Chapter 480 - Days MCMLXXXVIII - MCMXCIII, Part IV

I immediately tried a piece of my salmon, since I was very hungry. It was very fancy looking on the plate,w it the drops of the source, and some green stuff, but just a peak on her chicken tikka masala was enough to make me sure I should have gone with the same instead. Unfortunately for me, it was too late for a change.

Normally I would probably devour the food, but since I didn't want to make a fool out of myself, I kept my manners.

- So, what's next for you? - Sudarshana restarted the conversation. - You know my plans for the future, but you didn't share yours with me.

- I did. I need to finish the house for my mother, then I will probably build one in Poland. I also need to watch over Tihana. 

- So no grand hunting? No deals with countries around the world, nothing like that? I thought you guys all were mad about getting stronger and stronger.

- I'm strong enough for now. Maybe I will help Marcella a bit.

- She is the one running the hospital, isn't she? I wonder what she will be able to do if she gets better at her healing magic. Maybe she will be able to cure cancer.

- Yeah, she will.

- How are you so sure? Don't tell me...

- Yep. I'm a better healer than her - I smiled.

She half hasped, half laughed.

- You can cure cancer?

- Yeah.

- That's... That's amazing! - She quickly calmed herself down, since her sudden outburst caught the attention of other people.

- I'm just one guy. I won't be the change for the whole world, but if we work hard enough, with the help of the device, we can get rid of the diseases in the whole world.

- I understand - she whispered back - but you could help plenty of people even now.

- If I start helping people, I won't stop. They will take me from hospital to hospital on a never-ending tour. Not only I don't want that, but this would also be a bad deal for Ark. They need me there to keep things on the right track. It might sound cruel, but if we want to have a bright future, we have to do some sacrifices now.

- But...

- You might not realize this, but until very recently there has been a constant power struggle in Ark. There could be a bunch of very different people leading the city, and things would look much worse. Maybe we more or less manage d to put our house in order, but there are still neighbors who want a piece of our pie. If not for the barriers India would probably have militarized this place completely. There could have been a war over it too.  We managed to protect it for now, but I'm still needed there.

She slowly nodded.

- I understand. Maybe my view of the place was too naive - she smiled again at me.

It was a sad smile.

- We are making a progress, but it will still take time. People right now see us as an Indian asset, not a free city. It will change though, and we will change the world for the better. All we need is a bit more time. Then plenty of healers will emerge and help those in need. We will slowly make a paradise out of this planet. I even have a small project of my own.

- Tell me about it.

- I want to build greenhouses and provide free food wherever it's needed. I learned recently a way to enrich the soil, so this should help. I also can create water, so there is potential.

- That sounds amazing. I have to apologize to you... I've been thinking too little of you, Peter. I thought you were a simple, selfish person. Even a womanizer. Now I realized, you have a good heart.

- Thank you.

- Let's maybe change topics, because this feels a bit awkward to me.

- Sure. What do you want to talk about?

- Maybe about the show? - she proposed.

- Oh, so you were just waiting for an opportunity to squeeze out some juicy secrets from me, huh?

- No, I didn't! - she protested.

I winked at her, and this caused her to lough.

- I already know your tactic, Peter. It won't work twice. If you want to tell me, you will tell me, if you don't, then you won't. I'm not gonna invite you to my bed so you would spill the beans.

- Too bad, that would definitely help.

She narrowed her eyes.

- Very funny. I'm a decent girl. I don't do such things.

- Ok. I'll have to accept that.

- That was unexpected. No clever return? No inappropriate remark? You are just giving up.

- Aa I said, I'm accepting you won't invite me into your bed. The only thing left for me is to invite you to mine.

She smiled yet again and shook her head.

- You are unbelievable.

- I prefer breathtaking or handsome, but I will take the 'unbelievable' too.

- That wasn't a compliment - she argued.

- For me it was.

- You really are like a pretty teenager.

- And that's only one of my many virtues.

She laughed again, then sighed, and finally took a sip of wine.

- It has been a lovely dinner, but I have to go. I need to buy proper clothes for the filming, so I will have a busy day tomorrow. Thank you for the company.

I bowed slightly.

- It has been a pleasure for me as well.

Then we called a waiter and split the bill in half. She went to her room, and I went to mine. To tell you the truth, I expected a bit more from that evening, but I was wrong. There was e moment when I considered going to her room, and knocking on the door, just to see what will happen, but then I thought that it was a bad idea.

In the end, I took a long shower and sat on the red armchair, but the table next to the window with an ocean view, and pulled out my notebook, to write at least a few words.

It was dark outside, so I could barely see the waves. There were no stairs in the sky. Not the perfect setup for the creative mind, but I didn't have to be creative.. All I needed to do, was bring the memories, and write what happened in the past.