Field Trippin
Copyright© 2026 by Sci-FiTy1972
Chapter 6
Week 6 — Spain
Day 1
The first thing Tyler noticed was how reasonable everything felt.
Stone laid in straight lines. Streets that knew where they were going. Buildings that met the ground at right angles instead of rising out of it like accidents of geology.
Voices carried clearly. Words landed where they were meant to.
The AirPods hummed to life with relief—translation flowing smoothly now, concepts snapping into place with minimal loss. Latin roots, familiar structures. A linguistic handhold after weeks of reaching.
Randy exhaled. “Oh thank God. Sentences.”
Eric almost smiled.
The city greeted them the way a city was supposed to. Curious, but not suspicious. Busy enough that four strangers didn’t matter. Orderly enough that nobody stared too long.
Comfort settled over them like a well-tailored jacket.
Days 2–3 Spain made sense.
That was the problem.
Markets ran on schedules. Trades followed rules. Authority was visible—badges, robes, positions that meant something immediately.
They learned quickly where they could stand without being moved, where they could speak without interrupting. The rhythm here wasn’t breath or wind—it was routine.
Randy slipped back into old habits, humor landing cleanly now that timing and tone translated. People laughed when he expected them to.
Eric found systems he could map—taxes, supply chains, routes that explained themselves if you watched long enough.
DeAndre relaxed in a way Tyler hadn’t seen since home. Shoulders loose. Steps unguarded. Music stayed in his pack—not needed here.
Tyler watched all of it with a growing unease.
This place didn’t require listening first.
It rewarded participation.
Day 4 They almost forgot to stay together.
Not intentionally. Not recklessly.
Just ... naturally.
Eric lingered longer at a forum. Randy followed a conversation down a side street, smiling over his shoulder like it would be fine. DeAndre stopped to watch craftsmen work, hands precise, movements economical.
No danger.
No warning.
Tyler caught it just in time and called them back—not sharp, just enough to remind.
They regrouped, sheepish, laughing it off.
But the ease lingered.
Day 5 The comfort deepened.
Too deep.
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