Alastair Kurenai has left his home on Earth for a world called Nachima. In that world he'll be up against The Liberators, an organization that wishes to take his key to liberate the worlds from their reliance on Key Keepers. Nothing out of the ordin...
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Berry was laying in bed with a pout. She wasn't her usual self after the anesthesia.
Their dad was taking care of the things that needed to be done before discharge outside.
Their mom showed Berry her orange lizard. "Ready to go home?"
Berry took the lizard-salamander plush and snuggled it. "Yeah... Tired."
"We'll get you in your robochair when Daddy gets back."
Cole glanced between Cyan and her family.
Cyan whispered in his ear, "Mom can lift her, but she'll get antsy if we transfer her too soon. Plus, it can be hard to carry her because she isn't really able to help."
Soon after, their dad came back into the room. "Ready to get out of here?"
Berry smiled back at him.
He was careful to avoid the area around her surgical site as he lifted the little girl off the bed and set her in her robochair.
While he was doing that, Cyan sent Ame a message that they were ready to be picked up.
When they made it outside, Ed was standing by the back of the bus. He had the door open and a remote in hand. "If it would be easier or more comfortable, we could bring your daughter back with us."
Isaac ran his fingers through her hair. "It's okay if you want to go with Cy. We're all heading home regardless."
"I want Cy."
"We'll give you a few things to keep her comfortable then," the mom said, running off in the direction of their car.
Her mom took what appeared to be blankets and pillows out.
Cy smiled and took them from her mom. "Thanks, Mommy."
Cole snorted.
Cy put her hands on her hips. "What? Too big to call your mom Mommy?"
Cole ran his fingers through his hair. "I mean it is kind of childish."
Cy scoffed as she followed after her sister.
Ed, who was already out of the bus pressed a control, causing an aluminum-like sheet to spring out from the back of the bus. The metal stiffened and gained some thickness as a frame formed around it.
Cy smiled at the shocked expression Collin was making inside the bus. This must've seemed alien to the boy from another world and another time.
Ed used his remote to bring the lift onto the ground.
"What is this thing for?" Cole asked as he and Cy got on the lift with her.
"It's how people in chairs get on buses," Berry replied as she steered her chair into the lift. "One can't easily use the legs to get in without risking bumping your head."
"Wait, how do you not know that?" Cy asked as she accompanied her sister as the lift went up. "Have you never ridden a bus in your life?"
He shook his head. "This is my first time. I always had someone drive me around or I would just use my terminal."
"Someone drove you around? Are you some rich kid?" Ed asked.
Cole sighed.
"He is friends with the princess and her knight," Alastair said as he poked his head out. He smiled at Cy's sister. "Cool robot! Berry nice to meet you, Berry!"
Ame leaned over and whispered into his ear.
Berry chuckled. "How original."
Alastair spoke into a quieter voice this time. "That I am!"
"Sarcasm." She frowned. "Then again, I'm not very good at it..."
"Hmm," Alastair said. "Me, neither..." He held out an open red box as Berry steered her chair over to him. "Nugget?"
"Uh, aren't those cold?" Cole asked.
Ed came over to secure the chair in place. "We took several trips already. Those are fresh."
Ame was right behind him, carrying Berry's blankets and pillows.
"Huh..." Cole said. "Kid must really like them."
Alastair smiled. "Nuggets saikyou!"
"Saikyou?" Berry asked.
"Is that a language from where you're from?" Cyan asked.
He nodded. "Grandma's!"
Berry reached forward and grabbed a nugget, popping it into her mouth.
Wow. She actually took it. Was she not nauseous this time?
Once the straps were in place, Cyan gave her sister a pillow for her head and another for her legs. Covering her with a blanket before getting into her own seat.
She smiled as she saw that Cole had taken the seat in front of hers. He didn't say anything, but she could tell he wanted to say something about Ame's husband calling him a rich kid.
The trip home was a lot quicker than when they had arrived. The trip to Cy's childhood home lasted only a few minutes.
Cole looked out the window as they drove down the street. "Nice town."
***
Ed parked in the curve. He lowered the lift. Berry used her robochair to get over the sidewalk step.
Berry then wheeled over to the door and used the sensor to open it.
"She seems pretty independent," Cole said.
Cy smiled. "Yeah. I heard people in olden times needed people to push their chairs for them. Is it still like that where you're from, Collin?"
Star nodded. "En had to be pushed around."
"That's different from someone like your friend or the young lady's sister, though," Edgar said.
Alastair tilted his head.
"Your big brother had a broken leg, so he only needed it for a little while."
He nodded. "En didn't want to go anywhere, either."
He didn't want to go anywhere? That must have been hard on their grown-ups.
Berry maneuvered her robochair into the house. Her face was pale and head wobbly. She had already been exhausted by the trip here.
Cy smiled. "Why don't you go get some rest, Berry? I'll bring you some dinner later."
She nodded and headed for her room.
Their parents ran after their younger daughter to help her get into bed and comfortable.
Hopefully ,whatever pain the surgery caused her would be manageable. That was an experience that Cyan had never had.
