The flyer still hadn't completely recovered from its jaunt through the sandstorm - the air filter had a rattle in it, and Whiteout swore she still felt sand falling from it.

Spatter just stared at her unamused and asked, "Are you going to take it or not?"

"And swim the messages to Mireh? Fuck no," Whiteout clambered in, pulling a bag of messages behind her. Spatter rolled their eyes and shared a headshake with Inky, before continuing on to prep the flyer bay for departure.

Some messages were too sensitive to send over the airwaves, or were sent by those who couldn't afford the satellite relay, or odder still to Waveform, those who liked paper letters and sent them for the novelty. There were also those items that were physical, and couldn't be sent via the web - presents, goods, that sort of thing. Whatever the case, it was more work for them and Inky, who lugged another bag up into the flyer's cargo area with their beak.

With everything loaded into the flyer, the three of them closed the cargo hatch and began to tie them down. Whiteout had learned from Clay's experience on the accursed sandstorm flight, and had no desire to have bags of packages full of who-knew-what ping-ponging around the cabin.

That task done, they settled into the seats and benches, strapped themselves in, and after getting the all-clear from Spatter, Whiteout lifted the flyer up off the ground.

They climbed the flyer uneventfully up into the clear blue sky, afternoon clouds only just starting to form. Inky settled back as Whiteout continued to keep the flyer climbing until the safe altitude that would clear all the mountaintops in the area. Waveform peered out with interest at the snowy peaks passing far below, a familiar view but with far less effort.

"We're dropping these off at the glittering lake, yeah?" Inky asked, peering at the flight plan on one of Whiteout's screens as she flicked a few dials on the dashboard.

"Yeah. Or at least a colony near it. Glittering lake is the landmark they gave us, pretty much straight north."

"Nice. I've always wanted to see it… see if the water really shines with the colors of the rainbow, or if it's just chemical slick."

"Asks the person who lives in the land of glowing bones poking out of the earth," Waveform snorted, amused, as the peaks below transitioned into shining ocean.

Whiteout leveled the flyer off, and the hum of the engines became quieter as they steadied into cruising mode rather than climbing. The three of them chatted for a bit as the ocean shifted beneath, then lightened as they came closer to the Mireh coast.

All three of them peered out at it with interest, the flat, green lands a stark contrast to the sharp peaks and snowpack of their home. Rolling green and gold hills filled the horizon, dotted with the occasional tree and strange ruin. But still, it seemed most of the land was covered in grass that waved and rippled in the wind like an imitation of the ocean beyond the shore.

"Weird," Waveform said, fascinated. "I wonder what the thermals are like."

"It looks flat," Inky shuddered. "I don't like that."

Whiteout only made an amused noise at Inky's discomfort, lowering the flyer as they continued to move forwards to try and spot the glittering lake. She needn't have bothered, as the lake was massive. Waveform idly noted that it could probably be seen from space as the water unfolded in front of them.

"It does glitter and shine," Inky noted, voice full of awe. Indeed, the water they passed over shone and shimmered like the inside of an abalone shell, iridescence shifting as the light hit the waves from different angles. It almost glittered as well, far more than the ocean normally did.

"Yeah," Waveform said, voice equally awed.

Whiteout, busy comparing their coordinates to that of the colony they were delivering messages to, flapped a hand at Waveform. "I need your hands, up here. Inky, can you read these out to me?"

The sights below were quickly overshadowed by the mundanities of course-correcting and flying, and soon they were past the lake, turning, and making for a cluster of buildings. Still, the sight stayed in their minds, and they decided to stop by after the messages had been delivered.