6 Months Later
June 6th - 11:20 AM
Honolulu, Hawaii
Clear blue oceans, sandy beaches, exotic scenery, the island paradise had it all. How can anyone be miserable in such a place?
This questions reflected the uncanny scene as a young man of twenty-four, Asher Barbosa, was leaning forward over the toilet of his hotel room. Fits of gagging and vomiting echoed in the small room as he forcefully evicted the liquor he downed no more than five minutes earlier. Much to his embarrassment this was the reaction of his seventh time drinking in his entire life. The first time results being a mirror of his current condition.
Until recently the young man never had an interest in drinking alcohol, rather he distained it because he once quoted saying "they all smell like vinegar to me". But times have changed and not for the best to cause the one who thought no liquors would ever touch his lips to consider otherwise leading to his current greeting with the porcelain throne.
Three years have passed since he was discharged from the military or rather to be blunt his short term stay with the army. The reasons for his sudden dismissal was...to say the least was less than optimal or to put it in his own words: "fucking bullshit". Since then the young man had isolated himself upon returning back to his hometown of Redlands, California and stuck to only a close circle of friends, perhaps out of fear of what others would think if they heard why he was discharged and from a sense of failure hanged over him.
But this week was different and as much as he hated the idea that he accepted the invitation he knew he couldn't avoid those that were willing to reach to him after years of rejecting their previous invites.
It all happened around a month earlier when his old college roommate and friend Kevin Alvarez called him with plans to go to Hawaii for a week with some other people they both knew in their bachelor years at Cal State Catalina. Initially the young man in question wanted to decline the offer, but when Kevin mentioned that Asher hasn't been much of himself since his return from the army and was honestly concerned about his friend it was clear that he couldn't run away any longer. It took enough convincing on Kevin's part but the end result was the present moment, the young man was now in Hawaii and was to meet up at a local restaurant later that evening.
However the mere idea of meeting people he hasn't seen in person for more than four years was nerve wrenching and it didn't take long that his first impulse was to purchase a small four pack of some locally produce beer from the market just below his hotel room and drink all of them in the room. Asher knew this was a stupid idea in the back of his mind after his last experience drinking a few months after coming back from the army but another part of him just wanted to numb the senses to not feel the guilt that weighed his mind.
Fear? Low confidence? Whatever it was he hated the feeling but it felt like a part of his identity now since that time and he couldn't easily shake it off. After another bout of bile and alcohol left his system the young man flushed the contents away before positioning himself in front of the sink and mirror to rinse his mouth. A quick swish and gargle before spiting, he took a moment to look at his reflection. Messy dark brown hair complimented some of the worn expression of his face including his dreary equally dark brown eyes, he wasn't what one would consider handsome but he also wasn't average.
Regardless of definition he wasn't the most confident in his looks but it didn't much matter to the man who hasn't been lucky in the dating world either. He tried asking girls out before but most declined on grounds of friendship or wanted to keep things the way they were, that alone might have impacted his own views about his own appeal. Nevertheless he knew at the moment he looked like hammered shit from his failed bingeing.
"Fucking God damnit" was all he could groan as he rubbed his face before turning the faucet to splash some water on his face, damping his hair in the process to adjust it so it looked at least presentable for the rest of the day. Mid-combing his phone could be heard ringing its generic default melody from the bed stand prompting Asher to set aside presentations for later. When he reached for his phone he saw 'Kevin' printed on the screen, after a second of hesitation he swiped to answer the phone.
"Hello?"
"Hey Ash Ketchum, hope you got here in one piece. I haven't heard from you since you left the airport."
"Yeah...yeah no problem at all, just forgot how humid it gets here in the summer."
The nickname Ash Ketchum was something that only recently irked Asher the wrong way, it was something Kevin within the second year of them knowing each other started calling him as both a play on his name. It didn't bother him previously but perhaps in the back of his mind the name came to represent a time before his mess and it difficult for him to discern between his 'old' and 'new' self. However since Kevin was such a good friend, one might even argue like a brother to Asher, he couldn't bring himself to tell him otherwise so he let it slide.
"Oh that's right you were here before. It was for college right?"
"Summer program. Yeah, about five years ago now. Just for a month is all."
"Well lets remind you of the rules again, no studying its all about fun while we're here so look forward to tonight. Jessica, Ruben and Kol will be there and they've been looking forward to seeing you too."
"Yes dad" was all Asher could respond sarcastically. The small exchange did take Asher back for a moment recalling their days back in the dorms. Asher was always one to hit the books, he valued education and felt that good grades meant was a reflection for good opportunities. It wasn't until he and Kevin became roommates that the other made a considerate effort to drag the workaholic away every so often to relax and let loose. It took a while but Asher was nonetheless grateful for his friends efforts and felt it taught him a valuable lesson of not being consumed by work all the time.
"So where are we suppose to meet up again and what time?"
"The Lapis Luza. I'll forward you the address after this. The others said around 7."
"Ok...I'll see you then I guess."
"Yeah.....Hey Asher?"
"What?"
"Are you okay, you sound a bit like a frog? You sick?"
"No it's.....I don't like flying so when I got to the room I felt a bit nauseous, you caught me after a bit of a vomiting spell but I'll be fine don't worry about it."
"...............okay, just take it easy. I'll see you tonight."
"See you then."
A sense of guilt came over Asher for lying immediately after hanging up, but he thought it was for the best to not worry his old friend, just for the week he has to act like his old self. Probably easier said than done but their was not other option. What would Kevin and others think if they saw the broken shell of someone they knew? Would they reject him? For now he had to keep these notions at bay, he had to get ready for tonight. Perhaps a vacation was what he needed.
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Lapis Luza
Honolulu, Hawaii
June 12th - 6:55 PM
Despite being told the gathering wasn't until around 5 Asher decide to take it upon himself to be the first there. His reasoning was being the first there would make him stand out less than arriving after the others, a sense of silent entry to garnish less attention from his friends and ease into the conversation when it was appropriate. Rather he was in the vicinity of the restaurant since around 4:30 but took it upon himself to walk around to keep his mind from freaking out over the evening. He spend the time coming up with a sort of 'battle plan' on how to answers questions such as 'what have you been up to lately?' or 'Anything happened to you recently?'. He wanted to be truthful yet he didn't want to bring up anything related how much his life has been turning for the worse since they've last hung out. Asher didn't want to burden others with his problems and just wanted to make sure they knew, even if it was a lie, that he was fine.
By the time he got to the restaurant/bar overlooking a segment of Waikiki Beach his plans seem to already have issues. For starters he already saw Kevin sitting at one of the tables, already with a light beer with a small lime wedge at the neck of the bottle. Kevin was never normally early and tend to be more or less average in scheduling but the fact that he was here caught Asher off guard. For a moment he hoped that he wasn't spotted yet but the moment that thought crossed Asher mind Kevin seemingly in bad timing looked up from his phone and made eye contact. The stalky light complected man smiled as he signaled to Asher.
'God Dammit' he cursed in his mind.
Asher knew faking his exit wasn't going to work so he decided to resign himself to fate and waved back before making his way to the table, taking the adjacent seat but not before Kevin got up to pull him in for a quick hug.
"Hey brother how are ya doing?"
'Shit already the first question I didn't want to be asked' he already knew this was going to be rough off the bat.
"Alright, like I said just had a rough flight here. So when are the others going to be here?"
"Paul and Jessica said they'll be dropping by soon, Kol will be a bit late but doesn't plan on missing you before shipping out."
The moment he heard the words 'shipping out', Asher paused just after settling in his seat before turning to Kevin with a look of surprise if not shock.
"........What?"
"Oh you didn't know, Kol's number came up five or six months ago. He's in the army now, he's shipping out after this week. He said he might be gone for a while so he's making the most out of this meet up. He didn't tell you?"
"Um......"
Much as he wanted to say he wasn't told anything he also knew he also was guilty of not keeping in touch with Kol, rather he rarely kept in touch outside that small circle of friends he knew back home. Now one of his friends was going out to fight in this pointless war with the Sirens. Like Kevin stated it was Kol turn. Ever since the Sirens began their attack years earlier the worlds military powers were forced to reinstate or expand on their selected service programs, simply the draft. The only reason Asher hadn't concern himself with the matter was because his dismissal excluded him from being called up again under the grounds they've listed for his discharge. Not that he wanted to be called up after what he's experienced aside his personal views on the war and those waging it.
"Don't worry about it" Kevin reassured Asher before taking a sip from his bottle "I guess he didn't want to make a big deal out of it to not mention it to you I guess."
"I...guess so."
"Hey what's with that look? You look like you've seen a ghost or something. Remember its fun time and I will not be enjoying it alone tonight."
A small chuckle came from Asher over the complete laxed attitude of his former roommate, the guy sure never seem to take anything seriously, it often amazed the olive complexed man how he manage to survive this long. But still the simple thought that someone he knew was going off to certain death plus the mere mention of service....it just didn't sit well with him at all.
"Hello, welcome to Lapis Luza what can I get you?"
His train of thought was suddenly snapped back to reality when a Hawaiian shirt wearing waitress spoke to him, notepad and pen in hand.
"Oh its okay he doesn't drink."
As much as Asher appreciated the consideration the cracks in his armor was already starting to break just from the mention of service a moment earlier. For a second the image of a man in a camouflage uniform came to mind. It was enough to make him utter the next phrase that took Kevin completely by surprise.
"Actually I'll take a beer, no lime please."
Kevin turned to his once abstinence friend with a look of surprise, throughout the four years they've spent together in college not once did Asher ever take up drinking. Rather he was the one trying to encourage other not to. Something he recalled about how easy it is to become an alcoholic, mentioning some relatives that live by the bottle.
"Alright I'll go get that for you."
"Thank You miss."
As the waitress walked away Kevin had to ask.
"Since when did you start drinking? I thought it was a vice or whatever you used to say?"
"Not long......" Asher lamented "Still not used to it but, hey it takes the edge off a bit right?"
"I suppose that's one way of looking at it. I always remember you complaining how it reeked of vinegar. You know you're the only guy I've ever heard that from."
"Go figures, I am an unusual one after all".
"Nah don't say that man, you're just....unique."
"Is that what they call it now?"
"Man you really are a piece of work, you sure can't take a compliment can you?"
"Not as of lately......"
Right when Kevin was about to inquire what Asher meant by that he was interrupted by a feminine voice shouting his name across the establishment. Sure enough it was the other part of the party, Jessica with Ruben in tow.
Jessica Lawrence or Jessi by the group seemed like your stereotypical California girl, well without the insufferable valley girl accent of certain celebrities. Bright and preppy, although she was not per say fat she was a bit on the meaty side but not to the point that it made her look chubby. It was perhaps thanks to years of being in some sort of cheer squad since middle school that kept things in balance physique-wise. Her mid back length blonde hair and blue eyes and average height only further sold the California girl image she invoked.
Ruben Reyes was a bit of an enigma at first meeting. Being the tallest out of everyone had nothing to do with that matter, it was his entire character. Despite seemingly being the most imposing person due to his height and build, one would imagine the man to be rough as granite as well. In actuality Ruben was perhaps the biggest softy one could meet. He was no pushover so don't let the kindness fool you, but he was one to choose the more pacifist route before resorting to force. However with the characteristics mentioned no one wanted to test him so most situations tended to end peacefully with him around. Regardless the Asher had a solid relationship with the Pilipino-American, much due to their shared interest as history students back in Catalina.
"Looks like the rest have arrived" Asher commented though his mind was uneasy with Jessica, the cheeriness was somewhat off-putting but that shouldn't mean much from a recently converted cynic.
The waitress from earlier returned with Asher's drink before turning to the newcomers for their orders, but had to wait a moment from their deer light frightened eyes upon the scene of Asher with a beer in hand. Another beer and strawberry-lemonade vodka order later the group of four began their conversation. Basically the discussion turned to how everyone was doing since graduation and as much as Asher wanted to avoid the topic he knew it was inevitable.
From the rough summary Jessica was just asked the question recently so was now engaged, turned out her recently acquired fiancée had his number called up so the expected course of action occurred between a couple who were together since college. Jessica made the whole development sound exciting but Asher could swear he would pick up a tiny hint of uncertainness from the usually cherry girl. Can't blame the girl, with how the war been developing lately does it make sense to keep throwing bodies at them hoping to make some change?
Kevin just began his job as a computer instructor in some private Catholic school in St. Louis, not surprising considering his background since his a short generation of his family have been working for the largest computer retailers in the world since its foundation. Ruben otherwise just completed his training at the police academy a few years back and is currently making his transfer from Los Angeles to Chicago. Best of luck to him was all Asher could mentally wish, since the effects of rationing and resources of the war major cities especially Chicago and San Francisco had been the sight of political unrest. Guess everybody is paying in some way for this conflict.
Suddenly the attention shifted to Asher who was still in deep thought that he didn't realize that Jessica was calling his name until Kevin nudged him, snapping the young man back to his sense to see all eyes on him.
"You okay man? You haven't said much this since we've started talking?" Ruben inquired.
"Oh, sorry guess I was thinking about something and got lost in my mind" Asher said with a small fake laugh, trying to play off the embarrassment of seemingly not paying attention "But yeah I'm glad to hear for you Jessica, consider my rsvp for the wedding."
"Thanks Asher, but now that we have your attention can you tell us how you've been doing lately?"
Here it was, the moment of truth. During his earlier stroll Asher decided that he was going with the half-truth approach, he would tell them only the ok elements but completely omit anything that might relate to that messy event. Asher never liked lying he was obviously bad at it and one could tell so for the young man telling a half-truth not technically telling a lie, some sort of loop hole for his psyche.
"Can't say much for me lately....I just graduated with my masters in history but haven't been lucky in the job market with it. Still working the same little museum back home, it's not much but it pays at least."
"Surprise that you even went for your masters, I remember you saying all you needed was your bachelors but I guess a studious person like you couldn't stay away from the classroom for long."
Asher was internally not adamant about this comment. The only reason he said that back then was because at the time they were based on his ignorance. He plan to join the military after college since a bachelors was to guarantee a one for officer commission, but as Asher learned this turned out to be a lie. Once out of the military to find that a bachelors in history got you nowhere he found himself in the rabbit hole of no return, it was either advance for a chance of better employment or sink in the job market. He didn't want to pursue his masters in history, he just didn't have a choice. Otherwise what was the point of him investing years into his education? For nothing?
"You could say that" was all Asher could comment before taking a sip from what was now his third bottle of beer. Unlike earlier in his hotel room where he was downing drinks back to back, the slow pace as a result of the conversation made the drinking more tolerable to make it this far without feeling nauseous. However that was not to say that the reality of being a lightweight was starting to rear its ugly head, he was buzzed at the moment but was also a few drinks from the worst case scenario. He knew his limits from previous experiences and knew it only took something to push him over the edge.....he didn't have to wait long.
"So how long were you in the army before going for your master?" as innocent as the question was from Ruben the mere mentioning of the army was enough to make Asher pause for a moment. His action didn't go unnoticed by the others, even Kevin seem to note the change in atmosphere, eyeing the Pilipino as if to say 'we weren't suppose to bring this up'.
"What?" Ruben said to Kevin "It was going to be brought up at some point, we all knew he went in after graduation I just wanted to know how it was. Especially when he went all radio silence since then....."
A sudden slam from a glass bottle interrupted the man, Asher just downed the remnants of his third bottle his gaze looking down as unpleasant memories started to flood his mind. His little offset didn't go unnoticed as guest from the neighboring table starred at a moment from Asher's group before awkwardly going back to their own discussion.
It was apparent that until this point the young man the group knew was barely showing any emotion and was just staring off to the distance or at his bottle as he swished it around by the neck. However after Rubens miscalculated choice in topic their was a reaction that didn't please them. At first it was a sour face, one filled with unbridled rage and venom but what made it more unsettling was that Asher face after a deep breath replaced it with a closed eye smile, however anyone could tell that this was nothing more than a mask to something more complex.
"Ummmm................." was all Ruben could utter by the rapidly and probably uncontrollable situation "....is everything okay Asher?"
"Oh, just peachy keen" Asher replied with the same forced smile however "excuse me for a moment".
Asher then signaled the waitress from earlier and requested a few more stiff drink, now leaving beer territory for some shots of rum that was the restaurant speciality, with high alcohol volume.
"So..........you wanted to know how things went?"
The question didn't have a hint of the pleasantries or lackluster tone of earlier statements and the other three were getting the message that they might have open Pandora's box.
Several shots and thirty minutes later
Unfortunately their fears were proven right, but it also wasn't simple. By around the fourth shot of the house special Asher started to show signs of intoxication. It didn't help that he didn't eat anything and just guzzled on alcohol throughout the night. In the half hour span the young olive skin man started to recount how bullshit everything in basic training was, but by the time he started mentioning names that was when the drinks started to influence his mind and after that the rest couldn't make out anything he was saying except a few vulgarities. Now he was obviously bordering a raging time bomb and Kevin with Jessica help was trying to diffuse the situation and even at the end tried to drag the drunk adult from the restaurant.
"Okay that's enough we need to get you out before you cause a scene".
As Kevin acted as a support to his stumbling friend he couldn't help but be shocked on how much of a difference Asher had become in such a short span of time. He remembered years ago back in college how Asher was a kinder soul yet a confident boy in his knowledge and future. This was the young man who hated alcohol and went the Bible study sessions with him, now was saying things like God Damnit which was almost unthinkable with Asher to even spout. Just what happened that could turn one of the nicest guys he knew into this bitter shell of someone he knew?
Unfortunately Kevin didn't get much time to ponder on this when, on their was to the exit the group bumped into a group of soldiers in fatigues who were too busy discussing something amongst themselves to pay attention to Asher's group. The equally size party of four army NCO's, in which one roughly bumped into an intoxicated Asher resulted in the two to glance at each other.
"Hey careful there kid" was all the sergeant could say before Asher say something on the man's uniform that instantly set him off. It was a patch sewn above his left breast pocket, a semi-circle curled serpent with a Roman body plate of armor with a flames torched hanging above. The bottom half of the patch read "This we'll defend". Upon quick glance all four of the soldiers had this same patch.
Before anyone knew what was going on Asher in quick speed grabbed the sergeant that bumped into him by the collar and punched the man right in the face, causing him to stagger and recoil a bit back into a table of two whose dinner date was now ruined by the developing situation. A moment of shock echoed throughout all who bore witness in the restaurant. The silence didn't last long.
"You son of a bitch!" one of the other sergeants yelled as he lunged at Asher and returned the favor with a punch to the gut, causing the young man to cough up a bit some of the alcohol from just moments. Asher feel to his knees for a moment but the mixture of intoxication and newfound adrenaline caused the young man to get back up and attempt to take a swing at his attacker how only to parry it and turn the tables with another punch to the face. A short exchange of fist motivated Ruben to try to intervene but while trying to grab Asher he was caught in the crossfire of the sergeants punch....to say the least he did not appreciate the stinging sensation accompanied by the bloody nose now of being directly hit squarely in the face. The sergeant was surprised that his punch accidently hit the wrong person but it was enough of a opening now for an out of control Asher to sucker punch his sparing opponent.
It was enough to faze the man but he quickly retaliated back but not before the other two sergeants felt that things have got out of hand and tried to control the situation with only blocking his colleague from further beating the crap out the civilian while the other got behind Asher and perform a full nelson to subdue the drunkard. It seem to work but Asher was clearly blinded by some fit of rage and tried to shake off his suppression. The only thing Asher could do now was fling insults.
"Come on fight me you fuck! You guys think you're hot shit just because you killed a few goat herders!? You fuckers never fought a real enemy until now, bet you all feel pathetic knowing they can fire back with bigger guns now right?! No superiority on your side covering your ass now!"
"Listen you little shit...!" was all the sergeant could muster before being abruptly interrupted.
"Sergeant York! What's going on here!?" all four of the men stood at attention upon hearing the familiar voice, a voice that was also familiar to the other party of the brawl. It was their late party member Kol Wickers, in uniform with a pair of gold bars adorning his collar.
"Lieutenant Wickers!" Sergeant York saluted, his angered tone from earlier now completely gone in the presence of the young officer "Just a bit of a scuffle between us and this civilian, rest assure we got full control of the situation and will be contacting the police. I suspect a bit of drunken stupor but a night in the cell will probably sober him up sir".
"That won't be necessary" was all Kol had to say much to the surprise and displeasure of York and another sergeant still recovering from his sucker punch at the start of the brawl.
"Sir?"
"I know this guy and I'll take over the issue, here take some money and get a few drinks, lets act like this evening didn't happen." Kol then pulled out a hundred dollar bill and placed it in York's hand much to his confusion of the need to cover up the incident.
"Sir, he attacked a man in uniform the most he might be lucky is if they don't send him to a......"
Before York could finish Kol brought him closer and whispered something in his ear.
"You mean he's THAT guy?"
More whispering could barely be heard but the way the conversation was going the sergeant seemed to withdraw his complaint and upon looking at the money given to him earlier he decided to go with whatever Kol suggested.
"Yes sir, but be sure it doesn't come back to bite us later."
"I'll take care of it just relax."
"Hey kid" York then turned to an exhausted but still rallied Asher "We're going to let what happened tonight slip but keep your emotions and drinks in check. You're lucky it was just two of us, anyone else and your might've been in the hospital."
As much as Asher felt the words coming from the sergeant were grounds for a challenge a bit of soberness started to clear his mind and knew deep down the soldier was right, but it didn't sit well with him that he had to admit that especially from a guy like him.
"Hey guys sorry I was late, just got out of a debriefing but I guess I should have showed up a bit earlier before things got nasty." Kol apologized to the group of old friends but was only greeted with a high five from Ruben, a hug from Jessica and a bro-hug from Kevin before turning to a ashamed Asher. "Sorry to do this to you guys again but mind if I have some time with Asher, I'll catch up in a bit I just wanted to talk to him about some stuff?"
The other three weren't sure at first of the suggestion considering what just occurred but Asher gave his reassurance.
"Don't worry, I'm fine now I just wasn't myself back there."
"......Alright if you say so but you should probably avoid any more drinks after this." Kevin cued as Asher made an audible gulp, guessing the gut punch with the uneasy stomach sensation of downing a number of drinks without food was coming back to haunt the young man.
"Way....ahead of you" Asher groaned.
"Com'on Asher, let's get some fresh air that'll do the trick."
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20 minutes later
Sitting on some steps of a pathway facing the beach, Asher and Kol took in the nightly breeze as the small tidal waves gave ambience to the calm Hawaiian moonrise. Before settling they stopped by a small vendor who happened to still be operating in the late hours and picked up each some teriyaki meat on a skewer and some non-alcoholic drinks, Asher settling with some bottled green tea since the caffeine would help in the sobering up from todays debacle. Once finishing their light meal and moving on to the drinks Kol decided to open the conversation about earlier.
"So what really happened back there?"
Asher didn't say anything, rather he would avoid this discussion altogether.
"Look I know you were slightly hammered but you were always one to maintain some level of consciousness even in tough spots so I know what you did was intentional. I'm not judging you, just that you can be honest with me".
Asher continue to say nothing but stare into the endless ocean in front of them, the moons reflection rippling among the small waves.
A deep sign came from Kol before he reached for his gold bar and taking off his cap, setting both aside.
"Look your not talking to a man in uniform now. It's me, Kol. Remember the guy who annoyed you at times but you would always help with their history assignment. The one who you went with for donut runs on finale nights."
Asher for a moment turned to his old friend but avoided his eyes after a moment making contact. It was clear that the young man was ashamed of himself but it was also clear that Kol wasn't getting anywhere with his approach. It was time to come clean.
"I know what happened back at Fort Jackson."
Those words alone made Asher visibly stiffen up.
"Don' worry I don't believe what they say and a good chunk of the NCO's and Officer Corp doesn't either. Those bastards knew what they were doing and tried to cover their asses with you as their scape goat. If it makes you feel any better many of them came under investigation but unfortunately none were court martialed, just transferred. Theirs a war going on and even the DOD needs assholes to fill its ranks."
".......unfortunately" Asher could only agree before taking a sip from his tea. "How do you even know what happened?"
"Everyone in Fort Jackson knows, the incident had become a black sheep topic in the base. Those guys from earlier knew that's why they were willing to let it slide."
"Out of pity?"
"No, rather out of embarrassment on their part. No drill sergeant should have behaved the way those you've experienced did but they did and you made the mistake to call them out and act on it. Even in the force fighting for democracy the way things are done can be seen of totalitarian at best. You call out corruption and you pay the price, only when its out in the public would they bother to act out on it to save face and protect the higher brass."
".............." Asher didn't have anything else to add on the topic, but it did bring back unpleasant memories.
"Asher, I know you had it rough but the way your going isn't the best route for you. You're only going to destroy yourself in the process. All I can say it that you might need to let this go and move on. Sure it's easy for me to say that since it's not my problem but what happened tonight should give you an idea of what dangers you only put yourself in. If your worried about the other I can say that what happened tonight won't change their view of you but it will hurt your relationships."
".....Yeah."
"Asher I think you should call it a night, tomorrow we don't have anything planned so why don't you do something you might enjoy to get your mind off things. Your in Hawaii after all so take advantage of it. I'll call you later to see how your feeling, I think Jessica wanted to do that shark cage thing the day after. I think it's a crazy idea but so long as it's not like Jaws I think we'll be fine."
"Heh....yeah, always hated to ocean but I guess you should try new things."
"Now that's starting to sound like the old Asher I know, so anything planned in mind?"
"I was...thinking of visiting the Arizona memorial..."
"Oh yeah I heard they closed it off no some reason earlier in the year, they just reopened back in late April or so I heard when I got sent here."
"Yeah...it was weird that they didn't even allow planes to fly over it for some time...."
"So why do you want to visit it again. Didn't you already see it last time you were in Hawaii?"
"I....wanted to bring some closure."
"Closure?"
"With my past self, the idiotic, jingoistic past me who thought he had it all figured out."
"And how is visiting an old memorial going to achieve that again?"
"I have my reasons."
"Fine by me then just don't picking fights again please, I can't bail you like tonight."
"I'll keep that in mind."
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10:25 PM
Asher finally returned to his hotel room, still a bit hungover and whiplashed with conflicting emotions regarding the events of the night but he was happy to be back in his refugee of the room. After spending nearly an hour with Kol the two went their separate ways with Kol returning back to the Lapis Luza but not before promising to reach out to him about plans made for the next few days.
As he prepared for the night Asher took a moment to reach into his satchel and pulled out a pair of dog tags, they weren't his issued ones but ones he had made almost a decade earlier for another reason. He plan to take these to his trip to the monument the next day. After staring at them for a few minutes he returned them to the pack and made his way to bed. There as he laid in bed staring at the ceiling he hope that tomorrow would be a better day. He continued to echoed these thoughts as the sandman took his toll on the young man.