Tattoos On My Mind
The Day She Didn't
Rhys stood frozen in the same spot he had been standing for the past two hours still caught up in the surreal nature of the situation that he found himself in. If any of the many dangers of Pandora decided to attack him at this moment he would not be able to react in time to defend himself and if he was being honest with himself a quick death was preferable given the circumstances. He clutched the object in his hand tighter, it was the same hat she had been wearing at their first meeting; he smiled briefly at the memory of that day, the day he became more than just another Hyperion suit, and it was all because of her.
"I should have been there," he said to the air as he continued to stare at the ground.
"You wanted me to be," he said with a sad smile. "Remember?"
It had been a day just like any other, Fiona was pouring over maps and other information related to vaults so that she could get a better idea of which direction she should be continuing her search. The Vault of the Traveler had been a bust but that didn't mean that there still weren't untold riches out there somewhere, she just had to find them. Rhys was watching from one corner of the room a large smile on his face at the sight of her so deep in thought and distracted by her work. He sipped his coffee and continued to watch silently not wanting to break her out of the daze she was in, she was cute when she was concentrating so hard on something.
"There," she said finally lifting her eyes from the map in front of her. "That's where we'll find the goods."
He came closer so that he could see where she was pointing, "Didn't you just check there last week?"
"Well yeah," she said with a slightly embarrassed tone. "There's got to be something there though, all of the information I've gathered says so."
"And you trust this information," he said skeptically.
"You never trust information 100 %, but this came from a reliable source so I'm inclined to believe it," she said.
"Athena," he said.
"Yes," she said while walking towards the door. "Now are you coming or what?"
She had that look in her eyes, that determined look that always made her look so self-assured. He had seen that look in her eyes many times before and once she got that look there was almost no stopping her. He was about to reluctantly say yes when he received a call from Vaughn.
"Hey bro," Vaughn started out. "We have a bit of a situation here and I could use your help."
"Why me," Rhys said.
"You know why you," Vaughn said. "Now are you gonna help or not?"
"Ugh fine," Rhys said after a short deliberation in his head. "I'll be there as fast as I can."
"Thanks bro," Vaughn said. "I owe you one."
"Sorry," Rhys said turning his attention back to Fiona. "I guess you'll have to go without me."
"That's ok," she said. "You'd probably just slow me down anyways."
"You wound me," he said showing mock offense.
"I'll be back as soon as I can," she said before leaning in to kiss him.
Had he known that that was the last kiss they would ever share he would have savored it longer, maybe done something special to commemorate the moment. Alas, it was nothing more than a short kiss before she headed out the door full of optimism for what she would find. While Rhys was slightly nervous about letting her go out on her own he knew that she could handle herself, after all she had gone out on her own plenty of times before and she always came back, until the day she didn't.
Bringing himself back to the present Rhys noticed the tears running down his face at the memory.
"You know what it was that Vaughn wanted," he said.
"It was stupid really," he continued after waiting for an answer that he knew wouldn't come. "There was a group of refugees ready to barge in, kill Vaughn, and take power for themselves all because they thought their living conditions weren't up to the standards they should have."
"Isn't that just the dumbest thing you've ever heard," he said again waiting for an answer that never came. "Even after everything they were still just as stuck up as they were when they were on the station."
"So I went and diffused the situation, told them they were being idiots," he continued. "And of course they listened because even with all of their fervor their hero worship still won out, it was so typical."
"I should have been there," he said repeating his earlier statement. "With you, protecting you."
"I know you would say that you didn't need protection," he continued. "But it just always made me feel better when I had your back."
He brought his head up to look at the sky still clutching her hat to his chest. Night was fast approaching and he knew that he would soon have to go back to a house that was noticeably emptier than it had been only a week earlier.
"You never did tell me where you got this hat," he said with a sigh. "I guess some things are better as a mystery."
He sat down and started rubbing the smooth rocks that marked the final resting place of his beloved Pandoran con artist. He brought the hat up to put it on his head. He had never really been a hat guy throughout his life and he knew that he didn't make it work like she did, but he just couldn't bring himself to let it go; the whole feeling of it on his head combined with the smell of her that still lingered made it feel like she was still right there with him.
"I love you Fiona," he said as he felt more tears welling up in his eyes. "And I always will."
He got up and began the slow walk back to the caravan slightly disappointed that none of Pandora's dangers had paid him a visit during his reverie. He would continue coming back the next few days, she deserved that much, but his plans for vengeance would occupy him for a while after that. He wasn't even sure who it was that he should be seeking vengeance against, but whoever it was had no idea what was about to hit them.
So I was actually planning something a little more lighthearted but this just sort of happened. Maybe I should stop listening to sad/emotional alternative rock songs while I'm writing. I was actually getting emotional in the middle of writing this, but I hope I didn't crush your soul too much. Maybe I'll write something about him getting his vengeance in the near future. Anyways I hope you liked it and hopefully the next one won't be this sad.