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“Evening!”
“It’s morning, Loir.”
“Oh... Hi, puppies! Hello there! You’re so cute, and you’re cuter! Yes, you two adorable cutie pies!”
“I’m going to buy them food,” she said, putting her hands in her pockets, a bit nervous. “Give me some money.”
“I’ll transfer it to you as soon as you’re out,” said Loir, still making strange gestures at the two dogs.
“...Fine.”
Eden turned on her heels and prepared to leave, both little dogs still following her. However, as she was about to leave, she heard Loir chuckling.
“...What?”
“You look grumpy today...”
“I’m fine.”
“Eden, my little Kitty. Don’t go buying something else.”
She froze, resisting the urge to turn around to glare at him. He knew... How did he know? Was he spying on her? Probably. She wouldn’t have been surprised if Loir had hacked her SIN again...
“...I won’t.”
“Good girl.”
With a grimace, she went back upstairs and, this time, headed for the residence entrance, checking the information screen. Luckily, the air would be in the green today. The Core probably had used their oxygen supplies all day yesterday, enough to clear some of their air too. With a sigh of relief, Eden left the building, her dogs by her feet.
The air wasn’t cleared enough that she’d take a deep breath, though. It still smelled of dirt, pollution, and something spicy too. Probably one of the Mexican restaurants around. Eden wasn’t so foolish that she’d go back to that scene. Instead, she went in the opposite direction, heading to the grocery shop a bit farther away. She was careful, though. Whenever she heard a car coming close, she’d grab the two pups and carry them. There weren’t that many people who could afford cars in that neighborhood, which made her even more cautious...
Indeed, another big car from the Mexican mafioso made a ruckus a couple of streets later. Eden knew they were only trying to provoke their neighbors.
In Chicago’s Suburbs, the lines between the different territories were blurred, but the inhabitants knew where to pass and where not to go. Eden hadn’t exactly chosen to live in that neighborhood. It was just the only one she could afford and one where she had the least chances of being found, although it was also one of the most dangerous ones. Out of the ten Zodiacs, the Eagle cared the least about who lived in his territory. Most of the population was of South American origin, but the rest was a melting pot of outsiders. The local gangs never bothered to check who came in and out, and from what she knew, they had no official hackers either.
Eden felt a little relieved when she turned onto a new street into the Rat’s neighborhood. They were known as one of the most peaceful Zodiacs. Just like the Eagle, the Rat’s territory welcomed strangers other than their South Asian inhabitants, but the local mafia was more active to ensure peace. They didn’t care who came in, as long as they wouldn’t disturb the locals and kept their business to themselves. It was easy to know when she reached it: the passersby went from mostly Hispanic to all Asian descent within two blocks. Her white skin stood out, but at least no one seemed to care. Grabbing her dogs, Eden stepped into Granny Duong’s shop.
“Eden! How are you?” asked the old lady behind her cashier.
“Good morning, Granny Duong.”
Granny Duong was incredibly old and so wrinkled it was hard to find her eyes on her face. She wore all of her white hair in a gigantic bun over her head and always had some very flashy pink lipstick.
“What are you going to buy today, Eden?”
“Do you have dog food? For... puppies?”
“Of course I do!”
“I’ll take that, and if you have... I don’t know, cushions for them?”
The old woman laughed with her high-pitched voice, but she helped Eden sort out everything she needed. Of course, the list was endless, but Eden put an end to it, knowing Granny Duong’s business wasn’t thriving by mere luck.
“Can you take the money from another account?”
Eden handed her a credit card, and the old lady took it, using it for payment. It wasn’t a common way to pay, but Granny Duong knew not to ask any questions. Eden used that old system from time to time, always with a different card each time. As soon as the payment was validated, she’d destroy it and throw it away.
“Do you need anything else, darling?”
