Jessica frowns, head lulling dismissively to one side as the VI's voice rings out from above, her gaze tilting up as a groan slips out. She wordlessly looks back to Yan Sun, annoyance at their conversation being interrupted plain to see on her face. "I am 'guest', mm?" she asks, clinging to some longshot hope that the VI could be referring to some other guest in the building.
#SunTower – March 8, 2026
Yan Sun meets Jessica's gaze, one corner of her mouth quirking upward just a little, softening her heavy expression. "Sounds like it," she says quietly, eyes shifting to the door. Given that it's getting close to a day since either of them had something to eat, hunger is probably contributing to the nausea and weakness that accompanies the churning weight of guilt and grief in her stomach, but her appetite is non-existant. She looks far from
Jessica gives a roll of her eyes, her own gaze turning towards the door. This is far from how she saw their first week on Earth going. But when her attention returns to Yan Sun, the annoyed look on her face softens just a touch. In any other situation she would've cut and run. Thanks for getting me out of jail but I am good. But there's that annoying, nagging voice in the back of her head that knows she would
regret it if she ran out on Yan Sun right now. And she's got enough guilt chasing her. The danger of letting people in. With an exaggerated sigh, she pushes herself back to her feet. "Fine. Let's get foods, slut." she says, giving Yan Sun's ear a flick as she passes by on her way towards the door.
Yan Sun flinches slightly as Jessica flicks her ear, but it does knock her out of her apprehensive hesitation, and she gets to her feet, following Jessica to the door. She looks distant as they exit into the corridor, and she starts shuffling in the direction of the dining room, still in sweatpants and hoodie. She should be nervous, freaking out, she would be, if she wasn't so drained. So distracted by thoughts of her mother.
Jessica walks alongside Yan Sun, unconcerned with her own borrowed attire or whether or not it will be deemed appropriate for a dinner with one of the most powerful men in Hong Kong. "What we are eating...?" she asks as they exit the bedroom, her own apprehension overshadowed by a long night without food. Menacing law enforcement takes a lot out of a person!
As they walk down the corridor, mouth-watering smells waft from up ahead. A young woman in a crisp black-and-white kitchen uniform and an apron enters the corridor from the dining room ahead, rolling an empty cart in front of her. Her black hair is tied back in a bun, and covered by a simple hat. As she turns the cart to head down the corridor she spots Yan Sun, eyes widening slightly. "Miss Sun!" she exclaims, letting go of the cart and
clasping her hands. "It's good to see you back, I hope you enjoy the meal," she says, offering her a polite bow, before offering Jessica the same.
Jessica falls quiet as Yan Sun's mood casts a shadow over things. The sudden appearance of the woman causes her to watch the exchange, cocking an eyebrow curiously. The title of 'Miss Sun' causes a slight tug at the corner of her mouth. The bow catches her off guard, though, and she looks between Yan Sun and the woman in confusion, her attention settling on the latter for a moment as if unsure if she's expected to do anything in return.
After a moment, she starts to dip forward to mimic the bow, but with so little committment that you can practically see the moment where she gives up before shrugging dismissively. Good enough.
The woman from the kitchen staff briefly gives Jessica a curious look, but doesn't linger long enough to be impolite, instead continuing to push her cart across the corridor. Part of the wall ahead of the cart slides open, revealing itself to be an ordinarily near-invisible door, beyond which lies what must be a service corridor of some kind, into which she takes the cart.
The long dining table has been set for three - Sau Sun sits at the far end, while the other two placements are both on the nearest side. On the table there's a number of plates and bowls, presumably what was on the cart not long ago. There's roast duck, elegantly arrayed in slices on a bed of lettuce, a mushroom risotto decorated with herbs, a crisp salad, freshly baked bread, a selection of sauces, and a tray of various drink options,
including red wine with a respectable number of years on it, lemon tea, Antarctic mineral water, and... a glass bottle of Warp Cola. The last two options are both sat in ice buckets.
Jessica silently pats herself on the back for abandoning the bow when Yan Sun doesn't perform the gesture. "Miss Sun." she repeats with a quiet snicker as they continue, nudging Yan Sun with her shoulder, the title once more garnering her amusement. When the table comes into view, however, her eyes widen for just a moment and her pace slows as she takes in the sight, clearly a bit more than she had expected.
Sau looks away from the sweeping view of the windows - more city, mountains to the south, and the waters of the harbor to the north, opening up into the sea - and turns his attention to Jessica and Yan Sun as they enter. There's a faint, sad smile on his lips at the sight of his daughter. "Please. Sit," he urges, gesturing to the prepared seats. "I hope our guest will not mind a simpler meal, given the circumstances?"
Yan Sun wordlessly sits down, taking the seat closest to her father of the two. The seats are all widely spaced from each other. Intimate, the dining room setup is certainly not. Above them, the glass of the windows arches inward, much of the ceiling too glass here, the falling rain creating patterns on impact that reflect faintly onto the table.
Jessica doesn't quite look impressed. It's more a look of discomfort. One that only grows as Yan Sun's father comments on the meal. "Simple...?" she mutters, gaze passing over the offerings as she takes what seems to be her assigned seating.
Sau watches the two of them take their seats. "I have dismissed the kitchen staff for the evening, so please, help yourselves. Guang Huan, if you would?"
Holographic labels for all of the food items appear above them in the air, with name and contents for each.
Sau clears his throat. "If there are any dietary restrictions that clash with this meal, our chef has left some alternative options in the kitchen," he adds with a look at Jessica.
Jessica brings one foot onto her chair, resting her arm against her knee in an attempt at getting more comfortable. As Sau speaks, her frown only grows and his words, combined with a quick look around, seem to drive the point home that nobody else is going to be filling those empty seats around the table. This is all for a dinner for three. She scans over the labels as they appear, but doesn't seem to be really reading them and the
mention of a chef causes her to snort. She reaches out for the bottle of wine and brings it towards her, cocking an eyebrow and shaking her head in amusement as she studies the label. "How much this costed?" she asks, tilting the bottle to present it to Sau as she looks his way.
Sau 's lips thin slightly as Jessica brings a foot onto her chair, an eyebrow arching at the question. "I'm not sure. Huan?"
A 500 credit label appears above the wine bottle in Jessica's hand. An 'everyday' luxury bottle, not quite breaching that 1000 credit line, not to speak of the 10000+ prices that really rare bottles can fetch.
Yan Sun glances Jessica's way, looking a little worried. It's plain to see on her face that she doesn't have the energy to deal with a confrontation, not right now.
Jessica gives the bottle one last look and sets it beside her plate, seemingly having decided on her dinner drink. No glass needed. Her distaste for wine aside, she's not about to pass up the opportunity to drink 500 credits. 500 credits of somebody else's money at that. "Fucking rich people." she snickers, the comment moreso to herself than anyone else. Grabbing her fork, she leans out over the table and stabs it into a slice of duck,
because it's far more familiar to her than whatever the fuck risotto is, and brings it onto her table, seemingly deciding she has no interest in getting involved in any small talk before digging in. She's here out of loyalty to Yan Sun, not in an effort to get to know Sau. So they can work through their family crisis while she helps herself to some free food.
Sau eyes Jessica with what can only be described as distaste, but surprisingly, he doesn't say anything.
Dinner is an awkward, tense, silent affair. The air is thick with everything unspoken between Yan Sun and her father, and it's obvious that Sau is already finding Jessica grating, but food keeps everyone busy and at peace, for a time. And delicious food, it is. Fresh, high-quality ingredients cooked to perfection by a team of professionals.
Yan Sun doesn't eat a whole lot, but she does manage to get some food in her. She's been withdrawn and silent during the meal.
Sau folds his hands on the table after finishing his meal, his gaze going to his daughter. "Yan... if you would remain, I would like to speak."
Jessica certainly wasn't going to be the one to break the silence during dinner so, outside of a brief comment to Yan Sun alluding to their wine-fueled night in Adrasteia, she's mostly remained quiet. Thankfully she showed a bit more restraint today than she did during their trip to Adrasteia and hasn't drank the entire bottle of disgusting wine. But she did enjoy a considerable amount of food. She even learned a thing or two. Such
as: she likes risotto! Also: risotto is just a fancy name for 'rice with other shit'. Carashan risotto was a staple food in Adrasteia! She's been nibbling at a piece of bread and navigating the food coma landscape for the past few minutes when Sau speaks up. She passes a glance Yan Sun's way.
Yan Sun draws in a breath. She glances Jessica's way, then to her father. She gives him a small nod.
Sau 's gaze turns to Jessica, looking at her expectantly. "If you would please give us some privacy, Miss Kaya. One of the guest rooms has been readied for you." He gestures down the corridor they came from.
Jessica passes a glare Sau's way but merely hums an affirmation. She slips off her chair, bringing a hand to Yan Sun's shoulder and giving a small squeeze. She makes sure to collect her bread and grabs the bottle of wine by the neck, taking it with her as she starts down the hall.
Yan Sun shoots an appreciative look Jessica's way, a hint of nerves showing through her distant expression when their eyes meet for a moment. She swallows and turns her attention to her father as Jessica departs.
Jessica takes another sip of the wine as she continues around the corner. But having no clue where she's supposed to actually be going, she comes to a stop in the middle of the hallway. With a frown she repeats her gesture from the previous day, swiping at the air aimlessly with her right hand, bottle clenched between her thumb and index finger, and awaits Guang Huan's appearance.
Jessica draws in a frustrated breath and glances down the hall, gaze scanning between the different doors ahead of her. "Where is the fucking room?!" she asks, focus briefly turning upwards as if that combination of words might be the proper command to get the VI's assistance.
Jessica is not amused. "The fucking room!" she repeats. "You know what I am talking about! The guest room or whatever! Where is this?"
Guang suddenly materializes in the same form as before on front of Jessica, offering an apologetic bow. "My apologies. The guest room that has been prepared for you is right this way." The glowing form gestures to the next door down the hall from Yan Sun's room.
Jessica steps past Guang Huan, gesturing for him to go away as she approaches the door and taps the interface.
The hologram fades away, and the door opens, revealing a room not entirely unlike Yan Sun, albeit smaller, and with less personality. A spacious bed is straight ahead, with crisp sheets and a nightstand with a metal table lamp on each side. Above the bed hangs another piece of abstract art. Along the left-side wall is a dresser, a large desk with a high-end computer terminal and a shelf of books, and in the corner, a lush potted palm tree. The
far wall is entirely glass, just like in Yan Sun's room, and there's a love seat facing it, with a small side table. Immediately left of the entrance is a coat rack, and around the corner from it, another door.
Jessica certainly has no intention of staying in this room even if Yan Sun plans on them being here another night but, with some time to kill, it can't hurt to look around the place a bit. She steps inside and meanders around the room. She takes a moment to study the art, tilting her head a bit to try and make heads or tails of it. Does she like it or is this just another piece of rich vanity? After failing to come to a conclusion she
gives up and continues her intrusive exploration of the room. Looking through books. Appreciating the view. Going through drawers.
The books are nicely bound paper books - a few classic novels from centuries past and a multi-volume print set of the abbreviated version of the Galactic Codex. The view is similar to that in Yan Sun's room. One corner of the glass has a holographic overlay that displays the current date and time as well as the temperature and weather. The desk drawers contain writing supplies and a pristine notebook. Most of the bedside table drawers are empty,
but one contains a rolled up charging cable and some snack bars. The dresser is likewise mostly empty, but the bottom drawer has spare linens, and some slippers. The door that is not the exit is unlocked.
Jessica is quickly bored by the pretentious collection of books. Look at me! I have real books! Lame. She finishes up her bread as she snoops through the drawers but is ultimately disappointed by most of what she finds. That is until she comes across the good stuff. Charging cable? Snack bars? Slippers?! The cable and snack bars go into her pocket and the slippers? She slips those bad boys on right away. Eventually she ventures into
what's presumably the guest bathroom. Because rich people seem to need a bathroom in every room. Weak-ass rich bladders.
Jessica's prediction proves correct - the guest bathroom is considerably less extravagant than Yan Sun's, lacking the hot tub, and the shower is considerably less room-sized. Still, a very nice, and fairly spacious shower sits behind a glass enclosure to the left, and to the right is a high-tech toilet and a small marble counter with a sink, mirror, and several more drawers. Straight ahead is a shelf with fluffy towels and a bathrobe. There's a
Jessica examines the bathroom with little interest, running a hand across the linens to test their flufficity. The bathrobe eventually catches her eye and she sets her bottle of wine down on the counter to collect it from the shelf and unfolds it, giving it a once over.
Jessica frowns as she runs her thumb over the logo. Not really her thing, but it does feel expensive. So after slipping on the bathrobe she recollects her bottle and steps out of the room to continue her exploration of the penthouse.
To the left lies Yan Sun's room, as well as, around the corner, two more doors and the dining room. To the right, the corridor continues, with one more door on the same side as Jessica's, and one at the end, before the corridor turns left, continuing out of view. Both doors are, unfortunately, locked.
Jessica furrows her brow as she looks around. Pursing her lips for a moment, she shrugs and continues down the hall to her right, following it around the corner.
Once Jessica finally rounds the corner, she would find that the corridor continues for almost as long again. There's another locked door to the right, but at the very end the corridor seems to open up, both ahead and to the left. There's a glimpse of armchairs and a padded bench ahead.
Jessica continues down the corridor, in no hurry to get anywhere. As she reaches the end of the corridor she peers around to get her bearings a bit more.
The opening to the left leads back to the antechamber where they first arrived at the penthouse. Ahead, things open up considerably. Floor-to-ceiling windows line the walls here, much like in the dining room and bedrooms. To the right is a library with multiple rows of shelves, containing books both physical and digital. At the far end of it is the southwest corner of the penthouse. There's a spacious couch there, with side tables, looking out
the windows. The tops of trees are visible through the grass, verdant green obscuring parts of the city skyline. It must be the balcony green area seen above. Straight ahead is some kind of lounge area, with the armchairs, the padded bench, and to the left of that, a large table surrounded by couches and armchairs. All is in the same style as the rest of the place. Sleek, luxurious, but a little cold. Gray is the dominant color, broken up by
rare woods and at times polished marble. Beyond the lounge is the bar and a smaller, rounded table, and even further, the floating sculpture. The south side of the wall that separates the antechamber from the lounge area is entirely lined with a vast glass display case, although the contents aren't very visible from this angle.
Jessica continues straight ahead now that she's gotten a better understanding of the penthouse's layout to avoid whatever is going on in the dining room. She shoots a quick glance in the general direction of the inscrutable floating sculpture, but doesn't dare approach. That'd put her far too close to the family drama for her comfort. Instead, she just peruses the lounge area which culminates in her checking out the display case.
The display case - which stretches the entire length of the wall - contains an extensive collection of artifacts, seemingly arrayed in a chronological fashion. Nearest Jessica is the fractured pieces of an ancient cuneiform clay tablet. After that, parchment scrolls, bamboo slips, paper, all with writing thousands of years old. A stylus. A brush. A quill. An abacus. Books then, bound in worn leather. A collection of wooden printblocks in a
frame, the characters distinctly Chinese. A European printing press after that, a wood-and-metal device larger than a person. A 19th century mechanical computer, after that, all bolts and gears. A piece of an early 20th century digital computer then, floor-to-ceiling despite being only a piece, all knobs, dials, wires and punch cards. The computers rapidly get smaller in the next displays, progressing with each decade. A piece of a
missile-tracking mainframe from the Cold War. An early home computer. The console from an early space shuttle. Laptops. Smartphones. An old robotic factory arm. An experimental 21st century dog mech. A quad-rotor drone. An early omni-tool. A part of a VI mainframe rivalling the chunks of the older computers in size. An inert quantum bluebox. Various chips of inscrutable purpose, placed on soft pillows just like the antique smartphone and some
of the other smaller items. A state-of-the-art omni-tool, a sleek camera drone, and an eerily humanoid mech make up the last few items in the extensive display. The mech has synthetic skin and a realistic face, only faint metal seams and a vague uncanniness giving away its synthetic nature. It resembles a woman in her 20s with long black hair in a neat bun, posed in a stance of polite waiting, wearing an intricate blue-and-gold dress.
Jessica slowly browses through the collection of relics. Of course he would have his own personal museum charting humanity's course through electronics. While the sheer wonder of it and the historical significance is somewhat lost on her, she seems at least mildly interested. At least until she comes to the final item on display, which causes her face to contort into a look of discomfort. She studies the mech through the glass, leaning
her head to one side and then the other for her own experiment. Did the eyes follow? Thoroughly creeped out, she backs away from the murderbot.
The mech remains still as a statue. The eyes didn't move. Probably. Now at the east end of the lounge and bar area, the floating statue looms closer. Next to it is an unlocked door that leads out onto the balcony. There's the faintest muffled hints of conversation from the dining room, but it's nowhere close to audible.
Jessica stares down the mech now that she's a safe distance away. Much like one does with a particularly creepy painting she steps to one side, then the other, just to be sure. She feels the hairs on the back of her neck stand up as her suspicions are confirmed: It's eyes are definitely following her............. maybe. Right? Not really wanting to stick around to find out, she tries to shake off that chill and continues closer to
the bar, the balcony door demanding her attention. Her gaze shifts from the door to the general direction of the dining room, trying to gauge whether or not she could slip by without being noticed. Not that she particularly cares about being caught, per se, it's more the awkwardness of potentially ending up in whatever they've got going on right now.
Between the vast aquarium near the dining room and the floating sculpture that takes up much of the space at the center of the open area, it shouldn't be too hard to slip out undetected.
Jessica decides to continue her exploration, keeping the weird floating sculpting between her and the opening to the dining room as she attempts to slip by. Slippers don't fail me now.
If her exit onto the balcony is noticed, nothing is done about it. She emerges un-interrupted onto spacious, well-maintained wood deck. To the left are several sunchairs, and beyond them, cabinets. In the far left corner is another bar, with another collection of colorful booze, and in front of it another, smaller lounge area. There's a small, verdant tree in the center of the deck, and a roomy hot tub next to the lounge area, just as high tech
as the one in Yan Sun's bathroom. To the right of the door is a chair next to a glass railing that looks out over the balcony floor below, where a full-sized swimming pool takes up much of this side of the building. There is a diving board and a water slide both leading directly to the pool below, and a stairs next to them for walking down to the land next to the water. Beyond the pool, the balcony continues into greenery. A little forest of
sorts, with trees and bushes of varying kinds, all healthy and immaculately maintained, with a stone footpath disappearing into the 'woods'. The pool also seems to have a passage that goes off into the greenery at one side of the far end of the pool, and comes back at the other end. The water there is artificially flowing. Despite the trees, the pool is pristine, crystal clear water idle below. Beyond the balcony, more city, and then the lush,
towering Victoria Peak rises. Paths and cable cars going up the side are visible, and at the top an observation deck and a telecom tower.
Jessica casts a brief glance back over her shoulder and closes the door behind her. When she takes in her surroundings, she's unable to suppress the smile that takes hold, mouthing a quiet, 'What the fuck' to herself. All of Yan Sun's talk of her family being well off couldn't have prepared her for something like this. This is 'villain from a vid' levels of rich. She leans her forearms against the railing overlooking the swimming
pool, her bottle clanking against it as she looks out over everything, completely dumbfounded at the view she's faced with. And there she stays for a time. It's not until she takes another sip of from the bottle of 500 credit wine that she makes a face of distaste, suddenly realizing what's missing. Beer. Thankfully, that might be something she can rectify. She makes her way over to the bar in the corner to see what's on offer.
Jessica's hopes prove well-founded - alongside all manner of spirits and mixers, there's a varied selections of beers available in one of the fridges. Mostly Earth brands, although a few from the Exodus cluster colonies feature as well.
Jessica sets the bottle of wine down on the counter, turning her attention to the beer in the fridge. She sifts through some unfamiliar brands, focused frown on her face, before deciding on one using the tried and true method: how cool is the label? She pops the cap off with her back teeth and flicks it onto the counter beside the wine, taking a swig as she returns to the railing overlooking the pool. She kicks off her slippers and
gives the diving board a few pokes with her foot to test its structural integrity before sitting down and straddling it. Having decided that it would make the best seat to take advantage of the cityscape view, she scoots a bit further out.
The beer labels are a decidedly uncool bunch. The best contender is probably the one that features the scowling head of a falcon. The diving board is indeed a perfect - albeit slightly wobbly - seat for looking out at the cityscape and the mountain. It's a calmer view this direction. The city is less vast, more contained, and there's few skycars in the air. The mountainside offers a sliver of nature. Above, raindrops fall, impacting against the
near-invisible kinetic barrier, an odd sight that brings a touch of unreality to the serene scene. The sounds of the city are muted by the barrier, distant, leaving the rain and the faint sounds of the water below to dominate the soundscape.
Jessica sets her beer on the diving board, hand resting around the neck of the bottle, and fishes her omni-tool out of her pocket. She spends the next several minutes taking pictures. Of the pool. Of the city. The mountainside. Pictures from various angles. It wouldn't be long before Yan Sun would find herself amongst a few people receiving a selfie from Jessica, camera outstretched to show herself straddling the diving board with the
pool and city behind her, Kirill's sunglasses decorating her face. She's holding a beer in one hand- scowling falcon head facing the camera- and she's pulling a face, lip curled up in a snarl, tongue lulling off to one side against her teeth.