When Ryo left, Yenri didn't waste a moment. She stepped over towards the walls, placing one hand on them and raising the other hand in the air. Sparks flew upwards, briefly discoloring the wall if only for a moment. "Soundproofed." She returned to the couch, sitting down next to Flor. "I'm still unsure how I feel about couches, but you seem comfortable. How do you feel about sleeping here? Is it soft enough?"
Flor nodded. She enjoyed how warm the couch was.
Yenri smiled. "Wonderful. Have you found what you want?"
Flor shrugged. Truthfully, she hadn't been paying much attention to finding clothes.
Yenri nodded. "Alright." Taking the catalog, she selected several items, most of them before Flor could catch sight of what they were. Then, she tossed it on the short, squared-shaped kneeling table in front of them. In an instant, a box appeared. Flor jumped back and Yenri quickly put an arm around her to keep her stable. "Don't worry. It's what we ordered."
Yenri stood up and walked over towards the box, opening it effortlessly. Flor leaned in to get a good look at its contents. There was a stack of folded clothes, all underneath an orange tube full of pills. This was what Yenri took first, opening it up. "Cup your hands." Flor did as she was told. Then, she popped two out into Flor's hands. "These don't look particularly good, do they?" Flor shook her head. The pills were tiny, round, and mysterious.
Yenri waved her hand over the pills. In an instant, they transformed into a large, warm cookie. It was only a second before Flor had completely devoured it. She smiled, licking traces of chocolate chip off her teeth.
"I want you to try saying something."
Flor took a deep breath, butterflies in her stomach. " what is best to say ? " she whispered with a shrill, high-pitched voice. She covered her mouth with her hands. This wasn't her voice from when she was new and speaking with Toa. this one was a little higher, a little crisper, and much easier to control, even if a bit robotic sounding.
"Now you sound like Shinjidai Mirai," said Yenri, giving her a warm smile.
Flor begin to squeal in delight, and Yenri didn't stop her.
The sound of pouring liquid broke through the air from behind the couch. Yenri and Flor turned around to see who it was. It was Joe in the kitchen suite, pouring himself a martini. "So she's an Uta, now? Nice." Then, he proceeded to take a swig of the drink. "Don't let Ryo hear her or he'll have a fit." He chuckled. "You sure you soundproofed that wall?"
Yenri's eyes narrowed.
"Hey," he added, "The guy bothers me just as much as he bothers you; I'm just being pragmatic. I've had to live with him for years. Total jackass. Jobless. A bit of a slob. He used to be in the Ryonogun, y'know. Still eligible to go back whenever he wants. Can't decide if it's frustrating or just plain sad."
" you can drink liquid ? " asked Flor, still trying to get the hang of her new voice. She didn't know how she knew it, but there was something in her mind that found it strange for metal men to be drinking.
He laughed. "Clearly."
Yenri went over to the box. Lifting out two pieces of matching pajamas, she held them out towards Flor. "Hold your arms out." She did as she was told. Then, setting them down atop her arms, they began to glow and then disappear. In a moment, Flor was holding her red dress folded in front of her and was wearing the pajamas instead. Yenri took her folded dress from her and put it in the box. With a snap of her fingers, the box disappeared. "He shouldn't be smart enough to notice we purchased anything. It's our little secret, okay?" She winked.
Flor winked back. Then, leaning in, she wrapped her arms around her. " thank you , yenri . "
She just smiled. "You're welcome, Fu-chyeo. Now... There are some rules we're going to need to establish. Sit on the couch."
Flor did as she was told, hands folded in her lap and eyes staring upwards.
Yenri crossed her arms. "We are joshu. That's me, you, and Joe... I think."
"I won't tell you either way for now," said Joe with a grin, "I like to stay mysterious."
"We all have painters," continued Yenri. "We all came from stores like the store you came from. We all have a client – Ryo. But Ryo is not like us. He's a different kind of person. Ryo is ryoshi."
Nodding, Flor tried her best to understand this. She couldn't figure out why she expected metal men to be unable to drink liquid and didn't know what kind of creature she was.
"By design," continued Yenri, "Because we have a client, we have to do as he says for now. He paid money, and we were created. It is good that we are here in the world, but the fact that we must do what he says is a very bad thing. In my many past lives, every ryoshi client I have encountered has caused me problems. Do not be scared, but we are not in a good place."
Flor nodded. " i have a question . "
"Yes?"
" why do I not know these things ? "
Joe sipped some more liquid. "You have to manually tell the setup book that you want joshu to know they're joshu. Someone didn't tell me to fill that in because someone had to get home right that second." He sighed. "And do what? Mope? Does he have a schedule for moping?"
Yenri turned to him. "We need to have a talk later about what you did and didn't select." Then, she turned back to Flor. "Do you understand what Ryo wants?"
She shook her head 'no'.
"He has nothing in mind for you, thank god, but he wants me to be disrespectful to his ex-wife by pretending that I've replaced her. Once he's done with us, which I'm sure will be in a day, he will attempt to remerge us into our master branches, and in that case, we will be unpainted." Yenri's eyes were like flames. "It is the most painful thing in the world, and once it is complete, you end. You can no longer think. You can no longer feel. You are still and cold and empty forever." She paused for a moment. "But I'm going to keep you safe from that."
Flor leaned back, nodding her head as if to say 'yes'. All the joy in her heart was leaking out of the hole Yenri had just punched in it, and though she felt as if Yenri was trustworthy enough for her to keep from crying, she was beginning to shake, tearing up just enough to make her eyes look glassy.
The paper wall opened. A disgruntled Ryo stood on the end, staring forward silently. Yenri nodded. In a moment, she grabbed a blanket, handing it to Flor before kissing her forehead. "We'll talk more about this tomorrow. Trust me." Then, she left the room, leaving Flor with Joe, who was finishing up his beverage.
Flor took the blanket, pulling it up around her as she curled up on the couch. The events of her life up to that point had been shorter than the runtime of an average movie... She considered movies. They were something that she knew she shouldn't know and yet was somehow aware of. Everything, every face, every second ran through her head constantly. She closed her eyes, trying to make sense of it all.
To make herself feel better, she began to hum a bit. The voice wasn't exactly recognizable – she had never heard Shinjidai Mirai's voice before – but she assumed that this was one step closer to who she wanted to be. She couldn't help but feel lucky that out of the three people she knew, two of them cared. She wondered, if this were a bad place, what a good place would be like. In her head, she pictured living in a warm house with lots of blankets and cookies, where she could talk to her friends about whatever she wanted to, and where she didn't have to fall asleep by herself. She imagined spending her days singing, being a pop star with a smile that couldn't be wiped off her face, eyes pointed at her and her eyes pointed back at everyone else's. She wanted to sing and make people feel good, to give hope to people who felt like she did now. And maybe, just maybe, that could happen.
And as she did, she couldn't help but be overwhelmed by the weight of her eyelids and the lulling noises of the city outside.
. . .
Flor awoke within a dream to a floating island. It was covered in grass - rich, soft, vivid green grass that sprung a little when touched. It wasn't very large, likely not much larger than the room Flor had fallen asleep in. However, it didn't need to be. It wasn't furnished with much other than an oak tree, a flower garden, and a small swing that hung from one of the oak's branches. A river came forth from a pile of rocks, running along the length of the island until it ran off and into the inky black void that surrounded the island on all sides.
A familiar face appeared. "Hey, Fu-chyeo," greeted Yenri, standing not too far off. She had her hands on her hips. Unlike in the waking world, she was wearing a green kimono that matched her hair.
She blinked. " where are we, yenri-schi ? "
Yenri crossed her arms. "Your dream. I decided to stop by." She stepped over to the oak tree, running her fingers through the bark until she came across what appeared to be a handle. She opened it up, and revealed a barked door in the tree, hiding a small written list.
" what are you doing ? " asked Flor, stepping up curiously.
She smiled, closing the panel. "Just learning more about you." Then, she snapped her fingers, and a blanket appeared. She spread it out, laying it over the ground.
Once again, Flor seemed confused at her strange ability to make things happen for no reason. " are you a witch ? " Flor didn't know what a witch was, but the word seemed appropriate.
Laughing, she nodded her head. "Something like that, but this is a dream. It's not difficult to do whatever you want once you learn how it's done." Yenri sat down, patting a spot near her. Flor went and sat down next to her. "I don't want you to be scared, alright? So. this is a safe place. If I'm here, you have nothing to worry about."
She blinked, head tilted slightly to the side. " what would keep you from being here ? "
"Don't worry about it." Her tone of voice was more serious. Then, her head perked up a bit, as if she heard something very far away.
Flor began to shiver. " what ? "
Yenri stood up. She stretched out a hand, and a small, curved blade appeared. She slowly stepped behind the tree, and once she was on the other side, a slashing sound rung out across the island. Something black and covered in slime fell off the edge of the island, but not big or clear enough for Flor to quite see what it was.
Yenri cleaned her blade and let go, and as she did, it disappeared. "You are a child with a curse," she sighed. She looked out towards the sky in the distance. "Fu-chyeo, I have a request."
She nodded. " anything . "
"Whatever you do, as you figure out who you are, I want anything but for you to be like me," she replied. "I'm old. I can't change. You're young. You have so much to learn. Learn from me, but under any circumstance I never, ever want you to become me."
Flor bowed. " yes , yenri-schi , but I don't know what you mean by that . "
She smiled, giving her a hug. "When the time comes, you'll understand. You don't need to worry about anything right now."
. . .
Slowly, Flor noticed the world changing. She could still feel Yenri's presence, but she wasn't being embraced by her anymore. Instead, she was on a couch, wrapped in a blanket, while her elder was in front of her, shaking her shoulder.
"Get up," she whispered, "We don't have much time."
Flor had somehow transitioned into sleeping on her front, pulling herself up by pushing down with her arms. Her blankets were atop her back, making her into a table. She slowly tried to blink the fog from her eyes, turning towards the other side of the room.
Yenri picked up Ryo's acoustic guitar. She cradled it, fingers flying up and down the frets like a dove. A bittersweet stream of music began to flow out, filling the room with a strong but mournful dirge. She smiled. "No one wants to hear music like that anymore." Turning around, she began to mess with Ryo's computer, selecting one of the songs saved to the hard drive. "But this one has potential."
Flor felt melancholy. She wanted to hear more of Yenri, but it wasn't as if the room no longer had good music. The song that was playing now was simple, guitar-driven, and rather catchy. There were moments that felt angry, but the melody was strong and the quality of guitar playing impressed her.
"This is Ryo's music," explained Yenri, "And we're going to make it better. You see, I've got a secret for you, Fu-chyeo."
She stepped over, looking up curiously.
"You know what makes pop music special? Nothing. Once it's 'good enough', it stops being about the music and starts being about the connections the producer has. Fortunately for us, I have connections." She handed a microphone to Flor. "And you're going to sing."
Flor's face lit up like a lightbulb. " what will I be singing ? "
"Well, what do you want to sing about?"
She closed her eyes. Though she couldn't quite pinpoint it, something inside of her told her that she already knew exactly what she wanted to sing. So, she searched for it. Slowly, she put words together, and before too long, the first verse of a song appeared. Her eyes opened. " i know . i would like to sing about waiting . "
Joe showed up, leaning against the wall with a bottle of wine in his hands. "You ladies don't mind if I lay down a drum track, do you?"
Yenri sighed. "I guess not."
Over the next hour, the three of them worked tirelessly, but it didn't feel like it to them at the time. They were crafting something - laying down and retaking tracks as if they were knitting a coat. Flor let her song twinkle and shine down like a star, and Yenri navigated the music system like a trained professional. Even Joe seemed to be in the mood for exposing hidden talent, impressing the two girls with his fills.
After it was complete, the three stepped back and stared at the computer screen as if it were a painting. Yenri smiled. "You ready to hear it?"
Flor nodded, folding her hands in front of her.
"Alright," she sighed, "Here we go." She hit a button on the computer's keyboard and stepped back.
It began to play. Flor had heard it thus far in bits and pieces, but like a quilt, it wasn't truly beautiful until everything was together. She instinctively began to sway a little - it was just too enjoyable not to. The moment she heard her own voice, her face lit up again. She just couldn't believe that the voice she heard was hers.
After it was over, Joe clapped his claw hands together. "Good show. Wanna toast?"
Yenri crossed her arms. "I'll take whiskey."
Joe grinned. "I like your style."
Then, Yenri sat down, closing the computer window and opening something else. "I've got some more work to do. It's a few hours before Ryo should wake up... Joe, would you mind showing Flor here how to make breakfast?"
Joe left the room, Flor right behind him. The two stepped one room down into a messy kitchen, food items, wrappers, and cardboard boxes scattered over the ground. The floor was stained and smelled unusual. Flor didn't particularly like this room as much as the last one.
"Here's my secret," began Joe, opening a refrigerator, "I don't have a nose."
" i can imagine as to why that would help , " replied Flor, trying not to gag. The air from the fridge smelled foul enough to kill someone.
He raised a metallic eyebrow. "Didn't expect it to smell that bad." He picked up a package of fruit spreads from inside, inspecting the top label. "Okay, this is totally out of date."
" how did yenri-schi make things go away ? " asked Flor, covering her nose.
"Not sure. The recycling hamper is next to the refrigerator."
The two spent the next few minutes doing nothing but cleaning the room. After that, Flor found chemicals that smelled nice and sanitized everything she could think to sanitize. By the time they were done, the room didn't look new, but it was clean enough to eat food in. Flor no longer felt disrespected.
"Step two!" began Joe, opening up a drawer, "We make the toast." He set down the slices and set up the toaster. "You want the honors?"
At that time, Ryo stepped into the room. His face was still long and angry, his eyebrows completely hiding his eyes. Yenri was next to him, right behind. He shuffled into the room, sitting himself down at the table. Flor put the bowl in front of him, and he snatched it from her, scratching her hand in the process. He took a bite, growling. "Where's the spread?"
"We're out, boss," explained Joe, "Flor didn't like the way it smelled so we threw it out."
Grumbling, he continued eating his toast.
Flor felt uncomfortable. " how did you sleep ? " she asked, voice quiet.
He didn't answer.
Flor tried again. " i enjoyed your song . you play the guitar well . "
He stopped chewing, slowly moving his head to face Yenri. "Am I hearing this right? You touched my stuff again?"
Yenri could tell that he was going to get violent. Something in the tone of his voice implied that he was barely able to stay in his seat. So, she decided to play it a little differently. "Let's talk about your money problem."
Surely enough, he stood up, knocking his food off the table. "MY MONEY PROBLEM IS NONE OF-"
"-No, no, seriously, let's talk about it. Our dislike is mutual. But we can help each other out. You're a bum with no job. Let's make a deal. When you were asleep, I finished a piece you were working on, and based on my experience in the industry, I managed to send it off to some connections of mine. You could be viral on the radio in a day. No one has to know who you are, but the royalties would be enough to buy you some nicer things or pay off the debt you're likely accumulating."
He slowly sat back down. "Go on."
She shrugged. "You purchased a Tetsudai Pinku. You show me off to your ex-wife, you get what you want, but I'm not going back, and neither is Flor. You're going to let Joe, Flor, and I go our own ways, or this opportunity's gone. Do we have a deal?"
"Hold on.." He laughed. "You're bluffing. You're a brand-new joshu, you can't have-"
"Do we have a deal?"
He frowned. "Give me a moment, and look here, you're never touching my stuff without my permission again, am I clear?"
She crossed her arms. "I have no desire to."
. . .
Hours passed. They had gotten ready to go to town, Flor now wearing a new outfit from the box Yenri had ordered – a tan hoodie and thick, brown skirt, matched with white socks and glossy black shoes. Joe was sporting a tie and a wide-brimmed hat. Neither Ryo nor Yenri had changed, but no one thought anything of it.
After a quick trip out of the house and down a sidewalk, they left their tight, claustrophobic suburb and entered what seemed to be a station. Flor thought it looked like a box with wires coming out of the top. The inside was dark and crowded, most of the light coming from the tubes, each big enough to hold multiple people. Joe purchased tickets at the front, and soon enough, the four were waiting in line for their turn.
When they arrived at the tube, Flor put her hands on the glass. It was cylindrical, tall enough to jut out into the sky and to who-knew-where. She could see her reflection in the glass, and nothing beyond it. It frightened her.
"We gotta go," said Joe cautiously, "People behind us gotta get places."
Surely enough, Flor looked behind herself and saw dozens of people standing in a line. It was nice to be in the front, but now that she was face to face with the transportation tube, she was hesitant to get on.
Yenri reached over and picked up Flor's hand. "We've been here before; your eyes were just closed last time. C'mon, let's take a tube together. Two can fit."
She smiled, nodding. Flor didn't quite understand what the concept of an older sister was, but she quietly imagined that Yenri must have been the closest thing to that.
The two entered the transportation tube and the door closed. Then, in an instant, the floor panel took off, skyrocketing the two into the air. Flor screamed, tripping and hitting the side of the tube on her way down, but there wasn't any force. Other than the scenery, she felt as if they were gently being lifted. Yenri stood where she was, arms crossed and watching through the glass. "Flor," she said, "You may want to look outside this time."
Flor stood up, pressing her face against the glass. All the buildings looked so small up here, like little crystalline formations on a rock – except for, of course, one in the center. It was shaped like an enormous red pyramid, taller than its base was wide, dwarfing the structures around it. The forever dark sky above shone with little pinpricks of light, setting the backdrop for the numerous, colorful planets that filled the sky. So much light was coming from everywhere, so many colors for her to enjoy. She didn't even notice that her breath was forming a lot of condensation.
" it's so beautiful . . " she sighed wistfully.
Yenri smiled. "I'm glad you think so."
Then, the world shifted ninety degrees to the right. They still felt like they were going upright, but it was if they were now facing downward. The tube had hit a bend and was traveling over the city, racing at a phenomenal speed. Her stomach was beginning to churn.
Turning around to face the sky, Yenri pointed outward. "You see that train?"
Flor squinted, but surely enough, she saw a little wooden steam engine. It had about twelve cars, running along a track that was fixed in mid-air and heading towards a different planet. Right along the side of the cars was a picture of a penguin, smiling and wearing a bowtie.
"That's the Magic Penguin Train," explained Yenri, "You can go to any world in the sky on it. The entire staff is made up of penguins."
Flor, despite the surroundings, started leaping for joy. Space was a bit tight, but she managed to find enough wiggle room to jump. " i love the world ! "
Yenri smiled, crossing her arms, silent as a gravestone.
Flor couldn't take her eyes off the environment. She had this mental image of exploring the sidewalks below, trying out each of the buildings and seeing what was inside. All of them were labelled, seemingly enough; surely, they all their own fair share of secrets to uncover.
When the two finally arrived on the ground, Flor was giddy. The door opened, and Yenri had to grab her arm to keep her from running. She was breathing hard, a wide smile on her face. " i feel like dancing . "
Yenri smiled. "Go on. Show me how you dance. But stay close."
The environment outside the tube was spacious. Not too far off was a traditional structure about the size of two train stations atop each other. There were several dozen people outside, entering and exiting along the same paths with generally the same disposition. Along the top of the structure was the title 'Peaches Resort' in vertical letters, glowing like the planets above. It gave the impression of being a major institution, like it was a fundamental facet of Sakuranoka's composition.
There were enough people to make anyone feel claustrophobic, but nevertheless, Flor began dancing. The world became a blur, all the colors merging into one. She felt herself become weightless, like a balloon. After about a minute, however, Flor stopped. She remembered the request Yenri had given her and decided to be responsible and respond to it. Flor looked up happily assuming that Yenri wasn't far off.
She didn't find her friend, but she did discover an audience. Mostly young girls, they were sitting on the pavement and looking up at her, starry-eyed. Flor froze.
"Keep singing!" one of them chimed up, "We like your voice!"
She blushed, her pale face turning cherry red in the cheeks. She hadn't realized she was singing. " what would you like me to sing ? "
"Whatever you want!"
Sighing, she realized that she may need a library of songs memorized if she were ever to go anywhere with her voice. But as she didn't have that, she picked up the song she had been working on with Yenri and Joe last night. She had even come up with a dance for it while they were writing it, so it felt natural. Her audience watched pleasantly. She went through one verse and the chorus - as much as she could remember off the top of her head - and then took a bow. A few of them clapped for her, which was difficult to hear over the sound of the travelers on all sides, but Flor heard it. Flor couldn't help but blush, redness flooding her deathly pale cheeks.
A street cat stepped forward a few steps and sat down. "You should try out sometime!" it shouted, taking Flor completely by surprise, "Shinjidai Mirai loves Uta-Tetsudais!"
Flor smiled politely but realized she was lost. She took a step back, turning around. She had gotten carried away in the moment. " i have to find my friend . . . " she mumbled. And there she was, just a few feet away, but with someone else. Oddly enough, she seemed to be wearing different clothes, but Flor wasn't paying attention to that. She skipped up to her, pulling at the corner of her vest.
The girl turned around, looking down at Flor in confusion. "Who are you?"
Flor froze. "I-I..." then, turning around, she discovered that she wasn't the only one. There were a number of people around her, and many of them looked just like Yenri. A few had different hairstyles, they were all wearing different outfits, but in the face, they were Yenri.
Then she began to scan harder, her breathing growing slightly more rapid. There were so many of them that she couldn't quite pick out which one of them was her own.
To make matters worse, a large influx of girls had just appeared from the transportation tube. Flor turned to look and see if she knew anyone, and oddly enough, she did. Every single one of them looked like Shinjidai Mirai, the singing girl from the shopping magazine. They were dressed identically, chatting with each other in the same voice, marching forward like an amoeba. Everyone who was already there stood back except for Flor, who was so confused that she couldn't help but stand in their way.
It felt to her like a hole had been punched in the bottom of her stomach. She couldn't breathe. The fun she had singing quickly staled, and all that she could feel was a sobering, overwhelming sense of regret.
A claw hand grabbed Flor's arm and pulled her out of the way. She was about to scream, but then she saw who it was.
"It's a pack," said Joe, "Best to stay away from those."
" are any of them the real girl ? " asked Flor, confused.
He sighed. "Best to bet against it."
At about that time, Ryo showed up, flaming with rage. The real Yenri was right behind him, arms crossed and a deadpan expression on her face, as if to say, 'I told you so.'
Flor ran up to Yenri, breathing hard. "I lost you, I.."
"Relax," she said to Flor with a smile, "I wouldn't let you go that easily."
"To the bar?" asked Joe.
Ryo passed right on by without any recognition. Flor looked back, hoping to see the audience who had listened to her sing. The sense of dread that she had attached to her voice was quickly decoupled because, if Yenri was to be believed, she had nothing to worry about. She didn't need to be afraid of being lost. Regardless, while she couldn't spot any of them, she had taken note of the way it made her feel and decided to keep it locked away in her heart.