Starlight and Shadows

Roman's Vacation 2: A Humbling Sight

Starving on the street cold and alone? Get food and warmth by and means.

Someone disrespects him in public? Beat them senseless with Melodic Cudgel and choose to let them live or not depending on his mood.

In those cases, Roman Torchwick knew exactly what to do. He knew how to react to ensure his survival.

But this?

Using the lighter someone had given him during his tour, Roman lit his last cigar. He'd worry about getting more later; he needed something familiar.

Looking through the window in the mostly empty break room Roman took in the sight of the planet hanging in the sky above.

It was a humbling sight.

Pale blue with streaks of white bands, the planet, Saffre had told him it was called Archimedes V, dominated the sky above with rings that stretched below the horizon.

Roman had never been terribly interested in astronomy; the shattered moon above Remnant had always just been one of those things that he accepted. He didn't have the luxury to waste his time wondering about the stars above when it took most of his effort growing up to not die. Like gravity, he never wondered or asked about gravity because it was always just something that was. It didn't matter whether he understood it or not.

Taking a particularly long drag on his cigar, allowing the familiar taste and smoke to fill his lungs, Roman silently admitted something to himself. He felt fear. The planet above... it was incomprehensible to him. The way it hung in the early morning sky made it feel as if it would at any moment come crashing down on top of them. And that there would be nothing he could do about it. The thought bothered him.

Then there was her.

"Saffre... are you even human?"

Over the month he had known the girl Roman had been able to get a sense of what she was thinking. She gave him a look that told him he had asked a strange question.

"Of course not," she said.

Roman couldn't help but smile at her earnest answer. 'At least that helps explain things.'

Exhaling smoke Roman knew what he wanted to talk about. "Then what are you?"

Neo slowly poked Saffre in the face, which she ignored. "Starborn."

"Elaborate."

Saffre furrowed her brow at his command. As she looked down at the table between them she gently grabbed the hand Neo had been poking her with.

Neo tilted her head, but silently waited for her response.

"Below, did you see the piece of metal embedded in the stone wall?" She asked, looking back up.

Roman made a note of how she was still holding Neo's hand.

"The robot had called it 'Artifact Sigma'," he said.

Saffre gave a nod. "Correct. There are twenty-four Artifacts in each universe. Collect them all and anyone can get access to a place called The Unity where they can be reborn as Starborn."

He let out a chuckle at her answer. "That wasn't what I meant. I was asking what it meant to be Starborn, not the mechanics."

"Oh." Saffre looked back down at the table again deep in thought. "That is a more personal question. I don't think I can give you an objective answer."

"Then tell me what it means to you."

Saffre looked up at Roman again, this time her eyes were focused. Roman stared deep into her royal blue eyes as she brushed a stray lock of deep blue hair from her face. "To me? In my experience, being Starborn means you must find your own truth."