"So, where am I?"
The woman lay naked in front of Julian, Xander, and Kwadwo. That morning, the three of them were entrusted to break the shield and let the person inside of it out. The woman was groggy, deathly pale. Her hair was in a bob cut that was still perfectly maintained even after two hundred years of solitude.
"Put these on and we'll discuss it later." Julian said, casually burying her in a pile of old clothes he borrowed from the hospital, before escorting the other two out of the room.
"Okay, Xander. You able to make tea?"
"Excuse me?"
"I think she'd drink tea. All refined like. She's a ladies lady. Got the look of one. So go make the tea."
Xander rolled his eyes and left them to it. The woman emerged from the room, wearing a worn out crimson t-shirt with white sleeves, alongside matching white shorts.
"Allow me to repeat myself. Where am I?" The woman asked. She was glancing at her bare legs, the fashion choices she was forced to make already annoying her.
"Trampstown." Kwadwo replied casually, causing the woman to squint at him.
"Where?" She asked. "Last thing I remember was leading a charge against some-
"Skyships led by the people who destroyed the world?" Julian finished with a nod and a heavy sigh. "Yeah. It's been a while, so how about we discuss this over some tea on the rooftop?"
The four took a smaller table on the edge of the roof, away from where anyone else would listen in. Xander brought a tray of tea to the table, and the woman took a cup and held it to her lips. There was a moment of hesitation before she drank it, and for the first time her refined demeanour was destroyed as her face crunched the second the tea hit her tongue.
"Just…what is that?" She asked.
Kwadwo took a sip and let it rest in his mouth for a little before swallowing.
"Tastes like normal tea to me."
"Yes, it's Queen Smith tea if I'm not mistaken. It's fine casually, but once you try other types it's…an adjustment going back. Would you happen to have any Catbite tea?"
Kwadwo looked at her in disbelief.
"You mean the stuff that's grown in like, another continent?"
"Did…something happen to that place?"
"As far as they're concerned, we all died decades ago." Kwadwo replied casually.
The woman looked at him in shock, and then looked over the roof to the tall trees and nets surrounding them.
"So while we have your attention, can we have your name?" Julian asked.
"My name is Cecilia Ciobanu." The woman replied while pushing away the tea. "So, who are you?"
Julian spent the next few minutes introducing himself and explaining where she was. She slowly nodded, taking in the information as it came.
"Well, that makes sense." She said.
"Just like that?" Xander asked with a blank expression.
"Well, I knew something was up when you didn't have Catbite tea. It was on the expensive side, but hardly a rare item. And when Julian here was explaining events, my last few memories unclouded themselves."
"What memories?" Xander asked.
"My last ones before I died. I believe I was decapitated." She said casually.
"So you don't have any memories of being the weapon?" Xander asked. "Or of me?"
"I think I was on the plane between life and death, so I doubt I had the capacity to remember much of anything. Why, did you violate the shield somehow?"
"I used you to murder the king of Sangaria." He said.
"I see." Cecilia nodded. "Did he deserve it?"
"Not really."
"And did he leave any family behind?"
"Just his daughter."
"Age?"
"Well, I'm twenty two, and I'd say she's around that."
"And she's in charge now?"
"I'd guess so."
"Well, I'll do my best to help patch things up between you."
"Yeah, lady. I don't know how things were done two hundred years ago, but I don't think I can just be forgiven for that."
"Why did you do it?"
"Excuse me?"
"The murder. What compelled you to do it?"
"I was ordered to get the shield containing you back. Then the king tried stopping me, and I ended up breaking his neck."
"And you were ordered by the man Julian said is trying to take over, correct? But then you defected."
"Yeah." Xander nodded slowly.
"Then as far as I'm concerned, you have nothing to worry about. May I ask your name?"
"Xander."
"Redemption is the word of the day, Xander. as far as I'm concerned, evil is the second worst thing a person can be. First place goes to the type who knows they did wrong, but rather than correct it they retreat into their minds convinced they cannot be forgiven. Now tell me, are you a one, a two, or will you reverse into a man of honour instead? Because you know what you are?"
"What?"
"You're me, two hundred years later. You see, I was the daughter of the man who started the skyship operation, and for years I felt I wouldn't be able to stop the abandonment of humanity. But near the end, I was able to get the other nine in to make a last stand. We naturally all died, but that's where you come in! You get the honour of finishing what I started too late!"
Xander looked at the woman. She had fire in her eyes for sure, and was just shy of grabbing and shaking him.
"But anyway, what do we need to kill this Chelic?"
"What we need is a way back to the ships." Julian answered.
"Ah, that shouldn't be much of an issue." Cecilia nodded. "If we find someone strong enough, I can pump them up using my blood, and then jump up there!"
"Would that work?" Kwadwo asked, looking at the other three.
"Well, maybe Cassandra knows something? I'll call her."
Roxanne and Cassandra sat by the table while Roxanne's parents kept discussing boys. Describing them and not so discreetly glancing at Roxanne whenever the sentence finished to see if it provoked any sort of reaction. And yet it didn't. Cassandra felt their glances cut through her as well, even though her relationship was pretty much perfect. Until Roxanne felt her phone buzz and picked up from Julian. She gave it to Cassandra as she asked, and she scooted into the next room to answer it.
"Hey Cass, just calling to ask if we have a way up to the ships again?"
"I think we do. There's a mountain nearby that Chelic climbed onto."
"Aw, sweet. Well, find out when the ships pass by so we can get back to it. Love you!"
Julian hung up, and the yapping from the parents began to fill her ears once again.
"So who was that, Cass?" Claude asked.
"It was…Roxanne's boyfriend?"
"Wait, you already have a boyfriend?" Davina asked, leaning in. Roxanne leaned back with an audible grunt and a look to Cassandra. A look of malice she has never pulled off before.
"Uh…yeah." Cassandra answered. "I lost my phone, so he called me to-"
"Cass, can we not?" Roxanne said with a sigh. She stood up and looked at her mom.
"Look mom, I know that you're excited about me getting back. And I know that you want me to follow up with you and get married with a kid…but I don't feel it."
Davina looked at her for a second with a blank expression, before continuing.
"Well, it's fine not to be looking right now, but later on you'll find the spark and-"
"Stop talking. Please."
Davina was looking at Roxanne. She was tired. The mere memories of forcing herself to like someone were exhausting her merely by thinking about them.
"I've tried, mom. I've spent the last few days hopping from ship to ship and boy to boy. There was nothing between us. Even tried getting it on with a girl once, but that was the biggest disaster of all. So I think I can conclude after all of that, I'm not interested. I can't feel love."
"Okay, but maybe after some time you'll-"
"Maybe? Probably not. I'm pretty confident in thinking that. Look, you think I want this? To spend my entire life being told the path to go down only to learn you're incapable? Do you think I was rubbing my hands with evil glee for not providing the outcome you wanted? Look, we can discuss this after I helped save the skyspace, okay?"
"But-"
Roxanne had already walked out and Cassandra quickly began to follow.
"So, where's Julian?"