Post by CMPunkCMPunk on Jul 31, 2017 0:06:11 GMT -5
The End of the Line
Logan pulled the smol one even tighter towards his chest, burying her in a hug of kindness and innocent affection. “Sonya, fuck this train. I know you must have invested a bunch of time into your career, but I'm willing to say 'screw that' and steal you to help me fight in the name of diplomacy. It may be premature, but I want you to feel free to consider yourself an official United Arms engineer.” He grinned, knowing that it was such a light request that it would easily be fulfilled once he asked. His people took such good care of him that it actually felt awful when people tried to paint them as expansionist tyrants.
“Yes~” Sonya said, dragging out the 's'. “You won't ever regret it, except for the times when you will. Then you'll completely regret it.” She smiled devilishly, implying secret ruin in Logan's future that was unlikely to be any more than a silly joke.
Little more needed to be said, as the two were just happy that they didn't have to be deunited. It felt pretty good, as did viewing the sunset. Riding the last few moments into an open air, coastal train station was an experience Logan had never had, but he figured it was quite common for Sonya. The setting sun projected a warm, red color onto the streets of the small town that they were pulling into, giving the entire thing a rich charm that hadn't been expected by the ambassador. Air both salty and pleasantly cool had begun to drift into their noses through the window they'd cracked open, and that beach atmosphere came with it. To be able to share it with one another was a true pleasure for both of the human friends, and that was just the very beginning of the work-cation.
“Go get your crap, Logan. I'm ready to explore.” If he didn't know better, he would have though the lady had actual stars in her eyes.
Exiting onto a small, unmanned train station in Beach City, Delmarva, minutes later
“I really do think I'm going to have the sensation of moving forward on tracks ingrained into me permanently.” Logan mimicked the common image of a soldier with a 'hundred yard stare', as if something Sonya had been experiencing as a career norm was somehow traumatic.
“Yeah, you beat.” She patted Logan's back as they stepped off the Maxiliner and onto a quaint, mostly wooden platform. It was very, very simple – basically just a small building to buy tickets in (closed at the moment), the platform meant to be stood upon, and the tracks. Still, it had a charm all its own, and completely fit the average coastal small town experience the pair were seeking. “Now that Trainitis is inside you, it won't be long before you're just like me!” She slapped both of her hands onto her slim cheeks and screamed like a ridiculous banshee.
This seemed to get the attention of one of the other employees, who shouted out the door. “Sony, don't forget that when you're done saying goodbye to your new fake temporary boyfriend, you still have a lot of work before you clock out.”
“Oh. I'm not gonna do that. Tell the others they're gonna have to work double-time. You're down a pair of hands for the next run.” Sonya said this all pretty quickly, and didn't even wait for a response before grabbing Logan's hand and running. The guy yelled something from the train, but neither of them heard it because they were both cracking up. It was obvious that they were both in a hell of a young kind of a mood, ready to literally run away from their responsibilities. Heck, that was what the whole trip was about, right? Putting miles between himself and both Angel Grove as well as Japan had lit the spark, but as he sprinted faster than he had in a long while, Logan barely considered that angle.
Despite their youthful energy, the newly minted friends didn't get far. They were only at the end of the small parking lot adjacent to the station when they realized they were being hailed. It wasn't just any hail, though. A booming, mechanically enhanced voice cried out through the early evening. Its words were repeated several times before the Action Frame pilot even realized what was being said and by whom. The words were 'Ma-yor Dewey! Ma-yor Dewey!” on a loop, and it was emanating from what seemed to be a campaign van with a giant fake human head atop it. The head wasn't speaking, though, and after a moment, neither were the van's actual speakers. A slender, suit wearing man who was in appearance identical to the balding head atop the truck exited from the driver's seat, waving to greet the runners.
This kind of put a wrench in their dramatic and wild at heart departure, but it was clear that this wasn't something he should ignore. Stepping toward the man and his vehicle, Logan made sure to present his best face and try to seem as professional as he could. After all, this was a man who was apparently seeking reelection, according to the simple red and blue text on his van. And damn if Logan didn't like vans – he missed his little rented convertible van from Angel Grove already. “Mr. Mayor, that is awesome!” he said on approach, pointing at the van-top head. “I need to get something like that for myself.” He offered his hand, and when the two were proximal, they shook.
As he gave a firm but respectful handshake, the Mayor introduced himself. “Thanks! Bill Dewy, by the way. I guess it's obvious I'm the, uh, mayor. Haha.”
“That's what I call good branding. Ambassador Logan from the United Arms, as I suppose you could guess. After all, that 50% off deal sounded incredible, and I know you must have negotiated it since your name was on the marketing!” He was always impressed by someone who could broker a deal that was good for the public.
“Ambassador, you have no idea! As a city, we've been working tirelessly to go green. As I understand, that's big with our new neighbors out west, but we've been doing it for years! Thanks to some bargains I negotiated myself, in comparison to just one year ago, energy consumption and accessibility have combined for a full 50% reduction in energy waste! Think of it like our lights and things were all half off!” The kind-hearted Mayor looked extremely self-satisfied, and flashed a pleasant, obviously practiced smile.
Sonya, on the other hand, busted a gut. Laughing so hard that she literally buckled over, the mostly empty lot rung out with the sound of her reaction to what she'd just heard. In between laughs, she worked out, “You mean-” “that's what you meant-” “fifty percent off!” This was not too intelligible, but she was cracking up and slapping her knees loudly and hard. It kind of made things awkward for the conversation, but if the train refugee cared about that at all she gave no indication.
“You've clearly done great work here. Thanks for the greeting, though! Are you always the welcome wagon when a train comes to town?” Logan asked, putting up a cheerful facade to hide the fact that he had been duped by the fifty percent off trickeroo.
“Oh... Well, not exactly. But you are a Vee Eye Pee! When I heard a big deal guy from one of our new neighbors was coming, I had to roll out the red carpet! Metaphorically speaking, of course.” Mayor Dewey fidgeted slightly as he spoke, as if he was waiting for something.
“Well, I'm really excited to get a tan. Hopefully I don't get too sunburned, like that guy!” Logan pointed at the head on top of the van. “Or you, actually, Mayor. Or... me?” Logan looked at his own skin, and realized it looked almost red. “Wait, never mind, it's just the lighting.” It was still sunset, after all. Logan had forgotten that momentarily.
“Yeah, crazy beautiful night tonight, right?!” The Mayor nodded and smiled more insincerely than he was earlier. “Still, if there's anything you need, just let me or my staff know! We want you to feel... welcome?” Dewey had started sweating a little, even though it wasn't hot at all.
Logan knew that feeling – it was easy to get nervous in a conversation with important people, and stress sweat is a thing. “I only need one thing – the best path to the boardwalk! I want to see a real Delmarva shore!” That was apparently a big thing, with locations like Beach City being common in the state that stood where Delaware, Maryland and Virginia had in pre-Fifth Eruption United States.
“Oh. Well, uh, you know, we actually have more to offer than the boardwalk, you know! I... I think I was just there, and it looked like the businesses were, you know, closed up,” said the Mayor as he waved his hands slightly. “I think there should still be places open in town, though!”
“Really? Isn't it still kind of early? I mean, nighttime is the right time for fun!” joked the grey-haired young man.
“Well, uh, you know. It's not always closed. Tomorrow they'll probably be open late! And, you know, yesterday. And most days.” The balding older man with light brown hair composing the remainder of his head-follicles sort of struggled to maintain contact with Logan.
“Just not tonight.” Logan was starting to get a little skeptical.
“Right. Not tonight! Best thing to do would be to just stay in town, maybe take an early sleep.” The politician linked his hands behind his back and nodded.
“Will that be there tomorrow also?” Sonya pointed in the sky at something that Logan had been missing entirely as a result of the (very short) skyline of the city and the general distraction. It was a sphere that appeared to be floating in midair. No, it wasn't the damn sun, which Logan couldn't spot at the moment. It resembled more a big hunk of reddish orange crystal just suspended up there. Another difference from the sun was that it looked close. Unbelievably close, actually. In fact, it was full-on Majora's Mask level nearby.
The older guy cringed and answered more sincerely than he had been so far. “I believe so, yes.” As Logan and Sonya continued to stare at the (frankly beautiful) orb in the sky, he added, “This isn't something you should have to deal with. Really, just... just stay in town. It's the smartest thing to do in situations like this.” It looked like he was almost pleading, but he didn't seem as nervous as he had been before.
Choice Time!
Logan pulled the smol one even tighter towards his chest, burying her in a hug of kindness and innocent affection. “Sonya, fuck this train. I know you must have invested a bunch of time into your career, but I'm willing to say 'screw that' and steal you to help me fight in the name of diplomacy. It may be premature, but I want you to feel free to consider yourself an official United Arms engineer.” He grinned, knowing that it was such a light request that it would easily be fulfilled once he asked. His people took such good care of him that it actually felt awful when people tried to paint them as expansionist tyrants.
“Yes~” Sonya said, dragging out the 's'. “You won't ever regret it, except for the times when you will. Then you'll completely regret it.” She smiled devilishly, implying secret ruin in Logan's future that was unlikely to be any more than a silly joke.
Little more needed to be said, as the two were just happy that they didn't have to be deunited. It felt pretty good, as did viewing the sunset. Riding the last few moments into an open air, coastal train station was an experience Logan had never had, but he figured it was quite common for Sonya. The setting sun projected a warm, red color onto the streets of the small town that they were pulling into, giving the entire thing a rich charm that hadn't been expected by the ambassador. Air both salty and pleasantly cool had begun to drift into their noses through the window they'd cracked open, and that beach atmosphere came with it. To be able to share it with one another was a true pleasure for both of the human friends, and that was just the very beginning of the work-cation.
“Go get your crap, Logan. I'm ready to explore.” If he didn't know better, he would have though the lady had actual stars in her eyes.
Exiting onto a small, unmanned train station in Beach City, Delmarva, minutes later
“I really do think I'm going to have the sensation of moving forward on tracks ingrained into me permanently.” Logan mimicked the common image of a soldier with a 'hundred yard stare', as if something Sonya had been experiencing as a career norm was somehow traumatic.
“Yeah, you beat.” She patted Logan's back as they stepped off the Maxiliner and onto a quaint, mostly wooden platform. It was very, very simple – basically just a small building to buy tickets in (closed at the moment), the platform meant to be stood upon, and the tracks. Still, it had a charm all its own, and completely fit the average coastal small town experience the pair were seeking. “Now that Trainitis is inside you, it won't be long before you're just like me!” She slapped both of her hands onto her slim cheeks and screamed like a ridiculous banshee.
This seemed to get the attention of one of the other employees, who shouted out the door. “Sony, don't forget that when you're done saying goodbye to your new fake temporary boyfriend, you still have a lot of work before you clock out.”
“Oh. I'm not gonna do that. Tell the others they're gonna have to work double-time. You're down a pair of hands for the next run.” Sonya said this all pretty quickly, and didn't even wait for a response before grabbing Logan's hand and running. The guy yelled something from the train, but neither of them heard it because they were both cracking up. It was obvious that they were both in a hell of a young kind of a mood, ready to literally run away from their responsibilities. Heck, that was what the whole trip was about, right? Putting miles between himself and both Angel Grove as well as Japan had lit the spark, but as he sprinted faster than he had in a long while, Logan barely considered that angle.
Despite their youthful energy, the newly minted friends didn't get far. They were only at the end of the small parking lot adjacent to the station when they realized they were being hailed. It wasn't just any hail, though. A booming, mechanically enhanced voice cried out through the early evening. Its words were repeated several times before the Action Frame pilot even realized what was being said and by whom. The words were 'Ma-yor Dewey! Ma-yor Dewey!” on a loop, and it was emanating from what seemed to be a campaign van with a giant fake human head atop it. The head wasn't speaking, though, and after a moment, neither were the van's actual speakers. A slender, suit wearing man who was in appearance identical to the balding head atop the truck exited from the driver's seat, waving to greet the runners.
This kind of put a wrench in their dramatic and wild at heart departure, but it was clear that this wasn't something he should ignore. Stepping toward the man and his vehicle, Logan made sure to present his best face and try to seem as professional as he could. After all, this was a man who was apparently seeking reelection, according to the simple red and blue text on his van. And damn if Logan didn't like vans – he missed his little rented convertible van from Angel Grove already. “Mr. Mayor, that is awesome!” he said on approach, pointing at the van-top head. “I need to get something like that for myself.” He offered his hand, and when the two were proximal, they shook.
As he gave a firm but respectful handshake, the Mayor introduced himself. “Thanks! Bill Dewy, by the way. I guess it's obvious I'm the, uh, mayor. Haha.”
“That's what I call good branding. Ambassador Logan from the United Arms, as I suppose you could guess. After all, that 50% off deal sounded incredible, and I know you must have negotiated it since your name was on the marketing!” He was always impressed by someone who could broker a deal that was good for the public.
“Ambassador, you have no idea! As a city, we've been working tirelessly to go green. As I understand, that's big with our new neighbors out west, but we've been doing it for years! Thanks to some bargains I negotiated myself, in comparison to just one year ago, energy consumption and accessibility have combined for a full 50% reduction in energy waste! Think of it like our lights and things were all half off!” The kind-hearted Mayor looked extremely self-satisfied, and flashed a pleasant, obviously practiced smile.
Sonya, on the other hand, busted a gut. Laughing so hard that she literally buckled over, the mostly empty lot rung out with the sound of her reaction to what she'd just heard. In between laughs, she worked out, “You mean-” “that's what you meant-” “fifty percent off!” This was not too intelligible, but she was cracking up and slapping her knees loudly and hard. It kind of made things awkward for the conversation, but if the train refugee cared about that at all she gave no indication.
“You've clearly done great work here. Thanks for the greeting, though! Are you always the welcome wagon when a train comes to town?” Logan asked, putting up a cheerful facade to hide the fact that he had been duped by the fifty percent off trickeroo.
“Oh... Well, not exactly. But you are a Vee Eye Pee! When I heard a big deal guy from one of our new neighbors was coming, I had to roll out the red carpet! Metaphorically speaking, of course.” Mayor Dewey fidgeted slightly as he spoke, as if he was waiting for something.
“Well, I'm really excited to get a tan. Hopefully I don't get too sunburned, like that guy!” Logan pointed at the head on top of the van. “Or you, actually, Mayor. Or... me?” Logan looked at his own skin, and realized it looked almost red. “Wait, never mind, it's just the lighting.” It was still sunset, after all. Logan had forgotten that momentarily.
“Yeah, crazy beautiful night tonight, right?!” The Mayor nodded and smiled more insincerely than he was earlier. “Still, if there's anything you need, just let me or my staff know! We want you to feel... welcome?” Dewey had started sweating a little, even though it wasn't hot at all.
Logan knew that feeling – it was easy to get nervous in a conversation with important people, and stress sweat is a thing. “I only need one thing – the best path to the boardwalk! I want to see a real Delmarva shore!” That was apparently a big thing, with locations like Beach City being common in the state that stood where Delaware, Maryland and Virginia had in pre-Fifth Eruption United States.
“Oh. Well, uh, you know, we actually have more to offer than the boardwalk, you know! I... I think I was just there, and it looked like the businesses were, you know, closed up,” said the Mayor as he waved his hands slightly. “I think there should still be places open in town, though!”
“Really? Isn't it still kind of early? I mean, nighttime is the right time for fun!” joked the grey-haired young man.
“Well, uh, you know. It's not always closed. Tomorrow they'll probably be open late! And, you know, yesterday. And most days.” The balding older man with light brown hair composing the remainder of his head-follicles sort of struggled to maintain contact with Logan.
“Just not tonight.” Logan was starting to get a little skeptical.
“Right. Not tonight! Best thing to do would be to just stay in town, maybe take an early sleep.” The politician linked his hands behind his back and nodded.
“Will that be there tomorrow also?” Sonya pointed in the sky at something that Logan had been missing entirely as a result of the (very short) skyline of the city and the general distraction. It was a sphere that appeared to be floating in midair. No, it wasn't the damn sun, which Logan couldn't spot at the moment. It resembled more a big hunk of reddish orange crystal just suspended up there. Another difference from the sun was that it looked close. Unbelievably close, actually. In fact, it was full-on Majora's Mask level nearby.
The older guy cringed and answered more sincerely than he had been so far. “I believe so, yes.” As Logan and Sonya continued to stare at the (frankly beautiful) orb in the sky, he added, “This isn't something you should have to deal with. Really, just... just stay in town. It's the smartest thing to do in situations like this.” It looked like he was almost pleading, but he didn't seem as nervous as he had been before.
Choice Time!
>Logan decided to stick with Mayor Dewey's suggestion. Whatever the damn thing was, it had nothing to do with his vacation and if the Arms weren't going to send him one of their assignment pings, he had no responsibility for it. Plus the Mayor seemed confident that it wouldn't be an issue. Instead, Logan would just start enjoying the town the next day.
>Sorry, Mayor. Logan's going to the damn boardwalk/beach to get a better look at what's going on. Plus, the more Logan stared at the orb, the more he realized that it wasn't one-tone. It was carved in the shape of an eye, made out of materials of multiple colors. It was too mysterious to pass up.
>Sorry, Mayor. Logan's going to have to launch the Wonderchild and head to the beach, even though he hadn't yet gotten to speak with him about getting clearance/authorization to fight thereabouts. Peace and safety through superior firepower!
