VRRRM…rrrmm…GRNNN—!
"Howdoislowthisdown!"
Panicking gaze.
Click.
brrraap…brrraap…
The two stared at each other while Ikade slowly retracted her hand, her fluffy ears twitching with smug satisfaction.
"...how'd you find it?"
"Uhh...it was on the back of the seat, duh."
Sienna whipped her head forward, watching the scenery expand and grumbling under her breath while the feline stumbled away.
With her foot finally off the brake, the massive vehicle slowed to something more manageable, its exhaust note hammering through the cabin.
The dunes below rolled in long waves, patches of green scattered across the land, drawing closer with every meter.
A lens flare crowned the moment, all while she kept taking pictures of the view.
Until.
WHAM—THUD—KRRRK!
"What the—!"
The vehicle leveled out on the ground, Sienna turned her head just in time to see Ikade get flung up, then slammed straight onto the floor, her curses cutting through the cabin.
Sienna shot the feline a weary smile, mouthing an apology before facing forward again and reaching out to switch the retarder off.
"You okay?"
Her question was met with silence. A sharp glare bored into her while she guided the vehicle through the river of smaller vehicles clustered near the ramp.
Slowing a little more, Ikade made her way back to Sienna's side, rubbing her bottom before flicking Sienna on the forehead in retaliation. She then grabbed onto the seat and stared out at the people moving on with their lives.
Maneuvering away from the mess, Sienna pressed the brake and turned the wheel until they were facing the makeshift town ahead, figures weaving through its streets.
Tap
The cabin stopped vibrating, and the engine finally stopped cranking. The two let out quiet sighs before Sienna unbuckled and rose from her seat.
"Mmm~"
She stretched her arms above her head, then glanced toward Ikade.
"Well. Might as well finish up here. Right?"
"I guess."
The two looked at each other, then moved together and down the stairs. The moment Sienna pushed the door handle down, the glare outside struck them like a thunder flash.
Both raised a hand against the sun, blinking hard while waiting for their eyes to adjust.
Sienna reached for the feline's hand and guided her toward the rear of the vehicle. Once they reached the ladder, she let go and climbed onto the small bed.
With a firm yank, the stairs dropped and slammed against the ground below, dust lightly kicking up.
Ikade walked up the steps and onto the porch. The two crouched near the remaining boxes still tied down. They got to work on the bindings, loosening the straps hooked to the bed before carrying the first load back inside the cabin.
They repeated the process again. This time, however, the last crate levitated off the floor and followed them toward the cabin lift before gently lowering itself onto the ground.
"I'm starting to have second guesses."
Sienna stared at Ikade's cheeky smile, her brows slowly pulling together.
"Just kidding.~"
Ikade slipped past her and headed for the stairs, vanishing from sight beneath a trail of light footsteps.
"Hhah."
Sienna shook her head and turned toward the vehicle's side storage. She grabbed one of the handles along its side and pulled. The cover slid up with a smooth drag and the a panel lowered itself to her, revealing a half-filled compartment stocked with maintenance equipment.
A soft hum slipped from her lips while she reached in and pulled out a crowbar. She walked back over to the crate beneath the freighter and wedged the metal tip beneath the lid.
Click...click..thunn.
A machine, humming.
Her gaze traveled over her shoulder and upward to nothing, but it was enough for her to conceptualize what it was producing such sound.
"Oh It actually works."
She crouched and peered into the crate, counting the tools one by one. After confirming the contents, she started placing some of them into storage.
Then she split.
One became two. Two became several.
Each librei picked up a tool and moved, finding spaces to hang them from, working for a couple minutes yet only one moved a few inside the cabin.
Before long, Sienna was lightly sweating, taking a short rest atop the closed crate.
"That took way too long."
She pushed herself up again and flicked her hand. A strange sensation crept over her head while the crate lifted, levitating back toward the bed.
Step...step...step.
Her last footstep echoed through the cabin. A feline tail swayed in her direction, the tip of its shadow flicking lazily beneath the single light.
"When'd you even get this from—I didn't see it in the shopping cart."
"It was on sale."
Sienna stepped closer to Ikade, who was unboxing a small coffee kit on the table welded right in the middle of the room. While Ikade worked, Sienna turned to the remaining supplies and started opening those as well.
The first box held wall padding, each piece a slightly different shade. She pressed them against the dark interior walls one by one, shifting them around until it felt right.
Then came a smaller package.
She tore it open and pulled out a soft blanket with the print of a beast stretched across it and tossing it over the couch. Sienna stepped back for a moment, then moved toward the sink on her right. Her fingers hovered over the knob before twisting it.
Water burst out in a sudden spray before tapering into a steady stream.
The two chatted while they made the cabin feel more like home, after she cleaned herself up. Sienna opened another smaller package and pulled out a couple of light fixtures.
They took their time finding places to hang them, then returned to the box for the provided cable, carefully tucking it into the crevices near the ceiling using magnetic hooks.
In between, Ikade took a break on the couch, tearing into a small bag of chips.
Sienna, on her part, walked over to the workstation and sliced open a thin package. Inside sat a matte silver wall mount. She flipped her knife again and cut away the padding over the work area.
She shifted the mount into place until it clicked, the hooks on the wall catching it. Then she gave it a firm tug and nodded to herself.
At last came the miscellaneous stuff.
A couple wired speakers went into the corners. A hammock was strung between the couch and the table. Then they grabbed several packaged waters and stacked them neatly in the gap beside the couch.
"Huwah…I think my legs are officially finished."
"Oh? Look at that. Someone's getting fluffy."
Sienna reached over and pinched Ikade's side, gently tugging at the soft fluff with a grin.
The feline stiffened—then sprang a few feet away, her ears snapping back.
"Me? Getting fat? That's slander."
"You're the one who bought the chips."
"They were discounted."
Sienna snorted.
Ikade narrowed her eyes, her tail brushing along her side. Eventually, once their bickering faded, Ikade crouched near the wall and plugged the lights in.
flic.
Warm light spilled across the cabin.
It washed over the padded walls, the red couch, the mounted fixtures, and the swaying hammock, while shadows stretched across the floor. Strips of sunlight cut through the so called windows, overlapping with the glow.
They kept going.
One of the silver-clad heaters was loosely placed onto a ceiling support beam. They dug through the box for the brackets and fixed them into place. In the end, they still had to drill holes, and maybe had inhaled the scent of burning metal before guiding the cable down along the beam and securing it snug against the metal.
From a miniature fridge tucked under the work desk to a couple of board games locked away, the work kept going until dawn.
srrp…
"This took way longer than I though it would."
Sienna crushed the empty water bottle and tossed it into a hanging bin, the lid spun a few times before settling.
"Kae?"
She turned her head and spotted Ikade fast asleep, her head lightly bobbing with soft snoring. Her eyes softened. She pushed herself up and carefully laid the feline onto her side before pulling the thick blanket over her.
Pausing, she raised a hand and rubbed the soft white pom of Ikade's feline ear. Almost immediately, the ear began to twitch.
After tucking her in, Sienna switched off the warm lights, leaving a single warm one glowing overhead. She leaned over the couch toward the placard near the generator and read through the information printed across it.
Her eyes skimmed the labels, taking everything in and the simple screen.
Then she pressed a button.
vrrrmmm…rrr…r…
The generator turned off, buts its fan kept churning.
fhh…sixty hours huh? Lets see...its a PTO, with three power banks and a total of nine fifty kilowatts.
...so...I only need need to charge it every once in a while.
She ran through the numbers for a moment. Satisfied, she straightened and casted one last glance at Ikade before heading back to the driver's seat and sitting down.
Dim light from outside spilled through the windshield. Sienna fumbled near the dashboard until her fingers found a small knob. She gave it a twist until static crackled from below.
She adjusted the dial next to it, turning it again and again until a voice suddenly cut through the noise.
〈...op playing around you dumb fu—! Get in already!〉
She then lifted her legs and perched them on the steering wheel, hearing the chatter on and on while passing the time.
A few minutes later, Sienna yawned and stretched her arms overhead before muting the speaker.
Outside the windshield, a few vehicles were parked nearby, people coming and going between them. Sienna lifted her wrist and a screen flickered to life above her bracelet, the time glaring back at her.
Still sixteen forty-five…whatever. Something'll show up sooner or later. Actually, I'll do it me-self.
With that, she stood up. She grabbed her jacket off the seat before sliding her arms into the sleeves, fixing the collar with a quick tug. Twisting slightly, she checked herself over, giving herself a small nod, then turned.
Picking up her backpack sat on the table, she then headed down the cabin stairs.
Was it always this damn cold down here…? I can't even remember.
She shook her head, letting the thought fade while her eyes settled on the working town beyond.
People.
An abundance of them, of every race.
Side to side, passing one another. She blended into their parade, her footsteps becoming theirs. Their faces carried a whole circus of expressions.
Makeshift stalls formed in mismatched rows, clusters gathering at every corner, a miniature city beneath another, its own rhythm building into a sound her ears slowly took in.
Her breath left in faint puffs against the air. Little by little, more and more people began to brandish their own piece—small things, heavy things, otherworldly things.
Dawn painted everyone in orange and white, sunlight catching in everyone's eyes.
Her gaze followed the silhouette of a navy-clad man, his guard uniform melting into the structures. All the way until it became someone else.
"Hmm? What's in stock, Shady?"
A single vehicle was pushed behind the stalls, away from the streets, its lower half painted in sand. The beanie on his head was marked with small cuts, his attire worn and rugged.
"Well, that's blunt. Ah—don't burn me with your eyes now."
The beaned man let out a dry crackle of a laugh. He rose from his foldable chair and walked to the back of his vehicle. With a thunk, he pulled the handle at the top and several racks of goods slid out.
His one good canine ear flicked while he stepped aside, digging into his pocket for a cigarette.
She moved down the rows, brushing past lightly used clothes and unexpired medicine until she reached a smaller section—used tools.
"Flashbangs? How the hell did you get those…you know what, forget it. I'll take one. Got any knives? Something less lethal?"
Sienna fired off a few more questions while the man came up and took her order, pulling items out and placing them across a small table he dragged over. Afterward, he brought out two small crates and flipped their lids to the side.
The smile on his face never wavered, his beanie still obscuring his eyes.
Her eyes swept through the boxes. She picked out two knives and tested their grip before handing them back to the merchant, one longer than the other.
Then her gaze shifted to the next crate, which held different types of capsaicin spray.
"We've also got this, if you're interested."
thmp.
"Resiniferan, strong enough for Ursine...maybe even the Vouivre."
"Huh, as if they'd ever let you try."
Sienna picked up two larger canisters and handed them over, one black, the other orange. Smoke curled from the tip of his cigarette in a thin trail.
"That'll be two hundred fifty dollars."
Sienna stared for a moment.
She slung her backpack around to her front, turned slightly to the side, and unzipped it to pull out her purse. She counted the money, then handed it over.
After the man took the cash, he counted it too before passing over her order.
Sienna took it without a word, sliding the flashbang, the knives, and the canisters into her backpack, tucking each item away in a place she could reach quickly.
Once satisfied, she zipped the bag shut and slid her arm through the strap, securing it against her body.
She stepped back into the moving crowd and lifted a hand toward the merchant in a lazy wave. A yawn crept up on her, and so she covered her mouth with that same hand.
A sudden headlight flickered on, washing part of the street in white.
Then another. And another.
One by one, more lights followed.
Their beams cut across her face with every step. The tone of engines and generators permeated the atmosphere, mixing with the crowds' song.
People gathered where they could.
Around makeshift fire's.
Around folding tables dragged out beside vehicles. Around dented grills balanced over whatever, sizzling while tired voices traded complaints.
Further down, a few more lingered around a hanging lantern with cups in hand, their eyes tired even from her distance.
Life.
The miniature town brightened in uneven patches, shadows wavered like leaves on a swaying branch.
And on the end of her short stroll, Sienna found a lone feline sitting on an edge of a bed, their metal bed. Her legs swayed back and forth.
Back and forth.
Bundled in the thick blanket, Ikade gazed up at the shimmering lights overhead.
Her tail flicked lazily. Her fluffy ears twitched at every passing sound.
Warm light traced along Ikade's profile, softening the edges of her face. The blanket rose and fell with each quiet breath.
For a moment, the two stayed still.
Sienna exhaled through her nose and walked up the metal stairs. She stopped beside Ikade before lowering herself down to join her. Her shoulders slouched the second she sat, the weight of the bag fading with it.
Sienna placed her bag at her side and reaching inside it, her fingers finding the bright orange canister before holding it out.
Ikade blinked, her eyes shifting from the lights to the canister.
"What's that?"
"Resiniferan." Sienna's said, her tone, soft. "In case a fearh suddenly attacks."
"You went shopping without me. How cruel."
Ikade huffed, leaning her shoulder into Sienna's and grabbing the bright canister.
The two sat there for a while longer, the patchwork glow flickering around them, their words mixing with the nights hum.
"Sie?...suki."