(Damn, Argenti before the Penacony disaster ig)
(The things im boutta write for Boothill oml, I'm not even going to wait for the next update at this point)
"There's so many of them! What do you need them for?" March breathed as she looked at all the weapons y/n had laid out on the floor of her room.
"You don't plan on inciting some kind of rebellion on Penacony, do you?" Caelus asked as he experimentally swung a greatsword like a bat.
"No, no, I don't plan on taking any with me at all. These are just... important to me." y/n replied as she placed another spear on the wall, "And so I have a surplus of things to protect you all with."
"Which you won't need this time around, because you're off train guard duty." Dan Heng reminded her to which the woman smiled with a little nod.
"I can finally rest and be lazy again..." she sighed, flopping back on the floor of her room with a content look.
March 7th flopped down beside her, immediately looping her arms around the woman to get nice and comfortable at her side while Caelus haphazardly flopped down next to the two of them, "So we're taking a break now? Great, I'm exhausted!"
"We aren't even halfway through and you all are already trying to take a nap?" Dan Heng asked in an incredulous tone as his companions all lounged on the floor together.
"Mhm..." y/n replied blearily.
"Don't you realize how damn heavy some of these things are?" Caelus demanded, "It's exhausting!"
Dan Heng rolled his eyes but still plopped down next to y/n, laying down on his side while y/n immediately latched onto his arm to use it as a pillow.
Caelus pouted at the trio, "Look at you three, getting all comfy and π© while I'm all left outβACK!!!"
March had snatched up Caelus and dragged him into the nap pile, the hydrogen bomb immediately shutting up and getting comfortable. Within a matter of minutes, they were all dozing peacefully.
Well, the other three were.
Y/n laid there in silence, a small smile on her face as her other companions slept. It was nice to see them all safe and sound again, unbothered and at ease. She glanced at March 7th who was practically stealing all her warmth and gently brushed some of her hair from her face, only to find both Caelus and Dan Heng snoozing a little closer than before.
She raised a brow, 'What am I, a heater? I'm used to it just being Dan Heng, but now I'm really feeling the heat loss with both March 7th and Caelus here too. Leeches.'
She made no attempt to shove them all off.
After their nap, Caelus woke up hungry so they all headed to the parlor car to munch on something.
"It's about time for the annual Express spring cleaning, right?" March asked while her and y/n were nibbling on pancakes, "Let Caelus clean the bathrooms this time since he's new!"
"Eh? Me?" Caelus demanded with some sausages stuffed in his mouth, "Cleaning the bathrooms?"
"Yep, we've sort of made it a tradition to have newcomers clean the bathrooms during our spring cleaning." y/n pointed out, "You don't have to if you don't want to, I'm willing to handle it."
Caelus stood there, the gears slowly turning in his brain before his eyes lit up, "Nope! I've got it!"
Both Dan Heng and March have him wary looks, "..."
"Great, I'll handle the parlor car and March 7th's room." y/n announced before glancing at Dan Heng, "Dan-Dan, could you handle my room? I don't trust those two with anything in there."
"Huh? You didn't have a problem earlier!" March protested, giving y/n a shake while the woman shrugged.
"That's cause I was there to supervise."
"Supervise?! What am I, a child?!"
Y/n pursed her lips and pretended as though she wasn't listening while March started tapping about something, Dan Heng shaking his head and turning to discuss something with Welt while Caelus started chatting with Pom Pom.
As y/n was pouting however, she felt a strange shiver go down her spineβ only for the entire expression to shake a moment later. There was a collective shout from everyone as they were jostled around, March, Pom-Pom and Caelus completely toppling over while Welt and Himeko stayed as graceful as ever.
Unfortunately, March 7th went flying and hit y/n, sending her tumbling across the floor with a yelp. DAMN she was strong-!
Suddenly, a large shadow fell over the express β which was unusual considering they were in space, and suddenly the glittering expanse of space went red.
She actually hit her head and was knocked unconscious for a moment, coming back to her senses a relatively quick. Y/n groaned from where she was sprawled out by a potted plant, eyes darting around... oh? Who was this?
Above her was a gentle man with flowing red hair, dressed in shining armor. He wasn't looking at her though... what exactly was he...? Oh. The plant.
"Another anomaly in this shining universe... a blooming splash of colors," y/n looked back and forth between the man and the potted plant, "You are truly beautiful."
...
"Is he rizzing up a plant?" Caelus wondered aloud.
Suddenly, the newcomer's shining sea foam green gaze landed on y/n, "Hm? Oh, apologies, my lady."
"My lady?!" Caelus, March, and Dan Heng all demanded in unison as the knight offered y/n his hand. She raised a brow, hesitantly taking it with a quiet word of thanks as he helped her to her feet.
"I must say, you are a beautiful lady," what "and you have quite the refreshing and elegant aura as well," excuse me? "My sincerest apologies for not noticing you on the ground sooner, you're not hurt, are you?"
Y/n's jaw dropped as she gawked at the man in complete disbelief, her brain not processing his words. Whatβ was heβ what did he mean byβ huh?!
She was swiftly yanked from her whirling thoughts as Dan Heng grabbed her by the arm and stood in front of her with furrowed brows while March 7th and Caelus positioned themselves in the red haired newcomer's path.
He didn't seem bothered at all, merely smiling at them with a radiant air about him, "Ah, more beautiful souls."
"Who are you, huh? What are you doing here anyways?" Caelus questioned with a raised eyebrow, March glancing at him for a second before mimicking him.
"How rude of me, I didn't introduce myself. I am Argenti, a Knight of Beauty." the man bowed and Caelus actually swooned, earning a look of disbelief from Dan Heng and March 7th, "May I have the pleasure of knowing your names?"
"Your future husbβ" WHAM!!!
Argenti actually gawked at March 7th after she punched Caelus in the back of the head, knocking the poor guy to the ground. The young lady smiled politely at the knight, still simmering with irritation.
"I'm March 7th, and this clown here is Caelus," she gestured back to Dan Heng who was still keeping y/n close, the woman peering curiously at Argenti, "That's Dan Heng, and the woman beside him is y/n."
"It's an honor to meet you! I was just explaining the significance of beauty to this foliage!" Argenti exclaimed with a warm smile, "Pardon my abruptness, but I must inquire: as fellow beings of this universe, are you acquainted with Idrila the Beauty?"
"Who now?" Caelus inquired from the floor as white noise started occupying y/n's mind. She gazed at the man curiously, absolutely dazzled by his... rather dazzling appearance. Such fine armor and... OH!
'What a finely crafted spear! It was like it was made in his image! Ah... what a fine weapon...' y/n thought with a sparkling gaze, 'If I ask... will he allow me to touch it? Hold it? Use it, maybe?'
"Y/n." "Huh."
Dan Heng and March 7th were backing up, shuffling y/n along with them with wary looks. She followed their gaze and gulped at the sight of Argenti and Caelus politely going back and forth through the hydrogen bomb had a bit of an edge to his voice.
"Idrila, eh? How am I supposed to believe in something I can't see and you haven't laid eyes upon?" Caelus challenged, clearly trying to get the knight riled up.
Argenti, on the other hand, remained calm and friendly, "Mm... a fair point, Caelus. In a situation such as this, I have no choice but to show you the Beauty in a way that only a knight can."
"And how would that be?" Caelus inquired.
"I earnestly request a chivalrous contest with you. Should I be fortunate enough to triumph, I ask you to acknowledge Idrila, the Beauty, as the most peerless beauty of all!"
...
Caelus stared at Argenti for a long moment, "Why the hell would I say that when Mr. Yang and Miss Himeko exist? Blasphemy!" he pointed his bat at Argenti, "Fine! I accept, but if I win, you must accept that there is no being in this universe more stunning, gorgeous and divine as our Mr. Yang and Miss Himeko!"
From a distance away, the brown haired senior member of the express heard Caelus's exclamation and gawked at him in complete disbelief.
"Very well! Forgive my lack of eloquence!" Argenti brandished his spear while Caelus whipped out his bat. Y/n got the same idea as March 7th and Dan Heng, backing up as the two just... went at it.
"Let's leave them to... whatever that is, we ought to go check on the condition of the express." Dan Heng advised, guiding y/n away while March stayed behind to snap photos of the fight.
While Dan Heng went to discuss the situation with Himeko and Welt, y/n's attention was drawn to where the passenger cabins were. Curious, she went to explore.
Upon opening the door and sliding it open, nothing was amiss. The hall looked normal, nothing really out of the ordinary. Regardless, y/n could sense something near.
She checked the Data Bank first... nothing there. Though she could hear the thumping of a heart. And humming... not the same humming from the machinery in the databank but a different source.
Still, she didn't see anything out of the ordinary.
Y/n was preparing to leave, intending to move on to March 7th's cabin instead, but she halted. Curiously, she returned to Dan Heng's desk and peered under it.
"What the?" she slammed a hand on the cluster of humming orbs beneath the desk, squashing them with a sickening mix of a crunching noise and a squelch. She retracted her hand curiously and frowned at the sight of slime, egg shells and... the developing exoskeleton of some kind of insect, "What the hell is this?"
Well it was clearly the source of the noise, that much was clear from the sudden ceasing of the abnormal humming which she had taken notice of moments ago.
She sniffed it, and recoiled at the atrocious smell coming off of it. Yikes... and it was so sticky..
Y/n tried wiping it from her hand with a napkin, her gaze scanning the rest of the room. As foul as the scent was, at least she knew where the other clusters of eggs were.
She crushed the remaining eggs in the Data Bank before returning to the hall where she found March 7th. "Oh, hey March, I found something weird in theβ" "EEK!"
Y/n recoiled, startled by March 7th's shriek of surprise while the pink haired trailblazer jumped a good five feet away from her. Upon realizing that it was her friend and not something intending to eat her, she relaxed.
"Oh... haha, y/n... it's just you." she breathed, a look of relief on her face only for her nose to scrunch up, "What's that stuff on your hands?"
"About that... I found some kind of weird clutch of eggs in the Data Bank." y/n murmured, "I think there's more around here somewhere, but I haven't found them yet."
"Eggs?!" March demanded, "Like... alien eggs?!"
"Mm... looks like bugs, but sure."
"I was about to check my room, but nevermind! Come with me, okay? I don't want to go alone now." March urged and y/n shrugged, walking to her cabin with her frightened companion.
She opened the door first and squinted, sneezing a bit upon inhaling something weird. Y/n rubbed at her eyes either a quiet grumble, shaking her head irritably before looking into the room once more.
A bug, what was that...?
Y/n gasped and immediately slapped a hand over her mouth and nose, looking to March with a, "Hey! Cover your nose and mouth, don't breathe in, we need toβ!"
There was a look of shock on March 7th's face as she gazed at the flying bug, "What the...? Another me?"
"Tsk," y/n glanced at the bug and the others lurking in the corner of the room, "You've gotta be kidding me."
Back in the Parlor Car, Caelus was glaring daggers at the back of Argenti's head while the red haired knight stood with some IPC worker dude he'd rescued.
Upon catching Caelus's eye, he turned to him with a, "If I may ask, do you know where y/n went?"
"Eh? Y/n?"
"The one with the h/c hair and deep e/c eyes."
'What the hell?' Caelus shrugged, "Dunno, I think she wandered off during our little contest. Speaking of which... let's finish it as soon as this mess is over."
"It would be my pleasure!" Argenti exclaimed, "However, let's handle the situation at hand first."
"Now that I think of it, it is kinda off that y/n just disappeared... eh, she couldn't have gone far." Caelus shrugged, "We shouldβ"
There was a loud crash from the passenger cabins, drawing everyone else's attention as a ruckus went on and on in the other car of the Express.
Nobody moved, trying to figure out what was making the noise, but Dan Heng cursed under his breath and booked it to the door to go investigate.
Argenti and Caelus exchanged a look before hurriedly following, that IPC worker squealing when he was grabbed by the trailblazer for no apparent reason.
"WH-WHY ARE YOU BRINGING ME?!"
"Human meat shield."
"Human WHAT?!"
They rushed to March 7th's room, Dan Heng throwing open the door only to duck as something was hurled where his head had been mere moments before.
Caelus screamed when something slammed against the window of the express, hitting the floor andβ IT WAS TWITCHING!
He smacked the thing with his bat and it let out shrill screech only for him to stomp on it a couple of times to put it down. Upon further inspection, Caelus found that it was some kind of beetle-like insect.
Its head was bashed open from his bat swipe and forceful stomping, but its body had several holes in it. What could've done that?
Caelus glanced at the room where it had been thrown from and found y/n face down on the floor, an appalled looking March 7th sitting beside her while a couple more of those insects were preparing to jump them.
E4S2 Argenti and E6 Dan Heng were not having it.
The insects were swiftly and easily annihilated, Dan Heng and Caelus immediately rushing to check on March 7th and y/n.
"Woah, what happened to her?" Caelus demanded as he poked y/n's face a couple of times only for Dan Heng to smack his hand away.
"I don't know, those bugs just swarmed us before either of us could do anything! I think y/n got bit a couple of times, but I'm guessing the healing kicked in..." March murmured as she glanced down at her unmoving companion, "I think she just passed out from the shock."
There was a quiet groan and everyone looked back to the source as y/n lifted her head, "I hate bugs..."
"Welcome back to the world of the living!" Caelus greeted with a grin, "What were those things?"
"True Stings, aren't they?" y/n inquired as she rolled onto her side with a wince, "They were in the Data Bank, weren't they, Dan Heng?"
"I believe so, but what were they doing here?" Dan Heng wondered, "We haven't encountered any of the Swarm recently, so why are they suddenly popping up around the express?"
"Come to think of it, there were a bunch of these things chasing me when Argenti found me in the cave." the IPC worker pointed out.
"Huh." March blinked owlishly while Caelus pointed an accusing finger at the dude, "Wait a minute, so you brought them to us?!"
"Did I?!"
"...HUMAN SACRIFICE!!!"
"Human WHAT?!"
"RAHHHHH!!!"
The IPC worker screamed as Caelus threw him over his shoulder and ran out of the room with him. Y/n glanced at Dan Heng, "He's probably going to throw him off the Express, you ought to stop him."
Dan Heng huffed but ran off to go stop his idiot companion while March and Argenti helped y/n to her feet.
Y/n heaved a sigh with an exhausted look, "Never thought I'd see those giant bugs here, I really can't handle those things..."
"I take it you've encountered True Stings before?" Argenti inquired and y/n nodded blearily.
"Yep, a long time ago. Doesn't make them any less creepy, though." y/n shuddered, "Guh... they're so icky... regardless, I got their smell up my nose. There's way more lurking around the Express, so I'll find them."
"But you're not gonna touch them, huh?" March added and y/n shook her head with a shudder.
"Hell no I'm not! Argenti can handle them!"
"Hm? It'd be my pleasure to assist you!"
Everyone returned to the Parlor Car to report their findings while Dan Heng and March teamed up to tie the always problematic Caelus to a chair.
"You can smell where the eggs are?" Pom-Pom inquired and y/n nodded, the conductor immediately latching onto her leg, "Please, please get rid of them, I don't want to buy another ten pounds of RAID β Caelus keeps drinking them all!"
"I did not!" Caelus shouted only for March to shove a cloth in his mouth, effectively shutting him up.
Dan Heng, y/n, and Argenti all began to head around to get rid of the eggs y/n sniffed out. She made sure to keep a fair amount of distance between herself and the insect eggs as Argenti and Dan Heng handled destroying them.
Y/n took one look at the slimy mess left behind and gagged, turning her head away with a sick look.
"You know, you can go back to the Parlor Car if this bothers you so much." Dan Heng pointed out.
"But then you won't be able to find the eggs as easily, of course I'm gonna stay here." y/n huffed before squeezing her eyes shut, "I can handle it... I really canβ!"
"Do you perhaps have a fear of insects? Your reaction to seeing the True Stings was quite..." Argenti hesitated to choose his words wisely, "Violent."
"Oh hardly, there's been worse." y/n whispered before waving a hand, "Don't mind that, what's with outside? Why is it red?"
"Not sure, though it is quite strange that it suddenly got all dark in the middle of space." Dan Heng remarked.
Y/n laughed, "Wouldn't it be funny if it was actually a giant insect that swallowed the Express? Hahah..."
There was a thoughtful look on Argenti's face as he contemplated y/n's random suggestion, "Come to think of it, I did hear something akin to the sound of swallowing from the cave..." the h/c haired woman beside him immediately gave him a look of shock.
"Shut up."
"Have I said something wrong?"
Dan Heng was thoughtful, glancing out at the red space outside with contemplative eyes. Y/n and Argenti exchanged a look without saying a word.
Y/n was the first to move, headed for one of the doorsβ what the hell? "Y/n, don't you dare!" "I just wanna check!"
After some struggle, Dan Heng managed the wrestle y/n away from the emergency escape doors and dragged her back to the express where she was tied up and placed next to Caelus.
Alas, her little comment turned out to be true.
The express had indeed been swallowed by a giant bug. Y/n knew she wouldn't die as the digestive acids broke down the Express, but the same thing couldn't be said for everyone else.
As everyone else was
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