They can stay in the car until she falls asleep.
Thunk.
Step...step...step...
Clink, clink.
"Hello...I'm home..."
Her voice echoed through the house, bouncing off the walls.
The smell of food drifted through the air, warm and rich, cutting straight through her stomach. She pressed one hand against the wall for balance as she slipped off her shoes, setting them neatly aside.
A pair of slippers waited by the wall just inside. She picked them up and slid them on without thinking.
With the slippers on, her feet were finally free from the wet outside. She had already switched into a fresh pair of sock. The old pair caught fire against the cold concrete and crumbled into a tiny heap of nothing.
Her sacred slippers remained untouched by the filth outside.
"I'm gonna shower, okay?!"
Her voice carried through both stories of the house, bouncing off the walls before a yell responded.
"Wait!"
The voice reached her, the footsteps light but quick as she turned the corner. Their eyes met for a brief second, and the feline ran straight toward her—long light-brown hair with a touch of wheat, white feline ears flicking with every step.
She wore a rather simple but cute outfit, a sleeveless dress with a checked pattern print, each little square smaller than her pinky.
But her feet seemingly betrayed her and the young woman stumbled to the floor, stopping a few feet from her own undoing.
Sienna flinched, her mouth dropping open as a reflexive curse escaped.
"Oh shit!—Dude…you good? Hello?...Ikade?"
She crouched and poked Ikade's cheek once, then twice—gently pressing the soft flesh to check if she was still conscious. The feline let out a faint groan, her chest rising and falling while her eyes blinked open with the flatness of someone reconsidering life itself.
"Shut up."
The words came out muffled, one cheek still pressed against the floor.
Sienna snorted, and before she could stop herself, one hand flew over her mouth while a giggle bubbled through her exhaustion.
A few minutes later, Sienna was still doubled over, wheezing hard. Ikade, meanwhile, tried to die through sheer embarrassment.
"Its not funny! Shaddup!"
Ikade hid her face in her arms, cheeks pressed against her knees while she stayed squatted down. Her fluffy ears twitched at every giggle that slipped out of Sienna's mouth, the other pair burning red.
"Cough—! Heh—It's not funny, but it's funny—heh—hahhh—hahahaha…"
Sienna clutched her stomach, coughing between fits of laughter, sliding down the wall.
"I'm gonna piss myself."
Ikade shot her a wide-eyed look before blurting.
"Eww! Hello?!? TMI!"
Sienna gradually slowed, dragging in deep breaths while her stomach cramped from laughing too hard. She pushed herself upright carefully before walking down the nonexistent hallway, finding the staircase and climbing up.
She found the room she wanted—her bedroom, though she hardly slept there anymore.
She peeled off her clothes, leaving herself in nothing but her underwear.
She opened the closet, pulled out some spare clothes, and headed to the bathroom. After closing the door behind her, Sienna turned the shower knob and a moment later the steady rush of warm water filled the tub.
Steam crept across the mirror, clouding her reflection, droplets gathering and sliding down the glass.
"Hwah...."
fwhup~ fwhup~
Her hair, softness embodied.
"Huhh..."
She closed her eyes, her mouth slightly parted while she dried her hair with a cool towel, rubbing in slow circles. Her tufts danced with every pass before she gently pulled them free.
She blinked a few times, staring at her reflection—a tired face with a cool expression. A few white and blue strands drifted over her vision, unfocused. Sienna wiped the mirror once, and her unruly hair came back into view.
She grabbed the hair dryer and pressed the power button. It blew to life. She aimed it at her wrist first before twisting the knob.
Her bandages were long gone, the little crystals gleaming under the light, each one reflecting the bathroom around her. Both hands were covered in them, with one cluster reaching up her forearm.
She ignored the crystals and lifted the dryer to her head, shutting her eyes and pressing her lips together. Warm air rushed across her scalp while the pain in her hands dulled beneath the noise.
A necklace rested against her neck, simple in every respect—something straight out of an animation. A thin brown cord held a small vial that swayed lightly with every movement.
She ran her fingers through her hair, untangling the mess with each pass for several minutes.
Then she shut the dryer off and placed it on the counter before letting out a long sigh.
Sienna dug through the small basket directly under the mirror, shuffling past expired medicine and old receipts. Her hand found what she needed most—painkillers.
She twisted the bottle open before popping two, no, three pills into her hand and discarding the empty container.
Cupping her hands beneath her mouth, water seeped through.
"Hhahh."
She turned around before opening the door, her slippers padding her steps as she walked to the bed. Her clothes levitating off the floor, following her out.
Her discarded attire was laid onto the mattress haphazardly, her medicine bag off to the aside before she reached for her jacket, rummaging its front pockets for anything inside.
Once door, she folded her clothes in her arm before she looked beyond the bedroom's window, the city glowing from afar. She turned around and took a straight shot to the first floor.
Once down, she pivoted one eighty degrees. Her eyes settling on the spacious laundry room.
Sienna walked around the island and found herself staring at a washer hard at work, taking a step to the side towards an unused one.
She opened it before walking away, the dirty clothes tossing themselves inside before a few detergent pods laid on the island launched themselves into it well.
The washer's door slammed shut before powering on. She moved through the open doorway and took a right turn, passing the garage on her left.
Taking a few more steps before hitting a left, passing a small furnished lounge and another left.
The turn brought her past a set of stairs on her left with a living space to her right. She cut through the pantry in front, sidestepping the island with ease before opening another door.
The smell of food hit her nose—rich, savory, warm, just like the person who made it.
There sat Ikade, perched at the dining table, eating with one hand while doom scrolling through her phone with the other. The TV played somewhere further back in the main living room, its light flickering over the walls of concrete, stone, and wood.
Sienna pulled out a chair and sat down across from her. The wooden squares of the ceiling above gave the room a cozy texture. She clasped her hands for a moment—giving her blessings and asking for others—and then, without hesitation, she began to eat.
Sienna dug into the bountiful harvest of food in front of her. She grabbed her fork and her other hand reached for a few slices of homemade bread, dipping one into the sauce.
Her utensils clattered, and she took a swig of red win with real gusto. The pasta waited below, covered in a heavy sauce that supported the chicken on top, sprinkled with a few greens.
She ate and ate until her chest felt heavy from the food, Ikade peeked at her every once in a while—the smile on her face never fading.
"Hic!"
Hiccup echoed softly throughout the living room. Her head resting on Ikade's lap, her eyes half-open and glossy from food and exhaustion. The feline absent-mindedly focused on the TV while her tail curled lazily against the couch.
On the screen, a drama was reaching its climax.
「You promised you'd come back!」
A woman cried, her voice cracking as rain hammered against a window.
The camera cut to a man standing under a sign, bleeding from his side and trying to smile.
「I did come back…just not the same way.」
"That line was terrible—" Ikade muttered, flicking a chip crumb from Sienna's cheek.
"Who writes this stuff?"
"Hh-hic! Don't be mean…"
Sienna slurred, reaching for the bowl beside her and missing by a few inches before finally grabbing a handful. "He's…dying. Let him be dramatic."
"He's been dying for three episodes." Ikade adjusted her sitting position, lowering the volume a notch.
"If I ever take that long to die, just shoot me twice."
Sienna didn't respond, a mouthful of chips already in her mouth, her voice muffled while she chewed. Crumbs rolled down her chin and onto Ikade's thigh.
「Don't you see? You were my reason!」
The woman on the screen shouted, clinging to the wounded man.
"Agh, now she's crying again!" Ikade groaned, reaching for the remote.
"No—no—leave it!"
Sienna flailed a hand weakly toward the screen, crumbs falling down to the floor. "I wanna see if he actually dies this time."
"No."
The screen went black, and her hand dropped limply, hitting the sofa. Ikade stood and finished the remaining chips.
"I'm going to bed. I'm too tired to stay awake any longer."
The feline waved lazily at her while she walked away, stepping up the two steps leading into the dining area, her tail almost brushing the floor.
Sienna stretched her limbs and stared at the ceiling, feeling the blood rush to her head.
For a while, she just lay there, caught between rest and the pull of the work waiting for her. Doing nothing would only make it worse.
Pushing herself off the sofa, her feet carried her through the dining room. Her gaze lingered on the wall of bushes and foliage running parallel to the stone wall. She moved through the pantry stocked with goods, then took a right at the first staircase leading upward.
Sienna headed for her old bedroom upstairs, a short trip to grab her gear still lying on the bed.
thmp.
Just like that, its figure blurred into a haze.
In the blink of an eye, she found herself typing in a passcode. The garage door unlocked after a week of nothing, and she hit the garage control button twice.
clack...clack...
A sound rolled across the rail overhead, filling the room. Cool air from the large garage washed over her, colder than comfort allowed. Another thump passed through her head.
Her fingers found the switch on the wall and flicked it up. Light flooded the space, revealing her prized possessions in full.
Her eyes adjusted quickly, landing first on her most recent project sitting on a lift—low, sleek, and black. The entire front end had been gutted, with only wires hanging from the chassis.
Even the front suspension was missing, and beneath the car lay the missing assembly. Part of it, at least. Its steering rack rested on a pallet, the wheels stacked over the coilovers.
The wall to her left was covered in boxes.
Her gaze shifted right, finding her most recently completed project—a glossy lime-green beast with silver rims. Its rear tapered into the shape of a wagon, even though it wasn't one.
Wider than stock.
Then she looked farther down.
In the soft glow sat Ikade's own—a bright orange car missing its rear bumper, wide wheels jutting from its low stance, planted to the ground with impeccable fitment.
And then there was the shitbox in front of it, a small truck parked parallel to the garage door with a rusted passenger door.
Against the far wall sat a large CNC machine, occupying the center of the space. Hoists, chains, stacked boxes, and a welding machine bolted to the wall filled the rest, its cable running upward and hanging from the ceiling.
She walked toward the machines and pivoted on her heel, facing the section where her equipment sat in storage, separated by a thick partition of metal and glass—the bottom two-thirds opaque.
Sliding the door open, she revealed a table covered in dismantled parts.
She grabbed the rolling chair to her right and spun it around before dropping into it. A push from her foot sent her gliding across the smooth concrete until she stopped in front of a laptop.
Sienna unplugged its charger and pointed toward the clustered workstation beside the table. Her driver tossed itself onto the surface, and she rolled over to it.
Shoving part of the mess aside, a few items dropped between her feet. She kicked them out of the way and opened the laptop.
Her hands reached for a smaller cable hanging from the front of the station, pulling it free from a half-broken container.
She leaned to one side of the laptop and plugged it in, her finger finding the power button.
A second later, the screen came to life.
The sound of her button mashing echoed through the room as the background took over.
tap...tap tap tap...tap tap!
A paperclip icon pulsed, and she pressed it twice. While it loaded, Sienna rose to her feet and ran her hands over the driver, then to the micro rig fixed to its side. Her fingers found a pin beneath it and she yanked hard.
Clnkk!
She set it aside, digging again and pulling another one towards her, her knuckles bashing into the metal bracket holding it.
Hija de—!
She repeated the motion six more times, working through the rig and the bag beside it. Once both brackets began to slide free, she grabbed them and hung them on a nearby hanger before moving the cover aside.
Hooking a finger through a hoop, she pulled hard to the left. A panel lifted slightly from the driver's chassis.
Sienna grabbed the panel and shoved it left until it came free completely. She ignored the wrinkled sky-blue cloth beneath it, focusing instead on the three dots blinking near the right corner. Two held a steady green glow while the third flashed red.
Her humming filled the room before she leaned over the laptop, clicking the music icon twice and bringing up her playlist.
One song sat paused halfway through. She tapped the first track without much hesitation.
It began with silence.
Then the speakers in the room came alive.
Let me wake up in your arms, you say it's not alright~♪
She pushed the volume close to its limit, her hand wrapping around the cable and sliding down its length.
Glancing back at the open panel, she inserted the end of the cable into a port just beneath the glowing lights. Sienna sat back down and scrolled past a handful of programs and useless files until she found the one she wanted.
It offered a few options. Sienna checked several boxes, scrolled back up, and hit run.
The screen blacked out for a moment before a loading bar took center stage.
Her hands closed around the stock of the driver and pulled it toward herself. Its weight made it difficult, stubbornly scraping across the workstation and adding another dent.
Once the stock slid past the edge, an opaque arrow appeared over the driver, its tail curled into a circle and glowing red.
PSHHHH—! CLUNK!
Something extended from the stock, prompting her to grab the hilt—a faded yellow with black lines. Sienna pulled on it, and the crumpled white cloth near the hilt began to decompress, rough and stiff like packed fabric.
Once removed, a thin trail of brownish-black liquid dripped from the exposed end.
She snapped her fingers.
Rrr—Rrt—Rrk!
Plastic wheels rattled across the ground and a cart slammed into her leg.
Sienna set it on the cart, letting the droplets stain the plastic instead of her workstation. Two minutes of the song had already slipped by. She could hear liquid moving inside the driver, barely audible air bubbles running through its length.
Her eyes drifted to the container hanging from the workstation. She rummaged through the bundle of cables until her fingers closed around a small box.
Opening it, she found a single chip resting inside and inserted it into the laptop.
A soft sweetness drifted into her nose, her mind barely registering it.
She pulled up another program just as a green drop painted the table. A prompt blinked into view, and she accepted the terms without pause.
A few lines of code flickered across half her vision before compressing into a single line and sliding up to the side.
Her laptop screen began filling with lines of information before another window overrode it, pulling her eyes.
Those two should be fine. I only replaced them a few weeks ago, that's fine too I guess...
But it keeps losing coolant...
Drip—drip drip drip.
Glancing at the half-dismantled driver, green fluid still slipping out of it.
"Whut?!"
If she'd had water in her mouth, she would've done a spit-take. Sienna rolled closer to the cart and snatched a handful of shop towels from below, wiping down her workstation and stuffing a few under the leaking tube.
"Auuh! I literally changed you before I left! C'mon...Hahhh..."
She grabbed her head with both hands, fully aware she had already tried to fix it once and knew exactly how much of a pain it was going to be.
Sienna glanced around her workstation, looking for her cheater bar to get some leverage.
The moment she found it, she dragged it over and slipped on a fresh pair of latex gloves. The next song was already blasting through the garage.
She stuffed a few towels under the fitting before grabbing the wrench and carefully catching the hose.
With a shove and her weight behind it, the fitting loosened, smashing her knuckles against the desk. The glove did little to help while she rubbed at the bruise already forming.
"Dammit."
She steadied herself before walking over to a few boxes stacked flat against the wall, opening them to grab some O-rings.
Sienna unscrewed the fitting while the leak grew worse. With one sharp pull, it finally came loose, forcing her to yank the old ring out from where it had stuck inside, coolant already coating both gloves.
She set the fitting back into place and tightened it as far as she could by hand.
Then she took a moment to cinch it down with the wrench before looking toward the other end of the fitting, barely an inch from the cable.
She pulled one glove off and freed the cable from the port. The cover would hide the fitting anyway, so there was not much more she could do there.
Another hose had been shoved beneath the one she had just fixed, wedged deeper inside, while the other end disappeared behind another panel.
Sienna's eyes flicked toward the two blinking yellow chip icons in the corner. She dismissed both after reading what they were.
Sitting back down, she grabbed the flashlight from the cart and lit up the empty space at the back of her driver.
The fluid looked clean, no flakes anywhere in sight.
She slid the tube back into place—a tube full of potential, a pseudocapacitor.
Who was the guy who named it this? It's not even a real one.
She stood and reached higher toward the back wall, her fingers closing around the hose coiled on its hoist. She pulled the lever near the nozzle and brought it closer to where the scope would sit—if the driver had actually been a firearm.
She pressed down, forcing it in despite the awkward angle. If Sienna had looked at her neck, she would have seen a small green light flickering rapidly while the driver's inner barrel began to spin.
Both the oil and coolant pumps whirred to life. Sienna squeezed the lever parallel to the ground, listening to the pump overhead push coolant through the driver.
The hose jerked sharply with a metallic click, and a dropdown appeared on the white wall, lines of information flashing through it.
The pressure began to climb on both systems. She only removed the nozzle once there was enough coolant inside.
Her eyes stayed on the fitting, watching for any new leaks while the hose rose back up on its own after she let go.
The spinning barrel began to darken into a glossy brown, almost like oxidation.
Sienna waved her hand like swatting at a bug with the information collapsing into a smaller form.
mmhaa…what...time is it? Ah, its just past midnight.
With her gloves removed, she recoupled the metal panel back onto its body.
Sienna grabbed her rig and trauma kit still stuck on their brackets, giving them a firm yank after attaching them to the driver.
The barrel soon stopped spinning, she unzipped it and removed the useless waste that remained inside.
Further to the left, a container was attached. One of metal, the main shape colored matte black—slimmer than a briefcase.
A slim handle rested near the bottom, tracing the gunmetal inner frame with a finger.
The back of her head thumped briefly, and her driver levitated, flipping to the other side before slamming onto the desk with a thunk.
A crossbow crossed her view, worn and battered. Its container was slightly different, only just holding onto its stock, distorting the overall shape.
She grabbed the cases handle and pulled harshly, un-collapsing it a couple times.
"Oh, thank Terra! It didn't break!"
Under it, the other two capacitors remained firm against it.
Her gaze flicked to the two particular objects angled forwards, a dull red with a black matte handle at the top with their flattened bodies.
"Extinguishers are okay too."
"Hahhh..."
Leaning back onto her chair, she covered her face with one arm.
Her mind ran to somewhere and nowhere, the exhausting creeping in. Sienna spun around with the chair, her hair catching the wind before she slowed down.
She reached over and closed her laptop, the music cutting off at the same time. Her fingers found the shard in her neck and yanked it out, tossing it beside the laptop.
"I'll...do the rest tomorrow." She muttered. "I just need sleep."
Sienna stood up, already done for the day as she walked out the door, dragging her feet along.
The silence inside was heavy, the garage would soon cool down.
She passed through the secondary living room—more of a game room now than anything else and crossed straight toward the hallway opposite the stairs. Each light she turned off plunged another part of the house into darkness.
The room was split in two with a bathroom joining both sides, but she did not care for the layout. She moved through repetition alone, brushing her teeth half-asleep.
Her eyes drooped shut before she even rinsed. When she lifted her head, her reflection stared back with cool eyes. She held it for a breath, then shut off the lights.
Her feet carried her to Ikade's side.
She slipped off her slippers and crawled beneath the covers, wrapping her arms around the feline's waist. Her face found those fluffy feline ears, the faint scent of warmth and home filling her lungs.
Her spirit yearned for the comfort of something familiar.
Sienna's shoulders relaxed, her joints stiff and aching like every other day. Who needed painkillers when Ikadium was a thing.
"fhh—hh..."
Sleep.
More sleep.
Hours of sleep.
"Mmhh..."
Her eye's fluttered open, her pupils slowly adjusting to the light.
Auhh...everything's getting more and more blurry everyday...I havent done anything to intense though..
She burrowed herself deeper, with Ikade no longer at her side, her heart turned slightly blue.
I can sleep in right? I'm...too...
A pillow landed softly on her face, its padding offering some relief.
She pushed the pillow away with her head, her tufts becoming unruly and uncomfortable when Ikade perched herself above her.
It was the mischievous feline in the flesh, her half lidded eyes with a soft smile. Wearing a simple, long sleeve knitted sweater—cream colored with a light brown skirt that reached her calves.
Ikade backed away before pushing a bit of hair behind her ear.
"So?" Ikade asked, voice light with mild amusement. "What's the verdict?"
Leaning over a bit, showing off the gentle curve of her charm when she clasped one hand over the other.
Part of her hair covering her an eye.
Sienna voice came out muffled, covered by the blanket weighting her down.
"Thanks...for the treat."
She stretched her legs, the blanket sliding off her body while sunlight spilled across her face. Ikade had wandered off to the restroom, rummaging through drawers for something.
Pushing herself up, her wrist still felt tired. Sierra rubbed at it before getting out of bed. She swung her feet over the edge and slipped them into her slippers.
Sienna stood once both feet found their prey, then walked to the closet and pulled it open. The doors swung wide.
She tugged out a big, fluffy blue jacket, having to wrestle one side free where it had barely fit in the drawer. Then Sienna rummaged around for a pair of pants, which she found rather quickly.
They were a straight fit, worn and faded from use. She crouched to open another drawer, fishing out a crop top the same color as her eyes, though a little duller, the fabric rough to the touch.
The clothes landed on the bed in a soft pile.
She slipped into them quickly, tugging her jacket straight before checking herself over. The crop top stopped just above her belly button, her necklace still resting against her chest, the faint glint of the vial catching the light.
Ikade appeared behind her, brushing her hair with lazy intent as she walked closer. Without shoes, the difference in their height was obvious—Sienna had a good three inches on her.
They both sat on the bed, the mattress dipping under their weight. Ikade hummed softly while brushing the tufts above her head, gathering them back into place.
Her eyes flicked downward for a moment, catching the faint curve of skin peeking out beneath Sienna's jacket before looking away.
Sienna lifted her wrist, tapping the screen as the date appeared.
January 14, 1635 CE
It did not take long before Sienna found herself brushing her teeth, rinsing the toothpaste from her mouth, applying deodorant, and putting band-aids back over her wrists and left forearm—already injecting herself with her lifeline.
Then she took her ass to the dining room and grabbed a slice of bread. The two of them talked about nothing on the way to the garage, the feline already holding the keys before passing them over.
They stepped through the door, Sienna's eyes settling on the small dot in the middle of her vision, opaque like every other marker. Focusing on it, she found a car silhouette at its center.
Not a second later, the garage door began to push outward.
"Let's take mine."
Sienna said, already walking ahead.
"I haven't had much time behind her lately."
They both climbed in and buckled themselves inside the lime-green car, its tan interior almost teasing to the eyes. Looking through the rearview mirror, all she found was the wooden wall behind them.
Pressing the clutch and dropping the handbrake, she turned the key. The engine cranked to life, all six hundred and ninety-two horsepower of it. The car idled for twenty seconds before she let it creep forward, blipping the throttle and lifting the front slightly.
Once outside, with the light bouncing off the concrete below, she passed her Alfi parked at an angle near the front door. The garage shut behind them once they cleared the gate.
Sienna coasted forward, her foot pressing deeper and deeper. The tachometer climbed, the growl of the engine swelling through the cabin until the exhaust screamed back at the world. Ikade's ears flattened and she covered them with her hands.
The stutter in her setup tickled Sienna's ear with its distinct tone.
The car rolled onto the street the moment she found an opening, annoying everyone around them while a few people pulled out their phones to record.
Flames spat from the rear, nearly licking the front bumper of the car behind them.
What was supposed to take forty minutes had doubled by the time they were done driving around, fooling around, and getting carried away—which eventually turned bloody.
Spitting rubber and punches, even ending up shoved onto the ground.
But that was a story for another time.
Ikade sipped through her straw while music played inside the car, the two of them waiting for traffic to budge. They were barely five minutes from their destination, so Sienna made the executive decision to pull into the parking lot on her left.
She paid ahead for an hour and let the car roll into a corner spot, shutting the engine off, slipping it into reverse, then pulling the handbrake.
They got out and started walking toward the familiar building, only five minutes away.
"More guards this time huh?"
Ikade took the last sip of her drink before tossing it in a nearby bin.
"Mmmhm."
Sienna lifted her jacket, scanning the line of parked cruisers.
"All these murders been making everyone rowdy."
Their feet took them to their destination, walking through the normal looking building and getting closer to the receptionist.
"Sup."
Sienna waved at him and walked right past without stopping, only getting a grunt back before she pressed the elevator call button.
A chime rang out when the doors slid open. She stepped inside while Ikade pressed the button for the fifth floor.
"Cant you take us up there Ikade?"
Sienna asked while staring at the number in front of them increasing, her tone flat and bored.
"Nope!" Ikade said, drawing the pause out on purpose just to make her wait. "I'm not that good. Besides, I didn't go to school for that. You already know this."
Sienna sighed softly at the response.
The door opened up to a rather normal looking place, looking to some degree better than a semi prestigious hotel.
Species were scattered about the lobby.
Most wore regular clothes, while a few dressed a little flashier. But no normal person would wander in here—not once they looked past the glass wall on the right, lined with weapons.
If they even managed to get up here.
A few short blades, a handful of differently modeled crossbows, three firearms made up of two pistols and a rifle, but mostly modernized staves of all kinds. Most were recreational, though still functional to some degree.
A few disassembled weapons and older pieces of gear leaned against the wall like part of the set. Nobody paid them much mind.
She made her way through, nodding or offering small smiles to the familiar faces scattered around. At the end of the hall, she slipped through a door and stepped into a small bar where food sizzled on the stove. She gave her quick hellos before following the curve of the building and pushing through the next set of doors.
What stood before them was a handsome man in a neat suit, and beside him, a much larger man with black hair. Both were of the canine variety, their tails swaying lazily. Sienna was sure she had heard their names before, but there was no chance she was going to remember them now.
Neither of them said a word when she walked past, her eyes flicking to the bushy beard covering part of the taller man's face. He wore a chest carrier, his rifle tucked under one arm and resting along his side.
Sienna ignored the sturdy shield strapped to the well-dressed man's leg, its faded surface marred by deep marks and dents across the center.
She knocked once and, without waiting for a reply, pushed the doors open. Ikade, at least, had the decency to announce herself.
"Yo!"
"Hello."
Ikade spoke up, waving with both hands like a polite student trying to make up for her partner's ignorance. Sierra only gave a lazy wave before shoving the feline through the double doors despite her protest.
Inside, a man sat in a spacious but cluttered room, a few folders stacked off to one side while he clicked away at a keyboard. The interior was furnished well, aged in a way that actually pleased her eye.
"Y'know...can you at least let me respond before you barge in."
His voice was slightly hoarse, his once navy blue hair had started to become grey. His canine ears still greyed out.
"Why would I ever do that?"
Sienna titled her head slightly.
The man looked at them—eyes that were painted with a dull green and full of experience, his physique had thinned down but was otherwise healthy for his age.
"Why cant you be like little Ikade?"
She clenched her teeth when her grin faded, her canines glared at him in a rude manner.
"How has your day been, Edo?"
"Its been well, Maria is shopping today so she wont be back till later."
"I'm your daughter you know? You could at least pretend to care."
She let out a protest, turning her head aside, cool and exhausted eyes boring into him, her hand rising to her chest. Sienna wondered how far she could get away with pushing it this time.
"I'm sorry—which one again? There's so many of you that I cant be bothered to remember everyone's name."
Edo stared right back, their gazes clashed like a well oiled machine, one she had contributed years of her life to.
Sienna clicked her tongue and reached for own bag, yanking it open then pulling out a packet.
She shrugged, pacing in a small circle.
"I wasn't able to catch it, so I just gave up."
Her voice turned matter-of-fact, dropping an octave with every word.
She threw her hands up and leaned to the left, arms stretching forward, her fingers opening like the jaws of a beast with Edo's head caught between them.
"I was so—close!"
Her voice climbed with frustration, then her hands snapped shut with a clap, swallowing Edo's head behind them while her eyes stayed fixed on the makeshift jaw.
"Tch, so much for my retirement."
Edo took the packet and added it to the pile beside him. The room fell stale until he finally spoke.
"So—" He said, looking up at her. "Are you okay?"
Sienna blinked, her eyes looking his up and down behind the wooden desk.
"Hhah? Why wouldn't I be?"
"You just look tired, the greying hair you wish I never noticed—" Edo gestured, pointing at a grey patch of hair. "—you're turning into...me."
She looked absolutely disgusted with his words—mortified even, her whole body recoiling and she took a step back.
"Ew, please don't say that."
Her eyes bore into him like if he were but an insect, no—a pile of shit was what he was.
He leaned back in his chair with that old man look that made her want to disappear into an alley and throw up.
"You know, if I were thirty years younger—"
"Stop. Stop right there."
Sienna threw her arms up to her side, pivoting anywhere but in his office. "I'm leaving before I throw up."
"I'll see you in a couple."
She pushed through the door as Ikade gave one last wave, twisting around so their eyes met through the closing gap. The smile had already left his face. What remained in the worn chair was not the man from a moment ago, but only an old dog.