You Never Forget Your First Time (in the Inland)

Part II: Acclimation

When Angelica returned to her hotel after leaving "Green is the Forest" during intermission, she went straight to the bar in the hotel's restaurant. She was not at all surprised that she did not recognize any of the brands of vodka that were on the shelf. She figured this lack of surprise must be part of getting "acclimated" to the Inland.

The bartender was unusually tall, making her feel grateful that she and her husband had paid extra for cosmetic modifications to control height when they had their kids. Some physical features, like height, could not be changed with cosmetic surgery and were therefore the parents' responsibility to correct before birth.

Poor guy, she thought. His parents probably couldn't afford those modifications.

She gave him a sympathetic look and knew she would leave an extra large tip for him. It was the least she could do for this poor soul who had clearly had a tough life since he had to live in this place.

To her surprise, he was charming and sweet and kind, and it only made her heart break for him even more. He probably had too much pride to act as pathetic as his life was.

"Tom's sweet, isn't he?" the Coastal woman sitting next to her said.

"Who?" Angelica asked.

The Coastal woman motioned toward the tall bartender. "Tom. He's nice, but don't be fooled. I've seen him physically throw out a few rowdy ones. He can hold his own."

Scared, Angelica looked around.

"Relax," the Coastal woman said. "It's rare that anything like that happens in the Coastal District. And when it does, it's the Coastals who get into it. Trust me, I come here all the time."

"You do?"

"My employer owns a few factories in the area, and I come every other week to hold a meeting with the managers."

"Owns?" Angelica asked, impressed. With 95% of the businesses in The Sectors being owned by the government, she had never met anyone who worked for a private company.

The woman held out her hand. "Paola."

Angelica shook Paola's hand and introduced herself.

"Do you always stay in this hotel?" Angelica asked.

"Yes, it's the best one here," Paola answered. "I've stayed in most of them, including ones outside the Coastal District."

Angelica's eyes widened. "You've been outside the Coastal District?"

Paola leaned in and whispered, "I've even been to Lower Inland."

Angelica's jaw dropped. "What is it like?" she whispered.

"I have a contact who could show you. Taxi drivers won't take Coastals outside the Coastal District except to the airport--it's not allowed if you don't have official business--but I know someone with a car who will. She could even drive you by the Purebred Community or the prison, if you're feeling adventurous."

After a moment of just staring at Paola, hardly believing anyone could have such courage, Angelica said, simply, "No. No, I'm not adventurous at all. Why would anyone want to do that?"

"Thrill tourism."

Angelica took a drink. She couldn't imagine anyone wanting to leave the Coastal District, but then she thought of the Coastal she had seen at the restaurant and at "Green is the Forest." She had wondered why he was with a Purebred Inlander, and now she wondered if that was a form of "thrill tourism," getting some kind of thrill gambling with the risks that came with interacting with a Purebred Inlander.