"It's okay.", she says as she wipes her tears with a handkerchief. You hear her sniffle faintly. "Go on, I'll be okay." She musters to give you a pained smile.

You recognise Quick Bites, a popular convenience store, among a stretch of fast-food restaurants. Almost every store on the block holds a promotion, just for this day.

You take time to look at what each establishment has to offer, so that you can decide on the deal which appeals to your palate and budget most. As you pass by an electronics shop sandwiched between two restaurants, a breaking news report comes up in the television sets on display.

"This is Nicole Potenger for News Now.

Aria Serosa, primary suspect for the Lower Ziara killings, escaped from the Lower Ziaran Prison at three in the morning."

"I appreciate that you care. I really do.", she says, holding on to her handkerchief tightly. "Barely anyone in the city pays attention to the people around them. I can't blame them. Everyone's busy." Her voice carries a hint of lamentation.

"That's true.", you respond. Seeing homeless people in the street is such a common occurrence that it's more convenient to keep walking than to stop and at least establish eye contact with them. If someone is hurt, someone else can call emergency services or a paramedic. Emergency responders and other health care workers, themselves, are prone to compassion fatigue. Problems preoccupy the minds of most people.

"Would you like to take a walk?", you offer.

"Are you sure you don't have to go somewhere else?", she asks.

You reassure her that it's fine. Maybe both of you can go get something to eat. You lead her to the strip of food establishments close to the city hall.

You recognise Quick Bites, a popular convenience store, among a stretch of fast-food restaurants. Almost every store on the block holds a promotion, just for this day.

You take time to look at what each establishment has to offer, so that you can decide on the deal which appeals to your palate and budget most. As you pass by an electronics shop sandwiched between two restaurants, a breaking news report comes up in the television sets on display.

"This is Nicole Potenger for News Now.

Aria Serosa, primary suspect for the Lower Ziara killings, escaped from the Lower Ziaran Prison at three in the morning."

You recognise Quick Bites, a popular convenience store, among a stretch of fast-food restaurants. Almost every store on the block holds a promotion, just for this day.

You take time to look at what each establishment has to offer, so that you can decide on the deal which appeals to your palate and budget most. As you pass by an electronics shop sandwiched between two restaurants, a breaking news report comes up in the television sets on display.

"This is Nicole Potenger for News Now.

Aria Serosa, primary suspect for the Lower Ziara killings, escaped from the Lower Ziaran Prison at three in the morning."

"A random inmate count at 3:30 in the morning revealed that Serosa was missing.

An investigation within the prison and its immediate perimeter ruled out prison violence.

No leads were found among inmates who were assigned to the same cell as Serosa.

Authorities reported that Serosa was not found in a preliminary search conducted in the Galaxan Wastelands and the Coda Caves.

The Atebus Immigration Office imposed a travel ban on Serosa, who is believed to still be in Atebus.

If you have any information about Aria Serosa, please report it to the Ziaran Police Department."

A waiter on standby welcomes you inside the pizza place and asks you how many people you're with. As soon as you mention that you're alone, he offers you the menu with some of the common flavours -- Cheese, Pepperoni, Hawaiian, Sausage, and Vegetable, among others -- along with house specialties such as the Deep Dish Pi Pie and the Belle Pepper. The pitcher of water on your table is a 1-litre Erlenmeyer flask, and your glass is a 50-mL beaker.

You peruse the menu for the flavour that appeals to you most, and place your order. The waiter assures you that you'll have your pizza in less than 10 minutes. You take out your phone so that you can use it to kill some time, when someone approaches your table.

"Excuse me, is this seat taken?", he asks as he points at the seat in front of you.

You tell him that it's not. He nods and thanks you, taking his seat. He proceeds to prop up his laptop on the table and unfold it. While he types away on his keyboard, your order arrives. That was faster than you thought.

The waiter says, "Here's your order. May I assist you with anything else?"

You shake your head in response. The man in front of you asks for a menu, upon which the waiter leaves your table. You do not pay him any mind as you take a slice of your pizza and place it on your plate. Admittedly, ordering a single slice would have been more manageable for you, but you can always ask the waiter to package your leftovers to-go.

"Have you ever thought of meeting someone who looks exactly like you?", the man in front of you asks, not looking up from his laptop. "Are you curious to find out what kind of life your doppelgänger has? Their family, their friends, their work…"

Unsure whether he's talking to you or the waiter, you do not respond to his question.

"I'll be back with your order, sir. Just push the buzzer if you want something else." The waiter returns with a menu and hands it over to the man in front of you, whose eyes are still focused on his work.

The man continues, "Wouldn't it be interesting to experience living as your lookalike, even for a day?"

You approach the counter and look at the menu above it. By the looks of it, this is a fast-food place, although it did not immediately give off that kind of ambience. You place your order and pay for your meal, before taking a seat close to the counter. You take out your phone so that you can use it to kill some time, when someone approaches your table.

"Excuse me, is this seat taken?", he asks as he points at the seat in front of you.

You tell him that it's not. He nods and thanks you, taking his seat. He proceeds to prop up his laptop on the table and unfold it. While he types away on his keyboard, you tinker with your phone, browsing the latest posts of your friends and family on social media. Somehow, the noise from multiple conversations going on around you, all at once, becomes more tolerable.

A waiter walks past your table, carrying a tray that has your order. He searches the tables close to the front door, before returning to the direction of the counter and serving your food to another person. Oh well.

After a few moments, a waitress approaches your table. "Here's your order. Is there anything missing?"

You shake your head and thank her, in response. The man in front of you asks for a menu, upon which the waitress leaves your table. You do not pay him any mind as you start to eat your food.

"Isn't it great that we still enjoy the food that our ancestors once ate?", the man in front of you asks, not looking up from his laptop. "Take a look at honey, poultry, soup, and all those delicacies we know and love."

Unsure whether he's talking to you or the waitress, you do not respond to his question.

"I'll be back with your order, sir." The waitress returns with a menu and hands it over to the man in front of you, whose eyes are still focused on his work.

The man continues, "If you had the chance to go back in time and see ancient civilisations with your own two eyes, would you do it?"

Tables with umbrellas at the centre are on both sides of the stall. You find a vacant seat, and take out your phone so that you can use it to kill some time, when someone approaches your table.

"Excuse me, is this seat taken?", he asks as he points at the seat in front of you.

You tell him that it's not. He nods and thanks you, taking his seat. He proceeds to prop up his laptop on the table and unfold it. While he types away on his keyboard, you tinker with your phone, browsing the latest memes your friends posted on social media.

A waitress walks past your table, carrying two trays, each with a bucket of chicken drumsticks. She searches the tables close to the counter and serves the buckets to the people who ordered for them.

"Here's your order.", says a waiter. "Please enjoy!"

You thank him. The man in front of you follows his order up, and asks the waiter to serve him what you ordered, instead. You do not pay him any mind as you start to eat your food.

"Do you think there are other worlds with other sentient life forms out there?", the man in front of you asks, not looking up from his laptop. "If there were other intelligent beings in the universe, would they enslave us in the future, or can we conquer them? We successfully set up a city in the moon, so I would not be surprised if we can travel to other planets in our lifetimes!"

Unsure whether he's talking to you or the waiter, you do not respond to his question.

His eyes focused on his work, he continues, "If some other rock in outer space is habitable, would you like to live there?"

I can't help but think the husband is related to some shady business. Chemical engineering... maybe weapons of war?

The HA is very telling I think. He looks tired but he's also got a laptop and a suit on, so he's definitely up to something!