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

[naloxone]

[ marta's lips twitch into a small smile, despite herself. ]

There's Sephora where I'm from, yes. My sister frequented it more than I did though.

[catchatting]

A normal human! What year are you from? Must be closer to mine than some of the people here. I'm from 2044. Kind of. Time travel is kind of disorienting for that.

[ Of course, Zari really likes everyone she's been meeting here, but she can't help wanting something a little more familiar to latch onto. ]

[naloxone]

[ 2044... ]

It's only 2019 where I'm from.

[ wait. ]

Sorry — did you say time travel?
You time travel?

[catchatting]

Yeah. My brother and I are on a team of time travelers. We protect the timeline.
Or sometimes the planet.
We're a multipurpose team.

[naloxone]

That's amazing.

[ perhaps not for the last time, marta wonders what the hell she's doing here. ]

Is it.. easy? Time traveling?

[catchatting]

No, but it's worth it. I've always been a hard worker and my team is like a second family. Can't go back to life without them in it.

[naloxone]

It sounds like you do a lot of good work, too.
I don't know if you and your team have ever gone to my timeline but... thank you. Just in case.

[catchatting]

You're welcome. Hopefully still doing good work here, too.
And now we're all a team here, too. Sort of. So...

Mani-pedis at my place?

[naloxone]

Really?
Right now?

[ man she hasn't done that in.. years. but her sister would always try to cajole her into indulging. something like that right now sounds... nice. a treat, before the real work begins. ]

Yeah. I'd like that a lot.

[catchatting]

Come to my room when you're ready. I've had to improvise on some products, but I think I have a decent setup for the real point: hand care and hot gossip.