Lamentations

"So how come you got hurt and your so called teammates didn't get a scratch or even come to see you while you were here??"

"Maybe they were busy or something, It's not mandatory they come to see me, right??"

Okoye responds.

"So how exactly did you get the injuries??"

Dan asks.

"Humph… well if you must know; we were battling an insectoid because we had found an orb in its nest, it was really tough as there seemed to be no end to the swarm. Anyways we came up with a plan to clear a path so that we would be able to attack the queen directly, I rushed in alone and was successful in clearing the path but then I got caught in the blast that destroyed the queen. I know that they didn't fire the beam intentionally to hurt me, they just didn't expect me to get caught in the blast as well."

Okoye replies in a bid to defend her teammates.

"Do you really believe that??... Do you really believe that people that claim to be your teammates would attack while you were still within the blast radius all because they didn't take into account the fact that you were still in it??"

Dan asks.

"It's easier than holding a grudge against them for doing it. I know that they don't like me and just see me as dirt but it's not gonna affect me neither will their actions towards me change how I view things."

Okoye remarks with Dan staring at her in confusion and Mae looking at on her with admiration for her words.

"So you won't try to get back at them or stand up for yourself??".

"Of course I will stand up for myself, but I don't want any form of bad blood."

Okoye replies with a smile.

"Honestly…. You really are something else."

Dan says as he puts up his hands in defeat, Mae places her palm on Okoye's head with the latter facing her.

"I was right to scout you out."

Mae remarks.

"Thank you."

Okoye replies as she then proceeds to pull Mae in closer for a hug.

"Urgh, please stop before it gets too cringe."

Dan mutters with both ladies chuckling at his reaction.

"Let's get going or do you intend on sitting here all by yourself??"

Mae asks with Okoye rising to her feet.

"Where are you guys headed??"

Dan asks.

"Well nowhere in particular, just thought about taking a stroll to loosen up a bit, why don't you join us."

Okoye replies.

"Since I basically have nothing better to do."

Dan remarks getting to his feet.

"Yayy so you are coming with us??"

"Of course not, I was being sarcastic."

Dan retorts.

"Oh c'mon, it will be fun, please!!!"

Okoye puts up a puppy face with Dan feeling queasy.

"Would you look at that… She's asking so nicely, why don't you just honor her request."

Mae chirps in causing Dan to let out a long sigh.

"Fine….Lets get going."

Dan mutters.

"Yayy."

Okoye immediately takes hold of Dan's hand and leads him out with Mae following behind them.

******************

TIME : 6:00PM

LOCATION : WESTERN BEACHSIDE, MARACAS ISLAND ( CLOSE TO THE DOCKING AREA).

Sai is seated by the seashore overlooking the waters as it moved effortlessly across the horizon. He was lost in thought as his emotions moved between anger and sadness with several thoughts running through his head following the conversation he had with Markov.

He was quite oblivious to his environment which was why he didn't hear the voice calling out to him until he felt a tap on his shoulder which startled him.

"Hey."

Ilara greets with a wave of her hand as Sai turns to face her.

"Hey."

Sai responds with a solemn look as he turns his face back towards the ocean, Ilara sighs a bit as she seats beside him on the sandy beach with only the sounds of the splashing water keeping the silence at bay.

"I was looking for you, I got worried."

Ilara says calmly.

"How did you find me??"

Sai asks without attempting to look at Ilara.

"I asked around and after giving a good enough description, one of the engineers at the docks told me that they saw you coming in this direction."

Ilara replies as she turns to face Sai, she could see that something was wrong but with Sai's cold demeanor at this point she wondered if it was right to ask him what had happened.

"Oh OK, for a moment I thought you had placed a tracker on me."

Sai attempts to jest but his joke fell flat as the solemn atmosphere remained the same.

"I know that something's wrong, Wanna talk about it??"

Ilara asks as she moves her palm and places it over Sai's hand with the latter finally turning his head in her direction, he tries to muster a smile but is unable to with Ilara looking at him with a sad expression.

He turns his face back towards the ocean before speaking.

"Do you think what I'm doing is wrong??"

"What do you mean??"

Ilara asks.

"I mean, is it wrong to hate someone you hardly know, someone that is basically a ghost to you."

Sai asks leaving Ilara confused and with more questions.

"Sai I'm gonna need you to come out straight and talk to me because right now I'm lost and don't understand what you are saying right now."

"My father. The reason Markov called me today was to talk about my father. At first when he brought up the topic I didn't really feel anything but as we progressed, I began to feel an anger inside of me, boiling by the second as he kept on talking about him."

Sai replies.

"So you are asking if it's wrong that you feel anger towards the very thought of your father."

Ilara remarks.

"Before today, before my meeting with the administrator, I never did give a lot of thought to Ean Kisoka because why should I??... He brought me into this world just so that he could abandon me??... Obviously such a person doesn't deserve anything other than to be forgotten by the same child that he chose to forget. At least that's what I thought, that's how I felt every single day when I saw my mother suffer due to his absence in our lives, when she died I obviously blamed him as well but sitting across from Markov today and actually learning just a little bit about the man named Ean Kisoka, the one known as my father and I have started to understand why my mother never held any grudges against him and so I ask myself; is it right to hate him now that I know just a little bit about him or I just don't think about him like before, so many thoughts run through my mind as I ponder on this and now I'm at a loss of what to do."

Sai voices out his thoughts in a solemn tone with Ilara listening without uttering a single word.

"what do you think I should do??"

Sai asks as he turns to face Ilara again, Ilara still doesn't utter a word as she stared at him.