Eclipse Day
Part 2
A companion story to "The City in Her Chair"
By: Blobskin

Contains: mlp, micro, nano, humans, city, clean (for now)
Version: 1

~~~

The following morning Tie learned that sunrise was just as sudden as sunset. One moment it was pitch black outside, the next a literal wall of light was blasting into his room. A painful lesson about closing the blinds. But grumbling was all he could really do in response. Which intensified once he realized there was nothing to eat in the apartment. At least now he had a small plan for the day.

First, he needed to get some breakfast. But where to go? Without thinking, he pulled out the cheap paper map and began scanning for a nearby source of food. After a minute or two he found a restaurant just around the corner. Then Tie slipped into a daze, staring blankly at the symbol under his finger.

A strange feeling had come over him.

Was any of this real?

Was he really going to waddle down the street, buy a meal, then sit down and eat? Like he was living a normal life? Like he wasn't the equivalent of a sentient dust mite trapped in a giant terrarium?!

Tie rubbed his forehead and sighed. Nothing about this was weird. Which was [i]exactly[/i] why it was weird.

An apartment. A city. People. Going out to eat. All normal things.

A pony the size of a moon. A face that hovered in the sky. Eyes that watched them from beyond invisible walls. Definitely [i]not[/i] normal things.

The normal and the not-normal, thrown together and mixed up. It was confusing. A paradox.

"What am I doing here?" Tie murmured in defeat. He was hungry and he just wanted something to eat. So with another grumble, he grabbed his key and some cash and headed for the door.



It was a 50's style diner. Silver roof, red velvet cushions, a waitress in a short skirt, air filled with clacking dishes and general chatter. A familiar atmosphere. So much like home. So... normal.

Tie ordered bacon and eggs with a cup of coffee.

An hour later, long after he'd finished his food, Tie eventually found the will to excuse himself. Before someone had to ask him to leave. Which left the man standing on the sidewalk, lost in his thoughts for a moment. Unsure what to make of the experience. It had been good, but...

Shaking off the emotions that had begun to weigh on his shoulders, Tie again consulted the map that had led him here. The next order of business was, obviously, grocery shopping. And like last time his destination was right around the corner. Soon he was strolling down aisles and mentally sorting through brands he'd never seen before. Brands that probably only existed here. While politely ignoring the most boring music he'd ever heard. Then he was walking back to his apartment, a pair of bags in each hand, trying to distract himself with thoughts of any other chores he could pursue.

Clothes shopping?

No, Tie had a large duffel bag full of them. The one thing he'd brought with him when he came to the pony world. And it was best to be careful with his limited supply of money. At least until he knew what was going on.

Which left him with nothing to do after he put his newly acquired groceries away. Other than speculate wildly on his current situation. Which he didn't want to.

But Tie's last hope to avoid thinking, the television, quickly failed him. This world had a mere dozen channels and none of them managed to catch his interest. Just like back home.

Without something to keep his mind busy, Tie could only surrender to the swirl of uncomfortable thoughts...

On one hand, this place seemed to be offering him exactly the kind of life he was looking for. A life where he could get a job, feel fulfilled, eat good food, and maybe even be happy. A world that was nearly identical to Earth, but without the draft or the threat of nuclear annihilation. Where he could simply [i]live[/i].

But on the other hand, they effectively belonged to a giant mare and she could do anything she wanted with them. As long as it wasn't "cruel", of course. And though being stared at made Tie sweat, even he couldn't deny that hardly counted as abuse. But it was only the beginning. [i]Surely[/i] there was more to come. Some requirement or expectation. They were slaves after all, so how were they supposed to entertain their master?

Tie took a deep breath.

He was working himself into a panic. Letting the endless rumors he'd heard in the Holding Facility get to him. He needed to calm down. The real answers were coming. Some explanation as to how this world worked. How the normal and the not-normal fit together. He simply had to wait for it. But doing so was hard.

At exactly eight o'clock the sun was turned off again and it was time for bed.

~~~

After being shocked awake a second time by the instant sunrise, Tie rushed to the courthouse, eager to get to his meeting. His haste was rewarded when they only kept him waiting a few minutes. Then he was directed into a quiet office where a middle-aged woman dressed in typical business attire sat behind a desk. As he entered she adjusted her gold-rimmed glasses and smiled. Then she rose, shook his hand, and invited him to take a seat.

Finally, his orientation began.

"My name is Ana Vidal and I'll be your counselor for today. It's my job to clarify how things work here and to help you get settled in," she stated professionally.

"Tie Sherman," he replied automatically while pulling out his old ID and a completed form. "I'm just happy to get this over with. How long should this take?"

She took his license and the paper and started skimming them. "Well, printing your new ID should only take a minute and they'll do that in the other room as soon as we're done here. As for us? That depends on how detailed you want me to get. Or how much you've figured out for yourself. You might be walking out of here in 10 minutes or we could spend the next whole hour chatting," she explained with a shrug.

He sighed, eyes roaming the room for a moment. "I don't even know what to ask."

She raised a brow and set his documents aside. Then she neatly folded her hands on the desk and leaned forward. "How about we start with the basics. What have you figured out so far?"

"Well," Tie mumbled awkwardly. "It's a big city, a lot of people live here, and we can get jobs and stuff."

"Anything else?" she nudged gently.

"I went shopping yesterday, so I've seen all the weird brands too. I... guess that's it?" he finished timidly.

Miss Vidal hummed. "They really do just dump you guys on us counselors," she muttered in frustration, mostly to herself. Then she perked up. "Okay! Since you didn't get a proper introduction, allow me to do it now. [i]Welcome[/i] to the city of Green Seat!" she declared, spreading her arms dramatically.

The man scrunched his face at the strange name, but didn't comment on it. He honestly didn't care very much what they called this place.

"First, you'll need this. It is your guide to our laws and our government. While I would [i]strongly[/i] advise you study it, we pride ourselves in having a simple national motto: 'don't be a [i]dick[/i]'."

Tie flinched in surprise at the unexpected swear. "Well that... certainly is a good motto," he replied carefully while taking the book she had pushed towards him. It had a thin flashy yellow cover and was composed of a little more than 200 pages.

Miss Vidal nodded sagely. "We try to keep our laws basic and easy to understand, unlike back home," she noted bitterly. "We think it's better if everyone actually knows what the rules are. Most of it you should already be familiar with. Don't steal, don't kill. No rape or kidnapping. No vandalism or littering. The classics," she said while rolling her eyes.

In response he started flipping pages by the dozen, just getting a sense of how long it would take to read. His estimation? Less than a week. The font was pretty big.

"We really should give this to you new arrivals on your first day," she muttered to herself again. "How are you supposed to obey laws you have no way of knowing? Anyway," she scoffed, shaking her head.

"What would have happened to me if I had broken the law?" he tried, intrigued by her random question.

"Hm? Well, it would certainly depend. Most likely you'd get arrested, then the police would quickly find out you were new and probably let you off with a warning. Unless you, like, killed someone. Then... all bets would be off. Jail or forced community service."

"Good thing I'm a responsible citizen then," Tie joked weakly.

Miss Vidal snorted. "That's good to hear. Then maybe you'd be interested in contributing to our fair democracy?" she asked teasingly. "That book includes a description of our voting process. Green Seat is divided into three districts and every year one of them has an election for city council. Plus we have a mayoral election every fourth year. But don't get [i]too[/i] excited. It's all a fairly relaxed ritual these days. Not a lot worth changing," she opined lazily.

"Alright, I think I've got that," Tie replied dismissively, almost by pure instinct. He'd never gotten involved in politics before and he wasn't interested in starting now.

Fortunately, Miss Vidal seemed unaffected by his civil apathy. Like she was expecting it. "The next item we need to cover then is your apartment."

The man stiffened nervously. "What about it?"

"It's only free for three months. After that you'll need to pay for it yourself or you'll be kicked out."

Tie sighed. "Right. Got to get a job asap."

Miss Vidal nodded solemnly. "While our electricity and water are free, [i]because Green provides those[/i]," she mumbled under her breath, "staying in the city can still get a bit pricey. If you are going to live here we expect you to work hard and contribute, mister Sherman," she warned with a raised brow. "My advice? The farms are always looking for more hands and they don't care where you come from."

The man winced at the thought of becoming a farmer. It wasn't quite the dream he'd been aspiring to his whole life, but it beat being a soldier forced to march to his death in a nuclear wasteland. "Right," he grunted.

She immediately picked up on his disappointment and offered him a reassuring smile. "Hey now, that's just a suggestion to get you started. We may be a small country, but we have plenty of opportunities. You'll find something that fits you."

"Right," Tie repeated himself numbly.

There was a brief pause in their conversation as Miss Vidal let the man process. However, during that time, Tie couldn't help realizing something she'd mentioned in passing. And its connection to the name of their city.

"Green?" he honked curiously.

"The mare," Miss Vidal clarified promptly. "The one who bought your Contract."

"Her name is Green?" he asked while cocking his head.

The woman chuckled. "I know what you mean, but that's what she told us to call her," Miss Vidal justified with a shrug.

A green pony named Green? He knew equine names tended to be descriptive, but that was [i]too[/i] much. At least she didn't force them to call her God or something else excessively condescending.

Tie took a deep breath, mustering his will for where the conversation was about to go. The topic of the giant unicorn had come. A bit later than he expected, admittedly.

"So," he droned leadingly, "about Green..."

However, Miss Vidal couldn't decipher his unspoken question and simply stared at him. "Yes?"

Tie grumbled while wiggling the guide book for emphasis. "What role does she play in all this?"

The woman blinked at him. "None."

Silence.

"What?" Tie scoffed.

Miss Vidal's eyes narrowed. "You're not one of those 'Resistance' types, are you?"

"Resistance?" he quipped cluelessly.

She huffed dryly. "We get them every now and then. People who want to live out some rebellion fantasy. Defy the 'pony overlord' or whatever nonsense," she rambled while rubbing an eye underneath her glasses. "But let me tell you something," she continued more casually. "Unless you do something really big, like set fire to the city, Green won't even take notice."

"Why not?" he gushed in surprise.

"Because Green rarely interferes. She may own this world, but we own this city. We built it, we run it," she asserted firmly.

"Built it?" Tie echoed.

Miss Vidal nodded proudly. "From what I've heard, this land was just a grass meadow with a few scattered trees when the first people were introduced. In the 15 years since we accomplished... all this," the woman concluded while vaguely gesturing around her.

"And Green did nothing?"

"She does provide some basic resources. Like a constant supply of water and energy. She'll give us food too, though only during shortages. And there was an incident a few years ago. A huge fire she had to put out for us," Miss Vidal confessed darkly. "But otherwise? She expects us to take care of ourselves. So... we did. Do!" she quickly corrected herself.

"Green doesn't... control this place?" Tie stuttered, his disbelief obvious.

Miss Vidal shook her head while pointing at the book in his lap. "[i]We[/i] wrote that, not her. She has nothing to do with our laws or government."

Tie stared at the woman. She stared back.

"Are you... serious?" he whispered. "We're... free?"

She pouted at him, seemingly confused by his question. "Live however you want, no one is going to stop you. Unless you break one of our laws, of course."

"B-but... what does Green want?" he blurted. "Every pony is supposed to have a quirk."

Miss Vidal's eyes lit up. "Oh! That's what you're trying to ask..." her voice petered out while she nodded in sudden understanding.

Tie cleared his throat in embarrassment. "Uh, yeah. So... does Green have a quirk or not?"

The woman hesitated. She looked down. The air between them grew heavy. She swallowed. "Green... does have... quirks..."

The man felt his heart clench. His throat tightened. He began to sweat. All his fears and all his suspicions were about to be justified. He knew it had all been too good to be true. "More than one?" his voice trembled.

"In a manner of speaking," she admitted quietly.

"What are they?" he pressed, scooting forward.

Miss Vidal took a minute to gather her thoughts. Then she licked her lips and straightened her posture. "The first of Green's quirks is forced independence. As I've already explained, she prefers not to interfere. She doesn't tell us what to do or how to live. I'd even dare to say she goes [i]out[/i] of her way to avoid talking to us."

Tie wasn't particularly bothered by that detail. The less Green had to do with him the better as far as he was concerned. But that was only her [i]first[/i]. "What else?"

"Green's second quirk is regular... observation. She spends a few minutes a day just watching us."

The man sagged in his seat. Now he had confirmation. Seeing the giant mare's face in the sky was going to be a common occurrence. "That's... not good," he huffed lamely.

"Does it bother you? Being watched?"

"Doesn't it bother you?" he sassed back, perhaps a bit harshly.

Miss Vidal offered him a reassuring smile. "Green can't see me. She doesn't even know I exist. Besides, I spend most of my time indoors. That... that definitely helps."

Tie appreciated her attempt, but it didn't lift his spirit much. "Is there anything else?"

"Well," she croaked glumly. "That just leaves... Green's last quirk." She bit her lip. "Eclipse Day."

Their eyes met and, suddenly, she looked completely [i]exhausted[/i].

In an instant, Tie wasn't sitting across from the trained professional Miss Vidal. Now he was dealing with a middle-aged woman named Ana. Someone nearly overwhelmed by their own problems, yet still tasked with helping others.

The atmosphere in the room dropped. Like an ominous wind had blown through. When did that cozy office become so quiet and cold?

He knew. Darn it, he [i]knew[/i] this was coming! Tie gulped nervously. "What is Eclipse Day?"

She drummed her fingers on the desk, obviously just stalling. "You... do know what an eclipse is, yes?"

The man resisted the temptation to say "duh" in favor of a more polite answer. "Uh, yeah. That's when the moon passes in front of the sun and casts a big shadow."

Ana's nod was jerky and forced. Like her next words. "That's basically what... Green does to us. Regularly."

There was an awkward pause. Tie shifted. The icy dread that had threatened to suffocate him was rapidly replaced by another feeling he hadn't been expecting. Confusion. "And that's... a [i]bad[/i] thing?"

She worked her jaw for a bit until she settled on a response. "That depends..."

A few more seconds passed in silence. So their caretaker was obsessed with eclipses, even Tie didn't see what the big deal was. Green already controlled day and night. Why was this woman being so foreboding about it? It was making his skin itchy. Clearly there was something else going on. Something he was missing.

"Well, that doesn't [i]sound[/i] bad to me. Strange, but not bad. I've never gotten to see an eclipse before," he said with a hesitant grin, desperately trying to lighten the unusually heavy mood.

Ana winced. "It's... more complicated than that. It's not [i]just[/i] an eclipse." 

Tie blinked patiently. "Okay? So what is it?"

Her lips pressed together. She looked at her hands and literally twiddled her fingers for a moment. Finally, her voice came in a faint whisper. "I can't..."

"What?"

She shook her head tiredly before meeting his gaze. "I'm sorry, but I... I can't. I can't be any more specific. It's too... too... [i]weird![/i]" she almost spat with sudden emotion. "You'll just have to see it for yourself. I'm sorry."

Wasn't it her [i]job[/i] to get him ready for his new life here? Wasn't she supposed to explain this exact kind of stuff to him? What was he supposed to do now? How was he supposed to respond to this? Tie wanted to press the issue. If he was going to live in this city he wanted to know what was coming. But Ana was a human being too and, obviously, whatever Eclipse Day was bothered her deeply. If he demanded answers it would probably only upset her. Should he request a different counselor? Could he do that?

After a very uncomfortable delay, he decided to be as diplomatic as possible. "Okay. So... what [i]can[/i] you tell me about Eclipse Day? Like when is it?"

Ana straightened in her chair, regaining most of her professional demeanor. "Green does not tell us ahead of time. It is not scheduled and it's pretty much random. She subjects us to them whenever she... feels like it. Whenever she wants to," the woman said with a shiver. "But we have managed to figure out a fairly consistent pattern over the years."

After taking a minute to recompose herself the woman began again. "We get two or three eclipses per week. Every Sunday is almost a guarantee. The second is usually on Tuesday, though sometimes Wednesday. And, while rare, if there is going to be a third, it will be either Thursday or Friday. Green never does it two days in a row however, so keep that in mind whenever you're making plans. Of course we have a saying around here: 'Never plan for a sunny day'," Ana quoted in a southern accent. "Green does it to us whenever... whenever she gets the [i]feeling[/i]."

"You saw the flashlight in your apartment, yes?" Ana asked suddenly.

Tie could only nod dumbly, his mind struggling to keep up.

"Rule number one here," she declared seriously with a raised finger, "always carry your flashlight. Because you never know if it is going to be an Eclipse Day or not. You have to be prepared for sudden darkness."

"There's no warning at all? It just happens?" Tie asked a bit incredulously.

Ana scoffed. "There is a warning: a minor earthquake." At his alarmed wide-eyed expression she rushed her next words. "Green has to move us to... start the eclipse. So everything will shake a bit. It's nothing serious. Every building has been designed with those tremors in mind," she assured him confidently. "After the earthquake we have anywhere from 30 seconds to three minutes before Green..." then Ana's voice died, unable to finish her sentence.

"And how long do they last?" Tie probed carefully, trying to stir Ana out of the daze she had abruptly fallen into.

She shook her head briefly. "A few hours. But, like before, it's pretty random. They are never less than an hour, but they are rarely longer than eight."

"And when do they start?"

Ana stared at him. "After the earthquake, remember?"

"No, I mean, what time? Early morning or the afternoon, you know?"

"Oh. It depends."

The man raised a hand sarcastically. "Let me guess. It's random."

"Well... mostly," she muttered. "Weekday eclipses are always in the afternoon. Weekend eclipses can start at any time, though they are typically in the morning."

Tie couldn't help the grumble that escaped his throat. So much of this Eclipse Day stuff was random. It was frustrating. Why couldn't there just be a set time and date? Why did there have to be so much uncertainty?

[i]What day? Depends. How long? Depends. What time? Depends.[/i]

[i]Depends. Depends! DEPENDS![/i] He thought bitterly.

Yet after a minute of consideration his posture collapsed. If he didn't like it what was he supposed to do? Join the resistance? Their owner barely paid attention to them. This is what it meant to live under the whims of a goddess. This might have been a [i]human[/i] city, but it was [i]her[/i] world. She determined where the walls would be. She determined when the sun would rise. She gave them the very ground they walked on. She decided when new people would move in.

And she decided how Eclipse Day worked.

Tie looked back at Ana and the two of them shared a moment of silent understanding.

They were human. They were small. They were weak.

And Green was big. [i]Very[/i] big.

They both sighed.

It was Ana who pulled herself together first. "Everyone responds to the eclipses differently. Most of us just find them... distasteful. Or annoying," she said while gesturing to herself as an example. "But there are people who... do enjoy them. A [i]lot[/i]," she almost growled.

The woman's next words were slow and deliberate, layered with an emotion between disgust and anger. "Should you discover you like Eclipse Day, the best place to... [i]experience[/i] it... is Central Park. On Sundays the... [i]perverts[/i]... gather there and setup blankets and whatnot."

Tie could feel the revulsion radiating off the woman. If he were to guess based on the insult Ana had for them, "perverts", their weekly get togethers must have gotten out of hand. Perhaps, over the years, inappropriate behavior had become commonplace at their events. Downplayed or ignored until it became the norm.

[i]How unfortunate,[/i] Tie thought sadly. The idea of going to a group picnic to watch a solar eclipse -- even if it was technically fake -- had sounded kind of fun.

When Ana concluded that he'd had enough time to think she resumed her explanation. "There has been growing pressure in city council to do something about them, but... there are quite a number of them. And they vote," she said with a groan and a roll of her eyes.

"Are they really that bad?" These eclipse enthusiasts must have made a real embarrassment of themselves to have a reputation that negative.

"You'll understand after your first Eclipse Day, believe me," she assured him in an icy tone.

"Okay," he readily agreed.

Ana began flexing her fingers as she tried to ease some of the tension that had accumulated in her joints during their conversation. "The last group of people have... a different reaction," she muttered darkly. "A bad one."

"What happens?" Tie asked hesitantly.

Her hands fell on the desk with a meaty clap. She sighed. "Some get depressed. And in the most extreme cases... they have a total mental breakdown."

The man flinched. "What? Why?"

Ana's gaze hardened. Full of deeply etched emotions. "Imagine a goddess who doesn't know or care about your plans. Who doesn't care how much you prefer the light. That whenever she gets the [i]urge[/i], she'll..." the woman's voice faded and she had to swallow before she continued. "Imagine the ground shakes. Then looking up at the sky as... a shadow engulfs the world. In seconds you're cast into a gloomy twilight. Then... [i]she[/i] looms over you. For hours. And now imagine it happening over and over. For the rest of your life. Just because she [i]likes[/i] doing it. And there is nothing you can do about it. Green is your goddess and she gets what she wants. Not you."

Tie was left thoroughly stunned by her description of Eclipse Day. Clearly it was a far bigger deal than he initially thought. But could it really be [i]that[/i] bad?

"And what does Green want?" he mumbled. "Why does she do it?"

The woman stared blankly at him for a moment. "Green wants us... to see... her [i]eclipse[/i]," Ana eventually ground out, as though the words were painful to say.

He couldn't respond to that. The statement was as dumb as it was ominous.

Ana had to take a deep breath. "Eclipse Day is simply too much for some people. It's overwhelming. It... multiplies that sense of helplessness we all share."

Tie blanched for a second. It was a social taboo to verbally acknowledge how vulnerable mankind was. To hear it said aloud scattered his thoughts and caused his voice to sound small. "What should I do?"

"Hide," Miss Vidal replied instantly. "Find a job that keeps you indoors and spend as little time outside as possible. That's the easiest solution," she shrugged weakly. "I'd also recommend getting out of the city. The eclipse is darkest here, but if you go to the outer ring it'll be a lot brighter. Though stick to the Right or Left. Front or Back usually makes it worse," she finished with a tired hiss.

He blinked cluelessly at her. "Huh?"

She blinked back, his confusion leaving her confused. "What's wrong?"

"Right and Left?" he echoed.

Unexpectedly, the woman chuckled. "Sorry, it's easy to forget that one. Check one of your maps."

Tie quickly flipped open his guidebook. "What am I looking for here?"

Miss Vidal cleared her throat while the heavy atmosphere of the room gradually lessened. "We don't use the old Cardinal Directions here. Our world sits on a pedestal that freely rotates. Because 'North' can change from day-to-day, [i]or eclipse-to-eclipse[/i]," she added under her breath, "compasses are pretty much useless. So we named each wall and use that instead. Look," she said, gesturing to the map in his hands with a finger.

Sure enough, the top of the map he was looking at was simply labeled "FRONT" in big bold letters. The other sides were likewise labeled "BACK", "LEFT", and "RIGHT".

"Named huh," he mumbled dismissively.

She snorted. "I never said they were creative names, but they get the job done. Does make certain conversations harder though. Like, when you're trying to tell someone how to get somewhere and you say 'then go left'. Like, which left? Left from where I'm facing or towards the big Left?" she groaned to herself, possibly at an old memory.

Tie laughed. Ana joined him. And for a minute the office was cozy again.

Then the woman coughed into a fist and her posture returned to its rigid professionalism. "If Eclipse Day proves to be too much for you, there are options. Staying inside, moving to the outer ring, we even have a support group or two. However, if you just cannot... endure it, you can file for release at any time. Right here actually," she noted, pointedly glancing at a cabinet in the corner.

"Release?" he honked.

Miss Vidal raised a brow. "You know, so you can leave? Terminate your Contract with Green and go back to the Holding Facility."

Tie went wide-eyed. "I can do that? That's an option!? Wait. Then why doesn't everybody? If the eclipses can get that bad, why stay here? Outer ring or anywhere else?"

The woman winced. "Because you're gambling."

"What do you mean?"

Miss Vidal adjusted her glasses. "I'm going to tell you the truth," she started, leaning forward conspiratorially. "Other than the eclipses, this city is a nice place. It feels like being back home. Before the war. People can tolerate... a [i]lot[/i], if it means having just a taste of the old world."

"I guess that makes sense," Tie hummed, remembering his brief experience at the diner. How much he enjoyed it.

"And there is no way to know if your next caretaker will be any better. From what I've heard, from the few people who have lived with another pony, [i]all[/i] of them have quirks," she grunted, stating what he already knew. "Who knows what bizarre nightmare you could find yourself in. And what if you end up wanting to come back? The ponies don't exactly let us do that now, do they? Or you might find yourself trapped. Constantly being bought, deciding you don't like your new caretaker, and going back to the Holding Facility. Over and over. How long would anybody be willing to float aimlessly in the system like that? You've got to settle down at some point. And Green Seat," she sighed, "is [i]far[/i] from the worst fate you could ask for."

"So," Miss Vidal huffed. "You can accept and deal with Green's... [i]Eclipse Days[/i]," she said with a shiver. "Or you can roll the dice and hope your next pony master has a quirk you don't consider worse. It's up to you," she finished with a somber nod.

Tie looked down and rubbed his chin in thought. It was definitely something to keep in mind. She had certainly done her best to make him anxious enough. Should he get out now? How long would it take to get sent back to the Holding Facility? Actually, that led him to another question.

"What day is it?" he asked.

"Wednesday."

"So there could be an eclipse--"

"Nope," she cut him off with a calming hand wave. "There is [i]one[/i] more rule I forgot to mention," she apologized while neatly folding her arms on-top of the desk. "Green always gives us a free week when she introduces new people," Miss Vidal explained while gently indicating himself. "So the soonest you'll see Eclipse Day is Monday. And if not, then Tuesday for sure. It's the one mercy Green offers. So we have time to get you settled before she... does her thing."

Tie sat back, his shoulders suddenly feeling very heavy. "That's... four days," he mumbled.

Miss Vidal was quiet for a minute. And when she did speak again it was barely above a whisper. "No one takes their first eclipse well. Even prepared... it's going to knock you down. Stir something in you. Disgust, love, fear. There isn't much else I can do for you except promise that they do, in fact, get easier with time. If you're already worried then take my earlier advice. Hide. Stay inside or go to the outer ring."

The man spent a moment just thinking. Seriously weighing his options. Finally, he made a decision. "I think I want to see it, at least once, before I do anything... drastic."

The woman cringed, but didn't challenge him. Instead she merely answered in kind. "Very well. Then I believe that's all we had to cover today." She quickly scanned the surface of her desk before drumming her fingers thoughtfully. "Any questions or other things you would like to know?"

Tie considered. Then shook his head. "I think I'm good. You said they'd print my new ID in the next room?"

~~~

[i]Author's Note:

I wanted to portray Eclipse Day as realistically as I could. And, as you can tell, I concluded that most people would probably feel EXTREMELY awkward about the whole thing. Too much to even discuss it openly. So it was easy to keep exactly what Eclipse Day is a bit mysterious. Though it does make the story a LOT darker and more ominous than I originally intended. At least for people who haven't read the companion story. Oh well. As long as us readers enjoy it everything is okay.

Another thing: writing dialogue heavy chapters SUCKS![/i]