Unusual Business
As the dawn slowly heated the desert, the Karsha Clan began to stir. They were still at the Adamant Trade Camp and would remain so for some time. For one figure in particular, that suited him just fine. Even if he could wake up in the blink of an eye, Edward loved to sleep in. But even the most lazy sleepers wake up eventually, especially when their bed was made out of two blankets and a pillow on the ground.
"Blegh, what time is it?" he yawned as he woke up.
Looking around the room he had rented out for the night, he could tell it was still early morning. He also could see someone else starting to awaken. While he could not see who they were due to a tapestry dividing the room, he could still see a faint silhouette.
Huh, I was wondering if I would have to share the room… So who are they?, he thought as with another yawn while putting on his combat jacket.
"Why does your breath smell like oil?" the individual muttered.
Wait...he knew that voice! It was that rude girl from yesterday!
"You?" he asked incredulously, quickly realizing it came out louder than intended.
"All right I'm… You?!" she shot up stiff as a board upon realizing his voice.
They stared at their silhouettes, not moving. He could see her tail flickering back and forth in an agitated manner.
"Well this is awkward," he said after a beat of silence.
"You're telling me," her silhouette moved as she grabbed a pack, "Ugh, do I even bother getting changed if I'm just going to melt every day in this damn desert?"
"Save yourself the hassle and don't bother. Never understood why you surfacers need more clothing than you know what to do with," he reached for a utility belt next to his bed with a yawn and a shrug.
"Mind your own business," she snapped.
"Maybe I will."
Opening the various pouches on the belt, he was pleased to find everything was where it belonged. Obviously the stun baton, flashlight, bayonet, knife, and revolver were sitting in their proper places but it helped to make sure. The spare ammunition was divided accordingly, an extra battery, the wrench and screwdriver, some spare wire, and the diving mask with spare air tank were all still in their pouches. There also was his favorite book in its own pouch which was thankfully still intact.
Now if only I can find another novel, he thought as he closed the pouches and put on the belt.
"Ugh… My fur is going to hate this," the girl said from the other side of the room, repacking her pack.
"You'll get used to it. I have," he said before grabbing his shotgun and helmet.
"That's disgusting. Have you ever heard of hygiene?" she asked.
"I have. Have you ever heard of carrying only the bare necessities?"
"Spare clothing is a necessity."
"When you can afford to carry it. You surfacers are always so picky about being clean all the time. I'll never understand it."
"The hell is a 'surfacer?' Everyone lives on the surface."
This is going nowhere Ed, "Clearly you don't know about the Europa Coalition then. Now if you excuse me, I'd rather not deal with someone who has an attitude."
"I don't have an attitude!" she yelled after him.
It was only after he had started to sit down to eat his meal at a street vendor a couple of minutes later he realized he was still curious about her. What was the all mysterious Central Town like? Where was she going? How did she end up sharing the room with him? Exactly what kind of species was she?
The Europan part of his mind answered these questions, None of my business. Just ignore her and get to Crossroad. She's probably trouble anyway in one form or another.
Later on Edward was strolling through one of the many marketplaces that made up the Karsha Clan. He had attracted the attention of a few vendors trying to sell him weapons, but he was perfectly fine with what he had. What he was interested in was a book vendor...something that was frustratingly impossible to find. Even the most remote cities under the Europan Iceshelf had a bookstore and they at least had good classics. But his searching was proving to be useless and the prospect of rereading Three Klicks Deep was becoming more probable every day.
"No, I'm not interested in buying a spear. I'm just looking for someone to sell me a crime novel," he explained to the insistent merchant for the third time.
"Are you sure I can't convince you to change your mind?" the merchant asked.
"No! Look, I've got a knife and a bayonet. If I want to stab something I would use those. Now either please tell me where I can find what I'm looking for or leave me alone," he opened his jacket to reveal the blades.
The merchant sighed and then turned their focus to another potential customer. Edward rolled his eyes and continued walking. Surfacers were confusing and some had horrible attention spans. How anyone managed to build functioning civilizations with such a blatant lack of situational awareness was beyond him. Even if paranoia and cynicism made making friends difficult they usually kept one sharp and aware of potential dangers. The surface might lack the dangers of living two kilometers under ice and water, but that was no excuse to live without caution as two months of wandering has proven.
As he looked around the marketplace, he spotted something familiar: a workshop. Curiosity getting the better of him, he walked inside. What he saw was impressive considering the limited technology the rest of the clan used.
Drills, advanced metallurgy, interchangeable parts… You could mistake this place for a school workshop back home by looks alone, he thought as he examined the machinery.
"Can I help you?" the workshop owner asked.
"Just looking. Impressive set up you have here," he answered.
"We may not have the same quality as the Vaulter's here, but we know how to make good use out of Dust and technology. Perhaps some armor or a knife to compliment your equipment?"
"No thanks. You wouldn't happen to know where I could find someone who sells books do you? Been asking for the past two days."
The owner rubbed their chin in thought, "Can't say I do. Not in the clan at least. Have you tried the rest of the camp?"
"Started there, ended up here," Edward sighed before noticing one of the drills was in a state of disrepair, "Looks like that drill could use some work."
"Yeah it's in bad shape. Never get around to fixing it sadly enough. Been trying to make some repairs but I either have orders to fill or not enough parts to get the job done."
Well...I do need to supplement my wallet somehow, "Tell you what. I have some experience fixing things. Let me take a look at it," he pulled out his wrench and screwdriver.
Several hours later Edward was approaching the Saltfire Bazaar with a pouch full of Dust coins. He had managed to come to terms with the workshop owner in helping to maintain the equipment in exchange for a basic payment at the end of the day. At the moment, he was looking forward to a meal to end the day off.
"Welco… It's you again… We really need to stop running into one another," a familiar voice said.
Turning his head, Edward saw the same girl from yesterday. Now that she looked healthy and not leaning over or behind a canvas, he got a better look at her. While he was unfamiliar with her species, he would hazard a guess that she was only a year or two younger than him. She reminded him of the Moki family that used to live in the apartment across from his when he was still at Frostsnap Station. The semi aquatic nature despite her somewhat muscular frame only reinforced that observation. If one were to swap the fur color from brown to dark gray and elongate her tail, the similarities would have been uncanny.
"Considering we probably are going to be sleeping in the same room, I think that's unavoidable," he said dryly, ignoring the piercing look from her green eyes.
"Of course… Calm down Amber… Can I help you?" she asked after composing herself.
"Pan seared chicken, mango flavoring if it's available."
The girl (Amber? Edward was going to refer to her as "girl" until something changed) nodded and left towards the kitchen. Giving off a sniff, Edward walked to one of the blankets next to a table and sat down. He took off his helmet and put it down on the side, moving his jaw back and forth to loosen some muscles.
I need to shave...or I could grow it out. Marisa always said I would look good with a beard. Would be nice if it didn't itch though, he thought as he stretched his neck.
While he waited, he reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a harmonica. Looking at it for a few seconds, a flood of memories came surging to the forefront of his mind. The day he got it, playing it alongside the accordion his sister played, entertaining patrons at the Angry Moloch...Frostsnap Station might have been a typical Europa Coalition habitat but it was one of a kind for him. Brushing the memories aside, he started playing. The tune had no name and was made on the fly, a "Submariners Symphony" as the term went back home.
"Chicken with mango?" a voice interrupted his music.
"Thanks," he put the harmonica away and took a bite into the chicken.
Amber walked back to the kitchens. Her...roommate was enjoying his dinner and she could ignore him for now. She started to rerun the recent events through her head for the fourth time this day. She had dinner with Jasah and his assorted friends, told them her story, and ended up working for Illegra. She would receive payment in the form of travel, a place to sleep, and some currency after arriving at Crossroad.
She knew fate was being exceptionally kind to her, but she was struggling to process the events. It was happening too fast and all she could do was focus on one thing at a time.
"You are doing well dear," Illegra said as Amber entered the kitchen.
"I feel like my head is about to explode," Amber muttered as she grabbed another tray to serve.
"Heh, Jasah was the same when he became the captain."
Amber walked out and served another patron. The Bazaar was thankfully experiencing a light day and Amber avoided being overworked. She still had a growing headache and the heat still tortured her, but she was able to get through this.
"Would be nice if I could take a bath though," she muttered as she tried to ignore her clothing sticking uncomfortably to her as she walked to greet a new patron.
Swallowing another bite of chicken, Edward reached for his belt and pulled out Three Klicks Deep. The book had obvious signs of being used and the cover was faded. It was a simple thing really, yet it had one of the greatest stories he had ever read. No matter how many times he has reread it to the point of memorization, the story still gripped him tighter than a bone threshers bite.
"What's that?" a voice asked.
He turned his head to see a man sitting on another blanket a few feet away eating their own meal, "A book. Why do you ask?"
"Just wondering. You have this look about your face when it came out."
Edward narrowed his eyes and put the book away, "And? I happen to like it."
"I meant nothing by it. Just was curious why you looked at it with the same expression one gives their significant other."
"Mind your own business," he said coldly before reaching for the last piece of chicken.
That was another thing that annoyed him about surfacers, they never knew when to drop a conversation. Sure everyone in the Coalition was blunter than a doorknob, but they knew when to stop talking. The novelty of having conversations faded very quickly and they never seemed to get the hint that he was not in the mood to talk to them.
One would think with our reputation people would not even bother talking to us, he rolled his eyes and noticed the girl walking again towards the kitchens, Then again having friendly conversations isn't exactly what the rest of the world makes it out to be.
It was late at night when Amber walked into her room (or at least her half of the room). She was mentally exhausted after the long day. All she wanted to do was take a bath and fall asleep on a soft mattress. Instead, she had a blanket for a bed and no means of bathing.
"If there's one thing I miss from Central Town, it's indoor plumbing," she muttered as she collapsed onto her bed and buried her face into the pillow.
"Eh? You say something?" her roommate asked.
"No," she lifted her face high enough to get the response out before planting it back into the pillow.
She sat there for around a minute before rolling onto her back. The room was dim, lit up only by a lamp that ran off of Dust. She glared at it, looking for something to take her exhausted frustration out on.
"Why the hell is it called 'Dust' anyway? Dust is nothing more than dirt and filth that gets on everything, not a magical power source," she said, still glaring at the lamp.
Edward turned his head to look at the canvas separating the room. He had been sitting on his back reading Three Klicks Deep when the girl came in. The odd question caught his attention and he had to agree with her confusion
Exactly why is it called "Dust?" Looks more like gold to me, he thought as he returned his focus back to the book.
Even after two months of wandering the surface he has come to realize a constant standard: the surface was a very weird place with even weirder people. Just how do they live their lives in this strange, carefree, haphazard existence?
The next few days were routine for the odd roommates. They would wake up, go about their separate ways, and turn in for the evening. They barely interacted with each other save for a few awkward glances and requests for quiet when in their room. It was only on the fifth day that the awkwardness came to a head.
"So...exactly why are you here exactly?" Amber asked early one morning, debating if she should change into one of her few remaining spare sets of clothing.
"You never cared before. So what makes now any different?" Edward questioned, checking his utility belt.
"We've been living here for the past few days and I can't handle the awkwardness anymore."
"I don't see why this is awkward. You have your side of the room, I have mine."
"Look I know I came off as somewhat of a bitch when we first met but I'm trying to be friendly here, all right?"
"Uh-huh, why?"
"Why what?"
"Why the interest?"
Amber sagged her shoulders and felt her tail drop, "Because we see each other every day?"
"Well that's a perfect reason to go prying into someone's life," Edward shrugged, putting on his utility belt, "Why the interest?"
"Okay, what the hell is your problem? I have never met someone more cynical and off putting in my life, and I'm a drifter!"
"You've truly never met a Europan before?" Edward raised his eyebrows.
"No!" Amber said in exasperation.
How? Just how has anyone not heard of the Europa Coalition? "If you must know, we are paranoid and cynical because to be openly trusting is foolish. You want to be my friend? Earn my trust first. And unlike you surfacers who blindly trust everyone who flashes you a smile and a promise, Europans only trust those who have earned it. Everyone has their reasons for interacting with one another and rarely is it simply 'to make friends.' So the only way I will ever learn to trust you is if I know without a doubt that you would have my back even, regardless of the situation. Until then, we're just two random strangers who keep running into one another."
"Oh that's great. You don't trust anyone, is that it?"
"Not easily," Edward stared at her angry silhouette with a shrug.
"Maybe it's because no one can trust you then," she said bitterly and left, not bothering to close her bag.
Edward took a deep breath and sighed. In some ways she was right, in others she was wrong.
"In the Coalition, trust is earned," he said to the empty room before exiting with a tired sigh, "The sooner I leave this place the better."
Two days later:
"That was a giant bug the entire time?!" Amber screeched.
"How? Just how by the Abyss did I miss that?" Edward gawked.
"Told you their reactions would be worth it," Illegra told Jasah, the latter giving her a few coins for winning a bet.
The Kasrsha Clan was preparing to leave the Adamant Trade Camp. What neither Amber or Edward realized was the method of travel. A Setseke was a difficult creature to tame and maintain, but the behemoth scarabs were the lifeblood of the Roving Clans. Just one could carry a large village and at speeds that rival cavalry troops around the world.
"Quite," Jasah said with an amused expression and unfazed about losing a bet, "Now as you two have seen there will be a change in your living arrangements. Amber, you will continue helping Illegra and be riding with her. As for you," he turned to Edward, "Word has it that you've been helping our mill foundry. I can find sleeping arrangements for you if you need the help."
"Uh...right…" Edward still gawked at the sight of the gigantic insect, easily the size of a creature straight out of the Abyss.
"Why do I have the feeling I'm going to need more than just new clothes after this?" Amber asked.
Both travelers could only stare at the Setseke in shock while the captain and inn keeper chuckled. They were going to be traveling alongside a giant insect across a desert…
Nothing about the situation made any sense to either Amber or Edward.