Chapitre 54: Chapter 16: Unlikely Ally
'So, what's your story?'
Somehow someway, Rydel and Valerie have managed to snatch away a window seat towards the rear end of the restaurant, which also happens to have the best view at this time of the day as the space station itself works it's way around the planet, fully exposing the blue ocean down below. The lighting was smartly adjusted to have a romantic setting, and gentle jazz music with a splash of electronic mix plays in the background. Though all of this serves to relax the customers, Rydel instead felt his heart pounding ever faster.
Valerie just seemed like a normal girl once it's off the battle field. The bruises around her body aside, she is wearing a slim bright yellow dress that fits around her perfectly, leading to Rydel thinking that it was taylor-made for her. She did mention she was the daughter of one of the most powerful figures in the Wild Regions, so Rydel would have suspected that they are at least well off enough to be able to afford such services.
Things do seem drastically different from the morning, however. Valerie was first challenging Rydel to a fight, then declares him and enemy of sort, then the talk of him being an outsider in this area and threatened both him and Roloni. And now, she sat opposite him slurping away on a rainbow colored milkshake on possibly one of the best positioned table in the restaurant.
'What?' Rydel was so deep in thought and confusion, that he didn't hear what Valerie asked.
'I. Said. What's. your. story.' Valerie waved her hand in front of Rydel's eyes to try to get him to snap out of it.
'Sorry...it's just that...' Rydel blinked himself back into reality and looked right at her, the beauty up close dazzling him, 'you know, we fought this morning, like properly, and then now we are sitting here having dinner?'
'Yeah, well, I am hungry.' Valerie seemed oblivious to the obvious issue floating in the air, or maybe she is just ignoring it.
'Yeah, and you were saying all the outsiders, humans stuff this morning like an angry royalty...'
'Don't call me a royalty!' Valerie hissed under her breath like an angry royalty and threatened him, then she made a cut throat gesture as she looked around the restaurant to make sure nobody heard what Rydel said. After Rydel shut himself up out of fear, she then continued, 'I mean, I have to specify who I wanted to fight, right? There were you and the Aquarian.'
'Fair enough.'
'And also my sister was the one that's calling you the outsider, not me. Most of the time anyway.' Valerie shrugged with an innocent look on her face, 'you just looked too much like a threat?'
'Me?' Rydel pointed towards his face and made the Han Solo guilty innocent face, throwing the look right back at her.
'Yeah, especially with your aug.' Valerie looked at Rydel's left hand as she put the empty glass down, 'don't have to tell me, but what's that about?'
'That's a personal item, helps with spirituality.' Rydel said with a straight face on and tried to act like Ol would in this scenario.
'No shit.' Valerie rolled her eyes, 'and the first thing you do with a spiritual item is to stuff it against an army knife.'
'It...Also provides security benefits.' Rydel almost choked on her comment, 'anyways, I need your help. If you can give me what I want, then I can pay for this meal.'
'Ooooh now you are the big man...' Valerie didn't seem to appreciate the comment, 'I pay my own bills.'
'Even better.' At least now there is more money going towards getting Dolon out of this place, and Rydel isn't going to worry over this, 'so I want to know how I can go through the enhancement process, how I can progress as quickly as I can?'
Valerie looked down at the menu in front of her, not answering the question right away as she ponders about its implications. Then she looked at and stared right into Rydel's soul with her stunning blue eyes.
'What's in it for me?'
'Is there anything I can offer in return?'
'Maybe.' Valerie put the menu to the side and put both hands on the table, 'I will challenge Gold for the possession of the artifact, and I want to know everything you know about him.'
'Why do you think I know much, if anything about him?' Rydel knew exactly what sort of knowledge to offer Valerie, but the way she poses the question seemed rather suspicious. What if she is someone sent by the bosses of the Absolute Being to find out Rydel's true identity and allegiance?
'I have talked to the leader in your cohort, and it would appear somehow you managed to do the best against Gold...'
'That really isn't saying much...'
'...Which doesn't say much, but it is something.' Valerie assured Rydel, 'and from your performance today, I know there is at least something there. Something of value.'
'Right.' Rydel nodded the waiter thanks just out of instinct as the robot brought him a glass of fruit cider, 'that's fair enough. I will try my best.'
'I expect that.' Valerie said firmly, 'I will challenge Gold as soon as I am ready, and you will help me through that. In return, I will help you progress as quickly as I can.'
'All the way to nano technology enhancement?' Rydel just wanted to make sure.
'And beyond. We can both get there, and I know how.' Valerie tapped her finger on the table, and the droid waiter came over. This could easily be done by ordering through a counsel on the table, but nothing beats having something wait for you while you take your sweet time to make your decision.
'But we have to talk about that later. Now, let's eat.'
The rest of the dinner went by in a surprising manner, as both side just chatted and enjoyed a meal like friends, completely oblivious to what had happened earlier in the day. Rydel discovered that underneath the seemingly cold and ruthless faced that Valerie puts up, she is surprisingly sensitive to certain things, like her family. And Rydel soon come to understand it's through that sensitivity that she became driven in her path of revenge.
The actual part was never part of the conversations had between the two, though Rydel can easily tell by the sadness emerging in and out of her every time she talked about her sister, and her past. She was someone who just had a great background, and was free to choose whatever she wants to do. The Black Wolf may be the second in command of the biggest Warlord in the near region, but in the wild space, that means power.
And through power comes respect and fear, which grants stability.
All of that was shaken up as the Black Wolf was legally challenged by the Aquarian from the Absolute Academy, and lost the artifact that once belonged to him. The Lock Down, the instrument that maintained the status quo of the region.
There were no qualms to be had between the leader of Absolute Being and the Grey Wolf, however, as it was made abundantly clear from the very first day that Absolute Being brought artifacts into this region of space:
Anyone who is strong enough, will be able to challenge for the artifact.
And that's when Valerie realized that the man she once viewed as strong, powerful and well respected, is nothing now that he is another victim under the Aquarian blade. Was it anger towards the Aquarian for tearing down her past stable life, or was it the anger towards her father's own weakness?
Valerie doesn't know, but it wouldn't matter to her anyway. Perhaps it is her unwillingness to let go of the past that drives her. Perhaps she missed the carefree days roaming the garden with her sister, and she wanted it back. Though through the process of getting that life back, she will evolve into someone completely different, and things will never be the same again.
Does it matter?
'So yeah. You bet your ass that I want it.' Valerie said, 'and that is why I am doing everything I can, utilizing everything in the tool box to get it done. One bloody day at a time.' Then she broke the chopsticks apart with the power that can split a mountain in half and attacked her plate of stir fry.
'It is bloody alright.' Rydel picked up the fork and also dug into his salad. Though Rydel has the appearance of an oriental descent, he did grew up eating the modernized western diet, contrasting to Valerie's Caucasian look and her already obvious with the Eastern Style of cooking, 'oh wait...am I a tool too?'
'Well...' Valerie blushed slightly as she looked up, though it could just be the spices, since her left hand is reaching towards the now refilled glass of milkshake, 'it depends. Could you be something more?'
'I could.' Rydel said honestly. If he is honest, he is probably the one person that has been in a real fight with Gold and came out on top on this very planet, so he could very easily have shared all the things he learnt and realized then. How useful that knowledge would be is up for question obliviously, seeing how much Gold has matured and changed.
But also, that's obviously not the only thing Rydel was saying. And Valerie can see that also.
She seemed slightly intrigued, then a smile creeps up.
'But obvious, you are also a tool to me. Just so you know.' Rydel said with a cheeky smile on his face and the drink on his hand, 'here's to using each other as tools.'
'I will drink to that.'
The main course was absolutely delicious. Though Rydel has gone for a standard mixed salad to begin with, the sweet vinegar based dressing combined with the appropriately chosen vegetables and soya meats are what made the whole thing incredibly satisfying. But since there are so much more room left in his stomach however, so he welcomed the stewed beans medley with open arms.
Valerie on the other hand, went for a hot pot of spices and various vegetables and meats, and Rydel can smell the shear amount of spiciness while sitting on the opposite side of the table. She seemed to be able to handle the spices extremely well, with only a thin layer of sweat forming along her forehead. It was half way into the pot that she hit the reset button and tied her hair back together, then she marched on the rest of the hot pot without any further hindrance.
'Impressive.' Rydel couldn't help but admire her shear ability, at least at refueling herself. A whole day of competition and higher stress levels will demand lots of physical and mental exertion, and Rydel could already feel some of it come this time.
Which is why the desserts and coffee/tea appeared at the absolute best time possible. As the sleepiness inside begin to take its toll on Rydel's mind, the shot of caffeine made him feel like a new man, at least for the time being.
'I still can't believe you used to race across the asteroid fields for fun...' Rydel said after Valerie finished yet another story of how someone grew up in the wild space. Compared to that, the life of academia and further education that Rydel lived was a lot less exciting, at least when it comes to the time for story telling.
'Yeah, the new guys winning the pilotmania in their first competition is very rare, you know?' Valerie burped slightly and continued on while swing a fork with a section of a chocolate cake dangling dangerously close to the edge, 'and for that, you deserve a reward. Burp..'
Valerie sends the fork towards Rydel, though it gave him a strange sense De javu, then he realised this is exactly how she planned to deliver the killing blow that morning.
But in this case, it would seem the cake is for him.
'I humbly accept this reward.' Rydel said, and bit down on the fork. Then Valerie drew it back and scooped up another chunk for herself, 'now, shall we talk business?'
This is probably the fifth time Rydel has tried to hasten the conversation and talk about the next steps when it comes to getting the physiological enhancements done this evening, though each time Valerie simply ignored him or avoided the question all together and started talking about something.
She was using that as leverage, and Rydel knew it. But there isn't anything he can really do.
'Wait.' Valerie put up a hand, 'no business without tea or coffee.'
'I am surprised you kept so much of the traditions.' Rydel commented, 'I would have thought the wild space is a little more...unhinged.'
'You are wrong, outsider.' Valerie shook her head with an exaggerated motion, 'when the forerunners left the settled regions and ventured into unknown space, they brought their culture and tradition over. Instead of mixing and dilution of that, we embrace it.'
'I would argue we kept our traditions better than your civilized groups.'
Rydel could not argue with that.
Valerie tapped the table again, and moments later tea and coffee were served. Rydel picked tea, while Valerie struggled to decide between the two. So in typical Valerie fashion as Rydel started to learn, she took both.
'So, you already know. I have gone through the first stage of the physiological enhancements.' Valerie immediately jumped into the topic, utterly shocking Rydel with the spontaneity, though he welcomed it, 'for you, it won't be long at all.'
'And what exactly are involved in the enhancements?' Rydel asked.
'The standard stuff, lowest level of biohacking. Almost everyone in the wild region has it, gives you a basic boost in physical attributes and mental focus. Learn faster, become more durable in all different aspects etc..'
'The process itself?' Rydel asked.
'Painless.' Valerie finished the tea by the time Rydel has finished asking the question, 'quick, in a blur.'
'Really?' Rydel is definitely skeptical, 'any drawbacks?'
'You become oversensitive to somethings, you become less sensitive to some. A natural protecting mechanism that the enhancements itself wouldn't be able to override.'
'Sounds like you are suggesting it could be done later down the line.'
'Yes. But for that, I will tell you later in the night.'
After that, Valeria got up, followed closely by Rydel. Then they split the bill using the table's counsel instead of the droid waiter for the first time tonight and headed off. Rydel is feeling a little dizzy from the compounded effect of the cider and the caffiene, but somehow, Valerie who has been going hard on the milkshake all evening seemed to be in a worse shape than he is.
She walked in a zigzag pattern, and yet almost managing to find the balance. As she approached the stairs spiraling down to the bottom floor, Rydel noticed that instead of slowing down and carefully judging the distances and pacing her step, Valerie instead accelerated towards certain disaster.
As she leapt the edge, Rydel appeared next to her, and held her by the hip with a firm grip with his left hand. She turned and giggled into Rydel's ears, 'I would be fine, the enhancements accelerates healing!'
'I don't think I want to see that in process just yet.' Rydel rolled his eyes, though his heart jumped as Valerie put her hand around his hip too.
'Come with me.' She said as she clang on Rydel like a sloth on a tree as he walked down the steps while struggling to maintain balance and composure.
'What's in the milkshake you were drinking all evening?' Rydel turned to the side and asked Valerie, though his nose ran into hers. Her face is so close to his own, and he can feel her breath gently brushing across his cheek.
She laughed and the smell of alcohol also brushed across his cheek.
When they got to the ground floor, Rydel quickly realized that Valerie is just playing with him, as she become completely capable of moving about independently. She let go of Rydel and hopped ahead, though looking back at him every few steps and compelling him to follow closely with her starry eyes.
Rydel sighed, and chased after her. The thoughts of everything else completely thrown out of his mind.
They ended up in a reserved room within the accomodation corner, and as Rydel chased Valerie into the room, he found her hiding behind the door and shutting it off behind him.
'You know what's going to happen?' Valerie teased as she stepped closer to him, her hips shifting left and right naturally as a display of femininity and beauty, then she placed a hand on Rydel's shoulder, and one on his hip. She looked up at him, and waited.
'What else?' Rydel said with a nervous smile of his face, returning her gaze, 'you wanna wrestle?'
'Yep.'
The next thing Rydel knew, Valerie's hand grasped tightly on his clothes and his belt, her foot stepped forward to pin against his, and she body slammed him onto the bed behind.
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone