"I thought there'd be more stuff."
Ikade's voice came from somewhere behind her, half-muffled by the cramped space and whatever she was dragging around.
"But all we did was just tidy up a little." A pause. "That is the kitchen, right?"
Cecilia glanced to her right while stocking what barely qualified as a kitchenette.
It was cramped, with no real windows in sight—just the fissures in the ceiling washing in a thin line of light while the front door did the rest.
"Yeah, well…" Cecilia slid another small container into place. "I mean, it should work, right? There's enough to make something."
She stared at the two-burner stove wedged beside the sink.
Probably.
Cecilia finished by filling the small cabinet near the entrance with spices, then nudged it shut with the back of her fingers.
"But…it's an electric stove. I mean, we have one at home, but we don't use it at all." She added. "So much for pleading to get one and it was never used but one time."
Cecilia gave the stove one last look.
"Anyway..."
The bedroom sat right beside the kitchenette, the transition strip was the only thing separating either of them. The bed took up most of it, leaving just enough room to move around and glance at the wall of decor and the sliding mirror closet door.
"The kiosk made this look way bigger, but it's really just a studio." Ikade said, before she lifted her arm into the air. "I can almost touch the ceiling."
thmp!
Cecilia bounced onto the bed, crouching just enough to bang her head against the ceiling before flopping onto her side the next second. She stared up at the softly colored walls and the midnight-bronze metal support beams above.
"It's not...that bad...we've had worse in Columbia." She forced out her words, rubbing the sore spot on her dome. "At least that it had a bed."
"Ha-ha. Very funny." Ikade's voice came with the sound of her stepping closer. "Who else but you would've kept living in that dingy place? Mhm?"
"Cough."
Cecilia snapped her fingers.
The blackout blinds shuddered, then began rolling upward one by one, their dark fabric disappearing into the narrow housings above the walls. Light spilled in thin strips at first, then widened across the cramped room.
The main window lifted from the bottom up with a low hum, sealing into place with a soft click. Three smaller windows followed after it, rising in sequence until the room finally looked less like a sealed container.
"We could totally do that thing from movies."
"What thing?"
She lifted her wrist and flicked through her recent mail.
"You know. The lovers thing. One's inside the room and the other's outside looking up at the female lead."
Cecilia stared at her for half a second then looked away.
"Lemme see…mhmm…oh, there's one on the ceiling."
Ikade made a small offended sound behind her, but Cecilia had already climbed onto the bed.
She looked around for a second before spotting two bright blue levers tucked near the top. With one quick pull.
Thmp.
The padding overhead dropped away, and a rectangle of dim light spilled in through the ceiling window, sharp like a blade.
A projector screen sat tucked in front of her, receded in the wall of decor.
After messing around a little more, they wandered to the bathroom.
Pretty normal, all things considered.
Cecilia slid the door to the left. The john sat on the far side, the sink on the right, and the shower was tucked behind both, pressed against the wall separating them from the outside.
Ikade twisted the sink faucet.
Nothing came out.
"There's no water! We can't shower! What do we do?!" Ikade giggled, twisting the sink faucet, only for nothing to come out. "Welp…guess we'll be bonding through shared suffering."
Ikade flicked a switch on the back wall beside the sink, and the small extraction fan hummed to life. A second switch followed, bringing the LED ring around the mirror to a soft glow.
Cecilia leaned slightly to check the shower.
Ping!
The two glanced at each other before pulling up their devices.
Tap tap...tap tap tap.
"Oh wow… time really flew by." Ikade squinted at the message. "Mhmm, ramps'll start lowering soon, so…'get in queue if you're planning to off-board.'"
"Should we get in line?" Ikade asked, sliding a small basket under the sink. "We'll be stuck here until they fix it, right?"
"We can push it until tomorrow." Cecilia shrugged, flicking at the air to purchase water and fuel for the vehicle. "Too many people right now."
"And?"
"And where would we even go?" Cecilia glanced toward the ceiling window, though there was nothing but flashing amber lighta. "It goes on forever unless you actually know what's out there."
Cecilia closed the screen with a small flick of her fingers.
"C'mon. Let's go to the cabin. We still have to fix it up."
In no time, they were already out of the quarters. Cecilia pulled the gate shut, locked it, then closed the door behind them.
Hand in hand, they stepped down the staircase, then turned back and lifted it together. The grated steps folded upward with a heavy scrape before latching into place, secured so they would not drop on their own.
A few short steps later, they reached the lift on the driver's side.
Cecilia searched for the control, found the button, and pressed it.
A lift whirred down, machinery filled their ears until it finally bottomed out.
With a nod, they stepped on and she pressed the button again. The higher they rose, the darker the cabin became.
Dung.
Tap.
Ikade's phone light cut through the dim space.
"Its...so dark, wheres the light switch at?"
They stepped carefully, moving around the table bolted slightly off-center between the lift and the stairs, looking around with quiet curiosity.
"Ohh~ A couch!"
Flik~
Warm colors washed the cabin.
Ikade veered toward one side, she peeled the plastic cover off the red couch, and dropped onto it like she had found treasure. To her right sat a row of lockers. To her left, an L-shaped desk hugged the wall, with a small sink tucked off to the side.
Cecilia glanced around.
"It's literally a square room with a box in the corner."
She then shifted her gaze to Ikade.
"Oh—and I didn't buy that couch, so."
"It's…not as bad as I thought it'd be."
"Brr…is there a heater at all? Like, in the bedroom? Anything?"
She paused, then flicked a finger toward Ikade. A second later, the room began to warm slightly.
"I'll take that as a no."
Ikade's ears twitched.
Ikade's ears twitched.
Not long after, the two settled onto the couch, chatting idly while Ikade searched for a pair of small heaters. Cecilia let her handle it, only leaning over now and then when Ikade shoved the screen too close to her face.
A couple taps later—after comparing prices, reading through descriptions—Ikade found the ones she wanted and paid without any trouble.
She passed the order over to Cecilia, who punched in the address.
With that handled, they spent the next fifteen minutes doing absolutely nothing.
"There's not much stuff left so we can just bring them here and do the rest tomorrow."
Their bickering carried them out of the cabin and back toward the rear of the vehicle, where the rest of their things waited. Time blurred again into a single mass, hauling whatever was left piece by piece, filling the empty cabin until it looked a little more presentable.
"How the hell do you turn this on…? Of course there's no manual—ah. Never mind. Found it."
Already in the driver's seat, Cecilia flipped through the thin owner's manual, kicking lightly at the footrest while the seat stayed suspended on its straps.
"What're you doin'?"
Ikade's breath tickled her ear. Cecilia shook her head, mildly annoyed by the mischievous cat.
"I'm trying to find the start button."
A finger slid across her face, and she followed where it pointed. Hesitantly, she reached out and grabbed hold of a metal mover, pulling it toward her until a cluster of buttons revealed itself behind it.
Cecilia rubbed her nose and coughed a bit before holding down the button with an S on it.
WHRRR—CHUG—CHUG—VRRRM…
The engine roared to life and the straps suspending the driver seat began to vibrate lightly, the cabin beginning to be filled with a constant, heavy noise.
"I think we need earpro!"
Ikade nodded despite looking confused, her fluffy ears flattening as she cupped them before retreating toward the couch. Cecilia, on the other hand, skimmed through the manual before setting it to high idle for a minute or two.
Looking up, she read over the information on the three monitors above, then returned to the manual and slowly got used to the rules.
Once she felt ready, she stood and looked past the windshield, making sure no one was in sight. Then she killed the high idle, her eyes flicking to the air pressure building across the brakes.
Each brake had its own gauge.
One for each of the ten tires.
Cecilia pressed the brake, tapped the D button a second later and felt the vehicle jerk into gear. Letting off slowly, it lurched forward—where she hit the brake a little too hard.
These brakes are so sensitive.
Gently, she eased off again and maneuvered the vehicle back and forth, turning the wheel to get a feel for it. The whole thing lasted fifteen minutes.
After a while, she set the vehicle in park and shut it off, the engine no longer mumbling beneath them.
Cecilia stood from the seat and stretched her arms before turning to climb the short flight of stairs.
Ikade, however, was still scrolling through her phone.
"We've spent enough time here, don't you think?"
"Mhmm? What'd you say?" Ikade lowered her phone and blinked up at her.
"I'm hungry. Let's go eat."
Cecilia leaned in and grabbed her by the idle tail, yanking just enough to pull her upright.
"Hey—don't grab my tail!"
Ikade stumbled backward, complaining the whole way.
A few blinks later, they were already riding the lift up, then slipping through the corridors together, ignoring the chatter and foot traffic around them.
And not long after that, they were home.
The two set their plates down on the small kitchen table in their dorm. The smell of food filled the room, the sizzle settling into the background while pans shifted and clinked. Outside, the scenery bled from a golden hue into a subtle pink.
clink-clink...
Food for the spirit.
Once everything was ready, they took their seats and said their blessings.
Bite by bite, the meal vanished into their stomachs. Their drinks washed it down. After a couple minutes, they had pulled a blanket of heaviness over themselves while the television played some random broadcast.
Cecilia sank into the couch again, stretching one leg out with a slipper hanging halfway off her foot. Ikade curled up beside her, her head resting on Cecilia's lap while she scrolled through her playlist with that same lazy focus she always had after eating.
At some point, Cecilia snapped her fingers. Cups and plates lifted one by one, the sponge following along to perform its little act. Eventually, everything settled neatly into the rack to dry.
The broadcast changed twice, then again, its voices blending into a low hum before skipping forward into the darkening hours, the once-sunny movie fading into something gloomy and full of soft pattering sounds.
Just like outside.
suu...suu...
Soft snoring.
A feline's tune wove through the air and into Cecilia's ears. A gentle breeze slipped in from outside, brushing her face with a quiet whistle, almost like its own song. One arm propped up her head while her hair danced with every small draft.
Her eyes reflected the many lights above, past the soft clouds, as numerous as her thoughts.
How long had she been there? No one but her knew.
Cecilia lifted her other arm and turned her palm inward, watching the raindrops slide down her wrist and scatter off the small protrusions.
Again.
Once for every thought that crossed her mind.
"...can't...sleep?"
Ikade's voice came out half-muffled, still heavy with drowsiness.
step...
step.
Cecilia turned around and saw Ikade standing near the corner, a blanket wrapped around her body.
Ikade gave a small nod toward the couch.
Cecilia watched her shuffle closer, then settle on the couch, wrapping herself tighter until only her ears and the tip of her nose showed.
"It was supposed to be relaxing." She muttered at last, moving herself next to Ikade. "Not…this."
Ikade hummed, rubbing her cheek into the blanket.
"Do you not like it? We're almost there, aren't we? The first stop was that small city, right?"
She blinked slowly, then nudged her forehead into Cecilia's side.
"We could try exploring outside with a small group or something. Visit a few places here and there, eat their food and stuff."
"Huh. You make it sound easy."
"It literally is easy." Ikade said it far too confidently for someone wrapped like a burrito. "We bring stuff, don't do anything dumb, and come back before it gets dark."
"Or in this case, come back before they leave us. Which honestly sounds like it'll take days, if not weeks, to happen."
She lifted both hands from the blanket.
"Buumu. Adventure."
Her hands stayed raised for all of two seconds before a yawn ruined the effect.
"Oh wow. Aren't you trying to sell this?"
Cecilia stared at her.
Ikade looked down at the blanket gathered around her lap, rubbing the fabric between her fingers.
"I don't want to sit here for weeks pretending it's a-okay fine. Maybe it is safer here than outside, but still."
Just…two weeks." She held up two fingers, then immediately wiggled them like it was a magic spell. "Two weeks. We can make some fun memories and enjoy our time out there."
"I don't know about you." Ikade added. "but two months is a long time. I don't want to sit in a metal box the whole time, doing the same thing over and over again."
A cheeky glint flashed in her eyes before she raised her hands like claws.
"I might just starting biting into you out of frustration, grr."
"Hheh. It's not like we're gonna get dragged into a battle. We're not in a book or anything like that."
Cecilia rolled her eyes before speaking up.
"Wow. Listen to you—such an expert. Fine. We'll see what this oh-so-glorious adventure of yours offers, then."
"I'm sorry? Can you say that into my phone? Into the mic, preferably."
Ikade held her phone up between them, far too serious.
"Please state your full name and confirm that I, Kaede was right all along."
They made their way toward the bedroom together with Cecilia pushing Ikade along, all while bickering under their breath.
A moment later, they climbed into bed.
Cecilia spooned Ikade with a tired huff, the blanket swallowing them whole while her fingers lazily played with Ikade's tail. Slow at first, then slower still, until even that faded with the rest of her conscious.