Welcome to Gaia! ::

The morning sun filtered weakly through the blinds, casting soft lines of light across the floor as Sonia stood in the doorway with her keys in hand.

For the first time in weeks, she felt like she could navigate the world without bracing for sudden impact. The Calamitous Hollow had nearly broken her, left her blind, fragile, and staggering through her apartment; confused and disoriented, not knowing which side of the room she was facing.

The bruises were mostly gone now, giving way to greenish yellow discoloration, with the exception of the one on her side from when she hipchecked the corner of her kitchen counter. At least she no longer felt it necessary to wear the wrist brace from when she tripped over a decorative pillow that had fallen off the couch.

Every bump into a table or countertop corner, every shattered cup or dropped plate, every piece of trash that had missed the bin or plate that was unwashed near the sink…each had been a cruel reminder that even victories came with consequences. With a heavy sigh, Sonia glanced toward the kitchen where empty shelves and half-filled drawers hinted at how little she was able to keep up with daily life. Dishes piled next to the sink, food spilled on the counter, or splashed onto the linoleum floor.

While it could have been worse, it did not meet the standard of living she strived to maintain. But there were household essentials that needed to be replaced, such as plates, glassware, paper towels, laundry detergent, coffee. Nothing extraordinary, but the bare essentials. It felt strange to focus on something so mundane after the near-world-ending events they had lived through.

Pulling on her cardigan to cover the scars and bruises on her arms, Sonia headed out to her car with one mission in mind: reclaim her space so it felt more like a home again.

The weather outside was nice, at least it had been when she first left the apartment complex. But the further away she got, the heavier the clouds looked, and soon enough a soft patter of rain activated her automatic windshield wipers.

While there were closer stores she could have gone to, muscle memory had her taking a detour to more familiar streets. Perhaps subconsciously, she wanted to see if everyone was ok, but as Sonia approached Reed’s house, she didn’t slow or pull into his driveway to have a quick chat. Instead, she continued on past the 4-way stop and only slowed when she spotted a familiar umbrella.

Stearing her car toward the curb, Sonia wound down the window once she confirmed who was holding it, “Hey Amora. I don’t suppose you need a ride?”

“Sometimes it is a nice break from the overwhelmingly hot weather we’ve been having, especially if you’re like me and don’t have AC.” Which she knew they had because Reed spared no expense for his plants, especially indoor ones that did not fare well in hot or humid temperatures. “But I agree, this raincloud is kind of strange.” Sonia leaned forward and looked up through her windshield to see if she could spot where the break in the rain might be.

“I’m not in any time crunch, so if you have a place you need to be, I’m happy to take you.” It’d been a long while since they had gone out just the two of them, and yet for one reason or another, it felt like just last week when they had gone to the bookstore together.