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Chapter 5: The Contract
June 12th
Sea Breeze Aquarium, Land's End
"So," Rickard started as he sat down beside Julia on a set of bleachers, the two among a crowd of spectators that had gathered for an upcoming aquatics show. "Have you thought of a name for your Moret... your goat yet? I can barely pronounce that thing's name."
"Morevitikha," she quickly and easily said.
"Moret... Morevitik... tikha?
She slowly repeated the name with the syllables separated, with additional emphasis on the throaty sound of the final one.
"How do you say it so easily?"
She shrugged. "Well. I was dating a guy from the Javikhetta Republic for a couple years -- that's where Morevitikha was domesticated, before being spread throughout the world -- and I started learning the language so I could talk to his parents. Hard language to learn, at least with speaking it... I could never quite master the variable uvular and velar fricatives, which made talking with them hit and miss. Fascinating fact, actually! Humans in that part of the world have started to develop a pronounced and softer --"
He blinked as he stared at her.
"Too nerdy?" she said with a giggle. She tried to vocalize a traditional greeting and inquiry of how his day was going in the Javikhetta language, but gave up half way into it; she realized he wouldn't understand a word she was saying, and also caught herself struggling with the throaty sounds present within the words for 'hello', 'how' and 'today', which radically changed their meaning to 'branch', 'fuel' and 'tonight' respectively.
"That why you picked out Morevitikha as your starter? Miss your ex?"
She shrugged. "Eh. I've gotten over him keeping me at a distance. This may shock you, but I was being honest when I said I was looking for utility with my first pokémon. As far as names for my Morevitikha go, I've got two ideas. I'm leaning towards Rambler and Baybree."
"...Not the kind of names I'd go for. What made you pick them?"
She reached for her Morevitikha's pokéball and started to roll it around in her fingers. "Well Rambler kinda makes sense, because male Morevitikhas like to headbutt each other, right? Ram? Rambler?"
He smirked. "Uhh, I don't think so, actually. I think it's Gogoats that smash into each other. Pretty sure that the varied horn designs present in Moretiv -- their herds mean they tend not to butt heads as a display of dominance."
"Yeah?" she curiously asked.
"Think about it. Certain horn patterns would be clearly superior, and if they were used in mating rituals, eventually the other patterns would start to fade. After thousands of years, you'd probably have just a handful of horn patterns, rather than the dozens we saw yesterday. That leads me to believe they don't do that kind of thing."
She paused for a moment, her eyes rolled upward in thought. With a burst of movement, her focus quickly returned to the Morevitikha's pokéball. "Oh! Well, I guess that rules Rambler out, then!"
"Where'd Baybree come from?"
"It came to me this morning, while I was out on the balcony at the hotel. The breeze coming in from the bay was so relaxing, and it made me think of the poofy grass that makes up a Morevitikha's coat. Wouldn't it look so charming with a breeze flowing through it?"
"I bet it would."
"
Bay breeze, I thought. But why not shorten it to Baybree? It even kinda works cause we ended up getting one of the smaller ones of the herd, too. Like, baby."
"I like it. Again, not one I'd go for, but it seems like you've got a good mind for names."
She laughed and slid the pokéball back into her pocket. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves, now. I was just sitting outside and picked the first words that came to me. I doubt I'll ever come up with anything clever for any future pokémon I catch."
The crowd around them started to cheer loudly and energetically as the surface of the tank at the center of the arena began to break with increasingly higher and higher numbers of rising bubbles. As the bubbles rose in a tight column, violin music started to play over the speakers.
"Sometimes the first words that come to mind are all it takes."
Before long, the music began to fade and was replaced by the voice of an unseen announcer. "
Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the weekly Sea Breeze Bayside Experience Show! We hope you'll be amazed by the wondrous acrobatics -- or aquabatics, rather -- of our stars, Ink and Bottle!"
She turned to him and smirked. "A weekly show, that we happened to be in town for? Did you time this?"
In silence, he smirked as well, his attention still on the center of the tank.
Eventually, the bubbles in the center of the tank ceased, causing the announcer to exclaim, "
Uh oh! Are our two stars being shy today?"
"Aww, maybe they don't like being showpieces in a tiny ass tank?" she wondered aloud.
The silence of the tank was broken as a ring of rising air emerged from the bottom, and as it closed in on the surface of the water, a pale blue Finizen sliced upward in a blur. Perfectly timed with the ring of air reaching the surface, the Finizen broke free from the water and easily sailed high enough to pass above the would-be ceiling marked by the arena's walls.
The crowd erupted with delight!
"
There he is! Everyone, say hello to Bottle! Say, Bottle! Where's your friend?"
Bottle circled the edge of the tank and sprayed water over the top of it as he slapped the surface with his tail. Eventually, the circling turned to spiraling, and he fell to the depths of the tank. A moment later, he spiraled back upward, but with a friend -- a jet black creature with a white underside that partially resembled a Wailord. The creature, much smaller than a Wailord however, featured an enormous plated underjaw, a tattered dorsal fin, and a regal-looking tail, split into three ribbon-like ends. The black-and-white creature twirled rapidly, as if trapped in a whirlpool of Bottle's making, and matched its partner's slow ascent towards the top of the tank.
"
Glad you could join us, Ink! Say hello, everyone!"
The crowd cheered with various greetings as Ink broke the surface of the water and let out a deep, majestic bellowing sound.
As the show progressed, Julia found it rather unremarkable; though she'd never seen an aquatics show before, the performances of Bottle and Ink felt quite run of the mill and stereotypical to her. She compared their performances to the various coordination contests she'd seen over the past year, contests characterized by the flashy performances of both the pokémon showpieces and their human partners. Whereas Bottle and Ink performed simple jumps through hoops as the mainstay of their show, she recalled various feats of fancy at coordination contests: the marksmanship of a Blastoise and its shoulder cannons, an auroral lightshow created by a Cryogonal, and a Jigglypuff's ethereal and child-like rendition of... she wasn't quite sure, as the attempt at singing had put her to sleep. The show before her was certainly charming in its own right, but she couldn't help but feel that things could be better if the pair of cetaceans had a larger tank to perform in, or perhaps even an open-air cove that they could leave and return to as they pleased.
With the show reaching its conclusion, her vocalizations of her concerns disappointed Rickard, who thought she would deeply enjoy the show. She insisted that she enjoyed it, but admitted it didn't wow her as much as he seemed to hope it would. "Well, you can't hit a home run with everything, I guess! How about we go see if we can schedule a meeting with Dr. van der Linde now?"
"And if we can't? I'm still amazed that you didn't plan ahead and schedule this meeting beforehand."
"Like I said, it was kind of a spur of the moment idea," he said as he grabbed her by the hand and lifted her from the bench. "But her and I go back a few years. Once she hears that I'm trying to get in touch with her, we'll be in her office in no time."
"Wonder how long it might take for the message to reach her..."
As he guided her down the steps, he pointed towards the tank and said, "...Not long, actually. That's her right there. Right next to the tank, with the clipboard in her hands."
"Huh?" Julia asked with uncertainty as she studied the woman stood next to the tank, who appeared to be giving Bottle a physical examination. The woman hardly looked the part of a serious and professional scientist -- she was dressed in a frilly sundress that was adorned with floral print, with intricate sleeve tattoos running down both of her arms. "That beach babe lookin' lady with the bandana in her hair? That's a PhD?"
"Yep! Let's go talk to her."
Observing from a small distance, they watched as Dr. van der Linde asked the Finizen to spin around and lift his flipper. She took a detailed glance at the dolphin's flipper, then made a spinning motion with her pen before writing down her observation. Bottle flopped upside down, offering a view of his other flipper, before squeaking happily as the scientist wrote more down.
"Looking good, Bottle!" Dr. van der Linde said. "No signs of barnacle scarring! I think you'll make a full recovery! Just be careful when you're out in the atolls, okay?"
Bottle exploded with energy and darted around the tank in a circle, clicking and chirping as he did so, then surged straight down into its depths. A short moment later, out in the distance of the open ocean, Bottle emerged from the water with an energetic flip.
With Dr. van der Linde's work seemingly done, Rickard approached and called out, "Hey! Faith! Good to see ya!"
Dr. van der Linde looked up from her clipboard and lit up like a lightbulb. "Oh my god! Is that Rickard!?"
"Yes ma'am!"
The doctor rushed over and embraced him tightly. "Why didn't you let me know you'd be back to the Islands?"
"Figured I'd surprise you." He motioned towards Julia and nodded. "And I figured that maybe you might like to meet an old friend of mine from high school. This is Julia."
Dr. van der Linde offered her hand forward. "Oh my, what a cutie!"
She reached for Dr. van der Linde's hand and shook it as her cheeks began to flush with red tones. "Th-thank you."
Dr. van der Linde examined her up and down. "I looooooove what you're wearing. Very bold and attention-grabbing, and you're so much better at color coordination than I am!"
She gave Dr. van der Linde a similar glance, noting the wildly mismatched green sandals, purple and gold bandana, and baby blue and red flowers on her white sundress. "Heh, thank you. Though it's mostly Rick's doing. He picked out the visor and the boots, making sure they matched with what I was wearing."
"Aww, look at you two girling out!" Rickard said with a mocking but playful tone. "Anyways, Julia and I are here looking for contract work."
Dr. van der Linde's hands latched to her hips. "Just like you to always be business. You finally come home and you're still working?"
"Well, it's more for her. She's getting started as a contractor, you see. We're looking for simple jobs for her to take on."
Dr. van der Linde reached for her phone and juggled it with her clipboard. "Hmm. Simple stuff... I'll have to look that up -- it's been a while since I handled the contract program, so I'm not intimately familiar with what we're offering these days." She scrolled through a list of contract jobs on offer by the aquarium, as well as its affiliates within the marine biology community, and as she did so, she continued, "Tell me a little bit about yourself, Julia! What kind of experience level do you have as a trainer?"
"Uhh. None, if I'm honest. I just got started yesterday."
"Ah, okay."
"That won't be an issue, will it?"
"Nah. I'm sure we've got something for someone like you." Dr. van der Linde continued to scroll for a moment before her face lit up. "'Ey, here we go! Looks like we still haven't had our yearly wildlife study finished yet. Seems like a decent enough job for a beginner. We need someone to head out to the Crystal Bay area and observe some marine mammals from a distance. Does that sound like something you can do?"
She nodded fervently. "It does, but, uhh. Where is Crystal Bay? I'm not great with geography..."
"Just outside of the city of Silvermist," Rickard stated. "Not too far from home, actually. You know the bluffs that mark the end of Cerulean Creek? It's just across the way from those."
She nodded.
After a lull in the conversation, he leaned in closer. "This is the part where you start asking questions."
"Oh! Yeah! What exactly would I be doing?" she asked. "I've never done a wildlife study before."
Dr. van der Linde lowered her phone and put it back into her pocket. "It's pretty simple -- I just need someone to head out to Crystal Bay and hunt for the pokémon known as Frigitusk -- ah,
hunt is probably the wrong word. I don't need any specimens brought back, just some observations."
She nodded. "Understood. I'm not super familiar with Frigitusks, what can you tell me about them?"
"Frigitusks, as their name might imply, are large tusked creatures that tend to make their homes far up north, near the Santa Nicola Ice Reefs. If you're familiar with Walrein --" Dr. van der Linde said, earning a nod from her, "-- they're much like them. They're large, they're blubbery, and their most notable feature is their curved tusks, as well as their three prominent horns -- two above their eyes, and one extending from the end of their snout."
"Ooh, interesting! Kinda like those Triceradoxus dinosaurs?"
"Yeah, kinda!"
"I take it they're not native around here, since I've never seen one, and I live pretty close to the shoals of Azure Ridge. I see Walreins all the time out there."
"Frigitusks aren't native to the Storm Islands, no. But every now and then, herds migrate across the ocean and start congregating along the sandy shores and tide pools of numerous isles across the Atalacian, including the Storm Islands. So far, we've had herds spotted here in Land's End, up north near Sawgrass and Emerald Beach, as well as around the Fang Rock lighthouse up in Dragonsmouth Bay. I haven't had time to go out to Crystal Bay and do the study myself, nor the spare manpower to send someone out."
"Is it a migration thing you're trying to track?"
"Partially, but it's more than that. In years past, meteorologists used Frigitusk migration patterns to predict the strength of hurricanes that impact the Storm Islands. The more herds we have that migrate to our shores, the less frequent and damaging the storms tend to be. They love lazing about on beaches, so if they decide to make the Storm Islands their home for the summer, it's generally safe to say the storm season will be a mild one."
She crossed her arms and tilted her head in puzzlement. "Sounds like superstition and coincidence to me."
"It may well be! But it's a tradition that's been upheld since the 1740s with stunning accuracy."
"Sounds easy enough. So I just head out there and see if there are any Frigitusks in the area?"
Dr. van der Linde nodded. "More or less, though not quite. If they are there, I want photos, a rough headcount, as well as a documentation of their herding behavior -- are they getting along, or are they divided into territorial groups?"
She nodded. "Got it."
"Also, observe from a distance -- they're generally friendly creatures, but since it's their mating season, they can become quite irascible. Considering their tusks and horns, you don't want to be up close if they get angry."
She nodded. "This sounds great! Speaking honestly, it'll be my first contract, so something a little simpler is a blessing."
"Good, I like that attitude! How about we head to the offices and we can formalize this?"
_.~"(*.~"(*.~"(*.~"(*.~"(*.
"Hey! Jayce! Can you bring up the contract paperwork on the Frigitusk wildlife study over in Crystal Bay? I've got someone here who wants to do it."
A large rounded rectangle of a desk was the centerpiece of the room, crammed to the breaking point with shelves full of books and paperwork, about a dozen workstations, and countless personal effects that gave a bit of charm and character to each staff member's work area. One of the men seated at the island perked up, then wheeled his chair over to a set of filing cabinets behind him. "Sure thing, let me find it..."
Dr. van der Linde walked the two over towards an empty workstation and sat down at it. She hammered the keyboard at an alarming rate as she input the equally alarmingly long password in, then smiled at Julia. "So! While I wait for this slow ass thing to load up, what's your full name? And can I see your trainer ID card? That'll make this quicker once the program is ready."
"Mmm..." Julia grumbled. "My registration card hasn't been mailed to me yet, is that going to be a problem?"
Dr. van der Linde nodded and thanked her secretary as the paperwork was brought to her. "Nah, I can always look you up in the database. Do you happen to know your registration number? I understand if you don't -- took me a couple years to memorize mine!"
"Umm. Six, two..." she said, trying to recall the registration number that she'd only seen three or four times since receiving it. "6241... 72, I think? Name's Julia Clarke."
"Clarke? Like... Julia... Why does that name sound familiar..?" Dr. van der Linde asked as she typed the number into the computer. She broke her attention away from the screen and stared at Julia for a brief moment. "Julia Clarke, you said? Like, Clarke with an E on the end?"
Julia stared back and hesitated briefly, sensing what was coming. "Yes."
Dr. van der Linde's eyes narrowed. "Aren't you the girl who robbed that jewelry store a couple years ago? They let you out early or something?"
Though she expected it to be brought up, her eyes widened and her heart started to race. Was she about to have yet another job opportunity ripped away from her because of her past legal troubles? "N-no! I mean... I was a suspect and put on trial -- Th-the charges were dropped!"
Dr. van der Linde raised her eyebrow and glanced in Rickard's direction. "That true? I must admit, I didn't follow the case after the initial blitz of headlines. I just remember seeing her face and name everywhere, and the security footage."
Rickard affirmed with a nod. "Yeah. Case dismissed and the charges were dropped. The prosecutor found out their key evidence against her -- the security footage -- was fabricated."
"Huh." Dr. van der Linde leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms. "I... I might have to look into this further before I'm ready to give her any work. Dropped, dismissed, doesn't matter. I dunno if I'm ready to trust a stranger who had such serious charges brought against her. Prosecutors generally don't bring charges like that unless --"
Julia let out a sigh of frustration and started to walk away.
Rickard tailed her and put his hand on her shoulder. "Hey, hold on!"
She forcibly yanked her shoulder out of his grip and continued walking without saying anything.
"Julia, please."
"I knew this was a waste of time. We're not even in the city anymore, and that bullshit is still following me like a shadow. I'm outta here."
He grabbed her by the shoulders with both hands this time, then spun her around. "Hey, can you take a minute to calm down? Let me --"
"Don't tell me to calm down!" she shouted as she pushed him backward, tears forming in the corners of her eyes. "You don't have to deal with this shit every day. You don't have to deal with people not trusting you,
every day, because of some bullshit you didn't do. Some bullshit that
destroyed my life! Took
everything that I had going for me! So don't tell me to fucking calm down! You don't know what it's like having to live life like this!"
He put his hands up defensively. "Woah, woah, okay! You're right, I shouldn't have said that! All I'm saying is, hang out for a few minutes, okay? I'm gonna go talk to Faith again and see if I can't change her mind."
She stared at him for a moment, then exhaled sharply. "Whatever. Do what you like. I... I need to get out of here..." With that, she spun around again and headed for the exit.
With a loud grumble, he shook his head. "I'm gonna have trouble getting this girl back on her feet, aren't I..." He turned back and walked up to Dr. van der Linde sheepishly. "Guess I said the wrong thing to her. She's gone."
A huff of laughter escaped Dr. van der Linde. "That was pretty ugly. Why should I hire someone like that?"
He took a deep breath and nodded softly and slowly. "Yeah. I can see why you'd say that."
Dr. van der Linde pushed herself away from the desk, stood up and led him away from the rest of the bewildered office staff towards the windows at the far end of the room. "I take it you know her pretty well if you're willing to go to bat for someone like that. But the look on your face tells me you also weren't expecting her to blow up."
He shrugged as he followed. "I do know her, but maybe not super well. She was part of my friend group back in high school. Admittedly, she was kinda tacked on -- she dated one of my friends for a few weeks, then just kinda stuck around when they broke it off. We hung out for a bit every now and then, but she was pretty withdrawn, so I didn't get to
know her. And then, after we graduated, we kinda drifted apart. You know, like high schoolers tend to do. We only recently reconnected once I heard what happened to her, and how much she was struggling to get her life back on track."
Dr. van der Linde turned to look at him. "Sounds like you're putting a lot of energy, effort and probably money into someone you don't really know. Did you get charmed by her, or something? Maybe looking to settle down with a low effort trophy wife? Something more scandalous and fleeting?"
"Ha. She thought the same thing, but nah. Love isn't in the cards for me right now. Had my heart broken a few months ago, and I'm not ready to go through that again. Honestly? I'm just trying to give her a chance because
no one else will. She's never going to be able to pick up the pieces otherwise. Based on what I saw of her in high school, and what I learned about her from her parents, I genuinely believe she's in no way related to that jewelry shop heist that they tried throwing her away for."
"What has you so confident?"
"Far as I understand it, her life was going well. She was about to be promoted to assistant manager at that jewelry shop. She was about to get married, and her and her husband-to-be were looking at buying a home and starting a family together. Does that sound like someone who'd throw her life away to steal some tacky jewelry?"
"I guess it doesn't, but people do strange things all the time. Maybe she wasn't earning what she felt she was owed. Or maybe the promotion fell through and she thought she'd get payback by destroying the place?"
He raised his shoulders, tilted his head to the side and scrunched his lips in uncertainty. "Maybe? But... She seemed like such a good kid back in school. Maybe a little rough around the edges because she has problems with her social skills, but I'm not ready to believe she turned into that type of person. That's why it breaks my heart to see how life turned out for her. Despite the case being dismissed and charges being dropped, she still technically has a criminal record, which has made finding a job very difficult for her. Not to mention a reputation that she just can't seem to escape from, based on what were probably sensationalist headlines."
Dr. van der Linde leaned against the window sill and stared out into the ocean. "It's a shame, really. You wouldn't believe how hard it is to get self-important trainers or experienced contractors to do simple and boring work like a wildlife survey, especially with the caveat that they're not supposed to capture anything in the process."
"You could just give her a chance, then."
She turned to look at him, still leaning against the window. "If all of what you're saying about her is true, I do genuinely feel for her. But at the same time, I have my own reputation to maintain -- I could lose my standing within the scientific community if I start doing business with unsavory types such as her."
He sighed in defeat. "She's not a slimy lowlife. I don't care what anyone says."
"I'm not saying that she'll never be able to work for me, but I have to do my due diligence -- do a background check, really get to see who she is, see if she's trustworthy, and if she's reliable. I'll need a little more than the endorsement of an old acquaintance from years back, even if that acquaintance is a good friend of mine."
"So it's a no, then?"
"It's nothing personal, but yes."
"What if I do it, and have her tag along?"
She shrugged. "I'd rather you didn't, because it'll bug me relentlessly if I don't credit her -- and as I said, I need to maintain my reputation within the community. If I attach her name to the wildlife study..."
He crossed his arms and furrowed his brow. "Guess I don't understand the pressure you're under and how important your reputation is, since I don't really give a shit about mine. Academic science is just a big club of bullies, isn't it? Gotta do it their way, or you don't get to do it at all, right?"
She smirked. "Very perceptive, for a layman. I'm glad you understand that, at least. It's unfortunate, but that's the climate we're in right now. Maybe it'll be some solace to your friend?"
"I doubt it. I'm sure most people could understand something like that if they took the time to think about it, but she's not most people. Not only does she struggle with her social awareness, she's been knocked down by life and it's sitting on top of her. The spark inside of her is dying and life ain't making it easy for her to get back up. An opportunity was dangled in front of her, and now it's been ripped away by a successful scientist who works in, as she calls it, 'snob central'. I don't think she'll be receptive to any sort of condolences from you, regardless of the facts." He paused for a moment before he let out a deep breath. "Alright. Guess I should go find her and break the news..." He raised his hand to chest height and balled it into a fist.
"Good seeing you, despite the awkwardness," she said, giving him a fistbump. "How long are you staying home for?"
"Mmm. Few weeks. A month maybe?"
"Gonna have time to come visit me under different circumstances?"
"I can do that. Once I get her on her feet, I'll swing by."
_.~"(*.~"(*.~"(*.~"(*.~"(*.
"
You should have put your foot down harder and told him no, instead of thinking he was the fairytale savior who was going to fix everything," she thought as she hunched over the sink in the bathroom. "
This won't be the last time you lose a job opportunity. Now you've wasted his time and money on starting a career you can't even get off the ground!"
Her phone, which was on the counter next to the sink, started to rumble and slide across the granite surface. She picked it up to see who was calling her -- Rickard. Her finger hovered over the accept call button, but she opted not to tap it. Instead, she put it back down and stared into the basin of the sink.
"
This is it, huh? This all you're worth? Reduced to a pile of doubt and self pity?" her thoughts taunted. For the first time since entering the bathroom, she looked in the mirror and saw it -- her face drained by defeat and eyes red with frustration, draped by an aura of sadness. Seeing it angered her, an a grumble of misery followed. "Where'd my life go so wrong? Why me? Is there
anything I can do to get out of this hole? Contracting might be a bust, and that seemed like the last, best option..."
Her phone buzzed again and played a windchime sound, prompting her to pick it up.
Fr: Rickard Karstensen, 9:42 AM
'Where are you'
Fr: Julia Clarke, 9:44 AM
'Hiding in the bathroom.'
'Were you able to convince her to give me a second chance?'
Fr: Rickard Karstensen, 9:44 AM
'Unfortunately no'
Fr: Julia Clarke, 9:44 AM
'Ugh, figures.'
'Guess it's back home I go...'
Fr: Rickard Karstensen, 9:45 AM
'How about we look around town for a bit and see if we can find a different contract?'
Fr: Julia Clarke, 9:45 AM
'No.'
'I'm not feeling it.'
'Just want to get out of this stupid place.'
Fr: Rickard Karstensen, 9:46 AM
'Disappointing, but okay. I'll be by the main entrance if you still need some time alone'
She slid her phone back into her purse and looked at herself in the mirror yet again. "Ugh, I'm a mess," she said as she inspected her smudged eyeliner and lipstick. "
Was that like that when I met Rickard's friend..? Should I fix it, or..? Nah... Not like it matters, nobody's going to pay attention to me... And I'm just going straight home, anyways... Should really just take it off, but... can't even be fucking bothered..."
_.~"(*.~"(*.~"(*.~"(*.~"(*.
Nearly twenty minutes later, the two were outside, seated on a bench adjacent to the aquarium's garden. Julia had been stone silent in that time, opting instead to just stare at the flowers as they danced in the salty breeze.
"So, what's the plan now?" Rickard asked to finally break the silence.
"Plan? Don't really have one. Wanted to... just... Go back home, to be honest."
"Sure that's wise?"
She turned to look at him, then leaned backwards and folded her arms. "What do you mean?"
"I know you're not feeling great about what just happened, but... You're still on your feet. Metaphorically, at least. I don't think it's a good idea to go back that prison cell you call a bedroom."
"Tt. That place is a lot better than a prison cell, I'll have you know."
He nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I guess that was a dumb thing to say. But all I'm saying is, you've gotta keep your chin up, otherwise you'll just fall back into that hole of misery and hopelessness."
His consistent encouragement, while a change of pace for her compared to the past two years, was starting to annoy her. She shook her head and stared off into the distance. "I get what you're saying, but I dunno if I have the energy to go job hunting right now. I'm
tired. Sore. Depressed. And I still have the walk home to look forward to."
He pursed his lips and watched with sadness as she struggled to stand back up, clearly fighting against overwhelming fatigue in her legs, and fatigue in her heart. Seeing it greatly worried him, and brought his fears that she might slip back into solitude straight to the front. He joined her by her side as she started walking south, beginning their journey out of the town.
Despite her fatigue, the journey out of Land's End was much more pleasant than the journey in; the noisy patrons of the previous night were for the most part absent, replaced by handfuls of tourists absorbed in the sights, and the loud rock music that polluted the streets had faded under the soothing tones of tropical chillwave. The scent of salty sea air washed out the previous night's haze of marijuana smoke, but every now and then, they got a choking whiff of the rotting seaweed that had washed up on the nearby beaches.
"Ugh... My legs..." she mumbled softly to herself. "Hey, Rick?"
"What's up?"
"My legs aren't cooperating... Do you happen to know if there's ferry services between here and Azure Ridge?"
"Absolutely! Rich people don't like to walk if they don't have to." He looked back at her, plodding down the road. "Not sure you'll make it back home?"
She sighed as she stomped.
He spun in place and started to walk backwards as he watched her. "It's only a three mile walk, I'm sure you've got it in you. And if you don't, well, this is gonna be a rough job for you..."
"
Yeah, three miles on the beach. And then another four back to my house..."
Not ready to quit just yet, she took his warning as a challenge and picked up her pace to match his. Her burst of energy lasted less than a minute, however, and she groaned as she started to falter. "I dunno, man... You've gotta remember, I haven't been walking much over the past couple years. I don't think I can do it. I've gotta work at it to get to your level."
He slowed down and eventually came to a stop, then nodded. "Good. You understand that."
"Hey, I'm not a complete idiot. I took karate lessons when I was younger, and one of the first things my instructor taught me was to know my limits and respect them."
"Oh, really? I never knew that."
"How do you think I got the nickname of Karate Kicker? Random chance?"
"Probably from when you came an inch from sinking your foot into Angela's face that one time, heh. That was some pretty impressive control and positioning."
"Ugh, horrid bitch! I regret not actually hitting her!" she shouted before dropping to her knees and relishing the comfort it brought. "Well, regardless. I hate that I have to, but I do need some more time to recover from yesterday's walk."
He nodded, then reached his hand out to help her back to her feet. "Sounds like a plan. The ferry wharf is down this way."
_.~"(*.~"(*.~"(*.~"(*.~"(*.
"Two tickets to Silvermist, please," Rickard said.
"Silvermist?" Julia asked as she poked him in the side. "W-why? You heard your doctor friend, she doesn't want me working the contract. I'm too much of a liability, whatever that means."
"Well, we're gonna do it anyways. It'll be good experience."
"I mean, experience is good, but experience doesn't pay my debts. I need something that'll get me paid as well as experience."
"Faith is a friend, and I want to help her get her research done. If she won't, I'll pay you for your time and effort."
"Ugh, you are such a stubborn fool sometimes.
Maybe I don't want to help her."
The speaker system of the ticket booth crackled with life. "
Uhh, excuse me. You two buying tickets, or what? There are other people waiting in line."
Rickard leaned closer to the window. "Give us a minute, please," he said, before stepping aside and motioning for her to join him. He led her towards the corner of the building, then folded his arms and glared at her. "What the hell happened to you?" he pointedly asked.
"Huh?"
"You've become such a quitter since high school. You were ready to turn around and call it quits on the way here yesterday. Then, when we couldn't find a hotel to stay in, despite having a few left to visit, you turned around and told me to take you to the Blue Palace instead of sticking it out until the end. And now that your ego has been bruised before you even get your first contract, that's it? Time to go home and sulk like Achilles in his tent? Just gonna give up, that easily?"
She adopted a similar standoffish stance and returned a piercing glare at him. "Excuse you? What are you talking about?"
"Remember back in phys ed, when you were the last person on your team in that game of dodgeball? Six on one, but you never gave up? You came close to winning because that was what was in your heart."
"I remember that. And then you beaned me in the head like an asshole and ruined my comeback story."
"I also seem to recall a time when you skipped two days of class, pulling three all-nighters to do that group science project all by yourself, starting from nothing, because your classmates let you down. Or did I hear that story wrong?"
"Yeah. That happened. I'm
still tired, half a decade later."
"The Julia I knew in high school wasn't a quitter. She went above and beyond in everything she did. It's disappointing that that spirit is gone."
"Tt... You barely knew me in high school. I dated one of your friends, I came over to your house for a party once, and we talked maybe a dozen times in the two years we were 'friends'. That's about it." She huffed with annoyance, lowered her head and spoke softly, "As if you really knew me..."
"Maybe we didn't know each other that well, but am I wrong?"
She sighed and turned to walk back towards the ticket line.
"Julia!" he shouted before running up to her and grabbing her by the wrist.
It took more effort than she expected, but she shook her hand out of his grip and turned away. "Just take me home. I'm sick of this. And, honestly? I'm pretty fucking close to crying right now, and you keep pushing. Stop it!"
"No. I know you don't want to do this, but you have to hear me out. Was I wrong?"
She took a deep breath. "I guess not..."
"That's what I thought. Look. I don't know about everything that happened to you over the past five years. All I know is you got framed for a crime you didn't commit, it took a year of your life, and you've not been able to get back on the saddle since. That harrowing experience broke something deep inside of you, and you've never been able to put it back together. But sitting around and feeling sorry for yourself isn't going to fix it! Nobody is coming to rescue you and set things right, you've gotta do it on your own! You'll get help along the way, but this is your fight,
you've gotta throw the punches!"
"Trust me, man, I-I've tried," she pleaded, on the verge of breaking down. "Every time! Months of effort, and i-it never am-mounted to anything... It feels like it's impossible to get things back on track, no matter what, or how much I try..."
"Let me give you some advice I heard at the start of my own career: treat the word impossible as motivation. You're going to stumble. Struggle. Fail. There will be times where you wonder if all of the effort, sweat, tears -- maybe even blood -- is worth it. But you have to keep pushing, you have to keep moving forward! It's the only way to defeat your doubts, and in your case, it's the only way to reclaim what was taken from you."
She dropped to her knees, closing her eyes hard in an effort to keep the tears in.
He knelt down beside her and put his hands on her shoulders. "An imperfect, likely corrupt justice system screwed you. Everything you worked for is gone. And now people look at you and tell you you're not good enough, that you don't deserve the grace of forgiveness, even for something you didn't do. Are you okay with that? Are you going to just
accept that? Let them put their finger in your face, wag it back and forth, and tell you to get comfortable at the bottom? Are you not going to stand up and tell the world, 'no, I'm not accepting your terms'? The Julia I knew was better than this! She would look this situation in the eye, laugh about it, and then try twice as hard to prove she could handle it! You need to find that fire again!"
She looked up at him, locking with his eyes. "Gods, you're pushy," she said, then pushed herself back to her feet. "But you know what? You're right. I am better than this." She took a deep breath, let it out, then wiped her wrist across the corner of her eye. "And damn it, I need to prove it."
With his arm wrapped around her shoulder, he started to lead her back to the line to the ticket booth. "So. You coming with me to Silvermist, or am I doing this alone?"
She nodded. "Count me in. I still don't know if I wanna do that stupid wildlife survey, but... maybe there's other work out that way for me to find. Hopefully my reputation hasn't reached that far."
