Eventually, the pleasant pool shenanigans must come to an end, and emerging from their artificial waterfall hiding place, Yan Sun is left flustered after noticing the gardener at the opposite end of the pool, tending to the plants of the simulacrum jungle. She makes a quick retreat after wrapping herself in her towel on the elevated deck, leading the way back through the penthouse to her room while giggling and dripping water over the hardwood
#SunTower – April 19, 2026
floor. In the room, a quick shower comes next, to wash off the smell of chlorine. Now, she's just dried off, standing naked as she sips her warp cola, mood the lightest its been since she learned about her mother. Her fingers are left wrinkled as prunes after their time in the water - or, rather, the fingers of her right hand are. The left still looks smooth as ever, a giveaway of the limb's synthetic nature.
Jessica made sure to give the gardener a big wave as they left the waterfall, just to further embarrass Yan Sun. She made sure to grab a few beers from the outside bar to bring back to the room with them so that she can continue her tourism of Sau's collection of exotic (At least to non-Earth dweller such as herself) booze. She leaves the bathroom just after Yan Sun, a towel still partially draped over her head as she finishes drying
off her hair. Spotting Yan Sun, she slings the towel back over her shoulder and approaches the woman from behind as she stands at her desk sipping her drink. Pressing against her, she brings one arm around Yan Sun's shoulder and peers over the opposite to look at the fabricator. "...Is almost done?" she asks idly.
Yan Sun reaches up with her free hand to scratch Jessica's neck as her gaze falls to the fabricator, which sits idle. "Totally done, actually. I'm gonna start a print for another component before we, uh..." A bit of the wind leaves her sails as she ends up reminding herself of what's next. "...before dinner."
Jessica frowns, assuming that by her tone, Yan Sun is probably implying something similar to the awkward encounter from the previous day. "Mm. You mean with-..." she hums and nods in the general direction of the dining room, sounding no more enthusiastic about that prospect than Yan Sun. She shrugs, releasing her grip on Yan Sun. "We can just get foods and bring them back here, yes?" she suggests as if it's an obvious solution. Not one
to miss an opportunity to be annoying, she tosses her damp towel over Yan Sun's head before turning back around and starting towards the closet.
Yan Sun lets out a sigh, fond but tired as she removes the towel from her head. "No..." she says with a shake of her head, the remainder of her good mood cracking as the complicated emotions that have been waiting under the surface make themselves known again. Uncertainty. Nerves. Resentment. Grief. Hope. "I-... I can't just avoid him," she says, following Jessica in the direction of the closet, dumping the towel in the chair outside it.
Jessica crouches down beside her duffel bag. "You do not have to eat dinner with him to talk to him, kitty cat." she says, distracted while she begins to dig through her clothes, frown crossing her features as she's reminded that she's going to need to go shopping at some point. She doesn't exactly have a wealth of clothing to begin with, but coming from a harsh Aitian winter to the subtropical climate of Hong Kong has further hammered
Yan Sun snorts quietly, heading into the closet to collect some clean underwear. "I guess... but he's asked us to. I think... he probably wants to speak to you too," she admits, glancing Jessica's way to gauge her reaction as she clutches the clothes in her hands, the soda set aside on a dresser.
Jessica holds her shirt up before deciding it's good enough and tossing it to the side. She's back to digging through her bag when Yan Sun finishes speaking, causing her to immediately halt and glance back over her shoulder, confused look on her face. "With me?" she asks, a sound escaping her that matches her expression. "Why he is wanting to talk to me?" she continues, gaze turning back to her clothing conundrum.
Yan Sun shifts uncomfortably in place. "Because... you know. We're..." She shrugs. "...together?" She puts on her underwear, and then adds, quietly: "If you don't want to come, you don't have to. I... I can bring you a plate."
Jessica falls silent, merely digging through her duffel bag for a moment. There's an undeniable feeling of being backed into a corner. She doesn't belong here. Not in this building. Not caught up in someone else's family drama. And she's not ignorant to the trajectory of everything. Of the fact that Sau is probably only tolerating her being here due to the circumstances. But given everything that Yan Sun has gone through over the past
few days, she bites her tongue for now. "Is fine..." she accepts, a sigh escaping her as she collects some underclothes.
Yan Sun remains still for a moment, hesitating, and then nods, reaching over to touch her hand against the back of Jessica's shoulder. "Thank you..." she replies softly, before turning towards the interface by the rack at the back of the closet, scrolling down a list until she finds what she's looking for, and the rack starts to rotate. It's not hard to tell that she's on edge after her thoughts have been brought to the imminent dinner, body
Jessica also seems a little bit more coiled than she was mere minutes ago. "We are not going anywhere else tonight, yes?" she asks, casting another quick glance over her shoulder, seemingly trying to decide on what she should be wearing.
Yan Sun shakes her head. "No. Not tonight," she confirms as the shifting rack comes to a stop and she picks out a sleeveless, high-collared blue top, slipping it on over her bra. She picks a pair of black jeans out of a drawer next, starting to step into them. They're form-fitting, but subdued compared to what she had with her on Aite. "But I was thinking that maybe tomorrow we could go dancing?" she suggests, not oblivious to Jessica's
unease with being stuck in the penthouse. "I did promise we would once we got to Earth... and it would be nice to... I don't know..." Get wasted and lose herself in some far-too-loud music instead of spending the evening hours... thinking.
Jessica nods to herself and scoops up a pair of jeans. They're blue, faded and distressed in places with fraying hems from wear and tear and a few rips on the thigh area that are probably intentional. She sets her chosen outfit for the night on a nearby dresser before returning her attention to her bag. With a little more digging she pulls out her cargo pants and the rest of the dirty clothing, tossing them into a pile beside her
things so they're not crammed into her bag with what few remaining clean clothing she has and making a mental note to wash things up tonight. "Mm." she hums, seeming to perk up slightly at the mention of dancing. She stands back up and turns to face Yan Sun as she begins to get dressed, a grin finally beginning to manifest. "There is a good place for dancing...?" she asks as she slips on her underwear.
Yan Sun wiggles into her jeans and casts a glance Jessica's way, a small smirk breaking through her distracted, tense expression. "Definitely," she assures, gaze lingering on Jessica for a moment before she buttons her jeans and checks herself in a mirror that hangs next to one of the dressers. She grabs what looks like an over-sized helmet from on top of the dresser and places it over her head, where it hovers on its own. Enclosed from
every side, she looks a little ridiculous, and not entirely unlike someone with a high-tech bucket over their head. But within, her hair lifts up as if she's underwater as lights turn on on the device, and then hot air starts to stream at her from every direction, quickly drying her hair.
Jessica's grin materializes into something a bit more concrete, the promise of a night out a solid motivator to get through one more awkward dinner. "Mm. I will be the judge of-..." she begins, tugging her own jeans on. But as she looks up, mid-sentence, she stops dead in her tracks, jeans clinging around her hips as she stares at Yan Sun. The look she levels on her isn't one of interest. Or even curiosity. It's more akin to a look of
disappointment that rapidly slips into amusement as a loud snort escapes her. "What-..." she begins as the image really settles in and she solid laughter begins to spill out of her, "...what the fuck you are wearing?!"
Yan Sun 's body shifts in Jessica's direction as her head turns, unseen, beneath the peculiar bucket. "What?" she says from within, voice muffled and a little warbly. "It's..." She reaches up, one hand on each side of the cutting edge hair dryer as she takes it off. "...a hair dryer," she explains, and indeed, as her hair falls free from the device, it is perfectly dry, all in a matter of seconds.
Jessica gives a couple of slow nods, what it is of far less interest to her than why it is. "Mm." she hums through her annoying smile. "But if I am having to wear that to have dry hair?" she shrugs, deciding: "Then I will stay wet." She shakes her head to herself as she buttons her jeans and reaches for her shirt.
Yan Sun rolls her eyes, unfazed, setting the device down on the dresser. "It's effective," she insists. "A lot faster than a handheld one." She walks up to Jessica, reaching up to rub a hand back and forth through her only slightly damp hair. "Besides, your hair is short enough you don't need a dryer at all."
Jessica gives another round of dismissive nods to Yan Sun's initial assertion. The hand on her head causes her to tilt away from the touch, one eye closing in annoyance as she's interrupted. After swatting Yan Sun's hand away, she slips her arms through the sleeves of her shirt and tugs it on over her head. "And when I do, I will not wear that." she assures, leveling a smug smile at Yan Sun. "I am thinking-..." she hesitates, shifting
to begin pulling her shirt down before continuing, "...Maybe if you are getting all of your credits back now you can just pay someone to-..." she puffs out her cheeks, blowing air at Yan Sun's face, "...blow my hair dry for me. Mm?"
Yan Sun flinches away from Jessica's blowing, planting a hand over her face and pushing it back as she snorts. Her suggestion is not dignified with an answer, although the mention of 'getting her credits back' brings her mind back to the upcoming dinner. She turns back to the dresser, taking a moment to apply some face cream and hair product. "Do you want anything?" she asks, leaving the drawer from which she grabbed the items open, a wide
Jessica snickers, lulling back lazily from the push. The question causes her to shrug, turning away from the unnoticed drawer as she leans to one side and uses the dresser to help her balance on one foot while she starts putting her socks on. "I don't know. Mm!" she seems to suddenly come up with something. "Lots of booze!" she decides, clearly having misinterpreted the question. "...aaaand the rhino thing that we talk about before."
Yan Sun looks over at Jessica in confusion. "I-... what?" she replies, briefly baffled before shaking her head. "Not what I meant..." she clarifies with a snicker, nodding her head in the direction of the open drawer. "But... we could go see one, if you'd like," she suggests with a small grin, bending down to put on her own socks.
Jessica snickers to herself as she finishes with her socks, glancing towards the indicated drawer. She reaches in and pulls out the first thing her hand makes contact with, which just so happens to be a bottle of moisturizer. She studies it, brow furrowing as she reads the label before a snort slips out and she glares at Yan Sun, one brow lifting threateningly. She underhands the bottle back into the drawer. "Funny." she offers flatly
and reaches out to jab two fingers sharply into Yan Sun's side in retaliation for the perceived slight.
Yan Sun squirms sharply away from Jessica, exclaiming "Gah! What did I dAHH!", cut off by a surprised shout as she falls on her ass, having been balanced on one foot putting on socks. She rubs her tailbone with a wince and a pout. "Ow."
Jessica's shoulders bounce as another bout of laughter spills out of her, eyes wide. The laughter only gets heavier when Yan Sun begins rubbing her tailbone but she does her best to get control of her laughter. Lowering into a crouch in front of Yan Sun, she does her best attempt at putting on a concerned expression but- given the restrained grin beneath it- it just ends up seeming more patronizing. "You are okay...?" she asks,
Yan Sun slowly gets back on her feet with a grumpy mutter of "I'm fine... asshole." Her sulking is short-lived, though, laughter of her own lurking just beneath the surface as she looks at Jessica, mouth twisting as she does her best to keep it from slipping out and maintain her frown.
Jessica stands back up as well. She nods along with Yan Sun's words, grin ever-present. "Mm." she hums in agreement, seeming unbothered by the title. She studies the woman in silence for a moment, grin shifting into something more sincere. She seems to realize the shift, gaze flicking to the floor briefly before she turns back towards the door. "Come on, slut. Start your-..." she gestures vaguely in the direction of the fabricator,
flapping her hand a little, "...thing so we can go and eat. I need foods." And to get what's sure to be an awkward evening over with.
Yan Sun 's expression turns softer as she watches Jessica, a small smile on her lips as she grabs Jessica's hand, leaning in to plant a quick kiss on her lips before moving past her and leading the way out of the closet and over to the fabricator, where she takes out the finished part, looking it over for a moment before putting it aside and typing something on the holographic interface of the machine.
Jessica joins Yan Sun by the fabricator. "How many more parts before you are getting everyone killed...?" she asks, her tone for more casual than is befitting the implications of her words.
Yan Sun finishes inputting the instructions and glances over at Jessica. "I think this should be the last one I need for a basic housing," she says as the fabricator stars to whir and move once more. "And it's not going to kill anyone," she repeats. "Synthetics can be dangerous, yeah, but assuming that they're all out to kill organics is just Council fearmongering. I interacted with this one. I'm sure it didn't want to hurt anyone. It was
just afraid. Besides, I'm building a closed system. No outside connections, no way of influencing anything even if it wanted to. I know what I'm doing," she assures, before furrowing her eyebrows and quickly adding: "Uh... don't tell anyone, though."
Jessica gives a lift of her brow as she listens, grin returning. She nods dismissively through Yan Sun's words and the final addition draws out a snort. "I do not care about if synthetics are dangerous or not dangerous. I do not care what the-... Council fucks say." she gives a look of distaste. "You know why I am thinking that it is wanting to kill us...?" she asks. "Because it already try to kill us once." There's no animosity. No
anger. Matter-of-fact, it's just amusement. Annoying, smug amusement. She shrugs, seemingly dismissing her own concerns. "But is fiiine." she drawls, "If you are saying that you know what you are doing...?" another shrug, "Then I will be ready to fix shit when you are wrong."
Yan Sun takes the 'it tried to kill us' critique in stride, shaking her head to herself. "I appreciate that..." she says with a snicker. "Although I feel like this is where I should point out that you pointed a knife at me the first time we met," she adds, hands finding Jessica's hips and pulling her closer. "And that worked out pretty well, so..." she trails off, looking up at Jessica with a grin, clearly of the opinion that she just made
Jessica shuffles closer and purses her lips to one side, seeming to actually consider the point being made with a hum. "So-..." she begins, seeking out Yan Sun's gaze once more, "...you are saying that I should be worrying more about you fucking the AI than about it killing us, mm?" she settles on.
Yan Sun 's cheeks turn just a little pink as her words are twisted. "Definitely not what I was saying!" she exclaims, giving Jessica a light shove to push her away, amusement lingering in her expression for a moment before thoughts of the impending dinner makes it slip from her face.
Jessica's grin returns, shuffling back a step as she's shoved. "No, wait-... wait-..." she interrupts, the laughter already foreshadowing whatever she's about to say. "Sorry, I forget! You are probably wanting it to watch me fuck you, yes?" she teases.
Yan Sun 's mouth scrunches up, that little trace of pink on her cheeks turning into a full-blown blush as she fixes Jessica with a death-glare. "That-... You-... you're the worst!" she blurts out, the only retort she can manage, crossing her arms and looking out across the room, apparently refusing to engage with Jessica any further.
Jessica's laughter only grows, clearly very amused with herself. "Awwww." she offers with a playful pout as she shifts up behind Yan Sun, her right arm slipping over her partner's far shoulder. "You are so cute when you are all-..." she studies the side of Yan Sun's face since she's refusing to look at her and leans a bit heavier against the woman, bringing her right hand over to pinch her opposite cheek. "...red." she says, a small
Yan Sun 's burning face isn't exactly helped by Jessica's continued teasing. She fidgets as her cheek is pinched, angling her head away from the hand and ducking out of Jessica's grasp. "You suck, and I hate you," she protests, flushed and scowling. She's about to add something else when the voice of Guang Huan sounds from above: "Dinner is now being served in the dining room. Mr. Sun requests the company of his daughter and guest."
Jessica leans back, more snickering escaping her at Yan Sun's exclamation. She opens her mouth to interject when the VI's voice interrupts her, causing her to tilt her head up slightly. Her gaze remains fixed on Yan Sun, distracted as she listens, grin still tugging at the corner of her mouth. She pokes at the inside of her cheek with her tongue, idly tracing the edge of her piercing until the voice goes silent. She waits just a moment
to ensure Guang Huan is done before her grin widens a hair. "I wonder what is dinner for tonight." she says, as if musing aloud to herself, looking thoughtful for just a second, before shrugging and getting one final verbal poke in, "I think I am having a taste for tomatoes."
Yan Sun refuses to acknowledge Jessica's jab, instead taking a deep breath as she tries to clear the flush from her face, shifting restlessly in place and rolling her shoulders. "I need to... no more teasing. Not right now. Please," she requests, tone turned serious by Guang Huan's interjection.
Jessica gives a roll of her eyes, annoyed by the sudden shift, but she doesn't push. "Fine, fiiine, whatever." she sighs. As Yan Sun drains the fun out of the air, she shifts in place and draws in a deep breath before stepping a bit closer to the door. "Guest is ready." she announces with a gesture towards the door, putting on her best serious face as if to convince Yan Sun that she's taking this seriously.
Yan Sun 's eyebrows furrow almost imperceptibly as she picks up on Jessica's annoyance, a subtle, deflated sadness mixing with concern in her eyes, but she doesn't comment on it, instead taking another steadying breath and leading the way out of the room. "Let's go..."
Jessica watches Yan Sun as she approaches. Her own expression shifts, suddenly feeling like she's missed something. As Yan Sun passes her, she gives her a playful little bump with her hip and falls in line, exiting the room behind her. "...I do want tomatoes..." she adds quietly as she follows, as if only now realizing that.