Chapter Eight: Moving Along
Neos sat down at the desk, shuffling papers about in a seemingly random motion. In fact, it WAS random. He sighed, dropped the papers to the desk, and stood up, turning around and looking out the window.
There was a knock at the door. He looked over his shoulder, then back out the window.
"Enter."
Peter Animus stepped in, dressed casually, shorts and undershirt, with a smile that still managed to convey sadness.
"Hey, Neos. What's up?"
Neos turned, "Hey, Pete. I was just… uh… working."
"Really, working? My father had a lot of faith in you, leaving you in charge."
Neos sighed. It had been two weeks since Lee's death. Miles had decided to take a vacation of sorts a few days ago, and he left Neos in charge, with Peter as the second-in-command. Pete had been slightly upset over the decision, but had adjusted very quickly.
Pete plopped a small folder on Neos' desk, "Your schedule, mano."
Neos picked up the folder and flipped through the papers inside, "Great…."
"Yes, it's kind of simple, for today."
Neos sighed, "A talk with the underclassmen?"
"Yeah… well…"
"Whatever." Neos placed the folder back on the desk and looked out the window again. "You know… I like this scenery."
"Balamb?"
"Yeah, I kinda like being parked here. Never did like moving all that time, disconcerting… no predictability. Predictability can be a good thing…"
"Whatever."
Neos grinned, "You sound like my father."
"Oh, Hyne! Not that!"
Neos laughed, "Alright, let's get this schedule going."
Peter sighed, "Well, you've got three hours until that happens, and nothing in-between… so…"
"So, go, have some fun."
Pete smiled, "Right, and you?"
Neos nodded slowly, "I dunno."
***
Peter walked slowly around the library, shuffling through books he hadn't read yet, silently wishing that they would get something new in the library. He sighed, took a turn around the corner of the bookshelf and smashed right into Julia Leonheart. They both stepped back a second, and Julia gave a weak smile, before trying to walk on. Peter stepped in her way.
"Julia, how ya doing?"
"Peter."
She tried to sidestep him, "Julia, where you been? You've been avoiding us or something since the TV Station."
"Well…"
"Julia. It… happens."
"I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about."
"Julia… I know it's tough on you. You had to do what you did, and there's no shame in it."
"Peter… I…"
"You know you can talk to me, right? Your brother is there, too. We're all here for you."
"I just…"
"C'mon." Pete ushered her to a small, abandoned corner of the library, and sat her down. He pulled up a chair across from her, and they stared at each other for a moment.
"Peter. Every time I close my eyes, I see it in my mind. My bullet ripping through that man's body. It haunts me."
He reached across the table and held her hands, "We all remember the first kill. It haunts all of us. Unfortunately, killing gets easier each time you do it."
"You mean…?"
"That's right, you ain't the only one terrified by it. I remember my first, bet you that your brother does. We all do."
She gave him another weak smile, "Peter…"
"How about you go get some sleep? You look like you could use it."
Then his radio went off.
***
Neos sat down in a chair in front of the small class of children, he smiled to them all. The kids were young, under eight. The rows of faces smiled back at him, and he took a look.
-Cute kids.-
The rosy cheeks, and the bright eyes all stuck out individually from each other, and from a second, he was tempted to laugh with pleasure at the image, but quickly stuck to the script, and gave them a rousing speech on the future, and how working hard was the key to success.
Afterwards, the teacher thanked him, and he said his goodbyes, and began to make his exit. He felt a tug on his shirt, and looked down, where a small boy was holding on. Neos gave a slight grin and crouched down.
"Hey, what's up, kiddo?"
The child rubbed his hands and looked around, and then at Neos, "Is your daddy ever going to come?"
Neos almost frowned, but kept his smile, "Well… I don't know. He comes around every once in a while. I'm sure you'll see him. I promise you'll see him."
The kid was satisfied, and ran off. Neos stood up, and turned to the exit, where Peter was standing, with an exceptionally grim look on his face.
***
"Whaddya mean, situation?"
Peter shook his head as they briskly paced down the hall, "I don't know, dad was real panicky on the phone. He blabbed something about a threat, about Alex, about a whole buncha stuff, and then said Balamb and hung up."
"Okay, get everything ready to deploy to Balamb, get to it, now."
Peter turned, and Neos grabbed him, "Hang on, buddy. When you're done, get back to my office with contact info with every buddy we've got in Balamb."
"What are you gonna do?"
"I'm gonna call your dad. Did he leave a way to contact him?"
"He was calling from a train, I don't know."
"Okay. I'll do my damndest, get to it."
Neos sat down at the desk, shuffling papers about in a seemingly random motion. In fact, it WAS random. He sighed, dropped the papers to the desk, and stood up, turning around and looking out the window.
There was a knock at the door. He looked over his shoulder, then back out the window.
"Enter."
Peter Animus stepped in, dressed casually, shorts and undershirt, with a smile that still managed to convey sadness.
"Hey, Neos. What's up?"
Neos turned, "Hey, Pete. I was just… uh… working."
"Really, working? My father had a lot of faith in you, leaving you in charge."
Neos sighed. It had been two weeks since Lee's death. Miles had decided to take a vacation of sorts a few days ago, and he left Neos in charge, with Peter as the second-in-command. Pete had been slightly upset over the decision, but had adjusted very quickly.
Pete plopped a small folder on Neos' desk, "Your schedule, mano."
Neos picked up the folder and flipped through the papers inside, "Great…."
"Yes, it's kind of simple, for today."
Neos sighed, "A talk with the underclassmen?"
"Yeah… well…"
"Whatever." Neos placed the folder back on the desk and looked out the window again. "You know… I like this scenery."
"Balamb?"
"Yeah, I kinda like being parked here. Never did like moving all that time, disconcerting… no predictability. Predictability can be a good thing…"
"Whatever."
Neos grinned, "You sound like my father."
"Oh, Hyne! Not that!"
Neos laughed, "Alright, let's get this schedule going."
Peter sighed, "Well, you've got three hours until that happens, and nothing in-between… so…"
"So, go, have some fun."
Pete smiled, "Right, and you?"
Neos nodded slowly, "I dunno."
***
Peter walked slowly around the library, shuffling through books he hadn't read yet, silently wishing that they would get something new in the library. He sighed, took a turn around the corner of the bookshelf and smashed right into Julia Leonheart. They both stepped back a second, and Julia gave a weak smile, before trying to walk on. Peter stepped in her way.
"Julia, how ya doing?"
"Peter."
She tried to sidestep him, "Julia, where you been? You've been avoiding us or something since the TV Station."
"Well…"
"Julia. It… happens."
"I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about."
"Julia… I know it's tough on you. You had to do what you did, and there's no shame in it."
"Peter… I…"
"You know you can talk to me, right? Your brother is there, too. We're all here for you."
"I just…"
"C'mon." Pete ushered her to a small, abandoned corner of the library, and sat her down. He pulled up a chair across from her, and they stared at each other for a moment.
"Peter. Every time I close my eyes, I see it in my mind. My bullet ripping through that man's body. It haunts me."
He reached across the table and held her hands, "We all remember the first kill. It haunts all of us. Unfortunately, killing gets easier each time you do it."
"You mean…?"
"That's right, you ain't the only one terrified by it. I remember my first, bet you that your brother does. We all do."
She gave him another weak smile, "Peter…"
"How about you go get some sleep? You look like you could use it."
Then his radio went off.
***
Neos sat down in a chair in front of the small class of children, he smiled to them all. The kids were young, under eight. The rows of faces smiled back at him, and he took a look.
-Cute kids.-
The rosy cheeks, and the bright eyes all stuck out individually from each other, and from a second, he was tempted to laugh with pleasure at the image, but quickly stuck to the script, and gave them a rousing speech on the future, and how working hard was the key to success.
Afterwards, the teacher thanked him, and he said his goodbyes, and began to make his exit. He felt a tug on his shirt, and looked down, where a small boy was holding on. Neos gave a slight grin and crouched down.
"Hey, what's up, kiddo?"
The child rubbed his hands and looked around, and then at Neos, "Is your daddy ever going to come?"
Neos almost frowned, but kept his smile, "Well… I don't know. He comes around every once in a while. I'm sure you'll see him. I promise you'll see him."
The kid was satisfied, and ran off. Neos stood up, and turned to the exit, where Peter was standing, with an exceptionally grim look on his face.
***
"Whaddya mean, situation?"
Peter shook his head as they briskly paced down the hall, "I don't know, dad was real panicky on the phone. He blabbed something about a threat, about Alex, about a whole buncha stuff, and then said Balamb and hung up."
"Okay, get everything ready to deploy to Balamb, get to it, now."
Peter turned, and Neos grabbed him, "Hang on, buddy. When you're done, get back to my office with contact info with every buddy we've got in Balamb."
"What are you gonna do?"
"I'm gonna call your dad. Did he leave a way to contact him?"
"He was calling from a train, I don't know."
"Okay. I'll do my damndest, get to it."
