A bright apparition began to glow in front of the blonde man’s eyes as he stood in the deeper part of a forest, where he was sure that not a single soul would have been able to witness him. He took a deep breath, and spoke words of an enchanted language, before finally the apparition stopped glowing and before him a figure emerged.
The figure stood still, its back turned against the man and uttering the same incomprehensible language as it slowly moved its head towards him. Skin slowly manifested around the dull white figure, and deep blue eyes glowed back at the man as its face came into full view. The figure slowly walked with an uncanny elegance, and its hands moved towards the cheeks of the man, grasping them with a cusp whilst still moving closer. Yet, the man stood still where he was, firmly grasping the golden time apparatus in his right hand, where his grip only continued to firm as the figure before him wrapped its slender arms around his neck, and moved its body closer towards his own.
And finally, the figure spoke as its form slowly manifested itself before him, with luscious womanly lips forming beneath the blue orbs, and cheeks of a pale but rosy tint coming into view of the light-haired man. The figure’s head moved closer and closer towards the man’s face, yet he did not flinch at all in the moment, and before long they were there face to face, nearby one another without action as the figure paused its movements. Before it could slip away from him, he quickly moved his hands towards the figure’s waist, and a small whimper came from it as he leaned in towards it.
“Aggressive and sneaky as usual, aren’t you?” The figure spoke with a feminine voice, deep and refined. The man looked closer at the figure’s face as the soft light from the stars illuminated its face. Strands of dazzling blue hair lay strewn about its face from his swift movements, and with his one arm still on its waist, he moved his other to clear it up. “I’m sorry, did you miss the aggressiveness or did you not?” The man said.
The figure pushed him away, and he backed right off. “I certainly don’t miss it when you’re taking a retreat in a world you’re not supposed to be in. Haven’t you had enough sticking your dick into that old fish queen’s slippery hole?”
“Jealous, art thou? Besides, it’s only temporary that I be here. I have a duty to return her beloved possession.”
“What woman wouldn’t be jealous?” The figure yawned. “Even more so, someone like me who only deserves the best men. Couldn’t you be a bit more courteous, stick to one, perhaps? Instead of going on that rampage where you climb into the bed of the first woman you see?” Its slender arms crossed itself with a vague jiggle from atop its chest. “‘Her’ possession. Yeah right…”
“Is that the reason you have came to visit me? You missed your toy boy that much you step out of the realm you mean to guard?”
The figure giggled as it slowly moved around the man. Its slender legs slowly forming around, and creating light steps as it moved across the thick jungle floor. “Why wouldn’t it be?” The figure’s face came into view as it stepped out from the shadow of a nearby tree. The face distinctly curved like that of a woman’s, and with its voice, there would have been no doubt it was one. “However, there’s also another reason I have came to you. You cannot hide these things from me.” The figure came closer, and the man’s arm was lifted by its soft touch as it revealed a golden watch in the man’s hand. “Could you perhaps take better care of the gifts that I provide to you?”
The man remained silent, and his green eyes only looked sharply into the figure’s own blue ones, which were filled with an intense seriousness as he maintained his quietness on the spot. The figure slowly released the man’s hand, and sighed as it shifted its gaze away.
“Are you enjoying your situation as-is? Is that why I could feel your call?”
Again, he stood still, and his gaze slowly fell upon the watch, before rising back up to meet the figure’s own.
“So it may seem.”
…
With their morning routines now over, the team was just about ready to set off for yet another stage. The skies gloomed with an eerie grey as the high clouds rolled over across the horizon. Despite this, a certain feline in the team seemed very much enthused as she looked over the map, marking down a couple of positions she deemed noteworthy.
“The next stage will have us arrive at Samiraie. It’s a lovely town, from what I remember. Great architecture, a great coastal view, and for those of us that can drink, great taverns!” Charlotte pointed out with glee. Upon the hearing of the word ‘tavern’, a couple of pairs of eyes instantly lit up and two tall-headed figures instantly turned their heads nearly in sync towards Charlotte.
“Taverns?” The two men said in near perfect unison upon this. A menacing aura seemed to surround them, and they stared back at one another, and with a nod, seemed to shift towards a high gear as they speedily began to pack things up.
“Those two seem, excited…” Emily sighed as she continued to write, and when she had finished along with Charlotte, they organized their papers back up. Before the girls could start packing the table up, however, the two men swept the table up before they could even lay a finger on it. Left with no choice, they hopped right back into the car and simply waited, with Charlotte in the passenger’s seat this time, to read the notes out instead of Emily.
“Hey Charlotte, what kinda drinks you think they got in those taverns?” Romulo enthusiastically hopped into the driver’s seat. This enthusiasm of his for alcohol was quickly met with a disgruntled retort from Charlotte as she buckled up her seatbelt. “Why would you expect me to know? I’m underage!” She crossed her arms. Romulo scratched the back of his head a bit before turning his head around.
“Well, you do have a point there,” He looked back at Watson. “It’s going to be a treasure hunt!” The men grinned at each other. To the slight dismay of the girls as they dealt with the two alcohol enjoyers as they began pondering about the exotic winery and drinks they could encounter in this world.
Before long, their excitement would be satiated as the bell finally rang out in Raiegarde, and once again the flurry of vehicles would kick their dust up and rush out of the campsite and onto yet another set of precipitous roads that lay ahead of them. Upon heading down to the road, the crew were greeted with delight as instead of the usual roughness of a gravel or mud stage, ahead of them lay a well-maintained and fairly smooth road. It wasn’t asphalt, but it was more than enough for them to relax a little bit and treat this as more of a casual and scenic drive.
Scenic indeed it was, the environment around them reminded Romulo of his hometown, and Watson of the Italian countryside. With lush tropical flora casually strolling along, and small old style buildings along the sides of each road tended to by the basic carriages of the local townsfolk. Here, on these smooth patches of road, Romulo was really able to wring out the Yamada’s engine for the first time in a while, letting the four cylinder rev out to near its redline as the thousands of small detonations within the vehicle’s heart of steel burst into its thrusts of power. The vehicle felt as though it were an airplane, the air around dancing off of the vehicle’s streamlined bodypanels, and with the engine idling near its top speed, everything felt like a bliss in the moment as a dull red flash zipped across the smooth roads. The small engine turned along happily, with no audible faults coming in as it idled around the rev range through the long winding bends lined with the trees that sway in the soft sea-kissed breeze where the grey topcoat of the sky softened up the light.
Sooner or later, the coast would come into view, and their awe-filled stares were simply delighted with the sights of the waves crashing into the saturated tan of the rocks that lay on the shores. The roads with their twists providing multiple views for their eyes to feast on the candy that they viewed.
Too much viewing it seemed for Romulo, however. As without him looking, the vehicle seemed to veer suddenly towards the right, and fortunately for them he had managed to pull the car back straight and avoid falling into a ditch off to the side of the road, but now the steering began to heave and a sudden joly from the front right half of the vehicle shook the steering wheel as it communicated the road, where after an odd flopping noise and the scraping of metal shrieked their ears as the Yamada was forced to come to a stop between two corners. The engine was stopped, and Romulo came out of the car to find once again, the accursed front right tyre of the vehicle had malfunctioned. “Putang ina!” He cursed out loud as he scratched the top of his head.
“What’s the diagnosis?” Charlotte poked her head out of the window. Romulo took a closer look, the tyre was intact, and so was the wheel. Yet somehow, the tyre had fallen right off the edge of the rim, and Romulo only continued to curse indecipherable words in his native language’s dialect as he walked past Charlotte and towards the rear of the vehicle. “That can’t be good.” She commented as she popped her head back into the car, turning her head around the cabin. Watson, like Romulo, seemed just as agitated, and the blonde man unbuckled his seatbelt to assist him, before getting out of the car and onto the area around them.
“Right, what should I do help?” He asked as he approached Romulo. The darker man pulled out the jack stands, and other apparatus and tossed them towards Watson, and with a nod, the two got to work as they lifted the red SUV up from the ground, and one by one they cranked away the nuts that held the front-right problem child of a tyre off of its hub, and slowly they took the wheel and its loose rubber off of the vehicle. Once off, Watson got the air compressor and gave the other end to Charlotte for her to plug into the car’s power system, which after she restarted the engine, sprung right into life ready to be used for reinflating the tyre once it had been refitted onto the car.
After a few quick sprays in between the tyre and the rim from the can of lubricant in the back of the vehicle, Romulo borrowed one of Watson’s matchsticks and lit the tyre up from the trail of lubricant, and a burst of flame quickly came from the wheel, promptly coating it in a small fireball that quickly went away as the tyre popped itself back onto the rim, with some residual flames here and there which they quickly patted down. An impressed Charlotte tossed Romulo the air compressor hose, and he quickly reinflated the tyre back up and the wheel was placed back onto the car allowing for the team to finally set off.
The rest of the drive ended up being scenic as they were forced to go slower to prevent another accident. Romulo was slightly disappointed with the clouds ruining what would’ve made for the perfect sun-kissed coast, but he didn’t complain as he kept his eyes on the road ahead, and before long, a large set of walls not unlike the famous walled city in his home country slowly approached the view ahead of them, and they were greeted with large gates as they slowly entered the town. “We’re in Samiraie now. Lovely city, isn’t it? The beach here’s great too! We should definitely go for a swim, even with the overcast.”
Romulo slowed the car down a bit to look around. They might’ve been in a rally, but every once in a while, a good drink wouldn’t hurt. The CB radio spoke up, with an announcement about a local inn and tavern taking in the rally’s participants under its roof, with free drinks and free meals. “Don’t worry about that for now, let’s get to the campsite first!” Charlotte exclaimed as she quickly muted the radio. With a sigh from Romulo, he continued driving for just a bit more, and finally ended up in the campsite just outside the city’s large walls.
Watson looked around for a moment. “We were invited to the inn, were we not? Can’t we park nearby?” He asked. But Charlotte seemed busy, and for whatever reason it may be, Emily had managed to sense something and leaned in closer towards the feline in the seat in front of her. The two scanned the map, pinpointing their exact location in the campsite, and the other location that they have encircled. “Before that, though, I think we should look around a bit. I don’t think the locals would really mind us going around too much. We’ve also just gotten back from a long drive, wouldn’t alcohol be bad?” Charlotte pondered for a bit, her face in a certain pensiveness as she looked back towards the gate.
Emily looked out the window. “The coast did seem nice. It’d be a waste to simply spend the entire day just drinking indoors. Besides, we have rings that allow our speeches, and the words of the people of this world to be translated into comprehensible language for all of us. Shall we not go?” She smiled at all of them, with Charlotte and Ga’araiya nodding in support. With three of the team wanting to go out for a bit, the boys couldn’t do anything but concede. “Guess we’ll be going then. A bit of a cruise on the shore, then we’ll go and inquire whether or not we can park in the town. I think it’s a nice change of pace from sleeping in tents or rotting log cabins.” Romulo affirmed.
“Just don’t expect it to be like a Vegas hotel or anything.” Charlotte sniggered as she reoriented the map and looked all around her. She was quickly able to discern the landmarks and with that, they started up the red crossover yet again, and onwards did they go for a small tour of the town in their mysteriously advanced horseless carriage, the loud rumbling of the small little four cylinder humming its way along as it cruised humbly to the awe of the townsfolk all around them. The town was much larger than the other ones they’ve driven through, and felt more closer to home for the rest of them as they observed the more modern architecture that sat perched onto the streets. Buildings of many shapes and sizes, arcs of great proportions, and towering bell towers all laid across a neatly planned cityscape, one that Watson thought would’ve possibly made for a great starting point for an industrial workhorse.
Emily felt right at home comparing the town to her own Mediterranean hometown, everything from the reddish-tan roofs, the arches and kitsch ornaments on the window sills of some of the buildings, and even the townsfolk that went hither and thither from their busy workstations as they all stared at the mysterious object that drove through their town with its unusual curved shapes and mystery-filled aura. At times, they felt out of place, like some mystical hero that descended from the mountaintops to greet the people they were about to save, but since Charlotte insisted it was fine, they tried suppressing these thoughts and simply continued onwards as they took turns through the city’s decently tight streets under Charlotte’s directions.
Eventually, a corridor opened up and they found the sea begin to greet them once more. Under the cloudy skies, it didn’t glimmer as much as Romulo had wanted to, but it was still a very pretty sight with the occasional glimpses of blue that would appear from within the grey cover of the sky. “Now that’s quite a sight.” He commented.
It wouldn’t be long before finally, nearby the walls that guarded the city from the sea, a building stood out from the rest. Simplistic in design, with slightly tanned walls and elegantly designed arches that curved around the windows that lifted the tiered and red tinted tiles of roofing that lines the upper and lower sections of the building. A large sign that vaguely looked like that of a tavern or inn stood ahead of the inviting entrance, and all scattered all around were tables and chairs with happy looking folks that conversed with one another with glee, drink in hand or not.
“That’s the tavern, by the way! Queen’s Rest Inn and Tavern, the sign reads.” Charlotte pointed out. Romulo slowed the car down a bit, crawling along to near walking speed as he looked around for a potential parking area, to which Charlotte was quick to speak up. “You won’t be finding a lot of good parking spots around here. The people here are curious, and even more so if you park it right in the middle of the city.” She said as she looked out the windshield, where a large arched gate was not too far away, and gave not only a direct line of sight to the sea from the tavern, but also a way to get towards a nice beachfront where plans were already being drawn out in Charlotte’s mind.
“So where do we park it then?” Romulo slowly eased onto the brakes as the car came to a stop nearby the restaurant, just off the side of the road. As the dusty red SUV came to a halt, townsfolk from all around couldn’t help but stare at the unfamiliar machine, some even getting up close and inspecting it from top to bottom. Unsurprising, as such a machine likely wouldn’t exist in their timeline for another hundred years. Charlotte rolled the window down to stick her head out and peer over into the distance where she could clearly see the beach front. The eyes of the people around them grew slightly wide as they observed a black-pelted cat appear from within the unfamiliar vehicle.
Whispers came from some of the people, something about royalty or another one alike. But she simply ignored them and stuck her head back into the car, rolling the window up and pointing towards the gate. “You can park it towards the beach, maybe even hide it up with some bushes.”
“Won’t it get taken away by the tides or anything?” Romulo inquired as he looked at the bright blue seas. The waters were pretty clear, and the slight breeze made for some relatively fine waves, but still he felt unsure about leaving it there. Charlotte was quick to reassure him, however.
“I’d imagine it’s high-tide right now, so that’s about where the water level would be.”
“If you say so, I guess. You’re the local here, after all.” He shrugged. But before he moved the vehicle, he glanced over towards the tavern, and back towards the gates, and it felt as though a lightbulb began to flash atop his head. A cheeky grin grew on his face, and he looked over towards Charlotte with a certain smugness that made her slightly uncomfortable. Watson noticed this, but it seemed the two had began to connect, and the same cheeky look flashed on his face too. “Is there something wrong…?” Charlotte asked.
“You three wanted to go to the beach, didn’t you?” He asked, and both girls responded with a slightly anxious nod before he continued. “Say, since you’re all going, and me and Watson are… y’know… Why not take the car with you? I’m pretty sure one of you can drive, right? It’d be bad if we drank too much and we try picking you up whilst not in the best of spirits. Plus, you can use the car and it’s amenities as a small beach shack!” He said his proposal. Watson nodded at him with agreement, but both girls simply looked at him with a dismaying look in their eyes.
“Well, as long as you check in a room for us at the in, we can do that.” Charlotte sighed.
“So which one of you will be driving?” Romulo asked as he rolled the windows down slightly. Charlotte immediately shook her head, and a sudden anxiety was sent down his spine. Thankfully however, Emily raised her hand, much to his relief. “I had been taught by my uncle to drive his truck whenever we needed to move things around at his workshop. I’d be willing to take the wheel, if it doesn’t bother you.”
“Well, that’s settled then. I’ve heard everything’s on the house, so that’ll be fine.” Romulo looked towards Watson. “Hope you don’t mind doing the talking for me.”
With that, they emerged from within the vehicle, and Emily moved into the driver’s seat. Romulo knocked on the window for her to roll it down, and after a bit of fiddling, she found the switch and the window slowly whirred its way downwards. “Yes?” She asked.
“You know what to do, don’t you? You know where the parking brake is, how to turn it off, whatever?” He leaned over the window. “Yes, I’ve been quite observant of everything in this car. I believe I’m qualified enough to do so.” She nodded at him with a smile, and he smiled back at her. “That’s good. I guess we’ll see you later at sundown? The car can be left at the shore, right?” He asked Charlotte before he sent them off, and she simply nodded. With a thumbs up, he sent them off, and the Yamada moved its way towards the gate, still having eyes peer at the unusual carriage with seemingly mysterious forms of propulsion as it sped away towards the gate.
Romulo and Watson on the other hand, began to be greeted by the people around, which they greeted back with smiles and affirmatives as they walked into the tavern, preparing too cool themselves off after yet another tough day of rallying.
…
