SECOND DRAFT: Hard Bank Left

35

The hours passed over what felt like the course of a week. Sleeping would have made the trip go faster, but that time she was much too anxious to sleep. She'd probably be too anxiously to sleep for a great long while to come.

Eventually the river that ran through the small valley in what once was Colorado came into view, followed by what initially looked like nothing more than a clumping of tall trees and brush. As they got closer the clump of trees cleared up and it became apparent that there was indeed a Romani camp spilling out of the forest. They hadn't been destroyed. They still had time to get everyone out, or at least get them into hiding.

Krys brought them down in the clearing near the forest, where they had parked before. No one came to greet them. This time things would be different... this time... there was a lot to discuss with Tawni.

Graham came down from the green room where he had gone to hide and think, around the same time Krys started their slow descent into the valley. He looked visibly shaken and in edge like he was under attack. Krys approached him with caution, remembering keenly how he had behaved the last time he had completely forgotten about her.

He stopped at his workstation, his hands gingerly tracing the smooth wooden surface. Krys stopped there and watched him, leaning casually against the wall. He didn't seem to notice her, or if he did notice her he certainly didn't acknowledge her.

"Hey Krys?" He asked not looking up from his table.

It took a moment for Krys to find her missing heartbeat before she answered. "Yes?"

"Don't leave."

The words echoed a promise she had made, a promise she couldn't keep. She found herself wondering why this freshly slated Graham would go out of his way to renew that promise. The last time he had forgotten her, the last several times, he had rebuffed her off hand. She was a tool, meaningless beyond what use he was to him.

"Why?" She asked after a long pause.

He looked at her then, his crystal blue eyes analyzing her in such a way as to tell her that he hadn't changed. He sighed heavily, looking away from her and then back again. "It's been made apparent to me that I need you. Our working relationship is such that I apparently can't do without you, so I'd prefer it if you didn't leave."

It wasn't a lie, not an outright lie anyway, but it didn't sit right. Something about his words felt like he was hiding something, but not intentionally. She had discovered over the years much of what he said was like that, that there was some deeper meaning behind what seemed like intellectual observation. Saying that he was fostering a genial and familial relationship with those with whom he worked closely meant that he enjoyed spending time with his friends. Saying that he claimed people like objects to possess and that he treated his possessions well meant that he took pride in caring for those closest to him. Saying that their working relationship was such that he couldn't do without her... meant that he needed her unconditional support now more than ever and he was too proud to admit it.

Krys smiled at the thought. "I'm not leaving. Whether you ask or not, you're stuck with me."

Graham feigned a smile.

"Has your... earpiece caught you up on recent events?"

Graham nodded, having turned his gaze back to his table. He looked distraught, like he couldn't quite physically express what he had been trying to process.

"And you know that we need to talk to Tawni about what I did, and possible convince them to leave?"

Graham nodded again. "I don't know how much use I'll be to you."