Trains usually ran from Eyset rather than to this time of year; more people were coming in and leaving than they were heading back home or heading out to do business. Matteo, personally, hadn’t actually been in Eyset’s direction before—the family usually only took trips to places that required very little if any switches between trains, and despite being a fairly distinguished port Eyset wasn’t as connected as it could be.
The earliest they could get was in the following week, so Rene bought tickets for all four of them after they discussed it. Tara more-or-less needed to go, Matteo wanted to go, Rene had to make sure they got there and around Eyset safely, and Adelinde didn’t want to stay behind.
In the meantime, they tried to frame it like a vacation instead—only bringing what they would need for the trip, since it would only take them one or two days to get back to San Asari to get the rest of their stuff if they were able to find a ship. It fell on Matteo to let Mark know; he took the warning to mean they just…decided to go to Sólstaður for some reason. He didn’t seem to understand the reason why someone would go to a cold nation this close to winter, but fortunately he didn’t mind.
Ultimately, the trip had to be done in one day between two trains, but the second didn’t come until a few hours after the first left. It gave them time to eat a nice lunch-dinner, at least, since the first was early enough they couldn’t have breakfast and the second ran late enough that dinner was unlikely. Neither happened to be a fancy train that served meals during rides.
They picked out a place based on how close it was to the station. Tara unsurprisingly brought her sketchbook and pencils with her, and Matteo chose to strike up some conversation while they waited for their food to come.
“I know it’s been a while since you were there last,” Matteo said to Rene, who looked towards him in response, “But do you have any fun stories? The only things I’ve heard about Eyset is the political side of things.”
“Anything interesting I have is from decades ago,” Rene replied, shaking her head. “The last visit was something for Dazuz; that ended poorly. Before then was when I was growing up.”
“Any stories from then?”
“It’s either hearing about me filching food or me shamelessly flirting,” Rene warned.
“I don’t mind—I just want some conversation.”
Both parents offered a kind of sympathetic look while Tara murmured agreement that it could help. Rene still took a second to consider it, probably trying to think of the best story to tell. She perked up a bit once she thought of something.
If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.
“You know that ship charm I have? You tried to steal it a lot when you were little.” Matteo nodded, and Rene continued. “That was a gift from Hannah—she bought a star for me and I got a ship for her, then we switched.”
“You stayed in the same place like a star,” Adelinde mused, looking over at Rene. He knew she probably heard the story a few times before. “She chose to leave, or else wasn’t satisfied being in one area.”
“So like a little reminder keepsake?” Matteo asked.
Rene nodded. “Pretty much. Our birthdays were close so we just picked a day between them and shopped for gifts. I carried on the tradition with you guys and Adelinde.”
“That does remind me.” Adelinde gave Rene a curious but kind smile. “Last time you went to Eyset—you came back with a little sun charm for me. I don’t remember ever hearing the explanation for that.”
Rene blushed a bit, not an uncommon sight per se but one that could let you believe the two were only dating for a year at most. Matteo admired that they still had those sweeter moments—most people would be embarrassed, sure, but considering pretty much everything he found it pleasant.
“You led me towards a brighter future,” Rene admitted. She offered a light kiss on the cheek, which made Adelinde blush a bit as well. “Even this weird fairytale-destruction-mission thing is better than where I would have been if I hadn’t met you.”
Their food came over before anyone could start another topic, and the first few minutes of eating was relative silence—the most noise came from around them, or Tara still attempting to draw until Adelinde gently requested that she focus on eating. Matteo tried to think of something good to maintain some conversation, but Rene spoke up first instead.
“…I do hope Hannah found whatever she wanted after she left,” Rene murmured. “She…had a few issues, but it wasn’t anything she couldn’t mature out of. Some of it could probably help her in the long run.”
“She seemed determined enough, from what you told me,” Adelinde mused. “Although working alone and for no one is different than being with someone else.”
“Think we’ll come across her in Sólstaður somewhere?” Matteo asked curiously. “That might be interesting. I mean, maybe not the best, but it’d be neat if you could just show each other how far you’ve come.”
Rene shook her head. “I doubt it. She only chose to go to Sólstaður because it was closest—she could’ve gathered enough money to move halfway across the world by now if she wanted. It would take some luck—good or bad depends on the circumstances—for us to actually see each other again. I wouldn’t mind the chance, but it’s been twenty-some years; in theory, both of us have moved past the point where we need that closure.”
Matteo murmured some agreement, and after a little while Tara brought up a place of interest they had seen on the way there.
They went back to the station when they were done eating with little more than an hour left to go before their next train came. They spent that time mostly with some idle chatter, even checking the place Tara thought was interesting so they could go back to it later.
He appreciated that it was presented as a ‘when’ scenario—even if it would be a ways off.