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An Ember of Memory

The past is what shapes a person into what they are now. That was what someone taught Basilio, some years ago.
You fall down, you make mistakes. And you don't do them again.
All of a sudden, the weight of what you've done falls on your shoulders, more and more.
Between him and Sinclair, he could not call himself brave. Every part of yesterday has its reasons. Their conversation grew deeper as the night passed, and everyone else slept.
Emil Sinclair LCB Sinner
Do you want anything?
Their quiet laughters and smiles towards each other proved a relationship only spoken between them. Only them.
Basilio LCB Sinner
Hmm...personally, I want revenge.
Emil Sinclair LCB Sinner
I-I know, but...I meant if you wanted a drink.
Basilio LCB Sinner
Ah! Right, sorry.
Yet there's tension in the air as their topic falls into cracking open their own minds. Remembering what once hurt them, and how they ended up with no choice but to work for a company that does not particularly care of them.
Sinclair learned about his coworker's past around the same time everyone else learned of his own. He thinks to this day that it was probably out of pity.
He hands Basilio a bottle of juice, knowing the other sinner was not exactly keen on alcohol, unlike him.
Basilio LCB Sinner
Salamat, kaibigan.
Basilio LCB Sinner
Er, I mean...thanks, my friend. Let me just open this now.
Opening a bottle with gloves does not work out quite well for him. A few seconds pass, but just as Sinclair opens his mouth to offer assistance, Basilio sighs and chuckles.
Basilio LCB Sinner
Looks like I'll need these off.
His fingers slip the gloves off his hands, and there does his friend see an ember of what the past did to somebody. Basilio doesn't initially notice the look Sinclair gives him. It's hard to be confident when there's a lot to unpack.
Emil Sinclair LCB Sinner
Huh...
Emil Sinclair LCB Sinner
Your skin was burnt at some point too?
Basilio LCB Sinner
...
Emil Sinclair LCB Sinner
S-Sorry! Sorry, if you don't want to talk about it—
The scarred hand shushes him. Basilio chugs the juice down, then stops. He takes a moment to think. Answering his friend wasn't going to hurt him.
Basilio LCB Sinner
.....
Basilio LCB Sinner
Tell me, Sinclair. When everything fell into ruin for you, how did you find the strength?
Emil Sinclair LCB Sinner
The...strength?
Basilio LCB Sinner
The strength that drove you to continue living.
Basilio LCB Sinner
Because, if I'm being quite honest...
Basilio LCB Sinner
When I lost my love, when I lost my family...all I wanted to do was to die.
Sinclair bowed his head, dwelling on the question. In truth, he knew exactly how Basilio felt. The need to atone for one's sins after terrible circumstances lead you down a rocky path.
He did not even have the gratification of ending the life of the one who ruined his. But Basilio didn't know that, and he doesn't have to.
His friend wasn't going to be left behind the same way.
Emil Sinclair LCB Sinner
Basilio, I think...it's understandable that you feel that way. I did too, back then.
Emil Sinclair LCB Sinner
But it doesn't have to remain like that. You find it eventually, one way or another. I'm not sure how it'll go in your case, but things do get better.
Emil Sinclair LCB Sinner
And...knowing where we're going, if it's any help...I'll be there to stand by you.
Basilio LCB Sinner
Hm.
The blonde wondered if that really was the right thing to say, but that thought was set aside when Basilio gave him a soft smile.
Basilio LCB Sinner
I suppose you're right, friend.
Basilio LCB Sinner
If something happens, I won't be alone.
Basilio LCB Sinner
...By the way, what kind of beer is in that flask? I want to try it.
Emil Sinclair LCB Sinner
Changing the topic so quickly...
The two of them laugh once again. After such a serious conversation, switching to something more lighthearted to forget isn't so bad.
They meant each other's words, and this was known by their own hearts. Memories of the past remain in the past.
It was best they both shape new ones together.