Ivy's mind swirled with thoughts—what could Mr. Lightwell want with my lightbulb? Why was Uncle Taner so against it? She frowned. Somehow, I don't think it's a good idea to let him take it...
"I hope I didn't keep you waiting for long!" Marie said, approaching Ivy from her spot in front of the dining room.
"Oh!" Ivy said with a jolt.
Marie's smile turned inquisitive.
"N-no, you didn't keep me waiting," Ivy said, edging away from the door. I need to get that bulb back.
"Good! Follow me," she said.
"We're going to my room, right?"
"Yes, and I think you'll like it!"
"Actually," Ivy slowly said, "I think I forgot something in that big waiting room we were in earlier. Could I get it really quickly?"
Marie paused. "I checked the room right before I got here. There's nothing there but your tube?"
"Right, that's what I forgot!"
"Didn't my husband tell you he and Taner need it for tonight?"
Great. She already knows. Ivy stifled a sigh. "...oh, yeah," she said.
So much for that, Ivy thought as she followed Marie. But that's new. Mr. Lightwell said he needed us for tomorrow, yet they're working on the bulb tonight? Ivy quickened her pace to keep up with the woman. I can't let him do whatever-it-is to the bulb tonight! Maybe I can sneak out and get it after Marie drops me off...
Ivy's hopes were soon squashed as Marie guided her through a confusing maze of hallways. We're taking so many turns I'm gonna get lost if I try to go on my own! she thought with a frustrated frown. Her shoulders sank with each turn they took. This is hopeless, she thought in resignation.
They continued on for what felt like some minutes. After a few nondescript, blank walls and floors, their surroundings slowly morphed. Ivy blinked as her clicking footsteps dulled. The area's ceiling dropped to a lower, cozier height, and the hard stone flooring underfoot had transitioned to soft, pliable carpeting.
"This is the living quarters of our base," Marie explained, glancing at Ivy.
Ivy eyed the woman, observing the wispy curls in her bun that bounced with every step, her flushed, plump cheeks, and her eyes that remained locked ahead. She pleasantly smiled and softly hummed a tune to herself. If I can't make my way back to the room, Ivy thought, I might as well get to know her.
"You're in a good mood..." Ivy said, attempting to start a conversation.
"Oh, does it seem that way?" Marie chuckled.
Ivy couldn't help but notice a hint of something behind the smile. Sadness? she thought.
"I'm always trying to keep cheerful," Marie continued, turning away. "It can be a bit of a damper to live here sometimes, seeing that there isn't much sunlight."
She fell silent. She seems so much nicer than Mr. Lightwell...I don't get it, Ivy thought, frowning slightly. How did someone like her end up in a place like this? "So, um," Ivy started. "Why do you and...Mr. Lightwell stay here, then? Couldn't you move somewhere else?"
Marie shook her head. "Herbert has to stay here for...his work," she carefully said. "And I'll stay as long as I need to support him."
"So...what is his job, exactly?"
She paused. "I can't say," she finally said. "But I can tell you that I'm not too fond of it."
Ivy slowed. "You aren't?" she said. Now I'm even more curious. Who are they?
Marie shook her head. "His work requirements ask too much of him sometimes. And I don't agree with their methods."
"Then...why not just get him to leave the job? Couldn't you just quit and then leave?"
Marie fell silent, her face breaking into a rare frown. Ivy fidgeted with her hands, uncomfortable at the lengthy pause. Maybe that was a bad question, she thought. I must be annoying her with all of my questions...
"He's been here far too long and has too high of a position to just leave," Marie finally said, her voice laced with bitterness. "They wouldn't let him anyways."
"What kind of job forces you to stay?" Ivy blurted. She bit her lip. Oops! I wasn't going to ask anything else! "I mean..."
Marie quickened her pace. "Anyways, it's not all that bad!" she said, flashing a smile. "I help out wherever I can. You'd be surprised how often a nurse is needed with his work."
"Cool, so you're a nurse!" Maybe this is some sort of quarantine hospital? Ivy thought, glancing at the cozy quarters. That other area of the base sure felt like a medical place or something.
Marie nodded, a smile reappearing on her face. "I've been nursing for quite some time now," she said. "It's pretty useful here, especially since I can help others." Her smile faltered, and her eyes saddened. "It's very useful here."
Definitely a hospital, Ivy thought.
Marie slowed to a stop by a flat, smooth door, touching the metal face and causing an unseen motor to whir to life and slide the panel open. "And this is your room!" she said, stepping aside for Ivy to enter.
The room was simple yet comfortably furnished—a plush bed occupied a corner of the room, a doorway led to an adjacent bathroom, and pillows occupied otherwise barren corners of the space. Ivy blinked. "Oh, this is very nice!" she said. I'm surprised. I thought it'd be a lot more empty than this!
"This will be your pajama," Marie said, shaking out a pale lime green gown and placing it beside a pair of fuzzy socks. "Make sure you wear all of the pieces. I need your health bar to be connected." She held up a pair of delicate gloves. "This is the same as your outfit's gloves. Keep these on with the nightgown."
Ivy nodded.
"I'll be going to bed. Remember to call if you need anything—just press this button on the holopanel next to your bed."
"Yes, thank you!" Ivy said.
Ivy watched as her door slid shut before switching into her nightgown and folding away her daywear. "Oh!" she said as she slipped on the lacy gloves, noticing the gown's health bar illuminated to a steady green, unlike her malfunctioning clothes.
Finally, a moment of rest, she thought as she plopped into her bed. Ivy nuzzled her head into the fluffy pillow. I think this one is way more comfy than my bed at home! She rolled onto her back, staring at the ceiling. Her eyebrows furrowed as the memories of her home came to mind. ...but at least I had my family there.
Outside, the bright hallway lights dimmed to a pleasant, low glow. A solitary light in her room tinted to an orange, fire-like ambiance. That light is alone like me, she thought with a grim chuckle. Beside her bed was a single panel. I wonder if everyone else is still up? she wondered.
Much to her disappointment, all she found was a single button: <<Marie>>. She frowned. "Huh, I thought I'd be able to call other rooms," she said with a sigh. "Maybe there's a map of this place—I could find my way back to the room!"
Ivy's search led to nothing but a plain setting panel, giving her the option of either changing the transparency of the panel or the volume of calls. "Of course, it wouldn't be that easy," she muttered. Ivy glanced at the door. I wonder if they would hear if I snuck out there... she thought, slowly sitting up.
An orange panel appeared beside her holopanel. "Oak?" she said in surprise, reading the name emblazoned across the panel.
Ivy glanced once more at the door, then pressed Accept.