act28side

I...

Until it flows over the table's edge, and seeps into the floor.

Snap.

I'm leaving.

Hah, guess you finally got sick of us noisy old farts. Can't you wait for Miles to get back, so we can share one last drink before we say goodbye?

No... I meant I'm leaving Davistown.

Look at this kid, getting drunk without touching a drop of champagne.

No, I'm perfectly sober.

It's something I've been meaning to get off my chest... But I never got the chance, so I'm saying it now.

What's wrong? Why's everyone look like it just started raining?

Miles, I...

Benny just said... that he wants to leave Davistown.

Wh-What?

How long you been thinking about this, boy?

About a year or so...

Last month, Ms. Selena from next door came over and said that her daughter in Ironforge City managed to find a caravan willing to come through here. She said she was planning to go with it to follow her daughter.

She asked if I wanted to come. She thought it'd be a waste of my talents to stay. No matter how much I learn here, I wouldn't have a place to use any of it.

She told me... she didn't want me to become the next Sylvia.

What about your living expenses? Tuition? Where are you gonna live?

Don't worry, there are plenty of boarding schools in Ironforge City willing to provide scholarships so I can study there.

Benny... why wait so long to discuss this with us? It's a big decision... You know better than that.

...I'm sorry, Miles.

He ain't asking for our input.

Just letting us know the decision he's made.

...Have you thought this through? Weighed the pros and cons? Who knows, this place might perk up once it gets moving again. You can always decide then.

I don't want to wait that long.

The only reason you're all willing to stay put and pray things get better is because you remember the good old days.

But I don't. This place has been a dump for as long as I can remember.

...My adoptive father worked so hard for this place, throwing away everything else without hesitation. My brother took his place as a pillar of the family, and wanted to join a mercenary group when he came of age. To earn money to send back home.

But a few years later... Those people sent his belongings back, with no explanation in the attached letter except a few lines saying they're sorry.

There should've been another path for him back then. Just like... there should be one for me now.

....Am I wrong?

So when are you leaving?

...Tomorrow. I know I shouldn't have waited this long to tell you, but if I don't say it now... I'll never get another chance.

The boy glances across the table at his father, mustering the courage to look him in the eyes. He desperately hopes to see anger and resentment.

That would make him feel a little less guilty, a little less conflicted.

But his father simply hangs his head and remains silent, completely at a loss for words.

Leone...

It's fine... It'll be alright...

It's not a bad idea...

You <i>should</i> leave... You deserve it...

Helena gives Leone a few pats on the shoulder, but he simply continues to mechanically repeat a few words of approval, prompting her to shake him a bit harder.

It's fine, Helena. I'll be alright... This is how it should be...

Then, I wish you a safe journey. Take care of yourself, kid.

Why's it so damn cold here?

I picked up some wood we can burn. Feel any better yet?

Judging from how you curled up into a ball, I'm guessing you've never been through anything like this? *sigh*... How could your folks think you'd make it as a mercenary?

Huh? You decided on it yourself? But why? Did you get in a fight with your family?

Oh... There are people you want to protect, and problems you want to solve, huh? Mm, sounds pretty ambitious, if you ask me. I'm a bit jealous, to be honest.

Most people you see out here in these ruins, on the battlefield, were pushed here by circumstance. Myself included.

Driven by poverty. By injustice. By darkness and violence. We often pick up our weapons and rashly open fire, without worrying about what we're aiming at.

Right up until we finally step in a puddle of mud and look down at our footprints, only to realize that what we just stepped in... was a river of blood.

When that happens, I'm sure there's some noble ideal that can keep you from collapsing in defeat. Too bad I never found out what it was... I was only in it for the money.

My family owes a <i>lot</i> of money. And my little brother, well, he's damn smart. If he'd been born rich, he'd be at the top of his class.

But if he stays back home... the only future he's got is as a debt collector.

I... I don't think that counts as being in it only for the money. You're doing it for your family... That's noble too.

Eh, who can say? But for now at least...

We're doing it just to survive.

The attack's about to begin...

Stop drinking already, Leone.

...Can I sleep at the diner tonight?

If you want.

(*whispers*) Poor fella... Just look at him... *sigh*...

(*whispers*) It's just like seven years ago...

What, you guys gonna talk about Carl now? Don't mind me. No need to tiptoe around it.

This is already the second time... The second time...

Twice now... So why're you avoiding me? You think... you think I can't handle it?

Thank you for bringing me here, Jessica. You can head back now.

I... still don't feel very good about this.

I don't think your boss would be happy with how you're always fretting over us.

I just... can't bear to stand on the sidelines when there's something I can do.

Still, you helped Dad keep the house, so thanks again.

But the reason he finally sold his shares... was because of you.

I know. He had to give up what was most precious to him just to keep a roof over my head. But with me gone, he'll finally be free to do what he really wants.

In that sense, the house was never the obstacle. It was me and my brother.

...Do you remember my brother?

You're talking about Carl? I've heard you and Helena mention him before.

Yeah, we know him as Carl... But over at Blacksteel, he went by a codename—Blackplate.

...Blackplate?

It's water under the bridge, Leone. Why dredge it up now...

No point trying to stop him, Miles. Just let him talk. He never brought it up, so we didn't say nothing. But now that he wants to look back, it's our job to let him.

...I suppose.

I didn't ask for these thoughts... But in the dead of night, do I really have any control over what pops into my head?

The more I dwelled on it, the more painful it was. The more painful it was, the less it made sense... But, Benny figured that all out a long time ago.

He was right. Every step Carl took was never really his own choice. Because I was too stubborn, too arrogant. I ended up running everything dry... our money, our lives, and our choices.

When I was little, there was a miner who'd always complain how nothing was easy anymore when you're middle-aged. You run outta energy and can only focus on a few things at a time.

So you gotta be smart, gotta keep your eyes on what really matters. Stop being greedy.

But when it was my turn to grow old, I just refused to accept it. I grabbed the wrong end of the rope, and held on for dear life. Told myself I was a brave warrior, fighting the good fight against fate itself...

And what do I have to show for it?

Fought my way into a mountain of debt. Fought for a Davistown on its last legs. Fought for my eldest to die on the battlefield. My second son saw right through me, so why wouldn't he run the hell away?!

Leone, we all know how much the mine means to you...

Then tell me, how much?! Because I haven't a damn clue at this point!

All I know is that I should've held onto those little hands back then. The hands of my children...

I was a damn fool. How could I not see the writing on the walls when I heard that complaint?

I should've etched those words into my mind...

My dad might be an old fool with the memory of a sieve, but I'm not.

I recognized you the moment I saw you. The emblem on your uniform and your gear. It's the exact same one I saw on the bag with Carl's personal affects.

He... He was your brother... I never realized...

Did he never tell you his real name? Or did you simply forget all about him?

I remember him... I didn't work with him for very long, but how could I forget?