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With the sheer amount of space that the Justice headquarters has, there is bound to be a buildup of dust. Despite her years of employment within the organization and having experienced cleaning the mess time and time again, Cecilia Immergreen is still at a loss with the complete state of disarray that is the attic.
Boxes haphazardly towering up to the pointed roof, balancing in a way that made her nervous to even close the door. Some of the boxes were even placed on the ceiling's support beams themselves.
Cecilia’s expression quickly turned to one that can only be described as despair.
To say this room was going to be a long project was a harsh understatement. Her porcelain- like face scrunched up as she pinched the bridge of her nose.
I shouldn’t have offered to help. Any mission would be better than this. She sighed, complaining to herself. Tomorrow I’ll drag in one of the kouhai’s.
--
It didn’t take long for the automaton’s spirit to break. Box after box only revealed more and more junk left by previous generations of Justice. From long rusted swords kept for safekeeping to souvenirs from crappy tourist traps, everything was absolutely junk. Well, to Cecilia, that is.
She threw another box in the corner of the room deemed for trash. Why even have a dreamcatcher if you aren’t going to put it over your bed? What idiot bought this?
At this point, Cecilia was barely scanning the contents of each box and dresser drawer. No one would miss it, she’d say to justify it to herself. She was sure the only person currently alive who had been in this room was herself.
Kicking another box over to the corner, her foot landed on its side awkwardly. The box hit the side of an antique table, bouncing and slamming into a pile of boxes that could be confused for the Tower of Babel. Cecilia’s eyes widened as it wavered, almost as if it was taking a moment to consider whether it should make the woman’s day even worse.
It seems as if luck was not a strong suit of Cecilia Immergreen.
A thunderous cloud of dust exploded from the fallen boxes. She held her arms to cover her head in a desperate attempt to spare any bit of herself from being coated.
As the dust settled, Cecilia’s will broke. Laid out in front of her were boxes with their contents spilled, shattered, and scattered across the floorboards. As the cherry on top, a new thick layer of dust was quickly covering everything in the room; especially herself.
Yep, that’s enough for today.
The mechanical woman dragged her feet past the pile, barely paying mind to the mess. That is a problem for tomorrow’s Cecilia.
As she made her way to the door, her foot hit something. Most of the time she would have ignored this, secretly hoping whatever inside broke.
But something was different. She nudged it again.
Clink.
An odd sound came from the box as she shook it, rattling in a way unlike glass or anything she had heard before. She knelt down, opening the box.
Records. Countless records. Music of the past she once would collect which would often end up creating disorganized piles on her shelves.
How did these get here? Did someone move them? She dug around, rifling through the discs and scanning their labels. Most of them were peeling or entirely ruined by poor storage. Whoops.
Returning to the piles, Cecilia leaped over a few boxes until she found a dust covered sheet draped over what she previously assumed to be furniture. Gently, as to not cause another dust apocalypse, she removed it.
“There you are.” She exclaimed to no one in particular. Carefully, she moved it towards a clearing she had made earlier.
After a brief inspection, it seemed everything was intact. Her myriad of years using these machines finally came into use.
She returned to the box of records and combed through them. One caught her eye; its label a faded orange with a dark green border.
Hoping for a miracle, she placed it onto the record player and lowered its needle.
After a few moments, a song began.
One she hadn’t heard in a long, long time.
--
The mass of people filing into the ballroom was overwhelming. Cecilia assumed Elizabeth was exaggerating when she said everyone important was going to be there, but– everyone?
I want to go back to my room. Maybe Liz will forgive me. The automaton thought, looking down at her ivory dress adorned with delicate lace. Her neck felt awkward free from the confinement of her usual wear while her hair held the opposite issue, pinned up in a bun with two braids leading into it. She knew she wouldn’t abandon the mission but the thought of sneaking off to lay in bed or return to her tea was tempting.
The crowd had already begun to gather and pair up in the middle of the ballroom, the band beginning the first tune of the dance. Gigi still hadn’t shown up. Maybe she had the same idea.
With impeccable timing as always, Gigi Murin, chaser of the current generation of Justice, arrived.
“You come here often?” A familiar voice came from behind her. Cecilia turned to meet the gaze of a gremlin.
Cecilia’s jaw went slack.
“Huh? Didn’t like that one?” She smirked.
Gigi was dressed immaculately. Tailored to compliment her thin figure, she wore a bronze tuxedo with black lapels. It was unbuttoned to reveal her black shirt with thin, vertical white stripes and a cute orange bowtie on her neck.
Her smile was warm as always, spread from ear to ear upon greeting Cecilia. Instead of the usual pigtails, her blonde and brown hair was kept in a low ponytail. The sight was nothing the automaton could’ve ever imagined.
Her windup key began turning.
With the only noise coming from Cecilia being the quiet spinning of the key, the gremlin turned her head and blushed, laughed nervously.
“Did I spill something on me already? I thought I was being careful with the punch.” She looked back up at Cecilia, who’s eyes were saucers.
Snapping out of it, she shook her head rapidly. Though impossible, she was sure she could feel the heat on her metal cheeks. “No! No, it’s fine. You’re fine. I mean, yeah.” She delivered oh so eloquently.
With another thunderous laugh, Gigi doubled over a bit. Cecilia furrowed her brows. “I said you were fine, Gigi! You don’t need to laugh!” She nearly shouted, only making the other woman laugh harder.
Cecilia exhaled from her nose and turned, walking towards the ballroom dance floor. Gigi caught her breath and wiped a tear from her eye before noticing. “Hey don’t go abandoning me! I can’t believe you hate me this much! You hate meeee~!” She whined, running after her.
Their mission wasn’t to stand around and get distracted by each other, Cecilia reminded herself. It was to blend in which they weren’t going to get done by bickering at each other. Nearly all the guests had already paired up and were ready to begin the dance.
Please tell me Gigi practiced, please tell me Gigi practiced… She uttered a silent prayer as the next song began. It was a tune that sounded familiar to her, something she would’ve heard maybe at a concert hall years ago. Maybe I could learn this on the violin…
Turning around, the automaton was face to face with her companion. Yet Cecilia stood there motionless. Couples around them began getting into position, draping an arm around the waist of their partner or laying a firm yet soft hand on the others’ shoulder.
But she couldn’t. Her gut clenched. It was all so much. The party, the mission, what Gigi was wearing– she was frozen in time.
I’m going to fail the mission. I’m gonna stand here like some idiot and get us completely busted.
Images of a disappointed Elizabeth flashed in her mind, looking down at her with a beaten expression more befitting a parent rather than a coworker. Raora would surely understand and try to comfort her, yet the look in her eyes would be unmistakable. And Gigi–
Why can’t I just get this one thing right? I can’t follow my code and now I can’t even follow my mission? What is wrong with me? Why was I even-
Her thoughts were cut off by a hand delicately touching her waist, settling as if any sudden movement would shatter her. Cecilia’s head shot up from the floor and made eye contact with pink ones. Warm. Full.
“Gigi…” Her name slipped out, whispered so softly that Cecilia couldn’t tell if Gigi had heard. Her hand eased into the dip of her metal waist. It was warm. Everything about Gigi Murin screamed warmth. From her laugh, her smile, the way she’d bicker with her, all of it.
No one else could bring warmth like this to her.
And right now, more than she ever had noticed before, it radiated like the sun.
Gigi giggled. “Come on, I won’t bite.” She paused. “Well, not right now. Later.” She laughed. Cecilia hesitated before placing her hand onto her dance partner’s shoulder, shaking a little as she brought her hand down. She could feel the heat of Gigi’s body even through all the layers.
“Don’t get all nervous on me.” She smiled.
Cecilia huffed. “Don’t make it weird.”
If she could be honest with herself, Cecilia was more nervous about the hand currently gripping her waist more than anything else.
Suddenly she could feel the turn of every gear in her body. Every slight shift in weight in her legs, how the twisting of her windup key ticked at every full rotation, even the quiet whirring whenever her eyes shifted quickly. Everyone else disappeared around her.
It was just Cecilia Immergreen and Gigi Murin.
She wished time would stop.
--
Her heels were planted on the floorboards beneath her, leaving footprints in the dust as she stood in the middle of the attic. The song filled the air, a haunting voice reverberating throughout the room, surrounded by a chorus of violins.
Just as it did in the ballroom.
She reached her right arm out, hovering in the air while the other stuck out farther left, gripping an invisible hand. She closed her eyes, focusing.
It began with one step. Her left foot glided with near scientific precision before the right followed it. Step by step, she waltzed with a ghost.
Gigi wasn’t good at dancing. Her body was as stiff as a board, nearly tripping over her feet to follow Cecilia’s fluid movements. She half expected the gremlin to begin laughing and brush it off.
But she didn’t.
Her eyes were furrowed with focus, her breath steady as she followed. Though rigid, her body was in sync with the turns and she kept up well. Cecilia even noticed the slight twitch in her cheek as she nipped at it, every ounce of her mind immersed in the waltz.
She practiced.
Gigi felt Cecilia’s hand squeeze tighter around hers. Her gaze snapped to the green eyed woman. “Did I mes-” Her thought was interrupted when she noticed it.
Cecilia was smiling, her robotic eyes filled to the brim with tenderness.
Gigi’s back straightened as her body relaxed.
--
Still holding the air’s hand, Cecilia let go of its shoulder and spun before being pulled back into the dance.
Her speed picked up, following the tune’s pace as it built up to the chorus. Pillars of dust floated about as the setting sun’s light streamed in, particles fluttering about with each step she took.
Her eyes were glued shut.
Laughter rang out from Gigi as she spun her partner around yet again before pulling her back in. The two moved in sync, anticipating each step and turn as if it were second nature.
Not once did their eyes wander from each other.
It was a trance.
It was everything.
She was everything.
The record suddenly screeched, jolting Cecilia from her stupor before stopping and filling the room with a deafening silence.
The record was broken. Damaged by age, scratched from improper storage. The song hadn’t reached its climax yet.
Cecilia paused. Her arms fell to her sides, letting go of the ghost in front of her.
Turning to the record player, she slowly walked. The room felt like it was filled with water, her limbs trudging along as if she was fighting against the current of the dust-filled air.
Slowly, she removed the needle from the damaged disc and held it to her chest. She hugged tightly– as if it may fade out of existence at any moment.
--
“T-The moon’s real beautiful tonight, huh?” Gigi chuckled nervously, nearly tripping on her pickup line.
Cecilia wasn’t paying attention, rather preoccupied with the noise of her gears restlessly whirring in her ears.
The dance ended without a hitch. Supposedly, the pair were intended to meet with Raora and Elizabeth to discuss what they had been able to gather during the mission.
And supposedly, they had forgotten.
Looking out to the mansion’s garden, both women leaned against the balcony’s stone railing. The night’s frigid air blew a light breeze against them; yet, it was nothing compared to the warmth that filled their chests.
Gigi fiddled with her fingers, giving obvious, quick glances at the automaton standing mere inches away from her. Moments ago she was energetic, talking on and on about how much fun she was having and how she knew the perfect spot– but now she was reduced to a nervous wreck.
Out of the blue, Cecilia started shaking.
The gremlin finally turned to face her, her expression filled with worry. “I-Is something wrong Ceci?”
She threw her head back. Tears streamed from her eyes as her mouth fell open. She wasn’t crying. She was laughing.
“You look so stupid right now.” She spoke in between gasps for air.
Painted in the moonlight, Cecilia turned to Gigi. Her white hair looked as if it was glowing while it gently flowed with the breeze. If the gremlin wasn’t already enraptured by her beauty earlier when she saw that dress on her, she surely was now.
And before she even realized what her body was doing, her lips were already against Cecilia’s.
They were absolutely freezing from the weather yet Gigi paid it no mind.
Cecilia looked down at the gremlin, the shorter one’s eyes squeezed shut as her blush spread to her ears. She reached her arms out, pulling Gigi in close and deepened their kiss.
I never realized how long her eyelashes were.
Without realizing it, her grip around the record tightened. A bit too tight.
Crack.