Sebastian and Delphine exit the rear of The Mare and into an empty loading bay. They make their way to the lively Oasis city streets. The city’s nightlife is in full swing. Music echoes throughout the atmosphere as various bands perform live in the many open-air venues built amongst the city’s rooftop gardens. The sound of song is accompanied by the roaring engines of in and outbound starships.

Surrounding the centralized city is a massive spaceport ring, elevated by the inner slope of the colony's wall. The non-stop flow of traffic at the Oasis spaceport lights up the night sky. Several military aircraft patrol overhead. The colony’s concave structure resembles a giant crater on the moon.

The two walk along the Landing Strip, a famous road in the heart of downtown. Filled with shops, restaurants, entertainment, and beautiful scenery, tourists from across the galaxy flock here after their long journeys. Space travel is taxing. The Landing Strip is here to help travelers touchdown gently. It’s the perfect location for The Mare and other Lunar restaurant chains to reside. Warm street lights illuminate the city roads as crowds fill the Strip. These roads close every weekend to encourage foot traffic. Advanced light displays and drone-mounted hologram projectors bring vivid art to life. The Landing Strip is usually a breathtaking sight, but tonight, Sebastian is fried. He slumps along next to Delphine, who seems to have a bit of energy left.

"What are your plans for the rest of the night?" She asks.

"Oh, I’ll probably catch the next Ore and call it a night. I’m beat." Sebastian answers.

"Come on, man. Don’t give up yet! We can still salvage the night."

"Eh. I don’t know. I think that pun back there did more damage than Polard did. Besides, the station’s right over there—"

"Come on! You always head straight home! When’s the Ore coming?"

The Oasis Railway Express is commonly referred to as the Ore. The acronym, ORE, works out perfectly since copper and titanium ore are the colony’s main exports. According to Sebastian’s phone, the next one won’t arrive for another half hour thanks to a delay.

"That’s more than enough time to trap you at a bar! Let’s go!" Delphine actually jumps. It’s a little one because she’s tired.

"Ugh. Alright, Delphine. But just one drink." Sebastian resigns to fate.

"Yeah, good one."

Delphine leads Sebastian to a nearby bar called The Crater.

"Look at that. A name that actually makes sense!" She points at its large neon sign.

"Hm?"

"Did you know that most people think our restaurant’s named after a horse?" She asks.

"Really? The logo is shaped just like Mare Crisium." Sebastian traces an oval in the air.

"Well, nobody from here speaks Latin—that’s more of a moonborn thing. So…" Delphine shrugs with one arm as she uses the other to open the entrance door to the bar.

The Crater is a warmly lit establishment with a handful of purple and orange neon signs spread throughout its interior. The bar seating is full tonight, but there are a few booths open. Delphine and Sebastian sit down and use their phones to scan a link on the table. The menu is summoned to their devices and they take a few minutes to browse in silence. Sebastian makes up his mind quickly, then leans back and observes his surroundings. Large golden pillars line the bar's open layout, resembling the glimmering towers that occupied the horizons of his childhood. The circular seating booths in which they occupy resemble the dome-shaped residential hubs of his hometown. He quickly recognizes this place as a facsimile of Mare Crisium.

"Look familiar?" Delphine raises her eyebrows.

"It does," Sebastian smiles. "It looks like home."

"Hm." She smirks knowingly. "It's very… gold. Shiny."

"Sure. It's pretty sterile, too."

His smile quickly fades as his mind begins to wander to old memories. Delphine watches him closely, remembering Polard's specific mention of Mare Crisium when berating Sebastian. Of the many bars she knows in the area, she hoped that this one would cheer him up. Just as her hopes begin to dash and Sebastian's eyes become distant, he turns and looks at her.

"So uh, where are you from?" He asks.

She smiles at his awkward deflection. "I'm from here. Well. I was born in a colony east of here called Enid, but my family had to leave after it collapsed. So, I've been here ever since."

"Whoa!" His eyes go wide. "Does that happen often? Colonies collapsing?"

She laughs. "More and more lately. Though, I've heard that people still live in Enid. I've considered going back to be honest. My roommates drive me crazy."

They both share a laugh. Delphine still thinks about Sebastian's question, curious how he doesn't know about one of the most daunting realities of this world—that at any point, for whatever reason, an entire city can be decommissioned.

"How long have you lived here?" She asks.

"A little over a year now." He answers.

"Ah! Okay, that makes sense. How long did it take to find roommates? I've heard it's been kinda hard lately."

"Oh, I live by myself."

"What?!" She exclaims. "Are you serious?"

People sitting at the adjacent booths briefly look over at the commotion before returning to their business. Sebastian shrinks up at the unwanted attention.

"Um. Yes?" He answers.

"That's crazy! And you're a cook—I mean, what?" She laughs.

"How many uh, roommates do you have?" He deflects.

"Four, no, five now! The girl across the hall's been letting her boyfriend stay overnight. For over a month."

"Oh. Wow, that's a lot of people!" He says surprised.

"I mean, that's a pretty normal amount. I know a guy who has ten. Eeesh!" She sighs. "Literally everyone I know lives in a co-op. Well. Almost everyone now."

Sebastian shrugs awkwardly.

"You're the only person I know who lives alone in this town. Well. The only non corpo, I guess. Anyone in with the big three lives like royalty down here." She shakes her head. "But we work in the same place. All that Mare Crisium money must be nice."

"I saved up for a while before I moved. And uh, yeah a lot of those savings seemed to… burn up in the atmosphere." He jokes.

Delphine laughs, then sighs again.

"You know the town motto?" She asks.

"Uh, I don’t believe so."

"It goes, ‘the beds aren’t bought, they’re assigned’. You’ve heard that, right?" Delphine asks.

"Huh. That’s… an oddly specific motto." Sebastian says genuinely.

Delphine laughs. "It’s a local joke. The actual motto’s some bullshit about manifest destiny or something."

She continues to laugh a little more.

"Oh." He feels embarrassed.

"It’s because housing is so expensive, you know? So, most people our age enlist to get a roof over their heads. I mean, they’re getting crappy studio apartments, but it doesn’t cost ‘em much. Just their souls." Delphine explains.

She laughs louder than Sebastian does. Unbeknownst to her, the joke reminds him of his family. His mind begins to stray away from the conversation, but Delphine’s next question brings him back.

"Only a year, huh? So, you’re not just acting clueless?" Delphine laughs again.

Sebastian shrugs. "Yeah, I mean, I’ve been trying to get out more—"

"No no. You’re fine, Sebastian. You take this city at your own pace. It’ll wear you down eventually. Trust me. Besides, it’s refreshing to talk to a guy who doesn’t pretend to know everything," She says. "Speaking of which… Do you know what you’re ordering?"

"I already ordered a beer." Sebastian waves to show off a hexagonal tattoo on the underside of his forearm.

This is a Lunar Federation Citizen Signature. Every registered citizen is granted one by the time they turn thirteen years old. People who gain their citizenship at an older age are given an identification card. Those with the tattoo are known as moonborn. Though the term implies that they are born exclusively on the moon, the term is generally associated with the upper class or anyone adjacent to it. So naturally, the moonborn tattoo has become a status symbol.

"Oh, get your bougie ass out of here with that!" Delphine laughs and shakes her head. "I’m going to need a pint."

Sebastian’s beer comes in a cheap, heat-pressed sand glass bottle that was probably made in town. Delphine orders a pale lager that comes in a golden metal tankard. They clink their drinks together.

"We made it." She smiles.

"Sure did." Sebastian nods before taking a swig.

Delphine takes a long sip from her drink. The angle of her enormous tankard levels out as she goes. Sebastian watches in awe. She sets her cup down with a satisfied sigh.

"What is that?" He asks.

"It’s called Cup of Crises." She smiles wide.

"Oh jeez."

"Ooo. I needed that," Delphine says. " Is one beer going to be enough for you after the shit Polard said to you earlier?"

"I don’t drink often, so this should do the job." Sebastian lies.

"Well, I might need another one of these. What an abysmal day." She leans her head on her hand.

"What time did you go in?" He asks.

"He called me in at like ten-ish. I got there maybe half an hour before the lunch rush."

"Whoa!" His eyebrows raise high.

"Eh. We’ve all worked our fair share of twelves." Delphine shrugs.

"Right…" Sebastian lies. He takes a sip of his beer.

"And like, I can’t believe he brought up your family. What a prick!" She exclaims.

"It was definitely unprofessional," Sebastian takes another sip. "But honestly, I heard much worse at the academy."

"The academy?"

"Oh, sorry. I studied at the Mare Crisium Culinary Academy."

Delphine’s eyes grow wide again. "Are you serious? Sheesh! That was like my dream school before I learned about that a year's tuition could get me a condo."

They both laugh. Sebastian feels even more guilty.

"So, are you Lunar royalty or something?" Delphine asks. "Polard was really specific back there and I’m starting to understand why, Mr. Sebastian Halcyon…" She jokingly leans forward with a suspicious look on her face.

"Oh. Um. No." He says.

Delphine laughs nervously as she leans back into her seat. "Oh, I’m so sorry, I don’t mean to pry too much."

"No no, it’s okay. What Polard was referring to was—my parents are well-connected. They’re both engineers and they did a lot of important work on the UV shielding that surrounds the exterior colonies on the Moon’s surface. They made a lot of powerful friends and a lot of money off their building contracts. The state has rewarded them for contributing to ‘essential infrastructure."

"Wow! That’s pretty huge." She says.

"Yeah. Growing up around my parents was… well they were always busy. So, most of the time it would just be me and my siblings. And that was a lot…" Sebastian takes a big swig of his beer.

"Hm." Delphine takes a swig as well, then asks: "Is that why you moved away?"

Sebastian takes a moment before responding. His mind zips through a rapid series of memories before returning to the present.

Moments from his childhood.

Growing up with his six siblings.

The absence of his parents.

Their vocal disapproval of his career choice.

Leaving home to go to the culinary academy.

Meeting Anisa.

That last night he saw Anisa.

Sebastian quickly filters through the several layers behind his decision to move to Earth, looking for a gentle answer to Delphine’s question—but he comes up short.

"That was part of it. My folks didn’t agree with my decision to come here." Sebastian answers.

Delphine laughs. "I bet you never hear the end of it. How many ‘I told you so’s do you get when they call?"

Sebastian’s parents don’t call. Though, he occasionally hears from his siblings.

"I don’t mind it too much. It’s their way of showing that they care." Sebastian lies.

Delphine reads something on Sebastian’s face; a sadness that he had attempted to hide. Her posture shifts forward and the look in her eyes becomes sincere.

"I’m sure they’re proud of you." Delphine smiles.

She subtly moves her hands forward. Not to be met halfway, but to show acceptance. It’s a sweet gesture and by all means it should bring Sebastian some comfort.

Yet, his mind clings to the past.

This could be the beginning of a beautiful journey if he lets it be. But there is something standing in his way. An old piece of himself holding Sebastian back. When he looks down at Delphine’s hands, he can only see Anisa’s. His mind briefly returns to the last time he had seen her.

The night she told him about her affair.

Nights like these used to mean something.

But that one night had ruined the rest. These open, accepting, hands can only bring him pain. Sebastian finishes his beer, then checks the time. Six minutes until the Ore arrives.

"Well, I gotta run. Ore’s almost here," Sebastian says as he stands to his feet.

"Oh. Okay cool," Delphine says as she sits upright with a reassuring smile. "Thanks for staying. It was nice hanging out with you."

"Same. I’ll see you on Monday!" He calls out as he walks away.

Sebastian exits the bar, avoiding any risk of opening up tonight.