Travelers (IC)

Thray hadn’t known transportation by ground was so… bumpy. Wheels, he decided, were not for moving people from place to place. Never again would he underappreciate the smoothness of his ship as it sailed through the stars. He had a crick in his neck as he exited the bus, and his sword had been painfully jammed into his side for basically the whole ride. Uncomfortable was an understatement. He already disliked being crammed in any small amount of space with people; they talked too much, or just made too much noise. Mmph. Well at least it was over.

Thray surveyed the forest with interest as he stretched luxuriously, the feeling coming back into his limbs making him wince. He smoothed his clothes and straightened his cloak, double-checking to make sure no one had pinched anything from them while they’d been traveling. Everything in order, he sighed and took a closer look at the trees. Forests were pleasant—he had always liked trees and scenery.

…Stars, Wyvlen would’ve liked this. Thray frowned. He missed her so much. He could picture it now. There she was, her white fur catching what little sunlight peeked through the canopy. She’d smile, maybe laugh, her tail flicking. Then she’d be running. Either through the leaves or climbing up one of the broad trees. She’d grin at him from above and maybe growl a little, pretending to be some fearsome forest-going beast. He’d laugh and climb up after her, but only if the branch was thick enough. She was a lot lighter than he, after all. Maybe once they were both in the tree they’d climb higher, find a nice place to sit and watch the forest below. Maybe they’d find a good vantage point above the canopy and watch the sunset. She’d come sit in his lap and he’d wrap his arms around her. Then they would kiss.

The daydream dissipated and Thray was left with reality: dog-sitting with the galaxy’s most unusual band of misfits and weirdos.

…But at least they were off the bus. Thinking to distract himself, he paid closer attention to the complaining of the other creatures, noting with some sympathy that he had not been the only one too tall to sit comfortably in the bus. Approaching Konrad and the others surrounding him, Thray sought to at least get the group going faster.

“So… where is the portal?” he inquired, addressing mostly Konrad, but he left the question open to anyone that might know.

Callisto had discovered the ride to be somewhat bearable - if she were able to shut out the horrible racket surrounding her at any given moment. While the wight was always eager for allies, this was a little too much intimacy.

Yet in spite of her introversion and travel-inspired nausea (in spite of not having a stomach), the ride was over fairly quickly. The ensuing chaos of every passenger trying to leave the vehicle as quickly as possible was, suffice to say... unpleasant. At some point, she was pressed up against the tree-mammal - Thukr? - and quickly removed herself in fear of the thing's sheer uncleanliness, knocking into other passengers as she did and causing a brief jam of the flow of people out of the van.

But, finally, it ended. Slumping forward, arms hanging uselessly at her sides, she stumbled several paces away from the action and tripped over her own foot, faceplanting into the soft grass below. She was not exactly quick to scramble to her feet, seeming to actually appreciate the feel of dirt against her visor, at least when compared to the crowded vehicle she had just escaped from.

It was only after several seconds that Callisto bothered to stand up and right herself. While many Travelers found solace in this change in scenery, and while some even reminisced and fantasized of times gone, Callisto felt only the tiniest spark of recollection at the scene before her. A single beam of sunlight illuminating the otherwise darkened road before her. A voice - no, several - that she did not understand. The gentlest breeze brushing against her skin. Skin? But the spark burnt out, and after only a second of reminiscence, so too did Callisto's interest.

It must not have been a very important memory if she would forget it so soon, Callisto reasoned.