Keep Tryin'
All Characters are owned by Konami. I own nothing absolutely NOTHING at all and I do not hope to gain any profit from this. Set in an Alternate Universe…Sort of. All track titles from the album "ULTRA BLUE" are not owned by me too.
Thoughts
"Speech"
Chapter 2: This is Love
Normally Mueller's constant verbal abuse wouldn't affect Richard much, since he was so used to it. But somehow when it came to mentioning his father, Richard couldn't help but feel incredibly indebted to the older man. The result of this incurred so much guilt and obligation any person who knew them felt Richard was actually clinging on the Mueller solely due to the reason that he saved the boy from his abusive father, though everyone including Richard himself knew Mueller's treatment towards him was not far off from his own flesh and blood.
It was almost time for the three representatives of the Lindwurm Brigade Mercenary to meet their client. As profiled in the database, the man who hired them was a wealthy businessman from the town of Haud, famous for its strange and quirky art pieces that filled, or more suitably, littered the town. Earlier the trio was awakened by a strange brass instrument, neither a trumpet nor a trombone but something in-between. From the way it sounded, it was no wonder the trio woke up from their peaceful slumber.
"What in the world is that??!!"
"Damn just as I was in the middle of meeting a hot chick!"
"Uh…what is that?"
"Richard, do us a favor and please go and see what's making that terrible racket! I don't have enough sleep and I certainly don't need that to wake me up now!" Mueller grumbled as he rubbed the back of his head with the base of his palm with frustration and ferocity. Given no thought to the fuss from the day before, Mueller ordered Richard around as usual.
"Maybe if you didn't stay out so late yesterday you wouldn't have such a migraine." Wilheim knew Mueller stayed out of the inn ever since he shouted at Richard. It was in his personality to run away for awhile to calm his nerves down, whether he was angry with Richard or not. Being together ever since they were recruits, Wilheim knew almost everything about his partner. Wilheim observed Mueller under a microscope like a test specimen, if given a diary Wilhiem would have written in it till it wore off. That was how Wilheim was so renowned for his battle prowess. The difference between him and ordinary generals is that he somehow managed to gather all the subject's finer details and bind them into one whole range of classified opportunities to make use of them. And so he did the same with Richard everyday like clockwork not solely to find his weakness.
Richard returned back from the investigation earlier than expected. It was actually the sound of a strange musical instrument that the Haud artists created to replace the need for alarm clocks and roosters to wake them up. Apparently the rest of the town didn't mind the racket that was going on. Mueller grunted as he stormed out of the room yet again.
Richard and Wilhiem couldn't help but overhear the heated one-sided argument between the town's artists and Mueller. Crouching in fear, the artists watched helplessly as Mueller started tearing down the oddly shaped art pieces that littered the streets one after another without thinking if such an action would present any positive effect. Mueller was beyond frustrated and it began to look like he was doing it on purpose instead of displaying forced authority on the artists.
"That's enough I'm going down"
"I think its best to leave him…"
"No, I have got to drill it in that thick head of his that we're on a mission!"
Slightly taken back by Wilheim, Richard was surprised that he even bothered or remembered that they were on a mission. Usually Wilheim would do more "sightseeing", as he would put it, than helping out in the mission. Almost like a miracle Mueller got the job done most of the time even without Wilheim but seeing Wilheim talk like that it made Richard think twice about the older man.
I guess he isn't a "bum", as Mueller might put it, after all.
Soon after Richard noticed Wilheim restraining Mueller from destroying the art pieces from the room's window. Richard could vaguely hear Wilheim screaming out, telling Mueller to stop and listen to him. Mueller did finally stop after a few minutes of struggling to get away from Wilheim's grasp with a few complimenting vulgarities and for the very first time in Richard's experience with the two older men he saw Wilheim actually looking serious. Never once he saw the two older men stand face to face in a normal and adult conversation. Usually Mueller would just nag about Wilheim's behaviour during the mission and Wilheim would promptly brush it off with a sarcastic comment or two which always succeeded in making Richard smile.
Minutes into their heated argument the two started to get closer and began hushing words into each other's faces. And almost like dynamite they began pushing each other around screaming at the top of their lungs. But due to the overpowering noises that filled Haud, Richard could barely decipher what they were saying. Very quickly after a final push from Wilheim the man walked away from the now slightly agitated maniac who was tearing down art pieces.
Curious to know what had happened, Richard straightened himself as he heard heavy and quick footsteps stomping up the stairs. Wilheim swung the door open with Mueller blocking it with his right arm with amazing reflex. The atmosphere was far too heavy for Richard to say anything, much less question them about the fuss.
"Seriously I really don't care, do what you want." Mueller shouted with anger.
"I didn't expect you to. I just thought you were man enough to help me."
"Help you with what? Seriously I don't even know why you did it in the first place."
"Even amongst us, there are secrets and there is that tiny little space of privacy that I would like to have sometimes. I don't question you about your love life, if you have any that is."
"I don't go mating around like an animal, at the very least."
"Why you…heh doesn't matter. You said you'd let me do what I want? Okay then this time I'll go for the mission."
"Fine."
"Fine."
Mueller stormed out of the room once again as he left the two of them in the room. The atmosphere, although still heavy, gradually began to thin and disperse amongst the silence in the room. Finally free from the immense pressure, Richard took a risk a raised a daring question to Wilheim.
"What…were you arguing about?"
"Hmm? Oh nothing for you to worry about kid." Wilheim went on to ruffle the boy's hair affectionately. Shocked by the action, Richard exclaimed.
"I thought you gave up doing that a long time ago?"
"Well I just had a sudden spur of nostalgia. Why? Don't like it?"
"No! I mean…it's not whether I like it or not, its whether…"
"So you don't like it?"
"No…I mean yes…I mean……I guess I'm okay with it."
As a response, Wilheim gave Richard a bellowing laugh that almost seems to shake the glass on the windows. When Richard was still very young, Wilheim had a habit of calling him "kid" and then proceeding to ruffling his hair. Wilheim was the type of man who didn't know how to display affection by hugging or kissing so he figured this was the best way for a small child like Richard to understand and sure enough this simple display of attempted affection seemed to grow on the young boy. But over the years the number of times Wilheim performed this awkward ritual dwindled and at a point of time stopped eventually when Richard turned thirteen. This was also the time Wilheim stopped giving him presents and taught him the joys of manhood, whether Richard liked it or not.
"What's so funny?"
"You never change do you? You're just where I left you when you were thirteen, innocent and naïve. Guess my manhood teachings didn't get in your head, did it?"
"I thought you weren't serious."
"Ahh…but I was. I didn't want you to end up like that old croak. No woman and no pleasure."
"I don't think I'm ready…"
"But you know what?"
"What?"
"Don't change. I like it just the way you are."
Guess…I've got to keep trying.