Bastian understood why she said it, why she asked it, but that didn’t make it an easy thing to stomach. It was nothing but proof to the gravity of the situation and it was a damned lot to just suddenly accept. Hello your sisters back and hello, she has no idea who you are. Yes it was difficult for her…but in a way maybe it was easier to not have those memories and not understand the hurt involved from that other side.
Not knowing that lose made it easier to deal with. Where as they remembered the lose…remembered it all too well and now had it right before their eyes all over again.
It wasn’t strange for the fact that she didn’t know him and wasn’t sure what to do. But strange to think that the choice was his own. He knew her. He knew her face, her scent; he had memories that tied him to her. It wasn’t he who would have some resistance to such nearness but the woman who didn’t even know who he was. He didn’t seek to make the choice for her. He stayed still, letting her decide and finally come to embrace him.
It wasn’t as it had once been. But Bastian now had come to be used to nothing being the same any longer. Everything was different. Everything.
It was a somber thought.
An arm curled around her, hugging her back for as long as she wished to linger. And when she pulled back Bastian let her go, leaning back to sit down upon the stool behind him with a faint sigh. The words were…comforting and not all in one. The double edged sword of life. “Alright…talk to you soon.” He kept it light. Kept it that…easy end rather then saying anything that might be too much right now. No family terms, no mention of missing or sis. No mention of her name. In a way he needed to keep it light. He didn’t want the boys in the bar questioning or asking the old man.
He watched her go. Watched till the door shut and the bar seemed to return to its normal sounds and sights. The boys in the back chattering. The tv playing. It all woke back up to his senses but he didn’t find any comfort in those familiar noises right now.
Shaking his head he pushed up to his feet and tried to find something to keep him busy. He had a lot to think about.