District 42-Chapter 329: Meeting Vick

Some more days passed after the long reunion that Casper had with the other Aesirs.

The following days after that weren’t the least calm, nor easy to deal with. Everyone who could do something to help needed to do their best in order to figure things out. Their struggle was nonstop and that suffering seemed almost never-ending.

Nevertheless, everyone was somewhat liking that the days were going on like that. It was always harsh to solve things that were out of place, but at least they could keep busy and not think about their dead parents, friends, and acquaintances. They didn’t need to keep wondering all the time about how would be their lives from now on, nor trying to accept their loss, or believe that everything they had before was now stolen from them.

Thankfully (or not, taking into consideration that point of view), MMA could quickly sort things out and bring more peace to the supporting base.

The man was just like a machine. He kept working nonstop every day, without eating or sleep. He was always looking for improvement and solutions. His visionary behavior brought many good things for the lives of the survivors and the structure of that base.

Their problems with food were solved, the many attempts to attack the base could be detained (most of these attempts were from the part of Frelsis who were outside the Castle). The citizens also stopped protesting against them, which was the only thing that they were allowed to do by the masks. He could make a contract with a Healing center in the north region, promising to lower their taxes and pay a great amount in exchange for getting as many supplies as they wanted for three months.

With medicine, food, and defense issues out of the way, he could focus more on improving what was already inserted there, creating a wholesome environment for everyone.

Again, even though he was late, the Boss was the hero of that folk, and the Aesirs were being looked at with other eyes. Nonetheless, their loss was still pocking the heads of those people. It was like a bitter taste that didn’t vanish from their tongues.

Casper knew a lot about resource management and negotiation, so he helped mostly in these fields, also giving his opinion on many decisions made by MMA.

People weren’t seeing his efforts as much as the Aesirs’, but he had a small amount of recognition every day.

He was thinking exactly about it while walking in the supporting base at night.

’Well, I don’t want recognition for anything at all. It never was my objective since the start of my career in the Yanke Forces. I had many objectives, and fame wasn’t one of them. Also, the Aesirs are a symbol to these people. I am not. They want to recognize them at all costs because they need a reason to keep believing that better times will come soon.’

He was looking at the stars and the many lights of District 42. From there, he could see quite a few slugs of that district, also as other important towns that were built inside there. It was a place with a good view.

Casper liked to walk through that place at that hour because of his taste for silent and refreshing environments. The night was the better time for him to do something of the sort.

While he was walking, he ended up stopping by Vick’s tent. It had been a while since he didn’t go there, after all.

Vick gained a tent just for her in the time being, which was more fit for her royal position. They also needed to keep her hidden from other people. If they knew about her serious condition, they would go crazy. That was not the time to give such bad news.

Casper entered that tent.

"Excuse me, Vick." He said.

"You know you can enter. I was waiting for you these days." She smiled at him.

Now that her treatment was done, Vick had her angelical face back again. Her light blond hair, almost silver-colored, was beautifully combed. Her eyes weren’t as exhausted as before. Her face wasn’t defigured like when it was after she took a beat.

That was the first time that Casper saw her normal face without a mask, and he got flabbergasted by her appearance.

For a moment, he hesitated at the entrance of the tent, but then organized his thoughts and went further inside there.

"I wanted to apologize for not talking to you in the past few days." He said while rubbing his neck.

"Don’t worry, I know that you all are occupied." She answered back, raising her upper body and sitting on the edge of the bed. She needed to drag both her legs with her hands in order to sit. It seemed to be a struggle for her.

"I am sorry for not getting there in time as well. If I could have had made things quicker, I--"

"It’s okay, Casper. No one can control fate, after all. We don’t know what would have happened if something different was done before. The thing is that what’s done can’t be changed."

The soldier got speechless for a moment.

He sat beside her, feeling awkward.

"I think I am just expressing myself wrongly here. It’s not that I want to just apologize. I don’t want to do just that at all. But... Even so, I think that it was all my fault. All the lives lost, everything that happened with the Aesirs, your legs... I can just look at it as my responsibility." He put his hands on his face, feeling his heart throbbing painfully.

Those days he was feeling the same way that he felt when his entire troop died in battle back at the Black Widow.

Vick managed to get closer to him.

Their shoulders touched as she leaned her body against his.

She rested her hand on his, also as her face on Casper’s shoulder.

That display of fondness made Casper’s heart get lighter.

"Tell me about yourself. Tell me what happened in the past. Your eyes tell me that this feeling of guilt has something to do with it."