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"Okay, this should be a good spot to set up. I'd say we have about 2 hours left of daylight," A young woman with fair skin and long brown hair slumped down against a tree and breathed a heavy sigh.
"I don't feel comfortable with staying in one place... after what happened..." A young, prepubescent Phi said softly.
The woman placed a gentle hand on her head, "Hey, look at me. No one is going to hurt you. Not anymore," She smiled.
"B-But that man with the knife! He said... h-he said that we would never be safe!" Phi cried.
"You shouldn't believe anything that animal says. We escaped. We survived. Their little experiment is over," She tried to reassure her.
"I know, it's just... I'm scared, sis... I'm so scared..." Tears began to stream from her eyes.
The woman held her close and kissed her forehead, "I know, Phi... I know," She said with a trembling voice, "The nightmare is over. And I'm not going anywhere," She gingerly wiped the tears from Phi's cheeks.
"What happens now, Luna? Where do we go from here?" She said with a sniffle, calming down a bit.
Luna tried to smile as best as she could, to raise Phi's spirit, "Forward. There can only be light from here on in. Let's just put the dark times behind us and focus on a bright future. We'll go to the city and see what we can find there."
Phi nodded her head slowly and quietly.
"Hey, why don't you help me set up camp!" Luna placed a comforting hand on Phi's shoulder, "The sun is starting to set. Maybe we'll find some of those pretty fireflies you like!"
She smiled weakly, "Yeah..."
"What's wrong?"
Phi looked away from her shyly, "Sometimes... I hear things in the night. Like, these weird thumping noises. I know it's dumb to be afraid of sounds, b-but... it's like there's some kind of monster stalking me or something."
Luna thought for a moment before responding, "Sometimes, animals like to run around during the night. They collect food and all sorts of things, and occasionally, things drop on the floor. The thumping is just a sound from nature."
"Are you sure...?"
"I am. Though... I think I have seen a monster around here one time..." She said as she looked around the woods.
"Y-You have?!" Phi gasped.
"Yes," Luna said, her serious face quickly transitioning to a playful one, "The Tickle Monster!!"
Luna leaped at Phi and began tickling her, causing her to let out a laugh, "Ahahahaa!! Sis, stop it! Ahahaha!"
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"Phi...? Phi! What's going on with you?"
"Huh? What?" Phi looked around and immediately noticed that they were in a similar-looking Transerver room. They made it to the Sex Station.
"Did you just zone out or something?" Arche raised his eyebrow.
Phi paused before responding, "I... guess I did..." She said softly, staring at the ground.
"Man, that was some daydreaming. I tried to get your attention for a good 30 seconds," He stated, "You feeling okay?"
Phi quietly nodded and gazed silently out the window.