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]

“Well…I can’t remember what they look like or anything…but I can remember the feeling.” Doppio suddenly felt a little embarrassed trying to explain it out loud. “I don’t know how to describe it, but…do you have anyone in your life you’d do anything for?”

[aoihitomi]

Hitomi nodded slowly, thinking about the question. "Yeah, I think so."

[espresso_doppio]

“I thought so. I bet your loved ones really miss you.” Doppio made a noise as he put more effort into prying the tin open, but it just wouldn’t budge.

[aoihitomi]

"Do you need some help? I think i have a nail file in here." Hitomi began rummaging through her duffel.

[espresso_doppio]

“That might be good.” At the rate he was going he’d probably just end up spilling it everywhere.

Doppio turned his head towards the window while he waited for Hitomi to dig it out. There was the glimmer of the campfire beyond and outlines. The other two must have gotten it going quick, he figured.

“…Reigen is pretty nice to women, isn’t he?” Doppio mused—after all, he hadn’t put Max to work despite all his teasing. He had charmed his way into a lot of good deals for them all too. “Do you think…he has someone special back home?”

[aoihitomi]

"Like a girlfriend? Ah, found it." Hitomi pulled out the metal nail file and offered it to Doppio.

[espresso_doppio]

“Yeah.” Doppio took it and began to work it under the lip of the lid. “He talks a lot but never about himself, when you think about it…”

Maybe it was too difficult to talk about? Doppio couldn’t help but let his imagination run wild.

[aoihitomi]

Hitomi wondered where this line of thinking came from. And then it clicked.

"Do you think that Reigen--" Hitomi looked over in the direction of the fire. She could hear Max's laughter even from ehre.

[espresso_doppio]

“I mean…would it be so bad? Don’t you think they had a spark?” His tongue snaked out of his mouth as he pried metal from metal, millimeter by millimeter. ’Reigen…as soon as I’m outside I’ll sing your praises…I promise.’

[aoihitomi]

"They did seem to have a connection," Hitomi admitted.

[espresso_doppio]

The lid fully separated with a ‘pop’ and went clattering to the ground. Doppio wasted no time in holding it to the lantern.

“…Paper?” He picked it out and turned it around in his fingers. It was folded and matte to the touch. He looked at Hitomi and carefully unfolded it. On its surface was a bunch of letters that were oddly spaced out. He couldn’t read them, but even if he could, he was sure they wouldn’t have made sense. “Is this…more English?”

[aoihitomi]

"I think so, but my English isn't good enough to read it." She knew the very basics from school, but there were definitely characters or even whole words missing from the message. She couldn't possibly figure it out at her level of English.

"We should see if Max can read it."

[espresso_doppio]

“Good idea.” Doppio folded it back up and slipped it back into the tin. “…In a little bit. Hey, I’m gonna check out the hats. I think I saw snow earlier.”

[mp_strikinglyblessed]

~~

Reigen hadn’t noticed immediately—not until a few flakes had gotten stuck to his eyelashes. He blinked them away and squinted up at the sky. The smoke from the campfire mingled with the snowfall.

“First rainstorms, now snow, huh?” Reigen exhaled a stream of warm breath. “You know…for better or worse, I’m a little nostalgic. I had plenty of family camping trips that looked just like this.”

[throughthelookingmax]

"What? Stormy?" Max asked. A Snowflake landed on her cheek, then quickly melted.

[mp_strikinglyblessed]

“I was gonna say snowy, but…that too.” And he whined to no end when he was little, but now he could at least take some comfort in feeling nostalgic about it instead.

Reigen hopped into the back and dug out a shearling jacket for himself along with an autumnal chevron blanket. He returned to the fire and folded the blanket over the back of Max’s shoulders. “Here. I know you’re dressed the part but you’ve also been out in the cold all day.”

[throughthelookingmax]

"Thanks," Max said warmly. "Did your folks take you camping a lot?"

[mp_strikinglyblessed]

Reigen collapsed into his chair, sinking so far back his nose disappeared into his scarf. He groped around lazily in the cooler beside him. “Yeah, though not so much these days.” He paused. “Well. Not family trips anyway. My work takes me to some weird places.”

[throughthelookingmax]

"What kind of weird places?"

[mp_strikinglyblessed]

“Well…before I came here, I was on an assignment with my student to seek out the Hibagon. It lives deep within a sacred mountain.” Reigen pulled out one of the fortified wines they had stored away and took a swig. He had resisted drinking up until now since it had been just him and two kids, but now…

The redness hit his cheeks immediately and he extended the bottle to Max. “Want some? It’s sweet.”

[throughthelookingmax]

"Sure. Don't mind an indirect kiss, do you?"

[mp_strikinglyblessed]

Reigen’s face went from slightly flushed to beet red. He fixed his jaw to open to clear his throat and laugh it off.

“Do I look thirteen to you?” He jostled the bottle. “And here I thought Americans were more libertine.”

[throughthelookingmax]

Max laughed. "It's not like I asked for my benefit." She took a swig from the bottle, then offered it back to Reigen.

[mp_strikinglyblessed]

“Do I look shy to you?” Reigen took it back and stared at the rim for a moment before guzzling some down.

[throughthelookingmax]

"More like not into kissing girls."