The sun began to set, and the room began to darken. A fire was started in the pit, so the seven strangers could converse around the light. Paradise was such a lovely topic, but many hesitated to reveal why they would want to reach Paradise, for doing so uncovers the souls deepest wishes. How could they share their hopes and dreams to one another so soon?
Silence filled the room as some were thinking of Paradise, and others were waiting for someone to start the conversation. Miracle broke the silence, plainly speaking, “My memories have been lost. The reason for why I was made has been forgotten. I have nothing, and when you have nothing left, you search for this Paradise. That is what Medoe told me. I concluded that Paradise was the only option for a hopeless machine like myself.”
Curious, Ceri followed up, “That is quite a human conclusion to reach Miracle. To observe the abyss of purposelessness and decide to make your own meaning, conveys your programming is far more advanced than that of a basic machine. Whoever made you, designed you very well.” She stared intently at Miracle pondering about the mysteries of their origins. Speaking from her mind, she said, “Perhaps, this programming wasn’t intentional. Thinking like a human is something most don’t want their machines to do. Otherwise, they might-” Ceri trailed off, realizing that it would be best if she ended her thoughts there.
Mimi let out a large “Eh” to grab everyone’s attention, preventing anyone from following up on Ceri’s comment. “Smart machine, smart person, dumb machine, or dumb person, it’s all the same at the end of the day. Now miss smarty pants, why do you want to go to Paradise? What’s your vision of it?” Mimi had her hands on her hip leaning forward as she spoke.
Ceri was caught off guard and looked hesitant to answer. Billy noticed and decided to draw everyone’s attention. He slapped his knees as he let out a large “Welp!” gathering the eyes of everyone and continuing with gusto, “I may be the only one here, who don’t care about this Paradise. Heh, makes me the odd one out. Paradise just sounds like a pretty dream to get people going through life. Me though? I don’t need it. I’ve managed to make my own paradise here in this world. Now, don’t get my statements kerfuffled. I had to toil, sweat, and cry to get where I am today. I’m satisfied. Giving my life for some paradise sounds silly to me.” Billy looked rightfully proud as he spoke. His statements had full confidence in every word he spoke.
Bitterly, Voltaire asked Billy, “What are you doing out here with the rest of us desperate souls?” Billy’s pleasant expression turned into a soft but serious one. He uttered, “I’m looking for my son. He disappeared one day leaving a note saying he was goin lookin for this Paradise. I get searchin for some hope, but he had a good life. He had a steady job at my bar, a caring family, and plenty of stability. I think he only left because he was influenced by these strange groups that he was talkin to a month or two ago before his disappearance. If I find the trail to this Paradise, I might be able to drag him back home. Paradise sounds nice, but I’m lookin for him.”
Voltaire sneered in resentment, “Maybe the reason he left is because he had a foolish father who believed he knew everything there was to know in life.” Offended, Billy curled up his lips and retorted, “Now listen here son, this got nothin to do with me. I did what any dad should do. I gave him a roof, food, and a future. It ain’t my fault if he decided to throw it all away for a fantasy.” Billy pointed towards Voltaire, “What’s your problem anyway? You trying to fix your attitude by going to Paradise?”
Voltaire rolled his eyes while groaning. He begrudgingly stated, “I want to escape the violence of this city just like most people. I’m from District W. The constant gang wars and backstabbing among members is far too much for a single lifetime. I always considered leaving, but leaving that district would only lead to the mercilessness of the remainder of the city. Can’t go beyond the Outlands either. It’s a hostile, alien world out there. Now Paradise, that is the place where me and Irene can rest and enjoy our lives.”
Mentioning Irene brought a tranquil smile onto Voltaire’s face. He pulled out a locket. His moans of hopelessness turned to soft whispers of joy. “This locket was a gift from her for our anniversary. She promised me that our souls would never be apart with this locket.” He opened the locket and happily showed the picture of the woman inside. The image was in black and white and only showed the woman’s head. Irene was beautiful with her long hair and scars around her face. She was smiling the kind of smile reserved for the one they love. The picture belonged to Voltaire and only him.
Medoe shyful spoke, “If I may ask, what happened to you two? Why are you in the Outlands, separated from her?” Voltaire’s smile faded as he recalled, “We were entangled with a gang called The Bones. I’m sure the stories of just how vicious and evil they are have reached across the city but being in the middle of their wickedness is far worse than any story could attempt to describe. We both had enough, and we fled. Our escape was at night, but a patrol noticed us. We tried to evade their pursuit, yet she ended up getting caught while I escaped into the Outlands. Now, she is either a prisoner or is -” Voltaire stopped. He could not bring himself to finish the thought. After a moment, he collected himself and continued, “I will go back for her. I refuse to journey to Paradise without her. For if she wasn’t there, it could never truly be a paradise.”
Voltaire returned to his depressed state, and while he sat, Mimi antagonized, “Maybe you two should have never got tangled up with that gang to begin with. That’s why you’re in this mess.” Voltaire glanced a vicious look upon Mimi considering physical vengeance or an insult, but he decided to not give into her game and turned his head away. With a huff of disappointment, Mimi continued, “I, however, also made a promise to someone. We both swore to become rich and strong mercenaries. Once accomplished, we would go find Paradise and build our futures there as a team.” Mimi stood tall and pointed towards the sky in a triumphant pose. “I’m currently on my way to becoming rich and strong. My mercenary group will soon form and be the greatest in the city!”
Mimi remained in her stance standing as a model waiting for their figure to be carved from stone. Ceri’s every thinking mind started to turn, and she began spilling out her train of thought. “If you truly were on your way to forming a strong mercenary group, you wouldn’t be here in the Outlands. It is common knowledge that strong mercenary groups are formed within the city, with no known example of a capable group forming in the Outlands. Yet, here you are. This leads me to the reasonable conclusion that you have failed all attempts at creating a mercenary group or a competent one and have no more options but to come here into the Outlands and find desperate people to join you.” Once Ceri finished, she looked at Mimi. The rest of the group turned their heads as well.
With all eyes staring, her victorious expression crumbled into embarrassment. She plopped back onto the ground and murmured in shame, “Yeah, I guess,” not bothering to look at the group, sitting in defeated silence.
To Babba, Mimi simply had a naive yet optimistic dream just like herself once. Baba, in a bid to change the focus, quickly said, “Let me speak about why I seek Paradise. For me, I’ve lost all matter of connection. Any friends I once had, are now my enemies, and the one who I onced loved- well, he rightfully hates me.” She became more distant as she spoke, her performance becoming more real. “I just want to reform any sort of meaningful connection again. In Paradise, I would be able to trust and love anyone without worry of their hidden intentions. No more hurt. No more pain. Just anyone whom I can trust again.”
Speaking in a hushed tone, Medoe spoke to Baba, “Me too. I’ve lost everything in my life, and I’m only going to Paradise because I’m hoping there is someone waiting for me. I once had so much, but this city has sucked every bit of my soul dry in mere moments. If it weren't for the hope of Paradise, I don’t think I would go on.”
Baba looked into the white of eyes of Medoe’s mask. She could not know his expression, yet she still understood him. Tears welled up as she said, “What if there is no Paradise? It is only a myth spread by stories giving the slightest bit of hope in this dark world. We’re just chasing an illusion. Deep in our hearts, we know that. What will we do when we face the truth?”
The room became dour. Paradise was supposed to inspire hope, but once the facade is revealed, Paradise only brings more despair. All of them came here in search of a clue, but the group was starting to realize that they were merely looking for a lie.
Ceri was hesitant to speak. She knew of a way to lift their spirits, but it might be a lie. Would it be right to do so? Is raising their hopes with a possible lie, the only way to give hope? If she spoke her knowledge, it may raise their spirits up, but it will likely crash down. The moments of this internal dilemma felt like hours for Ceri before she came to a conclusion. She would honestly say what she knows and let them decide if it was good enough to pursue, for the shadow of hope is better than none.
In a clear voice, she said to the group, “I may know where to start looking to find Paradise.” Everyone gathered their attention towards her, remaining doubtful but curious. Ceri calmly continued, “I had a roommate who was interested in all information related to Paradise. They spent their free time researching it and solving its mysteries. They would stay up overnight on their laptop like a madman figuring out whatever they could about the place. One day, they came up to me and told me they had a breakthrough. Telling me with excitement that they had found the path to Paradise. Of course, I didn’t believe them. How could they have found the map to a fictional place? I was busy that day anyway with a breakthrough of my own. I wasn’t going to let someone's delusions get in my way. Not like they would have been able to pursue that trail. The day they had their breakthrough was Doomsday.”
An auditory gasp could be heard from the group, and they erupted with questions. “You were a survivor of Doomsday?” Baba said with dread. “Where were you when it happened?” asked Billy. “How did you survive?” questioned Voltaire. “Did you get any cool scars?” Mimi eagerly asked. As everyone went on with their barrage of questions, Miracle sat calmly in the midst of everyone. Miracle to no one specific, asked, “What is Doomsday? I believe I’ve lost that file, or it occurred after my deactivation.”
Everyone stopped their questioning of Ceri and considered how to explain the situation to Miracle. Before anyone could say anything, Ceri said, “Let me explain, I was the survivor after all.” She sat up and readied to lecture everyone on Doomsday. “I come from District S. Is that still in your memory?” Miracle nodded. “It was once a thriving and technologically driven district. Some of the greatest minds worked there to develop Cells research and find more uses for them. Leading the way in this research was the Cerebral Corporation. They had the most funding and power of all the research companies in the district and the city.
Ten years ago, Doomsday occurred. Cerebral Corporation had a massive explosion that destroyed the main lab and decimated a large chunk of the district. This was followed by absolute chaos. With the panic of the accident occurring, many attempted to take advantage of the confusion to rob and loot where they could. When the explosion happened, it was made up of mostly Cells that were magically radioactive resulting in most of the surviving residents of District S turning into mutants. Because the rest of the city didn’t want to risk the spread of mutations, they quarantined the entire district forcing any surviving mutant to live in the poverty of their ruined district.
Why Doomsday happened is a mystery. No one knows what happened at the lab that day. Some believe it was the incompetence of the lab, and others say it was because of a rival group trying to ruin the research. Only theories and rumors float around with the truth being lost.
I only survived that day because I was on my way back from work. The apartment I lived in was in the opposite direction of the lab, so during the explosion, my car protected me from the following shockwave. By some miracle, I also managed to only get a minor mutation.” She pointed towards the streak of white in her hair. “I attempted to get into another district, but since I had a minor mutation, they did not want to risk having any sort of mutant in their district. Between staying in the district or coming to the Outlands, I chose to come here. There’s less people and less chance of mutating. It was the only logical choice.”
Ceri explained her story with clear concise words seemingly with no emotional attachment to the tragedy, yet the group could only feel pity for Ceri. Most felt ashamed about brashfully asking many questions towards her and not considering her feelings about the situation. Ceri continued, “Don’t worry about me. I’ve managed to live quite comfortably here. I’ve found a routine, and this is the right place for me. Remember, this was about the clue of Paradise. There is a chance, though it may be small, that the laptop is still in that apartment in District S. If that laptop is operable, the info on it might lead to Paradise. There is no way to say it will, but I can only offer a miniscule chance for a spark of hope.”
Everyone sat in silence weighing the choice. Do they risk going into the magically dangerous ruins of District S to retrieve a phantom laptop with no guarantee that what they want will be there? Or do they resign themselves to their current situations, waiting for a better opportunity? The crushing weight of indecision lied within them all. Choosing would be bearing the responsibility of what comes after, a heavy weight to bear.
The shy voice of Medoe broke through the silence.“I want to go. If I’m being honest with myself, I know it’s for nothing, but I desperately need anything to believe in hope again. This is my opportunity, and even if it’s for nothing, I want to say I tried.”
Mimi nodded saying, “I’ve got nothing else going on. Let’s give it a try.”
Billy confirmed with a grin, “It could lead me to my son. Maybe it will. Maybe it won’t. But I'd be damned if I didn’t try.”
Voltaire sighed but smirked as he said, “This is going to be a waste of time, but I’ll take the thread I can get. If this is the way, I’ll have the courage to get Irene back.”
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
Baba anxiously added, “It sounds risky, dangerous, and - quite frankly - pointless, but I’ve lived most of my life playing safe. Pardon my language, but darn it, I’ll give it a shot.”
Lastly, Miracle said, “Of course, I will go. My decision was made since I’ve been made” Their head turned to Ceri asking, “If you knew about this, why haven’t you tried to find this laptop yourself?”
Ceri calmly admitted, “All this time, I never believed that I deserved to go to Paradise. As a survivor of Doomsday, I do not deserve to find the wonderful place while so many lost their lives. It wouldn’t be right. I will guide you all to the laptop, but once you are on the path, I will come back here to live the rest of my days. That is the deal.” Some wanted to tell Ceri that everyone deserved Paradise, but her words demonstrated that convincing would be pointless.
Agreeing to her conditions, she said, “Now we must decide, do we wish to wait six months for the worm to go into hibernation or do we kill it.” The frustration of the worm came back into everyone’s mind, but it did not take long for Mimi to stand up and say, “I’m not going to spend six months waiting around doing nothing. I’m already taking a risk on this possible laptop. Playing safe with the worm is stupid. Besides, I could never stay in the Outlands. This place sucks. No offense,” she said, turning to Ceri who shrugged in agreement.
Voltaire followed with confidence, “For once we’re in agreement, I can’t have Irene waiting any longer. Staying here for six months isn’t an option for me.”
Billy added, “You’re darn right, Mr. Voltaire. Who knows what trouble my son would get into if I were to allow him to stay with people he’s with.”
Medoe, Miracle, and Baba were left. The three were far less willing to risk fighting a creature as none of them had the pressure of time. Miracle spoke to both Medoe and Baba, “It would be best if we all worked together. If the other four attempt to fight the worm without our help, they will likely perish.” Baba added on admitting, “Even if they did kill the worm, it would be rather selfish of us to then go to the district after they risked their lives. I hate it, but I will help.” Medoe’s arm was starting to tremble as he said, “That thing is a monster. There is no chance that we could defeat it, but if participating helps increase the chance of everyone’s survival, I will.”
With everyone in agreement, Ceri continued, “In order for me to make a plan, I need to know everyone’s skills and capabilities. Tell me anything and everything. It all helps.” Mimi blurted out, “Ooh, ooh, I’ve been trained in all sorts of weapons. I can fire any type of gun, and exceed well with up close combat, especially with my lovely Crusher here,” she pointed to the mallet on her back. “Me and him go way back. We’ve been able to crush anything that comes our way.”
The group seemed doubtful of her abilities knowing her tendency to exaggerate, but Voltaire vouched, “I can speak for Mimi here. She has incredible strength, about the strength of ten people, I’d say.” Mimi smiled at Voltaire’s comment, glad to have some validation. Voltaire continued, “Since I’m speaking, I have training with my rapier, and upon my arm is a tattoo that can create deadly bolts of energy.” Voltaire rolled down his sleeve to show everyone the purple tattoo on his arm.
Ceri studied from afar and asked, “How can it produce magical bolts of energy? You need Cells to create any sort of effect.” Billy interjected himself by saying, “Now hold on a moment, I don’t know a lick about Cells or magic tattoos, but why is it important for that tattoo to have Cells, miss Ceri?” Ceri explained, “In order to create what everyone calls magic, you need Cells. Cells are mixed with other materials to create a variety of effects. What the effect is depends on how much Cells are consumed and what material is used. However, it is also known that certain sounds and motions can reduce the amount of Cells and materials needed to produce the same effect. That is why constant research is necessary to find all Cells possibilities.
This is to say that Voltaire’s tattoo defies the fundamentals of magic as it does not have any Cells.” She turned to Voltaire expecting a detailed explanation. He let out a deep breath and said, “I’m not completely sure how it works, but from what I remember being told, the ink of the tattoo is fused with Cells and the tattoo consumes a bit of my blood in order to create the bolt. It allows me to never need Cells to create the magical bolts, but it’s a one trick tattoo. That’s all it can do.”
Billy put his hand on his forehead saying, “Ah, all I wanted was a simple answer, but I got a lecture instead. I’m afraid to ask, but my curiosity is killing me. If that tattoo is basically a gun with unlimited ammo, why don’t everyone in the city have one on their arm.” Voltaire explained, “The tattoo takes a physical toll on the user. It takes months of physical training before you can put this on. Using it is also strenuous. I can’t use it in succession too many times before I get the worst cramp I’ve ever felt.”
Mimi leaned in with a smirk and asked Voltaire, “Where did you get that tattoo, huh? It sounds like you’d really need to know a guy in order to get it, and why do you have such a tattoo, hmm? Voltaire quickly rolled down sleeve and said in frustration, “Don’t want to discuss it.” He then said out loud, gesturing to the room, “Would anyone else like to talk about themselves? I feel like I’ve been doing a lot of talking.”
Medoe sheepishly raised his hand followed by a meak, “I can also use Cells. I specialize in using sounds in order to create my Cells effects.” Medoe pulled out a flute from his bag briefly revealing the few vials of Cells he had. “I can play the flute, piano, guitar, and almost any instrument known. All I need to do is attach the Cells to the instrument and play the song. The combination of the instrument and music creates spell effects even without the proper material needed to be added to the Cells. To make up for the lack of material, the songs become more complex.”
Baba cheered, “Wow, that’s amazing. You know so many instruments and how to use Cells. Tell me Medoe, where did you get your education?” Medoe bashfully said, “My parents just wanted the best for me. I’m humbled by it all.” Baba continued on, “No, you should be proud. Me however, I don’t have any knowledge of Cells. In all honesty, I’m not sure if I can contribute to the group. Skills in killing big, mountainous, blue worms is not something I’d ever think to have.”
Billy added right after, “I’m with her. As ya’ll just found out, Cells are a complex topic for me, and I prefer to talk my way out of situations. Maybe sneaking around and getting into places I’m not supposed to be in, but against a big ole worm, I’m a little useless.”
Ceri shook her head and said, “Incorrect, any extra pair of hands can still contribute greatly. With my and Medoe’s wide variety of Cell use and with Mimi and Voltaire’s combat prowess, the extra pair of hands can be used to cover the basic tasks that we are missing out on.”
Miracle seemed hesitant to respond, but Ceri eventually asked them to explain what they could do. Miracle answered, “I also know how to use Cells and create Cells effects. All I need are the resources but-,” Miracle stopped. They looked down as they said, “Must we truly kill the creature? The truck was fast enough to outpace it. Can’t we just drive to our destination? It would be less dangerous than to attempt combat with the worm.”
Ceri explained, “While we could attempt to outpace the worm, we will be stuck outside the wall of the district for a couple of days as I get the doors open. The worm’s territory spreads to that spot. If we wait to fight it later, it will find us then. We need to find a battlefield near this place in case we need to make a retreat. If we fight at the wall, retreating won’t be available.”
Miracle just sat there like a statue. Were it not for their eyes signaling they were on, one would think they were deactivated. Their body began to make small jolts of movement as Miracle echoed words more machine-like than before, “I understand. We must kill. Kill. Kill. Kill” Miracle started jolting and rattling faster each kill they repeated louder than the previous. Everyone distanced themselves as far as they could from Miracle, reading to take action. “KILL. KILL. In order to survive, ERROR must be activated. The ERROR must ERROR in order to gain more ERROR, so that ERROR can KILL. Starting ERROR. Activation of ERROR was denied. Are you sure you want to force restart ERROR? ERROR must come out.” Miracle was making strange creaking sounds as the sound of bending metal could be heard while they curled on the ground holding back the pain. The errors continued to echo out of them. The group cautiously watched. Voltaire and Mimi readied their weapons as Baba and Billy made some distance the furthest from the machine. Medoe attached a vial of Cells to their flute and quickly played a melody from the flute. The melody was short and sporadic, but the notes chained together perfectly. At the end of the flute, a bolt of lightning shot out and into Miracle. The electricity was not enough to hurt the machine. Rather, it caused the machine to short circuit and power off.
Medoe quickly opened up the machine’s chest to observe the damages. After looking at it, he confirmed that there seemed to be no lasting damage. Tension lingered and Voltaire demanded answers from Medoe who was frantically ensuring he had none. Ceri commanded both, “Enough! This may be an unexpected factor, but we cannot turn on each now. We will soon need teamwork in order to kill that worm soon. We simply need to wait for an explanation as to why this occurred. Let’s wait for them to reactivate then ask what had happened.” Voltaire backed away from Medoe and leaned against the wall with a huff. Ceri suggested, “We all should get rest. The sun is gone, and we have work to do tomorrow.”
Medoe in shock said, “I will take Miracle outside for the night and sleep out there. I’m the one who activated them. Let me take responsibility.” Ceri agreed and let Medoe know that immediately outside the base should be safe. She spent a couple years killing any corpse that approached, so they learned to ignore the place by instinct.
Medoe struggled to drag the machine out by the arms but was able to do so eventually. Before anyone could get settled, Baba looked at Voltaire and Billy, saying, “I hope you two understand that for tonight, I would rather sleep in here with only ladies. I just rather not be around men at this time.” Billy happily complied with the request and Voltaire, a bit annoyed, also agreed to sleep outside. Baba thanked them both as they went to sleep under the stars.
The men began to settle their sleeping area for the night. Billy started a fire with a match and laid out a sleeping bag. Medoe sat Miracle upright, leaning the machine on a pile of garbage. Medoe made their spot right next to them. Voltaire simply shifted his eyes between the two, observing any actions they took.
Eventually, they all laid down for the night. While Billy and Medoe started to drift, Voltaire constantly changed between sleeping positions eyeing Medoe, Miracle, and Billy. He sat up in frustration, alerting Billy and Medoe. When Billy asked what was wrong, Voltaire angrily replied, “He’s the problem.” He pointed to Medoe. “Just who are you under that mask? Why do you feel the need to conceal yourself?”
Medoe did not have a good response. He simply said, “I can’t take it off. I can’t risk anyone knowing who I am.” Voltaire snapped back, “Who are you to think you can hide your identity? None of us here have a mask. Give me one reason to trust you and that machine you have.” Medoe remained stuck in silence.
Billy stepped in between the two and spoke to Voltaire, “Listen, Mr. Voltaire, I know you may be distrustful of our new pal here, and you have every right to do so. But I want you to just think a moment here. No one goes walkin around with a mask around for no good reason. You gotta consider what experiences they may have been through. I’m sure you can relate. You have that special tattoo of yours for a good reason, I’m sure. Understanding that everyone’s got a reason for what they do, is why you gotta give everyone a bit of trust now and then.”
“Trust?” Voltaire snickered, “Giving trust freely leads to an early arrival towards the Cells machine. You expect me to give a stranger who feels compelled to hide their identity, trust? He could be a dangerous criminal for all we know. How can someone of your age just give trust out so freely?”
Billy shook his head and replied, “Tsk, tsk, Voltaire. You heard what I said, but you sure ain’t listening. I said to give trust, not bet your life on it.” He then gestured Voltaire’s attention to Billy’s left hand. The hand was holding a small pistol concealed by the pocket. All it took was the pull of a finger and Voltaire would not know how he died. Billy continued, “You can’t find out who to trust in life without giving it to them first, but don’t think I’m dumb enough to bet everything on strangers. I’ve had many life lessons, and I’ve made sure to learn them. That’s why I always say, ‘give trust with one hand but hold your gun with the other.’”
Voltaire stood up to meet Billy eye to eye, staring intently as the fire lightly crackled. Voltaire gave a spiteful chuckle, “I can admit when I’m bested. Maybe you do know a thing or two.” He then started walking away, “Still, I’m not giving trust tonight. I’d rather take my chances with the corpses. You two can earn your trust tomorrow.” He walked away before laying down a good dozen feet away from the fire, lying in near total darkness.
Medoe felt ashamed and told Billy, “Thank you for standing up for me. I apologize for all the trouble this mask may cause, but I just- I just can’t reveal my face. Until I’m safe in Paradise, my face must remain hidden. For this face of mine is my greatest shame.”
Billy happily responded, “It’s no problem, son. I think deep down you’re a good person. I just hope you don’t prove my trust wrong.” Billy pointed to the gun again in the pocket which Medoe responded by slowly nodding. “Welp, I’m hitting the hay. Try to get some rest for tomorrow. We’ll all need it.” Billy went back to lying down, leaving Medoe alone and awake.
Medoe looked towards Miracle. He saw his bronze reflection on the machine and stared intensely at his mask. His heart was filled with resentment and regret. He desperately wanted to punch, yell, scream or do anything to let this hate out, but he could not. Anytime he wished for this, his nature held him back but never removed the pain. He thought how cruel life was for putting him here. It was something he should never have suffered. He did not deserve this. Laying down, he exhausted himself in his personal frustration until he drifted into sleep.
While the men were having their discussion, the women inside also got ready for bed. Ceri remained on her musty mattress. Mimi and Ceri took the floor. Baba stretched and exclaimed, “It is so wonderful to sleep with a real roof over your head. I never appreciated something as simple as a roof until I lost it. Ceri, I can never thank you enough for your generosity and letting us stay here.” Ceri blankly nodded.
Mimi interjected saying, “Yeah, roofs and rooms are great, but I can handle sleeping anywhere. I’ve slept in comfortable places and on the streets. There is nowhere that I cannot sleep.”
“Maybe you should go outside and sleep then,” Baba playfully replied. Mimi quickly took it back, mentioning, “A roof is truly the most wonderful of views. Have I ever mentioned walls? They really make me feel safe.” Baba gave a small laugh.
They began to get rest, but Baba was eager to know her future traveling companions. First she tried talking to Ceri, but Ceri shut down the conversation saying that rest was more important. With no other choice, Baba turned to Mimi and asked, “Have you really gone throughout the city trying to form a mercenary group?” Mimi giggled and said, “Oh yeah, I went all throughout the city trying to recruit people into my mercenary group.”
“Well how did you do it?” Baba asked lying on her arms, “Don’t you need certain paperwork in order to go into another district?” Mimi smugly replied, “Oh yeah, you do. Did I get all the proper stuff to go? Hell no! I worked to pay some criminals to sneak me into the districts. I’ve only not gone to District S, for obvious reasons, and District V because those pompous pricks have way too tight of security.”
Baba followed along intently and eagerly asked, “What promise did you make that gives so much motivation?” Mimi looked left and right as if someone were to overhear it, and cheerfully whispered, “A pinky promise. My friend told me it is the most sacred, most important of promises. One that you should never break.”
Amused by the childlike faith in such a promise, Baba said, “Your friend and promise must mean much to you.” Mimi replied, “Of course, we’ve been the closest of friends since the beginning. She’s my inspiration. Forming that group and keeping that promise, it means everything to me.”
“Then let me help you,” Baba said with a light smile, “I’d like to help you with your dream. Let me be the first to join your group.” Mimi looked upon her with wide eyes saying, “You mean it? Do you really, really mean it?” Baba nodded and playfully said, “Only if you promise to make me your co-leader. I will accept no lower position.” Mimi quickly agreed, “As you wish, co-leader.”
Mimi extended her pinky towards Baba saying, “Let’s promise on that.” Baba’s smile faded into solemn expression. She gently pushed back Mimi’s hand saying, “I don’t make vows like that anymore. I know it’s important to you, but I never want to be tied to anyone again. Understand?” Mimi shook her head apologizing for even asking. Baba assured it was no big deal, and they both went to rest.
Mimi was internally squealing with delight. She may not have gotten a pinky promise, but someone’s word was the closest thing she's ever had to an official member. Deep down, she wished they could possibly be friends.
Baba lied down glad to have made someone happy, forming a connection. Mimi seemed too happy and cheerful to be someone with ulterior motives, but Baba was more than willing to cut that connection if needed. A choice she was now always ready to make.
Ceri lied awake. She was not kept up by Baba and Mimi’s chat but rather enjoyed listening to a conversation after so long of isolation. The pain on her back kept her up. Shifting from one side of the bed to the other, Ceri desperately tried to get comfortable, but any position led to more discomfort. When no one was around, she could reveal her secret freely allowing herself to be comfortable but in the presence of others, it had to remain hidden. Her sins were clinging onto her back. If they were ever seen, people would know the monster that she truly was.
