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Clank. Clank. Clank.
The cell block always had an eerie echo to it. Sam had noted this down on their third visit, not that they came here often, but this desolate hallway always left a bad taste in their mouth when they passed through. The corridor felt never-ending at times, a sterile vacuum of sleek metal plating, where the only sound that could be heard was the rhythmic, mechanical hum of Sam's body, and, of course, the clangs of their footsteps. Rows of reinforced glass doors leading into barren cells lined the walls, slowly passing the metallic knight as they walked by.
The only times they had ever come down here were to interrogate prisoners the Stellaron Hunters had taken captive, the large, sinister robot being the most intimidating and all. Even then, it's not like they took in prisoners that often anyway, with the chambers usually being vacant nine times out of ten… until recently, when she arrived.
After some wandering, Sam had finally reached the target they had been looking for. Silver Wolf, locked away in one of the cells and casually doodling with some primitive looking markers on one of the walls. Her outfit was almost as bare as the hallway, only sporting a simple crop top and shorts, even her hair, which was let down from its usual ponytail and drill, liquid silver locks of hair cascading down over her shoulders in velvety waves. Her expression, as always, displayed practically nothing, as unreadable and dull as a loading screen.
Upon seeing Sam, the gamer diverted her gaze, if only for a moment. Her eyes lingered on the knight for all of three seconds before she rolled them, focusing back on her scribbles. The only form of response she gave was a hollow sigh followed by a curious hum.
"?"
Silver Wolf was the most recent addition to the Stellaron Hunters, with only a few months having passed since her arrival. Her addition to the crew was nothing short of… strange to Sam. She mostly kept to herself, ignoring basically everyone and every rule, acting arrogant with everything she did. To be honest, the knight found it annoying at times, like an enemy with a hit-box too small.
No mission with her was complete without some snarky remark about "cheesing the enemy!" or "Optimal routes." Half the time, the meanings behind her speech eluded Sam. Worst of all, it seemed like Silver Wolf chose the knight as the target of her humiliation. The constant teasing and brash comments left Sam feeling irritated after most missions nowadays.
Sometimes, however, the gamer's hubris would get the better of her, and she'd push one too many buttons. Whether it be stealing her prized cartridge back from Elio or procrastinating when it came to crucial parts of the script, Silver Wolf always found some way to get herself in trouble, essentially every other week at this point. Recently, she committed one of her worst offenses: Sabo—
"…What do you want."
SAM flinched, the query that left the gamer's mouth through her unusual monotone filter snapping the knight from their reverie. They kept their gaze fixated on the cell, more focused on their reflection in the glass door than the small figure before them. "Just… Checking in."
"sigh." Silver Wolf went lax, releasing a drowsy breath before turning her head slightly towards the large robot before her, letting them see the edge of her mouth, which curled into a smug grin, a defiant glint in her mercury gray eyes. "Surprising. The cold, killing machine Samuel has feelings."
The knight flicked their head, annoyed. Even through the teal visor of the machine, Silver Wolf could tell she struck a nerve. Sam grumbled in irritation before choosing to ignore the comment, instead scanning the cell that enclosed the gamer.
Her cell was nothing short of gloomy, a small room paneled in dark metal, barely furnished and clearly not a space anyone would feel welcome in. A thin, sad excuse for a bedroll laid unfurled across the floor, crooked and messy. Only a singular partition standing in the back, providing the bare minimum privacy for a shoddy bathroom area.
Unlike the other cells, however, which were pristine in their melancholy, Silver Wolf's cell was instead as chaotic as a cluttered GUI. Not mentioning the unkempt sleeping arrangement, there were stray markers scattered about the floor, a lone box sitting in the center like a statement piece, and colorful drawings sprinkled over every wall. Crude sketches of cats… the hunters… Silver Wolf herself… and one particular doodle that caught the eye of the knight.
A small, very rough sketch of Sam's helmet, with two X's drawn lazily over the face plate.
"…Seems like you're making yourself at home, Hacker." Even with Sam's usual cadence of speech, which was low and gravelly, like a guttural growl that vibrated through every person they spoke with, Silver Wolf could tell this particular "compliment" was laced with condescension.
The knight shifted their sneer back to the gamer, slow and deliberate, bowing their head slightly, just enough to let a somber shadow wash over their face, enunciating the dim teal glow of the visor.
The icy glare practically stabbing Silver Wolf's peripheral vision caused her to stop doodling, finally shifting herself until she was facing the knight, basking in the literal shadow Sam cast with their large, menacing figure. She sat with her shoulders rigid, brows furrowed, a low hiss seeping through the barely masked anger radiating from her clenched jaw.
"Hah…" Silver Wolf caught her breath, regaining her smug veneer and expelling a low laugh before rising. "At this point, it's my second base." She shifted her weight to one hip, casually propping her hand on her waist, an arrogant spark forming in the corners of her eyes. "Thought I might as well optimize the space… since I'm here so often." A cocky grin cut across her face, the usual flatness in her voice impure with hints of malice.
Sam's immovable, commanding presence wavered for a moment, a particular part of Silver Wolf's remark sticking with them. 'Since I'm here so often…' They themselves were all too familiar with the feeling of being trapped. Whether it was the gamer's fault they were locked away or not, her situation resonated with the knight, if even on a discordant note.
Not wanting to push down that path any further, Sam changed the subject, their visor drifting back to the very artistic rendition of their helmet. "The X's are a nice touch." Even the gamer could tell through their low, scratchy voice that their comment was purely sarcastic.
Silver Wolf narrowed her eyes, grin dropping to a slight frown. "It's abstract… wouldn't expect you to get it."
Sam stayed still, unbothered by the sass. They let out a deep hum, one that was easily drowned out by the sounds of their mechanical parts whirring. Their composure was unshaken, which Silver Wolf noticed how it was somehow more infuriating than if Sam was actually irritated. The gamer's jaw tightened, only for a fraction of a second, the smug curl of her mouth returning, more jagged this time. "Frankly, you should be honored… Not everyone gets featured in my masterpiece."
"…How kind." Whatever sympathy Sam held before started to deviate into frustration, the gamer's egotistical comments starting to pierce their plated armor, the cracks exposing her annoyance finally becoming noticeable to Silver Wolf. Sam clenched their fists. "Didn't anticipate this level of generosity, especially from someone who's notoriously crass and selfish on missions. Hacker."
The smug crook of Silver Wolf's grin died. Her upper lip curled, baring her teeth almost like an intimidation tactic, settling into a grim scowl that pulled her brows low. "Tch. Please…" She clicked her tongue, "I'm just having fun during those! Playing those easy mode missions is sooo boring otherwise." The monotonous words that left her mouth had a slight growl to the end of them. She folded her arms, cocking her head slightly, condescendingly. "Saying 'selfish'…. That's just hurtful."
Sam clenched their fists harder, digging into the carbon fiber lining their palms deeper, the poise that they held onto fracturing, a small flicker of flames radiating from their chest and helmet. "What does Elio see in you. Your 'life is a game' mentality makes you insufferable to be around and compromises missions. You don't belong here, hacker, and you never will."
The knight's harsh words came out fast, messy, unusual for their typical pattern of speech… or at least they thought they did.
The scraps of sympathy Sam still held onto hampered their wrath-driven tirade, their words dying on the tip of their tongue. In reality, they had just stood there, silently, sparks of animosity flying between the knight and Silver Wolf as they stared daggers at each other.
Slowly, Sam's rage was over taken by their empathy, an empathy most people who heard about "Sam the Stellaron Hunter" would find unnatural. "Listen…" The rigid stance they held during their entire interaction mellowed out, their poise returning with a newfound clarity. "Elio has made one thing clear to us: Can't ever go against the script. The reason as to why you fuck around so much, risking the script's integrity or playing with that dangerous cartridge, eludes me."
Silver Wolf broke her gaze with the knight, shifting her weight to the other leg and dropping her chin, dragging her shoulders down with it, though the sour expression painting her face only deepened as Sam continued speaking.
"The reason you're locked away now, for example. What purpose did you have abandoning us at Pier Point, going on your own 'side quest' as you say, to 'settle some score,' leaving chaos in your wake." They waited for a response, but the only reply they received was an annoyed grumble. Sam let out a sigh, one that was low and grainy.
"Even with all mistakes you make—" The knight looked away also, in a sense of almost embarrassment for the sympathy they were about to lend Silver Wolf. "—I find it unfair they keep you in here so often… You're new. Some of your fuck-ups are honest mistakes. Elio is strict with you because he sees your potential. I personally see your incessant need to flaunt your strength annoying and your lack of manners abysmal… but even I can see this punishment can be harsh at times."
Silver Wolf's thoughts hit the pause button, her mouth slightly ajar, ready to spew the first retort that came to her mind, but whatever it was, it died in her throat. Her face shifted from annoyed to confused, then deliberating, and then to an unmistakable anger.
"I don't need your pity, Sam." She hissed at the knight through her clenched teeth, livid at the thought of anyone feeling any ounce of pity for her.
The silence that followed had a weight to it. Sam didn't move. Silver Wolf didn't either. The only sound that filled the area was the low mechanical hum of Sam's armor and the buzz from the lamps filling the hallway. The period in which they stayed quiet was uncomfortably long, their gazes focusing on anything but each other.
…
…
"…How's Terminus."
Silver Wolf said it simply. No hiss to her voice, no malice to her tone. Even the usual flatness to her cadence took a backseat. To the knight, it seemed like the most genuine sentence she spoke today.
Sam practically flickered back to life, raising their head and letting the clinical, fluorescent light shine along the burnished metal helmet, a titanium sheen filling the once shadow-filled features. The tension fueled by pure hostility melted away, if only slightly, revealing an opening to a genuine conversation. An opening Silver Wolf opened by her own volition.
"Fine… Kafka fed them earlier."
"Good."
The silence returned once more. The fleeting embers of a conversation turning to ash, and Sam trying to find something to keep them burning. Their eyes drifted about the cell once more, before landing on the keypad mounted on the reinforced glass door. The sight of the buttons jogged a memory in the knight, a conversation they had with Kafka.
A pity she decides to act like that, her hacking skills are quite impressive. She mentioned off-hand how she changed the code to her little cell. Made a point of how she could "leave whenever I want.
"You know the code," Sam said it like a statement, but the undertone of curiosity was undeniable.
Silver Wolf turned around, wandering to another corner of the cell, acting like she was too busy for this dialogue. "Obviously." She said it with a false confidence, like she was expecting it, the momentary lag her body went through giving away her true, surprised feelings at being called out.
"Then why are you still in here?"
An abnormal hush washed over Silver Wolf, her jaw tightening. Not in the sharp, combative way like before, but something more subtle, like she had bitten down on a reply she refused to say out loud. The truth.
"…Like I said—" Her monotone, carefree attitude emerging once more. "—It's my second base at this point." She paused for a moment, voice quieter than before. "Besides, I don't feel like dealing with you guys half the time. Logging off and coming here is my way of having alone time."
Sam could tell the last bits of her reply were dismissive, so once more they retreated from pushing the discussion further, the silence returning to the space between them, a phenomenon that by this point felt like a repetitive game-play loop.
…
A smug grin tugged at the edges of Silver Wolf's mouth, but it was quickly and quietly replaced with a searing scowl. "Lack of manners…" The gamer returned to a previous comment made by the knight, one made in questionably good faith, but still, she took it as a personal attack, right towards the most vulnerable part of her hitbox.
"Right. Sorry, I didn't come pre-installed with those." She stood up once more, walking to another section of the small cell once more, gripping at her arms as they laid folded, a raw malice empowering her. "Must be a feature that gets patched in when you actually have someone around to guide you." Her eyes cut to Sam briefly, the mercury irises still unreadable despite her tone, before dropping her gaze again.
Sam said nothing. They just observed her, face as emotionless as ever, and if Silver Wolf looked any longer, she might have noticed the emotion behind the visor. It wasn't pity, nor was it apathy. It was something more complicated, in the way that the person behind the helmet understood what she was describing, even if on a different frequency.
"Not that it matters anyway—" Silver Wolf continued her rant, not trying to search for empathy from the menacing robot before her, but getting it off her chest, like Sam was the first person she had confided in. "—Manners don't get you levels. Only strength counts. Not being well behaved." Her face turned once more, just showing the side of her cheek, and the single tear building up at the corner of her eye. "Nobody hands you a power-up for being weak… no matter how quiet and polite."
She moved around the cell one last time, moving back to where she was when she first started this monotonous dialogue. Her back slid against the wall as she dropped to the floor, her arms wrapping around as she drew her legs in closer. She settled her chin on her knees, letting her platinum hair curtain around her face, catching the light in a lavender sheen.
Silver Wolf stared at the wall in front of her, making sure to focus on Sam but only in her peripheral vision. "That's the punklordian way. If you can't make a legacy for yourself… people forget you." She let her stare move from the wall to Sam, with a comfort she hadn't felt in a while. "That's why I 'flaunt my strength,' as you say. I want 'Silver Wolf' to stay live forever. Recognizable throughout the cosmos till finality, not dying like some game that reached EOS."
Sam, still, stayed quiet, but eventually they spoke, slower than usual, like they were carefully choosing each word with a wavering uncertainty. "I understand you. More than you think." They gave it a moment, waiting for Silver Wolf to register their words. "Legacy. It's valuable to some, but others see it as a burden. Take me for example—" Sam looked down, scanning their blood-ridden hands with a grim look even visible on the expressionless visor. "—I don't know people's hearts the way Elio or Kafka do, nor do I have a specialty like you or Blade. Most of the things I'm good at, the things the cosmos associate 'Sam' with, only apply to villains who need no mercy."
Their admission came out without any hints of self-pity, only the quiet understanding of someone who had accepted their destiny long ago, delivered by someone who was more than just a cold, merciless machine.
"I live for this cold, harsh reality. The same reality you've experienced all too well, hacker." Sam looked up from their hands, a spark of hope catching aflame within the sheen of the metallic helmet. "I understand wanting to mean something that doesn't just disappear when the 'game ends'." They brought a hand to their chest, unnaturally calm for their usual movements, their sincerity shining brighter than their flames. "But that meaning doesn't have to be from fear."
Silver Wolf studied the knight, scanning every inch of their armor, outlining the menacing figure they had grown familiar with, filling that outline in with a newly discovered tenderness, one that was alien to her. Part of her felt some sort of connection with Sam. For the first time in a while, she was actually interested in the person before her.
The knight continued to speak. "As a Stellaron Hunter, you aren't alone anymore. You have—"
"Why are you even here."
She spoke calmly. No venom to her words or smugness to her tone. If she spoke any quieter, a mouse could've drowned her out, but Sam still heard every word. "Did Elio send you to speak with me or something? You've never made an effort to talk before, and neither have I…"
Sam paused, failing to remember what their next words were going to be, the question they were posed overloading their mind. They stood still for an abnormally long time, their typical, rigid stance somehow more stiff than ever. It dawned on them in that moment that Silver Wolf was right. They had been avoidant of the new recruit, to a fault, now at the point this attempt at reaching out was deemed as a task from Elio. In that moment they made up their mind, to finally expose their truest self.
It was an eerie suspense between the question Silver Wolf asked and now. She was about to say something, ask if she did something wrong, maybe a snarky quip, but they didn't, noticing the knight sighing, as if a prayer to the aeons for what they were about to do, a gesture they should've done sooner but didn't. Whether it was out of resentment or shyness. They couldn't decide.
Sam's armor ignited, flames sparking from every exhaust, gaining Silver Wolf's attention and illuminating the clinical hallway in a warm, almost cozy glow. A vortex of flames surrounded the knight, engulfing their being in a mesmerizing inferno, spreading outwards in a captivating swirl, twinkles of teal intertwining themselves in the amber orange blaze.
Silver Wolf stared in awe as the flames began to dissipate, but instead of the knight, the silhouette of an elegant girl replaced the massive, fierce figure, the flames still shrouding her face. She had known Sam was just a suit of armor, but the pilot who wore the armor was but a mystery to her. Sure, she had seen the name 'Firefly' in some documents or heard the name in passing from Kafka or Blade, but she never knew who it was. Never cared. Her mind traced back to every time she watched the knight after missions, always disappearing into a shrouded room, one she never bothered checking in.
Eventually, the flames fully burned out, leaving behind the girl behind the machine called Sam, the same Sam who committed atrocities across the cosmos. Silver Wolf was completely enamored.
The girl had a dark, stylized jacket atop a pale dress that caught the pale white light above, turning it to a minty green gleam, teal and gold lining the seams. She had a pair of dark stockings, going from a forest green at the openings to an umber brown at the bottom, leading into small white boots with teal ruffles around the ankle. A small hairband accented the hair, which was coincidentally also a platinum shade, the final cherry on top being the small lime-shaded hair clip pinned at the side, resembling the wings of a beautiful bug.
She leaned forward slightly, lowering herself down to Silver Wolf's level, in a way that felt like it diminished every threatening pose Sam ever held. The girl tucked her hands behind her back, a wind which was absent before gently blowing at the hem of her dress.
Her eyes were what the gamer was focused most on, however. They resembled that of a sunset, her minty pupils surrounded by a striking gradient from a navy blue that filled the night sky, to a blossoming pink that could only be described as sweet.
The girl was smiling. Just a slight smile, nothing more, nothing less. Her face read as inviting, even if the person behind the smile was a little terrified. Exposing her true self was hard, even to someone she could consider family now, one-sided and sharp around the edges, sure, but family nonetheless.
"I'm sorry." It was the first words the girl had spoken to Silver Wolf, at least without the suit. "I didn't intend to hide my true self from you for so long…" The warm gaze she held wavered for a moment, in sorrow, before fixing itself as she continued. "And no. Elio didn't send me here. I came here to have an honest conversation…" She took a hand and wiped away a stray strand of hair that blocked her sight, gingerly tucking it behind her ear. "Since you've joined, I— I feel like we've gotten off on the wrong foot, and I really want to fix that."
Silver Wolf watched as the girl stuck out her hand to the glass door that stood between them, the futility of her gesture escaping her in the moment. "It's nice to meet you, Silver Wolf. You can call me F— Firefly." Throughout her shoddy introduction, Silver Wolf noted how the seriousness that radiated from Sam seemed to dissipate, slowly releasing its grasp on the girl, being replaced with an amicable aura.
Somehow, after all the animosity shared between them and the raw emotion spilled, the only thing Silver Wolf could do… was burst into a short, exhausted laughter. A type of laugh she hadn't felt since that day on Punklorde with THEM.
"Hah…" She shook her head slowly, eyes drifting from the girl to the ceiling. "Didn't see that coming. Sam of all people, notorious space terrorist, just… a girl. No offense." Her gaze dropped back down to Firefly, something unreadable rushing over her face briefly before her typical dull expression took over. "If you didn't just unequip Sam right before me, I'd have clocked you as some low-level NPC."
Firefly pouted, jokingly, quietly relieved that the gamer seemed to be returning to her usual self. She giggled softly, dropping her hand and opening her mouth to respond, then paused herself, noticing that Silver Wolf had gone quiet, like she was holding onto something sitting on the tip of her tongue. She waited, calmly and patiently, that small, inviting smile still plastered over her lips.
Silver Wolf looked at her, mainly at the girl's face, the way it welcomed her in like a warm hug, a feeling that was completely foreign to her. She wasn't a stranger to new things, the countless achievements she had spanning over a multitude of games and crimes being a testament to that, but this was something that felt different, scarier than anything she had experienced in this 'boring game' she called life. Still, she proceeded.
"…Hi." It came out smaller than intended, like a mew from a small kitten. She even added a light, very awkward wave. "I guess." Even in the chilly cell, her ears felt like they were on fire.
Firefly returned the wave.
Just like that, a hush washed over them. It wasn't loaded with tension like before, however, instead being filled a cordial air that made them feel comfortable in each other's presence, still graceless in the way they didn't know what to do or say now.
Silver Wolf was fumbling with the hem of her shorts, scratching the seams, when Firefly suddenly spoke up. "Oh!" She glanced over her shoulder, peering at something down the hall that was out of the gamer's sight line. "I actually brought something."
The gamer watched Firefly retrieve the thing she was staring so intently at, trying to seem uninterested, her eyes betraying her and tracking the girl's movements with a deep curiosity. She watched as Firefly rummaged through something, the clanking of items very apparent, until she returned, hiding something behind her back with little success.
It was easy to tell what it was, even before she did a dramatic reveal topped with a bubbly "Ta-da!" It was a gaming setup. Small and portable, a little console, compact TV, two mismatched controllers. A game was already loaded up on the tiny screen. Silver Wolf clocked it in three seconds flat, Origami Bird Clash. Not her first choice given the option, but she had played it before, and she didn't entirely hate it, even finding some parts thrilling.
Firefly set it down in front of the cell, leaving just enough room for herself between the game and the glass. She smiled at the hacker, anxiously. She came here in the first place worried about the idea. 'This is stupid, she won't want to play games, why should I even bother.' After their exchange, however, through the sea of aggression watered down with pure, unfiltered emotions, she felt comfortable in believing the gamer would accept her offer of fun.
"…The load times on that one are terrible." Silver Wolf said after what felt like forever. "A lot of bugs too. I know a few cool tricks exploiting their trashy code." She shuffled away from her spot on the wall, the icy binds of her self-inflicted loneliness letting her go with ease. "I recommend starting from the fifth level, that's when it actually feels challenging."
She reached the glass, shifting her weight so she was leaning on the barrier between them. "Didn't strike you for the gamer type." Her eyes were still stuck on the game's title screen, the two-player option already hovered over.
Firefly's eyebrows furrowed, making a short shrug as she laughed at the comment. "What can I say? You just don't know me that well." She was lying. Her extent of video game knowledge laid in the various things she had heard from Silver Wolf, in her unique speech quirk of talking like everything was part of a virtual world. Firefly picked up a controller, reaching over to hand it to the gamer, ready for a match of—
Clink.
The controller bounced off the glass and fell to the floor. Firefly scrambled to pick it up, searching for any way for Silver Wolf to obtain it, her mind racing through various ideas and portraying her face with a shade of embarrassment. After some thought, Firefly's face finally settled into disappointment as she turned to the gamer. "I can't open the door… Elio said—"
"I know." Silver Wolf cut her off, snappy and accepting. Part of her psyche justified her interjection, saying she just didn't want to hear excuses, but that thought was quickly overwritten with the truth. She knew it wasn't going to work, the flickers of excitement she felt were starting to die as her dull visage gained a gloomy undertone. "It's fine… Really. We can play games when I'm out of here."
She leaned her head against the glass. Firefly followed. They were both sitting on the ground, backs leaning against the door of the cell, keeping them separated by a mere inch. The girl rolled her head, observing the hacker she had learned so much about today, following the rhythmic rise and fall of her chest as she breathed. Her eyes were closed, a bittersweet acceptance of the situation noticeable in her face.
"Hey," Firefly said simply, unbothered, gaining the attention of Silver Wolf. "I didn't come down here just to talk, and I'm making sure that stays true!" She looked back at the TV before, still, the muted theme of Origami Bird Clash coming from the worn-out speakers. "What if… You watch me play? Maybe you can teach me some of those 'cool tricks' you mentioned!"
Silver Wolf changed her stance, so she was now facing Firefly, the flickers of excitement returning to her eyes, outshining the effortless defeat her mind had accepted moments ago. "I guess I can watch a while…"
Firefly chuckled softly, pulling a controller into her lap, letting the gamer behind her adjust herself until she was watching the screen properly. If there hadn't been a barrier between them, she might as well have been resting her chin on Firefly's shoulder. With a simple button press, she started a new single-player save file, named it after herself, and clicked start, not before spending way too much time picking the right bird avatar. "It helps with performance!" She said not very convincingly.
What followed was not Firefly's finest hour as a new gamer. She lost on the first level she chose. Twice. The background commentary of Silver Wolf's interjection, well, at least the only ones she let escape her, otherwise the rage of watching Firefly making silly mistakes would consume her.
"You're holding the wrong button."
"You missed a big combo just now."
"Try doing this instead."
By the third level, Silver Wolf's trash-talking became less teasing and more something that sounded, just barely, like coaching. By the sixth level, just before the final boss, her comments were mostly replaced with scattered compliments, letting her focus, as Firefly started learning, adapting, and impressing the gamer with how quickly she could learn.
Firefly was trying to her fullest extent, even painfully so. Her brows crinkled with a concentration that Silver Wolf had only seen in the teal visor of Sam's helmet. She didn't want to embarrass herself, readable even through the glass, for a reason that escaped her. Every so often, she would glance back to the spectator over her shoulder, the unreadable guise staring back, spiking her stress every time. The only thing fueling her skills was the occasional "…You're getting better." from the hacker.
She reached level seven, the boss stage, a tone of ease becoming more apparent with every combo she executed.
Silver Wolf watched with intense concentration. She almost hated how invested she was. It started with her trying to act apathetic, giving lazy, mean-spirited comments. Though eventually, she felt the rush of fulfillment when Firefly beat a level or did a big combo, and she wasn't even the one playing. So her comments grew more helpful, more gratifying. As the girl progressed further, the space between her remarks grew larger and larger, more absorbed in the game-play than trying to talk.
As Silver Wolf watched Firefly deplete the Boss's health bar, she thought to herself. Her entire life was spent playing solo, since level zero, climbing her way to the top with no teammates in sight. Now that she thought of it, this was the first time she was playing a game with someone, albeit a bit scuffed. Sure, she had participated in hundreds, if not thousands, of games against people, but to her knowledge, this was the first time the other person was on the same side of the screen.
Sitting here, watching her play, was somehow a level of pleasant she hadn't reached, like an easter egg she had just discovered. A warm, cozy shiver ran down her spine. The type of warmth that was hotter than standing next to the molten knight Sam on the battlefield. 'Hmph… Weird.'
With a final, flashy swipe of the thumb stick, Firefly triggered a satisfying chain of combos and killed the Boss.
Silver Wolf inhaled sharply. Her hand moved, just a bit, barely lifting from her knee, before she caught herself, settling it back down and rebooting her composure like it never happened. Nonetheless, the corners of her mouth didn't follow, a slow, quiet pull upwards at them that she failed to notice for a few seconds, taking half a second too long for her liking to reel it back in after noticing, replacing it with her usual flatness, just as Firefly turned around.
"Not bad." Silver Wolf said, her smug tone replacing whatever admiration formed while watching her. "Sloppy on the second phase, but you didn't choke so." Her stare broke away from Firefly's. "…You did good."
Firefly clicked the power button on the console, watching the screen shrink inward, filling with an inky black. "Thanks for letting me watch." She started picking up the setup, making no effort to be hasty. "I'll find something better for next time. Something more your speed." A small, smug wink finished off her sentence.
"…Yup." Silver Wolf's lips moved slowly, like she was deep in thought. "Just warning you, facing me is high-level play. A newbie like you stands no chance!" Her mind was still stuck on something Firefly had said, the playful threat coming out as an auto-response. 'Next time…' The words bounced around her mind like the logo on a TV screen.
She was knocked out of her trance by Firefly standing up, gaming setup already packed away in a bag she brought. After one last look around, she gave one final smile to the gamer, the warmth in her charming eyes akin to that of the last dying embers of a flame.
"Goodbye, Silver Wolf!"
"…"
No response. Silver Wolf didn't know why she stayed silent, nor did she care. Her eyes were busy, following Firefly all the way down the corridor, past the other vacant cells, until she eventually rounded a corner and disappeared from sight entirely.
Just like that, she was gone. The cell block settled back into its usual silence, the one devoid of any mechanical hums or breathing that wasn't her own.
Silver Wolf stayed where she was, back against the wall, cheek still pressed against the glass, hoping that maybe, on the off chance Firefly would round the corner once more. "Fuck…" She whispered to herself, barely audible even to herself. The creeping cold that Firefly fended off by their presence returned to the cell, and the grim loneliness she once told herself was comforting latched onto her like shackles, heavy and draining.
She moved over to her bedroll, sluggishly, plopping herself down on the messy sleeping arrangement and just ruminating on her feelings. Somehow, being alone felt so much worse than before.
Creeeak.
Firefly shut the large, ornate wooden door behind her. Elio's office always captivated her. Sleek, wavy shelves lining the walls, items decorating each one, neat and deliberate. Above everything was a slowly moving planetary system, quietly moving like a clock that measured something other than time. The desk was the room's centerpiece, hefty and made of a dark mahogany, the chair opposite of it facing the large glass dome that made up the back wall, overlooking the colorful nebula in the inky black void that was space.
Firefly hadn't told Silver Wolf that Elio sent her, because he hadn't. She did believe it was only fair though to inform him of how their conversation went down.
She opened her mouth to speak, but Elio raised one of his hands. "It went well." He said it like a question, but both of them knew he already had the answer.
"Yes. It was pleasant!" Firefly smiled, standing on the other side of the desk across from him, hands clasped in front of her in a casual manner. She drew a breath again to continue.
"I'm glad you guys got to talk." He spoke before her again, unhurried, like he had already seen the way this discussion would play out. "This will be good for her." He swiveled the chair to face her fully, a subtle smile sitting at the corners of his lips that didn't reach his eyes. "You can open the door to hand her a controller next time. I'll turn a blind eye."
Firefly thanked him with a short laugh, heading back to the door leisurely. She lingered for a moment, not quite sure if there was anything else to say. There wasn't. That was the thing with Elio, conversations with him usually ended before they began.
Eventually, she thanked him and left his office, shutting the door behind her. The warmth she carried with her as she walked down the hallway to her room was strange, in a good way. It filled her body with a hope she sometimes struggled to hold onto, wearing it like an armor, like Sam, but without the bloodshed and soberness that came with being them. It was new, invigorating, and she couldn't wait for more.
She happily hummed as she walked, letting this warmth lift her spirits with ease, thinking about the next time she would talk with that hacker. Hopefully soon…