Lucius stood outside the concrete building, its large steel door looming in front of him. He had been through it countless times, unphased and unafraid, but this time it was different. Now he had three armed soldiers standing by his side, guiding him against his will--not that he was resisting. He took a deep breath as a gust of wind swept by and caught his hair. It might have been the last time that he tasted fresh air. "Hurry up. You know the General does not like to be kept waiting." the guard that spoke shoved Lucius in the direction of the door with a small snarl. It was the same soldier that he had headbutted earlier that day, and clearly he was still holding a grudge.
Inside Lucius was escorted along some simple corridors and up a few flights of stairs. The interior of the building was perhaps what one would expect from gazing at its exterior; it was well lit but cold, its walls barren and eerily clean. Every now and then they would pass a few soldiers on patrol or guarding a particular entrance, with most looking like they were about to fall asleep from the boredom. When he reached the General's room he found the old man sitting as he expected, in his old vintage leather armchair facing the warm fireplace. Melioda's eyes snapped briefly toward Lucius before settling back onto fireplace, and with a wave of his hand the soldiers were dismissed. Lucius waited for the men to leave before carefully creeping towards the vacant seat beside Melioda, "You've never had armed men detain me before. What's this about?"
Alberto Melioda took his time responding to the man before him, deciding first to bring his cigarette to his lips and take a few puffs. He exhaled a sigh before returning his gaze briefly to Lucius. "You're surprisingly oblivious, my friend." He paused shortly before looking back into the fireplace. "People are saying things. This is at least the dozenth time you've interfered with the actions of my men, and you've been more than defiant of some of the committee's decisions."
Lucius resisted the urge to become defensive, knowing that it would do little good. He tried to settle into the adjacent armchair but found himself too tense to get comfortable, instead adopting an upright pose whilst he waited for the General to elaborate.
The general took another breath of smoke before relaxing his posture and leaning into the chair. His eyes toward the smoke-browned ceiling, he continued, "If anyone else had given us the trouble you have, they'd have been hanged for treason. Those rioters out there, they will attack my men again, maybe at night, or from behind where they can't see. Every one of them you think you just saved is another risk to our soldiers running free."
Lucius disagreed with General was saying, he believed that these attacks could only be stopped by attacking the source of the issue - by helping people so that they wouldn't resort to such means in the first place. Melioda knew his views well enough though, and at this point Lucius was just glad that he was being let off easier than most. The two of them had known each other for nearly two decades and whilst they rarely agreed on things, the two similar goals and respected one and other. A big part of their friendship was likely dependent upon the fact that they were both of the old world, that they were among a few who had spent more time alive before the hail than they had after it.
Melioda sighed deeply before taking one last puff, leaving only a charred filter. "I've never understood the point in filtering these things," he said, taking the conversation a bit off topic. Perhaps he was trying to lighten the mood. "You inhale the smoke from a burning plant and get cancer. If you're going to smoke, why would you want to die slower?"
Lucius still remained silent, contemplating what was being said and suddenly wishing that he hadn't finished of his own cigarettes earlier that day.
"The point is," the general began, flicking the butt into the fireplace, "I've been far too lenient with you. Your presence here is becoming a distraction--a source of doubt--for the men. The committee has unanimously agreed to exile you from the Safe Zone."
"'Exile'? I know things haven't been easy sailing recently but..." Lucius struggled to find the words in his surprise. He pushed himself out of his chair and found his voice raised and angry "What do you expect me to do? Wander the wastes until I die? Join our enemies? I have been loyal to the people of DERB, and from day one I have helped maintain and rebuild what we have!"
"That's the problem, Lucius." Melioda's voice was beginning to rise. "They're paranoid you might have already joined our enemies. You're less of a risk outside the walls." The general's posture regained his tension as he leaned forward, resting his forearms on his knees. "You're either exiled or executed: Those are the options. And after that stunt just a moment ago, you'll be lucky to get the former."
There was an awkward pause whilst Lucius regained his posture. He was not intimidated by Melioda, but was smart enough to be cautious--at least until a few moments ago. "All I have done, I have done to try and protect our citizens... just as you have. Men like us, men who remember what society was like before, must do what we can for the next generations. The committee doesn't see what it is doing, it is growing too violent. The harder we push, the more people are pushed away. How long before our citizens feel more oppressed than protected? How long before they look to others?" Lucius slumped back into the chair and combed his fingers through his hair, "All I've tried to do is reach out to those who we are losing, like the men that attacked the soldiers earlier."
"Losing?!" Melioda was now gripping the arms of his chair. "People who would attack our soldiers are already lost! They might as well be roaming Legus eating one another." The general and Lucius had nether really seen things from the same angle, but to Melioda, he wasn't even looking at the same picture. "We only have as much food as we can get, and everyone gets enough to survive. If a free handout is worth killing the people who protect them then they don't deserve what they get."
"Do you expect the hungry to simply sit around and waste away? People are going to fight and its sounds like you're just trying to cull the population." Lucius' bitterly whispered the last few words but then found himself looking down in guilt; those last words were perhaps too cruel. Looking up he could see the anger in his old friends face and found himself resigning, "I will leave. But is there nothing I could do to prove my loyalty? I will not stand against DERB."
Melioda fell silent for a moment, releasing a deep sigh as he slowly loosened his grip on the armchair. As he rested back into his seat, the man's gaze returned to the fireplace, whose flames were starting to dim. Finally, the general opened his mouth to reply, but hesitated for a moment before answering. "There is one thing."
Lucius felt a slight relief as the tension eroded, and found his own grip loosening. "Name it. You know deep down that you can still trust me." his voice was unwavering and firm as he tried to convince his friend of his loyalty.
"There is..." the general paused for several seconds, hesitating still, "a certain someone whom we've been keeping tabs on." The trepidation in Melioda's voice was clear, and very strange considering his usual stoicism. "This man, he is a weapon of the old world: A beast to be kept in a cage until the circumstances permit his unleashing. Supposedly, he was killed before the stones fell, but intel suggests he's alive, and he's been making his way westward." Pausing again, Melioda looked into Lucius's eyes, a mix of conflicted emotions painting his face, "We've lost several scouts trying to track him down, and the committee is unwilling to send any good men in fear of losing them. However, in your current position you are both invaluable and expendable. Sending you after him wouldn't be much different from death or exile to them."
For what seemed like hours, the room was silent, save for the crackling flames of the fireplace, nearly extinguished. Regardless of Lucius's choice, it would be unlikely for him to ever return to Theta, or freely enter any DERB settlement.
"So," the general said, finally braking the silence, "what will it be, Lucius?"