At last, the final students were on the buses before they departed. The drive back to the docks was uneventful, as the buses drove under the evening sun. Looking around inside the bus, Eyre could see most of the other girls asleep, except for the crews of Victoria and her tanks. Next to her, she could see Simpson reading a manga of sorts, which Eyre didn't bother to find out what it was. Looking over Simpson, she could see Murray and Gibson sitting up near the front of the bus, both of them listening to something on Gibson's phone before she could hear giggling from the back of the bus. Turning her head around, she could see Tanami, Yarra, Darling and Victoria watching something from Victoria's phone. Eyre turned back around before leaning her head on the headrest of her seat, staring at the ceiling. Compared to the hectic day she had, it was surprisingly quiet on the bus, as everyone was either asleep or being quiet, except for Victoria and her friends.
The bus continued winding down the roads of Tottori before finally reaching the flat coast. Driving into the city centre, the bus soon reached the docks of the city, with the massive Invincible-class aircraft carrier standing tall in the docks, dwarfing neighboring ships and even the nearby apartment buildings. Looking out the window, Eyre could see the tanks being loaded onto the schoolship via a network of cranes. As the bus approached the docks, Eyre could hear the other students in the bus begin to wake up, most of them looking sleep deprived. Soon, the bus came to a stop as the students began to exit it one by one and lined up on the docks, before walking up the ramp to the schoolship. Soon the docks were empty as the dock workers prepared for the massive ship's departure. A fleet of tugs pulled and guided the massive ship into the open waters, before dispersing, regrouping together at the docks as the engine of the schoolship churned to life, spinning the massive propellers, before the ship set sail for the ocean.
Twisting the handle, Eyre opened a door leading to the surface of the schoolship. The air tasted salty like the sea as a calm ocean breeze blew over the surface of the ship. By now, the evening sun had begun to set as automated street lights began to turn on. Walking out under a streetlight, Eyre turned to the other seven people following her.
"I guess I'm gonna head home. See ya guys later," she said before she could see Victoria turned towards Tanami, scratching her head.
"Uh Tanami," she asked. "Could I stay at your house again? Since my one is a bit… flattened?"
"Sure thing boss, as long as you don't break anything again."
With the conversation ended, the eight girls departed, with Darling and Murray walking together and Victoria following Tanami.
Eyre walked down the dark streets in the direction of the evening sun. Looking up, she could see a bright dot in the sky slowly disappear along with the evening rays as the sun continued to set, eventually leaving her alone with the streetlights in the darkness. Walking through the dimly lit streets of the schoolship, she eventually turned a corner into an apartment complex. Opening the doors to the entrance of the building, she slowly walked up the stairs before finally stopping in front of one of the doors.
Opening her purse, she fumbled around with the items inside, before hearing a jingle and feeling the cold metallic touch of her keys. Taking the keys out of her purse and inserting it into the keyhole, she twisted it. The doors opened revealing a pitch black room, except for the light from the streetlight coming through the open curtains. Instinctively reaching for the light switch, she turned on the lights, revealing a relatively tidy room. Eyre put her things down, before walking over to the couch and placing her purse on it. Walking to the kitchen, she turned on the lights. Deciding that she was too tired to go out and buy take-away or to cook up a proper meal, she grabbed leftovers in her fridge before heating it up. As her food was heating up in the microwave, Eyre heard her phone ring from inside her purse. Walking up to the purse, she grabbed her phone to see Simpson calling her.
"Hey Simpson, what's up?"
"Hey Eyre. I was wondering if you were free tomorrow," Simpson responded.
"Well I have nothing better to do, so yeah, I'm free tomorrow. Why do you ask?" Eyre asked.
"I've been thinking of what you said to me earlier today, when we were with the Jatkosota girls, about repaying you,". Simpson suddenly paused.
"Go on," said Eyre, waiting in anticipation for what Simpson was going to say.
"I was thinking of going to the city with you to repay the debt."
"That sounds lovely. When do you want to meet?" asked Eyre.
"I was thinking about meeting in front of your house at around 9 o'clock. Let's just hope the trams are work tomorrow," Simpson said.
"Let's hope so," replied Eyre. "Was there anything else?"
"Not really. I guess I will see you tomorrow?"
"Yeah, see you Simpson," Eyre said before ending the call and putting her phone back down.
She walked to the microwave and opened the door, as steam came pouring out. Grabbing the hot container, she set it down on the dining table before eating from it. She quickly ate her dinner, before placing the dirty dish into the sink. Washing it and placing it onto the drying rack, she went to her bedroom where she began to empty her bag. Grabbing out a notebook followed by a couple of broken pencils that she never bothered to empty, she finally found a small folded up piece of paper. Opening it, she could see a photo of her crew sitting on top of their Matilda tank. While looking at the photo, she began to think of the offer Mika offered her, before removing the thought from her mind. Folding up the photo, she placed it deep in her bag again before placing it on the ground next to her bed.
Rummaging through the various drawers in her room, she found her night clothes before heading to the bathroom. Having a quick shower, she changed into her nightwear and headed to bed. Sitting down on her bed, Eyre grabbed the notebook she had taken out from her bag. Opening it up, she grabbed a pen from her bedside table. Thinking for a bit, she started to write down what happened today in her notebook. The clock's ticks became almost inaudible as Eyre continued to write in her notebook, before finally lifting her head. Lifting her hand, she could feel her hand aching before dropping the pen. Eyre looked at the clock. She picked up the pen again, before writing down the last few words, 'That's all that happened today, but Simpson seems to have something planned for me tomorrow'.
As she finished the last sentence and closed her book, she could see the clock next to her tick past 10 o'clock. She placed the closed notebook back into her bag as she snuggled into her bed, turning off the lights. The room was now pitched black, as Eyre drifted into her sleep.
Author's notes
I'd like to apologize for the month long delay, the next chapter will be released soon, within the next decade at least. That is all.