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“Remind me Mishmaer.” I turned back towards the empty receptionist desk, my eyes burning a hole through it. “How long were you were working for Lymra?”

“About a decade? Why?”

“Just answer my questions.” I paused, running my tongue over my throbbing fangs. “In all that time, who was manning the receptionist desk?”

“The Strigaix changed every couple years.”

“Strigaix?” I asked, approaching the desk. “There wasn’t ever any human?”

“No, it was typically some fresh Academy graduate preparing for the Civil Service Examination and needing some work experience. That’s why there was such a high turnover rate.”

Someone is pulling at my strings. This time no amount of numerics could push away the thought.

I jumped over the desk and moved towards the slightly ajar door, placing my hand on the handle as my head turned back. “You coming?”

“Didn’t you say we had to do this by the book?” Mishmaer said as he instead sauntered around the desk.

“That man wanted us to stay here.” I pushed open the door. “I’ve been set up enough times to know when someone wants me to take the fall for something I didn’t do.”

“Do you think this was another one of those insurrections?” Mishmaer asked.

“Don’t be daft.” I scowled. “This is Talgazmear. What possible reason would some group of humans want to infiltrate the Department of Provisional Travel of all places?”

“Maybe the mastermind isn’t a human.”

“I don’t follow.”

Excitement lit up his eyes. “If it were me, I’d use some desperate humans and then get rid of them if things went south.”

“Do you think they’re from the mines?” I asked.

“What mines?”

“The Dukht Mines.”

“You mean the one the broadcasters said collapsed due to unforeseen structural circumstances?”

I scoffed. “They collapsed because of a sudden influx of abnormalities.”

“Do you happen to know the cause?”

“Yareth.” I practically spit the name out.

Mishmaer’s scrunched his face. “Who is Yareth?”

“A friend who likely set me up.”

“Then he is still a friend if he betrayed you?”

“You’ve been isolated for too long, but what part of me looks like a human?”

“I don’t understand.”

“Loyalty is about eternity.” I paused, trying to figure out how to best explain myself. “Yareth and I made vows. If he wants to break them, I’ll just pull him right back to where we started. He’s my friend and I don’t let go of the things that are mine.”

“As you will it.” Mishmaer laughed. “But can one Strigaix really do so much damage?”

“No, there is not enough evidence to make a proper conclusion.”