— Saturday, February 11, AD 2130 —

“Fucking finally! Back in town!”

“’Finally’?” Mote echoed incredulously, “you were the one who suggested we go on this mission!”

“Yeah, as an excuse to get the fuck out of that damn space station,” Kate retorted. “What, did you think I actually wanted to work on a fucking 50-year-old power generator?”

Mote responded with an exasperated sigh as he and Kate walked down the streets of Boston. Several days ago, a terrible winter storm had knocked out the main power plant in the region; once the storm had let up, Mote and Kate had volunteered to visit the power plant and help get it up and running. Mote’s ability to generate enough electricity to replace an entire power plant, coupled with Kate’s superintelligence and mechanical skills, made the pair quite adept at dealing with power generation issues — so they had been able to fix the plant in Massachusetts quite quickly. Now they had returned to Boston, replacing their official SERRCom uniforms with casual winter gear as they waited out their inevitable return to the Opportunity space station.

“Pretty damn cold, though, huh…”

Mote passed Kate a glance, noting her sullen expression as she hunched over in an instinctive effort to preserve her own body heat, with her hands slotted into the pockets of her thick black coat. “…Personally, I quite like it,” Mote declared, turning back to look around at the snow-covered streets that surrounded them. “The cool and quiet air is a nice respite from the activity on Opportunity.”

“’Cool’ my fucking ass, it’s well below freezing right now,” Kate shot back. “It’s cold as fuck!”

“You were the one who volunteered for this,” Mote reiterated.

“Ugh…” Kate rolled her eyes. “What a fucking pain.”

“Still… I suppose it is nice to get out, every once and a while.”

“Yeah, you don’t fuckin’ say, huh? How about next time, we go somewhere temperate. If we spend another day in this fucking cold-ass city, I’ll freeze my tits off.”

“You have quite a way with words, don’t you.”

“Bite my ass.”

Mote responded with a snort and a shake of his head as the two continued walking down the street, soon coming upon an intersection. Previously, they had been walking down relatively quiet residential streets, but now they happened upon the bustling activity of shops and people going about their mid-afternoon business. Slowly, Mote looked out over the street, watching the cars whip by a surprising amount of bustle on the sidewalks; it almost appeared as though everyone had forgotten the recent storm that had forced them all into their homes.

“…That time of year again, already, huh.”

“Hmm?” Mote glanced toward Kate, and then followed her gaze toward the signage on some shops across the street. Pink and red lettering, accompanied by an abundance of hearts, made clear the upcoming holiday — and upon realizing this, an annoyed frown crossed Mote’s face. “…Valentine’s Day,” he muttered.

“Eesh, calm down, you fuckin’ grinch,” Kate retorted.

“The holiday’s only significance is to extort and commercialize relationships,” Mote countered. “Superfluous relationships, at that.”

“No need to project your loveless life onto other people. Hot damn. Do you really hate the idea that much?”

“The idea of being romantically or sexually involved with someone, you mean?” Mote offered a dismissive shrug. “I just don’t see the purpose, beyond continuing the human race. And even if I did, I don’t have the time.”

“What a fucking downer,” Kate replied. “Personally, I’d love to have the free time for a boyfriend.”

“So you can shove all of your chores and housekeeping onto him, I bet.”

“Alright, asshole — I mean, yeah, but that’s not the point.” Kate turned to look out over the street again; as Mote followed her gaze, this time, he picked up on the fact that there were many couples among the weekend crowd, holding hands while walking down the sidewalk or sitting down to have lunch together. “I mean, sure, it’s pretty fucking cringe when people show off in public,” Kate continued, “but c’mon, don’t tell me that the idea of having a relationship doesn’t appeal to you at least a little bit!”

“I’ll tell you exactly that.”

“God damn, you heartless bastard. You’re such a fuckin’ drag.”

“It may be heartless, but I find it quite convenient, personally. Not having to deal with love or sex or any of that. It frees me up to focus on things that actually matter.”

“Implying that love and sex don’t matter is a bold fuckin’ move, pal.”

“Perhaps everyone would be better off if they realized that it didn’t matter.”

“Ugh…” Kate responded with an exasperated sigh. “How do you even know that you’d hate all this stuff, huh?” she challenged, “you’ve never even had a girlfriend!”

“I don’t need to have one to know that I don’t want one,” Mote retorted.

“Alright, that’s it!” Kate declared, furiously grabbing Mote’s hand and dragging him off down the street. “I’m tired of listening to your goddamn sermons, so it’s time for you to put your fucking money where you mouth is! We’re doing Valentine’s Day, bitch!”

“We— what?! Wait, hold on…!” Mote protested, but his words fell on deaf ears as Kate continued pulling him forward and into the weekend downtown crowds.

---

Several Hours Later

“Ugh… are we finally done…?”

“Oh c’mon, it wasn’t that bad,” Kate retorted, her hands buried in her coat pockets as she walked beside Mote.

“Hmph…” Mote grunted in response, his gaze directed off to his right. The sun had long since set on a long afternoon and evening of activity, ranging from a tour of Boston’s piers, to catching a movie in a nearby theater, to dinner at a local pizza shop. After dinner, Mote and Kate were rounding out the evening with a stroll through a pier-side park, shrouded in a nighttime darkness fended off only by lamplights lining the walkway. Just to Mote’s right were the waters of the Massachusetts Bay, quietly lapping up against the pier — though even those low splashes were well-audible against the large park sprawling out to Mote’s left, with a scarce few people in sight. A layer of snow over the grass and on the trees contributed to the muffled atmosphere, leaving Mote and Kate surrounded by natural silence.

“…You really did hate it, huh.”

“Hmm?” Mote glanced toward Kate, catching her in the middle of a resigned sigh. “…Why do you care so much?”

“I’ve always hated it when people hate my ideas,” Kate retorted.

“Yes… a bad habit that you should really fix.”

“Alright, asshole, save the sermons for later.”

Mote smirked despite himself in response to Kate’s muttering. His expression soon returned to neutral, however, as he resumed gazing out over the dark waters of the bay.

“…If you want to stop, we can stop.”

“Huh?” Mote looked over at Kate again, to find her giving him a level stare.

She then nodded forward. “There’s a bench over there.”

Mote followed her gaze. “Oh… right.” He then turned back to give her a confused look. “Why are you being so nice, all of the sudden?”

“I’m not being nice, I’d just rather freeze my ass off while sitting down than standing around,” Kate retorted as she marched over to the bench, with Mote trailing her.

“…If you say so,” Mote replied as he took a seat next to Kate. “But you’ve been acting off all afternoon. What gives?”

“What, I can’t just be fucking nice to you, every once in a while? Aren’t you the one getting on my ass all the time about my fucking ‘attitude’?”

“Well, yes, but… I never really thought you’d actually listen.”

“…Tch.” Kate’s shoulders slumped as she looked out over the bay herself. “Figures. All anyone knows me as is the loud-mouthed bitch, huh? And when I’m not that, they get all weird about it.”

“You’ll have to excuse me for thinking that. Everything you’ve done today just seems, so… uncharacteristic of you.”

“Come the fuck on. All we did was some dumb little tour, watch a movie, and eat dinner.”

“A tour specifically advertised to couples. Followed by a mindless action flick with a sappy romance subplot, and then dinner for two at a quaint little pizza shop. When you follow all of that up with this walk…” Mote passed Kate a doubtful look. “I know you said you wanted to ‘do Valentine’s Day’, but… this wasn’t supposed to be an actual date, was it?”

“Oh, wow, I didn’t think you even knew what dates looked like, you aromantic asshole,” Kate retorted.

“So it was a date, then.”

“Well, no. Sort of. Not really? Eugh…” Kate leaned forward, resting her face in her hand, as if she were some combination of exhausted and embarrassed. “…Don’t get the wrong idea. I’m not trying to date your sorry, stuck-up ass.”

“I’d hoped not,” Mote replied with a snort, only to look back at Kate. “…Seriously. Is something wrong?”

“You’re not gonna stop asking until I answer, are you.”

“You dragged me around for hours, just to indulge in your own whims. I think you at least owe me an explanation.”

Kate sighed again. “…Fuck me… I should just never have done anything.”

“Kate…?”

“Look, I just wanted to try out ‘normal’ crap, okay? All this stupid-ass normal-person shit. We’ve never had a chance to do this, before!”

“…”

“And I really do want a fucking boyfriend, for a bunch of reasons. Like fucking, for one.”

“…Don’t tell me—“

“Not you, asshole. You’re more like a nagging older brother. Hell, the only reason I can even put up with your stuck-up ass is because we grew up together.”

“Funny, the feeling is mutual. I often think of you as an annoying, unscrupulous little sister.”

“’Little’ my ass. Bite me.”

“Exactly what I’m talking about.”

“Tch…”

“So that’s all today was, then? Just a little bit of indulgence?”

Kate grimaced. “You make it sound so weird and… not-normal.”

“Neither of us are normal,” Mote pointed out. “Could normal people create sparks or bombs out of thin air, or draft up entire spacecraft designs all on their own?”

“Just because we’re Chaotics doesn’t mean we can’t live normal lives, too.”

“…”

When Mote failed to respond, Kate passed him an incredulous look. “…What the hell? I expected you to start lecturing me. Do you actually agree?”

Mote glanced back at her, and then returned to looking out over the nighttime cityscape in the distance. “…I think that it’s irresponsible for people with our powers to not use them in the aid of the greater good,” he eventually replied. “But… after today, I… suppose I can see the appeal behind enjoying the… ‘small’ things in life.”

“Oh?” An amused grin slowly spread across Kate’s face, followed by her heartily slapping Mote on the back. “So you did have fun, you awkward bastard!”

“I didn’t say fun,” Mote quickly refuted, though his gaze remained pointedly away from Kate’s. “Though, I’ll be honest, I was a little concerned that you were trying to, you know, uh…”

“Wait, seriously?” Kate scoffed. “The reason you were so stiff all afternoon is because you thought I was trying to, what, fucking seduce you?”

“It really seemed like a date…”

“Baaah ha ha ha ha ha!!!” Kate let loose a loud, long guffaw, all while Mote glared at her.

“Yes, yes, laugh it up,” he deadpanned.

“Ha ha ha!! No, sorry, sorry! It’s just… well, that’s so fucking like you, I don’t know how I didn’t realize it earlier. I mean, I knew that you’d complain about it, but for you to actually think that I was— ha! Well, you can rest assured that I want absolutely fucking nothing to do with you or your pants.”

“…And this is certainly more in line with the attitude I’m used to, from you. Still, I have to admit, I’m somewhat surprised to learn that you want a normal life so badly. The kinds of things we did today — going on a tour, seeing a movie, eating in a restaurant… it’s something I’d expect to see Danielle pine over, maybe even Mark. But not you.”

“And you’re being surprisingly understanding, today. I thought you’d be your typical stick-up-the-ass self and refuse to do anything, if I gave you the chance.”

“Honestly, if you had given me the chance, I probably would have refused…” Mote took a deep breath, mulling over his own thoughts. “…To be honest… I remember you saying something similar a few months ago, back when we were en route to the Aldredian shipyard. About wanting a normal life, that is.”

“Oh… yeah… that happened, didn’t it…”

“I honestly thought you were just being a contrarian, at the time. But seeing you actually take this opportunity, today, well… I suppose I was wrong about that part of you.”

Kate stared at Mote, dumbfounded. “…Wow. How… uncharacteristically understanding of you!”

Mote passed her a level stare. “If you keep being amazed at my sincere words, then I might have to start lecturing you.”

“…Guess we’re both surprised, then. Didn’t think you’d ever consider things from my point of view.”

“You have to admit, you are frequently rather contrary. I don’t think I was entirely unjustified in assuming that’s the typical motivation behind your words.”

“I’m not ‘frequently contrary’, you asshole!”

“I rest my case.”

“It isn’t ‘contrary’ for me to tell people that their ideas are fucking stupid,” Kate insisted.

“You could stand to do so in a less hostile manner, though,” Mote replied.

“Bullshit. ‘Watching your words’ is for pussies.”

Mote released a resigned sigh. “…Well, I suppose that is what makes you, you. For better or for worse.”

“What a weaselly response,” Kate retorted. “Can’t you just not nag me, for one fucking day?”

“I nag you because I care about you. …Like a sister, mind you. And it’s because I know you like a sister that I know you can do better. You can be better.”

“Have you ever considered that your definition of ‘better’ isn’t the kind of person that I want to be?”

“What kind of person do you want to be, then?”

Kate responded with silence, a dumbfounded look crossing her face. She then turned away, her lips pursed as she mulled over her thoughts. “…I just want to be my own damn person,” she eventually replied. “Someone who doesn’t have to answer to anyone, who can do whatever the hell they want, whenever the hell they want.”

“Even most normal people can’t be that person,” Mote pointed out. “Not without becoming social pariahs, anyways.”

“Then maybe there’s a problem with society, then. I don’t fucking know…”

“It’s quite bold of you to assume that society is wrong.”

“Not surprised to hear that from a stick-up-the-ass conformer like yourself.”

“Conformer? You say that like it’s a bad thing. I hardly conform, anyways.”

Kate passed Mote an incredulous glance before sighing again. “…Ugh. How the hell did we even start talking about this, huh? When did this get all sappy?”

“You’re the one who dragged me around on a pseudo-date,” Mote countered.

“Bleh. Things have just been really fucking weird, lately, I guess.”

“Now that, I can agree with. …Maybe once we deal with EA, things can start returning to normal.”

“Ugh, that asshole. Well, at least he might put up a good fight. Could be a good way to finally blow off some fucking steam.”

“Try not to get too carried away. We want to capture as much of his base intact as we can, to better understand how he became such a threat so quickly.”

“Yeah, yeah. But surely nobody will care if I blow up just part of the place.”

Mote shook his head and sighed in resignation, though a slight smile played on his face all the same. “…We likely will have to fight him. So some level of battle damage is expected, I suppose.”

“That’s about as good an approval as I’m ever getting out of you,” Kate retorted, and then stretched her arms before jumping back to her feet. “Alright, I’ve had enough of this damn cold,” she declared. “Let’s get back to our fucking rooms before my tits fall off.”

Mote glanced up at her, and then turned to look out over the dark bay waters once more. His gaze lingered for a second, just a brief moment — but then he climbed to his feet as well. “…Alright. Let’s get going.”

“Good!” Kate remarked, turning to march off as Mote fell in beside her. “…Oh, and one more thing,” she added, passing Mote a quick glance. “…If you tell anyone what we did today, I’m blowing your ass up.”

“And what of all the civilians who no-doubt recognized us?” Mote retorted.

“…Fuck…!” Kate facepalmed. “Fuck me, what was I thinking, doing all that in public?!”

“Well, a movie and dinner doesn’t make a date. Necessarily…”

“And what about that fucking couples tour, huh?”

Mote shrugged. “That was your idea.”

“Argh!” Kate gripped at her head, frustration clearly wrought across her features. “If Saito or Hackett or Travis learn about this, then they’ll never let us hear the end of it!”

“Perhaps this can be your lesson to think things through more thoroughly, then.”

“Alright, asshole, don’t you start lecturing me now! This involves you, too, anyway!”

“Which is exactly why I plan to say exactly nothing about any of it.”

“You—! You motherfucker, you were just playing me for a response, huh?”

“No, no. I don’t know why you could possibly think that.”

“You listen here, asshole…!”

The duo’s friendly bickering continued as they followed the pier-side pathway back around toward the city, both of them more than ready to finally call it a day.