“Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you,” Drim apologized.
“Then you shouldn’t have snuck up on me!” Jaid countered immediately.
“Well, I’m pretty sure I let you know I was here.”
“Yeah, but you didn’t say it was you!”
“And what’s wrong with it being me?”
“Hooo, don’t get me started on that, Drim Drazah,” Jaid vented her annoyance and took a few deep breaths to calm down. “And here I was hoping that you would have deemed this event beneath you and declined the invitation. But I’m never that lucky.”
“Well, believe me, I’d rather not be here either,” Drim joined her over by the railing, leaning against it as he held up the tray. “But I saw you eyeing up all the food that was being passed around, and then it seems you fled out here to avoid the temptation. Am I right? I’m guessing you don’t want to act unprofessional.”
“Hahh, perceptive as always,” Jaid sighed. “One of the things I hate most about you. Yes, since we’re here working security, it would be unprofessional of me to partake in the festivities. Though I seem to be the only one taking it seriously.”
“Actually, I think the others have the right idea,” Drim scoffed. “In my experience, it’s better for the protectors to blend in and act as if nothing's wrong. Otherwise, they may spoil the experience for the guests by adding unnecessary tension. That, and no one will see you out here. So feel free to help yourself.”
“I really shouldn’t,” Jaid now retracted her previous acceptance and staunchly refused. “And I’d appreciate you not trying to tempt me further.”
“Okay, that’s fine,” Drim gave up a bit too easily, but then plucked one of the snacks from the tray. “I’ll just enjoy them myself then. Oh wow, these are good, damn,” he praised the dish while his mouth was stuffed, not waiting to finish swallowing one before stuffing another. “I was only going to have a few, but I guess I’ll just have to finish the whole tray.”
“Hrrrrgh, why are you so damned good at getting under my skin?!” Jaid fumed but then reached over and grabbed as many appetizers as she could in one handful before they were all gone. “It is good,” she continued to scowl even though her face lit up.
The two of them continued to eat in silence as the tray of food quickly dwindled. And when there was only one morsel left, both of them moved their hands hesitantly toward it. Soon they were engaged in a stalemate, as both of their hands creeped closer while neither of them wanted to swoop in and grab it. But just as they were both an inch away, Drim retracted his hand and shifted the tray in Jaid’s direction, offering up the last piece.
“I suppose I should apologize to you,” Jaid’s voice got a bit quieter after she finished eating.
“Really, it’s fine,” Drim insisted. “I’m the one who snuck up on you and bothered you while you were working.”
“Well, if anything, you’re actually making my job easier,” the woman shot him a glare. “In my opinion, you’re the most dangerous person here. And now I don’t think I can let you out of my sight. So I should be thanking you for seeking me out yourself. But that’s not what I’m talking about,” Jaid shook her head.
“I mean when I came to talk to you about Creti. While I don’t think my words were entirely wrong, I still crossed a line. You had no obligation to help us, but the operation wouldn’t have been as successful without you. So I’m sorry for how I spoke to you. It was unbecoming of me.”
“No uhh…” Drim slumped against the railing a bit more and looked up at the night sky. “I think you were absolutely right. I should have dealt with Creti a long time ago. Maybe if I had actually intervened, she’d still be alive. Or at the very least, I shouldn’t have left it to the Central Peace.”
“Strange…” Jaid’s tone changed entirely. “I never mentioned that she was dead. Anyone tracking her movements would believe that she was in CP custody. We never released any sort of report announcing her death, so how would you know?” her gaze shifted, burning a hole in him with her eyes.
“Uhhh, Phon told me,” Drim spat out a believable answer as quickly as he could.
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“Right, of course,” she didn’t sound remotely convinced. “With that ascended power of hers she would be able to tell that Creti was dead. And how did you all become Greaters again? Some sort of gift? There’s been a lot of speculation on how it happened, but it had to have been Ledmer, right?”
“Yes, it was Ledmer,” the man answered honestly. “I see no real reason to deny it. Though we still can’t say for certain the exact conditions that caused it, and wouldn’t know how to replicate it.”
“Funny that you say that,” Jaid was almost amused. “Some nosy Drazs in the CP keep trying to pressure us Fiends to try and become Greaters, as if we can pull a world changing miracle out of our asses. But ultimately it’s an alright mentality, since it’s got the Fiends trying to do more good, even if it’s in their own self-interest.”
“But from what I’ve heard about Ledmer, then I’d say it really was a gift. You turned a dead wasteland into a place of joy. If you stuck to those kinds of efforts, and kept yourselves out of political affairs, then maybe we wouldn’t be enemies.”
“I mean, I still wouldn’t call us enemies, but if you say so,” Drim relented. “And as for Ledmer, all that prosperity is Kada’s doing. It’s only considered the happiest place on Rathe because of her efforts. The rest of us just helped clean up some trash.”
“Yeah, that sounds like her,” Jaid couldn’t argue. “Actually, my direct commander keeps offering to send me to Ledmer on my next long leave. Insists that I’d love the food there, but it’s a bit of a mental hurdle that I’m struggling to get over. The first being that it’s run by Kada. I can’t help but shake the feeling that she’d make a big deal out of it and insist on giving me some sort of VIP treatment.”
“Hell, when I saw her tonight, she gave me a hug like we were old friends. And that goes for a lot of your members, talking to me like we’re acquaintances who just drifted apart. That alone is awkward enough, but the worst bit is that I barely even remember some of them. I suppose I have you or Nathym to thank for that.”
“But the other hurdle for going to Ledmer is that I don’t really have anyone to go with. The stares I get going to restaurants alone is enough to haunt me already, and that just seems like the kind of place were it feels so lonely even if you were surrounded by people. I suppose I could go with Dura, but that would kind of feel like going on vacation with an annoying brother. It doesn’t exactly get me excited, so I guess I’ll just have to keep refusing for now.”
“Well, I’d offer to go with you myself, but I’m pretty sure you’d throw me off this balcony,” Drim mentioned cheekily. “Not that I’d actually have the time. Even I haven’t been there except for one time before it opened. Oh, and one time after for a meeting, but all I got to see was a boardroom.”
“And I apologize about the memories. It seems pretty much everything we were trying to hide by sealing them was eventually figured out one way or another. I’d offer to restore them if we could, but it’s unfortunately a one-way operation. Though they should steadily come back over time.”
“Yes… about that…” Jaid got quiet again, almost looking nervous this time. “I have one more thing to apologize for. All this time, I was upset with you because of… umm, that time we kissed. But I got that memory back just recently, and it seems that I was actually the one at fault. So I’m sorry.”
“Oh that?” Drim was caught off guard. “I hadn’t thought about it. And I can see how that would make someone angry if they thought they’d been taken advantage of in that manner. But that’s good. I thought you’d just been mad at me because of… y’know… all the other stuff.”
“No, I still am,” Jaid insisted with a straight face. “But, it’s still good to have that misunderstanding cleared up, and we can move on from it. Though it seems you already have, since you went and got married and all. Still… to Feyjrusa of all people. I can’t honestly say I would have ever predicted that.”
“Eh?” Drim was confused by the accusation, having to rack his brain back to an event that he had mostly forgotten about by this point. “Oh that, uhhh, yeah that wasn’t real. Well, I guess the lie worked then if that’s still widely spread. It was all a hoax to help with Feyjrusa’s claim to their throne and put a stop to some anarchist plots.”
“Oh… well that’s… huh…” Jaid didn’t seem to know quite how to feel about that bit of news.
“Actually, I probably shouldn’t have told you that,” Drim scratched the back of his head guiltily. “Won’t wipe your memory or anything this time, but if the lie’s still working, it’s best to leave it that way. So I’d ask that you don’t go spreading it around.”
“Talking about your lovelife isn’t exactly at the top of my list of things to do,” the woman huffed.
“Well… cool then,” Drim tried to recover from the awkwardness, but wasn’t doing the best job, so he decided to put an end to the conversation there. “Now I should let you get back to work. There’s still parts of the castle that I want to explore, so I’m going to head off. It’s been a pleasure catching up with you, Jaid.”
The man strolled away, resisting the urge to look back, and pressed on forward. But it wasn’t long before he heard the clacking of heels behind him. “...aaaand you’re following me.” Drim whirled around to find Jaid barely a foot away.
“I told you, didn’t I?” she gave him a contemptuous look. “You’re the most dangerous person here. I’d be derelict in my duties to let such a notorious criminal wander around unsupervised. So until I’m certain that you’re not plotting something, you’re stuck with me.”
“Heh, well alright then,” Drim smirked and turned back around. “Chase after me all you want. If you can keep up.”