The quiet mumbling of the late night wind softly whispered its way through the tent’s openings as Romulo lay there wide awake. He was well aware that he ought to be asleep, yet despite the long tiring day that lay behind him, he couldn’t shake something off his mind. He lifted his arm to check his watch, tapping the button to allow it to light up and show him the time. He sighed as he sat up from where he was resting and looked all around, and it looked all as though everyone around him was sleeping soundly. He wondered if because it were because of the jetlag from jumping one timezone to another, but the difference in time between the points he jumped between weren’t even that large, so that was ruled out. He decided to attempt to clear his mind first and took the blanket off himself and getting up from where he previously lay.
Pulling the keys out of his pocket, he unlocked the vehicle’s doors. He figured if he can’t go to sleep naturally, he’d try a good old technique his father had once taught him. And now speaking of his father, he couldn’t help but wonder about what his peers would think, as he had disappeared seemingly without a trace and with his car along with him. He thought about the promises pledged to him, but a bit deeper this time. Trust is indeed a difficult thing to build up, but it’s not like the people he just met weren’t that untrustworthy. Clouded with these thoughts, he took the cooler from the back of the old Yamada, and pulled out a fairly chilly can of his father’s very own favourite Red Horse, cracking it open with a good pop, and taking a swig. The strong taste filling his mouth with a distinct bittersweetness that more powered the bitterness than sweet. Not immediately feeling it, he goes for another, but only the unfeelings of the night could ever come to his head.
“Are you really just… drinking here all alone by oneself?” In the midst of soft footsteps, he heard a voice call out from behind. Not immediately able to identify it at first, he looked behind, and barely illuminated by the lampara from within the tent was Emily. Her soft, long, golden hair resting upon her shoulders and the dim green dress she was handed to by Charlotte.
“And you? Don’t feel cold with that dress?” He joked, but fortunately for him Emily was able to take it, and softly chuckled. “Oh, you jest. I have gotten used to it.” She said walking over next to him who was leaning on the faded red door of the small crossover. “Now, what must you be drinking this lonely night?” She inquired as she leaned onto the door next to him.
He looked down at the red can and chuckled. “Something extra strong.”
“Is it alcohol?”
“Mhm, want a sip? Or are you not old enough?” He said, wiping the mouth of the can and gesturing the can over to her.
“I guess I could have a sip. It’s been quite difficult getting some sleep.” She said, taking the can. She read the label closely, and it was certainly a brand she’d never heard of before. Lifting the can up to her mouth, she nipped a bit of the orange liquid from the bright red can and felt immediately the strength of the beer flow down her throat. “Mm, you’re right. It’s… quite something, alright.” She handed the can back to him. “I believe you’re a man from the Philippine Islands, aren’t you?”
“Yeah, what about it?” He nodded as he took the can back.
“I’ve always wondered about the future. How much would the passing of time affect the development of the world around us. Especially so for someone like me, responsible for the design of a new form of technology that to us, have yet to unlock their truest potentials.” She sighed as she looked above and stared deep into the night sky of this foreign world. “From what I witnessed, the world definitely seemed to have moved.”
“I’ve never asked you directly, but what year were you in prior to that time warp?”
“I believe you hadst guessed it already when you were mocking Watson, 1936.”
“1936, huh? That means, you’re… older than my grandfather.” He looked over towards her. He found it hard to believe, but with what he had seen earlier, there was no reason for him not to believe anything anymore. But it truly boggled his mind how a woman older than his very own late grandfather, could look this young and be standing right here before him.
“Have you ever ventured out of the Philippines? Isn’t it a part of the United States? I believe travelling to and from the two continents wouldn’t be too difficult. From what I have observed, flying across oceans should not be out of the realm of possibility now.” She inquired, with her hand reaching for the can of beer still in Romulo’s hand. He handed the can over and perceived the moment the mouthpiece of the can had touched her soft-looking lips, the same mouthpiece that had previously touched his own. He hadn’t thought of it the first time, but now it was really getting to him.
“So, hadst you?” She tilted her head and once again handed the can over. Romulo grounded his thoughts yet again as he thought about the situation at hand. His head blanked out a bit, and he had forgotten the question she asked of him. He wondered if the alcohol was beginning to kick in, but still his body felt cold, so that couldn’t have been the case.
“P-please repeat the question?” He reached over towards the can, but Emily snatched it away and giggled. “Looks like you’ve had too much to drink for tonight.” She said as she once again, took another sip before actually handing it over.
“I was wondering about air travel.” She said as she once again looked to the sky. “Would the labour of me and the many other aspiring students of the study of the concept of the aeroplane bear fruit to something great? Or is it another fad that wouldst disappear into the midst of the night like the many that preceded it?”
“Air travel. Well, you saw those bird-like things flying over our heads? Those are…”
“The aeroplanes of the future, aren’t they?”
“Yup. I’m not quite sure how much different things are in your era, but nowadays, planes can cross oceans going thousands of kilometres an hour and carry well over a hundred people.”
“Is that so?”
Romulo nodded. “I’ve personally never ridden on one, but… I could only dream of what it could be like. Soaring above the clouds in a comfy chair at incredible speeds. It’s really something else what we’ve been able to achieve.”
“That sounds quite splendid. I wonder how difficult it would be to take controls of an aircraft such as that. By my own estimations, an aircraft of such caliber would need at least a dozen crew members to keep it in the air, and the engines required of them must also be something else.”
“Your own estimations?”
“As an aspiring aircraft designer, these things should be second nature to me. So would be the emotion of flying in something way up above the ground into the great blue yonder.” She giggled.
He took the can of beer away from her, there was about a quarter left, and he didn’t quite remember having drank that much. “Wait a second, how much did you drink? Emily? Don’t go telling me off not to drink too much when you’re out here drinking half my can!”
Once again, she sounded a drunken giggle. “I don’t get that drunk easily, I know my limits. That is about as much as I would drink.” She bumped him with her elbow. “Well then, since we have something to do tomorrow, I might as well call it a night. Talking with one many years in the future is quite interesting, Ray. This may sound unusual to you, but I’m grateful. I’m gratefule that I once again get an opportunity to do something of my own interests. Travelling somewhere unknown instead of running through the cramped alleyways in the Italian Peninsula from the Italian Fascist Police is something far more enjoyable than I could ever hope. I look forward to many more conversations we might have on the road. Take care.”
With the final remnants of her smooth blonde hair disappearing behind the tent, Romulo sighed as he once again stared into the deep dark blue of the night sky, listening as he heard the rustling of cloth from behind him in the tent. He was at a loss for words as he stood there alone. He wasn’t sure if it was the stirring emotions within him that were presently causing this unrest within him, or if it was the calm serenity of the night playing games with him and causing the said unrest. Whatever the case was, he just wished that he would eventually find himself struggling less.
The night felt as though it would last forever at this point as he looked down on his watch. Half an hour had passed since Emily had gone to rest, and yet he was still there wide awake. He took a final sip from the near empty can and crushed it with his one hand, tossing it into a nearby plastic bag before he himself went into the tent. Emily was there, fast asleep next to the ever mysterious Princess Ga’araiya, the two looking like a mother and daughter as they intertwined in a deep sleep. Off to the other side was Charlotte and Watson, separated by a gap that he was meant to fill into, but couldn’t from his restless insomnia.
He lay back down in his sleeping area, rolled over to the side and attempted to close his eyes. The pitch-black of his eyelids did not do anything to cure the insomnia, and so he opened his eyes yet again. When he opened them, he saw right there ahead of him was Charlotte’s red and green eyes staring back at him. He was slightly startled, and Charlotte noticed this, mouthing an ‘I’m sorry’ as she tilted her head downwards and avoided eye contact with him. He breathed out with a heavy pain, he now wasn’t sure whether or not her being unable to sleep was a product of his own insomnia, or something else was just off with her. But now he rolled back to where he would face the roof of the tent, and once again stared into the triangular housing as the soft wind’s mumbling whispered its way through the night.
But Romulo’s ears had caught another, softer whisper as he felt a hand slowly drape a blanket over him. “Are you unable to sleep as well?” He turned his head over, and before him was Charlotte’s face. His own nose mere centimetres away from the tip of her snout. Staring into her very much feline eyes, he found his mind blanking out for a moment before he looked away in embarrassment. “Y-… Yeah… I assume you can’t sleep either?”
“Mm…”
The two lay there in awkward silence, around them the silent ambience of the foreign lands of Aetherii filling the particulate void of a lack of meaningful conversation. In their minds, they seemed like the only two people in the world right now, and yet the only two people couldn’t seem to figure out how to get along. Romulo looked back over, Charlotte had her head tilted back down, but she didn’t seem like she was about to sleep any time soon. A certain melancholy loomed over her face, a certain kind of loneliness that one would link to those without a single remnant of kinship still within them.
“Charlotte…” Romulo broke the silence and Charlotte lifted her head to look back up at him. “What is it?”
“Something’s wrong, isn’t there?”
Her only response was a shake of her head, and once again she looked back down with the melancholy on her countenance.
“Just, who are you… Charlotte?” He said, looking back up at the dim-lit roof of the tent. He closed his eyes and once again saw a deep darkness as the light shut itself out, and yet still he couldn’t sleep.
“I… was a Princess of a certain city-state in Crugandr, a couple thousand years in the future…” She began, and Romulo opened his eyes to look towards her. Charlotte was looking back up at him, and he saw the soft innocent look grow on her face as she continued explaining. “You might begin to recognise a pattern, unrest, the declarations of War, nationalism, massacres, the development of combat and the battlefield, and the resulting casualties of what results… Yes, it was indeed like that. Despite the royal family making it out to an allied nation, no one can escape the supple arm of death as it overreaches with the technical divinity of mass destruction.”
She moved closer to Romulo’s face, their faces separated only by her whiskers. “There’s nowhere for me to return to… I put up a facade to hide the truth that looms within.” Her tone was distressed, but still she talked softly. “I could no longer return to that land. The land ravaged by warfare and the greed of intelligence and wisdom. The reason I asked for you to join me, is purely of my own selfish desires… My desires to once again see a land I can no longer visit, my desires to once again maintain a companionship with people whom I feel I could trust.”
There was a pause as a tear streaked down her cheek and onto the pillow from which she rested her head. Romulo moved his hand to embrace her, and she leaned in as well, wrapping her arms around him and finally bursting into tears. He leaned over and whispered, “For the time being, you’re not alone. You’ve got a team with you, and war… won’t happen with us. We can manage, and we’ll get through the rally together, as a team, and as compatriots.”
“Thank you…” She said through sniffles. “I really hope nothing goes wrong… Thank you for joining the rally… really… thank you…”
They stayed like that for a few minutes until Charlotte’s tears stopped. Romulo’s arms still keeping her in a warm embrace as she buried her face into his chest, still sniffling slightly.
“Say Charlotte, how did you come to trust me, and the others at that, too?” Romulo broke the silence. Charlotte moved away and wiped her tear, and Romulo had bore witness to the soft creature’s face right before him. Her eyes barely glistening with tears as the lamp lightly shone into her red and green eyes. Slowly, her face grew back into a smile he first witnessed when he met her, but this time, Romulo felt a sense of sincerity as she began to whisper once again.
“As I said, Charlotte can read other people’s hearts!” She said with a smile as innocent as that of a young kitten, and needless to say, upon the realization of the situation he was in, his heart began to race and he felt the heat rise to his cheeks. “I-I see!” He slowly began to move his arms away from her. “I… Do you feel sleepy yet…?”
“Hmm…? My eyes do feel a bit heavy, but I don’t think I’d be able to sleep just yet… Truth be told I don’t think I’ve had a good night’s sleep in a while.” She hugged him tighter.
“Is it because of what you said earlier?”
“Mhm…”
“I see. It must’ve been that hard, huh? Not to worry, try not to think about it too much.” He said as he placed his arm back over her. He didn’t feel comfortable letting her go just yet, as to him it seemed as though she was still on edge. “Why not reminisce about your days prior to the war? Don’t you still wish you were a princess? I’d imagine it would’ve been quite great, having your own servants, dressed up in pretty dresses, meeting Prince Charming?” He suggested. Charlotte giggled at that last remark. “Prince Charming? Really? That’s such an Earthling thing to say!” She continued to giggle softly, Romulo’s ears felt blessed as he heard the soft quiet laughter next to him before she finally continued. “Some aspects of being a princess were indeed quite enjoyable. Although I was quite jealous of the common folk. The amount of freedom they had, they didn’t have to adhere to the strict moral standards of Royalty, and more importantly they were free to love whoever.”
“Love, huh? That’s the most important thing to you?”
“Of course! Most of my family thought otherwise though. That I should just marry the neighbouring city-state’s prince instead of believing in the concept of true love… How about you, Ray? Have you ever fallen in love…? A regular commoner’s love?” She looked up at him.
“Commoner’s love? Well… I guess I have… It’s really nothing special though, and I got rejected in the end. It’s nothing really major.” He yawned. Charlotte seemed to loosen her grip on him slightly. “I see… I… too wish to experience some kind of love. I was always my parent’s last choice when it came to everything, though they had a good reason.” She giggled once again. “What’s that reason?” He asked her. She had this mischievous look on her as she explained. “I was the most rebellious of my sisters… I was the most opposed to all that royal bureaucracy nonsense, but still I was educated in the ways of a Princess and that’s something that doesn’t rub off easily.”
“I guess that’s why Watson managed to quickly identify you.”
“He’s got a very keen eye for a human. Makes you wonder what he doesn’t know. Although, really anyone from Aetherii would likely be able to recognise me as royalty.” She sighed.
“Why’s that?”
“My pelt. Jet black, like that of a panther. It’s unmistakable for a royal blood like me.” She said, sliding the blanket off her shoulders which revealed her glistening black fur. “I’ve been told my whole life it’s a beautiful sheen of black, but I’m not sure if you Earthlings would think the same.”
“I personally think it’s indeed quite beautiful…” He said with a smile, and she smiled right back at him. “Thank you… I don’t think an Earthling had ever called me that before…” She moved her nose closer to Romulo’s neck, lightly touching him and getting a sniff of his scent. “Ch-Charlotte?! W-wait, aren’t you being a bit too close?”
With her snout still pressed against his nose, she asked him, “You smell of alcohol… Did you drink?”
“Y-yeah… What about it? I was trying to get some sleep, so I thought I’d drink something to try and get me sleepier…”
“I smelled the exact same scent on Emily… She got up earlier right after you did…”
“We had a drink together, that’s about it. What are you getting at here?”
“You sound like you’re being guilty, what are you being guilty for, I wonder…?” She giggled as she moved her snout more up his neck, before arriving and stopping before his chin. “And what are you interrogating me for?” Romulo loosened his grip on her and attempted to move back, but Charlotte persisted, and kept herself clung unto him. Romulo felt himself bump into something, and he realized that Watson was still there asleep next to him. A disturbed grunt sounded from his general direction, followed by some mumbled words before he felt Watson turn over and move away from him.
Charlotte couldn’t help but giggle at the minor mishap, still clinging onto Romulo. “I figured I might as well use my princess powers to get what I want…” She pulled him closer and leaned into his chest once again. “I want to stay like this for a little bit… Can you wrap your arms around me again? That was really, really comfy…”
“I guess, if that’s what you want…” He sighed as he placed her in a warm embrace, he felt his heart thump faster and his face flush slightly, but still he tried suppressing his thoughts so she wouldn’t notice.
Eventually, after being within each other’s warm embrace through the breezy night, the two had gotten the good night’s rest that they were so much desiring for the longest time. Romulo thought about this moment for a bit as he felt his eyes start to fall heavy, things about whether she’ll remember this night or she’ll go back to her happy-go-lucky personality the next day. Their eyelids slowly fell shut as they settled in their warmth and after the long rollercoaster of a day, Team Blazers could call it off and finalize ‘Zero’.
