I push the door open, a small bell ringing as we enter. The bar is particularly small and dim, with bright orange and light green decorations tinting the walls. Walking up to the bartender, I ask, "Do you happen to have Reb working today?"
She looks up from wiping the glass. "I'm Reb!" Her eyes pass to Jae, but I can't seem to read them.
At some point between talking to Candy and walking into the bar, my hat somehow found it's way back onto my head. What do I do? What do I say? Does she even remember me? Will she say something first?
"JJ!" She chimes, waving a hand at me. "Long time no see! How have you been?"
I watch their interaction, scared for Jae, almost. I'm not entirely sure what kind of person Reb is. She has quite the customer service voice for greeting an old friend, but it has been awhile. My defenses go up as I wait for Jae to reply.
I still don't know what to say, or how to act. Do I just pretend like everything's fine? Do I return her warmth? Do I turn it down? In a split second of decision making, I give her a forced smile.
"Things have been great, I've met so many amazing people. What about you?"
tHiNGs haVe bEen GReaT
i really kept myself from opening this rp so that i can keep the notif up so when i'm ready to respond i can open it and see
IM SO SOORRY SKKSKSJSHTRG
I eye Jae with an expressionless face. Every now and then, the concept that other people in this world have been leading lives for so long absolutely bewildered me. I wonder what kind of dynamic Jae and Reb have, I wonder who anyone in this bar is. People were shuffling behind us, occasionally brushing my back. I look back to Reb's friendly face.
Reb held her arms up in a grand gesture.
"Well? What do you think? I actually got to pursue my dreams! What about you?"
I blink my eyes a little, noticing her expression. She seemed genuinely proud of herself, and happy with her life, but I still couldn't help but feel bad for her. Having two colors wasn't an uncommon thing, but I could have sworn Reb would have preferred to be in green.
"I feel like I'm in a dream."
I mutter without thinking about it. Weirdly enough, Reb responds with a laugh.
"Awww so you're living the dream, right? I'm really happy for you."
I looked at Candy, a bit of an awkward expression on my face.
I changed my mind. I don't want to be here right now.
I shrug to Jae in confusion. Not that kinda dream. For some reason, Reb rubbed me the wrong way, and clearly Jae had a weird history with her. That might affect the journey.
"Um, well, we just popped in to say hi, and get a few drinks to go. Jae and I have places to be."
"Yeah actually we're in a hurry ok bye"
i grab candy and rush out
"what a btich amirite"
I nod as Candy speaks.
"Actually, we were just about to leave." I sigh.
Reb huffs.
"Awe, but you just got her-" I take Candy's hand and turn around, calling out a bye before the door closes.
"Let's find something else to do." I start, my throat tight as I start walking in a random direction, "We do have to find a place to stay."
Jae's hand is tight on mine, almost restricting all blood flow. "I feel like we are wildly unprepared Jae. Like, really unprepared. Is it really a good idea to just roam the cities until we hopefully find someone that'd help us? There has to be a better way of doing this. Plus, we need to invest in like suitcases so we can build up on food and maybe even fucking gas masks." I gave her hand a squeeze.
I inhale deeply and intensely, hopelessly wishing that the exhale will remove all the stress. I know I should have more of a plan, but for the first time, I wasn't sure. Sure I couldn't have been completely prepared my whole life, but I at least had a general idea of what to do or how to act.
I blink my eyes, looking around.
"Where do you think Ashton went?"
"What do you mean he's r-" I turn around to find Ashton missing. "He's not right there. What? Where do you think he could have even gone?"
I scan around us, but there's no sight of him. I wonder whether he even went in with us.
I look around, growing slightly frantic as I realize we probably should have at least asked what his plans were before he left.
Then I notice him; in the middle of the town square, staring up at a statue of a woman.
"There he is!" I rush to him, noticing he won't stop staring at the statue. As I reach the monument, I look down at the plaque.
Andrea III, Founder of Citric Square
I look over at Ashton.
"She's my grandmother."
Surprised, I look back up to the statue. Her features are slightly difficult to distinguish, but she looks young; young and beautiful. She stood with a sense of confidence and leadership.
"I've only heard stories of her. She died too early."
"Your grandmother?" I say. I study the statue really hard, looking back down every so often at Ashton to see if they shared any similar features. He had her eyebrows, I think.
"What were some of the stories?" Curiosity swells up.
"She fought for the right to travel between colors. I know it's a bit more complicated than that, but she's the reason for the train's new fluidity for passengers."
Ashton heaves a sigh, still not looking away from his intense gaze.
"I was told that she led a lot of people to self-discovery. She said 'The world was created to be seen'."
He finally breaks his stare to look down at his feet.
"I wish I could follow in her footsteps."