The drive was comfortable. We were on our way to the airport, with all our stuff in the back. I did end up bringing all those books with me. They will be useful, though, considering I got a job teaching languages at a university.
Aracile and Brandr were the ones bringing us there. Aracile, practically being part of the family, was mostly with Brandr or the others. They've taken him up as their sibling, even if he's not officially part of the family. Aracile and the rest of their team are under the protection of the Zaragoza name, meaning they can do whatever they want without repercussions.
They were talking about something to do with science. Other than that, thing 1 and thing 2 were surprisingly quiet. At one point, I was part of their conversation, but that stopped a while back. The car was silent after another few minutes; the only thing heard was a Tagalog playlist with songs from the bands Bini, SB19, G22, and more.
Leaving Quezon, Manila, or going to other countries is normal, but we rarely go to the States unless we must, most of the time forced to. The only ones who actively stay in the stated are Nox, Nyx, Seline, and Mayari. Hell, Brandr rarely even goes there, and he travels a lot for missions.
The road going to Ninoy Aquino International Airport isn't all that special. Just the same as always. Skyway never ceases to surprise me with how long it is. The good thing is that there's less traffic here. We mainly passed through most of the congested areas. We were all doing our own things now. Looking up from my phone, I saw Aracile turn to look at me briefly. Why the fuck would he do that when he's the one driving?
"Don't look back here! Eyes on the road. You're going to kill all of us if you keep doing that!" Lani yelled at him while he smiled back innocently. Motherfucker.
"Doing it Lan, I'm doing it," he replied still smiling. Gago talaga itong Aracile na ito.
They dropped us off in front of the departures area and helped with our stuff. People who are not passengers are not allowed to enter where the baggage check-in is, so they left us to go inside.
It was not that crowded in the airport, so it was a quick process of paying for the travel tax, checking in our stuff, and passing immigration. We had a couple of hours before our flight, so we decided to look around and get some last-minute snacks and potential gifts for our new coworkers. We were also able to catch Lani tripping over air on camera, so that was a plus.
There were multiple restaurants after immigration, and those two decided that we should eat at Kenny Rogers Roasters. Walking to the gate was full of distractions, as they found some things they found interesting along the way.
Waiting at the gate was uneventful. Others started to come and fill in the space around us. Families with kids, businessmen, and tourists started to some, with children staring at us a bit too long.
The boarding announcement came not too long after, so most people started to get ready to board the plane. We were booked for business class, so we were among the first to board the plane. With everything done, sitting down in the seats, bags in the overhead compartments, the only thing left was to wait for takeoff.
USA... New York City... The States... Good going. Fuck The States in all honesty. Most of us don't like the States from experience. The doors closed after everyone was boarded, and the plane started to go down the runway. It took off not long after. Looking out of Kei's window, staring at Manila becoming smaller, then barely being visible from the sky. I wonder when we'll be back? Will we be able to come back? Sana po, makaka balik kani dito.