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[throughthelookingmax]

"Hey, looks like there's a town up ahead."

Reigen obviously saw it --- he was the one driving, so he saw just about everything. But Max wasn't sure that the others in the back had. She looked over the shoulder of her seat as she said it, making sure that her voice wasn't drowned out by the sound of the 80s citypop CD they acquired at the last town they ran into.

Max turned back around and squinted her eyes, trying her best to filter out the rays of blinding light that seemed to reflect off of everything.

"I think it might be near a beach, too," she said. "That looks like a seagull, right?" Max pointed at the figure of a bird flying overhead.

Comments

[mp_strikinglyblessed]

At some point the chill had become a pleasant balminess. Reigen had the windows rolled down to let the breeze in. They had passed a stretch of scrublands to emerge onto a road stretching along a rocky coast. There was a glimmer beyond the trees that hugged the road. The smell of salt was getting stronger—it was unmistakably the sea.

“You know what this means, don’t you?” Reigen looked sideways at Max with a large grin.

[throughthelookingmax]

"I'm guessing you're not thinking about bonfires on the beach."

[mp_strikinglyblessed]

“Shiozaki! Isoyaki! Tataki! Ika Shioyaki! Kaisou salad! Reigen’s eyes glimmered wildly. “Do hear that, Quartermaster!? From now until dusk, fishing will be our number one priority!”

[espresso_doppio]

Usually quick to respond to Reigen’s commands, Doppio just stared out the window at the coast as if he never heard them. His peeler that was in-hand still had a potato skin hanging from it.

[aoihitomi]

Doppio's lack of responsiveness didn't go unnoticed by Hitomi, who set a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, Doppio, are you okay?"

[espresso_doppio]

Hitomi’s touch brought him back to the present moment. “S-stop the van! Pull over, please!”

[mp_strikinglyblessed]

“Hey, I didn’t mean right this second….” Regardless, Reigen pulled over to the side of the road. Doppio wasted no time in scrambling out towards an open view of the coast far below.

[aoihitomi]

Hitomi was next to get out of the vehicle, then Max opened her door and pushed out of her seat after her. She gazed out at the coast from their vantage point above, and was overwhelmed by the view.

"Wow. It's beautiful."

[throughthelookingmax]

"Yeah, no kidding." Max already had her camera out and was taking shots of the coast below.

[mp_strikinglyblessed]

"I guess a break to stretch our legs isn't so bad." Reigen intertwined his fingers and his hands far above his head, shaking his legs out as he exited the van. It really did feel like Summer in the best way. The dappled sunlight warmed his hair and the smell of salt filled his nose. Even from a distance he could see how turquoise and pristine the water itself was as it gently crashed against the white sands.

'The first thing I'm gonna do when we get down there is close my eyes and pretend I'm on the vacation of my life.'

"Have you ever been to the beach, Chid-kun?"

[princechid]

"No," Chid said, shaking his head. It was so nice; it was warm and the air smelled different from how he had ever known it to smell. "My mother was from a city on the ocean, but I never got to see it myself."

[espresso_doppio]

"I know this place."

[aoihitomi]

"You do?" Hitomi pulled her gaze away from the view to look over at Doppio. She wasn't the only one looking at him, either.

[espresso_doppio]

"Costa Smeralda!" Doppio's amaranth eyes sparkled with familiarity. "I grew up here!"

[aoihitomi]

"That's really great, Doppio! We should definitely go into town and see if anyone you know is there!"

[mp_strikinglyblessed]

"So you grew up in a place like this, huh?" Reigen ruffled Doppio's hair as if he was proud. "You might wanna change first, though. I dunno how many people would recognize you in your getup."

[espresso_doppio]

"Oh. Yeah." Doppio was still in the patterned breezy halter dress they had dug out of the back of the van. He had gotten so used to the cross-dressing --the dresses were much more comfortable than the men's clothing in the heat. Who could blame him?

[throughthelookingmax]

"Do you have any other clothes?" Max had only ever seen Doppio in drag. "I'm sure I have something that will fit you." Sure, it was still women's clothing, but at least it was jeans and a t-shirt.

[espresso_doppio]

“…Could I see what you have?” All he had was Reigen’s track suit. It was comfortable but it wasn’t that cool looking and he found himself caring about that more than he usually did.

[throughthelookingmax]

"Sure, come over here." Max climbed into the van to open up her backpack for Doppio to rummage through.

[aoihitomi]

Hitomi cast a nervous glance at Reigen, but didn't speak until Chid wandered far enough away that he wouldn't overhear their conversation.

"I know I might be worrying about nothing... but what if Doppio remembers something he's better off not knowing?"

[mp_strikinglyblessed]

Reigen cocked his hip against one of the trees as he watched the waves lap the shore. “I won’t lie, I’m worried too.”

Especially after Max’s bizarre encounter with a Doppio that was very much not like the nice boy they all had gotten to know and like.

“You haven’t had any visions about it, have you?”

[aoihitomi]

Hitomi shook her head. "No, not yet."

[mp_strikinglyblessed]

“What are you most worried about?”

[aoihitomi]

"You're right," she said, wiping away her tears for the last time. "Thank you, both of you. I don't want Doppio to feel bad our last few days together."