Reunion Pt. 3

“Hey!!! It’s me!”

Both of the figures looked up. The man at the desk seemed shocked and irritated. The man he was talking to looked up and I could tell that even without making visual contact, he already knew who it was.

He began to run over and right in front of me, he stopped. “Bane, how are you doing?!”

My brain was completely overloaded. I couldn’t do anything crazy right now. Let’s be professional about this. He’s the most respected Scavenger Lord in the world, let’s not tarnish that image.

“Father… hi. I… I missed you.” Hopefully, I was able to hide the stupidly wide grin that was doing its best to take over my face.

My father smiled at me and reached his hand out. It didn’t even take me a second to shake it. His hands have always been very firm yet they had a warm welcoming touch to them as well. The clothes he wore were always the most elegant of anyone in the room and it seemed that not even anybody here could compete.

He turned around to face the man he was talking to. “Sir, is it okay if my son and I procure one of your rooms so we may catch up? He’s just been on his first expedition and from the sights of it… It may not have gone the best, haha…”

The man who I assumed to be the mayor, broke out into a slight smile. “Of course, your son is also a scavenger like you. Pay no mind to his injuries, I’m sure he will become one of our brightest!”

I looked back towards Clarine and Rocco with a face begging for approval.

Clarine rolled her eyes while biting her thumb. “I’m not gonna say you can’t see your father, bud. Just don’t forget about business after…”

Rocco just smiled at me and nodded.

My father smiled at the crew I’ve been with up to this point. “Thank you for caring for my son. I am in your debt. If you ever need my services in any way, please call on me.”

To them, it was no doubt an act of formality, but I know my father. He meant it.

I almost foolishly continued to hold my father’s hand as we walked towards a private room.

…

Once the door was closed, I didn’t waste a second and leaped into his arms. We exchanged many hugs and kisses.

“Dad, I missed you so much.”

“Are you okay? Y-your leg… What’s this cast on it? Are you being mistreated by your superiors? I can get this sorted-”

“No, Dad, it’s okay. Nothing like that happened. It’s been quite a crazy day…”

I spent a lot of our time explaining the hell of a day I’ve had. I decided to forgo the detail about me being a surface-resistant life form that was also able to withstand being on fire. I didn’t want to dump too much onto him at once. The day was crazy enough even without that.

My father leaned back against a wall. “Jesus, they let Lars touch you. Did they have someone watching over him at least? Those bastards…”

What? That’s what he picked up out of everything? I know Lars is a creep but I figured that to be one of the more inconsequential events in the story so far. Who is Lars? Why does my father know him?

I reassured him, “Dad, it’s okay. I’m still intact, mostly due to him. He gave me weird vibes but nothing crass happened, I promise.”

My dad sighed, “Yeah, stay away from him. He’s not good news. I’m surprised they let him work here, to begin with…”

“...”

“Sorry, Bane, I didn’t mean to make things awkward. I’m truly glad that you’re okay.”

My father walked up and gave me another hug and kiss.

“So, how are you feeling about this whole scavenger thing?”

Ah, man… Do I tell him the truth? I probably should.

“I’m not sure, I want to be a Scavenger Lord anymore. Hell, I don’t even want to be a scavenger in general,” I sighed.

My dad pulled up a couple of chairs and made me sit next to him. “Did today get to you?”

I was hesitant to respond. “... Yeah, some of it did. But I think I found a new dream, something I actually want to do.”

My father leaned in. “What would that be?”

“Roller coasters… Remember, you used to tell me about them all the time? I want to build roller coasters. I want to build them on a surface. It’ll be a giant amusement park. I want to ride them and I want other people to ride them. They’ll be able to experience that adrenaline feeling, you know? The one where everything melts away. You know it, right dad?”

My dad was silent for a bit. He was genuinely pondering what I just said. Soon he cracked a light smile. “My job is to secure a future for humanity. To one day reclaim the surface and bring back the times of the old world. When you were a kid, I told you about my fondest memories there. I wanted you to know that there was a world out there that wasn’t just the result of pain, anger, and sadness. When I heard that you also wanted to be a scavenger, I was ecstatic. My son also wants to bring back this vision of the world I taught him… But the longer I thought about it, the less it made sense. The old world is something I know how to fight for because I was there. I feared that a mere vision of it wouldn’t be able to carry you far enough. I prayed that you’d end up finding your own true reason to become a scavenger. I could have never imagined my son would come so far as to dream about a world only he could see. One that transcends the old world and the new. This world of yours, this theme park, sounds extraordinary…”

I almost shed a tear. I hugged my father and he hugged me harder. I started to sob.

“I want to build a theme park. I really do, at least, I think so…” I leaned back out of our hug. “But lately, ever since coming here, I realize there’s so much beauty in this world I haven’t seen already. What if this theme park I build, I find it somewhere else? I’ll be satisfied but then I’ll be aimless and I know you don’t want that. I want to do something special. I want to do it for you.”

My father sighed. He put his hand on my head and started shaking me around. “You’re still a child at heart, huh, Bane? Look at me. This world sees you and they expect the next best Scavenger Lord simply because you’re my son. They don’t matter. I don’t know them and you certainly don’t. When I see you, I see the culmination of love between your mother and me. When you told me you wanted to be a Scavenger Lord, I felt proud. When you told me just now that you wanted to build a theme park, I was also proud. Finally, you tell me that you may have found the beauty in this world you live in, I can’t help but be proud of everything about you. No matter what, even in your lowest moments, if you feel like you have let yourself down, rest easy, for your father will always have derived the most from you. Being my son is all I’ll ever ask you to be… Now, that you’re here with me and I have finished my business on Ylvona’s surface, come with me. Live with me and travel the world with your father. When I’m not working, we can spend all our time together.”

Oh, the words of heaven have struck my heart with an arrow.

“Dad, there is something else I need to tell you. It’s about the expedition today.”

“... Well, of course.”

“I’m surface-resistant. When I broke free from the surface-dweller, I didn’t mention that it ripped my uniform. From that moment on, I spent all my time on the surface without a uniform. Even more, when I traveled on the surface itself, my entire body ignited into flames. Yet, there was no pain or harm done. Has this ever happened before…?”

I took a glance at my father and his entire demeanor, and face changed. He looked terrified.

“Are you-Are you sure? This-that wasn’t a dream?”

“... Yes, Dad. I’m sure.”

My dad looked away from me and at the ground. He seemed to be going through a complex mix of emotions. I couldn’t tell what he was thinking.

“Who knows about this?”

“Just the crew, I traveled with… Nobody else, I promise.”

My dad began to worry me.

“What about Lars? Does he know?!”

What the hell? Why does my dad care about that creep so much? Who are you, Lars?!

“Yes… he does.”

“...”

“...”

“This has to stay between us. I’m sure Clarine told you to tell the mayor about this predicament. That could not happen, do you understand, Bane?”

“Y-yes, yes, I understand, Dad. I’m sorry for burdening you…”

My father shot his head up to look at me. He quickly leaned in for another hug.

“No, no, no, you could never burden me, Bane. It’s just, that this world is dangerous. I want to protect you no matter what. We just have to keep some things to ourselves is all. Don’t worry about your crew, I’ll let them know how to handle this situation. As for you, you’re just fine. I have to stay in this city for a couple more days to sign off on some paperwork and attend a couple of scavenger lessons at the high school here. After that, you and I will head to Flinholf and live there. It’s just as beautiful as Ylvona if not more so. Does that sound good?”

This was all so sudden. My father isn’t telling me the entire truth about something. I doubt he would lie for any reason disadvantageous to my own well-being. If he’s protecting me from something, so be it.

Ah, shit. I can’t help but think about what Lars was telling me, about this world and the Scavenger Lords… Even if it is true… Goddammit.

I wanted to trust my father, but something about this fire in my heart. It was screaming at me… It was telling me that everything was about to fall apart.