Chapter 2

TRESS I

"That one looks like an upside down forest." Eb pointed at a vomit stain in the corner of the stall. Tress regarded it carefully as he zipped up his fly. "I suppose so, yeah. But are you gonna take a piss or no? 'Cuz I'm already done." Eb rolled her eyes and sighed. "You're such a romantic. Come on, enjoy the moment! You do one." He gave her a look.

Tress relented. "Ugh, fine, whatever. Alright..." He took a look at the vomit corner. It certainly deserved the name. Somehow everyone who came to the stall to throw up managed to miss the toilet entirely and instead ended up painting this corner in particular with their upchuck. The stains were dry, and ranged in colour from brown to green to yellow. They all looked like some kind of nerve structure, tons of little tendrils extending to the floor. A small yellow one caught his eye. There was a big splotch where the puke had landed and its tendrils met up quickly under it, making it appear as if it was tied to a small rope.

"That one-" Tress pointed at the interesting stain. "-looks like a balloon," Eb looked at it too, gold-emerald eyes glinting. "Oh, yeah, I can see it. That's the rope, there, and the big part is the balloon proper. See, not so hard!" Eb smiled at him. Her smile looked a bit weird, but it was just so cute to Tress. I could say the same about the rest of her. Eb had looked off since her birth, due to her parents dabbling into interspecies relationships with imperfect mixing. Though according to her, the way she looked today was a thousandfold better than what she'd looked like at birth. Physical therapy and countless operations had allowed her to live past infancy, even if she was almost permanently under the knife.

Asymmetrical skull, long thinly neck and purplish skin with dark spots all across. Thayj had called her a baffle of existence, but Tress knew there was more beauty there than meets the eye.

Back when they'd first met she was shy and reserved, but those eyes betrayed a warm and gentle soul, left untouched for too long. It was that which made him dive head-first into the crucible of love. And it was that which let her forgive him for his stupid and rude attempts. Through months of misspoken words and misunderstandings, they'd finally made it out of the tunnel and into the green pastures. Tress loved it, the way she cared. About her loved ones, about him, about the trees around them and the insects underfoot. Despite her birth, despite the difficulties of her life, she still had enough love in her heart to give out.

"What are you staring at?" Eb had been looking at him, Tress realized. "Oh, uh- Nothing. Just admiring the view." Smooth. She snorted out a laugh. "You probably think you were smooth with that one." He sighed. "I was just thinking. About you. Your life. The kindness you still have in you." She smiled and stroked his arm. "Aww. I love it when you get cute. But you need to get new material. You keep saying how it's amazing and all that shit, and it's still really sweet, but it's getting kinda condescending now." Tress shifted towards her, concerned. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"

Eb lifted a finger to his lips. "You don't have to apologize. But you could tell me more about you." He leaned back. "Me? I told you, there's nothing to tell. I was born, I went to school, and now I'm here. That's it." She rolled her eyes. "Abridge it even more, why don't you? You could make it as short as 'I went to school.'" For the quote she put on a drab and stoic voice which didn't resemble Tress' in the slightest. "Look, what I mean is, no one is that simple. Back when we met, you told me that there was more to me than just... Than... Nch! What'd you say again..." She bit her lip, hard in thought. Tress contemplated interrupting her, but decided against it. I know she'll get it. Interrupting would just be rude. "Right! More to me than my veil of shyness. That's what you said. And that's what I'll say now. I know there's more to you than just your veil of simplicity and laid-back... Ness... Icity? Whatever. There's just more to you. It's not just 'I was born, now I live.', no, it's-" Okay, maybe I should interrupt. Tress put his hands up. "Alright, alright! I get it. I'll try to go into more detail." Eb put her fingertips together and sighed. "That's all I wanted."

He thought about his life for a moment. Scant, half-forgotten memories came up. He remembered some moments here and there, but they were mostly disconnected or irrelevant. There was no story here, no narrative. Nothing to tell. Tress looked at Eb. She'd crossed her arms and was looking at him attentively. Fine. I'll just fill in the blanks myself. "I was born a little over two decades ago. I'm pretty sure the first thing I saw were stars. I don't know if the ward had windows or if I came out in an airlock, but..." It feels right. "But it's what I remember. Mom said I was a loud baby. Kept waking the others up 'cause of my crying." Eb smiled. "D'aww, cute little Tress, kicking and screaming his way out of the maternity ward. What were your parents like? You know, before."

Tress raised an eyebrow. "Before they divorced? Um, I don't know. They were working with the military, developing one tech or another. They'd be out for most of the day and come back home famished. My aunt took care of dinner and babysitting, so we'd all usually sit down in the evening and eat together. It was nice. By the time I was six, my aunt had stopped coming over, and I was left alone for the few hours between school ending and my parents coming home. One of them'd bring something with them to eat, ready food or something they got from the cafeteria at work. They always talked so much. Project this and equation that, it all actually fascinated me, even though I didn't understand a word."

"Is that why you joined the EDF?" Eb asked. Tress hesitated a bit before speaking up. "Hm. I guess, yeah. Suppose I always harbored a fascination for it because of them. Though I don't know if they shared that feeling." Eb leaned on the wall. "Really? How so?" I don't know, it's just the feeling I got from them. "When they came back home and discussed their work, afterwards they'd always complain about the tasks they were given. Or maybe some coworkers. Often, it was each other." Tress fell silent after that. Suddenly, his thoughts were racing. Did it manifest that early? Was the whole thing doomed from the start?

Eb got up and gently took his hand. "Hey, it's alright. You don't have to go on." Tress curled his fingers around her hand. "No, I want to." He could feel his pulse rising. "They always complained about each other. It was disguised as idle chatter and suggestions for improvement, but they both knew they were unloading on each other. And whenever one turned away the other'd always look at them with disgust. When my aunt left and it was just us three, it got worse. They started outright insulting each other, doubting the other's ability. And when I went to my room, they argued. Screamed at each other, like I became deaf the moment I walked up those stairs." He was gripping Eb's hand tightly now. "And I remember, one day, they couldn't even keep up that courtesy. Right there, at the dinner table. One moment I was eating my soup and the next they exploded on each other, like two wild animals. I couldn't take it, I... Oh god, I completely forgot- I ran away!"

His grip weakened. He slumped back against the stall door and grabbed his head with both hands. It was beating. He could feel his heart trying to jump out through his ribcage. "Holy... I told them that I never wanted to see them again. I ran out into the ship. I- I- I hid between two boxes in the trash bay..." Eb hugged him. She ran her fingers through his hair. "Hey, hey. That was before. It's passed. You're okay now-" Tress jolted away. "No! No, it's not! I forgot I ran away! Like it didn't happen!" It didn't feel right back then, and it doesn't now! Eb hugged him again, rubbed his back. "It's passed, is the point. And it's painful to think about. You're better off without them, anyways. Please, calm down." That pulled him back, like cold water hitting his back. Please calm down. Oh my god, I made her this upset...

Tress stumbled over his word. "I... Huh... Shit, I'm so sorry, Eb-" She looked up at him. "It's alright. It's all okay now. As long as you're calm." He hung his head in disappointment. "I don't know what happened, I just-" She rubbed his cheeks. "It's no problem. Stuff like this happens. Especially when you're reliving a painful memory. I shouldn't have asked you to do it." Tress looked up at her, desperate. "No, it is good. I need to work this out. I didn't stay hidden for long. When the authorities found me, they brought me to some holding room. I spent a day or two there. I thought I'd go to prison." Tress forced a laugh.

"Then someone came in, said he was some professional. He asked me about my parents and what made me run away. Then he told me that there was a case in court. They were divorcing and fighting for custody. Probably trying to put all the blame on the other, too. He asked me if I wanted to see them, and I said no. The news shattered my heart. I spent a week or so there, and the professional always came to check on me. Asked me how I was, if I needed anything. Never complained about his job or his coworkers. I remember, I asked him once, 'Why are you so happy? Do you work for the Candyman?'" He sighed. He didn't complain. He asked me how I was. And just because of that I thought he was the happiest person in space. Eb caressed him. It was comforting, it let him think again.

"At some point someone else came in with the professional. The judge for my parent's dispute, apparently. Asked if I wanted to come to the proceedings, be a witness. I said no, again. I added, not so subtly, that I never wanted to see them again. Later I found out that while my parents were arguing again, in the middle of the courtroom, the judge ruled them both unfit for parenthood. The professional said that neither of them would get custody. I was scared for a moment, thought I'd have to live alone, but he told me that my aunt had immediately put herself up for caretaking. I... I was so relieved, then. It felt as if something that had been crushing my heart for years had finally lost its grip. And Aunty took care of me ever since. Never saw those bastards again. And never had to sit there, soaking up their problems. Dammit, if I had just been Aunty's kid in the first place..." He could feel tears swelling in his eyes. Eb hugged him tight. "Hey, hey, it's okay. Besides, with how much she helped raise you, with how much love I feel she has for you... I'm sure she sees you as her own."

Now there was no stopping it. All dams broke and Tress started to sniffle and sob. He felt the hot tears stream down his pale, bloodless cheeks. He choked back the urge to vomit multiple times. Eb kept caressing him all the while. Some words came out of his mouth, but he couldn't understand them himself. Curses, remarks, probably. Oh, oh shit, it's coming. That was the last thing he could think of before he pushed Eb aside, slumped over the toilet, and added his lunch to the corner.