Since she had managed to recollect things she had always been interested in the outer world. The distant, strange even alien like colours and light coming down from the top of the cliff, rare was the day that these brightness peered through the thick fog of darkness clouding her home.
Yet even more rare where the days she could get to observe dumbstruck at the phenomenon as there was always something to do in their little home. It was nice though, trying to make heads of the sounds echoing away from her , never close enough for her to see so she imagined what they could be.
Or what they could do.
The strange metallic humming followed by a series of clacking like clockwork, the distorted sounds of someone else throat trying to breath through the filth, the cold whimper of the wind or the slowly yet steady echo of water coming down old busted pipes when it rained.
They never were the same, each day a different tune reaching down the darkness that was her home, bringing forth new sensations. As far she was concerned that would be the coolest thing she would ever do, apart from that pillow fight with Vi and Pow, though she always lost against the pink haired girl.
She really had a pair of strong arms….
Had she known that not far from the shadowy plains of her home there were other places from where she could get a better view, especially from the collective dump of Zaun she would have laughed at such thing.
Now she was no longer laughing.
She could see the rift far more clearly from there, from left to right of the canyon she could spot the luminescent lights of the Lanes, some of their homes were tall, others small and slender, none shared anything of notice with the their neighbours other than the fact that they were stock up, one over the other, trying to make the best use of the available space.
The green fog covering the air was also different to the cold light shade of purple from her home, a welcome contrast as when the light of day came baring down the ending hours of the day, it turned yellowish, golden like tone or even crimson before the darkness swallow her world whole. Yet even then there was always a light over her head.
Some small and dimly, others bigger and brighter, they stood on the horizon like a curious yet static hive of firelights.
It was beautiful
It was a bit away from home, more than what she usually walked from her first spot. The huge sea of trash was just below the Lanes, but close enough for her to see the streets and the people traversing through the slender bridges of rusted metal and cheap manufacture that hanged dozens of meters over her when they dared to do such thing.
The combine smell of tons of trash polluting upwards was not something anyone would enjoy. Not for long at least, and a lot harder to try to take away the stink.
Was it worth it?
Yes, it was…..
Perhaps she coul-
``And what pray tell is doing my little rose alone here?´´
The words struck hard, bringing her back to ground in an instant back. It took her a few seconds to realize that the words had not been some sort of echo carried away by the wind that was so prevalent in winter but someone was as she heard the slow yet unmistakable crunch of someone shifting their weight behind them.
Her body sprung up immediately from her comfortable position, trying to stand up and meet and greet the very owner of said voice. Her mind conjuring in those few instances a storm of thoughts assailing from left to right her little head.
Was it a seeker? There were boys who took trash from the soil, mom said that they were making a diving...? Riving….? Oh..no, living! They were making a living out of it, what a clumsy little head she had.
If they seeked her out did that mean that they share their love for the colours? Could it be a new friend!? She would love that, there were so few who came down here, fewer who decided to stay.
Vi always said to be wary of strangers, perhaps is not that good idea.
Wait, didn't mother said that strangers were friends one had not made yet? Then problem solved, after all, mother know best.
Yet unknown to her, she would be for a rude awakening for she had forgotten a little, tiny yet crucial detail.
She wasn't standing on steady ground
Her legs, sore for hours of inaction could not respond in tandem with one another, that added with her lost of balance made the trash under her feet to slip away, not been capable to adapt to the new change of weight her body placed on them, making her fell on her ass on the pile of trash, though if she thought that would be the end of it then she was sorely mistaken as she misplaced the hand meant to steady herself and instead she started rolling down the hill.
By the time her body stopped emulating a ball she found herself in one of the many plateaus that were between each pile. A pained gasp leaving her lips as she clumsily caressed the now dirty skin, hissing when her fingers trailed over what that night would turn into bruises.
She surely had not been expecting her day to take that turn.
Though looking in the bright side, at least he was no longer in free fall. That was always a good thing.
``Rose! I am so sorry! Are you okay!?´´ The same voice from before echoed through the field, this time unequivocally feminine in nature, though she felt some dizziness she managed to turn her head to the right, her eyes finally catching the glimpse of who was sliding down from where she had been just a moment ago.
A slim, pink haired girl. Her hair cut short in an unkept manner, just like every other kid in this plump.
She was wearing a simple black skirt that barely covered her knees with an even more simple white shirt that looked a lot more like a sack of potatoes than an actual piece of clothing. Different patches of cloth attached to it, speaking of decades of constant use and bad conservation.
A look of worry in those grey eyes she had been lost so many times…
Wait, grey eyes!?
``Vi…!?´´ She exclaimed with shock, perhaps taken a back by her sudden arrival or the fact that she had not heard her coming. And yet when she tried to stand up she could not avoid to stumble backwards, perhaps still feeling fuzzy by her recent debut on the way down or the way her hand hurt when she tried to put pressure on it. It may have been both though who could blame her?.
The girl did not seemed to acknowledge her words at first as she came closer to her. Kneling down as she started to toss the dust away. Only after she was no longer covered in either grime or dust did she stood up and extended her hand at her.
A sigh of relief leaving her lips
``The one and only….who else do you though I would be, dad?´´ She said with a timid smile on her lips as she placed her hands around her waist.
``No , I...sorry I was just too lost in thought….you just startled me´´
``I saw that….´´ Her happy demeanour slowly faded away as her brows furrowed, chewing her lips in apparent distress as her eyes seemed to remember something. ``Sorry, I did not meant to scare you, or make you fall down…. you know that right?´´
She was worried she had gotten hurt?
Sometimes she wondered how someone that tended to want to work with their fathers hammer in breaking things could deflate so fast in moments like these.
It was adorable.
``I do…., just try not to sneak on me again, alright?´´
``No promises are made, sis...´´
``I thought so...´´
She started moving up the pile, careful where she placed her hands and feet as she climbed through it. Quickly followed by her older sister as she heard her coming right behind her, the two moving up until the two were just where they had been moments ago. Funny though, a few minutes they had spent to reach the summit when it had taken her a few seconds to roll down all the way
Adding to that, the skies beyond had slowly started to grew darker, the thickness of the fog over their heads barely allowing her to catch the faint glimpse of a few clouds. This one would be another starless night, much to her chagrin.
When it rains it…. It dours? Tours? Pours?
She was so busy trying to find out the right words that she did not notice the way her sister looked her way and sit down next to her.
``So….what were you looking at?´´
The randomness of the question took her by surprise, to the point that she can not help herself but parrot the question.
``Looking?´´
``Well...you did say that you were lost in thought, and you seemed pretty much stuck with your neck looking upwards...so yes, what were you looking at?´´ She said calmly, grabbing a nearby can before tossing it away.
``Mhmmm…...the sky….´´
``Well..I can see that, but what?´´
``The clouds...?´´
``You don't know what you are looking at?´´ She heard her sister say with amusement, a wry smile on her lips.
``Its…complicated´´ Was all that she could come out with, she wasn't wrong though, she did not know how to say them herself either.
Vi merely shrugged. ``Well, I am all ears….´´
She sneered. ``I will only need one….´´ She said, earning an eye roll from her sister.
For a moment the two remained silent, allowing the distant echoes of the wind trailing down the rift to fill the void around them.
``You wonder what is up there…?´´ Came out Vi´s voice,
``Always…, though who wouldn't?´´ She muttered weakly, looking back at the ever still sky above them ``The colours, the shades that come out...its just so different, so nice? I don't know how to say it, but I...I like to gaze at it, to stay here over the trash and imagine what lays beyond….´´
Vi stood in deep thought before she gave her a weak nod. `` That sounds nice...but aren't you a bit lonely by coming on your own?´´
She stood silent for a second before shaking her head, a smile forming on her lips. Sometimes Violet came up with such silly questions. ``Meh, Is not that bad…., not many people come down here anyway and I have the rats to break the monotony from time to time. There is one as big as my arms with red stripes in her furr that I have called mister whiskers´´
``Mister...whiskers?´´ Repeated Vi, though with far less enthusiasm than hers.
``Yep, you would agree if you saw those whiskers of him up close..or should I have called him mister smiles? He surely likes to smile a lot, from ear to ear, his diminutive eyes covered by green googles….´´
``Are you sure you are okay? It didn't bite you, right!?´´ She say with haste, worry drawing on her eyes as she started to look for any mark left on her body, Vi was already half way done through her shirt before she managed to push her away.
``Why would it bite me? He is a delight of a mister. Can rats be misters though? Well it doesn't matter, he is also kind, he once pat me in the head and said I was very smart´´ she chuckled at the memory, not paying attention to the puzzled expression on her sister.
``Can rats talk though?´´
A good question, though one she shrugged. ``Knowing where we live….why not?´´
Vi remained silent, blinking her eyes repeatedly before she started rubbing the back of her head. ``That sounds…..strangely right´´ Was the only said that Vi managed to say as her eyes gazed with some uncertainty at her sister, but whatever feelings of doubt she felt were quickly pushed away as she smiled back at her, placing her arm over her shoulder before she tugged her little sister in a closer hug.
``If you want we could get Powder up here too, the three of us... it surely would be more fun than you been on your own, no? Camping and playing with the cans, seem how far they go down the slope….perhaps meet this mister Whiskers?´´
She pondered at the offer for a while…..., placing her head against Vi´s shoulder, ignoring the uncomfortable feeling from the rough fabric on her skin as she did. Her presence alone gave her warmth, a sensation of safety in the darkness that was their home.
Just like her mothers.
Yet she could not accept, not right away for there was a small problem with it.
This dump…..., wasn't any dump. This was her place, her special zone. Where she could lay down for hours without end when she was bored or tired, when or her sisters were busy sleeping. Or when mum or dad where arguing and they thought they were not being heard.
It was a nice a place to be, the nicest she had found anyway…..
But….Vi was a slightly right, she really was feeling a bit lonely up here, but that was fine, no. Didn't her mother said that everyone had a wight...light to personal space?
She did not know, but for some reason she had the irking feeling that she had got something wrong somehow. But what could it be?
``I...I would love that, but I would rather not drag you and bore you if you really don't want to, besides I would rather not made blue bird cry, the ground is not exactly….soft´´ She then taps the ground, her fingers closing in over a thin rod of metal.
``I am sure Pow would not mind, she is tougher than she looks. And if is not enough then she only needs us to be there to catch her, after all...she doesn't have to do all by herself. She only needs to take her first puppy steps, like mom said….´´
``Baby steps….sis, they are called baby steps´´ She corrected her sister, earning a fake look of hurt from her.
``Oh really? How come? When you were a baby you couldn't move at all! And when you did you crawled over the floor´´
``That….that's not really the point!´´ She muttered slightly bewildered, trying to hold back her laughter as Vi started to huff with fake annoyance before she hit her shoulder playfully.
``Ah Roserade…., don't change, things would be without a doubt more boring that way..´´
``Now you are pulling your leg….´´
``At least I will have the other….´´
``Ah Violet…..don't change….´´
Vi narrowed her eyes before she left a tired sigh, patting the back of her head. ``I have the feeling that you did not mean that with good intentions...could you not do that?´´
``No promises are made..´´
A soft chuckle left Vi´s lips. ``Fair enough...it wouldn't be you otherwise´´ She said before she started patting her sisters head, making a mess of her purple hair.
``Hey! Not now! Stop it!´´ She whined, trying in vain to fight off Vi´s best effort to mess with her.
``Why? You always asked me to back then ….´´
``That was when I was a kid...´´ She muttered, trying to sound as confident as she could though failing as she could not bare to meet Vi in the eyes with the redness spread around her cheeks.
``You are still a child, little Rose...´´
``I am not little! Besides, what would that made of you!? Eh!?´´
``You know what? The day you grow bigger than I will stop calling you that´´
``Really? You would do that? No tricks?´´
Vi merely gave her a weak nod. ``Yep..´´
``Then just wait, you pink haired scallion. I will tower over you like mom in no time! A titan among giants´´
A smile spread through Vi´s lips as she observed her sisters antics, the funny sounds she muttered as she moved around as something else.
``We will see…, though that seems a pretty tall order for little old you...´´
A look of annoyance crept through her eyes. ``Ha, ha...very funny sis, laugh while you still can. I will cut you down to size soon enough´´ She huffed, that pink haired menace will see who would laugh last.
After that the two remained silent for a while, allowing for their words to stew inside them before they were replaced with something else.
She found her attention once again drawled towards the highs, her eyes meeting a now turn dark landscape by the clouded sky covering what little she could see.
It did not matter….
She did not need eyes to imagine what could laid beyond.
``Sis?´´ She heard Vi´s voice, curious about what she was thinking perhaps.
``One day we will be up there…., and finally see the world for what it truly is….´´ She said slowly, extending her arm forward as if her fingers could peer through the dark fog looming above them and reach the stars she knew well where hiding behind. A faint yet steady wind started to brush her face, playing with her hair as if it was alive.
A timid smile formed around her lips while her eyes glowed with what could only be raw optimism. There had to be all kind of things up above, things that they had never seem before...or would in their entire lives. Toys of all forms and shapes, bright new colours and noises that she would be lost in their contemplation or people who did not resemble the sickly grey and malnourished forms or crude manners of the people of the rift.
Yes, if there was something that she was sure without a shred of doubt was that down here she would only meet darkness, while up there the light of the future remained there.
So close…, so close that she could almost touch it.
Yet so far out from her reach…..but perhaps it was closer than she thought? Or at least that was what she wanted to believe.
Mother said that if one believed something then it would come true….
``Who knows? Perhaps somewhere up there is a shop with all the toys of all shapes and forms we could never begin to imagine, Pow would surely love it….´´ She muttered softly.
She felt the grasp from her sister tighten slowly, pulling her closer. ``You are right, one day you will be there, and you will be able to see what lays up there rather than what you can see from this hole, I will make sure of that….´´
Her words were like warm blanket, always lifting her up with a strength that perhaps not even their owner knew at that point. She slowly rose her head from her sisters shoulders and meet her eyes. Her lips quivering for an instance as she tried to find the resolve to speak.
``You think so?´´
Vi merely nods at her, determination flaring in her eyes as her free hand caressed softly her face before she leaned towards her and held her face right next to hers.
``I know so…´´
