Escaping Nowhere: Chapter 7
Combined with beautiful scenery, serene locales, and delicious foods, Takemizu Village offers a peaceful and relaxing vacation for your family and friends. Learn about local customs and history while enjoying the beautiful sights. Come stay at this tranquil vacation spot that promises not to disappoint.
The moment they arrived, the three of them dropped their bags and marveled at their newest rental cabin. The living area featured a fusion of traditional Takemizu Village motifs and more modern fare. The moment the group stepped into the room, a sense of calm overtook them.
As a bonus, there was a fantastic view of the village from the huge window mosaic.
Mary-Sue, meanwhile, went ahead and checked out the upper floor.
Of course, she couldn’t resist giving the potter’s wheel a try. It had been ages since she’d made her last piece, before...things took over, which meant she was a little rusty. Though it didn’t take long for her muscle memory to come back.
“Still got it!”
Downstairs, Goneril and Jenny decided to chill outside after another long drive, giving Jenny the opportunity to ask the burning question. “So, Goneril, how was it?”
“Pardon?”
“How was it?”
“What’s it?”
“You know what I mean.”
Whatever Jenny said went through Goneril’s left ear, and went out the right.
“Come on, Gon. Just tell me.”
Goneril relented. “All right, Mrs. Smith, if you insist. It was...pleasant, to say the least.”
“So you’re dating her now.” Jenny concluded.
Goneril stared at her with a puzzled expression. “Dating? Hell no. We know we’re better off remaining friends without this romantic garbage clouding things.”
She then stared into space, as if in a trance. “Although... if I do end up with in some steamy holiday fling with another gorgeous woman, that would be a dream.”
This response only led to a follow-up question from Jenny. “Hold on, aren’t you still married?”
“I just finished a call with my lawyer to serve him the papers. The process is not going to be really kicking off until I get back, but since Albany signed a prenup before we got married it should be relatively quick as far assets are concerned.”
“What about your kids?”
“The plan is that he gets the kids, and I pay him alimony and child support. I suppose that’s a small price to pay for the freedom I’ll get.”
Jenny had a ton more questions in her head, but decided to place them in the back-burner for another time. “Sounds like you have this all worked out, I guess?”
Community Center, Takemizu Village
But first, it was time for a drive to the community center for a taste of local cuisine.
While waiting for their food to be served, a woman in a black leather jacket sat on the stool between Goneril and Jenny. Goneril attempted to get a glimpse of her face, but she couldn’t seem to get the right angle.
Until the woman gazed in her general direction.
Goneril’s jaw dropped.
After finishing their meal, Goneril ran off and called the jacketed woman’s attention. “Hi, this sounds really weird given that I don’t actually know you but just wanted to tell you I really love your jacket.”
“Thanks, I had this one made from some repurposed leather back home,” the woman said, flashing a big smile.
Goneril grinned like a schoolgirl, containing the screaming in her head. “Well, it looks great on you. By the way, my name’s Goneril Capp. And you?”
“Linea Wilson. Nice to meet you.”
“So, Linea, you want to have a look around this place? Perhaps we can have some tea?”
Linea nodded. “Well, I do want to get away from my roommates for a while...”
Jenny craned her neck at the clothing store window. “Hmm, wonder what’s Gon doing with that woman inside?”
“I don’t know, Jenny. Looking for another meal?” Mary-Sue deadpanned.
Meanwhile, Goneril and Linea ended up on the other side of the community center for a round of tea. “So, Linea, how long will you be in the village?”
“Gonna be staying for a couple more days heading back home to Wanmami Island.” Linea responded, “and you?”
“I’m here for a week with a couple of friends.”
Linea gave a slight smile. “Cool.”
There was something about her that Goneril couldn’t help but be drawn to. “Perhaps it was those gorgeous, gorgeous eyes that made me want to melt into a puddle of goo...or those soft, soft lips taking me in…or those long, long legs that would fit perfectly around my...”
Suddenly, Goneril broke out into a sweat. “Oh wow, is it sweltering hot here, or?”
“...it’s freezing in here.”
“Oh...So, where do you want to go next?”
To her surprise, Linea bolted up and jetted off. “Apologies for being abrupt, but I have some...business to take care of back in the hotel. Let’s have some breakfast at the food mart tomorrow.”
“Okay,” Goneril responded in an uncharacteristically high-pitched tone.
Once the coast was clear, Goneril went back down to the food stalls. “You’ll never guess who was just asked to get breakfast with a cute girl tomorrow?”
“Ooh, a date. How exciting.”, Mary-Sue said.
“I don’t know if that’s a date, Mary. She’s probably just friendly.”
“Are you out of your mind? She totally just asked you, and only you, to breakfast. That screams ‘date’ to me.”
“Guess you’re right. I’m...kind of scared, though.” Goneril admitted. “I don’t really know how to do this whole dating thing.”
Jenny patted her shoulders. “This must be quite nerve-wracking for you, but just relax, be yourself, and everything will follow.”
“Thanks, Jenny. Guess I would have to start somewhere...” Goneril mumbled.
Three Corners Food Mart, Takemizu Village
The next day, Goneril borrowed Jenny’s van for a drive to the food mart for her breakfast date.
Goneril cleared the air as if just approaching another business deal. “Just wanted to let you know that I’m currently in the middle of a divorce, so if that sounds like a dealbreaker, you are free to leave.”
“That’s fine. I never really have time for anything serious since I’m out flying so much. Is it fine for me to ask why you wanted out?”
With that, Goneril divulged an extremely sanitized version of the situation back home. “My parents picked out men for me and my sisters to marry to keep the bloodline up. Before I left for vacation, I already wanted out. Now that I’ve been out of my hometown for a while? I really want out.”
Linea nodded. “Oh, an arranged marriage, makes sense. I’m roommates with two members of the male species myself and as interesting as they are, in the ‘experiment in a glass case’ kind of way, they’re always more trouble than they’re worth, which is zero.”
A twinkle formed in her eye. “A gorgeous woman, on the other hand…”
“That...leads me to reason number 2 why I filed for divorce.”
Maybe it was just the holiday atmosphere talking, but throughout the meal, the conversations just flowed with the current - a stark contrast to the usual fare back home. Whilst before the options merely existed in theory, at that moment they became more real.
That was of course on top of feeling attractive to someone, for once. “So this is how dating goes, huh?”
A blush crept up Goneril’s cheeks as Linea blew her a kiss. “Anyway, enough about me. You said you’re going to Wanmami Island after this, right? I heard nobody really goes there...”
Linea smiled, then explained.. “Yeah, I’m actually a charter pilot so I fly to different places all the time, but I’m based on that island nowadays. How I got there is a story I’ll tell another time.”
“That’s fair.”
Soon enough, they both finished with breakfast and it was time to head back to the cabin. “Is this the point where we kiss goodbye, or is that way too soon?”
Linea chuckled slightly. “Oh man, you’re funny.”
Next thing Goneril knew, Linea pulled her close for a light kiss. “Wanna take a breather in the garden for a bit before heading back?”
Goneril jumped at the chance to be with her for a bit longer. “Sure.”
One makeout session by the bamboo trees later, and she was thanking her lucky stars that she did.
A/N: Linea Wilson is a premade from Castaway Stories.