shimmered like artificial constellations.
The world vast.
I — a knot suspended between sky and sea.
Kiara's hands settled on my shoulders.
"Stay aware. This isn't Zênite."
Her gaze scanned constantly.
A group of youths leaned against a rusted railing.
Measuring passersby.
The floor uneven, puddled.
Merchants pushing carts.
I leaned subtly into her warmth.
We reached the ship's edge.
The view struck me breathless.
Towering aerolamps flooded the docks.
Night split open.
Sky and sea dissolved into one horizon.
Brown water shimmered.
I closed my eyes to the sound of waves.
Salt and industrial air filling my lungs.
"Eat before it cools."
Her voice carried tension.
Each second, she mapped invisible risks.
"I love this," I whispered.
The fish was surprisingly good.
Perhaps rust was the seasoning.
"Yes. Finish quickly."
Her tone sharpened.
"I don't like the movement here."
The group near the railing shifted.
One of them pointed subtly.
Another checked a handheld scanner.
Kiara's posture changed.
No longer relaxed.
Predatory.
"Time to go."