Past Mistakes

Romi · Aug 30, 2018

Jude was better, at least in the physical sense. Roa had healed the bruising on his hand. He'd healed the bruising on his chest, for that matter. But he still looked exhausted, and he was still putting the pieces back together mentally. He'd talked to Rory. He'd talked to Travis. He'd talked to Officer Genovese.

He hadn't talked to Broen. He hadn't talked to Zora. He'd left them for last. He wanted to give Broen his space, let him calm down before he risked making things worse. He didn't want to do anyhting stupid. He didn't want to do anything rash.

Zora was another story. He'd thought about giving it time--there was no rush or anything--but the more he thought about it, the more certain he became.

So he'd texted Zora, asking her to meet in a little cafe not too far from the community center, and then he'd gone to wait. No uniform. No work clothes. But he was wearing his suit again, once more under his clothes. He didn't want to meet her without it.

@Zora

Zora · Aug 30, 2018

Zora had gotten Jude's text that morning, much to her surprise. She had not expected it - not after all she had done, not after all she had put people through. She didn't believe Rory in that they'd not blame her. Of course Broen hadn't but, she still felt so bad that she had put people in a bad life-threatening situation.

Taking a taxi, not feeling safe enough to walk the few blocks to the cafe, Zora emerged from the vehicle in jeans, her hair in a ponytail and wearing a simple black t-shirt with no makeup. She looked much younger than she was and felt like it too. Events and self-blame had zapped her of her confidence to some extent and now she was just running on sheer willpower to keep moving forward.

Seeing Jude, Zora walked over to the table, and greeted him as she sat down in a chair across from him with a look of concern, "I got your message. Is everything okay?"

Romi · Aug 30, 2018

She looked tired, but he'd prepared himself for that. He'd known she'd be tired. Of course she was. Or even in the worst case scenario, she'd put the whole thing on like she was tired. He didn't know about her home, and he didn't know about the hotel, but it was a safe bet just the same.

"I'm fine," Jude said, briefly showing his hand. There was no sign of bruising, the damage all healed, and he tucked it away again, burying it in the pocket of his hoodie.

"I wanted to talk to you about work. I was going to put it off, but I've had... well, a lot of time to think. To puzzle things out. To decide what I was going to do."

He didn't need to ask if she was okay. She hadn't even been harmed, not physically.

Zora · Aug 30, 2018

"No, it's okay." Zora rushed to stop Jude from saying more, "I totally get it. I will write you a recommendation tonight, you will be compensated for your time and for what you did. Working for me has become a hazard, I get it and completely understand," she said wanting to reassure him that it was okay if he wanted to quit. Heck, if she worked for herself she'd probably be on the next plane out of Manta Carlos headed to somewhere safer.

Romi · Aug 30, 2018

She'd just assumed he was quitting, even before he'd said any more. She got it. A recommendation. Compensation. But that hadn't been what Jude was going to say next, and his lips pressed together in a thin little line.

"If I asked you why the Black Wings say you attacked them, what would you say?"

Zora · Aug 30, 2018

Zora had not expected that question. She fell silent for a moment, not sure how to proceed. Where to even begin, he deserved the truth - they all did. But it was all mixed up and there was no simple way to how it all started.

Nodding at this, Zora started, "First off, I did and didn't attack them. I was helping return a lost phone," she started knowing it would all sound crazy. "I tried to open a rune on an abandoned warehouse door... or at least it looked abandoned," she said as she looked at Jude, "And my magic must have surged causing the rune to explode. I didn't mean for anyone to get hurt.." Zora said tiredly as she sat back in her chair, just looking exhausted.

"I was with a stranger, an elf, the people inside came out, they started attacking us. He defended me, took the Black Wings that were attacking us down. We ran into the building, the warehouse, it was full of Woodland merchandise, stolen goods, people were talking about Tomas... it was a front for something. I later found out that the properties are actually mine too. My brother bought them through the Holding, so technically, nothing was stolen, technically, I was not trespassing... technically, if I admitted this, the Black Wings that were in custody might have gone free." she said with a heavy sigh.

"I made a mess, I thought he'd not try anything again, knowing that I knew, I didn't think my brother was going to try to kill me again, not publically anyways, and not like this..." she said holding back tears.

Romi · Aug 30, 2018

Jude's instinct was to bal lhis hands into fists and... what, yell? But he pushed the instinct down. There was so much to unpack. So many details. So many bits and bobs and insane bits of logic. He could have written an essay on all the parts of her logic that made absolutely no sense.

When he spoke again, he wasn't yelling. He didn't raise his voice. But there was a cold anger in his voice, a harsh edge that hadn't been there before.

"I can't decide," Jude said. "I can't decide if you're a master manipulator, or just incompetent. You found an abandoned warehouse while trying to return the phone, and your first action was to break in? And then you hurt them, and they came out to defend themselves, and you try and frame yourself like the victim?"

She'd broken the law. All her retroactive nothing was stolen because it was my warehouse, and it wasn't breaking and entering either! felt like so many excuses. She hadn't known any of that. And the idea that gang members would go free because she was also the one who owned the building was insane.

But no - Jude paused, eyes squeezing shut for a moment as he recentered. It didn't matter. Not that.

"You attacked them. And now they're attacking back. But you know what? I asked. I asked if this was something you were involved in. And you sat down, shook your head, and you said no. You said you were in the wrong place at the wrong time. You tricked me. You lead me to believe you'd walked down an alley and seen something you shouldn't, not that you broke into a building, injured people, and that they'd defended themselves."

The cold anger was still there, but it was, if anything, getting worse.

"You lied."

Zora · Aug 30, 2018

"I did not attack them. It was an accident. I panicked. Yes," Zora said eyes watering, "Yes, I should not have tried to open the rune. But I did not attack them. They came at us. I was scared, okay. And when I got home, I found out the truth of the matter... " she knew it sounded like excuses.

"I did not think they'd attack anyone. I thought I could stop him," she said so very exhausted by everything and wishing she could fix it. "I didn't think anyone but me was in danger. I was just trying to protect those around me, keep them at arm's length, out of danger... I am so very sorry, Jude..." she said looking at him full of anguish. She had hurt so many people.

"My brother has spent the last 16 years trying to hurt me, Jude. You don't know what it's like to be a scared girl who was thrown down the stairs, left to bleed to death, having to give up a son because of fear, I have been running from Tomas and trying to stop him forever. I have gone to the police, numerous times over the years, each time told it was a family grievance, that without proof that they couldn't do anything, or wouldn't do anything ... and worse, I have confided in people, and been told I was mistaken, that my own brother couldn't ever do that, my own father thought I was lying..." Zora admitted, trying not to break down.

Romi · Aug 30, 2018

She was on the verge of crying, and at least a few people in the cafe were definitely noticing. Most looked the other way--there was no way for the situation to not be awkward, and no one wanted to be caught staring at what they probably assumed was some kind of very awkward domestic dispute.

"You attacked them," Jude said, being as clear as he could. The more upset she got, the colder he got in response. This wasn't what he was good at. That was Travis. Travis was the shoulder to cry on, the one who'd pat you on the shoulder. Maybe Rory. Definitely not him. "Don't call it an accident. It's an accident to find an abandoned warehouse. It's not an accident to decide to break in. You were breaking into an abandoned warehouse for absolutely no reason, and now you're acting like this is entirely a family thing. Like your brother twisted your arm and forced you to break into a warehouse, forced you to do all that. Literally any gang in the entire world would have reacted with violence to you breaking into their warehouse, and your brother has absolutely nothing to do with it."

That made it easier, for Jude. What would have happened in another situation? Another situation where an armed gang suddenly had their door blown off the hinges by a woman who wasn't supposed to be there. They thought she was snooping. Maybe she was, and she was still lying to him. She'd got an entire base shut down, and every bit of evidence they had was that she was trying to destroy them.

It was an accident his ass.

Zora · Aug 30, 2018

"You make it sound so simplistic. You were not there, you did not see the symbols, I - the phone I had been returning had a symbol on it - I was following it. I was curious. The warehouse was abandoned, it looked abandoned from the outside. I thought the door just went into an abandoned building... You cannot tell me as child you have never been in an abandoned building to check things out?" Zora said.

"That is what was going through my mind at the time. That it was abandoned, that I could open the door easily, no harm done. I never meant to hurt anyone. In fact, I stood down when they came out, I didn't attack them... You make it sound like I deliberately went there to hurt them. I didn't. I did not mean to hurt anyone. I made a horrible mistake. Yes."

"And you know what, you do not know my brother, Jude. Maybe that elf was there to lead me to the warehouse, maybe he meant for me to be attacked, I don't know. Heaven knows the people in the building knew who I was, they knew who I was when they attacked me..." she said her voice trailing off slowly... not having clued into this before. They had known she was there, maybe it had been a setup, maybe the elf hadn't been trying to help her. God, she was confused now...

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