Island in the Sun (closed to Ray)

[Rayleigh]

Rayleigh looked like she may say something snarky, and for the briefest moment, she considered it. But when she looked at her companion, she saw no malice, good natured or otherwise, in those deep blue eyes. He merely smiled when he caught her looking at him, and she smiled back.

"I could stand to eat something," she answered, pressing the flat of her hand against her stomach. Now that the seasickness had subsided, she realized how hungry she was. And, if the scents that carried from nearby restaurants were any indication, the meal he offered her was a deal too good to pass up. Her gaze wandered across one restaurant in particular as they passed it, then jumped to another. "You know," she mused aloud, "all of these places have tables outside." They spilled into the wide street, large, sturdy tables and chairs that showed no indication of being easily moved. Alerar featured very few outdoor venues; Ettermire was an especially dangerous place to eat, considering the pollution. The handful of cafes that did provide outdoor seating brought the furniture in when the weather turned nasty. That did not appear to be the case here. Even the umbrellas that speckled the patios appeared to be crafted of thin fabric, better suited for protecting from sun than from rain. "What do they do when it storms?"

"It rarely does," came Vincent's answer. "Almost always sunny. Makes it the perfect place for tourists. Tourism is their main source of income."

"You know a lot about this place," Ray commented, turning for a restaurant with an open table.

Following close behind her, Vince said, "I spent a lot of time researching it." A pause, and then, "you know, for the mission."

If the brunette found anything odd in his response, she gave no indication as she dropped into the sturdy, wooden chair. The décor, she noted appreciatively, was comprised nearly entirely of natural pieces. Wooden totem poles held a thatched roof over an open bar, and tiny trees in brightly painted clay pots dotted the patio. "I've never been anywhere like this," she admitted suddenly, leaning forward in her chair to gently touch the floral arrangement that sat in the middle of the table. "Everything is so bright, and alive, and happy."

[Cards of Fate]

“Earth was…” Vincent paused for a moment, chewing his lower lip as he contemplated his words. “Earth is…beautiful. It’s alive in ways you couldn’t imagine. So large and full of splendor, yet at the same time small?” he cocked his head to the side. “I could hop on a plane…er- Airship, and travel across the entire world in twenty four-hours. We could talk to people miles away just by picking up a device and pressing a few buttons…” His eyes shot down to table for a moment.

“That sounds amazing.” Rayleigh added nodding. “Your machinery must be leagues ahead of anything we have here…”

“Yeah…” Vincent trailed off. “I mean, I guess I miss some of it? But at the same time…there’s something so amazing about this world.” He looked up and met her gaze. “I mean, there’s magic here. We have dragons and demons, zombies, talking otters…” he shook his head and laughed. “All of that was just fiction back home, you know? It was something out of a storybook that I always wanted to be a part of…”

“What about your family back home? Do you miss them?” the mechanic inquired. It dawned on her that he hadn’t ever mentioned much of them.

“I…have a pretty rough relationship with my mom. Her and dad split up when I was little, and I kinda feel like I caused it a bit. Dad vanished and mom remarried a mean ol’ bastard with three brats for daughters.” A twinge of sadness crossed Ray’s face, forcing Vincent to avert his gaze back to the table. “Besides…I have family here too.”

“You do?” Ray asked cocking her head to the side.

“Of course silly. I have you, John, Jo, Stella, Alyssa…” Vincent began to list off more names of Tarot operatives as he counted on his fingers. “The Tarot is just one big happy family isn’t it?” Vincent shot the mechanic a goofy grin before a waitress interrupted them.

“Can I get you anything to drink?”

“Ale please.” Ray asked bluntly, breaking her gaze away from Vincent to look at the waitress.

“Ummm” Vince hawed as he looked down at the menu. “I’ll try the uh….lemon lime and mango passion power mojito…” Both women stared at Vincent for a moment before Ray let out a small giggle. “What?” her asked cocking his head to the side.

“Vince, that has to be the girliest drink on the menu.”

“And?” Vince replied raising an eyebrow.

“Nothing, you’re right.” Ray managed to get her giggles in check before turning to the waitress. “We’re both going to try the…shredded chicken wrap? What’s It called…the Cato? Yeah, two order of the shredded chicken catos please.”

“Got it.” The waitress mumbled as she scribbled down the order on a small pad of paper. “Two shredded chicken Catos, an ale, and a…lemon lime and mango passion power mojito.” She looked up from her notes and shot the two a smile. “That’ll be out shortly! Would you like any chips and salsa while you wait?”

“Sure.” Vince replied nodding his head. “That’d be lovely.” The waitress nodded and left the table. Once she was clear, Rayleigh turned to Vincent and shot him a questioning look. “What is salsa?”

“You’ll see. I’m surprised how much the locale cuisine mimics Tex-Mex.”

“Tex-Mex?”

“I’ll explain a little later, it’s a rather long winded explanation.”