Soldier Keep On Marching On

Asbec

It's a cold and lonely road
But I'm gonna hold on
'Til I see you again

**********

Going North in her car only took her so far and when it ran out of gas she decided to hide the car away in the mountains, quite literally in fact. She created her own cave, grabbed her stuff, and left the cave before sealing it. There was almost a zero percent chance any passing patrol would see her car, the other minuscule amount belonged to a random alchemist happening by and noticing the small transmutation marks. But still, it was very unlikely. 

Aiden did find the time to change her appearance and, with a few transmutations, create hydrogen peroxide, effectively bleaching her hair. She didn't care all that much about her hair in general but she knew that too much bleach would ruin it, but if she didn't want to be recognized it had to be done. So she took it in stages and the end result was... well there was a reason she hadn't gone blonde since her first year of high school. It just didn't fit her as well as her black hair did.

"God I hate my hair," she sighed, pulling it into a clip to keep it out of her face. Then she adjusted the frames on her face, annoyed that they kept slipping down but that was just how glasses were.

The clopping sound of a horse and the rickety rocking of a cart being pulled reached her ears and she absently scooted over to the edge of the road to give the horse and cart room to get by.

"Huh? Well where're you going?"

Aiden paused and looked at the man behind the horse and the people in the cart behind him. She looked around and dumbly pointed at herself. Was he talking to her?

"Yeah you, I asked where ya were headed."

She blinked in surprise. "Oh, uh, North City and then to Jobitu."

The man whistled lowly. "That's a long walk on foot."

"Yeah... but I missed the train and the next one isn't for another week. I sort of have a deadline."

"Family reunion or somethin'?"

Or something. "I guess you could call it that."

The man nodded to the back of the wagon. "Hop in," he said.

"Are you sure? I mean, I'm used to walking long distances." A lot of military training made sure of that, not to mention her own self-discipline in keeping fit.

The man smiled and nodded once more to the cart and Aiden thanked him profusely, but the man said it was no trouble and he liked helping out those in need. So she took up residence between the tail end of the cart and another woman who grinned and introduced herself as Amanda. The other five people in the cart included Harrison, an older fellow visiting his new grandson. Alex and Dwight were fraternal twins traveling with their mother Lila, and they were on their way to North City as well, coming back from a trip to the South. The last person was a little boy named Noah who didn't talk much. He was Amanda's kid but they didn't say where they were going so she didn't ask.

Hours after dusk, Aiden, Lila, Alex, and Dwight all hopped off the cart at North City's train station as the last passengers and bid the man farewell after many more shows of gratitude. Aiden's train was to leave in half an hour and she felt indebted to the man with the cart even more. Lila and her family's train wasn't due to leave until three in the afternoon the next day. From there the four split and wished one another well.

In the time she spent waiting she bought the heavy coat, boots, and winter pants she wasn't able to pack in her hurried state, along with food for her journey. Boy was she starving! She almost moaned in delight the moment she tasted the sweet honey bun. But the woman at the counter was giving her a weird look so she kept her sounds to herself. Though she did have to commend the woman for keeping such a variety of items in her store.