Leo hugged Mitch for a couple of minutes passionately kissing her lover to make up for the time apart, the man had been gone for almost a month exploring most of what was once Slovenia and Friuli Venezia Giulia and she had missed him terribly, it didn't help that he had a bad habit of only calling when in need causing most of their conversations to be stressful for the woman, finally she released out of breath.
"So what was wrong with the car ?" Mitch asked once free of Leo's embrace "the gem cracked" answered the woman "cracked ? They can do that?" Mitch asked confused, during the past five years he had seen the gems do all kind of things but he had never seen one even get scratched he always thought them indestructible "Apparently so, we think it just ran out of juice, I mean it was replacing the gas for the car so I guess it was bound to run out eventually, especially powering this old thing" Gio answered giving a heavy pat on the old engine "One of the first models we have ever put together, I'm surprised she got you this far if I'm honest, once back in town you should get yourself a new one" the man continued closing the hood of the car to then sit in the driver's seat "time to see if she runs" he then muttered to himself starting the car. The engine revved for a couple of seconds before starting and the familiar buzzing of the engine filled the silent countryside, "so what's the fix?" Mitch asked as Gio got out of the old Panda and entered his truck, an old beast that in the past ferried cargo from place to place, "we replaced the stone, we only had a wolf one so we're not sure how long it will last but it will get us home" answered Leo who had already taken her place in the passenger seat in the front of the old Panda, Mitch did not wait long to join her taking his place at the driver’s seat.
Mitch started the old panda, revving the engine to warm it up from the cold, when he believed it ready headed towards Trieste following Gio who had already begun the journey back. "So how was the Abbot" asked Leo after a few minutes, Mitch took a couple of minutes to answer, he himself wasn't sure what to say "He is a strong awakener, but I don't like him, I can't make up an opinion on him but he is not someone I would work with" Mitch spoke while driving "the city itself is weird too, there should be more people, but its basically empty, I have met only one person outside of the Abbot's castle, even in the early days of Trieste there were more people, something isn't right there I don't like it" he continued not taking his eyes off the road "you think this Abbot got something to do with it ?" Asked Leo who had taken out her notebook and was sketching something on it "Probably but there is something else in that city, and I don't like it" "well, you know that the higher ups always appreciate your input on things, if you think something is wrong I think they'll listen" Mitch looked at the woman deeply focused on her drawing "I hope so" he concluded.
They arrived in Trieste without trouble, while driving on the cliff road the city’s silhouette took form in the distance, Mitch looked at the city, he had been away for a little over a month but it did not change that much, as they got close he could see the fortifications that staggered access to city, but no one stopped them when they got to the makeshift walls, as he passed the guards waved at them with smiles on their faces.
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He drove towards the port, there was their house, as he cruised through the city streets he saw people walking about their days without worry , peace had long run in the city that had become small without the bust traffic that plagued its past. He reached the old apartment building where he had lived before the fracture, he could have moved to one of the abandoned buildings somewhere else in the city but he liked his little old place. After he parked him and Leo got off, he gave a thought to the trunk that was filled with scavanged goods but delegated unloading it to the day after. He opened the door to the building, he and Leo were the only inhabitants now but they kept the door locked as a ritual to ground their house in a semblance of normality in this wild new world, Mitch made his way up the stairs with Leo quick behind him, he opened the door to their apartment and found himself buried under a mountain of fur and slobber, "Oh come on you never greet me that way Fluff" Leo complained at the massive dog that was currently smothering Mitch but it seemed to not be very effective on the dog who just kept giving his owner big kisses "finally home huh" Mitch thought to himself struggling to free himself from the Saint Bernard's joyous greeting.
He finally scrolled off the dog and scratched him for a while before moving to the couch with the dog close behind and Leo behind it, he looked around the appartment as he took off his travel clothes, the living room was small with a brown couch facing towards the entrance where once was a TV mounted to the wall, the kitchen was behind it with the gas stove that sill worked and the many cabinets once filled with a variety of food and spices now containing bolts, nuts and screws for Leo's projects.
He headed down the corridor on his right next to the kitchen, he entered the first room on his left a bathroom, and closed the door behind him so the fluff would not follow him in, here he fully undressed and got in the shower, hot water had been gone for years untill Leo had somehow got it working, something that Mitch never forgot to compliment her on, he took a few minutes to wipe himself of the hardships of the last month, when he got out Leo had already prepared him a set of house clothes which he donned with a smile.
As he exited the bathroom he approached the woman who had also changed into more comfortable clothes, hugging her and kissing her on the forehead "thank you for the clothes, I'm going to get some sleep now" he whispered in her ear, she looked up at him and gave him a peck on the lips "sweet dreams Mitch" she replied as he broke his embrace and headed to the room at the end of the hallway, it was not large but the king sized bed fit nicely in it, on top of it Fluff was already waiting for his owner sprawled on the bed, Mitch chuckled and slipped under the covers giving the dog some more schrites untill sleep finally claimed him