"Cough... hahaha. Looks like you're in a good... mood today, Miss Planner."
"Is that right?"

"Yeah. You're smiling, and your eyes look... pretty."
"Hehehe... I was thinking the same thing about you. You're very handsome when you smile. Just give me a moment to turn all my computers off and we can head down to the cafeteria."

"I was thinking... we could go somewhere else tonight... cough."
"Oh? What did you have in mind?"

"Well, I know a nice place that's open late... we could go there instead. It's called... cough... the Lucky Duck Cafe. Hahaha!"
"Hmm... sure, okay. That sounds nice. Is it far from here?"

"No, not really... haha. We could walk there. It's about half a mile, I guess... but it's a lovely night... the stars are out and everything... haha... let's take a walk. Cough."
"Yeah, it is a nice night out... okay. I'm ready. Let's get going."

Though at one point Miss Planner and Black Smoke were eating dinner together almost every day, at some point they stopped. Of course, that was because Miss Planner had a bad habit of getting too absorbed in her work. When Miss Planner was wrapped up in working on her new experimental armor, she frequently forgot to eat and didn't even bother changing her clothes or bathing for days at a time. Now that she was more-or-less back to her normal self, she was slowly starting to get back into her normal routine.

Black Smoke hadn't been working as hard as Miss Planner, but he was still attempting to keep himself busy. His loosely-defined position of 'Assistant to the General Manager' came with zero formal responsibilities so he spent most of his time walking around the Tower learning the ins and outs of the Chosen Ones' operations. And recently, he'd set himself to the monumental task of reuniting the Animal Brotherhood under the Chosen Ones' banner. He'd recruited ten former Brothers in the course of a week, and was in contact with several more. Black Smoke was convinced that his former gang would soon become the backbone of the Chosen Ones' fighting forces.

The pair of psychics walked side-by-side across the East Park Square, where the city's low-rent district gave way to grassy fields and open parkland. It was a cool night and there weren't many people out and about. The cool evening breeze ruffled their clothes and played with Black Smoke's short, coarse hair. The skinny and pale man was wearing a tough black-leather jacket over a clean dress shirt and slacks. Miss Planner was wearing a black vest with a splashy red necktie over a white long-sleeved blouse and a black skirt.

"What are you thinking about, Smoke?"
"Haaa... I'm thinking about how good it feels to be... on the winning side, for once. Cough. It's a nice feeling."

Miss Planner took a deep breath and glanced over at Black Smoke with a relaxed smile on her face.

"Maybe we should get a little ahead of ourselves and celebrate by going out for drinks tonight."
"That's... not a bad idea. I think we both deserve it. Cough cough. Hahaha!"
"Yeah. Dinner first, though. Let's pick up the pace a little. I'm starving."

The pair moved on at a slightly quicker pace. As they left the square and passed through Grandebelle's commercial district, the bright lights, big signs, and diverse collection of shops and restaurants made the streets feel almost festive.

The two lonely souls walked close together, laughing and smiling to themselves while they enjoyed each other's company. Finally, they arrived at their destination: the Lucky Duck Cafe, a small, quiet, out-of-the way restaurant. The pair entered and sat at a table in the far corner. After they gave their order to the waitress, Black Smoke turned to his companion.

"So, how was... your day? You were observing the new... head of security, right? Cough."
"Well, he hasn't been officially promoted yet, but yes. He's really learning his role quickly. With him in charge, the security division might be even stronger than it is now with Elder Presence running things... anyway, it was another fine day at the office. You?"

"Oh, you know... watching and learning, nothing special. Cough. Did some research. Some of the boys are getting out of prison soon... I'm going to go visit them. Cough."
"Well, that's great! I'm sure they'll be happy to see you."

"Cough. Haha. I wouldn't count on it... but it's okay. They're still my Brothers. We'll take care of them... when they get out. Isn't that right?"
"Yeah. Of course we'll take care of them."

The waitress brought their drinks and they both sat in silence for a moment, sipping their beverages and enjoying their short reprieve from the labors of the working day. Just as they were both about to speak again, the waitress returned with their food. Miss Planner ordered a rib-eye steak and a basket of fried fish, and Black Smoke ordered a messy plate of ribs. The waitress left them be with their meals and they continued their conversation.

"Our research division got a new pet today. Do you know about Feeders? The Hounds brought one in."
"Cough. Never seen one myself... they're the skinny little guys that eat kids, right? Haha."
"This one's not so little... he weighs at least three hundred pounds. His body is strong, but mentally, he's weak. Here he is..."

Miss Planner pulled up some pictures on her phone. The monstrous man with bulging red eyes and a long, skinny body covered in black scales was strapped to some kind of horrible machine that looked like a cross between an industrial washing machine and a medieval torture device. There was a hose attached to the monster's chest and an IV needle stuck into its arm.

"Cough. What a beauty. I'm impressed the Hounds... could catch it. It must've eaten a lot of people to get that big... cough. It'd probably make a good weapon if we could train it to obey us... hmm hmm... maybe."

"Well, it's pretty much dead. Most captive Feeders die within a few weeks, even if you let them eat their fill. They might not live very long in general. We're trying to get as much data as we can... and then we'll study its corpse, too."

"I wonder what it was like... before it became a Feeder. I'm guessing there's no way of knowing. Cough. He's just a mass of meat now, huh?"
"He's very obedient. I want to think he was a gentle person who loved children, once upon a time."

"Maybe. Maybe he was a sicko like me. Hahaha! Oh, here's our waitress. Cough! Cough! Ch... check please!"