Just when Quin’s eyes finally adjusted to the bright sunshine, the skies turned gray. The silver lining in the clouds were a silver lining for his skin as the temperature cooled down.

  Through his mask, his nose picked up that familiar scent rainstorms carried with them. The biggest clue of an imminent storm made its presence known as it squalled through the streets.

  To Quin however, something about the wind felt different. He already knew it had to do with his Sentar’i powers, but the usual noises sounded smoother. He didn’t have to shield his eyes from specks of dust as he faced the wind directly.

  A sensation he couldn’t identify, he didn’t know what to make of it.

  As his impromptu tour proceeded along, one of the guides made note of a realization.

  “You’re already assigned to a squad?” Mia asked as she and her face froze in shock.

  “Yeah I’m supposed to be with the Aerviv’s son,” Quin responded. “Do you know him?"

  The tour came to a stop as Tris and Mia stared at each other for a second. Up on the high roads, Quin and his Cosondera guides had a clear sight of the sea and the storm that hastily moved in their direction.

  “Yeah, we know of him,” Tris started with arms crossed. “Ythan Fyful. He thinks he’s next in line to be Aerviv...and acts like it.”

  “He’s a Neraviv, but he probably had an easier time getting his blue cloak,” said Mia.

  “Wait, so does that mean the Aerviv’s not a hereditary job?” Quin asked.

  Mia raised an eyebrow as she looked into her head. “Well since Aer Fyful’s the founder, it’s been him this whole time. But he’s supposed to give up his role next year and he’s hasn’t picked a successor yet.”

  “That hasn’t stopped the son from thinking it’s his birthright though,” Tris added as he paced back and forth.

  “How he expects to jump ahead three ranks is beyond me, but we just don’t know. Anyway, keep your distance. I heard he’s difficult to like.”

  “A dead Tyroviv on his watch probably made it harder,” said Mia. “You know if he was ever punished for that?”

  “If he was, it must have been reeeeally short.” Tris turned away in disgust. He peeked above to the gathering of clouds. “Augh. So much for our free day.”

  Out in the narrow streets below, the crowds dwindled as people prepared themselves for the storm ahead.

  As the merchants packed or covered their stalls, a particularly shifty character in ragged clothes roamed around aimlessly.

  His eyes bounced back and forth when he approached an unattended table. In one swift act, he swiped whatever his hand could hide.

  His smooth crime wasn’t smooth enough though as he lost grip with the item. Metal clanged on the ground before he snatched up whatever he snagged and rushed out of the scene.

  A nearby merchant only needed to hear the clang to connect any dots.

  “Whoa. Whoooaa!” He hollered as he pointed. “That bracelet wasn’t free! Thief! Thieeef”

  Cover blown, the crook hastened his flight when he noticed the Cosondera up above in full view of the whole affair. Every part of his face spread out in shock but undaunted, he zipped to his left.

  A chase had commenced.

  “I’ll take height,” Mia claimed as she hopped toward the roofs.

  “I’ll take length,” followed Tris as he jumped down to chase the robber.

  What was Quin supposed to take, he asked himself.

  Before he could get in his head, Quin saw Mia whose arms pointed away as if it were a direction.

  Quin knew there was work to be done, he knew he was in on the run. He stayed on the high roads but kept up with Mia.

  Before he even knew it, Quin had a role among the cloaks. He became the pursuer and not the pursued.

  Parallel though far apart, Quin stayed peeled to the chase as rain made its appearance.

  He weaved through obstacle and foot traffic alike as the roads cleared. With Tris on pace behind and Mia up on the roofs above, the crook had no spots to hide. He kept on the run, his only hope continued to disperse.

  The roads started to slick as Quin sprinted down the declines. He reached even ground and inched closer himself to the action with every step.

  As the thief continued his flight, the streets he and Quin ran inched closer to one another up to the point that they were a block apart.

  Quin, first to realize the ever smaller gap, also realized there were people who gazed at him. Under shelter, the citizens kept their eyes on the chase until they couldn’t anymore.

  Not in the typical black cloak, more eyes undoubtedly snapped to Quin than anyone else. At one point, all Quin could pay attention to, were the faces that paid attention to him.

  He was a Cosondere now and as such, he now had a part in the daily display that came from Cosondera activities.

  Flash footsteps plopped behind him. His target dashed right by him, aware of his distraction.

  Quin planted his feet on the ground but the slippery road kept him forward a couple of yards. His face went in every direction in search of his target.

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  He couldn’t see Tris but saw Mia who jumped between buildings. She frantically pointed in the crook’s direction. He followed her arm and just like that, he took the role of active pursuer.

  As it turned out, that suited Quin just fine. His could keep his focus squarely up ahead instead of all around.

  The pace quickened and the robber made more erratic turns from block to block. Quin kept pace as he kept chase.

  The whole ordeal reminded him of the flights he took, courtesy of Orpes. He even saw a crossroad up ahead.

  A balustrade barrier forced anyone to go left or right lest they decided to fall several feet down to a lower section of town.

  Quin slowed his movement in anticipation of the turn the thief would take. To his surprise, instead of left or right, the guy kept straight ahead, and leaped off the barrier.

  “Sentar’i. Sentar’i. I’m dealing with Sentar’i now.” Quin reminded himself as he approached the barrier.

  Before he had to follow a similar path, Quin noticed Tris already down below. The thief only bought himself a few seconds to calm his lungs before he darted off some more.

  It seemed like the whole run started anew. Except this time, the pursuit took place in an area familiar to Quin.

  In particular, he knew that stairs ruled the layout in this district with blocks and buildings jutted over each other.

  Back in his carrier days, Quin loathed any job that led him there and its series of stairs. Things were different this time.

  Quin took a detour from the chase and in no time, came across several flights of stairs over a steep hill. In one easy hop, he floated over the first dozen steps. Then the next, then the next.

  In seconds he reached the summit. A convenience he never knew he desired, Quin never felt so liberated. Never again would stairs be a difficult trudge against gravity.

  He couldn’t relish the moment for long as he had to zip ahead.

  On the hill laid a road that curved down from its apex and met back with the streets below. Quin had to get to those streets and with a quickness.

  He raced down the slope aided by the slick ground to propel faster and faster.

  At the base of the hill, the first thing Quin saw was his target, who only noticed him too late.

  Quin shifted his body around and in the high speed, his back collided with his target. He nearly slipped from the impact.

  Bounced off his feet, the thief rolled across several puddles.

  On the ground, he looked up at Quin who was down on one knee with his head rested on the purlicue of his hand.

  The thief took a few breaths as his eyes met with Quin’s.

  Stunned, confused, and scared. The same feelings Quin experienced whenever a cloak suddenly appeared before him, now he saw from both sides.

  Before the flight renewed, Mia crashed down boots first on the thief’s sternum. She hopped off to the road lackadaisically.

  He writhed in pain until his movement stopped; his breaths became a series of closed mouth gasps. Assured he was subjugated, Mia searched his person before she uncovered a silver bracelet.

  “Nothing else seems valuable, so I guess this is it,” she concluded as she brought it up to her eyes. Her attention soon turned to Quin.

  Her eyes relaxed as she presented a smile. “I thought I lost track of you. Good work.”

  “Ah good,” Tris chimed in as he slid to a stop. “With the rain picking up, I was about to put an end to this myself.”

  Quin looked on at the downed offender. “So, what do we do now?”

  Mia pointed up to a light source atop a building. “I already threw in a signal. We just have to wait for backup to arrive.”

  Tris flapped excess water off his hood. “Hopefully, we won’t have to wait too long.” He sent a nod Quin’s way.

  “Good on you for not using your arts. It’s a big rookie mistake here. Then again, you live here so you’d probably already knew that.”

  “Yeah it’s fine if you’re not hurting anyone...not in public anyway.”

  Relief overtook Quin as he watched raindrops splatter on his hands. An important reminder overtook the relief.

  “Oh, my stuff! I have to go back and get it!”

  “Yeah yeah hurry along.” Tris waved off. “We’ll be over here.”

  The rain indeed began to pick up, but that didn’t bother Quin as he backtracked to his things. His first day out as an official Cosondere and already he found himself involved with some cloak resolution.

  Best of all, he didn’t screw anything up or made things worse. He actively played a role in the chase and even became useful in the end.

  Not a little bit proud of this achievement, Quin stopped to lift his mask and took in the cool air and water with a smile. There were fewer people around so he thought nobody would watch.

  “Quin?” spoke a certain voice.

  Everything slowed around him. He turned to that voice and there she stood centered on a road she had all to herself. It was her, it was Aesther.

  Sheltered under some wool fabric, she and Quin locked eyes with one another.

  Shock, joy, and anxiety each had a turn to rattle his heart.

  The raindrops were practically inaudible as if his ears only wanted to hear one sound. Everything blurred around her, his eyes only focused on one sight.

  Whether he actually could or not, he detected a trace scent of lemons, it brought a coziness Quin hadn’t felt in weeks.

  That coziness didn’t last however. Her radiant smile couldn’t be found. Her heartwarming eyes were alarmed and wide.

  The usual bright and cheerful expression she wore was replaced with a countenance more distant and demure.

  “You’re...” she started before her thoughts took over. She had to look away.

  Once more, Quin forgot his new occupation was still news.

  “Excuse me,” she said as she walked off.

  Quin’s face widened in horror. Back in the Pit, he envisioned how his next conversation with Aesther would go. Of all the predictions and lines he conjured up, none of them popped up in his head.

  As Aesther took a step away from Quin, he knew he had to say something. She took another step away. He couldn’t think of anything. A third step was made and he snapped into action.

  “Aesther wait!” he shouted.

  She snapped around with concern. “Yes? What is it?”

  “I’m still me,” he proclaimed with both hands on his heart. “I know I look different than the last time you saw me but I haven’t changed. I’m still the same, so please don’t change how you see me.”

  “Um okay...”

  “I’m not going to be like all the other Sentar’i Aesther, I promise! You don’t have to be scared of me.”

  “Scared? I-I wasn’t scared. I just didn’t want to waste your time. You probably have things to do right?”

  “I was the one who wasted your time during the festival last month, and I can make up for it right now.”

  Quin looked around for his things when he remembered they weren’t by his side.

  “Shit!” he yelled under his breath. He still couldn’t gift her the sandals.

  “Oh that’s okay.” Aesther waved away. “I figured you were doing something important anyway. I have to go now. It was nice to see you again Quin.”

  “Aesther.”

  “Yes?”

  “Don’t be scared of me.”

  “I already said I wasn’t,” she told him before she departed.

  That could have gone better, Quin thought. As the rain began to subside, so too did his nerves.

  Anxiety switched spots with embarrassment in his heart. There could have been a better time and a better place to run into Aesther, but when the moment came, he wasn’t ready.

  Quin found the nearest surface he could find. He banged his head against it in an attempt to dislodge the whole memory.

  “There you are!” voiced Tris from above.

  Quin looked up behind him and saw his two guides up on a roof. Tris carried a sack in his hand.

  “I thought you said you lived here for years. How come I ended up finding your stuff first?”

  “Get up here,” said Mia. “We were given orders to head back to HQ.”

  The guides stood atop a two story building but expected Quin to reach them that very moment. Higher than a dozen steps, Quin had to position himself.

  He took a quick breath, some quick steps then vaulted himself off the earth. He overshot his leap but landed innocuously on the tiled roof.

  “What was that all about?” Mia asked as she made a pinching motion across the top of her head and perplexed face.

  Quin picked up her signal and put down his mask. “Sorry, I got caught up in my thoughts.”

  “Well don’t get caught with your mask off, especially around here.” Tris warned as he handed Quin his items. “It’s another rookie mistake.”

  In no time, the two dashed off toward the large tower.

  Quin looked at the sack then glanced down at his wet outfit before he followed after them. The clash between his old life and new tired him out more than he anticipated.