Umbrella (girl x girl)

The Rain

Sawyer was up to their wrists in the soil of their garden when they spotted Willow rushing down the length of the Homestead's driveway. Startled, they flicked their soaking wet hair out of their eyes and scrambled to their feet.

"Willow! Good to see you out of bed. Have you eaten anything today? Where are you going?"

"I'm going to walk to town," Willow replied.

Her voice was a little distant and her expression was unreadable. Though she was typically a little quiet and reserved, today she was practically on a different planet. Sawyer shook their head as though they had heard wrong.

"You're going to walk? Willow, that's almost an hour on foot!" Sawyer told her, "Let me drive you, I need to go into town anyway-"

"Please don't worry." Willow brushed them off, "I need to take a walk... a long one."

Biting their lip, Sawyer could only nod.

"Okay. I understand," They said, "I'm probably going to leave here in an hour. If you're still on the road, I'll pick you up. How about that?"

Now it was Willow's turn to nod.

As Sawyer had predicted, it took Willow almost exactly an hour to reach the main street of the town. A few cars had passed her on the highway, but not very many. It was the middle of a Monday afternoon, so naturally everyone was working out on the farms. A few utility vehicles passed here and there, kicking up a spray of water that Willow had no mind to dodge. She had Tawny's umbrella with her, that was enough.

The depot looked the exact same as it did the last time Willow came by. None of the rusting vehicles had moved. Tools and scraps of metal still littered the wet concrete. The smell of gasoline and steel still hovered in the air slightly, mixed with some petrichor. The paper sign on the door had disappeared, but other than that there was no difference.

Willow gripped the handle of the umbrella until her knuckles turned white. Once she had taken a few deep breaths and bounced on her heels a couple of times, she was finally ready to approach the little square building.

She made her way over to the large storefront window. Peeking inside, she could make out shelves and shelves packed with hundreds of different car parts and tools for repairing things. The walls were decorated with a range of strange decorations, from old tires to large posters of fancy cars, there was hardly an inch of wall showing at all. A metal counter stood along the back wall, topped with a vintage cash-register. Willow took a moment to take in the interior, before letting out a sigh.

Even if the depot was open, there was not a person in sight. What was Willow supposed to do now?

"Anything I can help you with?" A voice behind her caused Willow to jump half a metre in the air.

She quickly spun around.

The man who spoke was probably only ten years older than Willow. He was evidently still quite young. However, despite his apparent youth, had deep eyes that seemed to be brimming with a strange sort of wisdom, causing his aura to feel much older than it really was. He was dressed in a stained grey jumpsuit, similar to the one Tawny had been wearing the last time Willow was by.

"I'm looking for Tawny?" Willow said, "I-I need to return her umbrella,"

The man squinted at her.

"You're Sawyer's relative, aren't you?" He asked.

"Yes." Willow offered a handshake. "Nice to meet you,"

The man accepted.

"I'm Reg," He replied, "Tawny's about to go on break, she'll be out here in a second,"