The steam covered the sauna room and blurred the windows and glass door. The room had an appropriate hot yet warm atmosphere. It had jazzy music playing in the background.
Aurora had her arms short, and her blonde hair's tips sunk into the bubbly water, bouncing left and right and sliding down her breasts. She leaned her weight onto the pool's edge, nude, her legs elevated and bent.
Her clothes lay on the counter behind her, and some of her infected skin recovered.
"We're so lucky you found us. I don't know where we would've gotten the pool if it weren't for you, madam Della." Chiaki responded, standing outside the sauna in the living room with the rest of her friends.
"I am quite happy I could help. I hope your friend recovers from the infection." Della replied with a kind-hearted chuckle, keeping her arms crossed behind her back. "Madam Della. Is this clock tower yours? I didn't think it was a home one would live inside. I'm amazed you have such an expensive building to your name." Ayuka added, sitting next to Cassidy, who slept, and Trinity, who listened in silence.
"Indeed, this tower was meant to become a lobby for everyone to meet and spend time together, but it became a clock tower, and they assigned it to my name due to knowing more about the clockwork. It got constructed to alarm people of danger and what's the time when people didn't have phones and such. But now the technology in the east became a major thing, and people practically pay no attention to the clock. It's a shame, but at least it's peaceful."
Della gazed outside of the window to see the bright lights shining over the streets and the lack of people due to being midnight.
Others followed her gaze.
"I've been living here for forty years, and I haven't seen so much happiness. Sometimes it feels lonely, but an old little me doesn't have the energy to go outside often and spend time with people. I'm nearing my end, but people will vanish one day. But look at you, having the opportunity to travel the world and go anywhere you like at such a young age. You're lucky fellows."
Chiaki exchanged smiles with Della, calmly putting her palm on her chest, "I'm sure you'd like that too. But it's not safe to go out to the sea with so many pirates sailing the ocean."
Della nodded with her friendly stare, "And what about you? I wouldn't consider that girl your sweetheart, young pirate. Have you had other reasons to take her out on the sea?" Timothy raised his chin, leaning his back on the wall, and crossed his arms while standing next to Tarot, who finally received a peach to bite into.
"Aurora? She's a friend I met in Acropolis. She wouldn't be with us if we didn't visit her uncle, where I learned about her illness. I wanted to help here, and I learned about Cyber Refuge. I want to take her there to find a cure for her infection." Timothy introduced their plan as briefly as possible. "We've been searching for it for 25 days, and this is the closest we are to finding it."
Timothy inhaled deeply and exhaled with little to no trouble. "We need to find that pedestal. Once we do, we might be able to enter the Cyber Refuge through the typhoon we read about in several books. I just hope we can make it in time and still have enough time to find the cure. I don't want to let Aurora down."
While they communicated, Aurora opened her eyes and tried moving her toes and legs.
She was able to.
She stood up from the heated water, poured down her exposed body, and stepped onto the tiles. She walked toward the wardrobe and grabbed a towel to wipe herself dry.
She dried her hair, face, behind, and chest and looked at the folded clothes in front of her. The clothing in front of her seemed fresh and the perfect size for her.
She received those pieces of clothing from madam Della when she was younger, but despite being somewhat old, they were washed and smelled great.
She dressed up, losing herself in thoughts that she couldn't let escape. "They're risking their lives because of me. I don't understand them. Tim met me not long ago. And he's willing to go to any lengths." She halted in a frozen pose, her arm reaching for the underwear she intended to put on, "Damn it... I wish I didn't have this disease. I wouldn't need to worry about their lives."
She raised her left leg and slipped it through the underwear's hole. "I feel like I've found great friends, but the worry of losing them..." She repeated the same series of events with her other leg, "I'm scared about Tim... the others. I don't want to lose them. I feel like a helpless girl like me isn't worth their time. Unlike them, I can't even fight. I don't even have supernatural abilities." She put on a bra, then clutched for her white jacket and inserted her arm into its long sleeve.
"Half of me wants me to die, only so I wouldn't need to worry about them going further. But the other half wants me to live. They got so far, and if I died now... the time they spent with me... would get wasted. If we find the cure for my illness... that means I won't lose them, and I could talk to them every so often."
She inserted her other arm and zipped it, hiding her exposed torso.
She shook her head without having a good decision. She didn't know what to do or how to proceed. "I want an answer. I really do..." She needed to cough to clear her throat and walked toward the door. "I don't want my body to surrender just yet. I need to stay conscious and stay with them for as long as I can, even if that means fighting back my infection." She grabbed the knob and pulled the door open.
Everybody's eyes locked onto her, feeling relieved and calm, "Aurora! You're better. Thank the peaches." Tarot answered, biting another part of the peach and rubbing his tummy. "Aurora. Can you walk? I mean, you're standing. But I'm asking if you can keep walking for a while." Timothy inquired, wanting to know how stable her condition was.
"Mhm." She nodded with an energetic smile, calming Timothy down. "Ah, good. Now that you're out. I believe the rest of the girls should spend some time relaxing in the sauna too." Della responded, looking at the girls. "That would be wonderful, madam Della," Chiaki called, smiling and standing up with Trinity and Ayuka. "I wouldn't mind some refreshment. I'm sure some time to warm up will come in handy." Ayuka added while Trinity slowly shook Cassidy awake.
"Thank you, madam Della. The sauna was wonderful." Aurora smiled, pressing her palm on her chest, expecting Della to nod in response to her inquiry. "Yes, of course, young Aurora. I'm happy to be of help. Once everyone's done and ready, you may use the bedrooms upstairs. There are enough beds for everyone. Just make sure to divide yourselves however you wish."
Everyone nodded politely as the girls entered the sauna.
When they did, their bodies got scraped with warm and cozy steam, and their eyes broadened to see the beauty of the sauna. "Aw, this is gonna be awesome!" Cassidy shouted, excited, and instantly undressed nude, throwing her clothes to the side. "Be careful not to slip, Cassidy," Chiaki answered as the girls grabbed their own clothes and prepared to undress.
Timothy sat in the living room while Tarot lay next to him. He had his arms crossed behind his neck, and his legs leaned onto Timothy's knees. "Time to daydream!" Tarot called while Timothy looked at him in boredom, "My legs aren't to support yours..." But aside from Timothy's complaints, he seemed to let it be.
Aurora stepped next to Timothy and gently rubbed his shoulder, "Tim. Do you mind if we talk somewhere private? Please, just for a little." Timothy and Tarot carefully listened to her, and Timothy didn't mind her request. "Uh, sure."
With an unimpressed gaze, he knocked Tarot's legs away and stood up, nearly knocking him off the sofa. "Damn, man. Can't you ask, sheesh?" He fixed his bandana around his forehead and observed Aurora glancing at madam Della. "I hope you don't mind. I just want to talk." Madam Della shook her head and smiled, "Go on ahead. You're welcome to make yourselves at home."
Aurora smiled and watched Timothy interfere for a moment, "Before we go talk. Could you share some more details on how to find the pedestal?"
Madam Della shared a composed pose and explained, "I'm afraid the pedestal isn't currently available at this time of the month. You'll have to wait a few more days before you can interact with it. It should open up the first day of the month at midnight."
Timothy and Aurora glanced in confusion, "Aurora... can you-?" He didn't need to finish his sentence. She predicted what he would ask in an instant, "Don't worry, I'll be okay. If I managed to hold on for 25 days, I can handle another 5 days." Timothy sighed, agreed, and then spoke to her, "Okay."
They left the living room, entered the empty corridor, and walked through to find a perfect area to chat.
-
Ayuka, Chiaki, and Timothy's sisters freshened up inside the sauna. They rested on different corners of the pool and kept their nude bodies exposed to the light.
"Chiaki, I didn't think you'd reveal your body to us so easily. You didn't seem like the type of girl who'd do that." Ayuka called with a smile and looked directly at Chiaki. "It's nothing odd. It's just some skin. Besides, there are no boys around to peek at us. It's comforting." Chiaki's response startled Ayuka, but she grinned. "I guess you have that right. Then let's see how serious you are."
Chiaki looked at her in confusion, and in an instant, she launched herself at Chiaki. "Whoa! What are you doing?!" Ayuka dove into the water and surfaced behind her. "Seeing the real you." She wrapped her arms from behind and grabbed her breasts with her palms, embarrassing Chiaki. "Ayuka! What are you doing? This is embarrassing!"
Ayuka leaned her jaw on Chiaki's left shoulder and looked at her. Chiaki looked at her with a calm expression and listened, "Relax. I won't hurt ya. At least not a lot." She continued teasing Chiaki to the point where they compelled Timothy's sisters into joining. They played around with water and pranked one another until it was time to calm down.
Everyone returned to their corner, Chiaki covering her breasts in embarrassment, her face slightly sunk underwater. "Why do all the girls do that?" Chiaki inquired, embarrassed and in awkward silence.
"Some fun can lighten up the mood. Now if you don't mind. I'll be taking a nap for a few minutes." Ayuka sunk the rest of her body underwater, only keeping her nose outside to breathe.
-
Timothy and Aurora stood outside on the balcony so that Aurora had enough air to breathe and keep conscious. "So, what did you want to talk about?"
Aurora pressed her palm on her heart, "There's something I wanted to request of you. If you don't mind." Timothy responded, "Sure, I don't mind at all."
"Tim, if we manage to find Cyber Refuge, I want you to stick around. I understand you want to help me find the cure, but I'd appreciate it if you stayed by my side. I know you're willing to fight in case there is trouble, but I need somebody by my side who I know I can trust. I know... and I do trust your friends and sisters, but you're really the only person I'm not scared to share anything with. If you could avoid any fighting and act as my bodyguard, you'd really help me out."
Timothy looked at her bewildered, cocking his head to the side in silence, "Can you promise me that? It's my only request."
He crossed his arms, shut his eyes, and smiled good-heartedly. "I'm not sure why you don't want me to fight if things get messy, but I'll try to protect you. So, yeah, don't worry. I can promise you that. If something goes wrong, I'm sure Ayuka can handle it. She's strong and smart, so there's no problem. I'll only get involved if things turn out for the worse, okay?" Aurora nodded, chuckling graciously.
"Thank you, but I'm curious. Do you have some special connection with Ayuka? You trust her a lot." Timothy inserted his hands in her pockets and blushed a little, "She was my partner. We used to date. But then this Black Storm came and shifted everything. We found ourselves on an isolated island here in Vast Expanse and had a new problem to deal with. We decided to put things aside and stay friends. I trust her with my life, and she's the first person I think of when I need help. She's the most reliable girl you've ever met."
Aurora became speechless and astonished, "Wow, I didn't think you'd tell me that much. Sorry if I made things complicated." She apologetically responded, but Timothy laughed with a nice and gentle voice, "Don't worry! You told me your secrets. It was only fair I told you mine."
Aurora nodded and became curious, "Do you two plan to get together once you're out of this mess? You made me curious." She replied, wondering, and stared directly into Timothy's face. She looked more comfortable around him, unlike the first time.
He looked into the distance of the Anison City, keeping his arms in his pockets. He compelled Aurora to follow his eyes and the view he focused on in the street. "I'm not sure. There was this one time at Craftsman Island. She hugged me tight and embarrassed one of my crew members to heat up in his face. But we're most likely going to stay as friends. But you never know what could change." He explained, looking back at Aurora, "I think I'm pretty handsome. So, I got nothing to worry about."
He caused Aurora to laugh at his joke, "That you are. I really do hope everything works out between you two. I have my hopes high." She claimed and slowly became stern, "Tim, thanks. You lightened my mood a lot. I'm glad you were the one who found out about my illness and not someone else completely. I didn't want any freaks to get involved in my life. But you... well, I'm happy you did."
Timothy confidently crossed his arms and grinned in return for her praise, "I know I can be stupid, and I know sometimes my actions aren't "normal," but I tend to ignore those. I usually want to lighten the mood so others can have a laugh. But you can rely on me. If you need help or anything, ask me. I'll come right away, even after we find a cure for you."
He waited for Aurora's response. She smiled with another inquiry, "Speaking about coming to help," She said, "Once we're through with this. Would you mind coming to visit me every so often? I'd love to meet the rest of your friends too. And I'll ask director Forest to provide you with a phone, just so we can communicate from afar."
Timothy slowly nodded, "Of course. I'll come to visit you when the two years pass. I'm sure the crew would love to meet you too. And I can say this with confidence because I already made up my mind to cure your illness. I promise we'll get the cure no matter what." Timothy's confidence kept Aurora going.
"One last thing. Would it be okay if you started calling me Kate?" Timothy flinched momentarily and scratched the side of his cheek, "I thought you didn't like that name. What changed your mind?" She leaned her hand on her chest, "I actually think the name's cute, and I like it more than I reasoned. Do you remember? I lied to you about only letting my mother call me that name, and then you learned that the name was actually given to me by my father. I want to honor my dad's death by using the name he gave me, but sometimes my illness causes my brain to forget about it." She explained, keeping calm, "I don't want to risk forgetting that name because nobody mentions it. I want at least someone to use that name, and you're the perfect person for that job. You can still use Aurora as my name if you wish, but keep that name in mind."
Timothy reached for her shoulder and nodded, "Yeah, don't worry. I'll remember it, Kate." As he mentioned her name, she needed some time to comprehend. She smiled and laughed, "Thanks. Now, let's go see how the others are doing."
Aurora and Timothy prepared to leave the balcony and exit the room, but they spotted Ayuka at the doorframe, drying her hair. "Oi, Tim! I know I didn't do an "amazing" job on the ship, but I'll be preparing the dinner for tonight before we go to sleep. And don't worry... this time I'll keep my eyes on the job at hand." Timothy exchanged his eyes with Ayuka and smiled, "What? Really?! Awesome! I haven't tasted your cooking for a while!" He sprinted toward Ayuka and pulled her with him, "Slow down, idiot! You're gonna make me rip my hair out!"
Aurora observed from the balcony's frame, holding her arm with a smirk. But that innocent smile suddenly vanished from her face, making her look at the floor.
Tears gathered around her eyelids and slowly slipped down her cheek, "Thank you... Tim. I don't know how I'd feel about this without you..." She slowly followed them into the kitchen after looking one more time outside and observed the wind swirling a paper with a wanted photo.
"Dead or Alive, Torque Torrente, $670,000,000 bounty."
To be continued...