Chapter 2 - He Has Some Regrets

Ruben looked out the window of his apartment. Given a fantastic view of Olive City's harbor, he had more than enough reason to admire it but these days, it's been his boon. With increasing work at the port, it left him little free time to think for himself. Thankfully, today was the one of two days of the week he didn't work, leaving him time to think.

"Lily..." he looked down at the yearbook on the table. The picture of her in the book was one of a plainly dressed sneasel with a ribbon around her left ear, at the base of her feather. Her smile was tiny, like her height compared to other sneasel, but he knew it wasn't because of size but of trouble in her life in general, from what he pieced together. "She's still the same now... at least, underneath that tough exterior."

He thought back on Lily and the prison. His first meeting with her was emotional to say the least but uplifting at the end for both parties- and Caleb. Otherwise, she seemed miserable. She hid it well but he could see she was holding back a deluge of emotion that needed to come out- whatever goes on inside day in and day out, he might never know and could only hope she stays together through it. Though from her words, it was mostly boredom that she felt; something that the sneasel would hate from the love of learning and photography she had.

"Then again... she isn't the only one feeling bored all the time." Ruben muttered to himself.

Ruben sighed and looked down at the phone in his hand. Messages from his group of friends, long since moved away from each other, came in sparsely. Few really acknowledged anything wrong or his lack of input; most were invitations for a night of drinking or an upcoming movie. One or two included parties. And one chain even had a girl asking him to come back to her.

"Parties and girlfriends..." he sighed and closed his eyes. "Not what I need right now." he rubbed his right arm. "They ruined me..."

A knock at his front door pulled him from his thought process. He walked over and opened it up to see a chespin wearing a white polo shirt and black slacks. Like most monsters, he wore no shoes but had a white leg-warmer on in steed of it.

"Yo Ruben, can I crash for I bit? I don't feel like heading home today." the chespin asked.

"What, am I a hotel to you Jon?" Jon chuckled and flashed his wallet. "I don't take bribes."

Jon put his wallet away and laughed much harder. "You never change, do you Ruben? Always blunt about everything."

"I like being upfront- I get farther." replied Ruben. The buizel backed up and waved the chespin in. "Come on, get in here. I know if I slam the door on you, you'd just keep knocking."

"You know me so well. Heh, Thanks." Jon walked inside and set the briefcase in his other hand down. He then walked over to the nearby couch and laid upon it. "Life is pain- all we do is suffer."

"Sherry kick you out again?" Ruben inquired, walking into the kitchen. He grabbed two cans of Silver Mountain beer, throwing one to Jon. "I need to keep count if it is her."

"No, no. She's visiting family in St. Mark's this month. A week in the South then she'll be back 'ere to bother me." Jon opened the beer and took a swig. "I'm here because... I just feel..."

"Empty? Unfulfilled?"

"Bored is more like it." Jon moved to sit in the sofa properly, letting Ruben sit down. "I don't know why but all the things I used to do that's fun is just... not fun anymore I guess."

"I get you. I guess we've grown up and need to move on to new hobbies." Ruben gulped down some beer. He set the can on the coffee table in front of him and rest his feet on it. "Thing is... I tried to do that. Nothing helps. I just feel empty."

"That's because you can't keep a steady girl for shit." Jon pointed at the buizel, beer in hand. "Fuck, me and Sherry are almost complete opposites yet at the end of the day, we have to admit to each other we do love each other- we just love to argue too."

Ruben closed his eyes and leaned back in thought. He thought about all the girlfriends he's had, the relationships he missed, and the people he angered- be they girls he liked or not.

"I guess that is true but a lot of people don't like me all that much anymore. Not after..." the buizel stopped.

Ruben slowly grabbed his right arm with his left hand and rubbed it. Jon looked over and shook his head at the sight.

"...still haven't gotten past that haven't you?" Jon took a sip of his beer then set it down on the coffee table as well. "When are you going to admit they were right and you were wrong?"

Ruben looked away. "What they say does not apply to me. It never will."

"Ruben, you're a great guy with a great personality, talent, looks, and, even if I'm not a girl, I have to admit; you got a damn nice voice."

"Shall I sing the "go fuck yourself" song for the next get-together then? Because at the end of the day, none of that shit matters to anyone I meet. It's always, 'how much money do you make?', 'Where do you work?', 'How much will you inherit when your parents croak' not 'How are you doing' or 'Are you okay Ruben'?"

Jon frowned and looked down at his feet. He shifted in his place and turned to Ruben.

"Okay, look... I guess that is true- most of those girls and, hell, most of the old group, only care about that sort of stuff now..." Ruben mumbled something. Jon only picked up 'free-loaders' from it and sighed. "But that's because at the end of the day, only four out of the whole fifteen of us are successful at this point. Me and Sherry got it good: we're married and we're expecting a kid any day now." Jon gestured to Ruben, who snorted. "You have a well-paying job, a nice place- with air conditioning mind you- and plenty of free time. All because you refused to go to college."

"A scam I said, and no one listened." remarked Ruben.

"Well if I hadn't, I wouldn't have my current job, would I?"

"Yes, because accounting is so fun." Ruben said. He snickered only a moment after he said this. "I hope the Guild's payin'..."

Jon growled. "Back on point, there's finally, Juniper..."

Ruben stopped snickered and looked up at the ceiling. He then looked out the window.

"God, I hope she's successful. She definitely deserves it."

"Oh, that she does. She's suffered enough during high school. Drugs, all the rumors, bad parents, shitty boyfriends." Jon picked up his beer and took one last swig of it, finishing the drink off. "At least she's fine and doing good now, right? Kind of amazing really."

Ruben nodded. "That she is. Soldiered on through the worst and kept going."

"Kind of like you?"

"Yeah…"

A minute of silence passed by, with the two monsters left looking over their cans of beer. The buizel stood up and went over to the window, watching the harbor once more. Jon followed him over and happened upon something Ruben left open as he did.

"Hmm?" Jon peered at the open book. "Oh, this is our high school yearbook." as he checked it over, he happened upon the very picture Ruben was looking at. "Oh, look at lil'Lily the Cop standing there all dignified. A real hawk of a sneasel." he snorted. "Wonder how the queen's prison treating her..." he let out a stress-relieving laugh. "She's not becoming a cop anytime soon, that's for sure."

"She's…" Ruben bit his lip. He started and now he couldn't just no finish. He shook his head. "She's okay."

"Hmm?" Jon turned to the buizel leaning on his windowsill, his head outside. "You say something Ruben?"

"She's doing okay." he pulled himself back inside and looked to the chespin at the table. "I visited her two and a half weeks ago."

"That you did, huh?" Jon raised an eyebrow. "And you said she was doing good?"

"Yeah, she's doing alright. Well, alright if you consider suffering from boredom and constant routine by good for her. In Lily's case, it's misery. She needs challenge or she just… rots."

"I tempted to say I'm happy she is suffering but..." Jon looked at another picture on the page opposite Lily's. The chespin spied one picture in particular; that of a lycanroc's proud expression, likely from the team uniform he wore with pride. Underneath it, captioned in bold, was the name Tom Hainesman. Jon frowned at it, thinking back to all the memories he had of this lycanroc. "I guess she left her mark on Tom for the rest of his life. This picture from before that- he looked so much more confident."

"He'll remember her forever- being blinded in one eye broke him and his spirits. I don't know if he'd even fight her if he saw her. Remy would but he's an asshole of an aggron."

"Remy always likes to fight, I'm impressed he's not in jail like she is yet…" Jon sighed. "And you're right: it broke him... and the school… and the colleges looking to make him a part of their teams." added Jon. He snorted and couldn't help but smirk. "I wonder if she'll let me see her?"

"She wanted to cut my throat after only five minutes and I didn't do much beside ask the wrong questions." Ruben smiled with smug confidence. "I imagine someone who actually fucked with her, like you," Jon grinned broadly. Ruben rolled his eyes. "would cease to have a head the second she remembers who you are and what you did to her."

"Ah come on. You remember how she was- while it would be hard to say she wouldn't harm a fly, being a sneasel and all, she tried as damn hard she could, not to. I can't see her sitting in prison beating people up and getting in trouble." Jon walked around the table and leaned on the wall next to Ruben. "I bet she's a goody-little-two-shoes. Hell, she's probably sucking up to the guards at every chance. Maybe even blowing one or two for favors."

"I'm pretty sure if she did that, I wouldn't have met her because she'd either be in a hospital or six feet under." said Ruben. He frowned. "And she's not blowing anyone- if she did, I think she'd kill herself. She's too proud for that."

"Well, I can't picture her not doing that. The sucking up I mean, not the sucking off." Ruben glared at the chespin. The hedgehog held up his hands defensively. "Whoa, what's wrong with that idea?"

Ruben opened his mouth to say something but closed it and looked back out the window.

"You don't know what jail is like, so I can't blame you."

"What, so you visit a prison once to meet her and suddenly you know all about prison?"

"It's enough to know." Ruben said cryptically.

"What do you mean by that!?"

Ruben didn't answer, only leaning on the windowsill once more. Jon sighed and decided Ruben wasn't in the mood anymore to answer that question.

Jon cleared his throat. "Okay enough about her, can I ask why you visited her?"

"I wanted to see her."

Ruben stood up and turned to Jon. The chespin had already folded his arms and was giving a judging look.

"What do you mean by 'wanted to see her'? You barely knew her besides seeing her in the halls maybe once a day or when we fucked with her. What reason could you have to bother seeing her? Did you know her parents or something and they asked you?"

"No." said Ruben. He turned and glared at the chespin, who stepped back to keep safe. " Her parents hated her so that's out of the question."

"So… you visited her even though you had no reason to?" surmised Jon. "That means you had an ulterior motive to seeing her."

"Uhh... well I..." Ruben looked away. "She... she deserved someone to see her is all."

Jon walked up to Ruben and put a hand on the buizel's shoulder. He leaned in close to his face and looked right in his eyes.

"Ruben... that's bullshit."

Ruben's expression slowly shifted from one of complacence to one of fury. Jon quickly made the effort to rectify this before Ruben socked him in the face.

"I mean the fact you would think of seeing her at ALL!" Jon pounded his hand. "Not only do you not know her that well, you ADMITTED you have no connection to her!" Ruben's expression turned to shock. "What the fuck did you visit her for!? Kicks!?"

Ruben stood there for a solid minute, trying to think up an answer. He opened and closed his mouth a few times, all that came out being stutters during this. Finally, he decided it was best to just sit down. He pulled out one of the dining tables chairs and sat in it. He pulled over the yearbook and stared Lily's picture.

"I…"

Jon sat in the seat to the right of him. He watched Ruben's expression as he looked over the weasel's photo, making the connection when Ruben hummed softly.

"Ruben..." the otter didn't bother to look up. "Do you... do you like her?"

"Jon-"

"Just answer me Ruben... I promise I won't say a word."

Ruben looked up from the book, a smirk on his face.

"And how can I trust you, what with that blabbermouth of yours?"

Jon feigned a burn at his sides. "Ooo, right in the old high school attitude." he sighed. "But seriously... you kept quiet about me and Sherry. I can say sweet nothings about you and Lily."

Ruben laid his head on the table and let out one long, deep, sigh of longing.

"I... I don't actually know if I truly like her... I admire her- always thought she was cute and her attitude..." he smiled at the picture of her telling someone off in his head. "There's just something about it I like... the passion I guess?" he let out a sigh. He placed a hand right beside his head. "I... I guess I visited her to just talk to someone I guess. To speak to someone who's not liable to ask for money or invite me to a party." he looked away. "Or try to fight you."

"Did you tell her that?" Jon asked.

Ruben raised a curious eyebrow. "Tell her what?"

"Ruben Kaufmann, you told the girl you visited for a reason- I know she would've asked that question. It's in her nature. Did you tell her that's why you went to see her?"

"I... uhm..." the buizel bit his lip nervously. "I told her I visited because... I liked her. That I always did and that I was willing to make her my..."

Jon waited but the buizel never continued after several minutes of sitting there.

"My what dude?"

"My new girlfriend."

Ruben covered his head with his hand and groaned. Jon chuckled as he stood up and went over to the kitchen.

"Tsk, tsk, man... if she finds out you were lying to her face she's going to be real disappointed." Jon walked up to the fridge and leaned on it. "I'd watch out if I were you when she gets out."

Jon grabbed two more beers out of the fridge. He set one down next to the sullen otter before opening his and taking a swig.

"Well here's the thing... I agreed to keep visiting her once a month." Ruben gulped. "And… I kinda played up the girlfriend thing…" Ruben eyes widened. He sunk his heads into his hand at the thought. "Oh… I regret this somuch now that I think about a little more… I've been so busy I didn't even think back on it…"

Jon was still drinking when he spoke, causing him to stop suddenly and choke on his beer for a moment. By the time Ruben stopped talking, he had swallowed and taken a moment to catch his breath, holding onto the table to keep stable. Ruben stared at him when he finally noticed.

"You alright dude?"

"You..." the chespin coughed a few more times. "You did what!?"

Ruben slowly sat up in his seat. He grabbed ahold of the beer set next to him and brought it into his view. He focused on the can instead of the shocked hedgehog across the table to keep his thoughts collected.

"When we were talking... she told me no one has visited her since she got locked away." he looked up at the chespin. Jon could see the light in his eyes as he spoke. "It was on my mind the whole time that when she offered the idea, I didn't even say no- I just went with it."

"So... let me get this straight." Jon walked around and leaned on the table in front of the otter. Ruben sat back slightly in response. "You lied to her that you liked her, you lied that you were willing to make her your girlfriend and you lied, even exaggerated, about how much you liked the fucking girl! That you admired her even after three years of not seeing her!" Ruben moaned quietly while Jon kept going. "Then when she offered up the idea of visiting her once a month, you don't say no because you felt bad for her!?"

"Yeah…" Ruben frowned and looked down at his hands. "I guess that's right…"

"So, the best part of all this is that you went to her, not to admit any of these things but to just talk because you wanted someone who was..."

"Honest I guess...?" finished Ruben. "Really, someone… someone who would listen and not just be my yes-man."

"Yeah honest." the chespin did a double take upon repeating the buizel. "Wait, yes-man!?"

Ruben gulped nervously. Jon got closer to Ruben, his face a contorted mix of confused and angry, and leaned in. Their noses were almost touching when Jon spoke once more.

"Am a yes-man to you?" the malice in his voice made Ruben cringe. "I'm pretty sure we don't see eye to eye on a lot of shit!"

"Jon, that's not what I mean..." the chespin gave a sarcastic laugh. "I'm serious. I meant something a little different but I'm serious- and you're not my yes-man. Just my best bro."

Ruben sighed once more and leaned back in his seat. He opened the beer in his hand and took a long drink from it, wiping some from his mouth when he finished.

"What I meant was that I wanted to talk to someone who I could be honest with my... err…" Ruben shook his head and blushed in embarrassment. "my feelings with." Ruben put a hand on the chespin shoulder. Jon looked down at it then at Ruben with a curious face. "Jon, you're my best friend, a great guy, damn good husband for crazy little Sherry, but fuck, are you one of the last people I'd go to for a talk on my feelings with people- unless it was about you."

"Heh, you're right. I suck at that kind of stuff."

"You understand then?" asked Ruben.

"Yeah, I get what you're saying. You needed a girl to talk girl stuff with and she happened to be the best one- being a 'captive' audience and all." Jon stretched as he stood up. "I'm just going to say this before I move, you better be honest with her next to time you see her- no matter how angry she'll get. She probably thinks your dumb ass is actually in love with her but really, you only admire her like how you admire most girls you first see. She finds out without you telling her, and that anger will be put into murdering you instead of just yelling at you."

Ruben shrugged and smiled sheepishly. "Well… I kinda do admire her traits. I did say that."

"Still, she's gonna murder you if you don't tell her." reminded Jon.

"That's assuming I don't fall in love with her by the time she's able to do that without getting demolished by the guards." the two shared a short chuckle. Ruben took a sip of his beer. "Back on point, I'll be doing that. But… I... I really don't want to. She seemed so happy." Ruben rested his elbows on the table and sat his head on his knuckles. "I mean, when I first saw her, she looked so miserable, then I got all of her pent-up anger in one go. Then, when I told her I liked her, she got so much more energetic and livelier. Hell, her smile got warmer."

"Well, then I'd be gentle with how you let her down. Maybe you should tell her that you thought it all over and realized moving that fast is a little uncomfortable for you. You know, after all the blown-up relationships you've had hotshot." Jon took a long swig from his can. He wiped away any residue with a satisfied 'ah'. "But I don't know anything about that. I'm a hack when it comes to girls- it's why Sherry's my wife! She's a good looking zangoose but a crazy one." He walked up to a few plaques on the wall. They were all high school's awards in Ruben's name. "Football though! Now there's something I know a lot of."

Jon stopped and turned around. He stared right at Ruben with his mouth agape and his eyes wide open.

"There's a game going on right now and we aren't watching it!" he raced over to the nearby couch and sat down in it. He turned on the TV and started flipping channels. "Come on, come on..."

Ruben chuckled and moved from the table to sit down nit to Jon. He sat down just in time for the chespin to get the right channel and cheer in victory.

"Yes! It's not even half-time yet!" he elbowed Ruben. "Got any snacks?"

Ruben stood up. "Nope. Want me to order some pizza?"

"Please. I hadn't eaten since lunch."

Jon held his stomach and faked a loud groan. Ruben rolled his eyes.

"I can't deal with crazy girls but I can deal with a crazy Jon."

Jon beamed and pulled at his mouth, making a stretched smile with his fingers. "That's 'cause you love me the most!"

Ruben pulled out his cell phone and dialed the pizzeria he usually ordered from. He chuckled as the phone dialed.

"That's debatable." said Ruben. "Very debatable."

Jon chucked his empty can of beer at Ruben. The buizel spat at it, knocking it into a bin with just a squirt of water.

"Damn." remarked Jon. "I forgot how accurate you were with those powers of yours."

"Was the best in the class." the phone's dial tone made way for the pizzeria he called. "Hey it's Ruben from… yeah I'd like to place an order… yes for delivery…" he turned to Jon. "Medium okay? They're too busy to make a large."

"Yeah, sure. Whatever fills me." answered the hedgehog. "Come on, come on… YES!"

Jon shot up from his seat and held his hands high in celebration.

"GOOOOAAALLL!" he turned to Ruben with a smile on his face. "Golden North is leading by two now!"

"Good for them." Ruben went back to the phone. "Hmm? Yeah, it is the game we're watching…" the otter chuckled. "Yeah, yeah. I know. Game day charge included… okay thank you."

Ruben hung up and walked over. He sat down next to the chespin, who was still celebrating the previous goal.

"You get so heated for a bit of football." observed Ruben. "I don't and I used to play football. Hell, I was a forward."

"Yeah but it's different because it's the pros- and the Island League Cup at that." Jon snickered and sighed. "Not that it's IFAC. That's a whole 'nother game right there."

"Hope we win this time? The whole country sure does."

"I do. We only have one cup to our name! One! And it was back from like... what?" Jon counted on his fingers as he racked him mind. "Nineteen-eighty-two I think? We're overdue."

Ruben pat Jon on the back. "Don't worry, we got it this time."

"I'll drink to that idea."

The chespin raised his beer up to Ruben. The buizel rolled his eyes but reluctantly did the same.

"I might as well drink to that as well."

Ruben awoke to his alarm and slipped out of his bed to faceplant onto the floor. He groaned in pain as he struggled to sit up. He couldn't shake the feeling to pain in his head as he body burned from sore muscles.

"Ugh… why did I agree to drink that much…?"

"You are the lightest water-type I know to date. Six beers and you were out like light. Thank the pantheon the pizza came by the fourth one or else I'd have paid for it and I certainly don't have much money right now."

Ruben looked up to see Chespin laying in his armchair on the other side of the room. The chespin yawned as he stretched. He got up off the chair and helped the otter to his feet.

"You good?"

"Ugh…" Ruben groaned and held his head. "I feel like ass."

"Then you're good."

Ruben checked a nearby clock and saw it was five o'clock in the morning. He groaned and began to fix up the covers on his bed. Once done, he pulled out a set of clothes from his drawers and placed them on the bed.

"Got work huh?" asked Jon.

"Yeah. I have to be there by six-thirty." Ruben stopped and looked over at the chespin. "It's only a twenty-minute trip but I have to wake-up early to eat."

"Yeesh, you eat for half an hour?" Jon shook his head and clicked his tongue a few times in disapproval. "That's time that could be spent doing something else."

"I eat a good breakfast because while I do get a break, I'd like to save it for halfway into my loooonnggg shift."

"Long shift? What the fuck kind of shifts they making you work? Last I knew, you worked a regular nine to five."

"Well, the fact I woke up at five is a hint to not working those hours anymore." the otter grabbed a towel. "I'm working six-thirty to six-thirty."

Jon recoiled in shock. "Twelve hours!? The hell are they trying to do? Kill you!?"

"A few guys got err…" Ruben scratched his head and leaned on the doorway. "In trouble for some stuff and are not coming back anytime soon. To compensate, they got us working longer hours. Me being the money-making fiend I am, agreed to some… truly horrendous hours admittedly but I suppose it takes my mind of things and helps my physique."

"Because tightening chains, moving barrels, checking inventory, and carrying boxes of food onto ships is truly freeing work." Jon said sarcastically. Ruben frowned at him.

"Yes, and spreadsheets, double entry booking or whatever, and triple checking the same document five times is far more freeing."

"What's fun to me isn't fun to you." the chespin folded his arms and scoffed. "I actually like math and accounting at this point is second-hand stuff to me. Easy work that pays well."

Ruben walked past the chespin and out into the hallway. "Easy and boring. You're stuck in an office all day taking calls, writing things down all the time, making sure your math is correct for every little thing…"

"How do you know so much about accounting? You never bothered with it before." questioned Jon.

"We took it as an elective together in third year." drawled Ruben. "Same year Lily beat Tom and company up- did you forget about that?"

"Huh?" Jon scratched his head. He closed his eyes in thought and opened them when he remembered. "Oh yeah! We did take accounting as our elective. I took it because I thought it was neat and you took it because you wanted something that wouldn't give too much homework."

"Boy was I wrong." muttered Ruben as entered the bathroom.

"Of course you were; you were just some dumb footballer at the time." yelled Jon. The door opened and Ruben threw a cup of water in the grass-types face. Jon sputtered and wiped the water away. "Fuck you too, Ruben."

Ruben smiled from inside the bathroom. He continued to brush his teeth as Jon went back to sleep on his couch. Once he finished with his teeth, he took a quick ten-minute shower before dressing himself in his work clothes. He stepped out of his bedroom to loud snoring in his living room down the hall.

"Lazy-ass drunk fucker of a friend." Ruben sighed then chuckled. "A good friend none-the-less… my only friend."

Ruben lifted his left hand and touched his right arm. He squeezed it and only felt it at the extreme pressure. He frowned and shook his arm. He barely felt the movement.

"Still can't feel it that well… ugh…"

Ruben walked past the sleeping hedgehog and into the kitchen. He made a bowl of cereal and two pieces of toast, adding butter to them for flavor. He chomped the food down fast before rinsing them off with a jet of water and setting them in the sink for better cleaning later in the day. Once done, he took up his keys, left the chespin a note, and head out the door for work.

He groggily made his way down the street, passing monsters left and right, on his way to the nearby tram station. He made it just in time for the old, lumbering, two-car tram to come to a grinding halt and noisily open its doors to let everyone on.

"This tram is running to the Port! This tram is running to the Port!" called the driver as everyone got on. "We'll be passing through the Civic Center on the way!"

He sleepily got into the car and found a place amongst the morning crowd of monsters with a yawn. He rubbed his eye out and vigorously shook his head.

"I'm awake but only just… hangover doesn't help either…" he yawned once more, longer than the first one. He held on as the tram shook to a start and began making its way down the road. "Augh… this sucks shit… I bet Lily's got a better day ahead then I do. She gets most of the day to just laze about and still gets fed for it." he shook his head again, keeping himself awake. "I'd love that right about now… and a coffee… that too."

He frowned. A glance at his hand gave him a view of the distinct lack of said beverage. He sighed.

"Note to self, buy a coffeemaker or find a good cafe..."

The tram turned a corner and he could see a lines of wagons and other assorted carriages with goods being pulled by Tauros and Bouffalant mixed in with heavy foot traffic. He sighed, another typical day in Olive City but he knew Golden would be far, far worse in this regard. From his position close to the driver, he heard the radio crackle to life and a distorted voice speak to him.

The driver shook his head then turned around. "Delays at Joeseph Street, delays at Joeseph Street! We'll be sitting ducklett's for some time everyone!"

Everyone in the car groaned. This meant his twenty-minute commute just turned into a fifty-minute commute. He groaned and hit his head on the pole he was holding at the thought of being late.

"Ugh… I'd love that coffee so much right now…"

End Chapter 2