XX3: 'Liz

Coldness washed over her as a splash of water rinsed over Eliza's face; she looked up from the sink. The pristine patterned walls of the terminal toilets contrasted the normally pale appearance of most high-end buildings across the galaxy. She looked awful in the mirror, her freckles more visible than ever. Studying and researching for university and preparing a start-up company had dug deep into her sleep. 

Exhaustion riddled her face as she tried to hide it as much as possible. Pushing herself any further might cause her to collapse, but coffee should fight the random urge to fall asleep. She placed her round glasses back on, watching them spark online with holographic visages and augmented-visions.

But that wasn't it. As if all of that wasn't brain-melting enough, she got a message from him, telling her that he'll be back. Hopefully it wasn't one of Archius' pranks… But he dropped out after Kaz disappeared. She gulped down her stress and nervousness.

"Awh… splendid, you look amazingly awful." said Eliza, speaking to herself in the mirror as her holophone buzzed. "Come on… you can do this…"

The low light hue of her uplink glowed as she brushed her charm-pink hair aside, pushing her bangs to one side. She scrambled through her duffle coat pockets, taking out a small slab of steel. She took a half-second to make sure the purple rose brooch was pinned in place. Pressing down on a button, it ejected a projected hologram visage. The startup sound of her phone filled her uplink earpiece, injected into her nerves. A sprouting holographic visual-vocaliser came out from the phone's holo-screen.

'I apologise for speaking out unannounced, but I sense a serious quantity of stress from you.' said Synthia, Eliza's personal AI tutor. It was probably the only 'living thing' in the galaxy beside Professor Emilia that could keep up with her. 'Though mental well-being is not explicitly coded into my chain-link, I can offer you advice, if you so desire.' 

"Thanks, Synthia… But you should continue compiling next week's timetable, I wouldn't want to burden you with—"

Synthia interjected, 'Nonsense, Miss Eliza! There's no point compiling another series of schedules if you are not in a mental state well enough to execute your own plans.' 

Eliza smiled at her words. Always going above and beyond. Even if Synthia was just a voice in her uplink, she felt more real than many people she's met over the years. She nodded, placing her phone into her pocket, she pushed her cheeks up.

"It's about him," started Eliza, turning and leaving the toilets, out into the jam packed and busy terminal. Holographic timetables were etched onto the walls and ceiling as she sat down at the nearest benches. "I owe him so much. But…"

'Ah, so you are worried whether he has changed, for the worse I presume.' 

Eliza continued, "Yeah. I thought I knew him, he was willing to help me since high school, but then he's a mercenary… then we're looking for leads and—"

Her thoughts ran wild, letting Synthia sink into all that information as she vented heavily. It felt somewhat relieving to Eliza, resting all her stresses away onto an AI. But she knew it wouldn't get rid of the core problem at hand. A year of war changes people, but this was Kazuki she was talking about. Someone who's loyalty could not be questioned, right?

He betrayed Clandestine, his employers. He burnt everything they built up over decades and took it for his own. Was that really the blunt, sarcastic and lazy Kazuki she knew, the Kaz that spent all study time dozing off in lessons; or that time he skived half a semester? It ached in her mind. But he did all of that, for her. Her or all people. Why? Was it… compassion? Even thinking of the two words together, Kazuki and compassionate, felt like heresy.

"—then he killed our only lead… Kazuki is the key to it all, but he brought rubble down onto the door."

Synthia paused for a moment, perhaps she was formulating a proper answer. 'Categorically, he's probably changed; also he's technically not a mercenary, he's a contractor. The Intergalactic United Nations finds him responsible for the deaths of millions by hand - amongst many other felonies. But the interweb is even more lethal to him.'

Unlike the wars of the intergalactic crisis, Kaz's war was purely within the private sector. Mercenaries, criminals and contractors. Their prominence was so large that some PMCs even acted as enforcers or planetary security. But the most glaring example was the Anagoran Judiciary: a bi-judicial mess of thousands of contractor firms vying for contracts over policing the Sub Levels and Sub Districts; it was simply cheaper to outsource the work than to build a police force from the ground up, one strong enough to delve below the surface.

Eliza sighed, giving her response, "I didn't think I'd need to be the one to tell an AI to not trust everything on the interweb, but what difference does it make? People rarely distinguish between the two professions…"

'Very true, Eliza. But you distinguish them.' 

"I guess…" Even Eliza knew that contractors and Mercs were technically different, yet after centuries the two terms simply merged into one. It's just that one term is more palatable to the politicians and electorate.

Synthia did a metaphoric throat clear as she mimicked the noise made by humans. 'The safest course of action is to leave him be. The IUON is a semi-reputable source, though information has a high probability of being skewered. If he's as dangerous and blood thirsty as the reports say, the safest option is to leave him be.'

"You know I can't do that. I've known him for years, I can't leave now…" stated Eliza, "And I already told him that I'd be meeting him here…"

'And if he is changed for the worse?' asked Synthia.

"Then… I'll accept that." said Eliza. Such an irrational response buzzed Synthia for a moment as she tried to comprehend advanced human compassion. "It'd be wrong for me to judge him without speaking to him first. If I did, I'd be the same as everyone else. And if he did turn out for the worst… then I'll accept him for who he is."

'I… do not precisely understand that response.' Synthia pondered for a moment, 'Perhaps you care for him in more ways than one?'

"Why, of course I do." said Eliza, stating the obvious, "He's been helping me ever since we met. In fact, I'm thankful for everything he and Archius did. I'd still be the same dull girl you worked with all those years ago…"

Synthia stopped speaking. Making an audible nod that Eliza could comprehend, before letting off a massive sigh. 'I… yeah…'

Eliza thought for a moment, why did her answer stunt Synthia this badly? But before she could let off any more questions, someone breathed right past her ear, making her jump in place as she immediately shifted to look at the benches behind her. She closed Synthia down immediately.

"Oi, hand over your kidneys now." Archius Bar-Lyst let off a massive grin, waving at her from a short distance, leaning over the backrest of the bench. "Ey, seems like you're here as well." 

"Archius? Oh, well… y—yeah?" Eliza placed a hand up to her ear as a smaller shiver descended through her body. "It's been a while, hasn't it?"

He gave her finger guns, clicking his tongue. "I mean, if you consider a year long then yeah!"

"I—" Eliza found herself quite dumbfounded; meeting both Archius and Kazuki in the same day? It's been so long since she's seen the two, after all he basically 'noped out' of university the moment Kaz disappeared. "Why, how are you?" she asked, finding no elegant way to ask the question.

"Same stuff, same shit, I've just been hanging out with a bunch o' friends," said Archius. 

"I guess you're here for Kaz as well, then?" asked Eliza. Archius was essentially the only other person he talked to, on a more than necessary basis - with the exception of prez and a few others..

He exhaled for a moment. Eliza watched as he tried to formulate words, it must be difficult for him. The two were friends before she even met Kazuki, so it was probably a massive shock to him about who he is… 

"Well, he ignored most of my messages and left me on read, so you're not the only one…" said Archius. 

It was likely, Kaz doesn't really like saying a lot. But he always responded to her, though that might just be him being him. She contemplated whether to tell Archius, or lie. And though it ached her, she felt that it'd be better for Archi to know sooner, rathe than later.

"Well, uh, no? He… doesn't really leave me on read."

"HUH?!" Archius looked dumbstruck as he placed his hands on Eliza's shoulders. He slowly shook her as she tried to calm him down. "ARE YOU TELLING ME. ME?! THAT KAZ'S BEEN TALKING WITH YOU! Mysterious clever girl from high school! BUT NOT ME!?!? EVEN AFTER I GAVE HIM ALL THE RICE PUDDING FROM OUR SCHOOL LUNCHES!?"

Eliza furrowed her brow. "Don't… you hate rice pudding?" she asked.

"Uh, That's not the point! THE POINT IS: HE'S NOT BEEN RESPONDING TO ME!"

"Hold up, hold up! He probably didn't want to get you mixed up in all this…" explained Eliza. "I mean… he started all of it over a contract. I think him distancing himself from you was a way to try and protect you."

It did make sense in her head. Distance is a way to protect people, in some sense of the word. If Archius continued to talk to Kazuki, it might have led to his capture… or even death. Archius slumped down, gloomily thinking to himself as he let off a cold breath.

"But still, it woulda been nice to know where he fucked off t—" Hs uplink lit up with green light as a hand tugged at his ear, pulling him off of Eliza. 

"OW!" He shouted, closing one of his eyes as Eliza looked up to see Kazuki. Even if he was standing, Archius was still a bit taller than him with his knees on the bench. 

Kazuki nodded at Eliza, "Hey."

He looked cold and sharp, his golden eyes piercing her soul with a glance. But all seemed well, as if he wasn't gone for a whole year. As if she didn't spend every waking moment with the knowledge that Kazuki might die, and the chances of bringing her sister's memory to rest may fade forever. 

Eliza couldn't help but grin. Archius overstepping and being pulled back by Kazuki, it felt like they were back in high school. He let go of his ear as Archius fell onto the backrest of the bench he was sitting on, acting all melodramatic as he looked back at Kaz.

If this was what remained after a year, she had no qualms about accepting him. But something felt off about him. Perhaps an air of stress? No, it was something she couldn't understand. But that wouldn't be the first time she couldn't comprehend his mind. She stood up from the bench and walked around to them.

She gazed at Kaz for a moment. Her eyes inspected him as she looked into those soulless gold bulbs, It wasn't exhaustion. He never looked tired to begin with; but at the same time it wasn't his eyes. But they always showed off a glare. Then she realised, it's probably been a while since he'd been able to care for himself. "Did you miss us that badly? You have a stubble."

Kazuki furrowed his brow, rubbing his right hand up and down his chin. "Oh…"

Archius and Eliza both snickered at his lacklustre response. Seems like some things never change about him, she thought. He was still that sarcastic, lazy and unresponsive kid that her twin sis met all those years ago. She remembered that he never bothered wearing his family insignia, though Eliza was never brave enough to ask why… the subject seemed to be very touchy, especially for the highest tier of the Republic's gentry. 

She laughed it off as a joke. She understood the stresses placed on Kazuki; from family, to work to expectations, after all it's something for the two to worry about together. She'll do her best to help him through, even if she might not be able to, she owes him that - and even if she didn't she would still help. "Welcome back, Kaz."

He nodded. Archius looked at the two of them as his stomach grumbled ever so slightly. Kazuki looked at him, remarking, "Great timing, Archius. Another heartwarming reunion ruined by you."

"Fuck you, you're the one that told me you'd be here three hours ago!" shouted Archius, grimacing at Kazuki.

"I didn't expect you to wait three hours. You could have crossed the road to get some ramen at the—"

"Oh, that place closed down." interrupted Eliza. Kazuki glanced towards her. He closed his eyes solemnly as he took a deep breath. 

For a moment, she felt like teasing him about not remembering that, but Archius probably would have leapt at the opportunity.

"I… actually hoped to get something there." said Kazuki, "The owner wasn't as stuck up as the other people in this district…"

"Hey!" Eliza was offended as Kazuki just grouped her entire district together.

Archius sniggered at her as he hid his mouth behind his long sleeve, "Come on, come on, let's get something to eat!"

Kazuki wasn't as enthusiastic as he initially seemed, the news must have turned a downer on him. She'd be lying to say she wasn't surprised, for all his faults, his feats and his strengths: there did seem to be something that was able to make him tick. 

"Ah, for the occasion, I booked us a reservation at a restaurant, nice scenic, frontrow view of Delgar plaza." said Eliza, taking her phone out and scrambling through her notes, books and posts.

"So… street level?" asked Kazuki, raising an eyebrow at her obvious sugar-coating of what it is.

"Y—Yeah…"