When the world goes mad, you can either fight it, adapt to it, or try to run from it, at least for a while. Today was exactly that kind of day: a Friday of a long, exhausting week full of lawyers' bull-sheet and reassuring scared mutant employees. He had never been good at reassuring, all this tiptoeing around someone’s insecurities had never been his thing. In the end, he just issued a statement promising the guys a ridiculously huge compensation if the company decided to fire them until the end of the year. That worked surprisingly well, and people visibly relaxed. He considered it his personal achievement and decided to reward himself with a day off work and off all the crap.
A new rope course half an hour away from the city felt exactly like the place he wanted to be today. Except, you never go to an adventure park along, because falling together is half of the fun! But whom can you call to an adventure park on a weekday, without a notice in advance? Obviously someone as crazy as you (and with a non-office job).

“Hey muse!” He strolled into the big room of the fighting school with two bottles of water in one hand and a box with new woman’s sport-shoes in another. He spotted Alba right from the entrance: she was boxing in the middle of the room with some man. In fact, there were only two on them here today. Cristo waved the bottles at her and walked forward.
Cristo knew most of the regulars of this place at least by face and general appearance. Several of them he had tried to flirt with, two of them had tried to beat him for it, another two had ended up in his contact list. But the guy facing Alba Cristo could not recognise at a glance, and he was quite sure that a guy with such an ass he would have remembered.
“Hey muse,” he repeated in a softer voice coming closer. His eyes were still on the same ass though, slowly moving up the bare sweaty back. “A minute ago I was going to suggest you drop everything you do and go with me to a rope course to get stuck some thirty feet above the ground, but now I’m not sure… if you two have plans for tonight maybe I can join them instead?”

Отредактировано Cristóbal García (2020-08-20 11:48:58)

“Oh, thanks,” Alba’s reply was rather mechanical, and smile just froze to her face.
Her brain was supposed to be working frantically now.
It didn’t.
Alba just put her hand around Francis’ neck and placed her chin on his shoulder and stood there and smiled and waited for a storm to break. She sparred with Francis regularly, but when was the last time she hugged him? A year ago, two years, three? Yes, probably sometime before the elections. She felt sudden gratitude for Cristo appearing so unexpectedly.
When Cristobal literally jumped away from them, Alba stayed as she was, only turned a little to look at him, but there was something visibly protective about her posture now.
“Well, I suppose… No introductions are needed?”
She really wanted to stop smiling but for some reason just couldn’t.
Cristo meant a lot for her, but still, she couldn’t compromise Francisque’s pretense just to satisfy her friend-and-lover’s curiosity. Especially not now, when the bastards had already resorted to simple old violence against peaceful mutants’ organization but were not ready to admit it in the open yet. There will be consequences for doing what Francis was doing if he is discovered.
Cristo was good at many things, but was he good at keeping secrets? Well, now they had no other choice but to wait and see.
“Cristo, this is… not what you’re thinking. Whatever you are thinking. That’s just not it, okay?” Alba let out an awkward giggle. How could she deny something she doesn’t even know?
Suddenly Alba really wanted to share with him all the truth, but this could put Francis in danger, and then again… it was impossible in any case. How could she give away something she doesn’t have?
(And it would require her to explain the degree of her current involvement in the Legion’s affairs, and she probably should avoid it.)
“It’s a bit complicated… No, actually, not at all.”
She gave her uncle a quick questioning look and turned her eyes back to Cristobal. The part of the truth at least, then.
“You see, we’re family.”

Отредактировано Alberta Etton (2020-08-21 20:46:37)

Cristobal ignored Francisque completely – not because he did not want to hear from the man ever in his life in the first place, but more because his brain still could not process his presence in this place.
“Family,” he repeated in a bitter voice, talking only to Alba. “I believe, hypocrisy runs in the family too?”
Seriously, this woman had been marching with him in every protest for how long now? Years! It had started not long after the three of them had a child.
He finally lowered the bottles, feeling utterly defeated. The world was certainly going mad around him if even Alba could turn her back on everything she had been protecting.
“Was not Angeles la familia too?” He asked and instantly regretted it, but he could not stop. He did not understand, he did not see the logic. And nothing irritated him more that actions without logic. His mind was racing now, going from remorse to a full-fledged anger in one crashing swipe.
“At least, she did not lie to anyone. And this…” he pointed to Francisque again, “… padre santo is rallying racists and supremacists all over the place. Seriously, qué estás pensando?! Puedes lo invitar a las cenas familiares, but when those lunatics come breaking into your house, it will be because this piece of shit has encouraged them”.
No, Cristo was not going to filter his language, not this time. On twitter and on television sparring with Francisque was just for fun, but this was different. This was personal and actually dangerous. Dangerous for Alba, and not only for her. Their daughter had a very good change to turn out a mutant too.
”Digame sobre los daños, padre," he finally turned to the man in question. "I just spend toda la semana talking to the police and calming down my scared employees because they are afraid to go to the office. Because some freaks have listened to your sermons and came to my place to throw piedras at them. ”

Отредактировано Cristóbal García (2020-10-26 16:58:52)