At Time's End

Chapter 16 - Lame Corporate Parties

--- AN: This chapter is from Eterna's perspective/POV.

I was just sitting around in my room, doing absolutely nothing useful. I guess I'm thankful for Karmella fixing my laptop, it runs so much better now, but she's still such an insufferable prick half the time that I'm not going to admit it.

The door opened. Karmella came in. "Oh. You're here."

"Yeah, it's our room. I live here." She seemed so tired. I guess her party was socially exhausting - not that I'd particularly care. 

"So, how was the party?"

"It was... alright." She scoffed. "Why are you asking? Do you care?" Was she mocking me?!

"What?! No- I just- It's called making small talk." 

"No, I enjoy you actually asking how my life has been instead of, you know, yelling my ears off?" I guess. "I got to meet a couple friends, and... uh. Talk? I dunno."

"Anything more interesting than that?"

"I mean, the waiter was the clumsiest, most Proximian Terran that I've ever known from our unit, and I feel bad for the janitor because so much car-carra was spilled -" Oh god, car-carra stains like crazy - "- and like seriously, who agreed to them being the waiter?!" Wait, why'd I get invested? "And the DJ was horrid as well. But, you know how Energy Ring parties usually are..."

"I... actually don't." God damn it, Eterna. You hate her. "Tell me more." That was not the correct response, you idiot!

"Well, usually there's these stupid little lightning bolt cookies, taste like cardboard but it's an unspoken ringrule that someone brings them to any party there. Like, nobody likes them especially, but everyone still eats them because all the other pastries got black holed." 

"I know right! I've never had the cookies, but the Research Ring parties are the same! We just have different research area cookies, like maps for cartography, planets for... you know, it goes on and on! And with that variety you'd think they'd at least taste different-"

"But nah! They still taste the same, right?"

"Yeah! Like, you have the effort, use it!" Wait... what the fuck? Eterna, you despise Lucy, she's just Lucy but more... insufferable! Shut up before you conflict your morals any more.

"Anyways, what's your line of research anyways?"

"Abilities. You know, time travel, telekinesis, all that stuff." I sighed. "They don't make cookies for us though. Too much variety, you know?"

"Oh." She looked down. "You know, I could make you some cookies." She looked back at me. "I promise they won't taste like cardboard!" We laughed. Nice of her, but I'm still not becoming friends with someone just for cookies.

"I... guess I'd like that." I began to hear metal sounds from Jaiden's room. Oh god, she sucks so bad at crafts. "Hey, uhh, be right back. I'll just check on Jaiden."

---

I got back into my room. "Hi."

"What was up?" 

"Jaiden almost cut her face in half because she wanted to open the vent connecting our rooms."

"Why'd she want to open the ven- SHE ALMOST WHAT?!" Her expression was priceless.

"Yeah, you know how I can do a little telekinesis?" I smiled. "I've now saved at least one life." ...and caused one to be lost forever.

"Oh. Well, uh, why did she want to open the vent?"

"We were being too loud."

"Ah." She looked in the vent. "There's a pillow in there now."

"Yeah, she mentioned shoving one in there." 

"How will she sleep..?"

"I dunno. She'll figure something out."

"Anyways... so, wanna play truth or dare for some reason? It's a stupid idea, but..."

"Sure." Please, for the love of god, don't ask things you don't want to know. "Should we invite Jaiden?"

"...nah, she's probably asleep." Karmella, what are you hiding..? "Anyways, truth or dare?"

"..Truth."

"Have you ever.. wondered what it's like, living without Jaiden but someone else?"

"...Yeah. When she was missing." I sighed. "Truth or dare?"

"Dare." I bet she realized I was going to ask about her not wanting to invite Jaiden.

"Answer truth next round." But, I have my own tricks.

"That's not fair!" she laughed.

"What, are you going to chicken out?" I challenged. She gave in.

"...Fine. Truth or dare?"

"Truth." I took a risk.

"Why did you judge me when I first joined this center..?" ...How do I tell you the truth, while keeping most of it secret?

"...your sister. Your turn now." She looked skeptical at my answer.

"Right. Well, I guess I have to choose truth."

"Why did you want to play this game with just the two of us?"

"...Just to get to know each other better." She smiled, but there was a certain thought, a certain... feeling dancing around in her mind. I could see it from her eyes. "I'm hiding something, and we both know it. You can try as hard as you can, but I won't tell you... yet."

"I guess we should both just sleep now." I sighed. "Goodnight... Karmella." The light from the window kept shining into my eyes. That meant no sleep for me. The blinds were on Karmella's side... "Do... did you meet anyone special at that party?"

"Yeah. There's this dude - my best friend - Cytherean, Calaban Murl. He's great," she seemed so enthusiastic, talking about him, it almost made me angry for some unknown reason. Am I jealous? Is it just that I don't feel like mine and Jaiden's relationship just... isn't the same after 2728? Of course it isn't, but...

I wish she could go back and change it, but it's hard for time travelers to go back in time to - and even before - traumatic events. I know she did it once, covered her eyes when her dad was getting murdered in front of her - but she was quiet for weeks after that. 

I think it was just... experiencing that again, after so many years... Eyes closed or not, you can still hear him... I really hope she plugged her ears. Her mother... was always an awful person, I hated her as a kid, but she just got progressively more awful after her husband's 'death at the hands of a brutish killer'. I have no doubt she killed much more after that. Even Ignus, recluse of the century, has something against her.

Though, the difference is, he seemingly has no reason to be against her.

"Good night, Eterna." In the end, the thing that matters: I guess she's... okay.

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AN: i hope you liked the pov change! i'm going to sleep, not much time for author's notes, have a nice day/night:D