drear | god, he called for rain

[ "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.]

[ heine swings his bag up over his shoulder, trailing fuyumine onto the bus. there are plenty of seats at the moment, but not much legroom. ]

There's probably more to worry about than just Kaiju. [ like people, for example. heine doesn't voice the rest of that thought, though, just finds a spot to put his duffel bag in the overhead storage. ]

Better to see them firsthand, anyway.

[Naoto stuffed her bag next to Rammsteiner's, sitting down once the task was complete, a small frown on her face. She hoped that they were doing well despite whatever threats found them, and perhaps it was optimistic of her, but she was sure they were doing fine.]

They're capable.

[Worrying about them would have to wait until they were settled and their own particular brand of threat had passed.]

How long till we get to your friend's house?

[ heine offers a shrug at that. if she's sure, then she has faith in them. or whatever. friendship. ]

About fifteen minutes, if the traffic's not bad. We get off at the stop next to the laundromat.

Does command know about your friend?

[His friend's house is surprisingly close to the base, and it makes Naoto more cautious. She shifts slightly, hands wringing a bit restlessly in her lap.]

What? Why would they...

[ on second thought, that's not that far-fetched of a question. ]

Hans knows I know people, since he's been around since I was... younger.

[ hans also knew his parents, so he knows way more about heine than heine would like. as long as he doesn't share it, though, it's not a problem. ]

He wouldn't know his name or where he lives. [ a brief pause. ] Leaving's not illegal, you know.

[The halted question merely earned a small quirk of an eyebrow from Naoto. Considering command made kept neat little files of all their quirks, weaknesses and strengths, and mental states, she wouldn't put it past them to have a list of important people.

The look softened however when Rammsteiner mentioned his name finally.]

Before you became a pilot?

[That seemed like an awfully long time to know someone, especially outside of command. She was a bit regretful she wasn't going to be able to meet him.

At Rammsteiner's statement about leaving, she stiffened. She supposed it was pretty obvious, and yet... It almost felt that way.]

I know. I am grateful you're here to help.

[An understatement. Rammsteiner was the one who had all the connections and had a plan.]

[ the look she gives him is fair, so he just shrugs. ]

Yeah. [ he's known hans for a long time, mostly because of "family" ties, but he'd rather not mention that part to fuyumine right now. it's not even like he and hans have a good relationship.

her thanks gives him an even longer pause. heine glances at her sideways. ]

Uh... no problem. I—was thinking about leaving anyway.

[ the bus rattles on, turning a corner and throwing the occupants around a little. heine gazes out the window, content to try and think about nothing until the bus stops at the right location. ]

[Naoto will leave the silence as it was, since there was no point in repeating herself. She was grateful that Rammsteiner had brought her along, no matter what the reason.

Instead she took a curious inventory of the other passengers on the bus, wondering if the news of the rift being destroyed had reached the outside world yet. Perhaps not, considering command had still been planning the press tour when they had left.

As their stop came up, she stood, letting a few other passengers pass before grabbing her effects and following.]

Is his house far?

Couple minutes' walk, maybe. [ heine slings his own bag over his shoulder as they get off the bus. it's really not far off from the bus stop at this point.

the streets are still populated, but the sight of people walking around with duffel bags isn't all that strange. heine finds the right apartment building—relatively new, but still battered by the elements and the constant stress of being near the shore—and the right apartment on the second floor.

there's a spare key in the old place that he remembers, under a loose corner of carpet on the opposite side of the hallway. the inside of the apartment is unkept and messy, but not terrible. heine makes a face at the ground but puts the key into his pocket. ]

You can put your stuff wherever. Not like it's going to matter.

[Naoto followed along in silence, taking in the neighborhood, scanning for anything unusual or dangerous. The abundance of people was comforting, their anonymity almost assured. Not even Rammsteiner seemed to get more than a glance as people made their way around.

She had been expecting worse when Rammsteiner had mentioned the apartment would be messy, but it seemed lived in. Cozy. Still, she set her bag down on the couch, looking around the apartment curiously.]

What does your friend do?

[She wouldn't rifle through anything, but she would take in whatever was strewn about.]

[ people are often more concerned with their own affairs than those of others these days, which helps when they're trying to keep a low profile. heine keeps his head down when they pass by people. ]

These days? Smuggling.

[ maybe he shouldn't have said that so easily, but crime is far from uncommon. ]

[She was a bit curious to hear more, since it sounded like there was quite a story there, but she let it go.]

So he's the one who can help us leave.

[Naoto made her way back to the living room, satisfied that she knew the layout of the place well enough.]

How can I repay him?

[She didn't like leaving debts open, and even being allowed to use this place deserved some compensation. After all Hans didn't know her. He didn't have to extend his hospitality.]

[ repay him? the guy who owns the apartment, murphy, won't be inconvenienced by two people staying in it while he's out, and heine doubts that naoto is a messy roommate, either. ]

He'll probably be happy just knowing that the—that we closed the Rift.

[ heine looks around the room briefly, setting his hands on his hips. ]

I guess we could clean up or something.

Have you told him?

[Rammsteiner didn't seem the type who divulged information easily, long time friend or no. She shot him a thoughtful look before nodding at his suggestion. Closing the Rift had been an order, not something she had done to cash in on it.

She started with something easy, straightening the papers lying around and picking up trash.]

I wonder how they'll tell it without us being there.

[Some of the higher ups had already been jockeying for glory, but most seemed to have their hearts in the right place.]

No. [ heine had barely spoken to him outside of vague exchanges in the months preceding, and the shatterdome must be keeping the news on lockdown. ] Didn't think of it.

[ while fuyumine gets started picking up some of the surface-level debris, heine stays standing nearby, unsure as to how to begin. he's never really lived in a place like this, and bothered with cleaning even less. ]

They'll probably pretend we're traumatized and in hospital, since we won't be there. Covering up the fact that it was us is probably too hard, though.

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