Gold and dragon feathers

Seagull landing

When the train finally pulls into its final stop all Tubbo can feel is relief. He's not sure he'll ever get used to the constant rumble of trains beneath his feet, or the feeling of watching the world go by. Even the couple of flying breaks they take with the dragons seems unable to make him forget that he's constantly moving farther and farther from all things familiar to him.

He peels himself off of his seat as the hiss of the breaks make the other people in the cart start to come back to life. He stretches with a yawn, his entire body protesting against the desperately needed movement.

He bleats under his breath as his legs decide they absolutely must feel weak as hell for a second. He hears the sound of heavy doors sliding open in the cart in front of him and the view of Crowza's figure disappearing from above the cart walls assures him that he was right about this being their stop.

" you guys all have your stuff?"

Phil's voice chirps from besides him and Tubbo reaches down for his bag, shaking his head to rid himself of the lingering exhaustion he's quickly come to associate with travel.

" Yep"

"All good"

"Got it"

The chorus of acknowledgment seems to suit Phil just fine as he just turns to grab his own and Tubbo turns his attention to the twins and then (after determining that they're not doing anything worth looking at) the door that is being slowly pulled away.

The air it lets in smells different to anything Tubbo's seen before. It is salty and fresh, seeming all too excited to take the place of the stale air that had filled the car.

His ears perk up as he hears a soothing sound from behind him and the call of birds.

The ocean.

He's first to leave the car, eager to see his new surroundings. He hops from the edge of the cart with a bit of a hop, only to be disappointed when buildings rudely block the way.

He huffs as he reaches his dragon, who copies the sentiment in slight amusement. After everything that books (and more so the sbi) said about the beach he had been hoping that he wouldn't have to wait to see it after they actually got into town.

It's like Phil reads his mind as the crow hybrid immediately tells the group of the plan.

First, check in. Something that takes very little time and (other than the way this rental dwarfs the other in every way) is unremarkable.

Then they get some soup ( that they eat from bowls made from bread) from a nearby restaurant.

All well avoiding the prying eyes and whispering crowds that follow them.

And then,  finally, they'll fly over a secluded section of the beach and hang out until they can watch the sunset.

He eagerly climbs onto Mellohi's back, free from the weight of their bag and with a warmth settled in his stomach. The dragon's feathers glisten pleasantly in the sunlight in a way they never used to and the murmurs of the other residents of the city make him feel surprisingly  comfortable in the unfamiliar setting.

Mellohi takes off with particular ease and Tubbo gasps (much to Wilbur's amusement for some reason).

The ocean glitters in the sunlight, stretching on for farther than Tubbo could ever have imagined.

Techno was right, it was something you needed to see in person.

"You think that's pretty? Just wait until you see it at sunset!"

Wilbur shoots him a grin that he finds himself returning.

" Yeah?"

"Mhm, I still can't believe you've never seen it before!"

"How would I have seen it, I never left Snowchester?!"

"Exactly!"

At that, Friend shoots ahead the rest of the group, activating the competitive bones in the other riders' (and dragon's) bodies with a laugh.

Mellohi spins in the air before pulling into an upwards climb, Tubbo tasting laughter on his tongue, especially as the other two riders join in. The dragons ( or at least Mellohi) seem eager to stretch after so long cramped in little boxes as trills fill the air.

The goat hybrid imagines the people below them's excited faces and awestruck eyes, knowing he would have done the same. It's yet another surreal reminder of just how much his life has changed.

The wind rushes past him and as they land on sand warmed by the sun, he thinks that if Ranboo and Tommy were there this would be the perfect moment.

He learns quickly about the icy cold of the water underfoot, and the way sand clings to your hair.

Mellohi gives the water a displeased glare, feathers puffing up in discomfort as the salty sand of the water makes itself at home in his feathers.

It's nice to stretch their legs.

It's nice to feel casual.

He has to take Tommy and Ranboo to the beach someday.

( is this one kind of filler and super short? Yeah but whatever. I enjoyed writing this one as flawed as it is and I'm so excited for what's probably  only a few chapters away now and the pacing was wack without it  )