Fuckin' Trains

Walking back out of the cafe, Malachi let out a small huff. The information he had gotten was useful, but the vast majority of it was stuff Malachi had already known. All he had really gained was a map with general locations.

Opening his interface, he pulled up a model of Luovuta that Lux had sent him, analyzing the streets and finding the fastest paths leading towards city hall.

Luovuta was set up in a very strange way. Malachi supposed it made sense, considering it was a 'Red Light District' of sorts, but the city itself was divided into sectors; the largest one, obviously being the 'business' sector. At the very center was the city hall which was, ironically enough, built like the churches in Elysian (aka the Religious District). But Aeris and Calyx had never gotten along so he supposed it made sense in a weird sort of petty way...

Zooming in on the city hall, he found that there were very few ways in, his most plausible option being the glass roof on the east wing of the obscenely large building.

Sliding his backpack off of his shoulder, he pulled out his hoverboard, stepping on it and starting to speed across the sidewalks. He quickly arrived at the train, slowing to a stop as he neared a crowd of people watching the train approach. Malachi stepped off the hoverboard, placing it back in his bag as he merged in with the crowd.

After finally pushing his way through and onto the train, he quickly walked down the aisle. Finding an empty seat and sliding into it, he set his backpack beside him, refusing to let anyone sit anywhere near him.

Malachi leaned back, propping his feet up on the seats in front of him. Staring out the window beside him, he rested his forehead on the cold glass. A slight jerk spread through the train, making Malachi accidentally bang his head on the glass with the force of the vehicle beginning to move to its next destination. He silently grumbled, opting to simply lean his head on his bag.

Malachi decided to pull up his interface, taking his headphones out of his bag as he did so. Pulling a small earpiece out of a case and placing it in his ear, he started listening to a podcast about bugs. Most all types were long extinct by now, but they were still interesting to learn about. He made sure to only put one in so he could still listen to his surroundings. Around twenty five more minutes passed when a woman's voice echoed through the train. 

"Now arriving at Luovuta," the automated voice spoke when the train slowed, falling still with a screech Malachi could hear through the windows on the tracks.

He winced as the sound became sharper, then stopped.

"Fuckin' trains…" he grumbled, taking out his earpiece and placing it back in its case. This time, he put the case in his coat pocket rather than his bag.

Malachi slowly slid his feet off of the seats and stood, slinging his bag over his shoulder and making his way to the exit once enough people had passed him. He stayed a healthy distance away from the people in front of him, following the group of people through the doors. He stepped out onto the pavement of the train station, stretching his back before scanning the sea of people in front of him.

He took a deep breath and brought up his interface once again, carefully studying the digital model of the city that spread out before him. As he observed the myriad of buildings and streets he felt a wave of anxiety wash over him. He needed a place to stay while he figured out a plan.

Malachi pulled his hoverboard from his bag, stepping onto it and exiting the train station. Heading towards the street, he opened a list of various hotels, scanning over each.

Scrolling through the list, he let out a sigh. After modifying his search to not love hotels, he continued looking until he settled on one. A single night only cost 140 bits, and since he was planning on staying for four days, it would take a decent chunk of his extra money. Grumbling curses under his breath, he booked the room, deciding to kiss that money goodbye, knowing he would be compensated later. "Dammit..." he whispered sadly as he hit the button to pay for it.