A 2nd Chance

Chapter 7: The Three Factions

(Alex is lazy to write and update again. Yay!)

The dinner table was awfully quiet by now.

Rita and Kaitlyn both stared at the newest member as Jackie stared back at them with Alex keeping quiet.

'This wasn't a good idea.' He thought as he still was in slight shock that he just so happened to run into the Black Jacks leader.

What were the damn odds that she just so happened to be there at THAT exact moment?

Either way, Alex knew it was best to question the neko afterwards.

After a few more minutes of dead silence, Kaitlyn had left allowing the adults to talk.

"Well well, look at this cast. A Black Ops assassin, the Black Jacks leader, and me, the right hand man of Schicksal's leader." Said Rita making reference that they all came from different groups.

"That means we all shouldn't let our guard down for a single second." Said Jackie going along with the message the maid had seemingly sent out.

Alex though being the "Pacifist" that he is, stayed neutral and indifferent.

"Stop talking like that. Faction relations and loyalties don't matter here. If they did i would'nt even considered keeping the maid or you here. So drop it."

"Aww." Playfully said Rita after a small chuckle.

"Legir speaking now, I'm glad to see you up and well Ms. Jackie."

"Drop the Ms. I don't deserve it. Not after what i did."

"What did you do?"

Jackie took a second to answer due to hesitation but eventually did so after encouragement from Alex.

"I went AWOL on a Black Jack mission. I let my personal emotions just take over."

"Another case of personal issues taking over work issues. I've heard these types of cases before. Many times." Said the maid.

"Really?" Asked Alex.

"Yep. Especially in Schicksal. I'm sure you coukd tell Alex but Otto is a harsh leader. All he cares for is his experiments and tests. He used to have tons of top notch talent work for him but now they're all gone cause of negligence."

Alex wasn't really suprised due to what Rita had told him beforehand and considering the fact that he even did tests and experiments on his own daughter JUST cause the man was obsessed with gaining back a lost love.

"On that topic, any issues you two have?" Asked Rita now curious.

"The Black Jacks have been getting more and more physical and mean. Even more so since my replacement had been selected."

"Replacement?" Asked Alex.

"Yeah. Not long after I went AWOL, a replacement was selected. And she's super harsh."

Rita nodded and looked at Alex as he closed his eyes.

"Confidential."

Rita just gave an unamused face as Jackie was confused.

"Confidential? Come on. There has to be something you can say."

"That's what everyone says yet I always say Confidential cause it's true. It's like that cause of our leader."

"Who's your leader?" Asked Jackie, though, Rita gave the answer immediately.

"Führer King Bradley. Correct?"

"Yeah Rita. Your right."

It took Jackie a second until she realized who he was talking about.

"No way. There's no way someone as young as you works for him."

"Shocking right? But alas it's true. Hell. Bradley recruited me when I was only 7."

"S-Seven!?"

The neko leader was now super shocked at this.

"That's WAY below young! It's unacceptable!"

"We don't care. HQ is practically isolated in what they do. Bradley taking me in saved me from myself."

Now even Rita was curious now from what he had said.

"Saved you from yourself?" Asked the maid.

Alex nodded and sighed

"After the massacre, I, fought many personal demons. More often, it was PTSD and voices in my head, so, I coped with it in a unorthodox way."

"What was it?" Both the maid and neko asked.

Alex hesitated a ton but finally answered.

"I, used to be a heavy alcoholic."

The room went DEAD quiet after Alex has said that.

"That could've easily killed you at that young age!" Shouted Jackie with Rita nodding in agreement.

Alex chuckled.

"In all honesty, at the time, I did want to die. I'm not afraid at saying this, so, back then, I was heavily depressed and very suicidal. Being an orphan, no one ever accepting me, and constantly being ostracized all added up into my swirling storm of depression."

Alex didn't know why he was casually saying something so personal to a neko and a maid.

What had they done to earn what he's telling them?

Either way, he was telling them and there was no take backs.

"Times got rough. Real rough. I didn't have this apartment room at the time, so I stayed at a dorm which was okay but not the best. It truly embodied my emotional state at the time."

Alex continued talking on about a decent part of his past after the massacre.

It was the first time he had ever talked about it.

Though obviously he had left out super important parts like the Ishval War, The Massacre itself, and certain events that happened after the massacre and war.

Alex just hoped he wouldn't get too comfortable with them that he'd just blatantly tell them everything about him.

He still had some confidential things to keep hidden.

"When did you stop?" Asked Rita.

"When I was about 10 or 11. That's when I first got my girlfriend Uni. Cause I had finally found someone important to me after my mom died, I banned myself from all alcohol and made myself stop being a heavy drinker. Eventually it worked out for the best."

Jackie then had the obvious question.

"You do realize what those years of drinking have done to your liver right?"

Alex nodded.

"Yeah I know. Somehow it wasn't life threatening. Though a doctor did say it's WAY to unhealthy for a kid my age. But I'm fine with it."

Alex decided to end the long talk by getting up and walking to his room, only to get co-hugged by the maid and the neko.

Alex gained a light blush.

"U-Um, what's this for?"

"For persevering." Said Rita.

"And never giving up." Said Jackie.

Alex chucked and thanked them before he went to his room only to get a snarky remark from the Administrator Book.

"And you said you hated having guests stating here."

"Shut it book."

Chapter 7: End