26 Relaxing Bath (1/2)
After we finished with the meal, I told the others that I could get home by myself so therefore, I parted ways with the Edel sisters at the nearest train station and got on the elevated railway train that would take me back to Lumina. Outside, the world was dark due to the rain clouds up above but was illuminated by the artificial lighting of the city in the form of the streetlights, lights coming from the windows of the tall office and residential buildings in the not too far distance, and store signs and billboards. On the road that was wet by the pouring rain, the reflective surface reflected the city scene onto it as cars drove by, creating splashes in the puddles and causing disturbances. Pedestrians walked on the sidewalk, umbrellas in hand, as they walked towards their destinations of wherever it was to do whatever they were doing.
”City looks kinda grim, doesn't it?” Emilia said to me as she gazed out the window at the city below. ”And it's so much quieter than before...”
”Yeah.”
I looked back at the interior of the train car that we rode in. It wasn't packed due to the fact that it was past rush hour, meaning that we had more privacy and leisure to speak.
”The rain drowns out all noises,” I whispered as I fold my hands and used them to support my face as I leaned forward, allowing my lips to touch the side of my index finger that was facing me. ”It'll wash away all the sweat, all the blood, and all the sin the city has collected.”
”You think the city is filthy?” She asked, turning her head to observe me with a mysterious smile on her face.
”Of course,” I turned my head slightly so that I could see out the window. ”This city is built from blood; each and every building is erected with a foundation of sin supporting it. You may not see it because it is hidden quite cleverly by the prosperity, by the energy, and by the comfortable lives that almost every Palisian seems to live, but it is there. It lurks beneath the surface, pulsing through the subway and railway systems, pulsing through every one of us.”
”You're saying your lives are only so due to the forced sacrifices of others,” Emilia summarized the main ideas of my speech, smiled, and gazed out the window. ”You're right. Society is built on the foundation of sacrifice. Some have to sacrifice to guarantee the lives of others. The problem is that...not everybody is willing to voluntarily sacrifice. Therefore...some people are forced to sacrifice.”
”Yeah...”
I complained quietly in my mind, wondering why is it that the city chose to sacrifice my father and I instead of anyone else. If it wasn't for this twisted society everything would've been fine...We were innocent. We never did anything wrong. But why us?
Once the train stopped at my destination, I got off and proceeded to make my way to the exit of the station. Outside, the rain continued to poor with no signs of letting up. Therefore, with a fatigued sigh, I put up my umbrella and walked out of cover.
The rain droplets pounded on umbrella as I walked as well as the paved city streets around me. It was a short distance from my house to the station, so it wasn't long before I was in the dry world of the lobby of the building that I lived in and was waiting for the elevator.
”So...” I turned my head to look over at Emilia. ”You're really going to be living here?”
”Didn't I say that in the morning?” she smiled.
I sighed, accepting the situation as is. Things will work out in the end, no matter good or bad. That is the motto that I live my life by.
Once Emilia and I rode the elevator up to the floor that my residence was located at, I walked over to the front door and unlocked it. I opened the door, revealing the dark and lonely place called my home and entered. Once inside, I took off my shoes and placed them down by the shoe cabinet in the area before the slightly elevated housing area.
”Not the most welcoming scene, is it?”
Emilia observed the place as I turned on the lights in the house with my phone. With the illumination, she was able to see the how vast the house was, yet this amplified the lifelessness of the place. This house is occupied by Loriana and I, two people so it was quite large for just two people. Since Loriana was busy with her work, it leaves me being the sole resident of the house for the majority of the time.
”Have a seat,” I said as I walked over to my room to change and set my stuff down.
I opened the door to my bedroom and allowed it to remain slightly open when I entered since I would have to leave soon after for the bathroom. I took off my socks and tossed them into my laundry basket before I started walking towards my wardrobe to fetch me my indoor clothing and a pair of briefs to change into after I shower and bathe.
”Is this common for you?” I heard Emilia ask from the living room.
”So so,” I responded as I exited my bedroom and reentered the living room. Like I expected, Emilia seemed quite ambivalent to the clothing I held in hand. ”Every year...she'll have a period of time where she'll be home quite late, sometimes even not returning for weeks at a time, to focus on her research or projects that she has to complete.”
”Do you feel lonely?”
”Maybe initially,” I said. ”But I got used to it.”
I then walked over to the coffee table and picked up the television remote. I turned the large screen television that was mounted on the wall on and then handed the remote to her. Emilia appeared quite confused at my actions as she observed my every move with a mysterious curiosity in her eyes.
”You know how to work this right?” I demonstrated in a quick manner how the remote works. ”Change channels and watch whatever you would like. If you're hungry, there should be some food in the refrigerator, but I would say wait because I'll be making something simple after I shower and bathe.”
”Thank you then,” Emilia accepted the remote from my hands and then turned attentively to the large television screen before her.
”And no need to worry about volume,” I said. ”The exterior walls are noise cancelling. And no need to worry about Loriana coming home. She won't be home tonight.”
”Did she message you that?” Emilia asked, looking over to watch me as I walked towards the bathroom.
”No,” I said without turning to look at her or stopping. ”It's just experience.”