Fein stirred on her throne. It was not yet time for her to walk the halls again, but it would be soon. Soon there would be a Seeker. An age had passed since the last time she had walked with one. Long enough for the Valkyries to be cast down. Even her people, the Unchanging, had eroded. They had all passed on. Fein had opened the way for them, but there was none to open the way for her. So she sat and waited upon her throne.

***

The morning after meeting June, Nia began how she began most mornings, with a workout. She didn’t really need to do weight training due to her ability to draw Void directly into herself, but she still did. As much to keep her muscles loose as to build her strength. With Woo-Yaal taking up most of her room and not wanting to wake Mimi, (she needs all the sleep she can get, probably) Nia retreated to the roof of her apartment complex. The roof was flat save for some machines whose purpose Nia was unsure of. It provided an amazing three hundred and sixty-degree view of the city and a crisp breeze that cooled Nia as she jumped straight into her exercises. Nia didn’t like the roof. She wasn’t afraid of falling or being blown off. Even if that did happen, she would be in no danger. No, it wasn’t something she could simply point out. She just felt uneasy whenever she was on the roof. Exposed. Maybe it had to do with the way the City Center seemed to loom over her. Towering, with its top obscured by near-constant storms.

Finishing her strength exercise, she stretched before summoning her Hex Blade.

Hex Blades were one of the specialized weapons of the SSF. Meant to be wielded by someone operating powered armor, they weighed between thirty-six to seventy-nine kilos apiece. Nia’s Hex Blade weighed in at thirty-nine kilos. She had to draw on Void immediately to keep from slamming the blade into the roof. It was a brute of a weapon, no doubt about it. Just under a meter in length, a thick blade like a butcher's cleaver with a razor edge that angled hardback to the spine at the end for a needle-sharp point. The handle was thick and long, meant for power-suited hands.

Nia was about to start practicing with the blade when Mimi clambered onto the roof.

“Good morning Mimi. Did you sleep well?”

“Emm!” Mimi looked inquisitively at the Hexblade in Nia’s hand.

“I am just doing some exercises. Then I’ll make some breakfast.” Mimi’s eyes lit up at the mention of food. I need to keep an eye on her while I train. Then another thought hit Nia. “How did you know where I was?” Mimi tilted her head and said

“I could smell you.”

Nia laughed. “Yeah! I need a bath, don’t I?”

Nia began her Hex blade practice, all the while keeping a close eye on Mimi. She needn’t have bothered. Mimi had no interest in the edge of the building and stayed far away from the whirlwind of Hex blade that was Nia, content to run around pell-mell. Knocking on machine boxes, walking along pipes, she had too much energy. Nia worked up a sweat in no time at all. Blade work practiced her speed and endurance. She had to draw steadily on Void the entire time to have enough strength to swing the Hex Blade. each movement flowed into the next as she swayed from stance to stance.

Finally, she came to a stop in a defensive position, holding the Hex Blade up by her temple, blade slanting down across her body. Nia banished it and the Hex Blade vanished in a swirl of black smoke as Nia collapsed, spread-eagled on the roof. Her chest heaved up and down as her muscles spasmed. I really should stretch more. The sky above was suddenly blocked out by Mimi’s face, eyes wide in excitement.

“Mommy is amazing!”

“Hahaha, you think so?” Nia asked, smiling as she reached up and ruffled Mimi’s hair

“Emm! You were like bwooowoooo!” Mimi said as she threw her arms out wide and spun, creating a vortex of black hair and tail. Until losing her balance she toppled over backward. Her head slammed into Nia's stomach, driving the air out of her lungs. Nia gasped for air as Mimi’s bright laughter filled her ears. Able to breathe again, she grabbed and bodily threw her over her shoulder.

“Waaa!” Mimi shouted in surprise

“Alright, you're getting a bath.”

“B-but what about breakfast?! I’m so hungry!” Just then her stomach growled furiously.

“Okay, okay.” Nia laughed. “We can have breakfast first.”

“Yay!”

After breakfast and a bath, Nia cleaned Mimi’s ears and tail. It took nearly two hours but Nia was sure it would go much faster in the future. That is if Mimi ever sits still for long enough again. Maybe I’ll have to implement nap time and do it then. Nia remembered her mother sending her and her sibling for nap time so she could get some rest of her own. Classic mom move. ….

It may have taken a long time, but as far as Nia was concerned, it was worth it. Mimi’s tail and ears were beautiful. Her fur shone in the light and smelled slightly of lemongrass, thanks to the oils. She did seem to enjoy having her tail brushed. But her ears seemed rather sensitive.

“Mimi, did your ears hurt when I brushed them? Was I too rough?” Nia asked as she began to stow the cleaning kit in the bathroom. Mimi was uncharacteristically silent as she sat on the stool facing the mirror. She was fidgety and seemed nervous. Oh no. “If it hurts we can find a different method. I’ll talk to June.” Nia said in a soft voice as she went over to Mimi. Her ears didn’t droop like they did when she was sad, but rather, laid forward close to her head. She has expressive ears, doesn’t she? “You do have beautiful ears, Mimi.”

“I’m… I’m okay if it’s mommy who cleans my ears.” Mimi said, still avoiding looking at Nia. Is she angry? What did I do? I need to fix this! Seeing Mimi made Nia feel….. upset. She would do anything to make Mimi smile again. You know, she almost seems, embarrassed. “It just felt…” Mimi broke off.

“Well, if you are sure you are okay with it, I would be happy to clean your ears.”

“Emm!” Mimi said, finally looking her in the eyes again “ I want mommy to clean my ears.” There is that smile again. Grabbing the last of the tools June had given her, Nia moved to put them away. What were these odd little sticks for? Oh, right. Maybe next time.

Nia grabbed the bag June had given them the night before and walked over to Mimi who was inspecting her tail and ears in the mirror in the main room.

“Ready to get dressed?”

“Emm!”

However, the first thing Nia pulled out of the bag was not for Mimi. It was a pair of low-rise pants with straps that went over the hips, but they were way too large. I know June said they were adjustable, but really? Then she found the note pinned to the wait. It read:

“I thought Mimi would like to match you and that you would look good in these. -June”

Smiling Nia set them down and grabbed Mimi’s pair. She quickly got the pants on and adjusted. A few tugs assured her that they wouldn’t simply fall off. Guess these strange suspenders work. Next were gray match shirts with “pack mentality” in a light gray font written across the fronts. The difference came in the style. Mimi’s was long and billowed at the bottom to accommodate her tail comfortably, while Nia’s was a fitted half shirt that came to her navel. There was a note on this one as well.

“If you don’t like half shirts you can exchange them at any time. P.s. you have the abs for it.”

How does she know? I was wearing my noodle shop shirt and a jacket. Posture?

Later that day Nia received a notification on her commlink that there was a delivery for her at her dropbox. Nia headed out, Mimi in tow. Her dropbox was a small room at the base of the apartment building. When she got something delivered the porter would revive a one-time code to get them into the room. She could have had things delivered straight to her room, but she would have felt bad every time someone had to climb seven stories of stairs just to deliver a package. The building did have a lift tube, but it didn’t have the actual lift inside. Nia guessed it had been taken out for some maintenance and had never made it back in, leaving an empty shaft. Not that Nia minded. If I am that lazy I can always just jump down.

Reaching her dropbox, Nia keyed the code and opened the door. Two boxes sat in the small room. Are those both full? June definitely didn’t charge me enough. Nia hoisted the first one up and turned to leave. Guess it will take two trips.

As she did, Mimi stepped last of her, and without even a grunt lifted the second box.

“Wow, you got it there?” Asked Nia, hardly able to contain her astonishment.

“Emm! I am helping Mommy.” Mimi replied, tail wagging. Just how strong is she?

“ Okay, thanks! But be sure and let me know if you need a rest partway.”

As it turned out, Mimi didn’t need a rest. Easily ascending all twenty stories in one go. Maybe her box has less in it? Checking, Nia found that Mimi’s box was, if anything, slightly heavier. Keeping this to herself she thanked Mimi for helping her and the two started storing the clothes in the boxes. It took longer than Nia would have anticipated, being almost time for dinner when they finally finished up. Woo-Yaal had gone hunting with Tei-Uun in the lower levels, so Nia and Mimi spent the evening relaxing and watching Video on Nia’s commlink. Nia hadn’t realized how much she had missed interacting with people the same age as her. Mimi was much younger than her, but still, something about laying next to her and laughing reminded Nia of home.

The next day passed very similarly to the previous one. Mimi joined Nia for morning exercises but stayed well clear of her Hex Blade routine after Nia, half-jokingly, threatened to not give her breakfast if she came closer. Like I would be that cruel.

Woo-Yaal returned from his hunt around noon and went straight to sleep.

Then, in the middle of the afternoon, Nia received a Link Message:

Atticus: Drinks?

received 15:21.13

***

Atticus spun her commlink in between her fingers. It had taken an insane amount of courage to just send that message. Dropping her commlink onto the table she threw herself back in her chair with a groan. Who do I think I am? She only asked me to get drinks with her to get me out of her hair. I can’t really blame her though, who would want to go out with an Archid? Who would want to hang out with me?...

Atticus sat in the dark in her tiny apartment. It wasn’t dark because she liked it that way, it was dark because she couldn’t afford electricity. Suddenly, the room was illuminated in blue light as her commlink chimed. Atticus stared down at her commlink in disbelief. A message notification flashed on the screen. It can’t be. Atticus tapped it. It was a response from Donut.

Donut: Of course! 17:00 work for you?

received 15:21.52

Donut: I'm so sorry! I forgot we planned that

Yesterday and I totally blew you off.

Please forgive me (；ω；)

received 15:22.17

Atticus’s normally dexterous fingers fumbled with her commlink as she typed her reply.

Atticus: No worries, I was busy myself and couldn't make it anyway.

received 15:23.04

This was a lie. She had chickened out of contacting Donut the day before and had only barely worked up the courage to ask her just now. Her commlink chimed again as Donut sent her the address to a bar on the top level, close to where they had first run into each other. She probably assumes I live close by there. Whatever two hours is plenty of time to get ready and get up there. Atticus wasn’t broke, but she probably would be after tonight. She had searched for that last job for almost two months. Discrimination was prohibited in the collective, at least, supposedly. It was supposed to be a haven for all races and all genders, but everyone had to hate someone. Archids were easily the least popular species. They were technically Human-Kin. The only obvious Archid traits were the two sets of arms and the slightly pointed teeth. You could also tell by the eyes if you knew what you were looking for. Archids had larger eyes compared to most other Human-Kin but they didn’t have pupils. Atticus would have thought that this would make Archids seem cuter to humans. But in the end, it was just more fuel for the fire. The root of Humans’ dislike of Archids stemmed from two things: first, their extra set of arms was unique to Archids as far as Human-Kin, and just the sight unnerved humans. Second, according to urban legend, Archids were descended from spiders. Atticus herself didn’t care for spiders. She had researched these urban legends, the internet being by far her strongest suit, but had never found any evidence to support the claims. But that didn’t matter. In the end, everyone was predisposed to hate her before they even met her. Thanks to the anti-discrimination laws, companies had to at least give her a shot if she was qualified. She couldn't even remember how many jobs she had had. It was always the same. She would be hired and then, two weeks later, told that she just wasn’t cut out for the line of work. She had tried everything. Cook, waitress, seamstress, even online work. It didn’t matter. Her last had been a secretary for a construction company. She knew that she had worked her butt off, doing everything she could. She had saved the company thousands in only two weeks. And still, yesterday, the day that would have marked her second week, she had been “let go”. Her manager had painted it as her getting a new start, but she knew that was bullshit. He had been one of the most creeped out by her, and he had even been a nice man. A loving father, happily married. When listing things that she hadn’t done right, he brought up the fact that she had been late to his meeting the day before. Because I ran into Donut. He had completely ignored the fact that she had landed him that client in the first place.

Atticus sighed, dropping her head back onto the table. She couldn’t afford food this month, let alone rent. She would go out tonight, have one last meal. And then… she didn’t know what would happen after that. She didn’t care.

Atticus got ready to go. Washing her face, and changing into her suit in the dark. It was her only other set of clothes and had certainly been the only reason she had gotten her last job. Snagging her commlink off the table and stepped to the door. As she reached for the handle the door burst inward, hitting Atticus hard and knocking her to the floor. Her glasses were gone and she was pretty sure her nose was broken. Propping herself up on one hand she felt her face. Hot, sticky blood began leaking from her nose, which was definitely broken.

“Oh, were you just going somewhere? Sorry. But we have other plans for you.” Said a rough voice from the doorway. Atticus looked up eyes widening in fear as she saw the shapes of several men standing over her. Before she could scream a huge hand covered her mouth in a vice-like grip. Her lower arms were pulled behind her back, hands forced to the opposite elbow. A cord was tied tightly around each wrist and then secured to the opposite elbow so her hands stuck out to each side, unable to reach the knots. Her upper arms were pulled up and forced down behind her head at the elbow. Cord tied between her arms just below the elbow were pulled tight till her forearms touched. Atticus whimpered in pain as tears streamed from her eyes. I can't breathe. Her mouth was still held shut by a massive hand and her nose was full of blood. With the last of the air in her lungs, Atticus desperately attempted to clear her nasal passage.

“Gross! The little brat sneezed her sick blood on me!” The man who was holding her jaw struck Atticus across the head, hard. Stars swam in what little vision she had left.

“I think she is suffocating.”

“So? Does it make a difference?”

“Yes, as a matter of fact, it does.”

“Fine,” said the man who was still clamping her mouth shut, “hand me that would ya?”

Just before Atticus passed out, the man released her mouth. Breathing still wasn’t easy past all the blood in her throat. Before she could take two breaths, the man grabbed her face again. This time he pinch her cheeks between his thumb and forefinger, forcing her mouth open. Her cry of pain was cut off as a rock was forced into her mouth, a strip of cloth was put between her teeth and tied behind her head, holding the rock in place. Grit covered her tongue and the rock dug into the top of her mouth. But she could breathe, a little. Her nose had stopped running so she didn’t have to swallow as much blood.

Atticus didn’t resist as the men finished binding her. They didn’t seem too sure that they wanted her alive and she didn’t want to test them. The wrists of her upper arms were tied together and then connected to the wrist bindings on her lower arms, forcing her to arch back. Both sets of shoulders and Elbows throbbed as they were forced into unnatural positions. Her legs were tied together at the ankles and above the knee. Once they finished securing her bonds, they swept the apartment for any valuables. In the dark, without her glasses, Atticus could only see vague shapes and colors. She flinched as someone leaned over her.

“Huh, I guess your nose is pretty messed up.” It was the man who had gagged her. The pain made her jerk as he pushed her nose with his finger “Ooh, sensitive is it?” Atticus screamed into her gag as he pinched her nose.

“Would you stop it?” Came an annoyed voice.

“Whaaaat? But it’s so fun.”

“You are disgusting. Didn’t your mother tell you not to play with your food?” Food!? Atticus panicked. Struggling against her bonds, begging them to let her go. It was all to no avail.

“Whatever.” Said the man as he released her nose, giving it a parting flick. “Who in this room was actually raised by their mom anyway? Did you at least find anything good?”

“Hah! What do you think? It was just like the landlord said, “lives by herself, too poor to even eat.” So that’s it. I was sold out by my landlord. Atticus began to cry. She had always tried to hold out hope and be optimistic, to look forward to something. But now, she faced her situation, in all its brutal glory. It wasn’t fair. It never had been. In the end, it had always been a waiting game. A game of waiting for the end. Soon, it will all be over. So she cried. Both in fear and relief. It wasn’t over, not yet, and the worst was probably yet to come. But she just had to wait. Part of her, one tiny part, ragged at the injustice of it all. But it was swallowed by acceptance. She should have caught when her odds were better. The first time she had been unjustly fired. Yesterday her odds had been a billion to one, but even they had been better than this.

“Come on, quit your crying!”

“Let’s go.”

Is it normal to feel this calm before dying? She was still crying, but she had already lost control of most of her body. Her brain simply refuses to acknowledge the pain.

One of the men picked her up, tossing her over his shoulder. As the other stepped outside. As he did, Atticus felt a buzz in her pocket. My commlink!? She had forgotten about her plans with Donut. I would have liked to see that girl once again. She was pretty. Please forgive me for standing you up, you deserve better. Donut's face filled her mind. Kind, golden eyes and lopsided smile. Donut's face seemed to fill her mind, taking over her thoughts. I know it’s selfish, but I want my last thoughts to be of her.

Due to being below her heart and the recent torment, her nose began to bleed again. She watched as it slowly collected on the top of her bruised and swollen nose before falling off.

Drip.

Drip.

Drip.