232 Test of Strength (4)

"You know that's bullshit," Kyro said, taking a large swig from his glass. "If I really wanted you out, we wouldn't be sitting here talking."

"Wouldn't we? You're failing."

"And you think I'd go back on my knees to beg for your forgiveness?"

Gale smiled and stood up. He left, but Kyro didn't follow him. Instead, he looked around, at the empty room. In his memories, it had always been full of people and a general sense of life.

In no time, Gale returned with two more glasses of beer. "How is your fortitude now? Can you last till the night?"

Kyro gave him a look. "At this speed? Who knows." A glass of beer wasn't much, but if one every five minutes, that would easily add up. And the night was still far off.

For a time, they just sat and drank a little, not speaking. There was too much to say, so they just said nothing. It was simpler like that.

With time, the place filled up a little. By ten, there was a small crowd, and the familiar haze of cigarette smoke begun to collect above. Nobody was drunk yet, but it was getting close.

There was a buzz in Kyro's head, and he felt like he was making a huge mistake tonight. He had work the next day, so what was he doing here? Even if it was to humor Gale, he didn't need to follow him in his degradation.

"Relax. When was the last time you did anything stupid?"

Kyro lifted his head, not appreciating his mind having been read. "I can't just abandon my work and go have fun."

"Mhm…" Gale gave him a knowing smile. It looked friendly and understanding, but Kyro knew better than to trust it. Even in his muddled state he knew it wouldn't bring anything good. "You plan to bring Iris to the gala in the weekend?"

As expected, it was nothing good. "No. It's not something she'd enjoy."

But even as he said that, a touch of unease swept through him. Did that mean he would never be able to bring her to any events? Have to always go alone? She didn't like going outside, but…

He took a large swig from his glass, wanting to wash away the bitter taste in his mouth with an even worse one. "It's better this way."

"Sure… Have you even asked her though?" Gale finished his glass and stood up again to get more. On his way out, he threw over his shoulder, "If not her, who are you going to bring? Jane?"

Kyro really considered throwing the glass after him, but it wouldn't be right. The glass didn't belong to him. Maybe a phone then. But by the time he took it out, Gale had disappeared in the throng of people.

Yet he'd had a point. If Kyro didn't bring Iris with him, people would start to wonder. Especially those from the Horten Family Group. He had no doubt that they wouldn't give up that easily, even if Jane herself wasn't that interested in the union.

When Gale returned, they no longer talked about the important stuff, but instead reminisced about the past. They hadn't come to this downtrodden club that often, but when they did, it was for a serious reason - to get wasted.

In their climb to the top, there had been a number of huge failures that almost destroyed them, and every time that happened, they would come here where no one would recognize them and drown their fury and helplessness. It was a sort of hideout they visited once a year at most.

At three o'clock, the club was about to close, and the two had to stagger out. They could barely walk, but that didn't get in the way of their good mood. They were laughing at everything and anything, matching the students who had been forced out along with them.

The cold night air was refreshing, but it wasn't strong enough to blow away a night of drinking. But for the first time in a while, Kyro didn't care. It was stupid, and he was conscious enough to know he was acting like a fool, but it felt good. He had missed having Gale around.

Out of habit, they went to Kyro's old apartment in that area. The building wasn't locked, so they went up to the top floor and the roof. It had been locked, but Gale actually managed to open it with his lockpicking skills that few knew about.

From the top of the building, they stared at the shining city beneath them. They weren't that high, just on the sixth floor, but it was enough to see the bustle of the city. It looked like no one was sleeping. The streets were full of cars, the houses full of lights, and the sky full of passing airplanes.

Gale leaned against the railing, his eyes locked on the ground right below them. "You know, I didn't think it'd work out. If they had lasted for a couple days more, I think I would have done it. Just to spite you and them."

That 'you' was a stab to the heart, but Kyro tried to ignore it. Without raising his head, he said, "But they did give in and set you free."

"Or put an even heavier chains on me." Metal creaked, and Kyro saw Gale raise himself on the railing to sit on top of it. His legs hung over nothing, but he didn't seem to mind. "By the time they came to me, I was already set on my path." He turned to Kyro, his eyes shining with the reflected light of all around them. "I was ready to die, Kyro. I had it all planned out. Every little detail. It was supposed to be my last masterpiece."

The words chilled Kyro. He watched his friend with wide eyes, his mouth dry. He'd known it would be bad, but he never though that the act could turn into reality. If Gale did something like that… Kyro wasn't certain he could live with himself, knowing he was part of it.

And he was fuckin' drunk. He knew he should say something, apologize or explain, but his thoughts were moving at the speed of the snail. By the time he came up with anything, it'd be morning. Not that it was that far away.

'Stop distracting yourself,' he told himself, covering his eyes with his hand for an instant as if brushing something off them. "Sometimes you really scare me," he said in the end.

He came to stand by Gale and looked down at the ground, the breathtaking fall before it. "Lily is with you now, and Dioscuri needs you. I don't have the heart to just fire everyone."

"Fire?" Gale's eyes narrowed. "Who do you want to fire?" He jumped off the railing, back to the safety of the roof. "I hope it's not anyone I hired, is it?"

"Dioscuri's bleeding out, and something needs to be done."

And that was that. Gale rounded on him, threatening to deal with Kyro himself if anyone he brought in was thrown out. The company they created was in a way his real home, something they had worked for years to acquire, and no one was allowed to touch it.

Kyro smiled in his heart while acting defenseless on the outside, saying there was just no other way, they had to let go of some people. As complicated as Gale was, there was a certain simplicity to him as well; no one was allowed to touch his people.

Hearing that Dioscuri was to fall meant nothing to him, but the mere idea that his people would get thrown into the streets was enough for him to raise from the ditch he found himself in. If there was a battle to fight, he had to be the first on the front lines.

This wasn't taking care of the deep-seated problem inside, but Kyro was glad to at least be able to distract his friend from the horrors living inside his soul. He was no psychologist or doctor, so he did what he could - he gave Gale reason to continue on until he hopefully found one for himself.