Into That Wild Blue Yonder

30. The More Things change

After nearly three weeks of traveling mostly by foot, the trio finally made it back to Joustbergh, feet aching and minds fizzled out. Ulan managed to maintain positivity throughout the journey, but the long road and frustrations of multiple faster methods falling apart left everyone frazzled and exhausted. Even so, Colm and Idara managed to get along well after the night by the fire.

"Finally!" Idara cried out as they trudged through the main gate. Colm felt a wave of relief wash over him. "We spent more time on the road than actually DOING either of the jobs."

"How long were we gone?" Ulan asked.

"Too long," Colm said.

"You must have been missing home."

"I missed the familiarity."

"That's what makes a place home," Idara said. "You really are sentimental, nerd." Colm shook his head and sighed.

"What should we go do first?" Ulan asked.

"You two do whatever you want," Colm said quickly. "I'm going to head home for a bit, then do my own thing."

"Where's home?" Idara asked. Colm cocked an eyebrow. "What?"

"You'll drag me out of bed in my sleep if I tell you," Colm said.

"No, I wouldn't!"

"I feel like you would," Ulan said. Idara pouted at him as he laughed.

"Well, if this is where we're coming back to every time, we need an apartment for ourselves, too," Idara said. "A good-sized place in a nice enough area."

"Not my area, then," Colm said. Idara cocked an eyebrow this time, to which Colm just shrugged.

"Leave it to you to have plenty of money and live somewhere you can barely walk outside."

"Home is where the familiarity is," Colm said with a grin. Idara rolled her eyes.

"Alright, whatever, then," Idara said. "Come on, Ulan, let's start looking."

"Try the Labor District," Colm said. "Decent, upper-middle class."

"Well, thanks," Idara said with a surprised smile.

"Is it close to you?" Ulan asked.

"Pretty far," Colm said with a grin.

"That won't do!" Ulan replied, aghast.

"And now we have a reference," Idara said with an evil smirk. "You can't keep us away, nerd!"

"I can try!" Colm shouted as his compatriots took off.

He stood in the street for a moment, looking around and taking things in as if it was a new city. Same as before, most people didn't look his way, all of them concerned with one thing or another in their own lives. He used to be constantly watching, distrustful of anyone, but now, he didn't feel that same pressure over himself as he once did.

He realized he was just standing in the street like a fool and stepped off to the side to figure out what he would go do. Without Idara and Ulan with him as they had been for weeks, he could finally choose for himself what he was going to do.

"Guess I'll head home," he decided.

Colm looked up and around as he headed home through the streets of his native city. He never noticed how tall all the buildings were before, instead opting to keep his head down and his eyes on the people around him. Stores dotted most ground levels, while he could clearly see services and other businesses on the floors just above. Beyond that, people's apartments dominated the upper floors, with laundry and furniture across almost every balcony.