Thoughts

The next day is a bit of a blur. You do your usual routine, breakfast with the girls and then heading off to work. Both Emi and Lili are in very good spirits, for different reasons. You head off to work, and it’s just another day, but you’re just going through the motions, really, as your mind is elsewhere. Naturally, Emi’s wake-up started your day off well, but you have other things on your mind beyond that.

Who is Harold? Can you trust him? And what do you do if you can’t? So many questions, and no real good answers. You resolve to call him soon, if for no other reason than to get more information. Somehow, his reaction to Emi leaves you more inclined to consider him friendly, though he wasn’t as surprised as you would expect him to be.

And what’s with his strange card? It’s not a business card, and it seems unusual that he would just have something like that handy. He seemed to understand what was going on almost immediately, even before you explained it. You feel like there’s more to his story than what you know.

And then there’s Sam. Her, you have no doubts about trusting, as her help has already been invaluable. You tell yourself that your attraction to her has no bearing on that, but even in your own mind you know that’s not true. Still, there’s no doubt that she has gone above and beyond to aid you, and her discovery of Emi’s origins is nothing short of a miracle, no matter how horrifying those origins are.

During your work day, Jane seeks you out and greets you. “Hey! Didn’t catch you before you left! Did you have a good time at the meet up?”

You smile. “I did, but I think Lili enjoyed herself even more. Poor girl was passed out by the time we got home!”

Jane laughs. “I expect so, I saw her dancing! She really seems like a joy.”

You nod. “She really is. Between her and Emi, I’m pretty happy at home.”

Jane grins, nudging you with an elbow. “Yeah, I bet you are. I won’t dig any deeper into it. But hey, hopefully you’ll come to the next meetup. It’s in two weeks, same time and place.”

You smile. “I don’t think I could keep Lili away!”

Jane laughs, and goes back to work. You do the same, though once again you’re lost in your thoughts. In the end, though, you keep going back to the same decision, until you finally realize that there’s really only one path forward from here. You need to know more, and Harold seems to be a likely source.