Arcturus realized he never had a good look at Bootes until now, so he took the opportunity to do so. He had a weary visage marked with some bags under his eyes. He had a strong impression due to his thick eyebrows, but he could see wrinkles in between them, showing off constant furrowing that matched his ghastly countenance. His jaw was half-shaven, yet his hair still looked neat. He looked as if he could keel over at any second, yet he still had a healthy color to his skin. What he had remembered from his height was that he was slightly taller than Nova, but had a bulkier body structure. His blond hair was a darker shade than Margaret's.
If Margaret is his grandmother, that would make Asteria and Bootes second cousins. He wasn't sure how useful that piece of information would be.
Silence greeted them. Bootes did not get out of his seat despite the silence. He looked as if he wanted to speak, but couldn't. Arcturus wondered what would be a good topic to initiate a conversation. An idea came to him when he recalled his connection with Virgo.
Though, is it right for me to ask about that?
"You're Bootes, right?" Nova asked. "That's quite an unusual name."
Arcturus glanced over at Nova. He always felt as if Nova could read his mind, which was why he was the one deciding to ask the questions he cannot.
Bootes started groaning. "Trust me, I've had to correct people so many times in my childhood because they've all called me Booties or Boots. It's pronounced Boh-tes, dang it!" He slammed his fists onto his table.
Why do I get this inkling of a feeling that Asteria was one of those who had teased him in his youth?
"Who named you?" Arcturus asked out of his own genuine curiosity.
"My father. He wanted a unique name for me, so he dug through so many baby name lists and thought Bootes was the best one."
The tenseness he had on him started to loosen when he continued talking. "However, there was one person who called me by my name properly when we first met. That was when I fell in love for the first time." He looked quite happy talking about his love life.
Arcturus's interest piqued. "Was it Virgo?"
Hearing her name only made him sullen. "Yes…it was her. She's my forever love, but I ran away from her because I couldn't bear living a life trapped…"
"What sort of life did you live before you ran away?"
"It wasn't particularly happy. After Sophia and Murphy were taken away to the Outskirts, the first month was a little hectic. Celestina had only been a month old yet she was used as a hostage in order to tie us down."
He looked down. "What Bellatrix wanted us to do was to try to find ways to prevent people from leaving the city whether it be through the walls or leaving the city in general. We were basically like security cameras, watching the citizens and then reporting to the military division. If there was someone trying to conspire with someone in the Outskirts or trying to leave the city without permission, the soldiers would find them and drag them back. Their punishment would either be endless torture or death. It felt wrong being snitches, yet I wanted to live…"
Arcturus couldn't help but to pity him. The weariness he wore on his face was definitely from those years as a snitch. He wondered how he could bear such a job for so many years. It made him curious on what sort of wish could transpire from such a heavy backstory.
"Was running away difficult?"
"It was. I ran away while knowing the huge risks. I almost died twice trying to escape."
"How did you escape?"
"I've been friends with Marlo for a very long time. We always exchanged letters to be furtive about our biggest secrets. One day, he sent me a letter about an escape route that Asteria created. It was risky, but I had to do it. I wanted Virgo to come along with me, but she refused to leave. I had to make the hardest choice to leave her behind and take the once-in-a-lifetime chance to use that escape route to run."
"I did not peg Marlo to be the letter-writing type." Arcturus was genuinely surprised.
"He looks frivolous, but he's a sentimental guy who likes outdated things. You saw his weapon, right? It's a crossbow, yet most of DUO wields guns."
Arcturus did remember Marlo holding a crossbow when they were fighting against Constance's brother.
Bootes started lamenting. "If only Virgo came with me that day. She wouldn't have to change herself completely. If only there's a way to free her. There's also the matter with Celestina. She's already twenty yet she still doesn't know who her real parents are…" His brows furrowed to the point that Arcturus could see a bulge of skin protruding.
"She's not aware of her biological parents?"
Bootes shook his head weakly. "She calls Bellatrix 'Mother', and believes her to be so."
He gritted his teeth. "Damn it. She's also a Trifecta. Is she going to die without knowing the identities of her real parents?"
All Arcturus wanted was for some way to alleviate the tense atmosphere from when he and Nova were talking to Margaret. Now, it felt as if it got heavier. He wasn't sure what to do next. What else could he talk about with Bootes?
Suddenly, a tray of food had been slammed in front of him. Nothing broke, fortunately. The person who had slammed the tray rather gently was Marlo who had wanted to get his attention. "Arcturus, if you're free, want to help me deliver food to Sara?"
Perhaps, this was the golden ticket to free himself from the awkward silence. Yet, he couldn't help but to wonder if Nova would be fine by himself for a bit. He glanced over to Nova who only gave him a smile. He complied with Marlo's request, causing him to stand up and leave his seat, leaving Nova and Bootes by themselves.
He just hoped nothing bad would happen during the short time frame of his absence.