Mission Success: A Different Story

Of Hurt and Hugs(Part 2)

It was deathly quiet as Porco and Pieck made their way to the gates of Liberio. The bronze-haired man stood stiffly with a ramrod-straight spine, keeping his blue eyes on the cobblestones below his feet. Pieck silently followed his example with her arm looped through his, staying as close as she could. She was still wearing his jacket, but Porco couldn't care less about it at the moment. All he could feel was dread. He could already see his parent's faces when he told them. It would crush them.

A light squeeze on his hand made him look down at Pieck. She was looking up at him with a sad, somber expression that went against her normally calm and mischievously cheerful look.

"We're almost at the gate," she whispered, letting her head fall against the arm entwined with hers. Porco lifted his eyes to see the familiar barbed fence just ahead of them and felt the world crash down on his shoulders.

"Yeah..."

A few minutes later, they arrived at the gate and were stopped by Peregrine and Meriadoc as usual.

"Well, hello Mr. Galliard and Miss Pieck! What a pretty picture you two....hey, something wrong? You both look like you're going to a funeral..." Meriadoc said, his cheerful smile turning into a concerned frown. Peregrine stared at the pair with question marks in his eyes.

Porco flipped out his pass without raising his eyes to either of them. Pieck also held out her pass with a heavy look, pointing her head at Porco.

"In a way, we are... Marcel... Surely you understand," she whispered. The guards immediately shut their mouths and quietly opened the gate for them, keeping their eyes to the ground. When it opened, the somber duo walked through the gates as the guards took off their hats and placed them on their chests, watching the young Warriors enter Liberio.

"Wow....so they finally came home," Meriadoc whispered.

Peregrine sighed." Apparently, only three did. Poor Marcel...he was such a great kid."

Meriadoc somberly put the hat back on his head." I feel really bad for Galliard. He just lost his brother, and now he has to break the news to his parents..."

Peregrine shook his head and placed the hat back on his head." That is going to be rough."

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It was a quiet day in Liberio, quieter than it normally was, and Porco was glad for it. He didn't have the patience or the effort to deal with unimportant bullshit right now. At least Pieck was supporting him on the walk home, or he might've hightailed it back to H.Q.

"Pock?..."

He tilted his head down to look at Pieck." Hmm?"

"When we get to your house, do you want me to come in with you?"

Porco looked back at his feet and sighed."...No. I appreciate the offer....but I want to this alone. You could go see your old man while I break the news."

Pieck shook her head, her cheek rubbing his arm." Father is pretty busy on Thursday, so he won't have time to visit with me. Are you sure you don't want me to go with you?"

Porco nodded silently. Pieck sighed quietly and squeezed his hand." Okay."

The next twenty minutes were spent in silence as the duo walked through the town. Here and there, they would come across the occasional gaggle of gap-toothed youths playing in the street who would squeal and watch them with stars in their eyes before going back to their games. Their mothers were probably shopping at the market before taking their children to school. That's what Porco's own mother had done before he and Marcel signed up for the Program.