Arc 3, Chapter 3: Out the Border

"You seem much cheerier," Hotaru settled into the purple seats.

"I'm recovering from a little sensory overload," Jotou yawned, covering her mouth, "I only slept four hours…"

"I told you to sleep earlier."

"She was too busy watching the stars," Fumeko narked as the blonde sat next to her.

"Snitch."

"These seats!" Asobi glid her hands all over the soft fabric, "You could sleep right here!" Ample leg room, seats comforting to the back and thighs; it was too easy to melt into a puddle.

"We have fourteen hours of nothing else to do, might as well," the brunette's head hit the seat, "Can you please tell us the full plan?"

"Alright, I will," Hotaru took off her coat to a frilly blue dress; she opened to the little bookmarks on her journal, bound in leather with a button.

"Shlick." A little door slid behind Hotaru and Asobi. The magician stood her knees on the seat and poked her nose through. "Uh, are we good to go Miss?" the driver checked.

"Let me check!" the nose replied. "Are we ready to go?"

"Everything we own's packed, we've said our goodbyes and we're a minute late," Jotou checked the curtains of the window.

"Let's go already, I want to know this plan."

"We're good to go!" Asobi poked her nose out.

"We won't be back in Kria for a while; nothing's holding us here anymore is it?" the redhead pondered on her open palm. The lash of leads whipped, as the carriage rumbled.

Wheels rolled and the open path lee into the trees lined ahead. Customs to their back, the other coaches forming a line behind and forward.

'And so the City of New Beginnings we left—to start a new beginning.' "I think we're holding us together more so."

"Just like a circus! Wherever we go, we go together! I can't wait to see the world with all of you!"

"Kria's part of that world too genius, you already saw it."

"Meko, be nice. I've never left Kria, neither has Jotou and Asobi hasn't seen much. I get that you've travelled more than us, but I want you to enjoy it too. What's on your mind then?"

Fumeko raised a brow… Was she slipping? How did Hotaru read her so well!? And travelled more? Pfft… If only Hotaru knew.

"I- I'm just remembering coming to Kria. I don't mind that we're leaving, but I never got to be a detective—officially I mean."

"But you solved the mystery Meko!"

"True, but I'm kinda abandoning that goal, to become an adventurer with all of you… It's," Fumeko's face reddened, "A bit embarrassing to be hellbent on something then to throw it away."

"Come on, I'm sure there's a bunch more mysteries you can uncover," sly as a fox Jotou's lips curled, "And I know you're excited to be with us; you can't hide it no matter how sour you get."

Brown pupils glared to the blonde, "You're assumptions are worsening you paranoiac. I'm still the adventurer who solved the Velatos Case. To leave all that fame behind and join all of you; you really should be more grateful," she flaunted her hair.

"You were the first one to pack and had your bags ready at the door Meko," Asobi tilted her head.

"And you don't know the plan, but you're already onboard with it," Hotaru brought her tail in front of her.

"So detective," Jotou patted her head, "Just admit it already. Even if you had every reason to stay in Kria, you'd still come with us."

Her brows furrowed every second, eyes squinting and nose scrunching. In a pout she growled, lips wriggling, "I HATE ALL OF YOU!"

_

"Clunk, clunk, clunk…" The wheels kept going—the clopping of horses, birds chirping by. A lizard landed on the window, green atop and white belly with translucent wings that flew away to Jotou's tap.

The autumn leaves shifted in hue, from reds to golds to greens—dark not light. Rays of light protruded down the path surrounded by shrubs and trees—bugs and animals lurked in the bushes.

Plants of purples and pinks, wildflowers coiling across vines and some thundering blitzes all popped out at the edge of the uniform dirt path.

The beams of light brighter, the trees scarcer, the lands becoming grassier and open. Out the narrow funnel of Kria they were—the road becoming wider.

"Everyone, look! Look!" Asobi pressed up against the window as an open carriage brought about music to the travellers.

Flute in hand, light-brown hair that cut off below her ears, a scanty top that left little to the imagination and a skirt that stopped at her knees. The bard's merriment played on the boots against the wood.

They could see the cargo loads being exported, other carriages importing towards the direction they came. Wagons clumped with passengers, one with several dangling cages and screeching animals from every colour of the rainbow.

There were even little settlements, stopping points, for some to take a short break to stretch their legs or use the bathroom. One such settlement, boasted their arrival into Cravolta's borders.

Upon seeing more travellers down the path, several horses and horsaroaches began galloping to the wagons like they were bandits waiting for a heist. Most carriages and cargo slowed down, while a few kept their pace.

Dukano, the little town of merchants, sided up to windows and coachmen. The lack of trees made them easier to view as well as their saddles which showed off their wares.

Hotaru slid open the window as the sound of their travels reverberated into the cabin; she gave copper pieces to buy a newspaper from a tanned man.

"Wait! I smell…" Fumeko sniffed, "Fresh sausages," her nose twitched as her head neared the window, "So many spices," her mouth watered.

"Hey! Over here!" the tanned man selling the newspapers, backed off, signalling for another merchant come by the other window.

Hair in a braid, a woman rode along said side with her horsaroach, selling bags of sizzling hot cured meats, fresh off the grills. The aroma scintillated with salt, spiciness and a sourish-sweet as Jotou slid the window open.

The grass to the sides of the path of the small town went from an ivory green, to more yellowish tones alongside the leaves, on what few trees were present.

The cross breeze through both windows would be scented of the sweet candies as well as the sound of dangling knickknacks, toys and the flute of the bard, who played louder to the money being thrown at the taps of her feet.

"I'll have one of everything!" Fumeko leaned across Jotou's lap to order.

"So this is how you went broke before reaching Kria…"

The merchants backed off as the pathway led further into the savannah and bore a split in the road; one to the left and one straight. The legs of the steeds were nearly intertwined in the congestion till they were free.

The path they went had less traffic. "Bye! Thank you for the music!" Asobi yelled out to the bard before Jotou shut the window. The bard's gaze fell on the elf, giving a small bow as she deviated from the path.

"The air's a little dry," Jotou said as Hotaru shut the other window.

"You want to put that flower in my journal?"

"Huh?" Jotou noticed the warmed, red flower in her grasp. "Sure," she handed it. Placed in between the first few pages of her journal, she set it down.

The munching of dried jerky and freshly made sausage only sent a wave of pungent air into the closed interior; surprisingly, it was not overwhelming, but rather, delightful.

The hours had passed like seconds and every ticking minute was only felt when the expanse of land was flat to the eye—maybe some buildings in the far, far distance.

"So, the plan is pretty simple. We're adventurers and we want to explore other places, and our source of income comes from commissions.

Our first stop is Hartamat, but that's to rest up. We don't want to stick for too long in the province of Galuvit. It's borders are being invaded from shore by Trailon."

"Then why would we go near there? Burnetrout's to the right, right?" Jotou tried to recall the map of the world she studied.

"CEH!" Fumeko coughed, "No." She wiped her lips and swallowed what she had—her hand still holding jerky, "We're not going to Burnetrout."

"Okay…" 'Probably somewhere she doesn't want to deal with…'

"Why can't we go to Burnetrout?" Asobi saddened.

"We'll get there at some point, don't worry," Hotaru reassured as Fumeko groaned to the side. "This is to cover all our bases and maximize our adventure. If we go to Burnetrout, we'd have to come back to Cravolta anyway.

We'd be going to Galuvit Town and more specifically Galuvit Station. To take, get this, a TRAIN! To Cravolta City and take up commissions from the guild there," her tail could not contain itself.

"OOO! Are those the big smoke machines that go on the ladder roads!?" Asobi giddied, not realizing she was holding a sausage instead of her wand.

"Yes!"

"I've never been on one to be fair. I guess it'd be fun," Fumeko settled back into the sponge-like cushions.

"A train…? Is it fuelled by some magic and speed enchantments?" Jotou queried.

"Hm? No, they go on something called tracks and use steam to move forward and travel across long distances," Hotaru sat up.

"I know what trains are…"

"You had them in your world, didn't you?" Fumeko figured with her eyes glazed over.

"Not to ruin the mood or anything like that, I was just thinking it would be enchanted or powered by magic or something. I'm assuming it runs on coal."

"You're, exactly right," Hotaru sat back.

"Hey, I'll have fun, alright?" Jotou giggled slightly, "It's just a little amusing seeing people get excited for a train of all things; then again, I'm the same way with magic in this world.

There're probably beds to sleep in separate cabins, a dining cart with working chefs and tables that you can sit at, in a moving vehicle."

Asobi's eyes sparkled, "That sounds so fun!!!"

"So you've been on trains before?" Hotaru leaned forward, trying to open up the newspaper with the flag of Cravolta in the corner; the official paper of Cravolta, the Altanor, was well-known even in Kria.

"Maybe once or twice when I was young; it wasn't too exciting, but those were, how do I put this, trains people would use daily. I've never been in one with beds and things like that."

"Daily!?" Asobi's leg shook.

"Yeah, to get around town and go to work. Multiple stations in short distances to get people places. They had maps to direct you which trains to take where."

"Sounds like Luxinor, but more advanced," Fumeko tried to read the paper from in front of the wolf-girl.

"Luxinor does have the upper hand in technology," Hotaru commented, idly reading and listening.

'I wonder what would happen if I told them about planes. And phones, computers.' "Have you guys heard of cars?"

"I've seen a few in Burnetrout, but I'm pretty sure it was just a bunch of rich people showing off."

"So, if we have a lot more money we can buy a car!?"

"Yeah! Then we can go wherever!" Fumeko joined in Asobi's excitement.

"Yay! What's a car do though?"

Hotaru's red brows wrinkled, "Kazuo Namora states that he's proud with his daughter's accomplishments with the Velatos Case and does not wish to interfere in her affairs… Meko?"

Fumeko's eyes bubbled like a goldfish's. Hotaru pointed to the little article on some middle page. "Woah; Meko, your dad's in the newspaper!?" Asobi's attention was drawn to.

"Fumeko?" Jotou turned.

The food in her hands lowered—lips pressed together, she faced the window. Her legs twisted together, toes curling, "I knew I had to explain at some point… Why did it have to be now…?"