Frankie was the first to wake up the next day. He had always had the habit of waking up earlier than his company when they stayed at a hotel, but this time he didn't mind. Immediately, he threw off the covers and ran outside to the balcony to take a whiff of that sweet, spicy, homely Mexican air.
"Que Linda…" He said to himself as he gently shut his eyes and just let the hot wind and cool breeze of home blow past his person with elegance. He then stared straight ahead and looked beyond the mountains. He already knew that no bus would be able to take them where they needed to go, but no matter what, he was determined to get to the bottom of this. For his sake, and for Mythra's and Pyra's.
Later into the morning, the rest of the group began to wake, beginning with Mythra, who noticed Frankie simply staring out the window and decided to walk over to him.
"Morning." She suddenly called, snapping Frankie out of his trance.
"Oh. Hey, Mythra." He responded back rather distantly as he was joined by his Blade.
"So… this is your home turf, huh?" She asked, leaning over the balcony by his side.
"You know… I never really got a chance to ask my mom or my grandma what part of Mexico my grandma's grandparents came from… so it could be here, could be Cozumel, could even be somewhere in Texas before it became a state." He explained, turning back to the view below.
Mythra followed his gaze and smiled at the people down below; some were walking to the market with their kids to gather up groceries for the week, while others did housework as the family dog lay lazily up on the roof, sunbathing with its belly completely exposed, others just wandered out into the streets to play, mostly the kids. Wrestling, kickball, hide and seek, the works. The more she overlooked the sights the more she couldn't help but be reminded of her last awakening, and she knew Pyra would be able to as well. She wasn't quite sure if the emotions she was feeling were either nostalgia or sadness, but she didn't need any of that now, so she decided to shift her view to the mountains that Frankie was looking at.
"Yeah… this is more our speed. Your little town is nice, Frank, don't get me wrong. Your little town is VERY nice. It's just advanced enough to be interesting, but just homely enough to be comfortable all at the same time."
"…You've never been to the barrio… trust me, you'll be redacting that statement within the week… bums on the side of the road, crackheads spewing nonsense and picking fights, basura out the wazoo! Heck, the place where I live is technically considered the barrio! And you wonder why I was so okay with taking a job so far out of the city!" Mythra chuckled at Frankie's mini rant as she turned to face him briefly.
"Yeah, I guess I can see where you're coming from, but… I don't know… the warts just add to the whole picture, I think… and that's what I found so alluring about this little country we're in right now. What I find so alluring about your little home, too; they both go hand-in-hand, I feel. It's all just… real… really real… real as the life we're living now…" Mythra gazed to the mountains again while Frankie turned her way a bit solemnly. With how quiet and distant it was compared to everything that happened this past week, he finally got a chance to really look at her… her eyes dropped ever so slightly and her mouth stayed a blank frown. He had wondered if any of these emotions came from that dream he saw Pyra had… now he was more determined than ever to do some real digging for once.
"You remember any of this, Mythra?" He asked absentmindedly. The Blade stifled a chuckle as she gave her Driver her full attention.
"Any of THIS?! Come on, Frank! Why would you think that? I didn't even know this part of the world existed until I met you!" Mythra chortled a little as she playfully slapped his shoulder with the back of her hand as she walked away. "You really are a Dummy…"
"Hey- did you just forget I have a name? This is like the seventh time you called me that!" Frankie shot back as he rubbed his shoulder.
"I know… but Dummy suits you a lot and I just like the sound of it, so get used to it, kay?" Mythra turned and smiled cheekily at him. Frankie groaned in response.
"Sure, Mythra…"
"Speaking of Dummies… why don't we get these two out of their little cocoon?" Mythra turned to look at Kaito and Miko, who were sleeping soundly in their wrapping, all things considered.
"Hah… yeah, I think they've been through enough." Frankie chuckled as he and Mythra made their way over to the two and gently undid the knots they created to at last free the two sleeping lovebirds.
"SALVATION!!!!" Miko cried the minute she felt free, making a bolt towards the restroom as Kaito stirred in his sleep.
"Hah Hah… Big bro, Big sis, you dorks… you're gonna have to rethink your battle strategies if you think THAT was a punishment." He said as he groggily sat up on the couch.
"Well… someone clearly thought so…" Mythra smirked as she looked towards the restroom.
"YOU WILL NOT DETER ME, BLONDIE!" A squeaky shout reached their ears from behind the door.
"As the lady says." Kaito smirked before stretching out his arms and back, discernable light cracking noises coming from his joints after being stuck in one position for so long.
"So what's our plan for the day?"
"We go to the Tepozteco Mountain." Frankie said. "El Tepozteco is already a fine example of an archaeological marvel. And if my hypothesis is correct; due to how Blades and Drivers have been seemingly erased from history-"
"We know…" Mythra moaned sadly, forcing an awkward Frankie to change the topic slightly.
"Th-there could be something hidden away on the mountain or at the site that the public eye isn't allowed to see. All these Missions have tours to begin with."
"Ah, thats good. A tour should be good on our first day here, wasn't too sure about going treasure hunting in a place where we barely speak the language on our first day." The small hairy lad clapped his hands together and started getting ready for the day…which meant waiting for Miko to finish.
"Oh, we'll be going on a tour, alright. A self guided tour. It's all up to us from this point onward. For Pyra and Mythra's sakes." Mythra looked down shyly as she rocked back and forth, embarrassed and flattered by her Driver's comment… and also because he was entering business mode once again. "Hope you don't mind riding burrito." Frankie chuckled.
"Burrito? Are we getting breakfast already?" Miko asked from afar.
"No, no, no, not THAT kind of burrito, uh… you know… 'hee-haw'!" Frankie stuck two fingers up the sides of his head and protruded his upper teeth to complete the visual.
"Oh yeah! I know what you're talking about! Like those things from that movie thing or whatever it's called you showed me the other day, what was it again? The one with the little wooden boy and the insect and the magical island where they-" Frankie placed a hand over Mythra's mouth to quiet her.
"Okay! That's enough out of you! We don't talk about that one, I could do without the childhood nightmares and trauma…" He grumbled. Mythra forcefully pushed his arm down from her mouth and glared harshly at him, teeth gritted. Frankie shrunk into himself as he stared back with a toothy, apologetic grin.
"Wait, so then where are we gonna start looking?" Kaito asked by the doorway.
"And isn't it gonna be difficult trying to find our way around without some sort of personal guide?" Miko added from inside the restroom.
"Nobody-" Frankie was about to point out how with the removal of Blades and Drivers from history, they wouldn't get to know anything if they took a standard tour, but Mythra was still right there, and he didn't want her to be in a downer mood because of him, not again, so he quickly corrected himself, "-ermuh- A standard tour would be a waste of time because information like this is so elusive, what would we really find out besides 'they do cool things and hit people and take the form of super tall Amazonian women'?"
"Hey now! I'm not THAT tall!" Mythra defensively cried.
"Sister… you're looking at Frankie eye to eye right now… don't kid yourself…" Kaito pointed out as the Blade shot a menacing glare at him.
"So then we're going somewhere to get horses, is that it?"
"Donkeys, Kaito." Frankie corrected. "Caballo is horse."
"I thought Caballo was man?" Mythra asked.
"No, that's caballero- oralé… I got a C in Spanish in high school, why am I the one educating you lot?" Frankie's face told them he was fed up with their ignorance, but he really took secret joy in nerding out on them, especially since this was his own culture.
It was at that point did Miko finally come out of the restroom, feeling refreshed at last.
"One of these days, you'll have to atone for your sins, and when you do, God may not be so merciful." Miko warned both Frankie and Mythra, staring at them with a sharp, freezing grimace.
"The lord is very forgiving; I do believe we'll be perfectly fine." Frankie remarked as he and Mythra glanced knowingly at each other.
"Well, let's not waste anymore time, let's get ready to head out." Mythra demanded just as a loud grumbling sound broke the silent ambience in the room.
"Kokonut…" Miko whined as she held her tummy pathetically. "I'm hungry…"
Kaito, quick to act, already had a candy bar ready for her, much to Miko's delight.
"I do believe we'll have to have breakfast first, sister." He patted the small lady on the head as he looked to the Blade, who simply scoffed in annoyance.
"Fine, whatever, I guess a quick bite wouldn't hurt." She replied.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold on. We're here to do some digging on Mythra's past, not sightsee." Frankie reminded the group stoically, much to their surprise.
"Buuuut, it'll do us no good if we spend all our time fretting over that past." Kaito's tone gave a hint of inclination to his brother, as if he could tell how anxious he was. "We just got here, we're still pretty jet-lagged, a good meal to wake us all up is important."
Miko nodded confidently in agreement, having finished the candy bar. Her stomach grumbled a bit more however, leading her to hold it ashamedly.
"But- that's what the donkeys are for! They'll be doing the walking, not us!" Frankie argued.
"Frank… come on now, you're not acting yourself…" Mythra said with a tone of worry to her voice. Her concerned brow only made the tall young man turn away in flustered embarrassment.
"I just… wanna find out what your deal is, Mythra… is that so wrong as your Driver?"
"And we will. Today. I promise, but you said it yourself, 'the day starts with meat, and the day ends with meat' so let's get some protein inside of you so you can stay focused, alright, Big Guy?" Mythra's worried frown turned to a gentle smile as she rubbed Frankie's back caringly.
"…fine… it's… 11:00 right now… there's a festival down in the village celebrating Tepozteco. Came around a bit earlier this year, as a matter of fact… they might have some quick little bites down there… might even be able to rent the donkeys too." Frankie thought out loud.
"That's perfect!" Miko had shot up from her seat the moment the word 'bites' left Frankie's mouth.
"That's the spirit big bro! We can get something to energize us and rent those donkeys all in one place!" Kaito stood up with similar vigor. "I'll go get ready!"
He proceeded to rush to the restroom himself.
"So… do I wanna know why you call him Big Guy, or…" Miko snidely glanced Mythra's way.
"I'll burn you…" She responded plainly but aggressively.
And so the day plan was set. After getting themselves organized and dressed, the group exited the hotel and made way for the festival. Kaito, Miko, and Mythra were all jumping in their seats with excitement, meanwhile Frankie -while still looking forward to it- had his mind preoccupied.
The blaring of triumphant drums and trumpets and tubas sounded proudly throughout the streets while men and women donned in traditional black and white and red and black garments adorned with tall hats that told an aboriginal story in and of themselves danced and fought with each other in bright and flashy wooden masks, getting the attention of people of all ages; tourists and locals alike. The buildings surrounding the event wore the red, white, and green colors of the Mexican flag itself with pride; though that was mostly pure coincidence than anything else. Nevertheless, Mythra was transfixed. Everything she saw unfold before her very eyes felt so familiar, yet so different all at once. Pyra could see just as well as she could in this instance and stood up tall to let the sights, sounds, and smells envelop her in a trance as she saw fit.
"Can you tell what's going on, Mythra?" She asked.
"Not at all, but… wow… these people are really dedicated to their craft, aren't they?" The older Blade asked back in complete awe.
"That was evident enough the moment we stepped foot in this place. Those spices didn't smell anything like the kind Frankie has back home. Heh… maybe we could talk him into embracing his heritage a little more…"
Mythra yet again flashbacked to her Buffalo Wing experience at the casino briefly and shivered in alarm as she tried to shake the feeling away.
"Or we could… NOT do that… that's always an option…"
They were walking around the grounds with Miko, who was equally transfixed by the festivities, however that was more centered on the foods being offered. She was helping herself and grabbing practically one of everything from every food stall she could spot.
"Crap, Kaito's not here. I better pull that little brat back into reality before she eats something she'll regret by the time we're riding-" The Blade dashed off to Miko's side.
Meanwhile, Kaito was tapping into his journalistic tendencies and picking up information from the locals. He went to stall owners, performers on break, general pedestrians, anyone who seemed like they'd have a story to tell about local legends.
Unfortunately, he didn't have much luck. While he certainly learned quite a bit about the history of the festival and was appreciative for it, he didn't get anything that could pertain to Mythra's past. He got some responses about Tepozteco Mountain, but those all pertained mainly to the vast views of the land that could be seen, again, valuable information for the trip experience, but nothing Kaito could see as being connected to Blades or Elysium.
That is until he spotted something.
He walked over to a small, very out-of-the-way corner of the venue, where a small and frail old woman sat on the ground in front of a carpet lined with gems. Crouching down to get a better look, he observed the gems closely as something about them seemed…peculiar.
Some had completely unique shapes, and there was a line of them that were identical, a rectangular prism that had almost cube-like dimensions. He didn't recognize the shape or build of any of them, he was no gemsmith after all, but he couldn't shake the feeling that they seemed awfully familiar.
"Mythra! Stop holding me back! I wanna get at those wings!" Kaito heard a shout as Miko thrashed about like a child as Mythra pulled her away from one of the food stalls.
"Trust me when I say I'm doing this for your own good, you little brat!" Mythra struggled as she held the girl up off the floor to keep her from running away.
Kaito chuckled at the two getting along so well, before looking at Mythra suddenly making a realization, quickly turning back to the old woman's gems.
'These are…they look a bit like the cross on Mythra's chest…!' He thought to himself.
Sure enough, despite none of them looking explicitly like the cross he had found on the beach that day, the outlining of these gems and the way they were cut bore a striking resemblance to it. Plus there was just… something about them that felt similar, but Kaito couldn't rationalize it in his head.
"¡Pasalé, Pasalé!"
A slightly creaky yet unmistakably warm and kind voice spoke to him, causing Kaito to look up at the old woman.
"I…I'm sorry?"
"Hey, man, when Abuelita talks to you, you answer. You gonna leave her hanging and get the chancla, or do you wanna buy something?" A young boy with a thick accent walking from nearby answered him.
"O-oh, sorry about that, I was just…admiring how beautiful they were." Kaito stammered around for an explanation. It wasn't the reason he was staring, but it certainly wasn't a statement he disagreed with, the gems were beautiful.
The old woman smiled, almost as if she could tell what he was saying. Despite that, the boy leaned over and gently translated what Kaito said. The woman nodded.
Kaito, quickly remembering the reason he was looking around, took a moment to consider the woman.
'Maybe she…'
"Could I…ask her a few questions?" Kaito turned to the boy, who sighed.
"Aye… only if you promise to buy something."
"You got it." Kaito got his notebook out as the boy put his hand on his hip. The two of them proceeded to sit on the ground to get on the same level as the woman.
"So, I've been looking for some information on a few things surrounding a… Tepozteco Mountain?"
At the word 'Tepozteco,' the woman and the boy raised their eyebrows.
"Heh, I take it you two know quite a bit about it, correct?"
The boy gave Kaito a curious glance before whispering in the woman's ear. She nodded at him, and he turned back to Kaito.
"Yeah, Abuela lived in the mountains for a long time when she was younger."
"Great! So then…"
Kaito asked about the woman's knowledge on what he was looking for, with the boy translating both his questions and her answers. To his slight dismay, she didn't have much knowledge on Blades, Drivers, Elysium, or anything of the sort. She seemed to recognize some aspects of the terms he stated, but it was nothing concrete, leaving Kaito to assert that there were different terms for them in this culture.
Unfortunately, between the language barrier and the woman's lack of clarity on most of the topics, Kaito was unable to get much in the way of new information out of this exchange. That didn't bother him too much, he was having a wonderful time chatting, but it still ate at him that he wasn't any closer to finding something out.
"That all?" The boy asked.
"Hm…" Kaito flipped through his notes to see if he missed anything he could ask about.
Suddenly, the woman reached over and gently grabbed his hand. Both Kaito and the boy were taken aback by this. A moment passed with her keeping her eyes shut, almost as if she was trying to sense something about Kaito.
Then she spoke firmly.
"Uh, what's she saying?"
"¡Calmaté, calmaté! Aye-yai-yai, gringos…" The boy scrambled to hear what the woman was saying in order to translate it.
"She says…she knows what you're looking for, and to go to Tepozteco's Temple to find your answers…" He waited for her to continue speaking, "...and she says to trust in the senses of your companions, they'll guide you to where you need to be."
She then smiled warmly at Kaito, before saying one more thing.
"They'll need you too, protect them as best you can…-what are you talking about, Abuela?"
The woman let go of Kaito's hand and rested back in her spot. Kaito, still a bit taken aback, looked into her eyes for a moment, and then smiled himself in understanding.
"Huh, I see…" He stood himself up, and then bowed at her. "Gracias, ma'am."
She bowed in turn.
"Man, I don't even know anymore…" The boy put his hand to his head in confusion as he also stood up, but not before briefly massaging the old woman and checking to make sure she was feeling alright.
Kaito chuckled.
"A-and don't forget to buy something, eh, hermano? All of your chit-chatty slowed down the business!"
"Oh right. Hm…let's see here." Kaito looked over at the gems that lined the ground in front of the woman.
After a moment of pondering, he reached for the one that had been catching his eye this whole time. It was a part of a necklace, and he pulled it out of its place.
The gem was the size of about two fingers, and it took the shape of an upside-down kite, with well-cut edges giving it a very polished look. Its coloring was notable as well, as it was primarily blue, but with hazy red splotches that looked like clouds across it in an uneven fashion, almost like the blue was being corrupted.
"Ah-ha! ¡Muy bien, amigo! That's our rarest -and most expensive- piece here!"
"COMO?!" Kaito hollered in a surprised expression he picked up from Frankie… no turning back now.
Mythra was now alone at a table with Miko, who was in a bit of a food coma from all the snacks she had eaten, only setting aside the orders Frankie, Kaito, and Mythra put in. Mythra had finished hers a while ago and was now happily licking and munching on a 'helado', cookies and cream flavor.
"God bless…" She said through prideful tears as she ate her favorite dessert in content, happy to find it even all the way out here.
At this point, Frankie and Kaito had come back, Frankie with the donkeys, which he had tied up by a nearby stable; all of whom were massive, nearly the size of a horse. The species name of "Mammoth Donkey" was all too apt for these stubborn equestrians.
"Right… that took up way too much of our time…" Frankie groaned as he sat down next to Mythra.
"We got all day, Big Guy. It's still light out, don't forget." Mythra pointed out as she handed Frankie his plate.
"She's right, big brobro! You should be ecstatic! We're here visiting your roots, after all!" Kaito pointed out.
"My roots two generations down the line. I may be mixed back home, but here, I'm just another American… you got me the cabeza, right, Miko?" Frankie asked in frustration, clearly running on too empty of a belly.
"And the Al pastor and pollo asado…" Miko yawned as she leaned her cheek on Kaito's shoulder peacefully, her boyfriend gently held her head with a smile on his face in response. "With a side of chicharrones…"
Kaito then ordered a plate of specialty nachos that he intended to share with her, giving her a new burst of energy.
Frankie smiled in satisfaction as he unwrapped his plate; 8 soft tacos: 4 Cabeza, 2 Pastor, 2 Asado, and crispy fried pork skin just next to them all; with just a little bit of meat still sizzling on it.
"Hey, how come those ones aren't fried? Did you dupe me into making a fool of myself, Frank?" Mythra asked.
"Mythra… not now… genuinely, not now…" Frankie grunted in a frustrated tone as he bit down on a cabeza taco, pleasantly enjoying himself. "If you must know…" Frankie swallowed in between words. "These are street tacos. They're done on the griddle for a short amount of time, just until warm and crisp. Different texture… just as wonderful and delicious…" He then pushed the plate towards Mythra. "Try one. The cabeza is my favorite; it's the darkest meat."
Mythra looked down at Frankie's plate. A taco stuffed with yellow meat; one with red; and another with brown. Assuming that to be the one he was referring to, she quickly reached down and took a bit herself. She was pleasantly surprised; the meat was just a little bit chewy, but flavorful and fatty enough to look past that, and the tortilla being just a little burnt added so much to texture and flavor; just like Frankie said.
"Hey, this isn't bad! What is this 'Kabazai' stuff, anyway?" She asked him.
"Goat head." Frankie replied very matter-of-factly. Mythra gagged suddenly in response and turned away to spit the food she hadn't swallowed out. Frankie rolled his eyes at her in sheer disappointment.
"Oh, come on! You ate cow's intestines the other day! What's so particularly soul crushing about this one?!" Frankie called out.
"W-wait… THAT'S what was in that soup stuff?!" Mythra turned to face him again.
"Viva la México, Mita" Frankie responded calmly as he continued eating; only for Mythra to swivel his head back around to face her as she angrily pulled his cheeks apart like she did back in court. "Ah! Ah, AH! Ee-o! Ee-o!" Frankie cried out suddenly, slamming his hand down on the table helplessly as he was powerless to stop his Blade.
"They sure do love each other, huh, Kokonut?" Miko asked dreamily.
"Indeed. Even if they don't quite know it yet…" Kaito winked back at her.
"Let's hope Pyra doesn't get TOO jealous, now…" Miko copied her boyfriend's action.
"Well… we know what to do if she does…" Kaito and Miko chuckled cheeky, sinister, snickers to each other.
As the discussion went on, Kaito considered telling the group about what the old woman told him, but was unsure given the lack of clarity and direct information. They were already planning on going to this Tepozteco Temple, so her insisting it was important was good information, but hard to back up.
'Trust in the senses of your companions…'
He thought back to what he was told. He looked at Frankie, then Mythra, and then over at Miko, all smiling and laughing together.
'They'll need you too, protect them as best you can…'
"...hey Miko?"
"Hm? What's up Kaito?" She turned to him.
He reached into his back and pulled out the gemstone he bought from the old woman.
"I…got this while I was out doing recon, and I…figured you'd like it. So here." He gently placed the gem into her open palm.
Miko simply stared at it for a while.
"Oh…oh Kokonut. It's so beautiful!" She looked up, unrestrained joy in her eyes. "But…what's the occasion?"
"Ih-ra, Ih-ra…" Frankie called out to his still frustrated Blade, who stopped temporarily to let him 'speak' Frankie rolled his eyes over to Kaito and Miko and what they were doing. Mythra followed his gaze and both of them smiled deviously. It was payback time… again.
"Kaito! I'm amazed at you! Not even old enough to drink in our country yet and already popping the question? What cheek!" Frankie cried out in false surprise.
"Ah shut it you!" Kaito laughed at his brother's tease before placing his hand in Miko's.
"This isn't working…" Frankie grunted to Mythra.
"I got this…" Mythra whispered back to him before she got up from her seat and placed her hands on Miko's shoulders before clearing her throat.
"Oh- Kaity Waity! It's perfect! It matches my eyes so beautifully and makes me feel like a pretty, perfect princess!" She hollered in a horrifically squeaky falsetto voice as she shook Miko around before transferring over to Kaito to do the exact same.
"Well, you know how it is, Kokokokokokokokokokokokoko- Us two inch dorks gotta stick together!" She put on a mockingly scratchy deep voice to fill in for Kaito before going back to Miko.
"Indubitably, my love! But, oh! That insanely attractive and strong and powerful Mythra… she would NEVER support us!"
"That is true, she is very much the antithesis of all things fun and carefree! At least that's what a complete idiot like myself would say!"
"Oh, but Kaity Waity, you're MY idiot!"
"Then consider me dumb as a brick, for I too value your disgustingly sweet love for me. At least that's how the great and powerful Mythra describes it. She's so elegant and wise, it's truly unbelievable!"
"Then let us stay together forever! And rot the teeth of all those who come between us! For our love transpires all of space and time as we know it!"
"The power of love shall prevail, my sickeningly sweet Koo Koo Clock!"
"Kiss me you fool!"
Mythra then brought their faces together and made fake kissing noises as she smooshed their heads over each other, never really allowing their lips to make contact with each other, only sort of… rubbing off on each other's faces in discomfort as Mythra continued her high and deep impressions. Frankie tried his best contain his laughter, but the more Mythra talked, the harder it was to keep it in. With a subtle shake of her rear end to emphasize the situation at hand, Frankie bust out laughing, earning a proud and happy smile on Mythra, who stared a bit shocked, but glad nonetheless at him. After a few more seconds, she finally let them go and rejoined Frankie back on their side of the table.
"And that's how you take care of little siblings." Mythra confidently said, arms behind her head while Frankie smiled fondly at her.
Unfortunately for the two of them, the smaller duo had tuned them out at "Kaity Waity" and were continuing their tender conversation all the while Mythra was teasing them, completely undeterred by whatever it is she was doing to them.
"Heh, come on Muffin. I don't need an occasion to get you something nice, do I?" Kaito held both of Miko's hands in his own as he looked into her eyes.
"Oh Kaito…you spoil me too much, you know that?" She placed her head on their joint hands.
"Heh, we've had this conversation Koko Puff. In my opinion, you deserve to be spoiled a bit." He tapped the top of her head with the front of his own.
They both faced each other again before leaning in for a short but loving kiss, helped by Mythra smooshing their heads together. It was at the point she finally left them alone did Kaito and Miko continue.
"Make sure you hold onto this, alright? And…maybe use it to think of me when I'm not around, that sound good?" He opened his hands in order to gesture to the crystal.
"Heh…sounds like a plan, you dork."
They separated their hands slowly as Miko proceeded to affix the necklace around her neck, signaling for Kaito to help clip it at the back. Once they had done so, Kaito took a good long look how it suited her.
"Well…?"
Kaito was absolutely smitten. On just the colors alone, the crystal blended perfectly with her sky blue t-shirt, with the red accents allowing it to stand out a bit so that it didn't become lost. But something about the crystal just looked…right on Miko. Like she was always meant for her. She looked almost…radiant with it on.
"Kokonut, come on now…" Miko began to blush.
"O-oh, sorry. I thought I saw an angel sitting in front of me for a second." Kaito stated that as a flirt, but it was his honest opinion.
"Pfft, oh that's just silly…" Miko started to play with her hair as she looked to the floor to hide how much she liked that compliment.
"You okay over there, Angel Muffin?" Kaito reached out to both brush her face and gently nudge her gaze back towards him.
"Yeah…"
"Pssh… and they really think we act like that…" Mythra scoffed indignantly while Frankie continued eating his food.
"That would be the day…" He replied back.
"Y-yes… that would indeed, be the day…" Pyra repeated sweetly as she dreamily rocked herself back and forth from Mythra's mind.
After the crew was finished eating, they wasted no more time; for an increasingly concerned Frankie, they made it a point to immediately board those donkeys and make their way up to the mountain. It was a fair bit of a distance away, but not so far off that it was a hazy apparition hidden amongst the mist that would make a whole weekend's trek. As they abandoned civilization and grew nearer and nearer to the temple, Mythra could feel Frankie tensing up and even sweating nervously a small bit as the old structure came into view. The Blade rode close alongside her Driver in an attempt to calm him down, but the grip on his reins were still tight and the worry on his face was even more prevalent than before. She had wrestled with herself with the idea to let Pyra out and talk to him as it had been a while since the two got to see each other; but she ultimately decided not to as the sight of her might make him lose his steel and just make things worse for the lot of them. She still wanted him to not be so tense though… she had to think of something.
"Um… Frankie…" She began sort of shyly, which already was piquing Kaito and Miko's interest as the taller young man picked his head up to follow her voice. "You… mentioned you had issues getting a sort of… coalition between you, Kaito, and Miko off the ground. Why is that?"
Frankie smiled half heartedly and let out a trying chuckle as he explained himself.
"Well, it was just a silly little thing I suggested at one point. Like I said, three caballeros isn't exactly an idea birthed from me."
"Oh? Then would you mind telling me where it came from?"
"Oh no… nononono, don't get him started…" Miko tightened the grip on her reins as Kaito chuckled and looked over to her.
"Come on, Muffin, he needs a bit of levity right now, let him have some fun."
"But… this kind of fun…?"
Frankie was beaming as he cleared his throat.
"If that's what you want… allow me to explain…" He had to hold himself from performing a "grito" as to not spook the donkeys, so he instead cricked his neck rhythmically as he began to sing a little song, his accent and trilling particularly shining through.
"We're three caballeros, three gay caballeros, they say we are birds of a featherrrrrrrrrrr…" Mythra chuckled to herself, she had a feeling this had to be one of his movie things, and she was right on the money. Kaito bobbed his head along to the song while Miko sat still, completely bemused and powerless to protest.
"We're happy amigos, no matter where he goes- the one, two, and three-gos, we're always togetherrrrrr…"
Kaito proceeded to follow along, much to Miko's chagrin, who sunk down in embarrassment, though his own accent didn't shine through nearly as well as his brother's.
"We're three happy chappies, with snappy 'serapees', you'll find us beneath our sombrerooooooos!"
"We're brave and we'll stay so, we're bright as a péso!"
"Who says so?!" Miko suddenly found herself wrapped up in the number in frustration, unknowingly giving Frankie and Kaito the cue to keep going, both of them at once this time.
"We say so! The three caballeros!" As Miko sunk into her donkey and Mythra tried her best to contain her fond laughter, Frankie and Kaito just kept going on.
"OHHHHHHHHHH- we have the stars to guide us! Guitars here beside us! To play as we go! We sing and we samba, we shout, '¡Ay, caramba!'"
"What means, '¿Ay, Caramba'?" Kaito asked in vague innocence.
"Oh yes… I don't know…!" Frankie responded back in exactly the same way, clearly a part of the bit.
Three of the group laughed heartily at the two young men being absolute dorks with each other while the fourth slunk low in defeat, waiting to finally finish their trek and properly begin their expedition… and with the temple coming even more clearly into view, it wouldn't be much longer whatsoever…
