We walked silently toward the Garden District. She tossed her coat on and rummaged through her pockets, finally offering me a mint and popping one in her mouth. I accepted the mint. Normally, I'm not so accepting of things that could poison me, but we were past that. Whomever I was dealing with could have killed me multiple times.

  "I'm @wrench," I said at last, "but you probably knew that."

  She smiled, a little dimple hitting her left cheek. "I did."

  Knowing we weren't exactly on a date made me feel more comfortable. This was just work, just another part of my role as @wrench to infiltrate and locate the zombie lab.

  "So what exactly is this?" I ventured to ask. "I have your note. I'm pretty sure I know where to go next. What are we doing here?"

  She slapped me on the arm and chuckled. "I thought I was pretty clear. I like the look of you."

  And just like that, I was tongue-tied and nervous again. She leaned against the hallway, still laughing, her skinny arms on her hips, then grabbed my arm and pulled me down the hallway after her.

  "What about the whole mixing of business and pleasure kind of thing?" I asked. I still wasn't too sure what this was all about and what role she played in it. "That's a saying that goes back centuries. For a reason."

  We turned to the right. I knew where I was going, but I wasn't sure who was leading at this point. The first of the violet lights of the plant-lined streets of the Garden District were starting to appear through the dim halls. We walked down an empty passage, one of the more remote, just on the edge of the district. It was a great place to stab someone.

  "I just watched you and delivered a message," she said lightly. "Do it all the time. That's just part of working at a bar, a store, a restaurant, a hair salon. Everyone on Itokawa has to pass on a message from time to time, or keep an eye out for someone."

  I guess that made sense. Eyes and ears all over the place, and everyone willing to pay for information.

  "I see." I slowed my pace, enjoying the light from the hydroponic planters. "So what's your name?"

  "There you go," she exclaimed. "Are you finally here with me? Out of that head of yours?"

  I laughed and let myself relax. "Yes, I guess I am."

  "I'm @mirrorbird." She stuck her hand out, and I shook her slender hand firmly. She seemed full of energy for someone who just worked all night. "Come here! I love these."

  She hurried away toward a row of yellow and white plants that looked vaguely like chamomile. "You can eat the flower petals on these, and the middle can be brewed for a tea or used as a bathing oil." She bent down. "Smell them. Mmmm."

  I joined her. She was certainly lightening the mood. Here I am, all full of anxiety, and I've got a woman from Itokawa showing me her favorite flowers. I bent down to smell them. They were nice indeed, such a different and comforting smell compared to the smoke, dirt, and oily metal smells that otherwise permeated Itokawa.

  "No wonder you like them," I said. "They smell wonderful! Something bright and clean and fresh in this place must be hard to come by."

  She nodded approvingly and stepped close to me. "Smell my neck," she said.

  I stood quietly, making eye contact with her, and raised an eyebrow.

  She rolled her eyes at me and waved me forward with her hand. "Smell my neck."

  I approached, looking at the slightly tanned skin of her neck as she tilted her head and brushed her hair away. I inhaled slowly through my nose, curious. It was subtle, but I picked up the same scent from the flowers.

  "You smell lovely," I said, thinking about what to say. "Earlier today, I had to lick someone's salty and oil-stained hands. It was disgusting. Now, here I am with you. Total opposite. It's been a day of extremes."

  "That's gross," she echoed. "I wouldn't even lick my own grimy hands. Whose hands exactly were you licking? And if you're expecting to lick mine, you've got another thing coming."

  Shit, I admonished myself. Stupid brain. I shouldn't have mentioned that whole incident with @horsehead. I thought for a moment and took the opportunity to stall by smelling another flower, a purple one in the adjacent flower bed. "Punishment for a business deal gone wrong, you could say. Hence, the happy bevvy at Void's Edge. I cleaned up as best I could, but … here I am."

  If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

  "Please tell me you brushed your teeth," @mirrorbird prompted.

  Well, of course I hadn't. I definitely wanted to, but it wasn't like I carried a toothbrush around with me. They needed to make little brush tablets or something for Vanquishers on the go.

  I threw my arms to the sides in desperation. "Didn't have time. I know. Gross."

  She shook her head and mumbled something I didn't quite hear, but it sounded like idiot. She still had a smirk on her face, so not all was lost. She reached into her black jacket pocket and pulled out a small square, and then another. She handed one to me.

  It was a tiny square cutout of bubble wrap.

  "I'm sorry," she said, popping one of the bubbles, "but let's … this … time thing." She stumbled over her words and had to start over. "Let's do this another time."

  She walked slowly down the passage back toward the main hallways, popping her bubble wrap as she ambled. "When we're both a little more … ready to hang out. I'm coming off a long shift. You obviously need a brushing and a bath. I know everything is rather filthy on Itokawa, but …"

  I laughed and caught up with her, stepping up to her side. "No, you're right. There's dirty, and then there's dirty."

  She stopped and made a scrunchy face at me, popping another bubble. The dimple appeared again in the corner of her cheek. "Thank you for understanding. I'm cool with your person stink, but not with someone else's."

  I popped a bubble back at her in response.

  Her face lit up. "It's fun, isn't it?"

  She continued walking, motioning for me to follow her. "I like to pop the bubble wrap as I walk. It helps me relax." We popped a few more as we took in another row of flower beds. This one had blue flowers that smelled strong and pungent.

  I was frustrated, but I also considered it a stroke of luck that our date would be cut short. I needed to get out of here. I had the perfect excuse now, without being too rude. But, of course, I wanted to stay. @mirrorbird was a fresh scent in an asteroid full of muck.

  "You're right, by the way," I said, rubbing some of the blue flower's petals and smelling my fingers. I gestured to her, and she did the same, carefully working some of the flower onto her skin and smelling it. "We should pick this up another time. I'm also pressed for work and need to get going. I don't want to, but that's life, right?"

  She nodded. We were both disappointed, but happy nonetheless, it seemed. "The timing is just off," I added.

  @mirrorbird smiled back. "The timing wasn't off. The timing was just right, or we wouldn't have met at all."

  She was right, and I suppose we had the anticipation of seeing each other again to look forward to. When that would be, sadly, I had no idea. "That's a beautiful way to put it," I said.

  Time to go back to being a Vanquisher, I told myself. I took a deep breath. "I need to head back off-world …"

  "I figured," she said, flinging her limbs childishly as she walked down the hall. I noticed that she had picked one of the blue flowers. "That's life on Itokawa. People come, people go."

  "I'll come back to see you," I said, hoping it wasn't a lie, and hoping she actually cared if I did. "Assuming you don't have, like, a dozen people on your list who've said the same thing. Do you?"

  She laughed, which helped me relax. "None of your business."

  "Fair play," I laughed back.

  She lifted her left hand. "You go lick some more hands." She lifted her right hand. "I'll wait for my list of suitors to show up." She smashed her hands together. "And then maybe we'll talk."

  I nodded back at her, stupid grin making my face hurt. "It was brief, but the most fun I've had in decades."

  I realized I meant it when I said it. I hadn't done much relaxing with other people. I hadn't just existed in space with someone, hanging out, experiencing small, joyful moments. Sure, we played board games on The Pharaoh, the crew and I, but it was different with @mirrorbird.

  "You need to get out more then," she said, grabbing my arm and pulling me down another alley lined with more flowerbeds. The smell of the flowers rose playfully through the filth to touch my nose.

  I popped a bubble. "I'm keeping this," I said, raising the bubble wrap.

  "You better!" She replied, and then she placed a blue flower in her hair. Or at least she tried to. The flower fell. I managed to catch it without damaging it too badly.

  "Oh, shit!" she exclaimed. "I thought it would look cute."

  I tucked the flower over her left ear. "It does look cute," I replied.

  But here's the thing. I could sense a shift in our interaction as we chatted. It's funny how those things work. @mirrorbird was a lovely and fun aiways. We were walking through the gardens due to our mutual attraction. But it was like we both somehow knew that this wasn't going to be a romantic relationship. No. Instead, we were becoming friends.

  Some aiways might think that to be a failure, but I didn't have many friends outside of my crew. In a solar system at war, you can never have too many. As that realization struck, my nerves disappeared, and I instinctively released a relaxing laugh that perfectly summed up my mood.

  @mirrorbird, I thought, felt the same way. She grimaced at me awkwardly, tilting her head back and forth, considering what to do.

  Awkward goodbyes, I thought to myself.

  She leaned in, giving me a little hug and a peck on the cheek. This was a common greeting and a common farewell in some places, but one that I wasn't used to, so I messed it up spectacularly and ended up pecking her on her ear, through strands of her hair that stuck to the stubble of my beard.

  She smirked, uttering a little chuckle and brushing her hair back in place as she stepped away. "Your face tastes okay. Just so you know."

  "Just okay?" I joked.

  She pulled the blue flower out of her hair and presented it to me. "You need this more than I do."

  I laughed, wondering how badly I might smell, and pretended to dab it on my face and neck. "I appreciate that."

  Then I reached out and took her hand, giving it a quick squeeze before releasing it. "Thank you," I said, sincerely.

  "Catch you later," @mirrorbird replied, and I think she honestly meant it.

  That was my favorite memory of Itokawa.

  @mirrorbird walked away with a little skip in her step. I watched her move along the passage and out into the growing morning crowds, where she disappeared. She would pop her bubble wrap on her way home, wherever that was, to sleep before working another night shift at Void's Edge.

  And I would run like hell.