Planatae

Aftermath

Ricardia paused briefly in the back of the club, only staying long enough to change back into her clothes. She moved quickly, hoping to take Sana's offer up for a place to stay before Dani found her. Sana, who remained nearby, watched, bemused, as Ricardia scrunched up her tunic into a ball and threw it on the table.

She took the tunic herself, gently smoothing it out. "Let's get out of here," Sana said gently, as if reading Ricardia's thoughts. "My shift's over - I'll take you back to my place. You can wash off your makeup when we get there." Ricardia nodded, grateful.

They took a back door, stepping out into an alley that spanned the back of the Sandroom. Instead of turning towards the boulevard, Sana guided her through dark narrow streets. Ricardia stuck close, still wary from her earlier flight through Onyx.

Sana, however, seemed at ease. Seeing Ricardia's harried expression, she smiled reassuringly. "I only live a few minutes away."

It was true; they came to a stop soon after in front of a dark, blocky tenement. There was nothing to differentiate it from the other buildings on the narrow street. It was very late - Onyx's overhead lights were almost completely off - and the two of them were the only ones outside. Sana stepped up to the door, Ricardia following. They entered a cramped, shabby foyer; Sana led them up a staircase that hugged the wall.

On the third floor, Sana approached a door in the hallway, lowering her head so the retina scanner could verify her identity. There was a pause before the electronic lock clicked open with an old, rusty-sounding groan. She stepped inside, waving Ricardia in.

"Home, sweet home," she said with a grimace, then: "Cassie! I'm back!"

From another room, a voice could be heard, shouting its assent. It sounded like a child.

Sana's apartment was small, dingy, and dark. A small kitchenette stood next to the entrance, where a small plastic table and a few chairs were arranged. The rest of the room was taken up by a worn-out couch and a wall monitor, by far the most valuable thing in the room. There was one other doorway, the door closed; the apartment's other inhabitant hadn't emerged from the second room yet.

Sana opened drawers, grabbing a washcloth and a bottle of oil. She pulled Ricardia over to the couch, and she sank down onto the cushions beside her, grateful. "Let's get this off you," Sana said, as she began to dab at Ricardia's face. Her touch was gentle, expression soft as she wiped away the cosmetics. But Ricardia flinched, uncomfortable. She made a grab for the towel, but Sana pulled back, concerned.

"What's wrong?" She asked. "Did someting happen during the performance? it was... incredible. I thought you should know?"

Ricardia shook her head, biting her lip. She couldn't figure out where this concern was coming from. "I don't understand, Sana. Why are you helping me like this? When everyone else I've met here has been-"

She stopped, had to choke back a sob. Sana opened her mouth to speak, but Ricardia stopped her.

"Look, I appreciate this, all of it - but I don't have anything to give you. I've got nothing left."

Sana tilted Ricardia's head back into position as she continued to work. "I'm helping you because I want to," she said.

"Hello!" Ricardia jumped a little, startled. Standing behind the sofa was a little girl, hair mussy as though she'd just woken up. She hadn't even noticed the girl's approach.

"Cassandra," Sana said, without missing a beat. "This is Ricardia. She's going to stay here for a little bit."

The girl didn't respond. Instead, she reached out and grabbed a fistful of Ricardia's curly hair, fascinated.

Sana laughed at the other woman's expression. "That's my little sister," she said. "It's just the two of us - so I'm used to taking care of people." She eyed Ricardia, adding emphasis to her words. In return, Ricardia could only stare back, still overwhelmed. Sana was younger than her by a league, but it was Ricardia who felt like the child, helpless and uncertain.

"You're so... independent," Ricardia finally said. "Sure of yourself, even in a place like this." Satisfied with Ricardia's now-clean face, Sana handed Cassandra the towel, who scurried over to the kitchenette.

"I have to be, for my sister," she said. "I know I seemed a little skeptical of you at first, but that's only because I have to be, around here. But you're really from Caedem! And your Factor..."

Sana's eyes gleamed, and Ricardia suddenly realized how much the Tenth Form had moved the younger woman. But Ricardia grimaced, lips curling.

"That's not how the Forms should ever be performed. Not in a room full of gamblers and drunks, who don't give a damn about the story."

"I knew it!" Sana grinned for a moment. "When your skin got dark, those flashes of color - you were showing us a storm, weren't you? But then the bright blue returned, so I bet whoever it was survived-?"

"Sana," Ricadia softly interrupted her. "I appreciate that you enjoyed it, but what I did today was wrong. I used something sacred for my own exploitation. I can never tell anyone back home what I've done."

Sana sobered, eyebrows knitting. "Wait, but... you're trying to get back home, but weren't you running away in the first place? I don't understand."

"I don't either!" The words came out harsher than she intended, and Ricardia reeled it in, trying to calm herself. "I just... I don't know where else to go. I know I have to go back. I guess I should have never left in the first place. It's just..." Ricardia stopped, forced herself to meet Sana's gaze. "What I did... well, it was something really, really bad. But there was just no other choice."

Sana went silent for a few moments, absorbing this. Instead of asking more questions, however, she beckoned for her sister, who hesitantly climbed up onto the sofa to join them.

"Why don't you tell me and Cassie about the story?" She asked. "What your dance was meant to tell us, I mean."

Ricardia had to fight the tightness in her throat again. Sana's gentle attempt to take her mind off things had made her emotional. She still felt horrible, but being with these two made things a little bit easier. So Ricardia gave them a weak smile, and began to tell them the tale of Luluc the Wanderer.