Lucia—Cia—lets go of Justinian's hand and rubs at her palm like she's checking for dirt. "So what now? We just... walk? Hope we find something resembling civilization?"
Clarissa—Claire—shifts her weight, rolling her shoulders back. "We should stay together. At least until we figure out where we are."
Justinian—Justin—looks at Cia, he recognizes her name somewhere before saying "Ah! The phone lady!"
Cia raises an eyebrow, her expression caught between confusion and irritation. "The what?"
"You know," Justin says, gesturing vaguely with one hand. "Your that lady who made the first T-phone when you were like ten or something."
Justin stops mid-gesture, realizing too late that he's making himself look even younger. He drops his hand, scowling at the forest floor where roots twist through the undergrowth.
Cia's expression softens, just slightly as she corrects "I was fifteen actually, but I won't fault you for the mistake. Not everyone is as impressive as me."
The silence that follows is different now—less charged, more like the pause between breaths. Justinian feels his shoulders relax, though he's not sure when they tensed up.
Cia turns slowly, scanning the forest around them. The trees here are older than anything Justinian has ever seen, their trunks thick and gnarled, bark darkened by time and weather.
Clarissa looks at the sky. "We should head west" she says after a moment.
"Why?" Justinian asks
Clarissa doesn't answer right away. She's still looking up, her gaze following something Justinian can't see between the branches. "The sun was rising when I woke," she says finally. "If we assume east is still east here—"
"That's a big assumption," Cia interrupts.
Clarissa glances at her, not quite defensive but close to it. "It's something. Standing here isn't getting us anywhere."
Justinian looks between them. His stomach growls—quiet but noticeable—and he feels his face warm again. He hasn't eaten since yesterday.
"Fine," Cia says, rolling her shoulders like she's gearing up for a business meeting instead of a walk through an alien world. "West it is. But if we run into anything that looks like it wants to eat us, I'm using you two as bait."
Clarissa doesn't smile at that, but something in her stance eases. "Fair enough."
"Wait what?"
The words leave Justin's mouth before the thought fully forms, his voice cracking slightly. He blinks at Lucia from behind incredulously.
"Why me!" Justinian asks, voice pitching higher.
Lucia looks at him like he's missing something obvious. "Because you're young. And you look soft."
"I'm not soft," Justin says automatically, though he immediately regrets it when both women's eyes flick to his frame. His tunic hangs loosely on his shoulders, and his hands... well, they've never held anything heavier than a textbook.
Clarissa makes a small noise that might be a laugh, but she covers it by adjusting her sleeve.
Justinian walks a few paces ahead, occasionally kicking at roots or pebbles with more force than necessary. Clarissa walks next to him while Lucia trails behind.
"At least the air's clean," Clarissa says after a while. She inhales deeply, rolling her neck. "No smog. No exhaust."
"Small mercies," Lucia murmurs.
The forest seems endless. Sunlight filters through the canopy in thin stripes, making the ground look uneven and strange. Every few minutes Justinian thinks he sees something moving between the trees, but when he looks closer it's just leaves or shadows.
Lucia catches up to walk beside Clarissa. "Do you think that thing—whatever brought us here—is watching us?"
Clarissa doesn't answer right away. She's watching the path ahead, her steps steady and sure despite the terrain. "Probably," she says finally. "If it's a god, it probably doesn't have much else to do."
Justinian bristles at that. "Hey, I'm not just... entertainment for some bored deity." The words leave his mouth before he can stop them. Both women glance at him, and he feels suddenly exposed.
Lucia tilts her head slightly. "You think it cared about your opinion?"
"I—" He stops, realizes he doesn't have an answer. His hands ball into fists at his sides.
Clarissa is watching him with something that might be curiosity. "You're right to be angry," she says quietly. "Doesn't change anything, but you're right."
The admission surprises him. He expected mockery, or dismissal. Not this.
A bird calls somewhere above them, a sound like glass breaking. Justinian jumps slightly, then scowls when he notices.
Lucia smirks.