When Ro blinked, the world was outside the window, rainy. She was in a café, possibly semi-drowned and depositing half a lake beneath her seat. Grimacing she started to ring out her hair and looked around to get her bearings.
It didn't take long, because soon an equally drown Zee sat across from her, sliding across a steaming cup. She leaned forward. "Right, Twerp, tell me about Matin."
Zee sputtered in his drink and looked at her cautiously. "Fake-Ro?"
"Yeah, Fake-Zee."
"You know, you got to work on your departure notices. Real-Ro gave me the riot act for bringing her to a library."
Ro snorted. If she could figure out when she was departing, why she was departing, and how, this probably wouldn't be nearly as annoying. "Yeah, just tell me about it, and how I stop it."
Zee brushed his hair back, rolling his eyes. "Ro, it's just a theory. A very stupid one, by the way. It's not real."
"Bull on that."
"How do you even know it is Matin? I mean, hello, shot in the dark, isn't it? You could have gotten shot by a laser or something and are being pulled between these worlds. Jeez, and does that sound like bad science fiction."
"One, it has to be it, because it's the only thing that makes sense. I didn't sleep through all of that seminar my Zee took me to."
He coughed. "Wait, are you saying I willingly went to some shit like this? Fake-Ro, I think you're finally meeting the real me." He looked at her through narrowed eyes. "You know, I bet you're just having some psychotic break or something. People crack under the stress we're under, and well, you're just a girl. OW!"
"And you're an idiot! How do I fix this?"
Zee covered his head protectively. "How should I know? But jeez, you got to calm down. It doesn't help beating up the brains of the outfit."
"The brains –"
"Tis true." He grinned and downed his drink.
"This isn't real," she reminded. "None of it."
"But what if it is?"