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It was later. Keintem was still shaken from the entire experience earlier, and was feeling both empowered and uncomfortable in his new cloths. The leather jacket he'd taken proved to be of fairly good quality, even if it had been an accident on his part to leave with it. Kyotoshi had quickly tossed him the bag with the stolen cloths once they returned to the elder Hekshanian's apartment, merely shrugging. He hadn't expected anything in return, and had simply gone to the kitchen and begun to drown his pains and memories. Keintem watched him darkly from the couch, wondering what the elder had seen to make him want to loose his past so feircely.
After a few minutes, Kyotoshi staggered from the kitchen and past Kientem, shaking his head and grinning slightly. Keintem watched him, wondering why none of what he'd been taught about drinking was proving true. He backed his ears and resolved to wonder about it another time. Following Kyotoshi for a bit through the apartment, he paused when the elder Hekshanian sank down on his bed and pulled a thick book from one of the drawers. Keintem glanced in the drawer but it looked like it contained only that book and another, older volume. The fading gold letters on the other book read "Alice in Wonderland," and made him think. The words were in a Human dialect. Kyotoshi seemed to be completely oblivious to the fact that Keintem was watchiing him and continued to flip through the other book. Keintem finally realized it as a phone book. Kyotoshi was looking under pilot garages.
"Why are you doing this?"
Kyotoshi looked up abruptly, as if he hadn't noticed Keintem there before. "Huh?"
"Why are you taking care of me, why are you trying to help me?" Keintem finally brought himself to the point where he could ask.
Kyotoshi smirked a little and shook his head. "Craika, y'oughta know that..." his words were run together and slurred, but his tone wasn't hostile.
Keintem shook his head and watched as Kyotoshi simply went back to searching through the book. He still didn't understand this other Hekshanian. "No, I don't know. There's a lot I don't know about you, Kyo."
Slowly, Kyotoshi looked up again, his face serious now. He looked deep in thought, although his eyes were glazed and faded. The older Hekshanian put the book aside and stood, sidestepping a moment to keep his balance. He stood a few inches taller than Keintem. "'m willin'a talk," he said at length. "Whadya wanna know?"
"...So your she just left?"
Kyotoshi shrugged, sitting on the floor across from Keintem where he had abruptly slumped down. He was still drinking, and the slur in his words was worse, but it was the only way he could speak about such things without breaking down. "Don' blame'er...m'mean, check out the craika we got goin'n down here...'sides, kinda drove 'er off too."
Keintem's eyes were curious now. Even though it took an effort to deciefer some of Kyotoshi's mumbled words, it was worth it. "How? And why?"
"Promised'd never get into this craika," Kyotoshi held up the nearly empty bottle and shook it back and forth a little. "'b'vously that din' work to well. Coul'n help it really...When ya seen the shit I seen.." His eyes went far away a moment, thinking of the massacres. "Had'da watch m'own parents die, ya know? Get shot right in th' heads first, then din' seem ta matter where th' bullets went...Sure, we din' gerralong at points, but they'w'r still m'rents."
"I guess it is different to see them die.." Keintem folded his paws and looked at them. "I don't know if mine are dead or not. I can't get home..."
Kyotoshi struggled to get up but slipped and fell back, giving up on the effort. "Y'wanna be a pilot, right?"
Keintem looked up and nodded enthusiasticly. "Sometimes when I look at the sky I think I can fix things, or I realize how unimportant my problems are on the grand scale. I'd like to get further up there, see if there are any answers for me." He looked towards the crumbling sandstone roof, as if expecting it to draw back and reveal the night sky.
Following his glance for a moment, Kyotoshi shook his head and drank again. "All that, huh? Might be 'way home for ya too."
"But you said the mines keep anyone from getting out," Keintem pointed out.
Kyotoshi nodded solomnly. "Yeah, yeah...did say that. Bur'I din' mention th' races though 'em."
Keintem's ears perked up. Races? Could this be a way home somehow? "Tell me more."
Kyotoshi waved a hand lazily and took another drink. "La'er, la'er...races ain' fer a while yet. 'sides I dun' like talkin bout flyin. Lyika, member?"
Keinten sighed and looked frustrated, not wanting to wait for information. If there was a way home to his family, he wanted to find it now. He didn't want to have to wait for anyone...it was bad enough he had to live on charity, and the charity of a drunken theif too..."Kyo?"
"Mmm?" Kyo looked sleepily at Keintem.
"Kyo, why do you drink?"
Kyotoshi made a disgusted sound and looked away, trying not to answer the question. "Terrence, this's stupid stuff," he muttered to himself. His eyes slitted and he tried to drink again, but growled to discover the bottle empty. He dropped it softly to the floor and moved it with his foot, sending it rolling towards the couch.
Keintem blinked once. "Excuse me?"
Kyotoshi grunted and tried to stand again, this time using the wall to steady himself. With a shrug, he moved towards the kitchen, feeling the world lurch around himself. "'S just ol' poetry. Nothin' 'mportant."
Keintem's eyes shadowed concern now. He was almost afraid Kyotoshi might hurt himself in this stage of intoxication but didn't know how to keep him from drinking. He was sure that stopping the conversation wouldn't do anything. "Why did you recite it then?"
A snap sound as the cap came off another bottle and Kyotoshi staggered into the living room, leaning his back against the doorframe and sinking down, looking entirely thoughtful. "See..kid...th' world ain't pretty anymore. N' 'M here tryin to fix it up a lil' so nobody gets hurt. Can't fly 'way myself, but 'least I can help others. Can't think bout the past though, or else 'll kill me. So th' poem applies. Least some of it n'y'way."
Keintem felt sorry for Kyotoshi now, feeling the hidden meanings his words hinted at. He had tried before to help someone as he was helping Keintem, but was repayed only with failure. He had the feeling it wasn't the only time either. "How does the line go?"
Kyotoshi looked up and smirked slightly, shaking his head. "Nah, not gonna tell ya now. Go t' bed, kid. Gotta getcha set fer th' races, right? Y'need sleep." Lurching to his feet again, Kyotoshi walked unsteadily into his own room and set down the bottle on the floor, lying back onto the bed. Keintem watched him curiously, but decided that after all that had happened, sleep would be a welcome change. Lying back on the couch, he pulled the course blue blanket up under his chin and closed his eyes. The softness of the leather jacket felt good on his fur and sleep embraced the young Hekshanian almost imidiately.
Lying on his back in his bed with his hands folded behid his head, Kyotoshi started absently at the ceiling. His voice clear for a moment at least, he spoke. "'Ale, man, ale's the stuff to drink
'For men whom it hurts to think...'"
With that, he drifted away to a deep, drugged sleep.
