Hydra Heart

Chapter Thirty-Two

Chapter 32: I met yo girl at a funeral, but instead of 6 feet under she's trying to get under 6 feet what is UP.

Tenra's funeral was no small affair, as Violet had apparently told the world. It was scheduled for September 25th, 2076, in Alogos, the capital, not the country. Maro was kind enough to call in some favors, but he was no longer president, so there wasn't really a budget for the event.

"Wait, why are you not in charge anymore?" Shay asked.

"Well, I quit my job! I'm back to playing NeverReachers for a living! Well, I will be once things are back to normal." Maro said. He was looking the part of an unemployed bum, with ratty jeans and a sleeveless t-shirt that was complementing nothing.

"You dropped being the leader of the fifth largest city in the world so you could..."

"Get back to work that matters."

"Not make rent, got it." Shay commented. "How did you get out? Did you just resign?"

"Well..." Maro started. He stared to the left of Shay for a while, trying to get out of the conversation topic. "Okay, fine. I passed a law saying that no one could be president for more than a month. I gave some speech about how the ability to change is necessary for a democratic government, which is true, but... I had an agenda!"

Shay remarked, "Maro, there's no easy way to say this, but... You are a really, really bad politician."

"I'm not a politician, I'm a gladiator!" He exclaimed. "They just handed me a microphone and I would have felt bad if I had said no. Hence, this."

Shay smiled and shook her head. "Well, thanks anyway for pulling some strings and putting this funeral together. It'll be nice to have a classy outdoor affair for him." She paused. "He deserves it."

"Yeah. Anyway, check this," Maro gestured to a poster on the wall. It was a stylized picture of him using one hand to point an assault rifle in the air. The text on the bottom read "CHANGE." Maro laughed, "Can you believe this? They actually think I could lift that thing. Anyway, while the tournament scene is kind of shut down, job hunt hasn't been great. I have a lot of street cred, but I keep botching my work. I got hired as an ISL translator, but apparently I sign with too strong of an accent."

"Can we go to the funeral now?"

--

Shay was not ready. The excitement of the last few weeks had done well to take her mind off of her father, but she was already having trouble keeping it together. Maro led her, "It should be just around this corner..."

The streets around the park were overflowing with people. Thousands of mourners had turned out. Did he even know this many people?

She and Maro snuck through the crowd, trying not to draw attention to themselves. The park had been cleared out, security was keeping the citizens aside while close family, many of whom Shay had not seen in years, were gathered in the small park. A humble grassy field and a few plastic benches decorated the area, complemented by the masses gathered outside. Vesta, Molly, and Violet were among the grieving.

Tenra had no exception from the rule that regulated how often members of the organization could see their friends and family, the "twice a year" rule. It was incredible to think that he had met and maintained relationships with this many people through his work alone.

Maro bid farewell and went to join the rest of the crowd. Shay waved to a dozen people trying to get the attention off of her. A man approached the podium and tested the microphone. Heads turned, and the streets went quiet. Shay recognized him, she had been dragged to go see him often.