Like the exterior, the inside of the diner was much the same as it had been when I’d left Shiftertown – rows of orange and black booths along both walls, tables scattered in the open space between, and a bar dominating the center that stood bastion between the dining area and the kitchen. It was around ten in the morning, and though the place wasn’t packed a good portion of the booths and tables were taken up.
I chose a seat at the bar, the best place for me to listen around and strike up a conversation if needed, and ordered a stack of pancakes since I hadn’t had time for breakfast this morning. The food arrived quickly, and I tuned my sensitive ears into the buzz of conversation around me, hoping to hear something of interest.
“… we’re going on vacation to Naraka next weekend,” a woman was saying, her voice high pitched with excitement. “I can’t wait!”
“Naraka?” the other woman asked, sounding amazed. “That’s across the Western Sea, isn’t it?”
“It’s a nation of islands, right off the coast of Garai,” the woman said. “We’ve never had the money to go abroad before, and my mate is so excited!”
“… I’m going to invest in the mining business,” someone else, a male, was saying, his voice lower than the woman’s. “Someone recently told me about a great opportunity in the mines up north.”
“Mining?” another male scoffed. “I’ve never taken you for a businessman before. Listen, pay off your house and buy up as many supplies as you can. With the rebellion coming, you don’t know how the economic landscape’s going to change.”
I gave my plate a bewildered frown as I continued listening to the conversations in the room. About half the people here seemed to be talking about finances -- investments or vacations or paying off debts – which I wasn’t used to hearing from shifters. Most of us don’t have a ton of money, and the conversations I remembered when Roanas used to bring me here usually revolved around the shifter community’s discontent with the status quo. But today everybody seemed hopeful, optimistic even.
“Hey there.” A male tiger shifter with dark, shaggy hair and orange eyes sat down on the bar stool next to mine. “Don’t think I’ve seen you around here before.”
“I’m not from around here.” I smiled, dragging my attention from my thoughts and focusing them on the male next to me. “Just visiting from Parabas, actually,” I said, pulling the first town that came to mind – the city up north that Lakin had transferred from.
“Oh really?” the male’s eyes brightened. “It’s beautiful up there – so much greener than Northern Canalo.”
“True, but Solantha Bay is lovely too,” I gushed, easily slipping into the role of tourist. I’d spoken to enough of them that I knew how to behave like one. “The Firegate Bridge is just spectacular. Have you ever walked across it?”
We chatted together for a little while as I finished my pancakes, and though I tried to keep things friendly it was clear the guy was trying to hit on me. So after I was done, I reached into the money pouch tied to my belt to settle up so I could head out.
“Oh don’t worry about that,” the male said, pulling out a pandanum coin and several bronze ones from a large money pouch. “I’ve got it.”
“No kidding.” I stared down at the pouch, wondering how I hadn’t noticed it before. “Say, I noticed a lot of people seem to be flush in these parts. Did the Canalo government give some kind of handout to the shifters here?”
“Oh, you mean this?” the male laughed, hefting his pouch. “No, this definitely isn’t from the government. This is thanks to Sandin Federal Bank.”
“Sandin Federal Bank?” I blinked. They were one of the largest human-owned banks in the Northia Federation. “They’re handing out free money now?”
“Practically,” the male said with a grin. “They’ve been advertising interest-free loans specifically for shifters, and a lot of us have cashed in on them.”
“Seriously?” I sat up straight and looked around the room again. “That explains why everyone’s talking about going on vacation.” Maybe I could cash in on some of this “free” money too. I was certainly going to need it if the Chief Mage wouldn’t let me get back to making a living soon.
“Yeah, no kidding. My parents are planning a trip to the East Coast.” His eyes twinkled. “Maybe I’ll go up and visit Parabas sometime, see if you’re in town.”
“Oh sure,” I said with false enthusiasm. “You should definitely do that.” I made a show of checking my watch. “Sorry, but I’m gonna be late for a meeting. I’d better go.”
“Wait!” he grabbed my arm. “Are you sure I can’t buy you a drink later?”
Later on, he wouldn’t even recognize me. But rather than turn him down, I scribbled a fake phone number onto a napkin, then made a quick exit, heading for my bike in the back. I had one more stop, and then I needed to haul my ass to the Palace before the Mages Guild decided to do it for me.
5