La Catalina

[Arminius H O Fiddywinks]

Korben chuckled to Amelia's complement, and nodded in thanks. "Ah, I have a v-v-very interesting st-story," he began. Korben took a sip of his iced tea and lemonade beverage concoction. He put the drink down, and began the story of his life.

"I was b-born into a w-wealthy family. The Dallases. We own D-dallas Pharmaceuticals, among other th-things. I got a g-good educ-c-cation, and I w-was raised in opulence. I w-wanted to be a m-medic in the army, b-b-but my parents wanted me t-to be like my older b-brothers and sisters: a p-part of the c-company. And when I j-j-joined Barbarossa Academy of M-military Science, dad c-cut me out of the  will, and cut me off f-from the f-f-family fortune." He paused, rubbing his fingers on his glass. Korben had a slightly vindictive look on his face, despite his eyes being hidden behind sunglasses. He continued.

"So, I struggled after I g-g-graduated. Took on a lot of odd j-j-j-jobs, as well as j-j-joining the army as a m-medic. T-took me a while t-t-to pay off my debts. Then... the Aparoids came..." Korben took a long pause. Then, he continued. "Elizabeth and I, w-w-we were, uhh, stationed in C-C-Corneria City. Th-they hit us hard. Within hours, only Elizab-beth and myself were alive in our sq-sq-squad." He shook his head. "They were j-j-just lying there, b-blood and..." He was very close to breaking down in tears, but Korben collected himself and continued his story. He breathed in. "My friend, the c-crazy dude, he uhh, he saved me. Yeah. That's how I g-g-got to know S-Sandor K-Kalocsai." Korben took another sip of his Arnold Palmer, and continued.

"I even m-met Star Fox. All of them." Korben's grin radiated when he said that. "After the w-war, my sister started w-w-wiring money into my account f-from hers as a form of p-p-p-pity. I didn't w-want any of it, but sh-she always insists. Anyway, I d-decided to be a c-concierge doctor for r-rich people. I n-n-needed to ap-p-ply myself somehow." He adjusted his position in his seat, and kept talking. "M-most of my c-clients, they uhh, they l-live here. So, I d-d-decided to move close t-to my w-workplace." He leaned back and sighed. "That's me."

[Arminius H O Fiddywinks]

(Damn, double-posted the same thing.)

Edited April 23, 2015 by Arminius H O Fiddywinks

[Naza Sutera]

Amelia nursed on her lemonade as Korben told his story. She had gotten used to his stuttering by now, so she didn't have to worry about bursting out laughing at him. She nodded periodically, listening to his compelling life story. With him being cut off from his family, she thought that it was impressive of him to still achieve what most people couldn't in two lifetimes. He managed to get to a place like La Catalina all by himself pretty much. "Wow. You've had it rough." It seems we all have demons we are battling.

[Arminius H O Fiddywinks]

"Truth," he said, nodding in agreement. Suddenly, Korben developed the urge to go to the restroom. "I need to g-go to the r-restroom," he declared. Korben stood up from his seat, and headed toward the restroom, noticing Elizabeth and Bohdan eavesdropping on them. He approached them, asking why they were at The Silver Spoon.

"We're just eating, Korben," Elizabeth claimed. "Such a coincidence for the three of us to meet each other here..."

"Yes, such a coincidence," Bohdan said sarcastically. Elizabeth gave Bohdan the evil eye, which made Bohdan uncomfortable. Korben scoffed, and continued heading towards the restroom. He soon disappeared behind its door.

[Naza Sutera]

Korben left the table to use the restroom just as Amelia's phone vibrated and chimed in her childishly gaudy Hello Kitty clutch. Unzipping it and taking out her phone, she saw that none other than Amber had sent her a text. Unlocking the phone to read it, she smiled, humored by her friend's silliness, and drummed up a response. The guy at the next table scoffed and shook his head, causing Amelia to glance out of the corner of her eye. She brought her attention back to her phone after Amber texted back.

"It's a real shame."

"Hm?" Amelia looked at the man. "I'm sorry?"

"It's a shame to see such a lovely Canid woman like yourself turning your back on the people you come from for some outsider. Its a disservice to your people because you could be with a strong Canid man. What, are we not good enough for you or something?

Amelia stared at the man at the table next to her, sipping on her drink as she pondered a way to respond. Putting her glass down, she cleared her throat. "...Well, I don't know how it disgraces the Canid Community, considering that what you are talking about is a condition of modern society and education about other people. The real question is: why don't you mind your own business? Where do you get off trying to tell me who I can and can involve myself with?"

"Its really sad to see that you have been indoctrinated by your miscegenist ideals that you can't even see how far gone you are. I'm sorry to bruise your elitist ego, but the truth hurts. Why do you just tattoo "No Canid Guys" on your forehead so that we know your position from the get-go?"

"Well..." she twirled the straw in her lemonade, spinning the ice around. "...Not that I care to placate you or anything, but my ex-husband and father of my kids is North Cornerian Husky. That should count for something."

"Your ex? Hmph. That's what I am talking about. You were probably to busy selling yourself to every other species in society that you couldn't even appreciate what was in front of you. And you're kids, you say? Your so selfish that you're breaking up the nuclear Canid family just to be some whore. Us Canid men struggle to hold our community together and then you defecate on those you come from.

"Man, for your damned infor-goddamn-mation, he left me because he was not at a place in his life to support me through something that I was dealing with. Not that he represents every Canid man, but who was the one who was 'too selfish to hold the nuclear canid family together' and 'deficated on their people'? And, please! You're struggle? There are things I struggle with as a canid woman and as a person in general. What makes your struggle more important that you seat yourself on your high horse and tell me what to do? What is your struggle other than a shortage of people to kiss your ass?"

[Arminius H O Fiddywinks]

As Korben stepped out of the restroom, he noticed Amelia was exchanging harsh words with a Canine man. Korben approached the man, sitting beside their table.

"Hey," he said, catching the Canine man's attention. "Calm down, dude." Korben then turned to Amelia. "Is this guy b-b-bothering you?" The Canine began laughing.

"Oh, boy, isn't this rich!? You've got a beaver-- a rodent, no less!-- dating a Canid woman. Oh, how far we have fallen..." he blurted. The Canine shook his head in disgust. "Ugh, you give me hives, rodent!" Korben, clearly finding the Canine asinine, nevertheless kept his composure.

"Sir," he began. "I strongly suggest y-y-you stop hurling your insults l-l-left and r-r-r-right. Now please, b-be quiet and l-l-leave us alone, or else."

"Or else w-w-w-w-what?" the Canine replied mockingly, now standing up and in Korben's face. Korben was not only disgusted, he was appalled by the Canine's attitude. "Stuttering piece of trash," he snarled. Korben did not want to hurt the man, for he wanted to show himself as the bigger person. Bohdan, however, would not sit aside while his friend was being taunted and harassed. He stood up, and answered the Canine's question.

"Or else, my friend, you will have to deal with me." Bohdan approached the Canine, towering over him. He began to growl ominously, his stature overshadowing everyone else in the restaurant, which fell silent, save for ambient noise leaking in from outside. "I do not enjoy the experience of watching a friend get harassed by a backwards thinker such as your pathetic little self. Please, do us all a favor, and leave under your own power. Or perhaps, would you like me to throw you out?" Terrified, the Canine dashed out of the restaurant, never even paying his check.

[Naza Sutera]

((Alright, guys. This is sort of a restart of the rp that I promised. Nothing has been retconned, it's just the following morning. So without further delay, let's have fun!))

~*~*~

Thunder clapped as the rain poured from the angry morning sky. Rapidly, suddenly, the rain increased to a deafening roar on the terracotta roofs of each home in La Catalina. The weather station was on in the greatroom on the plasma television that hung on the wall above the media console. It was cut to a low volume. Turning around in her seat at the bar/island counter in the kitchen, Amelia picked up the remote control to turn up the volume

"...as the front moves in," the meteorologist spoke as he motioned to the weather map of the regional area, "it will bring more and more saturated air, causing thunderstorms and more wet weather..."

Turning the volume back down, Amelia twirled back around to her laptop on the counter. She took a sip of her morning cappuccino and opened her MacBook and typed in her password to log on. Her YouTube home page was already open. Using the trackpad, she brought the cursor to her videos tab and scrolled down until she found a video she made a couple years ago.

The Wallet

It brought back memories and conflicted feelings. Despite that, she clicked on the video. The web page opened and the video began to load. It opened with Amelia from five years ago, looking a little tired and disheveled. Her image lacked her signature eyeliner or lip color, and her hair was pulled back into some messy semblance of a bun/ponytail. In the video, she began to speak...

"…So, I had a couple of epiphanies and they kind of spawned from one situation that happened to me earlier today. And what that situation in and/or was is that I had lost my wallet. And… misplacing one’s wallet is a pretty mundane situation, but the situation really put something on my spirit. And, like… It’s so deep. It’s too deep for me to go into like I want to with my allotted time. Maybe what I will do is tell bits and pieces here or whatever part I am inspired to tell you, and later when I do a live broadcast, I can go into all the details and take as long as I’d like to get the whole story out.

 

"But what I want to tell you…--In general. It’s a couple of things I want to tell you. But, um… In life, many times, people go through their life, and they only do things when they feel that it is a benefit to them. Now what do I mean by that? For example, someone might do a nice deed for someone only when there are people around who… How should I say? Um, people who are around to give them accolades, give them applause, give them approval, give them some type of something to where, “Oh she is such a nice person! This person is so selfless, etcetera, etcetera.” Many times a person will do something when they are expecting something in return; you know, it was nice that they did it, but they only did it because they feel like they will get something back. Then there are those who won’t do at all, and feel like “As long as it doesn’t affect me, then that will do.”

 

"But what I want to tell you today—and it all spawned from this one wallet situation—I want to tell you that I believe that when you do something out of the kindness of your heart, and it’s organic, and genuine, that is when you will truly receive the blessing. I know I hear often that people say something along the lines of “Oh, this is why I don’t do for people! Because I always get fucked over in the end!” Or, “People always do me wrong—“whatever/what have you. That is because, subconsciously in your mind, you had it to, like, “Well, I’m going to do this, so you should treat me this way. Or you should give me this. Or you should be nice to me, because, I’m a nice person and didn’t you just see what I did?” There is always something about it. Just do it because you want to see someone else successful. Just do it because you want to see someone else prosperous. But don’t feel like, “Well if I’m not rising with them, then I’m not doing it!” Because, that is the wrong attitude in my opinion.

 

"Another thing I want to say is that a lot of times, we go about our lives, and different opportunities will arise. Then you’ll say, “I want to do this.” You try. You fail. And then you say, “I give up. I tried it, and it did not work.” However, when it comes down to it, you really didn’t try. Because, one thing that I’ve learned…--And I’m telling you, it came from this wallet situation, and you may be thinking how one has to do with the other, but I’m telling you it came from this one situation. But many times, people will come across an opportunity, they “try” and then they fail. And the reason they failed is because they were half-stepping. Because, they were so consumed mentally with “How will he look at me? What will she think? Will I look silly?” There is so much clutter, and there is so much chaos going on in your mind, that you can’t even focus on what it is you came here for. You came her for (A), but you are focused on (B). You have to be present in what you are doing. If I want to be successful at whatev—ABCDEFG, then I need to focus on that. Because If I show up with the intent to be successful, but all of my efforts are going into something completely irrelevant, then I can’t say I really gave it a shot, because I didn’t. What happened was that PHYSICALLY showed up. But mentally, I was not present. I was absent. I was void. So, what we have to do as people—and I know it’s hard, but you have to just try—we have to just clear our mind and say: “I want to do this. People might laugh at me, people might discourage me, and maybe they’re right. But I want to give this an honest chance. And if it does not work out, so be it. At least I gave it my best. Without any additives from anyone else; it was all me.” You know what I’m saying?

 

"Also, a thing I want to tell you is that… We walk around, we have our wallet. And inside of that wallet, we have out debit cards, our credit cards, our ID, and a number of other things we use on a daily basis. It doesn’t occur to us how important these things are until they are not around; we just use them and we do it. And when I found my wallet, because where I ended up finding it was in the trash… And I promise you all these situations connect. Like I say, maybe on a different day, I can tell you the full scope of what’s going on. And I am sorry if this feels random or you’re lost, but you know… Anyway, when I found my wallet in the trash, I remember thinking about how crazy it was that I…--Well I kind of tweeted about it. I said, “There my wallet was, in the cold trash.” Like, it was in the garbage can. I was getting ready to take the trash out. And I decided to look one more time and really gave it a try—see, now I am starting to tell you! What happened was that, initially looked in the trash, but I was so embarrassed that I was digging through the trash, thinking, “I know these are my neighbors, but what if they think I’m trying to steal someone’s identity?” or “How do I look? I look foolish digging through the trash like a rodent—“ there was so much going on in my mind, so when I first looked, I didn’t really look! Because I was so consumed by what everyone else thought, that I didn’t even see past that to my objective: finding out if I threw my wallet in the trash. So when I went upstairs after I call myself “looking”, I remember saying “Well, I looked in the trash, at least I know it’s not there.” But the truth was that it was there, but I didn’t really look! Because of all the chaos in my mind, physically I showed up, mentally I was in this person’s house, that person’s house, what they are thinking about me, why they were thinking it. And when I found it, it was just crazy how my whole life was there.

 

"And many times, we reach a point where we feel like we have no purpose. And you ask yourself, “Why am I here? What is my purpose? My career isn’t going right, my marriage is on the rocks, my family is falling apart—nothing in my life seems to be going right.” I am saying this from personal experience. And I am not afraid to say it, because I am a person and I know I’m not perfect. This is where I was in my mind. Like, “What is my real purpose? Does this even have a purpose?” And when I found my wallet, I remember thinking, here it is; your trash is meant for things that have more purpose. And I have not the slightest idea what possessed me to throw my wallet in the trash. And I’m not religious or spiritual or anything, but if there is something up in heaven somewhere, I am convinced that it was trying to show me something; that just because my wallet was thrown away into a receptacle for things that have no purpose, that does not mean that it had no purpose.

 

"In your life, just because you find yourself in a circumstance where people are looked at and judged—if you are homeless right now, if you are a recovering addict, if you are battling cancer or whatever your case might be, and you feel like, “Why am I here? Just take me, just take me—“ Whatever your problem might be, you can’t give up! Because the moment you are gone, then you will see. It’s just like that movie… What’s it called? It’s A Wonderful Life. And he was like, “I’m through. Just take me away. And I don’t care.” And when the angel came and took him, and he was able to see what life would be like without him, he was able to see what an impact he really had! “I didn’t know I had such an influence over you! I didn’t realize—“ Oh, see, this is making me emotional. Because it is such a strong thing, and we as people, we often don’t give ourselves enough credit. We look at everyone else and think, “This person is so successful—“

 

"I can’t believe… I’m sorry. Because I never… Let me compose...."

Amelia watched as her image from years ago took a moment to wipe the mist from her eyes. With her voice starting to crumble, she hazards another attempt to speak.

"Because it is such a strong thing for me, because it my life… Recently, I… Wow..."

The image began to laugh at herself for not being able to maintain composure on camera. She inhaled, sniffling a little bit. Just as she opened her mouth to continue speaking, her cup runneth over and she could hold back anymore.

"…In my life--…I—I got to a point where… I felt like… “Do I really have a purpose?” 

She wiped the tears away and continued.

 "Like, “Do I have a purpose? Why am I here?” And… I’m sorry!"

She burst out laughing again, embarrassed at her display.

"I'm laughing, but I'm crying... It's like, "choose an emotion," but...Sometimes, we are so hard on ourselves. And we forget how strong we are, and what our purpose is, and how many lives we touch. But… We all have a purpose, and…--I’m such an ugly crier! Um… We all have a purpose, and we all have a reason for being. You just have to stick it out to find out what that purpose is. And you can’t feel like you were put here for no reason. Even if you feel like your situation is bad or there is no way out. You can’t give up on your drams, or… Anything. If you have a vision, do it. Don’t let anyone deter you. For me, I just felt pushed to tell you.

 

"Lately though… I have been going through a rough time in my life. Because of another on-setting ailment, I had to get taken off of my medication and I had to go through a trial and error phase to find new medications that don’t conflict with the ones for my new illness. And… My life is pretty much falling apart. The meds aren’t working right, my husband doesn’t want to deal with me because of it, and he doesn’t want the kids to be around me… I am currently on medical leave right now and… I can’t give up. Because… I have to live for my children. And on a side note; aside from my children, because they come first, when I get on here and read these messages from you guys—“Oh my god! Your video was so funny! It made my day!” or “I was having a bad day and I watched your video and now I’m in a good mood.” THAT is my purpose. The different lives affected by me. ME. Who am I? It… It all has a purpose.

 

"And… I dunno. I kind of feel like I am rambling at this point. But if nothing else from this post connects with you, I just want every person watching this to know that it does not matter what your dream is. Whether it is entertainment, medicine, to… whatever else. Just stay true to it and really give it a fighting chance to become a reality. Never give up on your dream. Always be as kind as possible. When you do things for people, do them out of the kindness of your heart. And I believe that when you do that, you will see how much of an impact you have. As I said, it’s like A Wonderful Life; he didn’t think he had an impact until he was taken out of the equation. And that’s the same for you, it’s the same for me. I mean, who is to say, if I were never born, the different people—I may not know you face-to-face. But maybe there is someone out there that maybe I helped them, or maybe I changed their life. Just maybe because I made them laugh for that one moment…

 

"…Anyway, I’ve rambled long enough. I hope that this video did help someone. I know the holidays are coming up so… Happy Holidays, and whatnot. With that being said, I love you all. So, until next time...

That’s all. There is."

With that, the image blew a kiss to her viewers and waved them goodbye, and the video ended.

[Arminius H O Fiddywinks]

Bohdan held, in his two large hands, four pairs of identification tags, issued by the Ruthenian Imperial Army: the RIA. However, all four of the pairs were lavishly decorated, proclaiming that they belonged to soldiers in the Czar's Guard, and the fourth was bright red, denoting that it belonged to a pilot in the Czar's Air Guard. They all had one thing in common: they all bore the name "Chmielnicki". He cradled it in his hands, praying quietly. The pouring rain pattered on his hood and light jacket, and fell upon the ID tags. Bohdan grasped them in his hands, and after his prayers, put them back on his neck, along with his Ogniemite Icon. He looked up, and saw Sandor with Salamon across the table, with Sandor entertaining Salamon with magic tricks and his sleight of hand, using some coins, a golf ball, and a pack of playing cards. Salamon, in his toddler-sized poncho, was giggling in his stroller while Sandor performed in nothing but a grey t-shirt, jeans, and old sneakers. Bohdan smiled, and looked to his right to find Korben and Elizabeth sitting beside one another. Elizabeth was wearing her officer's cap, while Korben sported a water-proof trilby. However, his blazer was not water-proof, and was as drenched as Sandor, while Elizabeth had the same combat jacket she wore in the army. The rain danced on Elizabeth's muzzle, but she did not mind. Korben was holding a glass pane which was as large and thick as an iPad, looking at a photo album on it.

"What are you doing?" Bohdan inquired.

"Looking at photos," Korben replied. The rain fell onto the glass pane, and Korben would occasionally wipe it clean. It was a photo album containing pictures from a bygone era: Korben's childhood. In it, Korben was a joyful, carefree child. He did not stutter a single word, not a single image imagined, not a single stumble, not a pill needed to be taken. He was healthy, hearty, and above all, happy. He then scrolled to a video. He played it, and remembered that his mother shot this video while the family was vacationing on Zoness, before the Wars. Giggling, the crashing of waves, the cries of Z-gulls, and the elated conversations of others could be heard emanating from the glass pane.

Bohdan then looked to Elizabeth, who was holding a picture of a man, a Siberian husky. It was her former husband, Lucas. She was slowly caressing the photograph, with the rain barely touching it, as Elizabeth shielded the photograph from the water. Meanwhile, Sandor turned to everyone else. Noticing their melancholic faces, he tried to break the ice.

"What is wrong with you people?" he asked, setting Salamon in his lap. Salamon was stirring in Sandor's arms, cooing in his poncho. The three of them glanced at Sandor, but then withdrew back into their own thoughts. Sandor looked down into Salamon's wide, glistening eyes. "I know, Salamon," he said to the baby. "They're all a mystery." He shook his head, sopping wet from the rain.

[Kurt]

Sven was walking through the park in the rain, thinking about the events that caused him to come here. Him joining the ACI, the ambush, and him running from his own guilt. As he thought, he was unknowingly rubbing his Dog tags between his thumb and index finger. His old jacket was soaking wet and cold, which pulled him out of his thoughts and back into the present. As he looked to his left he saw a large figure that could only be Bohdan at a table with a few other people. Sven began walking towards them saying "Bohdan! May I join you?"

[Arminius H O Fiddywinks]

Bohdan turned back to see his roommate Sven, soaking wet, approach him and his group. "Oh, Sven!" he said, pulling up a chair from an adjacent table. "Come, sit." Korben and Elizabeth brought their attention away from their videos and photographs, and noticed the drenched man in an old jacket. They both noticed that the jacket was Cornerian military, and that he was wearing body armor. Korben, upon switching his sunglasses to x-ray vision, discovered that he was armed with a pistol.

"He's armed," Korben whispered to Elizabeth. She nodded in acknowledgement. Sandor was also watchful of Sven, putting Salamon back into his stroller. He readied himself for any surprises. Bohdan, however, was welcoming of Sven.

[Kurt]

As Sven moved to sit down he noticed one of Bohdan's friends was wearing a combat jacket as well as an officers cap. He offered a quick salute and immediately introduced himself. "Sven Schutz, Lance Corporal of the Cornerian ACI. I was not expecting to run into an officer, Sir."

[Arminius H O Fiddywinks]

"ACI, hmm?" Elizabeth said. "Korben and I were in the 1st Home Guards, better known as The Black Guard. I was a captain, he was a sergeant." Korben nodded in agreement, pulling out the distinct black ID cards issued only to soldiers in the Home Guards and placing it onto the table. Elizabeth wore a Home Guard standard-issue black combat jacket that wet day, along with her black officer's cap. Sandor, meanwhile, rolled his eyes.

"Salamon, this military stuff isn't for us civilians," he told his surrogate son. "Come, we shall get ice cream, hmm?" Sandor rolled Salamon away to his bright orange McLaren.

"And," Bohdan began. "Since I am still a Colonel in the Czar's Guard, I supersede all of you. Now please, sit."

[Kurt]

Sven wasent able help but smile as he sat down. "Yes Sir!" Once he sat down he asked a question. "So where did you serve?" directing his question to Bohdan. "I was stationed on an outpost on Katina, but my squad was sent on a mission to Titania." as he said this he went into the thousand yard stare, reliving that day. "Things got real bad real fast that day......."

[Naza Sutera]

Amelia took a bite of her asiago cheese bagel and placed it back on the saucer which sat upon the leather coffee table/ottoman thing and continued channel surfing. Finding nothing of interest, she pressed the OnDemand button to look for a movie. There was a flash of lightning, followed by thunder clapping. Then every light and device the house cut off. "Aww, c'mon!" Amelia groaned. As if to heed her gripe, the power turned back on after about five seconds. The digital clock built into the microwave in the kitchen flashed "12:00", and the TV's set top box began to reset itself due to having its power cut abruptly. "This stupid shit..." Amelia grumbled, tossing the remote on the couch as she got up. She went to the island counter, where she left her phone next to her laptop. She picked it up and unlocked it to go to her contacts. Selecting Korben's number, she elected to send a text

"hay wa shu doin?" she typed on the virtual keyboard, then pressed 'send'.

[Arminius H O Fiddywinks]

As Sven continued speaking, a flash of lightning illuminated the whole park, followed by a clash of thunder. Moments later, Korben felt his phone vibrate in the left inside pocket of his blazer. He pulled it out, and looked at the text that popped up on the interface. "hay wa shu doin?" asked Amelia. He tilted his head in confusion, but then realized she asked what she was doing.

"Nothing important," he replied. Korben sent the text to Amelia, and continued to hold his phone as he returned his attention to Sven's story, the rain dripping from the rim of his trilby.

[Naza Sutera]

Nothing important? Amelia read. Interesting... Amelia quickly texted a response.

"well im bored. nothing good on tee vee"

[Arminius H O Fiddywinks]

"Yeah, me too. Wanna hook up? The rain doesn't need to be a boundary." He looked up at Sven, who was still talking. Korben then looked back down onto his phone, waiting for a reply.

Meanwhile, Sandor had just arrived at his home with Salamon. Entering his home, he set the stroller in the living room, and dashed to the bathroom. Sandor hopped into the shower and took off his drenched clothes, throwing them onto the shower floor. He shook his body, displacing most of the water on his body. He grabbed a towel and dried the rest of his body. Wrapping the towel around his waist, Sandor reentered the living room, and retrieved Salamon. He took off Salamon's wet poncho and placed it on a drying rack. "Bela," he said. Bela entered the living room from the kitchen down the hall.

"Are you in need of assistance, sir?" Bela asked politely.

"Yes," Sandor replied. "I need you to clean the entryway."

"Yes, sir," Bela replied obediently.

"Thank you," Sandor said. He then took the dry Salamon to the kitchen, and set the toddler in a high chair. Sandor then went up to his room to change into dry clothing. Sandor's room was quite clean, as Bela diligently maintains the cleanliness of the house at large.  His king-sized bed was neat, as well as his modest wardrobe. Sandor opened the wardrobe sliding door, and grabbed a grey v-neck, faded blue jeans, and slippers lying on the floor. He put them on, and examined himself in the sliding door, which had a mirror covering it. After making slight adjustments to his clothing and straightening them out, Sandor headed downstairs to the kitchen, where Salamon was turning every which way and scanning the kitchen.

"Checking your surroundings, Salamon?" he inquired. "Good. They are everywhere..." Salamon laughed. Sandor then opened the refrigerator and grabbed a container half full of cookie dough ice cream. He opened a drawer and took out a small spoon. Scooping a healthy serving of ice cream from the container, Sandor approached Salamon, with the spoon in one hand and the container in the other. "Szabla, this is Charlie Wing Three, preparing for docking," he said, with the spoon slowly getting closer to Salamon's open mouth. The spoon entered it, and Salamon consumed the ice cream. After swallowing the spoonful, Salamon grabbed Sandor's snout in wonder. "Oowaahhh!" he uttered. He smiled, and chuckled lightly as Salamon kept his grip.

[Kurt]

Still staring of into the distance Sven continued.

"The day the ambush happened, we were sent to investigate a site where a Venomian Cruiser had landed while evading the Cornerian Navy. We came in, 40 men in total, on small transports." He paused as he took a deep breath. "We werent even a mile from our LZ when it started. I saw one as a grenade went off in the middle of the group, commandos. But that wasent what bothered me, not even that they were wearing body armor, they had shields. Our shots did little to them, they overwhelmed us. Every one was taking hits, I took out a few when i could, but they had us surrounded. I saw one of our medics helping an injured radio man, their commander killed him, point blank." Sven put his hands over his face and paused for a moment before continuing. "I killed their commander with this." He said pulling the long bladed knife out of his boot. "I took three hits charging him. One from him, and two more form a rifle man. The last thing i remember before being evacuated was getting pulled off of him and back into our ranks. I woke up in a medical bay. I was out for three days one of the doctors told me, and one of the 9 who survived the ambush. After that, I left the ACI, they called it 'Survivors guilt' and 'PTSD' in the official report." Sven blinked, coming back to the present. He looked down at the tags in his hand. "9 out of an entire unit of 40 survived. And I should not have been one of them."

[Arminius H O Fiddywinks]

The trio listened intently on Sven's compelling story of his time in the service, and his traumatic first mission. They all understood his loss, as they, too, have experienced events not dissimilar to his own. "That is quite a tale, Sven," Bohdan said, shuffling in his seat as the rain continued to fall heavily. He outstretched his wing over Sven's head to keep his friend at least somewhat dry. He cleared his throat. "So, you asked where I served Sven? Well, I shall tell you..." Bohdan adjusted his seat so that he could tell his story as comfortably as possible, despite the rather heavy rain.

"My family and I fought in all three Galactic Wars. We were decorated, respected, honored. However, that all came crashing down in the Third Galactic War, when the Ruthenian Empire waged war against the Kingdom of Cerinia. After four bloody months of fighting across the planet, the Coalition forces - Ruthenians, Magyars, Cornerians, Papetoonese - reached the capital city of Lyonesse." He sat back, and sighed. "What is there to say about Lyonesse that has not been said in movies, television, documentaries, books, and video games? If you were not there, you would never understand. But if you were, nothing can adequately describe what you experienced. 1 billion Coalition troops against 12 million Cerinian soldiers and an additional 20 million armed citizens. The laser fire, explosions, the black smoke blocking out the sun, the deafening noise, the ruined buildings and corpse-strewn streets: it was apocalyptic. Maybe that is why the invasion was called Operation Armageddon..."

"So, I was in the Czar's Guard Army, the best Ruthenia has to offer. My father was a fighter pilot in the Czar's Air Guard, my mother was a medic, and my brother and sister-in-law were foot soldiers in the Guard, as well. I lost... I lost all of them." He took a long pause, fighting back tears. "My father was blown out of the sky, my mother was shot in the head by an enemy sniper, my sister-in-law was gunned down by a machine gun position, and my brother..." He looked down to the wet ground in anguish. "He... he had a Cerinian broadsword plunged into his chest." Bohdan choked, and took a moment to regain his composure. He was on the verge of completely breaking down in tears. "I cradled him in my arms as he bled to death. After that, I was given orders to neutralize the Royal Family, and was given command of elite soldiers from each of the Coalition forces. Captain Laszlo Kalocsai, a Magyar from the 1st Imperial Guards, Major Peppy Hare, a Cornerian from the 4th Special Operations Battalion, and Commissar James McCloud, a Papetoonese from the People's 1st Expeditionary Army. I called him 'Yakov'." Bohdan sat back up straight, the rain dripping down from his hood.

"I carved a bloody path to the High King's Hall in the city center," he continued. "I showed no mercy to any Cerinian I came across. I killed as many as I physically could. When my team entered the Hall, we charged into a hail of blaster fire. Nevertheless, we four slaughtered all who opposed us. Hare was quite reluctant to be there, Kalocsai kept logging miscellaneous information, and Yakov operated on a cold, robotic-like level. He was the perfect soldier. When we reached the Royal Room, I went in alone while the rest of my team secured the floor. There, I faced the King, Queen, and the Prince. I went ballistic, and I slaughtered all of them. Then I went to the adjacent room to find the King's younger son and infant daughter." Bohdan had a pensive look on his face, and paused. It felt like hours before he once again spoke.

"I... I could not bring myself to kill them. Prince Esterich and Princess Krystal. They did not do a thing to aid their kingdom's war effort. They were completely innocent. I ordered McCloud to take them into custody, and they became prisoners of war. That was 20 years ago. And now, I have come to question my actions, and myself." He shook his head in shame.

[Kurt]

"All three of the galactic wars and operation Armageddon?" Sven asked surprised, he now thought of his giant friend differently. "I saw the reports, but the galactic wars ended awhile back, and you were in all three of them?" Sven asked looking up. "And you fought Cerinians? How long have you been in the Czars guard army?"

[Arminius H O Fiddywinks]

Bohdan was rather surprised that Sven was unaware of the average Sclavic dragon's longevity. After all, one could simply Google in "Sclavic dragon" and presto! There would be all the information one would desire. "I have been a soldier for exactly 50 years," Bohdan answered. "Give or take a few weeks. Of course, this is nothing when compared to the 400-year-long life of the average Sclav. And yes, I was in all three Galactic Wars, and yes, I fought Cerinians. I have been fighting since any of you were little twinkles in your fathers' eyes." He chuckled, adjusting his squeezed position in his proportionally small chair. Elizabeth wiped her muzzle clean of accumulated rainwater, but it was still drenched.

"How long is this downpour going to last?" she asked.

[Naza Sutera]

The set top box had finally rebooted. Amelia was about to tune in to some romantic comedy on a premium movie channel when her phone vibrated in her lap. She picked it up and read the text.

"Yeah, me too. Wanna hook up?"

She thought for a moment, pondering what to say, before typing a response.

"ya shur. wanna veg out and find something on netfix or something?"

[Arminius H O Fiddywinks]

Korben's phone vibrated in his hands, and the words "ya shur. wanna veg out and find something on netflix or something?" popped up on the screen. Korben looked around, and excused himself from the group. "Gotta go," he said as he stood up.

"Don't get killed, Korby," Elizabeth teased. Korben nodded and walked to his Mercedes, soaked in rainwater. He unlocked it with his car keys, and the lights flashed, signifying that the doors were unlocked. Korben opened the driver's side door, sat in, and closed it. He then opened the text window and typed in "Sure. Meet you at your place?". He sent the message as he turned the car on.

[Naza Sutera]

"Yeh. 1408 bellucci drive" Amelia typed then pressed send. Just as she did so, her phone vibrated in her hand. Another text. From Amber this time.

"You busy?" the text read.

"no but a friend is coming over" Amelia responded.

A one-word text came back. "Oh."

Amelia sat for a moment, expecting some further explanation. Then she sent, "y?"

"Just though we could hang out like besties do. But if you got company, I don't wanna intrude."

Amelia sat back against the sofa's backrest and stared at the text. She wondered if Korben would mind if there was some extra company. Deciding to ask, she sent a text to Korben.

"hay mind if a friend of mind visits too?"

 

[Arminius H O Fiddywinks]

WIth the car humming quietly and him sitting in the driver's seat, Korben looked at the text with uncertainty. Although he loved to meet new people before his sicknesses, now he was rather uncomfortable. What would they say about him? How would they react to his appearance? To his stutter? With a knot in his stomach, Korben typed, "No, it's fine." He exhaled deeply, putting his phone in his blazer pocket and driving away.