Ringo felt a little awkward, but eventually he put it aside, and now that they were companions, he began to talk about serious matters.
-Okay, you two decided to follow me, so let's go. - Ringo pushed Eva aside as she protested, a little embarrassed, but also happy.
She quickly jumped up and started packing her things. Lena laughed and joined her.
-Leave behind you any electronics that came from Hesla. - Ringo added.
-Don't worry, all my items were built or modified by me. Where are we going? - Lena explained and asked after getting ready.
Ringo nodded. -You'll see.
Then, to the women's shock, he transformed into a purplish mist.
-What?! - Eva jumped back into a fighting stance, and Lena grabbed her gun.
The ethereal voice rang out shortly after. - Don't worry, it's part of my ability.
Eva approached, a little interested, and ran her hand over it. - Is your ability to transform into mist?
-No... but let's not talk about that now, for now, I'll hide inside you. - Ringo joked.
-What do you want...- Eva looked confused, before Ringo advanced toward her and entered her body, sinking into her consciousness.
He could already possess someone awake, he could simply leave on his own, but he wanted to scare the girl, just a bad joke.
Eva's eyes widened and she looked behind her, then at her own body with wide eyes. Lena didn't look much better.
In a voice filled with fear, Eva asked. - Ringo?
-I'm here, inside your consciousness. - Ringo explained, but only Eva heard.
-You can enter others? What are you? A ghost? - Eva's lips trembled. - Did you die in the experiment?!
-...your head is really interesting, no, it's part of my ability. I'll explain later. For now, go. - Ringo began, and Eva continued to look all over her body, even opening his pants to look, leaving Ringo and Lena speechless.
-While I'm like this, I'll share my vision with you. - Ringo commented lightly.
Eva laughed nervously and quickly stopped, swallowing hard.
-What's going on? - Lena asked, half-startled and half-curious.
Eva explained, making Lena find the experience very interesting. - Can you do this to me?
Ringo was speechless, but with a shrug, he moved from Eva's body to Lena, who looked down at herself in shock.
-I don't feel anything. - Lena said interestedly.
-Yeah. - Ringo said lightly, finding the duo's interest tiresome. -Let's go.
Lena wanted to ask more, but Eva also lost her curiosity and led her away.
Winna appeared as they were packing the car outside the base. - Hey, the commander saw you leaving in the middle of the night, where are you going?
-Commander Melissa's orders, we have another mission. - Eva replied nonchalantly, getting into the car.
Lena gave Winna an apologetic look before getting into the car, this time in the passenger seat.
Winna looked confused, but in the end she reported what was said, and no one stopped them from leaving. They were just there to help, nothing more, not even subject to orders other than Melissa's.
-Where to? - Eva asked.
Ringo emerged from Lena's body and sat in the backseat, now in his human form. His appearance quickly changed, returning to his Death Scream form, shocking the duo watching him in the rearview mirror. Eva even skidded the car.
-What the hell?! - Eva shouted in confusion.
Ringo, who hadn't noticed the problem, looked at himself in the rearview mirror and understood. He'd forgotten about it. Sighing, he pulled a pair of round, retro sunglasses from his shirt, put them on, and said softly. - Surprise.
-Why did your appearance change? - Eva parked the car before turning and staring at him.
Lena, on the other hand, looked thoughtful, she soon understood. - Death Scream, of course, you hid in plain sight.
-Who? - Eva looked confused.
-The assassin, the one who killed General Joseph. - Lena commented, opening the laptop and showing Eva a file. Ringo also leaned in, interested.
-Holy shit! You have an even bigger reward. - Eva commented.
Ringo glanced sideways at her, finding her focus interesting.
Lena looked at him confused, full of unspoken questions. Ringo just shrugged and said. - Later, now let's go to the Aurora Wind.
Lena seemed to understand something and nodded.
-The Aurora Wind? That coastal town? - Eva asked, confused.
-That's right. - Ringo nodded.
-It's not far, just a few hours away. - Lena commented, adjusting the GPS.
Eva shrugged and stared at Ringo's appearance for a moment before turning and revving the car again, only then commenting. - This appearance is...?
Ringo paused for a moment and spoke. - It's not a disguise, this is my real body. I just didn't want you guys to freak out, so I changed it to something you'd recognize. Honestly, I'd even forgotten about it in the midst of everything that happened. Why? Do you think my current look is unappealing? It's not too late to give up.
Eva looked irritated and tightened her grip on the steering wheel. Lena, on the other hand, lowered her head. Finally, Eva asked. - Was this done by Germinal?
Ringo looked a little confused before understanding. - Of course not. My own wanted photo shows me when I left Germinal.
This confused them both, Lena looked at him again, asking. -Then why?
Ringo paused for a moment and said. - I wanted to forget the past. Not the Ringo who forgot his memory, not even the Ringo who became a Germinal experiment. This change in appearance is the new me.
The pair were silent for a moment, Lena looking directly at him and Eva looking at him in the rearview mirror, before looking away at the road. -Did you want to forget us?
-To be honest, I didn't remember you guys. Now I'm at a crossroads, but even if I leave the past behind, I won't leave you behind again. - he promised. - Unless you want to.
Eva's fingers on the steering wheel loosened a little, feeling a little relieved. Lena smiled at him too, before asking. -So you're going to stay like this now?
-Yes. - Ringo hadn't even considered changing his appearance. Even though he'd accepted them, he was still in the process of getting closer. If they wanted to go out, no matter how sad their stories, he wouldn't stop them, so he could be extremely honest.
Lena smiled and glanced at him lightly. - Well, the pink hair is a bit much, but overall you're still handsome. - She laughed.
Eva suppressed a laugh, looking at him in the rearview mirror. - Yeah, pink is awesome.
Ringo shrugged. He thinks so too. At first, it was just a wish he had in the previous world, but after looking in the mirror for so long, he got used to pink, now he likes it.
The next trip was spent talking about his outfit choices. The pair laughed, pointing out things like "glasses that made him look like a gangster", "A mobster's top hat", "Vampire skin and cape"...
Ringo just rolled his eyes and joked along. He didn't care, and the pair were just joking, too. They didn't like Ringo because of his appearance. Besides, he wasn't ugly, he just looked like a vampire guitarist from a punk band. His features still look very similar to the previous Ringo, after all.
After joking for a while, Ringo asked about stories from his past as the trip continued.
In the morning, as they were almost to Aurora Wind, Lena received a call. When she saw the caller, something flashed through her mind, and a look of fear appeared on her face.
-Guys... we have a problem. - She said, showing the screen with a simple caller ID labeled "Melissa".
.
--x--
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+13 chapters of Jugo - Father of Devils on P_treon.
+23 chapters of The Legendary Mechanic - Triple Six on P_treon.
P_treon: March_Rain