Everything moved slowly; his eyelids were heavy, barely opening to let in the faint morning light filtering through the window.
He couldn't remember when he'd fallen asleep. He could only feel the gentle pressure of the mattress beneath his back and the warmth trapped in the sheets.
His muscles refused to move. Not because of pain, but simply because they were reluctant to leave that little corner of tranquillity; silence enveloped him.
His mind, still half-awake, wandered through disjointed thoughts.
Where was he? What day was it? Did it matter?
The sensation of being halfway between sleep and wakefulness… was almost comforting.
That brief moment when there are still no worries, when all that exists is the weight of the blanket and his calm breathing.
And for a moment, he wished he never had to move again.
Why can't I stay like this for the rest of my life? So warm, so soft, so… damp?
He blinked.
The sensation on his left side didn't match that of the rest of his body. Cold. Sticky. Disturbing.
Slowly, he slipped his hand under the blankets and slid it towards the source of that unexpected dampness.
He touched it. He felt it.
Hair?
Quickly, he pulled back the blanket that was wrapped around her, and there she was, the culprit.
White hair, a silly smile… and drool dripping onto his chest.
Kiana.
She was fast asleep, curled up like a cat. Her cheek pressed against his chest, half her body on top of him, as if that were the most natural position in the world.
"..."
The drool slid down a little further.
"Hey!" he whispered, trying to move away without waking her… to no avail.
Kiana frowned in her sleep, muttered something about "flying pancakes" and settled herself… even further on top of him.
Arthur let out a sigh of defeat.
System, any ideas?
…
None?
That's what I thought…
Ever since it had appeared with its glittering rewards, the system hadn't uttered a single word. No alerts, no missions, no messages. Just… silence. Had
it gone?
Did it have office hours?
Was it on holiday?
Or was it a glitch? Do systems have glitches?, I wondered as I carefully brushed a strand of white hair from my face.
Perhaps it was a one-off, like those annoying pop-up pages that promise you a prize, but then you never see them again.
I pressed my lips together.
Great. I'd got stuck in the social anxiety system.
I sighed and let myself sink back onto the blanket. Kiana's body heat was still there, and although I tried not to think about it too much… I couldn't ignore the faint sound of her breathing and how her face, pressed against my chest, was leaving a trail of warm drool.
I tried to move a little, but the girl was clinging to me like a koala with a living-blanket complex. Arms and legs all tangled up.
Part of me considered pushing her away, but another, more rational and cowardly part, remembered that I'd seen Kiana punch a tree for 'looking at her funny'. And the tree definitely didn't come out on top.
The rough wooden ceiling, with its knots and lines marked by time, seemed like a good place to lose oneself in thought about everything… or nothing.
Yesterday, whilst I was persuading a young woman who ran an inn to let us stay for free, I also took the opportunity to find out exactly where we were.
Siberia.
Before I transmigrated, I wanted to go to Asia and Europe. Perhaps now I can.
My thoughts wandered as the dawn light filtered timidly through the cracks in the window.
And suddenly, I heard a hoarse, half-asleep voice right next to my ear.
"Mmm…" "Arthur?" "
Yes?"
"Good morning…"
"Good morning to you too, Kiana"
'Kiana, eat slowly – the food isn't going anywhere.'
Kiana, who was eating like a pig, stopped and looked at me with an expression that I couldn't tell if it was remorse… or if she was just calculating whether she could carry on eating without me complaining any more.
"You don't get it, Arthur." They're so tasty! These pancakes are completely different from the ones my stinking old man used to make. They're not burnt, they don't smell bad and they're not tough to chew.
I chuckled softly. At least her enthusiasm was infectious.
"Just don't choke on them, all right?"
Kiana gave me a thumbs-up without stopping chewing.
I picked up my fork and took a bite of the pancakes. They were surprisingly good… soft, fluffy, and just the right amount of sweetness.
"Arthur," Kiana murmured, more softly now, her mouth empty and her eyes shining with satisfaction. "Thank you for staying with me."
I smiled at her.
"Thanks for not leaving me to freeze in the snow."
We both laughed, and the sound echoed through that little inn, as warm as the steam rising from our cups
…
"So what do we do now?" asked Kiana, sitting on her rucksack as if it were a throne, nibbling on the last apple they'd managed to get hold of.
"Any clues about your father?"
asked Kiana with a serious expression as she twirled the apple between her hands, as if trying to get the fruit to give her the answer.
"Hmm… no. But I dreamt I was drinking in a pub and smiling like an idiot."
"…That's not a clue at all, Kiana."
"Of course it is! My gut tells me he's near a town with cheap booze!"
Arthur put his hand to his forehead.
"Is that a Kaslana method too?"
"Exactly!"
He sighed and unfolded a map that one of the villagers had given him the night before.
"The nearest town is… Novosibirsk?"
Arthur frowned, looking at the map again as if that would change the name.
Kiana leaned over his shoulder.
"Novo… what?" asked Kiana.
"Novosibirsk. Sounds like a good place to find pubs, trouble and possibly your father."
Kiana crossed her arms and nodded.
"So let's go to Novosis… Novo… Nova… that weird town!"
"According to this… it's to the north-east." On foot… perhaps three days.
"So what are we waiting for? Let's go!"
"Kiana… it's the other way round."
Kiana stopped dead in her tracks, one foot already lifted in the opposite direction. She slowly lowered her leg, turned on her heels with as much dignity as she could muster, and said:
"I was testing you. I wanted to see if you were paying attention."
Arthur looked at her without saying a word.
"…Did it work?"
"No."
"Tch."
She sighed, puffed out her chest and pointed decisively towards the north-east.
"Right then, let's go!" Off to conquer Novo-whatever-it's-called!
I sighed. "Kiana, first we need blankets and food for that journey."
Kiana slowly lowered her arm, deep in thought, and murmured:
"So first… look for a shop?"
Arthur nodded as he checked the contents of the bag they were using as a rucksack.
"A shop, a market, or even a stall. Somewhere we can get blankets, dried food, maybe a torch, matches…"
"And pancakes."
"Kiana…"
"For the journey!"
Arthur sighed.
"All right, but only if there's any money left over."
Kiana clasped her hands together as if praying for that miracle.
Luckily, the performance had earned us enough money.
Three days on foot.
And that was assuming we didn't stray from the path.
This was going to be… interesting.