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They were getting close.
Riot had known it as soon as they had left the vastness of the desert behind in the early morning hours. She felt it in every fibre of her body; in the tension of her neck and the queasiness that had settled in her stomach. There were only the mountains and forests to cross now. Mere hours separating them from their destination - or so Riot thought, until the RV suddenly and unexpectedly came to a sputtering stop.
“What-” Riot started, and then stared in horror as the fuel warning belatedly chose to light up. As if to mock her. For a moment, she could only stare in disbelief, but there was no denying that the RV didn’t budge no matter how hard she pressed on the gas pedal. The fuel gauge, which had admittedly been slightly wonky ever since they’d crossed Texas, suddenly dropped from half full to empty.
Riot wanted to scream, and did exactly that.
“Wha- what’s wrong?” Olivier asked in alarm, and clambered from the back into the passenger seat, their hair mused from the nap Riot must’ve just disturbed.
Diggory poked their head out from between the seats as well. “Why have we stopped?”
“Because,” Riot said through gritted teeth, and slammed her hands against the steering wheel so hard that her palms hurt. “This stupid fuel gauge seems to be broken. Shit.”
She yanked the door open and hopped out onto the street before she could let more of her frustrations out on the RV. It wouldn't help to damage it any further than it already was. Ahead of them, engines roared as Ray turned around and rolled up to them.
“Do we have a problem?” the automobile said. Moth poked moth’s head out of the window on the passenger side, concern written all over moth’s face. “Is everyone okay?”
“We’re out of fuel,” Riot said miserably, running a hand over her shaved head. “The gauge didn’t show. Please tell me there’s a place nearby where we can get more.”
Ray’s engines hummed as he considered the question. “Not nearby, per se. But close enough.”
“How close is close enough?”
“Half a day, maybe. Back the way we came from. There’s a closer option near the coast, but for that I would have to pass the Dreaming Box and let me tell you, that ain’t worth the risk unless it’s absolutely necessary.”
Riot’s shoulders slumped. That meant a delay of at least a full day. Time that, she realised with a sinking feeling in her stomach, she wasn’t sure they had. But after all he’d done, she wasn’t going to ask Ray to take any unnecessary risks.
“Okay,” she bit out through clenched teeth. “Just… hurry, okay?”
“As much as the road will let me,” Ray rumbled, and without much more preamble he and Moth were off, speeding back towards the desert. It left Riot and her companions stranded on the crumbling road winding through the forest, tall slopes and even taller trees lining both sides of the way. It made Riot feel unbearably small. She bit her lip, tears welling in her eyes.
“Riot?” Diggory asked softly, stepping at her side. “It’s okay.”
“It’s not,” Riot snapped, furiously wiping at her eyes. “I can’t believe I’m so stupid.”
“You’re not stupid,” Percy protested, his silvery form shimmering in the air behind Diggory’s shoulder. “You said it yourself, the fuel gauge is broken.”
“But I should have paid more attention. I should have realised we’ve been going for far too long. Just… fuck.”
“Riot…” Olivier said hesitantly, voice full of compassion instead of the usual snipe, and somehow the fact that this was coming from Olivier of all people was too much to bear for the moment. When Olivier reached for her arm, Riot flinched away. Olivier went stock-still in response, looking very much like a deer in a headlight. Guilt churned in Riot’s stomach.
She needed to get away from them before she said something she would regret later.
“Just… leave me alone for a bit,” she snapped, more forceful than intended, and before Olivier could see the tears on her cheeks she stormed off into the forest. There wasn’t anywhere else to go except for the winding road, and the trees at least hid her from view almost immediately.
She wasn’t sure how long she was walking. Long enough to get out of breath in the warmth of the day and for her legs to burn from clambering over the uneven terrain. But it felt good, in a way. Like every step burned through more of the anger and frustration bubbling inside her, until there was nothing of it left.
Riot came to a stop, panting. She closed her eyes for a moment, listening to the pounding blood in her ears until she slowly calmed down. She opened her eyes again. She had no idea where she was. The road was long gone from view and left only the trees and bushes and rocks, looking the same in every direction. But now that the rush of blood in her ears had eased there was another thing she could hear: the soft gurgle of water somewhere nearby.
Intrigued, Riot moved in the direction. She clambered down a slope and then took a turn towards the side of another hill. After just a few more minutes she saw it: from the cliff above her, a trickle of water bubbled out from between the rocks, flowing gently down the slope before falling abruptly over the edge of the cliff she was standing on. A few metres beneath the edge, a large pool of water had formed.
Riot stepped closer to the edge and peered into it. It looked deep and surprisingly clean. The surface of the water rippled in the sunlight in shades of blue and green. Like the ones in the movies, instead of the muddy black Riot was accustomed to from the North.
Apparently the spring wasn’t yet contaminated by the black rains, and the little stream leading away from the pool probably kept it clean enough unless it rained too hard.
A sudden gust of wind behind her startled Riot. It came with too much force to be natural, and Riot spun around to face it, her heart in her throat. It occurred to her only belatedly that of course it was Olivier, probably worried after she had disappeared into a forest with unknown dangers. By the time the realisation hit her, it was already too late.
Instinctively, she had made a step back, even closer to the edge of the cliff. The rock was wet and slippery from the steady trickle of water, and Riot’s foot immediately slid out from under her. She scrambled for something to hold on to, but gravity had already taken hold. She barely had time to see Olivier descending from the sky above her, eyes suddenly widening in alarm, before she fell.
‘It’s fine’ Riot thought hysterically. The drop was just a few metres, and she would land in water instead of breaking her bones against the rocks, and it was fine, except-
“I can’t swim,” Riot managed to shriek, just before she hit the surface and was suddenly engulfed in cool water. For a few agonising seconds she tumbled into the depths, completely losing her sense of orientation. Then, finally, her descent slowed until she could make out the surface shimmering above her. She flailed and kicked, desperate to reach it.
Just as she was making at least some headway, something grabbed her from behind. Riot yelped, and immediately regretted it was water filled her mouth. She struggled against the grip, wildly thrashing about, and somehow, despite the panic and the burning in her lungs, she managed to break the surface.
Riot took a large, gulping breath and flailed some more, struggling to stay above water and to shake off whatever had grabbed her.
“Stop kicking me!” Olivier yelled, spluttering in her ear, and Riot realised with a pang of relief it was them who had their arms wrapped around her, and not one of the terrifying creatures that surely inhabited this forest and the waters in particular. Still, the relief only lasted for the one second it took until her head dipped below the water once more.
Riot thrashed some more, and made it back above the surface. “You’re dragging me down!” she yelled.
“I’m not! Calm down!”
It took all the bravery she had, but Riot somehow managed to comply. She stopped moving, taking a deep breath as she expected to sink once more. But, to her surprise, no such thing happened. Olivier’s arms were wrapped tight around her, keeping her afloat. Olivier grunted as they started to move them towards the shore. It barely took a minute until Riot managed to get her feet onto the ground and they both struggled upright.
They were both still chest deep in the water, panting heavily for air. Riot’s legs shook with fear or adrenaline or both, but Olivier still held on tight.
“Are you- Riot, are you okay?” they asked.
“Yeah,” Riot croaked. She managed to turn around in Olivier’s embrace, looking them up and down. “Are you?”
Olivier nodded. They were so close that Riot could feel them breathing heavily, their chest expanding against Riot’s own. Heat rushed into Riot’s cheeks, but she couldn’t bring herself to pull away. Not when she still wasn’t sure her legs would carry her. She watched in fascination how Olivier’s cheeks flushed as well. Their tongue darted out to catch a drop of water that glistened on their lips, and Riot couldn’t help but stare.
They both flinched and sprang apart as something large darted out of the bushes above them. With her heart in her throat Riot whirled around, but it was only Diggory who came to a sudden stop at the ledge above them.
“Riot, are you alright?” they asked, taking her in with their bright white eyes. “I heard you scream.”
“Fine,” Riot groaned, wiping water out of her eyes. “We just went for a swim. What else are we supposed to do with this day?”
Diggory cocked their head, considering. Percy appeared beside them, shimmering in the sunlight like the surface of the water, and an idea popped into Riot’s head that made her grin just a bit manically.
“Come on!” she shouted. “You should join us! Jump!”
“Wait-” Olivier started, but by then it was already too late: with a huge leap Diggory threw themselves over the ledge and plummeted.
Olivier shrieked, ducking behind Riot. Riot just cackled as Diggory hit the surface with a monumental splash, emerging a few moments later with a smile and their wet hair plastered all over their face in their best The Ring impression.
“Don’t be such a wimp! You’re already soaked!” Riot laughed as she turned to Olivier, who had successfully avoided the splash by hiding behind Riot. Riot hit the surface of the water with her palm, spattering Olivier some more. They yelped and darted closer to the shore, out of Riot’s reach. They brushed a few strands of blue hair out of their face, and suddenly a glint entered their eye that made Riot realise, with anxious delight, that she might have made a mistake.
She wasn’t entirely sure what happened. All she knew was that the wind suddenly picked up at Olivier’s command, and the next moment she was hit with a wall of water so dense it felt like she was once again submerged in the pool.
It lasted just a second, but it still left Riot sputtering. For a second she stared in awe at Olivier, water dripping off her chin, and then she burst out laughing. And once she’d started, she couldn’t stop.
She laughed until her cheeks hurt, until all the remaining tension had left her body. Olivier watched her with a smile and just a smidge of worry in their eyes. When she finally calmed down she was gasping for breath, and her friends had gathered close around her. Maybe they thought she was losing it a bit. She certainly felt that way.
“I’m sorry for snapping at you all,” she finally said, looking from Olivier to Diggory and Percy and hoping desperately they heard the sincerity in her voice. “I was just… I don’t know. Frustrated, I guess. And scared. For what it’s worth, I’m… I’m really glad to be here with you all.”
“It’s alright,” Diggory said, soft and soothing. “We are glad to be here with you as well.”
“Yeah,” Olivier said. “You’re not alone in this, Riot.”
“I- I know. Thanks.” Riot smiled, and let Olivier take her hand to pull her out of the water. “What do we do now?”
“Go for a swim?” Olivier suggested, and laughed when Riot groaned. “You said so yourself, there’s not much we can do with this day. This seems like a nice place to enjoy it, at the very least.”
Despite everything, Riot had to admit they were right. There was something idyllic about this place; the glittering water surrounded by trees protecting them from the worst of the sun. The air was pleasantly warm, even though Riot was starting to shiver in her soaked clothes.
“Yeah. Okay,” she said with a sigh, unceremoniously pulling her wet t-shirt over her head. “You’re gonna teach me how to swim, then?”
Olivier spluttered, although Riot couldn’t tell if it was due to the suggestion or due to the fact that Riot was suddenly standing in front of them in just a sports bra. “I- I mean, if you want?” Olivier finally managed to say.
Riot grinned and got to work on her soaking wet jeans next. “Yeah. Yeah, I do.”
Several hours later, Riot was dozing on a blanket they had spread next to the pool. She was still just in her underwear while her clothes were drying on a nearby branch, and had just woken from a much needed nap a while ago. Her arms felt pleasantly sore after the earlier exercise. Olivier had turned out to be a good teacher, although they couldn’t quite make up for the fact that Riot had spent most of her life in a bunker that didn’t even have a bathtub.
Riot yawned, blinking up into the sky. Black leaves rustled in the wind high above their heads. Patches of a pale blue sky peeked through, sometimes dispersed by clouds.
Curiously, Riot looked around for her companions. It took her a while to spot Diggory and Percy. They were sitting on a big rock at the bottom of the pool, fully submerged. The ripple of water above their heads made light dance across them. Percy’s arms were shimmering from where they were wrapped tight around Diggory’s neck. Apparently they were having a moment.
The sight sent a pang of longing through Riot, sudden and irritating. Inadvertently, she thought of Clara. Riot grimaced, shaking her head to banish the thought, and rolled over to face Olivier instead.
They were sitting cross-legged on the blanket beside her. Although they had also shed most their clothes earlier to let them dry, they were entirely wrapped into their cloak with barely a sliver of pale skin peeking through. Fluffy clouds gently swept across the fabric. A book was open in their lap, just like it had maybe an hour ago when Riot had fallen asleep.
“Whatcha reading, Ollie?” Riot asked and propped herself up to catch a glimpse at the page.
Olivier looked up, startled for a moment before they narrowed their eyes at Riot. “Do you really want to know, or do you just want to make fun of me?”
“That was one time,” Riot protested. “I promise I won’t make fun. Not in a mean way, at least.”
Olivier arched an eyebrow at her in a way that somehow was very distracting, but finally relented. They closed the book and showed her the battered cover. Riot squinted, but couldn't make out the title.
“It’s, um, it’s a fantasy novel,” Olivier started, sounding nervous. “The main character used to be an adventurer and opens a coffee shop after she retired.”
Riot blinked. “Wow. That sounds boring.”
Olivier rolled their eyes and gave Riot a playful shove. With an exaggerated yelp, Riot let herself fall back down into the blanket.
“You promised not to make fun!” Olivier cried.
“I’m not making fun! It was just an observation.”
“Well. It’s not boring.”
“What do you like about it, then?”
Olivier stilled. They carefully watched Riot, eyes wide in surprise.
“What?” Riot asked defensively.
“Just… surprised. Do you seriously want to know what I’m thinking?”
“Yes,” Riot said adamantly, ignoring the pang of guilt in her side. “C’mon, tell me.”
Riot watched as Olivier bit their lip, unsure for a moment, before finally starting to speak. “It’s… a nice change, to read something with low stakes? Especially when the stakes are so high in everything else we do. This isn’t meant to be exciting, it’s just supposed to be… I don’t know. Cosy and relaxing. It’s nice.”
Riot hummed, mulling over their words.
“If it helps,” Olivier added hastily, their cheeks flushing. “I’m pretty sure there’s going to be a romantic subplot involving the coffee shop owner and her employee.”
Riot spluttered, trying very hard to ignore how cute Olivier looked with a flush and how badly she wanted to cup their cheeks to feel the heat beneath her fingertips. “Romance. Eugh. That does not help.”
Olivier looked at her and then laughed at whatever they saw on Riot’s face. Riot’s cheeks were burning, in a way she was sure matched Olivier’s.
“Sure, Riot,” Olivier grinned and then took pity on her as they opened the book again and began to read once more.
With a grimace Riot slumped back down, arms crossed beneath her head. For a moment she just lay there, enjoying the cool breeze on her bare skin. The gentle sound of lapping water and rustling leaves nearly lulled her back to sleep again, but she fought against the drowsiness to take it all in. The patches of sunlight that made it down onto the forest floor, the trees majestically stretching high into the sky. The peace and quiet they found here, at least for a moment, despite the black rains and lurking monsters and Botco always on their heels. The easy companionship she shared with her friends. Friends who, she knew, would do everything to keep her safe when that fragile peace eventually shattered.
“I think I get it,” she suddenly said, looking up at Olivier with a gentle smile. “Why you like that book.”
Olivier lowered their book to look at her. “Yeah?”
“Yep. This is nice too. To ignore the high stakes for at least a little while. To relax a bit, in good company. I think I needed this before we go rescue my mom.”
Olivier blinked and finally smiled, in a way that made Riot’s heart skip a beat. They set aside their book and lay down next to Riot, so close that their shoulders were nearly touching. “It is nice, isn’t it?”
Somehow, Riot still felt the irritating urge to reach out and touch them, but there was no urgency in this desire. For the moment she was simply too content to lie next to Olivier, staring up at the sky together. “Yeah,” she said. “It is.”