Seraphim craned her neck to look up at the high buildings, ‘So many… are they all full of people?’ She wondered, and watched the metal… boxes, move along with people inside. ‘I thought his was strange, that maybe his was one of a few but… they’re everywhere.’

“Take my arm.” He said and his elbow jutted out and poked her in the ribs.

“Will it grow back? Why am I-” She stopped her question when she saw him on the verge of laughter. Her lips formed a little pout.

“I mean grab it, put your arm through the hole, not literally take it off of me.” Gabriel chortled a little, “I know it’s rude to laugh but, then again my house blew up, not to beat a dead horse, but just let me enjoy your little foibles.”

He had a point, but she pouted nonetheless and slipped her arm into his. “Why am I doing this?” She looked up at him and asked when he began to walk, his gentle pull drew her along, guiding her down the broad pale sidewalk as he spoke.

“Because you’ll get hit by a car. You don’t know the rules, if you were ever out in public a long time ago, the public street was for everyone. But the invention of these,” he pointed to a sleek red car that rolled past them and disappeared down the road, “changed things. People kept getting hit by the new invention, so auto manufacturers started paying newspapers to report the accidents as the pedestrians’ fault and referred to them by an insulting name, and within a few years, the roads belonged to the cars and everybody else had to walk beside them, with specific rules to avoid getting hit that we have to follow or it’s our fault.”

“Oh.” Seraphim took that in, “That’s kind of evil, it sounds like it, at least…”

“That doesn’t change that that’s how it is. So don’t let go. I don’t think I have to worry about you getting hurt, but it’ll draw attention to us if you smash the car when it hits you. We do not want attention, get me?” Gabriel asked with a hard forcefulness to his voice and a steady look down at her face.

“I guess we don’t. But can you tell me about things here… it’s so strange… some things, I can guess, the picture stories they showed me in the box, the movies, the shows I mean, they were all ‘old’ things, I guess. But a merchant is a merchant.” Seraphim pointed to a cart where somebody was selling hot dogs. “That man is selling food, though I don’t know why he’s holding that little rectangle thing and then giving it back, I know a sale when I see one.”

She pointed to a store with a glass front where white and black mannequins stood in various poses of women’s clothing. “They obviously sell clothing.” She said while she watched a woman in a black miniskirt and white button down shirt adjust an oversized hat on a display.

“But still, I don’t know the culture, I don’t know the idioms, I don’t know how to avoid real danger, and no matter how strong I am-” She let the statement fall away, and inched a little against him when he brought his elbow closer to his body.

“Yeah, yeah that is dangerous.” Gabriel agreed, “I’m not exactly a teacher but,” he looked away from her for a moment, down the long busy street, pedestrians passed them by and cars rolled, he stopped her at a crosswalk, pushed a button, and waited, “when I was boy, I enjoyed the study of history. I can give you an abridged version to help you get by.”

‘So she’s quiet at last.’ Gabriel thought, her eyes were fixed on his face as he walked her down the long street, listening with evident fascination as he explained things. “...So after the rise of industrialization, our weapons began to get better and better, and ordinary spirit beings lost a lot of their political power. People left the villages and moved to cities for work, and picked up city habits that they took back home. Yeah, the really strong spirits and the ones with some unique and special powers are still really dangerous, but hey, you felt it for yourself, right, Sarah?”

She looked away from him when she recalled the feel of the cursed bullet ripping through her flesh.

“I guess that was a little insensitive…sorry.” Gabriel muttered when she remained silent. “Getting shot hurts, no matter what you are.”

Seraphim bobbed her head up and down, “I just don’t understand… the face of I Am… they have to know I can’t tell them that. Even if I-” Her hand touched her head, fingers gently tracing over the place where a vague throbbing briefly pulsed, “even if I remember.”

“They must have some reason for believing you can or you will. They got you to sing, they got you to show your wings, I don’t know of anyone who has been compelled to do that before.” Gabriel said and she darted her face up to him.

“Am I- Are you saying I’m weak?” Her eyes fluttered as she blinked back her surprise.

‘Well fuck… me. You had to go and say that.’ Gabriel cursed himself, but then saw his destination and straightened his arm to point at a nearby door. “That’s where we’re going. Come on, we need to hurry. I’d rather not be in public any longer than I have to be.” He hastened to say and quickened his steps just a little, forcing her to keep up with him in turn.

“This is critical. If I don’t make the right call, everything is fucked and I’m done for, the whole thing comes down…” Joan whispered the words, her entire body tense as a starving cat about to spring on a bird, one misstep away from starvation.

She bit her lip while Arthur ahead of her and just to her right, “Don’t you think I know that?!” The young man hissed. “You screw this up, and I go down with you!”

“Then shut up and let me do it, god, your breath is so hot and wet when you lean that close, you’re distracting me…” Joan hissed back and reached out her hand, she leveled out one finger from her closed, fist, her knuckles white as she inched ever closer.

She pushed, and pushed… ‘Just a little… bit… more…’ She held her breath, waiting for the natural pause between inhale and exhale, ‘Just like my shooting days.’ She had to smile at that.

The bell rang as the door opened, “Joan, I’m glad you’re here!” Gabriel’s voice startled her, her body jerked, the wooden rectangular blocks toppled loose, and the wooden tower, already wobbling, came tumbling down with a multitude of little crashes and clatters against the wooden gaming table.

“Jenga!” The opposing team shouted and jumped up from their seats, pumping their fists into the air and laughing at the losing team. “Lunch is on you two today!”

“God damn it, Gabriel!” Joan shouted, “You lost me that game, you’re buying lunch today to make up for it!” She yelled across her little shop, and he stopped dead.

“Well that’s a fine how-do-you-do. Nice to see you, Joan, Arthur, Peter, Konrad.” Gabriel said with an offhand wave. “And no, fuck you, I’m not buying your lunch.” He quickly added his retort, “I’m not the twit who decided to put the bell up, leave the store open, or play the game where I could be distracted. Whose fault is that?”

“Yours.” Joan retorted with a smirk and crossed her arms in front of her chest.

“That makes no sense.” Gabriel retorted as Seraphim came into view..

“I’m your ex. I am under no obligation to make sense, now who is-” She stopped dead when she turned her attention from Gabriel, to the woman on his arm. “You did not bring your girlfriend here given the circumstances. I’m not going to hide your lover for you after-”

“Joan… shut up.” Gabriel said and with a deep sigh he began to rub the bridge of his nose between thumb and forefinger. “It’s not like that, this is the one-” He looked at the trio who were rapidly picking up the game pieces, but when Joan nodded he went on, “the Theresans had.”

The foursome froze for a half a second.

“My brother is dead, my house blew up, and I’m trying to get her to the Tien Shan.” Gabriel explained and raised a hand to stop the protests he knew were going to come from the already open mouths. “I’ll explain everything, but for now we need a place to hide.”

“So… wait, your whole house, like… everything?” Joan asked, “Everything, everything?”

“Yes. Including all your hiking boots, outfits, all of it.” Gabriel answered with a nod that made him smile within. “At least you didn’t have any underwear there to get blown up.”

Joan stared daggers at his deadpan face. “Sonofabitch! I would have come and got them eventually…”

“Yeah, right. It’s been five years.” Gabriel answered, “It was almost worth the house exploding, just to see the look on your face.”

Joan was rapidly turning purple with anger, “Asshole. At least the bed was hot for a few seconds one more time.”

“And that’s why I just can’t hate you, all that spicy wit when you’re really pissed off.” Gabriel said with a charming smirk on his face that made her even madder, or so it seemed as she huffed and fell silent.

“E-Excuse me, but… his brother, you’re not going to say sorry for your loss or- or anything?” Seraphim asked.

“No. His brother was an asshole too.” Joan said and ran her fingers through her long straight red hair. “Not that I didn’t love him, but we were all ready for him to come to a bad end a long time ago. I’m just surprised he went out helping someone at the end.”

The trio playing the game were nodding in agreement. “A brave man, a damn good Charietto, but he was never going to have a quiet, peaceful death.” Arthur added, nobody disagreed.

Seraphim closed her lips tight and looked around, the shop appeared at first to be a library, books of all kinds were everywhere, along with a myriad of empty square tables made of pale, polished wood, each one with four matching chairs and most of which had a few small boxes with various pictures painted on them depicting swords, vampires, and other creatures.

“Ugh, so much for getting a free lunch out of it… fine, I’ll order something for all of us, and as a favor to my ex-fiance, I’ll give you safe harbor for now.” Joan finally said, “Things are slow today, at least until the weeb-brigade arrives. Come on, this way.” She said and gave the trio a look. “Do me a favor, reach out to a few contacts and see if we can arrange transit, keep it on the downlow though, no details about what or whom. This is one hell of a long trip and I don’t want to do a favor that just gets my ex-fiance killed. At least not before he can replace my god damn hiking boots.”

“Wait, so you were- with Michael… or with Gabriel?” Seraphim asked and scratched her head, cocking it in confusion. Joan strode away while the trio at her back reached for their phones without another word.

When Joan reached the door to the back room she looked blank faced at Seraphim and said simply, “Yes.”