'05:12'
'04:20'
「BAM—BAM—! PSHHHH—!GRNK!」
A scene full of tapestry split down the middle, staring into a reflection of its own making.
'02:31'
Her gaze lingered between both screens. The movie rolled on while Cecilia's eyes turned glassy beneath the shifting light.
'1:11'
'00:32'
「BAM!」
「...stop...BAM! Stop moving!」
'00:07'
'00:01'
'「thp! uuumm▒▒KRRRNN—nnn░▒▓█!」'
Cecilia pushed herself up from the couch and headed for the bathroom, her steps heavier than her eyelids.
"What's up?"
"Bathroom." She muttered.
The light inside was bright white, harsh enough to make her squint as she stepped in. She turned on the faucet and let the cold water run over her fingers, pooling between her hands.
Then she splashed some onto her face.
Cecilia leaned over the sink with both hands braced against the counter before rubbing the tiredness from her eyes.
"Hah..."
Cecilia rubbed her face, grabbed the nearest towel, and dried herself before heading back out.
Ikade had shifted on the couch by the time Cecilia returned, now resting on her side with one arm tucked beneath her head.
Without a word, she walked over and eased herself down, carefully slipping onto the couch until her body was pressed against Ikade's.
Cecilia rested her cheek against her and closed her eyes.
Darkness.
Darkness that slowly spilled into white for every millimeter her eyes opened.
"Huahh..."
Her mouth hung open, lips parted.
A soft hum and faint tapping filled the room. Lifting her head, Cecilia saw Ikade through the blur, gently brushing her feathers while scrolling on her phone.
Cecilia stayed still for a few seconds.
She pushed herself up from the mattress, propping herself upright while rubbing the grogginess from her eyes. The bandages littered across the back of her hand brushed against her cheek.
"Wh—Wgat...time is it?"
"It's three. You've only been asleep for thirty minutes."
Thirty minutes.
That was it?
Cecilia rubbed at her head, trying to force the pounding back down. It did not listen. Her face tightened from the ache in her joints, her hand, and everything else that wanted attention at once.
"Nothing happened…right?"
"...no...not much, really. Just the announcement..."
Cecilia pushed herself up before shuffling toward the bathroom, only for vertigo to flood her body. The floor swayed beneath her like leaves in a soft wind.
My meds…where'd I put them…
Once inside, Cecilia flicked on the light and rummaged through the small bag on the counter, closing her hand around two little containers labeled with something she had long stopped caring about.
She popped them open, tipping two of each into her mouth before covering her lips with one hand. A trickle of water followed, spilling down her chin while she swallowed the pills.
"haaah…"
Cecilia looked up, meeting the dark lines of her own reflection, then turned on the faucet and splashed water over her face. As she did, Ikade stepped closer, tapping at her phone a few times.
"I, um...saved the announcement. Do you want me to play it?"
"Yeah—play it."
With a tap, a screen appeared over her bracelet.
「…Captain speaking. We've been assessing damage for the past hour and a half following the recent incidient.」
She held the sink once more, catching the faint sound of other voices murmuring in the background—too muffled to make out.
「After speaking with my people, I have some news to share. We've concluded that three of our crawlers were damaged to varying degrees after colliding with a surface-level deposit that was not present a few weeks ago.」
Back in the living room, she snapped her fingers at the TV. The screen shifted, revealing a wide shot of a group made up of various species, all gathered at the center.
Their expressions varied, plentiful like them.
「It would have been manageable if only two were damaged. However, we've dug into the deposit itself, leaving us unable to fully inspect the affected areas. Until repairs are made, this vessel cannot move.」
「At this time, repairs and reassessment are expected to take approximately seven weeks, assuming nothing further goes wrong. We will be lowering the ramps to begin repair work. Passengers who cannot wait through the repair period may disembark, though a few required forms must be signed first.」
"Hahh...how wonderful."
The volume of the announcement dwindled until it faded into white noise. Cecilia leaned back into the couch, the two of them sat in silence until her bracelet buzzed against her skin with a—
ping~!
She glanced at the bell floating in her view, Cecilia lifted her wrist. An opaque screen appeared near the ceiling, curving to match her line of sight.
"Well, look at that." Cecilia stared at the message. "They finally finished working on it. Took them a whole week to say, 'yeah, it's fitted, come look at it.'"
She scrolled through the rest of her inbox before cutting into whatever Ikade had been about to say.
"Cil, maybe we should—"
"Soo..."
"Wanna check it out? Its the best chance we'll have if you think about it."
"...rightt..." Ikade lowered her phone a little. "Are you sure that's a good idea?"
Ikade shot her a look from the side.
"Mhmm. We're almost out of food anyway."
Cecilia pushed herself up from the couch and stretched, extending her limbs until something in her back gave a faint pull. Her gaze flicked briefly to her pistol.
Thank Terra, she didn't touch it.
With a small inward sigh, Cecilia picked it up and concealed it beneath her jacket before grabbing her purse.
In a few blinks, they were already moving—out of the living room, past the front door, through the bustling corridors.
Average.
Just average.
The streets were full of people like every other day, moving like nothing had happened.
Nothing changed.
"You're taking this better than I thought."
Ikade turned her head.
For a second, Cecilia almost believed the very words she said. That was before she caught the faint tremble in Ikade's irises.
"You think so?" Ikade asked, trying for a smile. "I'm shaking inside."
Soon enough, the two of them slipped into one of the markets within.
The smell of produce wafted in the air, mingling with the warmth of people, their constant shuffling and their voices overlapping one another.
A minute became two and two became many.
"Are these fine? I—can't tell."
"Hm? Gimme."
Ikade stepped up behind her and gently squeezed the tomato in her hand, testing its firmness between her fingers before nodding.
"Its okay, these too. Uh, what else do we need?"
Ikade looked up at her curiously.
Cecilia dropped her gaze to the cart.
A few canned things, sealed packs, some vegetables, snacks Ikade had definitely added without asking to make the week less irksome.
Just groceries.
"This should be enough, right?" Ikade asked.
"For the week, yeah."
They pushed on, letting the cart roll ahead of them while they moved deeper into the market. The noise swelled the farther they walked, but just because the aisles narrowed and more people moved beside the.
Cecilia watched them for a moment, then looked away.
The meat aisle hit them all at once—bright lights and the smell of poultry.
Ikade leaned over the display, comparing prices with a seriousness she herself could not muster.
They grabbed enough for the week, then moved on.
Over and over.
As they passed the checkout lanes, Cecilia grabbed a handful of supplements.
rrnn—
"That was five hundred. Wayyyyy more than last week." Ikade stared at the total like it had pierced her heart. "I guess capitalism wins again. I'm starting to rethink my decisions Cil, you?"
"We're still fine." Cecilia gave the cart a small nudge with her hip. "We only used, like, a ninth of our money. Not too bad."
When she reached for her card, Ikade caught her wrist and gently lowered her hand.
"Wait. I'll pay."
"Why?"
"Can I not be nice?"
Before Cecilia could even reach for anything, Ikade had already paid.
A soft chime sounded from her phone and a receipt slipped from the counter a second later. The two of them pushed the cart toward the entrance, merging into a short line. The others stood ahead of them with bags and bundled supplies.
"We'll send our stuff first." Cecilia said quietly. "That way, we don't have to carry all of this back."
While waiting, she pulled up her map. The earlier notice appeared beside it, displaying which deck their vehicle was parked on.
After typing in the address, several routes popped up, some marked with heavier foot traffic and changing by the minute. Cecilia scrolled through them while Ikade leaned in, tracing the elevation changes with her finger before selecting the path with the shortest walking distance.
"Hey there! What can I do for ya?"
The two looked up. Cecilia turned the screen around and the worker glanced at it with mild interest.
"We wanna send all of these to this address here. Just food."
"Alright...just sign this while I get started."
The worker slid a tablet across the counter.
Cecilia scribbled her signature before the person on the other side grabbed the cart and pulled it away, reaching for a few crates stacked on a pallet behind him.
"There."
"Your handwriting is so ugly."
Cecilia's face stiffened, blue washing over her expression while she pushed the tablet aside.
The same worker returned once someone else took over the packing.
"It'll be eighty dollars."
The pink-haired man spoke calmly, his black ears flicking at nothing while he gestured toward the card reader. Cecilia tapped her bracelet against it, and the reader's screen changed a moment later.
"Here you go—thank you."
Turning away, the two of them left the market and merged into the sea of people.
Ikade linked their arms almost immediately, then pulled out her phone with her free hand, tapping through a catalog while Cecilia naturally took the lead.
"Should we look at furniture?" Ikade asked.
Cecilia glanced down at the screen.
"Furniture?"
"Not actual furniture. Well—maybe. I mean, we've got to make the place livable, right? Who wants to sleep on just a mattress?"
"You don't even know what it looks like inside."
Cecilia guided her along with the flow of people, watching the crowd enough for both of them while Ikade kept scrolling.
Tap...tap tap tap. tap tap.
"We can start with the basics, right? A few extra towels—for washing clothes, plates. Maybe a couple board games."
Ikade smiled at her phone and kept scrolling.
A bench opened up nearby and Cecilia tugged Ikade toward it before she would walk into something. Ikade barely noticed, still browsing through listings.
Cecilia sat beside her.
"It's got a bed and a closet." Cecilia said. "Eighteen square meters isn't terrible."
"That wasn't in the demo."
"Because it's not the demo." Cecilia waved it off. "You'll see. I added a few things too. Enough to make it less miserable."
Cecilia patted her chest with quiet confidence.
Still, Ikade went back to browsing. Together, they added things to the growing list—extra covers, a blanket or two, a few small organizers, cheap dishware.
Anything that might make the place feel lived in. Something that took way longer than it needed to.
"This should be enough, I think...we also need this. And this. Oh—and this..."
A few purchases were sent straight to their waiting vehicle.
The rest stayed saved for later, both of them conveniently ignoring the several hundred dollars already threatening to leave their joint account.
"Ready." Cecilia nodded toward the route ahead. "We're going to use it anyway. Might as well see what we're working with."
Once again, the two linked arms and set off for the vehicle, strolling through corridors both thin and wide while talking about absolutely nothing.
They passed stores still full of novelties left unexplored, lights flashing by without them even slowing down.
The route dipped downward, leading them to a wide staircase packed with people moving in steady currents. The farther they descended, the colder the air grew, the temperature dropping deck by deck, floor by floor.
The hum of the vessel increased with every level they crossed.
It was not loud, just a low buzzing from an HVAC system working too hard. With every blink, more people appeared, until they themselves became part of the hum.
At an elevator lobby, they waited shoulder to shoulder with others hauling crates and luggage. The doors finally slid open, and they squeezed inside.
They stepped out, followed the signs, then queued again for another ride farther along. This one was more spacious, dropping them even deeper while the hum grew more pronounced, vibrating through the walls.
Bang!
The elevator jolted to a stop with a dull thump. The lights on the landing flickered once before the doors slid open.
Ikade closed in and gripped Cecilia's arm, sweeping her eyes across the space beyond with a mix of caution and curiosity.
Past the metal box, everything changed.
The smooth, enclosed corridors were gone. In their place stood rough, unfinished surfaces stretching in every direction. The floor vibrated faintly, warnings and hazards bleeding straight through the soles of her shoes.
Cecilia tugged Ikade along.
Other elevators opened around them, people spilling out and splitting into groups, but Cecilia ignored most of it, following the map where it mattered. After a few turns, they merged with a small crowd entering another lift.
This one dwarfed every elevator they had used so far.
A blaring alarm shook her senses.
A gate dropped down from above like fencing, locking them in like beasts. The vibrations bit deep into her bones when the platform began to descend. Everyone turned outward, watching the shaft slide past.
Stains and old paint served for a makeshift floor numbers, blurring together while they dropped.
Then—light.
A sudden brightness forced Cecilia to shield her eyes.
They emerged into a vast cavern, dull and cold, stretching far beyond her sight. Cranes crawled along the ceiling, swinging over endless rows of storage. Amber lights flashed in patterns, mixing with the harsh daylight spilling in from one side.
The hum was everywhere.
Without realizing it, Ikade stood dangerously close to the edge. She yanked Ikade back right when the platform slowed, screaming softly before coming to a full stop.
The gate lifted and the blare returned for seconds, everyone rushed to disembark, Ikade clapping her hands over her ears, wincing.
Ikade clapped her hands over her ears, wincing.
Cecilia pressed something into her arm.
Ikade grabbed it and popped open the clear case, finding two earplugs nestled inside. She slipped them in, wiggled her feline ears once, then nodded in relief.
Cecilia's mouth curved slightly before she turned away and walked toward a help station.
There, she chatted with the worker, signed a few more forms, then reached back and tugged Ikade along again.
Guards of nearly every species patrolled the deck. Their weapons stayed ready, their eyes constantly moving from person to person, crate to crate, vehicle to vehicle.
After several more minutes of walking, the two finally stopped.
Their newly acquired purchase sat in front of them.
"I still can't believe it's this big."
Letting go of her hand, Cecilia stepped forward and turned back, clapping her hands once.
Clap!
Just like that, they spent nearly twenty minutes circling it, checking whatever they could from the outside.
Cecilia popped the grille with its hydraulic lift, then used a touch of telekinesis to guide the dipsticks into her grasp. She scanned them one by one before slotting everything back into place.
Ikade hovered nearby, watching her with the expression of someone who wanted to help but did not know where to start.
Along the sides, the cargo containers sat empty, bolted down into the chassis.
She circled the vehicle once more, crouching briefly to inspect the undercarriage. The drivetrain looked solid enough that standing beneath it did not make her flinch. She passed under and emerged from the other side without hesitation.
Turning around, she spotted the two spare tires stacked next to the generator, one resting atop the other, ready to roll off at a moment's notice.
Cecilia muttered under her breath and glanced to the side, where Ikade was busy fiddling with the controls for the spare tire lift.
shrrr…
Both of them whipped their heads around.
A large trolley rolled up, stacked high with cargo boxes. Its operator stood beside it, nodding briefly to them before glancing down at his tablet. He guided the trolley in next to their vehicle, hopped off, and locked it in place with a quick motion.
"This yours?"
Both of them nodded.
The man turned and pulled out a clipboard, holding it out for either of them to sign.
"Your stuff's already sorted."
Cecilia leaned her head but took the clipboard.
"Can you move the rest to the back?"
The man nodded without fuss and got to work immediately, hauling the appropriate crates into place.
Once the last crate was set, he drove off, leaving the two of them staring at the rear, where a metal staircase sat higher than either of them could comfortably reach.
"I swear I saw a ladder somewhere..."
They split off to opposite sides. A moment later, Ikade's voice echoed back.
"Its on this side!"
Cecilia pivoted and headed over, spotting Ikade already climbing a short set of ladder steps onto what remained of the freighter's bed. She followed, her shoes thudding against the metal.
Ikade tugged at a latch near the edge, and with a metallic clack, the staircase shuddered.
The grated steps unclamped from the bed and hit the floor with a heavy thud.
Ikade stood there for a moment, looking far too pleased with herself.
Cecilia turned instead, facing the front door set slightly off-center to the right. A small bag had been tied around the handle.
She untied it, fished out the key inside, then pushed the lever down with a solid thud.
"After you."