"Uh, seriously? The lights went out again! What the faack!"
A man groaned, tilting his head to one side before letting out a sigh. A few people stared at him before he let himself fade back into the crowd.
Complaints rose from the crowd, their voices clashing as frustration and disappointment played across their faces.
For little Jie, it meant nothing.
She kept nibbling on her sweet round bread—soft and warm, topped with a layer of sugar.
Each bite broke it apart a little more, leaving sugar crumbs stuck to her face. She swallowed, then tore off a piece and held it out to the woman with a small smile.
"Thank you."
The woman replied, tossing the piece into her mouth and chewing slowly.
Jie broke off a smaller piece, pressed it to the plushie's beak, and waited before eating it herself.
The woman's bracelet cast a pale glow across the table. She kept glancing at it between bites, waiting for the frozen image above her wrist to move again.
"Julian." The woman tilted the frozen display toward him.
His eyes shifted from the screen to the dark windows, yet nothing left his mouth.
For a moment, the faint hum of boiling water became the only sound.
Headlights from the cars outside gave the café a little light, illuminating it in moving stripes. They slid over tables, chairs, faces, cups and hands. One passed over Julian's face, then disappeared, leaving his eyes darker than before.
clnng—clnng—clnng!
Heads turned toward the sound.
A flashlight hung from the narrow chandelier above the counter, swinging slightly with the movement in the room. One of the baristas grabbed a ladder, unfolded it, then climbed fast enough to make the metal steps rattle beneath her shoes.
Another worker moved behind the brewers, opening drawers and feeling around for something.
A young man stepped forward, clearing his throat into his fist. A few people quieted down when he opened his mouth.
"Ahm—"
The lights turned back on.
The brewers powered up with a chorus of clicks. Steam hissed in the background. Someone cursed from behind the wall of machines, then something crashed hard enough to make little Jie flinch.
"Never mind?"
"Yayy...we're open again."
The barista stepped behind the register and asked the next person in line for his order, a sheepish smile plastered across her face.
Another worker steadied the ladder while the first climbed high enough to unbind the flashlight.
The woman straightened a little when some semblance of connection returned and the screen finally loaded. She held her wrist closer to her face, her brows knitting together while the image above it struggled to show.
"Two for Valentina!"
A Coelhinho barista called out to her, his floppy ears pinned flat against his head, making him look rather childish.
Valentina walked to the counter and turned the two warm cups until she found her name on both. Then she picked them up and carried them back to the table.
She pulled her chair out with one foot and sat with a soft thud, taking a sip from one of the cups.
Her face scrunched at the bitter taste. She handed the cup to the man and took a sip from the other drink instead. He accepted it and drank, his expression barely changing—if at all.
Ding~
Valentina quickly took another sip and flicked her wrist up like she was about to throw a thumbs-up. (X)
The caller ID glitched the moment a distorted voice came through—"H-Hello?...lo..."—the questioning tone repeating a few more times before the call abruptly cut off.
"Ahh! Again...whyyy..."
Valentina whined and propped her cheek against one hand, letting out what sounded like her hundredth sigh.
"It's been this way the whole month...I don't even have their address."
She took another sip, lifting the lid before blowing on the hot coffee.
Valentina looked down when a message popped onto the screen. She read it while little Jie finished her sweet bread and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.
She flicked a finger, drawing the message to the center as the image of an older couple appeared above the conversation.
「Sorry! I've been trying to answer, but it never works...」
She continued reading, watching three dots bounce up and down before another message appeared.
「I'll send the address—it's the library that was renovated a few months ago. Sorry again!」
She hummed quietly while Julian gulped down his coffee.
"Where we going?"
"A library."
Her answer came out calmer than her face looked. She stood after taking a few more sips.
"Alrighty, then...up we go, Jie."
Little Jie jumped to the floor, her shoes hitting with a soft tap.
The man crouched slightly and straightened the front of her dress. His fingers worked fast, tugging the fabric here, smoothing it there. Then he fixed the small bow beside one of her feathered tufts.
"Did they send an address or anything?" He asked.
Valentina dragged one finger up. The screen mimicked the motion, but there was no address waiting for her.
"No..."
She refreshed it once. Then again. The same old messages remained while the loading symbol spun in the corner.
Her canine ears lowered slightly before she forced them upright again.
The man leaned slightly and fixed the hem of Jie's dress, tugging at it again.
"Wow...so we're just walking now then?"
He threw her a questioning look as they headed for the exit, his brows furrowed. She tossed her empty cup into the trash and pulled the door open. The chilly air lingered against her skin a moment too long.
"Maybe don't hog the doorway?"
"Hah?"
She turned and met his eyes, staring at him with mild offense. Her gaze ran up and down his body before one hand settled on her hip.
"I'm not fat!"
Her voice pitched higher when he pushed her out of the doorframe. A few people around them looked over but they ignored the stares.
"I didn't say you were fat—you did."
Valentina clicked her tongue and looked away before pulling up her bracelet again.
"So...lead the way."
The man's hand rested on Jie's head, holding her in place.
Valentina scrolled until she found the search engine, her fingers tapping lightly through the air before her eyes settled on something promising.
"I think its this one? Look."
He leaned over her shoulder, reading what he could. A map spread across the screen while she traced several routes with her finger before settling on the shortest one.
Little Jie stared at the map too.
"Lets get going then."
Valentina took a few steps forward.
The man followed, guiding the little girl and gently steering her head away from anyone who got too close.
They walked in silence for who knew how long, their steps mingling with the city noise while little Jie hummed, her plushie clenched tightly beneath one arm.
Every now and then, a cruiser passed with its lights flickering. Jie lifted her head each time, only for Julian to gently turn her away. It did little to stop her from trying. She huffed whenever she failed.
Whenever she managed to peek past his hand, she searched the passing faces for cloudy eyes and little brown crystals. She found neither, but the thought refused to leave her.
Valentina tried calling again as they walked. Static crackled from her bracelet for a few seconds before the screen folded in on itself and went dark.
"Should we really be walking that far? A cab would be better."
His suggestion hung in the air, met only by silence.
They stopped at an intersection and he pressed the pedestrian button, waiting for the light to change.
Little Jie peeked around, barely moving her head, trying to free herself from his watchful hand.
Her eyes darted in every direction.
At the edge of her sight, a crowd had gathered near several cruisers with flashing lights. Some people whistled while others stood quietly, their faces unreadable from that distance.
Then she spotted a man standing above the others, shouting something she could barely understand. The people beneath him still listened intently.
Jie's eyes narrowed in question when her head was guided away. As they crossed the street, a raindrop landed on her feathers. She blinked and instinctively looked both ways at the sensation.
The cold ran from her soft plumage and down her spine, making her shake her little head to chase it off.
Little Jie reached over her head, grabbed one tuft and tugged at it again and again, as if that might wipe away the wetness and grime. After a few stubborn pulls, she flattened both tufts in triumph, satisfied with her work.
Only for it all to be ruined when a few more drops landed on them.
Valentina looked on in amusement, then felt a vibration on her wrist.
She lifted her hand, an address flashing across the screen the moment the display came to life.
"I just got the address."
The man looked mildly surprised, glancing at her over his shoulder. His coffee was long gone.
"Just now?"
He blinked when a drop struck his brow, lifting his gaze toward the sky.
"We should get a cab."
Another drop hit his head the moment he lowered his gaze.
"Give me a minuteee..."
Valentina pulled up the cab service on her bracelet and started tapping through the screen. The floating display trembled now and then, losing its shape at the corners before sharpening again.
Their steps crunched softly over the dirty ground, each one bouncing around inside little Jie's ears.
The smell of the city rolled in waves—wet concrete, oil, something metallic and a faint sweetness drifting from somewhere she could not see. Rain crashed against signs, glass and passing vehicles until the whole street filled with sound.
Jie held the wildefowl above her head to protect it. Water darkened one of its worn wings anyway, and she quickly tucked it beneath her chin.
By the time they reached the shelter, droplets were clinging to Jie's tufts once again.
"Ten minutes."
Valentina said while holding raising her wrist, the screen showing him the route. On it, the cab crawled forward second by second.
People hurried past the shelter with bags over their heads, jackets pulled tight and shoulders hunched. One person slipped near the curb and caught themselves against a signpost.
The minutes ticked down until a flash of red and blue washed over them. The siren blared—loud and obnoxious in the dark, shaking the thin walls of the shelter.
Vehicles shifted aside as best they could, tires hissing through the wet street while an ambulance forced its way past.
Its lights continued flashing wildly against the rain.
Little Jie squinted and followed it with glassy eyes, red and blue streaking across her reflection. She leaned closer to Valentina without taking her eyes off the ambulance.
The ambulance did not get far before it slowed up ahead, its lights still fighting through the rain.
And everything around it seemed to speed up at once.
Cars crawled past in blurred lines, yet figures moved around the ambulance in hurried bursts.
Julian watched until the rain and traffic swallowed it. Valentina looked down at Jie instead, one hand settling against the back of the little girl's head.
Then, not long after, a car rolled up in front of the shelter—red across the top, white along the bottom. Impossible to miss once its hazards began to flicker.
A notification flashed above her bracelet in white. Valentina stood and walked toward the cab to make sure it was theirs. The passenger-side window rolled down, revealing the driver leaning toward them.
"Miss Valentina?"
The driver asked uncertainly.
Valentina's face brightened and she nodded. The doors unlocked with a soft click, and the driver returned the nod.
"Alrightt...come on in. Library correct?"
The cab doors slammed shut behind them, the rain now pouring much harder. All three exhaled at once when the warm air inside washed over them. Little Jie sat between them while they fastened their seatbelts.
"Yes please."
The driver reached toward the dash and shut off the hazards, then merged into the sea of cars. Soft music slipped from the speakers, filling the background along with the steady tap of rain against the glass while traffic crawled forward.
Little Jie's gaze slipped past the seats and onto the street ahead, every light and shape reflecting across the glass.
Valentina kept the address open above her wrist. Every few minutes, part of it blurred or disappeared, forcing her to pull it back up. Julian watched from the corner of his eye, one hand resting over the duffel bag between his feet.
Outside, another cluster of uniforms passed beneath an awning. Jie followed them until the cab turned and they disappeared from sight. This time, Julian did not move her head.
One turn became two, then three—street after street, intersection after intersection—until the cab finally slowed. The driver signaled, turned right, and eased into a narrow parking space along the curb.
"We're here."
The driver turned the hazards back on and looked over his shoulder.
Jie turned toward the side window.
Beyond the rain-covered glass, a large building filled her view. Impossibly wide, hidden behind trees and the crowd of umbrella's.
She wiped the window with her sleeve, clearing just enough window fog to see warm light behind the doors and the few silhouettes she could barely manage to see.