To say that the rest of the flight was unbearably tense, would be an understatement. He didn’t look at her, and sure as hell didn’t talk to her. She wanted to tell him to get out of his head, but she ultimately decided against it.
Swiss made multiple remarks about the tension between them, and none of them got a reaction out of Sodo- which worried Cal even more.
Besides the two of them, the others seemed rather excited about the aspect of a tour bus. Cal wasn’t sure she liked the idea of such close quarters for months on end, but it was out of her control.
The ghouls filed into the vehicle, chittering excitedly. Cal waited outside for a moment, clearly not eager.
“This is gonna be fine,” Copia grumbled from next to her- like he was trying to convince himself, looking pretty much how she felt.
“Absolutely,” She sighed, following him into the vehicle.
The others settled into their cramped room, looking unbothered by the lack of space as they claimed their bunk beds- of which there were six.
Cal and Mountain stood in the doorway, looking at each other before shrugging.
Mountain stalked over to the large L-shaped couch in the back of the bus, dropping his bag onto the floor before making himself comfortable.
“You guys can share with me,” Swiss suggested, drawing circular patterns onto the mattress beneath him.
Cal couldn’t stop the laugh that escaped her as she walked over to the couch, mimicking Mountain’s prior actions.
She heard Aether berating the multi-ghoul from where she sat, albeit not thinking anything of his strange behaviours.
Of course, the dread of the oncoming confrontation loomed over her like a dark cloud, and she had no idea how to go about telling Sodo. How does she even begin to describe what she was doing?
This entire… ritual-thing would be out of the question - impossible, really - if you weren’t ‘living’ proof that it’s feasible.
Cal sighed loudly, dropping her head onto the plush backing of the sofa, earning a curious look from the earth ghoul. I have never heard him speak, actually.
She’s learned a lot about the ghouls, in the short time they spent together. Like, for instance, she learned that neither Rain nor Mountain was shy - like she initially thought - they only spoke when something needed to be said. They’re present, always observing, but seldom speak.
I should take a leaf out of their book.
She wasn’t wrong; she always said too much. And somehow, she never said the right thing- nor could she ever articulate what she meant.
After a few hours on the road, she was confused by the fact that Sodo still hadn’t left the ghouls’ shared room. She’d expected him to be nagging her ears off, or at least be present to glare at her.
Cal suppressed another sigh, staring out the window at the bustling day-to-day life outside. She paused, a thought crossing her mind.
“Where are we going to park?” She asked Copia, who was minding his business, reading a book.
“Probably a camping ground or something of that nature,” He murmured, not looking up at her. “It’s private, and it gives us the opportunity to charge the bus-”
“And somewhere to start a bonfire,” Swiss added with a grin.
“Yes, that too,” Copia agreed dryly.
Cal nodded, satisfied with that answer.
Soon, the sun was setting, and they finally came to a halt, and the ghouls filed out of the vehicle eagerly. If they already have cabin fever, what the hell are we gonna do for the next few months?
