“You’re early,” Greasy Hair said. 

“I like to make a good impression,” JJ said. 

Greasy Hair sneered, his three lackeys behind him. JJ had spent most of the last hour outside of Howin where prying eyes couldn’t nose around his business. He might have been a bit too paranoid; given the average intelligence level of Howin’s residents, they might have figured he was only playing around with his wristband. Which, in fact, was true. 

JJ had downloaded and tested a recording application. Its sound quality was high, able to discern voices clearly even while inside JJ’s hoodie-pocket. And JJ had linked the app to a hotkey, so all he had to do to start the app was push a button at the side of his wristband. 

JJ smiled at the band of thugs as they sauntered toward him. With a little time to spare, JJ decided to wait at the meet-up location. Greasy Hair’s sneer only worsened. 

“You’re failin’ at that,” Greasy Hair said. “Follow us.” 

It appeared Greasy Hair defined the word ‘us’ liberally, as only he walked before JJ. Two of the others flanked JJ, while the knife-happy one, Franky, walked close behind. Not like a little wind wouldn’t fling them away if things turned violent. 

They reached an alley ten minutes later. It was a dead-end, only having two dumpsters near the middle. 

“So where’s the–” JJ started. 

A thick sack blocked his vision, then its opening squeezed tight around his neck, cutting off his air. Before JJ’s lungs could depress to give him wind, a jolting pain struck his back and arched through his whole body. He seized, unable to move. Last he recalled, he hit the ground with a thud. 

A brisk breeze swept Mav’s unzipped vest aside, exposing more of his upper torso. He closed his eyes, focusing. He hardly noticed the cold, with the years of bearing his body to far more frigid temperatures. Still, he concentrated on it. If he hadn’t, his frustration would force him to sprint back and forth down the sidewalk, instead of walk alongside Maren. 

He’d already vented his anger at the cafe. It wouldn’t be right for him to do it again so quickly. Especially with how calm Maren was acting. She scrolled through her tablet, eyes scanning the screen, hungry, her focus intense. 

“Watcha looking at?” Mav asked. 

“The site that provides camera locations,” Maren said, flashing the screen which was filled with tiny text. 

“You can see that?” 

Maren nodded. “The government can’t legally film you on the street without declaring it, so they have street cameras located. Businesses also need to register to film outside their buildings.” 

“Why’re you doing that?” 

“So we can go to the police and tell them the situation, just in case. It’s possible that, since we’re looking for a missing person, they’ll let us see a video feed at his last known location...” 

Now Mav sensed her rising frustration. “But...” 

Maren shoved the tablet in Mav’s face, her ears burning red. “Howin! There’s not a single operational camera in the whole neighborhood!” 

“Weird,” Mav said. “If it’s full of crime, why’s the government not watching them?” 

“They were.” Maren returned to scrolling. “But all the street cameras were repeatedly vandalized, so the city got tired of fixing them. And the businesses that registered cameras were either boycotted or defaced.” 

Mav whistled. “This neighborhood really doesn’t want to be seen.” 

“There have to be cameras,” Maren said. “Just unregistered with the mayor’s office. But those likely won’t help us find this elusive JJ guy.” 

“Thought about asking the locals?” 

Maren opened her mouth, then closed it. “That’s... not a bad idea.” 

Mav nodded sagely. “I get them sometimes.” 

“According to Paul, JJ took out a drug dealer and some clients. They’re being held in prison for now. I’m sure a lot of characters around here aren’t happy with him.” 

“Then they might tell us where he is so we can take him away. Or maybe people will be happy he helped get a drug dealer off the streets and want to help us. It’s not like everyone in a bad neighborhood is a bad person.” 

“I know, but you also never know if the person we ask is related to the dealer, or his clients...” Maren sighed. “Alright! Let’s head to where JJ attacked those people. See if there’s someone nearby who’s willing to help.” 

Near the alley Paul had told them about, there was a barber shop, a convenience store, and a clothing store along the street, all open. They looked run-down compared to stores in other parts of the city, but customers walked through each one, either buying supplies or trimming their hair. 

“Maybe one of the shop owners saw something,” Maren said. 

A clatter from a nearby alley drew Mav’s attention. “I’ll join you in a sec.” 

“Could just be a stray cat,” Maren said, walking to the store. “But if it’s not, please don’t get us in too much trouble.” 

“When have I done that?” 

Maren shook her head, rolling her eyes. “Just stay safe.” 

“You too.” 

It wasn’t a cat, but there were three people on all fours, crawling near a dumpster, faces close to the ground like they were looking for a contact. Maybe I can help. 

Mav stepped forward, raising his hand. “Hey guys! Can I–?” 

Two of them leaped up, one reaching into his pocket. Mav lunged forward, slapping his hand down on the closest man’s wrist, preventing him from drawing a knife. A quick open-palm to the sternum dropped him. The second man who’d risen was already throwing a punch. It was wide and slow, and the man’s thumb was placed before his forefinger. Mav slid beneath the strike and chopped the man’s rib. Mav grabbed him by the shirt with one hand as he fell and placed his fist before the guy’s eyes. 

“That will break your thumb,” Mav said, showing him how he’d held his fist, then changed it to the proper position. “That’s how you hold a fist for a punch.” 

Mav then punched the man in the gut, toppling him. The third man was crawling away, at least twenty feet down the alley, and was pulling out a pistol. 

“Flashfire Rocket!” 

The small explosion let Mav close the distance. He kicked the firearm out of the man’s hand, then landed over the crawler and brought a fist back. But the strike never came. Remember, ask questions and let them answer before hitting. 

Mav gripped the man by the shoulders and propped him up. His blue eyes were wide and his chest was heaving. It was hard to get an honest answer from someone so scared they were close to hyperventilating. Time to calm him down. 

Mav pinned him against a wall. “Calm down.” 

Strangely, the man’s breathing hastened. 

“Sorry,” Mav said, letting go. “It’s alright. I won’t hurt you.” 

The man glanced at his friends, one groaning while the other gasped for air. 

“That was self-defense,” Mav said. “I’m not here to hurt you. I’m looking for a guy.” 

The man glared, not trying to hide his suspicion. 

“Not one of you, don’t worry,” Mav said. “His name’s JJ. He’s a little shorter than me, has brown hair, hazel eyes, ears that stick out a bit. Oh! And he’s a Wind Weaver. Supposedly he’s been coming down here a lot.” 

The man’s expression softened, only slightly. “What d’ya want with ‘im?” 

“To get him out of here,” Mav said. “Bring him back home.” 

The man nodded, dusting himself off. “The dude dusted off one of Aidan’s boys, couple hours ago. Made ‘im lose some credits, so Aidan’s none too happy with ‘im, get it?” 

“Uh-huh.” 

“But this guy comes to Aidan. They have a chat, he leaves, then comes back.” 

“Go on.” 

“They probly dustin’ ‘im right now.” 

“Interesting.” 

The guy blinked. “Bro, you understand what I’m sayin’?” 

“Of course,” Mav said, scratching the back of his head. 

“Mav!” Maren’s voice called from the end of the alley. “What are you doing?” 

The one Mav punched was sitting up now, back against the wall. The other was still on all fours, but his breath was coming in easier. 

“Making friends,” Mav said. 

Maren ran over to him, wrapped in her blanket. “Why do you always choose violence?” 

“It was self-defense!” 

“My boys attacked because he came outta nowhere,” the man said. 

“I came from the street.” 

“Quiet, and all threatenin’ like.” 

“I called out! I thought you were looking for a contact and wanted to help.” 

The man blinked. “Bro, Aidan lost some valuable shit here. We was... uh... tryin’ to clean it up and throw it away. So no children find it.” 

“Look, I’m not that dumb,” Mav said. 

Maren palmed her forehead. “So you admit you’re… never mind. Can we get out of here? I was only able to ask one person before I heard your little explosion. It spooked people, Mav.” 

“I didn’t mean to scare anyone,” Mav said. “But I know where JJ is now.” 

Maren doubled-back. “You do? Where?” 

“My new buddy told me.” 

The man groaned. “As I said, guy’s probly dusted. Aidan ain’t one to forgive easy. And that Weaver-dude walked straight into ‘is trap.” 

Maren’s eyes narrowed. “Where did JJ meet Aidan?” 

“Why d’ya need to know?” 

“Because that’s the best place to start looking for him. So either let me know, or we won’t ignore you and your friends scrounging for scraps of spores. Unless you want a cell next to Aidan’s boy?” 

The man sighed. “Shit ain’t worth that.” 

Maren smiled. “The place, then.”