trust me. // wraith x crypto

Chapter Eight // Promise

Renee remained rather silent beside Crypto, allowing only the hum of the running train fill the atmosphere as the vibrations beneath her feet bestowed a sense of peace amongst them both. Though the two of them sat quite uncomfortably next to each other in the poorly cushioned chairs of the train, they accepted the moment of rest with a feeling of gratitude after training so hard during the previous week. They had completed their fifth training session, covering new strafing patterns and more difficult maneuvers- all of which proved to be more physically demanding than anticipated. Fatigued from pushing their athletic limitations, they mutually concurred to turning in for the night earlier than their usual routine.

For every time they had met in the past, they had arrived their separate ways and parted as such. Even after watching Renee leave the firing range, Crypto would continue his own personal regime for at least an hour later. Although she concerned herself primarily with her own progress, she couldn't help but to admire his hardworking nature to continuously maintain and improve. She took a mental note to do the same for herself in the future.

However, today was quite different. Crypto had decided to conclude his own practice along with Renee, which ultimately led to them sharing a ride back to their homes together. Despite the anomaly of it all, Renee didn't think much of it. Per usual, he was consistently intense and unyielding in his training, which was really all she cared about. However, she couldn't quite brush off the feeling that he had been freed of some sort of burden; he seemed to have lost his urgency to constantly work.

Earlier, they had approached files of empty seats beneath the flickering lights of the public transport, neither of them minding the isolation of the large vehicle. Without bothering to consult Crypto, Renee chose a window seat towards the middle of the seating section, keeping her eyes focused on her environment as he followed behind to sit next to her. Though she would normally be unnerved by how casually he was initiating that sort of physical closeness, the exhaust in her body allowed her to only think of the relief she would feel when she went to bed that night.

Crypto seemed to pay no attention to their seating arrangement either, slouching back slightly with his hands shoved in his pockets, his black hair left a mess in his eyes from the physical labor of training. Renee continued to keep her eyes fixed on watching the world pass her by outside the window, resting her head against the cold glass gently, her arms folded across her chest without warmth in its mannerism. Neither one of them spoke, but neither one of them felt the need to.

The longer they sat, Crypto couldn't help but to feel both perplexed and amazed at how they had grown to learn and know each other in the brief time of meeting one another. They had been strangers, two legends from opposite ends, and now, it felt unfathomably foreign to not see each other.

Renee's eyes slowly shifted to make out the image of her own face in the glass, noticing how incredibly pale her skin came across in the hue of the train lights. She blinked to herself, her gaze slowly trailing to focus on Crypto's reflection behind her. She studied him carefully, tracing the outlines of his side profile, his eyes that always seemed to bore of intense concentration and a mouth that always sealed itself in a gentle pout of apathy. For a moment, Renee felt herself soften as her mind rapidly flooded with memories of every time she'd seen his face alongside her on the battlefield and now recently in the training range- and how his expression never scowled to doubt her, never demeaned her shortcomings, and always reassured her of the fact that she was still someone worth something.

Don't forget what you're really here for.

Careful with your thoughts.

What are you really here for?

The voices began their agonizing whispers as Renee's eyes flashed their supernatural states of complete whiteness, snapping her awake from her concentrated daze. Every tangible aspect of her surroundings became hypersensitive, the cold air of the train's interior biting at her skin, as her body tensed, jolting her to sit upright from her once peaceful position. Controlling her suddenly heavy breathing, she attempted to steady herself in the presence of her own anxieties, though oddly she mainly concerned herself with concealing her sudden overload from Crypto's awareness.