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A weary-looking traveler drove down the road, bags under their eyes and sweat dripping from their forehead. Even with the sleeves of their cotton shirt rolled up, the heat clung to them and drew large beads of sweat. The rain pouring out from the sky helped a little, but it also turned the dirt path into a muddy slush pile.
“How are you feeling, Kino?” The traveler’s motorrad* asked.
“Not great, but I’ll make it.” Their voice, quiet but usually confident and polite in its delivery, now sounded strained, like their vocal cords had been stretched and pulled to their limit.
“That’s what you said last time I asked.”
“I know, I know. As soon as we find the country and some water, we’ll be fine.”
“Water to drink from or to jump into?”
“Both.”
For some time, they drove onwards, thinking about how they only needed to get a little bit farther and everything would be alright.
Then, off in the distance, Kino could see the promised land.
A country draped in the shade from walking palm, rubber, and ungurahui trees. No walls or fences, and only a light guard patrol walking around the entrances. Surrounded by miles of bamboo stalks and open roads. A sign to the right read, “Welcome, strangers, to this place of rest! Enjoy your stay!”
“There it is!”
“Hang tight, Kino. We’re almost there.”
They traveled a little farther down until another sight came into view. What looked like a bus stop with a glass roof and a small bench stood along the road. A sign on its wall read, “Wait here until permitted to enter by the welcoming crew.”
The rider parked their motorrad and sat on the bench, putting their hat over their eyes and straightening their legs. From their pocket emerged a canteen, which satiated their thirst for the time being. It got darker, the lights fading, the birds chirping, and the pouring rain going quiet. Kino’s mind emptied of the stresses and anxieties that once tore through their-
“Euh, what is that?!”
Kino opened their eyes to see an odd sight.
A funny-looking creature approached, walking on all fours. Covered in wet brown fur and shaped like a small dog, the animal’s face looked similar to a guinea pig with its flat nose and whiskers.
“Kino, watch out!”
“What?”
“Look at it! It’s a rat!”
“Hermes, rats don’t get that big.”
“Oh, and you have a better explanation for whatever that thing is?!”
Unbothered by the motorrad’s protests, the animal approached Kino and started to sniff them. The traveler put out their clenched hand, protected by the gloves, to ensure it wasn’t hostile.
The animal sniffed it and let out a soft cooing sound. Sitting back on the ground and putting its hindlegs out, the creature scooted up next to Kino’s leg and rubbed their back on their left leg.
“Ewwwww!”
“Relax, Hermes.”
“Hey, you don’t know what kind of diseases it could be carrying!”
“That’s a good point. Which is why I’m keeping my gloves on.”
The motorrad sighed and grumbled, “Just be careful, alright?”
Kino put their hand on the back of the animal’s head and gently patted it. It reacted joyfully to it, chirping and raising its head to get more. The weary traveler couldn’t help but grin as it tried to get comfy next to them.
“You’re a strange little guy, aren’t you?”
Their hand brushed up on a collar hiding under the fur. A silver tag attached to it read “Anri.”
“Where are you from, Anri?”
The animal stretched and laid down right on Kino’s feet. He yawned, revealing two pairs of incisor teeth at the front of his mouth, and started to rest his eyes. The dour traveler now looked calm and relieved, and they similarly stretched their arms and let out a yawn.
“I’m with you, but we should get you home.”
“We’re not taking that thing, are we?”
“And leave him alone out here? No, that’s not right.”
“I don’t have room to carry it, even if I wanted to.”
Kino shushed Anri off and stood up.
“I’m sure we’ll find a way. We-”
“Anri!”
A different voice called out for the animal. Kino stepped out of the booth to see a middle-aged woman in cargo shorts, a white cotton shirt, and a pith helmet looking around. Anri skittered past the traveler and ran towards her. She put out her hands and embraced the animal, wrapping her arms around the little creature and scratching the spot right behind his ear.
“Good work, Anri! Who’s a good boy?”
The animal chirped in response. She looked up with a grin and waved to Kino and Hermes.
“Greetings! I see you’ve met Anri!” She exclaimed. “He’s a member of my welcoming party. We send capybara’s out to greet guests and get them accustomed to our country and its values.”
“Capybara?” Kino said aloud, trying to feel out this new word.
“Never met one? They are the largest rodent on the planet.”
“I knew it….” Hermes grumbled. “You let a giant rat walk all over you, Kino.”
“Don’t fret, Anri’s all caught up with his vaccinations, and he especially loves newcomers.” The woman shook the weary traveler’s hand and introduced herself as Esther. “Now, let’s help you cool off, yes?”
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A tropical splendor hid under the leaves. Gothic arches made up the loggias of the houses and palaces looming over the land. Capybaras roamed the streets in packs while the citizens patiently waited for them to pass. On a bridge going over an artificial river, a troupe of street musicians played a slow, joyful waltz to the delight of man and animal alike.
Esther sang many praises for her country while Anri rested his head on her shoulder.
“Everything here has been made to create a laid-back, relaxing environment. Look over here, for example.”
She pointed below the bridge at one of the gondolas passing by. The rower, a balding man in a straw hat and a black-and-white striped shirt, waved back as he brought his passengers on.
“To keep the roads uncongested, we built a river underneath to transport people across. Gorter there runs a pretty tight operation, you can always count on him. Isn’t that right?”
Gorter waved, and then returned his attention to his passengers.
“That’s just one part of our system. I could show you some of our pools if you’d like?”
Kino’s eyes perked up at the thought of drifting away in the waters while the ungurahui trees provided shade and the capybaras provided company.
“Please, lead the way.”
She led them down the bridge and past row after row of large manors and apartment complexes to a tunnel that opened up on a collection of small pools, each one filled with either people, capybaras, or both. A glass dome holding dim lights covered the area.
Esther walked over with them to one of the pools, setting Anri down and watching as he jumped into the pool head first. The other capys either lounged on the seats or floated on the water, laying on their backs as they relished in its gentle hues. A bowl of cut-up watermelon pieces had been placed nearby, which the animals happily devoured.
“Now, our pools are state of the art-”
As she spoke, Kino placed their persuader** belt on Hermes’ seat, kicked off their boots, and jumped right into the pool. The splash kicked up water and sent a few capybaras scurrying away from the blast radius. The traveler floated up to the top, their head bobbing up from the cold, refreshing depths.
“Are you alright?” Esther asked.
Kino gave a thumbs up in response. She sighed in relief and chuckled.
“Very well. I’ll be right back, try not to drown while I’m gone, alright?”
She retreated out of sight while Kino turned around and stood up straight, their entire body soaking wet.
“Oh, this is the life, Hermes....” Their voice drifted off as they lowered themselves under the cool blanket of water. Anri joined them, sitting right beside them while munching down on a small piece of watermelon.
“Well deserved, I’d say. Even if it’s only for a short while.”
“Yeah, well deserved....”
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Kino woke up a short while later to the sound of two people approaching the pool. They couldn’t completely process what either said, but one voice belonged to Esther and the other to someone else. Their eyes slowly opened to see her and the gondola rower, both in bathing suits, stepping into the water.
The two sat in the pool next to the capybaras. Esther brushed the fur of one with her hand, much to the delight of the little creature.
“Feeling better, traveler?” She asked.
Kino nodded, though in truth they wished that the silent company provided by the capybaras remained that way.
“Glad to hear it. You can always come back here if you’d like, the pools are open 24/7.”
“Really? Why’s that?” Hermes asked.
“Our country recognizes the primacy of relaxation and comfort over everything else. Even if that means we have to work for it!” Gorter boasted. “You can thank the Serene Revolution for that.”
“Serene Revolution? Did we fall asleep during that part of the tour, Kino?”
Kino drifted off again, mumbling “No, I don’t think we did….”
“What’s got you so tired, stranger?” Esther asked.
“Just the road, that’s all. And the heat, I suppose….”
“I can’t imagine how people lived here before air conditioning. But, Gorter, you should explain the Revolution.”
“Yes, of course. The Serene Revolution was the peaceful overthrow of the old regime and the creation of a democratic government. Based on the principles of peace and cooperation, we strive to create a garden in a sea of disorder and madness, a place where people of all nations can meet and relax for a time.”
“Well said, Gorter.”
“So who are you in all this? I thought you were out greeting people?” Hermes asked.
“True, but that’s only one of my responsibilities as President.”
Kino’s eyes opened up a bit further. “Wait, you run this place?”
Esther chuckled and grabbed a piece of watermelon from the food bowl, holding it out for one hungry capy to chew on. “From time to time, yes. Plenty of others here do the paperwork, the real meat and potatoes, but I’m the one they call President.”
“The one they called President, Madam.”
“I still have plenty of time, Gorter. Don’t remind me.”
She laughed at Kino's confused expression. “Gorter ran against me for the position and won. He likes to be cheeky about it, especially since he’s gonna take over in a few days.”
“I see. It’s interesting seeing two political opponents being so… amiable.”
“That’s the power of the Serene Revolution. The transfer of power is no longer a fight for dominance amongst generals and aristocrats, but an exchange of ideas between the chosen representatives of our people.” Gorter bragged. “In our constitution, the Serene System has been merged with local councils to create a perfect harmony of direct and delegation democracy, drawing from a wide range of sources, made in cooperation with the best political scientists, lawyers, judges and-”
“Darling, I think that’s all they can take,” Esther whispered.
Gorter opened his eyes to see the traveler fast asleep, a similarly sleepy Anri draped around their head like a pillow.
“If only you were that boring in the primaries. I might have had a chance!”
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The young traveler eventually woke up and made their way to one of the glamorous hotels dotting the country, made from the former palaces of the barons and officers that once governed. Falling asleep as soon as they hit the bed, Kino woke up early the following day rejuvenated. After training with their two persuaders, they woke up Hermes and made their way to find something to eat-
Only to find that all the restaurants wouldn’t open until noon.
“Oh, of course….”
“What’s that, Kino?”
“Everyone must still be asleep. Their “Serene Revolution” probably had a clause about sleeping in late. Just our luck….”
“I’m just happy there’s a guaranteed source of food for you. Much better than before, don’t you think?”
So Kino waited in one of the parks nearby, going in between reading a history of the country's revolution or watching the capybaras roam around. Hermes remained revolted by their presence, snapping at any who got too close to him or his rider. On the other hand, Kino greeted them with pats on the head and some scratching behind the ear.
When the restaurants finally opened, the traveler quickly wolfed down a plate of crêpes and fresh watermelon while the country’s citizens filed in. The majority looked drowsy but undeniably joyful as they talked amongst themselves.
As Kino finished up, a young woman at the bar, dressed in overalls and a flat cap, clinked her glass and called for attention.
“I propose a toast to the final day of President Esther! Goodbye and good riddance to her!”
The other patrons cheered in approval and raised their glasses.
“May her retirement come with a better understanding of what the citizens of this country really want!”
She put the bottle of mead in her mouth and down it all at once. The others either cheered her on or joined her in the debauched ceremony.
When she finished, she ended it with, “And three cheers for President Gorter, the people’s choice!”
And so the room filled with the sounds of “Hip, hip, hooray!” from the patrons.
When it finally quieted down, Kino wiped their face with a handkerchief and walked over to the young woman, who laughed with her comrades and ordered another round of drinks.
“Excuse me, but what was that back there?” They asked.
“Not from ‘round here? We’re celebrating the end of the Esther Presidency and the beginning of a new era for our country.” She answered.
“New era?”
“Esther got a whole lot wrong, not in a catastrophic sense but… in a different sense. Do you know the adage about the nine scariest words?”
Kino shook their head.
“I’m from the government, and I’m here to help.” She shared a hearty chuckle with her friends. “But seriously, she’s just the kind of gal who thinks she can fix anyone and everyone.”
“Fix?”
“Yup, she likes to have interviews with newcomers and talk about… don’t even know what. But a whole bunch a people came out of them fuming, saying that she thinks herself a shrink of some kind. Then Esther thought that we should be spending less money on the pools and divert it towards some kind of “fix fund”, and at that point, emergency elections were called.”
“She got thrown out that quickly?”
“That’s the beauty of democracy, traveler. If you don’t like the result of an election, wait a few months.”
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Kino found a large palm overlooking the park nestled between its massive, meandering roots for some time.
While they slept, they could see wondrous streaks of color, bursting out from the void and forming vague shapes of people. Trudging through a narrow path, the figures kept moving towards a towering idol that made its throne out of the clouds. Several runes floated around the blinding light to shield its true form from the onlookers.
Kino tried to move along with them, but instead, the figures disappeared into the white mist.
“Traveler?” A voice called.
They turned around and heard the voice call again.
“Pardon, traveler?”
Their eyes opened to see Esther looking over, smiling like a little girl playing in the sun.
“Oh, uh… what is it?”
“Sorry for waking you up. I don’t know if I told you, but as a visitor to this country, you’ll have to come in and answer a few questions.”
Kino turned to Hermes and taped the side of his tire to wake him up.
“What kind of questions?” They asked.
“You’re not in trouble, don’t fret. Just some questions about yourself and who you are. Come join me in my office, we can talk more there.”
The traveler hopped up on their feet and dusted off their shirt.
“Lead the way.”
Esther guided the two visitors down the steps of the park to the river down below. A gondola larger than the others had already been prepared, with a back seat just for motorrads and small vehicles. After helping Hermes and Kino onto the boat, she rowed gently along, letting the current pull her along.
A gondola full of capybaras passed by, operated by nobody. One of them stood at the front, its head poking over the water as they went by. The others lay on the floor or the seats of the craft.
Esther sailed a little further until she pulled over in front of a regal-looking wooden door built under a bridge on the opposite side of the country. She used the paddle to bring down a ramp for her passengers to cross, gently pushing Hermes across and exiting the boat last.
“Traveler, could you keep your motorrad outside? I don’t want the carpet to get dirty.” Esther asked.
Kino nodded and put out his kickstand. “I won’t be too long. Say hi to the other capybaras for me.” They left their hat hanging from the handlebars.
“Yeah, no thanks. I’d rather try to swim in the sewer than talk to those things.”
Esther pushed open the doors to reveal an office room gently lit by wall-mounted candles and decorated with paintings of the countryside. Anri sat in the chair behind her desk, chirping at the sight of her and leaping off to greet her.
“Look at you, keeping the seat warm for me!” She got on her knees and patted his head, before shutting the doors and turning on the air conditioning unit built into the roof.
She brought them to their seat and then moved hers right in front.
“So, since we already looked over your papers, we’ll skip the basic questions and move to the most important ones. For starters, what brought you here?”
“I heard great things about it from a group of travelers at my last stop. They were nomads, people of the steppe. Some were merchants passing through. Couldn’t stop talking about the baths and the “little dogs” that inhabited the place. To get here, they planned on cutting through the mountains. Well-prepared for the weather, with plenty of gear and rations. But…”
Esther leaned in just a smidge. “Yes, Kino?”
“It was bad, Esther. Lot of people got hurt, and…” Their voice withered as they tried to articulate the incident best. “...And I did the best I could. Can I leave it at that?”
“Speaking further could help you come to terms with whatever hap-”
“No, I don’t think so.”
“Very well, suit yourself. So, you came here not just to rest, then?”
“What makes you say that?”
“All sorts of people stop here, with all kinds of traumas and worries following right behind. Sounds like you have some yourself.”
“I’m doing alright, thanks.”
Esther crossed her legs, her smile slightly fading.
“Traversing all alone in the wilderness, having to fight for survival… I mean, isn’t that a miserable existence?”
“No, it’s actually pretty nice.”
Esther contained her shock and kept smiling. “Compared to all this? Kino, you’ve seen enough of this place to know how good you could be having it.”
“You have a lovely country here, no doubt. But I’m a traveler, Esther. If I stopped, then that’s the end of that.”
“Maybe that’s a good change of pace. Many a weary visitor has decided to make this place their home. You could too, you know?”
“Thank you, but I’m fine.”
The President sighed. “I mean it. Really, stay as long as you like.”
Kino sat up straight and stared down at Esther. “What’s this about?
“Sorry?”
“These questions are… a bit intense, Esther. I’m glad you care about the well-being of your citizens, but I’m not one of them.”
“But you are within our borders, meaning it's my job to care. We have the resources to help everyone, you included. Is it possible that your reaction is a kind of trauma response?”
Kino’s expression turned to bewilderment as she prattled on with her theory.
“You could be experiencing symptoms of post-traumatic stress. Your response to the fate of your fellow travelers-”
“Pardon, but are you trying to diagnose me?”
The President leaned back in her seat and started to twirl her hair with her index finger.
“I just want to understand what you’ve been through. I hope I don’t come off as malicious, I just wish to better understand the plight of travelers.”
“With all due respect, I think that’s the problem.”
“What is?”
“You call it “plight”, I call it living. It’s not easy, sure, but that’s how it is. And truthfully, I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
“But that isn’t true happiness, now is it?”
“Maybe not, but that’s not the point.”
Kino looked down for a moment. They could still feel the cold biting through their skin, ripping apart the flesh of the unfortunate and draining the color out.
They could still see them smiling through the snow. Making the same terrible jokes over and over again, still laughing at it long past the point when it had been funny.
“As bad as it can be out there, I have to keep going. The people of those countries and yours… I can’t let them be forgotten. Their kindness must not be in vain.”
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Anri climbed out of the little exit in the door and stretched his legs. He walked up next to Hermes and sat down, listening in on the conversation between President and traveler.
“Ugh, they’re still talking? When does it end…” The motorrad despaired.
“I know, right? Fools, no doubt.”
“Right, ex-”
He went silent for a moment, trying to process where the voice came from.
“You’ve got to be kidding.”
The animal looked up at his headlight.
“Something the matter, Hermes?”
“I don’t believe this. You talk?”
“Of course, why wouldn’t I?”
“I- do the others talk?”
“When they feel like it.”
In a once in a lifetime moment, Hermes couldn't say anything.
Anri turned away and looked back at the office room. “But they’re easily the strangest creatures here. I’ve sat in on their “parliament” and more often than not, I don’t understand a word anyone says. Fools talk too quickly about “healing” and other such nonsense.”
“Healing? What’s that about?”
“That was her initiative. She had plans for this place, you see, big plans. Esther has this belief that at the end of the day, there are no societies.”
“What, like countries don’t exist?”
“No, more that people will try to cast their worries on society as a whole before trying to understand themselves. She thought that, unlike her opponents, the Serene Revolution’s goal is to focus on making each citizen and visitor mentally clean, rather than focusing on societal ills. Her big campaign promise was that this place could act as one big sentient shrink. We could heal all the ills of the world and never fire a single shot, or so they say.”
Anri started to scratch an itch behind his ear with his hind leg.
“Ah, gross! Can you give me some space?” Hermes shouted.
“Apologies, Sir Hermes.”
He rolled over a little and continued scratching.
“You sounded a bit skeptical about Esther’s goals.”
“Not skeptical, just realistic. She has an admirable goal, and I don’t doubt the good this country does for the visitors. But these interviews have almost always ended in failure. A lot of it is, and I hate to say it, complete misreads on her part. Even when she gets it right, her approach is very direct and at its worst, insensitive.”
The two could still hear Esther giving her theories on Kino’s psyche.
“But enough of that, I don’t like speaking ill of her. She’s a kind woman, despite her imperfections.”
“In that case… I’m surprised the streets are so clean.”
“Surprised?”
“Well, you’re a rodent, technically. And they’re known to… you know, leave things behind.”
“That’s the key to their success, believe it or not.”
“Please stop talking.”
“I’m not kidding. The job of cleaning up pays well, and getting to work with my kind is considered an honor among them. So for all the talk of leisure, they still work all day, even though none of them would ever call it that.”
“Humans are beyond stupid….”
“For sure, but they are quite generous.”
“That’s one way to put it.”
“Is it, Sir Hermes? Think about it; me and my comrades wake up and spend all our days urinating and pooping on their floors and they clean it up and feed us. They may be fools, but they are also remarkably kind, and it would be wrong to pass on their gifts. Don’t you agree?”
“When you put it like that, sure.”
The door to the office creaked open. Kino’s hand pushed it open, taken aback for a moment by the heat before readjusting. Esther followed right behind them, a distressed and panicked expression across her face.
“Traveler, please don’t go, I-I didn’t mean it like that!”
Anri stood up and walked past the motorrad, whispering,
“You carry a kind traveler, Hermes. Protect them, if you can.”
He strolled back into the office, weaving past Esther’s legs.
“Kino, wait up! Just wait a second, I didn’t-”
The traveler turned around to face her, both hands planted on their hip.
“Madam President, I appreciate your country’s hospitality and I’m glad I could visit it, if only for a short while.”
They grabbed Hermes by the handlebars and walked along the water, away from the President.
Esther stood in silence, looking back at her visitors with regret. She sat down on the edge and let her legs cool down in the water.
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The rest of the day passed by as Kino recuperated in their hotel room. Switching between reading and looking out the window by their bed, they still looked rather stressed.
“Everything alright, Kino?”
“I’m fine. Just tired, that’s all. What about you, are you doing alright?”
“Anri came to visit me.”
“I bet you were a fan of that.”
“You won’t believe me when I say this, but he talked!”
Kino giggled at the thought. “Oh, really? You aren’t just hearing things now, are you?”
“I’m not kidding! He really did talk!”
“Alright then, so what did little Anri tell you, then? Must have been good.”
“He said that this wasn’t the first time Esther tried that.”
“....”
“....”
“That’s quite the way to bring that up, Hermes. What gives?”
“I’m not trying to pull your leg here, I’m serious.”
“You are?” They paused again before asking, “Why does it feel like you’re telling the truth?”
“Because I am! Anri said that her big project as president was to “heal” people!”
Kino closed the book they were reading and set it aside. “Yeah, I figured that out pretty quickly. She has some… interesting theories.”
“Interesting?”
“They were rather off the mark. I think she means well, but I’d like to know beforehand when something like that is going to happen. I only knew because I happened to ask that woman at the bar about it.”
“You think that’s why she lost?”
“Elections can’t be predicted that easily. At the same time though, I’m not sure if her approach helped either.”
They got under the bed covers and flicked off the lights.
“I’m just happy to be done with that. G’night, Hermes.”
“Goodnight, Kino.”
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On the final day, Kino prepared to leave early, much earlier than they anticipated. Long before any restaurants opened, they munched on some rations and filled up their canteen with fresh water from the river. The long barrel of an old revolver popped out of its holster before being put back in and drawn again. Their bags strapped to the motorrad and the bill for the room paid, the two elected to leave.
But as they stepped outside, both were shocked to see the natives wide awake.
Most wore party masks and red cockades. Banners and posters were spread out on the walls and posts, celebrating the election of President Gorter. Signs pointed towards the park, where he would swear in and ascend to office officially. To Kino’s chagrin, it was located near the exit.
“To think I’d be happy to leave….”
“It wasn’t that bad, Kino!”
“I know, you’re right. I just… forget it, let’s go.”
Kino walked on through the crowd of people with Hermes alongside them.
From the road running next to the park, they could see a large crowd gather around a stage in the middle, with a podium, a small wooden block, and a golden flag. There stood Gorter, swearing in as President of the Serene Republic with Esther and a judge administering the process.
“I solemnly swear to uphold the laws and customs of the Serene Revolution, so help me God.”
His supporters clapped when he finished.
As part of his coronation, he would then decapitate a mannequin dressed in the uniform of the old regime, a blue overcoat with a red sash. The ceremony was a reenactment of the execution of the previous dictator, an imperialist who sought to conquer all neighboring countries and make them his vassals.
The new President, dressed as a sans-culotte and sporting a red cockade, dragged the mannequin up to the scaffold. He shouted, “Death to tyrants!” as he brought the sword down below the head, only for a baby capybara to pop out of the severed neck. The crowd cheered and the band continued to play some jazz.
Kino had finally gotten out of the crowd’s way, standing before the open exit and the winding roads leading out of this country and to the next. They got onto Hermes’ seat and almost kicked on the engine-
“Traveler!”
Kino turned around to see Esther running down the street. Anri and a small herd of capybaras followed right behind her.
“You’re leaving already?” She said in between breaths.
“I only stay for three days, Esther. Any longer, and I’m not a traveler.”
“I know, but… I heard about what happened in the mountains.”
Kino’s eyes perked up. Esther removed her hat and put it to her chest.
“Some explorers found one of the trucks. Of all the ways to go… I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable with my questions, that’s not right.”
They would dance and sing to stay warm. Kino would sit and watch them thank the eternal blue sky for its radiance and guidance while kicking up their legs and holding one another in their arms.
“I thought I could help, but that clearly isn’t the case.”
Sometimes they sang of their destination and the wonders within its borders.
“Don’t apologize, Esther.”
She looked up from the ground with a confused expression.
“This is a good place. I think the others would have loved it here.”
Kino kicked on the engines and waved goodbye.
“So long, Esther. Nice meeting you, Anri.”
Anri chirped back as the motorrad rode off. Esther put her hat back on and picked up the little capybara.
“At least it ended on a high note. Right, Anri?”
He chirped again and rested his head on her arm.
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The road went up and down the hills outside the Serene Revolution’s borders. The heat remained as oppressive as before, but Kino now had plenty of water to keep them cool. They took a quick sip from their canteen as they rode along.
“What a nice country. Don’t you think, Kino?”
“No disagreement there. I already miss little Anri, though I didn’t hear him speak.” They teased.
“I swear he talked, Kino!” Hermes grumbled.
“No matter, what’s done is done. We move on regardless.”
“I’m glad she apologized, though. I get the impression that she didn’t understand what you’ve been through as of late.”
“Yeah, but that’s alright. She meant well.”
“Plenty of people mean well, Kino. Doesn’t mean that they do well.”
“True, good point. Some people think they know everything, Hermes. An important part of being a traveler is recognizing that you know nothing.”
“But you’re pretty smart, Kino. You know a lot about persuaders and survival skills and a whole bunch of stuff.”
“I think it’s even more valuable for me to recognize my limits. There is so much out there that is alien to me, and if I ever want to understand it I have to be honest.”
“So Esther’s dishonest?”
“Not intentionally. She tricked herself into thinking she knew me, if that makes sense.”
“I think I get what you’re saying now. You figured her out right quick, you know?”
Kino grinned. “I have my moments.”