Chapter 8
So, I had decided to accept Holland's offer to join the SOF. I still wasn't sure what awaited me, but I was going to make the best of it. I packed my things and headed to the hangar, where Cardinal was ready to go. My friends were there, waiting to see me off. With misty eyes, some bro hugs, fist bumps, and one big bear hug from Gillian, I bid my friends farewell, climbing inside Cardinal's cockpit and driving after Holland.
We arrived at SOF HQ a few hours later, and I was a bit underwhelmed. The base was pretty simple, only having the bare necessities, which struck me as a little odd considering how high on the ladder the SOF is. When I asked Holland about it, he replied: "We're soldiers. The base only has what we need. Any luxury we desire we have to get ourselves.", which I guess made sense.
I got settled in my room(pretty much the same as the one at Sawyer Team HQ) and headed to the dining hall. Two familiar faces met me there. Talho and Ken-goh. Now from what I understood, Talho was an intelligence officer with the SOF, not a field agent.
She looked me up and down before smiling. "So, you're the newbie? Dylan, right?" I quickly saluted. "Yes ma'am! Dylan Thurston. It's an honor to be here.", I exclaimed. She laughed a bit, then smiled warmly. "Hey, no need to be so formal here. You only really have to do that on missions. Just relax. Talho is fine. And you can call this big lug here Ken-goh." She pointed to Ken-goh, who waved while sipping his drink. I sat down and chatted with them for a while, realizing that I might have been nervous over nothing.
Talho spotted the guitar I was carrying. "You play?", she asked. I nodded. "Uh, yeah. I was actually looking for a place to practice. Ya know...so I wouldn't bother anyone." She thought for a moment before clapping her hands. "Hey, let's go to the hangar! It should be empty this time of day, so we won't bother anyone." I looked at her, a bit nervous. "We?", I said. She nodded, smiling. "I'm curious to see how good you are. Plus I'm bored so….let's go!"
At that moment, Eureka entered the dining hall. She walked over to our table. "Hello, Talho, Ken-goh. How do you do? Oh? You are the boy from Digder, correct?", she asked, not showing an ounce of emotion. I nodded, reintroducing myself. I offered my hand, and she stared at it in confusion. My eyes widened. "It's….it's a handshake. You don't know what that is?" She shook her head, and I sighed. "Well, a handshake is a form of greeting, often used to introduce yourself to someone new. Like this, see?" I grabbed her hand and shook it. When I took my hand back, she stared at her own, as though analyzing it.
Talho cleared her throat. "Hey, Eureka. The newbie here plays guitar. I was gonna follow him to the hangar to see him practice. Wanna come?", she asked. Eureka looked on in confusion. "Practice?", she asked. Talho sighed, and dragged her along by the hand, heading towards the hangar. I followed awkwardly behind them, guitar over my shoulder.
We entered the hangar, and I sat down at Cardinal's feet. Talho whistled at my LFO, and I just chuckled. She pulled up a crate to sit on, and patted the spot next to her, urging Eureka to sit down. They both looked at me, waiting for me to start. I strummed the instrument a bit to get the feel for it, then looked up. "I've actually been practicing this song, so please don't judge if I mess up, okay?", I said smiling. The girls nodded, and I took a breath before I started strumming.
Beauty queen of only eighteen, she had some trouble with herself
He was always there to help her, she always belonged to someone else
I drove for miles and miles, and wound up at your door
I've had you so many times, but somehow I want more
I don't mind spending every day
Out on your corner in the pouring rain
Look for the girl with the broken smile
Ask her if she wants to stay a while
And she will be loved
And she will be loved
Tap on my window, knock on my door, I want to make you feel beautiful
I know I tend to get so insecure, it doesn't matter anymore
It's not always rainbows and butterflies, it's compromise that moves us along, yeah
My heart is full and my door's always open, you come anytime you want, yeah
I don't mind spending every day
Out on your corner in the pouring rain
Look for the girl with the broken smile
Ask her if she wants to stay a while
And she will be loved
And she will be loved
And she will be loved
And she will be loved
I know where you hide, alone in your car
Know all of the things that make you who you are
I know that goodbye means nothing at all
Comes back and begs me to catch her every time she falls, yeah
Tap on my window, knock on my door, I want to make you feel beautiful
I don't mind spending every day
Out on your corner in the pouring rain, oh
Look for the girl with the broken smile
Ask her if she wants to stay a while
And she will be loved
And she will be loved
And she will be loved
And she will be loved
Yeah, yeah
I don't mind spending every day (Ooh, ooh)
Out on your corner in the pouring rain
(Please don't try so hard to say goodbye)
As I strummed the final cord, I opened my eyes, to find Talho tearing up and Eureka speechless. I scratched the back of my head. "So….what'd you think?" I was met with silence. Then all of a sudden Talho started clapping, followed by Eureka (though I don't think she quite understood why she was doing it)
Talho wiped her tears and looked at me with a massive grin on her face. "That was so beautiful! I'm completely blown away! Though I can't say I've ever heard that song before. Is it original?" I nodded. "All my songs are original.", I lied. I couldn't exactly tell them they were all actually songs from another world. Forgive me Maroon 5. Talho smiled. "Well, bud, you got a real talent. You should keep playing." I smiled and nodded.
Eureka ran up and grabbed my hand, surprising the hell outta me. Her eyes were wide, and she was honestly so freaking adorable. "He liked it!", she said firmly. I looked at her in confusion. "Umm...what?" She pointed towards her LFO. "The Nirvash. He says he liked your song." I smiled. "Oh. I see. Well then." I bowed to the Nirvash. "Thanks for the compliment, Nirvash.", I said grinning. "Could you do it again?", she asked. Once again, confusion. "Umm...do...what exactly?", I asked.
She got in my face, and I blushed from how close she was. "The Nirvash is happy when you play, so could you play for him again sometime?" I laughed. "Sure thing. I don't mind." She smiled real big, and I blushed. 'So damn cute.', I thought. Talho, meanwhile, was looking at me with shocked eyes.
Eureka walked off to the Nirvash, and Talho tugged my sleeve. "You're the first, you know?" I looked at her in confusion. "The first what, Talho?" She smiled, and turned her head towards Eureka. "You're the first one...to ever make her smile."
I closed my eyes and smiled. "Really? Well, I suppose I'll have to take responsibility for that." She raised an eyebrow. "And what's that supposed to mean?" I scratched the back of my head. "I don't know, really. But, I will say one thing. She's actually pretty cute when she smiles. I'd...like to see that face more." Talho grinned mischievously. "Oh? Does the newbie have a crush?" I blushed madly. "Sh-shut up! It's not like that!" Talho laughed and walked away.
I grabbed something to eat in the dining hall, then made my way back to my room. I started writing down lyrics for another song I tried to remember, then attempted to play my guitar while singing it. No dice, though. Every time I closed my eyes, I kept seeing Eureka's smile. I huffed, then laid back on my bed. "Shit. I know what I said at first but, if she keeps smiling like that, I might actually fall for her."
And that's a wrap!
Took a bit longer on this chapter than I would have liked, but here we are! Hope you enjoyed.
This is D3vilB4sket, signing off!