Lia and Rinko Ch.6: Sunsets

The residents of Lia and Rinko's house has doubled in just one day. The place was slowly changing from Reinard & Akiyama's Adventuring Enterprises, into Reinard & Akiyama's Home for the Unlucky. Rinko in particular had hoped for a quiet night after all that they'd just been through, but Lia and Netha had other plans.

"Okay!" Lia shouted at Netha, "if you're gonna live with us, you have to help me build a bunk bed!" Lia had decided Netha could share her room, incredibly enthusiastic about the idea of slumber parties, midnight snacks and other such childlike antics.

"She is not living with us," Rinko firmly stated, "she can stay for the time being, but she's coming with me when I return to the east next month."

A glint of uneasiness appeared in Lia's eyes momentarily; Rinko had told her about her deal with Netha on the way home, but Lia had all but forgotten that Rinko was only a temporary citizen of Cilia, bound by her pilgrimage until next month when she would be tested to her limits, back home in the east. Lia hoped she would eventually return from her trip; her time with Rinko had been brief, but it meant the world to her. Realising she was deep in thought, Lia shook her head and spoke up again:

"Y-yeah, of course," she stuttered, "but for now, Netha and I are gonna be roommates! How cool is that?"

Netha simply folded her arms and shook her head: "Oh, believe me, I'm as excited as you are, darling," she quipped sarcastically.

Lia let out a loud yawn, "wow, I'm already getting tired," she said, "shall we get started on the bunk bed?"

Netha nodded her head, "I must admit, I too would like to rest my head. I'm a little woozy after the pounding that golem gave me."

"Yeah, and being encased in steel isn't any more fun than that," Lia said, "glad I'm not claustrophobic! Anyway, let's head upstairs. The sooner the better, right?"

Netha raised her arms and shrugged, "you are correct. Lead the way, Lia."

With that, the two of them headed upstairs to Lia's room. Almost immediately, Rinko could hear Lia's excited instructions from the living room.

Rinko let out a sigh, "here's hoping Lia's personality doesn't rub off on Netha. I don't think I could handle that..."

Rinko looked towards the couch. Sat there was the mysterious, unnamed girl they'd found in the mine's depths. She'd been so quiet, Rinko had forgotten she was even there. It was then that Rinko realised she hadn't gotten a good look at her yet. She looked to be roughly the same age as her, give or take a year. She was certainly very pretty.

"Are you okay?" Rinko asked the girl.

The girl nodded several times, "y-yes, I'm fine, thank you." Her short purple hair bounced effortlessly as she nodded.

Rinko and the girl looked toward the ceiling as the clanging of carpentry tools emanated from Lia's room.

"Why don't we take a walk?" Rinko asked the girl.

"That sounds...nice," she replied.

Rinko and the unnamed girl threw on some shoes and left the house. Telling Lia where they were going was probably pointless, considering they wouldn't be able to hear them anyway.
--

Upstairs, in Lia's room, the pair were busy assembling a second bed to act as a top bunk. Both had removed their shoes, which was probably a bad idea in hindsight, considering there were nails and planks of wood scattered across the floor. Possessing a knack for creative writing, you'd think Lia would know foreshadowing when she saw it. In this situation, however, that sadly wasn't the case.

To their credit, they'd actually managed to nearly finish the bunk bed. Four long planks of wood ascended from the corners of Lia's bed, and using techniques taught to her by her old friend Smithy, they'd done a decent job of recreating the bed from scratch.

"Okay, we're nearly done," said Lia, "could you pass me the small hammer? I just need to even out these screws."

"Sure thing," Netha replied.

Along the way, however, Netha stepped on a nail that was partially hidden by a blanket.

"AAAHHHHHHH!!!" she screamed as she shot upwards toward the ceiling.

*SMASH*

"What was all that about?" Lia asked as she turned around, "ohh..." she cringed as she saw what had become of Netha. The force of her propulsion into the air had flattened her onto the ceiling. Her face was pressed into the woodwork, and her arms and legs outstretched at various angles. Her head peeled downwards slightly, allowing her to speak.

"Can I go to sleep yet?" she dizzily uttered.

"Ah! Yes, very soon!" Lia assured her, "you wanted the top bunk, right? I'll just finish up and place it on top of the planks! Bear with me a few minutes!"

Lia walked towards Netha, avoiding any floor debris along the way. She reached up and ran her hand across the back of Netha's head, pasting it to the ceiling once again. She ran downstairs and grabbed a rolling pin from the kitchen, and returned to her room. Using the rolling pin, she squished Netha's body even flatter and wider, allowing her to better stick to the ceiling.

"I don't want you floating down while I work on your bed," Lia said, "you'll throw me off my A-game!"

Netha didn't say a word. Chances are, she'd already passed out.
--

Meanwhile, Rinko and the unnamed girl were walking along Cilia's western cliff face. From here, all one could see was ocean for miles. It stretched off into the horizon as the sun began to set below the waves.

"It's beautiful," the strange girl said, "I don't remember much, but the sunset jogs my memory a little..."

"Really?" Rinko responded, "anything about yourself?"

"Not really. But I feel as if...sunsets were a big part of my life."

"Sunsets, huh..." Rinko pondered, "can you remember anything else at all?"

"Only after I last woke up. Before that woman turned me to steel, that is."

"Ixerys did that to you?"

"Yes, if that's her name. Yes, it was her."

Rinko looked concerned. Maybe Ixerys wasn't the pushover she'd demonstrated herself to be, after all.

"How did she find you?" Rinko asked.

"It was after I woke up. I was in a forest. I don't know how I got there, but after walking around completely lost for an hour or so, I heard this weird laughing in the distance."

"Ixerys, I presume?"

"Yes. As I grew closer to the source of the laughter, she jumped out of a bush and threw a log at me. After realising she'd flattened me, I just lay there. She folded me up and took me to that mine where I was encased in steel. That's all I remember."

"Hmm," the whole thing racked Rinko's brain, "what would Ixerys be doing out there? You must have been close to wherever she lives, I guess, unluckily for you. At least we know what she wanted to use you for."

"Yeah. I guess I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time, eh?"

Rinko laughed, "yeah, I guess so. Anyway, we need to give you a name."

"A...name?" she replied, "yeah, I suppose I do, don't I? What did you have in mind?"

"Well, we know that sunsets mean something to you...why don't we call you Soliere?"

The girl looked puzzled. She tilted her head in confusion.

"Soliere?" she said.

"It's what Cilians called the sun in ancient times. It's since become a common girls' name. I think it's nice."

The girl smiled, "you're right, it is a pretty nice name. Soliere it is!"
--

Back at the house, Lia had completed the second bed.

"Whew, no sweat!" she said, dripping with sweat, "okay Netha, just a second, now."

Lia dragged the bed towards the bunk. With all her strength, she lifted it upwards, where it slotted nicely onto the vertical planks.

"I did it! Okay, Netha, you can come down now!"

Almost instinctively, Netha's body peeled from the ceiling and floated down onto the top bunk. Her flat self was snoring loudly.

"Man, she's worse than me!" Lia joked before climbing into her own bed, now the bottom bunk, "goodnight, Netha!"

Lia was about to grab her blanket when she heard something from above.

*POP*

It sounded like Netha had returned to her normal state.

"Well, at least we don't have to deal with that in the morning..." Lia quietly said to herself.

Lia reached for her blanket once more, but another noise froze her still. It was a quiet creaking noise, which eventually turned into a loud chorus of splintering wood. The planks holding the top bunk in place were about to snap!

"Ah! But I followed the instructions perfe--"

*SQUASH*

Netha's bunk had fallen on top of Lia as the supporting planks snapped in half. The fall was enough to wake Netha up. She rubbed her eyes before looking around.

"Oh, the bunk bed has broken..."

Netha stood up and lifted her bed upwards. What she saw made her scoff with laughter.

"Are you feeling okay there, Lia?" Netha asked.

"I've...felt...better..." Lia said dizzily. She'd been pressed into a bed sized blanket, rectangular and flat as paper.

Netha grabbed the blanketed Lia and threw her onto the top bunk.

"I didn't see any spare blankets," Netha smirked, "so you'll do for tonight."

Netha lay down on her bed once again, and covered herself with the sheet-like Lia, creasing her body in the process.

"Well, at least I'm cozy like this," Lia said as her eyes spiraled.

"You and me both, Lia," Netha said, "you and me both..."
--

When Rinko and Soliere returned after sundown, they went upstairs to check on Lia and Netha. They took one look at the bizarre scene. Netha using Lia as a makeshift blanket, her feet poking out the bottom end as she snored loudly.

"I'm not even going to ask," Rinko said.

"Does this kind of thing always happen around here?" Soliere asked.

"Heh, I'll let you find that out on your own," Rinko replied, "in fact, seeing Lia like that has given me an idea..."

She looked at Soliere menacingly.

Soliere gasped, "hey! Don't you dare do what I think you're gonna do!"

"Who, me? Don't worry! You have nothing to fear!" Rinko assured her, "how about I show you to your bed?"

"Okay, then!" Soliere cheerily replied.

Soliere turned to leave the room.

"It's just down the hall," Rinko said as she bent down to pick up the rolling pin from Lia's floor, "I'll be with you in a sec....heheheh..."

Rinko left the room and followed Soliere, clutching the rolling pin behind her back. Soliere didn't know it, but she'd be introduced to "this kind of thing," as she put it, sooner than she thought.