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[color=tomato]"Do I have to turn this van around?"[/color]

[color=888888]— Mika Fang[/color][/center]

[@Ponn][@Majoraa]

Mika’s grip on the steering wheel got tighter as Ashley and Finn continued to spar words with one another. Mika wasn’t rooting for one or the other, only that they could decide on a course of action. But it was clear this was not something that was going to get settled right now, as both Ashley and Finn were more interested in their current social dynamic. Mika considered this [i]far[/i] less important that discovering who the mole was before they sabotaged a second time. They got Angelie killed, and while Finn kind of did in Dante, things were only hard because someone sent him everything they could on Timekeeper. Someone else was going to die if they didn’t stop them. Well, die sooner, at least. Mika wasn’t so stupid as to think any of them were going to get out of this alive. What was being an esper but rolling the dice and hope you get a high roll? 

But if they couldn’t cooperate in a low-stress environment like Su’s van, then maybe this had to be dealt with first. 

The rear view mirror let mika look directly into Finn’s eyes. She could look at Ashley easily enough just by glancing into the passenger seat. She knew she wasn’t a smart girl, but she knew what the doctor would want her to do in this situation. 

The road was empty. Anyone with a car was out of Pax Septimus or hunkering down in a garage somewhere. Only an esper or a deranged storm chaser would be on the road right now. As tense as the air was, Mika resisted the urge to slam on the breaks and instead slowly brought the van to a stop. Then she turned to ashley and rested her elbow on the steering wheel like a trucker might. 

[color=tomato]"Pair-a-dice is waiting for us a few blocks away. Fritzi also said Cereza and Cerise are good healers and will be joining us as well."[/color] She moved her finger between herself and Ashley. [color=tomato]"Then there’s you and me. A full squad is just five espers, right?"[/color]


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[@Vertigo][@The World][@Nakushita]


Trixy laughed, then snorted like a pig. [color=CCBFFF]”’We’re all about having fun here, Sovereign! I’m looking forward to having fun with you too!”[/color]

[color=CCBFFF]”’...Mario?”[/color] Trixy raised an eyebrow, but decided to answer marrie’s questions instead of make sense of her wordplay. [color=CCBFFF]”’Those names are just what GEMINI calls them, which happens to be what the rest of the esper folks have taken to calling them. We don’t know their exact shape, but if it’s anything like ‘highway to hell’ we can probably expect it to be something like a train. So probably a giant snake, an eel, or maybe even a pair of drakes!”[/color] She chuckled when Marrie mentioned how things tend to get convoluted.  [color=CCBFFF]”’Oh they absolutely do! But I wouldn’t worry my pretty little head off about if or when we meet the other ‘train’. How we react to it is going to depend on how we fair with Crazy Train. If we get control of them, or uh, they die before Peace train shows up, then of course we’re going to help them! But if we have our hands full and the church is holding their own, well, a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush, right?”[/color] She rubbed her chin.  [color=CCBFFF]”’As for anything else… Crazy train seems to be greatly wounded, maybe? It seems to be leaking some black fluid. Could be blood, or maybe oil or diesel. But those were some very good questions! I bet as soon as we get over there, you’ll figure something out right away.”[/color] She waved her hand. [color=CCBFFF]”’Let’s get aboard Boteg!”[/color]

With a leap, Trixy fell in place right behind Himiko, who hadn’t stopped tormenting Boteg with her unusual questions. [color=CCBFFF]”’Boteg is just a little shy. But he’s going to work with you and everyone else so long as you’re with us on this operation! He’s a Maverick now, after all.”[/color] She placed her hands on himiko’s ribs, to better center herself during the flight, of course. [color=CCBFFF]”’Yes, that’s a great observation! I think as soon as we arrive, we’re going to have a better idea of what has to be done!”[/color] 

Once everyone was loaded up, Boteg pushed off the ground. All espers aboard could feel the downforce from the dragon’s mighty jump. Then Boteg spread his wings  and began to coast forwards. One might have been expected to get pelted by rain as they flew, but it seemed as though boteg was inside some rain and wind resistant barrier. The dragon remained dry in flight, and the espers could only feel a gentle breeze as it flew through the air. 

Below them was Pax Septimus, Black tar roads and grey concrete buildings. The rainfall only washed out the colors more. For those who witnessed the diver’s arrival, they might have compared this day to that one. Hopefully things will end better this time.

Boteg peaked over his shoulder to look at his passengers before returning his gaze forward.