Last Train to London

[mp_strikinglyblessed]

Reigen told himself that he'd celebrate every good thing that came his way from now on--no matter how small. He wouldn't celebrate it in want of something but for it's own sake. After all, there was no higher power to bargain with. It was just him.

Him and two kids.

Him and two kids and a giant VW Bus he was 60% comfortable handling. And a magical piece of paper that kept their entire lives packed neatly and lightly.

He kept reminding himself of how far he'd come in just a few weeks whenever he started really missing a nice matcha. He had Doppio on a strict assignment to look out for even the instant stuff. Every day was a new lesson in unpredictability but they'd found that there were clusters of stability. Some towns had mostly escaped the rupture unscathed and others were like patchwork from a monkey's hands. You just took what you got, hustled, and hoped for the best.

Today--today wasn't bad. They'd lucked out with a highway cutting through a sprawling plain with small patches of life in the distance. There was no telling how long the road would last, but word had spread across the town they'd just left that it went on for awhile. The street signs weren't in a language he recognized but it's not like they'd serve their purpose even if they did. Reigen spared a thought for all the taxpayer dollars gone to waste.

"Quartermaster," he snapped his fingers and adjusted the thick technicolor shades on his nose, "coffee me."

Comments

[espresso_doppio]

“Here’s the soap, Captain.” Doppio extended the bar bound in a nylon stocking to Reigen. “It must have really liked you!”

[mp_strikinglyblessed]

“That’s me. A real charmer.” He accepted the soap and opened the driver’s door. “I’m gonna go stand in the rain a little while. Back in five.”

[throughthelookingmax]

Max waited for the door to shut behind Reigen before she turned around to look at the others.

"We talked," she said. "And I'm pretty sure I know what's up."

[espresso_doppio]

Doppio's hands froze as he toweled them. "...Um, sorry?"

[throughthelookingmax]

"That you guys aren't who you say you are."

[espresso_doppio]

Ba-dump.

Doppio's eyes flew around, meeting Hitomi's only briefly. Ice was freezing his veins over--had he made a critical mistake in saying they should stop to pick an extra person up? Had he been too careless?

'No, no, just stay calm. She's just one person.'

"Sorry, but I don't understand what you're talking about."

[aoihitomi]

Hitomi could sense Doppio's anxiety. "I'm not sure what you're talking about, but I think you're mistaken."

[throughthelookingmax]

"I'm not exactly the biggest anime nerd, but don't people speak a little less formally to their older brother?"

[aoihitomi]

Hitomi swallowed.

Oh no. She had called him Reigen-san multiple times!

[espresso_doppio]

"Hey, that's not fair! Are you some kind of--kind of sibling expert?? You don't know how every sister talks to her brother!"

Yes, it was nonsensical. No, Doppio didn't care.

[throughthelookingmax]

"I don't have any siblings, but I definitely wouldn't be calling them 'Miss' or 'Mister'. No need to be a sibling expert to know that."

[espresso_doppio]

Doppio squinted. Then, he leaned in close towards Hitomi. “…Is that really what ‘san’ means?”

[aoihitomi]

Lips pressed together, Hitomi gave him an uneasy nod.

[espresso_doppio]

“Ah.” This whole time he thought it had just been a cute nicknamey sort of thing between the two of them. Truth be told, he’d been a little jealous, so finding out this way was a relief.

“…Well!” Doppio turned back to Max. “Even if they’re not brother and sister, they’re good people! That’s all that matters.”

[throughthelookingmax]

Max lifted her hands in surrender. "Not disputing that at all. I'm just wondering why you all aren't being honest with me. You all seem nice."

[mp_strikinglyblessed]

The driver’s side door opened back up. Reigen’s eye was twitching—not from irritation but from soap getting in it.

“Because none of us expected a random passerby to go all Sherlock just for the love of the game. Seriously, I leave for three minutes so you start in on the kids?” He hefted himself back into his seat and fell back with a sigh. “…How about this…we get to the next town if you say you still wanna stick around, then we’ll go from there. Deal?”

[throughthelookingmax]

"Got it. So, you decide on a title for me?"

[mp_strikinglyblessed]

“If you’re officiated, of course.” Reigen’s mouth split into a smirk. “You’re still to address me as Captain, though.”

[throughthelookingmax]

"Captain?" Max repeated, laughing.

[mp_strikinglyblessed]

“Whenever the van is active, that is. I think you’ll find my rules quite reasonable.”

He had originally proposed it as a joke to keep morale up but Doppio called him that almost exclusively, now. But hey, it’d be funny to see how far newcomers would go with the bit.

[throughthelookingmax]

"Well, alright, Captain."

Max pushed herself out of the passenger's seat to allow Hitomi to reclaim her place and settled back down in the back with her water.

[espresso_doppio]

~~

The storm had passed, night had fallen, and they hadn’t hit another town yet. They hadn’t hit the end of the highway either, but they had come across something interesting—an old road. It was likely what remained of an old road that got re-routed, but it lead to the real prize: an old-timey convenience store. Everything was in English, so they relied on Max to interpret. It was abandoned and in the middle of nowhere, but there was generous tree cover that made it as good a place as any to set up camp for the night. It even had an outhouse on-site! Doppio wondered if they could store that in the paper but decided the logistics would be too gross to consider.

He and Hitomi were on scavenging duty inside the old store while Reigen and Max were getting the fire going outside. Doppio jumped slightly when he bumped into something and heard a creak, swinging his lantern around to get a better look to find it was just an old rocking chair. Doppio sighed. ‘Why am I always so jumpy…?’

“…Hitomi, can I ask a question?”

[aoihitomi]

"Sure," she said, stepping over a fallen display.

[espresso_doppio]

Doppio moved to inspect a rack. It was hard to see clearly, but there were a bunch of tins arranged on it. He picked one up and held it up to his ear, giving it a good shake.

“If you could see anyone from home or from Gaea right now…who would it be?”

[aoihitomi]

"Well..." That was pretty hard. There were a lot of people Hitomi wanted to see right now. "Probably my mom," she decided.

"What about y--" Hitomi caught herself midway through saying it. "Sorry."