Finally, after all this time, all the countless hours of planning and building, of failures and hopelessness, finally, her dream was going to come true-
The sad little machine flapped its wings twice in futility before crashing back down to the ground to pieces.
"Uuuuuuugh darn it all, I thought I had it that time..." A young woman sighed, running a gloved hand through her already messy pale brown hair, haphazardly braided up into two low pigtails. She threw the remote control that piloted the useless machine onto the dirt ground, striding with long, thin legs to a small house that looked to be in the same sorry state as her machine. Next to the shack was a wooden box piled high with intricate mechanical figures with decidedly less impressive notes scrawled on random part of the paper.
The woman rummaged through the box, flinging diagrams this way and that before she came across one that matched the machine that was now puffing out nicely sized balls of smoke.
"I don't understand; theoretically, it should have been able to at least reach a few feet in height. My calculations were perfect!" The machine made a wheezing sound as if to counteract her statement. She glared at it before returning to her notes. The air around her was still; nothing was around the woman or her little shack besides a small vegetable farm fenced off a few feet away and a few trees adorned with light bulbs. A well worn path in the dirt that led to a brightly shining light in the far distance the only indication that she was not completely alone.
The lights on the trees flicked twice, and it made the woman click her tongue in irritation. Two flashes meant it was supper time, and soon, night, and the Senate would turn the electricity off until the next day. There wasn't nearly enough time to get anything done, she thought irritably to herself as she sat up to go collect her heap of soon to be scrap metal, and almost collided with someone. Almost, as the woman behind her twirled around and dodged with the gracefulness of someone who had that kind of thing happen on a daily basis.
The taller woman was not as lucky in that department, and cursed her long, lanky limbs right before she tripped in fell into a heap.
"Sorry about that, Cassandra." The amused lilt in her voice betrayed her words. "I thought that you would have noticed me."
Cassandra just grunted, slowly pulling herself to her feet. Her red shawl adorned with intricate yellow patterns was no worse for wear; it was already covered in oil and other unidentified stains, so a little dirt wouldn't hurt it. The other girl just smiled and held the lightly steaming glass dish she held out to her as if in peace offering. Cassandra's mouth watered, already large pale purple eyes going wider.
"Is...Is that 10-spice soup?"
"Mmmmhm."
"Is it for me?"
"Actually it's for your little flying contraptions." The other woman rolled her eyes and sighed affectionately. "Of course it's for you, my dear."
Cassandra didn't have to be told twice. She all but shoved the girl into her shack, taking the bowl from her hands and putting it on the rickety wooden table that served as the centerpiece of the single room. The girl was already flipping open cabinets and grabbing silverware, glasses, and bowls. Cassandra looked like she wouldn't mind the third-degree burns from using her hands as spoons.
"Sit down, sit down, we do not stand and eat like we're waiting for the trolley," the woman tutted, waving a wood serving spoon in her hand. Cassandra plopped down in a seat that looked to be about as great of shape as the rest of the house, and quickly started setting up her side of the table, almost spilling the soup in her haste to get it in her bowl. She was more careful after a pair of dark blue eyes glared daggers at her.
"Henriettaaa, it's so good, I can't feel my face, it's so gooooood!" Cassandra's eyes were watering, mouth turning red, and she looked like the happiest person on the planet. Henrietta smiled, throwing her blonde braid behind her shoulder, and put a napkin on her lap so her nice white and blue dress didn't get stained.
"I'm glad you like it, though I don't understand why you like it when you obviously can't handle the spice." Henrietta gently blew on a spoonful of the red hot soup and ate it with no problems, whereas Cassandra looked like she might die any moment. Cassandra stood up abruptly and ran to the ancient looking ice box in the corner to pour herself some water from the jug. She gulped down two entire glasses full before she could even think about talking.
"I kind of-phew-like the challenge of it, but also the spiciness hides my hunger better so I can work longer." Henrietta paused with her spoon half way to her mouth. She lowered her hand, looking a little horrified.
"Are you still doing that? When did you eat before this?" Cassandra frowned as if in deep though, tapping her chin.
"Hm, I think...I guess when you came over the other day?" She came back to the table and sat down, and her companion stared worriedly at her.
"My dear...I told you, you have to eat. And sleep, for that matter. Those bags under your eyes look worse every time I come over."
"I'd do it if I had time! I swear, it feels like the Senate is turning off the lights earlier and earlier, if I did all that I couldn't even think about building."
Henrietta bit her lip, reaching over the table to grab Cassandra's hand. Her own was plump and round, with tiny elegant fingers, minuscule compared to the large hand underneath hers. She patted her hand once, looking her deep in the eyes.
"Cassandra...I know I've already suggested this, but perhaps-" Cassandra snatched her hand away, returning her gaze with a glare. "I already told you, I'll never-"
"I'm just saying!" Henrietta cut her off. "I'm just saying, not even giving up on it, but just doing it less, at least allow yourself time to eat and sleep properly." Cassandra clenched her hands into fists, gaze unwavering.
"Doing it half-heartedly is just the same as giving up! I can't-I-" Cassandra's hands open and closed, floundering like her words. Her glare melted to a despaired look. "Henri, you don't understand, I can't ever-I can't-"
Henrietta shot her hand to her mouth, fingers covering whatever broken statement Cassandra was trying to convey.
"I know, I know. I'm sorry for bringing it up. I know how you feel about this. But I'm just worried about you, my dear." She smiled ruefully, moving her hand to pat her face. "I love you, you're just like my own family." Cassandra reached up her hand to entwine it with her's, a small smile making its way to her thin lips.
"Okay, message received. I'll try-" a dark look. "-will take better care of myself. Now can we stop with all of this embarrassing stuff? I thought we were eating soup, not mush." Melodic laughter rang out in the tiny room. Henrietta returned her hand to herself and continued eating.
"Alright, well let me tell you this hilarious joke Juni played on one of our customers today."
Cassandra laid in her makeshift bed, made out of stitched together cloth and hay. Three flashes now, and the lights were getting dim. She contemplated drawing up some new designs, but since she could barely see her hand in front of her face, she reconsidered. Sighing, she flipped over to her side, facing a bare wall with a box lying in front of it. She stared at it for a moment before reaching out and grabbing a small photograph within.
She held it in front of her where the faint glow of light from her window illuminated the picture of a young Cassandra smiling with a tall, skinny woman with messier hair than she had. Both were covered in grease and wore gloves, machine parts scattered on the ground around them. She stroked the picture, face growing determined.
"Don't worry, Mom. I'm working hard everyday, and I know I'll see the Sky soon."
Episode One: "The Sky's The Limit!"
Cassandra examined her shawl. Still covered in oil and stains, but at least she had gotten the dirt off. She could go wash it, but the river was so far away...
She held it up to her nose for an experimental sniff. Seemed alright to her. Good enough for social interaction. Probably. She pulled it over her tight black clothes, laced up her boots, and left her house for the long walk to Demetria. She tried to keep in good spirits, but as she got closer and closer the city, her mood dropped lower and lower.
After what seemed to be forever, she stepped into the city outskirts. Demetria was a small city, but giant compared to Cassandra's little shack in the middle of nowhere. And they actually had streets and sidewalks, and buildings with more than one room. Instead of light bulbs strung on trees, they had electric towers that generated light lining down the pavement in neat rows. In many of the houses, their farms were kept in the front, but a short few had them in the backyard.
An electric wires criss-crossed above, forming the pathway for Demetria's one and only trolley. Said trolley happened to have a stop right where Cassandra was standing, and she booked it down the sidewalk before anyone got off, but she still had people walking there too. She pointedly ignored all of the weird looks she knew she was getting, retreating into her mind to design her next project. Or she would, if that annoyingly shrill voice didn't blare on the intercoms throughout the city at that point.
"Gooooooood morning, Demetria! It's three hours past first light on this lovely Saturday morning. This is Crocus of your Senate here to deliver the news!
It's nearly Founder's Day! Let's celebrate the founding of our great city together in Grand Park, where the lovely ladies of your Senate will provide refreshments while we recant the tale of how we founded Demetria. Remember, it's mandatory, and all requests for absence must be submitted to the Senate office at least one full day before the event! In academic news..."
Cassandra mostly succeeded at blocking out her voice, finally making it to her destination. It was a cute little shop, brick buildings and a large window letting you look completely inside. A sign with a crudely drawn winged creature sat on top of the building, curly letters spelling out "Rendon Pub". She grimaced like she always did when she saw that thing. She really wished Henrietta's father would let her take it down, she could draw so much better now...
When she opened the door, a small bell rung. A few people looked up at the new arrival and, when seeing who it was, glanced away, some not being able to hide their sneers or snickers. Cassandra's face was cool as she sat down at the bar. An older couple immediately moved to a booth, leaving her all alone.
"Sorry, not quite old enough for a drink. Want some milk instead?" A short, stocky woman with long golden curls stepped out of the back, shining a mug with a smirk on her face. Cassandra grinned back, resting her elbows on the counter.
"No thanks, Junia. I don't think I need the extra calcium. I swear I'm gonna hit six feet one of these days even though I'm done growing." Junia's laughter was cut short by a teen boy sitting in one of the booths.
"You should drink it! Get tall enough and maybe you can reach the 'sky'!" He elbowed a shaggy haired boy sitting next to him. Another boy with dark hair piped up.
"That's the only way you'll get up there, since your stupid hunks a junk suck...so...much..."
The boy trailed off as a Henrietta with a very threatening smile holding two plates appeared before him.
"You ordered the eggplant patty with fries, right? Well here you, oops!" Henrietta completed the fakest trip in recorded history, spilling the contents on the first plate all over dark haired boys lap, ketchup soaking into his pants.
"Silly, me, so clumsy! You should take care of that. Now." She dropped the smile, eyes growing dark. The three boys glanced at each other before walking out, not without shouting a few choice words behind them.
"So childish. I oughta tell the parents, I should." Junia huffed, crossing her arms.
"Whatever, I already forgot about it. They're just stupid kids," Cassandra replied, absently rolling a crumb between her fingers. Henrietta came over to them after delivering her other plate.
"Cassandra, my dear! What do you want." Henrietta refastened her white apron while Cassandra laughed awkwardly.
"I can't just come visit my best friend?"
"We both know that you wouldn't walk all the way over to the city on the longest light day of the week just to hang out. As awful as that sounds." She sniffed dramatically with a small pout. Cassandra put up her hands in mock defeat.
"Okay, okay, you got me. I wanted to check out the library for some mechanical books, and you know how they always give me a hard time. And," she added with a sly smile. "You're so gorgeous and charming, even with a wraith like me tagging along, they're sure to let us in if you're there."
"My dear, flattery will get you everywhere. Mind taking over for me, Juni?" Henrietta was already slipping off her apron. Junia waved her off. "Yeah, yeah, you get on out of here. But make sure you're back no later than second light! Lunch is too much of a rush for just me and Pop!"
"Will do!" Henrietta waved to her before she and Cassandra walked out of the pub.
Demetria only had one library, but its size made up for the fact. It sat adjacent to the Senate's building, in the center of the city next to Grand Park. Cassandra wished she could visit here more often. Inside, she got the usual glares from library staff and patrons alike, but a few disarming smiles and how do you do's from Henrietta made them awkwardly drop the hostility. It wasn't too packed today, since it was an early Saturday and most kids didn't even want to think about a book.
Cassandra made a bee line for the technology and mechanics section, while Henrietta loitered in the cookbooks. They met at a table towards the back, away from everyone else. Cassandra had a truly ridiculous amount of books, and almost dropped them all over the floor if not for Henrietta helping her keep steady.
"It's amazing how fast you can read," Henrietta commented, watching the incredible speed Cassandra was flipping through the pages. She didn't look up before responding.
"Actually, I'm mostly just skimming. Pictures are helpful since I can basically tell how a machine is put together by looking at-Wait." Cassandra stopped, looking around. "Did you hear that?
"No-" Henrietta's eyes widened. "Oh! I hear it too. What a lovely song." A soft flutesong sounded, though strangely no one else in the library seemed to pay it any attention.
"I think it's coming from there," Cassandra said, turning to look at a room behind them where a lone guard stood watch. Henrietta frowned as quickly as Cassandra's grin grew.
"Cassandra, don't you dare even think it. That's the Senate's private room!" Henrietta whisper-yelled. That did nothing to deter that grin.
"I always wondered what was in there. The Senate has so many secrets. And if it's just a chamber for music, there can't be anything in there they'd get that mad about someone else seeing."
"There's a guard, Cassandra, you don't put guards in front of rooms you want people strolling in and out of!"
They both went quiet as the guard started rubbing his stomach, and peeked behind the wall that separated the door and the rest of the library.
"Getting pretty hungry...won't mind if I step out to Rendon's for a bean salad...no one comes over here anyway..." The guard looked over at where the two where sitting, and they hid behind a bookshelf before he could see them. Satisfied, he walked away.
"It's fate, Henri!"
"It's foolish, is what it is. Don't-Cassandra!"
She was already walking over to the door. Henrietta ran her hand down her face before following.
"Strange, there doesn't seem to be a handle or anything," Cassandra murmured, sliding her hands all over the dark wood door.
"That's just proof you shouldn't-" As soon as Henrietta tried to snatch her hand away, the door glowed with a white light where both their hands touched it. They stared in awe as the door slowly opened for them.
"That was-"
"Amazing."
"Odd, I was going to say extremely odd and not somewhere we should go inside."
Cassandra just smiled excitedly, already walking into the dimly lit room.
"We've made it this far, it won't hurt to look! I have to find out what kind of technology that door uses." Henrietta again followed her, looking around nervously. The door shut behind them, making Henrietta shriek. They were both so distracted that they didn't notice the music stopped.
Inside the room was decorated beautifully from what they could make out in the sparse light. It appeared to be a large bedroom, with white furniture, a canopy bed with drapery hanging from golden poles, and a large circular window where you could see several stories down to Grand Park below.
It was so dark, they didn't notice the small figure hiding in the shadows near the window.
"Who are you?"
This time, even Cassandra jumped. A child-like figure whose body was covered in a dark purple cloak stood across from the pair, hands gripping a yellow and green flute.
"Oh, it's just a child!" Henrietta breathed a sigh of relief. She approached the child, who stepped one foot back fearfully. Henrietta bent down so that she was eye level with her, smiling warmly.
"Was that you playing the flute? It was lovely." The child started, looking up at her.
"You...could hear my song?"
"That door is amazing! Do you know how it works? And why are they keeping some kid in the library behind a weird door?" Cassandra stopped her questions when Henrietta offered her a flat glare.
"Um...I'm Protea's daughter. Edel," the young girl said softly, wringing the flute in her hands nervously. "I'm not allowed outside."
Cassandra and Henrietta shared a glace.
"I didn't know Madame Protea had a daughter," Henrietta mused.
"They're so mysterious, I'm sure there's a lot of things we don't know about them! How come you're not allowed outside, though?" Cassandra asked. Edel looked away.
"Um...someone might see my face."
"Huh, why would-Ow!" Cassandra pouted as she rubbed her arm where Henrietta pinched it.
"Well, it was nice meeting you, Edel, but we should get going," Henrietta said politely. Cassandra crossed her arms and sighed.
"While I would love to find out more about the door, I should get back home to work on a new flying machine." Edel cocked her head to the side.
"Flying...machine?"
Cassandra laughed, rubbing her nose. "I'm surprised you haven't heard of me. I'm the 'weirdo' who lives in the outskirts trying to get to the Sky!" That made Edel almost drop her flute, and even though her face was covered, it felt like she was gaping incredulously.
"You...You believe in the Sky!?"
"Way more than just believe in it! I know it exists. My family has been passing down stories for generations, and one of my ancestors has really seen it! I'm going to see it no matter what!"
Edel stayed silent for a moment, then walked to a door almost completely hidden in the darkness.
"I think...no, I know the Sky is real too. Could I show you two something, please?"
Cassandra was to her side in a minute, and Henrietta traipsed over with them. "Well, I guess we can't get in more trouble than we already will be..."
Edel tugged just enough on her cloak to make an opening for her flute. As soon as those first few notes made it into the air, the door shone in the same white light as before, and opened up. She quickly covered her mouth back up and scurried inside the much brighter room. It was an empty, cold room covered in plain metal. The only thing of note was a large green emerald sitting on a pedestal in the center. But what inside it was...
"Amazing!" Cassandra shouted, running up to the gemstone with unbridled glee. Trapped inside was a small red and cream bird-looking creature, its eyes closed.
"It...It looks like those weird things you draw," Henrietta said, slowly walking closer to the emerald, mouth slightly hanging open. Cassandra looked at her, her face lit up in a grin.
"It's from the stories! It's a bird! They fly around in the Sky with their wings. It's what I've been trying to replicate with my machines!"
"This creature, a bird? It's been in here for as long as I remember," Edel said, standing on her toes to look at it. "My mother doesn't know I'm able to use her flute to get in here. I try to use the flute to open the emerald like the door, but it doesn't work. I feel like it could help us see the Sky."
Cassandra snapped her fingers like she just had a brilliant idea. "Henri, I bet we can do it!"
Henrietta turned her neck towards her. "Huh?"
"You know, like with the door, when we both touched it, it opened! Maybe it will work with this too!"
Henrietta looked down at the emerald again worriedly. "What if its dangerous? There must be a reason the Senate keeps it in here..."
"Please, Henri, this might be my one chance to learn about the Sky firsthand!" Cassandra was looking at her with such a pleading expression that Henrietta just smiled and shook her head.
"My dear, what am I to do with you? Alright, I'll try."
They both faced the emerald once more. Cassandra place her hand on it, and after a moment, Henrietta softly touched it as well. Immediately, green light filled the room, and the emerald cracked, shattering to pieces. The bird groggily opened its eyes, looking between the three standing in front of it.
"Who...are you guys, melodii?"
NEXT TIME:
Cassandra: "Pinch me, I'm dreaming-Ow! Not that hard, Henri!"
Henrietta: "This is all getting way too weird, and now there's a strange monster here!"
Pepper: "Um, I'm not a monster, I'm a fairy, melodii."
Cassandra: "With the bird monster's help, I'll finally see the Sky!"
Pepper: "I'm a fairy, melodii!"
Edel: "Looks pretty tasty..."
Henrietta: "Next time on Aether glow Precure, 'By the Light Of The Aether, The Precure Are Born!' Aim for the sky!"