http://clampfix.fanworks.net/re-fix/bf3.txt </head><body><pre> Between Friends Part Three Lantis wondered why exactly he had come to Geo's apartment, then dismissed the thought. He wanted to confide in someone, and he had only three close friends on Autozam. Zazu he felt was too young to be involved in such things and Eagle was at the heart of the matter, in no way objective about it. That left Geo, especially as Geo could perhaps give him some insight into Eagle's motivations and possible condition. "Do you have time to talk?" he asked. "Sure," Geo replied, closing down the screen he was working on. "Want something to drink?" "Coffee, please," Lantis replied. Geo nodded and pressed one of the preprogrammed selections on the drink maker. "Have you seen Eagle today?" "Yeah," Geo replied, gesturing for Lantis to have a seat as he sat himself. "You want to talk about anything in particular?" Lantis pondered the likelihood of Geo knowing exactly what Eagle had felt for him, and concluded that it was extremely high. "He told me he liked me... as more than a friend." "Mmm," Geo agreed, nodding. "So?" "Have you seen him since?" Lantis clarified. "And if I find out you're lying to me, Geo...." Geo sighed. There was no arguing with the temper of Lantis. He briefly wondered if all Cepherians were so intense. "He's in my room right now, fast asleep," he replied. "You can check for yourself if you like." "Good-bye," Lantis said briefly, standing. "Sit down," Geo commanded. "You wanted to talk, so talk. Besides, I'm not about to drink two cups of that coffee. One's enough." Lantis remained standing, simply looking at him. Geo sighed and stood, reaching for the cup of coffee inside the drink maker as it chimed. "I've known how Eagle felt about you for quite some time," he said conversationally. "Who do you think he confides in?" He handed the coffee to Lantis and sat back down, watching Lantis expectantly. Lantis sat back down, only a hint of confusion crossing his set visage. "Maybe it's just because I'm not from Autozam, but this isn't what I expected to happen in a friendship. Nothing like this ever happened to me back in Cefiro... or in Fahren or Chizeta either." "Usually doesn't," Geo replied. "On the other hand, this is Eagle the Precocious we're talking about. It figures he'd fall for someone different... someone exotic, from another world." "Are you sure you're his friend?" Lantis questioned levelly. Geo smirked. "I'm the realist, remember? I'm his friend, but I am well aware of exactly what Eagle is like. Who do you think has been taking care of him for most of his life?" Lantis sighed softly. "What do you think I should do?" "Don't know," Geo replied, shrugging. "He seemed pretty miserable when he got here." "He was crying?" Lantis asked softly, looking down. Geo nodded. "He seemed fine with it when he left...." "You know what he's like," Geo said, shrugging. "No, I don't," Lantis replied. "I really don't think I do, now...." Geo laughed. "Congratulations. You've figured out the first mystery of Eagle: he is not nearly what he seems to be, no matter what you think he is. If you think he is strong, it's because he's not letting you see his weaknesses. If you think he is weak, it's because he is concealing his strength. See both, and you may begin to get a clue." "And this comes from years of knowing him?" Lantis asked. Geo nodded, taking a drink of his sweetened coffee. For the first time in his life, Lantis truly had no idea of what to do. Knowing that he had made Eagle cry certainly didn't make him feel any better; it only confused him more. He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. "Hmm. You're really not used to this at all, are you?" Geo asked, looking at him. "No," Lantis replied succinctly. "Never had any girlfriends?" Geo asked. Lantis frowned. "No. I was one of Princess Emeraude's guards. There was no time for it." "You said Cephiro was peaceful and you seldom had anything to do, so you napped most of the time," Geo pointed out. "There also wasn't much contact with women," Lantis replied. "It got very boring." "Why do I get to play counselor?" Geo wondered, resting his head on one palm. "I'm a science major, not a humanities major." Eagle smiled in his sleep. "Pillar...." he murmured. </pre><p><a href="./">Back</a></p><p><a href=http://www.dreamhost.com/donate.cgi?id=216><img border=0 alt="Donate towards our web hosting bill!" src=https://secure.newdream.net/donate1.gif></a></p></body></html>