The Waitress ↯ C. Randall

Chapter 28 | Roar of the Red Ranger

QUINN AND CHASE HAD NOT TALKED MUCH since their confessions of jealousy. It wasn't like they were berating each other or anything. They had been cordial and orderly whenever they had to talk to each other while on the job, but other than that, they just weren't like how they used to be. There weren't as many stupid jokes and playful insults traded between them and there definitely was no mention of jealousy or anything romantic.

Now, Quinn knew this was understandable. Going from supposedly platonic friends to "I wanna kiss you until your lips turn red," was definitely a big step in their relationship. Neither of them was really ready to talk about something that heavy right now. Besides. this had only gone on for a few days. However, it still did not make it any less weird.

So, having the gang go on a hunt for Tyler's dad provided a good distraction from the whole thing but also created some big anxiety for her since it forced her to actually be around Chase for hours on end. And, either one of them could potentially bring up what happened a few nights ago. Personally, she would rather have Singe cut her in half than talk to him right now.

Although, at least the amusement of being led on a wild goose chase by Tyler, using a map he made when he was five to (poorly) navigate a forest was able to hold her over. For now.

Surprisingly, said map actually led them to the treasure that Tyler was looking for... buried under a heavy pile of rocks. Tyler, of course, jumped headfirst into this discovery. Removing each rock, one by one, he uncovered a rusted, red, tin box.

"My dad and I used to come camping here, all the time," Tyler remembered, tone rich with fondness. "And each time we'd come, we'd put something in this box," He continued, pulling out letters, cards, baseball memorabilia, and personal pictures of the two of them. "And I've continued the tradition ever since," He said, a soft smile painting his face as he went through the materials. 

Admittedly, Tyler's speech made Quinn go a bit soft inside. There was just something so domestic, fond, and loving not just in the way that Tyler described their relationship, but in his movement. It was something that Quinn wasn't so used to. Sure, her parents weren't bad, or mean. They just... were a little distant, somewhat due to her preference for isolation during her high school years.

Excitedly, Tyler rummaged through more of his belongings. Finding a baseball, he grinned, almost bouncing off the ground in joy. "Oh, no way! I got this baseball when I turned eight. I was so excited. Dad told me he would be leaving an expedition just to be at my birthday party." His jovial nature stilled. "He never made it to the party. I haven't seen him since."

"It's a sad tale indeed, my friend," Ivan comforted.

Continuing off of Ivan, Chase said, "Hey, we know that you're gonna find your dad,"

Everyone else chimed in their agreement as Tyler grabbed something from his back pocket. "This year's momento is.. a hat! From the Dino Bite Cafe. It's not the hat that's important, it's all the friends that I made at the cafe."

Everyone went soft at the memento. It was so sweet for him to add it and showed how much he really cared about them. It really was so personal for him to bring them here to his sanctuary for his dad and for them to now become apart of it was so genuinely heartwarming. 

"Thanks for sharing this with us Tyler, it's very special," Shelby admitted. As the rest of the group continued ahead, Quinn overheard Shelby mocking Tyler's map-drawing skills and laughing quietly.

Soon, the gang set up camp nearby so that Tyler could have some good old-fashioned target practice. While they did that, Quinn decided to watch the boys as they trained. They were mostly doing hand-to-hand combat and planning to do sword training back at the base. For the first hour or so, she worked on her homework but decided to finally get up and get her hands dirty.