Land of the Dunes

8: On the Trip, In the Outskirts

After a while, more people start to enter the car. The space for the passenger consists of two long couches located parallel to each other on the sides of the car, and being an off-road SUV, it can only hold up so many people. Through the only entrance at the back of the car, a girl walks inside, shortly before another does, filling the entire car.

The first girl, fairly dark-skinned, buff, and clothed in red, with many piercings on her face, seems to be enjoying herself while waiting, humming, and looking out the window as they prepare to depart. The other girl, a blonde-haired, blue-eyed teenager with a stylish desert outfit, looks restless, eager to start a conversation, much against the group's wishes.

Seeing the car filled, the driver—luckily not the same person as the ticket inspector—steps inside and turns the engine on. "Alright! We've only got five voyagers on board, eh? Not a busy day, I see."

"This already seems pretty crowded, though..." Kisakyu mutters.

As the wheels start turning, the blonde girl sitting across from Kisakyu looks at him. Noticing that he's also staring back at her, she greets him. "Hey. What brings you here?"

"Ah," Kisakyu stutters before he pieces his words together and responds, "I-I'm actually going on a trip. A business one, if you can call it that..."

"Woah. I like your voice," she points out. "Has anyone ever called you a tomboy?"

"R-Really?" Quickly trying to assemble a response, he didn't realize that he was stuttering. "N-No one has ever called me that before, t-thankfully..."

The other girl then also joins the conversation. "Well, it ain't a bad thing, innit? Everyone would fall head over heels for you, then it's just a matter of your face looking boyish enough!" she mentions with a hearty laugh. "You three're in a group, correct?" She faces Montri, clearly asking him specifically.

Montri stays dead silent and starts staring intently at Raya. Noticing his sweat and tears, he immediately interjects for him. "Oh, s-sorry, but she's mute. We are together, though, the three of us."

"Ah, I see," she concludes. "The name's Reyloi, then!" Reaching her hand out, she shakes hands with a nervous Montri, who simply complies and greets her 'ecstatically'.

Observing her appearance, Raya notices something unique about her. "Are those bull ears? You must come from Tavropolis, right?"

Her ears perk up in response, and she looks at them before answering Raya. "That's right! And I ain't coming to Lottengram for some dainty reason either!"

"Hehe," the blonde girl giggles. "We're both heading towards Lottengram to sightsee. We heard there was also a big underground boxing tournament, so Reyloi has been eager to check it out."

"Make sure you come check me out, yeah!?"

The two of them cackle with laughter for another while, before the blonde girl abruptly stops to apologize for her manner, and reaches out her hand as well.

"Ah— I'm Eliora. Nice to meet you."

Returning the kind gesture, Kisakyu shakes her hand. "My name is Kisakyu. It's nice to meet you too."

"Oh, I'm Raya, and our friend here is, uhm..." He stares at Montri, realizing how masculine his name sounds. "Montrielle!" he decides.

"Haha, it's nice to meet you all," she smiles with genuine joy that elevates the mood in the car. "Also, I've never heard of a name as unique as Kisakyu before. Is it part of your culture?"

"Oh, I... It's Japanese. At least, that's what I heard. It's a crude blend of my first name and surname, though, so any real Japanese people would probably cringe at me..."