An Inevitably Expensive Evening

It was interesting to note how quickly she had fallen into a routine. Cassiti was used to routines, of course. Her entire life up until now had been full of them. The vast majority of her time on Earthland, however, had been spent merely wandering and traveling and going where the wind would take her. Being a member of Meliora Vitae certainly didn’t keep her stagnant in that regard, of course. The guild loved to travel and send people out on various missions all over the continent. Still, her position as the head of the research and rehabilitation department meant that she was spending quite a bit more time on the ship working with the various plants and animals that needed her help, as well as guiding and assisting the members of her branch that required such aid. And while she was happy with the work she was doing and grateful for the opportunity, she had been focusing on her duties for such a long spell that she was starting to feel restless; a sensation she wasn’t altogether accustomed to.

Thankfully, the universe always had a way of balancing itself out. The Oracle was resting in the quaint treehouse that she had taken for her living quarters within the Arborium of the ship. The space was much smaller than what she was used to in Avalon, where she’d had an entire temple – practically a palace – to call her own, but in truth Cassi liked her modest quarters upon the Endeavor more. The temple was breathtakingly beautiful, of course, but for all its space it had always felt a bit cold and isolating. Or maybe that was just because of her station and the etiquette it required from those around her. Either way, the treehouse was perhaps a bit on the cramped side but warm and soothing, a place she could go to at the end of the day to restore her chakra and unwind.

It was thus where she found herself, relaxing on the low seated sofa on the second floor loft, reading a religious text from one of the many faiths that were current to Earthland’s time. Her attention was drawn from the tome’s pages by the gentle sound of a brief musical tone, causing the woman to lift her head. She blinked for a moment in confusion before she heard the noise again, more clearly this time, and realized it was the device that Cordelia had gotten her that allowed them to speak to one another from a distance. Gently shutting the book and setting it down, Cassiti eased herself onto her feet and climbed the ladder down to the small kitchenette where she’d had the iLac plugged in to charge, the device going off a third time even as she approached it.

She picked it up and pressed her thumb to the screen to unlock it. Or at least, to attempt to unlock it. Giving the device a gentle frown as it refused to recognize her fingerprint, she tried again, and then one more time before giving up and trying the alternate option of putting in her password. These electronic devices were so strange. Everyone seemed attached to them and Cassiti certainly recognized their usefulness, but she simply had not been able to adapt to the device as quickly as she had hoped. It was a finicky thing that didn’t always work the way it should, which didn’t help with her learning curve. Very slowly, she typed in the combination of symbols to release the lock on the device and the screen finally opened to grant her access. With only a brief second or two to remember which image to click on to open up the program she needed, the group conversation between herself, Cordelia, and Rhace had new messages waiting for her.

It seemed that Rhace wanted to take them to the spring festival in Rose Garden, which he claimed would be the most aesthetically pleasing place to visit. He was also offering to cover the charges for everything, as thanks for the help the two women had been in getting him settled as captain. Honestly, there was very little that Cassiti felt she had helped with in that regard outside of merely guiding him through how she had things set up with her own division and giving him her thoughts and feedback when he asked for it. Rhace was an exceptionally capable man, one that Cassi had come to respect a great deal in a rather short period of time. He and Cordelia were much more outgoing and animated than she was, but there was no denying that she appreciated and enjoyed their company. Her fellow ace had already replied to let them know that she would be ready to meet them in the hangar soon, remarking that the two of them would have to find a way to return the favor to him.

Okay.

Despite the shortness of her reply, the pair would likely know well enough by now to not read into messages. Cassit’s text were almost always brief due to how awkward it was for her to use the phone.

Rhace and Cordelia would only have to wait a couple minutes more before Cassiti arrived, her gait and mannerisms much more subdued than the other woman’s, as per usual. “I ahm soory for de wait. Kismet needed a queek grooming.”