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THE LANGUAGE OF WEATHER was something they were well-versed in, with one detail indicating an entire future plot within the smog of a cosmic storm. The wind batters your skin, the dew point measured at the tip of your tongue, eyes on the moons watching them wax and wane and turn the tides. Every cloud, every degree, every waterfall of light━━everything had its reasons, and those reasons could sum up to natural precognition.

(          In today's climate, though, that skill was fairly useless in an abundance of places. But Nee wasn't thinking much about that. Her head was elsewhere.        )

They watched the flurry fish, skipping on the water and extending what people had dubbed their 'wings,' as the ship rode along the waves swimmingly. Reaching a hand down, she let her fingertips skim the salty, blue surface, feeling the coldness of this arctic front settle in on their way home. She looks out into the distance, filled with fog and remnants of the first snow falling upon the icy floors that floated by the actual land, the frozen expanse melding into their dirt with ease and sewn into tundra roots.

Just two more days, the head navigator came up behind her to say, and then we'll be back to your beloved port to regroup with your Mamma. This head navigator was her father━━the teacher of weather and the moon, backbone of the entire crew. And she was merely his student, but after all these years, she could easily say the weather was her first language. It taught her everything she needed to know, enhancing her perception and allowing her to be free and reassured by the elements and order of things throughout her childhood.

These two months had been her first expedition, from the sea to space and back. Little did she know it would be her last, for two days could pass by in the blink of an eye.

The vessel began to rock, the waves becoming stronger, and the flurry fish soon dove back into the sea water frantically. Behind the head navigator and his child, something colossal began to rise. . .

"NEE? Miss Nee~. . . Are you awake?"

The soft thuds at the door━━the lightest of knocks, plush and unassuming━━somehow disturbed Nee from her rest, waking her up before the most important part of her dreams would've taken place. It always happened like that, didn't it? As tense and as brutally momentous as a frozen painting's depictions.

For a moment, she had forgotten where she was. Her exhaustion clouded her memories, and it took her a while to identify the clean sheets and gold-framed windows that this was her new bedroom. This was the Astral Express, and it must have been the conductor knocking on the sliding door.

Consider her lucky. She hoped for something sweet rather than the salted cod and boiled eggs in a cup she had so often.

"Come in," she eventually said. She felt her throat run dry from the morning.

The conductor was, in fact, not human. In her eyes, Nee compared them to a navy-blue hare with comically large eyes in a conductor's suit: in other words, a sentient stuffed toy. She wasn't exactly sure what they were, but they were one of the most efficient conductors she had ever encountered.

They held a tray in their hands of food, adjacent to a waiter in some manner as they smiled adorably. "Good morning. Pom Pom prepared you a nice breakfast for your first stay on the Express!" They explained. They waddled on over to her bedside as to not let her move an inch out of her sheets. "Simple, but most of the crew enjoys the pleasure of waffles and berries. This small glass container is the syrup, and this is a cup of juice."

The waffles piled up, perfectly squared and topped nicely with the aforementioned berries. The red berries outlined little four-point stars. "This is as decadent as a birthday cake," Nee hummed. "Wow. . . You're too kind, Pom Pom."

"No matter how long or short you stay on the Express," Pom Pom said as they placed the tray on her lap, "every day you spend here will be worthwhile for any passenger. Just because it's your first day doesn't mean it's something meaningless."

"That's a nice philosophy to live by. And, oh—" Nee interrupted herself, "what do you mean by 'most of the crew?' The only people I've seen in the cars are you and Himeko."

"Didn't you hear? The others were helping Himeko restock the train's supplies when they dropped off by your space station. Pom Pom stayed behind to care for the Express, and Himeko was going to stay as well. But she got curious," Pom Pom pouted, crossing their arms, "and left Pom Pom to go see the station herself. But then she found you!"

Nee looked at Pom Pom with confusion. "I don't recall her saying anything. Maybe it slipped her mind."

"Probably! She wanted you accommodated as soon as possible. You seemed like you were a bit tired from your travels."

"I guess. I mean, I'd been on that planet for almost a year," Nee said, "I had to pay two thousand credits just to get into that station!"

Pom Pom absentmindedly fixed the sheets at the end of her bed, tucking them in properly. "Two thousand credits can get you a phone with intergalactic signal in some other places."

"Exactly. But that's besides the point since your Express was in the same wing as my ship. Let's see if that was worth it."

Pom Pom grinned widely. "Hehe. . . I hope you enjoy your stay, Nee."

Nee smiled back, "Thank you, Pom Pom."

The conductor waddled back out the door, letting it close as Nee used her fork to pick at her new breakfast. It looked so wonderful, she felt guilty to chowing down such a masterpiece. Pouring down the syrup onto the berries, the sugary substance fell into the gaps and waffle squares, and Nee soon gave in to her hunger. She'd been deprived of sugar for too long!

Her meal was interrupted by a notification from her phone, and upon opening it, she found a text from Himeko. They had exchanged information when entering the Express after Nee agreed to stay for a bit, and Himeko ensured to update Nee on anything new happening. The woman texted that the train would be heading towards Herta Space Station for a bit to resupply, and she asked if that was fine with Nee. Nee complied. If she could relax for a bit and take on a job on this train until her next venture, she would take that opportunity over what she had before any day.

Himeko also mentioned introducing Nee to the other passengers, apologizing for not being able to do so when they arrived the night before. Pom Pom likely reminded her too late, it was possible. Nee was out like a light once she fell onto the downy mattress.

Finding her sleepy pup still resting in its own cushions beside the bed, Nee finished her meal and searched the room for her suitcase and a clean set of clothes. Meticulously putting herself together, she looked in front of the mirror attached to the sliding closet and made sure everything looked just right. Her white jacket fit over her black dress shirt and skirt, slightly oversized, but it was comfy enough. She fixed her earrings as she heard her pup stir.

"You're up late," she smiled into the mirror, watching it rise from its cushions. This bedlington terrier loved its sleep. It merely trotted over to Nee's side and pawed her long socks, ends snug below her knees. She knelt down to its height and pat its fluffy head. "We'll be meeting some new friends today, Daube. Is that okay with you?"

Daube's tail swayed side to side, and Nee was satisfied with that answer. "The conductor left you some food," she said. "There, by the nightstand."

Nee watched her pup walk on over to the bowls of food and water, inspecting before indulging, and she continued to prepare herself before walking to the door.

Taking a deep breath, she pressed the button along the frame and allowed the door to slide open into the windowed hallway. She would now meet her fellow passengers in the middle of space. Nothing like the signs of weather━━the dew, the wind, the scent━━could help her predict much when it came to something as arbitrary as who neighbored you.

can u tell i gave up halfway

/ october 20, 2023 /

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