The Seven Wonders of the World

35. The Long Travels

Rater would wake up a few hours later, as he would stretch around, it seemed to be daylight now, as he walked out of his room and saw Uyutsu sitting down at the table, with Zoela steering and driving the vehicle.
Uyutsu turned to Rater. “You look rough.”
“I sleep rough,” said Rater, “my blankets are.. all over the place.”
“I’m guessing you still feel very tired then?” said Uyutsu, as their expression seemed to be serious now.
Zoela would now give Rater a look, which told him that she was also concerned about him.
Rater would now sit down beside Uyutsu, seeming like it might not be a bad idea for him to rest a bit more.
“Are you sure you don’t need a bit more sleep?” asked Zoela. “You look more than exhausted.”
Uyutsu and Zoela were now both looking at Rater. They were both worried for his well-being, considering just how exhausted he was and had clearly not gotten a good amount of sleep yet.
“I mean, we can always drive into one of those forests and just camp out for a bit more time,” said Uyutsu. “It doesn’t seem like a good idea to just keep on driving while we still have time.”
“That seems like a good idea,” said Rater. “If we just set up a quick camp, maybe I’ll be able to get better sleep than I did last time.”
Uyutsu and Zoela seemed to be feeling relieved, as they’re now going to stop for a while just to get Rater some sleep, as well as for their own well-being.

Uyutsu and Zoela would now park the vehicle near the edge of a nearby forest, and they would begin to get off of it.
“We’re gonna set up camp here while you get some rest,” said Uyutsu in a friendly manner towards Rater.
Zoela would now have a more worried expression on her face, as she was now worried for Rater. “I hope you’re gonna be ok, Rater.” she said with concern.
Uyutsu and Zoela would continue preparing the camp site, as they would now start setting up the tents, cooking equipment, and even a campfire. They now seemed to be setting up everything that was needed for them to safely set up here without the need for any more preparations.
They were now doing all of this very carefully and attentively, especially considering the presence of their sleep-deprived friend.
After everything had now been prepared, Uyutsu looked back at Rater, who now seemed to have layed down and was already resting.

“Well, everything looks fine so far, but we should keep an eye on him.” said Uyutsu.
Both Uyutsu and Zoela would take their positions and start looking after Rater from their own sides, making sure that he was getting enough sleep.
Uyutsu would now have a serious expression on his face as he kept a close eye on Rater, wondering if he would wake up at any moment.
Zoela would now have a kind and reassuring expression on her face, making sure to provide Rater with peace of mind while he slept.
“I hate sleeping outside,” said Alucard, as if to spike a conversation, “it just feels so.. dirty, like we are scavengers or hobos.”
“You get used to it,” said Sora, laying down, “traveling around all over the place, you eventually just sleep wherever you want, whether that be on a sidewalk or in the woods.”
“I guess you do have a point,” said Alucard, seeming to think about what Sora said.
“We’re basically camping right now, aren’t we?” said Sora, seeming to now understand Alucard’s point of view a bit better.
“I feel like that’s a bit of an exaggeration,” said Zoela. “Sure, we may be camping, but we’re not homeless people.”
“But how are we much different than homeless people, when you think about it?” asked Alucard.

Zoela would now think about it for a bit, before eventually speaking back. “Well, we have a vehicle, we have gear, we’re organized, and we have food and supplies. I don’t think homeless people always have those things, do they?”
“I guess you’re right,” said Alucard. “I kinda wish we had a house or a place to stay, though.”
Zoela would now shake her head, seeming to be amused by Alucard’s statement. “So you want to live in a home? I didn’t take you for the type who enjoyed living in a structure,” said Zoela with a teasing expression.
“Oh, shut it,” said Alucard in response, as he tried to hide his annoyance.
Zoela would now continue teasing Alucard. “I think it would be good if you started staying in more permanent accommodation,” she said in a friendly tone. “It’ll do you some good.”
Alucard would now seem to be getting annoyed by Zoela’s teasing, as he would now turn his head away from her. “Why the hell would I want to live permanently in a home, when it’s more fun to stay wherever you like?” said Alucard with an annoyed expression on his face.
“Well, there’s a clear distinction between being homeless and being a nomad,” said Zoela.
Alucard would now seem to get even more annoyed, as his face was now just a scowl. “You know what, you can just shut up now.”
Zoela would now laugh hysterically. “Wow, seems like my little remarks have hit a sore spot.”
“You’re right, it does bother me,” said Alucard angrily, “i hate that you’re right.”
He seemed to stay silent now for a few seconds, before suddenly coming back. “I don’t know why I let you annoy me.”
Zoela, who had now been chuckling, would now continue to laugh. “You let us annoy you because you enjoy it, you don’t have to try to cover it up.”
“I never said I enjoy when you guys annoy me,” said Alucard. “In fact, it’s usually very annoying.”
Zoela would now suddenly have a mischievous smile on her face. “Oh, so you’re saying you don’t enjoy our teasing?”
Alucard would now raise an eyebrow. “Yeah, I’m saying exactly that.”
“Oh, ladies!” said Uyutsu. “Will you shut up and go to sleep already?”
“I agree with the newbie,” said Sora, with his head turned the other way, so his back was shown.
It had died down and everyone eventually settled down to sleeping, as they could hear birds chirping in the background.