December 31st, 2185. Approaching midnight. The hills outside Freedom Falls are dark and quiet as the year enters its final hours. Without Litae looming above there’s only the starry night sky to light up the snow with a dim glow, leaving the trees jagged black shadows looming on both sides of the access road to the dam. Two figures trudge through the snow, the one in the lead illuminated by the faint electric glow of her high-end
#FreedomFallsDam – September 5, 2023
cybernetics, utterly out of place on the snowy forest road. In the distance, occasional pops of premature fireworks break the serene, natural silence as they echo off the mountainside.
Yan Sun grunts quietly from effort as she navigates past a spot where the walkable corridor formed by tire tracks in the snow has collapsed into uneven lumps. It had been her suggestion that they spend their last night on Aite at the dam. After everything that had happened there the past months (wow, it really has only been a few months, hasn't it?) she’d come to think of the dam as their spot. ‘They’ being her... and Jessica. The
woman who, come dawn, would be leaving behind everything she’s ever known to come with her across the stars. It was nuts, really. Three months ago, they’d been strangers. Now, Jessica was the most important person in Yan Sun’s life. Maybe that's just how she's wired, falling hard and fast in spite of better judgement. The evidence is compelling. She dreads and itches to show Jessica her home in equal measure. She wants to
repay the journey that Jessica has taken her on. The way she’s trusted her with her past, with her home. She wants to do the same for her. And, yeah, she misses it. It's true. She misses the sounds and the smells and the pulsing web of electric energy. But the way she’d left, and the memories and people she’d left behind? She's not sure she's ready to deal with that. With the faintest shake of her head her mind returns to the
here and now, pushing the slipping strap of her backpack up her shoulder. Most of her things are packed up and waiting in their room at the Respite, but it seemed prudent to bring some supplies on this little excursion.
Jessica lags a few steps behind Yan Sun, losing pace when the occasional pop in the distance draws her attention from the task at hand back to the town they just came from, gaze lifting up towards the sky as color plumes across it. It's one of those times of the year- one of many- that make it hard not to think of home. Adrasteia always felt so alive on New Years. Adrasteia always felt so alive when there was any reason to
celebrate. And, with such a mixed demographic, there were plenty of good excuses for throwing a party. They're good memories. Something that she's tried far too hard to convince herself she doesn't have of this planet that she's called home for much of her life. As the latest bout of fireworks disappear from the sky she seems to realize she's beginning to fall behind and hurries her pace to catch up. "Why you are in such
Yan Sun looks back over her shoulders, eyebrows scrunched up just below the brim of her beanie. "Because we're already running late!" she exclaims before casting a look ahead and stopping. She extends a hand against Jessica's chest to stop her as well, a focused look on her eyes as she stares out into the black. Her cybernetic eye must see something that organic ones don't.
Jessica's gaze shoots down to the hand that stops her in her tracks. "Wha-..." she begins to complain before seeing the focused look on Yan Sun's face. She squints, her own eye far less capable of seeing in the low light of the starlit outskirts of Freedom Falls. "...What?" she asks, trying, and failing, to see whatever it is Yan Sun sees.
Yan Sun looks off to the side and then sets off into the snow, diverting from the road. "Cone of vision on the gate camera starts just up ahead. Can't access the wireless from here, so we'll have to go around it until we're close enough," she explains with a gesture in the direction she's heading. The downside to Jessica quitting her job at Redrock is they no longer have free reign of the dam, and she's not super enthusiastic about
Jessica blinks. She hadn't really considered the whole 'Redrock security' aspect of their night excursion. Perhaps because she's been 'Redrock security' for so long. Still, Yan Sun's seriousness garners a snort from her. "Cone of vision on the gate-..." she mocks with a roll of her eye before adjusting her beanie and giving Yan Sun a playful nudge from behind as she follows her off the trodden path. "You are such a nerd." she
Yan Sun jostles a little as she's nudged. "And you're an asshole," she replies through a smile as she walks closer to the gate along some border only she can see. They end up having to pass between some trees, but soon enough, as they come out near the chain-link fence, she stops and activates her omni-tool interface. "There you are..." she mutters, fingers starting to dance across the interface. "It's a good thing security's crap out
here, I feel out of practice. Not exactly a lot of surveillance to worry about out here. Back home there's pretty much always at least a few cameras on you if you're outdoors."
Jessica gives a roll of her eye, though a smile tugs at the edge of her lips. Despite her teasing, she seems to follow Yan Sun's lead, coming to a sudden stop just behind her when she stops. She furrows her brow, scanning the area for whatever invisible presence only Yan Sun can see. "And you can see where the camera is seeing...?" she asks as Yan Sun works, continuing to look around as if maybe if she just looks hard enough
Yan Sun nods as she works. "M-hm," she confirms. "Advantages of an integrated AR overlay. Honestly though, back home I didn't really need to worry about it most of the time. Unless we were hitting a place with a private network my cloak was enough to handle things." Apparently satisfied that what she's doing worked, a small smirk tugs at the corner of her mouth as she presses one last button. "...aaaaand looped."
Jessica continues to study the invisible 'cone of vision'. Or, at least, try to. "Mmm." she hums absently in affirmation, "You would have been useful in Adrasteia. Usually I just hit the camera with a stick. But maybe I hit too many cameras with too many sticks. Everywhere just got better cameras." She frowns. "Is hard to hit a good camera with a stick. You never know where they are. So then I am having to use my cloak." she
continues, looking over to Yan Sun as she pulls the brim of her beanie down over her own face. The lack of eyeholes makes it a far less convenient mask. "Cloak activated." she says, her words muffled through the fabric. As Yan Sun announces her success, she pulls her beanie back up and fixes it atop her head.
Yan Sun bites down on the smile that Jessica's musings brings to her lips, a muffled snort slipping out. "Uh-huh..." she commiserates as she stomps up to the fence, but the muted 'Cloak activated.' makes her break into laughter, giving Jessica a shove. "You are such a dumbass," she says with a big grin and nothing but fondness in her eyes. "The cloak is this hack I made for the VI that runs the city's surveillance grid," she explains
as she crouches down by the chainlink fence and pulls a multitool out of her pocket, switching it to a wire cutter and getting to work. "Makes sure as far as any connected camera, drone or sat is concerned, I don't exist. Same for anyone else added to the list."
Jessica tries to keep a straight face, but a smile slips out as she's shoved, causing her to stumble back a couple steps, snow crunching under her boots. "Mmm." she hums as she listens to Yan Sun talk, taking a position against the fence and peeling it back as Yan Sun begins to clip it. Just some casual breaking and entering for a couple of B&E veterans. Yan Sun's technobabble garners a raise of her brow. "...And you think it
will not work anymore?" she asks, recalling an earlier conversation. Perhaps giving away that she listens a bit more acutely than she pretends to.
Yan Sun looks a little caught off-guard that Jessica actually remembered, pausing briefly and nodding before resuming her cutting. "Most likely... it'd usually break and need a tweak whenever they patched the VI," she confirms, growing quiet as the realities of her return occupy her mind. She finishes with the fence and slips through in a crouch.
Jessica holds to fence as Yan Sun slips through before lowering into a crouch and following suit, pulling the chain-link back into place as best as she can behind her. "You will be able to fix it when you get back?" she asks, dusting a bit of snow from her cargo pants.
Yan Sun turns back to Jessica as she stands up, brought out of her thoughts with a smirk. "Of course," she assures confidently. "Soon as I can get hooked up to the grid." After waiting for Jessica to finish up she starts leading the way past the security station to the dam proper. "Guess we should keep it down..." she muses as they draw closer, passing the shack on the side without windows, secure in the knowledge that everything
Jessica snickers at Yan Sun's confidence. "Mmm." she hums in agreement. She passes a glance towards the security building as they continues past it, instinctively lowering her posture. Not that she'd ever admit it, but a small part of her is going to miss the security detail at the dam. Sure, it was boring. But what's not to like about being paid to do nothing? The natural beauty of Freedom Falls outskirts is an added bonus, of
Yan Sun looks surprisingly in her element sneaking past the dam security. She may be a klutz, but excursions like this have been part of her life for a long time now. She shoots a quick, just-making-sure glance towards the shack before stepping onto the snowless surface of the dam proper. She spins around to face Jessica, extending her arms to each side with a smile as she walks backwards. "...and we're here."
Jessica follows her out onto the dam. She gives a glance back over her shoulder, pausing for a moment as she waits to see if a raging batarian comes storming out of the security building. When it seems like the coast is clear, she gives Yan Sun an appraising look. "Mmm. You did alright." she relents. Stepping forward, she pulls her hands from the pockets of her jacket and brings them to Yan Sun's waist before qualifying her
Yan Sun beams smugly, her hands hooking around Jessica's neck as she slows her backpedaling and leans closer, noses brushing lightly. "I'll i-woah!" Her words are cut short and her eyes turn wide and startled as the heel of her snowboot gets caught on a protrusion in the dam's surface, tripping her up.
Jessica's eyes briefly widen and her grip tightens on the slipping woman. She braces herself as to not be pulled down with her and steadies the smaller woman, her own expression now turning smug. "Nevermind." she says with a sigh of exaggerated exasperation.
Yan Sun clutches Jessica tightly as she's saved from falling on her ass, body tense and heart briefly pounding from the embarrassingly familiar adrenaline spike that comes with a near-fall. "Shut up," she mutters, unamused expression betrayed by a faint hints of a grin at her own expense. Her gaze dances across Jessica's face, following the jagged edge of her burns down to her smirking lips and lingering there. "...and thanks. I
Jessica gives a playful roll of her eye. "How many times I am going to have to save you? Mmm?" she continues to tease, arms slipping a bit further around Yan Sun.
Yan Sun scrunches up her nose and makes a face at Jessica, but immediately afterwards she leans in to plant a quick kiss on her lips, body pressing against hers in the process, but then she slips out of Jessica's grasp, grabbing one of her hands. "Let's get set up," she says with a nod over her shoulder, indicating further along the dam.
Jessica lightly reciprocates the kiss, smirk lingering as Yan Sun pulls back. She gives her hand a squeeze as she allows herself to be led further across the dam. She gives one last glance back the way they came to make sure they haven't been spotted. It's strange how much context can change the way a place feels. They've been out here plenty of times before tonight, but somehow it feels different. Reminiscent of all the times
she would break into buildings with friends just to go drink and hangout on the roof. Beer somehow always tastes better when it's drank in a place you shouldn't be. Another pop of color in the distance draws her attention, prompting her to ask, "How much longer do we have?"
Yan Sun comes to a stop as they reach the halfway point, slipping her backpack off her shoulders. "Should just about have time to get settled in," she says, unzipping the bag and pulling out one of the stolen Respite blankets that served them well on their road trip. She crouches down to spread it across the dry, almost room temperature floor of the dam. Next follows a paper bag with sandwiches and a bottle of champagne.
Jessica assists with the blanket, pulling it nice and taught along the ground and patting it flat. As Yan Sun moves on to the food and drink, Jessica plops down onto the blanket and busies herself with getting comfortable, immediately tugging her gloves off with her teeth and dropping them onto the blanket beside her.
Yan Sun soon joins Jessica on the blanket, shooting her a big smile as she too starts to get comfortable. She pulls out a second blanket, keeping it in her lap while collecting both her own and Jessica's gloves and stuffing them into the backpack, along with her beanie and, after taking it off, her jacket, filling the bag before slotting it behind the two of them to serve as a makeshift backrest. From a side pocket she retrieves a
Jessica is quick to shove her own beanie into the backpack. Her own jacket is balled up and set beside her and she adjusts the collar of her thermal shirt before reaching out to accept one of the cups. She certainly isn't bothered by the plastic cups. As far as she's concerned, they're being fancy-folk by not drinking it straight from the bottle. She scoots a bit closer to Yan Sun and sits back against the backpack, extending her
Yan Sun reaches over to pop the cork on the champagne, grabbing the bottle in her left hand to help with the one-handed grip strength and proceeding to fill up both cups generously before setting it aside and cuddling up to Jessica. It's plain to see that she's in a good mood as she looks out across the lights of Freedom Falls. Without Litae drowning them out, the stars sparkle bright in the black sky above, and the cutting band of
Jessica slips her free arm around Yan Sun as she settles in. Placing her cup aside for the moment, she begins to tug the second blanket over them. The dam might have a heating element, but it is still winter.
Yan Sun helps tug the blanket up, keeping her drink arm outside it while her free hand takes refuge in the comfortable warmth beneath, coming to rest on Jessica's knee. She draws in a deep breath of crisp winter air, closing her eyes for a moment as she enjoys the stillness of the Aitian night, the occasional, lonely pops of mistimed fireworks above the town contrasting the steady, white-noise crashing of icy water far below. "I'm...
Jessica tilts her head back, gaze scanning across the sky. She doesn't immediately respond to Yan Sun, a frown momentarily spreading across her face. Anger and frustration made it so easy to hate this place for so long, it's taken leaving to remind her of just how much of her is tied to Aite. Rooted here. The people. The places. The sounds. The history. It's everything that's familiar. And now she'll be leaving it behind to go
'home'. A home that's as alien to her as any other planet out there. There's a sadness in that thought. But, still, there's excitement, too. An excitement that causes her to give Yan Sun a small squeeze. "...Me too." she says softly, a quiet admission as she studies the beautiful Aitian night sky.
Yan Sun glances towards Jessica, only to follow her gaze up towards the sky. She lets her head come to rest against the warm shoulder she's cuddled up to, giving her leg a reassuring squeeze. "I can only think of a single spot in Hong Kong that's this quiet. Almost anywhere you go there's people, cars, ships, holo-ads, music, announcements... I love how alive the city feels. But it's hard to find... this."
Jessica listens in silence as Yan Sun talks fondly about a place she's poured so much energy into convincing herself to hate. She sucks in her lips as she ponders it for a moment. "We can-..." she shrugs her shoulders, letting out a small sigh as if she's only saying it for Yan Sun's sake, "...maybe come back and go camping again when we are getting bored of Hong Kong. Mmm?"
Yan Sun 's head lifts to look at Jessica in surprise, but she thinks better off calling attention to the gravity of the suggestion. Instead, she smiles softly. "I like the sound of that," she agrees, burrowing closer and burying her face against Jessica's neck to plant a series of idle kisses.
Jessica's eyes drift closed and she tilts her head a bit. "This time we will use a better truck for sleeping in." she muses absently with a snicker. She's still feeling the nights spent in the cab of Kirill's truck.
Yan Sun snickers against the skin she's nuzzling, a hum of agreement sounding as she pauses her kisses to crack her neck, but then her head lifts to study the side of Jessica's face. "I'm glad you're coming with me, Jessica." The words, softly spoken, are not news, but she feels the need to say them regardless, and they're accompanied by another gentle squeeze of her hand.
Jessica turns her gaze back to Yan Sun, studying her for a moment. "I am not coming with you, you are coming with me. You are still owing me a life debt, kitty cat. Do not forget." she reminds, though the smile that follows is gentler than usual and she tilts her head down to press a quick, soft peck against Yan Sun's lips.
Yan Sun grins against Jessica's lips, giggling quietly when she pulls away. "Wouldn't dream of it," she assures. "I-" A staccato burst of firework pops cut her off, and they're quickly followed by another as her gaze briefly unfocuses, checking the time, and then she hurries to look back towards the town, settling in as close as she can to Jessica. "Ooh, it's time!"
Sure enough, the scattered explosions rapidly escalate into a steady, colorful stream that thunders and echoes across the river valley. The snowy hills are illuminated in sharp rainbow flashes, and glowing embers burst into an eclectic assortment of shapes before slowly, gently succumbing to gravity while they fade into darkness. The Redrock building is easy to make out as one of the biggest hotspots, a primary staging ground for the
Jessica's attention is pulled towards the sky over Freedom Falls when Yan Sun confirms that it's not more early fireworks. She, too, huddles in closer to Yan Sun, the warmth of her body welcome in the winter air, and settles against the backpack to watch the display. A small frown takes shape as she spots the display over Redrock, well aware of who the culprit must be. She reaches out with her cup, extending a finger in the
direction of her old workplace. "My fireworks would have been much better!" she brags, her voice drowned out by the explosion of noise and color.
Yan Sun doesn't seem to hear Jessica's complaint, watching the fireworks in silence. The truth is, the display doesn't hold a candle to the absolutely massive, holographically enhanced affairs that light up the ocean by her home. But the company, and what the moment signifies - a goodbye and a new beginning - makes it special anyway. With fireworks still steadily bursting above Freedom Falls she turns her head to look at Jessica,
Jessica takes a sip of her champagne as she returns to watching the display, serene smile spreading across her face as she does. It's another year behind her. None of them have been easy years, but the past couple have stung so much more than others. Feels like she stole them. Like they weren't her years to live. But the body pressed against hers is a comforting reminder that maybe it won't feel that way forever... Feeling eyes
on her she rolls her head against the backpack. "Mmm?" she hums, grin widening as she meets Yan Sun's gaze, "What you are looking at?"
Yan Sun mirrors Jessica's grin when she turns her way, eyes scanning every detail of her face, but instead of replying she brings her own cup to her lips for a big sip of champagne. Her mouth is still tingling as she leans in, close enough for her soft, heartfelt "Happy New Year, Jessica..." to be heard amid the echoing booms just before she closes the distance for a slow kiss.
Jessica leans in to meet her partway, pressing her lips softly against Yan Sun's. She lifts the arm she had around Yan Sun, hand cradling the back of her neck as she lingers in the kiss. When she finally pulls back it's not far, her hand shifting from the back of Yan Sun's neck to the side, thumb gently tracing her jaw as she studies her face. A crackle in the distance signals a plume of colors, blues and purples reflecting off
of Jessica's face and adding a little bit of color back to her otherwise white eye. "Happy New Year, kitty cat." she offers in belated response before pulling her back to continue the kiss.
Yan Sun 's smile resurfaces the moment the kiss breaks, fast enough to be felt, but it gives way to a breathless look as she takes in the colors adorning Jessica's scars and bringing her eye back to life. The thumb tracing her jaw makes her own eyes flutter closed, and their lips meet again, the faintly champagne-tinged kiss deepening.