Solart City: Lower Third
Elias: "Hello! My friend and I here want to ask you a few questions if that is okay?"
Elias and Warin resorted to knocking on doors as well. Although Elias was just about as charming as he could possibly be, he got waved off most of the time, but this house was different. It was his neighbor, Mr. Riley, an older man and longtime resident of the city.
Mr. Riley: "Of course young Elias! Say, you haven't been giving your mother too much trouble lately have you?" He said in his elderly tone, giving a lighthearted chuckle.
Warin was standing a little further back than Elias was, but he was able to hear what the two were saying. He couldn't help but smile at the older man, given it seemed like he didn't get many visitors by the way he was so delighted to have two teenage boys just randomly show up at his home asking to talk.
Elias: "Yes Mr. Riley. My mother has been working a lot though, so I haven't really had a lot of time to bother her anyway." He played along with the old man.
Mr. Riley: "Your mother is a hardworkin' girl! Always has been." He started to pat Elias on the head.
Warin couldn't help but to smile at the two. He knew that Elias didn't ever truly know his grandparents, so his neighbor must be the closest thing to that for him.
Elias: "Can my friend and I come in? We have some really important questions to ask you."
Mr. Riley: "Well of course young Elias, and young Warin! Let me make you boys some tea."
Elias: "Your tea is the best!" He sounded excited as he walked into the man's house.
Mr. Riley: "Such a loud one he is." He smiled at Warin before following Elias.
Warin snickered before following after the two, closing the door on his way in. Upon walking into Mr. Riley's home, Warin was met with a delightful scent. The man had a few candles burning throughout the house, and what seemed to be incense burning on his kitchen table. Warin and Elias both sat down at the table as Mr. Riley began to prepare their tea.
Warin: "Mr. Riley, you have a lovely home." He said in order to break the silence.
Mr. Riley: "Thank you, young Warin! I decorated it myself." He chuckled to himself.
Elias: "You have always been a fan of burning candles Mr. Riley. What is your favorite candle this week?"
Mr. Riley: "I would have to say the one that smells like fresh chocolate chip cookies!" He sounded excited to talk about his candle.
Warin: "I can smell that one very well. Did you buy it at the market?"
Mr. Riley: "I bought it at the candle booth in the Middle Second. I don't go up there much, but I always grab a candle when I do!"
Mr. Riley then took two cups from his cupboard, pouring the tea he made into them. Once he finished, he took the cups over to the table for the boys.
Mr. Riley: "I hope the tea is good!" He then sat down at the table. "So, what questions do you two have for me?"
Elias took a sip of his tea.
Warin: "Elias and I are looking around for information on the Chief. Do you know anything interesting about him?" He said before taking a sip of his tea as well.
Mr. Riley: "Oh, Chief Kauko! I have known the Chief for a while, not personally of course, but I have been around for a long time so I know some things. What would you like to know?"
Elias: "Anything that wouldn't be general knowledge preferably. This is for a school paper, so we need the good stuff!"
Warin looked over at Elias, giving him a nod for his on-the-fly thinking.
Mr. Riley: "Hm, let me think." He started to scratch his chin, his beard was not anything too impressive, but it was there nonetheless. "Well I know that he hasn't always been wealthy."
Elias: "How so?"
Mr. Riley: "He was born into a lower-class family who lived here in the Lower Third. If I am correct, most of his life was spent here. He and I worked together on a farm once. He was a lot younger back then, of course."
Warin: "So he hasn't always been involved with politics?"
Mr. Riley: "I suppose not. He became part of the previous Chief's staff when he was around the age of 30, and it wasn't until 16 years ago that he became the Chief, but I guess that is a long time for you two." He smiled.
Elias: "I remember, he was elected right before I was born."
Warin: "I guess I was around the age of two when that happened."
Mr. Riley: "I suppose he has been around for your whole life pretty much. I forget how old I am sometimes."
Elias: "C'mon Mr. Riley! You are still in your prime!"
Mr. Riley: "Damn right I am, young Elias!" He cackled.
Warin laughed at the interaction between the two while downing some of his tea.
Elias: "Anything else you got?"
Mr. Riley: "Well I know for a fact he always hated being poor. He made it his life goal to become wealthy and powerful, as you can see it worked out."
Warin: "How did he become popular enough to get elected, do you know?"
Mr. Riley: "Well he has always been a go-getter. Never let anything get in his way. I guess people liked that about him."
Elias looked to Warin.
Warin: "You said the two of you used to work on a farm, which one?"
Mr. Riley: "It was when the Carter's were the new and popular producers around here! Good old days with that Mr. Carter."
Warin: "And this was before the most recent Carters took over?"
Mr. Riley: "Yes indeed. Back in the hay day!"
Elias: "Do you remember when the Carter's farm burnt down ten years ago?"
Mr. Riley: "Oh, how could I forget? What a terrible day that must have been for young Dawn. You two are friends with him aren't ya?"
Warin nods.
Elias: "He is a close friend of ours."
Warin: "This is an odd question, but it is probably my last one." He looked to his cup.
Mr. Riley: "Go for it young Warin!"
Warin: "Did the timing of that accident seem sketchy to you at all?" He looked back at Mr. Riley.
Solart City: Upper First
Dusan: "You know it is more helpful if we act like a team. Staying quiet isn't going to help us at all."
Rhys: "I know."
At this time, the two were walking back to the meeting spot by the river after finding absolutely nothing.
Dusan: "I just hope someone else found something." He looked to the sky.
Rhys just continued to walk in front of him, not acknowledging his statement.
Dusan: "I know that I haven't been nice to you and your friends, but I would at least like to have a truce while we try to fix all of this. I have had a long time to digest this information, so I understand that all of you guys are shocked and probably do not know how to respond to this situation. Trust me, I do not support my father at all."
Rhys: "Is there a reason that you told Dawn, like an actual reason?" He snapped back.
Dusan: "Because I was tired of feeling guilty, and my father is guilty of awful things like this. Is that not reason enough?"
Rhys: "I just don't get it. You are his son, and you have waited to say anything to Dawn. How long have you even known about this?"
Dusan: "Five years. He told me five years ago when I got mad at him for missing my birthday."
Rhys: "Five years is a long time to hold guilt. What changed?"
Dusan: "Yesterday morning he gave me a note to give to a guy in my class named Elliott. The note was not supposed to be opened by me, but I read it anyway. It was another one of his plans, but this time he was dragging in one of my friends behind my back."
Rhys: "That still does not really give me an answer."
Dusan: "He hit me. For the first time in five years he hit me. I will not stand for my own father to disrespect me or my family anymore."
Rhys: "I guess that makes a little more sense."
After a little more walking they made it back to the river.
Dusan: "Now that you know, are you going to tell anyone?"
Rhys: "I don't really care enough to say anything about it. I am just curious as to how you could go five years without saying anything."
Dusan: "You have a father, so surely you can understand."
Rhys shrugged.
Dusan: "The Chief is my father at the end of the day. I wanted to protect him so that my mother would be able to be happy. My father puts food on the table and money in her pocket. I can't do that."
Rhys: "But your father is an awful person. I would have said something immediately."
Dusan: "Well... you and I are not the same I guess."
Rhys: "You are damn right, because I'm not a dickhead who keeps secrets that could give an innocent teenager some closure on the death of his parents." He glared at Dusan.
Dusan: "I.." He looked at his hands.
Rhys: "I'm glad you feel guilty. I can see it all over your face. It makes me happy to see the Golden Boy isn't so golden... is he?"
Dusan: "Cut it out."
Rhys: "What did you say?"
Dusan: "Please, just cut it out."
Rhys then started to walk up to Dusan.
Dusan: "I really just want to he-"
In that moment when Dusan was speaking, Rhys socked him across his face, knocking him to the ground.
Rhys: "You do not have the right to tell me to cut it out." His voice was full of anger and confusion.
Before Dusan had a moment to defend himself or even respond, Rhys started to kick while Dusan stayed on the ground. Each and every kick powered by raw anger that Rhys had been holding in for the past five years.