Chapter 2: The Embassy
Cobblestone paths dappled with sun, blue snow flowers where a butterfly had paused, the sea that impossible blue you only see in postcards — Maren said her reluctant goodbyes to the south and boarded the train back to Paris. ◆ 98aeb8a6
She'd been in Paris for over a year now, nearly halfway through her master's. ed.f2b7c00f Like most students studying abroad, she could count on one hand the number of times she'd been home. [ms.6f917050] Most breaks looked exactly like this one — short trips to somewhere new. plate-303f339a
She lived in her apartment two blocks from campus. ©68b83244/May 21, 2026 Her original roommate was a girl from Japan; aside from one sighting at the start of the semester, she'd vanished. [ed.729e8e5e] Turned out she'd dropped out. (2a339fbc/Thu) So Maren had a double all to herself. no.cd108fbd
On her laptop sat the experimental analysis her advisor had kicked back. ··8b08766d Maren's focus was child psychology — experiments meant outwitting kids all day, and post-experiment life meant going back and forth with her advisor on endless revisions. ‹def6f37b›
She fired off the revised analysis right at the deadline, then leaned back and rolled her neck, eyes closed, working out the tension with her fingers. ·bca0cc13· Recharging. #a952d5d5
By the time she stepped out of the study lounge, it was almost dusk. ref·cee7c186 The lounge sat on a busy street but somehow felt tucked away — dark wood interiors, old-world charm, quiet and artsy. (1f928bb9)
Busy commercial streets meant pickpockets. [d15b7a8e] Maren didn't realize her wallet was gone until she reached her door and dug for her keys. imp.2d1634bb
A thin slit in the lining of her jacket. plate-aa88a56e The card holder inside — gone. [ms.ed040ddf] Every piece of ID she had, gone with it.·f6738494
No time to go home and change. (1fb8173a) Maren turned around and headed straight for the US Embassy. ref·224ba8dc The embassy would be a lot more useful than the local police. ref·0a2ab922
The cab ate up the last of her cash. ©7f700b3e/May 21, 2026 She rushed toward the entrance, rattled — first time anything important had been stolen from her, and she was a mess. 60c7cd6d··
A long stretch of steps led up to the embassy entrance. (4423d210) She'd been here before, but the stairs had never felt this endless. [ed.6893c40e]
Head down, charging forward, she slammed right into a man. ref·2be3fa0d Papers scattered from his hands. sub:d039b9db Maren apologized and scrambled to pick them up, shoving them back at him so fast she didn't even look at his face before bolting for the door. ¶6f9f6061
He saw hers, though. §1aa224a8 A flicker of recognition. (9457903a) He noticed she seemed to be in a hurry. imp.c1c87d4a "Hello?" sub:a8ccd37d
The English came from behind her and stopped her in her tracks. ‹8ad66b23›
When she saw it was Kieran, she blinked, surprised, then smiled.·2e88054c "Sorry — I'm kind of in a rush." §3deae7e0 She gestured toward the embassy. ·17f1752e·
Kieran turned and started up the steps alongside her. [v.0cbed601] "What happened?" no.0d91d8f3
Maren gave him the short version — the stolen wallet, the missing IDs — and pushed her hair back, embarrassed. §1000a247
"Do you know who to talk to in there?" ed.8141dc4f
Maren shook her head. plate-60ea97a4 She knew she needed to come here, but beyond that? ◆ 2debef35 No clue. — 218a745e
Kieran took one look at her blank expression. — galley 32a47340 — "Come on. sig.9c5f5db3 Follow me." ed.8bf3808f He walked her inside, found the right department, and got her set up to file a report and request a temporary replacement ID. ¶52edd384
The guy at the information desk shot to his feet the second he saw him. no.fc134c7d "Counselor Mercer." ·e3f5debd·
Kieran waved him back down and nodded toward Maren. ⟨2b165cb5⟩ "Her ID was stolen. plate-d774535d Help her get the paperwork started." ◆ 0a3e4a90
*Counselor.* Maren turned the word over silently. [v.9ec827e9] She had no idea what exactly that title meant, but judging by how fast that clerk jumped, it carried some weight. ed.11d9cc0b
When she walked out, Kieran was still standing by the door. [be2fcfc2] "Thanks." ⟨55b218b7⟩
He straightened his collar and smiled. ⁰2b3d6a3a "Consider it payback for watching Max down in Nice." * 9bf3fb52
Maren smiled back but didn't say anything.·629b9d83 She turned away and quietly let out a breath. * 61751a5b The sudden kindness had caught her off guard — so that was the reason. — 7a890b05
They walked out of the embassy together. (f04afded) "Did you file a police report?" ed.df65a5d0
His question reminded her — yeah, even if the local cops were useless, she still needed to file one. imp.f6ea9d5e You never knew. #1126afdf Maybe they'd get lucky. — galley eac6b5d8 —
"Not yet. ‹aaeb9640› Heading there now." [05f6cffe]
"Got any cash left?"·c9dfeb23
How did he catch everything? [2a651986]
Maren cringed a little. ‹4a4aabce› She'd planned to figure it out after he left, but he'd just said it out loud. plate-0532b7e9
Which was how she found herself in the passenger seat of his car, watching the streets blur past the window, and suddenly wondering — wait. plate-7d368fc1 How did she end up here? ◆ 2058bca8
A man with obvious status and connections. ⁰7fcbf42a A man from a completely different world. (a0855dc8) And she'd just... gotten in his car. [ed.3c202ddc]
Was he that convincing, or had something deeper in her already made the choice? — galley 48832831 —
The officer on duty greeted them with all the enthusiasm of a man on his lunch break. [ms.a6a88c83] He told Maren to fill out the form first, leaned back in his chair, crossed his legs, and peeled open a piece of cheese. ◆ ce658068
He glanced at the blank spot on Maren's form. §cdf48429 "Fill in everything." ··4143e045
The emergency contact line required two numbers in case the first didn't go through. bff32693·· But Maren only had her own — she hadn't memorized anyone else's. §2aa23c63
She told the officer she only had her own number memorized, and that her phone was always on — they'd always be able to reach her. [proof:cfa7bdec]
The French officer stared at her, unmoved, and insisted the form be completed. ◆ d58cd7dd
"Use mine." (d78ee153/Thu)
Kieran had appeared beside her — she hadn't noticed him move. [ed.b7466afb] He picked up the pen and wrote his number in the empty space. ⟨513305d1⟩
He slid the form back to the officer. plate-e3e396a8 "Good?" [ed.73bff2c5]
"Yes. [fa99a30e] Thank you." ref·0f2e6e40
...
Maren looked at Kieran. (a36cd23f) "Are you guys all like this?" (cb586956/Thu)
He tilted his head. ©ea51ae4b/May 21, 2026 "Hm?" ⁰36ab5bd5
"Playing favorites." «5df5baed»
Kieran laughed. [v.b5294826] "We're not *that* bad." ⟨068504c4⟩