Thank you for waiting.

Chapter Five

It had been hours since the others had gone to sleep, but Flor just couldn't. There were far too many things going through her head. She was up, sitting in the kitchen, staring out one of the windows into the city. Above her in the sky were so many little worlds, strung together with rings and tracks and stars. The house was separated from the rest of the city of Sakuranoka by an enormous, glassy lake which reflected the sky like a mirror, save for the rippling of fishing boats. The wind coming in from the window was cool and crisp, and it reminded her of the way ice cream tasted. She couldn't think of a better place to be alone with her thoughts.

Just then, Ryo wandered into the kitchen. He wasn't wearing anything but a pair of shorts and didn't seem to particularly care. He grabbed the fridge handle, opened it up, and stole a beer.

"Hey... Flor," he said, his voice like a dull drone, "If anyone asks, I'm going outside."

She blinked. " but are we not forced to stay within so many feet of you ? "

He thought for a moment. "Yeah. One second." He flipped his hand similarly to the way Yenri did to pull out her card, and surely enough, a card appeared. He unfolded it into a sheet of paper. A pencil appeared in his hand, and he marked down a few notes. "There. Disabled for a day."

He turned to leave, but before he made any progress, he stopped. "Flor."

She was mildly nervous. " yes , ryo-schi ? "

"Do you like blue?"

Flor thought for a moment. She loved every color she had seen so far, but blue did seem to be the one that brought her the most joy. " blue , " she replied, " a light shade of blue , that is my favorite color . "

"What'd you do if the sky were that color?"

She blinked. She couldn't even imagine a bright blue sky. " i would like to see that . "

"Me too." And with that, he left.

Flor went back to looking at the sky. A minute or so went by, the house bathed in silence. She couldn't imagine a better way to relax after an exciting day then to enjoy her own existence.

But the lake in view from the window was not alone for long. Like a thunderstorm, a dragon came flying over the house and out towards the lake. It was solid white, save for a red underbelly and spikes down its back. It was likely as big around as the transportation tubes and the length of a road. It flew like a kite, swimming above the waters effortlessly. Flor's mouth dropped, and she watched in amazement. It was as if it were dancing. She couldn't quite see its eyes, as they were likely far too small, but its scales were the size of plates. Far away, it let out a roar as it spun itself around the clouds - but it wasn't a frightening roar, it was soft, like the rumble of thunder very, very far away. She watched it dance in the air and knew she would have to tell her friends once the morning came.

. . .

Flor woke up from a dreamless sleep on the couch, her face poking out from a nest-of-sorts she had created for herself. Yenri was right there, smiling down at her. "Today's the day, Fu-chyeo."

She smiled and got up. Something good was coming from the kitchen. She stepped into it cautiously and caught Joe, making the final preparations on a complete breakfast. Ryo was already sitting down, eating an entire boiled egg whole.

When Yenri, Joe, and Flor sat down, they decided to formally begin the meal. "Puhebb'ming." Joe decided to stare down Ryo, who had already finished half of his plate.

"We're playing this evening, so that gives us today to practice," reminded Yenri. She also gave Ryo strong eye contact. "We should be good during practice, correct?"