Arden had long ago finished his steak and was waiting for the Starborn Association to arrive. He was ready to leave as soon as possible, but the Association was taking their sweet time. Half an hour had passed since Arden’s outburst, and silence hung in the air between him and Savish as they waited for the association to arrive.

  Arden needed to get out of here. Savish wasn't being rude, but he needed to collect information. The slums had changed a lot, and Arden needed to see how vast the changes were. More than info about the slums, he needed to know what happened to Sya in the time that passed. Vera as well.

  That's why Arden was impatient. He had a friend in the Association, and needed to see if she had recovered from her fight against the doppelganger. If the Association ever showed up, Cirai would be the first person he wanted to find. It was likely that she was still with Sya, just like when he left them to complete his trial.

  Cirai would lead him to Sya, and possibly Vera if she finished her trial in a timely manner. But that was predicated by the Starborn Association actually showing up.

  After 45 minutes, Arden broke the silence.

  “Savish, are you part of the Association?”

  “No. But I am a contractor. I work with them, and I get some benefits, but strictly speaking I am separate from them. This place is how I earn most of my money.”

  She seemed eager to break the silence. She was a restaurateur, so being social was a large part of her job. The prolonged silence was something she wanted to avoid.

  Arden’s gaze turned icy.

  “Were you contracted to keep me here?”

  Savish's face fell and she poured herself another glass of wine.

  “I don't like the accusation. Especially from someone both weaker than me and so ignorant about Starborn society. Reporting new Starborn to the authorities has always been done. It happens everyday. You aren't special. Neither I nor the Association care about you enough to change things up with you. The only strange thing about you is how long you were in the trial, but that doesn't matter much. ”

  Savish took a sip from her second glass of wine and Arden took the moment to speak.

  “No one knows I exist, Savish. Only you and the people in this restaurant know that a new Starborn appeared. It was the same before I entered the trial. Only a few people knew that I ever was.”

  “And you want to get into the spotlight, is that it? A rags to riches story about an orphan becoming a Starborn?”

  Arden shook his head.

  “I want to keep it that way. At least for a little bit. There are a few people I need to find, and a few others who a few months ago wanted me dead. I can't let my name get out there until I get the lay of the land.”

  Savish held her hand to her mouth and laughed.

  “Is that right? The nameless orphan has a target on his back? What happened to having no one know who you are?”

  Arden sighed.

  “You don't believe me,” he stated.

  “Of course not. Your two stories are contradictory. I believe that you are telling the truth about looking for people. Everyone has a story like that. But having an enemy as a mundane that you don't even want to face as a Starborn? Come on.”

  Arden remembered something.

  ‘Status, inventory.’

  A blood red Status Window appeared, piquing Arden’s interest.

  “I guess it changed a bit,” he said.

  Savish's smile fell from her face. Her face turned serious and she manifested a Satellite in her hand In front of Arden. A steak knife. A warning.

  “If you do anything stupid, you'll be dead before the Association arrives.”

  Arden raised his hands.

  “Calm down. I don't have a weapon. If I did have one in my inventory, it wouldn't be strong enough to harm you anyway. You're stronger than me, remember?”

  Savish said nothing but stared at him with a gaze sharper than her Satellite.

  “Before things get any worse, Savish, I have to know. What's your opinion of the Association? You say you know a lot about them, like how they care about their rep, but what do you think of them, being a contractor?”

  Savish was convinced that Arden was planning something. He was too calm for having been threatened by a Starborn with a Satellite in hand.

  “What's your game, Arden?”

  He shook his head with an innocent look on his face. Savish really wanted to punch it.

  “I'm not playing a game. I want to know your feelings about the Association.”

  “Why?”

  He put on a kind smile.

  “Humor me. Pretend we're just making small talk.”

  She eyed the blood red Status whose text was unreadable to her, just like everyone's would be to people who didn't have permission.

  “Your Status says otherwise.”

  Neither moved nor said anything for half of a minute. Savish finally leaned back in her booth and folded a leg over her other.

  “I don't have a problem with the Association. They help both mundane and Starborn in life and they maintain public order alongside the civic authority.”

  “Have you ever had any trouble with them?”

  “Not really. A few of their members were creeps trying to get in my pants, but nothing beyond that. I’m married.”

  Arden nodded to himself and spoke.

  “I know nothing about the Association, or its practices. I know about some of their people though. Three of them,” he said, raising three fingers.

  The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  “And how were they?”

  “Two of them were great people. They found me a few days into the Cascade and helped me. I've been on good terms with one of them for a few years now, so she was a little more invested in helping me.”

  “Oh?” Savish said with a knowing grin while leaning forward. “Did the slum rat manage to charm a star?”

  Arden chuckled. A warm environment was fostered, even if a weapon was present. It would be a shame to ruin it soon.

  “It wasn't like that. We were just friends.”

  “Makes sense. Who would go for a slum rat anyway?”

  Arden felt like he had taken a punch to his soul, and the teasing smile on the offender's face didn't help.

  “Anyway,” he said. “The other healed my friends and gave me a Satellite, so I can confidently say he was a good guy. The last one was a bastard. But you know him, so you already knew that.”

  “I do?”

  Arden nodded with a smile. This one was far more dangerous than his earlier smile. There was venom in his lips.

  “He was killed here, in the building that became your restaurant. For attacking a mundane citizen. Blonde guy, built like a fridge.”

  “How would you know that?” Savish asked with interest.

  “Simple. I was the mundane he attacked. I was also the one who killed him.”

  Savish stared at the man she was eating with. Thinking about it, it made sense for him to know the criminal. Arden’s return here meant that this was where he was before the trial began, so it wasn’t unbelievable that they knew each other if one worked here and the other was brought here.

  Still, though…

  “You beat a Starborn as a mundane? How?”

  It seemed impossible.

  “Well, it wasn’t just me. I had some friends help me.”

  “Were they the other Starborn of the Association?”

  “Less than half of them were, but they weren’t fighters. A healer and a truthseeker.”

  Savish sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. She still didn’t believe it.

  “How did you beat him? Even a red protostar with only a little combat experience should be too much for a few mundanes and utility Starborn to handle.”

  “We got lucky. Like you said, most Starborn around here are lacking. This guy was not one of them. He was strong and fast. The only thing we had going for us was a book that could read a few seconds into the future.”

  “That seems pretty strong…”

  “Until you realize that you can’t really change fate,” Arden finished. “Regardless, we were able to beat him, but it took a toll on us. Of the five of us, Only me and my sister were relatively unharmed. The rest were nearly killed.”

  Savish stayed silent. Everything Arden said made sense to her. It was true that most of the Starborn who stayed around the slums were incredibly weak. She could see how the people who lived in the slums with their incredible street smarts could manage to beat a Starborn. She would have to change her assessment of Arden. He was clearly skilled, to have been able to survive in a trial for a week as a mundane. Most were only there a few days at most. There were others who lasted around a week, but they were strong. Was Arden one of the strong before the trial? If his story was true, it made sense for him to be strong.

  “So you were attacked by a Starborn from the association, but they don’t seem to be your enemy. Why were you attacked?”

  Arden stuck his hand into his inventory and pulled out a piece of paper. He placed it on the table, rotated it to face Savish and slid it over.

  “That’s why I was attacked. Have you not seen any of these? They were spread around before the Cascade. I couldn’t even leave the house to get food.”

  Savish read the paper. It had a drawing of Arden that looked real enough to be a photograph, with a rather large number following the words ‘dead or alive.’ The number was a lot to even Savish, a Starborn. She could imagine how rabid the poverty-stricken survivors of the slums would react at the chance of earning enough money to escape to the next part of the city.

  But that was then, and this was now.

  The slums were no longer the hive of scum and villainy that they once were. This chunk of it at least had become low to middle class, not pure poverty.

  “Why would someone put a bounty on your head for this much? That's a few years of profit for me!” She looked at the footnote, telling her who placed the bounty. “Miasma? Them?”

  “You know them?”

  “Yeah. They’re also contracted with the Association now. They are in charge of public order around here. Haven't seen any of these posters though.”

  Arden groaned. Miasma were cops? That didn’t bode well for him. He ran the possibilities through his head for why they do that, considering they were little more than a gang pretending to be a guild..

  “So, either they are trying to wipe all of their dirty business under the rug to look better for the Association, or they already think I’m dead.”

  “Or they think you're hiding and took them down to lure you out with a false sense of security.”

  Arden thought about it, then shook his head.

  “I doubt it. The person who put a bounty on me hates me, but isn’t very smart. Last time we met, I was a mundane, and he was a Starborn. He used his powers on me, claiming that his family would protect him from the Association.”

  “So you were attacked by two Starborn as a mundane?” Savish clarified. “What did you do to Miasma for them to put a bounty on you?”

  “I think it was just one member, but he’s the leader’s nephew. It's a bit of a long story, but let's just say he wasn’t thrilled by my family, and he made it my problem. Last time we met, he stuck his hand in my mouth to use his power, but I took off a few of his fingers. Honestly, it wouldn’t surprise me if boss man Chorzo tried to rescind the bounty as soon as he caught wind of it.”

  Savish sat in thought for several minutes. A full hour had passed, and the Association hadn't shown up. She leaned back and crossed her arms. The man with her had a hell of a story. It would be a shame to let it end so soon. From the look of it, he had no good options if he chose to play by the rules. He was in an unfamiliar and hostile territory, but it seemed like that was his comfort zone from his story.

  Her Status appeared in front of her. It was a golden brown much like fried chicken. She stuck her hand in and pulled out a small card and gave it to Arden.

  “That has my address and personal number on it. If you need help from a broker like me, you know where to look.”

  With that she stood up and made her way to the door.

  “I’m not sure when the Association will show up, if they actually ever will. It’s best for you to leave as soon as possible. I’ll keep my mouth shut about you.”

  Arden looked at her and bowed his head.

  “Thank you, Savish. Is there a way I can repay you?”

  “I’m not doing this because I want something in return. I just want to see what will happen next. Think of it as entertainment. However, if you ever find who you’re looking for, bring them by. I can always use another customer.”

  “If I find all my friends, I'll bring them all by.”

  Savish smiled and patted Arden on the back.

  “I’ll look forward to it.”

  They exited the private room and made their way through the restaurant attracting both male and female gazes. Savish seemed used to it, but Arden seemed uncomfortable. He didn't like being the center of attention against his will. A lot of what he’s done was done to avoid attention. Savish grinned at his reaction as they walked through the front of the double doors.

  The streets were bustling with people walking in every direction. Neon lights shone above many buildings indicating which places were open and closed.

  This place seemed alive. There was hope on everyone’s face. Life wasn’t bad here anymore.

  “This is as far as I go,” she said. “Good luck out there, mystery man.”

  “Thanks, Savish. I mean it. Good luck to you too.”

  Arden walked out into the night and blended in quickly to the crowd.

  Savish watched him go and realized that he must’ve been given a stealth Constellation and ability. She couldn’t feel any of his Stellar Essence leaking out like most other Starborn. It would surely come in handy when he was looking around.

  She stood outside in the cool air for a few minutes taking in the sights. Until she heard a crash and a panicked scream coming from her restaurant. She whirled around and reentered, and saw a beautiful woman with two-tone black and pale blue hair on top of a destroyed table that she must have fallen on.

  Savish put a hand to her forehead and sighed, looking at the mess the stunning woman made.

  “Another one?”