Title: If we say goodbye, it's only for a little while
Fandom: Diablotin
Rating: General Audiences
Length: 1352 words
Summary: Ralf and Ander get a short goodbye after the war
Notes: Well, I tried getting it done for the last challenge so.... yay amnesty! \o/ At least I got it done?

If we say goodbye, it's only for a little while

Most of the soldiers at the station were jubilant. The armistice had been called the week before, and slowly they'd been pulled off the front lines, back to bases, back to towns and trains and travel. It had been a long time since most of them had seen home – leaves, when they came, were a week or two in some Psyran city, too far away from Diablotin to make the trip worth the army's time or money. Most of the soldiers were excited, finally, to go back to the lives they'd left behind.

Ralf was not excited – there'd never been much for him in the city. His mother wouldn't kick him out when he showed up on her doorstep, he was pretty sure, but she wasn't going to be happy to see him back. There just wasn't anywhere else to go, other than the street. Normine, his girl before the war, might take him back if he chased her down, but he wasn't sure he wanted that either.

He might have stayed on – Jillain was – but army life had never been a good fit for him either. Regular meals were nice, and it would be better without so many people trying to shoot at him, but the double dose of bullshit it came with might be too much to take. Plus, Ander – Captain Suterre – wasn't staying on, and who knows who he'd be assigned to? It wasn't worth the risk. The captain had offered to help him find some work, some place to belong, but standing in the middle of the platform, hundreds of other green-clad bodies swarming around with their own bags, most carried on a tide of excitement that Ralf just couldn't tap into, it was hard to feel much hope. He felt trapped, and the idea of squeezing into the cars with so many others was just about too much.

Ralf rolled a cigarette between his fingers, looking around more sharply. He couldn't be the only one. He wasn't. He spotted one woman staring blankly forward, blowing on her cold fingers, standing her ground while being jostled by others who were oblivious in their camaraderie. There were a few others, too, now that he was looking – another man silently weeping as he stared at a photograph, a hollow-eyed woman on the edge of the crowd, watching and smoking her own cigarette. A pair of soldiers who'd hunched down against the side of the platform's shelter and were sitting in silence back to back while the crowd ebbed and flowed around them. It didn't make Ralf feel any better, but he did feel less alone.

There was shouting now, and people were organizing themselves to cram into the train cars. Ralf took a few more puffs on his cigarette before grabbing his gear – almost all his worldly possessions fit into a single bag - and falling in line. As he was being herded onboard, he thought he heard a voice call his name, and looked around. Through the sea of uniform clad soldiers, it was hard to pick out individuals, but he thought he saw, standing back towards the entrance to the station, someone in a captain's hat. The line carried him forward up to the sergeant checking names, then into the train, before he was sure.

Once inside, Ralf was able to squirm and elbow his way towards the window. The crowd outside was thinning as most of the soldiers were crowded aboard, and he was able to catch a better look. It was Ander, still there, checking something on a clipboard before turning to scan the train cars. Ander's scrutiny intensified when he looked at Ralf's car, and some instinct made Ralf bang on the window, hoping to get his attention. Void – what if he never saw him again?

Ander looked over at the sound – and he smiled. Ralf was already losing his position at the window to the press of the crowd, but just before he lost his spot, he saw Ander point at him. He felt himself relax slightly, and didn't fight it when he was finally pushed out of view – he shoved over as far as he could and slunk down to the ground with his back to the wall, sitting on his duffel bag.

Moments later he heard Ander's voice. "Hey Ralf – I meant to come see you off, but I'm runnin' a bit late. I guess this'll have to do."

"It's alright, captain. Ander. Thanks." He whispered as quietly as he could, ducking his head behind his knees. They'd used this spell a fair amount in the field, and he knew they'd probably be able to chat right up until the train left. Unfortunately, he didn't think that would be too long once everyone was loaded.

"Glad to be headin' out?"

"I guess. It's gonna be weird." Maybe it was going to be shit for everyone else too – maybe they just hadn't figured that out yet. "What about you – when are you gettin' out?" Ander had people, at least. Family who would look out for him. Friends. Brothers, or whatever you were to each other when you were in the mob.

"Not soon enough. A few more week, maybe?"

Ralf tried to figure what he'd be doing in a few weeks, but he just didn't know. Living with his ma, falling back in with the Triple Daggers? It didn't sit right, but he couldn't think of anything else. "What've they even got you doing?"

"Fuckin' paperwork mostly. An' the quality of the company 'round here's goin' to shit real quick."

"You gonna miss us, Captain?" He'd almost said me, and he wondered if Ander could read between the lines. He was going to miss Ander – miss having someone he could trust, that he could talk to, even a little. Going back home where he could barely trust his own mother had less and less appeal, especially when you factored in leaving Ander without any real support either.

"Yeah." A pause. "Hey, it looks like they're just closin' up the last cars – you're gonna be on your way here soon."

Soldiers in the car in front of them had started singing, and group near by was picking up the tune. Ralf knew the song, but he didn't feel like joining in, even if he wasn't still talking to Ander. It just added to his feeling that the war might be over, but everything was just as fucked as ever.

"Ralf? Enderlen? You okay?"

"Yeah, it's just loud in here. Hard to think."

The steam whistle sounded, reinforcing his point, and he could feel the train shiver as the engine started to engage.

"Alright – you take care, and remember – leave me a message at The Cellar. I'll look you up when I'm back in the city."

Ralf hadn't forgotten the offer; he just hadn't been sure how much stock to put in it. Maybe, if he could get through those first few weeks on his own… "I will – you too."

The train was pulling along the tracks now, slowly picking up speed. He stood suddenly, pushing his way back through the soldiers crowding the window for their last view of the town, or of Psyra, or whatever was their last sight when they were jostled from their position. He didn't care about any of that. He just wanted one last look – for now – at the captain. His friend. The train was moving fast enough now that he was just a lone figure on the platform in the distance. Ander was saying something else, but they'd reached the edge of the spell's range and Ralf only caught a few words, something about back in the city.

That would be an unknown too. He settled back down on his bag to think. It would be strange to be just men, just friends, not soldiers, not officer and enlisted, no rank between them. It would be okay – it was Ander. He just had to make it through those first few weeks… It was more to go on then he'd had before, and it would have to be enough.