by napsii » Tue Mar 19, 2013 10:34 pm
Cae stretched her arms over her head, happy to have a quiet moment for once. Turning around, she slid the door's deadbolt into place.
The room could have been worse. The torn wallpaper, creaky floors, lethal-looking bathroom and cracked walls were something she had learned to put up with as a wanderer of the wasteland. Experimentally, she inhaled; the perceptive could judge for bugs and waste by the aroma. Through the usual must of a Post-War building, she sniffed an ancient air freshener struggling to defuse the smell of a broken waste pipe deep beneath the building. The android's nose crinkled. As long as she didn't take any deep breaths, it'd be tolerable. The rest of the room was unimpressive at worst, a welcome sight at best. Marry's generosity wouldn't be lost on her. The room wasn't in the hottest shape, but it felt like a million bucks after what had just happened. She shrugged her bag and her gun off of her shoulders, dropping them both on the nightstand next to the simple bed. The furniture was glazed with dust, and the android wondered if Kyle ever got off his butt to clean the place. Compulsively, she peeked through the curtains out the window. Below, the streets of Fairtown were as lively as ever. Countless humans were drowning their reality with alcohol, while on the other end of the city the privileged of the Great Ruins' locked themselves tightly inside their gated apartments, ever fearful of the muggers and desperate addicts that stalked the city's alleys. Morbidly, she wondered how many humans would end up face-down in a gutter tonight, wounded or dead. Ever fatigued by the knowledge that this would be the last night alive for some unfortunate humans, she sat down on the lip of the squeaky bed and kicked off her shoes and socks.
Valuing her footwear too much to have them eaten by bugs (as had happened with her previous shoes), she placed them on the nightstand and wiggled her toes. Relief from the stress of the day cascaded over her, and for a moment she considered falling back onto the bed then and there, but she felt grimy, and wanted to explore the bathroom. Grudgingly, she rose to her feet. Her power core was pressed to sustain her, now; she resolved to hit the hay as soon as possible. The carpet feeling bristly under her bare feet, she wandered to the bathroom and carefully stepped over the cracked tiles on her way to the mirror. It was foggy, but she managed to rub out a clear image of her face. Even for an android, she looked pale and dirty; her complexion shocked her. She sighed disapprovingly, fiddling with the sink. There was no chance on Earth she'd drink from it, but it would be nice to wash up. The plumbing groaned as she turned the knob and for a moment, she thought the water pipe was about to burst, but slowly and surely cool water began to trickle out. She waved a hand under it and then sniffed her soaked palm. The water wasn't off-color, and didn't smell bad. Finding it acceptable, she splashed some on her face and across her arms and hands, scraping off the dirt that had inevitably accumulated during the day. It wasn't as refreshing as a shower, but the sensation of the cool water over her synthetic skin was invigorating. Dripping but now somewhat clean, she turned off the water and walked back to the bedroom. If she could have fixed anything in this room, it would have been the bathroom. She had never liked dirty bathrooms.
She hummed to distract herself as she flipped open her bag and procured a small towel to dry herself off. As she toweled her hands dry, she admired the moonlight streaming in through the window. Frankly, it had been a long week, and she was glad it was over. Even if it was just for a few hours, sleep provided some refuge from the stresses of this world. Dried, she placed the towel away and set to work shaking out the bed sheets to dispel the dust. Reflecting on the week made her feel without purpose. Things had been bland and dangerous as usual as she had spent the entire week traveling and scavenging, at least until today. Idly, she pondered the man in the mask. He seemed to know so much about her. Then there was Steven, the boy who had beaten badly. After she worked out something with Marry, Cae resolved to make visiting the boy the first thing she did in the morning. She knew thoughts of the masked man would perturb her until she tracked him down, but she doubted she'd be able to find him unless he willed it or it was by chance. People like that... there was always more to them than met the eyes. Satisfied with her bedding arrangements, the android sat down on the edge of the bed and began unzipping her pants. As long as she didn't get splashed in mud, her clothes could go a few more days before they'd need a wash. Exhausted, she stripped off her leggings and folded them inside her bag. Her tight-fitting white panties and bra were some of the few articles she'd scavenged perfectly intact from the Great Ruins, ironically enough, and Cae had always appreciated their comfort.
Suddenly paranoid, she stood up to close the curtains further, permitting just a sliver of moonlight into the room. Content, she fell back onto the bed and sighed, reaching out to check that her gun was within arm's reach. The pillow felt lumpy, but it was soft. She traced a hand over her inner thigh, feeling sore.
I hope that kid is okay. The masked man, too... I'll have to find him. she thought, sinking into the mattress. The thin sheets suddenly felt very inviting, so she slid them up over her lower body. Her exhaustion was overwhelming now. It would be nice to just... sleep.
She slid the sheets higher, feeling herself start to doze off.