The thought of learning several forms of combat, effective use of multiple weapons, and actually putting them into practice before learning how to drive was kind of fucking nuts in hindsight. This, however, had been the case for both Sarkiin and Saryam. The younger of the two had brought it up as they set out to run some errands. Sarkiin was starting to realize that she spent more time thinking about other ways of life than they'd expected. Despite the vague discomfort they felt about that, it inspired a sense of delight. Maybe Saryam would be more well-adjusted to a normal life than Sarkiin and their master had given her credit for.
Sarkiin had brought this concern to T'fas on a handful of occasions. The old man was always reassuring, but he confessed during one of these conversations that he shared in this feeling. It was a couple of years ago and Saryam had just learned that people had to pay for utilities. Apparently she thought the bills she'd seen people stressing over were regarding repairs or bonus features, rather than just regular access to basic services. The concept perturbed her, to say the least.
"It is hard to accept that she'll be able to cope with the difficulties of civilian life," he'd said. "She is tough, and I do believe she'll manage. Especially if she's got you looking after her. But there are many things I've allowed you both to take for granted. And those godawful sitcoms you watch aren't helping. There may be some initial shock."
The sound of Saryam's voice snapping them back to the present reminded them why they hated not driving; they always spaced out. But it wasn't their turn and they were gonna be a good sibling about it for once.
"...Sorry, what?"
"I said 'what are you thinking about?'"
"Oh— um I— I was wondering: how do you feel about not getting to go to prom?"
The look on Saryam's face indicated that the gears in her head had abruptly stopped turning and needed a manual reset. "I...actually hadn't thought of that."
"Yeah, I didn't think I'd care about it at all. Then I got to your age and figured it maybe might not be all that bad. I think I look good all dressed up and such. Probably have a hard time deciding between a dress or a tux, but that's a win-win situation if you ask me." Of course, none of this was true. Sarkiin hadn't thought much about prom either, no more than anything else about being a normal person.
"I think I'd get bored pretty quickly. Dancing is fun and all, but there never seem to be any other activities. Like, where are the games?"
"What about a dance battle?"
"That would be interesting, true, but the glory of my conquest would be short-lived. And I refuse to waste the most expensive night of my life getting drunk on cheap alcohol just to forget about it the next day. I think I'll pass on prom and just go bowling with my friends or something."
"Since when do you like bowling? Why do you choose the last week of our lives to reveal so many hidden aspects of your inner world? How have these things passed under my radar for so long? Also in what world are you not on the prom planning committee or whatever it's called? There can be as many games as you want. You could make it an Olympics-themed prom and make the whole thing a competitive event so everyone hates you for the rest of the year."
Saryam stared blankly for a few moments before saying, "We'll touch on the very concerning 'last week of our lives' thing later. It’s true I've never bowled, but the sport fascinates me. It requires immense precision and focus, yet the culture surrounding it is so weird and toxic that I feel the derision it receives from the greater sporting community is well earned. But it does look like a lot of fun if you don't take it too seriously!"
"So many secrets," Sarkiin whispered half to themself.
At this point Saryam was parking the car in front of the bakery where they'd get fresh bread and pastries before heading home.
"Okay, Sharks, you have to promise me you won't start any fights at the market today," Saryam said. "We're extra tense right now and I worry you might actually hurt someone this time. Don't make me regret not supervising you."
Sarkiin met Saryam's narrow-eyed gaze with one of their own. "Yes, mother," they drawled through their teeth. They ever actually started any fights anyway. The last punk had it coming for insulting their parents. And the guy before that swung first. Sure, Sarkiin had bumped into him. And sure, their apology was mostly snark. But he swung first! And the one before that...well, actually, they did start that one.
The pair exited the car, executed their secret handshake, and excursed on their respective tasks: Saryam would get started with groceries, Sarkiin would head to the home goods shop for spackle and paint and a few other things before helping Saryam get the rest of the food. The market district of Farcia, the nearest town to the compound, was a pretty chill place. The weekends saw a few wild hours, but midday on a Tuesday was such a breezy mood. the twenty minute walk from the car to the hardware store would've taken about twice as long on a Saturday. And the bakery would've sold out half an hour ago.
The moment Sarkiin walked into the shop, they were torn from their fantasies of bowling with Saryam, Sarmene, and T'fas by the sight of an unexpected face.
"Aryall? When the hell did you come back to town? And back to life?"
Aryall looked up from the book he was reading and immediately lit up as he realized who was talking to him. "Well if it ain't the most annoying person to ever grace this beautiful, undeserving planet!" He got up and walked around the counter to hug Sarkiin so tight they saw spots. "I only got here a few days ago, but I wondered when I'd see you around. As for coming back to life, I can't honestly say I ever left it."
"Clearly!" Sarkiin punched his shoulder a little harder than they meant to, "And I'm glad. We all thought you died along with your parents. Where have you been for the last five years?"
A touch of surprise flashed through Aryall's expression before he shrugged to himself and said, "It's kind of a long story. Some very kind folks found me wandering after the explosion and took me in. If you're free sometime next week, I'd love to grab a bite and fill you in on all the dirty details!"
Something about the way he said "dirty details" flustered Sarkiin, "Heh. Okay yeah uhh that would uhh that would be quite a time. Count me in." They chuckled to themself briefly as they regained composure. "The timing honestly couldn't be more perfect. If things go well, Yams and I will be retiring from The Life soon. I guess I'll have all the time in the world once we finish our next assignment."
There was another look of surprise that Aryall didn't fight this time. Just as he opened his mouth to respond, Sarkiin's mobile phone started to ring. They pulled it out to see Saryam was calling.
"Speak of the devil," they said. "I'm so sorry, let me just make sure this isn't important."
Aryall gave them two thumbs up as Sarkiin pressed the ANSWER button. "Sarkiin," said a deep, modulated voice. "If you want to see your sister again, follow my instructions to the letter."