Eminence

Note 15 - Warren vs. the World

After lunch, Warren drove everyone back to the clinic. The meal didn't go the way Jack had hoped. Emanon would continuously try to bring Vaan back up, and Jack continued to steer the conversation elsewhere; this led to plenty of discussions about topics without connection to one another. Anika seemed to enjoy the banter, but the restaurant staff did not. Jack and Emanon had to be told a few times to lower their voice, and Warren was sure the staff was joyful when they left. The way Emanon and Jack were with each other made you feel like they were childhood friends like they were the same age. No one outside of them would have guessed that Jack had been in a relationship with her son or that she even had an adult child. Not that he was still alive, though. Warren often wondered how Jack was able to interact with Emanon so casually; when does he have time to mourn? Does he see Vaan in Emanon's eyes? He previously mentioned to Warren that he saw them as two different people, Emanon and Eminence, but did he? And if Theo has known Emanon even longer than Jack, why didn't he see her as different from Eminence? Warren found himself with more questions than answers these days. Emanon was starting to feel even more out of reach for him. Not that he knew much to begin with, but the gap was still getting more significant. It was becoming difficult not to feel heavy from it. 

Warren wanted to know more about Em, more than Jack, more than Theo. Did she have a family? Friends? What was she like when she was younger? What are the things she hates and the things she likes? Oh, wait. She likes the ocean. 

"Should we go back to the shore this weekend?" Warren asked aloud. 

"What was that?" Jack asked.

"Do you mean it?" Emanon asked enthusiastically. 

"The weather is supposed to be like this all week, filled with clouds and rain. Perfect for us to go to the beach, right?" Warren told them. 

"The beach?! What fun, a beach trip. Can I come as well?" Anika asked. 

"Of course, you can; the more, the merrier, and Jack already has a motel for us. Right Jack?" Warren asked. 

"The motel called me yesterday and informed me that our checkout date was approaching. If there will be four of us, I'll get a new one. Why not? After all, you love spending my money..." Jack replied. 

"You just have so much, and you love me." Warren teased him. 

"Oh, I am going now for sure..." Anika said. 

As they entered the clinic, Emanon stopped and stared. 

"Theo?" Emanon asked.

"Yo..." Theo replied. 

Theo and Dr. Galvan were seated in the waiting room. 

"Warren, we need to talk." Dr. Galvan told him, and he motioned for him to follow. 

They walked through and headed towards a small office, where Warren sat in one of the chairs as Dr. Galvan closed the door behind him. 

"Okay, I have some news." He began and sat down in front of Warren.

"Theo's parents know what happened. The lawyer informed them that because Theo is from the Ashford household, he must report any incidents involving him. The issue with that is that Theo is of noble blood. His parents are Nobles." 

"Okay, so they're rich?" Warren asked.

"Well, more than that. Nobles are our living ancestors. They are the very reason we are alive today; therefore, they are at the foundation of our society, so we live by their rules."

"Okay?"

"The problem with Theo's parents knowing is that Emanon, when she was referred to as Eminence, was Theo's finance. Theo may have stated that it was called off 30 years ago, but that's irrelevant when your parents can live to be 10,000. They want Theo and Emanon to, I guess you could say, patch up their relationship."