The steady sound of raindrops beating against the train's windows was the only thing keeping her tethered to reality. The train was enveloped in quietness. The landscapes outside rushed by in a blur of color and motion. She couldn't look outside for too long without getting a headache. Rise moved her gaze back to her lap. If she listened hard enough, she could pick up hushed conversations here and there. A couple was quarreling over what color to paint their new house, a group of teenagers was complaining about the upcoming school year and how boring it would be... Thankfully, said conversations weren't too loud. She doubted that her sleepless mind could take any type of loud noise. The last couple of weeks had drained her of all her pep. With a small sigh, Rise rested her head back onto the seat behind her, allowing herself to close her eyes for just a moment.

The loud sound of shuffling, a small scream.

Her eyes snapped open, a wave of dizziness overtaking her overworked brain. The bright, florescent lights above her overwhelmed her, causing her eyes to close again. Steadily, Rise regained her bearings, listening to her own deep breathing. She shook her head, clearing her thoughts. The train seemed to be slowing to a stop, and a muffled voice rang over the intercom. The words weren't crystal clear, but she caught the gist of it. They had finally arrived in Inaba. She had never been there before, but her uncle and cousin lived there. Would they be nice to her? Would they open her with welcome arms?

Or would she just be a burden? She let out a deep sigh, before a small, weak smile overtook her features. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Slowly, she stood up from her seat, wincing as she stretched out her stiff arms and legs.

It was a new beginning for her. The passing of her parents had indeed devastated her. Their sudden passing had traumatized her. For days, she wept and wallowed. She missed them terribly… Just thinking about it caused her entire body to weaken, and she needed to resist the urge to close her eyes and descend into slumber. But she had to look towards the future. She couldn't give up now! Rise managed to put the distressing thoughts aside. This would be a new story for her. She grabbed her heavy bags, lugging them out onto the train platform with her. Fortunately, the suitcases had wheels on the bottom, otherwise, she would have had no hope of taking all of her belongings with her on this move. As she hurried through the small crowd, she spotted a bright, blue glow out of the corner of her eye.

She glanced towards it. It was gone.

Meeting her uncle and cousin had been easy. Although Nanako was shy, she seemed to be kind enough. Her uncle Dojima was friendly as well. Rise believed that with some time, she could become very comfortable in the Dojima household. It was fortunate, that her relatives were so pleasant. She had seldom interacted with either. Even during family gatherings, they weren't usually present. It was due to Dojima's occupation. He was kept busy by police work. From what Rise knew, he had lost his wife years ago. Now, he was probably even busier, trying to support his daughter. Maybe she could grow to relate to him even more.

They had stopped at the gas station. As Nanako exited the small car, Rise followed, diligently watching her cousin. The small, brunette girl was apparently headed to the bathroom.

"Do you need me to come with you, Nanako?" Rise questioned, voice soothing and genuine. She disliked the idea of leaving her young cousin alone. The city wasn't exactly the safest place for kids to be wandering around without supervision. But she had a feeling that it was more relaxed in Inaba. Nanako peered up at her with a soft gaze, nodding quickly, before turning right around and heading off towards the side of the station. Rise opened her mouth to call out to her cousin, but was cut off as a voice came from behind her.

"Hey! You new around here?" Upon turning around, Rise realized that it was a gas station attendant who was speaking to her. The grey-haired individual was dressed in a bright red and yellow uniform. Geez, could they pick an uglier color scheme? At first, it was peculiar. But Rise then realized that Inaba was much smaller than the city where she had lived for most of her life. A gas station attendant would likely know most of the customers that came through, right? Regardless, she wished that the world would just leave her alone for a couple of minutes.

"Yep!" Rise nodded, forcing herself to give the attendant a wide smile. Even if she was feeling sick, she couldn't take it out on someone else. "I just got here!" The grey-haired attendant nodded, matching Rise's smile with one of their own.

"I think you'll like it here." The attendant nodded. "Although it's a pretty small town. When you're not at school, you'll probably be doing part time jobs or hanging out with friends. Hate to say it, not much goes on here. But that just means it's also pretty calm." Makes sense. Rise hadn't of expected anything huge from Inaba. The town seemed pretty quiet. But maybe that was just what she needed. The hustle and bustle of the city hadn't of been good for her after the incident. A change of pace was very much welcomed. "Anyways, good luck."

The attendant reached out a calloused hand. Maybe it was odd to do a handshake without a formal introduction. But Rise was too tired to really care. She shook the attendant's hand, bidding them farewell. However, as soon as they disappeared around the corner, a wave of dizziness overtook her. She resisted the urge to give an agitated sigh. Really? Now of all times? She had just gotten here! The last thing she wanted was to be sick while she was getting accustomed to her new life.

"Are you alright?" Nanako's voice snapped her back to reality. Rise put on another smile, turning to Nanako.

"Yeah, I am." She told her cousin gently, although the small girl didn't seem too convinced. "Did you find the bathrooms?"

"Are you sure?" Nanako breezed right past Rise's question. For someone so young, she already seemed quite perceptive. Rise was an only child. She had never really needed to deal with younger kids. Did Nanako count as a younger sibling, now? Maybe it was too early to think about that.

"Alright, you two, I'm back." Rise suppressed a sigh of relief as Dojima emerged from the station, keys to the car in his hand. "Are you alright?" He questioned her, and her entire demeanor almost deflated. "You look kind of pale. We should get back to the house." At least they were concerned for her. These were the kind of people she wanted to stay with. Maybe she could be a part of their family, eventually.

There was little she could say to that, after getting back into the car, they were on their way to the Dojima household. Jumbled thoughts swam around Rise's exhausted mind. No matter how hard she tried to suppress them, they just came back. Would she truly fit in here? Would she be able to make friends? Only time could tell.