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Twenty minutes of nothing but rumbling across long rattling tracks… that's apparently how long Amanda could go cold turkey with my absence, and yes, I was keeping track - pun definitely intended.

Honestly, I was sure it'd take at least an hour before I felt my jeans buzzing again, but nevertheless, her first, <<I miss you~>> and a selfie of her blowing a kiss still succeeded in planting a huge smirk across my face. 

Something Sammy took a keen interest in right away, as she came bashing shoulder-to-shoulder at my left, practicing mushing her eyes all over my phone. 

"My girlfriend, not yours," I said, pulling the sheen from out her eyes as I swiftly pocketed it away from sight. "Go find your own love story if you're really that interested."

She gave a bratty spout, scooting back to her seat. "Says the guy with the seven billion girlfriends… how's my love story ever supposed to match up with yours?"

I took in my surroundings for a moment. Does she really want to match this? Does she not realize where this love story had thrown me into here? On a homecoming escapade on a train and in a compartment, accompanied by a knightly Elf and a very sleepy Vampire in order to seek aid for an innocent man blighted by a fragment of a wicked Magus from the supposed ender of worlds - our kind and loving mother herself?

What a romantic comedy, indeed. But I suppose it does have its upsides… always a silver lining.

So far, as far back as this whole entire mythical fiasco started in that fated alley, our misadventures have been entirely comprised within city limits, and as such, I never had the opportunity to show Ash what life was truly like in the modern world beyond the concrete and steel of the city. 

And from the reactions that she was showing me now… I was mentally kicking myself for not having done this sooner.

A shimmer of wonder streaked along with her glances, she just couldn't sit still without also suddenly finding new to rouse her fascination every time she dared to even blink, and a bright sunny day provided her with a landscape that I supposed hits too close to home.

No buildings, no roads, no cars, just endless plains, mountainous peaks, and a clear afternoon sky.

It was almost perfect… almost…

"Eshwlyn," A low voice spoke, and instantly the wriggling of her ears came to a halt. "Eshwlyn…" He said again.

"Third time now," I whispered, glaring at the slumped and still figure I kept close to my right. "You go for a fourth and I - "

"Eshwlyn."

This time, Ash heard him, and just like that - the magic, the immersion was broken. She turned forward to us, the harshness of her gaze infinitely eclipsing mine, as she said stiffly, "What is it?"

Harry's smile grew wider - he got her attention, he was delighted - but what he did with that attention, well…

"Nothing," He said, his usual empty stare somehow stirring with emotion. "I just love saving your name, that's all."

Then promptly right after, he was at it again - fifth time now, "Eshwlyn."

"Ignore him, Ash," I said, reaching a hand gently on her lap. "Like really, pretend he's not even here with us. Try to, alright? Just enjoy the ride. It's a pretty good view out there, ain't it?"

My hand only briefly made contact, before she suddenly leaned her legs the other way. 

"Mmm, yes, It is indeed a mesmerizing one, Master," Ash said, flashing a smile before quickly burying her face onto the window. "That I cannot deny."

Couldn't very well see her anymore, but that's what reflections are for, right? And from how fast that smile faded from hers…

Right, what's really going on with her here? Still skittish, still twitchy… not cold, not distant, just… weird, I guess.

I'd love to ask, I'm pretty much dying to know at this point, but… what, address this here and now? Within earshot of Harry, or much worse, Sammy?

Yeah, no thanks.

Thank God I never have to worry much about Adalia. Any problems, and she'd just sleep it away, like she was now.

"Eshwlyn."

Okay, now he's starting to really rile me up here.

"Oh, would you just shut up already?!" was my sentiments exactly, but Sammy instead had beaten me to the punch. "If I have to listen to this psycho for the whole journey, I'm just gonna teleport, I swear."

I made sure to give Harry my meanest, nastiest warning glare before I went to address the irate Sammy.

"You still could, y'know?"

"No," She said at once, resuming her listless stare out the window. "Like I'm leaving you without a chaperone."

"I think I'm already plenty supervised actually…" I said, briefly catching Ash's eye straying towards me. "You never liked trains anyway, right?"

"Fine, let me translate that for you," She snapped, the expression on reflection more vexed than ever. "I'm scared for you, alright? I admit it, guilty as charged! Now, can you allow me to worry in peace?"

"Alright," I said, sensing danger and backing off right away. "Just saying, it's a six-hour ride…"

"I'll live," Sammy shifted about, wrapping her arms around herself, leaning heavy into her seat. "So long as you do..."

The hell...

"What, you think I'm gonna die somehow?"

She didn't answer my question, which pretty much gave me my answer anyway. 

Right away, I wanted to tell her that that's just being ridiculous, just plain ol' paranoia blowing things out of proportion, but ultimately, I decided against it.

In a way, she was right to think that. Things like these, it was all new to her - new and scary… a soul parasite is scary, but I guess I just got too accustomed to the fear to even see the horror in it in the first place.

"Hey…" Harry started again.

I whirled around to him, breaking point at a boiling point. "Okay, I'm pulling out the vial, I've had enough. You can't shut up, so - "

"I need to pee."

Oh… alright. Okay, now I'm seeing the horror, alright.

I let out a sigh, "I don't suppose you know how to…?"

"The detective taught me how," He replied stoically. "But I don't know where the toilet is here, so - "

"Yeah, no, I'm coming with you," I said, rising at once to my feet. "I'm not the only one who needs a chaperone here."

Ash, eavesdropping, began to scramble, "I shall accompany you, Master."

And Sammy, turning away from the window repeated the action, "Then in that case, I'll - "

"No," I said, to both of them. "It's the bathroom, not hell, I can handle this myself."

Ash wasn't readily convinced. "But what if it could be a - ?"

"Trick?" I gave Harry a leer. "Is this a trick?"

"I do not know how to trick," He said, perhaps a bit too honest to be true. "Do people lie about needing to pee? Why would they do that?"

"Beats me," I said, before turning back to address the two. "We'll be back in a minute, maybe two, I don't know, depending on how well Irene taught him. Just… you two just relax, alright?"

Sammy pursed her lips, sharing a brief look with Ash.

"Three minutes," She said, plummeting back down. "Then I'm barging in there, finished or not."

"As will I," Ash proclaimed valiantly, somehow turning voyeurism into something heroic.

I just nodded along to the pair of peeping Toms' demands, sliding the compartment door open then close, leaving the pair inside surely still squirming about in worry. Maybe they should take a page from Adalia's book cause at this rate, I don't think I can even breathe without them thinking I'd choke on literal air… not that I can blame them for it, knowing my track record so far.

Still, it's just a restroom break. What's the worst that could happen?

Yes, I know I jinxed it, shut up.