pages 40 & 41

[page 40]

	[lick and dusty sitting on the dashboard of the train, facing each other as they talk. dusty seems disoriented.
dusty: "oh you're... lick, right?"
lick: "apparently so."
dusty: "what happened? we were running, and then you tripped..."]
	[lick stiffens.
lick: "uhhh... w-well, y-you blacked out, so..."]
	[lick struggles to think.
lick: "after we fell, i saw the train. just inside the cave. i saw it and those... things were coming for us fast, so..."]
	[dusty narrows their eyes, clearly picking up on lick's anxiety. lick tries to pull it together.
lick: "and that weird circle exactly your size was glowing, so i figured hey, it was meant to be. ...probably part of some prophecy we were meant to come upon."]
	[dusty's expression softens at the quip.
dusty: "a shame. i'm sure there's an overarching meaning to this that'll now be lost on us in an act of dramatic irony."]
	[lick relaxes, returning dusty's gaze.]
	[a view of the train, chugging along in mid-air over the grassy plains. mountains and clouds are barely visible in the distance.
lick: "...so... you're good with all of this? like... coming along?"
dusty: "i'd like to find some answers, too. you wanted to find the sun, right? how do we know where we're going?"]

[page 41]

	[lick tucks their paws underneath them, staring out through the front window. dusty is looking at lick, somewhat concerned.
lick: "i dunno. i mean, it couldn't have gone. if it's being contained, we'll meet it eventually."
dusty: "but how far do we go, lick?"
lick: "as far as it takes."]
	[dusty looks at lick, frowning slightly, but they drop the conversation.]
	[the two sit in silence, both looking out at the rolling fields and the distant mountains.]
	[closer up on lick, who seems zoned out. the far right of the panel is breaking apart into little segments.]
	[lick, head starting to dip, their eyes drooping. the panel breaks down further.]
	[their head falls further.]
	[finally laying their head on their paws, eyes closed. the panel is completely broken apart.]
	[a fragmented fog of black bubbles. toward the bottom, text reads "... can't sleep..."]