You had already been walking for a while when you finally reached Clayton city. Like Adelaide, it was in ruins, only parts of buildings remained with broken windows and the steel supports showing through the concrete. All of a sudden, Atlas stopped in the middle of the city, when the Jaeger's distress signal stopped.
Hayley: What happened to the signal.
LOA: It is on a timer and will recycle after sixty minutes.
Hayley: An hour!
There was a short silence as you looked out the window of the conn pod, but you noticed something on one of the buildings. Then a bullet hit the left side of the conn pod.
LOA: Shots fired!
Taylor: Where?
LOA: East, four degrees.
Hayley and Taylor turned Atlas to the left to see who had fired. When the Jaeger's camera zoomed in, you saw what looked to be a girl with shortly cut lavender hair with light, white armor. She pointed at something on the building and written in big, bold letters were the words "GO AWAY" in red paint.
Taylor: Mei?
Atlas walked toward the building where Mei, you assumed, was standing and exited the Jaeger.
Taylor: Really, shooting us.
Mei: May I direct your attention to this subtle message.
Hayley: Why did you come here.
Mei: I'm travelling on foot, Clayton was the closest city, you figure it out.
She then glanced over Taylors shoulder at you. You noticed she had deep green eyes as well as a scar on her left cheek.
Mei: I see you've made a new friend.
Taylor: Right, this is Y/N, he's a Jaeger pilot. Wait, did you think we were tracking you?
Mei gave you a curious look before replying.
Mei: Well this isn't really on the way to Sydney.
Taylor: We picked a Jaeger distress from inside the city.
Hayley: Did you see it?
Mei: Maybe, but if you want to look around, your walking. I don't need that hunk of junk drawing any Kaiju here.
Mei then turned toward a steel door next to the painted sign.
Mei: I'll show you out.
She then opened the door and walked inside.
Y/N: What's her deal?
Taylor: We met her in a place called Bogan, she was told a lot of lies there. We helped her escape, but she still doesn't really trust anyone.
Hayley: She's been through a lot, it's not her fault.
Hayley, Taylor and Boy then followed Mei through the steel door. You could only think about Mei and the things that may have happened to her, the things that may have happened to everyone here. After a short pause, you followed Hayley and Taylor down a set of stairs and into this small café type room which despite the state of the city, still had electricity.
Hayley: Wow, the lights still work here?
Mei: The power grid never shut down around here. So, unless you need anything else, there's the door.
Taylor began walking toward the door when Hayley paused in front of you.
Hayley: I know you aren't as strong as you want people think, after what happened to you. Why be alone in an empty city?
Mei: ...Right now princess, it's not empty enough.
A small bell rang as Taylor opened the door and Hayley followed an intrigued Boy to join Taylor. You then stopped beside Mei.
Y/N: I don't know what happened to you, what happened here at all, but you're lucky to have friends like them. Someone important to me once said that the best way to heal, is when you have others to heal with.
Mei looked down at the floor with a contemplating face and then glanced over at Boy, who gave her the sweetest, innocent smile and a little wave. She thought for a moment, then finally spoke.
Mei: Wait.
The group of three at the door turned.
Mei: I can't offer you food, but how about some hot chocolate.
Taylor: You have hot chocolate?
Hayley: Really!?
You gave Mei a quick smile before she walked away to start on the hot chocolate. The four of you sat at a small table near the front of the café while you waited.
Y/N: You all make sound like you haven't had hot chocolate in forever.
Both Hayley and Taylor had sad expressions on their faces after your comment.
Taylor: We haven't.
Y/N: Oh...
Hayley: The fun part about the Black, all the good food we remembered as kids was either destroyed or brought to Sydney.
Taylor: For five years we were stuck with what we could salvage ourselves.
Y/N: I didn't know.
There was an awkward silence for a while, until another question popped into your head.
Y/N: So, where were you from.
Taylor: We lived in Meridian for a long time, before Operation Blackout. After Kaiju destroyed it, our parents brought us to an old PPDC base and waited for them to come back with help. That was five years ago.
Y/N: Why did you leave?
Hayley: ...A Kaiju found it, and when we found Atlas, we decided to go to Sydney to look for our parents.
Y/N: I see.
By that point, Mei had returned with a tray of four cups filled with steaming hot chocolate. You could smell its warm scent from here and began to wonder when you last had hot chocolate. She put the tray on the table and adressed your group.
Mei: Help yourselves.
You each took a mug and began to drink.
Taylor: I thought I remembered what it tasted like, but no, not even close.
Hayley: Boy, do you like?
Boy had already downed his entire mug and had a little chocolate mustache just above his lip.
Y/N: I'll take that as a yes.
You all had a little laugh and Boy ran up to a little jukebox at the back of the café, almost knocking Mei's cup out of her hands. She sat down and spoke.
Mei: So, where'd you pick up this one.
Taylor: We found him piloting a Jaeger on the way here. He was pretty beat up so we offered them a ride.
Mei: So you found another Jaeger? Where's your co-pilot?
You looked down at your reflection in your drink, rememebring Sam, before answering.
Y/N: There was no co-pilot.
Mei: Wait, you solo drifted?
Y/N: Yeah.
There was a short silence before the conversation continued.
Mei: So where is it now.
Hayley: A little ways toward Meridian, it was pretty broken down when we found it.
Mei: I see.
You noticed Mei look down at her hot chocolate for a while, staring into space. You could tell that she was thinking about something, like a painful memory.
Y/N: Mei...
Before you could finish your sentence, you all heard an electric guitar begin to play from the jukebox at the back of the café, letting out a nice rock tune. Hayley quickly got up to turn it off.
Hayley: Boy! Sorry Mei, I'll turn it off.
Taylor: No, keep it. It's not everyday we get to see someone hear music for the first time.
You all smiled as you watched Boy look around, listening to the music.
Hayley: You like that sound? How about dancing?
Hayley started spinning and twirling, then gestured for Taylor to come join them.
Taylor: Nope, not going happen.
Mei: What, afraid your spastic arm flails and karate kicks will scare the kid.
You laughed at that remark and Taylor gave you a glare before begrudgingly joining Boy and Hayley.
Taylor: Watch this.
Taylor started dancing, moving his arm and legs to the beat of the song. You glanced over at Mei and noticed she was tapping her foot.
Y/N: Looks like it's our turn.
Mei: Oh no, I don't dance.
You smirked and grabbed her arm to drag her up to the dance floor.
Mei: Hey!
She sighed, but reluctantely started dancing with you. You can't remember the last time you danced, you know it was at least five years ago, but even then you weren't that big of a dancer before either. Mei on the other hand, had some exceptional moves and you noticed her smiling. You had never seen her smile, or even laugh when you met her. You thought it looked nice on her. You all danced for a little while, when suddenly the music stopped. Mei had turned it off and had that same cold expression from before.
Mei: Hot chocolate bar's closed.
You all began to make your way to door to continue follwing the Jaeger's distress signal.
Taylor: We'll be back for Atlas, so don't get any ideas.
Mei didn't say anything. It seemed that the tention between Taylor, Hayley and Mei had returned like earlier. Hayley exited the building followed by you and Hayley stopped to talk with Mei.
Hayley: You didn't come her by accident, this café means something to you.
There was a short silence before Mei replied.
Mei: I don't want to talk about it.
Hayley: Fine, but I'm not wrong, I've seen it.
Mei: Damn Drift.
Hayley: So just tell me Mei, why did you come here?
Mei: ...It's home.
Hayley: You're from here.
Mei: I think, it feels familiar, it always has. But it's hard to know what's real and what was made up by Shane.
Hayley: So you hope by being here you'll figure out the truth.
Mei: I don't know what I hope.
Taylor was already a little ways away and was getting a little impacient.
Taylor: Anytime now.
Hayley began to walk away to Taylor, but you stuck around for a bit.
Y/N: I know how you feel, not knowing who you are. When realised I wasn't who I thought I was anymore, my only goal was to run away, be alone, but then I ran into them. I may not have been alone for very long, but I knew that I couldn't be forever. I'm sorry about what happened to you, whatever may have happened, but friends like them are hard to come by, you should give them a chance.
She glanced at you before turning back to the café.
Mei: I don't need your pity.
Y/N: Fair enough.
You began walking to catch up with Taylor, Hayley and Boy, but caught a glimpse of Mei looking back at you before diappearing back into the café.