The Next Day

— Isdia, Ranth 7, 8054 —

“…Ugh…”

With leaden eyelids, Austin slowly awoke, his eyes fluttering open as his waking mind slowly shook off its sleepy grogginess. Still lying in bed, he simply stared at the ceiling for a few moments before squinting and turning his head to the side, spotting a dim holographic display on the wall that read out a time of 8:34 AM. Upon noting this, he considered going back to sleep — it was the weekend, after all — but eventually, he decided against it. With a groan, he sat up and rubbed his eyes, and then glanced toward his room’s lone window. Morning sunlight utterly defeated the curtains over the window, thus dimly illuminating his entire room.

Looks like a bright day, today… Austin thought to himself, and then rubbed his eyes groggily. …It’s just the first day of the weekend, right? And it’s so early… maybe I should just go back to sleep…

As he contemplated the pros and cons of returning to his bed’s sweet embrace, he began to realize that a curious sort of cacophony was sounding from outside of his room. “Sounds like people rushin’ around, or somethin’…” he muttered to himself. “…What’s goin’ on?”

He remained seated in his bed, ears strained as he listened to the sounds coming from outside of his door. When they failed to abate, he reluctantly threw his sheets aside and climbed to his feet, at which point he groggily approached the closed door to his room. With an uneasy frown, he finally opened the door and peeked outside.

“Yo, Austin.”

“Huh…?” Austin shifted his attention to his right, just in time to spot Spike striding out of the communal bathroom with a damp towel in hand. Upon noticing this, Austin’s gaze drifted to beyond Spike, toward the hallway kitchen — where he could hear the sounds of Mark rummaging around in a much louder manner than usual.

“Uh… you alright?”

Austin groggily shifted his gaze back to Spike. “…What’re you up so early, for?” he questioned. “And why’s it so noisy, out here…?”

“Huh?” Spike gave his friend a confused look, only for realization to wash over his face. With an exasperated sigh, he replied, “you’re kiddin’ me. Don’t tell me you forgot!”

“Knowing Austin, he definitely forgot,” Twy declared as she quickly moved past the two men to step into the bathroom with Sky hot on her heels.

“Wait…” Austin eyed the twins uneasily before looking back to Spike. “…What?”

“Damn, you really did forget,” Spike remarked, shaking his head as he turned to approach his own room. Just before he entered, he stopped to shout over his shoulder, “it’s Creators’ Day, dumbass! Get your ass in gear!”

“What—? Oh! Shit!” Austin’s eyes widened in alarm, his post-waking grogginess dispelled in an instant. He then whipped around, withdrawing into his room and closing the door behind him to quickly begin preparing himself and his material for Compound Tresnon’s favorite holiday — to prepare for Creators’ Day.

---

*

“Really is lively around here, huh?”

“Even more than I expected…” Major Hackett replied. “This is a real festival!”

“It certainly is,” Colonel Saito remarked as he began digging into his breakfast. He, accompanied by Hackett, Travis, and MacTavish, were currently seated around a small table on the edge of the shaded roof of the tavern they were all staying in. The tavern stood only one story tall, so the street below was quite close — as were the people who readily flowed through it, conversing and laughing loudly as they sampled various snacks from food stalls, small sculptures and paintings from art stalls, lively music from street performers, and all other manner of creative works and goods. A scant two hours had passed since sunrise, yet already the entire Compound was consumed by a jolly, festive energy.

“I didn’t realize there’d be so many different things around!” Travis exclaimed around a mouthful of bread, his attention directed at the street below. “There’s even someone down there who makes gun cases!”

“It would figure that gun accessories are what catches your eye,” Hackett replied with a smirk.

“Heh, you’re not wrong,” Travis responded with a chuckle. “Still, I think it’d be nice to get a Tresédian case for my rifle. I already stand out too much, using a SERRCom gun.”

“I suppose that’s true. I see that there’s also some people selling shawls and ponchos, it looks like. I can’t really see the designs from here, but I think that’s worth a look.”

“Shawls are a pretty common piece of Tresédian desert garb, it seems,” Saito said. “It stands to reason that some of the locals would want more stylish clothing than the beige we usually see.”

“Didn’t take you for one to care about style, sir!” Travis jabbed.

“Hey, even someone like me has an eye for these things,” Saito replied. “Though I’m more looking forward to the food stalls, personally. I can already see a lot of tasty snacks to try out.”

“Be careful not to gain too much weight, sir!” Hackett responded with a grin.

“Bah, I’ll be fine. It’s not like I do this every day!”

“Well, what about you, Kirstin?” Travis questioned, turning his attention to the quiet Researcher. “Is there anything you want to look at, around here?”

“I heard you were working with the Captain’s nephew these past couple days,” Hackett remarked. “Will you be helping them today, too?”

“Uh… n-no…” MacTavish responded, her gaze intently focused on the breakfast meat occupying her plate. “I, uh… w-was going to, um, sp-spend the day looking at, um, th-the defenses…”

“Do you think they’re deficient, somehow?” Saito questioned.

“N-no, just, uh… …I don’t, um, like crowds, so…”

“Ha! Fair enough. Although, now that you’ve mentioned the defenses…” The Colonel’s expression grew serious. “Major, Captain. You both have watch shifts today, right?”

“Yes sir,” Travis replied. “I’m supposed to cover the afternoon, with Gavon. 1 to 5 or 6, or so.”

“And I’m with you, sir — I hope you haven’t forgotten,” Hackett said. “We need to be up there in about half an hour.”

“Good, sounds like everyone’s up-to-date,” Saito declared. “I spoke to Selind last night; she said that the Defense Force hasn’t seen or heard about any Bleeder movement, recently. She thinks the odds of an attack occurring today are pretty low, but as always, keep a sharp eye out.”

“I wonder why…” Travis mused. “The Bleeders attacked on the last big holiday. Seems like it’d be a great way catch the Compound off-guard.”

“They also had plants, last time,” Hackett replied. “Without those two saboteurs, the Bleeders wouldn’t have been a threat. And this time, they don’t have an inside man.”

“Those were exactly Selind’s thoughts,” Saito reported. “And I’m inclined to agree. Still, it can’t hurt to be cautious, so be careful, everyone. Including you, MacTavish.”

“R-right…” the Researcher responded. “I-I’ll, um, m-make sure the shields are, uh, in g-good shape.”

“Good idea. I’ll let Selind know what you’re doing when Hackett and I report in for our guard shift.”

“Such a shame that we have to miss out on half of the fun,” Travis lamented while looking out over the crowded street. “At least we’re around to see it, I guess.”

“Now that you mention it…” Hackett threw Saito a questioning glance. “You said several days ago that you expected SERRCom to call us back, soon. Has there been any word, there?”

“I was actually just about to get to that,” Saito said. “I just got the official order an hour ago. We’re to report to Eana by the end of the 16th.”

“Of February, right?” Travis asked. “Today’s, what… the 12th? That’s not much time, all things considered…”

“Exactly. Working through the Nimalian and SERRCom Gate Network will eat a couple days,” Saito replied. “I’ve already checked the schedules. To make it to Eana on time, we’ll need to leave Compound Tresnon early tomorrow morning.”

“S-so soon?!” MacTavish exclaimed.

“That really is short notice…” Hackett mused.

“I told you to expect it,” Saito declared. “Naturally, I’ll be informing Selind about our imminent departure, as well.”

“So this is it, huh?” Travis said. “We’re finally takin’ the fight to EA?”

“That we are,” Saito replied. “And given that some of his robots can even give Mote a run for his money, I’d bet on EA’s base being a tough nut to crack. We can’t afford to be careless. So make sure that you take today to rest up and relax as much as you can.”

“Do we know what we’ll find, there, yet?” Hackett questioned.

“We’ll hear everything during the briefing on Eana. For now, just focus on today; don’t worry about EA just yet.”

“Well, if you say so, sir,” Travis replied, and then glanced down at his watch. “…Oh… sorry, sir, but I promised Gavon I’d meet up with him, soon.”

“Heh,” Saito chuckled in amusement. “You really seem to be getting along well with him, eh?”

“It’s only been a week, or so…”

“We have something to get to, as well. Don’t forget, sir,” Hackett pointed out. “We should probably be heading out, now.”

“A-and, um, I-I wanted to, uh, i-inspect the shields…” MacTavish added. “It can, uh, t-take a long time…”

“Ha, alright, alright, I get it,” Saito responded, throwing up his hands in resignation. “You all have better things to do than finish up breakfast with me, it’s fine.”

“Maybe you just need to eat faster, sir,” Hackett jabbed.

“Food is no good if you don’t savor it!” Saito remarked, only to begin climbing to his feet, with the other members of CSF-1 following suit. “…Ah, but anyways. Travis, MacTavish, you’re free to go. Hackett, let’s get going. Everyone, let’s make sure the locals don’t have to suffer another ruined holiday!”

---

*

“Alright, this is it! The big day!”

“Don’t remind me…” Twy muttered.

“What are you getting all nervous about?” Sky questioned incredulously, “you aren’t the one performing!”

Twy eyed her sister uneasily before turning to sweep her gaze across their immediate surroundings. She and Sky, alongside Phoenix and Kestrel, currently stood near the front of a long line trailing out of the building standing in the center of Compound Tresnon. The building in question was plain in appearance and featured the same sandy, beige colors as the rest of the Compound, but it stood taller and with a larger footprint than most of the buildings surrounding the main plaza. It was clearly meant to be used for large gatherings — and on this day, it was being used to host the “Creators’ Show”, the very event in which Sky sought to perform.

Surrounding the building was the broad main plaza of Compound Tresnon, currently filled with stalls and crowds of people admiring goods and services fashioned just for Creators’ Day. The sign-up line for the Creators’ Show, meanwhile, snaked all around the main building; there were, quite clearly, many people and groups wishing to show off during the day’s event.

“…Lot of people…” Kestrel muttered as she observed their surroundings herself.

“That’s what makes this great!” Phoenix declared with a grin. “This energy is what makes holidays so fun! I love seeing that everyone is so into it, too!”

“Yeah!” Sky pumped her fist as she nodded in agreement. “I was a little nervous, before, but seeing how much everyone likes Creators’ Day is really pumping me up! I can’t wait to perform!!”

“That’s good for you…” Twy responded warily. “But now I can’t help but wonder if my mural is actually any good…”

“Of course it is, Twy!” Phoenix insisted. “I think you’ve done beautifully! The Nimalians are sure to love it!”

“Maybe, but there’s a lot of other art around here, and it all looks better than mine…”

“No way!” Sky countered. “Stop putting yourself down, your painting looks fine! More than fine, even!”

“And, if nothing else, I don’t see many watercolors around,” Phoenix remarked. “So your mural is sure to stand out, based on that alone!”

“I don’t know…” Twy muttered. Before she could say anything else, Kestrel gently put her hand on Twy’s shoulder; when Twy turned to look up at her, Kestrel responded with a firm nod. “…Right…” Twy took a deep breath. “…Okay. You’re all right, I guess. I’ll try to keep my nerves under control…”

“Wow. This is the first time I’ve ever seen second-hand stage fright,” Phoenix replied with an amused smirk.

“I might not be going up there, but my art is!” Twy protested, only to stop herself, close her eyes, and take another deep breath. “…Sorry. Sorry. You’re right.”

“Next!”

The four women looked ahead in the line. There was now no one else in front of them, and the man sitting behind the registration table was waving them forward.

“Time to finally register!” Sky excitedly exclaimed as she bounded forward to the table. “We’re here to perform a song! ‘The Beauty of Home’, it’s called!”

In response, the man simply stared at Sky in confusion.

“Sky…” Twy muttered in exasperation as she reached into her pocket and pulled out a small device. “Remember, you’re supposed to use this.”

“Oh, right!” Sky remarked, quickly snatching the device out of Twy’s hands and holding it up to her mouth. “We’re here to sing!” she repeated.

“We’re here to sing!” the device echoed — although, while the four women heard it speak in English, the actual language it spoke in was Akian, the language of the Nimalians.

“I see…” the man commented, eying the device with suspicion before shaking his head and marking something down. “Singin’, huh? All song and dance performances are set for the afternoon and evenin’. I can put you in for… half hour after sunset.”

“Evening, huh?” Phoenix mused, glancing up toward the mid-morning sun. “That’s a while from now.”

“Works for us!” Sky declared, with her sentence being promptly repeated in Akian by the handheld translation device.

“Alright,” said the registration man. “And the name of your song?”

“’The Beauty of Home’!”

“…Right. Okay, you’re scheduled, now. Make sure you show up on time, or we’ll go on without you.”

“Got it!” Sky replied with a casual salute, at which point the four women retreated from the table to allow the line to move up.

“…Good thing you had the foresight to ask Kaoné to make that thing, Twy,” Phoenix remarked as Sky handed the translation device back to Twy. “We’d be up shit creek without it.”

“Yeah!” Sky exclaimed. “Makes you wonder why Kaoné didn’t just make one of those for all of us when we first got here!”

“Kaoné wasn’t with us when we first arrived, remember?” Twy pointed out. “She didn’t begin teaching us until a couple weeks later. And by then, we’d all settled into only interacting with the WCU students, who have their own translation implants.”

“Not to mention the dirty look that guy gave us when we used the translator,” Phoenix said. “It’s certainly useful when we need it, but I get the feeling the locals still don’t like it, much. Probably reminds them that we’re outsiders.”

“And we’ve seen what plenty of Tresédians think of outsiders…” Twy muttered. “…Maybe we shouldn’t have thought of doing a performance in front of all these people…”

“Oh stop whining, it’ll be fine!” Sky insisted. “So what if a few people don’t like our performance? That’s nothing new. You’ll never get everyone to like what you do!”

“I suppose…”

“With that out of the way,” Phoenix said, “it looks like we have the whole day before we need to come back for the performance!”

“Several hours,” Kestrel affirmed.

“We should probably meet up at the dorms a half hour before sunset to get everything together,” Twy suggested. “Sky can do a quick warm-up in her room, and then we’ll move the mural and her outfit to the main hall, where we can properly prepare for the performance.”

“Sounds good to me!” Sky remarked.

“To me, as well,” Phoenix added, and then turned to face the crowds, an excited grin plastered across her face. “Alright, then! Time for us to get a look at all the stuff the locals setup for Creators’ Day!”