*** Chapter Four: No Mountain High Enough, No River Wide Enough to Keep me from Gettin' to you, Babe.
"How long have you been searching for me?" Citan and the girl had seated themselves and were catching up.
"Not as long as you might think. I had gone on with my life after you left, and hadn't really thought about you until I found all this." She motioned toward the items on the big, bright bandanna which were placed on the ground before them.
"Where did it all come from?" Citan picked up an old compass and inspected it.
"Half from a friend, half from the black market. Someone said you were dead, came in, stole some things, and later sold them, I guess."
"Who said I was dead?"
"Well, Kahr-san did. He had returned for a while right after Sigurd and Jessiah left..."
"Why would he say that? I did nothing cruel to him..."
"I'm almost sure it was pure jealousy. Cain loved you..."
"Do not remind me..." Citan hung his head at the memory. He resumed picking through the items before him.
"I thought it was best if-"
"I pondered as to where this bugger went! Sigu-chan will love to see this again!" He said happily, picking up a medium-sized bright green plastic squirt-gun. He put it up to his eye, jumped up, and made childish war noises.
His companion face-faulted, and came up laughing. "So, you did reunite with Sig-kun. I should have known."
Citan looked sheepish and smiled at the truth.
^/^/^/^
"What?" The stranger asked again. Bart began to doubt his confidence.
"I, uh, want to know where you're from, to uh, be in this God-forsaken town." He replied, gradually winning back his balls.
"Why the hell should I tell you?"
"I hear you're lookin' for someone special..."
The man looked him up and down. "Not interested, pirate-boy."
"No, dammit, I mean I might know that chick you're looking for, if you can give me some information."
The man eyed him for the third time, a lock of sapphire hair falling from underneath his black hood. "I almost believe you."
"Alright, that's it!" Bart jumped up and confronted the man full on. "Look, it's because of you that me and my brother got our pissed asses dragged back to this anthill, and I want some goddamn JUSTICE!"
The man leaped up. "Justice, /justice/?! Justice is having you sister ripped away from you when you were six years old! Justice is never knowing if your mother was going to kiss you goodnight or slit your throat! Justice is growing up in a different era! /That/, you pompus-assed 'prince' is your bloody justice." The man sat back down, looking as if he were going to shatter the glass he was holding.
Bart opened his mouth to retort, closed it and hung his head. "Shit." The bar door slammed shut behind him.
"How long have you been searching for me?" Citan and the girl had seated themselves and were catching up.
"Not as long as you might think. I had gone on with my life after you left, and hadn't really thought about you until I found all this." She motioned toward the items on the big, bright bandanna which were placed on the ground before them.
"Where did it all come from?" Citan picked up an old compass and inspected it.
"Half from a friend, half from the black market. Someone said you were dead, came in, stole some things, and later sold them, I guess."
"Who said I was dead?"
"Well, Kahr-san did. He had returned for a while right after Sigurd and Jessiah left..."
"Why would he say that? I did nothing cruel to him..."
"I'm almost sure it was pure jealousy. Cain loved you..."
"Do not remind me..." Citan hung his head at the memory. He resumed picking through the items before him.
"I thought it was best if-"
"I pondered as to where this bugger went! Sigu-chan will love to see this again!" He said happily, picking up a medium-sized bright green plastic squirt-gun. He put it up to his eye, jumped up, and made childish war noises.
His companion face-faulted, and came up laughing. "So, you did reunite with Sig-kun. I should have known."
Citan looked sheepish and smiled at the truth.
^/^/^/^
"What?" The stranger asked again. Bart began to doubt his confidence.
"I, uh, want to know where you're from, to uh, be in this God-forsaken town." He replied, gradually winning back his balls.
"Why the hell should I tell you?"
"I hear you're lookin' for someone special..."
The man looked him up and down. "Not interested, pirate-boy."
"No, dammit, I mean I might know that chick you're looking for, if you can give me some information."
The man eyed him for the third time, a lock of sapphire hair falling from underneath his black hood. "I almost believe you."
"Alright, that's it!" Bart jumped up and confronted the man full on. "Look, it's because of you that me and my brother got our pissed asses dragged back to this anthill, and I want some goddamn JUSTICE!"
The man leaped up. "Justice, /justice/?! Justice is having you sister ripped away from you when you were six years old! Justice is never knowing if your mother was going to kiss you goodnight or slit your throat! Justice is growing up in a different era! /That/, you pompus-assed 'prince' is your bloody justice." The man sat back down, looking as if he were going to shatter the glass he was holding.
Bart opened his mouth to retort, closed it and hung his head. "Shit." The bar door slammed shut behind him.