The house wasn't as big as some of the ones they passed on the way, but it was bigger than any from Shiro's home. It was round too, which surprised him. The ground floor had glass all around the outer rim, so you could look straight through it at the lake on the other side. The sun was just rising, and its reflection on the lake was breathtaking. The first floor was mainly decoration, a sitting room, a kitchen, a dinning room, and a game room were among the bigger rooms, all of which surrounded a set of stairs. An elegant staircase in the center of the house led up, with a smaller set of stairs on either side leading down.
"Dad built this place from scratch. Not by himself though," He reassured when he saw Shiro's face. "he had a lot of help. Your mom even had a say in some of this." Bastian exited the car first, stretching from their long ride, and held his hand out for Shiro. "Come on, you've got a lot of exploring to do." Shiro admired the house, and Bastian stepped up to the front of the limo. "Danke mein Freund." He nodded to the driver and turned back to Shiro.
"I'll bet you she wanted the glass to circle the first floor." He said as they approached the front door. "She always did say she loved the way the sunlight looked when it passed through glass." He continued walking before turning around to face Bastian who had stopped in his tracks.
"Has anyone told you you're good?" He marveled. "With your brain we'll figure your mother's riddle out in no time!"
"Oh can we work on that now!?" Shiro beamed.
"That can wait. For now, we have to explore your new home." He threw the door open and Shiro was silenced by the sight. The light coming through the glass danced in intricate patterns on the floor and he knew his mother had waited his whole life for him to see this. He could feel her aura in the room, and immediately collapsed in the doorway.
"Shiro!" Bastion threw himself to the floor catching Shiro in the process. "What was that!?" He spat out when he noticed Shiro was smiling.
"Sorry, I could just feel my mom's presence. She had more of an impact on this house than you think." He noticed Bastion's grip around him loosen."Did I scare you?"
"Well yeah, you collapsed. I thought you had fainted and the ground isn't exactly made of pillows." Shiro started laughing. "What? Shiro what's so funny? Did you plan this?"
Shiro scrambled to get up, "No," he said between laughs. "Let's get to exploring!" He extended his arm out to Bastion, who took it, and pulled him up. "Where do we start?" He eagerly asked, looking at the entire floor before him.
"You can pick. Do you want to see what you can see from here, where you'll be sleeping, or where the cool stuff is?"
That last bit caught Shiro's attention. "When you say 'cool stuff' it must be really cool because this right here is cool." Bastion smiled and lead him into the house toward the staircase.
Stepping into the house, Shiro, once again, felt the presence of his mother. He didn't expect to ever feel his mother's presence again after he left to get aboard the Alexandria and yet here, twice in one day, he felt her, which made him weak. Bastion caught sight of him and cautiously watched in case of a second collapse. It was as though his mother had created the light's patterns on the floor. He'd seen these patterns before though. In his bedroom back home. His mother insisted on installing the window herself, and would have killed anyone who broke it. It wasn't a big window, but it still illuminated the room brilliantly when the sun was at the right angle.
"You know, she built this glass." Shiro looked away from the floor and up to Bastion. "It's fabulous glass. No other glass makes a pattern quite like hers, and it's durable too!" He walked over to the wall and knocked on lightly. "These bad boys have been through a lot and yet they're still here."
"It did always strike me as invulnerable." Shiro stroked the glass.
"Shiro hurry! You don't have a lot of time to make the ship!" Margaret opened Shiro's door and found him reaching up to the glass window, just above his bed. Her looks hid her age. She had long brown hair that curled around her and flowed over her shoulders, accenting the brown of her eyes. She wore a tattered shirt and ragged jeans, the typical outfit of a laborer in the city, but still managed to shine. "It's just glass Shiro. You really need to get going." Her voice quivered and Shiro spun around.
"Mom," he looked down catching the look in her eyes and decided not to bring anymore attention to it than was necessary, "I'll make it. You know I will." She smiled up at him, and pulled him in for a hug.
Neither of them spoke after that. Neither of them needed to. They both knew this was goodbye, and they both knew it had to be done. Shiro gathered the few things he could manage, smiled at his mother, nodding goodbye, and left. Margaret went to the window, watching her son walk toward his destiny. As soon as he was out of sight she collapsed on the living room floor, and succumbed to the tears that had been fighting to get free.
Shiro tried comprehending what his mother's life was like before she left. "How much can you tell me about my mother?" He questioned Bastion.
"I can tell you loads." He stated. "That, however, would take ages, and right now I need to show you the house, and give you a basic run down of the way things work here in the capitol." He spun away from Shiro and started toward the stairs. "Follow me, then. You'll love what's underground."
Shiro watched him for a moment as Bastion walked away, entraced by the house, the atmosphere, and, he admitted to himself, Bastion himself. He shook his head, and ran after Bastion, "I can't wait!"
The two smiled at each other and made their way down the staircase.
Shiro scrambled to get up, "No," he said between laughs. "Let's get to exploring!" He extended his arm out to Bastion, who took it, and pulled him up. "Where do we start?" He eagerly asked, looking at the entire floor before him.
"You can pick. Do you want to see what you can see from here, where you'll be sleeping, or where the cool stuff is?"
That last bit caught Shiro's attention. "When you say 'cool stuff' it must be really cool because this right here is cool." Bastion smiled and lead him into the house toward the staircase.
Stepping into the house, Shiro, once again, felt the presence of his mother. He didn't expect to ever feel his mother's presence again after he left to get aboard the Alexandria and yet here, twice in one day, he felt her, which made him weak. Bastion caught sight of him and cautiously watched in case of a second collapse. It was as though his mother had created the light's patterns on the floor. He'd seen these patterns before though. In his bedroom back home. His mother insisted on installing the window herself, and would have killed anyone who broke it. It wasn't a big window, but it still illuminated the room brilliantly when the sun was at the right angle.
"You know, she built this glass." Shiro looked away from the floor and up to Bastion. "It's fabulous glass. No other glass makes a pattern quite like hers, and it's durable too!" He walked over to the wall and knocked on lightly. "These bad boys have been through a lot and yet they're still here."
"It did always strike me as invulnerable." Shiro stroked the glass.
"Shiro hurry! You don't have a lot of time to make the ship!" Margaret opened Shiro's door and found him reaching up to the glass window, just above his bed. Her looks hid her age. She had long brown hair that curled around her and flowed over her shoulders, accenting the brown of her eyes. She wore a tattered shirt and ragged jeans, the typical outfit of a laborer in the city, but still managed to shine. "It's just glass Shiro. You really need to get going." Her voice quivered and Shiro spun around.
"Mom," he looked down catching the look in her eyes and decided not to bring anymore attention to it than was necessary, "I'll make it. You know I will." She smiled up at him, and pulled him in for a hug.
Neither of them spoke after that. Neither of them needed to. They both knew this was goodbye, and they both knew it had to be done. Shiro gathered the few things he could manage, smiled at his mother, nodding goodbye, and left. Margaret went to the window, watching her son walk toward his destiny. As soon as he was out of sight she collapsed on the living room floor, and succumbed to the tears that had been fighting to get free.
Shiro tried comprehending what his mother's life was like before she left. "How much can you tell me about my mother?" He questioned Bastion.
"I can tell you loads." He stated. "That, however, would take ages, and right now I need to show you the house, and give you a basic run down of the way things work here in the capitol." He spun away from Shiro and started toward the stairs. "Follow me, then. You'll love what's underground."
Shiro watched him for a moment as Bastion walked away, entraced by the house, the atmosphere, and, he admitted to himself, Bastion himself. He shook his head, and ran after Bastion, "I can't wait!"
The two smiled at each other and made their way down the staircase.
