Third person POV
So Russell dashed to the captain's control center, bursting the door open and saying, "The pirates had been rammed over!"
But his sudden presence caught the attention of Gerald and his crew circle in it.
Others like Laszlo were confused at his presence, while others became neutral.
"Um…" Russell responded to this while trying to figure what to do now.
But then, thinking that the young bus driver was a newcomer to his vessel, Gerald chilled things out and reassured Russell that everything was fine.
"Wait, wha…?" Russell replied back with confusion and surprise.
"Yes, and that happened a handful of times," responded Gerald brightly. "These pirates did it to themselves after all. How was it?"
"Like hell it was!" Russell replied back.
"Yes, it was for them," Gerald responded back calmly and cheerfully. "Don't worry, we're safe now."
"Okay…that makes sense…"
Then, seeing the youngster's attire, Gerald went to him and examined it closely. "Hmm…this attire looked familiar…are you a driver at any chance?" Russell then snapped out and answered back, "Yes, I am. Why?"
"No wonder there is a bus in my latest manifesto!" Gerald laughed. "You must be an Otherworlder, right?"
"Yes, I am. Are you the captain of this ferry?"
"You're correct, my friend. Say, it's almost lunchtime, so you wanna eat a meal with me? My co-captain will take over for a while."
"Um..sure…okay…"
And so, Gerald grabbed his pocketbook and took Russell to the cafeteria to have lunch with him while chatting. The control of the ferry was left to Laszlo, and Laszlo would do his best to man it for him. There both of them had a delicious lunch. Their meals are the usual, but the cafeteria offers seasonal dishes from time to time. At the same time, Russell's friends received meals from the crew members in their accommodation spaces. The meals were standard with meat and vegetables, as well as sides of small desserts and some fruits. As both of them eat, Russell says to Gerald, "Sir, the food here is so good. How did your cooks make such good food?"
"Well, these people used to work in taverns, so their food is really something," replied Gerald back positively. "So, based on the manifesto, you're Russell May, right?"
Russell then looked at him. "Yes, it's me. Nice to meet you. And you?"
"My name is Gerald Aethels. Nice to meet you, Russell."
"Yes, I am from the Southern Plains, and I am a bus driver."
"Oh, I see…"
"Yeah, for more than a year now…"
Gerald was utterly surprised by his response. "Wait, what? How old are you now?"
"17."
"No way! I am 28, but you're younger than me!"
"Oh, okay then…"
"Also, another question, are you that Bus Driver Hero that some of my regular passengers used to tell me?"
"Yes, that was me…"
"Wow! That was quite awesome! Man, ramming bad guys with your bus? That's like a new level to me. For me, ramming pirates is my style."
"Oh…no wonder you did that to these buckos…"
After that, Gerald and Russell started their second conversation about their lives and past lives. Gerald revealed that he was reincarnated as a baby to a farming and fishing family in the YIF. According to him, his previous life was as a ferry captain from Cebu, the Philippines, much to Russell's shock. Russell then revealed his, much to Gerald's shock, too. Now both realized that they were Filipinos in their previous lives.
"We're actually Filipinos back then, huh?" Gerald commented.
"Yes, we are…" Russell replied back slowly. "Actually, there is another Otherworlder who was also a Filipino in the Zale Valleys."
"Woah, who is it?"
"His name was Jan Husten, and he was an ice cream vendor back in his previous life and in this life."
"What the…? Astig yan eh! Now may ice cream na ang mundo ito!"
"Oo nga, eh…"