Hutch's mind wouldn't stop spinning. The car ride home had been long and filled with Ren's chatter about how good the food had been and how much he was looking forward to eating the slice of Tuxedo cake he had gotten to go, being too full to enjoy it at the restaurant, before gushing about Clara and how amazing he thought she was. The two had seemed to hit it off remarkably well, carrying most of the conversation between them, as Hutch watched on silently and Mr. Dodge, ate a slice of recommended cake.
It had taken everything Hutch had to keep focused on the conversation. He had caught himself drifting off occasionally, to thoughts of the Salvador family. A thought that made his head ache uncomfortably. It was odd enough that he had met his daughter, but during their dessert course, that Clara had agreed to join them for, she had made mention of an older brother. Hutch would have asked more about him, but not wanting to divert from the flow of conversation, he had refrained from asking, something he now regretted.
He continued to replay different moments, from the time they entered Cascel Tower until the moment that they left, and no matter how he looked at it, he couldn't decide on what had actually happened while he was there.
It seemed odd enough that Celina was aware of who he was, but she'd never specifically confirmed that she was aware of who he was to Casimir or if she understood the connection between them. In fact, she hadn't said much of anything to make him believe that she knew anything at all. And yet everything she said, and did, seemed to hold some hidden message meant just for him to understand. And if Celina was aware of the truth that he and Casimir shared, he wondered if it was possible that Clara also knew, be it in its entirety or bits and pieces. Although, he couldn't imagine Casimir admitting to anyone the type of monster he was on Illimev, let alone to his family.
It bothered him, not knowing what he could say or should say, and despite everything he had learned, he questioned the answers he had and had more questions than he had answers.
After being dropped off, Hutch found himself alone with nothing but the thoughts in his head. Sitting on the couch, Hutch clutched his head in his hands. The business card, a perfectly trimmed rectangle of thick ivory-hued stock, sat on the coffee table, the elegantly printed digits of a phone number face up to the world, no name, and no other indication of who would answer if he called.
"Stupid Casimir and his stupid gorgeous wife with their incredible daughter!" he shouted rubbing harshly at his face out of frustration. "What the HELL?! How is that even fair?! He broke the amulet. He was supposed to die! Instead, that bastard gets exactly what he wanted? Of course, he did. Of course, he got to go back to his freaking amazing wife, who obviously adores that arrogant, self-righteous, smug, giant palace sized pile of shit!" Hutch yelled out, before collapsing back onto the couch. "How did a prick like him end up with a perfect life? After everything he did, he still managed to build a freaking empire. Wealth, a wife, kids who probably adore him just as much, and a mansion on a private tropical island, just to rub it in. And here I am, stuck back in this shitty trailer at the most confusing point in this worthless, uncooperative bodies life." He groaned. "My brain is made of freaking pudding! Where the hell is the justice in any of this. Fuck! I wish Lala was here."
Grabbing the pillow from behind his head, he pulled it to his chest and rolled onto his side, pulling his knees up.
"Damn, why did she have to smell so freaking good?"
He groaned again as his mind flashed to Clara. Her eyes. Her mouth. How amazing that dressed made her look. How warm she was when she hugged him goodbye, and the way her breath tickled the edge of his ear when she whispered, 'thank you' into it.
"Dammit!" he shouted, throwing the pillow across the living room as he shot upright. "She is Salvador's daughter! Casimir Salvador! Arch freaking nemesis, Casimir Salvador! She is not my Kahlala. She is nothing compared to my Lala. My heart belongs to Lala. Stupid body. I need to go for a run."
Picking up the pillow he put in back on the couch, before heading into this room and swapping into his jogging pants and a hoodie. Throwing on his shoes, gloves, and a togue, he headed out the door and took off down the road.
He had no idea where his mom had gone, but knew she'd be back at some point, having to work later that night, but at the time he was oddly grateful for her absence, so she didn't have to witness the struggle he was having with his teenage angsty outburst.
The one thing about growing up, was the convenience of forgetting how annoying being a hormonally unstable teenage creature was, and he was being forced to go through it a second time, all while being separated from the one woman, he loved the most.
Running hadn't proven to be much of a distraction, rather it ended up making him think more, but he had found it to be the easiest way to wear himself out, and the type of exhaustion he craved the most, was the type that made everything hurt the same.
By the time he made it back home, Hutch barely managed to make it up the stairs and through the door. He was breathing heavy, and his clothes were soaked through with sweat. Taking off his shoes, he downed a glass of fridge chilled water and headed for the bathroom.
One cold shower later, and Hutch felt remotely more human than he had when he first got home. Tossing his clothes in the washer, he went to his room and changed from a towel, into something reasonably more comfortable, and clean. Gathering the rest of his laundry, he put on a load before returning to the couch.
Picking up the card, he mulled over the number, a thousand different scenarios racing through his head, from the simple, in which a secretary answered and him hanging up, claiming wrong number, to the absurd, where Casimir answered and had no idea who he was. And there was still the strange underlying possibility that calling this number would lead to the very thing Celina had offered, a co-op position in one of Cascel's many connected companies. And while that may have been the best outcome, it also felt as if it would be the biggest disappointment, as it offered no real answers.
"Did I just read into everything because it's what I wanted to see?" he questioned as he once again thought back upon the lunch and the way Celina had made the first bite for him.
He replayed every action, every word she had said, and how she responded to his response.
"She nodded. I know she did, but was she nodding because she understood or was, she just approving of my combinations? Dammit! The hell does this have to be so confusing?!" he burst out, slapping his hand to his forehead, and squeezing at his temples. "This is stupid. I'm being stupid. There is no way that pathetic cover story is the truth. It doesn't matter how much she actually knows. It doesn't even matter if she even believes whatever bullshit story Casimir has been feeding her all these years. She wasn't acting like a normal person would act. No CEO would take a personal interest in the ongoings or screw ups of a side charity." He huffed, running his hand back through his hair. Taking a deep breath, he sat back on the couch and stared up at the ceiling. "Either way, I'm not going to get any answers by not calling. And she wouldn't have given the number to me in the first place if she didn't want me to call it. The only way any of this is going to become clear is if I do it. Okay, I'm going to call. It doesn't matter who answers, all I have to do is introduce myself and tell them that Celina…" he stopped himself and shook his head, "that still sounds so wrong. I have to tell them Mrs. Salvador told me to call. Okay, yeah, that sounds better. More appropriate at least. Especially if Casimir answers. Now to pick up the phone and call." He looked at the phone and then back to the card. "I can do this. I've fought in two wars, for crying out loud," he stated as he stood up and pounded at his chest. "I even managed to tell Ghan'dono, a man I respected more than anything that I was going to make his daughter my xalgar! I escaped the King's executioner and lead a rebellion. Stormed a city and fought against a tyrant! This should be easy!"
Sitting back on the couch, he flopped onto his side, grabbed the pillow above his head and hugged it to his chest, burying his face and pulling up his knees once again. "A few more minutes isn't going to hurt anyone."