Land of the Dunes

7: Our Roadtrip Begins!

In the dawn of day, in the city where the sun never rises above the Hamberck remains, a warm light shines light upon the palace in the middle of the city. Each intrinsic detail of the carefully crafted building is shown with the added depth of the shadows. Amongst the many balconies in the large building, one of them reveals a hallway where two people stand.

In that very hallway, one of them is looking at a board hung on a wall. Her finger points from location to location, trying to calculate distances. The other person, on the other hand, is trying to pack up her belongings. She looks at the other girl with a lifted eyebrow, trying to deduce what she is even trying to do.

"We already have a roadmap on our phones. Why even bother looking at some decorative map on a wall?" she reminds her with a scoff.

The blonde girl didn't respond for a bit though, at least not until she was satisfied with what she had in mind. "I'm just really excited." Her words, followed by a soft warm smile, shoot through the black-haired girl's heart. "I have so much planned on what we're going to do."

"B-But you're not even gonna travel with us, right? You specifically told them you want to go by yourself." She quickly focuses back on her task, but not without showing a little frown, ruminating on that fact.

"Aw... I'm really sorry I couldn't go with you guys..." Her smile turns bittersweet. She still tries to cheer her up though, and the girl quickly faces away to hide her expression, her hand waving in a shooing gesture.

"It—It's no big deal, really!"

"Aika! Can I have you over here?"

"Oh—? In a bit!"

A door opens, and someone calls out to the blonde girl; some may even call the superstar.

"You should go then, Aika." She faces back at her luggage, recognizing that this is the end of their small talk.

She glances back with one last smile, before reaching out for the knob and twisting it. "Catch you later!" With the sounds of clicking following it, she is left alone to bear the mesmerizing sunrise that overlooks the corridor.

In older days, the view was only visible for a minuscule portion of the day. But for the girl, and every citizen living near the bustling city of Balburne, it has become a norm, not an exception. Even for travelers looking to escape the repetitive urban environment, they'll find that it will be a long while before they discover a new shade of orange.

"I'll miss these hills of sand."

"I certainly won't."

Caught in the morning glow, Kisakyu and Raya stand idly, chatting as they wait for Montri to get things straight with whatever he's doing with his phone. They notice this and silently observe him, fully knowing he's doing something completely unnecessary.

"I bet he's counting money right now." Raya tugs Kisakyu with his elbow.

"Does anyone want to take a taxi to Mal'akh? It'll cost us more so I hope no one does." They snicker behind him as he proves it himself. "Hey! I was asking."

He gallops past him and turns around to tell him, "We can think about that later, Montri! It's not like we're on a tight budget."

"Every penny is worth—"

"You'll fall behind us if you sit here counting."

Kisakyu runs past him to catch up with Raya, playing on the joke and quickly leaving him behind.

"Ugh, you two have to be babysat!"

He forcibly starts to drag his feet through the rough sand as the grains whisper in rustles amongst the far expanse of the desert outside of the walls in Balburne. The noise carries over until they arrive back at Rointger Outpost, where their first point of interest is.