Callia had followed Auri through the slums until they arrived at the opposite end, near the outskirts of the city. It was the first time Callia had laid her eyes on its snow-peaked mountains and grass as blue as the ocean. The pristine image was only muddied by the appearance of yet another scrapyard—this one called Rustrivet.
Auri's home stood isolated from the rest of the slum dwellers. Walls made of poorly placed metal sheets stood next to a half-brick house. Half of the exterior appeared to be remnants of what Callia surmised could only have been the former interior. An accident had probably happened, looks oddly like the effects of ballistic ordinance.
As they stepped inside, the walls crackled with electricity buzzing in awkward places. It didn’t feel safe, and judging by the way it was installed, it was a definite risk. A faulty wire could spark a fire, burning the place down in a minute.
Her eyes zoomed around the foreign plate-built cottage.
Handwritten notes were stacked neatly on a desk, some words written in symbols—nothing she would ever guess a human could use. She wondered if Auri could even read it. Plastic pots stacked upon plastic pots stood everywhere near a door, a window, and all over the floor. The air smelled floral, but overly sweet.
At the far end of the two-room building, a single bed stood next to what appeared to be a holographic projector of sorts. Old devices were piled together in a corner of the living room. Right next to it stood a small portable stove and kettle.
“You live alone?” Callia asked.
“Yep. It’s just me. After my father and mother died, I—” she stopped.
“It’s okay. You don’t have to tell me.”
“No. My siblings—they abandoned me. I was only 15. That was nine years ago.”
A small lump formed in Callia’s throat. She wasn’t good with stuff like this—not good at all. She had no one she could recall—not visibly, at least. Just shadows whispering into her head. At least Auri had some fond memories to look forward to. Still, Callia thought that no person should have to live this, to struggle this much. If the system was fair, it would have looked out for her. All the more reason she couldn’t trust. All the more reason she couldn’t trust it. Subdivided AIs like Goodrift, she trusted even less. No matter what they claimed.
There were questions in her mind. Which of the parents had been the 'xeno.' She was probably around Callia's not that she could remember. What irked her was the how stunted her growth appeared.
“You’re 24? You look a bit younger.”
She went quiet again. She started humming a song, moving around her room, scrounging for something before answering Callia. Auri became as still as windless grass, then replied. “O-oh, it’s—father’s genes, he wasn’t exactly a human…so to speak. I don’t wanna talk about, if you don’t mind.”
“Of course, I’m sorry.”
Now, she only needed to know what her father looked like, there were no family pictures by the looks of it. Siblings must have snatched it or Auri was hiding it, somewhere. Of course, it's not duty to scrutnize the lives of other's that was the system's job.
Callia inspected the cramped living space of Auri. The walls didn’t look all that stable; it would be a bummer if they fell over. It was suprsing that she was standing at all.Her eyes darted around and stared at the plastic pots growing in isolated soil. They were vibrant, each one a different color.
“Are these the plants you wanted to show me? They are quite beautiful.”
She giggled. As if Callia had told her the funniest joke. Then came jogging over. “Oh, God, no. This is what I’m planning to sell tomorrow."
“Sell? They look nothing like the ones you put out on display.” Not even close, they seemed much more valuable than the cut of strings she displayed in the streets of Goodrift.
She pointed at the viridian green stalk, with an onion like bulb in the center. Her eyes went wide as she started explaining with vigor. “Veldtvine—it’s great for medicinal uses. It can ease any chest pain.” She pointed at a crimson flower that glowed brighter within the range of an inch; then it cut off and glowed dimly. “This is cinderlily, it has explosive properties, but can be used for camping lights and such adventurous things.”
Callia had an epiphany—she seemed more knowledgeable than average. Auri was not who she pretended to be. Wait—you’re not a flower girl, are you?”
For the first time, Auri had a smug appearance on her face.“No, don’t be silly. I sell my plants to [chemists][Doctors][Botanist][merchant]
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“Then what about the little bits of flowers you sell–”
Auri looked up proudly. “It’s usually unnecessary parts my clients don’t want, and I-I need every penny I can get. People here are much more willing to aid a defenseless pipsqueak then buy a flower from someone with fancy class.”
"I thought you were struggling."
"I am, they already decreed what I am to them, part-human and may as well be part beast."
“For what do need the money for?”
“A one-way trip out of Nova Ardour, out of Goodrift. It’s what my mother would have wanted.”
Callia stared at her stature. She stood at 5 foot 1, and some parts of her limbs were bone-thin, especially her arms. Was she starving herself to save money? That would be self-destructive. She didn’t know how to bring up by saying, hey, I think you’re malnourished. That’s not good. Maybe spend some money on food. Would Callia have to go as far as feeding Auri herself.
“Anyway, would you like some tea?”
“Of course, ”Callia answered.
Auri put on a kettle. The skeleton stove brimmed to life. A scavenged thermal coil blazed in blue light. She pulled out brittle, deep-blue leaves with circular patterns on them, crushing them as she squeezed them into the kettle. A faint blue mist evaporated into the air.
Such was the vapor of the water as it cooked… The tea, once reaching boiling point, shifted color at the last second—its blue mist became hazy silver before settling completely.
Auri poured them both some tea. “Here, you should drink it while it’s hot. It’s best that way.” Callia hesitated, but let her tongue flick against the ominous tea. At first, it tasted bitter, then sweet in a way that lingered in her mouth. Then her perception changed, heightened—doubling and tripling over time.
“It’s called indigo dew. My mother used to cook it before we went to bed, said we would be dreaming pleasant dreams twice over.”
Comforting, but Callia couldn’t afford to fall asleep now.
“It’ll grow on you.” She eyed Callia’s reaction. “It’s good, right? If you want, I can you some leaves.”
Callia nodded, not to keen but not dismissive. Staring at two Auris that now stood in front of her, one a mirror of the other.
Callia tried to find an anchor, a way to keep her from drifting off. Auri seemed unaffected by the tea, whether due to biology or resistance. Callia swirled her cup. Her eyes landed on a reinforced lockbox, secured with a traditional old-school lock. It was probably where she kept her savings, Callia wouldn’t ask.
_____
Walking through the rusted maze of broken machines, cybernetic limbs littered the place like veins. Callia stopped over what might’ve been a broken-down drone. Its optics flickered green and red, slowly fading but never dimming entirely. It watched them as they moved.
Auri hopped and skipped through the metal junk—clearly, she’d been here thousands of times. Callia did her best to keep pace, pushing aside the grim thought of a piece of metal piercing her from below. The deeper they went, the more the air started changing, carrying the scent of raw nature. A faint whiff of petrichor reminded her— Was the rain on this planet toxic?
“Toxic rain?” Auri repeated. “Hardly. It does happen on the other continents, though. Metralith is pretty safe.”
“Metralith?” Callia inquired.
“The continent you're in, dummy. Come on.” she said, before sprinting away.
“Wait Auri!”
Callia did her best to keep up. The ground shifted as she followed her into a beaten pathway—the soil felt denser, smoother, as if the metal hadn’t poisoned it here. Around the corner was an awe-striking sight—an unusual patch of flowers. They induced an effect in her brain, not too dissimilar to a kaleidoscope.
Auri started dancing among the fields, her feet kicking—but never once did she step on an alien lily. Callia observed that the plants here weren’t exactly normal, though she had no frame of reference for what they looked like ten miles into the wilderness. The flowers radiated a presence, almost bewitching. She felt herself drawn to the one in the center.
As Auri moved through the fields, the plants danced with her—wilting, rising, colliding, twisting, turning, shaking, and swinging.
Callia took a deep breath. Staring at all this color after the tea felt hallucinogenic—like gazing into a gateway to the afterlife. Trippy above all else.
The amnesiac reached past the bodies of plant life. The icy pale flower in the center called to her, asking her to touch it. As she got closer, petals pulsed like a heartbeat, and everything outside became tuned out. The wind, Auri, the flowers’ movements—all disappeared. She reached for it.
“Stop!” Auri leaped toward her, slapping her wrist away. Callia gawked in shock. She was ten meters farther than she should have been. “Not that one,”
Callia didn’t protest. She stared at the white flower as it twitched, slowly and deliberately, as if noticing her.
“That’s the heart of this patch. It’s where my mother lies,” the girl said, saddened. "Her spirit looks over the field."
“I–I didn’t know.”
Callia’s brain buzzed. Did that mean these plants were alive? Sentient? Was her mother conscious in some way after death? It creeped the hell of her. Though she wouldn't say it.
“It’s okay. You can take any other one.”
Callia walked over to a frost-blue tulip. She touched it. It was cold—not like ice, but as if heat didn’t exist at that moment. Her warmth fed it, and it changed color. The moment she tried to pluck it, the system assailed her. She stopped.
“What’s wrong?” Auri asked
Callia swallowed. “The system—it’s giving me a quest. I have to go.”
“Aww! There’s more I wanted to show you. I don’t have any friends. Won’t you stay a while?”
“I can’t, My life might depend on this,” she whispered. “I’ve enjoyed our little time together, but I have to move.”
“Wait—” Auri raced out.
Callia ran. A marker pulsed in her head, pinging her in the direction of the inner slum.
Blue boxes or no blue boxes
