Ch. 7 - Reflections

Content Warning: Depiction of Abuse
↓ This is the Audio Companion for Chapter 7! ↓ 

The sun set the sky into a rich orange color, accented farther off in the horizon by the light of that force field over the village. For everybody at Galvana... at least everyone who was a soldier... the day was basically over, and the lifeless streets would be that much more lonely very soon.

As Joshua made his way back to the sleeping quarters, he didn't see 'John' anywhere on the road from the warehouse, or anywhere near the beds themselves. Not outside, not on the way to his bed... anywhere.

...he doesn't sleep in that warehouse where he keeps 'his' car, does he??

Regardless of where that man was, Joshua's bed was still empty, from what little he could see in the dark, vaguely highlighted by the faint, distant lights outside. The covers were chaotic, and the wife beater was still there from a few days ago. Likely as close to comfortable as he was going to get, even without the desert heat. 'Ichael already seemed to be asleep in the near opposite bed, or at least, was laying away from where Joshua could see if he was asleep.

The mixed light from outside highlighted the part of 'Ichael that wasn't covered by a blanket. It wasn't really cold, but it wasn't unusual for him to be sensitive to less than hot air. The only thing Joshua could see wrong with it was he couldn't talk to the kid, in spite of how tired he was.

Removing himself from the evident desire to just talk to someone right now, Joshua gave in to his exhaustion and finally reached out to the bed to lay on top of everything, letting the lukewarm weather envelope him, and stare at the bunk above his.

For the long time Joshua was lying in his bed, he thought he could see the light swirl from the shield far away, after the sun's light was long gone.

...

...

...

...

...

Okay. I'm pretty sure he's asleep.

...

So, before I get into anything else I want to try talking about, I want to apologize for my lack of... professional composure, as it were.

As one of the voices between the pages, so to speak, I am supposed to be more neutral. Or at least, I believed I was supposed to be.

But I'm clearly not being that. Joshua's behavior as of late has caught me off guard. I made some comments that I maybe shouldn't have.

I'm sorry. And I understand if your faith in me to accurately portray what is happening has... changed.

But I at least think we can agree that what Joshua is thinking isn't... good? Not so much the 'distrust of aliens he's never seen before', but more the part of him being more distrustful of the fact that they're trying to be... nice.

This isn't even me speaking from a perspective of knowing how this story ends.

Because unfortunately... I don't. And much of that is due to how Joshua is acting.

It's thrown me for a loop, to say the least.

But again... I've held the stance that I need to be neutral. And I've failed to do that so far. But I want to change that.

And I'm going to. By the next morning.

...

...

...

In said next morning... Joshua woke up early. The sun hadn't come up to shine through the window yet, so the only light blanketing the area was from that shield, a ways away. No one else seemed to be awake, including 'Ichael, leaving the barracks that same empty quiet it was just a few nights ago. With Bran and 'Ichael... and the wind.

In fact, thinking back to that night, Joshua remembered the conversation he had with both of them. How lost in words he felt, trying to explain why he was worried about the destruction of the village. How it wouldn't lead to anything good for any of them, other than just... having to try to be anything other than soldiers.

As if this would've just ended happily, in a desert with nothing else around.

Of course, Bran would probably say something like 'that was before the aliens hovered over us.

Joshua moaned his way off the bed, shoving the wife beater behind him, and walked his way through the bunks, people snoring loudly as he passed them.

...still no sign of 'John', either.

Does that guy actually sleep in a warehouse?

...

More importantly, is it because of Bran and me?

Joshua mostly leaned against the wall of a nearby house near the entrance to the Tower, looking to see if Bran would be walking out after a few more hours. It was still early, but he hoped regardless that he would be waking up soon, if not for the sake of getting this next round of diplomacy done, then at least to just talk to. His apparent loneliness wasn't made any better as he couldn't help but see the shield snaking high into the sky, above the walls of Galvana.

...

Someone else was in the street ahead.

...it definitely wasn't Bran. But they were wearing a uniform... and it has medals on it. A dirty uniform with dirty medals.

...the...

...Marshall????

...and he's heading this way!

Stumbling all the way, but intimidating nevertheless, as the distant but familiar expression of barely contained anger was becoming clearer and clearer.

The Marshall pointed a finger from a shaking hand to Joshua, slowing down to a limp and taking in a sharp breath, like he was in pain.

"...you..." the Marshall said, from a throat full of phlegm. He stopped moving, at least as best as he could, next to the doors of the Tower, and in front of Joshua. "Who are you?" he continued, his voice a little clearer but much more breathy.

Joshua didn't say anything as he was stunned by the smell from the Marshall. Alcohol, perhaps? It definitely didn't smell good. More importantly, however, the question itself prolonged the feeling substantially.

Has he completely forgotten me?

"I said..." the Marshall suddenly started, seeming to gain some strength, in his voice and in general, as he tightly grabbed Joshua's shoulder and pulled himself up to stand straight, "...who are you?! Why are you wearing a uniform?! I don't recognize you from any regimen. Explain yourself."

The sudden assertion of authority caught Joshua off guard, and being dragged down slightly didn't help in that regard. His voice still didn't come out immediately, but only for a brief moment, as his thoughts gathered.

"My-- My name is Joshua, sir!" he said, automatically. Of course, his voice struggled to remain emotionless, and he cringed internally at the brief voice crack. "I'm a private, sir!"

The Marshall's expression looked to slip into a vague hollowness as he seemed to process Joshua's response. The wind blew past both of them, like a conversation walking around them.

Joshua's shoulder was starting to feel sore from the grip of the half-corpse in front of him. He couldn't move away, not even trivially.

"Private..." the Marshall attempted to whisper to himself, but failed. He stared at Joshua with eyes that didn't move, and maybe didn't actually register visual stimuli, at least not right now. It was uncanny.

Then suddenly, the grip tightened. Much harder than Joshua thought was possible.

"Wait," the Marshall began, his voice getting marginally louder now, and his gaze drifting away to the sky. "I... remember you..." He locked his eyes to the double-ended obelisk in the sky as soon as he saw it, and after some more recollections, pointed to it with his free hand, shaking. "You were..." he attempted to continue, but as he looked back to Joshua, he trailed off.

"How... how many days has it been?"

Again, Joshua didn't answer immediately.

The Marshall started tightening his grip again, to the point that Joshua was once again stunned at how painful it was. He was starting to worry if his shoulder was bleeding, either internally or externally. Or both.

"How many days has it been?!?!"

"Marshall Brier!!"

The both of them turned to see Brandenson coming through the doors of the Tower, surprise and confusion littering his face.

"Sir... where have you been?" Bran continued, trying to ease his tone, to mild success. "The General has been looking for you."

Brier continued to stare at Bran, and Joshua pleaded with his face to help him get out of this torture device of a hand. Bran only replied with a quick turn of his eyes to him, and then continued to keep his attention almost exclusively on Brier.

"We can get you cleaned up through here, sir. If you'll just follow me--"

"How many days has it been?" Brier repeated, a brief show of his anger coming back.

"Only a few, sir. Not very many at all," Bran replied quickly, continuing to usher him through the doors with his hands.

Almost immediately after his question was answered, Brier let go of Joshua's shoulder and pushed him away. From his limited perspective, he thought he could see Bran almost reach out to him before stopping himself, and continuing to focus on the angry, disheveled excuse for a superior officer.

Is this what I get for waking up early?

As Brier walked after Bran, and in front of Joshua, parts of his clothes seemed to come loose, as if his person or identity were falling apart, like dead hair. At least one medal had fallen off, or at least as far as Joshua could tell, since it was the one he was holding as he followed them. He could feel the hot plastic still burning through the sleeve cuff he used to cover it.

Bran played the dutiful assistant well, in spite of the aesthetically gruesome display he was saving Joshua from. If only Joshua knew to what end this would come to.

How long was he just staying outside, anyway? he thought to himself, as he tried to read the medal in his hand, but discovered that the text (if it was even meant to be text) was an unreadable scrawl. The only other question that came to mind was whether or not it was always this way, or if the sun melted it.

Staying in the elevator only continued to reveal the problems with Briar's living condition. Clearly, he hadn't bathed in the past days he was missing for. And it was a powerful smell.

If he's let go because of this... I don't know if I'll be able to keep myself from laughing.

Then Joshua had a moment to recognize just how long the elevator ride was taking. Some anxiety rose in his throat, and as he tried to breathe in, the door suddenly opened, to a very big room, the same shade of green as the outside of the Tower.

The head of the Galvanan government's office. Riand.

Brier shuffled out like a dehydrated zombie, and Bran finally had a moment to talk to Joshua.

"Are you okay, J?"

"I'm fine, fine," Joshua whispered back. "But why are we here? I thought the General wanted to see--"

"The General's up here," Bran quickly whispered back as he stood back up straight, and walked back to Brier.

While he was still confused, Joshua started walking as well, as he still wanted to see the rest of the office.

It was a large room. Larger than that one room he shared a table in just yesterday, which... shook him, emotionally and physically. If he had to guess, he'd say it easily spanned the diameter of the Tower's highest point, if it wasn't higher than that. A very large, hypnotic rug lined the floor, effectively the whole room as the rock-patterns that permeated the walls - as if it was made of actual emerald - seemed to mimic the same patterns. At least to Joshua's eyes.

"Do you expect me to stoop to that level, of a damn courier?" Riand's voice softly boomed and echoed from Joshua's left. Looking over, he could see the small man sitting in - or more accurately, being swallowed by - the deep seat of an armchair. Sitting opposite him was the General, who was much taller, and didn't have the same problem with his seat.

"I'm suggesting a show of authority. Dealing with the problem directly," the General responded, also keeping his voice low and soft. "Show the interlopers how seriously you should be taken."

"As if they'd do that when they sit higher above the skyline than I'm able to." Riand seemed to be getting irritated, as a gravely sound perforated his words. "If they want to talk, why don't they come down here? I'll show them how seriously to--"

Brier stamped his feet as he struggled to stand at attention, the sound breaking the silence that sat through the rest of the room, and Riand's attention. The General looked over as well, his expression shifting to a stern glare from it's original, more calm disposition. He creaked out of the chair, and walked over to the three of them, glancing from Bran to Brier, seeming to deduce how he got to the office. The General stopped right next to Brier's face and snapped his fingers, telling the young man to bring his hand down from his head.

"Where the hell have you been?" the General gently growled, but the disheveled wreck didn't move.

"Outside," he quickly replied, trying to keep an energized facade. "I was locked out."

From the walls??

The General's expression worsened. "Don't tell me you fall asleep walking now."

Brier's breathing became louder. But he didn't respond.

The General seemed to be enjoying himself a little bit. "How'd you get here then?"

Brier looked behind, to Joshua, anger seeping again. "This one had an excursion out of the city yesterday. The gates even opened for him."

...is he saying this like he thinks I shouldn't have done that?

"And why do you think that is?"

Brier almost immediately grasped the tone of the General's response, and he changed his face accordingly.

"Did it not occur to you that I wanted him to do that?"

Brier's left foot came back a little as the General leaned forward.

"Then again, I don't know what else I should expect. After your tantrum--"

"It's a foolish errand! We should strike--"

The General smacked Brier in the face with the back of his hand, sending him falling back onto the ground, between Joshua and Bran. The both of them were marginally shaken, but neither of them had much concern. The General then loomed over Brier, as he lay partially limp on the rug.

"YOU. DID."

Brier turned his head. Other than that, he laid all the same.

"And it didn't work. And now you come back to embarrass me in front of my superior, as if that'll make anything better for you? Do you want to die?"

Joshua thought he could see tears coming from Brier's eyes.

Then the General stood back. Joshua turned back to see Riand pulling him away from the three of them, glaring at the General.

"You embarrass yourself enough without help," he said, as he slowly walked over Brier. "Stand up," he said, loudly.

It took Brier a while to muster the strength to get back up, but as he did, more of his tattered clothes fell off. His undershirt was showing through-a wife-beater with sand in the seams.

"Clean yourself up. Then get back to your office." Riand brought Brier's shoulder closer, almost making him lose balance again.

"If this happens again..." Riand continued, almost whispering, "...you will be dead."

Brier, shaking slightly, shuffled to the elevator.

Now, Joshua has no real love for Galvana, let alone the Marshall, despite his apparent desire for things to not change. But he couldn't help but feel... mixed at what just happened. He didn't want the Marshall to be around him anymore, but this... wasn't right. Any part of it.

(As tempted as I am to make a comment about his willingness to empathize with a fascist over overtly kind people, I know I shouldn't, and I won't.)

Soon enough, though, as quickly as they had entered the room, they had been dismissed.

After they waited for the elevator to come back up, of course.

Vague fragments of the conversation between Riand and the General continued while Bran and Joshua looked between each other and the elevator door

"...depending on what they......be plausible that a discussion..."

"...don't care what it is they want. They........ over my authority, the authority of Galvana..."

After Riand's last relatively quiet burst of anger, the conversation quickly became unintelligible from where Joshua and Bran were standing. Bran took this opportunity to finally start a conversation of his own with Joshua.

"Seriously, though. Are you actually okay, J?" he whispered.

"Yes, of course I am,"Joshua replied quietly.

"Okay," Bran said, as if trying to reassure himself. "Well, what happened with Brier?"

"He just found me outside this morning. I think he was sleeping behind a house."

"Really?" Bran said, partially stunned. "I didn't think he'd be that missing."

A silence grew as they both didn't say anything again. Joshua glanced at the elevator lights; just about to them now.

"What were you doing there, by the tower? Waiting for me?" Bran asked, also looking at the lights.

"I woke up early. I didn't have anything else to do."

"Hm," Bran grunted lightly. "Not very soldier-like of you."

"Weren't you the one that wanted me to do big boy shit?" Joshua replied quickly to the incredulous tone.

"Well, if you remember our talk yesterday, it didn't occur to me that you'd take to it so quickly."

The elevator opened, and the both of them fell silent until they started descending.

"Don't get it twisted," Joshua continued, no longer whispering, "I want to get this over with."

"Mm-hm."

That sound carried the same damn confidence with it, that familiar expression of 'you know I'm right' that littered their relationship. Joshua scoffed at the idea.

Silence, interrupted sparsely by the rumblings of the elevator, hung over them again. After the next few floors passed them by, Joshua saw something to the left of his peripheral vision. He looked over and saw Bran, looking back at him. Slyly.

"What are you looking at me like that for?" The question was quiet, and unsure. He thought he might already know, but... part of him didn't want it to be true. Mostly for the sake of convenience.

"Just thinking." The answer was wistful, and gentle. A tone Joshua hadn't heard in a long time.

"About what?"

"Well...", Bran said thoughtfully, coming closer to him, "...we haven't done anything together in a long time."

"We have good reasons for that. We've been busy," Joshua said, firmly but not without empathy.

"We aren't busy right now."

"Do you think an elevator is the best place for this?"

"I didn't say that." Bran rubbed his shoulder against Joshua's as he shimmied in place. "I've just been thinking."

Joshua rolled his eyes playfully, and noticed the lights of the elevator approaching the ground floor.

"Let's talk about this another time, okay?"

Joshua tried to straighten his stance, before the doors opened. Bran moved a few steps away, the look on his face only mostly faded away.

"Alright, alright," he sighed aloud.

Joshua followed Bran out, as he walked over to the front doors of the tower--

--and the both of them stopped when they saw the two, very tall figures through the glass panels.

Joshua recognized them immediately.

It'kara and Tor'me.