"Teahouse's backyard on Perpa City's northern side. Evening exactly tomorrow. Just me; you and someone else if you want to do. Hopefully, it will be a nice and orderly deal – Orced"
Pero saw the screen. "He just gave the address. Just on cue."
Nemo read the message with a pensive frown. "Quick and simple. No demands. He's good at this."
Pero stuffed the phone back into his pocket. "Yeah. Too beautiful. I'll get back to you in the morning. Affirm. Afterwards we proceed thus."
The weight of the future meeting sat between the two men as they lingered in the hallway a few minutes more. Then they left in different directions: Nemo toward the analysis wing, Pero toward the exit and the quiet apartment where his little white dog was waiting.
Back on Sky Boys Island, Orced was alone on the edge of the plaza, the invisibility field shimmering subtly around the island like heat haze on a road in the summertime. Though the crew had left for the evening, the enthusiasm from the day's productive searches still permeated the atmosphere.
Kruna materialized next to him silently, as he usually does. "You sent the location?"
Orced nodded and slipped his phone into his pocket. "Just completed. Tomorrow at evening. Not one of the neutral grounds, not quite public either."
Kruna looked out above the clouds. "You are truly going by yourself?"
Orced's grin was little and sure. "Yes, alone."
Kruna didn't contest. He just smirked, a secret, knowing little grin only visible when he spotted something the rest missed. "This guy will most certainly try something."
Orced made no answer. As the island moved quietly over the world gradually waking up to the fact that Sky Boys was no longer only a myth, he only peered out at the unseen horizon.
The meeting tomorrow could transform everything.
One way or another.
The afternoon of September 23, 2034, began bright and clear over Sky Boys Island. The floating landmass appeared to be a ghost to the people below as the invisibility field hummed quietly around it. Standing by himself at the plaza's edge, Orced changed the plain black jacket he had picked for the meeting as his hair fluttered in the soft wind. No second-hand knowledge, no spectacular entrance. Just him.
The crew had assembled at a dignified distance, silently observing. Kruna had crossed arms and his look was indecipherable. Aftor turned his knife once, then sheathed it with a gentle click. Ema examined his computer one last time to verify the island's whole stealth was holding. Macker, Nix, and Sano stood together without their normal chat.
Orced sought them out, his grin as ever assured and simple. "I'll come back after dinner. Close the island down. If you wish, train, but no big hunts today. Wait for my call."
Kruna approached. "Good luck, buddy"
He didn't wait for more demonstrations. He walked off the island with a casual wave, curse energy sparking around him as he dropped gently toward Perpa City far below. The team watched until he vanished from view, a tiny white dot against the clouds.
The trip down lasted twenty minutes. Avoiding major roads, Orced flew low over the city borders and landed in a peaceful alley two blocks from the old teahouse. He patted his coat, passed a palm and strolled the rest of the way like any other regular person going for a walk.
The teahouse was just as he remembered it: an old wooden building hidden on the north side of the city in a little wooded park. But he discovered upon arrival that the main building was gloomy, windows closed, and a drooping "Closed for Renovation" placard hung carelessly on the door. The quiet area nearby was the wooded back path going farther into the trees instead of a place for people to get together.
Hands in pockets, Orced paused there almost startled.
Two people came from the other way a few minutes later: Pero and Nemo. Trying to seem laid-back, Pero donned plain trousers and a jacket. With eyes fixed on everything, Nemo walked a step behind him, hands relaxed at his sides.
Seeing the closed teahouse and the overgrown path into the woods, they halted not far away.
Pero frowned. "This is not quite what I had hoped for. The tea house is shuttered. And this rear part is quite empty. It's really not public.
Nemo's hand was ready and jerked somewhat. "Orced stated neutral ground. Common area. This seems incorrect."
Orced turned toward them with a little grin, holding both hands up in a calm motion. "Hey. You created it. Sorry for the teahouse. I had no clue it was undergoing restoration. Recently had to have occurred. Though still neutral, the back route is peaceful. Not a single person nearby. Just us."
After a long look, Pero relaxed a little. "Alright. Talk time."
Walking a little way along the wooded path, the three of them arrived at a little clearing with some old stone benches. They sat. Pero and Nemo are on one bench, Orced on another.
The discussion was surprisingly everyday for the first twenty minutes. Orced maintained it light by inquiring about their work, making jokes about the city traffic, and even telling a little anecdote about the training mistakes the squad had made. But Nemo and Pero answered cautiously, checking the temperature. The pressure subsided gradually.
Orced eventually leaned forward. "Look, some kind of cooperation is OK with me. Sky Boys and Hedonas need not be rivals. We both yearn for curses to be handled. Perhaps there is room for a weak cooperation. Or at least some sort of knowledge. Watching each other from the shadows no longer has any value. When it's appropriate, we share knowledge and avoid one another. Why not here?"
Pero exchanged a quick glance with Nemo, then nodded slowly. "That is, indeed, rather logical. We might begin little. Data sharing. Cooperative activities targeting high-threat targets. Assuming both parties are ready."
Orced grinned graciously. "Precisely. Why struggle if we could cooperate? The planet is large enough for both of us."
The discussion went on for another ten minutes, the tone becoming more casual. But started to think this maybe led somewhere. At last Pero bent forward. "So... are we concluding the deal today? An official handshake to begin the conversation?"
Standing up, Orced offered his right hand with that same endearing grin. "Why should not? Officialize it."
Pero stood and reached for the offered hand. His hold was steady.
The next instant Orced's left fist crashed violently into Pero's face.
Pero's jaw was struck exactly by the punch, which sent his head back. As he stumbled, blood gushed from his split lip.
Nemo reacted right away and lunged forward. "What the--- you bitch!'"
Orced's boot slammed into Nemo's belly like a piston. He fell against a tree as the kick drove him off the ground. Nemo gasped, trying to get up, but Orced was already on him and gave him another hard kick to the ribs, then the face.