“Don’t you think you were harsh on that lady?” TO asked Celesto while being measured. DH was waiting in the front now, and Celesto had brought TO to the back room where there were illustrations and patterns on the walls, paper on the desk in neat piles, and tightly coiled measuring tape everywhere. 

“Well, DH said you’re new to Arkane.” He said, his voice now more warm than the stiff formality it held earlier, “You probably just don’t understand how things are yet.” 

“I’m a little more aware than you think.” TO said, unable to keep their ears pinning back and unable to keep the snap from their voice. Thankfully, their vocal tones must have still been very subtle, as Celesto seemed not to notice. 

“I in no way want to suggest you might be naïve or ignorant, but…” They stopped, pausing as they wrapped the measuring tape around TO’s waist. They scribbled down a number, then shifted to take measurements of their legs. “Well, it’s a matter of safety, really.” He continued, “You hear the news, and I swear if there’s ten arrests in a day, then at least eight of them are legless.” 

“Legless?” 

“Like that lady that was here.” He said, “People without legs. Well, I suppose that the ones that live under water only aren’t too bad; they seem to have things sorted out.” He took another measurement, wrote it down, and then went to TOs back to measure around their wings. “The legless on land, though; most of them…” He sighed and shook his head. “They’re given so many opportunities for work, and don’t take them. They all hang around the Outer Ring-“ 

“Outer Ring?” 

“District 10.” He said, “Close to the sea. It’s supposed to be filled with shipping centres but too many of the legless live there. It’s not even technically a residential area, they’re just squatters there.”

“Well… wouldn’t they need to be near water?” TO asked. 

“Not all of them.” Celesto said, “And there is a river that goes through the city; it’s hidden mostly, but in the residential areas it’s exposed. They could live there, but they choose to live on the outskirts.” They finished some measurements and went back to their notebook. “Lots of drugs. Violence. I hate to sound prejudiced; I’m not, but…” He shrugged, “Facts are facts.” 

“… But she said she worked with that artist.” TO said, “That she’s his assistant?”

Celesto scoffed. “I’ve had him in here many times, invited him to parties, been to his studio and his home and never once seen her there or heard him speak of her.” 

“Alright… But you also said that you couldn’t make clothes for her? Even before you saw the design. I thought you could customize it for anyone?“ 

“Well, it’d be a waste. Where would she store it when this party was over, even if she was going 

to a party? Last thing I need is someone coming back and accusing me of poor workmanship because they threw their dress in salt water. The fabrics aren’t suitable for her kind. No, no, she’s better finding someone who specializes in clothing for the legless. They know how to deal with their particular needs, and they have the fabrics they need to look good in and out of water, without being damaged.” 

“Why not learn to use the fabrics yourself?” TO suggested. 

He shrugged. “There’s no market for it here.” 

TO considered this while Celesto finished up his measurements. Something wasn’t right. TO had in fact been doing lots of research on the crimes on Arkane, but had paid little attention to what kinds of people were being arrested. They had read one thing about legless people, though. 

“Most of the legless were brought here during the relocations, right?” TO asked. 

Celesto frowned as he continued to work. “I suppose so?” He said. “That makes it worse though, doesn’t it? Anyone who came over here got housing and an allowance for an Arkanian year until they got settled and found work. So many squandered that opportunity.” He gave a sigh, “It’s a shame really… but it is as it is. I’m just concerned about protecting myself and my brand.” 

TO didn’t like it and suddenly didn’t like Celesto. There was so much physical variety even on Arkane alone that the presence or lack of legs shouldn’t have caused a problem. Semi-Aquatic life on a planet that was mostly sea and islands should have been easy to accommodate. 

 So what was the problem?

TO made a mental note to speak to the relocation minister and the infrastructure minister to see what had happened here. Something had clearly gone wrong, and TO knew that the insurgency would use the failings of the civilian government to get more people to their side. 

======

By the time they left the shop, it was dark. TO found it hard to see with the sunglasses on now, so they took them off and found that even with the multitude of cool , blue lights illuminating the street, it was easier for them to see. The heat of the day still lingered in the night air, and the constant buzz of activity all around them had faded to a low and comfortable hum. 

Arkane at night was so much more inviting and comfortable than it was when the sun was up; at least, it was to TO. Maybe next time they had to do something like this they’d go out after dark. They looked up, hoping to see the stars again, but the light from the dazzling city hid them. 

Well, it couldn’t be perfect. 

“I can’t wait to see the gown!” DH said as they clapped their hands together. “I can’t wait to show it to you!” 

“I just wish we didn’t have to go back for a fitting later.” TO muttered as they walked away from Celesto’s shop. “I don’t like him.” 

“Who, Celesto?” DH asked. TO nodded. “Why not?” 

TO related the conversations they had with Lendulin and Celesto. “She was plenty nice!” TO said, “And I didn’t think there was any real reason for him to treat her like that. He said that she couldn’t possibly be one of Venturi’s friends, but she never said she was; she said she worked for him.” 

“Maybe he was just trying to be protective of Venturi’s work?” DH suggested, though their ears flicked down, “Besides, if there wasn’t actually a problem, why did she run when he said he’d call the authorities. That doesn’t -” they lowered their voice as they looked down the street, looking at a corner that was illuminated by a cone of blue light from a lamppost overhead. Lendulin was sitting there on the ground next to her chair, her braids strewn on the ground and her tail in a semicircle as she kept herself propped up. She was fiddling with her chair and occasionally looking around with big, panicked eyes. 

“What’s she doing?” DH asked, observing her.

“Let’s find out.” TO said as they walked towards her. DH grabbed TO’s wrist and pulled them back. 

“Should we? She ran when Celesto wanted to call the police. If she did nothing wrong there, maybe she’s part of the insurgency and just didn’t want to be caught by the authorities!”

“I checked her profile while you were getting fitted.” TO said, sliding their hand out of DH’s grasp and then taking DH’s hand in their own. “No issues, no reports, and no reason for the police to look for her. From everything I saw, she’s harmless… so let’s see if she’s alright.” 

They headed towards Lendulin, TO striding ahead with DH walking behind them nervously, their ears pivoting about as they listened to the darkness for any threats. 

“Hello.” TO said as they approached, coming towards her from the front; on many civilian planets, it was rude to approach someone from behind, and it scared people regardless. “Are you ok?” 

She stiffened as they approached, one hand going to her pouch and the other tightening around the wrench she held. When she saw TO and recognized them, she gave a deep breath of relief. 

She wasn’t scared of them, TO realized, she was scared of strangers.

“Oh, you.” She said, giving a soft smile, “I… yes, I’m fine.” She said, “My chair on the other hand…” She sighed and started going at the wheel again, “The rust got into the cogset, and this wheel won’t move now. I’m hoping if I can loosen something, it might work to at least get me home.” She strained, trying to get the wrench to shift a bolt, but in the end the wrench just slipped. 

“I’ll look.” TO said as they approached. They crouched down on the ground and looked at the damaged wheel; Lendulin had polished it up to look nice and new, but there was a lot of rust on the inside. TO held out their hand for the wrench. “It’s lucky you have this.” They said. 

“Not luck, just common sense.” She sighed, “I need to take care of this thing; I need this to get around out of water and I can’t really afford a new one.”

DH crouched down next to TO, watching as TO fitted the wrench around the bolt and strained to get it to move. It didn’t. “It’s seized up.” DH muttered as they looked in. They glanced at Lendulin, “You should have rust proof materials-”

 “That’s a lot more expensive.” She said, looking away, “At the time… I couldn’t really afford it.” TO tried again, but the bolt wouldn’t budge.

 “Do you have anything we can use as a lubricant in your first aid kit?” TO asked DH in Synth Speak. 

“Nothing.” TO sighed, and looked back to Lendulin, “We can get you to your vehicle, if you like. Do you have anything there that will help you?” 

She gave a sudden snort of laughter. “Vehicle? This thing is as close to a vehicle as I’ll ever get.” She said, slapping the wheelchair with her fin, “I use the tubes to get around.” 

DH looked around, “I’m sure we can find someone who can take you home-”

 “No no! No, it’s fine!” She said, She looked at the wheelchair, “I… I guess I can leave this here, and get a friend of mine to grab it in the morning. I can get to the tube-” 

“How will you get to the tube, though?” DH asked. “Without your chair I mean.” She shrugged. “I can do it. I’ve done it before. It might take a while, but the tubes run all night.”

“We can help though.” TO said, “I mean, if you don’t want us to call the authorities?” 

“I… please don’t.” She said, her eyes suddenly going wide, “No… I’ll do whatever you want, just don’t call the authorities!” 

TO blinked in confusion, “I won’t?” They said, “I… I just said I wouldn’t if you didn’t want me to.”

She peered at TO, looking over them with suspicious eyes, “And if I said I’d rather go myself?” She asked, “If I said I want to go alone?” 

“I’d let you go alone, obviously… but I’d feel bad.” 

“And… you wouldn’t call the authorities? You wouldn’t follow me?” 

TO’s ears dipped down, “Why would I follow you?” They asked. 

 

Lendulin released a relieved breath, which turned into sudden laughter. “I… I’m sorry.” She said between barks of suppressed mirth, “I thought you were threatening me! You know, ‘if you don’t want me to call the authorities, you’d better do as I say.”

 

 TO felt their ears flush, “Apologies.” They said, “While my Common is good in terms of language and grammar, sometimes I get tone mixed up. What I meant is…” They paused, trying to consider their words so that they’d be understood regardless of tone. “I will not call the authorities; it’s clear the idea makes you uncomfortable. Unrelated; we would like to help you, if you’d allow us .” 

“We’re not getting this chair moving.” DH said once more in Synth Speak as they looked over the wheel, “Not unless you have something we can put under the broken wheel to let us push her.”

“I can think of supplies on the ship, but I’m not leaving her here alone to go to the ship and come back.” 

“Well, unless you want to carry her, I don’t know what other options we have.” They said with their ears pinned back. As they looked up to TO, their ears flicked out slightly in confusion at TO’s very serious look. 

“And sometimes, the simplest solutions are the best.” TO said seriously, “We carry her.”