act16mini

Huh? Insurance? I'd be glad to help you with your work, since I do owe you one for today... But, what kind of insurance are we talking about here? And how much does it cost?

N-N-N-No, Miss Keira, that's not what I meant... It won't cost you any money. I just wanted to ask...

...How would you feel about becoming the beneficiary of this insurance plan I just bought?

...Beneficiary?

I-I-In other words, if anything happens to me, then the company will pay you a large sum of money... As for the specific terms, I can go over the details with you, if you have time...

After all, a beneficiary is someone very important to me...

Goodness, what's gotten into me?! Am I making decisions for myself again? And I swear, this has to be the most important decision of my life!

Keira?

I know, this is all very sudden, but it's how I really feel, I just had to blurt it out...

The old me would've just kept it bottled up in my heart, thinking over and over about how to get the words out, and if I did get them out, worrying if I stuttered or not. Huh? Am I not stuttering anymore...?

Oh! It's no big deal though... If you don't want to, then... Maybe I shouldn't have sprung it on you like that... Maybe, I...

I'll do it.

It's more in line with my personal principals than going along with whatever the elders have planned for me.

Really...? You're fine with it? Oh my god! I really have to tell my siblings that I'm not going to let them lead me around by the nose forever.

Totally. They're always going on about how they've been through so much and know better... My whole family's got a suite of rules when it comes to who we marry.

Like how everyone loves a Cautus with long ears.

Huh? Cautus?

Ah, yes. I'm the only Zalak in the family. I guess I got handed off to this family when I was little.

I forget about that a lot, same as people forget about me. Besides... what big family isn't cobbled together like this?

Ah, and they like loud talkers.

My relatives are more into the quiet types.

And industrious, businessy types.

Who know how to make a sales pitch.

Even their appearance...

Wait...

...You just mentioned that you were skipping out on an engagement ceremony, didn't you?

Lanns, if we don't leave now, we'll be surrounded by drivers bringing wine barrels over to collect bottletree water, and won't be able to get out...

I know that already.

Seriously, didn't that Zalak say he was scared to death that something terrible would happen as soon as he left the vehicle?

I told him everyone's free to get off whenever they want, and I wouldn't do anything to stop him.

Naw, the way he was talking, I think he was scared he'd run into the girl he was engaged to.

Ray! Alanna! Hurry up and give me your contact!

Huh?

I'll send you the details later! Wedding invitations!

...Huh?

As far as I can tell, the road ahead should be pretty safe. No traces of big beasties, no sign of the ground getting hollowed out by the wildlife.

Haha. Maybe that last blessing the Zalak left you is actually doing something for us after all.

'Have a safe trip,' and 'you'll definitely find what you're looking for.'

'Feranmut,' huh...?

Pretty tough, just going by the sound of that word, huh? If you walked up to me and told me, 'we're going to go find the Feranmut,' I wouldn't have questioned it for a moment.

Though, I didn't think you'd also read the road conditions.

Hardly. I don't have much experience, I'm not a real lookout.

I just think... looking out into the distance with binoculars is pretty neat, that's all.

––Weird.

The power system's temperature display seems a bit off.

Jacker, did we miss something just now?

Like, a geyser spewing steam by the side of the road, or active Originium on the surface causing a small-scale explosion?

Nope.

I made sure of it.

What about Potlid?

Where'd she get herself to while we were looking outside?

Wait, is she... in the power room?!

Normally, we don't get closure right when something happens.

Just like when Mum and Aunt Jemma had that argument in the middle of the night. Such a noisy one it woke the neighbors––

They were arguing about the same old: 'How should the factory go about starting up the wheat grinder and the rice miller without disturbing the workers' rest.'

Just like those young Billy businessmen who helped the farmers and factory workers build a coalition during the 'Cage Incident'––

Even though they made an effort to break free of the grasp of the counts and the Victorian Chamber of Commerce, how many of them were just in it for the business? How many of them actually cared about the future of the Rim Billitonians?

Also, just like that one trip, with the Doctor and Amiya...

Maybe some questions will always have some sort of closure.

Eh? Dunno where you're gonna go yet?

Wasn't heading back to the nomadic platform to search for traces of your childhood just the first stop along the journey? Like, what happened to the second stop, and third stop, and so on...?

I filled a tank of gas and even prepped a portable stove and a tent...

Besides, the Rim Billiton Miners' Cup is in the group stage right now... If we head straight south, we might make it in time for the cross-country burdenbeast race across Big Hammer Mine...

Or maybe we could go for some of Rim Billiton's local specialties? I've committed a lotta fantastic eateries to memory over the last few years, especially the ones that've opened up inside hollowed-out mining tunnels.

In any case, Kal'tsit said that you guys don't have any work coming up for the next little while. So, why not put that whole Victoria thing on the backburner for now?

Th-There's no need to be pushy, Savage... It's not that I'm too worried about what's over the horizon to enjoy the trip or anything!

What I mean is, I think I might prefer how we used to do things before, like just wandering around without any particular goal in mind.

Well, umm, that might not be entirely accurate either. I'm sure the Doctor had some idea of where we were going.

...I did?

Because as far as I can remember, it seems like new things are happening every day, and there are always different sights to see.

If we were here to casually tour through Rim Billiton's barrenlands, we'd probably just be seeing a whole lot of sand, mines, and Originium clusters.

Well, about that... I think that's moreso you're having a streak of bad luck, and getting yourselves into trouble the whole way here...

At least Amiya's more than capable of holding her own now, and I'm not the same empty-headed, hot-blooded newbie I was before. Even if we run into a scrap, I'm sure we can resolve it without too much hassle...

Ouch!;......

S-Sorry about that, Doctor!

Doctor! Are you alright? Did you bump your head?

What was that sound just now?

Doctor... If you've hurt your head, please speak up...

It's fine... My head's still intact.

Savage... What happened? Why'd you suddenly slam on the brakes?

Take a look over there––

See that transport vehicle over there coughin' up smoke?

Jacker, go get some bottletree water. The more the better!

Alright.

Bring a tarp over and help me hold her up.

Alright.

Then, grab some tape and tie her to the condensate pipe, then dip her feet in cold water and give her a good soak.

Okay. But, why?

Call it a trade secret. Doesn't matter if it's a fever or a burn, this is the fastest way to cool down!

Medicine's fine and all, but you sometimes need to tackle the external problem head on, and this is the way you do it!

Lanns...

Don't worry. There's nothing to be scared of. I've got meds. I figured something like this would happen sooner or later... Hurry up and drink, Warmy.

She's burning up.

She has the strength to swallow the meds, so it's not as bad as it could be. The fever should be going down soon.

Yeah. I know it can't be that serious. Trust me.

Alright, I believe you.

But, I don't think what she has is a fever.

...I know.

It's her Arts. She used them to fiddle with the temperature of the power plant again. Without my permission.

Shoulda dawned on me a lot earlier when I realized how smooth the ride was and how much power we had driving on these roads.