After meeting with Mat, Rhen and his group heads back to his apartment late in the afternoon. The two brothers are sitting on the living room couch with their resumes spread across the glass coffee table.
Scarlet stands there with her hands clutched on her chest and a big grin on her face expressing her joy.
"OMG! I'm so excited, there are many things I want to show you in Neotopia. There are alot beaches, dungeons and places to explore over there." Scarlet said so excitedly.
When she sees what the two boys are up to, her grin quickly transforms to a curious expression.
"There!" Said Azrel, pointing out a job listing from his phone.
"A vacant position for an ER doctor." Azrel applied for the position without hesitation.
"Doctor? I can't call you when you're in the middle of surgery. Hmmm… why not a janitor." Rhen responded, he too is searching for jobs on his phone.
"Weren't you a janitor on the last mission, pick something else. How about this." AInstead, Azrel shows him a job posting for a men's underwear model.
"What are you to doing?" Scarlet sits beside Azrel and checks his job listing. "Azzy, aren't you already working for the police?"
"This is for undercover Scarlet. We need a second Identity once we get there. Luckily only a handful of people know who our identities are, we only need an alibi to stay there." Rhen explained and showed her his job listing as well.
"Why a janitor, why not pick something like a scientist, aren't you and Nikolai close?"
"I like taking out the trash and besides I've never been to a college before."
Scarlet is startled by your announcement. "What!? how come? Didn't you have a millennium to enroll in one?" She has already assumed Rhen has at least one college degree.
This time it's Azrel who replied. "Well, the only thing he ever enrolls is in the military, he's been to every branch thou even ours some time ago. I think the instructors are very familiar with him already."
"I'm not suited for the slow life Scarlet, After BUD/S, I also just recently graduated from top gun, now I can fly an F-35." Rhen shows her a photo of his military school friends on top of an aircraft carrier, with an F/A-18 on the catapult ready to launch.
Scarlet tries to think of something until she has a bright idea.
"OH! I got a better idea. Why not enroll as a student." Scarlet grinned as she clenched her hands together.
"Scarlet, me and my brother are too old for that. We look like alumni or fourth years at this point." Rhen retorted he does have a point.
Unable to convince you, Scarlet acts cutesy at her boyfriend in hopes of changing Rhen's mind. "Come on Azzyyy pwweeeesee..."
If she can't convince Rhen, Azrel may agree to her plans.
Azrel makes every effort to resist, but he is smitten by his girlfriend. "Guhh! Ohhh alright, you win."
"OMG!! YES!!!" Scarlet rewards him by kissing his lips, then gets up and strikes a victory posture. There's no going back now that Azrel has said it.
"I'm totally going to show you to my friends Azzy, and Rhen I will be your Wing girl in your quest to find your one true love." She added.
"I'm here to take out the biggest trash in all of Eternia, Scarlet. Not finding my one true love. Well maybe the occasional fling is fine too I guess, and I don't really need a Wing girl" Rhen attempts to talk her out of it, but she's too preoccupied with her own world.
"Don't we need an entrance exam? What about the classes, didn't it already started?" Azrel makes an excellent point. If enrolment is closed, there is no use in going to the academy.
"Don't worry, I'll ask the palace to write us a letter of recommendation. As for the exam, I think we can pass it easily." Rhen replied to him.
"Azzy I'm packing my things now!" Scarlet dashes to the guest room, slamming the door behind her.
*slam*
"We're going in ten days, not today" Azrel sighs deeply before adding, "Never mind" He shakes his head.
"At least someone is excited." Rhen grinned at Scalet's excitement; it's not often she gets this amped, and when she does, it's difficult to keep her from getting what she wants.
"She's always like that, but I guess having her family join her to school is something she never got the chance to do so." Azrel casts a sidelong glance, reminiscing.
"Didn't she and her twin sister Athena attend a Sylnari school for nobles?" Rhen recalls Scarlet having a twin sister when he were a teenager.
However, because it happened so long ago, he is having difficulty remembering all of the specifics.
"She never learned the language when we were young, but I guess I'm happy she didn't, or else she will be wrapped up in some scheme. What about you Rhen, how did you learn Sylnari?"
"Well... Let's just say I have an outstanding teacher." Rhen smirks at Azrel, but his eyes are filled with sadness.
Rhen then leans back on the couch with his head looking up.
He reached into his shirt and retrieved the ring on his necklace. As he held it in his hand, memories flooded his mind about the moments they shared together. He couldn't help but smile sorrowfully.
"Still thinking about her?" Azrel notices the look on Rhen's face.
"Who? Lena?" Rhen gazes him in the eyes.
"Yeah, sorry about what happened. If only I were there, I could save both of you." Azrel tells him that his greatest regret is not being there for Rhen when he is at his most vulnerable.
"It's nothing… I don't want to talk about it." Rhen breaks eye contact with his brother and cuts off any possible questions he may ask as it will bring to light the things he wished he forgot.
"Alright If you say so." Azrel stands up and pats Rhen's back twice. "I'll check up on Scarlet to see what she's up to. Just knock if you need anything. Abbi cura di te fratello (Take care brother.)"
"Anche tu. (You too.)" Rhen bids him farewell as well.
With Azrel and Scarlet gone, he reclines on the couch in a more comfortable position, utilizing the couch's arm as a pillow.
He plays with the ring and glances at the engraving inside. "Lena" he muttered.
He tries to recall her face, but all he recalls is her bloody and lovely face staring back at him.
It was just after his coming-of-age ceremony when she told her last words to him. "I Love You"
Rhen's chest heaved as he let out a deep sigh, filled with regret and sorrow.
"So much for love."