𝘨𝘢𝘮𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘳

Chapter 21. Pavement for Death

*Timeline is difficult to form. By now, the fall happened 152 years ago. At 10, Revy landed. At 14, Revy became Shana Revy. Now weird math, timeline stuff is weird in this world. Especially since I don't understand star dates because they don't match up with the fall.

"You have vacant rooms, right?!" Wolfwood burst into the hotel with Vash slung over his shoulders. Why trust a guy who can't drive a motorbike to drive a motorbike and then crash and concuss himself? I don't know. "Two, please!"

"Three," I add.

"We only have two."

"Okay, I will go away--"

"Sleep in Vash's room." Wolfwood says, throwing him on the couch, "He won't ever make it up there. You're paying for us anyways."

"I am?"

"Yep." Wolfwood runs away.

I go upstairs after I pay, taking the other room Wolfwood doesn't. I toss my stuff into the corner. I don't know whether or not to leave Vash to himself, considering the possibility he could fall asleep and have some impediment for the rest of his next two hundred years or so.

I groan, my asshole heart taking my legs downstairs. "You can't sleep, you know that, right?" I remark, lifting him off the couch. I hold him over my back, holding his arms as I drag him upstairs to my room and to the bed, opting for the couch as my own space.

I put my hat over my head, leaving the light on so he won't want to doze off, and lie back. "Shana was like my sister, but I think that's obvious. The first time I saw her, she was in a glass prison. She was alive, ready to be shipped out with other plants. I knew they were essential for survival, but she looked so alive, an ultralife before she'd be sent to die, having everything taken from her," I begin to tell my story again. I sigh, rubbing at my sleepless eyes under the hat.

"My legs just... well they moved. That night I planned and everything, broke into a government facility by bypassing all security with my parents' codes, and broke her out of that glass. Something about her being there made me angry, because despite our differing races I saw a child, as old as me... her and my parents' death anniversary of 148 years was two days ago and now counting. Who knows, I can hardly remember their faces anymore--Hey-- it's been two days since I've slept, you know." I jump, forcibly making myself change the subject for the better of keeping it together. "I wanna sleep... I'm friggin' tired."

Vash can't even respond, groaning with a melty face full of wide-eyed drool on the bed.

"That's a yes, I take," I take so, lying back and putting the hat over my head. I clock out.

I wake up sore from the rattan couch, looking over at the bed. The sheets are ruffled and Vash is gone. Wonder if he left in a feverish dream? I did tell him not to sleep, but your body still gets wonky.

When I come down, in addition to the hotel owner and his son his a woman, a beat up Vash, and Wolfwood. I missed the storm. 

"Whoever you beat up, I don't want to know. Let's just go," I say, walking out immediately.

Vash leads us to some cliffside with quite the old house on it, a line going from it that was the way to transport a vehicle. The house itself was empty, not at all our destination, but we needed a lift on the vehicle that ran on the line.

We get in a cable car, as in a birdcage shaped one with no wheels, hanging from the line, and begin to move. Below us is the Great Melica Sand Ocean, meaning, if the line breaks we're dead.

"People call it the doorstep of hell." Wolfwood says, referring to the sand ocean, "So tell me, where are you taking us?"

"No where special." Vash says, "You just decided to follow me."