Thaniel didn't know how long they sat there.
Five minutes? Ten? Four hundred and ninety five?
He couldn't remember.
Yet, it was long enough for the sun to shift, for the ducks to lose interest, for the world to stop trying so hard to be remembered.
His hand stayed in hers the entire time.
Eventually, the loudspeaker crackled overhead with that voice that always sounded a little too chipper to be real:
"Attention all guests. Halgrave Park Conservatory will be closing in twenty minutes. Please make your way to the exit in an orderly fashion. We hope you enjoyed experiencing the last remaining plants not made in a lab. Have a biodegradable day."
Thaniel sighed. "Guess that's our cue."
She looked up at the sky, as if wondering why the dome had to have time limits.
"Already?"
"Yeah," he said, gently standing. "Turns out the apocalypse does come with closing hours."
She followed, and this time… she didn't stumble. Her footsteps matched his. Quiet. Careful. Curious.
They didn't speak on the way out. Not because there was nothing to say—but because the silence finally felt safe.
The kind of silence that wrapped around them like a blanket, not a noose.
"Hey," she said.
Thaniel turned. "Yeah?"
She hesitated. Then reached out, grasping his hand.
"I liked today. It felt... familiar. Even if I didn't understand why."
Thaniel smiled. Not the hollow kind. Not the duct-tape grin.
A real one.
"Same."
A breeze passed. Sirens somewhere in the distance. The real world waiting like a junkyard dog.
But for now?
He was… Happy.
Until he heard the hum of a drone coming to escort them out the second the giant clock in the sky hit 12:00, interrupting their moment.
A sterile ear-raping voice escaped from the drone's half-painted smile, cameras watching like eyes. "Your Session is Now ovEr, ThAniel Graves, and KagAmi Hoshizora. I shall leAd you to the neArest Exit."
Thaniel frowned, the familiarity hitting him… before nodding. "Alright. Thank you. Lead the way."
Somehow, he seemed to be more polite to robots than humans.
His cute girlfriend sounded irritated by its voice, the lights overhead casting an eerie glow over her face as she let go of his hand. "...Should I eat it?"
Thaniel was already walking down the path. "No. That'll get us into more unneeded trouble."
She glared at the hovering drone, before shuffling rather rapidly to catch up to Thaniel.
He glanced at her when she caught up, ignoring the grey leaves falling onto his head.
They exchanged a glance, before continuing to follow the drone. Past the grey trees. Past the water that's too blue. Past the patch of dirt where the ground lived. Past the duck being devoured by a hungry student, their teacher barely able to stop him. His girlfriend stopped to watch, but continued on after a bit.
They didn't speak on the way out. Not because there was nothing to say, but because the silence finally felt safe.
The kind of silence that wrapped around them like a blanket, not a noose.
At the gate, the turnstile wheezed one last mechanical goodbye.
Just as they stepped outside into the cold breath of Halgrave's afternoon…
…the world felt less real.
Too bright. Too grey. Too quiet in all the wrong places.
Thaniel adjusted his collar against the wind. His cute girlfriend mimicked the motion, scarf puffed up like she was trying to hide from the sky. Her breath fogged the air, as it seemingly froze.
But for now, everything was pretty normal.
Until they turned a corner.
"Hey there, friends."
Two strangers. Leaning against a busted vending machine like they owned the sidewalk. They looked like the kind of people who'd sell you a black-market spleen and then upsell you a warranty for it. Ragged coats. Faded tattoos.
Thaniel stopped walking. So did the wind. And his girlfriend, who let out a clicking sound.
His eyes met theirs. Blank. Unblinking. Like something behind them had died and forgotten to take the rest with it. "...If you're planning to kidnap me, you better have money and bread prepared."
One of the shady men raised his hands in mock greeting. "Woah, wrong idea, buddy. Didn't mean to spook you. Just noticed your… uh. Companion. You're lucky. What's her name?"
He reached forwards, extending a hand to his cute girlfriend.
Immediately… Thaniel's face darkened. He took a single step forwards, feeling his girlfriend's eyes on him, as he tilted his head slightly. "Don't touch her.Curious people usually disappear around here."
The taller body let out an uncomfortable chuckle. "Pffft. Was that a threat?"
Thaniel smiled blankly. "Nope. Just a choice prompt."
The mimic blinked at Thaniel, like she was seeing something new inside him. Something old waking up.
There was a long pause. Tension thick enough to butter your nightmares with.
Then, slowly, one of the hobos stepped forward and gently patted Thaniel on the shoulder.
"Right. Well. No harm done. Just sayin' hi."
The tap was soft. Friendly, even.
But enough to get a sigh.
He slipped something on.
A glint of metal, needle-thin. Embedded just beneath the jacket.
Thaniel looked away, nodding to his cute girlfriend, before glancing one last time at the suspicious people who looked like they were the results of a homeless man doing the deed with a street lamp.
"Right," Thaniel muttered. "We'll be going."
He didn't say goodbye. Didn't look back. Just walked. Silent. Like a man halfway out of his own body.
His cute girlfriend followed, casting one last glance at the men behind them. Her eyes narrowed, but she said nothing.
When they were gone—truly gone—the shorter hobo finally exhaled, shoulders slumping like a roof caving in, weirdly feeling like they've been somewhat insulted.
"Shit," he muttered. "What a… mysterious fellow. Would be better to be around him if he was in a coffin."
The taller one didn't respond right away.
He was staring. Not at Thaniel.
But at where the girl had stood.
The way his stomach churned when her gaze fell on her. The way he felt like a cornered rat about to be devoured. "…Yeah," he said finally. "The girl too. I don't have a good feeling about this."
His wife had always called him a sharp person, and to trust his guts.
Right now… His guts told him to abandon the job.
But his friend gave a grim smile, fingers still twitching as he tried to comfort him.
"Come on, think of all the money we'll get. You and your family will finally be able to see the clean zone. And besides…" His gaze darkened. "Don't worry. Even if they're monsters…"
He pulled out a small receiver. A blinking dot had begun to glow on the screen.
"…they have to sleep too."