The elevators whir as they slide up and down the pillars. A group of Narvidian Officials exits the one that drops down beside me, laughing amongst each other. The elevator closes and zooms up again. Captain Blitner steps off the next one and hobbles over to me, slowly dragging his steps. He doesn’t look up until he reaches me, and forces himself to smile.

“I would like to take a bus today, if you don’t mind,” he says.

“Yeah, that’s fine.”

I’m relieved to, actually. It’s a fifteen-minute walk to Meekman’s Café from here.

We eat breakfast, then walk around the corner to Stationary Plaza. The clouds drift through the pinkish sky, causing shadows to slide over the towers as each briefly covers the sun. Captain Blitner stares around the plaza as we walk, his eyes lingering on the bushes and fountains. A breeze sends a mist our direction, and he shivers when the cold water sprinkles his skin.

Again, I do most of the work under his guidance. I collect data orbs and transfer their information to the processor, then scan for anomalies and read through reports sent by individual officers working at the excavation sites. One team noted high acidity in the Boldian Plains, and the team in Fleerard Forest found a flock of dead Dell Washers in a grove near the abandoned Fleerard city.

Captain Blitner frowns when I tell him the news.

“Poor things,” he mutters.

When I’ve gone through most of the day’s data orbs, Captain Blitner lets me deactivate the processor. We sign out of the room, then go to the elevator lobby. Captain Blitner pulls a white bottle out of his pocket, dumps a pill into his hand, and swallows it. Then he walks to the cushioned bench that’s facing the tall window and settles in the seat. I sit next to him, and together we stare out over the southern sector. The sun has risen near its peak and the clouds have moved away from the city, though I can see some over the distant gray mountain.

“It’s beautiful where you’re going, Arman. The Hania Reserve. The river is cold…the trees are tall…the cliffs are steep. Hania is certainly the place to see Belvun at her finest.”

Captain Blitner rubs his eyes, grimacing, then folds his arms in his lap. It’s a long time before he speaks again.

“Stay…stay to dusk,” he says, his voice shaking as he massages his throat. “The stars come out early, even before the sun sets. Sit on a cliff for me, will you? Breathe for me…smile out over the world.” He takes a sharp breath and stiffens his arms. “Beautiful things should be smiled at.”

It’s an awkward request, but I nod anyway.

“I will.”