Chapter Ten: Connections Made and Lost
The Fusel Lodge was all aglow for the party, bustling with people. Dusty, Sky, Maru, Dipper, and Windlifter approached the lodge entrance and were greeted not just by a couple attendants but by the magnificence of the lodge's interior. Jerk Cad may be, he actually did a great job decorating the place. Sky wondered if this really is what the lodge looked like when it was first built.
"Whoa!" Dusty breathed. "Look at this place!"
Sky heard a whirring sound and looked behind them to see a couple humans and several small vacuums cleaning up the dust and dirt the firefighters left in their wake. Geez, for a park they sure are clean around here. "Well, the place looks nice." Sky shrugged. "Let's see if their drinks taste as good."
"I'll come with ya." Maru offered. "I need a coffee."
"Bye Dusty! Bye Dipper! Enjoy your date!" Sky said as she, Maru, and Windlifter moved away.
If possible, Dusty would've paled. "Sky!"
Sky snickered, leaving poor Dusty alone with Dipper. "He'll be fine. The girls fawn over him all the time during races."
"What about you?" Maru asked. "Any guys hit on ya?"
"All the time." Sky shrugged. "And then I hit on them." She punched her palm to make her point, and Maru laughed.
"I like ya, kid!" Maru said. "You're my kinda gal."
Sky laughed, then paused at the sound of a train whistle. Curious, she wandered towards the sound, Maru and Windlifter following. Sky tried to stand on her tiptoes, but could barely see over Cad and the small army of lodge staff waiting for Muir the train to come in. Maru suddenly scooped Sky up, lifting her so she could better see what was going on. Sky spotted mostly just more campers coming into the lodge, but one vehicle caught her sight: a forest green Ford Bronco-like car with an official-looking logo printed on his sides.
Cad immediately approached the green car. "Welcome, Mr. Secretary, to the grand reopening weekend of the magnificent—"
"It's a pleasure to be here, Spinner." The green car said, driving off towards the lodge entrance. Cad hurriedly followed him.
"Secretary of the Interior?" Sky asked as Maru lowered her down.
"I guess." Maru shrugged. "Now come on. I wanna see if they've got a place to buy some Joe." Sky nodded and followed Maru and Windlifter off deeper into the lodge.
Sleazy jerk Cad may be, this place is actually kind of awesome. Sky noted as they discovered a small café called the "Piston Perk." Although I have to wonder if this was such a great use of firefighter budget.
Maru scoffed as he and Sky made their way over to Windlifter. "Don't even have normal coffee here. I had to get something called a 'Highway Expresso.'"
"I told you. Should've gone with the hot chocolate." Sky said, holding up her cup of said drink. Maru scoffed again.
"What do you think?" Windlifter asked, the Skycrane wearing a pair of tinted sunglasses.
"You look good." Maru complimented.
"Yeah." Sky agreed.
Windlifter paused in thought. "Eh."
Sky looked around the stand of sunglasses and found a pair identical to Windlifter's only human-sized. She put them on, putting on her toughest stance. "How about now?"
Maru laughed, and even Windlifter cracked a smile. "Lookin' good, kid! I wouldn't want to meet you in a dark alley."
Sky laughed, putting the glasses back on the stand. "You better not meet me in a dark alley." She laughed again.
Maru stared at the girl for a moment, then grinned. "Wow. You got a really nice smile."
Sky's cheeks turned red. "Thanks. Yours is nice too, but whenever you smile it seems like you're about to do something evil."
Maru put on his best devious grin. "Muah-ha-ha!" He laughed, Sky joining in. "But seriously, I like that smile of yours."
"Why the sudden fascination with my smile?" Sky asked.
"I've realized why you and Blade get along so well." Maru said. "You two are both so serious about your work and your dedication is quite admirable. But unlike Blade, you know when it's time to let loose and have fun. That smile of yours makes everyone else smile too."
Sky looked down. She rubbed her hot chocolate cup with her thumb before taking a few gulps of the drink.
Windlifter caught her sudden change in demeanor. "Are you all right?"
Sky sighed. "I'm still not used to hearing stuff like that except from my dad."
"He nice?" Maru asked.
"Very." Sky nodded. "He and his friend Sparky adopted me when I was a little kid."
"You're an orphan?" Windlifter asked, both he and Maru looking surprised.
"Yeah." Sky shrugged. "My parents abandoned me because I'm a psych-man. They didn't like what I was. But Skipper and Sparky took me in and everything's good."
"You sure?" Maru asked worriedly. He felt both awed and confused by Sky's tone. She made abandonment sound about as impactful as scraping a knee.
Sky giggled. "Don't worry, I've long since gotten used to it and I don't hate my powers anymore. Although lately it seems like I keep telling my story more often." Her face fell a little. "Sparky says sometimes I get relapses of PTSD from my days when I was in the orphanage. There are times when I get so angry at the thought of who I once was. I may have come to terms with how my life used to be, but that doesn't mean I like to think about it."
"Your parents?" Windlifter asked.
"Yes and no. Just me." Sky said. "I used to be such a jerk. I hated everything and everyone around me and I refused to let anyone into my heart. My worst fear is going back to that little girl I used to be. It caused me to be alone for six years until I could finally be adopted by somebody who was just as stubborn as I was."
"Hey, it's okay." Maru assured. "Just from what we've seen since you came here, it's clear you're nothing like who you used to be. But I don't want to see you angry; I bet you'd bounce back to that real quick."
Sky smirked. She couldn't deny that. If she got angry, it was best for everyone to just stay out of her way. "Yeah. Just keep Cad away from me." She paused. "Or, if you really want to get rid of him, put him near me."
Maru laughed. "That's our Lil' Raven!"
"Hey guys!" Dusty called as he rolled over to them. "We just met a nice couple celebrating their anniversary. We're gonna go out of the fire pit and celebrate. Wanna come?"
"Sure!" Sky nodded.
"Yeah, let's go!" Maru agreed. "It's getting stuffy in here."
Sky hopped up onto Dusty's wing, sitting down and sipping her hot chocolate. "You just missed it." Dusty said with a smirk. "Some fan came up to me and asked me to do his voicemail."
Sky laughed. "Really? Did you screw up?"
"Nah." Dusty laughed. "He seemed a little disappointed to not see you, though."
"Oh really?" Sky smirked, giggling.
Dusty smiled warmly. There's the Sky I remember. Right with me, as usual.
Unfortunately for Dusty, Sky decided to sit between Windlifter and Maru at one of the fire pits. But she was close enough to him, so he found he could relax and chat with everyone, including their new friends Harvey and Winnie. Apparently, Harvey had worked several different jobs before meeting his wife in RV tire sales. Now, they were celebrating their wedding anniversary at the park.
"You know, Dusty and Skylar, maybe this firefighting thing will be a second career for you." Harvey said.
"Well, it's a second career for most everyone at the base." Dipper nodded. "Windlifter was a lumberjack, Cabbie was in the military, and I hauled cargo up in Anchorage."
"I suppose this really would be a second career for us, eh Dusty?" Sky said. Dusty nodded in agreement. It's not like they were becoming firefighters for the heck of it. Who said they couldn't do both racing and firefighting?
"Hey, big whirlybird, you haven't said much." Harvey said to Windlifter. "How about a toast?"
"Uh, Windlifter's not really much for speeches." Dipper protested politely. She quieted when Windlifter began chanting in his native language, drawing everyone's attention to him.
"A toast to Coyote." Windlifter said. "It was he who drove all day and all night to the base of Bright Mountain. With much difficulty, he climbed the mountain to obtain fire and brought it down to the first people. But in so doing, he burned his tires. And when Coyote saw his blackened tires, he thought they were his favorite snack, and he ate them! For he knew they were still full of life. And it was in this way, he let go of the old, and renewed himself like fire renews the earth."
Stunned silence met the end of Windlifter's speech. "Uh, I'm just gonna say it." Dusty finally piped up. "You had me up until the part where he eats his own tires."
Maru chuckled. "Best toast ever, Wind. Cheers!"
"Cheers!" Everyone called.
"That's better than other versions I've heard." Sky said. "Some depict Coyote as a human who ate his shoes."
"I've been meaning to ask, Skylar, are you really a psyche human?" Winnie asked excitedly.
"That's right." Sky nodded.
"Amazing!" Winnie breathed. "You know, I knew a psych-man woman once who raced in the European Circuit with a Formula One. Quite incredible."
"That's like what me and Sky do when we race." Dusty piped up excitedly. "She's my co-pilot."
"Yeah, because I'm the sensible one who tries to keep us from getting killed." Sky said sassily.
"So can you make that connection with any vehicle?" Harvey asked.
"That's right." Sky confirmed. "Some of the connections I make are stronger than others. Recently, I just found my Soul Connect partner."
"Really? Is that a good thing?" Harvey asked.
"It's amazing!" Sky nodded happily. "Soul Connections can only happen between a specific pair of psych-man and vehicle."
"Well I'll bet you and your partner are gonna be good friends, huh?" Harvey guessed.
"I certainly hope so." Sky nodded. In fact, I know Blade and I are going to be good friends. I can feel it.
It was quite late when everyone made their way back to base. They were all tired and ready for bed, but they found they actually enjoyed themselves. Most of it was owed to chatting with Harvey and Winnie (and not running into Cad, save for Dusty).
"Goodnight, guys!" Sky waved as everyone broke off to their respective hangers. Everyone else bid her goodnight before disappearing.
"Hey Sky?" Dusty piped up. "Can we talk?"
Sky blinked in surprise, but nodded. "Yeah, sure." She and Dusty moved out to the runway, away from prying eyes and ears. "So, what did you want to talk about?"
"It's about this Soul Connect thing." Dusty said. "I know it's exciting and all, but don't you think you're taking it a little far?"
"What do you mean?" Sky asked, not liking where this conversation was going.
"I mean, you already spend time with Blade when we're fighting fires and training. Do you really have to hang out with him during the down time?" Dusty asked.
"Dusty, we're Soul Connect partners." Sky said.
"Yeah, I know." Dusty rolled his eyes a bit. "Big deal."
"It is a big deal." Sky said. "A Soul Connection is something every psyche human dreams of."
"Well about our connection?" Dusty demanded. "The connection we make when we're racing. That's a lot more legit than a connection you made just yesterday."
"How so?" Sky snapped.
"We've worked on it longer!" Dusty said.
"Yeah? And how strong is it really compared to the Soul Connect?" Sky scoffed. "Why am I even talking to you about it? It's a psych-man thing; you wouldn't understand."
"You're right. I don't understand." Dusty snapped. "I don't understand how you can take everything we worked for and throw it away for someone like Blade."
"Someone like Blade?" Sky scoffed. "Oh, I get it now. You're jealous!"
"I am not!" Dusty protested. "I just think you need to get your priorities straight."
"Like it or not, Dusty, there are things I can do with the Soul Connect that I can't do with my connection to you."
"Like what?"
"Like be a firefighter!"
"You're not serious."
"I'm dead serious."
"I can be a firefighter too! What do you think I'm doing out here?"
Sky's glared hardened. "I'm not really sure."
"What's that's supposed to mean?" Dusty growled.
"You're not fully committing to your training, Dusty." Sky growled. "It's not just about the gearbox anymore, which, by the way, is going to be replaced soon anyway. You don't put forth your full effort, you don't trust anyone else's judgement, and you seriously have a problem with not following Blade's orders."
"You know, you're starting to sound just like Blade." Dusty noted bitterly.
"Good." Sky scowled. "Maybe you'll actually listen to me." She sighed in frustration. "You didn't have to come out here and be a firefighter, you know. I could've handled it all by myself."
"It was my fault that fire started and got Propwash shut down." Dusty protested.
"And it was my fault for ticking off the dumb TMST agent." Sky countered. "You could've just stayed home and waited for your gearbox to come in. But instead you had to play hero!"
"I want to become a firefighter to help Mayday." Dusty said firmly. "I owe it to him!"
"So do I!" Sky snapped. "I want to help the town, my home. I want to do something for Mayday after he pretty much saved my life. I want to show people that I am more than just your 'pilot.'"
"Who thinks you're just my pilot?" Dusty demanded.
"Everybody, Dusty!" Sky snapped. "Come on, you think anyone really believes that we work together as a team? Everybody looks at us and sees me as the human girl riding the coattails of your success!"
"It's always been our success!" Dusty protested. "We work as a team, that's how our connection works."
"Oh come on!" Sky scoffed. "You really think our connection means anything? You really think it's so strong?"
"Compared to what?" Dusty retorted. "Your precious little Soul Connection? You know, if you and Blade get along so well, maybe you should just stay here permanently!"
"Do you have any idea how stupid you sound?" Sky snapped. "Why do you care so much about this? What is it about this that makes you so…..so…irate?"
"You're putting this stupid Soul Connect before our friendship." Dusty growled. "Friends don't do that to each other."
"Friends also support each other when something amazing happens." Sky countered. "I stayed with you during the Wings Around the Globe. I didn't give up when we were lost over the Pacific and I almost died trying to keep you alive! The least you could do is actually be happy for me because of this amazing thing I've found!"
"A friendship with the most irritating guy on the planet?" Dusty scoffed. "I swear, you're the most unreasonable, unpredictable, idiotic girl I've ever met!"
BAM!
Dusty shouted in pain as Sky's foot connected with his nose, nearly knocking his propeller clean off. He stared at her in shock, but then glared to match her furious look. He refused to back down, even when Sky stepped up very close to him. Ocean blue remained locked onto blue-green.
"Go home, Dusty." Sky spoke in a soft voice, only amplifying the magnitude of her anger. "Go back to Propwash Junction and wait for your new gearbox. I'll stay here and get certified. And when I get back, I'm going to be Propwash Junction's second firefighter. Which will give me no time for anything else."
"What?" Dusty asked, still glaring even when he sounded shocked.
"Go back to being a racer, Dusty." Sky ordered. "Because from now on, you're on your own."
Dusty's glare shifted to one of surprise. She was quitting. Sky was quitting their racing. Dusty felt a part of him want to apologize, to beg Sky to reconsider, but his anger trumped out those thoughts. "Fine. At least now I can race without the extra weight!"
Sky's eyes blazed with lividness. But she only let out a frustrated growl as she turned on her heel and stomped off. Dusty turned and made his way to his hanger, muttering angrily.
A/N: I know, I know, I just broke up an amazing duo. Excuse me while I hide from the angry mob that will soon descend on me until they see the next chapter.
Hope you liked this one, even with the ending!