"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 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, thin strips of light slipped through the seams of the closed metal blinds.
"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 electric." Ikade gave the stove a doubtful look. "We have one at home, and we used it, what—once? After all that pleading to get one, too."
Cecilia gave the stove one last look.
"Anyway..."
The bedroom sat directly beside the kitchenette, separated by a transition strip in the floor. The bed occupied most of the space, leaving a narrow path beside the decorated wall and mirrored closet door in front of it.
"The kiosk made this look way bigger, but it's really just a studio." Ikade said, lifting her arm above her head. "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." Cecilia rubbed the sore spot on her dome. "At least this one has a bed."
"We?" Ikade stepped closer. "You were the one who kept us in that dingy place."
"Cough."
Cecilia snapped her fingers.
The metal blinds shuddered. One by one, their slats twisted upward, spilling widening strips of light across the cramped room.
Then three smaller ones followed.
"Tch."
Her fingers curled inward before she let her hand drop.
"We could totally do that thing from movies."
"What thing?"
Cecilia lifted her wrist and began flicking 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 spared her half a glance before returning to the screen.
"Lemme see…mhmm…oh, there's one on the ceiling."
Ikade made a small, offended sound behind her before Cecelia climbed onto the bed.
She looked around for a second before spotting two bright blue levers tucked near the top. She gave one a quick pull.
Thmp.
The padded cover overhead dropped away and a rectangle of dim light spilled through the ceiling window, sharp as a blade.
Still standing on the bed, Cecilia looked around the room again. A projector screen sat recessed into the decorated wall across from her.
They spent another minute poking around before wandering to the bathroom.
Pretty normal, all things considered.
Cecilia slid the door to the left.
The john sat on the far side, the sink to the right and the shower behind both, pressed against the outer wall.
Ikade twisted the sink faucet.
Nothing came out.
"There's no water."
She slowly turned toward Cecilia, her ears lowering in mock horror.
"Cece...we're going to smell."
Her mouth twitched before she broke into a giggle.
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.'"
"We are not getting in that line." Cecilia shrugged and ordered water and fuel through her bracelet. "Too many people right now."
"And?"
"And where would we even go?" Cecilia glanced toward the ceiling window, though there was nothing beyond it but flashing amber lights. "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."
They left the quarters together. Cecilia pulled the inner gate shut, locked it, then closed the outer 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 lever, and pulled on it.
The lift whirred down, filling their ears with machinery until it finally bottomed out.
They stepped onto the platform.
Cecilia pressed her foot down on the control pedal, and the lift hummed upward beneath them. The higher they rose, the darker the cabin became.
Tung.
Tap.
Ikade's phone light cut through the dim space.
"Its...so dark, where's 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 the red couch, peeled away its plastic cover and dropped onto it like she had found treasure.
An L-shaped work booth was placed beside it.
Two slim lockers filled the narrow space between the booth and the wall, with a small sink tucked against the wall on the other side.
Her gaze shifted to Ikade.
"Oh—and I didn't buy that couch, by the way."
"It's...not as bad as I thought it'd be." Ikade tugged at her collar. "Is there A/C at all? In here? Anything?"
"The driver has it."
Ikade stared at her.
"I'll take that as a no."
She pinched the front of her shirt and fanned it away from her skin a few times before sinking farther into the couch.
They eased onto the couch while Ikade searched for a pair of fans, their conversation drifting between whatever caught her attention. Cecilia left the shopping to her, only leaning over whenever 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 left. We can bring it here and finish the rest tomorrow."
Their bickering carried them out of the cabin and back toward the rear, where the rest of their things waited. Time blurred into a single mass of hauling boxes until the empty cabin looked a little more presentable.
"How the hell do you turn this on…? Of course there's no manual—ah. Never mind. Found it."
Cecilia sat behind the wheel with the thin owner's manual open across her lap, a heel tapping idly against the footrest.
"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."
Ikade reached past her and pointed toward a cluster of exposed buttons on the dashboard. Cecilia followed her finger to one marked with a worn S.
Cecilia rubbed her nose and coughed a bit before holding down the button.
WHRRR—CHUG—CHUG—VRRRM…
The engine roared to life and the driver's seat vibrated against its suspension while a constant, heavy noise filled the cabin.
"I think we need earpro!"
Ikade nodded despite looking confused.
Her fluffy ears flattened beneath her hands before she retreated toward the couch. Cecilia skimmed the manual, then set the engine to high idle for a minute or two.
Looking up, she read the information spread across the three monitors, then returned to the manual and slowly familiarized herself with the controls.
Once she felt ready, Cecilia leaned forward and checked through the windshield, making sure no one stood nearby. Then she dropped the engine from high idle and watched the pressure still building across both air-brake gauges.
Cecilia pressed the brake, tapped the D button and felt the vehicle jerk into gear. She eased her foot up, only for the freighter to lurch forward and send her straight back onto the brake.
These brakes are so sensitive.
She eased off again, gentler this time, then maneuvered the vehicle back and forth while turning the wheel to get a feel for its size.
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.
Still bickering, they rode the lift up and slipped through the corridors together, ignoring the chatter and foot traffic around them.
And not long after that, they were home.
Cecilia carried their plates to the small kitchen table while Ikade moved the last pan off the stove. Its final sizzle faint beneath the clink of dishes, the smell of food filled their dorm.
Outside, the scenery bled from gold into a subtle pink.
clink-clink...
Food for the spirit.
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 raised her fingers toward the table.
A plate trembled against the wood before she stopped herself.
She stared at her hand for a moment, then stood with a quiet grumble. Ikade joined her without being asked, drying each piece before placing it in the rack.
The broadcast changed twice, then again. Its voices blended into a low hum before the hours skipped forward, the once-sunny movie giving way to something gloomy.
Just like outside.
suu...suu...
Soft snoring.
Ikade had fallen asleep across her lap. Cecilia eventually eased her head onto the bed and left her curled under the blanket before wandering over to the open window in the living room.
A feline's tune followed her across the room.
She rested beside the window with an arm propping up her head, letting the breeze brush her face and stir her hair 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 reached her arm beyond the window and turned her palm inward. With the band aid's gone, the cancer of civilization lay bare.
Rain slipped along her wrist, breaking apart against the protrusions littering her skin.
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 found 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, far too confident for someone wrapped like a burrito. "We bring what we need, 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 she was casting. "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 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 start biting you out of frustration. Grr."
Cecilia laughed under her breath.
"We'll be fine. It's not like we're about to get dragged into some battle—we're not in a book."
Her gaze drifted toward the window. Rain slipped through the lights outside while Ikade's suggestion lingered under its soft pattering.
"Sooo..." Ikade leaned closer. "That wasn't a no."
Cecilia glanced at her.
"Don't push it."
Ikade's smile widened.
She held her phone up between them, far too serious.
"I'm sorry? Can you say that again? Into the mic, preferably."
"Please state your full name and confirm that I, Kaede, was right all along."
Cecilia pushed Ikade toward the bedroom while they bickered 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 consciousness.