Subterra Heart

Chapter 45: Connor Rocha

The study where Connor had been left was a surprisingly small room. Connor had expected something more...lavish from Lenny.

On the far end of the room stood a modestly sized desk of dense, deep red polished wood. It gleamed against the warm yellow light of the lamp that sat on it. Next to it stood a matching wood bookshelf which hosted a few stacks of datacards and real books. A few picture frames sat on the shelves, and old photos slid across their screens at lengthy intervals. Two overstuffed armchairs upholstered in green velvet were placed across from the desk, facing it. Connor leaned against one of them, bouncing his foot impatiently off the thick maroon rug that was spread out across the floor.

Connor let his head drop, and he studied the rug beneath his feet. Twisting gold-and-black patterns ran through it. He'd started wearing the beginnings of a path through it from pacing back and forth earlier. Connor tugged at his borrowed shirt's neckline and undid the top two buttons. He'd been getting uncomfortably warm. Apart from all the fancy furniture shoved in this cramped space, Lenny also had a hearth. A real hearth where an orange flame crackled over real wood. Connor grimaced, reassessing the room. It might not be big or sparkly, but this was about as lavishly overkill as Lenny could get.

And Lenny didn't seem to have any qualms about keeping him waiting. Connor imagined that Marina was going to have an aneurism if he didn't get his butt back to the Library soon. This was important though. He needed to somehow get himself recorded as "not dead" once more. Then, he'd punch his cousin's teeth in.

There wasn't much he could do right now anyways. The door to the study was locked.

He fiddled with things to try and deal with the restless energy that was building up in him. Scratched at the green velvet of the armchair he was leaning against. Checked the little satchel of meds that Marina had given him before they'd even hopped on the transport to Central – he had maybe two weeks' worth of parlin left, and even though he could feel a new headache coming on, he'd need to start rationing again with the Greens being on lockdown. 

He readjusted the strap of his sling – maybe he could get away with taking it off now. Connor flexed his bad shoulder cautiously and then grimaced, shaking his head. Never mind. It was still sore, and the damage had probably been made worse by waiting so long to get it re-set.

A new photo from one of the frames on the bookshelf caught his eye, and Connor strode over for a closer look. He was in this one, and so was Lenny, but they were much, much younger. A woman who he didn't recognize stood behind them. Her short black hair was streaked with grey, and her face was webbed with light wrinkles. She had soft, kind eyes and a bright smile. They stood at the exit to the Flores Greens Transport Station. The photo must have been taken during Lenny's first visit to the Greens.

Behind him, the latch finally clicked, and Connor turned around just in time to see the door slide open. His gaze shot up to see his cousin standing there with a stupid, smug expression plastered all over his angular features.

"Dearest cousin!" exclaimed Lenny, throwing his arms wide and striding into the study. The door automatically slid shut behind him, and the latch clicked again. Lenny wrapped Connor in a frustratingly fake hug. "How delightful it is to see you again, and all in one piece too, I might add. Splendid, simply splendid!" He glanced over at the photo that Connor had been inspecting. "Ah! I see you've discovered my photo collection! We were so young back then, weren't we? Although, I doubt you'd remember Nelda. Batty old woman, she was. Though I must say, she had excellent taste in apartments." He waved his hand around the study. "What do you say, cousin? I had made the purchase quite some time ago, but I still find myself absolutely giddy over how masterfully crafted it is – it just so happens to be one of the oldest homes in Heart. You haven't seen the rest yet, but it really is a marvelous piece of architecture."