Once the two made it back to Camcourt, they explored the markets a little bit because Rowan decided it would be a good idea to stock up on snacks to eat on the trip back to Boketto. The markets were clustered, and the stalls were no bigger than a small public bathroom, but they worked.
Rowan: "I gave you some money to buy something, so use it." She said as she stopped at a fruit vendor.
Dawn: "I haven't seen anything that I want yet." He said from behind her.
Rowan: "It doesn't matter. The travel time from here to Tsukimi is around a day and a half, so you will need something, and I am not keen on sharing my food." She snapped at him as she purchased a small bag of fruits.
On the walk back to Camcourt, Rowan explained that The Underground is based in the city of Tsukimi, the largest city on Boketto, and one of the wealthiest in the Ophiel Coordinate.
Dawn: "Yes ma'am." He retorted, picking out some fruit of his own. Once he looked at Rowan he noticed she was staring at him, her posture full of attitude.
Rowan: "Ma'am? Are you serious? I am not that old." She said with a bit of sass.
Dawn: "M-my apologies." He quickly retorted before grabbing his bag of fruit.
Rowan: "Mmhmm." She uttered as she began to walk off to another stall.
Another hour of stall-hopping passed before Rowan cut it off, telling Dawn it was time they head for the supply port. Once they made it to the port, Rowan immediately started pacing as they waited for her ship to arrive. Rowan had made it clear that the pilot was always on time, and never late. And just as Rowan said, the ship was soon visible.
Rowan: "Ah! What a sight to behold after such a long and tedious month of manual labor and a pigsty of men who can't hold their liquor." She gazed at the ship coming into the port with a smile, the late morning sun casting rays on her face. "Ofrhöggr is here at last."
Dawn: "What type of name is that?" He raised an eyebrow at her.
Rowan: "It means Dauntless Striker. That is exactly what she is." Rowan spoke proudly of her ship.
As the two watched, the ship landed at the port. Its massive rocket boosters shook the earth upon arrival, and cut out any other noise in proximity due to the engine's immense power. It was much bigger than the two measly supply ships from the day before, almost big enough to engulf them both at the same time. The ship maintained an odd shape, the form of it being rounded like a crescent moon, while the body a long, rectangular shape. The back of the ship was another, larger, rounded crescent shape, accompanied by the rocket boosters. The ship had a dark gray tint with dark orange highlights, and on the side there was a decal that read out, Ofrhöggr.
Rowan: "I only have two rules when it comes to this ship. One, do not go in my quarters, and two, do not leave a mess. I like to keep the ship spotless, and I mean it." She said before walking up to the ship, its boarding hatch opening in unison.
The boarding hatch opened from the underbelly of the ship in a downwards motion. After opening, Dawn noticed a figure walking out of Ofrhöggr.
???: "Rowan!" A girl's voice exclaimed.
Once Dawn was able to get a good look at the new person, he noticed that she was around the same height as Rowan. This girl had the same jet black hair, but much longer as it fell behind her shoulders a good bit. Her eyes were a green tinted yellow, and her lips were full. Her black eyebrows complimented her pale ivory skin tone as well as her longer eyelashes. Her nose was thin and pointed, while her jawline was incredibly defined. Her build was slim, but athletic like Rowan's.
Rowan: "You made a good entrance, Yakumo!" Rowan blurted as Yakumo walked over to meet Rowan.
On the sleeve of Yakumo's outfit there was lettering that read Tsuya which he assumed was her last name. Yakumo's outfit was mainly white, accented by a jet black that matched her hair. It was a full body suit that seemed like it was made for pilot's. It was skin tight, and had a logo on the chest that resembled an eye.
Dawn: Maybe that is The Underground's Crest.. He thought to himself.
Yakumo: "So, who is this guy?" She was pointing at Dawn.
Rowan: "This is my new recruit. Starting today he is a member of Ofrhöggr's crew." She spoke proudly.
Yakumo: "He looks depressing-" she was interrupted by Rowan punching her arm. "Ouch! What the heck?"
Rowan: "He's been through a lot, cut him some slack." She said before walking in the middle of the two. "Dawn, meet Yakumo Tsuya, Ofrhöggr's pilot. Yakumo, meet Dawn Carter, Ofrhöggr's new crew member." She introduced the two.
Yakumo: "Dawn Carter, huh?" She examined him from a distance. "White hair is something you don't see often."
Dawn: "I guess it really is true then.." He clenched his fists while they rested at his sides.
Rowan: "Now that the two of you are acquainted, I don't expect you to be best friends yet, but at least get along for the sake of Ofrhöggr's peace." She said before walking on board.
Yakumo: "As long as you don't do anything stupid or weird we are cool, got it?" She stared at Dawn, pointing her finger again.
Dawn: "Do I really give off that vibe?"
Yakumo: "Just answer the question." She extended her pointed finger outward.
Dawn: "Yes. I will not do anything 'stupid' or 'weird'." He answered.
Yakumo: "That's good enough for me." She then waved him over. "Let's board, I'll show you around Ofrhöggr."
The two then boarded together. Once they were inside the ship, the boarding hatch closed behind them. The inside walls of the ship were covered in lights and circular tubes that were all too advanced for Dawn to understand. The lighting was perfect, not too bright but not too dark, and the floors were a glossy white. Orange accented lights ran up and down the hallways to assist with vision. The main room where they entered branched off into two different hallways, and Ofrhöggr's bridge which was right in front of them.
Yakumo: "I'll save the bridge for last, first I'll show you to your room." She began walking down the hallway on the left.
Upon entering the room, Dawn was met with a singular bed, a bathroom, and storage space. There was also a screen on the wall, which he assumed was a TV.
Yakumo: "This is where you will do your personal things such as sleep, shit, piss, etc. Got it?"
Dawn: "Yeah.." He held back a snicker.
Yakumo: "Seeing you do not have any luggage, I will continue the tour."
She then showed him down the rest of the hallway which led to Rowan's room, Yakumo's room, and another empty room. Down the other hallway was a larger room filled with seats and more storage, and further down the hall was a kitchen across from another empty room. Yakumo then brought him to the bridge where Rowan was.
Rowan: "Is the room liveable?" She asked Dawn.
Dawn: "To be honest it's better than anything I've ever lived in before." He answered bluntly.
Yakumo: "Jeez, that's sad." She said as she walked to the cockpit portion of the bridge.
Rowan walked over to Dawn.
Rowan: "She will start to be nicer over time, trust me." She said as she stared at Yakumo. "This is where we will be living most of the time, so get used to it. You can personalize your room however you'd like, but if I walk into a mess I'll throw you into space."
Dawn: "That is something I've never heard of before." He chuckled a little bit.
Rowan: "Expect a lot more sayings you won't understand. The universe is much more than Somniet and Solart City." She began to walk towards the cockpit. "Follow me, there is still one more crewmate you need to meet."
Dawn followed Rowan to the cockpit. It was full of more buttons and flashy lights that were beyond his comprehension. After inspecting the cockpit a bit more he looked to Rowan.
Dawn: "Where is the other crewmate?" He said with a confused tone.
Rowan: "Right there." She pointed to her right.
Dawn looked to where her finger was pointed expecting to see a human. Instead, he saw a small white ball, floating in the air. The white ball had little black specs for eyes and was wrapped in a green cloak with a brown embroidery wrapping all the way around.
Yakumo: "That's Nunto, my co-pilot." She blurted out. "Treat him with respect please."
Rowan: "Nunto is her pet that she labels as a co-pilot." She corrected Yakumo.
Dawn: "Should I.. expect more of whatever that is too?" He gazed at Nunto with a mixture of confusion and awe.
Rowan: "Yeah.. You have barely seen anything on this tiny planet. Once we arrive in Tsukimi your perception on everything will probably change, so prepare for that." She yawned after speaking. "I am exhausted so I'm gonna go lay down. Dawn I think you should probably do the same, you've had a long and rough 24 hours." She then walked off to her cabin.
Yakumo: "Based on what Rowan said, I agree with her. Go rest now because once we get to Tsukimi, you might not get a good rest for a while." She spoke as she pressed an assortment of buttons.
With that, Dawn went to his room. He sat for a while just staring at the wall before he finally laid down. With everything rushing through his mind it took him a while to drift off to sleep. Before giving into sleep, he felt the ship move, meaning the trip to Boketto, and Tsukimi had started. This was what his father wanted. He had finally left Solart City. Memories of his family and his friends flooded his mind. This was it, and there was definitely no turning back now.