Chapter 22.6 Elizabeth and Berlin.
While Silas was busy terraforming on another planet far away, Elizabeth was walking into a bar. A stinky, old pub that smelled like ten cigarettes and sweat. It wasn’t a place a lady like her usually visited, if ever, but today she received an invitation from an old friend that she couldn’t refuse.
Her eyes scanned the dimly lit room and found a man sitting at a corner table, his eyes locked onto her, his smile wide. Berlin.
She sighed and walked to him, ignoring the leers from some of the patrons.
“Berlin. You called,” Liz said, taking a seat opposite of him and tried her best not to sit in something gross and sticky.
He nodded, pouring two shots of whiskey and sliding one to her.
“Want one E? It’s been a while since we last met,” he spoke as he sipped his drink. They shared the same trauma of losing friends, fighting together in dungeons yet the most important glue to their relationship was Silas. She picked up the drink and clinked her glass with his.
“Only when it involves him, which is...today?” She raised her eyebrows. “Why call me here, Berlin? What’s the matter?”
The old man grumbled and set his drink on the table, the wood creaking under the weight.
“He’s off somewhere playing god. But that isn’t the reason I wanted to talk.” He rubbed his face, looking tired.
Elizabeth frowned.
“This is about you dying, isn’t it?” Elizabeth was a smart woman, harboring suspicions and an inkling of the cause too.
He sighed and nodded.
“Yes. It’s a matter of time now.” The old man wasn’t afraid to die, he accepted death but there was some regret in his voice.
She sipped the whiskey, feeling it burn the back of her throat.
“I’ll keep him company as I always do,” Liz reassured him.
He smiled. Berlin had always liked this woman: she was perfect for Silas, she was strong, kind but she had a streak of obsession to her. The stench of stale beer wafted from the next table.
“Thanks E, it’s good to have someone that understands, you know?”
They fell into silence, the bar growing quieter as more patrons left, their job done, the last clinking glasses and distant laughter fading into the heavy air until only the low hum of the refrigeration unit and the alcoholics and the duo's with complicated history remained.
“Do you want me to take over when you die?” She asked.
He shook his head. “Nah, you have him and your family to worry about. Live a normal life. Let the new generation handle the hard shit. I got someone else in mind for that.”
Liz finished her drink and stood up, smoothing her skirt with gentle, deliberate motions as if something unsettled within herself before offering Berlin a smile that was both soft and knowing.
“Okay, if that is all then, I’ll be going home to my daughters. They are waiting for me.”