You're in a The Green Unicorn mini mart near the coastal park of Seatown during mid July, licking a popsicle you just bought. The empty aisles are pretty quiet aside from the whirring of that air conditioning near the window.

Someone else walks in; she looks out of place in this sunny Island City. You recognize her as the Queen Ibis of the Market Cities, or the wannabe queen if what everyone keeps saying is true. She's not exactly dressed in summer attire, but she holds a glass with a little umbrella in her hand.

Suddenly she looks up, not at you but at the television screen in the corner. It shows a huge mushroom cloud above a fiery landscape of burning trees. Queen Ibis drops her drink with a crash, and her mouth falls open like a Snake's.

"They told me they were kidding," you hear her mutter.