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Chapter 2: Reunion
Chryse, Mars. May 30th, PD 332
Talbert's was thankfully busy - the last thing Ride wanted was a bar that was too quiet and had no crowds to hide in - and he gradually moved his way inside. It wasn't much, just four walls built on the site of an abandoned fuel silo with the bar itself taking up the majority of the far wall and a random assortment of tables and seats scattered around without rhyme or reason, all sparsely-lit. Most of the patrons were industrial workers, but there were some city folk mixed in there too. Someone had found a greenball game and bolted it to the left wall near the bathroom, where a group of four businessmen sans jackets drunkenly echoed the double-chime and cheered their small victory. Otherwise, conversations were mutters and smatters of laughter, and he didn't recognize any voices.
He eventually emerged at the bar and propped his back against it. While he began to scout the room he ordered a cactus frisker - the only cheap non-alcoholic mixed drink he knew about - so as not to seem inconspicuous, and paid in advance in case his information was incorrect and the trip a waste. The moment the lime-colored drink was set by his elbow was the moment Ride spotted him at the far right end of the bar, and he began to force his way over.
Seeing Eugene in real life was different than seeing him on the news as Kudelia's shadow a few days ago, particularly here in Chryse where their mutual history felt fresher than ever. Ride's throat threatened to close. He hadn't been in touch with anyone from Tekkadan outside of his team for five years and that fact made him want to forget everything he was here to do, either to turn around right now before he was seen or give in and go back to the fold. But he swallowed, reminded himself that it was too late to shut the door, and kept walking. If there was anyone in the world that'd know where Artima was, it'd be Eugene.
"Grew your hair out," Ride said to announce himself and stopped a stool down. He set his drink on the bar.
It wasn't much of a ponytail - the curl of it disappeared behind Eugene's collar as his head turned in Ride's direction. His eyes widened. He put down his drink and immediately stood, grabbed him in a fierce hug. Now that Ride himself had grown to 5'10 it felt even stranger to not be on his toes, or not have his hair ruffled. The strangest part was how Eugene didn't say anything right away. It was only after a long moment and he'd released him that he held him by the shoulder and searched his face, then smiled, said, "Was wonderin' when you'd turn up. Grew like a weed, didn't ya?" His hand dropped and he sat back down.
"A bit, yeah," he said and allowed himself a smile. He braced himself for the quizzing, had to admit to being only half prepared for it now that he was looking Eugene in the eye and the weight of the years apart was back front and center.
He'd gotten some sun and the faintest of worry lines on his forehead, but the sparkle was still in his green eyes. Slight stubble. Nondescript black suit. Looked like what Ride thought a twenty-two year-old working man would look like - that and the fact he seemed to have grown into his features made Ride feel small again. Ride tried not to look at Eugene's red tie - possibly the same one from the old days - and instead noted that his slump suggested tiredness.
"Long day?" He laughed inwardly, sardonically. Surely their entire lives consisted of one long day at this point.
Eugene guffawed. "That's the first thing you say to me after, what, five years? Six?" He seemed to realize Ride's awkwardness and said, "Yeah. Just got here today with Kudelia. She's gotta have some privacy at some point so when she's out with Atra I stay in town."
Ride feigned ignorance of that information. "How's the gig?"
He shrugged. "Liked it more than I thought I would. Guess it suits me. Kudelia's probably the best boss you could have, too, so that helps."
"How is she?" Ride sat, sipped his drink. It was awful and he put it aside. "She and Atra got married, right?"
"Sure did. They're good. Seem to have fallen precisely where they needed to be, y'know? They're doing great at the whole mom thing."
Ride wasn't sure what to ask next, and quiet spun between them. There weren't any more diversions. On the other side of the room, the group of businessmen let out a burst of laughter and yells and started clapping each other on the back.
At length Eugene said, "Don't wanna scare you off, so no, I'm not gonna ask. I'll just say it's good to see you. But I will say that I'm surprised you found me of all people, and knew where to find me. Should I be flattered, or…?"
Ride turned his glass in its water ring, rubbed the condensation between his fingers. "It's good to see you too. I mean it. I can't talk about the rest right now but yeah, I mean that. I came to find you because…" He sighed. "I actually wanted to find Miss Artima. Thought maybe you'd know where she was."
Eugene resettled on his stool and hid a halfhearted smile behind his drink. "What made you think that?" He sipped at the short tumbler, full of a clear alcohol Ride couldn't begin to guess at.
"I'm not stupid. Come on, everybody knew."
"Knew what?"
"Y'know."
Eugene raised his eyebrows and the smile grew to one of the old, mischievous smirks. "Can't say I do."
Ride nudged his shin implicitly with a foot. "That you two were together, or however you want to put it."
"Were those the rumors? Huh. Well. Sorry to disappoint but we weren't." He faced the bar and set his beer down. The good humor drifted from his face.
Ride hesitated, then said, "You liked her though, and you can't lie about that. I thought if anybody knew where she was, it'd be you. Because we both know she's not dead."
"Why do you want to find her?" Eugene's voice was an indifferent, critical.
"Can't say."
Eugene eyed him with something approaching a scowl, then let it go. "I don't know where she is."
"Seriously?" Ride deflated. "But…" he wasn't sure how to articulate it.
Eugene seemed to detect this. He spoke lowly, "Believe me, every day part of me wishes I knew. But the thing is, I have faith that she'll come to me when she's ready." Ride must have had a confused expression without realizing, because Eugene spotted it and smiled forgivingly again. "You'll get it when you're older."
"I am older," Ride bristled. If only you knew the things I've done -
"Yeah I know, but I mean you'll get it when you…" he trailed off, decided not to finish and took a longer sip of beer.
Ride calmed. When you fall in love, he finished for him. It was an uncomfortable but illuminating realization about his former deputy boss. He recognized that even if Eugene had known where Artima was, he probably wouldn't have told him. He could see that in his face without ever having experienced it for himself. "So...you haven't seen her for years?" He resisted adding a derogatory comment.
Eugene tipped a finger in his direction in agreement. "Not since Gjallarhorn attacked the base and Kheree saved me. But then, that wasn't really seeing her." He swirled the remains of his drink. "You'll probably find this out anyway so I may as well tell you: Orga originally sent her away to an organization called Avrias. We can probably safely guess she came from there to help us, back then. That's all I can offer you."
"Thanks," Ride muttered. "So...if I find her, do you want me to -"
"Nah. Like I said, she'll find me." Eugene drained his drink and set the glass on the bar with a satisfying clack. One hand propped his arm up on his leg as he looked at him, "So, you staying? Or taking off again?"
"I can't stay. Sorry." Ride glanced around the room, checking the roster of faces that'd been here when he'd arrived.
"That's a shame. We miss you and the others. Are they still with you?"
Ride figured there was no harm in admitting it. "Derma, Trow, Hirume, and Embi, yeah." Ride stood. "It's been good seeing you. Thanks for the information."
"I'll walk you out. I'm ready to get some shut-eye anyway."
Ride would have rathered he left alone, but didn't say anything. Eugene paid his tab and exchanged a couple of familiar words with the bartender, and then the two of them shuffled their way through the other patrons and out into the night. Talbert's was on the outer edge of Chryse but even here, Ride could see how the city had fleshed out and matured since he was here last. There were more civilian vehicles and establishments, street lighting with pedestrians in mind, better signs. It looked like a place to live rather than to wage war.
"Where are you staying?" Ride asked to fill the silence, and in case it was useful information later. They stopped on the streetcorner.
"Heard about Nobliss," Eugene said abruptly, the pretense gone from his face. He turned on his heel to face Ride. "Suddenly tracking me down to find Artima wouldn't have anything to do with that, would it?"
"What makes you think that?"
"If you've done something stupid -"
"Why would getting revenge for Orga be stupid?" Ride surged.
"Because it's not just you that it impacts," Eugene surged back. "It's bad enough that you involve the other boys...and Ride, I care about you, you know that, but you gotta understand - if you find her, and you involve her too in whatever it is you're up to, you can be your ass I'll be pissed. I don't know if I'll be able to forgive you." His eyes were hard.
This new brand of threat made Ride's skin prickle. All he could do was shrug under its weight. "If I find her. And if she decides to help." It really was all hypothetical, he had to admit, no matter how desperate he was.
Eugene glowered. "What're you up to?"
"Finishing it," Ride said, looking at the ground.
"You think that's what Orga wanted for you? You think that's why Mika and the others died? If you keep on doing this you'll wind up dead and I for one refuse to stand here and watch you throw away what you were given." Eugene pushed past him and crossed the street without looking back. He vanished around a corner.
Ride's shoulders relaxed gradually and he took a deep breath, released it. He blinked and looked around him, analyzing it afresh, and then started walking. Like a lodestone was in his body, he headed southwest toward the Tekakdan grave despite the darkness. He'd only given 'morning' as an ETA to Derma for their rendezvous in the city, so he had some time.
He's right of course. I know I'll probably wind up dead. I know Orga only wanted a peaceful, stable life for all of us but I couldn't live with myself if I didn't see this through to the end. And Eugene will just have to be pissed with me if Miss Artima decides to help - she's older than us anyway, so it's her decision. She can say no. God I hope she doesn't say no.
It took him about forty-five minutes to make it out of the city canyon, down the service roads to the fields, and from there up the hill where the grave stood sentry over the dark patchwork of Sakura Farm. Next to the main house was another, smaller one he didn't recognize with one light on in the upper floor, which he guessed to be Atra and Kudelia's house. Ride turned off his flashlight and stared at it for a few moments, then turned away. He sat tiredly in front of the grave and placed his forehead against the cool stone; he stared down at the flowers someone - probably the girls - had planted around it. One hand moved slowly over the names and he realized that at some point the stone had been repolished and all of the names carved properly, so he didn't have their placement memorized anymore. He traced them with his fingertips to try to relearn.
A carrier passing overhead brought him out of his distraction; he traced its path to the airfield on the other side of Chryse. He pulled himself to his feet and stretched. Avrias, then.
