Jessica gives a small, tired snicker and some slack settles into her shoulders as she lets out a breath, whatever pre-emptive defensive tension she had been holding onto slipping away when Yan Sun doesn't make a big deal out of it. "Mmm." she hums softly in agreement. To both counts. A shower sounds nice right about now. Her focus remains fixed to whatever images are displayed on her omni-tool, hand lazily swiping through them. But it's
#Kirill'sTruck – April 15, 2020
not long before she finds herself paying little attention to the pictures loaded onto the device, merely peering through the holographic display. Drawing in a breath she settles a little heavier against the passenger side door and shifts her attention from her omni-tool, peering out through the windshield instead. Sheets of snow stretch on as far as the eye can see, blanketing the foothills that rise up along the base of the
mountains. It's impossible for her mind not to drift to all of those long drives she shared with Kirill and Rafe, cramped into this very truck. This was a view she had been treated to many times. The Dactyl Mountains framed by a sky of pinks and oranges and blues, painted by a setting sun. For a time, it was even a welcoming sight. A reminder that she was almost home after a long trip... home. Whatever that means.
Yan Sun 's hand lingers where it is, and as Jessica falls silent she gives her leg another squeeze, glancing over towards her. She studies her distant expression for a moment before looking back out the windshield, joining her in watching the undeniably beautiful landscape, sunset colors reflecting in the snow. "Not gonna lie... I'll miss the views here." she says to fill the silence, trying to keep her voice light as unasked questions about
Jessica remains silent, her dark brown eye fixed to the view before her. On the way the mountains reach up towards the sky and the colors that mingle with one another across the horizon. The familiar view like a greeting sign, phantom feelings from her days at the Gorge bubble up in her chest. Her silence persists as a crease lines her brow, head sitting a bit heavier against the passenger's side window. "...Me too." she says
eventually, her words quietly hitching a ride on an expelled breath. So much time passes between Yan Sun's statement and her own that it hardly even sounds like a response.
Yan Sun doesn't say anything as silence descends on the inside of the truck once more, but when Jessica finally speaks she can't help but look her way again, a soft frown on her face as she studies her. It only deepens as she continues to watch her, indecision written on her face, but as the silence drags on she can't fight the urge to voice her thoughts any longer. "Listen, uhm... Jessica? I know you're... nervous." her voice hitches a
little, hesitating as if worried she's going to set Jessica off. She rushes to continue. "About leaving. But it's gonna be good. I believe that. Really. There's so much I can't wait to show you..." she admits with a small, nervous laugh. Part of her mind tries to steer her thoughts towards how much of her life she probably won't be able to show her, but she refuses to let it get any foothold right now. That's a problem for later. Her
eyes return to the road as she speaks. "I want that. And... I want a fresh start for us. To... explore. With you. To... figure out where this is going, and where we belong." She swallows hard, gaze darting back towards Jessica, her nerves obvious on her face. "But..." she hesitates, shrugging a little awkwardly. "...if that's not what you want, tell me, okay? It's not like I'm gonna bail if you say you're not ready to leave."
Jessica draws in a sharp, almost threatening breath as Yan Sun makes her initial assessment, her lazy posture straightening up and a bit of that previous rigidity settling back into her shoulders. Yan Sun's concerns aren't exactly unfounded, as her lips quickly part, eager to get out ahead of whatever Yan Sun is about to say. Learned behavior from a lifetime growing up in an unforgiving city. It has engraved a mantra into her that she's
always so quick to snap off without a moment's consideration. I'm fine! Doesn't matter whether it's true or not. It's a barrier that keeps people out. Keeps people from seeing that crack in your armor that they can take advantage of. And it's a phrase Yan Sun has heard from her ad nauseum. But not today. Maybe it's the emotional rollercoaster that the last week has brought about. Or maybe it's the sheer exhaustion of
sickness stacked on top of night after night of sleeping in the cramped, old truck. Perhaps it's the crooked-nosed, sentimental man in the photograph that's currently displayed on her omni-tool. Staring at her. He could always see right through her bullshit. What would he say about the journey her life has taken her on over the past year or so? What would he think? Or maybe... maybe it's just because every day it gets a little
bit harder to pretend that this place- this dangerous, scary, barren, beautiful place that has taken so much from her- isn't everything she's ever known. But whatever the reason may be, today the bullshit doesn't flow from her lips. Instead she merely draws another breath in. This one softer. Quieter. Leaving Yan Sun's concerns unanswered for the moment, her gaze tilts back to the people in the picture and she falls
silent as she studies it. A young man who died in a fire and a young woman who she keeps trying to pretend did. With a swipe of her thumb the image goes dark and she lazily reaches out to set her omni-tool onto the dashboard before shifting in place. Her cocoon of blankets slow her down but, eventually, she manages to scoot over to Yan Sun. Legs folded to her side, she leans up against Yan Sun, obnoxiously fluffy hat tilted
against Yan Sun's shoulder. Her left hand reaches out, finding the inside of Yan Sun's right arm and tracing it towards the steering wheel until it finds her hand and pulls it away. Intertwining their fingers she returns to studying that view that she's taken for granted so many times before. "...This is my home, kitty cat." she admits, her words soft. Hesitant. "...Is always going to be my home..." she continues, perhaps the
closest she'll ever get to admitting just how excruciating it is to leave it all behind. "But-... there is too much-..." she trails off, swallowing hard at the lump in her throat. Too much death. Too much loss. Too much pain. She doesn't bother finishing that thought. "...I can't be here anymore..." she says instead.
Yan Sun 's attention divides between the path ahead and the shuffling Jessica next to her as she reorients. She allows her hand to be pulled away, and gives Jessica's a firm squeeze as she listens, nodding softly, the motion probably felt more than seen. She doesn't need her to finish her sentence, well aware of how many ghosts this world holds for her. The thought, and Jessica's soft words is enough to make her swallow hard, eyes stinging a
little as her gaze scans the horizon. It's not long before she frees her hand, wrapping her arm around Jessica instead, pulling her in for a side-hug and turning her head to press a kiss against the top of her head - only to be met by the top of her ridiculous hat instead, eliciting a quiet, slightly exasperated noise as she burrows a little, nudging the edge of the hat away enough with her nose to press her lips against her temple.
Her driving suffers with her shift of focus, drifting slowly to the left with one hand on the wheel and no eyes on the 'road', but she doesn't care right now.
Jessica doesn't object to the gentle show of affection. Once Yan Sun pulls her hand free, she moves her own to Yan Sun's knee, giving it a small squeeze. She gives a few hard blinks to stave off her own emotions that swell in her chest from such a simple, obvious admission. The jostling of her hat helps, bringing a heavy smirk back to the edge of her lips and causing her to let out a playfully annoyed sound as her hat slowly slips free
and tumbles into the empty seat beside her. Her head has went unshaved since before they departed Freedom Falls and a week and a half of growth helps to show the extent of the damage left by the burns. Small patches of rough, scarred skin show through the otherwise thick, dark stubble on the right side of her head where hair no longer grows, leaving uneven shapes along her hairline. Tilting her head downwards she presses a small
peck of her own against Yan Sun's shoulder. Thankfully there's not much for them to go careening into out here. Just snow and open space.
Yan Sun lets out a brief, quiet snort of laughter as Jessica's hat makes it escape, and she pulls her a little closer, letting her chin rest atop her stubble-covered head. The nervous tension seems to have left her, replaced by sympathetic warmth. She blinks a couple of times as her eyes scan the horizon past Jessica, eyes widening a little when she realizes that the mountains take up a lot more of the view than they did a little while ago.
She course-corrects as subtly as she can, arm still wrapped around Jessica. "...there's some okay views in Hong Kong." she concedes suddenly, trying to lift the mood a little. "Especially at night. There's this place on the Peak that overlooks the whole city. Was thinking maybe I could get us up there..." she suggests with the faintest hint of mischief in her voice.
Jessica cocks a brow in interest as she shifts her head against Yan Sun in an attempt at getting more comfortable. She gives a small, arbitrary nod up ahead as she watches through the windshield, the small movement causing the stubble of her head to be scratchy against Yan Sun. "We should pull over before it is getting too dark." she says, though it's muttered like more of an afterthought before moving onto her question. "What is this?
Yan Sun starts to scan the barren land in front of them for a good stopping location, trying to see if there's anywhere they could get some shelter from the wind after Jessica's comment. The question that follows prompts a faint nod, restricted by her position. "Yeah... not as impressive as the ones here..." she says with a glance up the towering mountain chain to their left. "...but it's still pretty cool. Most of it is parks, or-... or
mansions..." Her voice hitches a little with sudden emotion, but she moves on quickly. "...but there's some lookout spots with great views near the top. Most of them are kinda... touristy, and crowded, buuut... I know the place with the best view, and no crowds."
Jessica continues to watch through the windshield as Yan Sun speaks. The uneven foothills and outcroppings of the Dactyl Mountains offer plenty of places to tuck the truck away for the night. They won't have full protection from the wind, but it's better than nothing. At least they can lower their visibility to anyone passing by in the night. Not that it's likely. She gives a small snort at the mention of mansions. It's only laced with
a little judgement. The eyeroll can probably be felt by Yan Sun. Seems like things might not be that different on Earth. Just like here on Adrasteia, even the mountains can be owned with enough credits. Plenty of corporations across the planet can attest to that. "Do you?" she asks, sounding unconvinced by the certainty in Yan Sun's closing statement. "I do not believe you have ever been near the top of a mountain, kitty
Jessica cat." she teases, her tone challenging. "Do you know why I do not believe this? Because I have watched you walk. Try to walk." she corrects with a playful snort, head settled against Yan Sun's shoulder. "And swim... and get into a car... and-..." she trails off with an exhausted sigh to hammer her point home about Yan Sun's lack of dexterity. A quick sniffle causes her to pause before continuing. "You..." she says pointedly,
Yan Sun aims the truck for a suitable-looking spot below a small cliff, slowing down as she approaches. "Yeah, yeah... hilarious..." she mutters grumpily, although there's hints of laughter underneath her words, and she can't quite keep the smile off her lips. "Jerk." she adds, taking advantage of their position to dig her elbow into Jessica's right side as the truck comes to a stop.
Jessica seems to have amused herself at the very least, judging by the tired snicker. "You do not remember, kitty cat?" she asks overtop Yan Sun. "Helllllp!" she calls out in an unflattering voice, apparently imitating Yan Sun. She lifts both of her arms, flailing them lazily as she attempts to pantomime Yan Sun's attempts at swimming. "Halllllp!" It causes her snicker to erupt into full fledged laughter. The elbow to her side does
a nice job of sharply cutting off her laughter, though, causing her to lean away from it and further against Yan Sun, snapping off a pained, "Gah! Bitch!" through her lingering snickers and bringing her hand back to Yan Sun's leg, grip tightening to painful levels in retaliation.
Yan Sun squirms in her seat. "Owowowstop!" she blurts out as her elbow withdraws with a snicker. "That was ice-water! And I was in that clunky suit!" she exclaims defensively. "It was scary!"
Jessica briefly digs her fingers in just a little bit deeper as Yan Sun squirms. Just to show her who's boss. But her snickering persists. "Mmm. Water! Soooo scary!" she agrees sarcastically as she relents, releasing her grip. There's a half second where she seems to get a grip on her laughter before the mental image of Yan Sun flailing hits her again, causing it to start all over again. "Haaaaaalp!" she manages once more through
Yan Sun frowns, looking thoroughly unamused as ball of blankets and sickness next to her shakes with laughter. "Screw you, I almost drowned!" she says as she turns off the main engine and grabs her punched up jacket, starting to slip it on in preparation of heading outside to retrieve food, water and whatever else they might need for the night.
Jessica's laughter only rises as Yan Sun gets defensive. "Mmhmm!" she continues to tease, "You almost drown because you are-... you are like this-...!" She gives her impression once more, hands flapping about, swatting at the air like there's an invisible fly buzzing around her. "Haaaaalp!" she whines one last time as she shifts to sit up a bit straighter while Yan Sun begins to collect her things. She leans to the side, reaching for
her boots so she can join Yan Sun as her shoulders continue to bounce from her laughter that's slowly dying down. "I should have taken a picture..." she muses.