pullmeoutalive | Ramey

We’re opposites that way, I guess. I was always one of the little guys. Got into my fair share of fights because of it too.

[ His parents would always be livid- That is not how a Maxwell should conduct himself, they’d say. The nurse they kept on staff at the estate eventually taught him how to patch himself up to avoid confrontations with his father. One of the gardeners taught him how to throw a punch, and how to take one. After that, the fighting became much less frequent. ]

And I have also never set foot on a farm in my life.

I am sorry to hear that. Fighting is not a pleasant thing.

[His brow creases, in something like concern. He never has been good about standing other people's hardships. It's why he went to war.]

And, ah. I enjoy it, but farming is not for everyone. It is also largely becoming obsolete at the level I operate.

[A little patch of acreage and enough cows to turn a modest profit becomes harder to maintain each year. The government is keen on driving them out.]

[ That concern is actually a little startling, leading Charlie to amend, ] Just schoolyard scraps. Nothing serious.

You’ll have to excuse this poor ignorant city boy, but what do you mean by “at the level you operate”?

[THAT DOES NOT REASSURE HIM, CHARLIE. But he accepts the answer with a nod and continues,]

Small farms, run by families. What is enough to make a living for a small group is not profitable enough for a corporation or in the eyes of a government.

Ohhh. Gotcha. I get that, to an extent, considering I run a small business.

What are you guys gonna do?

[He knocks aside a small rock with the toe of his boot and gives Charlie a rather wry look.]

We are on a date, and you wish to discuss agricultural politics?

[ You can practically hear the record scratch in Charlie’s brain. It’s been so long since they agreed to come out here that the word “date” hadn’t crossed his mind in a long while.

Ah, right. Alke had called him attractive, hadn’t he? ]

I, ah-- Sorry.

[um.]

Did I assume incorrectly?

What? Oh, no. No no no. [ He puts his hands up. ] I just… it hadn’t really occurred to me, I guess. I’m not objecting at all, trust me.

[It gets a flickering smile, there-and-gone.]

Sorry. It's-- been a while, for me. American conventions are not quite in line with what I know.

It's fine. Not like I would have said no, anyway. I mean, you've seen you, right?

[He opens his mouth. Closes it. After a moment he rubs at the back of his neck.]

Thank you. I think.

[Wryly,]

I'm not very good with compliments.

[ He lets out an amused snort ] Yeah, I noticed.

[ At this point, they crest the top of the stairs and enter the amphitheater proper- rows of wooden benches leading down to the darkened stage below. From this vantage point, they can see the city sprawled out in the distance, and the stars sprawled out above them. ]

[It seems a strange thing to have outside of a city. It's obviously not a ruin, and this world is not at war, but he finds himself looking a little too intently at their surroundings rather than above them.

Nothing moves in the shadows. He can't smell blood in the air. Rationally, he knows this. It still takes him the span of several too-long seconds to pry his attention upwards. The stars, as ever, settle him.

He makes a faint nose, sort of a 'hm' and slides his pack from his shoulders until it thumps against the ground. By his calculations, his home planet should be in the north-eastern quadrant of the sky.]

Do you do this often? Stargaze.

Not really. [ He looks up, following Alke's gaze. ] My apartment's in the city, and I don't come out here too often.

[He gestures to a bench, and once they're seated he pulls a thermos out of his rucksack. Tea, for the discerning nose. He pours a capful of it and hands it to Charlie first.]

So, you are a book-keeper that grew up in the city, a man in possession of a very small car [a bit of a smile] who is kind to strangers. [He curls his hands around the outside of the thermos absent-mindedly.] What about you? What has your life been like?

[ Charlie is more of a coffee person, but he’s not one to turn down a good cup of tea. Especially not when it’s being offered by an extremely handsome man. The thermos seems to have done its job in keeping it hot, but not too hot. He takes a couple of sips, and regards the surface of the tea quietly for a moment and Alke’s question. ]

My life? It’s been… it’s been an adventure. Not all of it good. [ Without thinking, he brings a hand to his own chest, presses it over the scar there, hidden just beneath his shirt. ] But I wouldn’t have gotten where I am today without the good and the bad, and I’ve learned to accept that.

Also, I’m a very small person, so my very small car suits me just fine, thank you. I wasn’t expecting to be taking a mountain out on a date when I bought it.

[As philosophies go, it's a sound one. Each life has pain, and each one has value. At length, he pours himself a cup of tea. The spices are from his home, and he has not yet found an equivalent mixture here, but he supposes it tastes faintly of ginger, cinnamon and turmeric spice.]

It was-- [he begins in a speculative tone, it turns playful and teasing,] an observation. Not so much a criticism.

[That smile is back, he hides it with a drink of tea. More seriously,]

I'm sorry for what you have suffered. It takes a strong person to acknowledge how it forged them.

Thank you. It took me a long time to get there, trust me.

[ He smiles, the expression soft and contemplative, but it brightens after a moment. ]

But there I go, being a downer again. How’d things go with your sister?

[Figuring out the phrase 'being a downer' is a matter of context clues, Alke frowns a bit at the inherent self-deprecation.]

You aren't-- bringing anything down. It's all right. Not every topic is a happy one, nor should it be.

[That's just life. Good and bad.]

Isla was fine. She intends to stay here, with her-- [his mouth twitches into an unhappy line,] husband. I'm glad she's safe, and well.

[What he would have preferred for her is irrelevant. She grew up under the shadow of the war he fought, and deserves to find happiness just as much as anyone. He can't fault her for the how of it.]

[ Charlie appreciates the sentiment, but there’s got to be better things to talk about on a first date than his Dark and Tragic Past^TM. ]

Ohhh, they got married? [ He does remember Alke mentioning his sister’s beau was from the opposite side of the war in his homeland. That’s gonna make for some awkward family get-togethers. ] How’d that go over?

For them? Quite well, I understand. My parents will be less thrilled.

[He lifts one shoulder in a faint shrug.]

The heart wants what the heart wants.

[ Charlie arches his eyebrows, but he supposes he shouldn’t be surprised. Alke seemed to have a gentle sort of pragmatism to him, and it seems he’s yet to find its limit. ]

Now there’s a philosophy I wish more people shared.

It is different here?

[He says that with a faint crease to his brow, almost a frown. He hasn't quite had enough exposure to how America in particular is about the topic.]

Now there’s a loaded question. At best, it’s complicated.

Personally, let’s just say I’m out here in Denver because my heart wanted what it wanted and my parents said “no way in hell”.

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