"Do you have to be so mean to him? Mhm?"
Ikade teased, pulling her wrist out from Sierra's grasp before she laced their fingers together. Taking a step closer to the librei as she bumped their shoulder's together with a soft thud, her tail brushing against Sierra's hip before flicking away.
"Mhm? Yeah—It's in my blood to see it that he suffers an aneurysm."
"Gasp!—Sierra! You cant say that!"
Ikade looked up at her, shock written all over her face while her feline ears perked up—her tail pausing mid swing in horror. They locked eyes for a second and Sierra could practically read the stunned look on the well-dressed man beside them, his brows lifting while he blinked a couple times. The kind of reaction that said 'Did she really just say that?'
They pressed open the door together, slipping into the bar, the warm scent of fried food washing over them. They ignored the spectacle off to their left—someone yelling over a spilled drink and music drifting through the room.
"Why not?"
Sierra quipped back, the corners of her mouth tugging up. "—I'd be doing the community a service. You're welcome."
Ikade paused mid-step, their interlocked hands keeping them connected. Sierra took a couple more steps before glancing back at her feline friend—the lazy tail drifting in small circles, hidden behind Ikade's form.
"That doesn't mean you get to do emotional murder, y'know."
Nearby, a waitress—if she could even be called one, since she wasn't even wearing a uniform—wiped down a table with practiced swipes, clearing away the trash. Her hair fell over one purple eye, wear a green button-up cardigan.
Its four brown buttons held it to her body, though the short length hardly mattered with the white dress she wore underneath.
"But I just did."
A sudden flare burst from a small mountain of cut onions at the counter—someone tossed something in before flambéing something they definitely shouldn't. For a moment the fire surged upward, cutting between Sierra and Ikade. Their eyes caught the reflection of its golden brilliance, the steel wires holding the lights, and the subtle shimmer from the bottles stacked in a corner.
"What if—"
Ikade pointed at the flame with her finger curving upwards, squinting dramatically.
"You suddenly, I don't know, burst into flames? Who's gonna help you then?"
Ikade added, sunlight cutting across her cheek from the window on her right. Sierra's face was swallowed by the shadow of a supporting column, making her eyes look even sharper—two different moods pressed together in a single frame.
Sierra rolled her eyes. "If I burst into flames, that's your fault. You jinxed it."
"Me? No, no, I'm innocent."
Ikade's ears twitched in a little dance, her tail curling around her leg while she looked away.
"Such loyalty you have. Truly the peak of friendship." Her tone falling flat in the end.
The bickering carried them out of the bar and into the now-dark lounge—only a handful of lights glowing along the second level. The stairs on their right groaned under someone's steps, and the curtains to their left—where the windows would be—hung pulled shut. In the center, a movie played on a TV.
The man in a lazy put-together outfit descended the wooden stairs and gave her a nod, to which she returned. His short Caprinae horns curled inward along his head. She guided Ikade through the quiet space, their footsteps tapping against the floor until they reached the elevator and she pressed the button at its side.
Their hushed murmurs echoed off the elevator doors before they slid open with a ding.
The two found solace in the ride down with boring music playing. The walls were cluttered with both worn and freshly pinned posters held up by mismatched magnets.
Different signatures dotted around, stickers stuck in misshaped clusters—the markers of those who have come and go, some who are still with them and some who are not.
Once on the ground floor, they walked through the lobby, swinging their hands back and forth with dramatic flair. The sun blessed their spirits the moment they crossed the front door and stepped onto the crowded sidewalk, passing between slow pedestrians and loud citizens. Eventually, Sierra found her vehicle exactly where she'd left it.
Sierra unlocked the door with a quick twist of her hand before sliding in and leaning over to open the passenger side. Once they were both inside, the car rumbled to life and eased onto the street, Ikade clicked her seatbelt into place at the last second.
Sierra lifted her bracelet and a screen flickered into view—nothing blue or glowing like a cheap movie, just a simple opaque background.
"Just...hold on."
Her fingers moved in a scrolling motion, her eyes tracking a long message sent a week ago, back when her bracelet was still on DND. The wall of text was the last thing she wanted to read.
"Huh...so he moved shop...uh."
Ikade peeked over but didn't bother reading, more interested in her show playing out loud. Sierra let the screen fade, grabbed the steering wheel and turned it just before she clipped a car.
"We'll stop by his place, I have to get more medicine since we're almost out."
Ikade flashed her an okay sign while she slouched against the seat. The brutal stop and go had worn both their patience thin, lunchtime rush meant half the city was running errands or grabbing food, clogging the roads like they were doing it out of spite.
Sierra used her extensive knowledge to come up with a way to cut traffic all together, her eyes scanning all around her for something.
The car eased onto an entrance ramp that sloped downward, finally letting them use a service that was far more convenient. Ikade's body leaned forward while she typed on her phone. Sierra turned the wheel left and leaned closer to the door to make sure it didn't scrape the curb.
She got close to a slim booth that was not even manned by a person at all, Sierra reached for her wallet and pulled out a card with an image of the city from above, an orange bar running at one side with information.
She tapped the screen, and the arm in front of her lifted. They descended into the underground tunnel, the city's screams fading and being drowned by the giant fans pushing fresh air. Smooth concrete walls stretched in both directions, lights washing over her and the other toll booths to her side, her map feeding her a steady stream of changing information.
Twenty minutes of gentles curves, cars coming and moving around them—the once five lanes became four, the rightmost lane going off which took removed another lane all together.
The leftmost lane merging into there's, and a few minutes later, flashing lights started to populate the ceiling of the two lane—something she paid no heed too. Seirra downshift from fifth and into four gear by double clutching.
Its pops and bangs rolled down the tunnel, echoing until sunlight appeared in the distance. She steered the car to the right and downshifted again, the vehicles behind her slowing in turn while the ramp pulled them upward, the sky coming back into view.
The tunnel merged into a highway—she accelerated immediately, not even waiting for anyone to make room.
The car behind her honked like slowing down was impossible. Sierra cut across and took the offramp the moment she spotted her exit.
They took a few turns and parked in front of a rather impressive building, parking a few feet away—the car parked parallel to the street.
Sierra took center while Ikade held onto her arm for support. They spotted a set of stairs leading up to the ground floor of their building.
The two climbed up and took in the structure of concrete, steel, and glass. The building had a wide footprint while they walked through one of its entrances. Large white steel beams arched up and behind them like modern flying buttresses, smaller panes of glass fitted beneath them.
The floors doubled for practically everything—community events, small venues, study corners, lounges, pop-up shops of every fetish. If it could fit inside a hollow square of architecture, someone had tried it. There were too many rooms, too many shortcuts, and too many half-floors for Sierra to bother mapping out.
The place was recently finished with people coming and going, their voices mixing into a single sound like background noise.
They started passing through the interior, following the curve of hallways while taking their time to look at anything interesting. They took escalator after escalator, using an elevator after spotting something on the floor below only to go back up when they had their fill.
"So many damn turns just to reach him."
Sierra muttered, dropping her head forward while her feathers sagged in sadness, all while Ikade rubber her arm in small circles.
"Why'd he have to plop himself here?"
A few minutes later—after one hallway, a left turn and then a right turn. They stood before a steel door.
It was a sleek matte grey, with three white lines running across its surface. The people around them had thinned out so much that only a few cleaners remained, washing the tiles from whatever had happened yesterday. The steady drone of the fans pushed the stale air toward another part of the building.
She breathed through her nose, pulled out a different card, and hesitantly tapped it against the reader beside it. The door unlocked with a soft click not even a moment later.
What greeted them was a short hallway made of the same material as the walls outside, except for the wooden floor that looked like someone had installed it at the last minute. To their right sat two potted plants with a bench between them, and to the left stood a simple kiosk with the cartoonish face of a coelhinho, a small pallet rack beside it for deliveries that filled the remaining space.
"Should we wait?"
"He's probably eating?" Ikade tilted her head and tapped the kiosk—once, twice, then several more times until the screen finally switched to a countdown with a cute cat head munching on a fish stick.
Ikade didn't hear a respond, and instead—
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
Ikade's ears snapped up, and she whipped her head toward Sierra, who was already going to town on the door with the side of her fist like she was trying to punch a hole through it. The librei glanced back at her briefly, then knocked even faster.
"WHATSHTEPOINTOFASKINGMEIFYOURGONNAKNOCKANYWAY!"
Ikade exploded, her words tumbling out in a single breath—one hand clutching her skirt while her tail carved frantic circles just as quickly.
Ding~!
They quickly turned around to face the kiosk, an angry cat now in the middle.
「Largate de aqui pendijo, no peudes leer! Ando comiendo so shoo.」
The two stared at the screen, nearly snapping their necks in the process. The sound of someone biting into something came through the call with disrespectful intent, the moment stretching out uncomfortably while Sierra moved closer to the kiosk.
The air around Sierra starting to warm up.
「The fuck are you waitin for? You cant understand Fiestain so let me put in a way you can understand gringo.」
The voice rose in hostility. Ikade couldn't make out the earlier words but she understood the aggression pouring from it, with an accent slowly creeping in.
「Get the fuck out—」
The voice swallowing something before continuing, Sierra eyes by this point had turned cold, lifeless and if her look could kill.
The fool at the other side would have died twice over.
「...」
The spit was practically flying from out the screen, the two of them swearing the kiosk jumped with each response.
"Con quién andas hablando pinche imbécil!?—"
Ikade took a few steps back, her tail tucking between her legs on instinct. She couldn't even track the speed Sierra went off at, the Librei launching into hand gestures like it was nobody's business. The tufts on Ikade's head flattening like a feline ear, Sierra's fluentness bursting into full bloom.
"Si no me abres las puerta!—"
Her tongue rolled out through the latter half of the sentence, taking a very short breath to get more more.
"Te voy a a lavar la boca con jabón! Vas a ver!"
The kiosk stayed silent. Sierra crossed her arms and tapped her shoe against the wooden floor with growing irritation. The screen went dark, and the sound of the door unlocking filled the short hallway before sliding to the left.
A metal gate separated her and the darkness in front of her, one light turned on from above—a person standing was staring right back at her.
"Open the gate." Her tone stayed flat, her tufts still pressed down while her eyes bored straight into his spirit.
"I—" Sierra cut him off before he could even say a word. "Think before you answer."
The man's apple bobbed while he grabbed the gate and slid it open to her right.
She uncrossed her arm, taking a step towards him and forcing the man to retreat.
His tone now panicky.
"Wait! I can explain!"
He almost stumbled back, glancing over his shoulder and nearly jumping in shock when Sierra clamped onto his ear and yanked it to the side. She twisted the soft flesh, forcing him to bend down to her waist level while she dragged him along.
He flailed and she marched forward like a woman with a mission. He tried prying her hand off—an awful idea really—turning a corner with their voices fading, the sound of running water making Ikade's spine tingle.
"Ow—OW—WAIT—"
Ikade stood at the doorway, one hand holding the frame while she leaned in. She swallowed nothing and stepped inside, waiting in the lit doorway for them to return.
Sometime later, the three of them stood in the middle of a well lit room.
"So what are you doing here?"
The man chugged down a bottle of water, only to recoil from the aftertaste of soap. Tossing the empty bottle aside while he sat on a plush sofa.
It felt like a lounge and waiting room merged into one. The man had mid length purplish-red hair brushing his neck, with short black and brown feathered tufts sprouting from the sides of his head. His eyes held a flushed yellow hue and he wore a somewhat loose dark blue jacket, slightly faded with hints of white that might've just been the fabric.
The sleeve were slightly big before they tapered at the helms, two large pockets at the front with the inner collar a brown.
Underneath, a vanilla colored shirt with black thing trips going down passing just beneath his waist, with every button pressed on except the topmost one. His pants were a muted blend of brown and tan, soft-looking and comfortable.
"You done looking?"
His eye's questioning and she shrugged his shoulders, Ikade sat at her side on with a black metal table between the two parties.
"You look presentable for once." Sierra said. "I'm here to get a checkup."
The man sighed and groaned at the simple request, relaxing his shoulders but the soapy taste clearly wasn't helping his mood.
"I was just on lunch break though..."
He stood up and the two of them followed while he flipped a switch before leading them through the door. They took two quick right turns, the few lights doing their best to brighten the dark space. Thick cables snaked toward a room straight ahead which they ignored completely as they took a left.
Sierra raised an eyebrow and stepped over the rest of the thick cables, counting three that ran from the earlier room to a panel near the front door. The floor was a glossy metallic grey, the numerous drain-like slits in the center supporting a low display that showed nothing.
Two gunmetal trash bins were spread apart on a glass wall, the large room full of supplies with medical tools laid in their sterile packages on trays and trolleys, a washing station alongside a handful of medical equipment standing at attention.
She looked at the other side and saw three more cables that ran from a panel next to entrance.
This side had two rooms with an open space in the middle, on the room closer to the door stood a larger machine with a couple of arms and some other things she couldn't quite understand.
The open space looked on its left looked like a normal doctor's office, complete with a desk, an examination table and a couple trinkets. A dark blue curtain along the back wall hiding something.
Ikade glanced up and noticed the few wooden blocks scattered across the ceiling, the room lit only by two LED bars and a larger panel glowing directly above them. Metal support beams cut across the ceiling with a few loose cables hung untucked.
His head popped up from the office.
"Like the new place? I just bought it." His tone prideful, beckoning them in his office as his accomplishment could be felt.
"Gotta wash my hands first so just..."
He took a confused look for a moment before a light of realization shone above his head. He pulled a seat from out of nowhere and patted the cushion.
"A seat for you. Please sit."
Sierra jumped up on the table and Ikade sat down on the sat provided, her tail placing itself on her lap. The man walked away and into the glassed room at the other side, the sound of water running and the excessive scrubbing of hands filling the place.
"So what, You still private or what?"
Sierra asked, curious of how he really got the place and all of the new shiny equipment.
"Yes, It gives me the most money and freedom."
It was a rather boring answer, Manuel walked back to them, the sleeves rolled up enough to not cause a distraction with latex gloves on—his tablet in hand.
One hand reached behind his back and stretched outward before he clenched his fist and pulled it to his chest. Rubber on metal followed suit, a doctor's stool wheeling itself toward him before he sat on it at the perfect moment—something he'd clearly done a hundred times.
Using his feet to move, he typed away on the tablet.
Ikade leaned back and pulled out her phone, scrolling idly to pass the time.
Leach snapped his fingers, something flew past her at a high speed before he caught it in his hands without looking up from the screen.
"All right. Here."
He placed his tablet on the next to him as he uncapped a matte black chip, the transparent cap tucked inside his pocket with a casual move.
"You know how to use this right? You only got a it a few months ago right?"
He said, waving the chip in front of his face. Their banter already gone like the wind while his demeaner did a one eighty.
"Something like that."
She reached out her arm and it flew straight into her hand, meeting a bit of resistance when she ripped it from his grip. She stared at it, unfocused, before Manuel spoke up, her gaze lifting toward him.
"Don't worry—I keep it in pristine condition."
"Something tells me you don't."
She wrapped her right hand around her head and pressed it in, a green LED light flashed on rapidly.
It was instantaneous, the loading time barely even there. Lines of information popped into her vision before compression itself and sliding off to the side, the tab becoming unnoticeable.
Manuel grinned, prideful even. "better than tryna remember how much shit you got yeah? Don't need your phone, don't have to dance around when your hands are tied up."
"Where's your monitor at?"
Ikade's ears perked up and placed her bag onto her lap, setting her phone aside on the armrest. She pulled out an object—stripped of its accessories, but the monitor remained itself. The exterior blended a glossy black with a dark amber, smooth and sleek, with a single continuous LED bar running its length. Set directly in the middle was a circle resembling a TV power button, only without the dividing line.
"I'm surprised you chose this model." Manuel said, taking it gently from her hands and placing it on his lap. "Most people get something more inconspicuous."
Part of the inside was padded with visible sensors, roughly three sixteenths of an inch in thickness and almost a full inch in width.
"Its not like anyone can see it, I keep it covered when I'm out." Sierra added.
Manuel glanced at her without the slightest change in expression. He grabbed the cable connected to his tablet, turned the monitor around, searching for a small gap and finally connecting them together.
"I'm gonna read some stuff off this and then play with it okay?."
He reached under the desk and pulled out a keyboard, connecting it directly to his tablet until it became a laptop.
He pulled up a few files from the monitor, looking at slightly changing graphs.
"I'm guessing you already know?"
He glanced up at Sierra who was already looking at him, nodding her head in agreement. Manuel let out a sigh as he spend a couple more minutes looking through different files and changing a few things around, removing any old information that was no longer needed.
He shook his head when he continued reading deeper, none of his gestures or facial expression particularly hopeful nor alarming.
"How is it?"
Sierra added—uncertain of what she was supposed to feel at the moment. She grabbed onto the edge of the bed and awaited an answer.
His mouth pressed into a thin line while he finished calibrating her infectious monitor, only opening his lips again after a moment of thought.
"Its not bad but your pretty fucked regardless."
Ikade threw her a concerned glance, her brain racking for ways to comfort her friend.
"As you known—Chirinium doesn't spread by just touch but by bodily fluids, deep cuts, being near highly polluted places like cities or using a stave without rest."
He spun his laptop with a few things already on the screen, Ikade paused her scrolling as her ears flicked.
"You'll live fine—but will always be at a higher risk for the rest of your life."
"Unlike these clowns outside who make it worse by pushing these infected folks to their breaking and forcing em to live in shitholes." His head moved animatedly, his tone rising in some parts and dropping in others.
Manuel continued speaking in a calm voice, doing his job to keep his clients from doing anything rash.
"They keep acting surprised when people fight back and drag others down with them."
"My point is—its not a fucking superpower nor make you strong. These tools, me-cah's[1] are made from the cancer of civilization."
Neither Sierra nor Ikade said anything.
"Casters or whatever else you call them, will all get it one day if their not careful."
Manuel tapped his screen, her eyes looking at something she couldn't understand.
"If you keep doing whatever the hell it is you're doing…you'll end up a vegetable. So take my advice and slow down."
He tapped the monitor again—deliberately slow, it was almost threatenable how calm he was.
"This—will remind you but you already know how it works."
Manuel leaned back, exhaling before swallowing the dryness in his throat. He let them digest the information he'd given, letting the atmosphere fade on its own while he looked up at the ceiling.
"I hope you don't forget both chirinium and your crystal density will appear on the monitor."
He closed his eyes and took slow breathes, a few seconds passed when a soft chime came from his laptop.
Sierra felt the chip lightly pop out and reached for it, tossing it his way. He caught it in his hand and slipped it into his pocket.
The air had settled a considerable amount, the three of them no longer tense. His typing paused, and he pulled the cable from the monitor.
"Here, try it out."
Leach tossed it to her and she grabbed it, pressing the open side to her neck. Pushing it in one motion, the clip at the back snapping shut around her neck.
"It lit up! Alright!" He spoke up, his eyes reading the two numbers side by side—six percent and point twenty-seven u/L.
Those same two numbers appeared at the very top of her vision, alongside a red line beating like a heart.
"Is there anything else?" He added, closing his laptop and stretching his arms up into the air.
"My eyesight starting to worsen...mostly in the morning though."
Sierra finished talking and passed her monitor to Ikade, who softly put it away in her bag.
"I'll give you some suppressors and medication so wait here."
Manuel stood up and walked to the glass room, looking through a few cabinets until he grabbed a bag and placed some medicine inside, double-checking the labels before closing it.
He walked back to them, setting it on the table and taking a seat.
"Their both inside. The dosages are three times stronger overall which should last you six months, take one once a week and it'll stop it from spread."
Sierra looked at him confused as she glanced at the bag to her right.
"…Three times?"
"Can you grab onto her ?" Ikade looked equally confused before standing up and wrapping both her arms around Sierras, hugging the woman tightly like she expected Sierra to bolt or crumble to dust.
Manuel looked at her next before speaking.
"You already have a few in your head."
It hit like an explosion rippling through water, Ikade's face shifting into mortification before she could even gasp.
"What the hell?! You're gonna tell me now?! Why not first!" Sierra snapped, her voice rising without warning. Ikade held onto her harder, not daring to let go while Sierra's body tensed.
Manuel didn't flinch even while Sierra threatened to wash his mouth.
"If you take the medicine religiously for the rest of your—AND stop fucking around. You'll live past a hundred and I did tell you."
"It was the last time you came, I sent a message but you never reply."
Ikade's shoulders dropped, her feline ears trembling while she sniffed, her face turning toward Sierra with a gaze like she was looking at a small animal about to die, Sierra tried desperately to recall such message.
"If you don't heed my call." He continued, his tone calm but still firm. "Well, your fucked!"
"I need you to double the amount and pass some medical supplies while your at it."
Sierra pushed Ikade's face away with her free hand—just gently enough to peel Ikade off her sleeve, which was slowly getting moist. Relief washed through her at the thought that she'd get to live longer than she expected.
"Did you even listen to anything I said?"
Manuel's voice was flat as he stared disapprovingly towards Sierra who began to bicker with Ikade.
"Yeah… I just need a minute to process it...I just need to stop being stressed right?" She said it like she was talking about an inconvenient grocery list.
Ikade sniffed again, wiping the corner of her eye with the back of her hand, then shot Sierra a glare.
"Stress? Stress?! That's what you got from that?!"
Sierra nudged Ikade's side with her hand. "Please stop leaking on me."
Ikade swatted her arm weakly, her tail puffed in offense. She grabbed the tail and shoved it into Sierra's hands, then reaching for a brush inside her bag and pointing it at her.
Manuel pinched the bridge of his nose and let out the kind of long breath reserved for clients who did the exact opposite of what he wanted them to do.
"I'll give you your supplies but I need you to stay alive so I can keep making money." He stood up lifting his head to look at her, only speaking the honest truth.
"—I need all of my customers alive."
He finished, his tone flat and blunt before he headed back into the supply room. He grabbed a another small box and began stuffing it with different items, checking the labels while he worked.
"I'll even throw in a little something...I cant keep it so its yours."
Both Sierra and Ikade stared when he pulled a black box from under the wash station and unlocked it.
"I don't want this in my hands, I don't need fucking marrano's in my clinic."
The crate rose off the ground like it weighed nothing to him, the smaller box of medical supplies carried in his other hand before sitting it on the desk. The crate, on the other hand, slammed into the floor with a metallic thud that echoed across the room.
Sierra's eyes reflected the item inside, resting on foam while a greedy smile formed on his face. He grabbed his laptop, removed the keyboard before showing her the bill.
"I'm taking an arm, its one hundred twenty-two thousand, five hundred thirty."
Sierra paid in full without hesitation.
"Send it to my address."
Sierra blinked.
And suddenly they were standing at the entrance of his clinic—the hallway lights buzzing faintly overhead while Manuel leaned against the doorframe, slurping at cheap noodles.
"Now, go away."
He said nothing else, stepping away from the door frame while the lights inside shut off one by one. The metal gate slamming shut.
[1] MICA is how they will be written but i had to put it in so you could say them.