"Let's date," it sounded so naive and stupid coming from Caelus's mouth that he immediately regretted what he had blurted out.
In the darkness of the compartment, illuminated only by moving pictures from the cinema projector, he sat with March breathing steadily on his shoulder. While looking at the emotionless face sitting next to him, something overwhelmed Caelus. Something that had been cramped in its chest for some time. Maybe it's the post-adrenaline euphoria that came after having a "near-death" experience for the second time. Or maybe it's Natasha's cedar tincture. Or a stupid romantic movie from Belobog, for which March gathered them in her room (and promptly fell asleep first, this traitor!). In any case, Caelus's tongue was completely out of control today, yielding to the vague impulses of his brain.
Caelus was generally impulsive. Can you blame him for that? After all, his life was short and extreme. It was rushing at the speed of a comet – right after he was "born" he was dragged into the abyss of intrigues and problems of planetary proportions.
In such circumstances, he learned to make quick decisions. Starting with shielding an unknown girl from a fatal blow, deciding that she was his best friend. Continuing with going on a space trip with strangers, whom he named his family. And ending with inappropriate feelings for a guy who tried to clumsily give him mouth-to-mouth resuscitation the very first time they met, and then looked at him with the cold gaze of a dead fish, as if Caelus was the biggest squalor in space. By the way, this is not true, Caelus realized pretty quickly that Dan Heng looked at everyone like that – it was his usual facial expression. But… Who could guarantee that Dan Heng didn't really think everyone around him was worthless? In the end, no one on The Astral Express could get to the true feelings of this guy, not even the astute Himeko even though she knew him much longer than Caelus and March.
In general, Caelus had no problems with self-determination. In his case, it was a matter of survival, because no one had time to babysit him anyway. Himeko wanted to saddle him up for Trailblazing, and Gerta wanted to use him for her experiments. A slower and more cautious person couldn't be able to adapt to the situation so quickly. It was a good thing that Caelus wasn't like that, he took in everything that life was ready to offer.
***
On his first evening on The Express Caelus found himself a great place to relax - a spacious room directly above the party car. It was quiet and well-furnished with boxes of various sizes. It smelled comforting and dusty here too. Caelus was very proud to have found such a wonderful place and was going to appropriate it. He was already dozing off in one of the especially large boxes when Himeko discovered him. For some reason, she wasn't thrilled that he was sleeping in the warehouse. But Caelus found it first! It's not fair! Nevertheless, together with Pom-Pom Himeko convinced Caelus to abandon the beautiful dusty box in favor of another sleeping place. For this, the most insidious techniques in Himeko's disposal were used, such as mint candies and chocolate. Chocolate… Caelus lost this battle, but he will definitely take revenge!
As a result, he was temporarily assigned to Dan Heng's room without asking the latter's opinion. Dan Heng sighed heavily and looked at Caelus from top to bottom.
"Okay, but first let this walking mistake wash off the dust."
Caelus lowered his head to check his clothes. What's wrong with having those soft gray fluffs? Well, so be it. When Himeko escorted him to the bathroom, Caelus felt a cold gaze following him. He had to admit that interacting with Dan Heng has been a little scary so far.
After showering and changing into someone else's clothes, which were surprisingly fitting for him, Caelus confidently showed up at the door of the archive. Dan Heng looked at him with his "that" look, but Caelus was not afraid. He was already mentally prepared for humiliation… In the sense of fighting back, of course! Even Caelus understood that Himeko was the boss, and she said that he will sleep here.
"Well…" Dan Heng seemed somehow hesitant, which Caelus considered a personal victory. Looks like Dan Heng realized that those creepy stares won't work on Caelus anymore!
"There's not much room here and I only have one futon. So, we'll take turns sleeping. I'll be busy with the archive for now, so you can…"
Caelus was too tired to listen to the monotonous speeches, and since he got the gist of it, he fell on the offered futon without hesitation, not even letting Dan Heng finish his speech. Burying himself in a soft pillow, he immediately passed out. The last thing he heard was a heavy sigh.
***
Caelus was glad that at least he wasn't completely hopeless. That is, he certainly didn't understand a lot of things - Eons, Paths, the Space, and the abstruse words that Herta liked to throw around were completely incomprehensible to him. But fortunately, he had his "basic settings". He knew the language, understood speech, and had an average level of mental development for his biological age of 20 - that's what Herta said, and she's a Genius. On The Astral Express train, everyone was immensely happy that at least they didn't have to teach him how to hold a spoon or wipe his... to take care of his own needs.
However, the gap in knowledge was still serious, especially for someone who had to explore new worlds. Therefore, the responsibility of teaching Caelus was placed on a man who was most familiar with knowledge. Dan Heng was clearly not so thrilled with the prospect of educating an adult man, but he couldn't refuse Himeko. Caelus saw her talking to Dan Heng and it felt like… Caelus and Kafka. He couldn't say exactly what it meant yet, but the feeling was very strong. For example, Caelus knew that if Kafka showed up now and asked him to do something, he wouldn't be able to refuse.
It was nice to spend time with Dan Heng. After he got a taste of life in the compartment with his companion, Caelus came to disappointing conclusions - it turns out that Dan Heng took the poshest room for himself! Of course, the warehouse was very cozy and filled with millions of soft fluffy dust particles, but it couldn't compare to the archives. Now there were two futons. The waves of light that spread across the floor, resembling water ripples, felt very calming. The steady hum of electronics was lulling, and the smell... It smelled of something cozy and familiar, something that made you feel safe. Yes, he definitely likes that smell.
Caelus mentally thanked Himeko for the opportunity to live here. She also promised him to set up his own room - that's when Caelus would rub Dan Heng's nose!
"You're getting distracted again," Dan Heng glares at the negligent student, while stopping wrapping bandages around March's head.
"He just needs more time to assimilate information, he has some kind of memory problems," March defended her friend while standing still with a first-aid kit in her hands, all ready to become a mummy. "I still haven't mastered first aid either - it's hard to learn!"
"And there's nothing to be proud of. Not only are you setting a bad example for him, but you're also negligent about your own safety. And what if we're in the wilderness and I get hurt? At least Caelus can go feral and live with wild animals, but what will you do?"
"Oh, I'll just search how to survive in the wild on the internet or something…" the girl waved her hand dismissively. "Hey, stop rolling your eyes at me! They're about to roll off completely."
"Actually, I've already figured it out," Caelus interjects, hoping to jump out of another long lecture. "I'm like a dog, I understand everything, but I can't voice it. I have this… Analytical mindset."
"Yeah, your mindset is something else. And I bet that "analytical" is derived from…" March snorted.
"March!" Dan Heng reprimanded the girl. "Now it's clear who's teaching him obscene words!"
"March this, March that, and what with me? What did I say wrong? Do you even know how Arlan talks when Asta can't hear? Do you think I'm the only one teaching Caelus all the bad things?"
"Don't you? Then please explain to me why he suddenly started learning some strange hand gestures. And why does he copy poses like the guys on the posters in your room?"
Caelus took this as a challenge and decided to immediately demonstrate what he had learned. Despite the training, he got tangled in his fingers.
"Silly, this gesture is done in a different way," March immediately decided to demonstrate to Caelus how to fold her hands correctly, forgetting about the weighty first-aid kit in her hands.
Ouch!
***
Dan Heng smelled good, his clothes fit just right for Caelus and beside this, when Caelus said or did some nonsense, Dan Heng's reactions were really funny. It was a kind of a challenge for Caelus to come up with something to piss him off. Caelus called it "a sense of humor", while March called it "a cringe". Gotta ask Dan Heng what that means later.
"Hey! Himeko forbade us to play with food!" Caelus declared, having caught Dan Heng in a restaurant carriage doing shameful things.
Dan Heng fell into a stupor for a second, with the chopsticks in his hands frozen mid-air. He fell into deep thought while looking at the chopsticks as if he saw it for the first time in his life.
"I don't play with food. It's a tradition of my culture. In my homeland, it is customary to eat with chopsticks."
If March had said that, Caelus would have immediately seen through such nonsense as an attempt at deception, but Dan Heng? He wouldn't dare.
"Why?" The Trailblazer came closer and stared at the sticks.
Actually, Caelus just realized that this is the first time he sees a friend at lunch, even though he often visits both the dining car and in the archive. Perhaps, Dan Heng is actually malnourished, and Caelus should've brought him sandwiches from time to time?
"This is how it has historically developed in my homeland. As I said, it's simply a part of my culture."
"Wow, people really come up with weird ideas - eating in such an inconvenient way!"
Dan Heng continued his meal in silence. Caelus watched him with fascination for a while longer as he wielded the chopsticks. Finally, he couldn't stand it, and with one confident movement grabbed a hefty shrimp right from under Dan Heng's nose.
"Caelus!"
But Caelus, who has already trailblazed his way to the other end of the compartment, shouted one last thing:
"You got too relaxed, Dan Heng! You like the difficulties while eating, don't you? Think of it as me helping you!"
And very quickly he disappeared into the opening, hurrying out before he got rinsed with the cloudhymns.
***
Turns out Caelus won't be able to get his dream room quickly. The former warehouse needed serious renovation and furnishing. Caelus had enough credits, but… He didn't want to part with them.
"You're such a tightwad," March stated, while contemplating her next move in the game of chess against Dan Heng. The three of them were sitting in the parlor car, sprawled on one of the sofas. "You have nowhere to spend these savings anyway."
"March is right, this will be the best investment. How long do you plan to live together in the same room?" Dan Heng nodded, completely ignoring the hard mental work of his opponent, being immersed with game on the phone in his hands. Caelus's phone, by the way.
Yes, he got Dan Heng addicted to mobile games - Caelus considered this his special achievement. If he had some kind of achievement board or something, teaching his friend to play mobile games would definitely take the honorable first place. Even March was shocked. But Dan Heng refused to "clog" his personal smartphone, so he and Caelus had to share one phone to play from two different accounts. And in exchange for renting the device, Dan Heng shares chocolates with Caelus, who was nibbling on one of them, relieving stress from the upcoming expenses.
"Just imagine this, March. What if you had to give away all your photos? Well, not all of it, but a significant part - wouldn't you be upset?"
"That's different," the girl waved her hand. "Photography is a hobby of mine. My photos are my collection."
"And my hobby is collecting credits! That's a proper hobby, too!"
"Stop being stubborn," Dan Heng sighed. "You know that the room needs to be furnished."
He was right, and Caelus, of course, will soon come to terms with the expenses and begin to put his future room in order. But can't he complain a little? Moreover, Caelus was really sad. And not because of the prospective loss of credits, but from the fact that he will have to leave the cozy archive, to which he got so used to.
***
On Jarilo VI, Caelus saw snow for the first time. It was very soft and fluffy. Pity that it melted so quickly in his hands. March was the first to take the initiative and launched a snowball at Caelus. He nimbly dodged the insidious attack and the snowball flew right into Dan Hang… And so began what must have been the cruelest battle on this planet ever since the invasion of The Antimatter Legion. The Great Snowbath of the Nameless, as Caelus called it.
"Hey, don't help him! I thought you were on my side!" screamed March as she dodged Caelus' attacks. He even felt sorry for this naive simplicity for a second, faced with betrayal for the first time. Of course, not to the extent of sparing her, as he continued throwing snowballs.
"I'm not on anyone's side! My alignment is chaotic neutral!"
Bam! A snowball from Dan Heng landed right at Caelus's head.
"How dare you use my insidious trick against me!" Caelus shouted in amazement. "You're supposed to be better than this!"
***
Arriving in Belobog, Caelus immediately embarked on an unforgettable tour of garbage cans. As they say, fortune favors the brave. And even passersby pointing fingers and March with Dan Heng trying to pull him away could not stop him. After all, everyone has their own understanding of the path of the Trailblaze, and why can't Caelus have his own? It's not like March and Dan Heng had received personal instructions from Akivili that it was forbidden to rummage in trash cans. As if!
"They're nasty and smelly," March muttered with her nose pinched, wincing at the sight of the garbage raccoon that had been her companion five minutes ago.
"It's the smell of adventure!"
"Leave him alone, it's useless," Dan Heng sighed heavily. "He's dirty all over anyway… It's easier to wash him off later than to talk him out of it."
Caelus didn't really understand what was the problem. For him, the concept of "bad" and "good" smells were far-fetched. Of course he could appreciate the really pleasant smells - Himeko coffee, March's perfume, Dan Heng's futon, but he was equally interested in all the smells. After all, they were all his first in this life and unusual in their own way. Each trash can was unique and held its own secrets, wasn't it obvious?
"Ugh, he put that rotten thing in his pocket! You're not going to eat that, are you?! Come on, spit it out! Bad boy!"
By the way, in many cultures, wasted products are delicacies! Spoiled dairy products are generally widely used. Caelus will definitely remember March's insults when she enjoys her favorite cheesecake.
Soon, listening to the whining of friends became unbearable, so Caelus had to say goodbye to his sparkling metal friend until tomorrow.
***
The Goethe Hotel was quiet and cozy, especially in the late afternoon. When a small lamp illuminated the room with its warm, dim light, and a snowstorm was raging outside, one just wanted to curl up under the covers and stay like that for ages. That's exactly what Caelus would have done if he hadn't been attracted to the surprisingly good-smelling closet. This closet was perfect.
Having been sitting in it for some time, Caelus heard footsteps approaching. This must be an infamous Goethe Hotel's resident devil - Caelus knew that for sure! The footsteps had already approached his room and the soul-sucking devil brazenly entered the door.
Now Caelus will jump out and teach this devil a lesson!
Caelus barged out of the closet and landed right on top of the unsuspecting fiend, knocking him to the ground.
"Caelus!" Dan Heng gasps, pinned to the ground by Caelus's heavy body.
That's right! This guy always had something devilish about him. These cold eyes, always burning into Caelus's soul like it can uncover all his nasty thoughts…
"Have you come to suck my soul out?" Caelus pushed himself up, settling more comfortably on the devil's hips. It's starting to be a little bit too cozy.
"Suck your... what?!" Dan Heng was still in shock, and Caelus enjoyed seeing him like this. "March asked me to send you to the shower!"
"Will you come with me?" Caelus whined, reluctantly saying goodbye to the warmth of someone else's body beneath him. "What if the Goethe Hotel's resident devil will attack me there, while my back is exposed?"
Dan Heng got to his feet, brushing off his clothes, and looked at Caelus with as much disbelief as possible.
"How do you always manage to come up with all this stuff?"
Caelus shrugged. He didn't know that himself.
Just as he did not know that his carefree time on Belobog was coming to an end and that a whole maelstrom of events, a lot of dramatic intrigues and difficult battles awaited him.
***
"Why?" Dan Heng's reaction to the confession was too calm.
The darkness was especially oppressive, but at least Caelus could hide his shame in it.
"Well, we're best friends," he says. "And anyway…"
After this conversation, Caelus will definitely smash the window of the express train with his head, so that he will finally be sucked into space with his stupid…
"Okay."