A Long Way Home (Viden / Gabe)

Viden Voidstar

Viden was walking through East Eden, that day. He found funny how accurate the name was for that area: An open space, far away from the "heart" of the city, without the oppressive air of the city. Or, at least, that's how Viden described the "air" in the city.

The area of East Eden seemed relaxing, but seemingly "empty": There seemed like there was nothing to do except walk alone and appreciate the breath of fresh air. Even if there was nothing to do, though, Viden kept walking with his headphones on, along the road.

With the arrival of the afternoon, Gabe knew that he was a bit short on time when it came to the amount of freedom that he had before going on his nightly adventures. However, as the manager of the lucky clover branch that was located in the city, he still had to keep up with appearances and meet with a few investors from time to time. "That went pretty well, it was also the last investor for the charity ball that was around the corner. "

Gabe was in the midst of his own thoughts, as he was walking, but then noticed that he made a wrong turn bout twenty minutes ago. "huh?" Checking his phone, he also noticed that his cell was low on battery. The only thing that he had left to do was to ask a passerby that had headphones in their ears. "Excuse me..." Gabe would say as he tapped the man on the shoulder.

While Viden was listening to music, he felt a tap on his shoulder. While he turned around, he removed his headphones, that let out a classical music, to then slowly fade, since Viden was lowering the volume while he was turning around. When he did turn around, he saw a tall man, with black hair and a black, long-sleeved shirt with rolled up sleeves and grey jeans. Viden strangely thought that he was a noble of some kind. Viden looked at the man again, to then say in a slightly confused tone:

"...Uh, can I help you...?"

Before Gabe even said anything the man, he first gave him a respectful bow. “For starter, I’m sorry to disturb you in such a way, I trust you would forgive me for the trespass. “ After Gabe got that out of the way, he would go along with his request “I appear to have drawn a wrong turn while leading to the station. It’s embarrassing to say, but I was driven here to east Eden, but have seem to lose my way when I was trying to find my way back. Would you have any idea as to where the station is?”

Gabe would say earnestly in order to see if the person knew anything. Hopefully, this individual would be willing to help Gabe.

Viden immediately noticed how polite the man was. Viden couldn't help but think that he really was some noble of some family in Endymion. Viden simply shook his head, like he was saying "don't worry", when he apologized for "trespassing". The man asked if he knew the way to the station, since the man apparently took a wrong turn.

"Uh...Would you believe me if I told you that I walked all the way here from Vista Square? Also, this doesn't seem like an area where a station is positioned..."

Viden said, in a slightly embarassed tone.

"If I remember correctly, though, I saw a station near...Sunlake Palms, another area not too far from here. I can escort you there, since I was also about to head back."

Viden said, in a slightly doubtful tone. He also figured on the spot that there really was not many things to do there. He probably would have seen something interesting if he kept walking, but he figured that he had enough "exercise" for that day. He awaited the man's response, relaxed.

"You walked here from where?! Are you some sort of distant traveler from a comic book? "Gabe would then laugh a little bit, realizing that this guy had a trait that Gabe used to have when it came to saving money. Even if the distance seemed a bit probable on paper, he was still going to try to walk it if he could. At a point, times were tough, but Gabe still managed to keep his head up. "

"Well, if you don't mind showing me where the sunlake palm station is, i'll surely appreciate it. " Gabe noticed the man's tone, giving him a reassuring smile. "Even if you aren't really sure as to where it is, i'm sure that things will work out."

"Heheh...Unfortunately for me, I can't walk to a certain place to another in one single panel...Now that would be useful."

Viden said, to respond the joke the man made. Sadly, he really did walk from Vista Square to East Eden. After the man agreed to be "escorted", Viden simply nodded, to then turn around.

"Alright then, follow me."

He said, to then start walking. While they were walking, Viden started talking in a neutral tone.

"Oh, yes, I almost forgot: I'm Viden Voidstar."

Gabriel Gatsby, it’s nice to m[right]eet you Viden. Have you been a native to Endymion for quite some time? When I say that I don’t necessarily know my way somewhere, people usually give me some sort of look for not properly knowing Endymion. Though, to be fair, I was a bit of a sit in while I was growing up. “It wasn’t like that was decided by choice, but Gabe was thankful for the life that he lived.

“What about you? How long have you been here? To be honestly , I haven’t really ventured out much due to the fact that the government keeps saying how dangerous it is to leave. But you seem like a vagabond with a high spirited sense of adventure, so to speak.  I mean, you walk far enough to be considered as one.

Viden, while walking, he listened to the man. He introduced himself as Gabriel Gatsby, adding how people in Endymion give you bad looks for not properly knowing the city.

"Of course there always have to be those kind of guys..."

Viden thought. He kept listening to Gabe, who asked for how long Viden stayed in Endymion, to then be compared to a "vagabond with a high spirited sense of adventure". Viden chuckled.

"Well, no, I don't consider myself a vagabond...In fact, I'm here only to discover how's the area like, since I wasn't born in Endymion. Using the train was a bother for a few reasons, like the cramped up space, and I didn't have enough money for two tickets, so here I am."

Viden said honestly, to then keep talking in a neutral tone.

"Anyway...Have incidents been happening in Endymion? You said that the goverment says how it's dangerous to leave, so I'm a little curious.

For specific places, the seven stars Academy tends to wave the train fare. You should look into that if you are a student, maybe you can get away with going somewhere else. I mean, not like I'm partying or anything, but if you didn;t know about that offer, it could help save you some money Viden. "

As for incidents, Gabe would raise an eyebrow.

"You mean what's happening in the news? maybe I should have said it in a way that would properly reflect what i've been told. But with the dangers that happen overnight, it's better to stay in at times? Unfortunately, i have work. I don't have that luxury.

"Oh, really? Well, that's good to know."

Viden said, in response to Gabe's statement. In fact, that was REALLY good to know, saving money was always pretty useful, even though he lived alone. He then listened again to Gabe, saying that dangers happened overnight. Viden would have then said in a neutral tone:

"Well, I'm pretty lucky that my...Workplace is close enough to my home. Do you have to take the train to get to your workplace?"

"Pretty much, I don't own a car myself. However, I did borrow a car to get to work every now and again, free of charge. A bit of a perk from my foster father, but it's so much more cost efficient to take the train, don't you think? " It did make Gabe wonder where this man worked though, and he wondered if it was appropriate to ask him the question.

"Viden, if you don't mind me asking, what do you do for a living?"

"Yes, it is more efficient...Unless you encounter traffic."

Viden didn't know how it felt like driving a car, since he wasn't old enough to drive one, but it always seemed like a bother waiting in the traffic. At Gabe's next question, Viden didn't know how to exactly respond.

"Welllll....I work in a sort of mix between a Library and Bookstore. People can simply rent books or buy them. The books that are in the library are mostly about mythology, but there are also other type of books, like fantasy ones."

He said. What Viden didn't mention, though, was that some of the books, some short ones, were written by him in his spare time. He then continued, sighing at first.

"I really, REALLY got lucky with that place...The owner wanted to sell the house, on the upper floor of the Bookstore, to then move to Sunlake Palms. I don't know why, but he also left his store and the books, and found a new job, apparently. What a kind guy, I guess..."

Gabe perked up when he heard a bit about the books. "Fantasy and mythology sound a lot like something i would be interested in. Maybe i could heck out the bookstore sometimes? I'm always looking for new ideas to get the creative juices flowing. i mean, We all have our hobbies right? I felt like i haven't picked up a good book in a really long time. " Maybe that was true in a way, it was also a bit nostalgic to hear that the owner had to sell the place. "That's unfortunate, i hope that you are at least taking really good care of the place."

"I guess you could check it, but it's pretty hard to find in Vista Square. Maybe the reason he wanted to sell the place was because he wasn't earning enough, or he simply wanted to move away from the noisiness of the area..."

Viden said, shrugging, not blaming the owner for not staying in Vista Square.

"Ironically, I'm keeping the Bookstore cleaner than my actual house. Anyway, the place is near...Actually, I'll just give you the address. Do you have a notebook and a pen?"

Viden said. If Gabe had a pen and a piece of paper, Viden would have took it, to then write the address and give it back to Gabe. If he didn't, he just would have told him.
After giving the address, Viden would have then said:

"Ok then, since I told you mine, what kind of job do you do?"