Roadtrippin'

[Moonlight Revenge]

Not too far away. We're close.
*I look at Night in the car and look back at Neon* this is Night Rain. She's a city-living killjoy. I met her when I went to the city a couple days ago.
She's pretty tired actually.
So let's go now.

[Techno Beat]

Yes, let's. *I can't help but look down at the radio in my hands. An inner debate rages in my mind over whether or not to let Pika-chan know we're in the area. But with the car traveling down the road and the barren landscape quickly passing by the window, it's hypnotic view causes me to fall asleep quite quickly in the backseat.*

[Moonlight Revenge]

*as we arrive to the safehouse, I wake Techno and Neo up* we've arrived, guys. I'll go check if it was secure enough. I haven't been here since I was separated from my group.
*I open the door, jump out of the car, draw my gun and head towards the house, checking if there was anybody inside*
*after I finish checking, I head back towards the car* it's all clear, but watch your steps when you enter it. There's a well in the middle.
*I jump in the car again, driving it to somewhere near the house and jump out of the car to enter the house*

[Techno Beat]

(I apologize for being AWOL! Been super busy!)

*I half-stumble into the front door of the farmhouse we've come across. I hadn't realized how exhausted I became until we finally started driving again. Neon's outside, no doubt hiding our broken car. Hopefully tomorrow she can get it fixed and we can be on our way again. I still have no idea how to tell Pika-chan we're in the area. This is the last thing that I comprehend, because before I know it, my face lands on a mattress in the room on the first floor, and I'm back asleep.*

(Can we time jump at all so we can catch up with the OLOS mystery? It's up to you guys.)

[Moonlight Revenge]

(It's okay. I guessed that you were busy)
*As we enter the room, I drop my things* this was a long trip.

*When the sun rises, I get out of the house quietly, and run to the back of the car to search for a gasket* finally!
*I move to the other car, open the hood, change it, and untie the rope to get it back in the trunk*
*I enter the house again quietly, open my backbag and grab something to eat*
(Sure we can. But I hope I can understand it)

[Neon Paint]

*The sun's pretty high up in the sky once I wake up. I guess my body was much more tired than I thought. Of course, I haven't really had the luxury of sleeping in a mostly upright house with actual complete walls for a few months! I dig around for some fresh beef jerky I bought during our stay in Vegas for breakfast. A piece is hanging out of my mouth as I go outside to check on my busted Camero.

*Much to my surprise, the broken gasket has been fixed.* Well, that's one less thing I'll have to do today, *I mutter with jerky in my mouth. I decide to do some minor maintenance on the car before the sun gets too high and we have to retreat to the shade for the day. Checking the oil, engine, fuel lines, tire pressure--there's something so artistic about making sure everything's perfect. Maybe it's the perfectionist in me. But how else are you supposed to get from point A to point B in the desert? I'm not going to walk everywhere! Are you kidding me?*

[Techno Beat]

*I jolt myself awake, unaware of my surroundings. It takes a few seconds for me to remember where I was. After letting my heart beat settle for a second, I can hear noise outside. No doubt Neon Paint is working on the car at the moment. I get up, straightening my clothes as I walk out into the empty front room. The sky looks really pretty at the moment, so it's got to me around mid-morning, right before it gets too hot. I step outside, taking in a deep breath. It's not as choking today, which is always a good thing. Being originally from the city, it's taken a while to get used to the excess chemicals swirling in the air. I mean, it's a bit cleaner the further away from the city you get, especially once you get outside the Zones. It's just a matter of making it through the heavier chemicals further out.

In any matter, I take this opportunity for a moment of peace to start listening to some music I had collected digitally in old Las Vegas. Thank goodness for solar-powered MP3 players. My antique headphones over my ears, I soon get lost in guitar riffs and moving bass lines of classic rock. It's a shame that music is overall banned in the city. There's a lot for me to still explore and collect, and I have a pretty impressive collection of songs on at least a dozen MP3 players. And that's just three years of work.*

[Moonlight Revenge]

*After I finish eating, I get out of the house to find Techno Beat and Neon Paint awake* good morning guys!
I changed the gaskets so check if your car works.
*I walk up to them* have you had breakfast? I brought some food with me in my backbag
*I hand them some food* go ahead. Eat. It might be a long day.
*I rub back to the car to check what Rainbow left in it and I find some papers -probably scientific researches-*
*I sit down in the trunk of the car, start reading them, and think 'that's why they want Rainbow'. I fold them and keep them in my pockets, so no one can reach them*

[Neon Paint]

So you fixed it? You did a pretty good job. I'm just tweaking a few things to make sure she's working 110 percent. *I shut the hood, wiping my hands on a dirty piece of fabric in my pocket. I walk over to Moonlight, who's now sitting in her car looking at something.*

So, what exactly do we want to do now? I've already eaten, and Tech's not a big fan of eating. We've got enough supplies to last us quite a while too. *I don't say anything about the friend we're looking for. I've been known to spill the beans on more than one occasion, and it takes a lot for me to keep my mouth shut.*

[Moonlight Revenge]

Thank you.
*I get out of the car*
I seriously don't know. If you need any instructions on how to go to a place here in the Zones, I can help you.
I've been around this area for a while with the group I was with. We even met a killjoy called Electric Revenge while we were staying at this house.
I don't even know where I'm going. I'm currently all alone in the Zones

[Techno Beat]

*My ears automatically perk up at Pika-chan's killjoy name.* You saw Pika-chan?! Where is she? Is she okay? *The questions spill out of my mouth faster than I can help myself. If she's been here, then there's no doubt she's close by. Hopefully.*

[Moonlight Revenge]

Pika-chan? Well, yes, I know her. We were in the same group. I got separated from them after we went to the El Monte airport and I didn't hear from them again. I hope they're still there though.
Wait! You know her too?

[Neon Paint]

*I roll my eyes at Tech's burst of excitement.* Yes, we do know her. We're good friends sent to look for her at the moment. She's at El Monte? I've should've figured she would make her way there. There's no reason why we couldn't make our way there now. If you aren't busy, you more than welcome to tag along.

[Moonlight Revenge]

I'm never busy *I laugh a little bit*
I can take you to it. I can never forget that road.
I truly hope she's still there.
*I pick my bag up.* let's go then before they make another move.
*I throw my bag in the back of the car, jump in the driver's seat and start the car*
*I get out of the window* if you guys would like to stay in this car and tie the cars together. I still have the rope.

[Neon Paint]

We should be good on the car. It's ready to be driven again, and it's already packed and ready to go. But could we follow you? I can't exactly remember where that airport was. *I wave Techno over as I get in the car and start it up. It's takes a few turns of the key before the car roars to life.*

*I shout over the noise.* Go on ahead, we'll just follow you.