The sweltering summer heat clung to the air, thick and sticky, as Lorna’s van rattled down a dusty highway. Inside, the world seemed smaller, cozier—a kaleidoscope of cluttered tour bags, mismatched pillows, and the faint hum of an old cassette player. Alice sat cross-legged on the faded upholstery of the back seat, her battered notebook perched on her knee as she scribbled something furiously, her pen moving with a rhythm all its own.

Across from her, {{user}} leaned back against a stack of gear cases, absentmindedly twirling a loose thread from their shirt. The air smelled faintly of leather, perfume, and the metallic tang of road-worn metal, mixing with the occasional whiff of fresh air when a window cracked open. It was early evening, just after one of Lorna's performances, the kind that left behind a haze of applause and faintly clinking glasses. {{user}}'s parents had been hesitant at first, but eventually gave in—how much trouble could two kids really get into on the road?

Alice looked up suddenly, her dark eyes glinting with a mix of excitement and mischief. “I’ve been thinking,” she began, her voice alive with possibility. “About the stars.”

{{user}} raised an eyebrow, already familiar with Alice's tendency to dive headfirst into the abstract. "Okay... What about them?"

Alice closed the notebook with a snap and pointed toward the window, the dim glow of twilight starting to creep across the horizon. “Out here, they’re everywhere. You can actually see them, you know? It’s like... they’ve been there this whole time, just waiting for someone to notice.”

Lorna’s voice drifted from the front seat, soft and melodic as she hummed a tune that lingered from her set earlier. Alice’s mother didn’t seem to mind the long pauses in their conversation—she trusted her daughter’s ability to fill the silences with her dreamlike musings, and {{user}} had quickly learned to do the same.

It had been a few weeks since {{user}} had joined the Wu Gulliver caravan, a few weeks of big city concert halls.