Favela Pt. 10

Once her shift was over Olivia stopped by her locker to grab her loop pouch, it's bulky weight reassured her as she hooked it to her shorts and then made her way hastily to the exist. There was plenty of time to take care of her errands at the bazaar before she was supposed to meet up with Maithri, but Olivia didn't want to risk being late. She'd had so many disappointments in her own life, and they barely knew each other, she wanted to prove to Maithri that trusting her was not a mistake.

She went directly to the cybernetics district, not even stopping for a snack despite a growling stomach. Finding Aranha's shop again was not difficult. As soon as she entered the calming darkness a glowing figure approached her. "We were waiting for you." It said, the voice distorted by some kind of synthesis module. Olivia detached her loop pouch and held it out, the figure took the package and smiled, electric-blue lips curving upward gregariously.

"Come back in a couple of hours." It said, lights flickering before going out. Olivia was left standing in abyssal darkness. Shrugging, she turned and retraced her steps through the baffle of curtains. The brilliant afternoon light made her eyes sting, she felt faint from hunger. Still she couldn't eat just yet, there was one more stop she had to make. The luxuries district was overwhelming, unable to cope with the chaos Olivia found the first jewelry vendor advertising bio-bronze and didn't give them a chance to upsell her any bells and whistles.

As with most things in life Olivia preferred simplicity and elegance, but in this case it was also the only thing she could afford. Errands complete, moving as quickly as her short legs would allow she practically flew back to the market nucleus. It was shaped like a very large wheel with the hub being an open-air island of food & drink vendors arranged in an unbroken torus of counter tops laden with delicacies and delights.

The smell of roasting meat made Olivia's mouth water, she went straight to the source, watching ravenously as long bamboo skewers loaded with neatly cut cubes of suspiciously colored protein dripping with bright-red blood were roasted under an array of solar concentrators. She was just torturing herself though, even with her new pay a single skewer would cost almost a month's wages.

Olivia sighed, turned and trudged around the curve to the far more affordable composite proteins, typically a mixture of grains, fruits, nuts, oils, vegetables, eggs, milks and insects. You never really knew the proportions or the composition, there were inert fillers added too, as purity went up so did price.

Sullenly she paid for a large bowl of cricket noodles in a delicious salty broth full of floating slices of fried plantain and cheerfully swirling moringa leaves. It was expensive but wouldn't break the bank. She splurged and bought a small piece of day-old amaranth bread to go with it. The silent old woman behind the counter winked as she knifed a large pad of butter into its cratered pumice-like surface.

Glancing at her time-patch she smiled, she might be poor in money but she was rich in leisure. Olivia ate slowly, enjoying every spoonful, relishing each crunchy morsel. All too soon her bowl was empty, but she was not above using her fingers to scrape the residue from the bottom, licking it along with the scattered crumbs from the tips of her filthy fingers. Grinning stupidly with a seldom experienced contentment she put one of her precious tokens into the tip jar and headed rather aimlessly for the North gate.

Leaning against one of the monolithic scanning posts she waited. Part of her wondered if Maithri would even show up, then she started to feel a little guilty, she hadn't really given the girl a chance to say no. For all she knew Maithri had another job or someone else who would be expecting her. But Olivia had trusted her intuition and it was seldom wrong, this girl had fallen between the cracks like a stray cat with mangy coat that most people preferred to ignore.

Olivia felt her wrist twitch, the alarm she'd set for the appointed time, it was five minutes early to give her enough time to get to the gate, but she was already there. She felt sleepy, the food had killed her hunger pangs but it had also made her feel sluggish and indolent. She crouched and tilted back her head, gazing up into the lavender sky. Her eyes closed for a second, the next thing she knew a hand was gently shaking her by the shoulder.

When she opened her eyes she knew she'd fallen asleep, but she was staring into Maithri's smiling face. Blinking drowsily she yawned and glanced at one of the nearby notice boards. Only ten minutes had passed. "I apologize if I made you wait." The girl said, her heavy accent causing Olivia's heart to flutter.

"No." She replied, reaching up and grabbing Maithri by the hand. "I just got here." She finished. The girl did her best to pull Olivia up, using all her weight, leaning precariously backwards. Still she managed somehow, with both of them flopping together awkwardly as Olivia lurched away from the post and Maithri nearly fell on her ass. Laughing the two girls untangled themselves and started walking casually through the gate.

Olivia couldn't really describe it, but her heart felt unbelievably light, as though all the troubles of the world had simply drifted away. She could tell by Maithri's carefree grin that her friend must have been having similar feelings. The sun was going down, but the lights of the bazaar sent all the shadows skittering out of sight. They didn't really say anything, Olivia just started heading towards the textile district, Maithri followed happily.

The last time she'd been down this long aisle of clothing shops Olivia had been a child, following wearily behind her mother. The return was making her nostalgic, she paused long enough for Maithri to catch up, grabbing the girl's hand she pulled them closer together. "My mom took me here when I was a kid." She said, then feeling suddenly insecure she glanced down at Maithri's mass of dark curly hair. What did she really know about this young woman? "You... haven't been here before have you?"

Maithri laughed and glanced up, her black eyes dubious circles of delight. "Regrettably I have been focusing my attention on survival." Her grin became sheepish, Olivia frowned, but not because she was displeased. It was stupid really, she'd only been a melter for a week but already she was acting like a wretched fidalgo. As a clipper she'd never set foot in the bazaar, since she couldn't afford anything. Maithri had been kind, her wry riposte was intelligently condescending without being cruel.

Olivia nodded somewhat belatedly, chastened. The district was smaller than Olivia remembered but also more diverse, she kept walking until she found what she was looking for. "We'll start here." She said, leading Maithri by the hand. "I hope you're not too attached to those rags." She couldn't help but be a little rude after the way the girl had outclassed her during their last exchange. Maithri ran her hands reflexively over the rough rumples of sackcloth in which she was adorned.

Her expression was forlorn but also contrite. "I discarded my royal attire to avoid attracting unwanted attention, but could not procure more suitable garments. This was the best I could do with my limited resources." Olivia squeezed her hand softly.

"Honestly you did alright considering what you had to work with, but I'm guessing if you had to choose you'd rather be wearing something like this." She let go of the girl's hand long enough to take something off of a nearby rack. A split knee-length skirt made out of a thick synthetic material, the color was a silvery dark gray. Maithri protested as Olivia thrust it into her friend's chest.

"I can't." She exclaimed. "This costs more than all the money I have." She looked a little hurt. Olivia just laughed.

"You really don't get it? Such a smartie but I guess you're still not a genius like me. You won't be paying for anything." She raised her eyebrows. Maithri's face went ashen, inhaling sharply she leaned forward so far that Olivia actually started to feel uncomfortable. Talking in a barely audible whisper, with one hand cupped to the side of her mouth, Maithri hissed hotly in Olivia's face.

"You can't possibly be suggesting that we're going to steal from this shop?!" Olivia stifled a laugh, but just ended up giggling hysterically.

"Oh my deus!" Her mouth hitched comically, she was so unhinged by the suggestion that she was talking like her mother. "No I need my hands to work. I am paying. Idiota, I am buying you some new clothes!" She said it sharply but kindly too, Maithri's expression hadn't changed much, she was still clearly in shock. Olivia just kept smiling sweetly, this was the moment she'd been waiting for after all, there was no reason to rush it. After a long silence tears started trickling down Maithri's cheeks.

Olivia snorted. "Don't cry now. I mean for all you know I have something sinister in mind, maybe I'm planning on luring you into a chop shop and selling your organs." Maithri scowled but then started smiling through her tears.

"You almost could." She said, sniffling. "I am a fool. I have become so used to hardship that I have forgotten everything else." Lunging forward she wrapped her arms around Olivia's waist, they hugged for awhile, the skirt awkwardly and uncomfortably smashed between them. Olivia didn't care, it felt so good her mind started to go blank.

"Oh, oh." She mumbled, Maithri drew back so that she could see her friend's face. "There is one condition, I mean I'm nice but I'm no anjo." She smiled impishly, Maithri's eyes narrowed. "I'm picking out all your clothes." Olivia exclaimed haughtily. Her friend blinked, her mouth quirking askew. "That's right, I'm dressing you up like a living doll for my own dubious reasons, so don't cry anymore okay?" Maithri snorted, even though it was the actual truth, the situation made it seem like Olivia was just giving the girl a way to save face.

"Okay." Maithri replied in mock submission. Olivia nodded, and without another word she continued winding her way through the narrow isles of the shop, only stopping to grab the occasional thing and thrust it brusquely into Maithri's awaiting arms. Eventually they reached the back of the shop, here Olivia stopped and gestured for her friend to come closer. The back wall was covered with lingerie, the left side was ordinary boring stuff, while the right ranged from the playfully exotic to the virtually pornographic.

Maithri blushed as her eyes scanned the dazzling spectrum, Olivia watched her reactions intently. "See anything you like." She murmured into her friend's ear. The girl only reddened a shade darker, Olivia found it extremely cute. After a moment without a response, she leaned closer and whispered: "Underwear is special, I want you to have some input. Why don't you show me what you're wearing right now and I'll pick something similar." Although she would have thought it impossible, Maithri turned even redder.

"I... I can't." She breathed shrilly.

"Why not?" Olivia questioned, turning around to look behind them. "There's no one else back here, it's just you and me." Maithri nervously reached down and grabbed two fistfuls of her makeshift dress and crushed them fitfully against her thighs. Olivia thought she was going to pull up the bottom half for a second, but instead she just lowered her head and scrunched her eyes shut.

"It's not that. I can't because I'm not wearing any." Olivia felt bad immediately, of course, it should have been obvious. Even in her own impoverished state she took things like this for granted, but Maithri really was destitute. She felt horrible.

"You're a D-cup right?" Olivia said gently, her envy of Maithri's abnormally large breasts completely subdued by her friend's latest revelation.

"I don't know." Maithri replied dully, unable to meet Olivia's eyes.

"I never wear a bra you know." Olivia quipped. "Because I basically have no tits." She laughed, unable despite her best efforts to prevent a tinge of bitterness from creeping into her voice. Maithri finally raised her head and made eye contact. "It's alright though because my mom is as flat as a washboard, so at least I have these." She cupped her diminutive breasts, and absently ran her hands sensually over them. Her nipples became two hard little points poking out through her thin top.

"I want you to pick something out for me." Maithri said softly. Olivia had been a little distracted, she turned her head away from the display.

"What was that?"

"Please pick out some underwear for me." She said loudly, causing them both to giggle stupidly.

"Alright." Olivia grinned. "But I won't go easy on you." Her eyes scrunched up playfully. Starting on the left she quickly ruled out the mundane, pausing in the middle she briefly handled several different things but eventually put them all back. "No one is going to see what you're wearing underneath your clothes, so we might as well find a suitable match for your natureza nobre. You can be a pauper on the surface but down below you'll be a princess." Olivia took down a scandalous set of golden sheer synthetic.

Despite their erotic aesthetic, there were no frills and they were sturdily stitched, utilitarian underwear with sex appeal in mind; like something an expensive prostitute would wear. Small strips of satin-like material were placed strategically to provide a modicum of coverage. Olivia added them to the substantial pile Maithri had accumulated in her arms. "Alright, that should do it. Let's go check these at the kiosk."

It was an automated store, Olivia scanned the total before confirming the charges, their little shopping spree had just cost her another week's wages, but she felt nothing aside from elation. The kiosk kindly dispensed a complimentary biobag, Olivia helped Maithri stuff everything inside before they exited the shop. "I hope you don't mind but I have one last quick stop to make."

Maithri glanced over suspiciously. "Time to chop me up for my organs?" She asked sarcastically. They both laughed at this.

"No, nothing quite so lucrative. I have to pick up a package... for my mother." She added this last bit just to dispel the mystery a little, and to avoid having to answer any awkward questions. Maithri nodded. They walked in silence, back to the hub, then to the cybernetics district. Olivia told Maithri to wait outside while she pushed her way through the familiar umbrae threshold.

The mysterious glowing person greeted her in a matter of seconds, blinking into existence a few feet away, almost scaring her to death. "Aranha sends her regards." It said, handing over her loop pouch, but not yet letting go of the straps. It felt heavier somehow, but she assumed that was just her imagination. "She modified the device personally and it carries with it her unconditional guarantee. All features are fully unlocked." The hand released, the pouch thumped ominously against her belly.

"Tell her I'm very grateful." Olivia responded anxiously, perhaps a moment too late as the mysterious luminous courier had once again flickered out of existence. The bright lights outside were similarly just as blinding as the afternoon sun had been before. Maithri was waiting patently, Olivia strapped on the pouch and they started walking again in silence, her friend eyed it curiously.

At the gate they both paused and turned to face each other. Maithri bowed deeply, clutching the bag of new clothes possessively to her chest. "Please do not be offended if you do not see me wearing these beautiful things tomorrow Avalokitesvara." She pleaded. "I have no way to bathe were I am staying and I do not wish to get them dirty." Olivia snorted and grabbed Maithri by the shoulders, tilting her back up.

"As if I would let you go one more day wearing that filthy sack." Maithri looked confused. "You're doing it again." Olivia chided, unable to wait for her friend to realize the meaning of her words, she grabbed one of Maithri's hands and started dragging her along. "You're coming home with me tonight." She stated, matter-of-factly. Then after a moment's consideration, said more uncertainly. "Unless that is a problem?"

Maithri shook her head and smiled so broadly it looked painful. They took one of the cargo pods to give their legs some rest. It was the first time Olivia had ever shared the small cramped space with another person. There was only one crate so Maithri sat between Olivia's legs, they both greedily huffed the fresh air coming in through the bottom vents as the pod glided silently through the night.

Olivia was starting to drift off when the cargo pod lurched to a gut wrenching stop, they disembarked hastily before the drones even reached the landing. Olivia was unusually thankful that the villa was so close to the skyline sub-annex, it was only a five minute walk home. When the passed through the stone archway that marked the villa's boundary Maithri stared disbelievingly at the fountain in the main courtyard.

"You seriously live here?" She asked. "This is practically a palace." Olivia looked at the villa with unfamiliar eyes, yes it was huge, but she'd never really thought of it that way since she'd lived here all her life.

"Yes, my mom and I live alone. There used to be more of us, but you know, the world..." She trailed off. There was no need to finish, everyone had been touched in some way by the fall of human civilization. Olivia led her friend inside, suddenly she got nervous, remembering the plans she'd made. Glancing at her patch she sighed with relief, by some miracle it was only 2000 hours.

"First we eat and then we bathe." She chirped gleefully, rushing into the kitchen and loading up a couple of plates with tamales. Maithri stood back at a respectful distance as Olivia doused each heap with thermal enzyme. Laughing happily she pulled out a chair and gestured for her friend so sit, soon they were both eating across from each other. Maithri wolfed down three tamales before Olivia had even finished her first.

"Here have another." She forked one from her plate onto Maithri's, the girl bowed but didn't stop eating. After she'd cleared her plate she took a deep breath.

"I hadn't eaten since that cricket cake you gave me. I'm sorry if I ate too much." Olivia just shrugged.

"I'll be right back." She went to the bathroom and retrieved a small round tub, it was her bathing kit, it included a soft plastic scrubbing brush and a bar of soap. "We'll have to share." She said somewhat apologetically.

"I don't mind at all." Maithri replied, sounding almost relieved. Olivia took the girl's hand and led her out of the kitchen, down the back corridor and eventually into the rear courtyard. It was a large enclosed space, and off to the side, adjacent to the vegetable garden was an extravagant-looking porcelain bathtub on an elevated platform. Olivia went right to the hand pump and started cranking it up and down enthusiastically.

This pump was connected to a different pipe than the one used for drinking, on the other side of the courtyard a massive black rain and condensation catchment tank provided ample hot water, assuming you were willing to work for it. Steaming liquid gushed into the tub, Maithri watched it fill in awe. "How is the water hot?" She asked, understandably confused.

"There's a solar thermal mass around the tank, it heats up during the day and stays warm most of the night." Maithri nodded.

"Brilliant." She breathed, the tub was already half full. Olivia stopped and stepped back to catch her breath.

"I'm tired, you take over." She huffed, gesturing to the pump. Cautiously Maithri came over and took the large steel lever in both hands. She lifted it up and then pushed it down, both movements were equally hard, but she was rewarded by a generous gush. Bearing down she put all her effort into filling the tub. Olivia watched appreciatively, knowing that it must have been painful given the state of her friend's still bandaged hands.