“Sweet lot, aren’t they. No. But I’ve a friend here and a map on call. Center Directory it is. Or… mmmm… nothing like a long hot bath after hard traveling, there’s an ottotel not too far from Center, got a com plate in the more expensive rooms, these’re tapped into the Main Directory, you can bypass most of the hassle that way, let your fingers do the talking.” She grinned, dropping more years off her absurdly childlike face. Barely past puberty, if looks counted. A pretty child, kafolay skin, kaff brown eyes, light brown-gold hair in an exuberant halo of tiny curls. There was a brown tattoo on the cheek nearest Adelaar, a detailed drawing of a hawk’s head. A sudden dimple made the hawk dance as the girl broadened her grin when she caught Adelaar staring at her.
Adelaar drew her hand down the side of her face, looked at the smear of mud in the palm. “Ottotel,” she said. “Please.”
“Know what you mean. Shadith. My name.”
“Adelaar aici Arash. Mine.”
“Pleased to.”
“And I.”
2
Adelaar locked the door, activated a sweep from the case to ensure her privacy (local authorities legal and otherwise tended to ignore regulations when it suited them). Calling blessings on Shadith’s head from every god, saint and holy force she knew, she scrubbed off Telffer’s grit, grime and sticky sweat and with them the greater part of her irritation, pulled on a robe tailored from midnight silk, dialed up a pot of Nara tea and settled in front of the plate. Whistling a snatch of an old song, she fed tokens into the slot.
“Quale, Quale, where are you when you’re home? If you’re home…”
She scrolled through the directory.
“Let Treviglio be right, let him be home, wherever that is. Wherever… ah! here we are. Swardheld Quale / Quale’s Nest. T’k t’k, how cute. God help me, suppose his mind really works like that. Lat 2 deg 31 min W, Long 48 deg 53 min N. In residence, open for offers. Blessed be whatever. I’m running out of time and money. Damn. If I could handle this myself…” She thumbed off the directory and sat sipping at the tea, taking a moment to relax before she dressed and looked for transport out to Quale’s Nest.