New Eden: Live to Play, Play to Live

Pushing open the top of the pod, Alex stood and stretched, feeling his body aching from being so often lied down.

"I need to go to the gym… Clark is going to murder me for not going at all this week…"

He turned his head to the bed and noticed Kary was already up. He looked toward the bedroom door, and saw her silhouette at the end of the corridor, going down the stairs.

Yawning as he stretched, Alex was reminded of the many things that had been put on hold these days.

He had to get back to training his body out of New Eden. He also had to make some calls to David, make sure he didn't need help with anything of the monster sort.

Then he still had to take care of some email he received from EG about the chairwoman wanting to meet him. When he had told this to Jack, the old man had frowned and insisted he accompany him to the meeting.

Alex smelled himself as he stretched, noticing he reeked of sweat.

'A quick shower before breakfast won't do any harm.'

He jumped out of his pod, headed to the bathroom, undressing on the way there and shooting his night clothes into the hamper on the way. As he turned the water on, he heard the hamper's lid open and close again as he got into the shower.

Not even a moment later, the shower door opened again, and Kary looked at him hungrily.

"Did you think I would let you take a shower alone? We haven't spent much… quality time together lately. At least let me have this."

Alexander chuckled, beckoning her in with his hand.

"Of course not. I would never deprive you of your fun willingly. I'm sorry my time was so restricted this past week. But I'll make up for it, I assure you."

They took much longer in the shower than necessary, making tender love, before heading downstairs for breakfast. Alex did a simple omelette with cheese, ham and mushrooms, serving it with butter-toasts and coffee.

As they enjoyed breakfast on the balcony, Kary broached a subject in their conversation that Alex had completely forgotten.

"I was talking with Violette in New Eden last night, and she said something about her father being mad at you. Do you have any idea why?"

Alex looked confused for a moment.

"Mad? At me? Whatever reason could he have this time? It's not like I've been to see him, or anything."

Phoenix giggled lightly.

"I think that might be it, then."

Frowning, Alex asked, "What might be it? Did I—"

That's when it struck him.

"Fuck! I completely forgot! I had promised her and her dad to pass by their house to talk with him. It slipped my mind, with the goblin incident and all, then this baffling week inside New Eden. God dammit, he must be furious…"

Kary laughed at his distress before putting her hand on his.

"If you want, we can go together later today, after we go to the gym together. Clark has been asking when you are coming back. That's another angry man aimed at you, too."

Alexander slapped his face with his hands, dragging his skin down in exasperation at himself.

"I've been so busy in there, I set aside a few things that are just as important… Urgh… If Clark doesn't murder me in training, it'll be Richard later."

Sighing loudly, Astaroth let his head hit the table with a dull thunk as he grumbled to himself.

Kary laughed heartedly.

"Hey, imagine how bad it would be if you had also neglected your girlfriend during that entire week, depriving her of any bigger form of attention than sleeping cuddled a few hours a night. Wouldn't that make you a horrible person? Oh…wait. Hi hi hi."

Growling with his face on the table's surface, Alexander apologized to her. She was only teasing him, of course, and laughed the matter off.

"Now that things have calmed down a bit, just make sure you catch up to life on this side as well. We wouldn't want to make everything about New Eden."

"I know," he grumbled, raising his head.

Alex drank the rest of his cup of coffee and looked at his phone.

The date showed the twenty-fifth of July, and that reminded him of another matter.

His birthday was coming soon, and not too long after that, the anniversary of his parents' death. His mood soured, thinking about going to the cemetery alone.

Kary noticed the change in his mood and slid herself closer to him.

"Is something wrong?"

Taking a moment to get back to normal, Alex smiled forcefully at her.

"It's nothing. I was just reminded of something unpleasant I have to do soon, and it brought me down. But it's nothing to worry about."

Kary smiled warmly at him.

"What is it? Maybe I can help."

He looked at her; her gaze was warm and encouraging.

'It's not like she won't find out, eventually. Might as well tell her now.'

"I have my birthday soon, which isn't too bad by itself if it wasn't for what comes two weeks after…"

Kary looked surprised about his birthday coming around so quickly. They hadn't really told each other their days of birth, so she hadn't known until then.

"What comes after that can hinder the excitement of your birthday so much?"

He sighed sadly, his heart gripping slightly.

"The anniversary of my parents' death. Two weeks after my birthday, eleven years ago, my parents died in a motorcycle accident. They left for a joyride and never came back.

'Every year on the twelfth of August, I go to their grave, to put flowers, and have a small talk with them, giving them a resume of how my year went."

Alex paused, taking a deep breath to steady his emotions. It had been eleven years, and he still resented fate for what it did to his parents and how it affected his life from that point on.

After taking a deep breath, he resumed talking.

"I know it sounds silly, talking to a grave. But it eases my mind, if ever so slightly, that maybe they hear me and can follow through my life with me, regardless of how prematurely theirs ended."

Finishing his phrase, he felt Kary's arms wrap around him as she grabbed his head and rested against her chest.

"Of course, it's not silly. It's so thoughtful of you to keep going every year like this, even though it hurts you. If there is anything I can do for you, maybe go with you this time, I will gladly do so."

Alexander rested his head there, his eyes foggy with tears, glad Kary understood his process and didn't ridicule him. He thought about inviting her, too, and her offering to come made his mind ease up.

"I would like that, yes. Thank you."

"Of course, my love."

They spent an hour out on the balcony, just embracing each other, uncaring of the things they had to do temporarily.