The Swan's Song.

Chapter 26

"Swan... are you there?" Asked a voice from the door. A hand knocked against the other side.

Swan looked over his shoulder, recognizing the voice to be Callie's.

"Why is she here? I didn't even do anything wrong last mission." Thought Swan. Being left alone in the base was something that Swan felt wouldn't be possible, and with a sigh, he stood up and went to the door.

Opening it, Swan was met with the sight of the tiger shark standing in front of him.

"Hey. Can we talk?" Asked Callie. Swan raised a brow and stood silently as she looked down him.

"I didn't do anything this time?" Asked the man. Callie shook her head and sighed.

"No, Swan. I'm not here to complain or argue." Said Callie. She motioned as if she wanted to come into Swan's room.

Taking a look back, Swan realized that the extremely bare room, save for the cot, dresser, his gear, and what remained of the MRE on the floor would not be a good place to do anything besides sleep.

There weren't even places for them to sit.

"Uh... it's kind of... bare. There's not even a chair for you." Said Swan. He had hoped that Callie would have offered to go somewhere else, but the shark blinked once before shrugging.

"Swan... we've both been in situations much much worse than whatever is happening in your room here." Said Callie. "I don't mind."

The shark gave a soft but warm smile and Swan stepped to the side, bringing the door with him.

Callie walked in and Swan let the door close as she leaned against the wall and crossed her arms across her chest.

"You eat your MRE's off the floor?" She asked. Swan shook his head as he moved over to his cot, taking a seat.

"Not when I'm able to do otherwise." He said. Callie nodded and he looked up at her from across the room, not that the distance was great.

"Some furs giving you trouble?" She asked. Swan nodded.

"Yeah, but I'm managing." Said Swan, blankly. Callie nodded, suddenly checking her claws.

"I expected nothing less from the likes of you, Swan. But... I'm here to ask you something." Said Callie. Swan nodded up, wanting Callie to continue.

He didn't know what her reasoning for coming was or what she wanted to ask. He was completely in the dark.

"A few of us have noticed that you wear your glasses all the time... even when the time of day doesn't exactly line up with how dark they are." Said Callie.

Swan tried to keep his expression as neutral as possible, but even he felt himself fail. Something like that would have been obvious, and as he thought of it briefly, he was surprised that this conversation hadn't already happened.

"Yeah, so?" Asked Swan in a more irate tone than normal. Callie held her expression, her emerald green eyes staying on him.

"Nobody wears glasses when the sun goes down, Swan. Except for douchebags, but you never exactly struck me as a douche." Said Callie.

"What is a douche?" Asked Swan. Callie opened her mouth for a moment and then narrowed her eyes.

"Nobody... in your entire life... has ever said that word and explained it to you?" Asked Callie. Swan shrugged and then shook his head. Callie sighed and then put her hands into her pockets.

"Okay... how about this? I know you are keeping things away from us. I know you're hiding things and I want to say that it's okay. It's your right and I understand." Said Callie.