text | un: m.cabrera

[naloxone]

[ turns out? space doesn't give a single fuck about your circadian rhythm. or maybe insomnia is just that attached to her that even the absence of a sun dictating her internal clock doesn't faze it, like an old friend you wish would just forget you already.

one night (?) late into the early hours (???) marta finds herself drifting out of the room she's come to assume will be hers for the indefinite future, passing through stark white walls with all the sterility of a hospital, but none of its familiar chaos.

she's still getting used to the earpiece. still getting used to hearing other people's voices in her head. she doesn't mean to add another in the void, but one of her own thoughts blares out too vividly as she stares out into an actual void: ]

—but where are the stars?

Comments

[unbreachable]

[ literally, tho ]

My dad was a hydraulic engineer, he worked on dams. After a while, he packed the whole family packed up and we went overseas. Lot of contract work.

Me, either. Weird, isn't it?

[ It's funny, people back home spent so much time looking up; astronauts, NASA...they forgot to look down. ]

[naloxone]

It's easy to miss what's suddenly not there.

[ for all her reservations on the thought-to-text function, she's at least glad it cannot translate the sudden melancholy in her tone. ]

Where else have you been?
Have you ever gone to Cuba?

[unbreachable]

Yeah. It is.

[ raleigh isn't a fan of audio or video modules of communication; it shows too much. he's a feeling person, and he's as prone to melancholy as anyone. ]

Never Cuba, though I'd like to. Spent some time in Peru. Tokyo, Budapest, Munich, France, Hong Kong. Couple other places.

[naloxone]

[ marta's expressive, but she's learned to keep it subdued. she is not so controlled with her thoughts, hence her reservations.

case in point: ]

I'm from Cuba.

[ a seemingly innocuous fact, but for her own reasons it's not something she readily admits. ]

It's beautiful there. When you go back... you should definitely visit.

[unbreachable]

I really want to. I’ve heard great things about the culture, and the people.

Maybe you can help me practice my Spanish.

[naloxone]

—You speak Spanish?

[unbreachable]

Not well. I’m better at French and Japanese. But I’d like to learn more.

I like languages. I speak five, fluently - though that includes English, so… four. Technically.

[naloxone]

I don't know how good of a teacher I'd be, but... it would be nice to speak it again.
I only ever really got to with my mother and sister. And even then, it wasn't all the time.

[unbreachable]

I know the basics. Just listening and talking to you would help a lot. I’ve got a good ear for it.

[ It’s one of the only things he was better at than Yancy. ]

[naloxone]

I'd like that a lot.
I'm Marta.

[unbreachable]

I’m Raleigh. It’s nice to meet you, Marta.

[naloxone]

You too, Raleigh. I hope I didn't accidentally wake you. I'm still learning how these things work.

[unbreachable]

Nah, you didn't. I don't sleep much, so I was already awake.

[naloxone]

Is that out of choice?

[unbreachable]

Not really. I have a lot of bad dreams, and it wakes me up. Once I'm awake, I usually can't go back to sleep.

[naloxone]

Oh. I'm sorry.
I could offer some remedies, but it sounds like the problem is what happens after you sleep.

[unbreachable]

It's a little bit of both. I've always been kind of an insomniac.

What kind of remedies?

[naloxone]

Just simple home remedies. But I guess I should have checked if they have anything here before offering.

[unbreachable]

Honestly, I don't know what they've got available here. I'm all for home remedies, if you've got suggestions.

[naloxone]

Chamomile tea. Jasmine and lavender oils. Warm milk.
Things like that.

[unbreachable]

I've never tried jasmine before. Does it really work?

[naloxone]

It's different for everyone, every body. But generally, yes.