#boreas runaways

[nayfem]

who was the first character out of the runaways you created ? ^^

and who’s your favourite story wise? :) (no spoilers though‼️🙏)

sorry for taking months to answer this, i really wanted to wait until i could do a DEEEEP dive for some files (this is a long post)

to answer your second question: my favorite character story wise is probably Cliff and Grace ?! its a cheat answer cuz i just answers 2 characters but idk i love writing them, their dynamic is so fun and cute, im so excited to post abt their new designs and story teehee

to answer your first question:

these three from around may of 2022!!! theres a fourth, but i cant find the drawing for the life of me. from left to right:

Eurus

Notus

Zephyrus

(Boreas was the forth.)

you might be asking "Hey who the fuck are these people" and that is a valid question because i dont draw them ever!!

the idea for Runaways started with these guys- first as a story about these gods and their family dynamic, but it quickly evolved into a whole world (MCU style) about superheroes.

i wanted to make one comic and then expand- starting with these gods. but as soon as i made the next character in the story... i knew what i had done (brain rot)

although that answers your question, i have more to say (unfortunately)

the comic was going to end with Eurus turning into a villain- a misunderstood villain but a villain nonetheless. she was going to form a found family group and thats when i created a familiar face...

Grace Xu.

actually, Grace came about when i thought of the name Grave Force. i thought Grace suited the name, and she was going to have basically the same powers as Anna today (her skin would put you into a coma.)

but, then i started crafting another character...

Casper Wright! an invisible thief that would steal supplies for the group.

after that, it snowballed into a whole cast of characters, and eventually the wind gods fading into the background and i havent really touched them since.

heres the first ever drawing i did of Anna, when i started figuring out that she was gonna be Grave Force, and not Grace. i quickly figured out i wanted Grace to act as a main character, and started working on the other crew!

Cliff Phoenix when he was still called "Clint"

he was the muscle of the group, with his signature flame thrower. he was kind of a himbo back then, i still see him as a himbo but at least now hes not dumb.

back then, the gadgets the group had were made by Casper, or at least thats what i planned on. i much prefer Cliff being the gadget maker of the group!

this was my first ever draft of everyone together; a quick sketch of their heads and pride flags!

from left to right:

Grace Xu

Casper Wright

Cliff Phoenix (i need to bring back his gray streak </3)

Val Romero

Anna Xu (yes she was a ginger.. and white (Grace was her half sister at this time))

Val was a really interesting character and what i thought would start the comic!! the idea was have the group go to a really fancy party looking for a "kid" in danger.

her name would have either been Psyche! (like haha gotcha) or Mirage. their power was to create a hallucination of sorts- she could make herself appear to be the persons type (either romantically or someone they took pity on) and then rob them lol. thats why the group thought it was a kid- someone saw a child enter a shady car and speed off to a upper class party.

i still wish i couldve found a way to put her in the story. honestly, ive been redoing the Runaways story and designs, and when i work on the villains i'll definitely find a spot for them!!!

thank you for the ask my dear friend, you have increased my brain rot <;3 /pos

[patheticbatman]

I don’t do this super often, but when I was 13ish I spent hours thinking about Percy and Annabeth’s future house. Idk why. And I wrote out their magical house in an iPhone note. I updated it every so often for a couple years, but as an adult I leave it alone as a monument to my childhood and my OTP.

But I just saw a really cool themed house from that home tours blog (it was pirate themed!) and wanted to share my ‘home tour’.

Please keep in mind the following was written mostly in 2014 by a young teen who made some shit up. So some of it may not be canonly possible now/never was a thing 

Percy and Annabeth's underwater cave house

Front entrance: dead tree on edge of Chase cliff. Whisper Jackson, and a slide that can take you up and down using antigravity and gravity leads to the house. You can notice tiny little jewels all over the house, enchanted for anti monster.

First level hallway: kitchen, dining room with conveyer belt leading between, gym, living room, bathroom. This is the second lowest level. The rest of the floors also have the slides to get there.

Kitchen has a large island, with lots of counters and cabinets. The walls are turquoise and everything else is chrome grey, like the fridge and such.

Dining room as a chandelier of rainbows, with a mini fountain that spurts any drink you ask for is in the middle of a ring table that could fit 16. If you give a coin, it can create an iris message. The table is silver grey wood while the wall is also turquoise.

The gym is just a mini work out area. Not decorated.

The living room is decorated with pictures of their friends. It has silvery gray walls, blue furniture, and a ten ft by ten ft tv. The dead tree actually has many minisatelites disguised as moss. They are enchanted to actually literally grow.

Third lowest level

Party room twelve guest rooms with their own bathrooms

,library.

Party room is just a blue room with food slide from the kitchen, some rables, and a disco ball with a wooden track around the large room for skating. Percy, with help from a friendly kid of Boreas, sometimes turn it into a winter wonderland in the summer.

Spare room 1

Frank n Hazels room usually, or will be when they start doing stuff. Green painted with gold furniture pretty much describes their rooms

Spare room 2

Will and nicos room usually. Black and silver furniture with gold walls

Spare room 3

Rachel's room Murals and a rainbow everywhere. Every surface is painted. Wicker/newspaper/hodgepodge furniture everywhere

Spare room 4

Piper and Jason's walls are red, and furniture is purple and pink. Actually looks nice and not too girly

Spare room 5

Calypso and Leo's room, done in red and oranges. Ps all the rooms had a small window like the ones in the hobbit

Spare room 6.

Hedge and Mellies room, with cradle. Everything is in light blues and dark greens

Spare room 7

Reyna's and future partner's room

Purple walls with gold and silver looking furniture, and 2 dog beds for aurum and argentum

The rest are kids rooms/ unplanned for when the guests have kids. They are plain. The last is a sort of playroom, with same size tv (everyone has a 2 by 3 tv in room)

Top level

Percabeth's room, future kids room(4), mrs. O'Leary's room, the offices, window room, carport, and percy and Annabeth's iwn offices

Future kids rooms are in pastel blue, yellow, green and orange

Mrs. O'Leary's room is giant, with lots of rubber yaks and other toys, and bowls filled with food and water always (they refill themselves). Done in red and silver. with special portal just for her and her owners to go out to Central Park.

Carport is just a garage that has a magical door that allows car to go through tree portel.

Lowest level

Garden and port and demigod Runaway shelter

Port is this giant cave, hidden by the mist to look like a cliff face that makes mortals just suddenly think about other things to do. It opens up to the sea, and they have this great boat called the sea owl, with eyes on the front. It also has a submarine, a small seaplane, and an elevator that goes to two portals to Olympus, and Atlantis. Has automatic spell where you have the small air bubble around you and your stuff. is painted on by enormous mural by Rachel.

Garden

Fruit trees that make all fruits (a rare tree called a cornucopia tree) lots of flowers and a gazebo. Painted and lighted to look like the outside that day. In middle there is a five-tiered fountain that sprays a rainbow. First level is made of Stygian iron, then celestial bronze, then Atlantean silver, imperial gold, and then heavenly steel that has a little dirt in it with a blue stemmed silver First Orchid. Has imported bees

Demigod safe base

A special Door that opens only to demigods and their helpers. and only let's demigods in leads you to the shelter. It has an ambrosia and nectar fountain, a water fountain that could turn to rainbows, free drachmas sent from the gods (only those in need can grab them), and ten beds with heated blankets. Small altar. Fridge full of ever re supplying food. Cabinet full of whatever medical stuff you need. Door that leads to Percabeth house, but only opens when you have permission.

[unraveledgem]

because i think this is fun--what kind of relationship does ruri have with my other muses?

silva: they've been a total of once and it was just because they happened to stay at the same pokemon center for the light. he didn't notice anything odd about her and it was at the beginning of her runaway as it was in hoenn ... they had a few conversations, specifically about boreas and archel since they are fossils and he is always excited to see them! ... it was only after that when he realized something was up. in hindsight, he really should have noticed, but at the time the voice of the globe had gone completely silent when she was around. this is very unusual, it takes break speaking, sure, but never for longer than half an hour. it was half a day, maybe longer, of silence. he doesn't know if it was relared to SILVA, but it was on his list when he later learned she was from kalos.

terapagos: terapagos is the reason he got linked to the globe in the first place. he was one of the few in the team that actually got to directly SEE it, even touch the gem[which, in hindsight was a terrible idea], and he sometimes still sees it. though as time passed, it almost seems like terapagos has passed it's want to get ruri to come back ... and onto the globe wanting for ruri to find it. ruri was also the researcher to provide the indigo disk to the league. terapagos was the first stellar type he had met.

lysandre: lysandre leaves him on read. ruri is constantly sending access requests to go to kalos for research purposes, let it be to study the sundial, to ask if they have any research on zygarde, any carbink or diancie- this man was to harass lysandre labs so bad and has gotten into multiple calls and email threads that ultimate ended in 'hmm we'll think about it.' he's not going to stop, he wants into kalos. there is way too much research potential of stellars for him to just say aw darn guess i'll never go there ... his respect for lysandre has turned into bitter anger :')

colress: there isn't much here, but ruri actually reached out to him AFTER the whole unova disaster. mostly to ask why ... and also to ask him if he had any samples of kyurem or the swords or- really anything! they aren't business partners exactly, but they do hang out occasionally and drink coffee while not sleeping as they research their specific paths. plus ruri is just fascinated by colress and as he's seen the unovan's lab ... yeah of course he's going to use that resource. though it did cost him a bit, mostly because when they first had a chat, colress was very curious about this whole connection thing with the stellars. ruri was glad to share; in more ways that one.

rayquaza/loki: oh ruri has interacted with loki multiple times. ruri wants to ask them SO many questions; and frankly whenever they pass each other by ruri just runs up to them and starts yapping till they realize that loki is gone :( ... loki never really responds, just sighs and waits for ruri to not notice and walks away. as for the actual rayquaza form ... he only saw it during the events of emerald. he hasn't seen it since.

AZ: they've never directly interacted. that being said, ruri has read about the old king and wondered about the weapon he made. he'd like to take a closer look if it's ever found.

sycamore: ruri's only gateway into kalos that doesn't leave him on read ... and they both nerd out about basically everything. they often facecall and just have wonderfully fun conversations. ruri occasionally drops the fact that he really ... REALLY wants to go to kalos! though it's often repeated that darn! to do research in kalos, you have to be approved by lysandre labs, and anistar is difficult for anyone to get into ... aside from that, they're relationship is great! :)

raifort: ruri harasses the fuck out of raifort. like nonstop. they were close friends when ruri was still in the research team and moved to paldea ... but after the incident that harmless curiosity about her heritage and physical capabilities; turned into downright obsession with learning what it was. luckily, raifort is also curious, but even she won't lie that he's extremely unnerving to be around when it gets down to it and he's in his 'zone.'

zossie: he hasn't interacted with any ultra humans yet, zossie included.

ouutis: he has had a few interactions with the interpol agent, most as an escort when he has needed to go into the interpol's expansive archives. his relationship around interpol is ... positive, though it's only really because they think he'll eventually spill everything he's learned not only about the stellars but about area zero. ruri knows himself that he won't, but nonetheless area zero keeps trying and that means giving him resources that he is oh so happy to take.

sada: they were extremely close. best friends and intimate research partners close. sada was the first one to be invited to work alongside turo and sada and was seen as a valued asset to the team. he would be devastated if he ever learned that sada died, absolutely destroyed as she was one of the few people he grew close to at that time. there's a reason he was given the indigo disk to hold onto, despite what happened in the depths of area zero.

spinel: spinel is watching ruri like a hawk. he likes to tell the crystallographer that they're great friends!! but spinel is very much using him for learning more about the stellars and in turn anything he might know about terapagos. ruri goes along but never spills anything too deep. they do occasionally have a genuine interaction, but it's mostly the two just giggling while having hidden intentions about eachother.

giovanni: they've had one or two chats. happenstance to meet, nothing ended from it.

juniper: the occasional interaction that soon led to something a bit closer. they often discuss the possibility of origins--who could be a stellar, who probably isn't. these two are presently quite close and whenever ruri is more or less stumped, he usually goes to juniper. there is no filter between these two.

[protectgeorgeweasley]

LUMOS: “Duel” Playlist Instructions

1. “March of Mephisto (feat. Shagrath)” by Kamelot (The Personal Diary)

2. “I Bet My Life” by Vitamin String Quartet/”The Weasley Stomp” (September 30, 1999)

3. “Anything Can Happen” by Ellie Goulding (Sept. 31)

4. “Together We Are Free” by Andreas Kubler (Oct. 2, 5:12 p.m.)

5. “Holding Out for a Hero” by Nothing But Thieves (Same day, next scene; when you see the mother.)

6. “Butterfly’s Repose” by Zabawa (Same day, next scene; when they start speaking about Crookshanks).

7. “Hold My Girl” by George Ezra (Oct. 2, 10:00 p.m.).

8. “Fireworks” by Nicholas Hooper (Oct. 4)

9. “Threnody” by Goldmund (Same scene, when you see Bill)

10. “Will I Find My Home” by Juniper Vale, Vian Izak (Same scene, after).

11. “Lost Boy” by Ruth B. (Oct. 5)

12. “Remember Not to Forget” by Audiomachine (Oct. 6)

13. “Somewhere Only We Know” by Lily Allen (Oct. 8)

14. “Another Lifetime” by Nao (Same scene, at the mention of Nintendo).

15. “Kaleidoscope” by A Great Big World (Oct. 10)

16. “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da” by The Beatles (Same day, you’ll know. Briefly at first, then again.)

17. “Yesterday” by The Beatles (End of prior scene through Oct. 11)

18. “Don’t Give Up On Me” by Andy Grammar (Oct. 12)

19. “6 Pieces for Piano…” by Ottorino Respighi and Magdalena Hoffmann (Oct. 13)

20. “King Arthur: Legend of the Sword” by Daniel Pemberton (Same scene, when you see the newcomers).

21. “Jackseye’s Tale” by Daniel Pemberton (Same scene, directly after).

22. “The Born King” by Daniel Pemberton (Same scene, directly after).

23. “Theory of Light” by Eternal Eclipse (Same day, next scene, when they start to share).

24. “Be Bold and Be Brave” by Secession Studios and Greg Dombrowski (Oct. 14)

25. “Sign of the Times” by Music Lab Collective (same day, directly after the prior, through the next scene.)

26. “Stillness (Reworked)” by Poppy Ackroyd (Oct. 15)

27. “Running Up That Hill” by Unsecret String Quartet (Oct. 16-Oct. 18)

28. “Under Grey Skies” by Kamelot (Oct. 19, when you see Bill)

29. “Don’t Speak” by Hidden Citizens and Tim Halperin (same date, next scene)

30. “Hallelujah” by Music Lab Collective (Oct. 20—through both songs, on repeat, really.)

31. “Nevertheless, She Persisted” by Audiomachine (Oct. 21)

32. “Can’t Help Falling In Love” by Built By Titan and Skybourne (Same day, 9:12 p.m.)

33. “Hallelujah” again. (Oct. 22)

34. “Fables” by Secession Studios (Oct. 24)

35. “Take A Chance on Me” by Music Lab Collective (same day, at scene break)

36. “The Wisp Sings” by Winter Aid, then “Split” by WYS (Oct. 25)

37. “Boreas” by The Oh Hellos (Oct. 26)

38. “Oh, What A Life” by American Authors (Oct. 26, 11:37 p.m.)

39. “North” by Sleeping at Last (Oct. 28)

40. “Castle” by Halsey (Oct. 29)

41. “Minesweeper” by Audiomachine (same day, at the scene break)

42. “Nazca” by Mark Petrie (Same day, when you hear Vane).

43. “Chiquitita-Instrumental” by Chillout Lounge OR “Chiquitita Ending-Piano Version” by your movie soundtrack (Same day, you’ll know/when you hear the music, of course).

44. “Down By The Lake” by Trent Ivor (Same scene, directly after; [spoiler/confirmation, though it’s pretty obvious, likely] Yes, this is who you think it is—and yes, this is a plot aside hidden inside the playlist for those who look here.)

45. “Bad to the Bone” by 2Wei and Bri Bryant (Oct. 30; —you’ll probably know, but when Hermione takes the podium)

46. “Uptown Girl” by Billy Joel (Same day, you’ll know).

47. “Runaway – Piano Version” by your movie soundtrack (Nov. 4 – first part of Nov. 5).

48. “Atlas” by Secession Studios (Nov. 5, at the interruption).

49. “Minesweeper” by Audiomachine again (Same day, right after the previous/when you see George’s full name)

50. “Luminosa” by Secession Studios (Same scene, when you see “George felt eleven years old.”)

51. “This Is Our Legacy” by Zack Hemsey (Same day, 5:00 p.m. at the scene break)

52. “Kneel Before the Crown” by Audiomachine (same scene, at “willow”).

53. “Don’t Speak” by Hidden Citizens and Tim Halperin (same scene, right after the previous).

54. “Dynasty” by MIIA (Same day, 10:00 p.m.)

55. “Colder Heavens” by Blanco White (Nov. 6)

56. “Hold On” by Chord Overstreet (Same scene, while listening to the conversation with Mr. Weasley)

57. “Dynasty” again (same scene, after the previous, until the end).

[powerofnerd]

The curse by the longest johns, little lies by fleetwood Mac, sinners by barns Courtney, validis winter, boreas by the oh hellos, soldier poet king by the oh hellos, flamingo by kero kero bonito, a sadness runs through him by the hoosiers, runaway by aurora, calfornication by the red hot chilli peppers

Hey! Tag game- what are 10 songs you have on loop right now? (feel free to join even if you’re not tagged)

@powerofnerd @makerofmadness @mizuthe-cat @ieatsticksrocksmud @ducksmith1546 @silver-spinning

[dreaminlittlenightmares]

Do any of the characters have real names and if so what are they?

You know, I was thinking about this one lol~ the Janitor and Mono's name is cannon, so I'll keep those. I remember reading somewhere that Six is called 'Six' because she's the sixth kid to be brought/arrive to the Maw. I can't find the source, but it also makes me think that Six isn't her real name. But, for the sake of simplicity, I'll keep that, too!

Everyone else's name fell from the sky...

The Maw

Six: Six the Janitor: Roger the Twin Chefs: P.B. and Jay the Lady: Kagami the Granny: Cataleya  the Runaway Kid: Dash

Pale City

Mono: Mono the Hunter: Hunter (very original, I know) the Teacher: Anne Lopez the Doctor: Doc Piacitell the Thin Man: Mono Grey

The Nest

the Raincoat Girl: Raine the Scarf Kid: Alek the Craftsman: Roland the Butler: Gabriel the Pretender: Dollie Falsetto

Extras

the Spoon Girl: Greta the Lollipop Kid: Alexandre the Ghost Kid: Lucas the Toddler: Ahanu

the Green Boy: Oliver the Refugee Boy: Tyr the Refugee Boy’s Sister: Astride the Long Haired Girl: Trang the Humpback Girl: Ophelia the Mummy Kid: Basem the Tall Boy: Henrie the Forked Boy: Ezra the Strong Boy: Rowan

the Ferryman: Gamli the Mirror Man: Gilbert the North Wind: Boreas

[wildflowers-of-trolberg]

Johanna

Ooh thanks!!

Johanna’s an odd one because most of my songs for her are AU specific or tied very closely into my headcanons for her. The closest thing she has to a main theme is Sum Of Our Parts by Mary Lambert; it started out as her theme as Trains In The Night but since that builds on a lot of my headcanons for her I think it fits her overall. In the Runaway AU she has another main theme, The Last Time by Juniper Vale. Other songs I associate with her are:

The Wailin’ Jennys - Wildflowers (her & Hilda mother-daughter theme)

The Levellers - Where The Hell Are We Gonna Live?

Taylor Swift ft. The Civil Wars - Safe And Sound

Dear Evan Hansen OBC - Anybody Have A Map?

The Oh Hellos - Boreas (pretty much Runaway AU only)

S. J. Tucker - Not The Villain (Runaway AU only)

SEND ME A SHIP OR CHARACTER AND I’LL TELL YOU WHAT SONG(S) I ASSOCIATE WITH THEM!

[killldeer]

sorry to mention my sam playlist again but the love i feel for it is so immense. it’s called The World on a Set of Antlers and i’ve made cover art for it and it has everything. heretics by andrew bird. runaway by half-alive. devil’s boy by petite league. jupiter by sleeping at last. postcards from italy by beirut. dear wormwood by the oh hellos. second child restless child also by the oh hellos. boreas also by the oh hellos. glowing by the oh h

[concealeddarkness13]

A New Dawn Part 1

So, I recently came up with a thief character named Kai who has memory issues and a snarky attitude (here’s the post for the powerpoint to explain more about her and her world). I thought about how similar Kai and Rat (from @ratracechronicler‘s Rat Race Chronicles) are, so we decided to have a collaboration where Kai comes to Rat’s world. Here’s the first part! (You should totally also check out @ratracechronicler‘s first two books in the series: My Name is Criminal and My Name is Runaway; they’re awesome books: the story is awesome, the characters are fun, and there is so much awesome worldbuilding!) Also, tagging: @nightskywriter, if you’re interested in reading this?

I glanced over the book that was supposed to have info about the apocalypse that happened so long ago. For what seemed to be the millionth time. And it wasn’t like my glare could make the words become understandable. I had stolen so many alien language translation books, but none of them had any similarity to whatever this language was. I was still nowhere closer to learning more about it.

I flopped back on the ground and stared up at the ceiling, with music blasting in my ears. Who was I even kidding? There were too many people on this planet. I would never find my family. And why did I think that my memory loss and their disappearance from my life had anything to do with the fabled apocalypse and its consequences? I should just give up and settle down in some town, so at least I wouldn’t be so alone.

I blinked, and the building and everything around me vanished. I scrambled up on my feet and stared. Pure white buildings all around me, and people brushing past me, like they didn’t even notice me. And all the machines. Machines above me, all around me. Mechanical eyes watching me. I could barely see anything besides the machines. And…there were machines inside people’s brains. Like me. How? Where was I? I couldn’t be on my planet anymore. No one knew how to put machinery inside people.

To take my mind off all the questions, I forced myself to focus and walk against the flow of the crowd, quietly stealing from everyone I brushed past. They seemed exceptionally oblivious, so it was child’s play. But it helped me push aside the jumble of thoughts, at least.

Once I had finally calmed my racing heart, I pushed out of the crowd and down a side street with a lot less people. No one even gave me a second glance as I pulled up my hood and grabbed out the phone Taeo had given me years ago.

I pulled up Taeo’s number and tried to call him, but the stupid machine just said that it couldn’t get through. I frowned and stared at it. Nothing seemed to be wrong, so I really had to be on a different planet. Crap.

I slunk low and hid around the corner of one of the houses when I heard people talking up ahead. Everyone else around me had been eerily quiet, so those people who were talking must be special.

“Don’t worry, Eli, we’ll head out soon enough. I just have a few more things to finish up before we leave. Got to get some more supplies.”

“Fine.” I frowned as something lit up in my vision. The machines were strangely shaped as a human, but it wasn’t completely a robot. There was no way those machines could support a full robot, and anyway, some of those machines were doing things that weren’t needed unless they were supporting a human. What in the world?

Eli kept talking. “I just can’t wait to see more of Tersatellus. And I want to see how everyone’s doing. I know Vastate told the discipline ops to calm down, but I’m worried. You know how the others are…”

The first person laughed. “You mean how we are. Remember, you’re talking to a hardened criminal.”

I held my breath as they started to walk past my flimsy hiding spot. Maybe I could actually tail them and figure out more about where I was. But I couldn’t stop my gasp. Eli was the one who had all the machinery, and I couldn’t even see what he really looked like. All I could see was the machinery lighting up in my vision. However it had happened, the machines were working perfectly. It had been an expert job. Maybe I could even ask him how he had gotten those machines.

Eli turned his head toward me, and I shook my head and tried to dive for extra cover, but I had been too slow. Crap. I shouldn’t have let my curiosity distract me.

But they didn’t stop. I frowned and snuck after them. Either they knew about me or Eli hadn’t seen me, but I had to take the chance. If it meant that I would figure out more about this place…

I only got a little ways before the woman whipped around, and I turned away as quickly as I could, hunched over, hands in my pockets. Crap.

“Hey! Don’t you know it’s not polite to stare?” I turned around, and the woman was walking up to me. I backed up until I hit the wall and pulled out my knife. At least I had that with me still. If I tried to run, they’d just try to give chase, and Eli would most likely be able to catch up with all that machinery. I was trapped.

The woman pulled out a pocket knife of her own with a smile. “Howdy! You’re a little far from Stillstone to be acting like that, aren’t you? Not gonna make any friends waving that around.” She glanced around, eyeing the people around us who weren’t even paying attention. “There’s a strict no-crime policy everywhere else in the city but Stillstone.”

Eli took a step forward. “I don’t think you’re helping too much, Rat. She’s scared, and she also looks confused.” He turned to me. “What happened? Are you okay?”

“How do you have so much machinery?” The words blurted out before I could think much about them.

They exchanged a glance, and Rat turned back to me, her smile turning sharper. “Okay, sister, you just revoked your right to ask questions. Who are you?”

I stood up straighter, even though I stayed crouched a little, instinctively making myself look smaller, less of a threat. It wasn’t like I could run anyway. So, I might as well be truthful. “My name is Kai.” Rat winced a little at the name, and I frowned. “I have no idea where I am. One second, I was in my hideout in Valeria, and the next I’m in this crazy city with all the machines and even ones in people’s brains. How did that even happen? How did you figure it out? No one has been able to.” The words were just babbling out, my thoughts running too fast to stop it. “So, that must mean that this is another planet, where people are more technologically advanced. Are there any aliens on this one? What are those crazy machines above us? Why does everything around here always make me feel like someone’s watching me through a camera? What’s up with all the oblivious people?”

She lightly bumped the top of my head, and I shut up. What was I thinking? They probably thought I was insane. She glanced at Eli. “It’s so simple. Aliens. Rex was right all along.” I frowned, about to ask who Rex was when she turned back to me. “Okay. Let’s start at the beginning. Your name is Kai. And you have no idea what Tersatellus is?” I shook my head. “How about Earth?” I frowned and shook my head. She sighed. “How do you speak Boreas Vox, then?”

What was that? “Bor—what?”

“The language. We can understand each other. Your accent’s weird, but we speak the same language. How do you expect me to believe you’re from a different planet with that kind of evidence?”

Crap. How could I explain that? Before I could say anything, Eli turned to her. “Rat, I have an idea.” Rat glanced over at him, and he probably shifted on his feet. “…How do you know that I have machinery in me?”

That was easy to answer. I pointed at my brain. “I have a machine in my brain, and it points out machines to me. I’m the only one who has a machine inside me where I’m from.”

“Oh, makes sense, I guess…” I flinched at how sad he sounded. He glanced over at Rat. “Like you and Voxel mixed together.”

She snorted. “Our combined bodaciousness would rock the world.” She looked back at me. “And you’re trying to say that you’re from another planet? And we’re supposed to believe that?”

Before I could even try to think up an answer, Eli spoke up again. “But that’s what I’m thinking is maybe—do you remember what you were telling me Vastate told you about the First Order? How they had all that tech hundreds of years ago, and they’re so secretive, there’s no real way to know what else they did with it besides all the stuff to do with Tersatellus? What if they went to another planet? The ultimate isolation from the rest of Earth. They did terraforming, anyway. Maybe they even had pre-mainframes, and that’s…you know…”

Did he think that whoever this First Order was, was the reason I had something in my brain? Well, that could be true. I didn’t remember anything about what happened to get the machine in my brain. “I don’t blame you for not believing it. But I promise I have no idea about this Tersatellus or anything about your world.”

She raised her eyebrows. “Wow. Okay. Know what? All good. You’re from another planet, Kai. Splendid. I’m from a country that totally legalized all crime all the time in an area a few square kilometers, permitted you don’t do any crimes in the rest of the city, i.e. this one, because if you do, then the law comes down on not just you, but the illegal zone, called Stillstone, so let’s put the knives away before people get suspicious and the real bruisers show up.”

I hesitated, but they didn’t seem like a threat right now, so I put my knife away. Rat put her knife away as well with a grin. “Anyway, I got a beautiful idea. You’re gonna love it. Tell you what. Unlike the other Kai I know, you haven’t tried to kill me within five minutes of meeting me, so you’re coming with us. If you are from another planet or timeline or reality, you can learn the area a little. I happened to be giving a tour, anyway. Unless you were looking for something more, y’know, private.” She lowered her voice for the last part and eyed Eli suggestively.

Ugh. I rolled my eyes as Eli stuttered. “Gosh.”

Rat turned back to me, and I tried to hide my exasperation. “And if you are from around here but you’ve got your memory mixed up—and trust me, you wouldn’t be the first—showing you around should maybe help you find something to jog your ol’ brain lobes.” I winced, and she paused, staring at me. She didn’t trust me. “So, what do you say?” She gestured me forward with a grin. I started walking forward, still eyeing her, and as I passed her, she tried to slip her hand into one of my pockets. But I snatched her hand and held it tight.

She pulled her hand back with a smirk. “So, you’re pretty good then. I might actually come to like you. I might even forgive you for what you said about my partner in crime. But did you steal anything?”

I nodded and pulled out the trinkets I had stolen. I had only done it to calm my thoughts anyway. I didn’t actually need them. Rat whistled. “Not bad, kid. But no more. We’re only safe here because we keep the crime to Stillstone. We’re dead if you get caught with that. So, drop them.” As I dropped the trinkets and pulled out the rest I had stolen, she turned to Eli. “Are you sure you’re okay with a tagalong?”

I watched as he nodded. “Yeah. I’d love to have someone else along. It’s just…”

I jumped when Rat turned back to me, watching me with dark eyes. Was I not supposed to be watching? She sighed. “Do you even realize what you said?”

I frowned and thought back. What was she even talking about? I had already said a lot of stupid stuff. I cocked my head. “At what point?”

She rolled her eyes. “Ugh. You literally pointed out his machinery as the first thing you said to him. You don’t think that’s wrong? You hurt him!”

I flinched and looked over at Eli. “I…I’m sorry. It just blurted out. I didn’t mean for that to be the first thing I said. It was wrong.” If only I could even see his expressions. I didn’t know what he was thinking.

He shook his head. “No, it’s fine—”

Rat nudged him in the chest. “Is it really fine?”

He sighed. “I accept your apology. Thank you.” He paused and continued. “I mean, I understand why you would be curious, if the people on your planet really don’t have any machines in them. Here, it’s a little more normal, but I’m still an anomaly. I was…technically dead for seventeen years, but my brother was able to bring me back to life. That involved a lot of machinery, but all I want is for people to see me as human. That’s why what you said was a little, um, startling.”

I nodded. I was going to try my hardest, even though I couldn’t see any of his human parts. He was a nice person.

Rat nodded with a smile. “Now that that’s all sorted, we just need to get a few more things, and we can head out.” She started walking, and Eli walked beside her, while I trailed behind. I didn’t want to bother them.

But I had some questions. “So, we’ll be travelling around?”

She nodded. “We need to check up on some friends.”

Perfect. I’d love to learn more about this place. “And I’m allowed to go with you?”

She laughed. “Of course. I’ve got to keep my eyes on you.” She sighed and glanced back at Eli. “So, I guess we should start with Zenith.” He nodded. “Zenith…the home of the HQ buildings, where the government is seated. The biggest, most impressive city in Tersatellus. There was an earthquake recently, and a few buildings were knocked down, but they’ve bounced back from that. It helped that we celebrated the New Year recently. Everyone’s spirits are still high from those festivities. Now, there’s a community of criminals who are safe from discipline ops within Zenith’s borders, called Stillstone, so that’s where we live, since we’re totally criminals. Those “crazy machines” up there harness this thing called liquid lightning that powers all our machines. And that dark mass in the distance?” She pointed at a massive shadow looming over all of us. “That’s the Divide. It’s a wall that keeps us isolated from the rest of the world. And that’s about all you need to know about Zenith.”

If she talked to me again, I didn’t even hear her. We were back walking among all the other people, and I had to look around. All those people with machines in their brains. They seemed so oblivious. And some people, the ones who were more aware than the others, had machines in their eyes. Whenever their eyes passed over me, that mechanical gaze pushed down more on me. Those were probably the people looking for crime.

It was just so bright and crowded and huge. Cities back on my planet were impressive, but nothing close to the scale of this city. Buildings loomed over me, higher than I had ever seen. I couldn’t imagine living in a city like this. I felt crowded and completely invisible at the same time.

Rat whistled, and I looked over at her with a grunt. She was holding hands with Eli, and he was looking back at me as well. “I understand that there’s probably a lot to stare at, but I didn’t bring you along to just stare. What’s your planet, or whatever you want to call it, like?”

She didn’t believe me, but all I could tell was the truth. “Not as impressive as this. The city buildings don’t reach nearly as high, and no one knows how to put machinery into people, so I’m an anomaly. Aliens also live there, and I’ve learned about other planets, but not yours. The places I’ve been to have all been part of a desert, so they were dusty and dry, but the sand is all different colors. And the sunsets are beautiful.” A smile tugged at my lips, but I pushed it back. “I want to see the whole world.”

She nodded. “Sounds like nothing I’ve heard of. You could always be from beyond the wall, but it would be way too difficult for you to get here for you to just pretend that you just appeared here.” She frowned. “So, why do you want to see the world? Is it just because you’re curious?”

I shook my head. I had never admitted this to anyone, but there was no reason to not be truthful. “I am curious, but that’s not all of it. I…I lost my memory of before I was sixteen. I have no idea who my family is, and I have no idea what happened to separate me from them. I want to meet them, even though I know I have barely any chance of finding them. I have no clues or anything.”

Multiple emotions passed through her eyes before I could identify them, and she turned back to the front. “Can’t fault a goal like that.” She stopped at a shop and picked up some extra food and held up a thin machine that had multiple functions, such as transferring money. “This is a beacon, by the way. Do you have something like this in your pockets?” I shook my head, and she nodded. We kept walking. “So, you steal for a living?”

I nodded. “And I’m also trying to get enough money to keep moving around. What about you?” She had almost moved too fast for me to stop her when she had tried to steal from me, so she had to be good too.

“I used to, but I’ve been trying to straighten up, at least when I’m in Zenith.” She grinned over at me. “But outside Zenith, we can steal what we want.”

I let the smile come to my lips this time. At least I could do something familiar in this place.

We gathered a few more supplies, like fuel, and Rat and Eli led me to a sleek car that was parked a ways away. I slid in the backseat as Rat and Eli got into the front, and Rat looked back at me with a grin. “Next stop, Pike!”