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PreviousFirst“Excuse me,” a voice said suddenly off to one side.Emily glanced up, looking around for a couple of moments before spotting a figure across the walkway. They didn’t look especially tall, and seemed rather skinny. Most of the upper body was half lost in an oversized tan hoodie. Below this a pair of baggy, faded jeans left their legs similarly obscured. Their eyes were hidden behind a pair of sunglasses, despite the middling ambient light. Most strangely, they were wearing a pair of rather ostentatious cowboy boots. This made them look like a tourist, and they were almost certainly not from Earth.This strange person waved a hand, and smiled at Emily. It didn’t seem like an especially threatening smile, but still. She looked up and down the walk, and saw there were at least a few other people wandering about. A quick instinctive glance for traffic, even though there were no vehicles like that in this part of the dome. Fighting off a momentary scowl, Emily shuffled across the walkway towards this odd stranger.“Did you want something?” she asked in a rather clipped voice.“Yeah,” came an easygoing response in a voice that sounded more or less feminine, and oddly accented. “You look like someone who’s native to this world, but not this town.”“Only came here today.”“Any plans to stay?”“Probably not,” she sighed, looking back towards the building she’d recently exited. “Why do you ask?”They shrugged innocently. “Just, seemed like you were worrying over something. Anything I might help out with?”“I doubt it,” she responded rather sourly. “I don’t even know you.”“That could be an asset, if you think about it.”“How so?”“Well, I’ve found that if you’ve got something bothering you, sometimes it helps to talk to someone who doesn’t know you.”Emily flashed her an incredulous sort of grin. “How do you figure that?”“Ever seen some forlorn soul pouring their heart out to a bartender?”“I, don’t drink, but I guess I’ve heard of that sort of thing.”“It’s that sort of idea. Someone who you don’t know, and doesn’t know you, so you can talk about what’s really on your mind without needing to be all careful and polite. Not to mention, you don’t have to worry about whatever you say getting back to your friends or family.”Emily felt herself smirking a little. “This a regular sort of thing, back wherever you’re from?”“Sometimes. Usually it’s some sort of licensed therapist, though.”“Or the odd bartender?”“That too.”“Well, you don’t appear to be serving drinks, and I’m sorry to say you don’t look all that much like a therapist.”“Could be what a therapist wears back home,” they offered with a wry smile, “but no, you’re right. I’m just a traveler that likes to meet people. Maybe listen to a story or two.”“Sounds whimsical. I wonder what the real angle is.”“Well, you could always chat awhile longer, see if you can figure it out.”“Or I could just keep walking.”“That you could, but I hope you don’t just yet. You’re interesting to talk to.”“Now I know you’re working an angle.”They let out a mild chuckle. “We’re all working angles. Doesn’t mean there can’t be a mutual benefit along the way.”“So what benefit would I have, exactly?”“For a start, you’ve got the chance to complain a little to someone willing to listen. That has to be worth something, at least.”“Maybe,” Emily mused.As the two of them had been talking thus far, she’d noticed a couple of things. First, that odd accent had slowly vanished away, and this stranger was now talking with body language not unlike her own. Second, the tone and pitch of their voice seemed to have shifted a little as well. Less androgynous, more feminine.Third, taking a closer look at their face, it seemed a little different from the start of the conversation. Emily hadn’t noticed the freckles at first, but the lighting wasn’t all that bright here. She remembered the gate guard complimenting Emily about her own freckles, talking about them like she’d never seen anything like them. Strange to meet someone else with freckles, if they were really that rare.“What should I call you?” Emily slowly asked.“I think, ‘Barkeep’ would be fine, since we’re strangers.”“And ‘Therapist’ doesn’t seem quite right?”“Not quite. How about you, stranger?”Emily thought of a few unflattering aliases before settling on something simple. “Let’s go with ‘Pint,’ long as we’re on this theme.”Barkeep grinned approvingly. “Alright then, Pint. What’s on your mind?”At this point, Emily launched into a wandering diatribe, starting with the inconveniences of packing up and paying for a trip to the dome. From there, the indignities at the gate were briefly revisited. After that came a rather scathing description of the local testing system, and the disappointment of not being selected, merit be damned.All the while, this stranger listened patiently. They’d comment every so often, something sympathetic and usually a bit vapid. Often a strained platitude, or a slightly tortured metaphor. They definitely weren’t from Earth, but they were sure as hell trying to mimic the idioms. It was amusing enough that Emily didn’t really mind. Besides that, she was more interested in the stranger’s face.She watched carefully as she spoke, trying her best to look like she wasn’t really observing. The face was definitely changing, but almost too slowly to really detect. Subtle shifts in hue, slight tweaks in structure, never enough to truly stand out, but the more minutes passed, the harder it was to miss. She had to look away and feign a bit of overwhelming emotion when she realized something about these changes. This person, little by little, was looking more and more like Emily. Right down to the freckles.Something still felt off about the freckles, though she couldn’t quite put her finger on it. She started focusing her attention on them as she turned to continue going on about the countless hours she’d put into studying for the test. The wading through textbooks dry enough to make the Sonoran Desert look like a swamp. The sleepless nights, and often frustrating days trying to fake friendliness with her peers. All the while though, she was looking at the various little splotches decorating the stranger’s features.Suddenly it hit her, and she had to pause as a small laugh forced its way out. Images of certain cephalopod lineages flashed up in her mind, and she couldn’t help but grin rather broadly.“What is it?” asked Barkeep, looking a little puzzled at this sudden smile.“Chromatophores,” Emily answered softly.“Pardon?” the stranger asked, with a momentary flicker in their confidence.She smiled a little, realizing she had slipped out of the galactic standard language. “Sorry, I don’t believe I know the proper word for it. Little cells in the skin, that change color,” she offered.This time it wasn’t Barkeep’s confidence that flickered, but the face itself. It was as though several brief waves of pallor rippled across the skin, as the features momentarily became strangely taut. Then, this increasingly strange stranger seemed to collect themselves.“Good eye,” they remarked with an approving sort of tone. “I suppose I should dispense with these.”They lifted their hand up, and slowly removed the dark glasses. Beneath, the eyes were not what Emily had expected. There was no trace of the usual pale sclera, and nothing that could easily be identified as an iris or pupil. Instead, there were merely two glossy black orbs, set like strange pearls in the midst of the oddly shifting skin. Barkeep smiled a little more widely.“Good. You seem more intrigued than frightened.”“Should I be frightened?” she slowly asked. “I mean, I have been approached by a strange, person, who still has yet to mention just why they’re actually, really talking with me. And don’t give me another line about meeting people, or listening to a stranger’s problems.”“You’re right,” came the untroubled response. “Your patience is appreciated, but I would ask for just a little more patience.”She folded her arms over her chest, and tried not to scowl too obviously. “I’ve had a rather disappointing day thus far, as you can’t have failed to notice by now. I’m not sure just how much further my patience can stretch.”Barkeep nodded agreeably. “Understandable. Just, tell me what you think I am, and I’ll tell you why I actually decided to try and speak with you.”“Is that all?” she asked, leaning over to rest against the wall beside her. “The formal names escape me, but I think I have some idea. I remember reading about a, clade of humanity that developed on a rather warm, heavily forested world with several species of highly aggressive predators. These predators were visual hunters, and so these particular people developed an advanced form of camouflage.”“The, chromatophores, as you called them.”She smiled a little. “That, and a rather advanced network of diffuse subcutaneous musculature, allowing for some alteration of texture.” Her smile deepened slightly. “I couldn’t help but notice, the longer you speak with me, the more your face has come to resemble my own. Is that intentional?”“Instinctive,” Barkeep replied with a momentary shake of their head. “Generally taken as a sign of attention or respect.”Emily nodded slightly. “And your voice would seem to be resembling my own increasingly as well. More mimicry?”The stranger grinned subtly. “If any two of my kind speak together awhile, they tend to look and sound nearly identical until their next conversation.”“That must make it difficult to sort out who is who.”They let out a small chuckle. “It’s not as difficult as you might think. We’ve developed something of a sense for people. Some claim we’re psychic, but nothing so advanced.”“Just, very good at reading people and interpreting unspoken cues?”“In essence, yes.”“Wonder what cues I’m giving off right now.”“Your cues are, a little strange. It’s clear enough you’re upset and uncomfortable. Part of it’s being new to this locale. Especially if it’s your first day here. You’re not lacking in intelligence, but there is something else.”“No doubt there is. Now, would you mind telling me why we’re actually having this conversation?”“Of course,” Barkeep answered with a bemused little laugh. “To speak plainly, I would like to offer you a job.”“Based upon what, exactly?”“That should be made clear at the job interview.”Emily looked at the stranger with something bordering on contempt. “Oh yes, of course. A young woman traveling alone, first time under the dome. Suddenly a job offer out of nowhere. Just come to some out of the way place for an interview. We promise we won’t chloroform you and drag you off to do unspeakable things.” As she spoke, her hand instinctively drifted to one of her pockets and rested ominously just inside.Barkeep’s face blanched quite dramatically, the skin pulling taut into a strangely patterned texture. “Nothing like that,” they quickly said, raising both hands in a placating gesture. “You set the time and place. My employer will be there.”She looked rather narrowly at this flustered creature. “I saw something like a diner a few blocks from here. Purple awning out front, gold lettering in the window. There was outdoor seating, but I didn’t see that many people using it when I passed by. I think I’ll go there for lunch shortly. No doubt, if your employer has any real interest in hiring me, they can show up before I’ve finished.”The pallor faded from Barkeep’s face as they smiled a bit unnervingly. “If they’re interested in hiring you after the interview, I’m sure they’ll be happy to pay for your meal.”“Be nice if they did so regardless, but it’s not a perfect world.”“No, it is not.” They turned slightly, then lingered. “Out of curiosity, what gave away the, chromatophores? I wasn’t aware that local human eyesight was that good.”Emily smirked a little. “It was the symmetry.”“The symmetry, you say?”She nodded. “While you were busily mimicking my face, all the way down to the freckles, you overlooked something. That, or maybe it’s hardwired into your mimicry system for all I know.”“What did I overlook?” they asked with something almost akin to anxiety.“Real freckles aren’t symmetrical. You have exactly the same pattern of spots on either side of your face.”Barkeep leaned in a little closer, looking rather intensely at Emily for a moment, then grinned as they broke out into a friendly laugh. “You’re right, they don’t match on either side.” They leaned back again, still chuckling under their breath. “You’ll have to forgive me. That, particular patterning is something I’ve not seen before.”“What, freckles don’t exist outside of Earth?”“Not as such, no. Your hair color is also rather unusual.”“I’m guessing you can’t mimic hair.”They shook their head, before pulling their hood back briefly to reveal a smooth scalp. “We often wear wigs when out in public, but I didn’t know who I would be meeting today.”“So rather than try to imitate everything in advance, you merely obscured that detail.”“It’s easier,” they responded with a shrug. “Anyway, I should go and see if my employer is in the mood for a brisk afternoon jog.”Emily couldn’t help but grin a little. “You do that. I’ll try and eat slowly, in the meantime.”***Ink could hardly believe it. This was better than she would have expected. A candidate that had been perceptive enough to see right through her mimicry. Better, she was even familiar with her particular variant. Best of all, she didn’t seem at all bothered by it. At least, not all that much.She was moving as quickly as she could without seeming to be in a hurry. Running got attention. Attention was the last thing she needed. A glance at her communicator and she saw a nearby spot on the map. The captain wasn’t far off. True to his word, he’d come to the area as soon as the applicants had started their testing. Then, he’d wandered much as she had.When she finally saw him, it was all she could do not to rush up to him and start gibbering away like an excited idiot. What she managed to do was jog briskly up to him with a smile that left him looking just a bit nervous.“Found someone?” he asked hopefully.“Yep. Said they’d meet with you, but this isn’t a very long window we’ve got.”“Explain on the way, then.”The two of them began walking, and Ink proceeded to give a brief account of their conversation. She also rattled off the basic statistics of the file for that particular individual. When she was about to mention the person’s name, Scrimshaw held a hand up to stop her.“The last thing we need is for me to call this stranger by name without hearing it from her first.”Ink nodded, realizing that would probably be enough to deeply worry someone. She resumed her tale, soon reaching the part where this person had properly noticed her ‘kromatufors,’ as she’d called them. This made the captain smirk a bit, and she was almost sure he was familiar with that word.When they turned a corner and came within sight of the place that had been agreed upon, Ink let out a small sigh of relief. She felt a momentary rush of pale rose bloom across her skin, and gestured subtly towards one of the outdoor tables. The potential recruit was still here.***Thankfully, the diner was actually a diner and not some other business. Almost as soon as Emily had seated herself, a waitress had hurried out with a menu in hand. After a bit of thought, Emily settled on ordering something reasonably cheap. There was no telling whether this mysterious would-be employer was going to actually appear, let alone pay for her meal.The minutes had seemed to pass rather slowly as she ate. She’d occupied herself watching the steady flow of people wandering by on the street. Not a great bustling crowd by any means, but enough folks to make this place quite public.Eventually she caught sight of a familiar hoodie a little ways off. Barkeep had managed to retrieve their employer, or so it seemed. Feigning an inordinate interest in what was left of her meal, she observed this theoretical employer.To all appearances, it looked like a human male that would’ve fit in pretty easily with an Earth population. He was wearing a brown leather duster that looked like it had seen better days. Underneath, there was the suggestion of a sort of tool belt. Otherwise, the clothes looked like a pretty normal shirt and set of pants, with some fairly heavy combat boots on his feet. His hair was cut short, but he had a bit of stubble on the chin. There was a hint of grey in places, but not much.He was practically standing at the table before he spoke in a somewhat gravelly voice. “Would you be ‘Pint,’ by any chance?”Emily looked up, trying her best to seem just a little startled. “Yeah, I guess that’d be me.” She glanced over at Barkeep. “I was told you were looking to hire someone.”“You weren’t told much,” he answered with a chuckle. “Mind if I sit?”“Go ahead,” she responded with a slight nod to the empty chair across the small table.Almost immediately the waitress returned, looking expectantly at these new arrivals. Barkeep lightly waved her off, seeming content to stand just behind their employer and a little to one side. As for the mystery man himself, he rattled off a quick order and flashed a fairly charming smile. When the waitress was gone, he turned his attention to Emily.“First off, proper introductions. Name’s Hieronymus Hagen, though most folks call me Scrimshaw.” He glanced sideways at his employee. “There are a few other names not suitable for polite company. As for titles, captain is about all I answer to these days.”“Captain, eh?” Emily asked with slight amusement. “As in the military rank, or something more associated with a ship?”“The latter, just about entirely,” he responded with a warm laugh. “Might I ask your name, miss?”“Ah, yes. Emmeline Grimm. Emily is fine for casual talk, though.” Her eyes wandered over to Barkeep, standing and looking rather like a statue at this point. “What about, your associate?”“That’d be Ers Voshn Thulvesh.”“I tend to go by the shorthand of ‘Ink’ among my shipmates,” they stoically volunteered.Emily couldn’t help but notice that their face had taken on something of a more masculine cast, with a bit of shading about the chin and cheeks reminiscent of the captain’s stubble. The voice had also deepened somewhat, and the shape of the face had become a bit more angular.“Right,” Emily quickly said, turning her focus back to the captain. “So, if you’re a captain, I suppose you might be looking for someone to join the crew on a ship?”“A reasonable guess to start with, and the right one in this case. Nice little world hopper called the Perchance, just in the local cathedral hangar at the moment. Pay would start at a tenth of net profits, with adjustments for additional workload where feasible.”“What sort of work are you looking for, exactly?”“The sort of work an exobiologist might be able to help with.”“That doesn’t narrow things down all that much.”“I don’t suppose it does.” He paused, noting the return of the waitress with his meal. “Thank you kindly,” he said with an appreciative nod and another smile.Emily waited for the waitress to depart, watching as the man started nonchalantly tearing into what looked like a sandwich of some sort. It seemed as if he was fine with letting this little interview go entirely off the rails as he ate. Then again, maybe it was something customary offworld. She felt a headache coming on as she wondered whether he was being rude, or if she would be rude to interrupt. Rather abruptly, she realized she didn’t much care about being rude.“So,” she said a bit crisply, “just precisely what would you need an exobiologist for? Nevermind how you knew I had any exobiology training.”He nodded sideways, taking a moment to swallow most of a mouthful of food before answering. “You can thank Ink for that.”“Ah right, I guess I did mention my training, several times, while venting at them before.” She shook her head suddenly. “No, wait just a minute. If you were looking for an exobiologist, how did your underling know to seek me out in particular?”Ink smiled a bit bashfully, their face mottling just a little as they answered in a slightly more feminine voice. “It wasn’t hard to find out about that upcoming survey mission. It’s been all over the news in the domes, one of Earth’s early ventures to explore the rest of the neighborhood. Wasn’t too hard to find out when and where the applicants were going to be tested.”The captain nodded with approval. “From there, it was just a matter of spotting someone leaving that particular building at a particular time, looking sufficiently unhappy.”“All well and good,” Emily growled, “but I was hardly the only person in that particular group. There must’ve been at least thirty other people that shuffled out by the same door as me, and I doubt any of us looked especially pleased.”“True,” Ink replied. “However, you didn’t merely look displeased. I didn’t pick up anything like despair, like I saw on most of the other faces. You didn’t look close to violence either.”“Then what was I, exactly?”The captain grinned at her. “I believe the term would be, ‘thoroughly pissed off,’ to hear the account.”“Not inaccurate,” she murmured.“Furthermore,” Ink continued, “you looked sharper than most of the others.”“Seen plenty of people that looked sharp and were actually morons,” Emily noted.The captain shrugged. “Looks can be deceiving, but not so much to a fae.” He nodded to Ink. “Technical Middlespeak term for that particular variant of humanity.”“Ah right, so it is,” Emily noted, trying not to smirk too much at the associations she’d formed around the word in her prior studies. “So you were looking for someone more angry than hurt, but not too angry, who looked like they weren’t especially idiotic.”The captain let out a hearty laugh. “What really sold it was when you picked upon on the little gap in the mimicry. Heard about that, knew I had to come meet you for myself.”“I’m flattered,” Emily responded with a somewhat baleful look.“Flattery is neither here nor there. The real question is, are you interested in the job?”“Well,” she sighed, “I didn’t make the cut for the job I’d been hoping for, coming all this way. That does leave my schedule rather painfully open.”“Open enough to come take a look at the Perchance, perchance? In case you’re worried, she’s got plenty of company in the cathedral’s main hangar. No shortage of people around, and no dark alleys to spirit you off into.”“Fair enough,” she sighed. “It’s either that, or try to get in touch with the guard that did the gate search on me.”“Come again?” the captain asked, looking genuinely surprised for the first time.Emily blushed slightly. “Well, she said she liked my freckles, and ended up giving me a contact number. Not that I would’ve necessarily taken her up on it.”This drew a sharp laugh from the man. “Well, I’ll promise you at least a better afternoon than a date with one of the gate ogres.”“One might hope. Just have one tiny little question before I go take a look at the ship, if you don’t mind.”“What might that be?”She smirked a little. “Is Hieronymus actually your name?”He returned the smirk. “Is Grimm actually your surname?”Emily gave a small, innocent shrug. “It is as far as legal documents are concerned. Thought it might be good to change a few things, before trying to leave Earth behind. Make a clean break, I guess.”Scrimshaw nodded sagely. “I know just what you mean, Miss Grimm.”Next
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