Chapter Text
Toast felt particularly restless today. It seemed a shame not to be confined to the vault anymore and yet still confine herself to the Citadel. She decided it was time to get in some driving practice. She hadn’t driven in well over a thousand days before Furiosa killed Joe in his own Gigahorse, and the vehicles of the Citadel were so highly modified and customized that she basically needed to learn all over again.
She wasn’t stupid enough to venture out alone though. The Wretched might be a pitiable, victimized people, but that didn’t mean they were all good people, and although she didn’t plan to drive out too far, there were always scavengers and raiders to worry about in the Wasteland.
She didn’t want a whole entourage either. She’d always preferred to be alone or in a select company of people she knew well. She decided one or two War Boys should suffice, and headed down to their training area.
She selected one who seemed particularly adept at combat and who certainly looked intimidating enough. “You there,” she called out. “War Boy! No, not you. You with the metal bits in your face.”
The War Boy she’d indicated sprinted over to her. He seemed positively elated at being singled out, no offense apparently having been taken by her description of him.
“I’m going out for a drive. Want to come along?”
He gaped at her for a moment. Then he interlaced his fingers in that V8 salute and bowed. “I am honored.”
“Let’s go get a car then.”
Slit had never been so happy in his life, not even on the two occasions he’d almost made it to Valhalla. Toast the Knowing, one of the Immortan’s own Wives, and the only one who seemed to know anything about doing war, had asked him to ride with her.
He grabbed as many lances as he could carry and a couple of guns, and hopped up into the rear lancer’s perch.
Toast the Knowing stuck her head out of the sun roof. “That’s not quite what I’d had in mind. You could sit inside the car, you know.”
Slit was bemused. How could he lance from inside the car? Wouldn’t be able to throw properly.
She sighed. “Never mind. Stay there if you want.”
Toast the Knowing didn’t seem to have a destination in mind, taking turns seemingly on whims. She wasn’t a good driver, honestly, and several times Slit felt compelled to stick his head in the car and offer her advice. Unlike Nux, she didn’t curse at him or close the sun roof to shut him out, and while she didn’t follow all his advice, she took most of it, which was a good second to getting to drive himself.
He was confused when she stopped in the middle of the empty desert and got out of the car. She perched on the hood and just sat there, swinging her feet and looking out at the horizon. Slit didn’t see anything out there. He held a hand over his eyes for shade from the glare of the sun and stared intently all around them. Other than the Citadel in the distance, there was nothing to be seen.
“We waiting for someone?” he asked finally.
She glanced at him, looking surprised, as if she’d forgotten about him. “No. I just needed to work on my driving.”
That, Slit understood. What he didn’t understand was what they were doing now.
Toast the Knowing offered no explanation. She laid back on the hood of the car and closed her eyes. Slit couldn’t help noticing the curve of her breasts beneath her thin white shirt. Furiosa had emphasized that the War Boys were not even to think of the Wives and had threatened castration if they ever touched one - though from what Slit had heard, the rule didn’t apply to Nux – but Slit reasoned that looking wasn’t thinking and therefore he was permitted to look.
Movement at the edge of his vision caught his attention and he drew a blade and managed to throw it fast enough to impale a lizard. It was a good-sized one, too. Easily three or four mouthfuls big. Slit had bitten off the head and was chewing when it occurred to him that he should have offered his kill to the Wife.
He strolled over to the car and held out the lizard in offering. “Here.”
She recoiled from it. Then she looked up at him and seemed to realize he was giving it to her. “No, thank you,” she said. “I’m not hungry.”
She sat up and slid down to perch on the edge of the car again. “We’ll drive back when you’re done with your lizard.”
Slit ate slowly.