The three girls settled into a comfortable silence, each of them drifting off into their own unique worlds of thought, content to share this peaceful moment without the need for words.
Rosa allowed herself to relax deeper into the warm embrace of the water, letting its heat soothe her weary muscles as she stretched languidly, her arms draping over the edge of the tub. For a brief moment, her usually lively, playful demeanor softened in the inviting stillness. The water sparkled enticingly against her sun-kissed red skin, and she let out a soft, satisfied sound. "Mmm~ You know, I almost forgot how incredible it feels to be this relaxed. Honestly, if this tub had a couple of glasses of champagne by my side, I could almost convince myself I was back at my family's compound in Miami…"
Clara, her attention momentarily shifting from her own thoughts, blinked in surprise. "You're from Florida…?" she murmured, almost incredulously.
Rosa smiled gently, keeping her eyes closed as she savored the moment. "Absolutely. Born and raised in the Sunshine State. But you know, being the daughter of the President definitely comes with its own set of… complications."
Rosa's voice carried a hint of a chuckle, yet it quickly faded into a more contemplative tone as she continued. "My father always made sure I'd be safe, no matter what chaos ensued around us. Guess he finally got his wish when everything went south."
Meanwhile, Clara, curled up with her arms wrapped tightly around her knees, dipped her chin just below the water's surface. Her voice emerged softly, not driven by fear but rather an uncertainty that hung in the air. "Even though I went to the Valençay Institute in France, I was actually born in Luxembourg. I spent years at a technical boarding school focused on programming, engineering systems, and robotics…"
Rosa perked up, raising an eyebrow, a playful glimmer returning to her eyes. "So I see. European diplomacy must be in the Vance bloodline, huh?"
Clara nodded almost imperceptibly, her voice almost trailing off into a soft whisper. "I just… I just wanted to build things." She pulled her knees closer to her chest, her voice growing faint. "I didn't really have many friends there."
Sera, who had remained surprisingly soft-spoken until now, interjected gently, "Well, you do have friends now." Clara blinked in surprise at this unexpected acknowledgment, but then a genuine smile broke across her face.
For a moment, Sera was silent, her thoughts seemingly drifting away. "I'm from Tokyo, actually. Well…"
Leaning back slightly, she allowed her silver hair to flow elegantly behind her, glistening like silk against the shimmering water. In the misty air, her amber eyes sparkled softly, the light around them softened by the steam.
"My father was British, a bio-geneticist licensed by the government to approximate godhood. My mother was a Japanese architect, specializing in systems and vault logic. Together, they laid the groundwork for what would become the Phoenix Project…"
As she spoke, she let her fingers glide through the warm water, allowing a thoughtful pause to linger in the air between them.
"I tackled quantum models before dinner, composed essays in Japanese by lunchtime, and switched back to English for breakfast. I studied tirelessly for six hours every single day, no breaks—even on weekends…"
Sera's gaze seemed to drift without focus, her eyes searching the ceiling as she continued to reflect. "Honestly, I didn't particularly enjoy my life back then." A faint, bitter smile graced her lips, a fleeting glimpse of the challenges she had faced.
Rosa, tilting her head back into the water, observed her with a wry smile. "Sounds like it was quite suffocating."
"It certainly was," Sera replied, her tone flat yet resolute. "But I'm still here, so maybe it was all worth it after all."
Rosa stretched again, breaking the silence in the dimly lit bathroom. With a playful grin, she remarked, "Look at us. Here we are—three complete strangers hailing from vastly different corners of the world, now sitting together in this bath because fate had other plans, and it seems the world has made the unfortunate decision to come to an end."
As she spoke, her fingers began to fidget with the edge of her damp towel, which had found its resting place on the side of the tub. The atmosphere was thick with a reflective silence, broken only by the gentle lapping of water against the sides of the tub and the soft, almost meditative hum of the Vault's recycled air system.
Clara, in a soft tone that barely rose above the whispers of the room, broke the stillness with a question: "You really were a student council president back in Yamashiro, right?" A hint of curiosity colored her voice.
Sera felt her cheeks warm as she delicately lathered soap onto her arms, a blush creeping up her neck. "Yes," she confirmed, "That school is considered one of the best in the world. My father always used to talk about how incredibly hard it was to gain admission."
Sera nodded as she recalled those days, her voice steady but cool, "Only the top-ranked students are admitted—military families, the heirs to various diplomatic relations. In that environment, your future is practically chiseled into stone the moment you walk through the gates."
Her gaze shifted toward Clara, a spark of determination softening her features. "But I carved my own path, in a way."
Rosa, lounging casually and with a smirk that hinted at mischief, teased, "Oh sure, you probably did. Always the perfect Miss Student President. Tell me, have you ever skipped class or bent the rules just a little?"
After a moment of thoughtful pause, Sera replied, "Well… once." A small smile curled on her lips as she continued. "I snuck out past curfew just to read… the novels, old fiction books of all kinds."
There was a flicker of warmth in her eyes, reminiscent of a cherished memory. Sera elaborated, "There was this quaint little bookshop not too far from my school that still stocked hardcover editions, and the owner had a bunch of cats lounging around."
Rosa smiled softly, clearly charmed by Sera's confession. "So, you're a bit of a book nerd, huh? That's probably the most attractive thing you've ever said."
Sera shot her a glare, partly in jest, and responded, "I could very easily drown you, you know."
Clara, clearly delighted by their playful banter, chimed in, "Y-You read actual paper books?! That's so adorable!"
Sera quickly, and somewhat defensively, shot back, "It's… for research purposes!"
Rosa continued teasingly, "Sure, sure, we'll go with that…"
For the first time in what felt like ages, laughter filled the air, and it didn't sound like the nervous chuckles of three trapped souls in a subterranean vault; instead, it resonated as a bond being formed among three young women who had once been more than just survivors.
Sera rolled her eyes at the friendly mockery. "Go ahead and ridicule me all you want. But what about you, Rosa? What were you like back in the day?"
Rosa, idly swinging her leg to create ripples in the water, leaned back against the side of the tub. With a playful glint in her eye, she began to reflect on her past. "Me? I was pretty much involved in every single club you could think of—media, dance, you name it. There were people around me all the time, and I'll admit, I had a penchant for arguing with boys who thought they were smarter than everyone else."
She sighed softly, her demeanor suddenly turning contemplative as she leaned her head back. "But even when surrounded by so many people, it felt incredibly hollow. Most of those boys weren't genuine; they were just trying to win favors with my father. Before I even had the chance to introduce myself, everyone already knew who I was—the daughter of President Thorne. The press was always lurking about, and the guards… well, they were practically glued to me. Even in my dorm, we had retina-locks installed."
Clara frowned, offering a sympathetic reply. "That sounds… incredibly lonely."
Rosa nodded thoughtfully, her expression now more serious. "Yeah, it really was."
Again, a hush fell over the room, yet this silence seemed to invite deeper introspection rather than anxiety.
Breaking the quiet, Clara spoke gently, "Before everything changed, I didn't know either of you. But I'm truly grateful that I got to meet you both…"
Her words trailed off, the emotion evident in her voice as she struggled to hold back her feelings.
Rosa softened her gaze, her tone imbued with sincerity. "We survived this, thanks to him."
Without needing to say more, all three women understood whom she was referring to. With a feeling of unity, their eyes were drawn almost instinctively toward the frosted glass that separated the bathroom from the Command Wing dormitory.
Sera muttered under her breath, "That idiot…"
She ran a hand through her wet silver locks, her sharp eyes momentarily lost in thought as her usual cool demeanor softened.
Rosa, her expression playful, grinned and added, "You say that, but I distinctly remember you clinging to his arm during that whole thing."
Sera flushed, responding defensively, "T-That was!"
Clara chimed in with a giggle, "I mean, he really did look kind of cool, though…"
With a flourish, Rosa emerged from the water, droplets glistening in the air like tiny diamonds around her. "And what about Jin? Our mysterious hero—do you think he had a typical school life?"
Sera pondered quietly before responding, "Hmm… maybe."
Clara, her voice filled with hope, added with a faint smile, "I hope… I truly hope he at least had some friends."
Once again, a contemplative silence enveloped the three of them, each lost in their own thoughts.
As steam billowed lazily around them, the warmth of the bath relaxed their bodies, and they sank deeper into the soothing water. A sense of lightness began to replace some of the burdens they carried.
Rosa finally spoke up, her voice quieter now. "I guess… we all came from places of power and safety, but at this. moment, it really doesn't matter at all, does it?"
Sera nodded slightly in agreement. "No, it doesn't."
Clara added with a gentle smile, "Y-Yeah, it's up to us now."
As the three girls leaned back, partially submerged in the comforting warmth of the bath, the scene gradually faded, their forms entwined in the growing connection forged through shared experiences and newfound friendships.