Cut From The Same Fur

~ Zoe, Codename: Cerulean ~

Viento is a coastal city, but a large portion of the city is actually off the coast and sits in the ocean, with canals of ocean water instead of roads.

There were hundreds of boats at all the many, many docks, and even a cruise liner that was picking up passengers.

Out in the distance, massive flood barriers protruded out of the water. The white stone they were made out of glowed brightly in the sun.

Most of the flood barriers were beneath the water, though. They were mainly used to control the level of water getting into the city, so that it stayed the same all day round.

They did this with absolutely massive mechanisms that could raise and lower the enormous flood barriers from beneath the ocean floor. With this they could limit the flow of water in the Viento Bay, or cut it off entirely.

During storms and floods, they would all raise as high as they could to protect the city.

It was an absolute marvel of engineering, and bloody expensive, too.

Suppose they have to do something with all that money they make from trade and tourism.

Looking down at the city itself, the colors were really something to behold. It seemed that they wanted to use every color of the rainbow to decorate.

There was little to no standardization when it came to colors and designs. Anything was fine as long as it was structurally sound.

It was a very different visual from Geo, which was mostly white and gray with the occasional gold.

We ended up landing outside of the city. Bloom was having a burial at sea, which had to be done at one of the docks.

The pilot found a suitable spot near the highway to land that wouldn't disrupt anyone or anything.

After that, we dismounted, helping Quasar out of the dropship once again.

A short walk was all we needed to arrive at the dock where her funeral was to be held.

The sizable group of people standing outside, all wearing black, told us that we were probably in the right place.

Unsurprisingly, we drew a number of curious eyes as we approached.

I saw a crying woman who looked like an older version of Bloom. Assuming she was her Mother, I approached her to ask if it would be okay for us to attend.

Once I got close, she wiped her eyes with a handkerchief and turned to me.

However, the moment she saw my PMF badge a look of anger shot across her face.

Woman: "PMF..."

Woman: "...You're here for Sally's funeral?"

Cerulean: "Are you her Mother?"

Woman: "...I am, yes."

Cerulean: "Then, we would like to humbly request that you allow us to attend."

Cerulean: "While we knew her as Bloom, and not Sally, she still meant a lot to us."

Cerulean: "However, if our presence is too painful for you to bear, we will understand and leave you to grieve for your daughter."

She looked down at her feet for a few seconds, clearly not sure how to respond.

Bloom's Mother: "You look strong. Were you her Squad Leader?"

Cerulean: "Yes. And I take full responsibility for her death."

Her face was filled with rage when she looked up at me, but I didn't react.