Last Man On Earth When There Is No Earth ?

Planet Rooster, Gram city, Lilia

Yesterday was nerve wracking.

what exactly happened? I don't know.

I ended up angering Seven, as usual he would put on that straight expression and talk nothing about what happened, But I know that it's still bothering him to say the least.

For his hair to turn white not long after our conversation, there is nothing else that comes to mind.

The bathroom was in tatters, and the hotel managment didn't like it so they kicked us out.

Seven apologized several times and I'm starting to notice small signs of depression. He put his hood on, covering his head is the reason he bought it in the first place but he didn't do it yesterday as we walked around. He is also sighing a lot more.

From our short time together I understood that Seven isn't really good at expressing his emotions. Well, except for anger, I still feel bad for Verta.

But at the moment I find it hard to guess, is he angry, or is he no?

Seven is probably blaming himself for what happened to the bathroom. In a way it might be his fault, but he was unconscious through it all and if he... if he had been by my side I would have noticed earlier, I should be the one to take the blame.

But after all of that... I wasn't prepared at all! no one told me about that!

Ever since he kissed me fir the first time, I just can't resist!

"so, should we look for another hotel or-" I push all those thoughts aside, he was there for me when I felt down, it's my turn to help lift his spirit.

" oh! it's from the weapon shop" I tap the surface opening the letter "... it seems my spear arrived earlier than expected, they say we can come pick it up anytime we want"

Seven looked up at the starry sky, he appeared to be thinking about it for quite a while. Then, as uninterested as possible he asked "could they provide us with a ship?"

a ship...

yes, a ship! I somehow forgot about the most important task we came here for.

Indeed we decided to get a new one but... is it a priority at the moment? Does Seven want to leave Rooster already? we weren't here for too long...

"we should ask, they could lead us to where we could get one" maybe leaving early isn't a bad idea, there isn't much to see in Rooster after all.

I might have let myself relax more than I should. This isn't Zesion, yet probably because of Zesioniens marking the overwhelming majority of this city I felt more at home than I thought.

That also means that Seven, who isn't a Zesionien, might have felt out of place.

But... where should we go next?... the next destination, I never thought about.

Iris... I... was I depending on her too much?

"I... "

"hm?"

" I don't think finding a ship alone is enough"

We need a pilot. Someone capable that is willing to accompany us on our journey.

As part of our studies we were taught how to operate multiple systems, we were trained to become able to fly most Zesionien made crafts. But I lost all confidence after the accident.

"maybe we can hire someone, I imagine there are people with that occupation, no?"

I wonder. Could we really find someone willing to travel with us even though we don't have a destination in mind?

"we should ask about that as well, I guess" I'm ashamed to never have thought about this. An artificial pilot isn't enough, we shouldn't buy a ship unless we find someone to pilot it.

"... yeah..."

His annoyance is clearly visible to the eyes now. Did my lack of skill disappoint him that much?

....

"so? how is it?" Jar, the female homr managing the weapon shop, asked.

I was done swinging it around and thought I'm still not used to it, it feels more natural to use.

"it's lighter, but good" the most important thing is compatibility, I have been using spears as my main weapon for as long as I can remember. punching is good and all but things always end... bloody in a fist fight.

"remember to keep it in the box when you're done with it" she said pointing at a small bag " this one consumes too much energy"

Unlike the previous one I had, this MBDE is retractable with the two energy based heads. The small bag that could be strapped to the waist is an essential part of the spear for both recharging it and putting it aside for when not being used. I prefer walking with my weapon in hand but it may not be the best of ideas on a foriegn planet.

I hold my new weapon in both hands near the middle, putting some pressure I spun each in opposite directions. The energy blades vanished and the shaft retracted from both sides until it was the size fit for its container.

'it's almost as big...' the thought crossed my mind. I shouldn't have let it because the moment I did the memories from last night resurfaced and along with them came all those fantasies

"so, where did Mr.Seven went to?" the question was so sudden I jumped in my place

"eh? S-s-Seven... Mr.Seven i-i-is waiting outside?" I answered, but it didn't seem like an answer was expected "wait, you already know that right?" she said they monitor the vicinity outside so she should know.

Seven didn't want to come in, saying he would wait for me outside...

A little something in the back of my mind snapped and a really bad feeling ran through my spine.

I grab my things and am about to exit this place at full speed when Jar stops me with not one, not two but three of her hands. She looked at me then held out a floating screen with her remaining hand

"he is still there alright?"

The screen showed an elevated sangle of the street outside. Seven is still near the entrance leaning his back on the shop's wall while using his new book.

I was relieved for a moment and almost dropped to my knees. This area isn't pretty far from the city center but it won't be strange for some thugs to make an appearance. Just thinking something might have happened while I'm away, not only did I endanger Seven, but also any poor souls who had the bad luck and decided to bother him today.

Seven can't read so... how?

"I was just wondering why he didn't come in"

then just ask! my heart almost stopped for a moment there.

" he had a bad morning, that's all"

"a bad morning you say..."

"...what?"

Jar switched to a second window

"I was curious so I did some research" she said, her voice getting deeper " it's strange for a synthetic being like Mr.Seven to have a Zesionien issued identity file" she cross two of her arms and points at the photo displayed along the doc.u.ments "what's more, I had no luck of finding anything, and I mean anything, about your little friend. Not even a newborn has such a clean history"

"...and?" I have to calm down.

"I admit, I used my connections to get him a pass, is there anything wrong with that?" power abuse may hurt my image in the long term, but i couldn't care less.

Jar silently stared at me for a few seconds, then let out a sigh "let me put it another way" her green eyes had a faint glow in them " though the intergalactic union is the strongest authority in the universe at the time, they are not perfect. Many criminal organizations slip under their vision, and those with records as suspicious as Mr.Seven's may turn out to be high level executives if not spies for enemy planets"

"..."

"you already got an evaluation from a military base, but still, you should be careful"

Seven? an enemy? no no no. that isn't even funny. As suspicious as he looks, and acts, his silent attitude, his seriousness, and all the powers he has...

no, I trust him, completely. He is... he is my...

"I understand" for now, I don't have any proof but "I will keep an eye on him"

"good" Jar the female homr extended her upper left arm " you may need this as well"

"umm... I'm not really a fan of those..."

"gravity works in a funny way in some places, and you have some... big ones, they would hinder your movement if not kept in place"

the thing she gave me is a piece of armor, a c.h.e.s.t plate. It consists of three parts, two of them are fixed on the sides under the c.h.e.s.t and the last one under around the neck. the armor itself is an invisible energy field that fits itself to the wearer.

I used to use those a few years ago but as the size of my b.r.e.a.s.ts increased it only felt uncomfortable.

"better be safe out there, you could get yourself killed if you let your guard down"

"I... I will take it, thank you for worrying about my safety"

"no need to" for the first time her expression eased, she smiled then said "come by the next time you are here"

"ah!... I almost forgot!" this is important, I shouldn't have let it for the last "we plan on getting a new ship, could you provide us with one?"

"a ship you say" Jar waved all her four hands at once "nah, we don't deal in those. Gram is a small place, there isn't much demand for them"

"is that so..."

" the only open planet that I could think of is IMAR9, unlike Rooster it's much larger, the trading center for hundreds of civilizations. Zesionien products may be a rarity over there but you won't have a problem recruiting crew members"

" fine, thanks again" I bow my head a little as a sign of respect "until next time"

....

Planet Rooster, Gram city, Jar

"...sigh..."

who does she think she is tricking?

Synths with biological camouflage aren't exactly rare, but why use a camouflage when you go around telling everyone your secret?

"foolish Zesionien..."

[oh, you are back]

[yeah, did something happen while I was inside?]

[nothing unusual... more importantly, there is a place I want to go to]

"maybe I shouldn't eavesdrop on them like that"

A fake syanth and a Zesionien female sharing one room in a hotel?

that alone says it all.

last time they seemed close but now they're keeping some distance. Clearly something went wrong.

"well, I hope things go well for them"

How would it turn out? that's one thing to look forward to.