Knowing that Ann wouldn’t be there, I knew I didn’t have to look my absolute best, but I still wanted to look good. Time was a bit short now, but there was still more than enough of it to get mostly prepped.

So, I wiped my face and my puffy eyes and blew my nose again before starting to put on makeup. Honestly, I was very glad I read that message before putting things on. Because that crying fit would have absolutely ruined everything I did.

Sure, there were waterproof versions, but those were usually horrible for the skin, so I didn’t use them. The brand I used also came with biodegradable wipe pads, which were very nice, knowing there wouldn’t be some turtle eating it in the ocean.

… Granted, there weren’t exactly enough turtles in the ocean for that to be too much of a concern anymore, but it was a problem I’d learnt about back in primary school, so it was hard to get outta my perception of everyday life. Plus, it was still good when things were biodegradable. One day we’d all return to the soil.

I smirked and shook my head. I always got silly like that after crying. Instead of diving further down existentialism, I focused on my makeup again.

A few dozen minutes later, I was done, and ready to head out. I looked… well, like someone hiding that she’d cried. But hey, I at least looked like I did a decent job hiding it! Surely, it would fade more on the way there. Definitely. Certainly.

I gave my phone a quick glance, and saw I still had ten minutes before we needed to head out. Matt already sat on the couch, scrolling through his phone, clearly ready to go. He heard me come in, looked up, then gave me a smile. “Looking great, Fio,” he said.

“Thanks,” I said, smiling. I wore a long, dark orange sweater with fringes at the end, turning it into a kind of half skirt over my black jeans. Underneath the sweater I wore a relatively plain white shirt with some small embroidery. “Not looking too shabby yourself.”

He smirked at me. He wasn’t dressed up super fancily, just a midnight blue open jacket, and a black button-up beneath that. He also wore jeans, though with two chains draped along the sides. Maybe the outfit wasn’t super fancy, but Matt rocked it.

“Thank you!” he said, smiling. “People are slowly starting to head out, so things’ve been quiet in the group. You got time to catch up before we head out.”

I nodded at him in appreciation, opening my phone and quickly checking the messages.

“Sorry to hear it Ann. Let us know when you arrive and we’ll see about setting up a meeting?” Eric had written, trying to fix things.

“Fucking trains,” Emilia’d provided helpfully.

It did get a thumbs up react from both Liam and Marie, as well as an angry face from Reya. Amusing.

“Piece of shit tin cans,” Reya wrote. “Hate that. Sorry to hear you can’t come. I’d threaten arson if it wouldn’t just make things worse.”

She seemed… more liberal in her word choice than Eric had implied while translating.

“Don’t worry about it. Just be safe, all we’re losing is a little time,” Marie wrote, adding a heart emoji at the end. Ann replied to that with a heart.

With a small sigh, I also replied to her message. “Awww, shucks. Super sorry to hear it. Hopefully you’ll be here soon? Still wanna meet you <3!”

Matt saw it arrive and giggled. “That sounded a little different than what you told me, Fio, jeez! Where’s my love and affection, huh?”

I smirked at him. “Careful, or I might smack ya.” I brandished my fist.

He raised his hands in mock self-defense. “Oh noooooo!”

Then, instead, I extended a hand. “Alright, Rat. Time to go, come on.” He took my gracious peace offering.

With a quick jerk, I pulled him onto his feet off the couch. “Got your wallet and things with you?”

He patted his pockets, front, then back, then nodded. “Yup. All set.”

“Cool. Should be good to go as well,” I said, fiddling with the latch of my purse. “Let’s go.”

And we were off.

- - -

The place we scheduled to meet at wasn’t too far away, but it was too far to comfortably walk. So, Matt and I hopped into the car again. He fiddled with the bluetooth for half the ride before managing to get some music playing, so instead we just chatted. Things we liked to do on this side.

Matt told me he liked playing tennis, and I told him about climbing. He apparently used to play in some tournaments as a kid - his parents only allowed hobbies he was good enough to get tournament slots in - but nowadays only did it occasionally when there was enough time. He’d messed up his shoulder with it once, dislocating it pretty hard on a solid swing, but after getting it set back into place, it healed nicely.

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

Of course, there were also the interest he hid from his parents, as all kids do. He went over to friends’ houses to play video games a lot, for example, but the interest never stuck around since he wasn’t allowed to pursue them. In school he did also learn some stuff about audio mixing, which he still occasionally did, composing 8-bit tunes.

I asked him to play one of them, but he was too embarrassed to do it. The coward. If I weren’t busy driving I would’ve snatched the phone from his hand. But sadly, 8-bit was not worth hitting a traffic light.

“Are the roads here always this empty?” Matt commented during a lull in the conversation.

I nodded. “Yep. Doesn’t get much busier than this. Well, except commuting times.”

“Why is that?” he asked, innocently.

For a moment I was tempted to look over at him, but I kept my eyes on the road. “Because this city, like every other place on this planet, is a shithole. People only go out when they need to, because the air will literally kill you with time.”

“... Right,” he said, after a long pause. “I tend to forget that. Being on Eden so much.”

“Sometimes I do, but as soon as I step out the door, well, it’s hard not to be reminded.”

“Heh. First time I came back from a longer time in Eden, I wanted to go for a walk to stretch my body on this side. I threw up moments after I stepped out the door,” he chuckled.

I gave a small laugh, as well. “Sounds like you, yeah.”

“What’s that supposed to mean, Fio?!”

I just laughed.

A couple minutes later, we managed to find the place. It was in a nicer part of town, where most buildings were intact, some even had fresh coats of paint, and the alleys were bright. No random bags of trash, either, or flickering streetlights. It genuinely seemed like an okay enough place to live.

Not that the house I lived in was super terrible, but it wasn’t in the nice part of town. It had been recently redone, but well, once again, not super well. But it was affordable enough, and I also spent months at a time somewhere else entirely, so I didn’t exactly need to be in a good neighbourhood.

Cutting my reminiscing short, I opened up the car door, hopped out, and locked it once Matt was up as well. There were a few other cars dotted around the lot, but the place was pretty large, and seemed like it would be sparsely populated. I didn’t recognize any of the cars, but then again, I had hardly ever met the others, so I wouldn’t.

With a short look to Matt, we headed in.

The outside of the restaurant was already nice. It was a kind of creme coloured paint, none of it chippin, and the windows were clean. No big stains around the place either. There was even a small flowerpot out the front, with a growth light hanging overhead.

The whole “Park” part of Eiros Park was a bit down the hill we drove up to get here, with a small patch of greenery and a couple trees dotted around. I’d seen them on the way up, old and gnarled, stubbornly holding onto colourful leaves.

The door opened smoothly, without a creak, and the chilly autumn air was replaced with warmth. It smelled of freshly baked things and other nice food. I quickly walked up to the cash registered.

“Table for two?” the waiter asked with a smile, already having seen me and Matt come in. He had light brown skin with short, bristly black hair, and grey eyes.

“No, no. Reserved. On…” I fumbled for Marie’s last name.

“Ah, we only have one reservation today,” he said with a smile. “Eight people? Large table in the corner by the window? One of your friends seems to already be here.” He pointed us towards the table, it was around the corner.

I just nodded at him. “Yes, that would be us I’m guessing. Thank you very much!”

“No problem at all. Head on over and I’ll be right there to pick up your order,” he said, flashing another smile of pearly teeth.

With another nod and a “thanks” from both Matt and I, we headed over. A couple steps later, and we spotted Marie, sitting on a bench, looking up from her phone. She’d probably texted she was here by now; I hadn’t seen it after the car ride.

When she saw us though, she immediately got up from the cushioned bench, the ends of her hair bobbing at the fast movement. Her eyes lit up at the sight of us. “Fio, Matt! So glad you made it!”

I smiled right back, wrapping her into a tight hug. “Hey Marie. Great to see you as well,” I said, then let her go to hug Matt. She quickly squeezed him as well.

“Come on, you two. Sit down, sit down. How are you doing?” she asked.

“Helped Fio remodel her entire flat. She had barely any decor around, you know?” Matt supplied, giving me a succinct smile.

I elbowed him in the side, but Marie already gave me a chuckle. “No wonder you never wanted to come back, silly! I’m glad you’re making things nicer for yourself. What did you get?”

“Just a couple posters and a flag,” I said, shaking my head and giving a noncommittal shrug.

“Is it a lesbian flag?” Marie asked, smiling.

“It’s a lesbian flag,” Matt answered in my stead, with a sagely nod.

Marie nodded back at him, as though he had spoken great wisdom. “I love it,” she said, giving me an even wider smile now.

I felt my cheeks heat up a bit. “It’s not a big deal…”

She ruffled my hair at that, giving a light giggle. “Of course, of course. I’m just happy for ya, hun.” Her voice sounded so soft that I couldn’t help but smile. On Eden she always had this… edge to her, usually drawing lines in the sand to be protective. She… didn’t need that here, I supposed.

It was impossible not to smile back at her. “Thanks, Marie.”

Her face lit up some more as she gave me a nod and another short hug, then turned to our swordsman. “How has the journey been treating you, Matt? Hopefully not too bad?”

“Trains were fine, really, though sleeping in-”

He stopped himself as the waiter came over. Matt and I quickly ordered; a bit of lychee juice for him, and just some coke for me. Marie already had drinks in front of her, sparkling water with some lemon in a glass and a large cup of coffee with some whipped cream next to it.

“Sorry, what were you saying Matt?” Marie asked once we were done.

“Right, right. Sleeping in the train was a bit miserable. Not made for it, really, so the seats were kinda uncomfortable. Got a bit of a stiff neck, but totally worth it. And Fio’s guest bed is much softer than mine at home, haha, I might need to come over more often!” He gave me a small wink at the end.

I sighed. “You know, Matt, there is a timeline in which both of us are roommates. And we are both happier for it.”

He paused at that, then looked at me. With kind of… a blank expression. Like gears were turning in his head.

Marie’s light giggle interrupted it. “Gosh, why don’t you move in together, then?”