Chapter 26: Approaches and Perceptions
Himeko advanced with methodical curiosity, her probe left behind, well camouflaged in the pasture. The readings on her tablet guided her towards the heart of the city, where the energy anomalies seemed to be concentrated.
She noted the local architecture, the flora, the occasional motor vehicles that passed by on dirt roads before reaching the asphalt of the outskirts – everything was cataloged with the eye of a scientist and the soul of an adventurer.
Her natural elegance and calm demeanor made her look like a particularly observant tourist, rather than an interstellar traveler investigating dimensional ruptures.
As Himeko approached, Joey, at his house, finally managed to create an excuse that seemed to minimally satisfy his mother: he needed to go to the central stationery store to buy specific material for an "online course" he was supposedly taking.
The lie weighed on his conscience, but the need to check on Lyra was stronger. His father was still in his office, immersed in his reports and bad mood, which facilitated his departure.
Walking through the familiar streets, Joey felt every glance like a needle. The previous night's experience with Lyra had given him a dose of courage, but it hadn't magically erased his social phobia.
He focused on his goal: reach the abandoned cinema, leave some more food, and try to sense if she was safe. His mother's mention of the "vigils" still haunted him.
Not far away, Léo and his friends were already wandering through the central region, their "investigation" consisting mainly of people-watching and excited speculation.
"Dude, what if the 'elf' is like an explorer from another planet and the 'ship pilot' is her partner?" one of Léo's friends theorized, while they had ice cream in the square.
"Or maybe they're enemies!" Léo countered, his eyes shining. "And Joey, with his weird ways, is secretly helping one of them!"
The idea was more a taunt than a real suspicion, but Léo couldn't shake the image of his brother acting so strangely near the library.
Kael, the Tracker, followed Himeko's energy signature. He was a master at moving unnoticed, using the shadows and blind spots of the urban environment with preternatural skill.
He caught a glimpse of Himeko – a woman with vibrant red hair, moving with a confidence and purpose that set her apart from the locals. The technology she carried, though discreet, emitted signals Kael's sensors identified as highly advanced.
She wasn't a simple accidental "displaced" individual; her arrival had seemed intentional. This made her more dangerous or, potentially, a source of information.
Himeko, for her part, sensed she was being subtly observed. Nothing she could pinpoint directly, but a slight distortion in her tablet readings, a pattern of silence in the ambient noises that seemed to move with her.
It was the feeling of an experienced predator or a highly trained observer. She showed no change in her behavior, continuing her approach to the area her tablet indicated as the location of the "stable and fluctuating anomaly" – the abandoned cinema.
"It seems this planet has its own guardians or, at the very least, its own well-equipped curious onlookers," Himeko thought, a faint analytical smile on her lips.
Joey finally reached the vicinity of the cinema. His heart was pounding. He looked around, searching for Léo or the "vigil" groups from the previous night.
The street seemed calmer under the Saturday morning light. He approached the alley, hesitating before entering.
Inside the cinema, Lyra was restless. The food had sustained her, but the isolation was beginning to weigh on her. She had heard the city noises outside, the voices passing by.
Would the young human return? Was it safe to trust him? She had no answers.
Himeko was now a few blocks from the cinema. She stopped at a small café she found open, the aroma of roasted beans of that city drawing her in.
"A black coffee, please," she asked the attendant with a gentle smile. While waiting, she observed the people around her, absorbing the local atmosphere.
"The passion for coffee seems to be an interesting universal constant," she mused.
At that exact moment, Léo and his friends passed by the café door, loud and laughing. Léo paused for an instant, his gaze drawn to Himeko's elegant figure, with her unusual red hair.
"Wow," he murmured to a friend. "Look at that woman. She looks like she stepped out of a movie!"
Himeko merely offered a discreet, polite smile in their direction before taking her coffee. She was used to attracting attention but preferred discretion on her exploratory missions.
Joey, in the alley, took a deep breath and entered the darkness of the abandoned cinema, calling Lyra's name in a whisper.
Kael, now positioned on a rooftop overlooking the main entrance of the cinema and the café where Himeko was, observed both situations unfolding. The human, Joey, was entering the probable hideout of one of the displaced. And the red-haired newcomer was dangerously close.
Saturday was about to get much more interesting.
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