sunkissed, worldless

04

"She was nice," Olivia remarks. Translated; did you think I was friendly enough?

They go around in circles for a few minutes before Adele could remember where she last saw the media store in ruins, nevermind the year between the archives.

"You barely said a word." Adele glances at her, pointedly, who tries to swivel out of sight.

"Hey," she starts defensively, puffs out her cheeks then grumbles, "I tried."

Adele laughs. "It's fine, I saw that."

The door is locked when they get there which gets a sigh of relief, but neither of them really wants to throw a rock at the window and crash through the wall of televisions, dead but still on its podium. Suppose it's a sense of preservation that these ghost streets would still look pretty before they're completely erased.

Olivia, the one with the less sturdier sneakers between the two (only if Olivia's wearing her Dr. Martens), steps up and kicks it like they do in crime shows.

"Don't break your ankle," she offers, five feet away holding Olivia's bag for her. She hangs her thumbs on the pockets of her comfy plaid sweatpants.

A small breeze peels away one of the many stray wrappers from the pavement, before it gets stuck on the corner of the place that sold out its water filtration systems.

Olivia huffs, puts some distance from the door. "I know what I'm doing."

"No you don't."

She preps her stance, dubious, mutters under her breath, "Try me."

Olivia gets it on the second try when she aims closer to the handle, almost slips and falls forward when it pushes through. The door frame cracks loudly bend off its hinges, Adele thought it might collapse from decay but the cement and bricks hold its breath.

Chipped paint and dust settles into their dramatic entrance. Olivia nudges her, when she approaches the handiwork, with a puffed chest and smugness tugging on her cheeks.

Adele rolls her eyes and steps inside onto the carpeted floors, coughs immediately.

She glances at the ceiling warily as Olivia trudges deeper. There's only moss and the sound of mice, but no leaning cracks running down the walls, where she could see the strain.

"When's the last time you ever used a phone?"

Never. Landlines were the only thing she remembered as a child, turning dials. She doesn't know anyone who even owns one of those, it never got its chance to be in with the crowd.

It's basically ancient technology now, Adele wouldn't be surprised if it'll be in museums after a couple generations.

Olivia ducks behind the counters and examined the cell phone's antenna, pulls it back and releases. From the look on her face, she didn't expect it to break and it sends the short end flying. They both wince when it lands, but Olivia looks particularly stunned as if there'd still be employees there to glare and make them pay for the damages.

"Yeah, I don't miss that." Adele muses, ignoring the site of the antenna from across the room.

Olivia puts it down, slowly raises her hands and walks away.

The camera section is next to it where Kodak is more prominently advertised, Adele doesn't touch any of the surfaces, unlike Olivia who brushes her hands through the shelves while she peruses.

She perks up like she spots something and runs up to it. "Found it!"

Adele follows in her tracks. She twirls out of the sling strap, Olivia grabs handfuls of them at a time and loads it to the brim, between the perfume. She even brought a can of aerosol spray paint and she stops herself from asking incredulously about her light packing.