Welcome to Gaia! ::

Étoile stood to receive the remote from Light. "Why thank you my friend, this should make it much easier. One stop shopping is better than risking multiple trips," Étoile's spirits started to lift. Yes, the past was gone, but the future wasn't written in stone. It was waiting to be written by those willing to pick up the pen. "Why don't we look at some of these vacant houses you mentioned? I can start 'borrowing' some small things from Wily tonight," He grin beamed more optimism than it had in over a decade.

The two doctors walked down the street examining houses to find one fit to hold a makeshift laboratory. "Let's look at this one," Étoile suggested pointing to a house two doors down from Light's on residence. It was a single story home with some moderate damage. It stood surrounded by a chain link fence, broken in several areas, and a hole in the roof covered by a blue tarp. "With some assistance, I believe this house may work, so long as it has two rooms. One for me, and one for a lab," he reported.

Checking around interior of the building, the tarp had kept most of the elements out, with only the occasional water damage. "You know, I think this house may work very well Thomas, so long as your bots don't detect any major structural damage," he mused looking around the small kitchen area. "I think I see a living room space that can be converted into a lab if we remove the carpeting, then that second bedroom can be an office and library," Étoile liked the house more and more as he walked around.

Étoile grinned, then put a hand on his friend's shoulder. "You've always been a good friend Thomas, and I am thankful for all you have done," He turned to walk back toward the door. "My shift starts at nine this evening, and I'm on telescope tonight. I'll start by swiping some research data off the observation deck computers. There should be some information on some new types of metals and power sources we've recently discovered," he told Light.

Étoile looked around the house one more time. He liked this house. It was a little worse for wear, but what or who in this city wasn't? He'd told himself time and time again over the years, that he couldn't fix the past, in a feeble attempt to quiet the shame. No amount of denial, however, could make him forget what he hadn't done, but it was time to look away from the past and toward the future. The present was like this house, beat up and patched, but it still had four walls and most of a roof. It could be repaired, but that required someone picking up a hammer, and this time, this scientist would not be afraid to pick up that hammer, no matter the cost. He left the house to return to the inner city to prepare for that night's work.