Ashes to Ashes

"A real catgirl robot," Kou echoed. "I'm surprised you didn't notice before."

"NO? I DID NOT?"

Stella pinned her ears to her head because screaming bothered her, or... fine, perhaps scream was too strong a word. Kou tried, and failed, to drink Stella's tea, for Rebecca was shaking his shoulder. "Stop," he pleaded, but this fell on deaf ears.

"It's my first time! My first time seeing a real one! Gosh! You're so right! Even her tail is real!"

"Yours isn't?" Asked Stella.

"Nope. Can you move it? KOU, LOOK! She's moving her tail! It's the real deal! Oh my god she's moving her tail and she's a real catgirl Kou look oh my god."

It seemed like Stella wasn't the only liar here. For a catgirl enthusiast, Kou seemed far more interested in trying to drink Stella's tea. Meanwhile, Rebecca... "I'm looking," Kou replied. "Stop it."

"Sorry." Rebecca pinched her own cheeks. She cleared her throat. "Sorry, Stella, I just—when we moved here, we expected to see the real deal, you know? I knew you guys existed, but it's so hard to see one these days."

That was when Stella realized these people also needed immediate psychological attention. "I understand," she said.

"So yeah. Sorry for that. So—wait, just to be clear, you were alive in the war, right? Because those are the real ones."

"Yes," Kou replied.

"Aight, great. Wait, don't you guys have a veteran program? Your government pays for everything. Why would you want a job?"

Everyone asking the same questions over and over again really was beginning to grate her. "My husband likes waitress catgirls," Stella lied, because she could, and because she wanted to. "He wants to be one."

"Ohh. Then why isn't he one? He can probably afford it."

A waitress costume? Cat hairband? Stella couldn't help but giggle when she pictured that.

"No, I'm serious. It's not that expensive. And if he doesn't like it, he can always go back."

"Just like she goes back and forth between 'Rebecca' and 'Hisashi'," Kou said.

"Thanks, Kou, she gets it. But yeah. If you want more info, I'm your gal. I've written papers on the subject. They're very cool. Wanna read?"

"I'm afraid of books."

"Oh. Okay."

"I'll tell him, though," Stella said.  "Maybe he'll stop being angry at me that way."

There it was, the uneasy look. Rebecca glanced as Kou for some reason who, in turn, stared at the floor... maybe? It was hard to see through the mahogany, curly mass his hair encompassed. After a prolonged silence, he finally mumbled, "Fine," and then, "You can bring him over as well."

Rebecca leaped off the couch. "WOO!" She pranced around the house. "We'll all be catgirls together! Everyone! Catgiiirl!"

"I'm sorry," Kou told Stella. "She acts normal after a while."

"She acted normal before..."

"That's what they all say..."

Rebecca backflipped back onto the couch. One sixth of Earth's gravity sure came in handy sometimes. "Let's have a catgirl party," she said. "Wait, no—welcoming party."

"She says that so your government will cover the expenses."

"Kou, go away." (Kou did not go away.) "How about... Saturday? Yeah? Sounds good. Everyone will be so happy."

"Everyone?" Asked Stella.

Ominously, Rebecca slammed her open palm against Kou's mouth, and what's more—she gripped his jaw. He seemed mildly inconvenienced by this. "Everyone," she said. "Neighbors, friends—whoever you want."

"Friends?"

"Yup."

"Friends..." Stella toyed with her skirt. Realistically speaking, they'd all died or stopped functioning. She could get new ones, but then they'd die and stop functioning, too. Casual acquaintances would do. Best not to tell this to Rebecca lest it hurt her feelings. "...sure. If you want. Let's have a welcoming party."

Rebecca grinned. 

"Under one condition: teach me how to do backflips."

They spent an indeterminate amount of time rolling back and forth the fake leather couch. Kou took the snacks, sat next to the window again, and watched them from afar. He said nothing. He ate a lot.

As for Stella and Rebecca, they didn't say much, nor did they eat anything, but they smiled and played a lot. It made her return to the prison 'they' called a house all the more bitter.

Silence.

No one to talk to.

No purpose.

Nothing.

She was nothing and no one, to anyone.

***

Stella curled by the entrance to her house and prison, tail swaying, waiting.

For?

As time went on, the city's artificial lights dimmed; so did the people. After a while, seldom anyone talked. Most of them slept. Stella couldn't eat, or sleep. All she could do was wait.

She couldn't just ask Rebecca and Kou if she could stay with them, could she? With Fuyukawashigurebob, it'd been different because he needed a place to stay for the night. Besides, he was a social worker. And he was alone, too.

After the walls almost closed in on her and choked her, Stella took another walk. The city never went fully dark, but compared to its chandelier-like appearance to simulate daytime, its nighttime version glowed like a candle about to die. Above the bubble, there was black. Only then did she notice the glass dome had a filter to block out direct sunlight. It made sense. They'd all go blind otherwise. It probably had anti-radiation measures, too.

Stella did backflips until she stumbled. Since no one came to talk to her again, she stopped. A low hum permeated all throughout the city. She walked in a straight line to the other end of the bubble and back, which was how she knew. The centipede-like trains curled around the skyscrapers regardless of passenger count. Wasteful, but understandable. Maybe someone else felt like fleeing their house and prison in the middle of the night.

'Daytime' turned the bubble into a snow globe again by the time she returned to her neighborhood. Unfortunately, Rebecca was nowhere to be seen. Stella didn't knock on her door or anything. It would be in poor taste. Instead, she sat on the front steps of her prison.

And she waited.

Waited.

Several eggs came and went to the neighborhood. Some cars. A couple of mini-planes. The bus stop wasn't even that noisy.

Waited.

She hadn't showered. She lacked the bacteria that made humans stinky, but showers were nice. Her hair did get dirty. She had no other clothes.

Waited.

More mini-planes. They were noisy. Stella kind of wished she had a pebble at hand to make a few of them explode, just because. Not really. She wouldn't do that. It was just fun to imagine.

Waited.

Fuyukawashigurebob stepped out of an egg at the entrance of the neighborhood. He wore a suit today, too. Sadly, the fungal infection was still there. He immediately looked away once he caught Stella staring, taking out his phone as a shield until he could do so no more. Rude. Because of this, Stella didn't greet him once he'd reached her.

"Good morning," Fuyukawashigurebob said.

"Hmph."

"How was it?"

"Hmph."

"Great. Me too. What's wrong with your clothes? Were the ones in the closet not to your liking? I know they match the... aesthetic... of this place, but you could at least... Stella, did you at least sleep?"

"I don't sleep," she said.

"And you didn't try the home theater, did you? Or the pool, or the..." He sighed, covering his eyes with his hand. "Let's go in."