Robin: by Robin

((The following is accessible documentation of Robin's recorded experiences. Anyone who has access to StarNet can find this and read it.))​

"The Floran"​

Luis and I were sitting at the Refract Valley civic center. Just getting something to eat. You know how that goes. Then, out of nowhere, this Floran comes up to us. And by comes up to us I mean it gets real up close to us. Like invading our personal space level of getting up close to us. It kind of just rested its head on my shoulder and started saying "hi". I said hi back. It said hi again. Luis was laughing, as he always does. I moved further down to get some space between me and the Floran but the Floran moved right up next to me again. I asked if I could help it with anything but it just kept saying hello to me. Then, it started asking me for food. Just about whispering for it in my ear. Luis just sat across the table from me, laughing hysterically at the whole situation. Finally, I had had enough. I pointed at Luis and told the Floran he had tons of food. The Floran darted over to Luis. It probed at him for a good ten minutes until our food finally arrived. I had a burger. Luis had a chicken sandwich. Or, rather, he would have had a chicken sandwich if the Floran hadn't gotten to it first. Devoured the thing almost instantly. Luis just kept laughing. I'm pretty sure you could punch the guy in the face and he'd just laugh it off. Once the food was gone, the Floran mumbled something, grabbed Luis's hand, and ran off with him. I would have interfered but I was talking to someone who came up to the table asking for directions. All I could see was the two of them running off to the teleporter and beaming up to Luis's ship together. I found out later it was a girl Floran. I checked in on Luis to make sure he was okay. He said that everything was fine and I had to leave soon after that. Maybe I should keep Luis away from plants, in the future.

 

"Drunken Dreams"​

I was at the Taproot Tavern on Fernbrook after hearing some bad news. It was one of those nights where you just want to drink a lot and forget all the shit that's going down. I had maybe three beers before time jumped forward and it became six beers and three shots of Polish vodka. Then, I had some more. I forget exactly how much. It was a real heavy night. When I woke up, I was on Luis's ship, I was missing my PDA, there was piss in my pants, and I had a hangover that felt like someone slammed my head in a door. The fact that I had hit my head hard the day before didn't help with that either. Regardless, I started seeing things, soon after that. I saw my friend, Benjamin. He was a centaur, though. There was also this angel that came down and started talking to me. She reminded me of a lot of people but she was someone that I had never seen before. She was perfect looking. There was a mermaid too with huge boobs but she was too busy talking to the Benjamin centaur for me to get a good look at her. I wasn't scared like you would think. I was actually really calm about the whole thing. It was like a weird fever dream but a good one, if that makes sense. I don't know if someone slipped something in that vodka I was drinking or what but I had never had a dream like that before. The angel asked me if I wanted to meet God. I said sure but there wasn't enough room in the elevator for me while the mermaid, the centaur, and the angel were in there. The fucking centaur was taking up all the room. So I just stayed behind and waved. The elevator doors closed and they left. I sat at Luis's desk for a few minutes, hoping they'd come back but they never did. I left, after that, and took a shower. I thought about it for a good long while. I might have had the first Ancient Greek/Roman Catholic religious experience.

 

"Interviewed"​

So, a while back, I submitted a request for habitation and employment on Refract Valley. I had been staying there for a while with Luis and he thought it was a good idea that I move in and get a job there. I had to fill out a few application forms on StarNet asking about things like my previous jobs and my relationship status. The person who read it over, once I sent it in, Raybina, said I could come down for an interview at my next convenience. Three or so days later, I was sitting on the ground floor of the Refract Valley civic center. I was just thinking about things and minding my own business. I looked and felt like shit. One of the waitresses from the restaurant on the floor above said someone upstairs wanted to see me. I went up to see who it was. When I got there, I saw this regal-looking Avian with stainless white feathers. I had never seen a bird like that before. She was far different from the usual gritty ones I had come into contact with. She offered me food and something to drink immediately and said I should sit down. I did but I told her I didn't want anything, still suspicious about the whole situation. I asked who she was. It was Raybina. The same Raybina who approved my applications. So there I was; sitting at a table across from royalty looking like shit. I had forgotten she was supposed to interview me, that day.
First thing she told me, when the interview started, was that she was impressed by me. She said I was much more honest than the usual people she interviews. I tried to remember what I put down on those forms that she would be referencing. Then I remembered one of the sections I had to fill out was "Criminal History". I started to panic. I had put down that I was charged with two serious felonies; arson and assault. (I left out the infractions and misdemeanors like public nudity, urination, intoxication... things like that.) I tried to explain myself to her, telling her that they were basically "pranks that had gone wrong". With the arson, I was just trying to trick my neighbors into thinking there was a fire. It ended up becoming a little too real when my whole apartment went up in smoke. The firemen came and put it out rather quickly and there was no serious damage but I still did set my own apartment on fire and I had to talk to a counselor once a week for a while after that. With the assault, Benjamin and I were at a cafe when we saw a rather rude gentleman in a suit being mean to the coworkers he was there with. We figured we'd teach him a lesson. We got a large roman candle and lit it and placed it under the man's chair. It exploded. He jumped and hit the ground hard. He found us soon after and we got into a fight. Raybina just laughed, once I finished. She seemed very motherly and simply said that she hoped I had learned from those experiences. I told her that I had grown a lot, since then. She was very understanding. Soon after, the interview was over. I was assigned a temporary room in the civic center and was hired to be the new librarian. Luis came up and sat down with us just in time for the two of us to be told by Raybina we'd be sharing a house, in the future. We were both pretty happy. To conclude the whole thing, Raybina said "Robin, I'm going to have to be a little rude to you, for a moment." I looked at her in confusion. She took a deep breath and started scolding me for wearing what I wore to the interview in a loud, harsh voice. I was completely taken off guard but I kind of knew it was coming. Luis fell out of his chair laughing. I gave him a swift kick to shut him up. I closed the door on him, when we both went up to check my new apartment, after that.

 

"Glitches"
​

I was on Refract Valley again. The civic center was rather crowded, that day, so I went out to the park. I had to message someone about something on my PDA. Kind of an urgent matter, I guess. I needed some peace and quiet and I figured that the park would be as good a place as any, since no one ever goes there. I sat down on a bench and started messaging the person. It was a long conversation. I was so invested in it, I didn't even realize the Glitch that was standing next to me. He said something along the lines of "You might want to put that device away and enjoy nature." I was confused about what he was getting at. He was very tall and jet black. I asked him what he meant by that. "Electronics take away from the scenery.", he said. "Enjoy it." That came as a surprise to me. He was telling me to put away my electronics when he himself was indeed electronic. He seemed really enthusiastic about nature, for whatever reason. I did put away my device, for a bit, and stare out at the trees and the rivers and the mountains with him but, after a while, I got tired of it and just went back into the civic center to get away from him. Before that, I asked him if he knew Cogquill. I don't know much about Glitches or how well associated they all are to each other but, if he did know Cogquill, I thought I might get the chance to finally thank him. The black Glitch said he didn't, though, in an overly sarcastic way.
Cogquill was a Glitch I met on Fernbrook right outside Taproot Tavern. It was the first time I had ever seen a humanoid robot thing so I kind of freaked out and got real excited, once we started talking and having a good conversation. It was as if I was in an old sci-fi movie. I told him about my financial troubles and he helped me find work and a place to stay. He did it without telling me, though. I guess he was contacting someone while we were talking and arranged a meet-up. We walked to the nearby park together and met Luis. I didn't know Luis, back then, so I got confused when Cogquill tried to hand me off to a stranger. To make things more suspicious, they started joking around, saying things like "How much is he worth?" to which Luis replied "For him? About twenty-thousand." I almost pulled out my pistol and blew Luis's head off. I hate not being in on a joke. That's how I got to Refract Valley, though, so I guess I do owe one to Luis and, if I ever see him again, Cogquill. Maybe I'll tell Luis how close he came to death that day. I'm a paranoid mess, I know.

 

"Koshka"
​

Fernbrook again. Taproot Tavern. I need to find new places to go to, I know. This night, however, it was packed. Nearly every seat in there was taken. I managed to find an open seat at the bar. I was feeling lonely and kind of out of place so I thought I'd head down there to make some friends and maybe look at girls. Sure enough, someone took interest in me, the moment I sat down. It was an Avian. Another pure white one. She looked really nice, wearing a bomber jacket and goggles above her eyes. I don't have anything against Avians but not too many of them have been kind to me, in the past. It was nice to have one actually talk to me in a pleasant way and show some interest. We started talking about my one-man band and really hit it off. She was telling me her own story when Koshka walked in. She passed us by to talk to someone sitting by the fireplace. The Avian said hello to her. I covered my face with my hat and just kind of waved awkwardly. I was real intimidated of Koshka, ever since I found out who she was.
I first met her there at the tavern. She was with a friend of hers and was the only person there that would talk to me. It was the very first day I had arrived at Fernbrook Field and about a week or so after getting to The Fringe. I was desperate for money so I was selling all the shit that was left over on the ship Benjamin and I took from the Colony. One of the objects was this really old vintage spaceman suit. I thought it would be worth tens of thousands. Koshka talked me into selling it to her for four-hundred. The next encounter we had, I was responding to a distress signal from some scientist whose place was getting overrun by lizards or something. I thought I could handle it alone, thinking it would just be a simple pick-up and drop-off mission. I didn't think the lizards would be seven times my size, when I got there. Koshka responded to the call too, along with every other mercenary and marine with access to a radio. She gave me a pistol and kept me safe, while we were going through that shithole. The guy who sent out the distress call didn't make it out alive but, after an hour or two of shooting giant lizards, we did. I'm still kind of scarred by the bodies I saw but it was a memorable experience, to say the least. It put Koshka under a new light, for sure. Up until then, I thought she was this innocent girl who did shady deals with strangers in her spare time. Since that day, I was admittedly afraid of the girl. I didn't know she was capable of doing the things she did and I certainly didn't want to get on her bad side.
Koshka came over, a little later, and sat in the seat to my right while the Avian girl and I were still talking. I tensed up and the Avian noticed. "You two know each other?", the Avain asked. "We did business together, once.", Koshka said. "Yeah, we also did a job together.", I added. It couldn't have sounded more suspicious. Koshka and I finally made eye-contact. "By the way, there's a thing I need to talk to you about, after this.", I said. By that point, the Avian was nearly ready to scream out for help, I bet. Koshka said she would talk to me once I was finished with my conversation with the Avian girl. She stood over by the fish tank at the door while I turned back to the Avian. It didn't take long for her to make some excuse as to why she had to leave and get up from the bar to go. I tried to explain to her that it wasn't what it sounded like but she just said that the whole encounter had kind of killed the mood. All I could say was sorry. She left the tavern and I was alone. Again. Koshka came back and apologized for it, having overheard what happened. I said it was fine. We got a table upstairs, afterwards. The conversation we had started off very serious. We changed the subject, after a while, and it actually turned out to be a nice talk. We moved out to the park right by the building with the teleporter in it. Koshka sat on the steps and I leaned against the bulletin board as we talked some more. We talked about love interests, right from wrong, where we both came from, and I actually had a really good time. I revealed stuff to her that I hadn't told anyone else. I learned a lot about her too. By the end of it all, I wasn't afraid of Koshka anymore. I'd actually like to think we became friends. In light of everything that's happened, since I arrived here, this was one of my better days.

 

"Good Times"
​

Last night was a very good night. It started out in the park on Fernbrook. I was thinking I'd go there to practice some of the new songs I'd been writing. When I got there, I saw there was a fight going on between some Glitch I had seen at the tavern the other day and a human who wore a track suit and spoke in broken English. They were really going at it, throwing punches and lunging at each other and attracting a rather large crowd. Someone ran up to me and asked me to do something. I don't know why she thought I could do anything but, reluctantly, I agreed to step in. Soon after, the fight was over. The two went their separate ways and the crowd dispersed. Then, it was just me and the girl who asked me to stop the fight. She looked really good and had bright red hair. We talked for a bit and I invited her to come to the tavern with me. Luis and I were supposed to meet there for drinks with a couple of other folks from StarNet, an hour from then. I asked if she wanted to tag along. She said she would. We got there and sat down at the bar together next to some weird Novakid. It started off fine, between us, but, after a short while, she said she wanted to go check on something and got up to leave. I let her go, thinking nothing of it. After twenty minutes or so, she still hadn't returned. I figured I might have been stood-up. Either way, I didn't want to be there anymore. I asked Luis and the other guys if we could change the location of our little get-together.
Not long after that, we found ourselves on The Berg. I usually just go there to buy groceries, since there's never anyone around, but we figured we'd get some service at the local bar there. It was Luis, some short guy who smiled a lot, a woman who spoke in a weird accent and had long hair, and myself. It was also cold enough to freeze your ass off, if you weren't careful. I was in a bad mood, at first, after what had happened earlier. I started feeling better, once we arrived. There was a grand piano on the top floor of the bar. I played them a couple songs. They seemed to enjoy it. They all got drinks and I had a good talk with the short guy. I found out he was a lot like me; not having a job, short on cash, and just hanging out in his room most of the time. One of Luis's other friends showed up too. He sat with us, once it was time for the woman to leave. Even Luis's Floran, Venus, showed up. That kind of made Luis uncomfortable but I figured it would be fine. More and more people came and went, as the night went on. Another hour passed before someone I recognized walked in. We were all talking upstairs at the tables when I saw her. It was the girl with the red hair. The one that stood me up at Fernbrook. For a moment, I thought she had tracked me down to apologize to me. Instead, she just ran over to Luis's friend. I was shocked. She completely looked me over and ignored me to be with this other guy. The two of them immediately started hugging and talking to each other. I had seen enough. I went downstairs and told Luis I was leaving before I made my way out of there.
I sat by the teleporter with my PDA. Half an hour went by, just about, until I heard a voice behind me. "Hey.", said the girl with the red hair. I looked back to make sure it was her. I was mad as hell and I was about to let her know it. I told her that she shouldn't be doing that, bailing on people without saying anything. She looked at me with a confused stare and asked what I was talking about. I gave her details to try to spark her memory, starting to become a little confused myself. Had she really forgotten about it already? Finally, it hit her. "It wasn't by choice.", she said. I guess something important just came up that made her have to leave. Even if it wasn't true, it was convincing enough for me. I apologized for making the accusation. I was still bothered by the fact she was hugging and talking to Luis's friend but she told me later he was just an old teacher of hers she wanted to get reacquainted with. That was a huge relief. She smiled at me and we shook hands. Her name was Dawn. I suggested we try going somewhere together again but then I remembered Luis. I figured he would have his hands full with Venus and he would probably need my help with her. I told Dawn and she said she wanted to tag along. So we both went back to the place. Everyone had left but Luis. He was sitting at the bar, probably getting real friendly with the bartender. He had already told us what he thought of the waitress there, earlier. Anyway, I introduced him to Dawn and he kind of just sat there drinking some whiskey. I hadn't seen Luis drunk before but he was a total lightweight. He seemed really upset too. I guess something bad had happened between him and Venus. "Are you okay, Luis?", I started to say. "Let's just go back upstairs and sit down. We'll have a good time. Come on." Luis looked at me and I could see just how bothered he was. Regardless, he agreed. We got a table and talked about hunting, music, and other things. We told jokes and had a good time, like I said we would. Dawn was laughing and smiling, throughout the entirety of it. What a babe. I was completely sold on her. When it was over, I said goodbye to Dawn and she hugged me, saying we should see each other again. I'm really hoping we do. I would have stayed with her longer but I needed to take care of Luis. It was about time I returned the favor and brought him back to his ship while he was black-out drunk. He teased me about Dawn the entire way back and I kind of just put up with it. He finally got home and started bothering people on StarNet, in his drunken state. I watched the whole thing and just laughed to myself. It was a very good night. Weird things happen but life is fantastic, sometimes.

 

"The Secret to Songwriting"
​

Here's a quick one. When Kleio got hurt on Coldwell and I took her to the hospital for the second time since I had known her, I wrote a song. When I kissed her on her ship, a few days later, and she didn't know what it meant, I wrote a song. When I passed out on the floor of that bar and woke up seeing angels and mermaids, I wrote a song. When I got back from my official "first date" with Dawn and she kissed me and told me there'd be another date soon, I wrote a song. Every time I tried to write a song, before or after those events, I couldn't do it. I'd get frustrated with myself for not being able to do it. I should be able to, right? There's got to be something more to this that I'm not getting.
I've always wondered to myself; what's the secret to songwriting? I, normally, dread the question. Now, I think I finally have a decent enough answer for it. At first, I thought it was just drink a lot and do drugs. Then, I thought it was just get a girl involved, for better or worse. I was starting to get on the right track but, whatever the case was, I ended up arriving upon a better answer for that question. I would have to say the secret to songwriting is this: Be alive.
It's going to sound stupid, when you first think about it, but take a few things into consideration. I had either hit a new high or a new low, when those things happened to me. I got inspired. I felt something. I wanted to express it. Poets do the same thing, even though they're kind of lame. They have material and experiences to back them up. Since I've been writing these stories, I've come to realize my life is a bit more interesting than I initially thought. When there's a party, I go. When there's conflict, I get involved. When someone needs help or offers to help me, I go with the flow, so to speak. So that's what I have to say to anyone who reads this. Go through life just being alive, going on little adventures and having story-worthy experiences. If you're a songwriter, never force yourself to do anything. It'll all come to you and work out, in the end.
...
I know, it's sad and sappy. Fuck you.

 

"There's Nothing Wrong With Love"
​

But I want no part of it. I can't do it, right now. I just can't. I'm freaking out. What if I die or get horribly injured or something and she gets heartbroken? Or what if she dies or gets horrible injured and I get heartbroken? It's happened before. That's bad too. I don't know what I'm going to say to her or what I'm going to do or why the fuck I haven't gotten drunk or even buzzed in like a week. This was a terrible time to stop drinking.
When I was still on the Colony, Benjamin and I went to this party at a bar to pick up girls. I went home with one, later that night, and we started necking in her room. Then, she wanted me to pinch her arm. I started doing it and she liked it. She really liked it. Then, we moved to the bathroom and she had these cuffs and restraints hanging on the wall and she wanted me to hook her up to them. I did so, reluctantly. I pinched her some more but, when she got tired of that, she wanted me to do some really fucked up shit to her. It was too much. I bailed. I just left her hanging on the wall. She had her eyes closed and I just walked out of the bathroom and left her place. She might still be there, for all I know. I don't think this girl is like that but what if I find out something really bad about her that I don't like and it becomes a case of no way out because I already said I loved her? It's too soon. It'll never be the right time. This is a cruel universe and it's too dangerous to get attached to people. I couldn't say it back, even if I wanted to. Why am I so fucking paranoid about everything? This isn't even a story anymore. It's just me having a nervous breakdown.
Okay, here's a story. One time, Benjamin and I took a forty minute long walk to the rural district just to push over livestock because Benjamin read an article about "cow tipping". We did it once and then walked back to the city and I had a good time. I don't care if that story sucked. That's all I'm giving you.

 

"The Prank"
​

I have since calmed down and seen the error of my ways and will now tell an actual story.
I was in the library at the Refract Valley civic center. There weren't too many people around but it was a slow day. I had just started out as the new librarian. My shift was ending. I hopped on my PDA and started messaging people over StarNet. I won't say his name but a friend I had made not too long ago was on. I invited him to come down and hang out. He refused. He said Refract Valley was too "goody-goody" and "bright" for him. "We could start some shit.", I suggested. Then, he got interested. We started coming up with ideas for what to do. "We could pretend to have a fist fight and attract a crowd.", I offered. He wanted to take it a big step further, the whole "crowd" thing giving him an idea. He suggested we throw a fake grenade at a group of people. He said he'd done it multiple times. "Does it work?", I asked. "As long as I run fast enough.", he replied. I figured he wasn't really going to do it. It seemed like a bad idea, even to me. But, for whatever reason, I gave him the go ahead to bring the thing down to the library. He came, soon after, his pocket stuffed with the toy. He showed it to me. It looked very real. I got up from my seat and headed out of the library. I saw two Avians who looked exactly the same talking to each other by the big dining table between the kitchen and the library. They were asking for it. Still, I didn't think the guy was actually going to do anything. I told him to throw it at them, thinking he'd cave. He asked me if I was sure. I had a date planned and didn't really have time to find a better crowd so I just confirmed he should throw it at them. Then, he did the unthinkable. He shrugged, pulled the pin out of the toy, shouted "Grenade!" as loud as he could, and lobbed the thing at the birds. I wasn't given any warning whatsoever. I bolted down the staircase and out the exit door, not even looking back to see how they reacted. When I got out the door, I waited for my friend. He came out, soon after, running away from the civic center. I ran after him. We hid behind someone's house and he told me that one of the birds had been brave enough to actually dive onto the fake grenade. We had gotten away with it. I was out of breath but I went to give him a high-five. It felt good. It felt just like old times with Benjamin again. I missed that feeling. I walked back home and the other guy stuck around, for some reason. There were complains that someone had drawn on the windows of a local school on Refract Valley, that day. Luis told me about it over StarNet, not long after I got back. I wonder if that was my friend. Some people need a lot, to get their fix.

 

"Kleio"
​

The first thing I'll say about Kleio is that she's too kind. Not to a point where she'd do anything for someone she barely knows but kind enough so that people can take advantage of her. Not all that long ago, she got into a bad situation with this Apex scumbag. She had somehow angered or inconvenienced him in some minor way. He demanded compensation. Kleio was willing to give it to him. He wanted somewhere between twenty and thirty-thousand. I can't remember exactly how much but it was an unreasonably high number. The tragic thing is, if she had it, Kleio would have given it to that asshole. However, she didn't. So the guy got angry and hit her so hard she nearly lost an eye. I was there when it happened. I remember sitting in the tavern on Fernbrook and hearing the loud thud. When they found them, the bystanders simultaneously started carrying Kleio off some place to get help and beating the shit out of the guy that hit her. I would have joined in, had I known her as well as I do now. Before we became close friends, she let me borrow her PDA. While I was using it, she left for a moment to do something else, not paying any attention to the complete stranger she just handed her expensive device off to. I could have run off with it. I definitely thought about it. The opportunity just jumped right at me. I didn't, though. I'm happy I didn't too because, three weeks later or so, Kleio bought me my own. She did it because she felt guilty over a mistake. A mistake I made. I have never meet anyone as generous as her, to this day.
Another thing I'll say is Kleio will believe anything anyone tells her, just about. That asshole who punched her somehow got in contact with her again, after he had all his teeth kicked in at the tavern. Kleio wanted to, again, make things right by him. So he told her that she should go to the outskirts of the Coldwell outpost to retrieve something for him. Kleio went there, ignoring all the signs of danger and sneaking around an electric gate because he told her it would be safe. She got attacked by something in the jungle. I never saw what it was but I arrived in time to see her limping away for her life, fear in her eyes, acid burning her back. I jumped in the ocean with her in my arms to get the acid off or neutralize it or whatever. I took her to the hospital, after that. I don't know if she'll ever fully heal. Before that, Kleio once found a bug, while she was working on Caelestis Station at a cafe, and put it in a jar. Someone told her that it was a bug that could only survive in water. Gullible as she was, she listened and drowned the thing by filling the jar with water. I met her there, not long after, and saw the submerged bug. "Who's your friend?", I asked, pointing to the deceased insect in the jar. Kleio was heartbroken. She nearly teared up over it. Kleio cared more about the dead bug than some people care about their families. I was very taken by that.
The last thing about Kleio that I feel should be said is she doesn't learn from her mistakes. She's at a huge disadvantage, not knowing a lot of the things we consider to be common phrases or gestures or even actions. Everyone mocks her for it, calling her dumb and insulting her for the things she says or the questions she asks. I've never done that. When she asked me if I thought she was dumb, I told her she just needed to use better judgement. Even so, she always tries to makes sure everyone is okay. Even those who taunt her behind her back or to her face. If it were me, I'd tell them all to fuck off. I have told them all to fuck off, in the past, for various reasons. Kleio is different. She's always good to people and would never do anything to harm anyone. Eventually, one night, I kissed her for that very reason. She had just given me another gift to show me her appreciation for saving her live, essentially. I was kind of drunk and recent events had left me feeling lonely so I just sort of did it. I didn't think anything of it until I pulled away and she asked me what I did. I tried my best to explain it to her, the next day, but I don't think she was ever interested. Maybe it's better that way. I'm with someone else now and Kleio is starting to walk around again and meet new people. Besides, she'll probably find someone better than me. Someone that'll keep her safe. She deserves it.

 

"Housewarming"
​

So our house finally got built. Luis and I are now homeowners. It came out pretty damn well. I got my own room with a piano in it, upon request. There's a computer on a desk and a large bed as well. I'm very happy with everything Refract Valley has set me up with. However, living with Luis can get a bit... aggravating, let's say. He's always laughing and talking about girls and making dirty jokes. I'm a huge fan of dirty jokes but, when Luis does it, it's rather irritating. One day, Dawn had come over to watch TV with us. It wasn't her first time at the house but she was still somewhat timid, when she was over, usually. She and I were sitting on the couch together in the living room and Luis sat in an armchair beside us. He was cracking up at everything and just couldn't have been in a better mood. I couldn't stand it. He went upstairs to take a piss and Dawn and I got some time to ourselves. "We need to do something to ruin his day.", I quickly stated. "He's too happy." Dawn, of all people, came up with an idea. I got some construction tape from my room that was left over from when the house was being painted. I gave it to Dawn and she ran over to the sink in the kitchen. She taped up the faucet so that it would spray the next person who used it with water. We ran back to the couch and played it cool. When Luis came back down, Dawn handed him an empty water bottle and asked Luis to fill it up for her. I said there were none left in the fridge so Luis would have to use the sink in the kitchen. He agreed and walked over to the kitchen with the bottle, turned the faucet on, and got blasted. Dawn started laughing hysterically. I just sat there and smiled, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek for a job well done. Luis didn't say anything, after he turned the water off, and just stood there for a moment. His clothes were soaked. Finally, he just turned to the door and walked out of the house. Neither of us expected that. Dawn started to get concerned. I figured Luis was going to get his gun so he could come back and shoot the both of us. He didn't have a gun, when he finally did come back. He had a different weapon.
Luis entered the house, fifteen or twenty minutes later. Venus was right behind him. Luis told Venus, "If you sit on the couch right between Robin and Dawn, you'll have the best seat in the house to watch TV." She skipped over to the couch and pushed us apart, planting herself right in the middle of us. To think, Luis would use the Floran that followed him around everywhere as a tool. The ingenuity. I didn't mind it so much but I'd be damned if I was about to let Luis get a step ahead of me. So, while he was watching TV from his armchair with a shit-eating grin on his face, I told Venus I had a special gift for her. "Venus, don't ever listen to anything Robin says.", Luis quickly demanded, turning around in his seat. Venus turned to me anyway, eyes wide. I pulled my key to the house out of my pocket and held it out for her to take, saying that she could now come and visit Luis whenever she wanted. She picked it up and I told her which room belonged to him. I sat back, arms crossed and smiling, while Venus pocketed the key. Luis and I had an intense staredown. I broke away to look at Venus and, in addition, I told her she'd be able to tell it was Luis's room because of the dolls he had on display. Luis collected these tiny dolls and kept them on little shelves he had bolted into the walls of his room. I thought it was the cutest thing. Venus, apparently, didn't know what a doll was. After Luis did his best to explain it, she started poking Dawn, who had been sitting beside her completely motionless, and asked if she was a doll. "Venus, stop touching my girlfriend.", I said to her. She replied by saying, "Venus is Master's girlfriend!", pointing at Luis from her seat on the couch. My smile returned. Luis hated that. He immediately got very cross and started denying her claim. The two of them started bickering, for a bit. Finally, Dawn spoke up, trying to explain to Venus that Luis was indeed not her boyfriend. Suddenly, she got very upset. She picked Dawn up and threw her off the couch. She landed on her feet but I was still angry. I stood up and started yelling at Luis to get the situation under control before Venus could hurt anyone. He told Venus to behave herself but, since we were both already up, we figured we'd just go. The two of us walked out of the room and upstairs into mine. I felt defeated.
After we talked for a few minutes, Dawn told me she wanted to leave. I agreed to walk her home. We left the house, not even acknowledging Luis, on the way out, and made our way to the center of the Valley. We both said goodbye and she beamed up to her ship. I was rather pissed, walking back. I kept thinking of ways to deliver the final blow to Luis. Something that would bring me so far ahead of him he wouldn't possibly be able to retaliate. When I got back to the house, the opportunity presented itself. I went inside and saw that Venus was by herself, watching TV in the living room still. She looked lifeless, her body spread out over the entire couch. I walked up to make sure she hadn't died or anything. Then, from behind me, Luis appeared, running down the stairs and out the door as fast as he could. He didn't even stop to say anything. He was just gone. I walked upstairs to see if I could find out why he left in such a hurry. I never did learn why but I soon noticed he left the door to his room open. That was my chance. I ran into the room and started pulling the dolls off the shelf above his bed. I managed to fit four of them in my arms and ran back to Venus on the ground floor. She was still watching the TV when I dropped the dolls on the couch beside her. I asked her if she wanted to know how to get Luis to give her a kiss. That got her attention rather quickly. "You have to take these dolls and keep them somewhere safe. Somewhere hidden so that Luis can't find them. When he asks about it, tell him you won't give them back until he kisses you." She stared at me for a moment before picking up the dolls and leaving the house. I smiled, following her out as she ran off to beam to her ship. I crossed my arms and started leaning against the house. I figured I had won. I was about to head back in and celebrate but I heard my name get called out, before I could open the door. A man started approaching me. It was Luis's friend, Dawn's old teacher that was with us while we were at that bar on The Berg. I don't know how he found me but he said he wanted to talk. We did. I got some really bad news from him. It put me in an awful mood for the rest of the day. I didn't even go back into the house, after hearing it. I stayed on my ship, too bothered to confront Luis about what I had done. I don't think he's noticed that his dolls are missing yet. If he asks, I'll say what happened and promise to get him something to make it up to him. He's been good to me, since we met, and maybe I took things too far. He's the reason why I get to live in the house in the first place. The least I could do is not torture the guy. After I get a new key, I'll try to make it up to him, somehow.

 

"The Dress"
​

I changed my mind. Fuck Luis.
I went to a party at this bar with Lane, Dawn, Koshka, and some other folks I didn't know, two days after all that went down. Luis messaged me, while I was there, saying he was going to kill me for what I'd done. I didn't think the guy was actually going to attempt to end my life. I thought it was an exaggeration. I was still feeling really bad and just got done talking to Dawn about the bad news we had received the other day. She left the party early and I was left feeling alone. I just wanted to make someone happy, after that. It was a horrible feeling I wanted to get rid of. I messaged Luis where I was and said he should come down to "shoot my brain", as I so eloquently put it. He told me to wait there and I did. I told Lane to grab me one more drink, claiming I was "not long for this world", as the saying goes. I set my backpack down by the chair I was sitting in and sighed as Lane brought me some drink he didn't tell me the name of. I didn't even bother to ask for it, not that it mattered. I drank it anyway. It tasted awful. I downed the whole thing by the time Luis got there. He came through the door with Venus behind him. I raised my empty glass to him, signaling where I was in that crowded bar. He approached and started talking shit. He asked if I was ready to die. I got out of my seat, already feeling off balance, and told him that I'd let him have the first hit for free. I knew I had done a bad thing and just wanted to make it up to the guy, at that point. I couldn't handle feeling like that. The two of us both walked upstairs to where the tables were situated. At the top of the staircase, I asked Luis if he had actually kissed Venus in order to get the dolls back. He said he just kissed her on the cheek. Close enough, I figured. Regardless, I wanted to get it over with. I leaned my head in, ready for it. I expected a punch. The fucker took out his pistol and whacked me over the back of the head with it. I fell to the floor, not even attempting to stop my fall. My face hit the ground hard. I broke my nose. The initial hit also re-opened a scar I had on the back of my head. I just stayed there on the ground for a while. My ears were ringing. My hat even flew off my head, on impact. "You were supposed to just punch me, asshole.", I muttered to him, still rolling around on the floor in pain. I guess he felt bad about it because, after someone came upstairs to examine me, Luis took me to a hospital on Refract Valley. He told the staff that I had fallen, though. He couldn't even admit to anyone what he did. In retrospect, I could have done more to make it so I didn't get that hurt. However, I was distracted and fairly intoxicated. It shouldn't even have happened, to begin with. I got my nose bandaged along with my newly-opened scar and got some painkillers to take. I was ordered to go home and return to bed by both Luis and the doctor that saw me. I listened to neither of them and, instead, headed back to the bar to collect my backpack and hat. Luis followed. He kept behind me all the way back there and we argued while I picked up my stuff. We argued our way through the park and back to the teleporter. Eventually, I made him see that he had done more damage than he thought. He apologized and offered to buy Dawn and I a drink sometime to make up for it. "No. You're not going to see me or Dawn for a while.", I replied. I walked onto the pad, telling him over my shoulder to "enjoy the house". I didn't see him for a while, after that.
A few days later, I was reading some messaging people were sending over StarNet about making dresses. I hadn't left my ship since the argument. I was recovering and still pissed off at Luis, thinking of a way to exact my revenge. Initially, I figured I'd just punch him in the mouth and call it even. Maybe knock out a tooth or something. Part of me didn't want to sink to his level, though. Besides, I didn't want to break my wrist or anything while my nose was still healing. I had never really gotten into a fight before and won. So, instead, I devised a different plan. When everything was set, the day after, I messaged Luis, telling him to return to the house. I guess he was out eating with his friend, Dawn's teacher, and came running back the moment he got it. He opened the door and saw me sitting in his armchair, trying to appear as menacing as possible. He seemed genuinely relieved to see me and started going on about how he was so worried about me because I hadn't talked to him or contacted him in however long it had been. I said nothing but "hello", trying to keep up the act. He asked me if there was anything he could do to make it up to me. "Actually, there is...", I started to say. I told him that, to show there were no hard feelings between the two of us, I got him a present. I went on to say that I left it in the closet in my room and that he should go try it on and come back down. He was grateful, at first, until he went upstairs and found out what it was. In the closet was a red dress displayed on one of the hangers. It was the only thing in there. I had bought it from some cheap store on Caelestis Station. I at least expected him to be a little hesitant about it but the maniac actually put it on and wore it back down the stairs like a model. It fit him just fine too. It was a really beautiful dress. He got a little shocked when he realized I had invited Dawn inside, though. She had come into the house while Luis was up in my room changing. She was sitting at the kitchen table, staring at him and laughing. I got a big smile. I was very amused. It wasn't over yet, though. After we were both done complimenting Luis on how good he looked, I told him to come with me to my ship, saying we had "something important to do". Now, if he didn't follow me out of the house, I was going to threaten to report him to his superiors at the enforcer station for assaulting an innocent man with an issued firearm over a personal grudge. I didn't even have to do that, though. The three of us walked through Refract Valley together, from the house to the teleporter, all while Luis was wearing the dress. It was really something to see. I was beginning to think it was actually making him happy. Then, when we got to the destination, Luis and I beamed to my ship. I set up my device on a table and had a picture taken of us, the moment we were on board. Me with my broken nose and Luis wearing his new red dress. He looked less than thrilled to be in the picture but I was ecstatic. It turned out to be quite a good shot. Again, I didn't even have to threaten to report him for hitting me. He willingly did it. I asked Luis, afterwards, if he wanted to buy the picture from me before I sent it to his girlfriend, Marta. He did. I made two hundred and fifty pixels off it. With that out of the way, I told Luis to give me the dress back. Luckily, he was wearing briefs. He was smart enough to at least have some article of clothing on underneath. Otherwise, he would have been caught streaking, when I kicked him off the ship and he was left with no where to go but the house. He probably got some strange looks, running through Refract Valley in his underwear. On his way home, I uploaded the picture to StarNet. In the caption, I included Luis's name, location, and StarNet username. And, just like that, all was forgiven. It was almost worth getting my nose broken. I was truthful, though, when I said I wouldn't send the picture to just Marta. I sent it to everyone who has access to StarNet so I don't feel too bad about it. Luis did get a copy of the picture, anyway, like I promised. He said he'd show it to his kids some day and tell them how great of friends the two of us were. I guess he's not wrong.

View attachment 4548

 

"Red Eyes"
​

My eyes get red very frequently. I look in the mirror sometimes and they're all bloodshot and just look like someone stuck a needle in them. It's not allergies, I don't smoke anything, and it sure as hell isn't pink-eye. I don't know what it could be. I never thought about getting it checked by a doctor until recently. I rarely see a doctor for anything. I think the last time, before my incident with Luis, was back home. It might not have even been a doctor I went to see. It might've been a dentist. I can't recall entirely. A friend of mine thinks I'm getting these red eyes because I'm getting sick. My immune system has not adjusted well, since I came to the Fringe. Once, my stomach started acting up, while I was out drinking. I was talking to a friend of mine and, suddenly, I just got the urge to vomit. I told him to give me a moment and he left me alone long enough for me to secretly throw up in the trash can. The only ones who saw were the bartender and maybe Kleio. She was there with me, at the time. Speaking of, it turns out I didn't actually kiss Kleio that one time. I was so drunk that I kind of just assumed I did. She tells me I moved my face real close to hers but we never actually made contact. That must've been awkward for both of us. I should've known better. I don't know why every time I try to get romantic with someone it goes horribly wrong.
Sometimes, I try to get other people involved in romances. For example, I tried to hook up the guy who threw the fake grenade at Refract Valley with a drinking buddy of mine. Don't ask me why I wanted to do that. It was more of an experiment, if anything. I wanted to see how the two of them would react together. Before I arranged the meet-up, I gave each person a brief summary of the other. I was never too good at selling things, though. I kind of made one look like a fat alcoholic and the other look like a scumbag who just goes around beating up anything smaller than he is. When they did finally meet, it couldn't have been more awkward. I told my drinking buddy that grenade guy was gorgeous ahead of time. I don't know why I did that. She was instantly let down. I even had to tell grenade guy to shake hands with her and make an introduction. When they talked, they talked about the weather on like three separate occasions. Grenade guy, at one point, admitted he was severely lacking in social skills. He's never made a truer claim, to this day. I tried to watch them and help where I could but people kept shuffling up to the bar and trying to talk to me. I don't know why I was so popular that day. The worst part of it is, right when it was starting to actually go well, I felt my eyes getting irritated. I started rubbing at them and I could tell they were going red again. I ran up to the second floor, telling the two of them I was headed to the restroom. There was no restroom in that place. The tavern we were at doubles as an inn, though. I was lucky enough to find an unlocked and vacant room. I walked into the bathroom of it and looked in the mirror. It looked like I was bleeding out the eyes. They were so red. There wasn't even a sink in that bathroom so I had to take my shirt off and stick my eyes under the shower head while cold water was running. That's when I determined this is really something I should see a doctor about. My vision is fine and, as far as I can tell, I'm not going blind. It gets blurry sometimes but, when you drink as often as I do, that's to be expected, right? Maybe I just popped a blood vessel. But it happens so often I couldn't even begin to come up with a real explanation. I had to leave, after that. My face was soaked, when I came back downstairs, but my eyes were looking better. I told my drinking buddy and grenade guy I was headed out and they both said goodbye. It seemed like they were finally becoming friends. Grenade guy messaged me on StarNet, not long after, to tell me he got home okay. I asked how it went and he told me she wasn't looking for any sort of relationship yet. I asked if he had at least gotten a way to contact her. "No," he said, "...the night ended when she told me her old boss was shot and killed in my old house." That might have been a detail I forgot to mention about her. My drinking buddy had her old boss killed. It's a story I might go into at a later date. She's not a bad person by any means. She just arranged someone's death once. It's kind of on grenade guy, in a way, too. He hadn't been to that house in months. If he had tended to his property, there wouldn't be a dead body and, according to him, a weird tribal shrine in there. I told him that and even he said I had a fair point. I bet, before he found out about the whole murder thing, he was having a good time with her.
But, yeah. Red eyes. Not so great.

 

"The Skeleton"
​

So I figured I'd just tell the story about that drinking buddy having someone killed since it came to my attention again and I have no other stories to tell.
I've probably seen this person drunk more often than I've seen her sober. She's fun. She likes to just enjoy herself and doesn't care about what other people think. That's a phenomenal trait to have. Don't remember the first time we met all that well but it probably went down like every other time; we went to a bar after talking over StarNet, drank a lot, and argued over who was paying for drinks in our drunken state. She's a lightweight and it becomes very apparent after she has any more than two shots of whiskey or some other hard liquor. Also, she ordered an assassination. She was, supposedly, working for some fucker who would put her through "seven years of hell", as she and I like to call it. Typical dickhead, from what I'd imagine. I wouldn't know, though. I'd never met the guy. Well, I met his corpse, not too long ago. But, yeah, never met him while he was alive. The way it went down, I was told, was she was joking with some complete stranger about him killing her boss. He took it seriously and actually offered to do the job. When it was done, the two of them ran off to live on killer's ship together, doomed to spend the remained of their lives in a one-sided relationship. I told my drinking buddy several times that it was a bad sign and, once he realized she didn't feel the same way back, he would probably break and do something unpredictable. He didn't seem like the sanest person, from what I heard about him, despite being a licensed doctor. Regardless, my drinking buddy stayed with the guy. Not sure why but she's defended herself on multiple occasions and reassures me, at the first sign of trouble, she'll be ready to flee the scene. What I didn't realize, though, which I found out after I introduced my drinking buddy to grenade guy, was that her boss was murdered in grenade guy's old house on Fernbrook Field. I didn't think too much of it, after I first learned, but it would go on to fuck up a really nice evening.
I'm not trying to come across as a serial killer by any means but rule number one of murdering someone is as follows: "Get rid of the evidence." Drinking buddy did not follow rule number one. Not only was there blood from the act staining the entire floor, a bullet hole in the wall, and probably fingerprints all over the place... Drinking buddy left the fucking body in the house. The rotting corpse of the intergalactic scumbag she just had killed was totally ignored. Neither of them returned to the scene either. By the time Kleio and I arrived at the house, maybe a month and a half later, it was a skeleton. Animals had been picking the flesh off of it and whatever was left had long since decayed.
Several weeks before it went down, Kleio had made a memorial shrine in the house for a friend of hers that had passed. For whatever reason, that house is one of Fernbrook's more popular locations, I guess. Anyway, she hadn't been there to visit the shrine since a few days after the friend's death. She told me, one day, that she was going to visit it. I offered to go with her. It was way out in the forest, very far away from any other buildings or people. It was a long walk too. We were mostly quiet, during the walk there. When we finally did get to the house, there it was. The skeleton. I saw it first and pointed at it and said something along the lines of, "I doubt that was there before." Kleio went silent. Things started to come together in my head and I determined, based on what grenade guy and drinking buddy had told me, it was the boss. All the pieces kind of fell into place and I started laughing hysterically in front of her. It probably looked very weird. I was cracking up over finding a corpse in a vacant, abandoned house. When I calmed down, I explained things to Kleio and apologized on drinking buddy's behalf. I offered to get rid of the thing since it was kind of ruining the memorial site. When she gave me the go ahead, I asked her to wait outside while I contemplating how to approach the situation. There isn't much I wouldn't do for Kleio. However, this was probably getting towards the limits. Eventually, I devised a plan. I took my shirt off as to not ruin it and threw it to Kleio through the doorway, asking her to hold it. She kept it in her hands and continued facing away. Finally, after a few deep breaths, I scooped the thing up in my arms and ran out of the house with it, passing Kleio. I kept repeating, "Don't look. Don't look. Don't look.", out lout. It was kind of for her and me both. I wasn't exactly thrilled to have the remains of drinking buddy's old boss in my arms. Once I was out of sight, I ran further into the forest. I kept running until I was a good distance away before I looked for places to dump it off. Eventually, I found a cave. There were skulls painted on the walls in red paint and a sign that said "Do not enter!" right by the entrance. I figured that was as good a place as any. I ran inside, found a decent-sized hole with water in it, and just catapulted the corpse out of my arms and into its new home. When I was done, I left the cave, still running, and searched for the nearest puddle or body of water large enough to fit me. I located one pretty quickly and took off the rest of my clothes. I dove in, splashing water on my chest and wiping off all the dead-body residue. When that was done, I put my clothes back on and returned to the house and to Kleio to get my shirt. Suffice to say, we both went home immediately after that. I stepped back into the house to see the shrine, before I left, however. It didn't smell too great in there but at least it was skeleton-free. I was pretty pissed at my drinking buddy, after that. I hated cleaning up after people. Granted, I had never done it to that degree before. But still. She probably offered to pay for drinks, once I told her about it. I don't remember. I'd like to just forget that the whole thing went down, if I'm being honest. I guess, if one good thing came out of it, Kleio did get to see me shirtless... I should apologize for that too. I'm not a pretty sight.

 

"Dawn"
​

Apparently, someone drop-kicked my girlfriend, Dawn, and sent her to the hospital with two broken ribs. I have no idea why that happened. I found out a little under a week after it occurred. Dawn found me on Refract, after she got out, and confronted me about it, seeming rather cross that I wasn't around. I told her that she should have let me know but she said that she had been waiting for me to contact her for a change. I guess I had been pretty bad about doing that. She usually was the one to initiate things between us. I hadn't been a "boyfriend" to anyone before and I guess I was still learning how to be one. I told her that and she understood but she still felt rather disappointed. She suggested we break up. That caught me off guard and I tried to explain my case as best I could but, in truth, it was probably for the best that we did end things. Her new job was keeping her busy all the time and I was never there for her, having problems of my own. So that's how it ended. She ain't my girlfriend anymore. All because some fucker had to drop-kick her and made us both realize how flawed things were between the two of us.
I hate getting preachy in these stories but fuck it. My advice to anyone reading this is to just not go into relationships if you know you're not going to do well. If someone's out of your league or too good for you, don't even make the attempt. Even if you miraculously succeed, it's fun for a while, yeah, but, when it ends, it hits you pretty hard. It makes you fell lesser than what you are, knowing someone could have done better than you in that situation and kept things going. After some rest and some drinks, I'm sure I'll feel better about the whole thing. Until then, I'm just gonna sit here and wish that it didn't happen.
I'll be alright, to the very few of you who read from this and actually give a shit about my emotions. I'm not overly devastated or heartbroken or anything like that. I'm just upset with myself more than anything. I had a good thing going and I ruined it because I took it for granted. Dawn will be fine too. She seemed unhappy with the outcome but it's what she wanted. She can do a lot better than some washed-up musician with a low-paying job and no experience anyway.

 

"Home"​

I've been putting off telling this story for a while now. Partially because I was concerned someone involved would read it and find out that I'm out here. However, it's been around six or seven months of hiding so I think anyone who's been after me has long since given up. I've really only told this story to maybe four other people. I've been very selective about who I reveal it to. I might as well just let it all out in the open now, though, given the circumstances. Here's the story about how I left home and came to the Fringe.
In the Outer Edge, among the military outposts and other Council-related bullshit, there's a rather large city-like settlement on a cold planet which I've since been referring to as "The Colony". Its real name was Magnus. Magnus was my home for a long time. I grew up there. I stayed there for twenty-something years. I never left. That was the big thing about Magnus. It was very isolated, far away from any other civilization. Barely anyone got in and even fewer people were allowed to leave, especially towards my final moments there. Day to day life was pretty basic. Boring sometimes, even. I'd spend the afternoons in my apartment or at my friend's apartment. Now and then, I'd go out for food or to the park or a bar. On rare occasion, there'd even be a party to attend. I didn't have many people who knew me but I'd always end up at a party for whatever reason. I liked it. It was good. That changed when shit broke out between Magnus and some other civilization on the very edge of the Core Worlds. I don't know when or why the fighting started but, eventually, it got to the point where attacks started breaking out in the streets and organized crime came to an all time high. When war was finally declared, Magnus went into full lock-down mode. No one but the people going to fight for their colony got to leave until it was all resolved. The public got furious and started to rebel. People against the war started protesting, sometimes violently. Nothing bad ever happened to me, though. News always got to me late. I didn't even find out about the war until the day I was drafted. It gave me a real shock. Later the same day, my friend came over, Benjamin, who I believe I've brought up in previous stories, and said he had gotten the same notice as me. We were to report for duty within a week. We locked ourselves in my apartment, that week, and tried to think clearly. It was hard to think clearly at all, though. Benjamin had heard rumors about what the fighting was like. It was a death sentence, if you weren't careful or didn't know what you were doing. Sure, the two of us liked living on Magnus enough but we weren't about to risk dying for it. Benjamin suggested things like shooting our kneecaps off or lying about our age. One was a little too extreme and the other required forged documentation that neither of us possessed. Finally, we got an idea. The day we were supposed to show up, we were going to steal a ship from the army base, one that was used to transport the soldiers from Magnus to wherever the fighting was happening, and just fly off into space with it, confident we'd pick up a radio signal from some other civilization and make new lives for ourselves there. It seemed really stupid, even then. However, a whole fucking year later, here I am. I don't know how we got away with stealing the ship. Neither of us knew how to fly anything at the time and I think the people we made do it for us were humored by the situation, in all honesty. We just played off the hijacking like we had some idea as to what we were doing and, as if we had a fucking guardian angel, it worked. We left Magnus without raising suspicion. According to the navigator, we left the Outer Edge as a whole. We must've just about reached the Skirt before we realized we were being tracked. They probably could tell we were being followed, the two that we had pretty much kidnapped. They kept silent as it went down, though. They boarded us before Benjamin and I even knew what was happening. I hid. Benjamin got found and taken back by force along with the pilot and the navigator. I won't go into too much detail as to how I got away but, basically, the ones who boarded us used a smaller vessel to get from their ship to ours. I snuck onto it and flew it far away from the other two ships. I waited out in deep space for a while until I was certain they wouldn't find me or had left. It didn't have a tracer, I guess. I still didn't really know how to fly, though, so I sent out a distress beacon, after enough time had passed. I hoped to god someone other than them would find me. Sure enough, I got picked up maybe thirty hours later, after having not eaten anything and wondering whether I was going to die out there alone. The group that helped me were just some human travelers that had no knowledge about Magnus or the war. They weren't very kind to me but they agreed to drop me off at wherever their next destination was. From that point forward, I started hitchhiking from station to station until I felt I was far enough away from it all. I sold the vessel I stole to keep some money in my pocket as I traveled. Eventually, I got a small little ship of my own, with that money, and learned the basics of flying. I kind of lost track of time but, after enough of it had passed, I got here. The Fringe. Far away from the fighting. Far from home.
I still feel bad about abandoning Benjamin. I think back to it all the time and contemplate whether or not there was a way to help him. I don't even know where he is now, if he's stuck fighting that war or dead or just locked up somewhere for getting caught deserting. Here's something weird that I caught myself saying to someone, though: I left home because I wanted to get away from the fighting. Now, since I've been here, all I want to do is fight. I almost hunted that Apex down and killed him because of what he did to Kleio. I took two pretty severe hits to the head on two separate occasions and broke my nose. I've contracted some blood condition that not even the doctor analyzing it knows everything about. I'm in just as much danger here than I would've been if I had chosen to stay, it feels. I didn't care about it, though. Everything was going well for such a long time. Now, with the abduction, it feels like everything's coming undone. Kleio's been taken, my ship and everything on it is gone, I'm broke and I have nothing left but an empty house that I'll probably get kicked out of within the week, and I feel like I'm slowly dying. Even with all that in mind, I'd rather be here than back there. This is what I'm willing to risk my life over. It feels more like home than Magnus ever did. If I need to fight for it, I will.

 

"Homeless"
​

So I just told a story about home but now I'm fucking homeless so it's a little bit of a funny coincidence. Maybe not so much funny as it is tragic but still. I don't care about that, though. I've got Kleio back. She's all I need.​

It probably won't come as much of a surprise, if you've been reading these stories recently, but the two of us are pretty much together now. I haven't said anything about starting a relationship yet but we've been on plenty of dates and I feel things between us are only getting better. I don't feel any hesitation with her and I've never second guessed myself when I've considered whether or not I want this. I do. She's perfect. I'm doing my best to make sure nothing ever happens to her again. I'll save the abduction story for a later time but, as of now, it's still a fresh wound I don't want to delve into.
To pay the ransom, I had to sell everything. My ship, most of my possessions, and my savings. All of that's gone now. Even then, it wasn't completely enough and I'm currently in debt with a friend of mine. I've been scraping by for cash by selling things that the house on Refract came with. Furniture, electronics, and pretty much anything else I could find worth anything. I took it all out of there and made next to nothing for it. I even tried to sell a guy the silverware. I traded my computer for a few boxes of pasta. I've reached a new low. I'm worse off than I was when I first came here. I certainly can't go into work anymore. The people at the valley for sure know what I've been doing and, if someone finds me, I might get arrested or banned or something. I don't know for sure but I'm not taking chances. Since I was too afraid to show my face in Refract Valley for a while, I was living with Kleio. She had a couch I was staying on like a fucking dog. I've been sleeping on couches on and off for months but this felt different. I didn't have a choice. I couldn't afford a bed or a place of my own to stay at. I could barely afford my own food. That's still the case, actually. I'm a fucking bum now.
Two days ago, I snuck back to the house and was trying to pull the big TV out to see if I could sell it to a guy on Caelestis. I had to angle it weird to get it out the door, though. Anyway, there I was; trying to pull a television out of a house late at night wearing all grey. I might as well have been screaming "home invader". I never did get the TV out. I got caught before I could make off with it. And, of all people to fucking catch me in the act, it was Luis that showed up. He was instantly furious. I tried some excuses but he just got real inquisitive, wondering where I was taking it and why. I told him that he wouldn't even notice it was gone because I had replaced it with something. The moment I said that, I knew I was in for it. He said wanted to see what it was. I had already dug myself too deep into a hole to claw my way out so I just pushed the TV back inside and made room for the two of us to walk in. Placed up against the wall, in the space that the large widescreen television once occupied in the living room… was a plant. I had stolen a fucking potted plant from outside some cafe on the other side of the valley and left it there to replace the TV. I was dumb as shit for even thinking Luis might be okay with the swap. He got on my case the moment it all registered in his head. Again, I tried to make some excuse but even I knew that it wasn't going to cut it. I agreed to put the TV back and Luis helped. He offered to lend me some money, afterwards, but I just said I had it under control. If only he knew how big of a fucking lie that was. If he ever saw how vacant my room was or knew that I'd been trying to trade my own clothes for food, I don't know what he'd do. When we got the TV back to its original position and nudged the plant over to the corner of the room, I leaned against the wall, suddenly exhausted. We got into a small fight. Thankfully, it was only a verbal one and I didn't get my head smashed with a pistol again. He had every right to be mad, though. I tried to change the subject on him and I brought up Dawn. I know Luis is with Dawn now. I've seen the two of them around Refract Valley together, not to sound like a creep. He and that girl, Marta, broke up a while back and he's replacing her with my ex. I told him I was fine with it but, in truth, it feels kind of weird when your best friend hooks up with your old girlfriend. There's this unspoken code you're supposed to follow that he's going against by doing what he's doing. Still, I wished him the best as I began to feel more and more like my lungs were caving in. Something bad was happening to me. My vision got blurry. I started sweating and my head began to hurt. I felt more off-balance than ever before. Overall, I just felt weak. From the wall, I slid to the floor. I practically fell to the floor, now that I think about it. Mid-sentence too. Luis took notice and started asking what was wrong. I told him what I knew about my condition with much hesitation. I tried to be as vague as possible, leaving out as many details as I could. He felt bad and figured he'd get me a beer. He walked off to the refrigerator. After that, I don't remember what happened. I couldn't move and my ears started ringing too loud for me to focus on anything else. Among everything, I knew that my fucking eyes were bleeding again too.
Luis took me to the hospital for the second time, that day. I was so used to being the one who brings someone to the hospital, up until then. I've done it enough times with Kleio that the folks at the Caelestis Station Medical Center know me personally. Still, Luis handed me off to the staff, from what I can piece together, and they started sticking all sorts of things into me. Today, I feel well enough and have enough time to type this all out on my PDA. I don't know how long that's going to last, though. I'm still waiting to hear what's specifically wrong with me. In the mean time, I can't tell anyone else I'm here. I don't want to get confronted about what I've done. The people who wouldn't report me would just worry about me too. Kleio especially. She thinks the world of me. I'm her hero. She can't see me like this. She doesn't even know what I had to go through to pay the ransom. She can never know. It'd break her heart.

 

"Abducted"​

I'm putting this here so I never forget it. It's not something I want to be known for by any means so feel free to skip it.
When Kleio was abducted a little over two weeks ago, we didn't realize she was missing for maybe two days after. Her mother, Janith, got in touch with me and asked if she had been staying on my ship. She would sometimes spend nights there, when I still had it. I got her a bed and some clothes to keep in a locker and everything. I loved having her around. When I told Janith I hadn't heard from her, she got worried. I said I'd look around and talk to some other people she knew about where to find her. I tried to get in touch with Koshka. She knew her pretty well. When I couldn't manage to reach her, I took finding Kleio into my own hands. I searched around on Caelestis and The Berg for her. Finally, I got to Fernbrook. I knew she liked to see the flowers there that were on the outskirts. I figured I would check if she was at that shine she made for her friend, while I was at it. On my way there, I found my old hat in the dirt. I had given her my blue trucker's cap a few days before she went missing. She had practically cried tears of joy when I gave it to her. The thing had more value to her than it ever could with me. Yet, there it was, on the ground in the middle of nowhere and not with Kleio. That's when I knew something wasn't right. I started to get worried myself. Another day or so went by before I found people talking in a StarNet chatroom about a girl who had been kidnapped recently. I tried to get a name out of them. I had to really pry and, looking back, I could have been a little less harsh with them. I was beginning to panic, though, and I needed the information. Finally, one of them brought up a name; "Kleo". My heart nearly stopped. I couldn't imagine it being anyone other than Kleio. I had to contact Janith, later that day, and tell her that her only daughter had probably been abducted. She freaked out. It was an appropriate reaction. I promised her that I'd bring Kleio home safe. I wasn't too sure I could, though. I had no leads on where she was or how to get her back. It seemed hopeless, at the time.
Then, right on schedule, some hours later, the kidnapper got into contact with a Novakid who reached out to me. The Novakid sent me pictures of Kleio that had been given to him by the kidnapper. They were hard for me to look at. She was was tied to a chair and had been beaten. She was in bad shape. This Novakid had been trying to save Kleio too, I guess, even though he didn't know her. I had to tell him Kleio was my wife to get any information out of him at all. After a long time determining if the Novakid and I could trust each other, we met up, the next day, and devised a plan to get her back. Initially, the kidnappers were going to strap a bomb to her and wouldn't reveal where she was or how to disarm it until they received twenty-thousand pixels at a dead-drop location. Fuck that. I told the Novakid to send a message to them, since he wouldn't give the contact information to me. I said we would do a classic trade-off and meet face-to-face. No bombs. No dead-drops. He said he'd let me know how they respond. I'd find out later that the Novakid's name was "Bull". He was nice enough. He even offered to help pay the ransom. I wouldn't allow it, though. It had to be me. I couldn't risk anything going wrong. I just had to come up with twenty-thousand pixels.
Even after selling just about everything I had, I was a quarter of the way short. It took me a week to get that money. That entire time, Kleio was being held captive with no clue as to what was going to happen to her. I couldn't think straight. I asked Koshka for the rest of the money and explained the situation to her. I found out she had known the entire time. She had been quiet about it. She didn't even tell Janith. I'm still mad at her for that. Turns out quite a few groups were working to free Kleio. Again, I had to make sure it was me. Eventually, I convinced one of my other friends, another human musician named Morgan, to give me what I needed to get to twenty-thousand. It was under the condition that he got to be there for the trade off, though. Reluctantly, I agreed. The day of the trade, I stopped by his apartment on Refract Valley to change. A while back, I had an outfit made for me to hide my face without sticking out in a crowd. It didn't work. I stuck out like a sore fucking thumb. Either way, I finally had a reason to use the thing since it would keep my face hidden. Morgan tried to make an outfit of his own on the spot but he ended up looking just as unintimidating as ever. We were to meet with Bull on Caelestis, since he had the coordinates we needed, and take his ship there. It was the most nerve-racking moment I had experience in a very long time. Bull wasn't thrilled about Morgan joining us but I told him, "When it's your wife that needs saving, you can make the rules." I guess he kind of just gave up and allowed it. We got on his ship and headed to our destination.
Our plan was simple enough. Bull and I would beam down to see if it was a setup or not. Once we were sure it was safe, we'd contact Morgan and have him beam down with the cash. Once we were all there, we'd make the exchange. Strangely enough, it went exactly as we planned it. When we beamed down, we were in an airlock. We were orbiting some moon that had no oxygen outside of these strange buildings the kidnappers were held up in. The self-absorbed assholes even had banners of their "organization" hanging from the walls inside. The "Quicksilvers", I'm pretty sure it was called. It was the first thing that caught my attention. Then it was the kidnappers themselves. There were only two of them. They wore masks that distorted their voices and hid their faces. They were armed. So was I, however. I had taken one of Luis's pistols with me to the trade. I wanted to use it so badly. I wanted to blow their goddamn fucking heads off. I wanted to make sure they would never hurt Kleio again. Then, finally, there was Kleio. She was placed in a chair right next to one of the kidnappers. She was is shock. She looked horrible. I immediately messaged Morgan and told him to beam down so that we could end it. Once everyone was inside, they had Morgan empty the cash from the bag and dump it on the floor. I was certain it was all there. I had counted it so many times. They seemed to believe it too. Bull and one of the kidnappers started talking but I couldn't recall any of what they were saying. I was so angry and afraid at the same time. Once they finished talking, the other one pulled Kleio off the chair and pushed her forward, telling her to walk to our side. She fell over. She'd been shot in the leg, I'd later learn. I ran over to help. One of the fucking goons shot at the ground in between us. I glared at them, saying nothing but expressing everything through the stare alone. I had never felt an emotion like that in my life. It was beyond description. The things that were going through my head... I wanted that person's life to end more than anything, right then. I snapped out of it, after a moment had passed, and continued to walk over to help Kleio. If I got shot doing it, I'd shoot them back. I didn't care. They didn't fire, though. They figured out what I was doing. I carried her out of there. I don't remember if they said anything else or we said anything else. I don't even remember if I told them to fuck off before beaming back. Once we returned with Kleio, I took her to the hospital on Caelestis. They knew the drill there, by then. It's all a blur, what happened to Bull and Morgan after that. I just remember waiting in the lobby of the hospital by myself for a very long time, promising myself that it was the last time I'd have to take Kleio there. That it would never happen again.
I brought Kleio back to Janith, later that night. She thanked me for saving her again. Given everything that had happened, Kleio was lucky to come out of it with a crutch and a few bruises. I should've been a lot happier, that night. However, I couldn't shake the feeling that I had lost. Before we beamed out of that place, I took one more look back at the two that were responsible for all this. They were celebrating over the pile of pixels that we had delivered to them. It was something I won't ever forget seeing. If I knew I wouldn't be missed, I would've handed Kleio off to Bull and told everyone to go without me. Then, when they were gone, I'd take out that pistol and try to kill the both of them. I probably wouldn't succeed. The slim chance of even putting a bullet through one of them would be enough encouragement to do it, though. Just as they started to believe they had won, I'd crash everything down on them. I'd show them that what they did had consequences. Make them regret messing with me. But it's over now. Nothing like this will ever happen to Kleio again. I'm making sure of that.

 

"The Smoker"​

I'm in a band again. It's great. Morgan is the front man and he's pretty wise, when it comes to music and what to do. Kleio's new boss is in it as well along with some green Avian from Refract Valley I'm pretty sure I tried to sell some kitchenware to once. We meet most days, even if some can't make it. I usually try to contact Morgan once I'm done with treatment. He lives in an apartment building not too far away from the hospital. He's always with someone, it seems. He's quite popular. We don't have a rehearsal space yet so we tend to practice at some strange places. One day, we played right at the bar in a new pub on Refract. We didn't get any tips and I think the bartender got rather upset with us for being loud. We had a good time, though. Another time, Morgan messaged me and told me to come to the lake on Fernbrook. I didn't think it was a good idea to bring our equipment so close to the water but I agreed to come anyway. It was the first day all the members of the band met up. We sat on the dock and discussed the future and possible band names and tried to decide where we'd want our first gig to be. But, again, I guess we were being pretty loud, when we started playing. So loud, in fact, that it caused a few people to come over and investigate.
The first to show up was a girl named Scarlet. She's my drinking buddy's roommate now and I think her and Morgan are close. She's also the new librarian at the civic center. My old job. I don't believe she likes me much since I got really drunk, one night, and puked on her arm. Still, she stayed for a while to listen to us practice. After her, the crowd got kind of weird. There was this old guy with an unusual haircut who just sort of lurked in the shadows. Another guy with a high-tech helmet covering his face came to look at us before he ran off. Finally, an old man with a beard walked over to see what was going on. He had a long coat and got really close to me. He was probably just inches away. I had stopped practicing, by then, and had gotten off the dock to talk to Scarlet about the library when I noticed just how close he was. He creeped me out. I was wondering why he was getting right up next to me but, now, I know it was so he could eavesdrop on our conversation. The man was incapable of minding his own business. I tried to ignore him but, after some time had passed, he took a cigarette out from his pocket along with a lighter and blew smoke at me. Not just once but twice, he blew it in my direction. I'd had enough. The second time he did it, I turned to face him. I asked him to stop but he refused. "I don't see a 'no smoking' sign anywhere.", he said. I was getting pretty pissed off. It showed too because I started really going at him, after that. Sometimes, I get so angry I have to say something. This was one of those times. I insulted him and borderline threatened him. He insulted me right back and flicked his cigarette at my feet. I looked down at it. I didn't know what to say. I wanted to punch him in the mouth as hard as I could but I held myself back. Instead, I just kept telling him to leave, throwing a insult at him at every opportunity. He reached for something on his left side with his hand. I thought he was going for another cigarette just to spite me. I called him out on it and said, if he did it, I'd get really mad. "No. Sign.", he said again. Scarlet stepped forward to try to stop us but I flipped the man off before she could. "There's your sign.", I said to him. I couldn't have been in a worse mood, it felt like. I don't even remember what he said after that but I was done there. I needed to go. I walked back to the dock to get my backpack and had a thought enter my head.
Ages ago, back on Magnus, I used to stay with Grannie and Uncle Harry, when I was younger. Harry was once a smoker too. He could smoke up to forty cigarettes a day. Two packs. The whole house reeked of it. It made him feel terrible. It made him so sick, by one point, he wouldn't get out of bed. When he realized and did decide to quit, Uncle Harry threw away his cigarettes. There were so many packs of them filling up the garbage can, when I found it, I figured it wouldn't look out of the ordinary if one went missing. Harry could get very cross and bad tempered so I knew he'd be mad if he saw me taking any. I was a curious kid, though. I fished a pack out of the trash, when I was certain no one was around. I kept the pack for so many years. It just sat in my old apartment for a while before I took them with me as I left Magnus. I never smoked any of the cigarettes. Sometimes, I'd take one out and just look at it, sliding it back in a few seconds after. I remembered the brand, the smell, the number of cigarettes it held, everything. I don't know why I didn't flush it or something. I had never been a smoker and didn't really care for the idea of starting. I guess I just kept it because it reminded me of the past. In truth, I had forgotten I was keeping them in the side pocket of my backpack, up until that point. Smelling cigarette smoke again must've sparked my memory. I kneeled down next to my backpack and opened the side pocket. Sure enough, there it was. Crumpled up in the corner with the corners of it torn. I took the pack out and carried it with me as I slung the bag over my shoulder. I began to make my way back to the settlement. As I was passing the smoker, though, I lobbed the pack of cigarettes to him, thinking he'd catch it. It just hit his chest and fell to the ground as he made no effort to even acknowledge it. "Enjoy.", I told him as I walked away, hoping silently that they would cave his lungs in.
I went to the tavern there, after that. I thought about what I did for a while. Scarlet and Kleio's boss came in, later that night, but I didn't really talk to them long before they left. I fully regretted getting rid of those cigarettes. I went back to the lake, after I was done drinking, to see if I could find the pack again but I couldn't. Everyone was gone too so there was no one to ask. The pack was one of the last physical things I had with me from Magnus that I had kept. Now that it's gone, it just makes me feel farther away from my old home. Maybe it's better that way. It wasn't helping me at all and holding onto the past like that never did anyone any good. I still wish I hadn't gotten so furious. I would've liked to send those cigarettes off in a better way than just wasting them on some dickhead. Hell, I would've rather smoked them myself. Instead, I suppose I'll just never find out what happened to them. I need to make a conscious effort not to get so mad with people. At this rate, it's only a matter of time before I try to beat someone to death with my keyboard.

 

"Evicted"​

For whatever reason, I had decided to move back into the house on Refract again. I had no other option for places to go, seeing as Kleio wasn't around that month and I didn't have the heart to ask a friend for help since I didn't want to explain how dire the situation was. I just didn't like being homeless anymore, I suppose. Trying to hide from the people that could kick me out or ban me from the planet was a dumb idea to begin with. They had all my medical records and contact information. They'd know where to find me. "If it happens, it happens.", I said to myself. So, for two days straight, I stayed there. Never even leaving once. The fridge was stocked, the TV was back where it belonged, and everything seemed ordinary again, for a short while. I had absolutely nothing to do and it was boring as hell. I spent those two days drinking beer, writing songs, and watching Luis's favorite movies. It didn't occur to me that Luis hadn't come home until the second day. I didn't think to contact him about it, though. I figured he was just busy with work or staying at Dawn's place or something, though I never found out for sure. Later that same evening, I convinced myself to try to go out in public again. There was no food left in the house and I was reminded of the Prism Pub on the other side of the valley. They had good chips there and I was thinking they might serve burgers too, though I had never seen the menu. So I went.
The walk from my house to the pub was like something out of a horror movie. No one was on the street. No guards were around. Nothing was open. Nothing to hear but some birds and the wind blowing. The taxis weren't even in service. I wasn't sure what to make of it. It made me feel really uneasy. I did my best to ignore it and, by the time I got to the pub, I almost turned back and just assumed it would also be closed. But I pushed on the door and it creaked open. Inside, it was just as quiet. The place was usually well packed. However, this time, there was only one other guy sitting at a table near the bar. I walked over to where the bartender, another Avian, was situated and pulled up a seat. He looked stunned and started talking about some eviction notice, when I asked him what was up. "You're getting evicted?", I asked, hoping he'd clarify. He spoke up and said we were all being evicted. The entire colony was to be vacated, as explained in a public press release, and both residents and visitors of Refract Valley were to go away and not attempt to return. Within the week, the planet would be completely empty. Staff would be compensated with two weeks pay and outstanding rent and other expenses owed would not be collected. Of course, I didn't believe him. Not until he showed me the evidence, anyway. The official release. Probably issued by Raybina Primfeather herself. Even then, I still couldn't take it seriously. I stopped talking. Suddenly, I was laughing. As everything started to connect in my head, I became more and more hysterical. I would've jumped up on the table and started dancing, honestly, I felt so happy. I had never officially been fired from my job. I was still receiving free medical and health benefits. I was on the verge of being evicted way before this. Now, I was jumping on the eviction bandwagon. I was on the same level as everyone else and given the same advantages too. Two weeks pay. Medical files being transferred. A new slate with no record of petty theft or tax evasion. No collecting of outstanding debts. It couldn't have come at a better time. I got out of my seat and dashed out of there, determined to act, if all this was true. A visit to the civic center and the library one more time would confirm it. The building was empty. Boxes were everywhere. All of them filled with either books or small pieces of furniture and miscellaneous decorations. Refract Valley really was closing.
I couldn't just leave yet, though. There was something in the house I needed to take with me, before I took part in the great Refract exodus. In the loft of my room sat a fantastic-sounding grand piano. It was one of my most valuable possessions. Not just by default either, seeing as it was one of my only remaining possessions. I couldn't part with the thing. I wanted it bad and I certainly wasn't going to be leaving it behind. I called up Morgan, seeing if he could assist me in moving the thing out. He told me he wouldn't be available until later that night. So, as a last resort, I asked Luis to help. There was hesitation only because I wasn't sure how he'd react to me wanting to move things out of the house again. When he caught me trying to sell our TV, I had never seen him more furious. But, minutes later, he messaged me back saying he'd do it. When he got to the house, I was waiting inside for him drinking what was left of the beer. He opened the fridge and started to finish what remained of the soda. He seemed rather unchanged by the news, coming across as his usual self, though maybe a bit more somber. I, on the other hand, was still ecstatic. I told him how great I thought it was. He shot me down with an immediate negative attitude I didn't even think he was capable of conveying. That made me feel a bit worse about things. I forgot how devoted he was to Refract Valley. I tried to stay positive for him and told him that everything would work out for us. Before we could focus on the future, though, we needed to take care of my piano. I brought up the TV again too, while I was at it. Luis, of course, was okay with us taking the TV out, this time around. While he carried it through the door, I ran over to the warehouse near the apartment complex to grab a dolly to wheel the piano out with. When I found something that could do the job, I ran back, not wanting to waste any time. The piano was really heavy and it was an absolute pain getting it down the stairs. When we were done, though, the TV and the piano were resting in the front yard ready to be moved, completely undamaged.
"What's next?", Luis asked. I opened my mouth to reply but froze up before any words could come out. I looked to the stuff and then back to Luis a few times. I didn't have anywhere to put it. I hadn't planned ahead that far. I told him that and he stared me down harder than he ever had in the past. He said he assumed they were just going on my ship. I told him I had to sell my ship and didn't have it anymore. Luis sat on the front steps. I sat on the grass, head down and trying not to mentally beat myself up. "Well I guess they're going to my ship then.", he'd say, trying to keep his optimistic personality alive. I had given up, by then. There was no point in tricking myself into thinking this eviction was a good thing anymore. It was horrible. Sure, in a way, it was alright for me since I was already on my way out but, when compared to how great things were when I first arrived to Refract and I didn't have any problems and practically had opportunities and handouts thrown at me, it made me just not was to get up. It made me start to question whether leaving home was a good choice. Luis tried to cheer me up with a motivational speech but, just as he finished, rain started falling. I sighed, making no further effort to save the instrument or the television. As Luis started to panic and begged me to help him put the TV back inside, I just walked off to the nearby park. I sat on a public bench, when I got there, probably looking as down-on-my-luck as possible. Luis joined me, not long after. He was just as upset as I was but kept his cool, giving me another speech on better times to come and all that. We talked about the friends we had both made and tried our best to reminisce over our achievements. Morgan showed up while we were there talking. It was still raining. I messaged him via PDA, saying the piano had probably suffered water damage. He offered to take it off my hands and see what was salvageable. He had come to pick it up. I pointed him in the direction of it and he wheeled it off to the teleporter. I never did hear from him about it, after that. I can only assume the worst for that poor piano.
I stayed on Luis's ship for the rest of that day. We continued our talk and, turns out, we had quite a lot to be proud of. It was nice to reconnect with the guy, having not seen or talked to him for what might have been a week or so. After we were done, we devised a plan for where to go next. I suggested the blistering fucking cold of the Berg. He said he'd look into some new place that just started letting in outsiders, probably not super enthusiastic about my idea. I didn't care, though. We told a few more stories, after that, and he left to get food for the both of us. I really haven't known the guy long, in the grand scheme of things, but I owe him more than I'm capable of giving. Not even Benjamin and I were this close and I knew him for as far back as I can remember. When we do find a place, whether it's the Berg or elsewhere, I'll see what I can do about contributing my share to the price of housing. Until then, we'll be staying here. We took his old bed from the house as well and brought it on board for me to sleep in. It's actually quite comfortable. In the future, I'll probably end up going to the clinic on Station Caelestis for treatment and Fernbrook if I feel like meeting someone somewhere. I'm pretty confident that things will turn out okay for both of us and the folks of Refract. Although, now that I think about it, I don't know what caused the heads of that place to arrange for everyone's eviction. You'd think it'd be a lot more chaotic with everyone losing their jobs and their homes but, instead, the whole thing was just casually passed over as simple information. I expected riots in the streets and protests and mass looting but there was none of that. The vast majority were accepting of it and I even heard a rumor that the girl who ran the library, Scarlet, gave all the books away to residents without the valley officials telling her not to do so. That was all public property. It makes me think they just want everything and everyone gone more than they want to keep their community alive. As nice a place as it was, there was always something weird behind Refract Valley and, for some strange reason, the same placed that welcomed so many outcasts in with open arms basically paid them all to leave, in the end. I never did find out why.