Post Time Skip - Chapter 11 spoilers
Thanks to Have a Little Feith for betaing this! Constructive criticism is very welcome, since I'm not too confident in this since I haven't published any fanfiction in years.
I really love this game and will probably finish my first playthrough in a week or so... All the characters are so perfect, flawed and I just adore them.
And wow there needs to be more Infinite Space fanfiction...
Ian stood in his local tavern, a place he did not visit often. There was a constant quiet chatter, one while stilled when he entered. They knew exactly who he was; at least half of the men had worked under him at one point of another. With a flick of the wrist he walked up the bar, the noise slowly returning.
He heard several whispers and his name being bandied about but did not concentrate on it. "Give me one of whatever is most popular."
"I'm not sure a man of your taste would-"
"I said I wanted what is most popular so you damn well better give me it!" He snapped, the people around him silencing.
The bar tender nodded numbly, quickly grabbing a bottle of beer and cleaning out a glass for Ian. "Here sir, that's-"
Ian handed him a card. "Take it." He grabbed his drink and glass and made his way over to a table in the quieter section of the tavern, watching the other patrons like a hawk.
Soon a mildly attractive girl bound over – not that Ian cared much for looks or what he thought she wanted.
He sighed, "Yes?"
She giggled. "You left before we could pop open your drink, silly!" She giggled again, grabbing his beer and waving a small metallic device over it.
He was silenced by this woman – though Ian doubted she had the maturity to be called a woman – feeling foolish. He didn't drink often and if he did it was some wine at a dinner put on by the empire, something someone else would pour periodically into his glass at regular intervals. "Thank you." He closed his eyes, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose.
"You're welcome, han'some!" She threw a wink in his direction and sashayed away, much to Ian's dismay.
He stared at the bottle for a while, then poured half of it into the glass.
"Here goes," he muttered sarcastically to himself, taking a large swill.
Instantly he began coughing, the rough beer burning the back of his throat. He covered his mouth with his hand and tried to regain control of his lungs. After a while he was still coughing, though less violently than before.
"Rubbish." He stood his head at the beer. "Absolute garbage."
He looked around the bar, seeing several of his men laughing and demonstrating comradely with each other. His nose bristled and he turned away, a bad taste in his mouth.
He ended up staring at the opposite side of the table, an empty space. As soon as he realised this he eyed the beer.
Then he quickly grabbed the glass and drunk it all, his throat screaming in agony.
Then he refilled it and did it again, his glasses sliding down his nose slowly as he did.
He ran a hand through his hair as he coughed, much more quietly this time.
He motioned for the barmaid and she returned. "Well hello again! What can I do f-"
"Another." He pointed at the beer, and thrust his hand full of credits at her.
"Oh… Coming right up!" Her cheery attitude was shaken for a moment, and then it returned as if nothing had happened.
Ian waited patiently, then a man approached him. "S-sir?" A stuttering voice was aimed in his direction.
He turned his head, one eyebrow delicately arched. "Yes?" He snipped back.
"I, er, we, that is, were wondering if you wanted to, well, comeandjoinus." He finished his sentence quickly, staring at the floor in front of him.
Ian nearly laughed. "Get back to your group Bakencon."
The man, Bakencon, looked up at Ian with puppy dog eyes. "Sir?"
He was smiling and then he spoke. "I don't need your pity." His voice was acidic.
Bakencon flinched and scuttled back to his group, other officers obviously concerned. He turned back to face Ian and seemed to mumble something. The others shrugged and continued with their merriment, waving at Ian for a moment.
Ian frowned, he knew Bakencon would never tell them what really happened – he knew the personality of everyone under his command and Bakencon was a weakling.
And Ian was powerful, the fact that his underling had pitied him made bile rise in his throat. Or maybe that was the beer.
As soon as he had turned around the waitress was in front of him. "Two more 'and delivered beers!"
His cold blue eyes stared her down. "I said one. Why did you bring you, are you being purposefully obtuse?" He lashed out, his exterior calm.
She tilted her head, a move not dissimilar to a child's. "You gave me so much money and I figured you'd order another anyway…"
"You should have just kept the money." He checked that the beers were open this time and waved her away, crossing his arms and staring at the wall until she did.
"I…" She started, then someone shouted for her.
"Yui!"
"Oh, work calls! Bye han'some!" She repeated her previous statement as Ian now stared at her, watching her long hair sweep from side to side.
Then he burst out laughing. "Yui!" He poured half his beer into the glass. "Yui!" He proclaimed louder, grabbing the glass and forcing himself to swallow, something made much more difficult by his cruel laughter.
He hiccupped and poured the rest into the glass. "What a joke, universe." He shook his head as the cool liquid burnt him again, the after taste clinging to his taste buds.
"Go away…" He picked up the third bottle and decided to forgo pouring it into the glass, tipping it straight into his mouth instead. The bottle top was cool, a perfectly shaped 'o' on his lips.
He set it down shortly, his expression bitter. "How do people do it…" He spoke to himself, or maybe to the invisible person in front of him. Maybe he just needed to say it. "How can they just…" He felt a twinge of emotion, something that hurt him deep down and picked up the bottle again, now almost enjoying the horrible sensation of the beer emptying from the bottle and filling him.
It was an intense pain that he could concentrate on at least.
He pushed the drink away, bottles clanging as they were forced together.
His head lay on the table for minutes as he focused on nothing but the pain in his throat, then he became aware of the fact he needed to urinate.
Standing up, he noticed it was much more difficult to move and everything seemed to be shaking. He tried to steady himself on his table, missing and nearly falling to the floor, a nearly chair only just stopping him.
"Oh my, are you okay sugar?" The waitress - Yui, he mind reminded him bitterly – returned, a concerned hand by his side. It was warm and comforting…
And then Ian remembered where he was and who she was – or, rather, wasn't. He tried to quickly throw her hand away, his mind spinning at the action.
"I'n fime." He slurred out. "Just give me a minute."
This was the first time he had drunk so much and he wasn't exactly a seasoned professional to begin with, but he valiantly made his way to the men's bathrooms, woman be damned. Maybe it was because she had offered to help that he had made it.
He leant heavily on the door – a mistake – and fell into the bathroom.
"I won't d-" Then be became aware of why he'd come to the bathroom in the first place and slowly – he couldn't do it at any other speed – made his way a free stall.
He made an audible noise of disgust at the state of the bathrooms – though it wasn't as bad as it could have been, Ian was used to so much better – but he remembered the phrase 'beggars can't be choosers' and continued on.
He then opened the door and went to wash his hands, falling half way and nearly banging his head on a counter top, his quick reflexes miraculously still working.
He had managed to land with his hands either side of the sink bowl, his legs at awkward angles.
Then he stood up too quickly and threw up in said sink.
He wiped away the flecks on his face and stared at himself in the grubby mirror.
"Grus." He whispered. "Why…"
He threw up again, his feet slipping slightly.
As he felt himself fall a pair of arms wrapped around him. "I've got you." A strained voice murmured in his ear and he smiled, a real smile, not his usual fake, conceited smile.
Two feet stood either side of his as he was straightened out, his hands finding the sink again, this time more securely. Long hair poked out from behind his reflection as he began to speak. "I knew you'd help me, I knew it Yu-" He froze, feeling as cold as his ice blue eyes looked.
"You remembered my name sugar!" A now obviously feminine voice chimed out, Yui's head poking around his side.
His smile fell flat as the woman busied herself, Ian blocking out her inane chatter, simply trying to hear the caring parts of her voice.
Yui continued on, then looked back at Ian's face. "O-oh." She went quiet and rushed to a stall and back again. She began dabbing at his cheeks, but he pulled away. "C'mon…" She tried again and this time he did not fight her.
He did not fight the feeling. "I… I always believed you'd come back. I never thought you'd died. You were always… So strong for someone so young…" He hiccupped. "So talented…" A small sob escaped him. "I wanted to work with… Forever…" His legs gave way, his body slumping in front of the sink, Yui saving him from hitting his head or falling completely.
She followed him down. "It must've been hard." She cooed, her bubbly persona faded. "For you to go on."
He nodded numbly, the movement making him sick. He quickly mumbled his address to her, some part of his mind still functioning properly. He knew he had to get home somehow, but then it was gone. He was letting his emotions out. "Don't tell a soul." He looked at her, serious.
She smiled sadly – Ian didn't understand it in his drunk state – and he continued. "I miss him. I miss them. I would rather be happy than powerful. I would rather be a Ze-" He hiccupped. "-og than this." He spat out in disgust, lolling forward and placing his head on Yui's shoulder.
"I want them back." He closed his eyes.
"My… Friends…" He said slowly, one last tear rolling down his pale skin.
"Why did I stay?" Were his final words as he slipped off into unconsciousness.