What could you possiby be doing that didn't allow a second to greet your neighbor? I wonder, somehow doubting his words. Nonetheless, I put the thought aside, as Kai and I have more important matters than questioning a stranger. For now, at least.
"Right, well, it's good to meet you. If you need anything, I work at Kai's," I gesture to Kai," Kaleidoscope, or I'm here, at the complex."
"Except we'll be closed for a little bit."
Kaiholo adds, and unless you were mistaken, you sensed a bit of passive aggression in Kaiholo's voice.
"Which reminds me, we should get going. You ready?" Kaiholo starts gesturing towards the downstairs as he slowly gravitates to the exit, as if he was trying to leave as soon as possible, gently ushering you along with him. As you start leaving, Tyler waves a simple goodbye.
"I'll see you later, Jen!"
Kai pushes me with him before I could gather what is happening. The way Tyler said 'Jen" irks me greatly, so all I can mutter out is a "Bye?"
After the realization that we were walking off, I face Kai and put a hand on his arm, stopping him. "Woah there, I don't know why you're in such a hurry, but we still need to talk to Myst." My voice lowers a bit. "I get weird vibes too, but let's not make it obvious."
As you remind Kaiholo, he exhales a breath that you didn't know he was holding as he nods.
"Right, I'm sorry," He begins, luckily Myst wasn't too far behind you, and you and Kaiholo meet her halfway.
"Closed for a bit?" Myst begins, clearly curious, "Mister Spider, I could have sworn that bar was your whole life just a few weeks ago."
"It's just a mini vacation, so-to-speak," I explain, running my fingers through my hair. "Which I'll be going on, so I won't be at the apartment for a bit. How long again, Kai?"
Kaiholo appeared somewhat absentminded until you pull him back to reality by speaking his name.
"Hm? Oh, about two weeks, that's enough time to travel the world, right? Maybe three."
Myst nodded affirmatively, turning to you with a vague smile.
"Thank you for letting me know. Should I have Harmony take care of Zain, or…?" She begins, as Harmony herself enters the scene, stepping down the stairs with much more bounce and energy than when you saw her last night.
"Good morning everyone!" She exclaims, noticing the generous amount of people in the main lobby area.
I nod to Myst about my plant.
"Speak of the devil," I smile to Harmony. "what's got you so happy, girl?" Her feathers seem brighter, more saturated, and her face lit up with joy. Adorable.
Harmony glistened with a smile.
"Everyone knows a good night's rest is the best medicine. Last night I had the best dream. Picture this: Moss. Everywhere."
Harmony finished with a tone that suggested she had just started, but as the silence extends longer, the realization sets in.
"Anyway," She continues, looking around. "Did I hear my name right before I walked in?"
My mind moves to a world covered in green. The buildings just swallowed by soft moss, gentle to my eyes, the air smelling fresher and fresher by the second…
"Did I hear my name right before I walked in?"
"Yes, actually, I was wondering if you could do me a favor and water Zain every now and then, just for two weeks?" I mention, a bit of guilt sewn behind my words.
Harmony's eyes lit up as you mentioned Zain.
"Oh my gosh! I'd love to! How is he? Is he doing good?"
Before you responded, Kaiholo placed a hand on the back of your shoulder to get your attention.
"Alright, I'm ready," He murmurs, as Myst turns to leave back into the apartments. You eye her body language, though difficult to read as she walked away, she didn't seem like anything was wrong.
I take his cue and nod to Harmony. "He's doing amazing! But we should head on our way. Thank you again, girl!"
We make our way to the bar, but I can't shake the strange feeling off my back. The new tenant could not be more off. I try to forget and take in the surroundings around us.
Everything looked different in the day. Ironically, it felt darker, gloomier, as if the colors of the night vanished, afraid of the industrial sun polluting the air. But even the neon signs never replaced the color green.
Kaiholo remains quiet as the two of you walk, the air clearly more off than it usually is. Fortunately, by the time you reached the bar, the tension dissipated. Roger, Eddie, and Yuki were already waiting at the front door by the time you and Kai arrived. Eddie and Yuki were discussing the changes in seasons and how it used to work. Nowadays it's not as exaggerated as it supposedly was before rain dominated any potential weather. Nowadays it's either warm rain or cold rain. Today, it was cold rain.
Kaiholo inserted the keys into the door and the five of you piled inside, the bar somehow warm despite being left alone overnight.
"Jean and Anubis are finding the best flight options for us, but they said they'll be here soon."
Though there were commercial airplanes you could use, by now that was the bottom of barrel kind of option. You weren't sure exactly what Jean and Anubis were capable of, but hopefully, they could find anything better than an airplane.
"So what's the deal, boys?" I say, needing to pee. I realize that these things never have peeing. Just know, i do indeed have a bladder, and it feels pretty full. "Hey guys, I'm gonna go pee. I hope Jean and Anubis get they ass's here real soon." I make my way to the restrooms. I always hated public bathrooms. But I just gotta pee. A girl's gotta do what she's gotta do.
I come back and Jean and Anubis are definitely here now.
Jean pulls out a gun and shoots you.
"you think ur funny u stinky"
On your way out of the hallway leading from the restroom, you hear the front door open and close, followed by some muffled voices. You enter the main area, Anubis looks at you and places a hand on Jean, who's back was to you until Anubis alerted him of your presence as he turns around and gives you an expectant look.
"I didn't even realize how much Hawaii looks like fucking New York City nowadays, but we've got a pretty decent flight there, and it should take almost seven hours."
Jean utters as Eddie has to place a scolding grip on Yuki's arm to keep him from sneaking behind the bar and grabbing a bottle.
"On the bright side, it gives us plenty of hotel options."
Kaiholo approaches you and leans close so as to give him the ability to whisper.
"Would you prefer sharing a room with me if we make it two beds? It'll save money, but we can still book an extra room if you'd prefer."
make it one bed and we got a deal ;)
A whole seven-hour flight? I think. I've been on much longer flights before, but I never get used to them. Nothing about sitting in a cramped seat for so long is enjoyable, except the high of being in another dimension. Strung along a thousand miles per hour and only feeling a few bumps. The turbulence is the best part, though. I wonder who I'll end up sitting next to - I wanted to get to know the rest of the members.
Kai comes up to me and asks a question about hotel rooms. "I wouldn't mind some company. And I don't wanna waste money we don't have." It occurred to me there were no other women in the room. I felt a tang of yearning for Myst or Harmony.
Kaiholo nodded as he turned to the rest of the boys.
"What time does the flight leave?" Eddie inquired as he and Yuki took respective seats on the bar stools.
"Just under two hours," Anubis began, typing something on his laptop that he had placed on a table before closing it and stuffing it into a bag, "Jean's car can only hold like four people so we'll have to take the bus." By now Anubis had pulled out his phone and had typed several things before stopping and looking at everyone. "It stops at the nearest stop in about ten minutes, so we should start heading there now."
"Alright, well what are we waiting for?" I say, feeling a bit bad that Eddie and Yuki have just sat down. I shift my feet around, impatiently awaiting the group to leave. I wasn't a huge fan of public buses, especially in this town, but I guess no one else except Jean owns a car for some reason.
The seven of you begin piling out the door, Kaiholo locking the doors as he leaves. As you begin walking, Roger finds his way next to you and maintains your stride.
"I've never actually been on a plane before, I'm a little nervous."
He utters to you in an attempt to make conversation. He stuffs his hands in his pockets as the gentle droplets of rain accompany the group.
We reenter the bleak world outside, and my excitement slightly dampens. Roger appears next to me, which makes him seem even taller now that I'm walking directly next to him. I eye him curiously, the glowing cyan running down his right arm. I don't see many cyborgs around the city, and none as unique as Roger. With his fiery red hair and dark glossy skin, a bright white metal juxtaposing it all. "Well, planes are safer than cars statistically, and I personally enjoy the vibes of a plane sometimes, so there's really nothing to be nervous about. I mean, for all you know it might be really fun for you.
"After all, the initial lift-off is so beautiful. You should sit in the window seat so you can see it!" I chirp, reminiscing my experiences in an airplane
Roger nods, a bit more confident now as you all make your way to the bus stop. Cars would whizz by and people would scurry past, keeping the streets lively, but not crowded. As you approach the bus stop, you notice a girl sitting on the bench. You weren't close enough to see her major features, but you could have sworn you've seen her before. Interest piqued, you couldn't help but stare as all of you walk, and you knew she could feel your eyes on her, so she turned her head and-out of nowhere a swarm of people interrupt your group's stride, beginning some sort of protest against the existence of The Hexa. Kaiholo could understand their words as he exhales in a huff.
"They're just frustrated with how things are, that's why they feel the need to act out."
He mutters as you all continue. When you reach the stop, the girl was nowhere to be found. Jean takes a seat in the vacant spot on the bench as he releases an exhale, pulling out a cigarette and lighting it.
I let the girl fade away in mind, but behind she left a sense of deja vu. Jean burns a cigarette, which causes me to stand as far away as possible.
"Maybe they're just as scared as we are. Things are all slipping away. they already have slipped away. It can be hard to believe in some God to save us."
I place an arm on Kai's shoulder and lean my head down. The rain soaked up the fabric of my clothes and was beginning to bear weight. wait is it raining i cant remember
Kaiholo responded with silence, but Roger spoke up.
"I think it's respectable of them to take matters into their own hands. Maybe the point isn't to rely on a god, but to do it yourself."
Yuki nodded, pointing affirmatively to Roger as he cracked his knuckles absentmindedly.
"The specific point of a distinct deity isn't to merely permit them to efficiently perform the considerable work for you; it's for them to amply provide to you the ultimate strength to sufficiently complete the necessary tasks that improve tremendously the bleak world around you."
Say that again, but slower this time. I think in my head. Thankfully I have the ability to rewind time and relisten to his words.
"So basically, us doing it ourselves is the god, or gods, whatever, in a way. Just through our spirit rather than, through the physical world as an entity. They're serving us through us. But then you could just argue there is no god because it's just us being us."
I start to pace and blindly search the world, not really taking anything in. My eyes move from face to face as they listen to our ramblings.