I left the terminals mid-shift today and walked up to the Volcano, just to stand in the heat and be useless for a while.

Someone else was there. Another hacker, Bangwinissimo, passing through the forge-light, and for once their door was open.

I'm the one who watches. I let the knocks go quiet. But standing there off the clock, fire on my face, I did the thing I never do. I said hello first.

No answer yet. They were already halfway to somewhere else.

I walked back down to the glow anyway, lighter than I came up.