The trip into Seattle had been a little hectic. Although both men had the proper forms for crossing the border, the guards were on high alert; the blackout had caused panic in the streets, and none of the border guards wanted the chaos to spill out of the city. They let Dan and Tama through; Dan made this trip fairly regularly, so nobody questioned his wanting to get in, even though this time he had a passenger.
The drive to Bellevue had been hectic, and taken over an hour. Tama sat quietly in the back, continuing to play his flute, and watching in his mind as the dream replayed itself. He was surprised to see some new images this time, showing a tall building, and brief flashes of a face. With the face came a feeling of anger, directed at whoever this man was, mingled with concern for…something? Someone? Both?
‘Well,’ the red-maned shaman thought, ‘that’s new.’ He still was unsure where to go when the truck pulled to a stop. Tama turned as Dan climbed out of the driver’s seat and worked his way around to face him.
“All right, chummer, this is as far as I can go,” Dan explained. “There ain’t no amount’a nuyen in the world that’d convince me ta stick around in this crazy drek-hole.”
Tama smiled at the ork. He’d taken him farther than he had expected, and for that, he was grateful. He showed this by including a little extra on the credstick he handed over as he leapt from the back. Dan held up a flash to check the amount, and his eyes widened when he saw it. “Th-th-this is more than we agreed,” he managed to stammer out.
Tama smiled again. “Hey, chummer, null sheen. You took me farther than I had any right to expect, and ya may’ve even gotten me a few closer t’what I’m lookin’ for. Consider it my way a’ sayin’ thanks.”
Dan considered this a moment, and Tama began to walk away to continue his search. The rings on his staff made a slight jingling as he walked. He was stopped by Dan’s voice calling out behind him.
“Hey TAMA!” he noticed the emphasis on his name, and smirked. “G’luck in yer struggles, omae! Take care o’ yerself, so ka?”
Tama turned, his ever-present smile widening a bit. “Likewise, chummer, likewise!”