Empty Heart

"Meow."

"You're so cute, Lucky!" Lanie Larkinson grinned and embraced the cat. "Ves is so lucky to have you. Do you think he'll buy me a mechanical cat like you for my birthday one day?"

"Meow!"

While the Sand War intensified, the Cloud Estate had become host to less Larkinsons than before.

Many Larkinsons, whether retired or in the prime of their years, reenlisted in the Mech Corps or volunteered in some other way.

Even without the family explicitly exhorting them to do something, the Larkinsons embodied duty.

All of the Desolate Soldiers fielded at the Cloud Estate and the Mech Nursery were pretty much redundant for the members of the family. Their heritage and expectations of their fellow relatives was enough to move them into action!

The absence of so many Larkinsons made the Cloud Estate a lot less crowded.