Pirila sighed as she closed the last window in Mili's bedroom. Despite the both of them being immune to the deadly effects of Ashstorms, cleaning up the mess that would be created if the windows remained open was very time-consuming. After having to clean up the mess once Pirila quickly learned to close the windows as soon as possible.

"How long are they gonna be closed for?" Mili asked with a weak voice. Her condition had worsened again recently, and it almost rendered Mili incapable of talking. On bad days she'd be completely mute, while on good days like today her voice would simply be weak. It wasn't anything life-threatening, but it was still troubling.

"For as long as the storm lasts, Mili. Try and get some sleep, okay?" Pirila answered, walking over to the sickly girl to tuck her in again. "Perhaps you'll feel better again when you wake up." Pirila knew that the chances of that happening were slim, Mili would likely never be truly healthy, but she had to say something to try and get the girl to sleep.

"I've done nothing but sleep for the past few days Piri... It's getting boring." Mili responded, and Pirila sighed in response. It was difficult to entertain Mili as her condition meant she was rarely capable of going outside, so she rarely got to talk to people or play with others.

"I'll try and find some more books for you to read when I go out again, okay? Now be a good girl and get some sleep." Pirila said, smiling as she patted Mili's head. "So just try and get some sleep for now. If you really need me, just shout."

Mili nodded and waved as Pirila left the room, before drifting off to sleep in her bed. Pirila meanwhile headed down the stairs to the ground floor. The station's main doors would remain open for as long as possible to allow people seeking shelter to get in, but that meant that Pirila would have to stay downstairs to close the doors.

Already there were a few groups of scavengers in the building. They'd each taken to claiming their own spot in the building, sharing food among themselves while some went to sleep. Most of them didn't have a permanent home - either because they couldn't find one, or because they didn't want one - so places like the Station were a blessing to them. A safe shelter from the deadly ashstorms that plagued the wasteland.

For Pirila and Mili though, the Station was home. The large building gave Mili plenty of room to wander around while still being safe, and it gave Pirila enough space to store interesting things she found while scavenging. At first the two had kept the entire Station as 'private' property, but eventually they decided to open the lower floor to scavengers seeking shelter. Because of this, the Station became a hotspot for people wanting to settle down as it was a safe shelter if their houses were ineffective against the Ashstorms. As a result, a small thriving community had slowly emerged in the ruins around the Station, with scavengers protecting eachother from Raiders and helping eachother when needed.

During Storms like these, most of the inhabitants of said community would flock to the station. Only those with houses that were secure enough would stay at home. But other than locals, travellers would also often take shelter here. The Station was well-known throughout the area as a safe haven, and merchants and travellers would often set up shop in and around the Station, or spend the night there during their travels.

As the storm drew closer, Pirila prepared to close the doors. She'd wait a bit longer to see if there were more people on their way, but she wouldn't wait forever.