Zee stared at Nox, her usual sharp expression softened into something unreadable.
For a moment, she said nothing, the weight of his story hanging heavily between them.
Nebular filled the room with a dim white glow, quieter than before. "My apologies for my earlier mockery."
Finally, Zee spoke, her voice quieter than usual, almost speaking to herself. "…You were just a kid."
She shook her head slowly, her voice laced with disbelief. "That's… that's messed up, Nox."
Her eyes met his, searching for something beyond what he was telling her. "They made you carry all of that? And you've been dealing with them ever since? That's why you're always... like this? Hustling, scrambling, taking all these risks?"
She leaned back, exhaling sharply. "I don't even know what to say. I mean, you've survived this long, but... how do you live with it?"
For a moment, the room was filled with quiet. Zee's hand hovered in the air, slowly reaching toward Nox's.
Nox flinched ever so slightly before pulling his hand away, turning toward the window instead.
"I've been getting along with them, you know? It's not much of a big deal anymore."
Zee repeated his words, her voice tinged with disbelief. "Not a big deal?"
Nox felt her gaze drilling into him, but he didn't turn back. Instead, he focused on the city outside, the endless maze of flickering lights shining on metal.
"It's just... how things are, Zee. I figured it out, okay? I'm good at what I do. I've made it work."
Zee shook her head, frustration flickering in her eyes. "That doesn't mean it's right. You shouldn't have had to figure it out. You shouldn't have been dragged into this mess in the first place."
Nox let out a dry chuckle, leaning on the window frame, watching as distant lights flickered like dying embers. "Yeah, well... 'shouldn't' doesn't mean much in Coreline, does it?"
He forced a grin. "Hey, I'm just too much of a genius pulling off these tricks. I mean, who wouldn't wanna own a fox doing little tricks for you, am I right?"
He laughed, but it was hollow. Below, the streets bustled with people, coming and going. Nox studied them like they were part of a world he didn't quite understand, muh like watching ants from above.
Zee sighed, then leaned down next to him, she glanced at his shoulder - then back at his eyes before carefully resting her head against it.
"You're not owned by anyone, Nox."
Her voice was softer now.
"You are so much more than you think."
For a moment, neither of them spoke as both of them were seemingly studieing thea world that is moving around them.
"You could have told me earlier, you know."
Zee glanced at the sheet roof connecting their windows, her tail curling slightly.
"You've helped me a lot too, remember? sometimes you just feel like an alien..."
Nox flicked an ear, his voice skeptical. "Oh yeah? When was that?"
She smiled faintly.
"It was a horrible day for me, maybe the worst one I've ever had…he left out of nowhere. I mean i know it was bad, however i never knew it was that bad, but you helped me. Right here, on the sheet roof. Must have been at least a couple of years ago."
She paused, her eyes distant.
"I had been sitting here many times before, alone, but this time was different. I was crying for hours, i just couldnt believe he was gone... at some point, you noticed me and stepped outside. You didn't ask my name first or even introduce yourself, haha—no, you just sat down quietly and said…"
Zee's voice softened, like she was replaying the memory in real-time toning her voice down, almost sounding goofy.
"'This world is quite a mess, but sometimes it helps to just let it out and howl. Even though, as you surely already assumed, I'm not a wolf. Behavior is what makes defines us and not the mess around."
He smirked faintly, glancing at her. "Was that your best Nox impression?"
Zee nudged Nox slightly with a giggle "Was pretty accurate no?"
Nox leaned back slightly, his ears peeking up.
"Yeah, I remember that day, you looked at me like I was insane, but then... you stopped crying and just stared at me through your glasses, wide-eyed, like you had never seen a fox before."
Zee chuckled softly, her tail flicking behind her.
"And then you started howling—actually howling—like some kind of wild animal wolf. It was so ridiculous, I couldn't help but laugh."
She glanced at him, a smile tugging at her lips. "I guess... I needed that."
Nox leaned back even more, his gaze flicking to the skyline or at least, what passed for one.
There was no real sky above them, just gray buildings towering up, sometimes cut off by ceilings, both occasionally lit up by the flickering of various lights.
Nebular illuminated pinkish-purple in the background, silently watching them. Her voice whispered softly:
"Screenshot saved, screenshot saved, screenshot saved. Keeping them for the future."
Nox rolled his eyes, smirking.
"Guess I'm not just a shady small-time criminal ripping people off by trading fake USB sticks. Seems like I'm also a part-time psychiatrist, haha."
Both chuckled for a moment.
Zee nudged him lightly with her elbow, a small grin forming.
"Well, if that's the case, you're the best one I've ever met. And hey, at least you didn't charge me for the therapy session."
She winked, her tail flicking playfully behind her, then, without hesitation, she took his hand.
Nox suddenly froze, his ears perking up sharply.
His mind, which had been floating somewhere between nostalgia and warmth, suddenly clicked into place.
"Trading… the USB stick…
-THAT'S IT!"
He jolted upright so fast that Zee nearly flinched, his ears standing at full attention, tail bristling with excitement.
"Zee, I have an idea!!"
She blinked in confusion. "You can stop now, Nox, I told you, you are not just a trader, you are so much—"
"No, Zee, you don't understand! Neb and I could try to get the USB stick ourselves! Whatever they have on that stick must be way more valuable than these credits!"
Nebular flickered yellow, intrigued.
Nox turned to her, his voice low and sincere.
"Zee, this might be my only ticket out of this mess. I could finally pay off the debt…."
Zee's expression shifted, her ears twitching. Her voice dropped into a mix of shock and concern.
"Wait, what? You have no idea where this new location might be!"
But Nox's eyes lit up with determination.
"Could you figure out where this meeting spot is for me? I dunno, maybe hack into their message system or something like that? Pretty, pretty please?"
Zee crossed her arms, tapping her elbow with her finger. "I could probably do that, yeah…"
Nox grinned. "Perfect. They don't know I'm the one who scammed them. With the mask, I can be anyone. I can play their game, Zee. We get the real USB stick, we get the real deal!"
Zee shook her head, her tail flicking nervously. "Perfect? It's reckless! Do you even realize how dangerous that is? We don't know what's on that damn stick anyway, and what if they figure out who you are—"
"They won't."
He cut her off, pacing the room. His mind was already moving ahead, gears clicking into place.
Zee sighed deeply. "You two are going to get us all killed…"
Nox smirked, glancing back at Zee. "Thank you, Zee. For everything. You're gonna get the info, right?"
Zee shook her head. "What kind of friend would I be if I left you alone now? I'm in."
Nebular's glow pulsed pink again. "Hey, do you guys want to see a couple of screenshots I took…?"