+Don't Make Me Regret This++Karl Heisenberg+

25

(Because I don't want to translate everything into French, all speech will still be in English :])

Memory 4

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The trip to France was a breeze, nothing went south, everything went perfectly. On the boat over, she'd cut her hair short, as it had previously been down to the middle of her back. She already looked like a different person. 

She ditched her muddy clothes for new ones that were clean and would help her fit in. Atari got a bath, thanks to a very pleasant crewmate, and had gotten her collar and leash washed as well. Overall, Valera was immensely thankful that the people on this ship were kind to her. 

When she got to France, she realized just how crazy the BSAA was going. In every police station, there was a sign somewhere that was asking about her, if anyone had seen her. She only went in to ask for directions, and the short hair did wonders. She was never recognized. 

She'd been there for almost 2 years now. Over that time, she'd turned 18 and the two year anniversary was coming up fast. It was surprising how quickly she'd adapted to the place and started calling it home.

Every day she would find herself at the Le Relais du Facteur, a café her and James had declared they would eat at together one day. She still waited for his arrival, but most days she purely just forgot about him. She always ordered the same thing, and she got on a first name basis with one of the servers, Gabriel. 

He'd always ask her about Atari, or where she was from, to which she'd only respond with Canada. She didn't want him to ever know who she was. He was too nice of a guy. Gabriel came up to her little table, briefly leaning down to give Atari a friendly pat on the head.

"Good morning, Valera," he said sweetly. He was in a good mood, per usual. When wasn't he in a good mood. "The usual?" he asked. Valera hummed, a kind smile finding her face. Gabriel looked down at Atari with a bit of a scouring gaze before he looked back up at her.

"What breed of dog is she? I don't think I've ever asked," he said. Valera's smile widened as she reached down to startle the dog. Despite supposedly being a smart breed, Atari was a little slow. "Coonhound," Valera responded. Gabriel's face lit up a bit as he crouched down to squish her face.

"One of my friends had a coonhound once, purebred I think. He was the sweetest thing," Gabriel said. Valera listened intently, a happy look crossing her eyes. She enjoyed talking to the man, and he did too. There were days where he'd sit down and hang out with her until his break was over.

She'd accidentally aligned her schedule with his, and after finding about his friendly demeanor, she made no move to change it. She enjoyed his company too much, to the point where after she got a new phone, she even got his number to chat with him.

"I have a husky, I don't know if I ever told you that. Here, let me show you a picture," he said, pulling out his phone. Valera caught glimpse of his home screen and stopped him, pointing at a picture of him and a woman. A smile flashed across his face and a grin made its way across Valera's at the softening of his expression.

"Who's that?" she asked. Gabriel glanced up at Valera before looking down at the picture again. "My girlfriend, Lina, we've been together for... 2 years?" Gabriel said. Valera shoved him gently, laughing a little. 

"And how come you never mentioned her before?" she teased. Gabriel gave a bit of a breathy laugh before sighing quietly. "I don't tell many people about her, she's a little famous around these parts. She's a model, I know, surprising, the skinny boy got the hot lady," he laughed. 

"You're not bad looking, Gabe, if that's what you're saying," Valera said. The words caught the man off guard but he grinned after a moment. "Why thank you," he laughed. He scrolled through a few pictures of him and Lina, before finally getting to the pictures of the dog. Seeing the pictures of how happy the pair were made her heart ache in the slightest. She still hadn't given up on James, despite how much she forgot about him.