S2/01. Trash Talk

1.5 Linda West
Spring 1998, Linda's house, Windenburg

Linda watched her cup of tea. The afternoon sun drew golden circles on the clear amber surface and below it danced a few stray black tea flakes. How easy it must be to be one of them, dancing and not having to worry ever. Of course they could not, they had no brains and no consciousness that would let them. But what if they had, Linda wondered, would they worry about being poured out in the drain once the cup was empty and rinsed? Or would they dance even wilder, if they were aware that their life soon would change so drastically – well, not life, certainly, they did not meet the six criteria to be classified as such, however – 

"– right, Linda?"

Hearing her name pulled her out of her mellow musings. "Oh – I suppose so," she hoped she had picked the right reply, but agreeing was usually never a bad choice.

"Of‌ ‌course‌ ‌you‌ ‌would!"‌ ‌ The normally gentle Delilah‌ ‌exclaimed‌ ‌with‌ ‌more‌ ‌fervor‌ ‌than‌ ‌usual. Linda‌ ‌ felt‌ ‌guilty‌ ‌that‌ ‌she‌ ‌wasn't paying closer attention.‌ ‌She‌ ‌did‌ ‌not‌ ‌want‌ ‌to‌ ‌be‌ ‌impolite,‌ ‌but‌ ‌it‌ ‌became‌ ‌hard‌ ‌to‌ ‌follow‌ ‌the‌ ‌ discourse‌ ‌of‌ ‌her‌ ‌guests,‌ ‌as‌ ‌she‌ had‌ ‌little‌ ‌to‌ ‌add‌ ‌to‌ ‌it.‌ ‌

"Education‌ ‌is‌ ‌the‌ ‌most‌ ‌important‌ thing ‌for‌ ‌a‌ ‌child,"‌ ‌Delilah‌ ‌continued,‌ ‌"Madeleine,‌ ‌you'll‌ ‌absolutely‌ ‌‌have‌‌ ‌to‌ ‌insist‌ ‌on‌ ‌sending‌ ‌Brandon‌ ‌to‌ ‌a‌ ‌private‌ ‌school‌ ‌if‌ ‌you‌ ‌can‌ ‌afford‌ ‌it.‌ ‌Leroy‌ ‌and‌ ‌I‌ ‌will certainly‌ ‌‌be doing‌ ‌our‌ ‌best‌ ‌to‌ ‌get‌ ‌Mikey‌ ‌in somewhere‌ ‌once‌ ‌he's‌ ‌old‌ ‌enough."‌ 

She‌ ‌gently‌ ‌rocked‌ ‌the‌ ‌baby's‌ ‌bassinet.‌

Madeleine Sanford nodded with grim determination. 

Oh,‌ ‌so‌ ‌they had‌ ‌finished‌ ‌discussing‌ ‌the‌ ‌best‌ ‌techniques‌ ‌for‌ ‌changing‌ ‌diapers‌, ‌and‌ ‌which‌ ‌formula‌ ‌is‌ ‌the‌ ‌least‌ ‌likely‌ ‌to‌ ‌cause‌ ‌diarrhea,‌ ‌and‌ ‌had arrived at‌ ‌elementary‌ ‌schools.‌ ‌Possibly‌ ‌a‌ ‌natural‌ ‌development.

"What about you Linda?" Madeleine suddenly addressing her confused her once more. 

"Well...", Linda gathered herself, "if I had any children, of course I'd wish to send them to a good school." But she had none, and she was not particularly upset about it. She wondered if she, too, would develop a sudden interest in formula and diaper contents if she was a mother. Somehow the idea was rather unpleasant.

The other redhead giggled. "Oh – of course you would!" Madeleine's eyes gained a suspicious spark. "Say, if you've thought about it already," – Linda had not until this very moment – "does that mean you have met someone new – and noteworthy?"

Delilah had the same spark, except her eyes sparked maybe even a little more.



"I- uh..." Linda muttered. She certainly could think of a person or two she'd consider noteworthy, but she also understood that the question meant someone noteworthy to have a romantic relationship with. Have children with.

"I have not," Linda replied honestly.

Madeleine's face fell immediately. "Oh well, you will find the right one in due time," she added with notably less interest than before. "I must excuse myself now, my dears, but I have to prepare dinner for the boys and Jesse."

The women exchanged polite pleasantries and Linda and Delilah accompanied Madeleine to the door. As soon as it closed, Delilah sharply inhaled. Her eyes sparked even more than before.

"You have someone in mind, right?" She almost burst from excitement. "I noticed when you were hesitating. Oh – and I understand, you don't want to spill the beans before it's all safe and sound, of course, I'm all for going slow – well, Leroy and I didn't exactly go slow, but it's the better way, right – "

"Dee!" Linda cried out. "I have no idea what you're talking about!" She was completely lost. The last person she had dated was Brian, but he had been gone for a while, and everyone knew it.

Delilah flashed a pitiful smile. "About Frank, of course! You're seeing him! Literally everyone is – oh!" She stopped suddenly, hesitating before she continued. "It's actually quite ugly gossip... Leroy's friends think you and Frank – that's... and that's why he's not on Rosa's side. Oh, of course I told them to stop with that nonsense!" she added fiercely. "But... honestly, I think it's lovely that you two are dating."

Linda's heart felt suddenly heavy. She had not seen Frank, not‌ ‌in‌ ‌the‌ ‌last‌ ‌two‌ ‌weeks,‌ ‌and‌ ‌they‌ ‌had certainly never seen‌‌ ‌each‌ ‌other romantically.‌ ‌

"You are mistaken," she said, "we have never dated."

"But..." Delilah's face fell, "you two get along so well! I'm sure he admires you, he's always looking for you when there is a gathering," Delilah explained. "And you're always smiling when he's around. You seem to perfectly understand each other. It's just – perfect. If you haven't dated yet, you should definitely start to – "

"Delilah!" Linda had to stop her friend's enthusiasm. Delilah was probably right – maybe Frank and Linda could have been a perfect match, but she doubted that it mattered anymore. She wasn't even sure if they were still friends.

"I don't think he even still likes me." In a few short words she explained what had happened between her and Frank two weeks ago. "I haven't spoken to him since," she finished.

"Wait – why haven't I ever heard about mysterious married guy?!" Apparently that was the only thing Delilah cared about.

"Uhm..." Linda was a little lost, "he wasn't really important? Just a pastime..."

Delilah shot her another pitiful glance. "I'll let it go this one time, because it's been years ago. But next time you have to tell me about your adventures!" She giggled. 

"As for Frank," Delilah sighed and took a meaningful break, "he'll come around. My brother-in-law is not an idiot – usually. I'd not be surprised if he weren't just a little disappointed that you may have dated literally everyone but him." She smirked mischievously.

Linda laughed. "I don't think it's that!" But for the moment she felt a little lighter. Delilah was certainly right and her misstep could not have had enough impact on Frank's friendship with her to destroy it.

"You never know what's in a guy's head!" Delilah tsked. "He is a little busy right now, but I know what I see, and that's a lot of chemistry. You'll see, before you know, you'll be married and seriously considering which school you want to send your children to!" She winked.

"Aren't you getting a little ahead of yourself here?" Linda giggled. Delilah's prediction sounded horrible and hilarious at the same time. But surprisingly less horrible than Linda would have thought. Maybe even –

"Wouldn't it be nice?" Delilah smiled warmly. "And we'd be real sisters too. Well... by law, but still."

Forgotten were Frank and any potentially horrible predictions. Delilah's last words made Linda wonder if her friend had always felt a bit left out. She'd been an orphan since early childhood, and had no relatives. Of course, the West family had embraced Delilah with open arms once she and Linda became friends, and the blonde girl had spent a lot of time in their house. But it must have felt different to be just a friend, and not a family member. 

Linda‌ ‌wished‌ ‌she‌'d‌ ‌been‌ ‌kinder‌ ‌to‌ ‌her‌ ‌when‌ ‌they‌ ‌first‌ ‌met.‌ ‌Delilah‌ ‌only‌ ‌got‌ ‌the‌ ‌chance‌ ‌to‌ ‌attend ‌Linda's‌ ‌prestigious‌ ‌High‌ ‌School‌ ‌by‌ ‌sheer‌ ‌luck‌ ‌of‌ ‌getting‌ ‌a‌ ‌"pity‌ ‌spot".‌ ‌The‌ ‌school‌ ‌let‌ ‌a‌ ‌few‌ ‌very‌ ‌poor‌ ‌teenagers‌ ‌study‌ ‌there‌ ‌as‌ ‌long‌ ‌as‌ ‌they‌ ‌worked‌ ‌hard‌ ‌and‌ ‌behaved‌ ‌well.‌ ‌

Delilah,‌ ‌in‌ ‌her‌ ‌shabby,‌ ‌second hand‌ ‌school‌ ‌uniform‌, ‌was‌ ‌not‌ ‌very‌ ‌popular, but she'd‌ ‌picked ‌Linda‌ ‌to‌ ‌be‌ ‌her‌ ‌new‌ best‌ ‌friend‌, ‌and‌ ‌sought‌ ‌her‌ ‌out‌ ‌whenever possible. Linda‌ ‌suspected‌ ‌it was‌ ‌because‌ ‌she‌ ‌was‌ ‌‌also‌‌ ‌not‌ ‌very‌ popular,‌ ‌and‌ ‌tried‌ ‌to‌ ‌keep‌ ‌her‌ ‌distance, but‌ ‌Delilah‌ ‌was‌ ‌cheerful‌ ‌and‌ ‌kind‌ ‌to‌ ‌Linda‌, ‌and‌ ‌quickly grew on her.

Linda took the other woman's hands. "You were always my sister, Delilah, and always will be" she said. "It does not matter who our husbands are. And I know Mae feels the same."

Delilah was visibly touched.

She blinked a few times, then giggled.

"Can't hurt if we're sisters in-law too, right? Make sure you get that man, okay?"
Linda smiled.

She was convinced Delilah read too much into Frank's feelings for her, but she actually wasn't entirely opposed to give it a try. 

If Delilah was right.

S2/01. Trash Talk

1.4 Alejandro Gonzales
Spring 1998, Alejandro's apartment, San Myshuno

Alejandro took a deep breath of the cool night air. The scent of freedom.

As much as Rita throwing him out had been a bucket of ice water over his head, in hindsight it was the best thing that’d happened to him since he'd made his love for music a profession. Sure, it was with Rita's help and – you could say, ‘light pressure’, after all, it was Rita who’d arranged the connections to his agent at the time.
"Your reputation is already in the gutter- at least no one will care if you're in that kind of business" she’d said.

Practical woman, that Rita, and business savvy too, but it was Alejandro who had worked his ass off to get where he was now. Alejandro who’d practiced every minute, picked the right people for his band, and built "Deep Rift" brand up from nothing.

San Myshuno was just the next step to more success.

  

Nico had objected at first, as expected, claimed that they'd be forced to give up their integrity if they signed with a major label. 

Blah blah blah. 

Alejandro called it bullshit.

They weren't clueless newbies anymore, they had years of experience ‌in‌ ‌the‌ ‌business‌ ‌and‌ ‌Joanne‌ ‌was‌ ‌one‌ hell of a ‌smart‌ ‌ass‌ ‌agent; no way they’d be forced into selling out.
Alejandro‌ ‌suspected‌ ‌Nico‌ was just trying to find an excuse not to have to break up with his girlfriend for a long distance move; as‌ ‌if‌ ‌he‌ ‌couldn't‌ ‌find‌ ‌a‌ ‌pretty,‌ ‌dumb,‌ ‌high‌ ‌maintenance‌ ‌chick‌ ‌anywhere‌ ‌in‌ ‌San‌ ‌My.‌

As for Francesco – that fucker was thirsty for the stage like no one else. That‌ ‌man‌ ‌ate, slept, and breathed‌ ‌attention, of course he was in it if it meant a bigger audience and better chances to broadcast their music vids.
Until now, the vocalist only had hesitated to sign because his wife didn't want to move away from Oasis Springs.

But she was history now. 

Francesco had finally dumped Psycho-Barbie – turned out she was a jealous nightmare. God‌ ‌knows‌ ‌how‌ ‌that‌ ‌guy‌ ‌survived‌ ‌her‌ ‌for‌ ‌so‌ ‌long, let alone marrying the crazy chick.‌

Alejandro wondered if Francesco had some masochistic tendencies. 

It would probably take a while for Francesco to get rid of her now, and not without some collateral damage, but the guy seemed fine enough. He was more relaxed and focused on his work than ever, and even‌ ‌got‌ ‌himself‌ ‌a‌ ‌new‌ casual‌ ‌fling. Alejandro hoped ‌Francesco‌ had ‌learned‌ ‌his‌ ‌lesson‌ ‌that‌ ‌caring‌ ‌too‌ ‌much‌ ‌was‌ ‌always‌ ‌a‌ ‌mistake.‌ ‌

Life could only get better.
Nothing would hold them back.
Alejandro couldn't help but smile.

Finally, the door bell rung and he went to tell the cab driver that their customer would come down soon.

"Why don't you let me stay?" the woman on his bed purred. "What if you wake up tonight and you're lonely? You'll‌ ‌have‌ ‌no‌ ‌one‌ ‌here‌ ‌to‌ ‌keep‌ ‌you‌ ‌company, and you'd‌ ‌miss‌ ‌me"
Alejandro would not. In case she hadn't noticed, he had two healthy, functional hands.

"Honey, I have a hard day tomorrow. Can't have my manager yell at me for falling asleep during practice."
That never happened. And Joanne never yelled.

What's-her-name pouted. "So I'm a bother to you..."
Wait – was that his shirt? She'd probably made it all wrinkly. Damn these women, couldn't they just put on their own clothes?

"More like a distraction," he winked.

The chick relaxed and slid out of the bed. "Maybe we can have another five minutes?"

Pressing ‌her‌ ‌half-naked‌ ‌body‌ ‌against‌ ‌his‌, ‌she ‌let‌ ‌her‌ ‌fingers‌ ‌run‌ ‌up‌ ‌and‌ ‌down‌ his arm. 

Greedy girl.‌

Under‌ ‌different‌ ‌circumstances‌ he might’ve been game,‌ ‌but‌ ‌they‌’d already been at it for two hours,‌ ‌he‌ ‌was‌ ‌tired,‌ ‌and‌ ‌God‌ ‌damnit,‌ ‌he‌ ‌wanted‌ ‌to‌ ‌‌sleep‌.‌

"You're worth more time than that, honey," he tried to muster some patience, "but we can't have the poor driver wait forever, he has to earn his living too."

The woman let out a deep sigh before she gathered her stuff. Wait - she‌ ‌wasn’t ‌even‌ going to ‌change‌ ‌out‌ ‌of‌ ‌his‌ ‌shirt, she‌ ‌just tucked‌ ‌it‌ ‌into‌ ‌her‌ ‌skirt.

"Honey," he interrupted her stuffing her own top in her tiny handbag, "take off my shirt, will ya." No way ‌he'd‌ let her walk out with it – God knows if he'd ever get it back.

And he liked this shirt. Pure silk.
What’s-her-face ‌paused‌, and a ‌lascivious‌ ‌smile‌ ‌spread over ‌her‌ ‌face.‌ Of course she'd misunderstand; Alejandro had to suppress an eye roll. 

"And put on your own clothes," he added. Watching her face fall was almost as satisfying as her thirst for him.

No. Better.

The chick ‌frowned,‌ ‌but‌ ‌at‌ ‌least‌ ‌she‌ ‌did‌ ‌what‌ ‌she was told.

After she'd dressed she wrapped her arms around him again. 

"Will you call me?" She batted her eyelashes once more.

She shouldn't do that. Didn't suit her.

"Sure honey, when I have time."
More like, never. She was pretty, but God, so dull, only had sex and clothes on the brain.
Another frown, a half-hearted goodbye kiss, and out of the door she went.
Finally.
Alejandro went to bed.

S2/01. Trash Talk

1.3 Frank Cage
Spring 1998, Frank's home, Oasis Springs

Linda’s confession bothered Frank all the way home. He wouldn't have thought either Linda or Mae were the type to have an affair with a married man. Both women seemed as if they had a good head on their shoulders and strong principles. Still, he'd have been less surprised if it’d been Mae instead of Linda.

Linda, in particular, never seemed to be a very passionate person- at least not sexually passionate. Yes- she’d had a boyfriend, but they were so sterile with each other, Frank had never clocked them as lovers. He was floored that Linda would ignore all reason and act purely on physical desire.
Or that she had physical desires. 

At all. 

Frank shook his head, amused at how blind he’d been.
Linda seemed alien sometimes, but she was human, too.
Of course she must have feelings and desires, and Frank would be the last to blame her, God knows he’d made his own mistakes too.

Maybe it was how cold Linda was about the whole thing that bothered him. It made him wonder if he'd ever really known her – or if he actually wanted to know her that well.
Frank stopped and took a deep breath.

  

Maybe he’d taken it worse than it was.
Linda's affair must have been a while ago, probably even before they met, before she dated this Brian guy. Maybe she was just trying to justify it to herself – justify it to him.
Damn.
He hadn't held back on her, either. He never would, always spoke his mind.
Of course she would be defensive.
And who knew? Maybe she was ashamed to admit she’d fallen for one of those jerks.
Maybe she’d just made a mistake and learned from it?
Frank hoped that wasn’t wishful thinking.

  

Diana was already at his house, dressing her daughter for bed before she'd leave for the night shift.
Lana squealed when she saw Frank and wrestled herself out of her mother's grip to jump into his arms.
The little girl was the result of another asshole taking advantage of careless women – like Diana.

But Frank's frustration faded quickly as Lana bounced in his arms and demanded attention.
"Pace ship! Fwuuuuuuuu!" she babbled. 

Her mother sighed in discontentment. "Great- now she's all riled up again. You have to stop tossing her all around the moment she sees you." 

Frank couldn't help the wide grin spreading on his face. "If you be a good girl now," he said conspiratorially to his niece, "we’ll play space ship when mommy's gone – but shhh," he put his finger on his lips. Lana giggled and covered her mouth with her tiny palms.
Diana dramatically rolled her eyes. "I give up." 

A few minutes later, Lana was tucked into bed on the promise of playing with Frank later, but there was no doubt she'd be fast asleep before Diana left.

"What's wrong, did Marcus not get the position?" Diana asked while she poured herself another cup of coffee. She still had half an hour before work.

"What? No, that's still up in the air," Frank said.

Diana sat down and just looked at him. With those inquisitive eyes. Of course she’d noticed his bad mood when he got in. Frank sighed inwardly. It was about time he said something to her too.

"It's shitty how you're all treating Linda," he said,then told her about the scene with Dina.
Diana laughed, it was gloating and ugly, but she stopped quickly when she noticed he didn't find it amusing at all. 

"Oh come on," she huffed. "I’m shocked you're still seeing Linda after what her sister did to Rosa. I couldn't believe it when Mae crapped on their friendship like that."

Frank didn’t remember Rosa and Mae ever being friends, she’d always treated the redhead with hostility. Not as if that mattered now.

"I can't believe you’re still hooked up on Rosa's bullshit," he retorted. "Are you that desperate for some gossip?"

Diana glared at him. "What other explanation do you have then?" she shot back.

"I dunno – coincidences do happen, y'know."

And they were back to that discussion again. Frank about had enough.
At last, he noticed a glimmer of doubt in Diana's eyes. She'd hopefully come to her senses soon. 

"At least leave Linda out of this mess," he said firmly.

Diana shifted uncomfortably. "Do you like her so much?" she asked, a much softer tone than before. "Aren't you worried she'll do the same to you as Mae did to Herbert?"

"What?"
Now it was Frank's turn to laugh.

"Hey, we're all worried about you," Diana complained. 

"Oh man... you all got this wrong." Frank grinned. "Linda and I are just friends, that’s it." Though he wasn't too sure, honestly. If she was only a friend, he probably wouldn't have been so freaked out by her affair. And her cold reasoning. Okay, yes, he’d grown pretty protective of her over time, but he never wanted to date her. And Linda sure hadn’t shown any interest of that kind either.
Frank was content, and it was probably better like that. No need to complicate things.

Diana didn't look very convinced - God knows, maybe his attention for Linda was suspicious after all. "It's not every day you can find someone as excited as her about finding water on Europa," he explained, "and the possibility that it may be much more common in the universe than we thought."

As expected, Diana rolled her eyes and finally dropped the subject.

Frank smirked. No one wanted to talk to nerds except other nerds, because they wouldn't stop talking about nerdy stuff.

"Fine," she said. "Just don't get burned.” 
Frank tousled her hair in response. 

Diana stayed quiet for a while. She took another sip of coffee, then leaned onto him.

"I'll miss being here," she said. 

Right. In just about two weeks she'd move to San Myshuno to continue her work education in the university clinic where she'd have much better opportunities than in the small local hospital she worked now. She was thrilled when she got accepted at first, but the closer the moving date came, the more her excitement cooled down and was overshadowed by worries.

"You won't have time to miss it with all the new stuff you're gonna learn," Frank assured her.

Diana pulled a face.

Frank would miss her too, for sure. He wished she could stay at least another two months, until he had to leave for his own mission to Sixam.

"Hey, you're gonna be fine. You're a big girl now," he said, not hiding the pride in his voice. She'd come so far and gained so much confidence since she'd moved here. He was sure moving back to San Myshuno would not set her back again.

 She groaned. "As long as I don't run into them."
"San My is huge," Frank said. "It's unlikely you'll run into the Wolves. If they even still exist. Or into Martin. Or anyone else you don't wanna see."

S2/01. Trash Talk

1.2 Retrospective: Linda West
Autumn 1994, Newcrest university

The campus was noisier than usual, and it seemed every corner and side alley was occupied with intoxicated students and other young people from the town that took the opportunity to party with cheap alcohol and other substances in abundance. The semester had just started and everyone wanted to enjoy their last days of freedom before homework, projects and practical courses would pile up.

Linda couldn't blame them. Life was so short, after all, why not enjoy the time one had while alive? It could be over faster than expected. She swallowed down the guilt that rose together with the memory of her mother's death six months ago. Her mother's psychotherapist had assured her that she could not have prevented this accident, unless she'd supervised her mother all the time which would have been more harmful than beneficial for her recovery. The doctor was very reasonable, and Linda needed to be reasonable too. Instead of repent and mourn, she wanted to show her gratitude for the life her parents made possible for her with all its opportunities by continuing to live it to the fullest. So she directed her attention back to what she enjoyed most today; the brand new publication she'd ordered had arrived this morning in the university library. She had not stopped reading since her courses were over, elated to finally get her hands on it.

Time flew, afternoon turning to evening, and before she noticed, the campus cafeteria was closing and she had to leave.

Linda navigated between the partying crowd on her way to the bus station, still reading, the subject was just too exciting to put it aside for even a minute.

A sudden obstacle interrupted her steps and forced her nose to make closer physical contact with the magazine than she'd like.

"Woah – watch it!" a voice came out of the source of her abrupt halt, while some more voices broke out in alcohol-drained laughter.

As if he could not have watched himself, Linda thought, and apologized absentmindedly while trying to ignore the pain in her nose.

"You okay?" the man asked with surprisingly more concern Linda would have expected from him. 

Probably on sports scholarships, he and his friends, she assessed after quickly examining their chiseled physiques. Unpleasant memories of encounters with people of their kind during high school sneaked back into her mind. Annihilated was the intriguing effect of his scent – similar to fresh-mowed grass – and she firmly decided against taking a second glance to confirm if his smile was as gentle as her first impression wanted to make her believe. Instead she just nodded and hurried to get away. 

Apparently he did not want to part as quickly, however. "Hey-" he called after her while they continued to walk in opposite directions, "come drink with us!" 

More laughter from his companions arose. Linda rolled her eyes. 

"Stop flirting with the nerd girls, Ben, don't you-" she could make out from the group before their voices drowned in the general party noise and they disappeared out of earshot.

Nope, no way she'd make a fool of herself again by showing interest and give those men more reason to mock her. 

Yeah, stop flirting with the nerd girls, Ben, Linda thought, it's not nice to make fun of people.

She paused her steps, this time without a physical interference.
She could stay one hour or two at the party. After all, she had promised Mae to go out and not "rot like a hermit" before her sister returned to Paris.
With the newest science publications, she'd be perfectly entertained too, she just would have to find a decently lit place.
Linda changed her direction, aiming for the center of the campus.

She found a table close to a make-shift bar, it was also close to a make-shift DJ desk including speakers, but the noise was steady and regular and certainly less distracting than tumbling students.
For a while she was absorbed in the newest scientific discoveries once more, until someone decided to interrupt her indulgence again. 

"What are you reading?" Linda could make out against the loud music, and a hand waved in front of her face.

"A magazine," she said, slightly annoyed.

"I can see that," her uninvited conversation partner said, "but what's it about?"

Linda looked up to an amused smirk and dark eyes and found herself surprisingly appeased by their handsome features.

It's probably just the hormones, she thought, it was highly unlikely there were really so many attractive men on the campus today.
She realized the last time she had any relations was more than a year ago – and they were certainly not worthy remembering.

"Genetics of Powdery Mildew Resistance in Barley," she found herself answering. "The discovery of which genes exactly mediate the resistance or, at least, strengthen the plant's defense mechanism against the fungus will be exceptionally important once we are able to modify genes at will. It would be an easy task to prevent harvest loss and the ensuing famine if these genes could be applied to other grains, and maybe vegetables too-"

Before she finished, she noticed already how the man had trouble following her. Great, she got carried away and he'd probably found her boring. No one wanted to talk to nerds - unless they were nerds themselves. He didn't even look very much like a student.

Not even a sports scholarship one.

"Fascinating, isn't it," she added weakly.

If she was lucky he'd just leave without a mean comment. Then she could finish at least the article.

He didn't leave.
Instead his smile grew wider. "You're studying to end world hunger instead of partying with everyone? That's admirable," he said, and it didn't sound like he pretended to admire her.

His hand rested on the magazine and he slowly traced the edge with his fingers.
Unusually slender for a man's hand.
"Well..." Linda mumbled.
One could say she did, it was not entirely a lie.

"Can I buy you a drink?" the man offered and lifted his hand from the magazine to rest his chin on it. His pleasantly shaped fingers led Linda's eyes back to his slightly lopsided smirk.
Which was also very pleasant.
Bothersome hormones.

"You know, I never got the chance to go to college," he continued, and Linda heard Mae' flippant voice mention something about "the softer the wit, the harder the dick-"

Very bothersome hormones, so distracting.

"...I'd love to learn more about parsley."

And finally Linda was thrown out of her besotted trance. 

"Barley!" she corrected him, indignant about his lack of attention and her naïvety at being caught in such an obvious flirt.

"Okay." He laughed. "You got me," he admitted and completely lacked the decency to look guilty, "I don't give a- I don't care about parsley. Or barley. But I'd seriously like to learn more about you."

There it was again, that slightly lopsided smirk, and he looked genuine, maybe even a little apologetic, but Linda wasn't so oblivious that she couldn't guess his true intentions.

Alas, she'd probably not be able to finish reading tonight anyway. Even if he'd leave, she'd continue to brood over his impertinence. She might as well make the best of the night and maybe solve three problems in one.
Remove a pesky distraction, calm down some pesky hormones and test Mae's assertion.
For science, of course.

"Very well," she said and put on her sweetest smile. "Would you like to accompany me to the library? The study rooms should be rather unoccupied tonight."

She caught him completely off guard. Even if it was only for the fracture of a second, she took it as a small victory.

"Lead the way", the man said, his smirk wider than before.

S2/01. Trash Talk

1.1 Linda West
Spring 1998, The Rattlesnake, Oasis Springs

Linda hesitated to enter the bar. Frank had invited her to join him at the Rattlesnake whenever she felt like having a drink, and she had followed his invitation more and more frequently, until their meetings had become a habit. Not only Frank, but also his friends, Paolo, Marcus, George, and Dina, who were other regulars, had welcomed her warmly, and Linda had begun to wonder if she could consider them her friends too. During these evenings she had probably learned more about baseball and football than in the whole rest of her life. 

Everything had changed two weeks ago, when Mae had abruptly decided to leave for San Myshuno. Apparently, Rosa's husband had had the same plans on the same evening, and in Oasis Springs all hell broke loose. Rosa had always treated Mae with a strange curtness, and she’d declared Mae and Francesco's common departure as final proof that the two had run away together. Rosa's friends, who had always disregarded her constant jealousy, now agreed with her, and joined in condemning Mae at every occasion.

Linda knew of course that Mae had feelings for Francesco, but her sister was still deeply hurt over how it had ended between them. Linda was more than convinced that Mae had no intention to pursue Francesco again, and not only because Mae would never make advances towards a married man. However, this was the only defense Linda had for her sister, as Mae had asked her to keep silent about her confessions, but apparently no one could be convinced.

All of Oasis Springs' Bedrock Strait had hounded Linda to confirm her younger sister's depravity. When their efforts with Linda proved to be fruitless, their attitude towards Linda herself had shifted from genuinely welcoming to curt civility, and they’d started to question Mae's jilted husband instead. Herbert was another regular at the Snake's Nest, and typically overlooked by the group; until his wife had up and left him.

Herbert didn’t have anything interesting to add to the rumor mill, but he seemed to readily agree with the gossip. He and his newfound friends indulged frequently in searching for clues that Mae's affair had been going on for a long time, and could have been detected if they'd just paid more attention.

Strangely, Herbert's spirits lifted more than one would expect at the prospect of his wife having cheated on him.

Much to Linda's disappointment.

Fair enough, her sister's head-over-heels departure had been quite a shock for Herbert, despite their marriage having cooled over the last few months. Mae had been keeping their communication minimal since she’d left, and he still might have no explanation for her sudden departure, but Linda had expected Herbert to know his wife better than that.

The only person who was completely unfazed by all the gossip was Frank.

He was the reason she came to the Snake’s Nest again, despite having mixed feelings over her welcome among the locals. So far her social needs had been satisfied enough by occasional chats with her friend Delilah, and the bi-weekly gatherings of the local group she volunteered with to tend to the community garden. That said, she and Frank had met frequently, and she’d become so used to his company after a long day in the laboratory, that she noticed she missed it.

Conversing with Frank was so effortless. Though he was an engineer, and only superficially familiar with microbiology and plant chemistry, he could follow Linda’s thoughts and explanations easily, and she often found his practical viewpoint quite valuable. Aside from debating about "nerdy stuff", as Paolo once called it, they talked often about anything and everything else.

And Linda did not find it dreadful.

"You going in or not?" A familiar voice startled her, but she could hear the smile in Frank's tone. 

"Uhm... well-" she mumbled, "I'm not sure if I'm still welcome here." She tried to smile back.

"It's a bar," Frank smirked and held the door open for her, "everyone who pays for their drinks and doesn't start a brawl is welcome."

He was right. She probably worried too much.

Not long after they received their beers and had barely started debating about the possibility of a new mission to Sixam, Paolo, George and Marcus joined and they had to postpone their discussion. Soon they only talked about sports and Marcus' prospects to join a football team with better chances for the national cup.

Naturally, Linda could not add much to it, but she’d never minded if they spoke about something she couldn’t participate in, and was content enough to listen. She probably just imagined that the three other men deliberately tried to exclude her. However, just when Frank had left with them for a match of foosball, Dina approached her, and Linda did not imagine the woman’s furious countenance.

"What are you doing here?" Dina demanded with open hostility.

"Why, I am enjoying a glass of cold beer." Linda refused to lose her composure over a possible misunderstanding.

"Oh, cut the crap," Dina sneered, "No one wants you around here after what your sister did to Rosa. And Frank's just too nice to tell you that face to face. Fuck off."

For a brief moment Linda was left speechless at the other woman's rudeness.

  

"Very well," she said then. "I will not bother you further. Thank you for your honesty." She managed a curt smile, put a bill under her glass on the table, and left the bar.

Outside, she stopped to take a deep breath of the fresh night air. It had cooled down in the last hour, and she shivered a little, though she didn’t know if it was from freezing or from anger.

She'd scream if there weren't those few guests standing and sitting in groups in front of the bar.

Frank's friends were such- such boneheads! It was not Mae's fault that Rosa had married an unreliable man! And how did it have anything to do with her and Frank's friendship?

Linda wondered if those people really expected her to trash talk her own sister and lie behind her back to be accepted by them. She shook her head in disbelief at the presumption.

Whatever, Linda would certainly not impose herself where she wasn’t welcome. She took another deep breath and tried to shake off the sudden sadness that came over her at the thought of having lost someone she’d never hesitated to call a friend. 

"Dina was way out of line. I'm sorry." Frank's voice was unusually soft.

Linda was a little surprised that he’d noticed her absence so quickly, and that he came out to look for her.

"You do not need to apologize," she said. "I am sorry for barging in between you and your friends. I do not want to cause trouble for you."

Unexpectedly, Frank laughed. He put his hand on her arm and led her to a nearby bench. The warmth of his touch on her skin made its way into her heart, and her sadness evaporated.

"I don't believe for a second you ever caused trouble," he smirked.

After a short, uneasy minute of silence, Frank turned to her with a serious look, "They're not bad people, but they're pushing it too far now."

Linda was still frustrated about Dina's impertinence, but in a way she understood her. "They are standing by their friend. It is actually quite admirable." 

"It's not if they don't realize it's bullshit what Rosa is feeding them."

Frank's impartial position in this whole dispute had always puzzled Linda a little. She was grateful for his faith in her and Mae, but she wondered how he could be so sure.

Frank must have read her mind. "I had my fair share of experience with Rosa." His smile got a grim touch. "She's a great friend, but possessive jealousy brings out the worst in her. Not as if that makes him any better, leaving his wife with a baby like that."

"You must have known her for a while," Linda guessed.

"We met in college," Frank said, but didn’t elaborate. "Why keep an affair a secret after the damage is done? Doesn’t make sense, and it would’ve probably come out by now anyway."

Mae had been to Oasis Springs twice since she had left to make arrangements for her divorce, and her move to San Myshuno. Of course she’d heard the rumors too, and she’d asked to see Rosa for a few minutes to clear the air between them. Rosa now stayed often in Bedrock Strait with her friends, close to Herbert's house, and so Mae met her there.

However, their conversation went downhill quicker than anyone anticipated.

They had barely talked a few civil sentences before Rosa went on the offensive, first verbally, then physically, attacking Mae.

It took Frank some effort to pull Rosa off Mae, who got away with some scratches and a few less hair strands.

Linda hadn’t been there, but Mae had raged about it with plenty of colorful language before breaking down crying, then sipping on another cup of chamomile tea.

"Have you heard from Rosa's husband?" Linda asked Frank, but with little hope. "He certainly has to solve his own business, and he could help clear Mae's name, too."

"Nope," Frank said, "that jackass disappeared from the face of earth. Rosa hasn't heard from him since, and god knows why she acts all worried about him. She'd rather be mad at him than waste her energy on leading this witch hunt against Mae without proof. I mean, Mae is no angel, it was really low how she dropped her husband, but looks like no one cares about that. And now you're dragged into this bullshit too." 

Linda was touched by his concern for her, but something irked her. "Are you suggesting it would be better to stay in an unhappy marriage to not hurt one’s partner, rather than to give both parties a chance for a fresh start?" She asked, and she found herself having sympathy not only for Mae, who she had seen wither in her marriage, but also a tiny bit for Rosa's disconscient husband, who may have suffered under Rosa's jealousy too, despite finding it unforgivable that he seemed to not care about his child.

"Don't you think Mae should have maybe tried to work with Herbert on their marriage a bit longer before giving up?" Frank asked instead of answering her question. "I don’t know everything that went on between them, but it didn’t last very long."

Linda had to think a bit. Naturally, she would have agreed with Frank, but the fact that a single moment with her ex-lover had been enough for Mae to dismiss her marriage? After the two years Mae had spent with Herbert, nine months of them married, Linda wondered if Mae had ever loved Herbert at all. Perhaps it had been, rather, a marriage out of the need for a place to belong, to feel safe and loved, and it had gone awry in an unexpected way as Herbert made Mae more uncomfortable than happy over time.

Linda concluded it would be better not to try and forcefully fix what may have never been there.

"I think they were not right for each other," she said.

Frank raised an eyebrow, he didn't seem content with her reply, but he didn't pursue the matter any further. 

"I just don't see the point," Linda continued, her mind drifting to another person who she hadn’t thought of in a long time, "why would someone want to stay married to a person they do not love? This man I used to date, he said that his wife and he did not love each other, but he also insisted he would not get divorced. I am not particularly sure if it was because of his children, I never had the impression he was very fond of them. He rarely talked about his family."

Linda spoke more to herself than to Frank, and while she was evaluating Alejandro's sense of duty as being motivation enough to not divorce his wife with four children (and a stepchild), her speculations came to a sudden halt when she noticed the utter bewilderment in Frank's face, and – possibly a trace of disgust.

"You... you had an affair with a married man – a father? Of all people?"

She felt her cheeks flush with burning heat. It was one thing to be called out by her sister, they had that type of intimate relationship where Linda allowed herself to talk freely about these kinds of topics, but admitting her indiscretion to Frank raised a level of discomfort worse than she could have imagined.

"Wow," Frank said after a short break while he visibly gathered himself. "And here I thought I'm talking to Miss Innocence herself. I think I might have to rethink my concept of the world."

For the first time, Linda felt like she needed to defend herself to him, and it was a very unpleasant feeling.

"I'm not proud of it," she said, "but it was not me who wrecked his home. If I had refused him after I learned about his family, I could have hardly stopped him seeing another woman. Neither would I have been able to convince him to divorce. We were not that close, and we never wanted to be." Linda remembered the nonchalance with which Alejandro had told her about his marriage after she noticed his ring. It was probably their third or fourth meeting, and Linda was intrigued to know what sort of person this man was, while at the same time relieved by the implication that he would probably never expect her commitment to their relationship.

  

"Wow," Frank said again. "I would understand if you were, let's say, crazy in love with him before you found out, but this... this is cold."

Frank’s blatant disappointment stung deeper than all the treatment Linda had received these past two weeks. "I do not understand," she said, though she was desperately trying to, "how my involvement made anything worse for that family."

"Probably it didn't," Frank said. "You just picked up another woman's trash. I didn't think you could find a spineless cheating jerk like that attractive enough."

Linda never had seen it from this point of view. In a way, Frank's disapproval made more sense now, but what could she have done better? "Do you think I should have tried to contact his wife after I found out?"

Frank shifted in his place, then shrugged his shoulders. "Who knows if his wife knew that that marriage was wrecked. I guess it would’ve been best to just stay out of it. Including the affair."

"Oh." Linda said, and she finally understood. It was just a moral-related problem, and therefore not solvable with logic.

For a while both sat in silence, and for the first time, it was a rather uncomfortable one.

"Don't you wanna come back in?" It was Paolo who interrupted.

"Nah. It's late, I gotta go home," Frank replied and stood up. 

Paolo shrugged his shoulders. " 'Kay, see ya," he said and returned to the bar, acting as if Linda weren't there. 

Frank made no attempt to leave, though, he played with his fingers, then tucked his hair back. He looked a lot more tired than a few minutes ago. "Good night, Linda," he finally said, half avoiding her eyes.

"Good night, Frank." 

"I'll call you," he added.

Then he walked away.

Linda stayed on the bench, unsure if she should have said something else. She had the impression the last few minutes may have profoundly changed her relationship with Frank, and it worried her.
Certainly she never had expected her affair with Alejandro to have this kind of consequence.