When she attempted the greeting pulse, her bracelet flared too brightly and temporarily blinded a passerby. When she tried to activate her smart clothes' temperature setting, she accidentally cooled herself to near-hypothermic levels, and Alexander almost had a heart attack, dragging her back indoors.
Walking in public was another challenge.
The flow of foot traffic moved like a choreographed dance, effortless and synchronized. Ahce, however, kept moving against the current, forcing strangers to swerve around her.
Someone muttered, "Off-worlder," thinking she wouldn't hear.
Another whispered, "Is she using an outdated OS in her optical brain?" as if she were a malfunctioning tech.
Amiel tried to coach her gently.
"Just follow the blue stream when you want to walk fast. The green one for casual pacing. And stay away from the silver lanes unless you're an official."
