Chapter 31: Wisdom
A/N: This took a bit longer again, yes. For the exact same reasons as last chapter. This new game is taking up a lot of my mental fortitude (it's REALLY sad), so it often leaves me not having enough energy or willpower to write. And, well, it's kind of taken over my interest, meaning if I do have the time to think about stuff I find myself thinking more about that.
So... it might be like this for a while. Haha...
And another thing, I didn't really receive much feedback so I'm gonna assume that what I'm doing now is fine? I'm gonna keep doing this until somebody tells me not to, so if something's wrong, you need to let me know.
And one last thing:
I've gotta warn you, this chapter contains a couple more... depressing themes, as Markus is going to be sharing all of his parental concerns with Conductor, which includes very real issues and topics about parenting, including a couple ones that any good parent would feel sad discussing.
So just keep that in mind as you read this chapter.
OH YEAH, this is also BY FAR the longest chapter I've ever written, EVER.
6187 WORDS! So grab a blanket and get cozy, 'cause you're in it for the long haul.
As we walked along, Conductor turned to me.
"So, why didn't ye show up?" He asked.
I didn't feel like going into detail, as that'd take too long, so I figured there'd be no reason not to dummy it down.
"It's a bit of a long story, but basically... let's just say something really bad happened that I had to go take care of during the night, and someone really close to me got hurt really badly as a result. I... I had to carry her to an ambulance. So, I completely forgot about our meetup, as I was just under too much stress to be bothered to remember," I said.
"THE LASS?!"Conductor shouted.
"But she just got out of the hospital!" DJ Grooves cried.
Oh... I probably just gave them a heart attack. Of course they'd immediately assume it's Hailey, they had no reason to think of Zena.
"Heh... don't worry, I kept Hailey out of that," I replied, "I, uh... Probably should've specified that, haha. I meant someone else."
"If I may ask, darling,, who exactly are you referring to, then?" DJ Grooves asked.
Curious, curious. Well, I didn't see a reason not to tell them.
"Remember that woman I introduced you all to when Hailey was sick?"
"Ah, yea, I remember her. Wasn't she from Alpine Skyline?" He asked.
"Yeah, she's basically the guardian of the place," I said.
"I wonder what possibly could've happened, then..." DJ Grooves pondered.
Conductor then stopped and turned around, giving me a toothy grin.
"So, ye said she's 'close to you', eh?"
The smug vibe coming off from that question confused me greatly.
"Uh... yeah? What about it?"
"And being close to someone means ye got a really strong bond with them, correct?"
I began to see where this was probably going, and began to hope I was wrong.
"... Yeeeees? Where are you going with this, Conductor?"
"Well, if that's the case... then ya MUST be more than just friends with her. Am I right, or am I right? Heh heh heh!"
What...?
Conductor continued to laugh as he proceeded to elbow me in the ribs, before he turned back around and began walking slowly.
There's no way he just-!
"Conductor!" DJ Grooves shouted, "I can't believe you just said that! What if she was here?!"
... I honestly couldn't tell if he was just trying to screw with me as a harmless prank, or if even HE knew that I was in love with her and as a result was capitalizing on it. I really hoped it was the former, but I had a feeling that it wasn't.
And it was rare that DJ Grooves got that mad.
Both of these factors combined left me completely floored.
"I... uh... we..."
"Fantastic, darling, you've made him uncomfortable!" DJ Grooves scolded him, "Think before you talk next time, please!"
"Oh, peck off, Grooves! I'm just havin' a wee bit o' fun," Conductor replied, "I know they're just friends, I just like messin' with people. Ye should both know that by now!"
Oh, so he was just screwing with me!
Phew. It would've been REALLY embarrassing if it was that blatantly obvious.
Funny how he teases me about my relationship with her on the same day we confess our love for eachother.
Well, I supposed there was no reason not to tell them.
"Well, ah..." I began, "It's a funny story, actually..."
"... What?" Conductor asked suspiciously.
"Well, you see... you were right in that we were just friends. However... I did have feelings for her, albeit I didn't even know it. And recently (as in today), I confessed how I felt about her. And... well..." I muttered.
A smile came to my face as I recalled what happened next. Thinking about it still made me feel high.
"I think you know how the rest goes," I chuckled with a shrug.
"She felt the same way?" DJ Grooves asked.
I sighed.
"Yeah. She does."
Both directors gave questioning glances to eachother, before turning back to me with slightly startled expressions.
After a few seconds, Conductor loudly huffed.
"Well, well, well, yer just full o' surprises, aren't ye, laddy?" He chuckled, "But that's gotta be the biggest surprise yet!"
A look of realization suddenly hit him, as he probably realized that what he just said wasn't exactly very flattering.
"Oh! Ah... no offense," He added sheepishly, "It's just... ye know how it is... ye don't know many people, especially not many other humans."
I shrugged.
"Trust me, Conductor, I'm just as shocked as you are," I replied.
"What's she like, darling?" DJ Grooves asked, "After all, we didn't get to talk very much with her."
Uhhhhmmmm...
I immediately began thinking about all the amazing moments we'd already had together...
... and promptly began to feel heat rush to my face as I bashfully revelled in how pure she was. I quickly looked downward to hide my growing disdain, as I didn't want them to see me like that. It was embarrassing.
As I thought about just how kind she was, how she treated us like family from the moment we met her, and all the amazing things she did for us... a question came to my mind:
Was it even POSSIBLE to put it into words just how utterly magnificent she was?
I took a deep breath to calm myself and think clearly.
I shook my head. It definitely wasn't possible to get them to understand, not with words. It wasn't even close.
Well, I supposed I'd just have to tell them that.
... I didn't know if it was something people always said about the person they loved, but frankly I didn't care, because it was the truth.
"Well, to start off, I could spend all day going over just how incredible she is. But, you see, even if I did that, no amount of words could allow me to really convey just how astounding she is," I began, "Sooo... I know this is probably a huge cliché to say this... but... she's just... perfect. In every way."
"Well, I don't doubt it," Conductor mused, "But could ye explain a bit more?"
I smiled. An explanation he wanted, an explanation I would give.
"She's compassionate, yet strong. Smart and wise, yet cheerful and witty. She's never met a stranger, she always has a smile on her face, and she's got enough energy to be fun to be around, while being restrained enough to not be over the top. Frankly, I can't think of anything about her that isn't spectacular."
They seemed pretty amazed.
"Do you need me to say anything more, Conductor?" I asked, "'Cause I could do this all day if I needed to."
The directors looked at eachother, then back at me with content expressions.
"She sounds even more fantastic than I first thought!" DJ Grooves exclaimed, "I'm so happy for you, darling. There's nothing quite like finding your one true love."
Conductor nodded.
"Now, er... I've got a lotta experience in many things, and romance definitely ain't one o' them, but it sounds to me like she's the perfect one for ya. And, the little lass must be fairly happy, too, eh?" Conductor asked.
I smiled as I thought about how much she pestered me to tell Zena how I felt, and how happy she was when I finally did.
She was so determined to see us get together. It warmed my heart to no end.
"More than you think," I chuckled.
Hmm... speaking of Hailey...
Oh right! Parenting advice!
How long had we even spent talking about this?
'Cause, as much as I wanted to, I wasn't exactly here to spend all day talking about my love life. There was plenty of time for that later.
"Uh... could we get a move on? I'd rather not spend the whole day talking about this when we can do that later. We have other things to discuss, remember?"
"Lad, ye can't just set off a peckin' bomb like that and not expect us to want to know everythin' about it! What were ye expectin', eh?!"
...
Well, I couldn't really argue with that.
"Fair enough," I replied.
"And for the record, lad, I didn't forget. I was just about to get us back on track," He added, "So, let's get movin'!"
After saying that, he barged ahead, with DJ Grooves quickly running after him.
I found myself shaking my head with a smirk on my face.
It never ceased to amaze me how wacky these directors could be.
... Although, that could probably be said for almost everyone I've met in this universe.
Oh yeah, I needed to follow them. So before I could get lost in thought, I made sure to run after them as well. Wouldn't wanna get lost here, now would I?
The directors muttered between themselves as we walked along, taking elevator after elevator, until we finally reached Conductor's office.
"I'll be off now, darling!" DJ Grooves exclaimed, "Because I'd just get in the way. I never had kids of my own, so I wouldn't know anything about this."
"Alright," I replied, "See you later."
I waved to him as he sauntered away, and he waved back.
Conductor opened the door to his office, and we stepped inside.
"Okay, lad, grab a seat," He instructed.
I looked around for a chair, saw one, and brought it over to sit down on.
"Alright. First things first, I have to warn ye, laddy," He said.
I raised an eyebrow in confusion.
"Oh?"
Why would he need to warn me of anything?
"What about?"
"Well, as I'm sure ye already know, the situation with ye and the hat lass is much different than how most families work," He began
"Yeah. She's fully capable of taking care of herself, which makes my role as a father far more... uh... loose, I guess, than it would be in a normal family," I agreed, "It's pretty weird."
"Good, ye understand. So, keep in mind that my advice might not work for the context of yer family compared to mine. It might, it might not. I dunno," He warned me, "I'll think of what I'd do in yer place, but I don't know her anywhere near as well as ye do, nor do I understand what struggles the two o' ye might have."
"I'm aware of that, and I'm pretty sure I know what I'm doing in that regard," I responded, "But there's other things that I need some guidance on. Things that I'm fairly certain you'd know better than me."
"Alright. Ask away then!" He replied.
"First off... exactly how protective should I be of her? How much should I supervise her? Because, as we know, she can handle herself, but she is still a little girl," I said, "I feel like if I watch her like a hawk and act really strict to make sure nothing bad happens, she'll start to hate me and want me gone. For good reason, too. And if I'm more lax... well, some questionable things have already happened for short periods of time where I wasn't there to supervise her."
He put a wing to his chin thoughtfully.
"Startin' out with a hard one, eh?" He muttered, "I'm afraid that's something ya mostly gotta figure out on yer own, laddy. Like I said, ye know her better than I do. Ye should be able to figure out when yer oversteppin' yer boundaries, when yer not being watchful enough, or when yer actions are completely fair, justified, and reasonable."
"I know, but I still want your opinion."
"Well, if ye really need my opinion that badly... well, like ye said, she's a child. She's growing. Don't try to get in the way o' that. If something bad does happen, she can deal with it, and she'll learn from those experiences," He suggested.
"But what if something really bad happens?" I countered, "Like... I don't know... someone really dangerous shows up?"
He shook his head.
"Lad, that's why ye watch over her at all in the first place," He replied, "Most 'really bad' things ye'll see coming, and ye'll already know how to prevent or protect her from 'em. And besides, the more strict ye are with her, the more she'll try to disobey and lie to ye to try and be free. Which may just put her in more danger, while making her unhappier. And frankly, lad, I don't think there's many 'really dangerous' people left on the planet thanks to ye, and if someone arrives from space, well, ye'll see that comin'."
He then threw up his wings in a "don't look at me" gesture.
"But maybe ye know something I don't! Maybe she would need more supervision than I first thought, I dunno! That's yer place to figure out," He said defensively.
Hmmm...
Well, like he said, I knew she could handle herself just fine, she did live by herself for God knows how long, anyway.
So I supposed I'd just stick with what I knew. Not like anything really bad has happened to her or by her yet, and she didn't seem annoyed by it.
"Alright. I don't think I need to change anything, then," I said, "'Cause she hasn't complained so far, and nothing tragic has happened yet. Well, other than her getting sick, but I couldn't do anything about that."
He nodded.
"Okay. What's next?" He asked.
I knew what I wanted to talk about next, but...
"Uh..."
... How was I gonna say this?
... Well, no matter what way I sliced it, this wasn't going to be a fun topic.
"How exactly am I supposed to... enforce my rules, or what I tell her to do?" I said, "I mean, I know she probably wouldn't go against what I say unless she had a really good reason for it, but there has to be something I can do if she doesn't that isn't... well... harmful. Because you know how the saying goes: 'hope for the best, prepare for the worst'."
He nodded, before looking down and sighing.
"I understand what yer really saying, lad. It's... not nice to talk about what to do when yer little one misbehaves," He began, "Again, I'm sure ye can figure out for yerself what's the appropriate punishment for her doing something bad. Ye'll wanna be nice whenever possible, but ye have to be ready to be the villain if ye have to. With my kids, I've had to take their favourite toys, scold them, sometimes even yell at them, and more. It'll hurt them, and it'll hurt for ye, too, as a parent, seeing yer little joy be upset because o' you, but it's just a part of being a parent, no matter how much it hurts."
...
Well...
That was basically what I was already thinking, so I supposed that was a weight lifted off my shoulders...
But I couldn't exactly feel happy about that given what a dreadful subject this was.
The thought of making her sad like that was just too much.
I sighed.
"I've had to reprimand her one or two times for various things. I've never really had to yell at her, and I pray that I never, EVER have to, but..." I said quietly.
He placed a wing on my shoulder.
"We all feel that way, lad," He replied, "But you have to remember, ye gotta do what ye gotta do."
I sighed and nodded.
"I know... it's just..."
... Would she be okay with me telling him this?
I shook my head. I wouldn't put it into detail.
"She's already been to hell and back. It would break my heart if I had to put her through any more, even for her own good. I-I guess if I have to be the bad guy... I'll be ready for it, but..." I began.
A lump formed in my throat as a grim prospect entered my head.
"I don't want to... bring back any painful memories," I whispered.
He looked down with a similarly grim expression.
"... Did her real parents mistreat her?" He asked.
Dammit... I said too much.
Well... I supposed there was no going back now.
I sighed and nodded.
"So ye don't want to remind her of her old parents... make her afraid that ye'll do the same," He guessed.
He placed a wing on my shoulder.
"Markus. I have one more thing to tell you."
His accent seemed lighter saying that.
"... What?"
"If you ever do have to do something bad... make it clear that you're just doing what's best for her. Make sure she knows that you don't EVER want to hurt her. Just because you have to be the bad guy doesn't mean she should feel alone. She should still know that you love her, even when you're scolding her, even when you're taking something from her, even when you're yelling at her. Do that, and she'll never be afraid of you turning into... something she's already seen."
He then patted me on the shoulder.
"You got that, lad?" He asked.
I...
I was at a complete loss for words...
He really knew what he was talking about, huh...?
I took a deep breath.
He was right... just because I might have to act like the villain doesn't mean she should ever have to really see me as that.
No.
She should always be able to rely on me, even when I'm upset with her. Because that's how adults should be.
Not a worthless piece of shit who blames his own shortcomings and takes out his anger on his helpless daughter.
Seriously, if he ever showed his face...
... Ahem...
Now was probably a good time to change the subject. I had all the information I needed, after all.
"Yeah, I understand. Now uh, I think we should talk about something a bit more light-hearted," I chuckled, "Heck, your freaking accent got lighter!"
"Yea, that happens sometimes when I have to talk about somethin'... serious. And, heh, ye can say that again, lad," He agreed with a deep breath, heavy accent back in full force, "What else d'ya want covered, eh?"
"A few things."
"Well, don't keep me waitin', lad."
And I wouldn't.
"So, as a parent, it's my job to make sure she's happy and healthy, watch over her, teach her stuff, make sure she has everything she needs to live, all of that. Anyone can understand that. But, is there anything else that I should be doing to be a good parent?" I asked, "I don't really know exactly what I could do to, for example, help make her happy."
"I don't think ye need to do anythin' special to make her happy, lad. Just bein' with ya makes her happy enough. So, just be yerself. Do what ye'd normally do. Ya don't need to go out o' yer way for anythin'," He answered, "But, while we're on this topic, I'd reccomend getting more things for yer spaceship, seeing as that's probably gonna be yer main residence for the far future," He said, "After all, it's pretty peckin' empty in there, lad. Do ye even have a couch? A table? A real telephone? Because as much as I love those old western-style phones, they aren't very practical nowadays. So, d'ya have any o' that?"
"Uh... not really," I replied, "Well, I'm sure the spaceship is full of computers, but a personal computer? Like, to go on the internet and stuff? I don't think so. A telephone, well, what use is a telephone in a spaceship? They're not meant to be permanent residences, they're meant to travel across the cosmos, and you're meant to have an actual place set up on your homeworld so you don't have to live on the spaceship."
"Ah... right, cause they're meant to be vehicles, like a car, or a train," He muttered.
"I suppose our spaceship is more like a camper van," I chuckled, "And about furniture, well, we don't have any real furniture, 'cause Hailey said that it has to be anchored to the ship, and that's a real nasty process. One that she never had time for, or any real reason to bother with."
"To keep it from bangin' around, makes sense. I've had to anchor a few things in me train, too, I know just how pecking awful it is!" He muttered, "And it's probably worse for ye, cause how would ye even get anythin' up there?"
"I'm sure DJ Grooves would help us out," I replied, "He has a ship of his own, after all."
"Ah, good thinkin'," He approved, "And by getting more things for ye spaceship, ye'll get more things for ye and the lass to do up there, too. Although, it's a shame ye got no backyard up there in space. Havin' one opens up so many more things to do from home!"
"Last time I had one was when I used to live with my parents as a kid," I said, "That was so long ago... I really miss having one."
"Ya know, lad, if ye wanted ta, ye could buy a house down here once ye got the money. It'd save ye a lot of headache," He suggested.
"I've already considered that, and I talked to the kid about it, but we don't feel that it's necessary. What would we even do with the spaceship, then?" I countered, "Bring it down to the planet? But then where would we keep it? It's huge! Is there really anywhere we could put something that big that wouldn't either be completely impractical, or sticking out like a sore thumb? I don't think so. And if we keep it up in space? Well, then we need to keep a Time Piece on us all the time to get back up there, which partially defeats the purpose of buying a house down there in the first place, and I don't like the idea of keeping the spaceship and the Time Pieces unsupervised for long periods of time. Granted, the spaceship is nearly indestructible, and the Time Piece vault basically unbreachable, but it still unsettles me. And Hailey would probably hate it, too."
I shook my head, thinking of more reasons to explain just how bad of an idea it was.
"And even if that wasn't a problem... where would we even go? We only know two cities, one town, and one village in this whole planet," I explained,
"And what's wrong with 'em?" He asked.
I began to count off with my hand: "Mafia Town is too tricky to navigate for me to want to permanently live there, neither of us would want to live on the moon, same thing for that cat city, and Alpine Skyline falls under the same boat as Mafia Town, being too tricky to navigate, while also being completely cut off from the rest of the world, so it'd require a massive change in lifestyle if we chose to live there."
"Well, if ye wanted, me or Grooves could find a real estate agent for ya," He suggested, "Think o' the benefits, lad! It'd be much easier it'd be for people to visit ye. No spaceship, steam cannon, magic powers, Time Piece, or whatever else required, just a wee bit o' normal transportation! Think o' how much easier it'd be to go shoppin' for everything ye need. How much room and freedom to move it'd give ya, and give Hailey. Ye can't even go outside on yer spaceship! Yer tellin' me it doesn't ever get claustrophobic up there? And lastly, I'm sure ye could figure out somethin' with yer spaceship. Maybe ye could keep it at the studio, eh?"
Wow. He was really set on this.
"Maybe, but I don't see why it's worth the hassle," I denied, "And we've got enough to deal with right now as is."
"Well, I didn't say to do it right now, lad."
I pressed my hands to my temples, feeling irritation rising from his persistence.
Why did he have to be so stubborn about this...?
It was extremely annoying, because I knew he wasn't exactly wrong, either. No, he was completely justified. So I couldn't just straight up say 'no' and be done with it.
I sighed. There'd be no convincing him, not right now.
"I'll tell you what:" I grumbled, "We can have a thorough discussion about this later, once Hailey is here to talk, too. 'Cause she'll be able to weight the benefits and drawbacks better than I can, and... sorry, but I really don't want to deal with this right now."
"Oh, I didn't mean to stress ye out, lad... well, alright then, we'll talk about that later," He responded, "Just think about it, eh?"
I sighed. I already knew he wouldn't take no for an answer here.
"Alright, fine, I will... again," I complied with a groan.
"Good. Now... where were we?" He chuckled.
Oh, right...
... There was still one thing that concerned me, and it might've been just as dreadful as the other concern I had.
"I... I have one last question."
"Shoot, lad," He invited.
...I probably shouldn't have saved this for last... but too late now.
I took a deep breath and looked down, too afraid to look at Conductor head on.
"I... I don't think this would happen... but... what should I do if she freaks out at me, and says something... really harsh? She's gotten close to snapping at me before... heck, she even threatened to knock me unconscious once. I... don't know how I would deal with that."
He was silent, except for a deep sigh.
"Back to the depressin' questions, huh?" He sighed, "Well, lad, if she somehow gets angry enough that she says somethin' disrespectful to ye... try not to let it get to ye. As we've both said before: she may be independent for her age, but she's still a wee lass. Children say things they don't mean, they tend to speak before they have time to think. Especially when they're worked up over somethin'. If that happens... just give her space to calm down and think about everythin', and I'm sure she'll apologize later."
He then threw his wing up into the air in an teacherly manner.
"However! Nothin' gets a child quite as upset as gettin' in trouble for somethin' that they feel is unfair and not their fault. So, if that's how it started, then ye pecked up, and ye'd better own up to it."
... That didn't make me feel any better.
I mean, it was good advice, but...
I knew I wouldn't just be able to shrug it off if she-
"... Yer probably thinkin' that ye can't just pretend it never happened if she says something awful to ye, eh?"
-What?
How did he just read my mind? To such precision, too?
...
I already knew full well how. He'd been through the same thing before, after all.
I nodded.
"Heh, I thought so. Well, lad, it'll always get to ye a little bit, and that's a good thing. Just don't work yerself up over it. Remember that, if it happens, she doesn't mean it, and that it'll turn out alright in the end. Got it?" He assured me.
I took a deep breath and nodded.
"Alright! So that's everything ye needed, right?" He asked.
"I can't exactly think of anything else. And if I do, I can always ask later. Or who knows, maybe Zena can help me, too," I mused, "She's really good with kids, after all. Well, if how much Hailey loves her is any hint."
"Heh. Well, I'll be honest, lad, I was expecting to be here all day," He chuckled, "But it seems that ye actually know what yer doin' somewhat!"
Seriously?
"Wow, thanks, I'm happy to know you believed in me this whole time," I grumbled.
He just laughed.
Oh yeah, while I was here...
"On another note, we should probably set up another time to start recording. This time there should be no interruptions or no-shows," I said.
"Well, we wouldn't wanna take ye away from yer lover while she's recoverin'," He denied.
"Zena said she doesn't want her injury to get in the way of mine and Hailey's lives. She'd feel bad if I turned this down because she got hurt," I explained, "And besides, it's not like we have to spend all day recording. Just a couple hours per day wouldn't hurt."
He put a wing to his chin and let out a thoughtful groan.
"Alright. Tomorrow, then?" He suggested.
"Well... I did promise Zena that I'd spend more time with her tomorrow, because I had to leave really soon today," I muttered, "What about the day after?"
"Sure, laddy," He agreed.
"Do you want a set time?" I asked.
"Lad, do ye even know how time works on this planet?" He chuckled, "Do ye even know what day o' the week it is?"
Oh.
How did that NEVER cross my mind that I had no idea how time passed here?
Hell, how did the kid even know it was her birthday? Did her planet's calendar have a way to not fall apart in space?
"I... uh... no," I admitted, "But it's not my fault I haven't seen a single frickin' clock or calendar anywhere on this planet!"
He laughed.
"That's what I thought! Perhaps that's another thing I can help the two o' ya with, eh?" He responded with a smirk, "So, just show up whenever ye want. We'll do our best to prepare until then."
"Alright," I replied, "Well, that's everything. You gonna show me the way outta here now?"
He nodded and stood up. I stood up as well.
He stretched, and let out a tired groan.
"I'm gettin' tired of having to do this every time," He grumbled, "Too much walkin' for this ol' bird. I'll see if I can get some maps installed throughout the studio so ye can figure out the way on yer own."
"That'd be nice," I approved.
"Well, let's get this over with. Come on, lad."
He opened the door, and we walked out.
A lot of walking and elevator-taking later, and we were back at the reception.
"Ey! Receptionist!" Conductor shouted, "Get someone to install some maps down there so I can stop having to be a guide!"
"I'm surprised it took you that long to ask," The receptionist muttered from behind a newspaper. It was the only sign that he even heard him.
I turned to Conductor.
"Well, thanks for the advice, Conductor," I said, "It's gonna help a lot."
"Eh, I'm just glad I can pass on my wisdom to someone," He dismissed, "Ye got anythin' else to do today?"
"I have one more stop to make," I answered, "It should be fairly short."
"And then it's back to yer gal?" He asked very quietly.
I briefly wondered why he was so quiet there, when he was usually the loudest person in the room.
But then I had a huge realization.
He didn't want anyone overhearing that I had a lover.
But that wasn't the huge realization, that only led to it. Why wouldn't he want anyone to know that I had a lover now, you ask?
Well, think about it. Me and Hailey were stars, after all. MEGAstars. With millions of fans. Now that I thought about it, it was a miracle that the two of us were never swarmed by paparazzi whenever we went down to the Moon.
But I knew that was a very fragile peace. Or maybe it was just an illusion, and we only got lucky.
Either way, imagine the CHAOS that would ensue after the media learning I had a romantic partner. They'd eventually find out who it is, and then Zena wouldn't be able to show her face around any bird-populated areas. And probably not me or Hailey, either, 'cause if there wasn't gonna be paparazzi before, there would be after.
Media LOVES celebrity romance, after all.
I sighed. Yeah. That couldn't be allowed to happen.
"Nah, I said I'd let her and Hailey some time to be alone together," I replied to Conductor's question just as quietly, "To talk about stuff that they wouldn't be comfortable with me hearing and whatever. I never really gave them that chance before, so..."
"Ah, that's fair," He muttered, "Well, I won't take any more of yer time. Go get yer errands done, lad."
I nodded and walked towards the door.
"See you in two days," I said with a wave.
"Ye'd better show up this time, lad," He warned.
I smirked. I knew it was an empty threat, but I'd heed it anyway.
"We will," I assured him.
"I know. Have a good one, lad," He replied with a wave.
I waved once more and exited the building, returning to the spaceship afterward.
Now that I had Conductor's wisdom on my side, I felt more than ready to be the father figure Hailey needed and deserved.
Well, it was still going to be a learning experience, that was a given. But at least now I had what I needed to make it as smooth of a process as possible.
I promised Hailey I'd show her what a father is supposed to be like.
And that was a promise I was going to damn well keep.
A/N: Whew, glad that's over. I really didn't enjoy writing that chapter.
Talking about such realistic issues is such a buzzkill when the game this is based off of is so fantastical.
But, well, it had to happen. And now it doesn't have to happen again!
And... dammit, Conductor, don't tease the poor man! He's been teased enough to last a lifetime.
Review time:
EverAudity (Did you change your username or something?): All I'll say is this:
Yes.
... Well, on that slightly peculiar note, time to wrap up this chapter.
Next chapter... uhhhhhhhhhh...
Yeah, I don't really have a clue, haha. I guess we'll see what fate has in store.
See you later.