The Hermit's Retreat

Chapter 4

False waved as Stress walked through the doors of the airport, then turned to Cleo, who was beside her.

"She's here. We should probably head off now." She said.

The redhead nodded as Stress walked over to join them. They chatted while they walked, and managed to get luggage tags and go through security without a hitch. They had about an hour to kill before their flight, so False suggested they have dinner and grab some snacks so they didn't have to eat the awful airplane food. They found a shop selling sandwiches that looked less questionable than anything else they'd seen, and then bought almost twenty pounds worth of snacks between the three of them. They finished eating a few minutes before the flight started boarding, False texted Xisuma to check in, and then got on the plane. The group found their seats, with Stress sitting in the middle.

"Aren't you excited to see all of the other hermits in person?" Asked Stress.

"Yeah, I think it'll be nice." Said False.

"Is there anyone you're especially excited to see?" Cleo asked mischievously.

"Oh, like maybe Xisuma?" Teased Stress.

"It's not like that would ever happen anyways." Said False. "He doesn't think about me like that."

"Oh you poor, naive woman." Sighed Cleo.

"He looks at you like you'd hung the stars and the moon." Said Stress.

False felt herself blush. "Really?"

"Mm-hm." Cleo confirmed.

"So what do I do?" Asked False.

"Wait to see if he makes a move." Said Cleo.

"Yeah," Stress added, "and if he don't make a move after a week or two, you oughta say something to him."

Their conversation was interrupted by the flight attendant, who was walking around the plane to make sure everything was clear for takeoff. She gave the safety speech, walked to the back of the plane, and then they took off.

Once they were in the air, Stress took out her phone, Cleo pulled out a book, and False put in her earbuds, watching the ground grow smaller underneath them. Soon enough they had leveled out and all she could see was clouds. A few hours into the flight, both Stress and Cleo were asleep. Cleo had her head on Stress's shoulder. False knew they'd been pining after each other, all it took was a pair of eyes to figure it out. It had also helped that each one of them had told her about their feelings for the other. It would be easy to intervene and get them together, but she decided she wouldn't get involved unless one of them asked her to. For now she just smiled and leaned back against the headrest in hopes of catching at least a little bit of sleep before they landed.

(Time skip brought to you by Architech)

False slept for most of the rest of the plane ride, waking up a few minutes before they landed. Cleo awoke next, removing her head from Stress's shoulder. False gave her a knowing look before shaking Stress awake, telling her that they were landing soon. When they walked out of the airport it was still dark outside, and Cleo sleepily informed them that it was three in the morning in Nashville time. Stress nodded and yawned widely. After a few minutes of searching, they found the car they had rented, which, much to False's amusement, was bright purple. Stress and Cleo clambered into the backseat and promptly went back to sleep, leaving False to drive.

She checked the map and the directions from Xisuma, who she thought it might be a good idea to text. She snapped a picture of herself smiling at the camera with Stress and Cleo snoozing in the back, then sent it to him before starting the car and pulling out of the parking space.

The radio was playing quiet classic country music, which seemed to fit the occasion, so she left it on. Driving on this side of the road was odd, but after a few minutes she had the hang of things pretty well. When she merged onto I-40, the traffic thinned out, and things quieted down. She tapped her thumb on the steering wheel to the beat of the music, and kept driving. Cleo and Stress didn't wake up, so she turned up the radio a little. She glanced at the clock on the dash that read three forty-five, and figured they'd get to the house around half past six. She looked in the rearview mirror and saw Cleo and Stress sprawled across the seats and each other, and couldn't help thinking how nice it would be if that were her and Xisuma. She focused on the road in front of her and allowed her thoughts to wander. False smiled to herself.