The soft sounds of his rubber shoes on the metal flooring was a comfort after sitting there for hours listening to the beeps and chimes of the computer. The red light down the hall relaxed his eyes since the shock of looking at dark screens the dark sky, returning to the world of light would've been too harsh if the lights were anything but red. He had to hunch down the hallway, which considering he was somewhat short already was somewhat amusing. At the end of the short hall, was another circular door with a keypad beside it, a small chair to sit in, and a jacket and bag hanging on a hook. Ikato picked up his gray hoodie with bright blue trim and pulled it on. He readjusted his headphones, then pulled on his tan and bright green messenger bag. He fumbled with a small metal device inside the front pocket until he heard a chime come from his bag. Then he flipped his headphones toggle switch to on and said clearly, “Play music.”

A chime identical to the one he just heard from his bag went into his ears directly. Then, softly a piano and flute began to play in his ears. He shut his green eyes for a few seconds to just revel in listening to something structured and organized; absolutely beautiful.

Once through the door, Ikato was out in a hallway that was lit by a mix of orange and red lights. It was brighter and easier to see things, but not enough to hurt your eyes. The hall was clearly open to other staffers who had been part of the observation team. Several were flying past him at a casual slow speed as if they were ghosts, their feet not touching the ground. All were lost in the sounds from their headphones, with a few playing on square flat devices in their hands. Ikato squinted as the light irritated his eyes, looking left and right.

A young man came floating up to him as if he were on the moon, a step on the ground then lift-off and floating forward, and then landed beside. As the young man with short curly auburn hair landed beside Ikato, Ikato had already dug out a pair of slim black sunglasses from his pocket and slipped them on to hide his eyes.

“Hey! Ikato! You never answered about the race,” the young man whined. “It's going to start in just a few. Don't wanna be late.”

“Nah, you go ahead.”

“You always skip out! Shouldn't that be like your favorite sport to watch?” The young man playfully punched Ikato's left shoulder. Something like a sigh came out of his lips which prompted the friend to perk right up, “See! You miss it!”

“What's the fun in going to watch the races when you can't hardly see them anymore? It's just a bunch of lights and loud cheers.” Ikato shrugged off the invite and started walking down the hall the same way the others were funneling toward.

Irritated, his friend followed at a gentle glide beside him. “Aw, I thought you had gotten your eyes fixed?”

Without moving his head, Ikato's green eyes slid over to look at the other through the darkness of the sunglasses. “...Not yet.”

“Wasn't that big CEO dude gonna pay for the operation? Then you could take that wad of cash you have saved up to just straight up invest in your brother.”

Ikato waved his hand up at his friend's face to make him shut up. “He made me a bad offer. Nothin' to it.”