Welcome to the Bakery!

The prompt was “brave”.

                  It made no sense, this object being here. Like the phone, an object of which she had no knowledge prior, now stood this behemoth of metal tucked against a cliffside inexplicably. What’s worse was the intel Ariadne had been given had told her to go through it. Through it, but how? She’d charged headlong at gods, traversed spaces so dark she felt adrift, and had died more times than she could count. But this thing was uncanny in that, despite not knowing what it was, Ariadne knew it shouldn’t be here.

                  From behind her came Elithia’s voice, a companion as odd as the cylindrical steel tube in front of her. It wasn’t that Ariadne didn’t like the other Hunter. In fact, she liked her a great deal more than she dare let on. It was that Elithia had spent many, many years avoiding any duties for the Vanguard for reasons Ariadne had yet to learn. And yet she’d agreed to this mission, several in fact, so long as it was this Hunter pairing and no one else. Elithia had no issue with either Maximus or Rhemy, but she did not trust them like she did Ariadne. It was partially due to Elithia having hard feelings in relation to Ariadne’s feelings of being ostracized by the two, so lost they were in their own pain. Ariadne tried to understand, but loneliness crept up on her and slowly whittled away at her empathy.

                  “You ok?” Elithia repeated, snapping Ariadne from her reverie. She looked back at her companion, taking in the washed-out pink of her armor and tattered cloak Elithia wore proudly. “Yeah…Yeah, I’m good,” Ariadne replied.  Elithia stepped forward, uncharacteristically close as if she could tell the smaller Hunter wasn’t feeling quite so brave. “I can go first if you like.” She said, voice soft as always. Elithia spoke as if she hoped no one would listen. Ariadne wondered about her past but quieted any questions. Elithia would tell her, if she wanted to, and not a moment sooner.

                  Ariadne grinned, but it wasn’t visible through her helmet so instead she said, “What if we go together?” Despite the helmet also obscuring Elithia’s face, she could see the pause in her and hoped she hadn’t gone too far. But seconds later, Elithia extended her hand in answer. Ariadne intertwined her fingers through the gloved hand of the other Hunter and the pair moved as one towards the mystery object.  Later Lodi would explain what a train was, its purpose, and why they were errantly sprinkled across Keplar. For now, the pair found courage in one another’s company as they crossed from the reality of Keplar into the distorted colors and sounds of the train car. And as they moved hand-in-hand, it would seem the two were slowly making discoveries that had nothing to do with their current mission.