“So the plan is settled then,” Orion said. “Imogen will take Mimi to sell the wands we found in the Humming Forest. Juniper and I will network and find some new missions or locations to scour. And the rest of you will be sure to just enjoy yourselves. We’ve been working hard lately, and you all deserve a fun night on the town.”

Helio chimed in, “ We will arrive at 13:00 local time, so the sun will have already set by then. The Chimera will be parked overnight in the harbor, so feel free to embark and disembark as you please. However, we aim to depart tomorrow at 06:00, so please return at least an hour before that.”

“Ok everyone, enjoy your day off on the ship, and let’s regroup at 12:00 for dinner, and then we will deboard together after that,” Juniper said standing up. “Meeting adjourned. Hop to everyone; disperse!”

The Dynamos left the bridge and went about their day aboard the Chimera. Juniper headed to the greenhouse off of the laboratory to meditate. Mimi joined her there to sketch some of the plants in her research journal. Delta went to the kitchen to start preparing food for the group and Bo joined, partially to learn some more about cooking, but also to be able to snack all day. Imogen made their way to the lab to grab the wands she had been studying before whisking them away to the library for more research. Fig and Salem first went to their room together and hung out there for a while before making their way to the rumpus room to play with the instruments and games. Vesper, Ash, Nico, and Helio all went to the gym where Vesper and Helio chatted while on treadmills, and Ash and Nico sparred on the mats. Orion stayed behind on the bridge to make sure the ship stayed its course and to work on their favorite task; data management and cleanup.

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Around 12:00, everyone convened and had dinner together in the mess hall. Delta and Bo brought out bowls of a hearty stew they had made; enough to keep everyone energized but light enough so they would still have room to sample the snacks at the market.

Afterward, Orion landed the ship in the dry harbor and spoke into the intercom, “We have arrived. The time is 13:13; make a wish and have fun!” And so the Dynamos disembarked the Chimera and made their way across the dry harbor to the Night Market. It was about a 15-minute walk along the paved path along the water’s edge. They could see the glowing bustle of the market in the distance with the quiet town of Calendula in the background.

They eventually reached their destination and split off into small groups and made their way into the wooden structure that was the Night Market.

Bo turned to Ash and admitted, “I’ve never actually been to the Night Market before. This is my first time.”

“Well, then I’ll take you around! I grew up here and would come almost every night.” Ash bolted ahead of the group, turning to call out to Bo, “Come on! You have to see the Feasting Grounds first.”

“Oh! Ok, yeah!” Bo said starting to jog to keep up with Ash. The two of them passed through the entrance and dove headlong into the fray. Bo’s senses were immediately overwhelmed by the shouting of the vendors, the dozens of ever-changing scents, the kaleidoscopic luminescence emitting from the lanterns strung up above the stall, and the warmth of the bodies packed into these narrow corridors.

Ash guided the pair down the maze-like pathways — left, left, forward, right, squeeze through a narrow gap between two stalls, left, forward, forward, right. They bobbed and weaved through the crowded narrow passageways. Bo clung to Ash’s hand so he wouldn’t stumble or lose track of his friend.

“Hey! Watch where you’re going!” someone called out as Ash and Bo dove past a delivery person precariously balancing a stack of boxes in their arms. The smallest parcel from the top of the pile fell off amid the hustle and bustle, but Bo stopped to pick it up and apologize to the courier. Ash paused for a moment and turned around when she noticed that Bo was no longer following behind.

“We’re almost there! Just a little further,” Ash beckoned to Bo.

Bo’s stomach gurgled a little. He stood back up and walked over to Ash. “I’m starving! But can we just walk this last bit? I wanna take in the sights a little more.” Ash nodded and the two walked further into the din of the crowds — right, squeeze, left, forward, right, right, left, forward.

Eventually, the corridor gave way to a large courtyard. The drooping cloth that hung overhead to protect the halls from the elements came to an end. Bo looked up and saw an enormous canopy slope upward and stretch out above the square. Luminous multichromatic lanterns strung along the large wooden beams holding the fabric up illuminated the scene. In front of the two youths lay a wide courtyard filled with tables and chairs in a haphazardly strewn-about layout. People of all types sat and ate food and sipped on drinks; chatting and laughing — filling the Feasting Ground with a rumbling din.

The edges of the square were lined along all sides with food vendors of every kind and every scent to match. Steam and smoke wafted into the crisp night air filling the canopy with a fragrant haze. Ash explained, “First, we have to go around to all the stalls and get all the free samples we can get our hands onto. Then, we can get something to eat and head over to the Promenade. If you stay in here too long, your clothes will just smell like food for the next forever.”

After nearly gorging themselves on little pieces of meat or vegetable stuck onto tiny wooden skewers, thimbles of beverages, small cups of rice mixtures, little spoons of ice cream, and bits of fudges, Bo and Ash finally decided to get some vulture legs. The vendor took their money and handed each of them a large thigh bone, sizzling hot and shining with a sour glaze. Holding the drumsticks the size of their arms by the protruding bone, the youngest members of the Dynamos left the Feasting Grounds and strolled down some more halls until they reached the edge of the Night Market.

Perpendicular to the market ran a stretch of green land. The lamps blazed above, bathing the greenery in a soft warm glow. The two of them walked along and talked of what they dreamed their life would become as salvagers while wrenching chunks of flesh off the roasted vulture thighs, gazing at the full moon overhead.

Salem headed into the Night Market alone; they didn’t get much time to themself and getting lost in a crowd was one of their favorite ways to remedy this. Salem eventually found their way to a booth filled with scrolls and hand-written booklets. They ran their hand along the spines and eventually landed on a black leather-bound book called “Romancing the Rock.” After skimming it for a moment, Salem smiled to themself and reached into their bag to pull out their wallet, but it wasn’t there. “Looking for something?” Salem recognized the voice and looked up to see Nico standing in front of them dangling the wallet from their fingers. “Juniper wants to read it when you’re done. She had the sense yesterday that you were going to forget your wallet, so she sent me to bring it to you.”

Salem grabbed the leather bifold and paid for the novel at the counter. The older woman there nodded and rang up the order. “13 circles, please.” Salem handed over two yellow bills with an equilateral triangle embossed on the front, and the shopkeep handed back 11 red paper bills with a circular mark along with the book. Salem stashed the cash back into their wallet, tucked the book and billfold into their bag, and stood up tall to face Nico.

Nico asked Salem, “Have you been to the Night Market before?”

“I came once when I was ten years old. I haven’t been back in 12 years, so I don’t remember much,” Salem said, tucking their prematurely graying hair behind their ear.

“Let me show you around, then. There is a fortune teller on the western side I always go to see whenever I’m here. I hope he’s still around. Care to join me in my quest to find out?”

Salem replied, “Yes. Let’s go.” The two of them walked in a single file line barely speaking to each other, simply taking in the sights and scents and the roar of the crowd. They stayed to the left, pushed along by the flow of foot traffic. After about a half hour, the two arrived at “Tandem and Tea.” The booth’s entrance was draped in a thick purple fabric.

Nico quizzed Salem,” Have you ever heard of Tandem cards?”

Salem confidently said, “Of course. The Tandem is a practice of either meditation or divination recovered from the Past era. An archivist named… what was it again?” Salem’s eyes darted up to the right to recall. “Yes, her name was Kiffin Henrie. In the year 266, while exploring in the North, Henrie found these symbolic cards centered around archetypal dualisms. After dedicating years of her life to the research, she published the deck of cards with an illustrated guidebook replete with all the imagery illustrated alongside the text. Kiffen Henrie called these ‘The Tandem,’ which has remained a popular practice for those without the sense.” Salem paused for a moment before commenting, “Juniper said that regular people really could tap into the sense using the Tandem, but I don’t really believe it.”

“Care to test out that theory?” Nico said in a theatrically ominous tone as they pulled back the curtains. They entered the dimly lit booth that stretched away from the entrance a considerable distance. On all sides, a thick burgundy fabric draped in a way where the folds rippled in semi-circles down from the ceiling. A figure dressed in all white stood to greet them.

“Welcome to Tandem and Tea, my name is Eunice. Please have a seat.” Eunice’s hair was long, ash blonde, and wavy, pulled back into a half ponytail to keep the loose strands out of his eyes. Eunice’s beard was a darker blonde with a strawberry tinge — full but trimmed neatly to frame his face. “What kind of tea would you like? We’ve got an herbal blend, a jolted blend, and a light blend.

“Jolted for me,” said Salem. Nico nodded in agreement. “Two jolted, then.”

Eunice gave them a nod and pulled on a string, which connected to a bell that was built into a square hole between this stall and the one next door. Eunice rang the bell twice, waited a moment, and then rang the bell twice again. “I have an arrangement with the cafe next door,” Eunice explained with a grin, “Please sit, sit!” Nico and Salem obliged arranging themselves across from the Eunice in front of a low table. “How may I be of assistance?”

“Yeah, how about something for the team?” Nico checked in with Salem, who nodded in agreement. “What about a now, soon, and later spread?”

“A classic. That will be 8 eight circles,” which Salem paid. “Start shuffling these, and while you do that, please tell me a little about the team. A crumb of context to precipitate the Tandem’s sense.”

Salem took the stack of cards and did an over-hand shuffle while Nico explained, “We are a team of salvagers — the Dynamos if you’ve heard of us. We find things.”

Eunice nodded, “Ah yes, your reputation certainly precedes you. You’re a bit more serious than I thought you might be with a name like that. Curious.”

“Yes well, we have recently upgraded our ship to take on a team of apprentices to train. Salem here is one of them, while I’m from the original crew. My name is Nico, by the way.”

“Cut the deck into two piles, please,” Eunice said to Salem, who obliged. “Now, back into one; however you choose. Very good, please pass them back to me.” Eunice took the stack of cards and flipped the top three into a row. Opportunity, Labor, and Division. The bell rang overhead, and a curtain lifted to reveal a small window. Eunice stood and passed the cups to Salem and Nico who blew on them to cool the tea. “Let’s begin!”

Eunice pointed to the leftmost card. “Now is a time of opportunity, and it seems work will come to you soon. I’m curious what sort of jobs you will embark upon.” Eunice pulled two more cards and placed them below the first two; Deception and Curiosity. “Interesting; for salvagers, I bet it will be some sort of reconnaissance mission and perhaps some sort of exploration of some long-forgotten ruins. How exciting!

“However, something tragic will happen later. Perhaps something will split your team? A disagreement perhaps? Let’s check.” Eunice pulled another card and placed it below Division; Descent. “Perhaps some great fall. The question now is whether this is something metaphorical or literal.” Eunice rifled through the deck and found two cards. He shuffled them back and forth and eventually took one in each hand and put them behind his back. “Left or right?”

Salem quickly said, “Left!” Eunice revealed the Tandem card: Material. “Well, you'd better look out below!”

Next time on Salvagers:

Imogen and Mimi sell the magic wands from the Humming Forest, while Vesper and Delta relive their first date on their anniversary.

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