Claustrophobia

Chapter Five - Crorst - 8

Z9 found her examining herself in a mirror, a dress held up to see how she would look.

'You'd look good in it.'

Kassre jumped at Z9's voice and let out a small cry of surprise. 'Z9, you scared me.'

'As I heard,' Z9 said, smiling pleasantly and snaking past her to flick through some of the other dresses on display. 'I would have thought that, someone like yourself would have all of your stuff made for you. You can afford it now, after all.'

'Quality and price increase together for a while with many things,' Kassre said, 'and then it seems to hit air resistance and the increase in quality seems to slow though the price increases at the same rate. Looking in places like this is usually the best way to beat that problem.'

'Interesting theory,' Z9 said, taking out a dress and holding it up to the light. 'Hmmm, not my thing,' she murmured, putting it back.

'And you, Z9?' Kassre asked. 'Why are you here?'

'Just to pass the time, I guess,' she replied, picking a second dress out. 'And I liked the thought of getting out of the suns. I don't know about you, but I find it a little too hot on Crorst.'

'You prefer to be inside?' Kassre asked, putting the dress down and deciding once and for all that it wasn't what she was after.

'No, not inside as such. Just out of the sun and in the shade. I like it where it's cool.'

'Where you can change the temperature,' Kassre said, in a tone that made Z9 look up from her dress hunting. 'You like to be somewhere that you can make warmer if it's too cold, or chill if the heat is too much for you. I can see you now, drawing the blinds when the slightest bit of light from the lights of a Magna-Train comes through your window and reflects in just the wrong way. More than anything, you like to know what all the variables are, and how to keep them in check.'

'Are you trying to read me?' Z9 asked, feeling a little uncomfortable. What's she getting at, the psychotic little bitch? What is she trying to say?

'Face it, girl. You're just a control freak. You hate it when you don't know something, don't you?'

This isn't the shy little girl sat at that dining table. This isn't the same person I ate with, the timid thing that asked me to inspect a chip of paint, who cries out at night because she feels so alone. Who the hell is she?

Z9 smiled at her. 'Maybe I am, just a little.'

Kassre nodded, turning to leave the shop. 'I hope you find something you like,' she said, before opening the door and disappearing into the light of the morning in Craeon.

Z9 stared after her for a full minute, not sure what had just happened. Whatever it was, she didn't like it. She felt like she had been invaded, and only one person had done that as effectively as Kassre DyGleyre had done just then.

Are you sure she isn't working with Evangra?