4st encounter.

-—- the fourst time. moon 27. -—-

The windows had grown dark as the day marched on. The crisp blue-gold of the sun was gradually transposed with the green-silver of the moon. I knew that before long, most colors would not be too far from grey. The only exceptions would be those within the radius of an advertisement and the like, or those vibrant enough to catch the eye regardless. Most of the lights of the buildings dimmed to a minimum. Each window showcasing nothing brighter than a foggy, faded twilight. After my shift, I packed some minor things in my handbag and set out to the little spot of silence I had been meeting Romance at.

The spot was entered through a curious archway. There were a few places like it, usually meant as a more scenic alternative for those who were traveling on foot. It was a nice little communal locale, which was important to have scattered about the city. It was a sort of remnant of the city’s original plan. Being able to walk anywhere was an important thing, which lead to the hyper-interconnectivity of city blocks. Unless I was going a meeting or training outside this area, I did not really have a reason to leave the block. But I doubted this place saw much genuine traffic anymore, after more modern means of travel were introduced. From an outsider’s perspective, it was an anomalous little area. It might be true for someone native to the city, too. I certainly would not have known about it, had I not overheard someone talking about it. It was just another locational artifact of a designer’s briefly-existing theoretical era. It told a sort of history, but an obscured one.

The archway opened up to a wide corner. I would not doubt it was planted atop some other old building, but I had not particularly explored that. A stone barrier, around knee-height, sat in the center, closer to the western edge. It was aligned with a larger planter that hung by the wall near the archway. It almost looked like a part of the barrier was erased to make way for a little bit of walkability and flexibility of the area. A few of the tiles were purposefully removed throughout the area, having plants sprouting from them as well. I was never certain what the purpose of the barrier was, perhaps just something to break up the negative space. Either way, it also served decently as a bench.

Partly obscured by careful railings, the edges of the area opened up to the lower sections of the city. There were a few things of note, there. A grassy, tree-dotted area was kept down below. It was almost sprawling - a region protected by government policy. No company was allowed to build on it, but were encouraged to ensure that it was kept tidy and unlittered. Anyone could go down there, but there was a sort of training and terms and conditions one would have to fulfill to do so. I never bothered. Seeing the occasional animal snoop just outside the boundaries was pleasant enough.

There were a few balconies I could also see, connected to old residentials and corporate buildings, alongside the overly stylistically-consistent government building. They were nothing particularly noteworthy, just like my little spot might not be to people looking from balconies above. Even further below was an obscured, but always curious sight. It felt like the shore’s mist always rolled through the ground level of the city. Deep, dark green plants flourished down there. Vines crept down from the city level above it to be closer to that humid heaven. With how closed-off the region was from the sun, it was usually dark. Our city being so tight on light pollution, I had to imagine the only lights down there would be either wholly virtual, ambient bounce light, or spotlight rays peaking from above. Since it was some of the older parts of the city, there was always some sort of beautifying project going on down there. I had heard that, architecturally, it was a beautiful area. But it gave people the creeps. Though some said it was weirdly melancholy down there. I had to wonder if Romance lived down there. Something about it seemed to fit them.

It was always heavy to come to terms with how little of the city I was familiar with. I hardly knew my way around this layer of the block, not to mention those above and below. I doubted most people were particularly well-traveled. Those who were, likely were not familiar with all the things between their destinations. Maybe Romance was a sort of exception. They seemed to be very familiar with the lot of it. They came in from the southern archway not long after I got there, and sat on the wide bench with me. They reclined back, seeming to breathe heavier.

I shifted to half face them. I could see their hair was a little damp, trails of sweat going down to their collarbone. “Is it a long walk, for you?”

They shook their head. Small beads of sweat broke free from the ends of their choppy hair. “Not particularly. I was simply in a rush today.”

I sat upright, curious. “Oh? What for?”

Their eyes smoothly sliced to mine. They had a very calm, composed look to them still, despite their physical exertion. “I take my time walking, breathing in the beauty of this place. I opted to be in a rush this evening, though.” They gazed back up to the slowly-darkening sky. “It was different. Each familiar landmark passing by me in a blur, waving goodbye. A scene so personally beautiful to me, but inexplicable and mundane to all else. It would have been quite the cinematic end, had I slipped and died somewhere along the way.”

I stiffened, not expecting their sudden shift in tone. My lip twisted in conflicting response to their otherwise flowery explanation. I responded in an off-put tone, “You have such a way with words, Romance.”

They simply nodded in response, and continued to watch the sky. I did not particularly expect a response further. We sat for a moment, before the two of us caught up, and made the typical smalltalk. It still felt like there were barriers in communicating with them. I still felt the urge to push past the hurdles. I could feel the conversation grinding to a halt, though, mostly of my own doing. I know I had something I wanted to ask. I was a bit too nervous to ask outright, at first.

Eventually, I worked up the nerve. It was a quiet gap between near-lifeless smalltalk, and I forced my words, “Do you know what’s happening with the murders?”

They paused for a moment. They glanced over, curious by my more intense tone. “Of course.”

The nonchalant response was bizarre, but not to be unexpected. I felt I was familiar with the structure of conversation with them, now. “Go on, what do you know? Everyone at work has it on their minds…”

“I do not know the perpetrators precisely, but I have a pretty crisp idea of who could be behind it. They have been in my sights for a while. A stranger who seems to paint the town red, a set of delicate brushes doing their bidding.”

I assumed ‘brushes’ to mean some sort of hired goons. “I see, how do you know about them?”

“I did a few jobs for them - they have been putting out a lot of commissioned work.” They twisted, both unnaturally and most fluidly. They flicked their wrist up, pointing vaguely in my direction. “In fact, the one at your company was of their jobs.”

It was jarring to hear information so clearly supplied, especially information so accusatory. It made me wonder if Romance was typically so loose with details. I processed their words for a moment, rethinking my perspective on their work. I suppose I assumed it was some shadowy organization or something, rather than a single person who sent out so many commissions. I felt like I was already gifted a lot of insight in this conversation, but I greedily pushed my questions further. “Do you have their name?”

Romance shook their head. “No, most all of their work has been sent out anonymously - for safety, no doubt. But I have seen the similarities underlying many commissions - enough samenesses to know when it is one of their jobs.”

I nodded, “I see, thanks.” After a moment, I gazed towards the city. The rows of buildings sat like lifeless monoliths. While Romance’s words were fulfilling to hear, I felt a daunting air hang over my head. I lifted my knee, and rested my arm on it. Leaning down into it with a sigh, I stated. “There seems to be so much that I don’t know about this place.”

Romance held their view of me for a moment, and then cut their eyes to the layers of the city below. They got themselves back in a more relaxed posture. With a short inhale, they added, “A red apple, bright and siren-like to the eyes of worms. A windowsill perch, a soft gaze to the casino lights. Others in the meat, tunnels dug through juicy adipose. A cloaked total. None know their star.”

Their strange verses seemed to put us both at ease. We sat like that, as we had done the last meeting. It was relaxing, but I still could not really become as settled as I would like. There were so many questions I had about any given thing. I was restlessly hungry for shards of information. But, I did not have anything in particular that I knew to ask. No answer seemed like it would make anything any more clear to me. It was uncomfortable, being in a state like that. But at the same time, think I would prefer these undefined questions to be ran through my skull. Something about these topics and curiosities felt more real. It was not another chit-chat about the last bimonthly period, or ill-informed rumors, or corporate politics. It was fresh, legitimate-feeling.

I cut through my clouded questions, and opted to ask something that I should have sooner. “Romance, why did you want to meet with me?” I realized how vague that sounded, and hastily added, “Not just today, but… You said you had a reason for wanting to talk with me, last week.”

They kept their glance towards the city below us, “I believe you to be a potential cooperator in my ambitions. That raid at your company, it became an unintentional scouting, so to speak.”

I jolted upright. I had a vague grasp on what Romance was wanting to do. But, it sounded like an immensely lofty goal. I hardly knew how I was supposed to help in it. It was not as if I had any practical skills for the task, likely.

It was as if they heard the confusion and puzzlement on my face. They simply continued, “Your air is that of an undecided person. You seem not bound to a particular reaction. That neutrality makes you a serene, misty option.”

My brow furrowed. I held back my immediate judgments, regardless. “How do you mean?”

“Our first encounter. Each time I saw you, you bounced between acting according to your instinct, and acting according to the setting around you. But these bounces were so slight as to be something distinctly median.” They re-imagined their memory for a moment. “Nedeyz, was it? Whenever she arrived, you allowed yourself to be so much more non-participatory. You were no longer the one the scene was targeting, so you perceived. That observational and grey perception extends to much else, too. I believe it to be a valuable trait, mayhaps.”

I was not sure how that was a ‘valuable trait,’ exactly. It sounded like I was a bystander in their eyes. Perhaps they were not wrong, I did widely keep to myself and stay in my lane. Still, I felt most people did that around here. The haze of their obtuseness clouded my mind. I still did not really understand what they were talking about. I felt that it might just be best to move on and think about it later, but continued regardless, “How does that trait help your goals at all?”

They twirled their hand, “I’m unsure.”

Running into that conversational brick wall practically knocked the breath out of me. I retorted, “That doesn’t make any sense! What do you mean, you’re unsure?”

“It does not make sense, but it does not need to.” They thought for a moment, looking towards the southern archway. “It was more a matter of intuition. There is something valuable from something new being revealed - and I believe that you are yet to fully reveal yourself.”

I felt dissatisfied by their answer, but felt I was not able to contest it in any meaningful way. Did they think that I had some sort of secret usefulness, that I was hiding something ‘valuable’ about me from them? Or did they think that whatever ‘value’ I had was wholly unexplored? I looked away from them entirely.

They remained silent for a moment. They seemed to take the time to observe my reaction. I heard them breath in, and they said, “These few weeks have been strange for you, no? Nights rolled overhead in a paramundane state, a state with many questions you have asked yourself.” I side-eyed them. “Was this of your own decision?”

My eyes were locked with theirs. It felt they had finally truly engaged eye contact now. There was something starry, curious, and passionate about their eyes, however muted and moteless they were. “Every decision, and every word, and every action you make will reveal this ‘you.’” They reclined back again, relaxing fully and looking at the clear night sky. “I suppose I was curious as to what this ‘you’ could be. Hopeful, mayhaps.”

On one hand, it did feel a little demeaning — just the idea of not being “revealed,” seemingly incomplete. But on the other, I had been feeling so liminal lately. I felt that my perception was shifting so precipitately, that perhaps my personality was on the verge of something else. But was this of my own decision, as they asked? Sure, the circumstances leading up to my encounters with Romance were wholly out of my control. They had showed themselves by pure chance, and I just happened to be there both times. But, had I the opportunity to revert any of it, would I? I wanted to keep a level head about this conversation, but there was something it that made me think frantically. I couldn’t tell if it was some sort of excitement, or some sort of nerve.

I focused on maintaining my breathing, and clearing my head. They gave me plenty of opportunity to respond. It seemed like they were placing some significance on this moment, and what my self-surveilled words might be. The both of us were fairly invested in this conversation, and it was as if the world around us had halted. The sound of my exhales was about the only thing that I could grasp on to. With time, my breath slowed to something more manageable.

I felt as though I had so carefully thought out my words, yet was still extremely loose and reckless. “I want to help out your goals, Romance. Especially since you’ve had your sights on the person who could be responsible for the recent murders at nearby companies.” I sighed, “I guess I’m only saying that, or realizing that, because the fear of that violence really sunk its way into my office.”

I paused, hung up on my own words. I suppose that was only the easily dressed-up root of my motives. In truth, I think I had a wanderlust that was slowly infecting me. It had been so long since I had been exposed to anything outside my company, I suppose. It made Romance’s goals seem all the more invigorating. It was harder for me to admit that, though. I continued, “…And, I don’t know how useful I would actually be. But, I want to provide assistance in any way I can.”

Their thin brows rose in a half-pleased expression. The corner of the lip most vaguely rose. “Wonderful. The perspectives from within your company — rumours, suspicions, and so on — might prove useful. I’m aware that most will be fabricated, but even minor hints as to connecting the cases to the suspicious commissioner would be of use.”

I nodded. There was a weight that was took off my body, though it left me feeling a little stiff in motion. “Thank you, Romance. I’ll try and dig up everything I can.”

Romance’s eyes were fixated on the now-dark cityscape before us. They were fairly quiet for a few moments. There was a bittersweet tone to their voice as they spoke, “No need to thank me, Woyrel. I appreciate your assistance.” They rose up, stretching their arms. “I must take my leave, Woyrel. Please, do rest well.”

I was not able to get myself to look in their direction as I stood up. “I’ll try. Stay safe, Romance.” In the corner of my eye, I could see them glance to me. After a brief second, I heard them begin to walk away. The air strangely felt to shift as they left. I stood for a few minutes, there. I wanted savor the dark cityscape a moment longer. Though, I hardly did. My mind was naturally wrapped around the conversation I just had, even if no thought in particular really stood above the others. It was just a clouded swarm of different interpretations of the events I had, almost half as busy as the flashing virtual advertisements plastered on the side of the ever-present towers. I focused on the rhythm of my breath once more, and left the place for the night.