Home Again
Central Town was a unique palace in the world. Surrounded by ruins, home to a diverse cast of peoples, and sitting right on top of what was the heart of evil for three centuries. Today, it has remained the same despite growing a small amount even if the Immortal Cell was destroyed three decades ago. There were untold secrets and treasures that lied under the settlement, but three centuries of stigma and fear kept even the most brave or foolish drifters from venturing below. Other than this, Central Town was still an island in a sea of anarchy, destruction, and violence.
To Amber it was home, one she was about to be locked out of if she failed to get inside the gate. She ran to the gate and dashed through it as the sun began to slip beyond the horizon. The guard shook their head in amusement.
"I would have waited," the guard said.
"You always lock the gates at sunset," she groaned as her head spun.
"Still not used to dashing?"
"Ha ha, laugh it up."
The guard shrugged as she steadied herself. Once the headache ceased, she began a leisurely pace towards home. Around her, shops began to close for the night while neon lights began to flicker on. The general population of raccoons, otters, rodents, and avians milled about. Some gave her brief looks while others ignored her. The foreigners were the ones who stared. Regardless of species, it was easy to tell who was a foreigner and who was not simply by looking at them. The foreigners stared nervously, wore different clothes, and carried less impressive technology.
They act like they haven't seen a drifter or an explorer before, she thought dryly at her observers.
Continuing her steady pace, she headed deeper into Central Town towards home.
The house was a modest one. It had a garden in the front and a fountain off to the side. Long ago it would have been the base of a tower, possibly an office building or residence tower. Now only the ground floor remained, having long been converted into a small house. The ripped building material above was smoothed, the ceiling/roof reinforced with adequate supplies to withstand the elements, and a small picket fence had been erected to signify boundaries.
For Amber, it was the center of her universe. She could remember several fond memories just by walking up to the gate.
"There's Amber. I told you she would be fine," she heard her mother say as she walked up.
"I know but I'm allowed to worry about her as a parent," her father said tiredly.
"Missed you two also," Amber said as she closed the gate behind her and walked up.
"What happened?" her father asked, his breath becoming irregular.
"Wolves. I need to use the laundry and a bath."
Her parents eyed her with caution before relenting. She knew they were worried for her and that her profession was...not what they wanted her to do, but they respected her decisions and supported her every step of the way.
Her mother, Mira, had prepared her for the terrible world that lay beyond the walls of Central Town. She had witnessed the Titan War first hand after being drafted into the raccoon army during the final days of the conflict during her mid-teenage years. Mira never really explained what happened during the conflict, only that it was "terrible." The one story she did tell with absolute clarity, despite being the most painful, was how she arrived to the modern day. One minute she was providing power cells for an artillery cannon under direct attack by a machine, the next she was trapped in one of the crystals that gave the Crystal Forest its name. She woke up to witness the same battlefield she had been fighting on frozen in time while the world had changed in the blink of an eye. Even today, she could still find herself out of place.
Her father, Bill, was a different story entirely. While he provided Amber with all the love in his heart, she knew he had deep scars running through him at a very young age. He had been one of the few hopeful pioneers to attempt branching out from Central Town to establish civilization on the Great Lake in hopes of easier access to the outside world years ago. Instead, a foreign invasion by creatures called "necrophages" ended that dream. Bill always froze when memories came back, never telling Amber what had happened. Instead, she had learned from others that the otter pioneers were killed and enslaved. Only a lucky few escaped from such conditions, her father being one of them. His nightmares were always under the surface, never letting scars heal fully.
The one similar story they both told was a chance meeting of two drifters while surviving in different territories. They had provided aid before venturing off further into the wilderness. No one really knows what they did in the wilds, only that they put an end to the threats out there which lead to the discovery of the Immortal Cell. To Central Town, they were heroes who saved the world. To Mira and Bill, they were two friendly faces who gave them the hope and courage to survive the trip to Central Town when they were at their weakest moments. The two survivors met each other on opposite sides of the central marketplace shortly after the Immortal Cell was destroyed and ended up as a couple twenty five years ago. Amber came into the world four years later and the rest was history.
"R-right. Let's get you...cleaned up," Bill said with his voice breaking and his breath coming in frantic bursts.
"Bill? Bill, listen to me. You're fine," Mira turned to her husband in worry, "Amber, get inside and cleaned up."
I'm sorry Dad, Amber lamented as her father began to have an anxiety attack.
Quickly slipping past them, she walked inside and closed the door. Even through the thick walls and door she could her father panic and cry while her mother did her best to comfort him.
"Nice going Amber. Worry your parents all day and then give Dad an anxiety attack," she scolded herself as she took her boots off.
The house was modest, having very few separate rooms. There was a kitchenette/dining room that was a part of the living room, a large bedroom the entire family shared, a closet, and a bathroom which was the only truly private space in the entire building. The living room section had a green rug with a small table and set of chairs on top of it, the closet had a large mirror next to it, and the kitchen had a holographic display next to the oven. It was simple and practical, but it was home.
Amber walked across the living room to the closet and pulled out some spare clothes. She unclipped her belt to be placed on a hook next to the wall along with her hat and neckerchief as she walked into the bathroom, closing the door behind her.
"Yep...I'm going to need the scented soap this time," she smelled her clothes with a grimace while placing the clean clothes on the sink counter.
Turning on the water, she stripped the filthy clothes and unceremoniously dumped them onto the floor. As soon as the water in the tub filled high enough, she shut off the water and stepped inside.
"Amber? You in there?" she heard her father call as she simply sat in the water to ease the tension in her muscles.
"Yeah Dad… Sorry for earlier," she sighed, wishing she could disappear into the water.
"It's fine. You can never hurt me...you know that right?"
But I do, "Yeah Dad."
"Look, how about tomorrow we go down to the market and pick up some ingredients to cook something. Just the two of us, sounds good?"
She felt her heart warm at the suggestion, "I would love to."
A few moments of silence told her that he left. With a sigh, she grabbed the scented soap and started to clean herself. The scrubbing got out the filth and soon enough the stench as well. Within a few minutes, she was clean and drying herself.
"Amber? Can I come in for a sec?" her mother asked.
"Uh...can I get changed first Mom?" Amber felt her ears burn.
"No, I'm coming in."
"Mom!"
Mira walked in to find her daughter struggling to completely wrap the towel around her torso. Amber blushed heavily as she barely managed to succeed in covering herself and glared at her mother.
"One, nothing I haven't seen before," Mira said bluntly, completely impassive at the spectacle.
"Mom…" Amber whined in embarrassment.
"Two, I'm just here to talk."
"It could have waited."
"No it can't," Mira sighed, "This probably has been put off for too long anyway."
Amber eyed her clothes anxiously and then her mother. She knew better than to defy her mother but the situation was unbearable for her.
"Amber… How do I put this, damn it? Look, your father and I know you have too much of us in you to really be satisfied here. You yearn for adventure and can't stay rooted to one spot for too long. It takes a lot to keep you down and don't you dare deny it," Mira said after a beat of silence.
"I can find a different job Mom. Work in the market, help with the construction, something. I know going out there hurts you both," Amber said sadly.
"Hurt? You have done many things to us young lady. You've made us worry, laugh, cry, hope, and even angry a number of times. But you have never hurt us. Who taught you how to fight and survive, hmm? I did. Who taught you to find optimism even when there is none to be found? Your father. Yes, you scare the hell out of us every time you leave...but you never have hurt us, deliberate or otherwise. You've always made us proud knowing that you can take everything the world throws at you in stride."
Amber was at a loss for words. Without thinking, she gave her mother a hug with tears in her eyes.
"I love you two so much," she whispered.
"We love you too," Mira hugged back, "We'll talk things over tomorrow. I'll clean your gear while you get changed...unless you want to go walking around like this. Certainly would make dinner interesting,"
Amber quickly realized she inadvertently dropped the towel and she knew her face lit up like a light bulb under her fur, "Mom!"
In the morning Amber was walking to a laundrette with her dirty clothing. She was glad she had some spare clothes in the closet, the teases from her mother during dinner last night and breakfast earlier (her father joining in on both occasions once he caught on, the traitor) still rang in her ears. While a baggy shirt and cargo shorts were not her favorite things to wear, she had no inclination to waltz about wearing nothing!
"'Your fur hides everything' they say. 'It's normal to happen in Central Town' they say. It's the principle that matters," she muttered as she walked inside.
"You say something?" the laundrette owner asked, an avian who was mopping the floor.
"Just some family drama. How soon can you clean this?"
"Let's see," the owner put the mop in a bucket, "Hmm… Yeah this is going to take a few hours. I assume it sat overnight?"
"As well as the majority of yesterday."
"Well at least you care about sanitation. I swear there's some drifters who wear more filth on them than clothing. I'll charge you when you collect it as usual."
Amber gave a firm nod and left. She likely would bring in some spare parts that could be used or bartered for other things. Cleaning clothes was nothing too expensive in Central Town. The real expenses lied in weapons, advanced technology, medicine, and food. The economy was disorganized and messy, but it somehow worked in the settlement. Thankfully, Amber knew how to trade and required very little after she had acquired her weapons.
Turning towards the market, she reached inside one of her pockets and brushed her hand against the tablet she recovered yesterday. Normally she would have taken it straight to an exchange for food and medicine but her parents convinced her to hold onto it. Amber felt torn about listening to her parents and trying to assist Central Town. She knew her devotion to Central Town was a tad misguided...but to keep such information to herself without any real reason felt wrong.
"There you are," she saw Bill walking towards her from a vendor, breaking her thoughts.
"Hi Dad. I miss much?" Amber asked with a smile, hand slipping out of the pocket.
"Just picked up some vegetables. I was thinking about fish for dinner with a salad. Thoughts?"
"So long as it's not carp again."
Bill chuckled and agreed to her request. The two began wandering the market and buying ingredients. Despite barely talking to each other throughout the ordeal, Amber felt a warmth in her chest. Her father was here and not lost in a nightmare, simply buying food for dinner with her.
"All that's left is the fish," Bill said after an hour of shopping.
"Can't decide between salmon and tuna," Amber said.
"Haven't had either in a while. Maybe there's only one choice?"
"We're not having carp."
"I never said we had to have carp."
Amber rolled her eyes. Somehow carp was the only fish Central Town could reliably catch while all others had to be imported. While she did enjoy carp, it was frustrating that Central Town had to import other kinds of fish more often than not.
"Oh don't give me that look," Bill scolded lightly.
"What look?" Amber protested.
"You know what look."
"Dad, I'm twenty one. I don't do 'that look.'"
"Uh-huh, sure."
"Oh now who's giving looks?"
They both had smiles on their faces. By the time they reached the fishmonger, they had gone back and forth over "looks" more times than they could count.
"Do I ask?" the fishmonger asked.
The answer was immediate from both of them, "No."
"Okay then… What are you interested in?"
They had the option of mahi-mahi steaks amongst the various cuts of carp. After some haggling, they started heading back home with three steaks. Amber knew she could expect a lengthy discussion later but right now she was home. The tablet in her pouch and her troubles were forgotten for now. She was home.