"Siieee…are we seriously just walking in circles?"
Ikade shot her a flat look, glancing up at the chocolate bar dangling from Sienna's mouth before eyeing the black cap sitting crooked on the librei's head. They strolled through the busy corridor, people around them fully absorbed in their own thoughts.
"Yeh…'lessh we…ffhn somethin.'"
A vein twitched on Ikade's forehead. Snatching the half eaten bar right out of Sienna's mouth, refusing to let go until the chocolate snapped in half.
"I keep telling you—stop talking with your mouth full."
She tossed the remaining chunk into her mouth, savoring the sweet taste of a woman who had just lost a treat she clearly treasured.
Sienna shot her a frustrated glare, scarfing down whatever crumbs she still had before chewing enough to speak. She jabbed a finger toward a poster on the wall—featuring an enormous vehicle barreling over a pile of fallen logs with a dense forest looming behind it, the misty background blanketing both the trunk and greenery alike.
Each of its ten tires stood taller than either of them.
"See? I told you we'd find something."
Her smug tone gave Ikade every reason to roll her eyes, turning her head away and muttering something under her breath while the feathered woman put the address in her bracelet, following the nodded path.
Sienna grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her along, walking backward—and nearly tripping in the process. Her cropped T-shirt rode lightly with each step, the jacket draped over her shoulders slipping down to her elbows every few seconds, only for her to tug it back up again.
Light blue denim jeans finished the look, paired with a simple pair of sneakers tapping softly against the metal floor for many minutes.
With every step, the corridor became crowded, their conversation dissolving into the stream that was the vessel's hum.
Soon enough, the two of them stared from the entrance at the banner draped above them—Construction & Outdoor Equipment Exposition.
A light flickered on behind Ikade's eyes.
"Do you…think we should try camping? Just for a while?"
They looked at each other. Sienna lifted both hands to her cheeks—a grin spread itself across her face before she shook her head dramatically, muffling her voice between her palms.
"Huaaah—! Camping? You? And where exactly would this grand adventure take us, hmm?"
Ikade visibly cringed, painfully aware of the nearby stares. She pushed the embarrassment down and forced the words out anyway.
"…w-well since we're already here, maybe we could buy a truck or something like that. We won't be back for months, a change of pace—If you want."
She hurried through the last part, stealing quick side glances at Sienna as they moved deeper into the expo.
"It'll be good for you too. You really can't keep blowing off what the doctor said."
Ikade bobbed her head, tracing little shapes in the air with her finger—until she felt a gaze drilling straight through her skull.
A bead of sweat slid down her brow. She swallowed nothing and stiffened, refusing to turn her head, suddenly interested by the backs of the people ahead.
Her hand dropped back to her side.
The silence stretched to an uncomfortable degree, one could almost hear her beating heart through her chest.
"Fine..."
Sienna finally relented, easing back and giving her space. Then, without warning, she reached out again and grabbed Ikade's hand, tugging her toward a section packed with camping gear.
Where a person was explaining to anyone who was interested.
"Eh? For real?!"
Even though the surprising, perhaps she could be somewhere else than in a block of concrete.
The surprise slipped out before Ikade could stop it. Maybe, just maybe—she wouldn't have to stay trapped in concrete and steel the entire time.
Sienna took a few steps ahead, then turned back, letting go of Ikade's hand and propping her cheek against her palm.
"But tell me this—" She said lightly, eyes sparkling with their bean like color. "—Could you kill a coneygryph?."
She put on a look of exaggerated sorrow and wonder, cracking an eye open to peek at the feline's frozen expression.
"I could—! I could totally kill it, okay?!"
"Pfft. As if."
They bickered back and forth like always, drawing a weary side glance from the presenter—a perro man with a full head of thick hair, a heavy beard, and sharp canine ears that twitched with every raised voice.
He reached behind the stand and pulled out a few backpacks, laying them out while explaining their different features and sizes. Each had its own trade offs—some distributed their load across a wider surface, and some could be opened from the front.
They weren't the only ones testing the gear. Other potential buyers clustered around the displays, some clearly experienced, others, less so.
"Um...can I try that?"
Ikade realized she'd said it a second too late. Sienna shot her an amused look and reached for a slightly smaller crossbow from a rack a short distance away.
"Here, try this one instead."
Ikade pouted but followed along to Sienna's guide and placed her foot into the stirrup.
"Put all your weight on that foot—yeah, like that."
Fortunate for Ikade, the crossbow she was trying to cock back had somewhere to grab. She looked back at Sienna curiously for guidance that was quickly given to her.
"Use your arms and shoulders—don't use your back, okay?"
Ikade tried, managing only halfway before her face flushed with effort. Sienna let out a soft laugh and helped pull it the rest of the way, locking it into place.
"How do you...huff...make this look easy…?"
Her arms and hands complained at her, protesting at the sudden request to do more than normal.
"For one, I actually exercise—and use telekinesis. remember?"
"Wait—isn't your crossbow way bigger than this?" She lifted her gaze back at Sienna who was putting it back on its display.
"Huh? Oh, yeah. Mine has...cough—had to pouch through tough hide."
Ikade only hummed and ignored the slip without comment, looking at another part of the expo and wandered to some place else.
Which was the main attraction, because it was quite literally the same vehicle from the poster they saw not to long ago.
Both of them felt small standing next to it.
The only way into the cab—if it could even be called that, was by climbing a ladder bolted to the side. The lower half of the vehicle was coated in a dirty brown plating, its paint scratched and scuffed but surprisingly free of rust.
Its sheer size alone would scare off most beasts. And even if something foolish enough did attack it, the body looked more than capable of surviving the scuffle.
Sienna grabbed Ikade hand and nudged her toward the small kiosk positioned in front of the vehicle. Curiosity won them over, and they both pressed the button at the same time.
A screen slid down from the top and began playing a video, it's subtitles appearing shortly after.
Which, in the end, boiled down to a few simple ideas.
"...So a small group bought up old construction equipment and refurbished it for outland adventures?"
Ikade's ears flopped to one side as she reread the transcript, then read it again just to be sure.
"I guess, its not entirely impossible."
She spotted a man nearby dressed in comfortable outland gear, his relaxed pacing giving him away immediately. Sierra waved him over like she was calling a kid from across a park.
His pointed ears and tail making him as a lacerti.
"Nice to meet ya." They shook hands, his smile never faltering.
"I'm guessing you're interested in this little truck?"
"…That's putting it lightly." Ikade cut in, staring up at the driver's window. From the ground level, it looked like only one person could barely even fit inside.
"That's true, yes. These were used to build transmitters for many years. They're still in use, but these models are much older—and pretty outdated."
"But—" He cusped his hands lightly. "They still work. We only removed the cranes, containers, and the such. All the safety equipment was replaced—like the fire suppression system you see up front."
They stepped beneath the guard rail and got closer to look up at the mounted fire extinguishers.
He guided them along the side of the vehicle, explaining the storage compartments built into either side. They were part of the original design, meant to haul spare parts and tools alongside the generator mounted on the bed.
"And speaking of upgrades." He added. "It's sitting on about fourteen hundred horsepower now. Only a hundred more than before."
"Mind your footing. The stairs can be a bit steep. There's a short lift on the opposite side rated for two-fifty."
It took him a couple of hard yanks to pull the heavy metal door open.
The lights flicked on, flooding the interior with a soft warm glow, revealing a space far larger than either of them expected. Ikade took it in while the man hopped up and sat casually on the slim desk anchored in the center.
"It's pretty spacious in here. To your right and my left—you've got the water filtration system. It can hold up to six hundred gallons."
The water tank was hard to miss, rigged with racks for supplies—or even firearms. To their right stretched an open area suited for both storage and work alike. A compact metal sink was built into one wall with a locker bolted beside it.
In front of them, two swivel chairs sat behind the man. The rightmost faced a wide, modern monitor—modern, but not overly fancy.
Farther to the right sat the driver's seat, pushed away from everything else.
Sienna dropped into it, glancing down at the oversized steering wheel and the dense cluster of buttons and gauges surrounding it. Three monitors hung from the ceiling, but even so, the space felt far roomier than any vehicle she'd ever driven.
"It might look cramp, but once it's outfitted, you'd be surprised how much you can fit in here."
"What if we need to sleep?"
Sienna blinked, finding herself staring back at the kiosk.
"The only real option we have right now is the habitation module, which is a little under half the length of the truck along a couple more things."
He tapped the screen a few more times. The display dimmed, then switched to a clean overview of the module.
The entrance sat at the rear of the habitation, bolted to the bed. To the right inside was the bathroom—nothing fancy. Just a sink, a decently sized cabinet and a standing shower.
At least there enough space to move without feeling boxed in.
On the opposite side sat a simple washing station—with a deeper sink instead. A storage rack was placed for a wall, separating it and the rest of the habitat.
Beyond that was the living and kitchen space, the largest section of the module. It was practical and stripped down. The kitchen on one side, the living area on the other.
If it could even be called that.
It came furnished just enough to avoid feeling empty—posters mounted along the walls, a slim phonograph resting on a small table among other amenities.
"This is just our normal setup." He said. "Most people hang things from the ceiling to save space, or swap in their own furniture."
On the other side of the wall were two small bedrooms, each with just enough room for personal touches.
"How badly is this about to hurt my account?"
The two looked back at him as he tapped a few inputs on the kiosk, the display switching to another screen.
'Three Hundred Fifty-One Thousand dollars'
Thought its lettering was small, its amount was anything but. A tiny explosion rippled through Ikade's mind, freezing her in place.
"You okay?"
Her head sagged forward like a deflated balloon. Sienna threw her a soft gaze and massaged her limp tail.
"…that's so much money."
Tap. Tap tap tap. Tap tap.
Ikade's ears twitched at the unmistakable sound of a transaction completing. She lifted her head just in time to see a receipt fill the kiosk screen.
"See? Its fine, I can pay for it."
Sienna puffed her chest out with pride, stepping closer and grabbing Ikade's cheeks, tugging them outward.
"You're gonna stretch them—!"
Ikade grabbed Sierra's wrist, trying to pull her hands away. Pain spread across her face, her tail flicking wildly in protest.
They moved on from the kiosk, drifting deeper into the expo. Rows of generators hummed quietly behind safety rails, their casings opened for the public to see. Sierra paused to snap a picture or two while Ikade crouched to read the placards, nodding along.
A little farther in, game traps lined a long wall—simple steel snares, pressure plates, and folding cages of most sizes.
They passed tables stacked with mundane necessities—water filters, cookware, portable heaters, repair kits. Things that didn't look impressive until you didn't have any of them.
And without realizing it—
Casting devices lined the walls behind reinforced glass. Body armor hung on racks, spread open, plates labeled with impact ratings. Beast suppressants of every type filled sealed cases along the counters between them.
The two went on about, chatting about the various pieces of camping gear. Ikade occasionally tried them on, finding them to bulky and uncomfortable for her.
Instead, they chose to simply wander, letting curiosity guide them as they poked at anything that caught their interest. Sienna strode toward whatever looked interesting, buying a few novelties.
Ikade, on the other hand, found herself circling back to a bow resting on a table.
By this point, the two had split up and regrouped more times than they could count.
"We've been here way too long, don't you think?"
The two of them leaned back against each other, settling onto the floor with their backs touching. Both held drinks they'd grabbed from a booth somewhere inside, parched from all the walking.
Sip...sip sip.
She paused halfway through, hissing softly when her brain was hit by a cold flash—her head tipping back and bumping against Ikade's.
Their legs throbbed in protest, pulsing every few seconds, the fatigue finally caught up with them.
shff…shff…
They turned their heads just in time to see a poster sagging against the wall, no longer able to support its own weight. It tilted, wobbled—
And, slid to their side.