Brothers in Arms

Eclipse: A Simple Quest for a Good Conversation

I take a deep breath, reaching out to gently shake my half-brother's shoulder. It takes a solid few seconds, but he jerks awake, crimson eyes frantic in their search for danger.

"It's just me," I say softly, hoping my tone is not too familiar. "Are you alright?"

"I--" He pauses, attempting to hide his ragged breathing. "Yes, I am. Did you sense my nightmare through the hivemind?"

"Er, no," I reply awkwardly, feeling a little guilty that I haven't been checking Shadow for night terrors during my own nightly periods of wakefulness. "I came to borrow your communicator."

"Oh." His response carries a heaviness in its short syllable, and I recognize belatedly that Shadow was hoping I came to talk with him. I fidget again, this time with my left foot, embarrassed that I came for a personal gain when he so obviously wants someone to confide in about his pain. I can imagine it's particularly disappointing for him to be unintentionally rejected by me, especially, since I'm the only person he knows who can fully comprehend the issues he faces with the haunting memories of the past.

"You can confide in me, if you like," I offer, not wanting to spend all of my pre-training time with Shadow but also not wanting to cause a rift in our recently-formed relationship.

"It's fine."

I try not to feel cut out by the short reply, unsure whether Shadow's resurrected emotional wall is more the fault of my missed cue or his stiff reaction. Regardless, the air between us is awkward, and I hesitate to ask to borrow Shadow's watch.

"Here, just take it. Give it back to me at training," he says in the silence, unclasping it from his wrist and tossing it at me. I catch it, a little skittish with the tension. "And tell Topaz she can keep you past start time if she needs. Have yourself a good chat. Today's mostly waiting up, anyways."

"Thanks," I reply, meaning it but also uncomfortable. I teleport to one of G.U.N.'s deserted Sublevel hallways without further ado, eager to escape. I give myself a moment to shake off the rather bad start to the morning, wanting to be cheery when I call Agatha.

A minute later, I've fiddled with Shadow's watch enough that I've found her contact information, and I call her, hoping she's awake.

"Shadow?" Her voice comes over the line, and I feel myself instinctively relax at her soothing presence.

"Not quite," I chirp, much lighter than I was a moment ago.

"Eclipse? What are you doing with Shadow's communicator?"

"Borrowing it. Are you free to talk?" I inquire, swaying back and forth on my feet with sudden energy.

"Yeah, of course. I'm up in the breakfast hall right now. Where are you?"

"Right next to the Chaos lab. It's usually quiet down here, so I figured it would be good. But," I add hurriedly, "if you're eating, then I can wait."

"Nah, I can just grab something to go. Do you want anything, speaking of which?"

"Er... A bite of food would be nice," I admit, looking down at my empty abdomen. "Something to drink, too."

"Gotcha. Well, I'll meet you down there in about 10 minutes tops, 'kay?"

"Sure," I reply enthusiastically, grinning through the small screen at her. Her speech is more casual with her morning tiredness, and I'm finding it rather amusing. She gives me a quick wave before cutting off, and I spin idly on my foot, reveling in the feeling of affection towards my friend. Not only is she willing to take time out of her day for me, she seems to genuinely want to, and her companionship means more to me than she likely knows.