Whrmmm… click—chhk… whrrr—
"Fuu…why's it so damn cold?"
Cecilia looked up from the garage toward the cloudy sky above. Gray waves drifted across it like a painted scene, a rapid river in slow motion. It looked ready to rain the second she started feeling even slightly better.
"Should've grabbed a damn jacket..."
She muttered under her breath, rubbing her hands together to force some warmth back into her fingers before hurrying toward 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."
She turned the heat up and aimed every vent toward herself. The temperature slowly climbed until the cabin felt slightly warmer.
Cecilia sank back into the seat with a long exhale.
Cecilia pressed the clutch, threw the car into neutral and gave it two absentminded shakes before turning the key.
Chk-Chk-Chk
The car roared to life after another crank, white smoke spilling from the muffler. Cecilia warmed up alongside it, watching the temperature gauge climb ever so slowly.
"Don't embarrass me today."
Only then did she slip it into reverse and back toward the garage. She straightened the Alfi out, then eased in front of the rusted truck, leaving just enough room between them.
Once satisfied, Cecilia pressed the clutch and brake, shifted into neutral and raised the handbrake. She shut the engine off, pressed the clutch once more and left the car in reverse before climbing out.
She pressed the switch beside the entrance and watched the garage door close from the top down.
Cecilia was almost at the wall when she remembered the handbrake. The Alfi would be sitting for weeks. With a quiet groan, she opened the door again, planted one knee on the seat and pushed it back down.
After slipping a rubber chock behind one of the rear tires, she pulled the trunk lever and walked around to the back.
She popped the trunk open, lifting the mat and the board beneath it in one motion. The battery sat tucked into the corner. Cecilia grabbed the small wrench stored beside it, loosened the negative clamp and tucked it safely away from the terminal.
The mat and board dropped all at once, kicking a cloud of dust into the air.
She slammed the trunk shut and headed through the door leading back into the house.
"Mnnn—haaah…"
Her yawns followed her deeper inside, past the stairs leading to the gym, the living room and the tiny courtyard beside it. From there, she continued down the hallway toward their bedroom.
Ikade's voice flowed 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."
Cecilia's 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 Cecilia, 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 Cecilia 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 rested beside the mirror.
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?"
Cecilia 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."
"Hmhh, I haven't even done anything. Yet."
The smile stayed plastered across Cecilia's face, ignoring the increasingly cautious feline.
Turning back to the sink, she reached for the painkillers.
"You're going to eat first, right?"
Ikade stepped out behind her, a pink towel wrapped around her head. Cecilia looked at her through the mirror, then slowly lowered the bottle.
"'course."
"I swear." Cecilia set it back down. "I'm only getting everything ready."
Ikade grabbed her phone and hair dryer from the wooden shelf. Cecilia's gaze roamed to the white paper bag on the counter.
She opened it enough to check inside. One of the pens rested near the bottom. After that, she reached for the small medical pouch hanging from a hook stuck to the mirror.
The pouch sprang open the second she unzipped it, several band-aids nearly spilling onto the sink.
She grabbed a few before washing and drying her hands.
Then her fingers found a bottle of benzoin.
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 mineral on both wrists, covering each one with a small band-aid afterward.
One by one.
"Perfect. Total emo vibes right here."
Cecilia zipped the pouch and hung it back on the mirror. She slipped the painkillers into the white paper bag and carried it into their room.
Ikade, however, was still getting dressed.
Cecilia 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."
Ikade announced it like a victory, looking far too pleased with herself.
Cecilia 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 Cecilia jumped on top of her, sending Ikade laughing onto the mattress.
"If I'm an auntie, guess that makes you a brat!"
Ikade squealed, trying and failing miserably to defend herself.
Cecilia'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 Cecilia wearing the smug smile.
A spark ignited in her eyes.
Her thumb brushed across Ikade's lower lip. Ikade went still, her eyes widening in immediate panic.
"Let this auntie show you, okay?"
Cecilia leaned a little closer, barely holding back her smile.
"Stop—! Stop, stop!"
"H-Have you no shame?!"
Ikade's face burned red with shame, her little ears flailing while her tail smacked repeatedly against Cecilia's leg.
Cecilia's eyes were drawn to the wiggling mess beneath her, her heart jumping with a brief spark of joy before she finally let up.
"I do. I'm just really good at hiding it."
The two stared at each other for a brief pause before Cecilia 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. Cecilia set the white paper bag beside her place at the table before helping Ikade pull out the ingredients for a quick meal.
Cecilia 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.
Cecilia 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.
Cecilia 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. Cecilia 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 audio 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.
Cecilia stuffed the last tortilla into her mouth, chewed a few times and washed it down with a gulp of juice as Ikade slipped off her apron.
Cecilia dragged the bag closer, took the two painkillers with what remained of her juice and pulled out the pen. Chrome accents ran along its light-beige body. Its bottom half was clear, showing a purple cartridge filled with transparent liquid.
She pulled the fabric of her pants high enough to expose an unmarked section of her thigh, cleaned it with an alcohol wipe and pressed the pen against her skin.
Clink.
Cecilia held the pen in place until there was no more liquid left. The needle withdrew with another click. She capped the pen and slipped it back inside the bag.
Ikade left the table first.
A moment later, running water and the quiet clatter of dishes drifted in from the kitchen.
Cecilia gathered the empty bowls and cups before carrying them in after her.
"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.
Cecilia'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.
Cecilia 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 heading toward the front gate. Their main luggage had been packed and loaded onto the waiting vessel the afternoon before, only their carry-ons remained with them.
The cool morning air hit them the second they stepped through the gate and climbed into the red-and-white cab.
"How long is the trip?" Ikade asked while fastening her seatbelt. "The whole thing, I mean."
The driver pulled out once they were both settled.
Cecilia thought about it for a moment before answering.
"Probably just a couple weeks."
Her ears fell flat against her head and Cecilia gave her hand a pat.
"You'll be fine. It's just a couple weeks—nothing big."
Her smile did nothing to help the sulking woman, who shot her a side-eye and muttered under her breath.
"That's easy for you to say. I've only been on one trip my entire life!" Ikade muttered. "And 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 shifting around them without sparing either of them a single thought.
High-rises loomed overhead. Ads reached down from their sides in bright, looping color. 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 curve of a roundabout and continued down streets crowded with more species than Cecilia cared to count.
Fiesta.
Where Cecilia 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.
Cecilia 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 bustling port in the distance.
At first glance, it looked like any other part of the web called Gran Casas.
Three terminals rose beside one another, built from curved glass and pale steel. Vessels leaving from them connected Gran Casas to cities scattered across the barren land and farther along the horizon.
They stayed quiet until they reached the outer edge of the complex. Traffic and construction pressed against their ears. The driver took the first open drop-off space, and Cecilia and Ikade climbed out with their carry-ons already over their shoulders.
The payment had been handled long before the doors opened.
A vast wall of glass filled their view, curving in a gentle arc, the name of the complex written across it in harsh white.
Cecilia only watched her.
Ikade stood there taking in the terminal before them, her gaze lifting toward the roof hanging several meters above. Transparent panes and chrome steel shielded the space from the weather, rising taller than the 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.
Cecilia said nothing.
She simply grabbed Ikade's hand and dragged her inside the building.
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, her 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 Cecilia'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 is a lot older than this one."
Cecilia tugged her along, slipping a few snacks and travel sweets into Ikade's bag whenever something caught her eye. She followed her map to the information desk, confirmed the way to their departure gate and waited while the attendant 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 a little longer?"
Ikade looked between them, her ears shifting.
"Is something wrong?"
Cecilia caught the attendant glancing toward a small door across the floor.
She gave Ikade's hand a small squeeze before letting go.
"Nothing serious, probably an error somewhere . Go wait near the gate. I shouldn't be long." Cecilia looked back at the attendant. "Could someone guide her? It's her first time at this terminal."
The worker blinked, then waved over another attendant.
"Of course. This way, please."
Ikade hesitated before following them, glancing back until the crowd swallowed her.
Cecilia 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.
Collars, with creases unseen.
Shoes, with almost no sound.
Thin glasses rested over their eyes, catching the pale light from the ceiling with every step.
"Miss Cecilia?" one of them said. "You don't need to look at us like that. We only have a few questions."
"Mhmm."