A Routine "Break" 1

It was in the midst of July, and the sun's hot rays were hitting Arcadion's surface like a truck. Everyone was experiencing the suffering heatwave in a train station, sitting on its passenger waiting seats that were covered by its wing-like awning.

Each of the currently five individuals was dripping sweat on their foreheads while waiting in silence. Suddenly, Rosa slid through her chair like a slug trying to move.

"How long till he comes, Zaaaaaaan. You told us he wouldn't be late and we have already missed one train to Istfal."

Zan, seemingly too tired to answer, let out a sleepish voice.

"I think he will be here any time soon. Please be patient, I know it's getting hot in here. Believe me, I too want to get away as soon as possible."

"S-shall I pour water into our faces again?"

"That's not enough. Sherice, use your Aquamarine [water manipulation] to make it rain."

"Y-you know I can't do that Auriel!"

Immediately after Sherice's words, a girl with long light orange hair with a little dose of white on its tip rose from her seat and put her two closed palms on the corresponding side of her body.

"Come on everybody! That's the fierce sun's objective, to turn us on each other! So, let's be more patient till Shegnor reaches us 🎶", she said while turning her fist toward the sky like getting ready to fight the sun.

Everyone sighed exaggeratedly at the woman's words, and then Auriel summoned the power to speak like representing the rest four.

"Displeasure. How can you still be so energetic Chie?"

"If I am not, then who will be able to lift your spirits when they are drained? 🎶"

"Hooooooy, everyone!"

The four that were sitting blinked at the voice coming from far away on the platform and immediately stood up to look in the sound's direction to recognize the figure that was casting it.

"Shegnor!" they shouted in perfect harmony like being in an orchestra.

"Seeee? Here he is."

"I'm sorry I am late you guys, they kept me in the lab more than I thought."

Zan took a step forward and put his arm on Shegnor's shoulder.

"It's ok, we knew you had work to do before we left for our little vacation. It was kinda harsh but still worth it for all of us to be there together."

"I've told you you could leave without me and I would catch up to you later…"

"And I told you that knowing you, you would come even later if it weren't for us waiting for you."

"So, this overall 'we will wait for you was a blackmail-type of thing?!"

"Relief. As it seems, you came just in time Shegnor. I can see the train coming closer to us."

"Wuuuuhu, let's go! I can't wait to pour my whole body into the sea. If you didn't come in time for the second one, I swear I would get on the train even if I was by myself."

The train stopped in front of everyone, and a loud sound came from its sliding doors opening while steam was exerted from the power it needed for them to open.

"The second one!? Now, I feel worse for making you wait that long."

"It's ok. We would make Sherice change the weather."

"L-like I told you I cannot do that, Auriel!"

"Oh come on, don't bully our little Sherryy 🎶"

"Am I supposed to feel that you backed me up here, Chie?"

Their loud, now full of energy voices echoed on the platform as the whole group entered through the entrance the train's opened doors had made.

After a 2-hour trip, everyone had made it to Istfal's train station in the southern part of the town. They knew from Zan's father that there was an inn very close to the beach, so they had decided to go there to book their rooms.

"Are we far from the what-you-call-it place? I am starving.", Rosa exaggeratedly said while throwing her arms down and dragging her legs through the floor.

"We have completed the most difficult part of the trip. Now it's only a matter of a few minutes to find the inn we are staying in. I think we can take a horse from there to reach it faster if you like." Zan answered Rosa, pointing his finger toward a tiny stable with several different colored horses lurking on its exterior.

"W-what's the name of the inn we are going to stay in again? We can ask the stable manager for more specific directions to get there faster…."

"Balar inn. And since it's the first time we are all here, I believe it's safer to proceed as Sherice said. Shegnor, did you bring the map we asked you for?"

"Of course, Auriel! Although Zan's dad gave us clear instructions, it's better to have a pinpoint in a map and simultaneously follow it with our own eyes."

"This way we can escape from Rosa's complaints faster too 🎶"

At her words, Rosa turned around to look at Chie with a fierce look on her face, only to notice Chie giggling with her hand on her mouth as if trying to cover her laugh.

"What did you say!?"

"I know you love picking on her while she has entered her tsun-mood, but let's focus on getting to the inn for now… Hey, mister! Can I ask you a question?" Zan barged into their little talk before Rosa said more but immediately ran toward the man with the uniform as if leaving a bomb behind and tried to take cover.

"That's right, we need…Wait, no! What do you mean tsun-mood?" Rosa said while extending her open palm like trying to reach Zan, who was out of reach.

Chie then came next to Rosa, and after searching her bag's side pocket, she put something right in front of Rosa's face.

"It's something we came up to describe your mental state when you get tired, here have a soko bar."

“I am not an animal Chie! Though it helps a little." Rosa at first snapped at her but then lowered her voice while she gobbled down the chocolate bar.

Auriel watching them from several meters apart, started smiling at their sight.

"Hilarious. It's always funny to see them go like that."

"Chie seems to like teasing Rosa a lot, isn't she?"

"She isn't the only victim of her ferocious acting…", Shegnor has commented on Sherice's words with a face like he has seen a ghost.

"Yeah, now that you say that…", Sherice imitated Shegnor's expression while staring blankly at the horizon.

"Hey, guys! I marked the map so we can move on! The man told me it should be a 15-minute with horse so I've…"

Zan immediately stopped his words at Shegnor's and Sherice's sight.

"What's up with them?"

"Fear is the best description I got in my palette."

"Fear?"

Then, Auriel and Zan felt like a menacing shadow approached them from behind as it grabbed their shoulders and brought them closer together with it.

"What's wrong with you all? I silenced Rosa, for now, so we have some spare minutes before she goes at it again so let's keep moving 🎶"

"Now I get what you meant Auriel…"

The gulping sound of Auriel's saliva going down her throat could be heard at Zan's words.

"Wait, aren't you troubled with Chie's wording there!?", Rosa shouted in the direction of everyone that was walking toward the horses.

Everyone hopped over a horse in pairs, and after they made Sherice join Chie's black horse, the rest of them except Chie put their hands together in a prayer-like manner as if trying to offer an apology to her and galloped down the wide road.

This is a side story featuring the main cast from my work-in-progress novel, "In The Ashes of Forgiveness", originally published on Medium.

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