[Station...the bar and grill]
Standing up and rubbing his aching jaw, D`Tarik mumbled, "Oh well. At
least I got him away from the drink." Glancing over to the old man, he saw
the man turn his eyes away from him. "Au'rh alive." D`Tarik said quietly,
"Good for au." he shrugs, and turns to walk out.
"Au never cared anyway." the man shrugged, "I guess au weren't meant to..."
Stopping at that, DT turns and yells at him, "What the hell are au talking
about, I don't care?! I cared that au were never home! I cared about
Sylah -- who had *a lot* of problems because au were never there, and
because of Mom's death! And then au *died*! What the hell am I supposed to
do now? Give au a big hug?! They told me you were dead!"
"Of course they did." his father nodded, "I left my position. I wanted to
be home. Had my mind wiped because of it. And before I could get
back...they took the both of au away."
"Au could of come to the Academy Rohal!" He argues, refusing to call the
man, 'dad'.
"Which academy?" Rohal shrugs at that, "ch`Rihan....ch`Havaran....one of
the others on a colony world?" he turns his eyes to look the boy, "Au'rh
Galae, by the look of au...but what department? Which school?" he shakes
his head, "I did look for au, and was turned away every time. They told me
they never heard of a Sylah or D`Tarik of s`Rekkohan.
"Well, Rohal, if au were ever home au probably would of been able to tell
which schools we went to! But if au don't even know that, then this meeting
is pointless! Here au are! Some TS burnout, who sits in a bar and gets
drunk all day!" D`Tarik paused, then glanced around them. He probably
should not have yelled 'TS' that loud...but he couldn't help it.
Rohal smiles a little saddly and looks away from him again. "Know what
schools au went to? I don't even remember what school I went to. I don't
even remember ninte mother's face." he shrugs, "That happens when ninte
mind is wiped. Sometimes things get lost."
"Ie. Well that's ninte own fault for being a trained killer!" DT protests
angrily, "Why do au think I went into medical and biology for? To save and
create life! Na take it and ruin it like au did!"
"Is that what au think I did?" his father, honestly surprised by this,
pauses a moment then shakes his head, "Maybe I did then. Don't really
remember. And it makes na difference in the long run anyway."
"And au had na right to talk to Emni the way au did!" DT carries on, too
angry to think straight himself, he never paused to consider that his father
might have no clue who Emni was.
"Emni?" Rohal thinks about this for awhile. "Ah! The girl." he nods,
"Ie...well, au'rh right. I probably shouldn't have said what I did to her."
he looks back to his son, "Tell me, D`Tarik...when they told au I was dead,
au just believed them? Au never tried to find out the truth?" standing, he
shakes his head and walks towards the doors, "Au'rh right. This is
pointless."
"Na. I didn't, Dad! Because au were barely alive to me when au were there!
But I guess that makes na difference to au! This *was* pointless! Au'rh
just like au always used to be...even with ninte mind wiped! The attitude
is just the same!" In a fit of anger, hoping to hurt the old man as he had
been hurt himself, DT tosses out, "Oh, and by the way! Sylah is dead....if
that even matters to au!"
Rohal stops, hanging his head as his shoulders drop. DT couldn't have hurt
him better if he had physically hit him. "Of course it matters to me." he
answered quietly. After a long pause he asks, "How did she die?"
"She was killed on what was supposed to be an observation mission. Her
first io." DT answers gently, walking closer to his father, "But a battle
broke out. They could na give me many details." he paused, lowering his eyes
for a moment at seeing his father silently cry, "I'm sorry I said that so
harshly...."
"Na. Au have na-thing to apologize for. None of this was ninte doing."
"Ie. Well...I'm only here for a short period of time." DT shrugs, "The
ship I'm on is only resupplying...."
"Ie." Rohal nods, his voice tinged with regret. "Duty must always come
first. Elements watch over au, D`Tarik."
"Na. Duty must na always come first, Dad. That was ninte problem the whole
time au were with us..."
Rohal smiles a little sadly at that, "Au will find out, son." he nods, "At
least au did the smart thing, and joined the Galae. They at least allow au
to retire."
"Ie. Au'rh right. I did make the right choice. Au did na." D`Tarik pauses
a moment, then offers "Do au want to come aboard the Wildstrike? At least
get ninte-self cleaned up?"
Rohal smiles greatfully, but shakes his head, "Na, hann`yyo. I wouldn't
want to embarrass au."
"I embarrass myself." D`Tarik smiles back jokeingly, "Maybe if au come on
bored, au could apologize to Emni. And Dad?" he pauses, waiting for his
father to look at him again, "It is good to know au are okay. At least I
know au know au made a mistake."
Rohal smiles again, bowing slightly to his son, "Hann`yyo. It's good to
know au are okay too." he looks at him again, noticing the scares that
covered one side of his son's face, and adds concerned, "By the looks of
au, I almost lost au forever too....."
"Eh..just some monster nearly ripped my face off." D`Tarik shrugs, "Na big
deal. Okay...so...." he motions his father to walk with him and the pair
head out.
Rohal raises a brow at D`Tarik's explination of what happened, and follows
along beside his son, "Monster? Au fight monsters often, do au?"
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