"Mgh…"
I groggily shift in my overly soft bed in this underwater room in Shellshuck in the Seaburgs. Then I roll out, tumbling onto the much more solid floor. This clears my head enough for my brain to start working again. "Curse you, comforts," I mumble, slowly sitting up. "Should I even look for Trav? I bet he's gone already… dammit."
I start stretching and twisting my wings, then stretch and twist my body. "I should still scout around, at least," I mutter, "though perhaps in person since I'm already awake."
Knock, knock.
"Shurikit," Jim says through the door. "Mind if I come in?"
"Hi, Jim," I say, opening the door. "What's up?"
Jim's massive body covers most of the doorframe as he looks me over for a moment.
"What?" I also look at myself – wrappings on my chest, small, light undershorts. "Want me to put on a shirt?"
"No, you're fine." Jim clicks something behind his ear. "I was just checking something. Teresa disappeared earlier this morning. I assume Travis is gone as well?"
"Yep. I mean, probably," I nod. "With how desperate he was looking yesterday; I'd be surprised if he didn't go."
"I apologize. I feel like things would have gone differently if I was with you."
"Don't worry about it. We get separated all the time."
Jim furrows his brow. "But do you think he'll come back this time?"
"Probably. Eventually." I cross my arms. "Once he finds out that Teresa is a fraud, it'll just be a matter of time."
"Actually… that woman's been rubbing me the wrong way as well," Jim confides. "I've already tried investigating her background several times, but she's a slippery one with no history in Steralin beyond her employment in the Seaburgs."
"What's a Steralin?"
"The name of this province. I'll have to get you an atlas of Aridovia sometime."
"Verni would love that," I tell him. "But you know… with the death of Trav's mom, we're back to square one."
"Not necessarily. Did Melinda happen to mention anything?"
I twirl a ponytail. "Something about a tower? But it was destroyed, apparently. Not sure how much help it'll be," I tell him.
"Hmm… Sirius Tower," Jim mutters. "I'm almost certain there's still something there. I would have investigated already if I didn't sink like a literal rock in water."
"And you're staying in the Seaburgs? Really living life on the edge there, pal."
"It wasn't on purpose. That's all I'll say about that." Jim checks the time. "Will you be leaving soon?"
"I was gonna scout out the Seaburgs first, then maybe head back to the big city," I reply, picking up my clothes. "Hopefully the rest of my comrades are still kicking somewhere."
"I've got a new mission, myself. We might not cross paths for a while," Jim tells me, then hands me a pouch. "Money and a ticket. Don't spend it all in one place."
I accept it. "Huh, thanks. Don't be a stranger, yeah?"
"No promises." Jim shuts my door.
Getting dressed only takes me like ten seconds, but as I run out into Shellshuck's residential zone, Jim has already disappeared. I kind of want to know how he does it. If he was my size, he'd probably be able to go completely invisible.
The central plaza is in the midst of its mid-morning bustle, with people rushing along the walkways, or grabbing food at one of the food stops, or waiting for the aquarail. Really, it's just like any other city, just… underwater.
The top of the plaza, like the station, has a clear ceiling where I can see fish and stuff swimming above. The purplish light of the sky wavers through the layer of water – twenty, thirty meters?
I check the pouch again. Jim had given me… sixty darmas. Is that enough for a sandwich?
Thinking back, I realize I've never actually worked with money before. I vaguely remember Rurin being into it, though. He's the one who convinced Joseph to get us that finance textbook. I wonder if it's still under his bunk…
"Point six," the sandwich chef says. I hesitantly hand him a darma, and he gives me four coins. "By the way, what's on your back?" He asks.
"Uh." I draw back, then take my sandwich and quickly leave, holding my wings closer to my back. That just seems to attract more curious stares, though.
What's with these people? Why can't they just ignore everything like the ones in Chandonis do? At the very least, they aren't hostile, just curious… and they don't seem to recognize my wings as wings. I should be fine, right? I should be fine.
I leave the plaza, trying my best not to panic. The sandwich in my hands is large and warm… oh yeah, I have a sandwich! I take a bite.
Whoa! This is nothing like the slightly salty preserved meat sandwiches we'd eat back at the safe house. This one… well, it's still mostly meat and bread, but there's so much more to it, with flavors and textures I'd never experienced before.
I gleefully keep walking, enjoying the blue and white architecture and the joy of a good sandwich. By the time I finish it, though, I have no idea where I am.
Looking around, I see I'm in another plaza. This one's smaller with fewer people, and the open shops look to be selling clothes.
I absently wander into one of them. Jackets, overcoats, shoes. Most of these look bulky, though. Give me a skysuit any day.
"Looking for anything, miss?" A saleswoman approaches me. "Our section for petites is over this way."
"P-petites?" I'm both caught off-guard and curious, so I follow her. There's a nice assortment of small jackets and furry outerwear.
"What do you think? Anything catch your eye? I can make a few recommendations if you aren't sure."
"They're nice, I think," I murmur.
"Are you a fan of bright colors? The yellow complements your hair and shell nicely," she tells me.
Shell? Oh! "Y-yeah," I nod, tightening my wings further. "Yellow is my favorite color, but I like pink and orange too."
"Warm colors to match your fiery passion," the saleswoman eagerly nods. My guard starts to rise for a second – how does she know I'm hotheaded? Wait, no, she called it passion. Am I just being paranoid?
The saleswoman shows me a sunny yellow shirt-skirt-looking thing with detached sleeves. "How about this one? This halter top complements our selection of crop jackets and vests, perfect for greeting the season with a fresh vibe."
"Fresh vibes…" I twirl a ponytail. "Uhm, can I get this with fifty-nine darmas?"
Her eyes light up at that. "Why, yes! You can also get a nice accompanying piece from right over here with very little extra impact to your budget, don't you worry!"
I do like the look of some of these clothes. And the lady even lets me try them on. The halter thing goes low around my back, allowing my wings total freedom of movement. The sleeves are snug and warm too, but the crop jacket…
The saleswoman notices my expression. "I have a better idea, you'll love it," she tells me. "Right this way! We pride ourselves in having the biggest variety for all fashions and functions!" She throws a white scarf around my neck, then ties a fabric strip of the same color around my waist. "Haha! Adjustable scarf, matching sash. Fashionable and functional, what do you say?"
"Huh." I turn to look at myself in the mirror. "Not bad," I say to myself, then glance at my feet.
"New shoes? We've got some right this way, if you'll follow me." The saleswoman ushers me over.
While I like my current sandals, they're not really suited for kicking. Soon I settle on a pair that has strong straps, solid soles, and wedge-shaped heels.
"Nice ensemble we got for you," she nods, sealing my new clothes into an airtight bag. "Also, between you and me… good luck. I'll say you've got a good shot."
A good shot… at what? Did I miss something? "Uhm, thanks, but I'm just visiting," I reply. "I got comrades to meet up with."
"Well, if they ever find themselves in need of a wardrobe update–" she drops a business card into my bag. "Youya is here to serve. This is just an outlet, by the way. We've got proper stores in Chandonis, Aquna City, and Scaravale. Or perhaps you live out-of-province?"
"Eh, we're kind of… just wandering right now." I wonder how she'd react if I say we're from the badlands. Then again, I'd better not. "Anyway, I'm off."
"Thanks for your patronage!" The saleswoman waves.
As I continue walking, I carefully put the clothes into my pack. Vernicia's words suddenly pop into my mind – stop forgetting you're a girl. Hmph, we'll see what she thinks of this fit.
I find my way to another plaza after walking for a good while. Re-counting my money, I realize I only have about three darmas left. I mean, I didn't technically spend all of it in one place, right?
I stop in front of an aquarail station. The sign reads #5 – WELCOME TO CRABROCK.
"Whoops," I mutter, looking back. I didn't realize I'd walked so far.
"You lost, lass?" A man walks up to me. "I'm a guide. Where are you headed?"
"I dunno. I mean, I just sort of wandered here from Shellshuck," I reply.
The guide raises his eyebrows. "On foot?"
"Yeah. By the way, does this mean all the Seaburgs are connected like this?"
"Not all of them. Huh, you must not be from around here," the guide says. "But you don't look like a tourist."
"Ahem! Don't worry about my situation," I cut him off. "Just… oh, right. Chandonis! Which way is it from here?"
The guide hesitates, then points towards the station. "The west line ends at the city's north station. Um…"
"What?" I riffle through my pack and dig out the ticket.
"You aren't… running away, are you? From home," he whispers.
"Hmm…" I think for a second, then chuckle. "I guess we did run away, huh? Whatever. Thanks, guide."
"Er… you're welcome," he mutters, looking uncomfortable.
During the day, the aquarail looks much nicer. The sea is dyed deep violet by the sky, framing myriad shadows of many different sizes. Just watching it all whiz by relaxes me to my core.
I slump down in my seat, starting to feel sleepy. Getting a ride every now and then isn't so bad after all. Maybe I really am worrying too much about getting fat… it'll take way more than tram rides to soften me up, I bet. Maybe.
Stepping off the tram, I notice the rocks on the coastline. Maybe for kicks I'll hit up Bread Reef again; check out the old hideout. Though by now A-Tech has probably already cleaned it out. Heck, I still have my swimsuit in my pack. Maybe I'll train my lungs some more. Then I won't have the lowest breath-holding PB among my comrades…
Once I reach the edge of the city, I launch into the air, flappa-flappa-ing along the coastline… if I remember correctly, this area is called Stonebreak.
As the sun draws closer to the horizon, I see Bread Reef's lagoon. Now that I really look, the biggest rocks do look like loaves of bread from above. I guess it makes sense, kind of.
That's when I see Rurin sitting there. He's alone for some reason, but then, so am I. I suppose we both have some explaining to do…
"Yo, Ru!" I land in front of him. "How's things?"
"Not so hot," he replies.
"Where's Verni?" I look around.
Rurin raises a finger, then sounds off – Scree-ee-eee.
Then something goes flappa-flappa behind me. "Oh, just chilling," I say, turning to look—
"Yes," she says, and I jump back in surprise.
"You! You aren't Vernicia!" I point at her, then look back at Rurin.
"She's an aeronaut though," he confirms. "Gen 4. Her name is Angelina Foxx. Now, to you. Where'd Travis get off to?"
I grimace at the memory. "Umm… good news first. You got good news?"
"No," he replies. "But I'll share it anyway. First of all, Roy entrusted me with his stuff before he died. His laptop of secrets, too."
"What! When did he die?!" I yell.
"I'm getting there! You know the place we had to find? We found Metacorp instead of Neocon," Rurin explains. "Roy got attacked when he infiltrated there, then told us to finish the job. So naturally we went to raid it, but…" Rurin takes a breath. "Well, there's a reason Roy didn't make it from there unscathed. There's this armored executive there who wrecked us good."
"Armored! Like the Guy?" I ask.
"Nah, he isn't an executive. The one at Metacorp, though…" He opens the laptop and pulls up a profile. "Look here. Her name is Kisha Romanell, and she's crazy strong. I'm talking outmatched in a 5-v-1 strong. She's the one Roy was tailing."
"I see… at least you found something," I mutter.
"No protoforms, though. Since it wasn't Neocon," Rurin shrugs. "Though according to this thing, Kisha is with Neocon… so what was she doing at Metacorp? There's still so much we don't know."
"Par for our course, I guess. I should ask Jim once we meet up again," I say. Then I look over at Angelina. "Hey, don't be a stranger. I'm Shurikit Lars. Wanna share notes with us?"
Angelina gives me an inscrutable look. "Uhm… Jim's last name, do you know it?"
"Hanks. Why?"
She nods in affirmation. "My uncle. Um, but… talk much now, we don't. How he would get into our safe house, I'm not sure."
"Right? Man's a friccing ghost and he's triple our weight class," I agree. "Oh, that reminds me! Ru, is there anything on earthmovers in the computer?"
Rurin searches for a moment. "Hm, nope. Nothing readable, anyway. Are earthmovers another type of biotool?"
"Uh, another type?"
"We learned about firemen. Also in this computer, if you wanna take a look," he supplies.
"Later, I guess. Also, you never told me where Verni went," I tell him.
Rurin gives me a look. "You never told me where Trav went."
I inhale deeply, then puff out a breath. "You first. Please."
Rurin sighs. "That bad, huh? Well, after we found Gen 4 and went to Tasmil… uhm, long story short, she's still in the facility."
"No time to lose, then," I decide.
"Hey, let's not get ahead of ourselves." Rurin stops me. "We're low on manpower, and we got stomped at our first real obstacle. We can't just brute-force this one, is what I'm saying. Especially not while Kisha is there."
"I know," I reply. "Lately I've been trying to think of ways to solve a problem without just breaking it."
"Yeah? How's that been working?"
"What's that supposed to mean? These things take time," I tell him.
"Then in the meantime you can explain why Travis isn't with you," he shoots back. "Is he on an errand or something?"
I sigh. "No. He… willingly joined the enemy, I think. We found our person, but she died and then this sussy lady lured him in…" I cup my face in my hands. "Basically, things went really badly on my end. I don't know if we'll ever see him again."
"But he's alive, right?"
I look at him, surprised. "Y-yeah, but… I don't know."
"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it, then," he says. "No point in worrying if he's not in danger, right? I mean, at the very least, they won't kill him."
I ruminate on this, twirling a ponytail. "I guess you have a point," I concede.
"That's the spirit. Anyway, we made the mistake of trying the front entrance last time, so this time we should approach from a stealthier position."
"Honestly… our first real missions, totally botched," I grumble.
"Don't beat yourself up about it. We'll just need to cover each other's backs," Rurin tells me. "Especially knowing those firemen will probably be in the mix, too."
"We'll make a night approach, then?"
"Indeed," Ru nods. "It'll give us time to gather info in the city."
"What? We haven't found anything there so far."
"Hey, Chandonis is huge. You never know."
"You just want to buy donuts, don't you," I grumble.