I watch as Brenan stands up and walks past him towards the lowering ramp. Roth hangs his head low and I can see that his eyes are closed tightly, but I quickly stand up and follow behind Brenan. I walk down the ramp and notice him hunched over a metal crate and his shoulders are trembling while he stands with his head lowered. I walk up to him and I can hear him sniffling, but when I press my hand to his back he tenses up at the touch.
"He will never forgive me." He says while keeping his eyes on the top of the crate.
"Just give him some more time. He will open up." I whisper while rubbing his back soothingly. "I can talk to him about it if you want."
"I don't want you anywhere near him." He says. "I wish you never met him. I wish I never met him."
I remain silent while rubbing his back and allowing him to relax. He finally turns around to face me and his glistening jade orbs are glassed with tears, but his warm smile lights up his face. His hand gently reaches out and pushes a strand of hair behind my ear and then cups my cheek. My toes curl up in my boots and I have to keep myself from blushing at his gesture while he continues smiling at me.
"Thank you." He whispers finally.
"Commander Himik? Is that you?" I turn to see a young man with a long white coat walking towards the Rouge Shadow where Roth stands on the ramp.
"Commander Matten? Wow, it's been a while. How have you been?" He asks while meeting the man halfway to shake his hand.
"It has been a while, but it is going quite well here in the brain."
"That's good to know. We are actually here because we have a little situation back at home."
"What kind of situation? Anything that you would think would be in my interest?"
"Well, to simplify things, the entire city wants Commander Hope dead and I actually had to try and get his daughter out of the city before they captured her." Roth explains while nodding to me.
"You're Commander Hope's daughter?" The white coated man asks while looking to me through wide eyes.
"Yes, I am."
"It is a pleasure to meet you." He says while walking towards me and offering his hand to me. "I am Commander Matten."
"It's nice to meet you." I say while looking to Roth who is smiling at me once again.
"Commander Matten here doesn't believe in the broadcast either. That is why I thought this would be the best place to retreat to."
"Yes, that's right. I can actually set you each up with a room of your own for the night if you'd like." The Commander offers while ushering us toward the hallway.
I follow him with Brenan walking beside me while Roth trails behind us with Harley at his side. The hallway is tiled and the walls are a crisp white with no pictures or decorations of any sort. Everything about this place so far is nothing short of crisp and sterile. The soldiers look more like scientists because they all wear white lab coats and plastic goggles, but they have holsters with shiny silver pistols attached at their black belts. A tall coated man walks past hastily while writing something down on a clipboard. Another man walks past with a box of some sort tucked securely under his arm.
"This hallway can be yours." Matten says while pointing to a long hallway with four doors; two doors on each side. "Now if you will excuse me, I have to get to the meeting room."
"Thank you, Matten." Roth calls to his friend before turning to face us. "Who wants what room?"
"It doesn't matter. They are all the same." Brenan says while walking towards the closest door on the right wall and pressing a button to open the door. He shortly disappears behind it and the door closes swiftly after he enters.
"I'll take the one beside his I guess." Roth says while shrugging and walking down the hall towards the other door on the right wall.
"I wish they could just make up." Harley whispers beside me.
"Do you know what happened between them?"
"Roth doesn't like to talk about it much. All that I know is that there was something that happened on a boat that they were on. I believe someone who was close friends with both Roth and Brenan passed away and somehow Brenan was blamed for it." He explains while looking up to me.
"Roth blames Brenan and now he refuses to forgive him?"
"Yes. This is the first time they have talked to each other in years. I'm actually surprised with how well he's taking it." He says.
"I need to get to the bottom of this."
"Try talking to Roth. He might tell you, but I can't guarantee anything. He is rather stubborn." He says with a smile.
"Thanks for the advice. I'll keep that in the back of my mind."
"Oh, and you can have the room across from Brenan if you'd like." He adds with a warm smile while looking at the ground.
"Thanks. I'll check it out after I talk to Roth."
"Good luck."
"I'll need it." I say while walking towards his room next to Brenan's.
I stare at the metal door while taking a deep breath and looking to Harley who is still standing in the same spot, but he is giving me a thumbs up. I knock loudly on the door until it slides open. Roth stands in the doorway with a smirk plastered on his lips.
"Can I help you?" He asks warmly.
"I need to talk to you about something."
He opens the door the rest of the way and allows me to enter the room. The floors are carpeted white and the walls are painted a matching clean color. A tall window it placed at the far end of the room and a table and two chairs sits in front of it. The living room is rather small and only consists of a small white couch and a flat screen TV mounted on the wall.
He motions for me to follow him and I sit in the chair across him at the small table. A bottle of wine sits on the table with two glasses and I watch as he pours himself a glass and then pours me one. I look down at the sloshing red liquid before lifting it up and clinking the glass with his. We both take a sip at the same time and he sets his on the table afterwards.
"So, what did you want to talk to me about?" He begins while leaning back in the chair and looking at me through relaxed dark eyes.
"I wanted to ask what the situation between you and Brenan is. He doesn't want to tell me, but I'm guessing you don't want to talk about it either."
"I'm not big on reliving that day. All I can say is that it was a terrible experience and I have yet to try to forgive him." He says while picking his glass up and sipping it quickly. "Now, I have a question for you."
"What's that?"
"It's something you ask another person to learn more about them." He says with a joking smirk.
"I know what a question is. I meant, what do you want to ask me?"
"How did you and him meet? And I mean, how did you really meet. Don't give me that 'we met when I was just passing by the lookout post' bullshit either."
"I sort of snuck into their secret mountain base to spy and I guess I'm not very stealthy because they caught me and put me behind bars. Brenan's the one who broke me out and brought me to Dumani."
"I can see him doing that." He says while sipping the rest of his wine and reaching for the bottle.
"Can I ask you a question now?" I ask while setting my empty glass on the table and allowing him to fill it for me.
"What's that?"
"It's something you ask to get to know the other person better." I say, we smirk, and I continue. "Did you really mean what you said in the lobby when you said you saw me with potential?"
"Yes, I meant every word. I really do see you as a close ally of mine and I may have never known your father, but if half the things I've heard are true, then you are just like him."
"I only wish my father looked to me the same way you do." I whisper.
"What do you mean?"
"My father barely even notices me. He's overprotective, but he acts like he doesn't even recognize me half the time. It's almost like I don't even exist. I mean, my own mentor cares more about me then he does."
"I know what you mean." He says quietly while taking another sip of the scarlet liquid. "My parents both died before I was eight. I was put up for adoption and a year later, a family adopted me only to send me to the training tower two years later to become an apprentice. I met Brenan there and we became best friends and promised each other that we would work together to become the strongest soldiers in the army. Our mentors were close friends, so Brenan and I trained together practically every day. Since I am three years older than him, I had the advantage every time."
"You and Brenan met during your apprenticeship?" I ask in a whisper and he nods to me in response.
A long silence engulfs the conversation and I finish off my second glass of wine. I hold the empty glass out and he pours me another after he tops his own off. I sip the sweet liquid while looking at the wall across from us.
"What do you think of my apprentice?" He asks randomly.
"He's rather quiet."
"Yes, I know. I accepted him as my apprentice mainly because I felt bad for the boy. Both his parents died and he was sent by the authorities to stay at the training tower. I remember it like it was yesterday. I remember I was in the lobby and talking to the receptionist at the desk and in walks this little boy. He was about ten at the time and he had a little red suitcase rolling behind him on its squeaky wheels. He looked up at me through glassy eyes and asked in the tiniest voice if I was Roth. I bent down beside him and said yes. He pulled a folded piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to me. It was a letter saying that he was to stay here and be assigned a mentor. I talked it up with Lieutenant Amadron and he allowed me to accept him as my apprentice. I guess I saw myself in him." He explains. "He has a hard time making friends, so I'm trying to get him to open up more."
"Maybe I can help." I say quietly.
"Actually, I'll make a deal with you." He says while putting his third empty glass on the table and reaching for the bottle. "If you can get Harley to open up more, then I will tell you what happened between Brenan and I."
"That seems reasonable enough. I'll try talking to him tomorrow."
"Alright, thank you." He says while pouring another glass and offering me another as well, but I shake my head.
"I best be getting some sleep. It's rather late and we probably will be getting up early."
"That's a good point. Sweet dreams, Nora." He says, standing up and carrying the glasses to the sink.
"Same to you, Roth." I call while leaving his room.
My mind feels a little fuzzy from the drinks and I begin to regret the third glass while I fumble for the button on the wall to my room. Now that I think of it, the glasses were rather large for wine glasses and for my first time drinking alcohol, it may not have been such a good idea to drink so much.
The door finally slides open and I walk slowly in before taking my boots off at the door and setting my pistol on the tiny table. The room is dim and I have to feel around to find the bedroom door. Finally, I find a metal frame and enter the dim room. A small window is cracked open and moonlight pours in while the wind whistles relaxingly outside. I cross the floor while pulling off my cloak and unzipping my jacket before lying on top of the blankets. I don't even bother to pull the covers over me because it is a warm night.
My eyes go to the window and I stare out at the bright stars and try to locate the brightest one in the sky. Sirius shines the brightest and I try to think of the legacy left behind in its path. I then find Ursa Major and follow the pointer stars to Polaris, the North Star. I have learned a lot about stars from the General. He taught me everything I know.
A yawn then escapes my mouth and I turn over on the blankets so that my back is to the window. My head is still a little fuzzy, but I open my eyes only to see bright jade ones looking back at me. A thin smile is noticeable through the silver moonlight seeping in through the window. I feel my breath catch in my throat at the sight of him being in the same bed as me.
"Hi." He says with a light chuckle.