Times Change: Chapter 2

By SonicTH228

March 15, 11:53 AM
Midtown Bistro

Phoenix stepped off the bus at the designated stop on Mitch Ave. The bistro he was set to meet his mysterious caller at was just across the street. It was a sunny Sunday afternoon and the bistro was located in a busy part of downtown so there were people moving this way and that. The weather wasn't really the best for his typical sweatshirt ensemble so he had on a white t-shirt and a black overshirt on with black jeans. Still, he wore his baby blue knit hat even in the sunny climate.

The bistro was an outdoor café that had 10 or so tables situated facing the sidewalk and more tables inside. When he arrived, he immediately saw who he was looking for sitting at one of the outdoor tables. She was sipping a cappuccino at a table on the far side of the outdoor café. Her clothes immediately told him that she was the person who called him there.

The woman wore a light purple robe. Phoenix was quite familiar with the garb as it was the attire of an acolyte. Specifically the robe was one worn by the members of the Hazakura Temple in the mountains. Since she was visiting springtime weather, it was not as hefty as her typical uniform but still recognizable all the same. She had on a green charm around her neck which Phoenix recognized as a Magatama. She fingered it slowly as Phoenix approached her table. On the woman's face she wore a pair of sunglasses and her hair was done in a distinct braid pattern.

"Still got your hair the same way after all these years," Phoenix said when he was standing next to the table. The woman looked up and shielded her eyes from the sun to see the face of the man addressing her.

"Yes…I've always liked this style…" she replied softly. Phoenix pulled out the chair and sat down. He waved over the waiter and ordered a bottle of grape juice.

"So…" he started. There was obvious tension between the two. "It's…it's nice to see you again…Iris."

The woman lowered her sunglasses to reveal her black eyes to Phoenix. "After six years I'd imagine so…" she replied. She was struggling to find the right words to break the mood. The waiter delivered a bottle of grape juice and a glass. Phoenix poured some in and began sipping on it. "How…how are you doing?" she asked.

"Good…good…I started writing a book," he told her. "…Look, I know that you and I haven't spoken in six years but if you called me I'm sure you have something to talk about."

Iris shifted her eyes towards the ground upon hearing that. Phoenix quickly backed off for fear of hurting her.

"No…no, I knew this wouldn't be easy," she said once she turned to face Phoenix again and took another sip of her cappuccino. "I…read about you in the paper, recently," she said, trying to change the subject to ease the moment.

"Oh, yeah…" he replied. "That article made me out to be a bit grandiose if you ask me…oh well, that Brushel guy tends to be like that."

Iris and Phoenix looked at one another in silence again before Iris spoke up.

"That…that's why I called you here…" she said. "I'm…I'm ready to…"

"…Apologize?" Phoenix cut her off to finish her sentence. "Don't…I know what happened six years ago…I'm responsible."

The cloud hanging between them began to lift. Phoenix took off his hat to cool off, revealing his trademark hairstyle underneath.

"I'd forgotten how much I like your hair…Phoenix," Iris said when she caught eye of Phoenix's exposed hair.

"Please…call me 'Nick'," he told her.

"I'd rather call you 'Feenie'," she said with a nervous grin. Phoenix blushed slightly at the mention of his old pet-name.

"Anyway…the reason…the reason I asked you to come is…I'm lonely…I have been for the last six years," she said with some difficulty. "After you lost your attorney's badge you changed…"

"It…it was a difficult time…but that was no excuse for the way I treated you…I know that now," he told her.

"To me it looked like…someone I knew had died…you weren't the boy I fell in love with in college…and then 'that' happened…," she said. A small tear welled up in her eye.

"I understand…" he said, trying to make her feel better. "To be honest, it wasn't until I had really lost everything that I finally began to clear my head and stopped feeling sorry for myself. You were the last straw."

"But after reading that article," she continued, wiping away the tear. "…I felt…different about you. Seeing your efforts to change the justice system showed a hint of the same Feenie who I knew years ago…I wanted to reach out to you. It's just taken all this time before I could bring myself to face you again."

"You're…" Phoenix said, now somewhat surprised. "…Are you…are you taking me back?"

She slowly nodded. "I haven't seen anyone else these last six years. I was angry at you but a part of me still loved you for who you were…I don't think that will ever change. Either I'd be with you or I wouldn't be with anyone. I knew under all that you had endured you still had your heart and upon reading that article I began to see that again and I started thinking of you."

Phoenix was still recovering from hearing his ex-girlfriend wanted to patch things up after so many years. He fingered his locket trying to come up with something to say. Iris caught on and decided to talk about something else to put Phoenix's mind at ease.

"How's she doing?" Iris asked.

"Trucy? Oh, she's doing great," he replied, somewhat relieved that he could talk about something else in the meantime. "She has her own show down at the Wonder Bar. She hangs out with Apollo a lot."

"Who's Apollo?"

"Oh, he's the legal side of our little operation. He's a rookie attorney. Next month will mark his first year on the job," Phoenix explained. He showed her a picture of legal partner. "Heh…something I haven't told them is they're actually half-siblings."

Iris was taken aback by this news. She was so confused by this information she couldn't find a response. Phoenix explained to her about the relation between them and told her about his plans to reveal it once their biological mother was back in the country.

"Yeah…" he said once he was finished. "Trucy…" he trailed off. He could feel where the conversation was heading.

"What…what happened when I…" Iris said, trailing off similarly.

"You mean…the day you…" Phoenix responded.

"Yes…when I…left…how did she take it?" Iris said, her eyes moving off to the side.

Phoenix leaned back in his chair and looked up at the clouds…it was coming back to him…

To Be Continued…

(A/N: To be honest; I'm not sure if this chapter's up to the same quality as the last. Its kind of short and talky. But whatever, tell me what you think.)