drear | god, he called for rain

[Naoto quirked an eyebrow at the fact that Rammsteiner apparently 'knew a few places' but she supposed she couldn't complain. It seemed like most of this plan would come together because of him, and she was a bit curious if he'd been planning an escape like this for some time.

It still felt strange, to think about leaving the dome, but it was better than the alternative.]

We could take public transportation. Buy a few tickets going different routes?

[It seemed like silly movie tactics, but Naoto had never planned at running away before.]

Agreed.

[She'd barely touched anything, but she didn't feel hungry. Instead she stood, piling everything neatly on her tray.]

Can you pack everything you have in twenty minutes? We can meet at the exit.

Public is public. We might be recognized. [ it is kind of funny, the lengths they're going to, but if this is what it takes to get some peace and quiet... it'll be worth it. ]

Yeah. I'll get my things, make some calls. We should be gone by tomorrow night.

[ fortunately, they both have more than enough in their accounts to pay for whatever travelling they need to do, now that the world is no longer in danger of being taken over by aliens from another dimension. heine finishes a last bite before putting his tray away, nodding a goodbye, and moving at a quick walk to one of the public communication terminals. he hasn't spoken to some of these people in a long time, but they'll still owe him. ]

[Naoto's packing was done relatively quickly, most of her meager belongings could be fit in a duffel bag. What had taken the longest was writing letters, even if she had tried to keep them brief.

The one to Magato was the easiest. She told him she'd make all of this up to him somehow at a later date, and if he could please deliver the other letters. The ones to her sister and father were more... muddled.

She left them on the desk in the room before letting herself out, heading towards the exit. She had worn the most nondescript clothes she owned in a hope not to attract much attention, but Rammsteiner had a point. No matter what, they might be recognized. They might even be stopped before they left the base.]

Ready?

[Her tone was a bit breathless, only the slight shifting of her weight from foot to foot conveying her nervousness and excitement.]

[ it takes heine a while to place the right calls. one of his contacts, jacob, isn't picking up, but his coworker hui does. heine tells him the bare bones of his plan, just so they know when to expect them. once he's done, he hangs up and goes at a quick trot to his own room to pack.

clothes, a water bottle, and a few personal items that he can't replace easily are all he shoves into a bag before slinging it over his shoulder. the rest are just items he can leave behind. he's a few minutes late to their rendezvous point. ]

Yeah. Let's get out of here—we should take the kitchen exit, there's no one on guard there.

[ to be fair, though, patrols and security have been relaxed since they returned safely from the rift. heine shifts the strap of his bag over his shoulder as he looks fuyumine up and down once to see how she's doing. ]

[Naoto doesn't need to be told twice, already heading towards the exit, her steps easy and unhurried. She can hope that they won't attract attention, but considering most of humanity was actively celebrating the destruction of the rift, it's not a pipe dream exactly.]

There's a bus station not too far from here. We could take a car there and be gone within the hour. Where are we headed?

[The last question perhaps isn't as important, considering they might not make it that far.]

Most people would probably recognize us. [ he glances at naoto. ] Maybe you should put a hat on.

[ look who's talking, though... still, heine moves along with her towards the exit. ]

A friend's place. Still in the city, so we can get to the airport easily. He's not in town right now, so you don't have to worry about him.

[ he hefts the bag up on his shoulder and keeps walking, making a turn to go onto the street with the bus stop on it. ]

When there's time, I'll buy one.

[Maybe two, considering her company. For all the colorful clothes she has been given, she's never been gifted a hat, and clothes haven't exactly been high on her list of articles to buy.

While she can trust Rammsteiner, she still is a bit wary of extending that to someone she hasn't met.]

How do you know him?

They sell them in the airport. Novelty hats. [ maybe he'll buy one for himself, too. ]

I used to work with him.

[ for a loose value of the word "work". it certainly wasn't wholesome manual labor. ]

His place is probably going to be a mess, though.

[She made a noncommittal noise when it came to discussing the hats, already picturing the sort of ridiculous looking hat would be sold at the airport with a matching ridiculous price, sighing slightly.

She quickened her steps the further they got away from the base, nodding slightly at Rammsteiner's answer, deciding it would be a wasted question to ask if the other pilot trusted him.]

It shouldn't matter if we're not staying long.

[ heine nods slightly in agreement, glancing around as they reach the bus stop. there are still plenty of people walking around, but none of them really pay attention to the two with their duffel bags waiting for the bus. a check of the schedule indicates that they'll be waiting for at least ten minutes, which he notifies fuyumine of.

as they're waiting, he glances up at the heavy-looking clouds in the sky, then to the bus shelter. ]

You can sit down. It's going to be a while.

[Ten minutes seems like a life time to wait, especially with Naoto on edge. That's plenty of time for someone to notice they're gone and track them down.

Still, she sits when Rammsteiner suggests it, mostly to try to draw as little attention as possible to them. She scoots over to give him space, before folding her hands onto her lap, serenely.]

How many friends do you have?

[It was an idle question. Naoto didn't know many outside of the domes, and she had to admit she was a bit surprised someone as reticent as Rammsteiner would have bothered.]

[ heine sits down a moment later, keeping a good margin of space between them. he'd rather not stand for that long with his bag, and it's not like he's as uncomfortable with her as he was before.

the question, though, throws him for a loop. ]

I don't know. I don't—count them. [ a pause. ] Do you not have any friends?

[ whether he's joking or not is up for debate. ]

Not many. None that aren't connected to the dome in some way.

[It's an odd thought, but Naoto had never seen it as a priority to make friends. There were people she was fond of, but she couldn't say that she could call them now and ask for help without feeling like she was imposing.]

My focus was elsewhere.

[It wasn't defensive, more like an observation.]

Revenge?

[ it's a question that he voices casually, despite the weight it might carry. heine had a life before joining the dome because he wanted to be apart from it.

not that it came to anything in the end. he became a jaeger pilot in the end, after all. but here he is, trying to run away from it again. ]

[Naoto glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, frowning slightly. He made the question seem flippant, but while he's not one hundred percent correct, he's not wrong either. Well, she supposed she never tried to hide her motivations. Magato would be pleased.]

In a sense.

[Revenge against who though was a more difficult question. Her sister who saw her only as a spare? A father who felt similarly?

She shifted, straightening.]

I followed orders because it made things easy. Be vigilant. Cut down monsters. Seal the breach.

[A pause.]

Yet here we are.

[Following orders was out the window now.]

[ "yet here we are." heine looks at the ground between his feet. when he considers why they're here, as opposed to anywhere else, well... he doesn't have answers either. ]

Was it really that easy? [ he almost moves to look at her, then thinks better of it. he doesn't know, either. ]

Most of the time. Being told what to do and when to do it is fine so long as you don't question or believe in the person giving orders.

[It was a strange realization to come across, that perhaps her life hadn't really been as much hers as she had thought it had been. That making the decision to leave was one of the few she had actually made herself.

It wasn't a topic she wanted to dwell on.]

Why did you never decorate your door?

[It's been bothering her, a bit.]

So if you don't think about the fact that you're not choosing anything for yourself.

[ heine's not here to help her feel better. he's not making himself feel any better either, if that's any comfort. ]

I just didn't. [ he doesn't have the excuse of being too busy, because really, there wasn't that much to be busy with. ] Wasn't important.

I trusted them not to lead me astray.

[She turned to Rammsteiner, glance pointed. He was the one who had all the connections after all, and she was trusting him in the same manner as she had the others. Well, perhaps not as blindly, but with just as much faith.

She leaned back into the bench with his response, thoughtful.]

If we make it, what will be important?

[This is probably going to be a long bus ride, but she's curious. Going from one spartan space to another isn't very appealing.]

[ heine pauses, but after a moment, moves on. ] I'm not... ordering you to follow me.

[ heine goes back to looking at the ground. whatever trust he had in superiors is only there by necessity. or something like that—heine doesn't want to acknowledge any other aspect. ]

Uh... money. Anything you can't replace. [ when heine thinks about it, he can't think of much else. he never did think of anything to put on his door, after all. ] I didn't pack much.

No you're not.

[Her words are agreeable, and she sees no reason to continue. Saying something like she trusts him even without being ordered to is strange even to her own ears. She glances between the two of them and their meager belongings, shoulders sagging at the thought of the shopping that would have to occur. If they managed to get so far, there was transportation, furniture, home necessities...]

It's for the best. Less to carry.

Yeah. [ not that they're not strong enough to theoretically carry more luggage... but for purposes of convenience, one bag each is more than enough. ]

After we get to that guy's place... we'll buy tickets. [ heine sounds a bit like he's talking to himself, with how his gaze is trained on the asphalt. ] ...and we don't have to come back here again.

You wouldn't come back?

[She's a bit surprised at the notion, considering how long Heine had been here and that he did cultivate friends.]

...no.

[ he does think about that a little before answering, but it's a denial. there's nothing he wants from this place anymore. with the world rebuilding, communications should be slowly restored.

so there's no point in him coming back to the place he's lived most of his life in. ]

Surprised you'd go back to your old base.

[She nodded at his response, dropping the topic for now. Perhaps the base is too full of memories and expectations for Rammsteiner. A lot of the pilots had respected him, and yet at the same time, his file had seemed to imply there was much to be desired. She wondered briefly what all the psychologists would say about this.

She shrugged slightly at his comment, turning when she heard a bus pull up. Double checking their tickets and the bus number, she stood, hoisting her bag over one shoulder.]

I have people I care about there. I wanted to make sure they were fine.

[She glanced back at him, considering.]

Though there's no point now, I suppose.

[Without the threat of Kaiju, the worst was hopefully over.]

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