Allan and Tory kept talking for a while. Today the mood was rather gloomy. They went to find Sheila for lunch and she was also downcast. Keith and Sasha were not there. Jasper was cultivating next to Sheila while she finished to prepare lunch.
"How was it?" Jasper asked.
"We're somewhat fine. But I think that Keith and Sasha are shaken. I hope they come for lunch."
"I would have been as well. It's not easy to go through this." Sheila said.
"They're strong, they will get though this." Tory said.
"I'll go call them." Jasper said.
"You both don't seem so shaken." Sheila said but her tone was like she was asking.
"Nothing new to me." Allan said.
"I'm still a little shocked, but only because I saw it with my own eyes." Tory said.
"You guys are monsters." Sheila said.
"I don't like taking about my past, but I was a soldier, a sniper. So this is nothing new."
"As I mentioned before, my family has done some shady business before, I'm not a saint."
"You guys are monsters, hehe." Sheila chuckled.
Keith, Sasha and Jasper were coming to lunch.
"You guys are better?" Tory asked.
"Not really. I think it will take some time." Sasha said.
"Try to do something else to take your mind out of it, like cultivating." Sheila suggested. She didn't know for sure how they were feeling, but she wanted to help somehow.
"Let's change topics to liven the mood. How was your gameplay this night?" Allan asked.
"It was so so, Keith kept killing monsters happily, but we didn't travel much."
"We focused on journeying rather than hunting, we are bound to arrive at the rendezvous point today." Jasper said.
"Keith and Sasha, kill as many monsters as you can. Unleash all this anger on the monsters, this will help." Allan said.
"Are we still going out to our parents tomorrow?" Asked Sasha, she was feeling kind of lost, distracted by her frustration.
"It's up to you. If you want to, then go." Allan said. "But don't forget that the sooner they start cultivating, the sooner they will be able to protect them selves."
Everyone nodded. This was obvious.
"I think I'll go talk to them now." Keith said. "I'll go with you." Sasha followed up. Soon they left Sheila's house.
"I think I'm gonna bring in my parents as well." Sheila said.
"I'll accompany you." Jasper said.
"Don't forget to play the game at night." Said Allan while he was leaving. "It's very important."
"I wish I could go to my parents now as well. But I already made an appointment for tomorrow." Tory said.
"Let's just cultivate. It's a good way to pass time." Allan suggested.
"I don't think I'm in the mood. Stay with me today, let's chat." Tory said. Although they spent most of their time together, they hadn't had the quality time together. This was a good chance as well.
"Sure what do you want to talk about?"
"Tell me about your past."
"You know I don't like talking about it. I was being forced to do it, so I hate it."
"But I have the right to know who I'm spending the rest of my life together with."
"Right." Then Allan and Tory spent the whole afternoon and evening talking about their hidden past. Tory didn't do much, just followed her family around and most of the time she was just there.
Allan was a different case. His father was a general, he rose to power through his unbelievable military exploits. Quentin was a fierce and ambitious man. When Allan was a child he was trained to be a soldier. But Allan was quite rebellious and his mother, Loretta, often helped him to escape his training. Allan then found pleasure in playing games, in there he could be in control, where the rest of his life was in his father hands. It was when Allan was twenty two years old that he confronted his father. He left his house and told his father that he didn't need his support or anything. Quentin was furious. His project of a lifetime just ran away. Quentin always controlled Allan with money and status. But Allan simply abandoned everything and left to fend for himself.
Two years later he met Tory, he never mentioned his family background or his past at first. Now they've been together for three years already. Allan eventually told Tory about his family at some point. She was kind of dumbfounded at first. She thought at first that Allan was from a poor background but was hardworking. After all, everything Allan had he got through his own effort. Allan only told her that he had a falling out with his father because he wanted to play games, instead of having a traditional career. Today he spilled the beans though.
Tory history was different. Her family was a big entrepreneur family. Her grandfather started business in his youth and was very successful. Later he had three sons and two daughters. Tory father was the oldest and the most capable son. He was already the patriarch of the family. He had two sons and a daughter. Tory was the oldest sibling and she was spoiled from birth.
Tory's father, Thomas, was somewhat sexist and didn't think of her as heir material. So he planned to use her to marry into a powerful family. When she saw this, she kind of ran away. Then later she told her father that she had found a boyfriend and they were living together.
Thomas was furious. He thought that Allan was a nobody and that her future was going to be wasted. He couldn't force her though. Today's society was lawful and he couldn't simply force her to marry or to live in his house. To this day he still thinks that Allan is from a commoner background and he hates Allan for stealing his daughter's future.