Richard had finally emptied his load of valuable goods to their new owner, and knew he needed to head back soon.
Though before hightailing it out of this new world, he decided to sit for a spell and have a rink or two to relax.
The bar he was in was a bit shady for sure, but it didn't bother him too much. He had been in many darker places before, so this didn't scare him the least bit. It was almost nice, since it was like a little adventure outside of his everyday placid lifestyle. Though he did Miss Lorey...
He called up the bartender who seemed to have his hands full, trying to keep a fight from breaking out, as well as serving drink. He looked to Richard annoyed and flustered before calling out to one of the waitresses. "New girl! Get your tiny arse over here and make yourself useful for once!" He screamed as a clatter was heard from the back.
A woman came out form the backroom wearing her uniform, which consisted of a tight, white tshirt, and a black miniskirt and matching shoes. Richard was always a bit disgusted by the way they treated women at these joints, never giving them respect.
She seemed just as frazzled as her boss, her hands balancing trays as she barely turned around to address Richard. "Just a sec hun, I've got orders up to my eyeballs..." She murmured, Richard nodding and saying something about her taking hr time when soemthing struck her.
Her voice...
But before he could say anything else, she whipped around to hand an order to a few more rough looking creatures near Richard. Her hair was dark and long, but her bangs were side swept and covering her face from Richard's angle.
Yet despite the strange angles and blurriness, Richard was positive he knew her. She moved from behind the bar to go hand the last few drinks to a table nearby when Richard stood.
He approached her carefully, speaking out so he wouldn't have to touch her or startle her. "Excuse me Miss?....You probably get this all the time but you seem familiar...Have you been to Druis or wait...maybe Veratia recently?" He asked as she moved onto another table, cleaning it furiously, not even turning around.
"Actually, that's where I'm headed.... I'm trying to get home you see. I've got a man who's hopefully waiting for me, so I'm sorry but I'm not int-" She whipped around to look this man in the face, thinking it was just another pursuer. Though she hadn't dreamed she'd see Richard.
"...R-raquel..." He breathed, taking a step back as she dropped the tray in her hands, her eyes wide and her mouth agape.
"R-...Richard!" She exclaimed, throwing her arms about the large man, crying into his chest. "Dear GOD! Richard! Its you! Oh God! Where's Damian?! How is he!? Is he ok!?" She blurted out, her eyes streaming with Tears, though the little scene had drawn some attention. She looked around, furrowing her brow as she took his hand. "Come on..." She instructed, heading back to the back room again.
"Hey where do you think you're going! Your shift's just starting!" The manager shouted, though Raquel threw her apron at him.
"Screw the shift and screw you!" She called over her shoulder as she brought Richard back to the storage room so they could at least talk in private.
Richard was numb most of the way, not really registering what was going on. "Raquel...You're alive?" He didn't seem to believe it, yet there she was standing in front of him, very much alive.
She looked the same, except her build seemed much healthier, muscular even. Her hair had gotten longer, though her face, her eyes...they were the same and gave her away.
"Alive? Of course I'm alive why would- ...Oh God.... Y-...you all thought I was dead?" She asked wide eyed, and Richard just looked dumbfounded. If anything he felt he were going insane. "I...I was told Damian was dead...I didn't believe it though...He's not is he!?" She stepped towards Richard, tears in her eyes and he had to shake himself out of his trance.
"N-no! He's on Druis and- ..Your dead." He shook his head, feeling maybe he hadn't had enough sleep. Raquel seemed to practically fall over with relief though knew she needed to explain. She sat him down on top of a crate and took a deep breath.
"...Ok...." She looked up at the ceiling. There was so much to go over. So much explanation and she really just wanted him to take her home.
"...I was knocked out...taken ...somewhere, I dont really know where exactly... And..." She furrowed her brow as if it gave her a headache to think about. "The details are sketchy... but I kept ...waking up to find I was being poked and prodded by these different instruments...and...this intense pain.... then complete numbness... I had no clue how long I was in that stage, but apparently, a good few months..." She rubbed her head tiredly.
"I honestly dont remember much except that Amaranthine...Andrew... He wanted something I had, but I didn't know what or why..." She shook her head. "He-..." She choked up a bit. "He told me he had killed Damian....that he was gone..." She closed her eyes, tears falling a bit. "I don't remember but i just...blacked out after I became upset.... I awoke later and Amethyst was there... she was saying something about how he had gotten what he wanted, and planned on killing me. She said I needed to get away, because even she was afraid of him by then... She told me Damian was alive and looking for me...She showed me one of the fliers..." Raquel reached into her pocket to pull out one of the sheets Richard had placed throughout the galaxy.
"I still dont know where I was, but I had blacked out again...I was so sore... When I awoke, I was on some...some planet...bleeding from a few stitches in my back...Ever since...I've been trying to get back... I finally made it here and I've been trying to work to save up a pass out of here..." She looked at Richard, her eyes tired and desperate. "Please...take me home?" She asked, taking on the appearance of a scared and exhuasted child.
"Please...." She broke down into tears, suddenly overwhelmed that she might finally be heading back to Damian's arms.
Richard just sat there a moment, taking it all in. He listened intently, and was utterly blown away to begin with. Though it slowly started to grow on him... that she was actually standing there before him. Especially when she handed him the flier. He felt pale from the shock, though shook himself out of it when she started crying.
He stood, taking her into his arms and cradled her. "Shhhh...its ok... its ok... I'm taking you home... You're ok now...I've got you..." He whispered to her to try and calm her down. She kept crying however, and cried 'thank you, thank you' into his chest.
Richard smiled distantly, a few tears forming in his own eye. "Damian..." He whispered, looking up. "Do I have a surprise for you...."
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