Chapter 2: Hello, Seattle

The road to home is close at hand.


"What exactly is the point of this?"

" We need clothes." Nadiya hisses, "And keep your voice down."

They're in the middle of the thrift shop's only shirt aisle, just a few racks away from the door. Nadiya holds a pair of jeans in her hands. The nicest of what she could find, cheaper than the Walmart Remy suggested.

The clerk by the counter idly watches them over a cart of jean jackets.

"I wasn't referring to that." Irene mutters. She totters past a tight spot between two racks, keeping with the longer strides of Nadiya. "I know we have to do this, but I was honestly referring to our next plan."

"What more is there to talk about? We've already discussed this at length." Nadiya takes a button-down shirt off a hanger and examines it.

It's plain, neutral-colored, not the tackiest thing she's ever seen, but it's better than nothing.

She tucks her shirt under her arm and moves on to the next rack. "It's like I said, we don't have a lot of options, so what we have, is what we have, and what I have, is my lab."

Irene follows behind, her head tucked below the surface line of hangers. Something about how the clerk is eyeing them makes her nervous, and she prehends the sweater closer to her chest. "And, is that the plan? We head to your place, and that's it?"

"Well, do you have a better idea?" Nadiya stops and looks at her. " Because if so, I'm all ears."

Irene blinks, then shakes her head. " No, not really."

"Well then, okay."

After enough looking, they pay for their stuff, a button-down blouse and jeans for Nadiya and a sweater and spare pair of slacks for Irene.

They grab something for Remy, who's getting food and other necessities for the rest of the trip.

The time limit had originally been ten minutes. They've been here for a little under an hour, and Remy will be here soon to pick them up. With the clothes still in hand, Nadiya decides to change in the shop's changing room.

She goes first, quickly putting her clothes on, and steps out to swap with Irene. Two minutes later, Irene pops her head out. " So, where exactly is this place of yours?"

"Washington," Nadiya states, then further modifies. " The state I mean, Washington, near Seattle, actually. I have a lab and an apartment; never really gave up the lease before I left." Nadiya shoves the rest of their old clothes in a bag. " In hindsight, it was a good idea I didn't, considering the mess we're in."

" Seattle…" Irene says, "That's really far."

" It's far, but it's the only place I've thought of. It's an option. My lab's there, so I can always return to work whenever, and I don't have to worry about things like hotels or car costs. Fucking gas prices." She grumbles that last part more for herself, then sighs.

"Remy's already agreed to it, and Kardala's more or less along for the ride. I don't know if it's because she really wants to or if it's just contingent on our 'bond', but if you have another idea in mind..."

" No, I…it's fine." Irene steps out and places her bag down, fixing her hair. "I don't really have much of a place to go back to anyway. Gave that up when I worked for the Fellowship. And I'm pretty sure half the stuff I had is gone now. So it's not like I have much. Your place is fine."

Nadiya doesn't feel as convinced. She crosses her arms. " And you're going to be okay with that? Just living it up in Washington, knowing what happens when you're in full range of us? That's not going to pose a problem?"

Irene stands still, hands twisting the fabric of the shirt. A few seconds pass before she answers.

" I know. It's not going to be an easy change, but I'm willing to take measures if it means I won't be alone in it. Truth be told, the thought of going off on my own right now kind of scares me. So, whatever it is you choose to do, I'll go along with it."

" Hm," Nadiya doesn't press any further, feeling as if she can't and also because she doesn't think she has the emotional capacity to venture into it. " Then it's settled." She turns on her heels, hands reaching for the keys still in her small handbag.

"Seattle it is."


Three days and many hours later, they finally arrive in the city.

Seattle's lights dance along the hood of the van as they pull closer. The sun's rays ride along the roof. They draw in as buildings start to crowd and climb above them. The sun sets in the west, a reddish-pink blob in the sky, bleeding between the clouds as night crawls from the east.

Everything feels so big here—maybe even a little too big. Nadiya can't, for the life of her, remember the last time she took in the sights of Seattle. It feels suffocating in its gargantuan form, naturally pressing down on her like a weight. Big cities always did that to her, no matter where she ended up.

The apartment is just around the corner. She's driving along the streets, stopping at a red light, when she spies it a block down. Two large coffee-brown buildings with red roofs and wide windows and a gated courtyard wedged between them.

If she had her way, she would have gotten rid of this trash heap of a van and walked the rest of the way on foot. But the streets as they are now are awash with sound, movement, and people, and with Kardala with them, that'll make inconspicuous travel very difficult. Nadiya would much rather move discreetly than draw more attention to herself.

"Is that the place?" Remy pokes his head out of a window, eyeing people walking the streets.

" Yeah, that's it. Just, give me a moment to put this thing somewhere." She drives the car into a random parking lot and pushes the driving stick into park. "Apartment's on the right, Building A. We can take the stairs through the back."

"Finally!" Kardala grins and kicks the door of the van open with more force than necessary. There's a squeak and what sounds like the grisly wham of metal against boot before it flies away, sailing across the lot.

At the sound, Nadiya flinches. "What was that?"

"Um, I think Kardala just kicked the hinge off the door." Remy squeaks somewhere behind her. His hands grip the seat head an uncomfortable amount.

Nadiya blinks slowly, once for clarity and another to ease the already-building pressure in her temple. She's going to dread living with these two, she just knows it. "Cool."

" I should make this clear," Kardala makes of a show of standing over her latest conquest, placing her hands on her hips. "That I can make no apologies for my strength, as you both know, I am quite strong."

"Whatever," Nadiya will just have to be content to lie in the bed she made and gets out on her side. She slams the door behind her. "It's not like we were ever going to use this piece of junk, anyway. "

"We're just gonna leave it here?" Remy has the rest of their junk and trash in one hand. One bag is slung over his shoulder like a makeshift plastic backpack.

"It's a stolen van."

"Well, yeah—"

"And it's broken."

"That too, but are we sure we can just leave it?" He gestures to the door-shaped hole in the van and makes an outward swing toward the rest of the lot. " What if someone comes around and notices?"

"Then it won't be our problem." Nadiya shrugs her shoulders and takes to tossing the keys into the bag Remy has in his hand. "Besides, it's likely to get towed by sunset tomorrow. We should be fine."


The place looks exactly as she left it.

Compact, spacious, and considerate in some areas. They'd certainly designed it with a lot of modernity in mind to give off that fresh, contemporary vibe most places have these days.

It's a lot like the cozy college dorms in the Berg, except more expansive than squarish. That and it smells better, her old dorm used to reek of musk and olid body spray. This was a step above, and thank the stars, she'd never have to worry about visitors again.

" Woah…" Remy plops their junk on the floor, and—ah, the polished wood. She'd forgotten about that too. Her floor's not as clean as it was the last time she was here. She'll have to make a mental note of it to shop around for cleaning supplies.

"So this is where the Demon lives." Kardala ducks her head into the living room, eyeing the furniture and walls with piqued interest.

"Did," Nadiya corrects. Her old key got left behind, so she has to resort to malleable exploitation. It works naturally, but her hand hurts now. "I've only lived here for a bit—two months, at least."

"Seems kind of cramped, though," Remy says. He tugs at the collar of his t-shirt, sneezing at the dust. "And stuffy."

"Oh, you'll get over it." Nadiya walks over and turns on a light. "We all have to, now that we're officially settling in."

It's late, and she's tired, but what better time is there to give her newly acquired roommates a tour?

First is the kitchen, then the living room, two of the biggest areas in the whole apartment. Her place isn't much for decor, but the basics are at least all there.

The kitchen, modest and square, sits bare with just a single coffee maker and toaster as a means of company. A fridge, sink, microwave, and dishwasher; black granite slates the counters; and egg-white cabinets lined the walls.

As little as there is to the kitchen, there isn't much else in the way of the living room either. A stuffy but comfortable brown couch, a coffee table, and a large, block-like TV sits on a stained entertainment box. The TV had been a gift from some go-happy colleague of hers, back when there were still grad papers to write. " Here's the living room and kitchen, there's not much stock right now, but we can worry about that later." She says, and moves on.

Next came the other rooms. Her bedroom on the left, and the makeshift office on the right. She shows them the bathroom and closet first.

Finally, she reaches her room. "This is my room." She gives them a brief three-second peek inside before shutting the door. Moving along, there wasn't much to see anyway. "And lastly, we have the guest room." She opens the door, and they all take a look inside.

"You're kidding, right?" Remy's eyes bounce around the room, from the messy paper-filled desk against the wall to the stacks upon stacks of books, stuffed boxes, and other junk littering the floor.

Well, she supposes it hasn't reached "guest" room level. There were sure to be things in there she hadn't taken care of. "Okay, so maybe it's not guest proof yet."

"You think? It's like Fibber McGee's closet in here!"

Kardala pokes at some silver tubing on the floor, watching as it wiggles. "Who is Fibber?"

"It's just an old saying, and please don't mess with my stuff." Nadiya corrals them back out the door to close it behind her. " And yes, I know it's a mess. Forgive me for not having a clean and accommodating home. It's not like I was expecting to have guests when I rented this place, much less roommates."

"Fair."

When they come back to the living room, Kardala places her hands on her hips, smiling. "A fine place you have here, Demon. I must admit I expected something more...hellacious, but I cannot say I am disappointed. This 'apartment' is suitable for my needs. You have my approval."

With the way Kardala's head scrapes the top of the ceiling, it'll be a wonder how she'll adjust in such a tiny place like this. They'll have to think about clothes and other things as well. Food and bedding included. Did they even make beds the size of gods?

"Thanks, I guess?" She isn't sure what to say to that.

In a brief moment, the lights in the living room start to flicker. The three of them look up in surprise. Nadiya's expression flexures toward confusion. "That's new."

"Do your lights always do that?" Remy asks as the lights blink back to normal.

"No, that's never happened before." It's possible that her electricity isn't fully on or that the building's utility management has gone to shit since she's been away. She'll make a mental note to talk to the landlord about it later.

"So, where are we bunking for the night?" Remy plops down on the couch, already making a home for himself, it seems.

That part is at least easy to figure out. Nadiya pulls the bag off the floor and drags it into the living room. Moving towards the couch, she slings it off her shoulders and drops it unceremoniously into a gap between the couch and the floor. "Here, knock yourselves out."

"Amazing." Remy says. "You've done it again." He yawns for a second, then slumps down like a boulder against the couch. "We've moved in."

Nadiya stares at them, her fatigue catching up to the rest of her as she leans against the couch arm. She will have to adjust to this, knowing what she's getting herself into and not knowing at the same time. Maybe in a month, they'll get tired of each other and decide to separate, and she'll be able to feel like she was right. Maybe, maybe not, but she's staying with it for now. "You certainly have."