It was decided that they would continue on to the nearest village and hide the mech there before the sun rose. Alexis and Margaret chose to ride in the Talon while her soldiers would ride ahead. Tara winked at him again before leaving which made Alexis glare at her and hug his arm for some reason. Gavin didn’t know why he was so popular all of a sudden but did notice all the troops he had met so far had been women. He asked Alexis about it when they got back in the cockpit and evidently in this world it was much more likely for a girl to be born than a boy. That meant there were a lot more women around than men. He didn’t know what to think about that but had more pressing matters at the moment.
Supposedly the village wasn’t too far away, they just had to keep following the road. Gavin still didn’t know how they would hide the Talon since it was likely to be taller than any buildings in the area. Gavin was starting to get really tired by the time they reached the small town. He guessed the sun would be up in another couple hours or less. There was no wall or defensive measures around the sleepy village, just fields of various crops and some orchards. No one was awake at this hour either but the soldiers had arrived before them and directed them behind a church like structure.
As he feared, the mech was taller than the church but it was better than nothing. He asked Ivy if she had some kind of camo netting they could cover it with but unfortunately she didn’t. It was probably a stupid question since it would take a lot to cover the Talon. They would have to get pretty close to the town to notice unless the air ship flew over again. Gavin was just ready for bed. Ivy was looking tired as well and he urged her to come with him but she refused. She never wanted to leave the mech for some reason.
They exited the Talon and were led into the church. They would rest there for the time being. There were no beds so he had to make do with a hard bench. Margaret woke him up by shaking him. He wasn’t sure how long he had slept but it wasn’t long enough. Gavin groggily sat up and rubbed his tired eyes. She gave him a bowl of soup for breakfast which he ate hungrily. He asked for a bowl for Ivy then headed to the mech.
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By the position of the sun it must be nearly noon. He entered the cockpit and found Ivy still in the cockpit chair where he left her. It looked like she was sleeping so he gently shook her shoulder. She was mumbling something in her sleep but he couldn’t make it out. Her sleeping face was very cute. It helped that she wasn’t glaring at him like usual. Ivy woke up with a start. “Good morning, I brought some breakfast for you.” Gavin said smiling.
The glare was back but she did thank him for the breakfast. “I can hold down the fort if you want to go stretch your legs or use the bathroom.” He continued. “No thanks. If you are really concerned then please leave so I can freshen up.” She said pointing back toward the air lock. At first he thought she was pointing to the air lock itself but then she pressed a button and a wall panel next to the airlock opened to reveal a very cramped looking room with a toilet and shower.
“Wow, I didn’t even know that was here.” Gavin exclaimed, peaking inside. It was definitely convenient and not something he expected a mech to be equipped with. He then glanced to the other side of the air lock and wondered if it was a room also. He was about to ask when the girl anticipated him and pushed another button. A second wall panel opened to reveal a small room with a cot and storage shelves packed with equipment. Half of it was more food packets and water but he wasn’t sure what the other half was.
“You mean I didn’t have to sleep on a hard wooden bench. Why didn’t you tell me?” Gavin said, turning back to the girl. “What makes you think I’ll let you use it?” She replied with a frown, closing the door with another push of a button. “Come on, if you are just going to sleep in your seat anyway someone might as well use it.” Gavin said, also frowning. “Here, please tell them thank you for the food.” She said, ignoring his statement and tossing him the empty bowl and gesturing for him to leave. Gavin sighed and exited the mech, vowing that he would get her to like him eventually.