"Alright. So, I've some buddies over here who died with me in the same war, so, I should be able to garner some tears this way!" With a quick flash of a toothy grin, Bryka motions me to follow him.
"Come with me, and I'll show you how it's done! Let's get some tears out of these comrades of mine. I promise you, that once they get struck, they won't even realize what just happened, my goddess!"
This is going a lot better than what I have initially thought. I cover my mouth as I produce a faint sneer underneath it. I'm looking forward to crossing out one item off my checklist. It feels good to be one step closer to completing an objective.
Although...
After hearing him call me 'my goddess' multiple times already, I can only roll my eyes at him at this point.
Can't he just call me 'Khirelle', like how we used to when we still fought wars together? Hmph.
I might as well come out with it and ask him directly, I guess—no use in keeping him in the dark over something this small.
"Sooo... Byrka, when are you going to start calling me 'Khirelle' like you USED to? You act as if we're so distant now, or something like that. It kind of makes me feel lonely." Giving him the stink-eye, I also add a pout to hopefully up the guilt-tripping.
He turns around and stares at me, wide-eyed and shocked.
Now that I got his attention, I get into more detail, "Also, it's just weird if you keep saying 'my goddess' this, and 'my goddess' that. Like, you're not a flirt or whatever, you know? It's kind of unsettling, haha. So, how about it?! Are you going to start calling me by name again?"
He suddenly twirls back to his original position and continues to walk, while slowly rubbing the back of his head.
As he looks down, I notice that his ears have turned a little pink, and he replies to me with, "It's just embarrassing, alright? It's been far too long..." Byrka's voice breaks, as he proceeds to ask me in a sad tone, "Why didn't you come sooner? To tell you the truth, I thought you forgot about me."
His honesty roots me to the ground.
Guilt starts to consume my heart, but I quickly shake it off.
I immediately get into position. With my arms bent, they swing back and forth while I run as fast as I can.
As soon as I get close enough, I tackle-hug him from behind. Now that I've locked him in place, I give him a gentle, non-lethal noogie.
I do my best to be careful not to let it hurt too much as I want to give him a sense of comfort, not punishment. "BYRKA! How could I ever forget you?! No way that'd happen! I've no excuse for not coming here earlier, but I'll try to visit you when I can from now on, alright?!"
My heart breaks a little when I see the side of his face, and my noogies quickly turn into pats.
"I'm sorry, Byrka. I mean it. I'll do my best to visit you a lot more often, okay?"
I try to reason with him as I place my hands on his shoulders. I spin him around so we can see each other face to face.
I look at him intently, with the hope that he'll be a bit more understanding about the situation. Finally, after what seems like forever, he gives in with a sigh as he rolls his eyes at me.
"Alright already, let me go. We'll never get around to collecting tears from those dumbass friends of mine if we don't get a move on right this instant." Byrka teases.
Slapping the side of his shoulder, I shout out a 'Yeay!'.
Then I pull him close and wrap one arm around his shoulder snugly. We continue walking towards the direction of where his comrades-in-arms are hanging out.
Time to make these big boys cry!
[...]
"Yoooo! I remember when your group got ambushed, and I couldn't do a THING?! Do you realize how frustrating that was?! My entire group just got annihilated, and I couldn't even go back to ask for back-up. I just ended up..." One of Byrka's comrades recalls with an expression that's tinged with such heavy and dark emotions, but for some reason, his eyes aren't even the least bit wet at all!
I slowly bury my face in my hands.
These DOLTS!
Why isn't this working?!
They should be crying right now, BAWLING even!
We've done everything we could!
Byrka became desperate and even went for some low-blow tactics.
He even talked about how devastating it was when he arrived at a scene, where enemy soldiers looted, pillaged, raped, and also took some of their families as slaves.
And yet, NONE of them have shed a single tear. Have these people gone insane ever since they got here or something?!
"We've gone through so much, eh, boys?" Another man, who seemingly has the dignity and aura of a leader, says this quite bitter-sweetly.
Every word he has uttered is painted with so much anguish in his words... but still, NOTHING! Not a drop!
I'm about to give this another go and say something else more saddening than the last.
But as soon as the 'leader' pipes up, he starts dashing every single hope I had with a single announcement, "How about we celebrate for all the good work, wonderful deeds, trials, and punishments we've gone through successfully! Thanks to that, it's how we are now able to live a fantastic afterlife!"
But that's not all, no. He doesn't stop there.
He shouts out some more in addition, "Praise the mighty gods for letting us enjoy the fruits of our efforts, pain, sacrifices, and labor! This calls for a celebration! How about we gather as many people as we can, and throw a banquet tonight?!"
... Yep, this place has tainted them in a way I cannot comprehend. I mean, this is good for all these demi-gods and humans, but it is not suitable for me and my errand!
My face transforms into something ugly as I grit my teeth while continuing to hide it behind both my hands.
The small group of men that we managed to gather all shout in unison; they stand up from their seats and keep pumping their fists into the air, one after another, showing that they're in complete agreement.
While I'm still immersed in total disbelief, my jaw drops open as they continue to decide among themselves about their party's itinerary.
I finally throw my hands in the air in complete, utter, and devastating surrender.
This idea seemed entirely plausible earlier when we planned it, but now?
Whatever hope I've gathered from that, has since disappeared.
Now, it's become painfully apparent, that it's not only an impossibility but also, I've never anticipated it to be a failure of this magnitude.
My thoughts start to get drowned out in their laughter, and my vision starts to grow darker as I stare off into space.
For the first time in my life, I feel utterly lost.