'This is it.' Guy said after taking the girls to the front of the highest building in the neighbourhood. 'All the way up there.'
The girls looked up at the nine-storey building, each floor alternating between white and a very light blue in colour and windows going all the way around. The double recessed front doors in the centre were flanked by slim columns going up to the top floor.
'Let's go up.' Guy said. 'The real estate agent is waiting to give us a tour.'
At the elevator he let Ara, Avia and Mami go to floor seven first, then went up with the rest. In the elevator hall waited the agent, a lady Guy estimated to be in her early thirties with her black hair tied up in a business knot to match her dark blue skirt suit.
'Mister Thorsson?' she asked, reaching out her hand.
He took her hand and shook it. 'Yes.'
'Miss Somogyi.' she said. 'I was asked by Miss Tesha to show you around the floors and write up a preliminary list of things that need to be done. These two top floors haven't been used in a long time.'
'Why that?' asked Feli while Guy introduced the rest to miss Somogyi.
'The previous owner kept the floors in case he needed them to expand one of his businesses, but unfortunately he got sick and used his last years to arrange the transition of his business to family.' miss Somogyi said. 'Since none of the family had any interest in keeping these they sold them.'
'Miss Tesha had heard about it and when I talked to her about getting a more suitable place for us to live she suggested this place.' Guy said. 'And she arranged to cover part of the expenses so I could buy it. She also made it possible to designate these floors as residential because it's officially an office building.'
'It'll be quiet then after hours.' Mami said. 'With no other people living here.'
Guy nodded. 'True. But still no loud parties allowed.' he said and chuckled.
'Aww..' Cani said with mock disappointment.
Miss Somogyi cleared her throat. 'Shall we have a look?' she said.
Guy turned to her. 'Of course. Go ahead.'
She unlocked the double front door and stepped inside the short hall behind them. And nearly cried out when she almost stuck her face in a large spider web.
The floor behind a second set of doors was mostly empty with just a few overhead lamps hanging from the ceiling. When they all walked further inside they saw they weren't the only ones there though. A couple of windows had their upper part partially open and a few birds had made nests on ledges below the ceiling next to the windows. Feli spotted a pair of mice running off.
'Ah, we'll take care of that of course.' miss Somogyi said, making a note on her pad. 'I'll have an exterminator come by to get rid of the vermin and bugs.'
Guy coughed and put his hand on her arm. 'I think we'll arrange something ourselves.' he said.
'But-' she said, then saw the disapproving looks on the faces of Avia, Ara and Mami behind him. 'Oh. Of course.' she struck the note on her pad. 'I didn't mean anything by it.'
Guy nodded. 'I know.' he said. 'But we're not your typical kind of clients, so some things are different.'
She cleared her throat. 'Okay.' she said. 'Then about the removal of part of the ceiling that you requested, it should be possible and we have contacted a builder who will check it and give us a definite answer.'
'Why do that?' Cani asked.
'For Avia.' Guy said. 'It will give her room to stretch her wings fully.'
'For me?' Avia asked with pleasant surprise. 'Really?'
He nodded. 'I saw how you had to go through some trouble to be able to stretch one wing at a time at home, and then even only sideways.' he said. 'So I wanted a place with a high ceiling where you could stretch all you want.' The next moment he was embraced tightly in her winged hug while she rubbed his cheeks with her beak and chuckled.
'Thank you.' she said and smiled as she let him go.
'No problem.' he said. 'I also realised it would make room for a large frame for Ara to spin her web creations in and test them.'
Ara looked back from a web in the corner of a window. 'You what?'
'Well, since you have no real room to try out things for the webbing you've been asked to make I figured you could use something like a large frame for that.'
Ara hurried to him and this time he got a tight embrace of spider limbs and kisses.
'You're really thoughtful.' she whispered. 'Thank you.'
He smiled at her as she let go. 'It just happened to coincide.' He saw Cani look at him with puppy eyes. 'What is it?'
'Do, we get anything too?' she asked.
He laughed once. 'I'm sorry, but I can't think of anything for you right now.' he said. 'The only other request that I made is to have a garden roof.'
Cani's eyes grew big. 'You mean we can go out onto the roof when the weather's nice?' she asked while her tail started wagging. 'And have lunch and sunbathe and look around at the horizon and see the sun come up and go down?'
Guy looked at miss Somogyi and she nodded. 'Looks like we can.' he said.
'I'll take it!' Cani said and nearly toppled Guy when she jumped, hugged and kissed him.
'We'll take it too.' said Feli next to Mami as they grinned at him. 'Hugs and kisses follow later.'
Guy chuckled. 'Thanks.' he said.
Guy received the floor plans the next day and sat around them with everyone to draw in an interior plan. The building was square with rounded corners, windows all around and elevator and stairs were in the middle at the back.
The girls agreed with Guy's suggestion to use high book cases as room dividers and have an option to rearrange things whenever they fancied. The corner in the direction where the sun came up at the front of the building was going to become the sleeping corner. A large square bed the height of the windowsill and a little away from the corner would go there with storage space underneath and provide a view of the horizon.
The opposite corner became the living room to watch the sunset and the corner at the other side of the elevator hall was going to be the place for the bathroom and kitchen.
Part of the free space on the lower and the upper floor would be used to create private corners for everyone for personal things and space, with one of the back corners for Guy to write when he needed to concentrate on it.
When a shelter on the roof was made with part of the roof garden, Avia, Ara, and Mami collected all the wildlife inside and moved them there to their new safe place before anyone was allowed to start working on the interior. Anna and Michelle had heard of their plan and were there to take pictures which made it to the school newspaper. The picture of Mami with her arms full of mice was especially popular.
The day had arrived when the builder had finished cutting out part of the ceiling and everyone came to look at the result.
'So much space.' Feli said, looking around at the rectangular open area with a ship-like steel railing around it. 'And so much light.'
Guy nodded. 'No surprise with daylight coming from two floors.'
Avia walked to the middle of the area and spread her wings sideways and up while she turned around. 'This is so great!' she said and smiled brightly. 'I can dance!'
'You dance?' asked Cani.
'Yes.' said Avia. 'Most of our species love to dance.'
'Looking forward to see that then.' Cani said.
'Well,' said Guy to Ara and gestured at one side. 'if we put up a frame on that side of the space, think you could use it?'
Ara looked up and down at the side Guy gestured at and smiled. 'I definitely can.' she said, already thinking of starting on her project for the entrance hall of a company in the next neighbourhood.
'Can we stay the night here already?' asked Cani, looking out the corner window where the bedroom would be set up.
'Why not?' said Guy. 'There's power and water, so we can make it a semi-camping trip when we take our futons.'
'All right!.' Cani said, her tail wagging. 'I'd love to see the first sunrise from here.'
Later that day after a few trips between the old and the new apartment, a large rug marked the place they'd sleep with futons laid on top, and another large rug was laid down in the corner that would become the living area. They had bought dinner from an exotic restaurant and sat in a circle around it on the rug as they ate and drank.
Guy lifted up his glass. 'To our new home.' he said.
The girls lifted their glasses in a resounding 'New home.' and drank their toast.
After dinner Cani leaned back against a stack of pillows. 'So, what are we going to do now?' she asked. 'The movies and everything are still back at the old place.'
Guy stood up. 'Would you girls be in the mood for a simple game?' he asked with a little devious smile.
Cani heard Mami snigger once and looked a little suspicious at Guy. 'What sort of game are you talking about?'
He moved over to the collection of boxes and large bags they had brought and pulled away one of the sports bags, brought it back to the rug and sat down. 'Actually, it was an idea from Mami.' he said and unzipped the bag, pulling out several thick, coloured sleeves. 'She heard about it from visitors to the park and thought it would be fun for us to play together. I thought it was a great idea, and since I had already planned on getting everyone their own laptop I went ahead and got everyone a new Versaty, with thanks to the ministry for sponsoring some of the cost.' He stood up with the stack of sleeves in his hands. 'So who wants which colour? I made a guess and can trade in for other colours if desired.'
The choice was quickly made among the girls and he received a big kiss with each sleeve taken.
Smiling wide he sat down. 'I need to buy you girls stuff more often.' he chuckled and dodged two pillows thrown by Cani and Mami.
Everyone took out their thin magazine sized portable computers out of their padded sleeves. These were essentially two edgeless screens folded together and could be used in any orientation. As a book with a screen left and right, and as a laptop with one screen acting as a whole or partial keyboard, or even in any combination with and without a pad area.
Guy showed the key combination and the gesture to pop up the main menu where they found the entry Kolonist to start the game.
'Ohh, I read about this game.' said Avia. 'Each of us crash lands somewhere on a planet and then have to build a society to survive until we connect with each other.'
Guy nodded. 'Yeah.' he said and started the world simulator on his portable. 'You start with what you have in your shuttle after escaping the destruction of the colony space ship, some people, tools, essential resources like food and medication. Each of us can communicate with others but has no idea where someone has landed so we can only exchange any information learned along the way. At least until we've made the infrastructure to connect all of us together.'
Guy let everyone connect to his portable which ran the game server. 'In the meantime we have to expand our population, explore, rediscover scientific advantages again with the resources we find and harvest and the industries we create. And fight off natural disasters, diseases, hostile flora and fauna, etcetera. And until the build of new transportation methods there's only a six legged spherical transporter, a couple of tracked bikes, or going by foot.'
'Wow.' said Ara as she saw the first person view of the world as her character stepped out of the shuttle. 'This looks great. Such diversity of plants and trees.'
'Yeah.' Feli said. 'I'm glad it doesn't look completely real though, otherwise I'd feel weird looking at this after a while. Sort of like an out of body experience.'
Cani chuckled. 'I agree.'
'Looks like I landed in a colder climate.' Avia said as she examined the area.
'Then you'll have to prepare yourself for the cold season.' Mami said. 'I landed near a desert. Going to have some trouble growing food.'
'Time is accelerated so you'll experience seasons and all sorts of weather.' Guy said. 'If things go too fast for anyone I can slow down the time in the game.'
Soon enough everyone was engrossed in the game, exchanging discoveries and trying to help one another out with information when a disaster struck someone's colony. Guy's population would have nearly been wiped out by a plague if Avia hadn't discovered a plant he had access to which could be used for a cure. Mami and Feli found the same lake after exploring and were the first ones to connect by road, providing them a small boost to their societies.
When the sun began to set they paused the game to go to the roof and enjoy the view.
Mami leaned back against Guy while he loosely held her in his embrace. 'To think we're sort of looking at the same sun in all of our worlds, yet still a different one.'
Feli leaned on the steel railing on top of the low edge wall. 'It's almost like we're in the game.' she said.
'Except in this case we're colonising Guy.' Cani chuckled and leaned sideways against him.
Guy grinned. 'I have no problem with that.'
'Oh, we're well aware of that.' Ara said at his other side. 'We can almost walk all over you.'
Guy chuckled. 'Well, not that far though.'
Ara grinned. 'Too bad.' she said and growled softly in his ear.
'Someone's gotten over her initial shyness.' Mami chuckled.'
Ara sighed. 'Only here. And it's his fault.' she chuckled.
'Well, what can I say other than welcome to our new little world.' Guy said.
They watched the sun disappear and the stars shining more brightly from the other side for a while before going back down and indulge in a few hours more of gaming. When Feli started yawning they called it quits and prepared the futons and the stack of pillows for the night.
Mami turned off the desk light next to them after everyone was snuggled up together and they watched the sky full of stars through the windows while surrounded by silence and the soft light of the moon shining inside. A streak of light moved along part of the ceiling from a car passing by on the street below.
'I feel like we're farther from the world now.' Feli whispered.
'Yeah,' Guy whispered. 'It's almost like living on top of a large hill in the forest.'
'Living with the last man on this planet.' chuckled Cani and moved a little closer to Guy. 'Luckily the best was left over.' she said and kissed Guy.
'That we know of. But I'll take him anyway.' said Mami and kissed him next.
Guy smiled after each of the girls kissed him. 'I feel like I'm the only man in the world anyway with you girls.'
Avia nuzzled him with her beak. 'Can we try repopulating the planet then?' she whispered.
Guy blushed but the girls happily knew the answer to that question.
Cani estimated it was hours later when she barely woke up needing to go to the toilet and feeling a little thirsty. She was just drinking some water from the faucet when she heard faint metallic sounds on the roof. There was no reason she could think of for those sounds apart from having a burglar up there. She moved silently to the stairs and went up to the roof, sure that someone was doing something up there when the sounds continued.
She did find someone there fiddling around with a thick tube object in the shadow of the shelter. It wasn't a tall person and Cani was confident she could handle the intruder. She snuck closer, jumped in front of the person with a growl and bared her fangs. The intruder cried out and fell backwards on the roof. The face lit by moonlight revealed a teenage girl, panting in fear as she crawled backwards.
Cani relaxed her stance when she realised the girl wasn't a real burglar. 'What are you doing here?' she asked.
'Don't hurt me!' the girl said. 'Please!'
Cani held up her hands. 'I'm not going to do anything. But you have some explaining to do.' she said and pointed at the tube lying on the roof. 'What's this?'
'It's my telescope.' the girl said, her voice shaking. 'I come here when I can at night to watch the stars. I study to become an astronomer.'
Cani looked closer and nodded. 'So that's why.' she said. 'Guy probably didn't know about this.'
'Guy?' the girl asked, sitting up a little when she sensed she wasn't in real danger. 'Wait, aren't you Cani, living near here?'
'Yes, although we're now going to live right here.' Cani said and reached out her hand to the girl. 'This is our first night here.'
The girl took Cani's hand carefully and Cani helped her up. 'I didn't know. Gomen.' she said with a bow of her head and sighed. 'Guess I'll have to find another spot to set up my telescope at night. This was a perfect one.'
Cani pondered for a moment. 'You know what, come by here tomorrow.' she said and smiled gently. 'I'll tell Guy about this.'
'Arigatou.' the girl said and picked up her telescope and tripod. 'I'll come by after school.'
Cani watched her go down the stairs to the hallway below and looked up at the sky. 'It really is the best spot.' she said, then went back down to the others to sleep.
'Hi there.' said Cani when the girl showed up in the elevator hall in the afternoon. 'Don't mind the mess, we're painting now.'
The girl nodded. 'I forgot to introduce myself, I'm Zera.' she said.
Guy walked up to them and Cani introduced them.
Guy wiped his hands on a rag and shook Zera's hand. 'I understand you were our first visitor, although unexpected.' he said with a slight grin.
She bowed her head. 'Gomen. If I had known you were living here I wouldn't have come.' she said. 'But it had been empty for a long time.'
Guy nodded. 'Yeah, it's only been a short while since we got the place.' he said and gestured for her to come inside. 'I barely knew about it myself actually.'
'Wow.' Zera said when she saw the spacious interior. 'This looks awesome.'
'Thanks.' said Guy. 'Let me introduce you to our foreign guests as far as you haven't met them.' He gestured at Mami and Ara who were assembling the book cases which were delivered that morning. 'The handywomen Mami and Ara.' Next was Avia who used one wing as a large brush to paint the walls and ceiling white. 'Our bulk painter Avia. And finally our artist in charge of colour highlights, Feli.' he said, gesturing at Feli who was painting the edge of the open floor light blue.
'Isn't that bad for your feathers?' asked Zera of Avia.
Avia chuckled. 'I can wash it out after a couple of times.' she said. 'And the white doesn't clash with my yellow colour. So it's not bad when I can do the whole place much faster this way.'
Zera nodded. 'I'm glad the place is getting a good use.' she said looking at the view outside. 'You can see so much from here.' She sighed a little.
Cani looked at Guy who gave her a wink. 'Yeah, I heard our roof is the best place to go stargazing at night.'
Zera turned red in embarrassment. 'You've got the highest place in the neighbourhood. The view of the stars together with the quiet of night is kind of magical to me.' she said, fiddling with her thumbs. 'I want to discover more about our universe and the wonders in it, which is why I'm studying to become an astronomer.' She looked away. 'I'm sure I can find a new place to watch them.'
Guy moved next to her and looked outside at the horizon. 'But then you'll probably only see part of the sky since a few buildings will get in the way.'
Zera nodded solemnly.
'You won't get that top of the world feeling.'
Zera sighed softly. 'Yeah.'
They looked out over the roofs of the neighbourhood. 'So why give it up then?' Guy said.
Zera looked up at the sky. 'I can't very well come into your home any night I want to watch.'
'No,' Guy said and smiled a little deviously. 'but you could use the public part of the roof.'
Zera looked at Guy. 'What public part?'
'I made a few phone calls.' Guy said still watching outside. 'And part of the roof garden will be made open to the public for their enjoyment.'
Zera's eyes grew wide. 'You mean I can still come up here?'
'I'll have a locker placed there so you can store your telescope and won't have to lug it around each night.'
Zera flew around his neck and gave him a big kiss on his cheek saying 'Thank you thank you thank you!'. Guy chuckled as she pulled back and blushed at the realisation of what she did. 'I mean, this means a lot to me.'
Guy smiled at her. 'It's not like we don't know what it feels like up there in the night, so we can't deny others getting a chance to experience it too.' he said. 'The roof should be finished in five to six days, so come back, bring your telescope, your knowledge, a little appetite, and we'll have a little stargazing party if you'd like.'
'Yes!' Zera said and hugged Cani and Guy before waving at the others and hurrying back home to prepare for the party.
Cani grinned a little at Guy. 'You're dangerous.' she said.
Guy raised an eyebrow. 'Dangerous?'
She poked his chest. 'You sure know how to treat the young ladies.'
'What?' chuckled Guy. 'It just seemed the right and nice thing to do.'
'Exactly.' said Cani and kissed him. 'You're going to get us more rivals.' she gave him another grin and went back to putting everything from the boxes into the right place in the new kitchen.
