“It does. You look different.” I narrow my eyes, trying to decide what’s changed.
“I cut some of my hair off.”
“Oh, shit! Yes, you did. I like it. It suits you.”
“Males wear their hair shorter on Mistveil. I did it to blend in. I might cut it even shorter. I’ll see how I feel.” He shrugs.
I want to ask him if he’s picking up some shit for being a Draiger, but I don’t. It’s too soon for heavy talk.
“How was the flight?”
“Short. I love taking the chopper. I can’t wait until I can make the trip on my own steam, though. It must be awesome to shift at will.” He groans.
“I would say it isn’t, but I’d be lying,” I tell him. “How long until the vaccination clears your system?”
“A couple of weeks. Too long, if you ask me. Everyone shifts on Mistveil. It’s the way most people get around. I mean, there are cars and other forms of transport, but shifting is normal.”
We get onto the main road. The evening traffic is moving nicely. We have plenty of time to get there, so I’m not worried.
“And workwise. How’s it going?” I ask. “And I want the actual answer. Not the one for the reports.”
He looks out the window. “The frontline is further along than I expected. They’ve got the positioning right, which is more than I thought when I first saw the original layout. Their training is great. The staff they have are fantastic, but the problem is that they don’t have sufficient staff to man the whole frontline, or for relief staff. At this point, no one can go on vacation. It’s seven days on and one day off.”
“That won’t work long-term.”
“You’re telling me. We’re working on it. We’ve just done a big recruitment drive. New staff are being trained. It’ll all be up and running soon. It’s going to be a matter of ensuring that all the scheduling is done correctly to avoid too many junior staff being on the same rotation.”
“I hear you.” I nod. “It sounds like you have it under control.”
“The changes won’t happen overnight, but we’ll get there.”
“Our frontline isn’t going anywhere,” I tell him.
“Thank fuck for that, or we’d have the same problem as before.”
“I take it that there still hasn’t been any news on the missing females’ whereabouts?”
“Nope.” He shakes his head.
I nod. “And the reintegration setup?” I ask, changing the subject.
“That’s the part that’s going to take longer.” He stretches his neck to one side. “Mistveil needs to recruit therapists and doctors. Once again, the levels of safety measures required are enormous, and we just don’t have the resources at this stage. The facilities themselves will need to meet certain criteria if they’re going to work. I’ve put together a proposal. I’m waiting for the green light on the first facility.”
“Sounds good.”
“Again, these things don’t happen overnight.” He shrugs. “The males they’re trying to bring back from feral status aren’t that far gone. A few of them have real potential. We need to reach them. Make sure that they are aware of what we are trying to do.”
“And then try not to get yourselves killed during the setup.”
“Exactly.” He widens his eyes.
I take the road that will eventually lead us out to the chapel. It’s warm and muggy. I’m praying that the rain holds off for the wedding next weekend.
“And Mistveil itself?” I ask. “How do you like it?”
He considers this. “It’s different.”
“Different good or different…not so good?”
