The wall is slightly discoloured where the Jefa Red & Black poster once was.

The wall is slightly discoloured where the Jefa Red & Black poster once was.

It's been scrubbed clean more than once, to banish graffiti, paste, grime.

You gaze back up at the elegant woman and the slim can of coffee.

It still looks cool. It would look even cooler in your room, if you've changed your mind.

Operant COFFEE, welcome to the team. (Take the poster.)

Dried flakes of paste drift to the pavement as you peel the advert from the wall and roll it up.

I'm still not sure about this... but I'll take it just in case. (Take the poster.)

Nope, haven't changed my mind. (Leave the poster.)

Alas.

Wait, don't leave her. Take her home with you.

Take her... home?

Yes. She belongs on that big blank wall next to your bed.

Let's go to my place, Alluring Coffee Lady. (Take the poster.)

Maybe, we'll see. (Take the poster.)

Not feeling it. (Leave the poster.)

You're confronted by a striking image in bold red and black: A woman perched on a sofa in a simply furnished apartment.

A handgun lies across her lap. On the table next to her, a beverage in an appealing, slim can. In white text, contrasted against the black shadows, the words: 'SAFEHOUSE IS ANYWHERE'.

Hold on, is safehouse anywhere?

This woman is being paid to convince you it is.

Cool ad.

It's nothing like the ones they have back in the People's Republics.

I wish my job were this cool.

The woman's fingers caress the weapon, a gesture of intimacy.

What's it even selling... canned coffee?

'Jefa: Red & Black Special Edition'. The can is adorned with a handful of coffee beans, a sugar cane, and a splash of cream. There is no other identifier.

In the Developed World, advertisements no longer feature products, only vague promises of a 'life-style'.

A board of wood and chalk, a too-small iron chair. On the blackboard: SAFEHOUSE BASICS. 1 - There are two types of safehouse, defensive and offensive...

... but is it saying there's a lot of safehouses...

... Defensive is a place to go unseen, offensive a strategic location from which to carry out an operation. 2 - A safehouse must have more than one exit.

The words begin to blur before your eyes.

I wasn't thinking of her like that.

SHE IS A SIGN, INSCRIBED IN YOUR MIND BY THE MARKETEERS BEHIND THE 'CAN OF COFFEE'.

The woman hands you the coffee and the gun. She's smiling. Her skirt rides up as she shifts to give you space beside her.

Reach out.

Your eyes snap back into focus. The woman, the gun, the appealing can are all as they were. Around you, the sounds of Party Alley resume.

Yet another poster that would look awesome on the wall above your bed.

Perfect. (Take the poster.)

Hrrm. Yes... yes, maybe... (Take the poster.)

No, still not me. (Leave the poster.)

Alright, hear this out: how about this poster for the wall next to your bed?

Back away.

I was thinking of her like that, but only a little.

AN OVERACTIVE IMAGINATION IS THE PRODUCT OF EXCESSIVE LEISURE TIME.

... or just one really big one?

3 - Every room must serve more than one purpose. Furnishings should be chosen for their ability to conceal equipment and weapons, and for their suitability as makeshift barricades.

Who's even supposed to buy this stuff?

(Yawn.) Maybe I could use a pick-me-up.

What about the woman? She seems familiar.

She knows you're watching. The shutter's release captured the moment she was thinking about you, the future, the onlooker, forever. She knows that you see her.

SHE IS NOTHING. AN ACTOR, LIKELY HIRED ON THE BASIS OF HER FASCINATING HAIR.

I feel like I should know her.

The young, capable, pretty, yet also shy and approachable classmate you imagined in your dreams. Your hand touches hers unexpectedly during small-arms training at the Opera's Greenhouse. She blushes.

Why is her hair so fascinating?

COUNTER-CULTURALLY SHORT BUT WITH A DISREGARD FOR FEMININITY THAT MARKS HER AS SEXUALLY UNAVAILABLE.

Erasing the labour that produces the commodity. (Shake your head.)

This woman is an agent of the Developed World, an enemy of Perpetual Revolution.

Maybe the description's in small print.

I don't have time for this. [Leave]

The woman in the image remains still, staring into this world. She doesn't watch you leave.

Keep walking. [Leave]