"We can't just stay here, we need to tell the city officials how close the Geth are! All these people are in danger!"
Angie shot up from their bed, waking Suna, who prepared for battle.
"We're such fools, Suna, Fools!! How could I not see it!? Everyone's just living their lives as if nothing's happening, don't they see how much danger they're in!?"
Suna shrunk away from Angie, who was shouting just a bit too close to her ears.
"That's it. I'm walking straight to the higher ups right now, I've can't believe I let myself get caught up in this city's peacefulness, I just can't believe it." Angie wasted no time, shooting up from bed, performing the bare minimum of her morning routine in a mad rush, not caring as she strewed objects here and there throughout her flurry.
She looked at Suna, who watched this all unfold. She simply stared at her, not in expectation, or judgmentally, or inquisitively, she just looked at her. Suna got right up out of bed, reaching Angie's side. The two exited the room.
It was a rather mundane-looking building. White, like the Hunter's building. It was relatively large, and well-constructed, but it lacked any opulence or decadence, not a hint of it, as if efficiency and functionalism was the only thought that went into designing the building. Even the tavern had more personality and thought for such things.
Angie stormed into the building, followed by an expressionless Suna, who continued to closely examine her surroundings for every detail.
Angie walked right up to the front counter, which was attended by a secretary of sorts. Suna noticed stacks of paperwork, messy stacks, and various instruments of writing and other miscellany scattered about. Not just on this desk, but on tables and shelves here and there throughout the wider receptive area.
"I need to speak to whoever's in charge here." Angie demanded the attention of the poor secretary, who was caught off guard. "There's Geth in the Highland Mountains! They're right there, the people here are in danger, they need to be evacuated!" The sound of near-yelling caught the attention of the guard posted outside the front door, who tilted his head in to look at what was going on.
"Um, with Mayor Maffreys? They're busy with-"
"Where are they?" Angie's inquiry was rough.
"They're, um, uh," The secretary's gaze fell onto the guard outside, almost pleadingly.
"What's with all the ruckus?"
A man. Aged, with fitting short, dark grey hair. The effect of his presence in the room was immediate – the receptionist and the guard both acquiesced to him, as if leaving the outcome of the affairs to this man. Their tense shoulders correspondingly relaxed.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Maffreys, this girl here-"
"I need to speak with you." Angie's glare, her posture, it was all resolute. As if she would weather the fiercest of storms to accomplish her objective.
The aged, rounded middle-aged man took in the sight, and laughed. "Haha, alright. Come, let's speak in my room.
"Mr. Maffreys, you have a-"
"It's okay, Jane. It's not urgent. I won't be long."
The secretary blinked and stared for a moment, before ultimately sitting back down into her chair, resuming her work.
Maffreys walked through the hallways, up a series of steps, and through another corridor, before reaching a room and stepping through it. The pair followed through, Suna behind Angie.
He settled himself into a comfortable-looking modest chair, shifting some of the stacks of paper so that the two now-seated girls could see his face.
"What is it you'd like to speak with me about?"
Angie took a breath to compose herself. "Mr. Maffreys, I-"
"Zandur. Call me Zandur." Angie gave a blank stare, before shortly recollecting herself from the interruption.
"Um, Zandur. My friend and I, we, we came from the Highland Mountains, outrunning Geth." The refined middle-aged man looked at Angie, as if wordlessly telling her to continue.
"We, um, the, the Geth! They're so close! Why is no one being evacuated, why are people just continuing with their lives like this?"
Zandur Maffreys took a second, acknowledging the girl and her words.
He calmly responded.
"What's your name, little girl?" It wasn't a harsh command, or a disparaging inquiry. It was soft, and gentle, but not gentle enough to be mistaken for pity or weakness.
"Um, Angie, Angie's my name, sir. And this, this is my friend Suna." Angie briefly looked at Suna, as if finding a foothold to rest on in the uncomfortable situation.
"Mm, Angie. Angie, you are correct." He looked at the girl, "The Geth are indeed in that mountain, as they are in Blackhearth." He stood up, turning his body over to a bookshelf, and calmly walked out from behind the desk.
"You're a brave, brave girl, Angie. You're brave, to make it out from the ruthless clutches of those depraved creatures." He stopped in front of a bookshelf, calmly examining its contents. "What do you make," Turning his head slightly, he made eye contact with the taut girl, ", of the bravery of the people that live here?" He pulled a book out of the shelf, and walked back to the desk.
"People are smart, Angie. They know when they're in danger. Yet…" He turned his head to gaze out a large window, one that overlooked a large portion of the city. "...Yet they continue to stay here." He stood in front of his chair.
"Here." He slid the book over the contents of the messy desk.
"...This is…?"
"Heroes. Heroes, Angie. Humanity's greatest, their best. All throughout the current Age."
Angie looked at the man, opening the large book with her small hands, in thought about what he was trying to say, what she should say; she was just confused, but she didn't try to show it.
She flipped through a couple random pages. Portraits of magnificent-looking figures of old, adorned in varying sets of armor and outfits that, along with their expressions, seemed to capture a part of their personality, what kind of person they were. It was like looking through to the past, directly, at the people who shaped it. Built it. Protected it. The feeling, of touching upon this hidden microcosm, was grand, it was larger than them. Looking upon Humanity… even the stoic Suna felt something.
"Those people are our hope. They are our beacons of Light in the Darkness." He couldn't help but gaze upon the hallowed countenances himself.
He looked at Angie. "They're our only cornerstone, in this trying, trying world." Inward, his gaze turned. "They're all we have, Angie. Weak people, like you, like me, the people out on that street, the people who fill the corners of this world… they're all we have, Angie." He turned back to the window, walking up to it, and gazing out of it.
"Heh. Heheh, if only, Angie. If only…" He took on a somber air. He was sober. Aware.
After a long pause, one too heavy for Angie to break, he continued. "So we move the people? Leaving them open to massacre by the Geth next door?" His words cut Angie's naivety like butter. "So we load these people onto ships? Our, greatly lacking, ships? How do we choose who gets to live?" He continued. "These people. The people, whose job it is for me to lead, hahaha…" A heavy, depressing, sober laugh. "...For the weak man… All there is is Hope. Hahaha…" He sunk back into his chair, with composure, but none of the strength they had seen before. "A brittle, weak hope. That those above would be gracious enough to bestow them with protection." He rotated his chair, slightly, to look back out the window. "These people, all they have is Hope."
He looked back at Angie and Suna, both quiet as stones. "See, these people, it's an act of defiance, you see." An empty chuckle escaped his lips. "That energy, that Hope… simply continuing to be here. Where most of them have lived their entire lives. Where they've built their lives from the ground up, devoting their Love, and Passion, to this very land, this very city… Simply living their life, is their act of defiance."
The two girls were stunned, completely motionless.
What a load of fucking bullshit. Suna had to try not to look at him with vicious scorn. His words went against the very idea of life, that life should try to continue living, no matter the cost. His hollow words, that spoke of giving up, of resigning themselves to death, it awakened a fierce disdain and resentment within Suna; she was repulsed by this man, by these people, who knew the danger yet pretended to be oblivious. She was disgusted, by their weakness.
Angie… she rolled the words back and forth in her head. In her heart. She understood something, she understood what Humanity was a bit clearer. It was a ship. A man-made ship, that weathered non-man-made storms, and disasters. It was a collective effort, all built upon one collective concept. Hope. She found herself remembering her belief in Suna, the great emotions she placed in her, her joy in being able to assist her. She was a Human. The book, still open and displaying proudly its contents, weighed heavily in Angie's mind. She… she was a part of something bigger. Something greater. And she was happy, no… obligated, fulfilled, to be a small part of it.
The two girls had no words to give to the Man. They stood up from their chairs. Angie bowed, before exiting the room. Suna simply followed behind Angie, not bothering to look behind her.
They reached the street, where they had came from.
"..."
Angie was silent. Pondering, thinking about Great things, things greater than herself. Suna wasn't rude enough to interrupt her thoughts.
Angie walked, and Suna followed.