Marcius nodded.
"The Krameans brought their crystals there as well, and many people were visualizing their thoughts in them. I'm not a big fan of all that, but I was passing by and was captivated by the memories of this one girl. What she saw was so daring and unusual! Her images were very clear, appearing in colour, which doesn't happen that often. Her talent dazzled me. I used her images in my play."
"How can we find the girl?" asked Marcius. "Surely you kept in touch?"
In sync with his question, Karii handed the director a tablet with diamond dust.
"Worse," said the man curtly, accepting the tablet. "I invited her to work with me. My interest was immediately noticed by her guardian, a sly haggard old man. We made a deal. I took them in, and in return she created for us the world you've just witnessed."
"So that's to say the girl and her guardian are here right now?" asked Karii.
"Yes," said the director, and lowering his voice, continued on a bit softer.
"I don't know where she'd seen that world, but I will say one thing: I'm thoroughly sick and tired of that suspicious couple. My project is done, and I have no further use for the acquaintance. On the contrary, your interest is evident, and if you offer them money and transportation, they'll tell you everything you want to know."
"Take us to them," Marcius whispered. "We'll do what it takes so that they bother you no more."
The director looked on, intrigued. He forgot all about his rush. It seems that his dislike for his guests was so great that he was willing to give them up immediately.
"Let's go," he said decisively and led them towards his ship, talking all the while: "The old man almost never leaves, sends the child to fetch what they need from the ruins. Its obvious they aren't related, seeing as the man is an Ionian, and the girl - an Oeelian.
Karii and Marcius looked at each other, but didn't interrupt.
"Yes, yes, a complete redhead, probably one of the last surviving. Their behavior is strange and suspicious. I think they're on the run."
The director presented this story as yet another performance, flaunting himself, dramatically playing out his role.
The theatre's ship was anchored at the very bottom of the dock. It was far from new, a little scraped up, but sturdy. It was spherical in shape, with many smaller spheres scattered along its surface like beads. It was clearly Pacifian, Pacifa being the only world where spherical shapes were prevalent. Each small sphere was someone's cabin. The entrance was wide open with no security, which gave away the poverty of the theatre.
They entered through the gateway into the core of the sphere. The space that harbored the stage was currently empty. The rounded walls and floors were evenly riddled with openings that led to the cabins. They were connected by narrow paths.
"Over here," said the director, pointing them towards one of the burrows, "I won't go with you, now you're on your own."
Marcius nodded, thanked him and started his descent down the vertical staircase, with Karii following behind. The passage ended with a round door. Marcius knocked on it a couple of times with his foot, but was left waiting - no one rushed to open up. He then got the idea to tap out the rhythm of military truce that was common to all Seven Worlds.
To his surprise, it worked immediately. There was a click and the door retracted into the wall. From below they were greeted by a pair of brilliant blue eyes. It was the girl, Oeelian in appearance, just like the director described. Her long red curly hair was braided into two thick braids. She looked at them fearlessly and with confidence, with no hint of bashfulness. Marcius smiled his friendliest smile.
"Hello," he greeted her.
The girl didn't reply, only gave him a playful wink. There was a wild, intense energy in her eyes, and Marcius couldn't hold her gaze for long.
The staircase descended automatically, bringing him down to the floor of the cabin. Still facing the child, he jumped down. Karii came down after him.
Marcius went straight to it:
"What you created for the play is unforgettably beautiful. We're only here to ask you where you've seen that world? Surely you must have seen it somewhere?"
Marcius asked the question in Oeelian, but she didn't understand. Then, remembering that her guardian was an Ionian, he translated the question into Ionian as best he could.
This time, she understood. She smiled and replied, "I don't know, my grandpa showed it to me."
"Where is he?" asked Marcius.
He barely finished speaking when he felt a cold object pressing to the back of his head - undoubtedly, an Ionian weapon. Marcius raised up his hands. Karii, standing in front of him, saw his shadow and without turning around, reached for the control panel at his belt.
"Took you long enough!" The phrase was said in Tulonian with an Ionian accent. "Turn around!"
Marcius and Karii slowly turned around.
The girl's guardian was indeed the spy they were looking for. Hiding in a theatre was a genius idea. In fact, this was exactly what the old man was known for - his cleverness and sharpness of wit.
"Praise be, I won't have to speak Ionian!" Karii exclaimed from behind Marius. "Only the gods know how difficult your language is for me!"
The stranger grinned at Karii's statement.
"I have been watching you ever since you landed," he said.
The old man's appearance matched the description. His eyes glimmered multicolor in the light, just like Iona at different times of day. They dulled, and then lit up again. In those same eyes, surrounded by countless small wrinkles, was a trace of something lively, childish and playful. The outlines of contact lenses were visible in his eyes. They were the kind that afforded nocturnal vision. He wore a long black hooded robe, wrinkled and shabby. Behind him were various round screens showing Girius from different points. The cabin was cramped and filled to the brim with Ionian equipment.
The girl ran over to him and grabbing onto the folds of his clothing, huddling close to him. The presence of a child beside a criminal and a spy was disorienting. It didn't seem like this guardianship was inspired by feelings of affection, although the child was lively and outgoing, likely even happy. She spoke Ionian fluently, as if it was her native tongue. She had no knowledge of Oeelian, therefore she must have been with the old man from a very young age - he was likely the only one who could tell Marcius the truth about the world that she'd seen.
"So you were sent to me with an assignment," he confirmed, putting a wrinkled hand around the girl.
"Yes," said Marcius, a little bewildered. He was taken off guard, not knowing whether to start with his orders from Indro or with his question about the world that the girl had seen, and there was a lot at stake.
"I didn't expect you to find me," admitted the old man.
"To be honest, we expected you to find us first," said Marcius.
"What for? So that you could lead the Ionians onto me?"
Marcius stood completely still, his fingers numbing with cold. The old man knew that they were in affinity with Iona and wanted him dead.
"I served Tulona faithfully for many years," started the old man.
"You also served Krama!" Karii retorted.
"Yes, everyone who paid well," he smiled.
Iza kept his gun pointed at Marcius, who couldn't understand why he hesitated to shoot, especially since he knew the real purpose of their visit. The most reasonable course of action would be to shoot them, take their money and run. The old man answered this question himself, as if reading his mind:
"I would have already shot you by now if not for your partner, who's standing behind you with all those explosives."
Marcius looked at him carefully. He even knew about the bomb in Karii's bag. It's true, a shot would have triggered an explosion that would've wiped them all out, along with half the theatre.