Whrmmm… click—chhk… whrrr—
"Fuu…why's it so damn cold?"
Sienna looked up from the garage toward the cloudy sky above. Gray waves drifted across it like a painted scene, mirroring a rapid river in slow motion. The dark, swollen sky hung heavy with rain, waiting to ruin her day the second it felt a spark of happiness.
"Should've worn a jacket..."
She muttered under her breath while rubbing her hands together, trying to force some warmth back into her fingers before speed walking to the Alfi.
Her keys clattered against each other in a frantic mess, the metal ringing like tiny bells while she searched for the right one. Her fingers moved clumsily from the cold until she finally found it, slid it in, and threw herself inside.
"Come on, come on...warm up before I turn into a corpse."
At her will, the interior began to heat rapidly, climbing until it pleasantly settled at twenty-two Celsius.
Sienna sank back into the seat with a long exhale.
Her foot pressed down on the clutch. The handbrake was already doing its job. She shifted into neutral, giving the gear stick a couple of unconscious shakes while her shoulders slowly loosened.
Chk-Chk-Chk
The car roared to life after another crank, white smoke spilling from the muffler. Sienna warmed up alongside it, watching the temperature gauge climb ever so slowly.
"Good girl. Don't embarrass me today."
Only then did she slip it into reverse, easing into first once she had enough room.
She let the momentum carry the car toward the garage until she lined up beside the rusted truck.
Switching back into reverse, she took her sweet time parking in front of the old rust bucket, leaving enough space for the garage door. Once satisfied, she swung the door open, shut the car off completely, and left it in reverse.
With a flick of her hand, the garage door closed from the top down.
Sienna was about to leave when a thought made her stop. She stared ahead for half a second.
With a quiet groan, she opened the car again, planted one knee on the seat, and pushed the handbrake down.
Sliding out of the awkward position, she reached for the trunk lever and pulled it a second time for good measure.
Her feet carried her to the back of the car.
She popped the trunk open, lifting the mat and the board beneath it in one motion. The battery sat tucked into the corner. She reached in and disconnected the negative terminal with a quick flick of her fingers.
The mat and plank dropped all at once, kicking a cloud of dust into the air.
She slammed the trunk shut before heading back inside.
The garage door into the house opened on its own—she was too tired to bother lifting an arm.
Her yawns filled the cold room before she threw a glance toward her work booth, barely sparing the missing gear another thought.
She pressed the garage button twice and the sound of something sliding along a rail filled through the room.
Her steps softened once she moved deeper inside, passing the stairs leading to the gym, then the living room, and the tiny courtyard off to its side. From there, she continued down the hallway that led straight to their bedroom.
Ikade's voice carried from the bathroom.
The lyrics were muffled through the walls, stretched into soft nonsense by Ikade's questionable confidence.
"I can't understand anything she's saying."
Her gaze drifted to the locked door.
Without a word, she crouched slightly and started picking the lock.
She ignored the heat and moved straight to the fogged mirror, grabbing a small towel before wiping a single clean streak across it.
Her reflection stared back at her.
A squinting Sienna, brows shifting with every face she made at herself.
Then her gaze caught the faint lines beneath her eyes.
Horror.
She sighed in defeat and touched the mirror. Information populated across one side of the fogged surface, the week's forecast playing at the top while subtitles ran along the bottom.
Her eyes roamed over the other mundane scribbles slowly scrolling upward into nothing. The music switched to another song while Sienna grabbed her toothbrush, applied toothpaste, and ran warm water over the bristles.
For several minutes, the sound of her brushing was swallowed by Ikade's singing. The running water gathered into a miniature pond before she finally spat the foam from her mouth.
A hairbrush floated into her waiting hand.
She ran her fingers through her hair first, then guided the brush through the wild mess, pressing absentmindedly until every stubborn cowlick finally gave in.
At the same time, Ikade pulled the curtain open.
The two of them stared at each other.
Ikade looked like her spirit had briefly left her body.
"Can you noet?"
Sienna let out a giggle at the slip, tilting her head to one side without feeling the slightest bit guilty.
Ikade felt the shift immediately. Her ears twitched, and she backed away on instinct, edging closer to the shower.
Before she could say anything else, Ikade yanked the curtain around herself, leaving only her narrowed eyes peeking out from the edge.
"Sexual harassment dayo."
Her voice came low, drawing a snort from Sienna.
"I haven't even done anything."
The smile stayed plastered across her face, ignoring the increasingly cautious feline. Turning back to the sink, she raised one hand and stared at the way it rested naturally.
She grabbed a pill bottle, popped it open and tossed two painkillers into her mouth before swallowing them dry.
Ikade walked behind her, grabbing her phone from the wooden shelf along with a hair dryer. Through the mirror, Sienna caught sight of those fluffy ears being dried beneath a pink towel.
Sienna's gaze shifted to the white paper bag on the counter.
She tipped it over, letting the contents spill across the surface. A half-used tube of topical anesthetic rolled out alongside a lone suppressant. After that, she reached for the small medical pouch hanging from a hook stuck to the mirror.
The overstuffed pouch flattened like a fat pancake when she unzipped it.
She pulled out something shaped like an insulin pen. Chrome accents ran along its body, while the handle was a light beige. The bottom half was clear plastic, showing a purple cartridge filled with transparent liquid.
Giving it a few flicks, Sienna uncapped the numbing cream and worked the cold gel into her thigh—the same spot she always used. The skin there had already discolored from countless tries.
Her mind did not let her wait.
Before she knew it, the inhibitor was already pressed to her skin.
A mechanical clink echoed through the room.
The medicine spread through her body, cold and familiar beneath the surface. She pulled the pen away and tossed the empty cartridge into the bin.
The pouch was overflowing with more band-aids than she could count. She grabbed a few before washing her hands and drying them.
Then her fingers found a bottle of benzoin tincture.
After giving it a small shake, she opened it and pulled out the cap, a swab attached to the end.
She rubbed the swab over every crystal on both wrists, covering each one with a small band-aid afterward.
One by one.
By the time she finished, both wrists looked like they had lost a fight with a craft drawer.
"Perfect. Total emo vibes right here."
ienna zipped up the pouch, holding it loosely in one hand as she stepped back into their room.
Ikade, however, was still getting dressed.
Sienna crossed to the closet and picked out a pair of pants, a simple loose long-sleeved top, and a pair of shoes from under the bed. She stripped off her shirt and tossed it aside, pulled on the other long sleeve, then tugged her hair free from where it clung to her back. Her necklace slipped loose right after, catching briefly against the fabric before settling against her chest.
Her hands yanked off her shorts, trading them for the pants.
Ikade, finished with drying her hair, stood at the edge of the bed and stared at her. Her feline ears drooped to the sides, completely relaxed from the shower.
"Auntie. Heh."
The smug feline announced it like a victory, looking far too pleased with herself.
Sienna whipped her head around in record time, shock widening her eyes, her mouth left hanging open.
Then she lunged.
Ikade barely had time to react before Sienna jumped on top of her, sending the giggling feline bouncing against the bed.
"If I'm an auntie, guess that makes you a brat!"
Ikade squealed, trying and failing miserably to defend herself.
Sienna's hands shot to her sides, mercilessly tickling until Ikade could barely force out a coherent sound. Their breaths filled the quiet room, scattered between laughter, weak protests, and the messy rustle of sheets.
Once the struggle slowed, they found themselves staring at each other.
A few tears clung to Ikade's lashes, her head resting flat against the bed. Her chest rose and fell quickly while her ears gave one last helpless twitch.
Now it was Sienna wearing the smug smile.
A spark ignited in her eyes.
Her finger traced along the cat's lips, and Ikade's eyes widened in immediate panic.
"Let this auntie show you, okay?"
Her finger tapped gently against Ikade's lip, Sienna's eyes narrowing with a smile.
"Stop—! Stop, stop!"
Ikade's face burned red with shame, her little ears flailing while her tail smacked repeatedly against Sienna's leg.
"H-Have you no shame?!"
Sienna's eyes were drawn to the wiggling mess beneath her, her heart jumping with a brief spark of joy before she finally let up.
The panting feline looked completely spent from their scuffle.
"I do. I'm just really good at hiding it."
The two stared at each other for a brief pause. Sienna pushed herself off the bed.
"Let's go. We've gotta head out in an hour."
Ikade remained there for a second, still catching her breath before dragging herself upright with a small, defeated grumble.
A handful of steps later, the two wandered into the kitchen and started pulling out ingredients for a quick meal.
Sienna rolled her sleeves up slightly and tied an apron around her waist, working the remaining masa into a tortilla. She spun it between her hands, pulled the cut plastic bag over a layer of wrap, and shaped the dough until it flattened into a clean circle.
Ikade, for her part, reheated the leftover stew from last night.
The smell rose slowly through the kitchen, warm and familiar, cutting through the last traces of cold still clinging to the morning.
Sienna placed the newly shaped tortilla onto the hot pan, watching it inflate before flipping it just before it popped.
tsssk!
The pan hissed sharply.
She gave the dough a few more turns and when it puffed again, she dropped it into the small basket with the rest.
Ikade filled two bowls to the brim, letting the pot cool for a moment before carrying them to the dining room, oven mitts shielding her hands. She only came back after setting them down, returning to wash the pot before anything could dry against the sides.
Sienna shut off the stove, washed her hands, and brought the tortilla basket to the table.
Ikade was already seated, taking a sip of her drink. Sienna set the basket down and sat beside her.
For the next twenty minutes, the two ate quietly with their aprons still on, their devices resting on the table between them, each playing something different.
The sounds overlapped without bothering either of them.
Once the time had passed, Ikade slipped out of her apron and set it on her chair before heading to the nearby bathroom.
Sienna stuffed the last tortilla into her mouth, chewing a few times before swallowing and washing it down with a gulp of juice. Then she stood and let the empty bowls and cups levitate into the air, following her into the kitchen where she washed them.
Ikade's voice drifted from down the hall.
"You don't have to clean if you don't want to. Someone comes by once a month for the house, remember?"
"I know. I just hate having a dirty kitchen."
They spent the remaining time lounging around—reading, watching whatever happened to come up. Sienna's body, however, still fought to catch up on sleep even through the downtime.
When her wrist buzzed, she lifted it. A small screen flickered into existence, notifying them that their cab was already at the gate.
"Its here."
Her voice came out lazily as she tossed the manga onto the desk. She pushed herself up from the beanbag while Ikade stretched out her limbs after sitting in the chair for too long.
Sienna reached for the laptop resting at the side of the desk, tucked it into the bookbag at her feet, and slung the strap over her shoulder.
She blinked once.
Then the two of them were already heading toward the front gate, their bags long since packed and loaded onto the waiting vessel the afternoon before.
The cool morning air hit them the second they stepped through the gate and climbed into the red-and-white cab.
"How long is it? The travel, I mean."
Ikade asked while fastening her seatbelt, the driver pulling out of the driveway once she was done. Sierra was left pondering for a moment before answering.
"Probably just a couple weeks."
Ikade did not feel any better after hearing the response, her ears falling flat on her head. Sienna patted her hand before speaking.
"You'll be fine. It's just a couple weeks—nothing big."
Her smile did nothing to help the sulking feline, who shot her a side-eye and muttered under her breath.
"That's easy for you to say, I've only been on one my entirely life!" Ikade muttered, feeling the injustice that was life.
"That was before we met anyway…."
The two of them kept bickering the whole way through the maze of land plots and districts, the city breathing around them like a living organism—one that did not spare either of them a single thought.
The city's shadow draped itself over the moving cab. High-rises loomed overhead with ads reaching down like grasping hands.
The faint wails of cruisers and ambulances slipped through the steel chassis, mixing with the steady hum of the street.
They passed a residential block whose walls were plastered with an old mural—faded, yet still prominent after all those years. The cab eased around the gentle curve of a roundabout and continued down crowded streets packed with an abundance of species.
Fiesta.
Where she had been raised.
Buildings rose around them in every stage of construction. Some remained skeletal, exposed frames waiting for skin and glass, while others were nearly finished. A new venue's lights flickered nearby while workers prepared it for opening night.
Sienna watched groups moving along the sidewalks, lost in their own routines and daily patterns, living lives she no longer recognized.
She could not remember the last time she had properly slowed down.
They passed through several gates connecting each city plate together, every checkpoint taking roughly fifteen minutes. It felt less like transit and more like being processed, one pause after another, before they finally reached the land plot they were headed for.
The cab left the highway and rolled down the off-ramp at a steady pace.
Both of them looked out their windows at the so-called bustling port in the distance.
At first glance, it looked like any other part of the web called Gran Casas. The only thing that truly set it apart was the massive complex planted in the middle.
Three buildings of marvelous engineering—just one of several terminals scattered across the city and out into the vastness of the barren land.
They connected Gran Casas to the cities stretching along the distant horizon, much like the cab now cutting across another intersection.
They stayed quiet for a while before reaching the outer edge of the complex, the sound of traffic and construction heavy in their ears. The driver pulled up to an open spot the moment one presented itself, and both Sienna and Ikade hopped out from the passenger side the second the cab stopped.
Their bags were already slung over their shoulders.
The payment had been handled long before the doors opened.
A small no name village huh? Your eyes glow whenever you see something similar like these.
A vast wall of glass filled their view, curving in a gentle arc, the name of the complex written across it in harsh white.
Sienna only watched her.
Ikade stood there taking in the terminal before them, her gaze lifting slightly toward the roof hanging several meters above. Transparent panes and chrome steel shielded the space from the weather, rising taller than the jacaranda trees scattered along its edge.
One tree rose through the floor below, its trunk growing through a cutout square in the level beneath them, only a short distance away. Brick curbs lined each stretch of road behind them, separating the harsh traffic from the walkways.
Sienna said nothing.
She simply grabbed Ikade's hand and dragged her inside the building, her pellicular form following close behind.
For all the times she had used the services here, she had not explored most of the place either. If she had to describe its shape, it reminded her of two V's pressed together—like a stickman missing its head, one arm raised in the air, baggy pants and all.
"Um…where are we going again?"
Ikade stayed close to her side, eyes flicking nervously across the massive open space like she was afraid one wrong turn would erase the way back.
Even from the first floor alone, the place dwarfed the community center they had visited just days ago. It rose far above them, all glass, white steel, and open air. When Sienna's gaze drifted upward, a gulp of nothing slid down her throat at the sight of the dimpled surface overhead.
"Whoa—this is nothing like when you brought me here."
"Mhm. The one we used last time's been here longer than this one."
Sienna tugged her along, slipping a few snacks and travel sweets into Ikade's bag whenever something caught her eye. She used her map to find the resource center, asked for directions to their terminal, then waited while the person behind the front desk tapped through the screen in front of them.
At first, nothing seemed out of place.
The worker asked for her name, destination, and boarding pass. Their fingers moved smoothly across the desk, pulling up one thing after another.
Their smile twitched.
"Excuse me, Would you be able to wait here for a little longer?"
Ikade looked between them, her ears shifting.
"Is something wrong?"
Sienna gave Ikade's hand a small squeeze before letting go.
"Nothing serious. Ikade, go wait a bit more ahead. Shouldn't take too long now." She looked back to the attendant. "Could you guide her? Its her first time here."
The worker blinked, then nodded a little too quickly.
"Of course. This way, please."
Ikade hesitated, then went with them, glancing back at her until the crowd had swallowed her from sight.
Sienna rested a hand on the counter and sighed, tapping her finger with every second.
A short while later, a small door opened across the open floor. Two people stepped out together and headed straight for her, cutting through the crowd of travelers with an easy pace.
She watched them approach without moving from the counter.
Their collars were too straight. Their shoes made almost no sound while thin glasses rested over their eyes, catching the pale light from the ceiling with every step.
"Miss?" One of them said. "You don't need to look at us like that. We only have a few questions."