"Ladies?" Luca asked politely as Aerin and Naoko exchanged glares after being moved without consent. Then Aerin cut in line and took the kiss meant for Zeta. He was quick to end the short-lived kiss and gave Aerin a push, "Oi, Ladies..." His tone was starting to lose the pretence of politeness and taking a harsher edge to it, indeed, the tensions were beginning to flare between the three women in the queue.
Then Zeta stood up and declared everybody to sit back down, "LADIES! All three of you, stand down! Naoko, Aerin isn't trying to hurt you and that's the last thing all of us want after having to deal with what happened with those leather clad gang bangers!" He pointed with his right arm to: "Aerin, you jumped the queue! No hot monkey-man love for you! As for YOU, Zeta!" He grabbed her with his good arm and pulled her close, "Sometimes to get the things you want, you just have to reach out there and grab 'em." He then gave her a long, deep kiss.
-
"Well," Sebastian replied to the Elysian, as he lowered the rifle and put it away, looking towards the blood splatter, as if for an answer, "When I was Luca's age, I was in a similar line of work, and further still I was a Soldier. Like father, like son, hm?" He gave an ironic chuckle and breathed before continuing, "Back then I used to believe that there was no fate but what you make - when I lost my arm, I thought it'd be better if I took a good, hard look at myself and put my life into perspective."
He sighed and flexed the mechanical fingers and thumb on his cybernetic right hand, and the whirs and clicks could be heard further on the arms, "I wanted to settle down, I married Anna, retired to a little cul-de-sac in Yamatai called Ralt in my thirties with my fortune under my belt and tried to live the rest of my days in peace and reintegrate as a civilian," He took a drag from the cigar and exhaled slowly, a frown appearing across his lips and his brow creasing in disgust, "Then Joseph went missing, Luca dropped out of College, Luca was conscripted and he didn't quite come back right after his first assignment. I was given some of the news and the details of what happened on the Goban myself, and interpreted it as a sign - a baptism of fire and a great cycle restarting."
"I believe in cycles, Uriel. Great turning wheels that dictate how life's events go," He sniffed the air and sighed, "My son was heading down the same path I was and I had no choice but to follow him, trying to offer my guidance to temper his youth and skill with my age and experience," He took another drag at the cigar and tapped the burning end against his arm, not feeling a thing, "When my past as a mercenary came back to haunt my son and I, I knew in my heart that the cycle was repeating; I never believed that he'd find my sordid past so entertaining and idyllic, I could never dissuade him from his mercenary lifestyle."
He then sniffed again, his head was heavy with emotion, "I think his reality cheque is about to come in, I do not know how, or who will bring this about. It is unfortunate that the ISC Phoenix will have live up to its name one day, to be be reborn. My Son might have been reborn once by his previous experiences on the Goban, but this next reckoning will be in fire."
"I believe my Son will emerge a stronger, more rounded man, or he will crumble and die."
INTERLUDE 5 - COMPLETE!!
Sebastian looked at the splattered gore and viscera with a frown, "That said, I'm still making him clean this shit up when he gets back; Domestic duties are kind of a grey area in the grander scheme of fate."
