Stars Rise

XLV. Cristo finds Stephen for a Little Chat

With a combination of darting into rooms, running down hallways and linking himself from floor to floor, Cristo searched Potestas Tower for Stephen Potestas.

The top item on his list before he left Invernali was getting Stephen Potestas alone for interrogation. Stephen had looked at the router and knew who connected the assassins to it. 

And he lied and said he didn't see anything.

Desperate and rushed, Cristo ended up looking for Stephen in the last place he should have been expected to be in the middle of the work day: his own rooms.

Stephen was a scholar, an academic and researcher who should have been at the labs at the university, or at Constellation — at the very least if he was home he should have been in the library, the router lab, or his offices downstairs.

There wasn't any reason Cristo could see for him to be in his own apartments in the middle of the day and his source, the future Stephen Potestas himself, hadn't said anything about that.

Yet from the penthouse foyer Cristo began up the stairs and down the hall that led to Stephen's rooms and found himself stepping in Stephen Potestas's footsteps down the corridor. Cristo quickened his pace and stepped loudly enough to not surprise Stephen, clicking his shoes on the floor.

Stephen glanced over his shoulder as Cristo caught up and slowed so they could walk side by side. They passed more than one guest bedroom in silence.

As they neared the end of the hall, Cristo said, "I need to speak with you privately. Can I come in?"

Stephen flung the double doors to his apartment open and said, "Certainly," as he strode across the sitting room. Cristo followed him, waited for both doors to crash open against the frames and swing back, and he stopped them with his palms so they would close softly behind him. Stephen had come to a stop in front of the liquor cabinet where he was filling a glass.

"It's still morning," said Cristo.

"Is it?" said Stephen. "Want one? It's a blended malt from Olus."

"No, thank you. Maybe you shouldn't either," he said. Stephen didn't answer but took a small drink. He was looking out his window, and Cristo joined him to see the white metropolis outside, bursting with the vital signs of a society at its pinnacle. Unaware that a society at its pinnacle has no way to go but down.

Snow covered the downtown streets and the sun got on into the afternoon over the city.

After the pause Stephen had a question that shocked Cristo with its insight. "This is about Nova Aurelian, isn't it?" he asked.

Cristo resisted turning to look at him. No, he was here to ask about the router. Not Nova. But going two for two for unexpected clarity, Stephen answered the unasked question. "I saw the way you glared at her. You're suspicious. I was hoping you would leave me out of it, I don't really know what you think she has to do with anything, but she doesn't. She certainly doesn't have anything to do with whoever wants to murder the boss."

"Well, now, I never said she had anything to do with that," Cristo insisted, and let Stephen rush to reply.

"I know—" he choked out. He stuttered as he went on, "But why else would you be so suspicious of her?"

"I'm not suspicious of her, exactly. I just wanted to ask you a few questions." He really wasn't supposed to spend his precious minutes letting Nova distract him — but his will was weak when it came to her. "How long have you known Aurelian Dasilva?"

"How long have you?" Stephen snapped. "You're the stranger here. Why do you get to ask the questions?"

"I more mean how long has she been close to your family," said Cristo, cutting off the confrontation with more calm than Stephen deserved right now.