𝕴𝖓𝖘𝖔𝖒𝖓𝖎𝖆

1. unexpected opportunity

THE FIRST NIGHT IN INSOMNIA WAS ALMOST SLEEPLESS. Vesper tossed and turned in her new bed and sinking mattress. The night was not quiet and filled with sounds of animals and nature. It was loud. The music and gatherings have stopped around 10 PM, but cars would still pass by, and there was honking and yelling. Vesper had kept her head underneath the pillow with attempt to block all the noise outside her closed window. But to no avail.

When she couldn't fall asleep again, she would stare at the ceiling and listen to her neighbors walking inside their apartments. She could hear incomprehensible conversations through the walls which only proved how thin the walls of the building actually were. It made her frustrated. Struggling to fall asleep to the noise she is not used to was tiresome.

In the morning, when the sun only begun to rise and people begun to get up from their beds, Vesper and Silas were already sitting in the kitchen and sipping coffee. Both of them spent a sleepless first night in Insomnia and it was written on their tired faces. Vesper had made breakfast for her brother and herself before the sun even begun to rise. They were silent most of the time; barely functioning properly because of the sleepless night which was caused by new environment and atmosphere.

Silas left when Libertus came to pick him up and help him get to Kingsglaive's Headquarters where he will take a test with fellow candidates. Visibly, Silas was nervous about the test and the sleepless night was only adding to his anxiety. Vesper, in her blanket and messy bun on her head, greeted Libertus and hugged her brother tightly before he departed to wish him luck.

And when the door closed, Vesper was left alone in apartment that held noise on every wall that separated her from her new neighbors. She took her cup of coffee and walked out onto the small balcony. Her view was nothing spectral. She could see the street underneath her and buildings of other housings that surrounded her. Vesper wrapped the blanket closer, feeling the morning coldness in the air.

Usually at this time in the morning, she would go out into the woods and collect berries, garlic and other necessary ingredients. Galahd-native Coeurl would watch her from the distance with their electric blue eyes, but they never dared to attack her. They were like pets to Galahdians and strangers were the ones that should practice caution with such noble creatures.

But she was no longer in Galahd, and everything was too strange for her. And she was feeling anxious just knowing that she had to leave the new walls of her apartment and go further into the city to register herself and her brother as residents of Insomnia. She also had to exchange gil, currency outside of Insomnia, with yen which was the currency in Insomnia. Knowing all her obligations as an immigrant made her want to stay in apartment the entire day. But that is not an option...

Picking up her strength, she went into the bathroom to brush her teeth, style her hair and then she changed her pajamas with black skinny jeans, black boots, caramel sweater and olive green long jacket. She wanted to look as inconspicuous as possible, but looking at herself in the mirror appearing inconspicuous was impossible. She looked nothing like the people in Insomnia she saw yesterday while driving towards the Slums.

The few small brains in her dark brown hair gave her immediately away. The braids were a native thing for Galahdians; even males braided their hair. Their hair was always a bit longer so then it would be possible to braid just a few braids. Vesper was even surprised when she saw Nyx and Libertus still keeping to their native roots by wearing a few braids. She thought that after many years of serving in Insomnia that they have forgotten their roots and completely adapted to Lucian's ways.

She took her small black backpack in which she stuffed all the necessary papers, her wallet and the most needed thing; her "new" phone which contained a detail map of Insomnia with all points of interest and information about everything. There was also a AI assistant that gave her answer to any question she had. She found about most of the smartphone's functions through the night when she couldn't fall asleep. Vesper was feeling very grateful for all Nyx had done for her and her brother. He must have had it rough when he first came here... Vesper thought that it was his experience that made him helpful.