robowest | [ DEPARTURE ]

DEPARTURE

It's time to go.

Most people are on the train by now. Settled into their cabins and among friends and loved ones. There are only three new arrivals left to board and once they do, Hal pulls a conductor's hat out from underneath the bar, tugs it on, and steps around it to the middle of the train. He opens his mouth to talk, voice filling the train.

"It's time to go. Stops happen once a day until everyone's departed and I already have your stopped listed. If you'd like to be prioritized, let me know, otherwise we'll go in order of death. Settle in and enjoy the ride. If there's anything you need, don't hesitate to ask, folks."

This, of course, means that those who died earliest (Manfred, Higekiri) will depart first while those who died latest (Barnham, Damian, Percy) will depart last. There's a stop for everyone, though those who want to get off together are more than welcome to. Hal pulls a notepad and pen out of his pocket later and people will notice that he goes around the train confirming stops with everyone. Whatever feeling Hal may have had to a character back in town isn't noticeable here -- he is simply a robot assigned with a job.

After that, it's all a matter of settling in and enjoying the ride. If that's possible for you, at least.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Natalie won't get a greeting in return. She won't even get a wave.

She'll get a smile, sweet and sad as anything in the world, and arms around her neck in a loose hug.

Whispering: ]

We're going home.

[Something about this encounter in particular makes her feel like tears are lurking behind her eyes, just waiting to fall. Regardless, she returns the embrace, tight and warm. Though Xion can't see it, her smile is sorrowful and hopeful all at once.

Home. Something she's never truly known. It's such a strange concept. If she'd known from the start it would take this much destruction to reach it, would she do it all over again? She can't say, but it doesn't matter. Here they are, for better or for worse, together.

When she speaks, a few tears may splash down onto Xion's shoulders.]

Yeah. It's over.

[ One of her hands threads into the hair at the back of Natalie's head and stays there, warm and reassuring. She doesn't cry. Just holds her best friend tight and, for long enough to make the shivering in her lungs go away, buries her face in Natalie's shoulder. ]

It's a little surreal, isn't it? [ softly. ] It wasn't really that long, but ... somehow, it felt like it might never end. But ... we're gonna go home together. We're gonna have lives together, just like we talked about.

[ She smiles then, little though Natalie will be able to see it. ]

I can't wait to see New York.

[After a few more moments, she takes a shaky breath, then pulls away slightly. She rubs at her eyes to wipe off any excess tears, and brushes a stray strand of hair out of Xion's face. The motion is affectionate and warm.]

I bet you'll love it. I bet we'll both love it. Jason's coming with us, too.

[ DEPARTURE ]

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