@normal-girl-in-an-odd-world
The tiny station made entirely of wood stood out in the middle of the coniferous forest. Its high position allowed for a 360° view of the landscape, or, if it were just megalomania and a sense of superiority, Tina was sincerely intrigued.
The treetops paraded under the annoyed eyes of the woman who was reluctantly waiting for the arrival at the village; the white clouds dotted the clear sky, a sign that the beautiful season had reached its peak.
She should have enjoyed the tranquility of that wonderful day, and instead she had come to do something completely different, which made her sigh in annoyance.
The locomotive rattled and began to slow down little by little: Bull informed her five minutes before the final arrival at the terminus, leaving her with the necessary time to prepare herself, both physically and psychologically.
Abe was already waiting for her at the stop. The Mudokon had been warned in advance by her since the departure at the station, and, of the three hours of gap he had so far, he had taken all the time he needed to process the situation, which had caused him no small amount of concern.
When Tina took the field there was little to be done.
Aslik's elegant private train, right on time, stopped in front of Abe with a scratchy, metallic sound, and he instinctively went on the defensive in case it was a trap.
Since he had instituted the rebellion of his race, caution was never too much, in fact, the more caution there was, the better.
Instead, when he saw her coming down the ladder, he melted, assuming his classic confidential tone.
She was the only ally of the industrial faction that he trusted blindly, even though she was in close contact with one of his sworn enemies.
Aslik, for his part, nurtured the mutual feeling of deep animosity; after all, it was Abe who was responsible for his fall and for Ludwig's serious condition.
Yet thanks to Tina, who acted as a buffer between the two, Friedrich's anger towards him was slowly (and laboriously) starting to cool down.
The brunette was listening classical music from her Wi-Fi earphones, walking listlessly on the rudimentary parquet of the small terminus, the Mudokon approached her in a friendly manner, greeting her with a forced smile, to which she reciprocated with equal energy.
«You came. I didn’t believe you’d actually do this.»
He muttered as she removed her earphones: until now the music had accompanied her peacefully, dulling every unpleasant sensation and isolating her from the harsh reality.
But once she put away the playlist and silenced the symphony, it seemed that every color around her ran away like in a painting that had been throwned turpentine; everything seemed grayer than it actually was.
It always happened when she was feeling down.
«Yeah, I didn't believe it either. I shouldn't be here, or at least not to do what I'm about to do, I hope I made myself clear...»
She replied, and Abe raised his paw to indicate that he understood her words.
«It’s a bad decision, but I’m sorry to see you have to do actions like this»
Abe countered, expressing his sympathy.
«Thank you Abe, I am infinitely grateful. Stay close to me at any rate, I want to put an end to this matter quickly»
The woman asserted tiredly and the Mudokon could do nothing but nod.
Mingot was training, so it was pretty much the perfect time to enter the scene.
As the girl punched a tree trunk with a large X carved into the bark, Tina appeared behind her, sitting on a huge pile of firewood.
She waited patiently with crossed legs for the little snob to stop punching the poor plant before intervening.
This was the very first time Mingot had met Tina in person, without chameleon disguises.
In a dry tone, the Steelmoth spoke a single, cold word
«... morning...»
