Tea And Grief

__________ POV Ashton__________

Linne lived in a pretty big mansion. All things considered, it was not that unexpected. She did have a limousine after all...

I for one am not used to luxurious suites and mansions. I much prefer the comfortable white walls of my laboratory.

Linne brought me to a room in the middle of the house. She sent all of her servants away and waited a bit.

"So... What prompted this desire of yours?" That was the first thing she said. I guess it's quite normal for her to be curious about my intentions.

"I want to study the calamities more in-depth. I feel like there's far too much I've overlooked about my homeland, and I wish to return and find out more." I don't feel like hiding my reasons from Linne of all people.

Even if our conversations have been very scarce over the years, she's still one of the two people I could be honest with.

The other one was Netero, Zigg would also be on that list, but he kind of broke all contact with the three of us after a while.

Linne nodded at my response. Then she just sighed. "If I was younger... Maybe I would tag along as well... At least that's what I wish I could say. But I never want to return to that place."

At least she's also being honest. The horrors of the Dark Continent affected her the worst out of all four of us.

Zigg and I were the least affected, mainly because I lived in that place and Zigg was very courageous.

Netero was only a bit affected, as in he no longer sought powerful opponents for no good reason.

I guess his trip to the Dark Continent humbled him greatly. Before they found me even surviving was a struggle.

"It's fine Linne. I want to go alone anyway, it's only fitting this way." I couldn't and didn't hide the genuine smile threatening to appear on my lips.

"Seeing you this way is quite strange. But I'm quite happy for you. It seems you've recovered some of your youth... Even though you've aged a bit."

Her words were odd. But they made quite a lot of sense. It's been a long time since I was passionate about something. And someone that knows me, like Linne, can tell.

The most I've had after stagnating in my nuclear weapons research was a few things that I could only find mildly interesting.

Now I have something that I am more than willing to give my life for. Something not that many people can claim.

And going to the Dark Continent can certainly be perceived as throwing my life away. But I at least know what to expect.

Even if things there changed, the more powerful predators won't just disappear. I know my way around them and I can easily spot their territories, even if they moved over the years.

"Well, I will always be young at heart," I said with an unusual boisterous smile. The corners of her mouth raised to match mine. But the sentiment behind them was different, her smile was quite sweet to look at.

Her eyes didn't look dead anymore either. Now she was back to her lively self, at least in spirit. Her body couldn't or wouldn't emulate much excitement or amusement.

"Well, I will soon leave. But I think some tea is in order." I said calmly, my large smile receding into a much smaller one.

Linne nodded a bit. Looking quite pleased, a small trace of sadness was still present. She then went to the kitchen to make the both of us some tea.

She is a Gourmet Hunter after all. If she let someone else make tea for her in her own house it would be strange.

She always took pride in her cooking, and making tea became one of her favourite hobbies as she got older. At least by Netero's word, he's not exactly the most reliable source of truthful information.

Oh well, it seems my mind brings me back to him more and more lately. I guess I do miss him a bit more than I'd like to admit...

Linne soon came back into the room carrying a small tray. On it were three cups of tea, perfectly arranged and with a powerful aroma. I guess she's also not really over his death either.

My eyes lingered a bit on the third seat, a chair with a simple framed picture on it, a smiling, cheerful old man with a curly beard.

Well, we all deal with grief in different ways. I like to reminisce about the good old times, Linne likes to actively keep him as a part of her daily life...

Before she sat down, she put a cup in front of each seat.

"Cheers... To an eternal bond..." We both said at the same time as we raised our cups a bit. An image flashed in my mind.

Four of us, much younger, sat around a campfire saying the exact same thing. A scene filled with a youthful vigour that we would be hard-pressed to match once more.

An oath that we swore, whatever happened in life, we shall never stand against one another. And no one shall stand in our way as long as we are together.

A sweet promise. It was made to last, but humans were not, unfortunately. Time eats away at our bond, only two of our lives are still intact.

After all, Zigg wouldn't have just disappeared, that wasn't like him at all. We knew that he had passed. We didn't even need to ask anybody about it.

But we still refused to admit it at the time. Zigg's fate was unknown to us, but I will learn about it soon. Maha will have to explain it to me, one way or another.

But for now... I will enjoy one last cup of tea at the side of my last friend. I don't think I'll be able to be there for her till the end. This might as well be our last meeting...

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Bit of a sappy one innit?

Hope you weren't expecting the mc to be a heartless guy. You'll find out more about why he's been downplaying his relationship with the three of them later.

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