An Outside Life (Liara)

A tall man was standing still on the end of a long dock, staring off into the sunset, the smell of salt strong in his nostrils. Small winds buffeted tufts of his dark brown hair and it was apparent he had no care in the world at that moment. He seemed to be observing the rolling, clear blue landscape of vast the ocean, as well as the creatures that lived amid it. His emerald green eyes flashed in envy of the animals that soared high above the roaring waters. They had so much freedom; they could go anywhere they wanted with no responsibility except to stay with their flock, with the exception of those few stray birds. There were moments when nothing important was on this man’s mind that he would daydream about soaring high above towering buildings among the feathered beings. He slowly raised his hand, touching the small amount of scruff on his chin, regarding what it would be like to have such a life. This man with such thoughts was Sergeant Loch of the Human race. Once he thought of his name for that brief moment, his mind instantly wandered to his job and rank.

He had come back from a long absence of personal matters he didn’t wish to speak about with anyone, unless he was asked, but was glad to be back. He had matters he would like to address with multiple people. He pondered on the leader of the Human Race, General Liara. He had seen her a few times but enough to know she was beautiful. She could really catch one’s attention with her defining curves under her tight, well-fitting shirts. However, the details that caught his eyes the most were her dark black hair and almost clear green-yellow eyes. It was like looking at someone he wanted but couldn't have. He was attracted, but he knew she could never want a Sergeant like him, which is why he wanted to be a higher rank; that, and he wanted to make a difference. He wanted to command an army to protect others, save lives and risk his own to do anything that could help. He wouldn't object to falling in love with an alluring and sexy woman to get to it, as when he falls in love with someone, he would be committed. Loch just wished she would love him back, but he had heard stories about her old lover and doubted he would have affection for someone insignificant like him. However, he was willing to try and get close to her to be a friend and anything else she wanted. He blinked, noticing it was quite dark now that the sun had gone down. It seemed as though he was so engrossed in his own thoughts that he had missed the most beautiful part of a day. Albeit the time had passed, he stayed where he was, a gut feeling that something important was going to happen. He gazed straight, his breath held in anticipation and his hands in his back pockets. Loch Radke was waiting for something to happen – willing for something to happen.

Standing on her balcony, she watched as the sun started to be swallowed by the ocean. The night was taking over the day quickly, and soon the moon would be resting in the sun's place. Resting her elbows to the wooden bar of the balcony, she watched the sun falling to sleep. Her eyes looked out to the water, the docks, and soon she saw the figure of a man she had not seen for some time. Loch. As she realized it was him, she moved to the inside of her house and grabbed her sweater. Wrapping it around her body, she zipped it up and headed out to the docks. Slowly she moved, taking her time, trying to sort through all the questions which assaulted her mind. Where had her Sergeant been for so long? His absence was noted and she hoped he would be able to tell her where he was. As she approached him, she tucked her hands behind her body. She walked slow and steady, taking her time as she watched him. He seemed so at peace and quiet. Perhaps he was thinking about what he had been through or gone to do. Liara stood behind him, watching the waves crash and break against the walls of the cliffs and the large rocks which stuck out from the ocean floor. "Loch," she said quietly as she moved her eyes to him. "What a pleasant surprise to see you here. What brings you out to these parts so late in the evening? I would think you have other things to do, nor was I thinking you would be back so quickly. I hope everything is in order for you. Your leave did not go unseen, we all have missed your company. If there is anything you need, I would be more than happy to assist you. It is great to have you back," she said with a smile. She moved to stand beside him on the dock, looking out to the ocean.

Loch glanced over his shoulder anxiously and his breath caught in surprise as he saw the woman his thoughts were wandering to. He turned quickly as if to act that he hadn't noticed, and when she murmured his voice, a shiver went down his spine. "Liara," he said almost silently, giving a slight nod without facing her. It was an unnatural word for his tongue, as it was usually accompanied with the title General before it. "Beautiful, wasn't it?" he asked, talking about the sunset as he stared out at the darkened sky, her words causing him to glide his right index finger along his left knuckles unconsciously. He never knew he did it, but it was the habit he had when he was with someone he had affection for. "This is the spot I began to grow accustomed to coming to when I had things on my mind." His eyes flickered to the female's face in the slightest gesture possible as he answered her question. He thought for a moment, wondering if anyone truly did miss his company, as he wasn't exactly the most important person. In this place, he was an insignificant individual person, whereas he used to get much attention. He didn't truly mind it, as it was a good way to escape, though he knew if he wanted to become General, he would have to grow accustom to it once again. Tilting his head, he looked towards his leader, raising his eyebrows at her outfit. He had never seen her out of her formal clothes, but he couldn't say he disliked what he saw. Sighing inwardly, he spoke quietly, "I suppose you would like to know why I was gone." Standing up slightly straighter, he waited for her answer before explaining.

It was easy to be captivated in this place. The waves sang a lullaby to their audience, lulling and pulling the tide as the hours of the day changed. The General had missed her Sergeant, wishing for nothing more than to know why he had left them for so long, and to tell him of the others who had formally joined their ranks. In these days, she had missed the Major, hoping that by some chance, she too would come back. Liara looked to the Sergeant, smiling at him considerably. "I would like to know where you were, after all a leader is much like a shepherd, and it is my duty to know the location of my flock. There are matters I wish to discuss with you, and have been waiting patiently to do so. But I am very happy to see you have returned. But if you do not wish to tell me why you were gone, that is also fine. I will have no issues with that. Your personal life is that of your own, but in the future, please notify you need the time to recollect yourself. I would greatly appreciate that." As she finished, she moved her eyes back to the open, hoping he would break the silence with speech. She had worried for his well being, wondering if he had taken his new responsibilities to heart, or felt overwhelmed by them. Whatever his issues were, she hoped they were behind him now, allowing them to pull through and move ahead. The humans needed the corps, more now than ever.

The waves pounded the rocks in a melodious rhythm and he closed his eyes for a moment, piecing the words together in his head. "Yes, I do realize I should have informed you of my absence, and it was very non-professional of me to not do so. I apologize for that." He paused, letting the warm sprinkle of water dampen his toes ever-so-slightly before continuing. "When I left, it was because I used to be a very rambunctious child, causing havoc and breaking the law. That's the reason I joined the army, actually; so I could enforce it. Anyways, when I was in high school, I had been drunk and I was obviously not in my right mind. My friends wanted to go somewhere else, so I offered to take them, thinking I was fine to drive them. That night, I killed a friend," he murmured, his voice wavering for a moment in fear that Liara would think poorly of him because of his actions. "The car had collided with another when I swerved into another lane by accident. When I got out of the car, I had lost all intoxication. I stumbled to the other one and my friends pulled out the driver. I almost threw up when I saw who it was. It had been my girl friend of 2 years, and I had killed her." He took in a shaky breath, knowing that the General was probably wondering what this had to do with his disappearance. "A few weeks ago, it was the day that was supposed to be her birthday. I went to visit her parents, and they asked me to stay for a bit. They had already forgiven me, which only hurt me more. Then, I got to thinking and I realized she reminded me of you. And, I wondered if I was a bad person and not worthy to be in a place of good like this." Loch glanced to his hands, twirling his fingers around each other and not wanting to look at his leader.

Liara listened to the voice of the male to her side as she stared to the water. She focused on his words, while her eyes became blurred and out of focus. She could no longer tell the difference between the waves and the sky. Where did one start and the other end? Loch had a very sad story, one she could not completely relate with, not until the very end. Liara had too lost a loved one, the one she was with, by her own hand as well. "Loch," she said softly, her voice barely audible over the sound of the waves around them. "I do not think any less of you, nor would I ever. The past is a part of who we are today. Because of your past, I bet you will never make the same mistake again. I know I will not allow my mistakes to repeat themselves. I too have lost many loved ones to my own hands and by things I could not control. When I first joined... I watched my brother be killed by a Werewolf. There was essentially nothing I could do to save him. I killed the mongrel for what he did to my brother, but the pain was still there. Since then I have hated the Werewolves. I don't think I will ever be able to let it go." She lifted her eyes from the water, looking into the sky as she tried to hold back the pain she was feeling inside. Caleb rushed to the front of her mind, his smile, the way he moved the hair from her face, even traces of his face when he was angered. She loved him more than anything and it was because of her, he was gone. "My husband, I lost him as well. It was years later, but by the Vampire's hands. I do not know his name, but I will never forget his eyes, bright blue..." she paused for a moment as she stared at a palm tree which caught her line of sight. The wind pulled the branches and leaves to sway.

"Caleb was a good man. He was smart, brave, well fit for the military since a young age. He had a desire to learn and better himself, something I admired in him most of all. But it is because of me he is gone, it is my fault h is no longer breathing. The Vampire leader, a dominus I think it is called, took him from me and forced me to watch as he changed him to a walking undead creature. Before I could kill him, my mind immediately turned to Caleb. The Vampire got away, and I was forced to make the hardest decision of my life. My knife was strapped to my hip, attached to my belt, and Caleb had told me he loved me, and begged for me to take his life, to not allow him to walk this earth in that manner. I took my knife and I lodged it as hard as I could until the life slipped from his eyes. I will never forget that feeling.." When the words stopped, Liara held the pain in, harder than before, allowing the anger to rush over her mind. "The thing is, Loch, loss happens in life and we learn from it. It becomes a part of who we are and we are never to forget it. I am sorry for your loss, losing a loved one is never easy. I have no living relatives left, at least that I know of. The best thing to do.... never forget and press. I understand your absence, but in the future, I would hope matters of the present would be more important." She turned her body to face him, looking at him as the sun had just about disappeared behind the waves. "What will you do now?"

[I know! D: I am so sorry! I was sick this whole week and I had no muse. I also apologize for the short length. ><]

The words that the woman spoke were enthralling, captivating him. It felt as if he was reliving the scene, in her position. He could see the knife piercing the skin of her loved on, tears clouding both pairs of eyes. The pain must have been terrible and he felt a pang in his heart. The noises surrounding them were causing some words to be drowned out, but he could determine the missing parts of the puzzle by context clues. As she retold the story, her emotions changed from sadness to anger, as if she hated what she had done. But when she finished, she ended with a lesson, and then a question. He nodded in agreement of her wise words, a comment slipping out of his mouth, "I agree with you, and I apologize. I must forget the burdens of the past. The past can never be rewritten. I will never be gone from your side again, my dear General." He gazed at her for a long, contemplating moment, his next words stuck in his throat. He was unsure if this should be such an answer to his leader's question, but he felt as if he didn't say it, he never would make his point across.

Slowly, he put his hand out, taking hers and holding it gently. He spoke softly, but just loud enough for her to hear it. "I want to make this last."

As he picked up her hand, she was slightly shocked, but more so when he spoke the words he did speak. She looked to him, shocked more than ever by what he had done. Was she coming off in a way she was uncertain of? She did not want to lead him on, she did not want to give him false hope. She loved Caleb more than anything in her whole life. He was her world, her everything and she had lost him. She was not ready, emotionally or physically, to have a relationship. she liked to have fun now and then, but it was nothing she wanted to be serious in nature. Loch was a kind soul and she could trust him, but what was there to say to this. "Sergeant Radke... Loch... I want to be close to you, to be your friend... But I can't.." she said as she pulled her hand from his own. She placed both of her hands on the railing for the dock. She stared to the night sky, looking out as she tried to think of the words to tell him. "Loch, I don't know when I will be ready for something like that, but I truly believe that we do need to be close. I think we should focus on friendship, working together to keep the civilians and the other humans safe from harm. All over the world, there are people being maliciously attacked by the other races, being overpowered, but we must work to put a stop to it all. We have to thwart the enemy attacks so our race will not become a dying breed." She turned to look at his face. "I am sorry Loch, if I have mislead you in any way, but work comes first." She looked back to the sky, curious to what he would reply with, what he would say. She did not want to hurt the boy, but she knew what she was destined to do, she knew she was important for bigger and better things and needed all her time to be spent on those issues. "Loch, you may go if you so wish. I do not expect you to stay here for a moment.."

Surprise was etched in his features, his eyebrows raised as he listened to her words. What was she talking about? When she finished, his hand was left empty, and he struggled to keep a straight face as he spoke. "General Liara, I apologize, but I feel as if I have mislead you." He gazed at her as she stared out across the water, her eyes turned away from him. "I would never expect you to have feelings for me, especially at such a soon time as such. I agree that work comes first. There are more important matters at hand, and they must be addressed. I have only ever wanted to make a positive difference in the world, including risking my life to do it. I can only do so much at this time, but in the future, I hope to accomplish great things." His emerald eyes flitted across her lean frame, taking in her breathing, wondering if he had said something wrong. How would she react? Would she be mad that he hadn't meant what she thought? He bit his lip, taking a moment to think before replying once more. "I have no intention of leaving, unless you wish for me to do so." Their eyes met and he gave a slight smile, as if he was trying to comfort her. Why she would need such was unknown to him, but if she was hurt or mad, he didn't want her to be forever angry at him.