hiraeth

seven

A/N: fkjdhd nothing really happens in this one 🥲
I just need them to travel 😬

vii. Nia

They're not even in a jungle, but Nia decides to start it anyways.

"Into the thick of it," she sings at the top of her lungs, marching along the sidewalk. "Into the thick of it."

"Into the thick of it," Enne continues. "Ugh."

"Do do do doon do do do. We're..." Nia shrieks: "...tramping THROUUUGH the bush."

"On and on we puuuush."

"In. To. The. Thickofit."

"But we can't see where we're going." :(

"How do we know that song again?"

"From some show on TV, I think. We accidentally changed the channel."

"Oh, The Back-something."

"Backyardigans?" Enne tries.

"Yeah, that thing! A whole bop."

Nia believes it's an absolute crime that her and Enne didn't receive clearer instructions. Neither of them have a clue where to go. On top of that, the weather is depressing for a quest. It's drizzling outside, the sky overcast and not a patch of blue in sight.

"K, so we head west?" Nia asks, looking down at the silver compass Silena gave them as a welcome gift to camp.

"West, where?" Enne asks.

"Not sure. This prophecy sucks." Nia shakes the compass. "How do you use this thing?"

"Follow the pointer?"

"What? No, you can't follow the pointer. That makes no sense. It's not a GPS."

"Then why are you asking me?"

Nia is on the verge of screaming. "Because--oh my god forget it." She squints at the device like it'll reveal the answer and takes a deep breath. "Sorry, I didn't mean to snap."

Enne shakes her head. "You're good."

"Anyways, I'm too young for this ancient relic shit. I want my phone back."

Eventually, after debating for an eternity, they hail a taxi cab and decide to ask the driver to go west instead.

"Where should I drop you off?" he asks, peering at them from the rear view mirror. He has a thick beard and a mop of grey hair.

Nia and Enne signal at each other from the backseat.

"Uhhhh...until your car runs out of steam?" Nia suggests. "You can take whatever path you want. Honestly, we just want to travel." She tries for a charming smile.

The driver turns off the engine and fully twists to look at them properly. "That's the worst request I've gotten all day."

She's just about to argue back when Enne takes a stab at it.

"You mean, the best request," Enne pipes up, like she's on autopilot. "How often do you get to drive for no reason? I think we're doing you a favor. Also," she continues, before he can interject, "this isn't a prank. Yes, we have enough money."