They remained there, on the floor in the empty train car, for several minutes in silence. It was all just... strange. Unwelcome, to put it lightly.
        Finally fed up with both the situation and her own behavior in the moment, Rakashi took a deep breath and forced her body into action. She stood and turned, offering a hand to her traveling companion. She had no right to be anything but a leader then and there. Later, when they were safe, she could spare some time to think and react. After what had just happened... it was clear she had to become stronger to adapt. More defensive. More ready to attack and kill rather than to let her curiosity get in the way.
        All thoughts fled when Rean grabbed her hand--and pulled her back down to the floor. His gaze was even, feeling suddenly quite brave. The question was quiet, but full of meaning. "What happened?"
        She blinked, finding his grip unrelenting; not tight, but holding. It was a puzzling thing, really... but his eye contact would not break until he'd gotten an answer. In the back of her mind, she made note of how her former assistant would have made a better officer, had the military possessed any actual sense. He couldn't have known what he was asking, but she would try to answer regardless. "That man was... not a man."
        Not anywhere near the sort of response he'd been looking for. The idea took some seconds to sink in. "Then what was... it?"
        Rakashi shook her head, unable to come up with even a single word to properly describe... Familiar, her mind told her. She wanted to deny that, to bury it until it no longer existed. She could tell how deeply Rean was searching her eyes for an answer, probably instinctually aware that she was holding something back; and he didn't seem to have any plans to let go of her wrist anytime soon. The word just wouldn't go away, refused to disappear. "It's... familiar." She finally admitted, still at a bit of a loss. "I don't understand it..." She struggled for more, reaching desperately for anything she could tell herself, let alone her companion... but there was nothing else.
        He felt a bit surprisingly overcome with the need to comfort her, but he just... didn't know what he could possibly do. While he wasn't in the least bit aware of her thought process, he did get the gist of her silence, understanding that she wanted to hold everything quietly and controlled until at least the end of the train ride. He would just have to remind himself that she was probably going to need an opportunity to vent at some point... and to stay completely clear of that.
        Not another word needed, Rean stood up that time. Never releasing her hand, he waited patiently for her to get the hint. She stared up at him at first, curiosity and perhaps a little suspicion in her gaze, but followed his lead. It was only when they reached the door he'd broken through moments ago when he realized that he was still holding her hand. Clearing his throat, he released his hold and stepped aside, somewhat desperate to divert attention from his near-panicked embarrassment. "Lead the way. Sir."
        Rakashi either did not notice his nervousness or chose to ignore it, giving him an appropriate nod before going on ahead. It wouldn't be too long before they reached the station. To rest for a while... that seemed a good thing to look forward to.

------------------------

        Too wide awake and drenched in silence, they rode out the rest of the trip in their own original car... with the door open. Perhaps it had something to do with some kind of mutual claustrophobia, or the fact that neither of them were quite willing to remain unaware of what may happen right outside.
        Rean watched what he'd grown absolutely certain was Rakashi trying to keep her mind blank. Away, distant... her eyes were the first thing that he'd noticed to be switched off like a light, followed by her expression. It was a fascinating thing to watch, actually, like some perverted form of meditation taking shape. Fascinating as it was, he didn't really want to see her like that...but it wasn't as if he didn't understand.
        Of course, she wasn't that blank; she caught him looking. The sudden, very aware eye contact caused him to look away guiltily. "Sorry."
        There was a dull sort of amused smile on her lips, and her voice made her sound incredibly exhausted. Maybe she was--she didn't care to explore even that much until they were safely off the train. "Torture training."
        That... was interesting. "Pardon?"
        "It's what you're taught as an officer. What I was 'retaught'." The laugh was anything but jovial. Rakashi took a deep breath and cleared her throat, trying to work herself back to nonchalance. "Disconnecting. Mind and body becoming separate. Unfortunately, I don't think it's very helpful in this situation."
        So--wait. Was she feeling tortured by this? Maybe not physically, but... "Wanna get a few bottles of something in Cheres and camp out for the night?" The sheer brashness of his sudden bright idea nearly made him finch. That was probably the stupidest thing he ever could have possibly--
        "That sounds impossibly good right now." The former general answered with her eyes closed, leaning back into the not-quite-padded-enough seat. "We still have our horses. There's a tent in the supplies. The weather's been warm here. We're not far from our destination, and we've obviously got plenty of money for it."
        Those were very good points, there was no doubt about that. Rean was actually a little surprised to have heard them over the sound of his own racing pulse.

------------------------

        They were enormously grateful when the train ride continued without any more interruptions. Rean believed himself to be even more grateful, the possibilities of him saying something else alarmingly stupid or downright dangerous seeming to lessen once they were concentrating more on travel.
        Walking their horses off the train and right out onto the main road, Cheres proved to be a very nice town. It was clean, alive without being overly crowded, and the buildings managed to maintain a small town feel to them. It was no surprise when the liquor store happened to be right next to the apothecary, leading Rakashi to grin at her former assistant.
        "Why don't you go in." Rean didn't quite ask. He still looked damn young, not to mention that he had no ID on him whatsoever. The woman just... carried herself as older--and could probably argue much better than he could, besides.
        The grin had not disappeared by the time she strolled into the liquor store. Nor did it seem to have disappeared at any point, as it was still there when she walked out several minutes later with three bottles.
        "Wine?" he asked despite his desire to not make complications for himself. It was just hard not to notice that two of the bottles were the same...
        "Ice wine." She corrected. "Much better. And Cure-All."
        Raising his eyebrow, he couldn't help himself. "Is that really what it's called?"
        "Well, that's what I know it as." Rakashi shrugged, showing him the bottle. 160-proof. Yes, that would cure and/or kill just about everything. Packing those safely away for their travel, she kept an eye out for a general store where she could get a local map for a decent enough price.
        As they continued walking their horses down the road, Rean was still stuck on the idea of something that was 80% alcohol. The idea that the woman could probably manage to drink Demi under the table was incredibly amusing... and sort of tempting to try to get to happen.
        Locating what she was after, the woman once again entered the store alone and returned with exactly what she was looking for. She waited until they'd found a nice little secluded alley to stop in, glancing around to make certain they were indeed alone first. Unfolding the map against the wall, she took a long moment to orient herself, studying it--then laughed to herself. "We're here." She pointed for her companion's benefit. "Since Sarah's note said I'd know what to look for, I'll bet they're right here."
        "Um." He managed, having no idea how she came to that conclusion.
        So Rakashi traced it for him. A curved river going through the bottom of a giant basin, with two towns near the top of the basic itself. "For all intents and purposes... this is a smiley face. And I'll bet the ranch is right at the nose."
        He blinked. "That's..."
        "Stupid." She finished for him, grinning again. "But it's also so very Sarah." It was mentioned once in passing, her secretary's absolute disdain for smiley faces being drawn without noses--but it had been so amusing and so completely out of nowhere that it had never been forgotten. When Rakashi jokingly started to leave smiley faces on documents, it was Sarah who would surreptitiously add the nose to each one. "It looks like we can find a decent place to camp before nightfall and manage to be there by evening tomorrow."
        That was both amazingly good to know... and extremely worrisome. Rean didn't really know if he was ready to see Demi again. Nor was he sure that he was ready to face Rakashi, ice wine and Cure-All so far from civilization, either.

------------------------

        They left Cheres on horseback, but wound up on foot a couple of hours later, when the roads seemed to disappear altogether and leave only long-traveled paths through patches of forest. It was actually kind of nice to walk after the riding and the train, though, sort of relaxing... and maybe made for a more healthy kind of tired. The horses certainly didn't seem to mind.
        In a beautiful bit of luck, they came upon a clearing just far enough from the road to allow them a half-decent view of it, but not so close as to be watched from it. Since the light of day was starting to fade, it seemed as good a place to stop as any, and there were some good-sized trees around the far edge of the clearing that would serve to tie the horses to.
        Despite how "warm" the nights had been, the fact remained that they were still a little chilly for sleeping outside. Since a small fire was a useful thing in keeping unwanted wild animals at bay as well, Rean was tasked with gathering kindling and wood while Rakashi made some attempt at not being angered by the nonsensical tent. It was a bit of slow going at first, admittedly, but she actually managed to get the thing standing by herself. Whether or not it would remain so all night... well, all the more excuse to make an early start of things, she supposed.
        "I'm sort of amazed." Rean admitted, arms full of decently dried wood that would hopefully last the night. Dropping it all into an unceremonious pile, at least he did know how to set up to get a fire started.
        "Didn't make rank for nothing." She joked, the words containing a sting that she tried to push aside. "Afraid there still no cooler for the ice wine, though."
        "But there are matches, I hope?" He wasn't quite willing to admit that he was already getting a little cold with the last rays of sunlight disappearing.
        She seemed to understand enough, walking to the horses and digging through one of those bags. "Even better." She waited until Rean had looked over at her before tossing a lighter to him. It was either luck or Demi thinking ahead again. If they'd had matches which managed to get wet in the rain... well, no need to dwell on that. What Rakashi was more interested in were what those rations were. Looking through the small and all too square foil-wrapped packages, she had to wonder for a moment if it wouldn't be more worth their time to try and shoot dinner. But that was just too much work in the moment. Sighing, she selected the least offensive of the bunch--"scalloped potatoes", it said--and a bottle of ice wine to bring to the fire.
        It'd been such a nice idea. Throw a few back, get piss drunk, completely forgetting about everything... but she'd known even when the idea was presented to her that she wouldn't be able to go through with it. Not completely. It wasn't the right thing to do, firstly. And, second... if perhaps she could get Rean drunk enough to stay asleep for a while, maybe she could finally vent a little. As loudly as she pleased.
        Of course, that idea was destined to be ignored as well. She wouldn't have just left him alone to be completely defenseless. Nevermind what a day of horseback riding while hungover would feel like. Well... damn.
        "So..." her companion interrupted her thoughts, sitting beside her with a little distance after he'd gotten a decent fire going. "About this wine..?"
        She gave a soft snort, digging into her pocket. "Have at it. Got us a corkscrew, as well." Though, she supposed she may as well do the "honors". Mostly because she wasn't entirely sure that Rean knew how to use one, nor did she think that she ought to be the one to teach him.
        "I don't suppose there are any cups, though." It was merely an idle comment, feeling he ought to say something.
        "'Fraid not. I think you can handle my cooties, though, Mr. Coi." Rakashi tried very hard not to grin at his blush, taking the first sip straight from the bottle almost in challenge. Yeah, it wasn't the great stuff, but it was still pretty damn good. Handing the bottle over, she was a little curious as to what he would do.
        Taking the bottle slowly, he gave it a measuring look. The wine he was used to was... not good, to put it lightly. Demi's choices, mostly; cheap-ass and probably made from half grapes and half things he didn't want to know about. He expected basically the same sweet-vinegar fruit juice flavor to hit his tongue as he took a sip himself; but it was a pleasant surprise. The sweetness wasn't overly powerful, the flavor didn't become unbearable, and there wasn't that extremely unpleasant burn as he swallowed. He could still tell that he was drinking alcohol, sure, but for once Rean didn't particularly mind the flavor. "This is... a lot better than I expected."
        Taking the bottle back as it was offered, she laughed. "Could never stand any of the crap made available at the Tower. This is more of a 'dessert wine'--a concept lost on a good deal of ration-pushers."
        Snorting, he took the bottle back after Rakashi had taken a longer pull from it. Since she'd mentioned rations, he prodded at the foil packet. "Do these two pair well?"
        "Rations don't pair with anything." She assured, disgust clear in her voice. Even so, she reached forward to attempt to pry the included plastic "fork" off of the side before opening the little packaged horror. "I think you might want to be careful of that wine, though." It sounded like a suggestion. "Considering we still have to ride tomorrow, it would be a bad thing."
        Swallowing a little too quickly upon realizing she was right, Rean managed not to cough. "Was that really the plan all along?" He was pretty sure he could already blame the alcohol for making him brave, if he had to.
        Smirking, she admitted, "Getting smashed was a good idea. But ultimately too impractical." With a shrug, that was just the long and short of it. Trying some of those "potatoes", they really weren't that bad... but she did go for another swig of wine as soon as it was offered. "It's sort of nice to just... sit here and eat and drink like a human being."
        The words stung a little, even as he reached for the fork himself. He wasn't hungry... though she'd already made her point with the alcohol, and he knew that he should eat. "It's not such a great thing." Stabbing a few layers of what at least looked like sliced potatoes, he could feel her curious gaze more than see it. "Human beings... well, you've seen what they're capable of."
        Rakashi knew what he meant, what he was trying to do, but... maybe it was the idea itself that seemed hollow. She waited until Rean had taken a few bites and surrendered the fork before handing the bottle back, taking over where he'd left off. "I'm apparently capable of at least the same, if not more... does that make me more than human?" She amused herself with the question, shaking her head and not wanting an answer. "No sense in dwelling on it. There's not even enough information to worry about yet."
        Hm. "You seem to think there will be reason to worry..."
        Shrugging, she couldn't really commit to any thought on the matter. "We'll see. In any event, now is not the time to worry." Putting the fork down, she wordlessly invited Rean to finish the rest.
        Which was not the most pleasant invitation. Taking one more sip of the wine and deciding to call it quits for the night, he placed the bottle on the ground and declared, "I think you ought to finish the food. You need your energy and all that."
        The laugh was short and quiet, but genuine. "Really, you are much too polite Mr. Coi." She half-accused, corking the bottle--and still leaving the rations alone.
        He supposed that maybe the alcohol was getting to him, a little bit... but it was quite pleasant. "As are you, General."
        That title almost made her wince, but really... it was still sort of natural. She'd grown so very used to it, and it was a decent reminder to hold things together and continue to act like a general... more or less. In the morning, they'd head out with the knowledge that they'd be meeting Demi and Sarah by evening. It was a little frightening, in a way. Rakashi knew that those thoughts just had to be shoved aside, put away for the time being as nothing more than ridiculous worry. "Since dinner seems to be over and the wine is, for the moment, put away... I suppose sleep wouldn't hurt."
        Rean certainly hadn't managed enough alcohol to make him feel all that terribly warm, though. That was starting to make him worry... even more than the dawning realization of how small that tent seemed. "How many blankets are there?"
        Forcing herself to stand, she walked over to the horses to check, pulling out a grand total of... two from the saddle bags. They were large and thick, true, but the fact remained... "Well, maybe the tent fabric is good at trapping heat."
        He gave her the sort of look that he usually reserved for Demi, then glanced back at the tent. "I don't really think that would even keep rain out..."
        "Are you calling the military a bunch of cheap assholes, Mr. Coi?" the former general teased, bringing the blankets over.
        "Yes, sir." He chuckled, moving to unzip the tent... and then it looked even smaller. Well. He really, really hadn't had enough wine. Bravery and stupidity were both battling it out in the back of his mind, but he was sober enough to realize that he couldn't really tell the two apart. "Well... you know, body heat... is the, um... b-best way to..."
        "That line is so much older than the two of us." Rakashi all too kindly cut him off before he attempted to finish the increasingly embarrassing ramble. She busied herself for a moment with checking the fire, making certain the wall of stones around it was high enough, that there wasn't a strong enough wind to carry it where it didn't belong. "If you think you'll be cold, it is alright to stay close." She finally assured, walking back over to make certain the horses would be warm enough. They really ought to be, particularly with the fire there... and they had each other to curl up with, if needed.
        Suddenly, Rean was losing his nerve a little quickly. "I guess there's always that Cure-All..."
        "I thought of it as more of a gift for the captain." She admitted with humor, taking a long moment to just look upward, gazing at the stars. That was something the Tower could never have offered... and she suspected that was very much on purpose. A stretch of silence passed as they both stargazed before she finally announced, "I think... unconsciousness would do me good about now."
        That would have made him laugh even without the alcohol. "Yeah. I think I know what you mean."
        There was a soft smile at the corners of her lips as she partially crawled into the tent to get the blankets in place. Shame that they didn't have a travel mattress, but if that was as close to "roughing it" as they got, Rakashi couldn't find much to complain about. With one last visual check of the horses and the fire, she simply left her boots outside the tent flap before crawling beneath the blankets.
        Rean only felt more nervous at that moment, hesitating. Seconds ticked by, and still he couldn't quite convince himself to move...
        "It's cold in here, you know." She finally prompted jokingly.
        Strangely enough, that got him to laugh and to move. Crawling inside, he couldn't help but notice that Rakashi looked quite comfortable on one side--perhaps particularly because she left her gun resting within reach. Well that was a good idea. He placed his own pistol very carefully on the opposite side, as close to the wall of that tent (and away from him) as possible before zipping the flap closed. Granted, that gave him an awkward moment of trying to find his way beneath the blankets in the dark, but he managed, facing away. The blankets were even large enough to allow some space between them. Unfortunately, there was also a shiver, the ground still cold beneath.
        "Warm yet?" the former general seemed to tease quietly.
        Well, honestly... "No."
        Rakashi found that amusing. With an overdramatic and long-suffering sigh, she turned toward him and pulled Rean a bit closer, nearly able to feel his blush radiating like the sun. "This never happened." She assured. "If it did, it was the alcohol."
        Despite everything else... he could go with that. "Right."

------------------------

        He woke to an empty bed. That didn't seem unusual, exactly, but maybe a little odd. Slightly unexpected... but if he hadn't been woken yet, there was probably still a little time to drift back to sleep.
        A sudden and very loud explosion corrected him--not to mention got him up extremely quickly. He heard the shrill whinnies of the horses, their hooves stomping out of what seemed to be panic; much like the way he could hear his own pulse racing. Reaching for the tent flap, Rean paused just for a moment, wondering if he ought to just stay out of sight. Still, what had that sound been?
        Gunshot. He knew because the second one was closer and he was awake to hear it. Pulling the tent flap open just enough to peer out--
        It was that man again. The man who was "not a man", the weird guy on the train. If he was there, then where was--
        Shit! He scrambled for his own pistol before he could truly grasp what was happening. He'd seen Rakashi's left shoulder covered in blood, dripping, clutching it tightly with her other hand. She had hold of her own gun, though the hand grasping it seemed to be hanging from a limp arm for the moment. Not that the blood or the pain seemed to be dimming her glare any, eyes golden and glowing fiercely at the strange man, lips pulled back, exposing teeth.
        The not-man, however, looked completely unfazed. Completely unhurt, despite the fact that he was bleeding from the front of one thigh.
        Rean didn't see a weapon on the man. He wasn't entirely sure that he was ready to use one himself, but at the cost of saving Rakashi's life... The strange man and the former general were far enough apart to take confident aim. Without letting himself think too much on it, he simply pulled the trigger.
        Nothing. Just a dull click. Twice more, same result. He knew there had been bullets in the gun...
        "Ah. Pleasant."
        That voice drained every ounce of courage Rean thought he might have had. No, he was not human...
        Rakashi followed the strange man's gaze to see the tent open enough for a gun to fit through, then movement as the pistol disappeared back inside. Her expression changed quickly. Dammit, he was awake. Her cold gaze turned back to that not-man, standing there, smirking and bleeding, looking considerably less fearsome than he had on the train. "You told me you'd keep him out of this."
        "I can't very well keep my concentration if I'm being shot." He countered nonchalantly.
        It was quite an uncomfortable thing to be there just then, Rean realized. Breathing. Alive. It was all a little... uncomfortable. Especially to be noticed and talked about, having absolutely no clue what was being said or why... but at least he was distracted when Rakashi somehow managed to raise her arm and fire again, hitting the man just a little below the knee that time. The horses let out another shrill sound, but that just couldn't be helped.
        "Now go away." She hissed, not a single measure of viciousness lost with that blood.
        "You know I won't stay away for long." The not-man nearly teased, favoring the leg that hadn't yet been shot but still showing no signs of pain.
        "Long enough to meet on my terms." She growled in a way that struck Rean as... similarly non-human.
        Those words seemed to please the strange man. "And your terms are..?"
        "Alone." She barked, the sting of the bullet in her shoulder catching her nerves again. Fuck... it had been a long time since she'd been shot. Not long enough. "You leave everyone else the fuck out of this."
        The not-man seemed agreeable enough, nodding. As if he had nothing at all to fear from the former general, he simply turned and limped into the woods. The further away he walked, the calmer the horses became... but the woman's glare was still smoldering.
        Rean was a bit in shock from... so many things really--but focusing on Rakashi's bleeding shoulder once again forced him into action, tugging the tent flap open. From what he could make out, she'd definitely been shot, but... the strange man hadn't seemed to have a gun. She had hers, and... his lacked bullets...
        --Maybe it just wasn't important right then. He could ask later, figure it out when she wasn't bleeding. "What can I do?" he asked at her side, feeling completely useless for something like this. Still, he was close enough to see the motion of her throat, to take note of that one, small moment when the look in her eyes was more than uncertainty. Something had happened while he was sleeping, but what...
        "Help me cut these sleeves off." It was very matter-of-fact. It was very her, which was both concerning and comforting.
        He chose to focus on the latter. "Knife?"
        Rakashi lifted her left foot slightly. "Check the inside wall of my boot."
        Well, that worked. He knelt down, glad at least to feel a moment's amusement at the picture they presented. Kneeling before a wounded general at dawn. Yeah, if someone painted them now, it'd go for millions. Shaking the thought off, he reached inside the boot and was immediately rewarded with a flat, curved bit of metal that slipped out of its sheath easily. Definitely a specialized knife. Standing again, he made quick but careful cuts to get those sleeves off, not going too near the wound so that she could continue to put pressure on it. It was all sort of a numb moment, having read manuals about these kinds of disasters... but the real thing was a little different.
        She didn't seem terribly fazed by recent events, herself... or she was just good at hiding it. Either way, she hissed as she removed her hand, blood clearly still flowing. She took it upon herself to wrap the longer sleeve around the wound several times. "Pull it tight and tie it off."
        Her voice was becoming... harsher. Not toward him, not quite even in an emotional sense, but it was noticeable. He did as she told him, pulling until she told him to stop. It seemed like the perfect (or perhaps the very worst) time to ask, as he was tying the last knot, "Rakashi... what's going on?"
        She managed to hide whatever her initial reaction was; something that she wasn't even sure of herself. "Rean... do you trust me?"
        "Yes." It was true, spoken without hesitation. Almost a scary admission, actually... but she'd never given him the least bit of reason to doubt her.
        Closing her eyes, she would have admitted to being a little surprised by his response. "Then, please. I will tell you, but it has to wait."
        He didn't like that at all. But if that was necessary... it was still frustrating. At least she was willing to tell him eventually, and he supposed that would simply have to do. "So, we... get there today..." Okay, maybe that wasn't as helpful of a subject change as he'd hoped.
        "You don't sound so eager." She pointed out, grateful for anything else to talk about.
        Rean shook his head, walking with her to do most of the work of packing up the tent. Well, disassembling it couldn't be that difficult... right? "I... don't know what to expect." He admitted. "Demi... I don't know what was real."
        She made a quiet sound of agreement. Yes, she could relate.