Station, стр. 23
Hadder swung his feet to the floor and was struck bythe sensation of gravity weighing him down, a now-foreign feelingthanks to his late-night escapades. Given the number of chemicalshe had imbibed the previous Haela, he was pleasantly surprised thathis headache was minimal, and his stomach, while terribly empty,wasn't trying to torture its inconsiderate owner.
Hadder was, however, painfully dehydrated, andstumbled to the bathroom to rectify the situation. After consuminga liter of water, Hadder stared at himself in the mirror. Gone werethe lovemaking wounds caused by Helen and Nestra; no trace at allwas left of their surgical nails. Glad to be rid of last Haela'sevidence, Hadder walked into the shower, a miniature version of thecommunity shower he had shared with the lovely Reena Song. "Water,"said Hadder, and jets attacked him from all angles as steam rosefrom the bottom. While washing off the previous Haela's effectswould have been sufficient, Hadder felt something more in theshower. As he breathed in deeply, the rising steam felt slightlynarcotic, leaving behind an enjoyable body hum reminiscent of thosepills he found solace in during the Before.
"Water stop," Hadder said to the room. Ready to getout but seeing no towels, Hadder remembered what Reena had toldhim. "Air," he demanded, and a cyclone of warm air encircled hisnaked form, drying him in seconds.
Back out in the main bedroom, Hadder had no choicebut to put his silver suit back on. Fearing it would be severelysoiled, Hadder was happy to discover that it remained perfectlypressed and still smelled like fresh lilac, another hidden benefitof Station's magnificent textiles.
Checking around the room, Hadder was reminded howlittle he had, literally just the clothes on his back. He exitedhis temporary home and was relieved to find that he had steppedinto a hallway that looked familiar. Once again in the bowels ofMorning's Echo, Hadder made his way back towards the upperlevel, trying to retrace the steps taken by him and Reena on aprevious trip. He knew he was on the right track when he passed thecommunity bathroom's double doors. Unable to wrangle his curiosity,Hadder peaked in and found two couples locked in a singular embraceunder the magical torrents of water. Still shy compared toStation's veterans, Hadder backed out to give the couplesprivacy.
As he continued down the hall, Hadder recognized theroom where Reena procured his suit and stepped in. Luckily, a lemmamanikin was there already, waiting patiently behind the counter,its milky eyes staring at nothing while seeing everything. Hadderstood before the lemma uncertainly. "I'd like some clothes,please." The lemma pointed above, and Hadder watched as the screenblinked to show an array of men's clothing, a vast selection thatoverwhelmed him.
"Just some gray pants, black t-shirt, boxer briefs,and socks, please." The memory of Reena's impressive shoes inspiredhim. "And high tops, maybe whose designs fluctuate between blackand white as I walk?" Marlin Hadder was no fashionista, but he wasdamn-well going to try.
The lemma stared at Hadder for several secondsbefore turning and becoming a tornado of labor. Fabrics flew in itshands, scissors moving at blinding speeds, and the sewing machinewas barely able to keep up with its user. Hadder waited patiently,mesmerized by the efforts of the wind-up servant, and in 10 shortminutes, his entire ensemble was ready. Seeing no point of modestybefore the manikin, Hadder changed in the room. Once again, he wasastonished by the craftsmanship exhibited in the clothing and thequality of the materials used. The light gray pants were soft andstretchy while looking expensive and tailored. The black t-shirtwas a perfect fit, not tight nor loose. The high tops, however,stole the show. They were black and white, similar to Jordan 1s,and the colorways alternated as Hadder moved.
More comfortable in his new digs, Hadder left themanikin clothier and once again made his way towards theEcho's first floor. Eventually, Hadder returned to thelounge area, where several residents were back meandering, someplaying unknown board games and others only smoking and sipping ondrinks.
As Hadder passed through, a couple greeted him.Unable to recall their names, Hadder waved dumbly and continuedtowards the stairs, taking them two at a time when he reached them,growing desperate for fresh air. Pushing his way through thestairwell's doors, Hadder was greeted by two familiar faces as heentered the main floor of Morning's Echo.
Jonny VV and Reena Song sat at a nearby table,drinks in hand, smiling widely. Jonny slammed his palm onto thetable. "I told you he'd end up here, Reena. Never doubt my superiorintuition."
Reena smiled sweetly. "How are you doing, Marlin?Fun night, I assume?"
Jonny rose and walked to Hadder. He began toplayfully look over his new friend. "Let's check you out, old chap.What did those awful creatures do to you last Haela? No permanentdamage, I hope."
"Leave him be, Jonny," Reena jokingly reprimanded.Her eyes lit up. "Oh my, look at that new outfit. And thosewonderful kicks. Do they? Oh, they sure do shift as you walk. Welldone."
Hadder blushed at the compliment. "When in Rome, youknow?"
Jonny responded, "I do know. And just like Rome,Station has excellent food. You must be famished."
"Poor thing hasn't eaten in days, Jonny."
"Well, not food, anyways, dear Reena."
"Oh, Jonny, don't be vulgar."
Hadder's stomach bellowed at the word food, forcinghim to cut into his friends' banter. "I'm starving. Lead, and I'llfollow."
Jonny quickly finished his drink. "Well, thatsettles it. Dine, we shall! Let us make haste to TheMedici."
Hadder followed Jonny and Reena across Morning'sEcho, seeing the Bar with new eyes framed by lenses forged fromthe activities of the past two dozen hours. As they stepped outinto the city called Station, Hadder could only imagine what thisnew Solay would bring.
The Celebration Cluster was quiet in the relativebrightness of the Solay. Hadder walked