25 Southern Wastes / A Promise of Summer

Previously, on Usagi Days: While delivering to a saloon, Ruby encounters Sylvie—the thief who has been trying to recruit the Usagis for a heist. Ruby declines.

- 25.1 - Ruby and Anemone Stargaze, Discuss Their Insignificance in an Uncaring Universe -

Ruby and Anemone lay side by side under the canopy of stars overhead. The others were asleep.

Ruby: "You know, I was thinking."

Anemone: "There's your first mistake."

Ruby: "Somewhere among those stars … is the one solar system that contains the Orc home planet. They came from somewhere. Far away. Someplace we'll never see. At least not in our lifetimes. … And then I think, how many planets have they done this to? I don't even care about the 'why' anymore. I think humans stopped wondering that long ago. Now I'm just curious how many other species they've terrorized.

"… It's funny, Annie. Before 2002, we humans always wondered if we were alone in the universe. And now we know. … Wish we could have stayed ignorant instead."

They were silent for a long time after that.

Ruby looked over at Anemone.

Anemone: "… What?"

"Nothing. I thought you might've fallen asleep."

"Nope."

"Whatcha thinkin' about?"

After a very long silence: "… I'm wondering if Onee-chan is looking up, right now, at these same stars. At this very moment. I'm wondering if she ever made it to Ithaca Station. I mean, I don't even know if she's still … you know."

Ruby: "I'm sure she is, Annie. We'll make it to Ithaca. We'll scour every inch of the country. No, the continent. No—the world, if we have to!"

Anemone smiled a bit. "… Yeah. Sure, Rubes. Whatever you say."

- 25.2 - The Usagis Make a Promise to Lucy -

They drove down to the coast in the morning. They walked along the beach, the Usagi parked nearby.

Lucy: "… Sea. Lucy, swim?"

Violet: "No, no, sweetie. It's too cold for that right now, still. You're going to catch hypothermia going in there."

Ivy: "Are we even sure about that?"

Violet: "I mean, do you wanna risk it?"

Ruby: "It's too early in the season for swimming, Lucy. But tell you what, we'll definitely go to a beach in the summer, okay?"

Lucy: "Sum-mer …"

Ruby: "Yeah, summer's the best! Swimsuits! Barbecuing!"

Anemone: "Watermelon smashing. Sandcastles. Surfing."

Lucy: "… Surf?"

Ruby: "Yeah, surfing's cool. You get a loo-oong board, taller than Anemone, even, and then you stand on it like this"—she demonstrated by standing on her toes, her arms outstretched—"and then ride the waves!"

Lucy, eyes sparkling: "Oo-oohh …"

Ivy: "Don't forget the 'fireworks'!

"See, Lucy, back before the SDF, they had real 'fireworks'. You would see a big, bright ball shoot up in the sky, and it would explode! BOOM! Into a million pieces of light! They would shoot up hundreds—hundreds—of these! The entire sky would be lit up, and the noises they made would shake the ground! And then the entire sky is just filled with smoke afterward.

"Obviously, we can't fire these anymore, but fireworks were such an important part of summer, that we keep coming up with ways to keep the spirit alive. For instance, some communities like to build giant, massive box kites, send them up into the sky, and light them on fire. There are some really advanced fire-kites out there. They have ones with fast-burning paper, so it looks like the fire eats them up instantly.

"And usually, during these fire-kite shows, there will be giant drums going off in the background. You know, to simulate the BOOM!"

Lucy was entranced, imagining all the sights. "… Wow."

Ivy: "It's pretty incredible. I mean, I'm sure it doesn't compare to the real thing. Of course, I've only ever read about real fireworks, as described in books."

Violet: "Don't forget manga! You lo-oooove manga!"

"Yes … Violet. Thank you for that. (… Oh yeah, and I don't know why, but they always shout 'Tamaya!' when they go off …)"

"Lucy … Fire-work. Want to … see."

Ruby, clapping her hands together: "Alright! I promise you! Or, we promise you, rather. When it's summer, we'll all go to the beach. Maybe not this particular one … but we will go to a beach when it's nicer out! And we'll all look at the kite-fireworks!"

Anemone, smiling: "And go swimming."

Violet: "And eat watermelon! And … grilled meat!"

Ivy: "And bury Violet in the sand so that only her head is sticking out."

Violet: "Yeah! And bury—… Wait. What."

The girls laughed. Lucy smiled.

- 25.3 - A Giant Metal Dinosaur Roams the Wastes -

One lazy afternoon, the girls were camped out in a small clearing, a short distance from the Hoshimichi Highway, eating around a cookfire.

Ivy: "Uh … Guys? Are you seeing what I'm seeing?"

Anemone: "That's … Patty's dinosaur."

Ivy: "Okay. So you see it too. Phew. I was worried Violet"—looking at her bowl of porridge—"… put something weird in my bowl."

Violet: "I don't know what you mean by that, but I resent the implication anyway."

(Ivy: "Um, excuse me? I used that line already. You can't just steal it like that."

Violet: "Um, excuse me? Just watch me.")

Lucy, pointing to the giant metal dinosaur lumbering down an empty stretch of land in the far distance: "Re-xy."

Ruby: "Where's it going?"

Anemone: "South."

Ruby fetched a pair of binoculars from the Usagi's glove compartment. She looked through the lens.

Ivy: "What do you see?"

Ruby: "Sentinel Knights. An entire squadron. They're escorting Rexy. They've mounted it on a wooden platform, and they're pulling it with horses. … They're also escorting a bunch of cargo, but I can't see what it is, very clearly."

Violet: "Do you see …?" She didn't finish her sentence, but Ruby knew what Violet meant.

Ruby: "No. I don't see Patty. Or her brother, or father."

She lowered the binoculars, and looked at Anemone.

Ruby, Anemone, together: "The Ironworks."

- 25.4 - The Usagi Races to the Foundry -

By the time they arrived at the hangar foundry, it was almost evening.

Inside, they found Patty's brother, treating his father's leg, which was wrapped in bloody bandages.

Father: "They took her. They took my Patty."

Violet: "But … what do they want with her?"

Ruby recalled what Patty had said in the car, the night Ruby had first met the Knights. ("And then of course, they could also be interested in forcing our entire family to go and work for the King in the Castle …")

She looked around the hangar. All the tools, the equipment were untouched. But Patty's art, her metal sculptures—they were all gone.

Ruby, genuinely: "Is the King … an art admirer or something?"

(Ivy, fuming: "He can't get away with this! I'm … I'm so mad right now!"

Violet, holding Lucy by the armpits like a cat, legs dangling: "Here, Ivy. Pat her head. It'll calm you down."

Lucy: "… Nyan.")

- 25.5 - Ruby Returns to the Southerner's Outpost -

The next day, Ruby marched into the saloon of the Southerner's Outpost, a fire raging in her eyes.

Sylvie: "Well, well, well, if it ain't Usag—"

Ruby: "Can it."

Sylvie: "O-okay. Kinda rude, but …"

Ruby marched up to the table Sylvie was sitting at. She placed her hands on her hips. With barely suppressed disdain in her voice, she asked, "Are you just always here or something? Don't you have a life?"

Sylvie, still trying to look cool, but unable to hide the hurt creeping into her voice: "Did you come here just to insult me, or can I help you with something, Usagi-chan?"

Ruby sighed. "The heist. You still need a crew?"

Sylvie's eyes lit up.