Worlds Apart

Turpitude

The drive is tense. There is a lot racing through all our minds as we sit stiffly, our weapons clutched tightly in our hands. I allow my pulse to pound wildly in my neck, a slight tremor to develop in my hands but keep my core tensed to refrain from budging too much with the weight of the rover jostling us over the uneven terrain we speed through. With my head tipped back and eyes alert, I scan the others closely for any signs of regret or fear. Most of them seem to be doing the same as myself, keeping their mouths shut and postures alleviated, likely for the sake of reserving their energy. Brian and Alice seem to be conversing quietly amongst themselves as Ukaleq leans forward to take John's hand in her own.

My eyes flit to Eadric, suddenly, as he takes it upon himself to heave a great sigh and lean forward, bracketing his elbows over his knees with his hands wringing one another just beneath his ducked head. The armored side of his leg is pressed into my own, encouraging me to remain still as he repositions his arms. He scrubs one hand over his mouth as he ponders, extending his forearm further out from his build so his elbow rests across my own leg now. Given his heavy but even breathing changes little, he worries little over the wide berth he occupies, if he has even noticed.

It is clear all of us are exhausted, grime ridden from our last trips into the gorge and haunted by the lives lost during the last attempt to march in on the Eos prisoners. But with little activity occupying this claustrophobic space aside from the heavy breathing and the occasional shuffling of an individual, it is only natural for my ear to seek distraction, even if it be in the form of eavesdropping as I watch Alice and Brian closely.

"It was a tricky situation." Alice whispers as Brian spares a cautious glance towards Eadric to make sure his head is still turned away from the pair across from him. "She cared about him a lot."

"That doesn't change what she did, betraying us all like that."

"I know."

After studying Alice's perplexed expression with an edge of concern creeping into his own, Brian reaches over to gently tuck a hand under her chin before venturing, "What is it? What's bothering you?"

"I just... with Lakote, to hear how he died... it makes me sick to think about it."

"I can only imagine how difficult it must've been for Eerika." He mutters, his expression a bit wondrous as he scoffs lightly under his breath. "No wonder she snapped."

"I never understood how those two worked." Alice reveals after a moment, this declaration surprising me. "Eerika was always very... vocal, about her thoughts. Lakote was peaceful, restrained; a natural diplomat."

"So?"

"So, to see a man like that grow up to be a warrior simply due to circumstance and choose someone like Eerika who is the first to ask for confrontation, it honestly baffles me."

"Maybe this is a case of opposites attract?" Brian offers with a shrug.

"When they're that opposite?" Alice counters.

This question causes my gaze to drop from the pair to my knee still bracing Eadric's elbow over top of it. The blood in my fingertips runs cold.

"I guess I'm just struggling to see where their connection came from, and why Lakote would put himself in that position, why he would let himself die for her-"

"She was a different person then." Someone interjects, startling all of us with his deep, gravelly voice.

Alice's cheeks heat when she realizes Eadric has been listening in on the pair the entire time. "I'm sorry, Eadric." She offers with a gentle tone. "I know she's your sister-"

"He would do anything to protect her." He continues as though she had said nothing at all. He spares a subtle glance over to his arm closest to me before muttering, "It just makes sense."