"You really pulled out all the stops on this vacation, huh."

Desolate, ruin, just looking like a pure hellscape. There was nothing worthwhile to the mess that Kanto tried to rebuild from the ashes of. Was there truly any rebuilding at this point? He felt sympathy for the region, because he too was in the process of rebuilding himself. It was a matter of finding all the pieces and making sure that although they had the cracks, they still fit together. He took a sharp inhale before he chose his next words. For a moment, he looked upon Lorelei in some surprise when she addressed him by name. Perhaps it was better for him to dial back the bitterness -- he found it hard not to do so given that this act, despite how restraining it remained, was one out of thoughtfulness.

"Really, thank you."

Such was the first time he hadn't snown the woman any form of animosity since his capture. Perhaps some time to reevaluate everything from the beginning was good for the both of them. He found his heart heavy at this moment of peace between the two of them and, without any prompting, leaned against Lorelei's shoulder and began to shake. No doubt the redhead felt the fabric of her shirt begin to grow damp as the normally stonefaced dog finally found himself breaking down.

"I know I shouldn't feel this way given everything you've told me, but I still can't help but miss them sometimes."

He spoke of his family. While it had been such a long time, at one point he really did love his wife. And even though Lorelei insisted the child that his wife had was not his own, he'd grown attached to her, as well. While he wanted to deny the truth of it all, he'd come to witness it himself: he'd seen his wife with another man, well moved on from his disappearance. The knowledge she'd moved on hurt him to no end. Perhaps it was time he did the same. And the stark resemblance his daughter shared with his wife's "new" lover shook him to his core. Doubt had begun to unravel him. Almost as if a pitiful sight, Roman lifted his head slowly from Lorelei's shoulder and looked upon her in a sense of desperation.

"Love me."

It wasn't a command so much as it was an answer to her question prior. Now that he had a moment away from work, away from fighting his own demons, he felt empty. And even then, he sought out Lorelei as his distraction. No begging to return home, to see his family, but a desperate plea that he wanted her.

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LORELEI DU'MOT

As his head fell covered, he carefully took Lorelei's hands. He'd never seen such a caring side of her, but she'd never seen such an emotionally broken side of him. His grip tightened just a bit on her hands, as if he feared she was an apparition that would simply fade away if he didn't hold her tight enough. He needed someone in that moment, and she was the perfect person for such. She knew him in and out, knew his fears, knew his struggles. Lorelei was the only person who knew him so thoroughly, and part of that notion made him feel guilty. As she lead them towards the hotel they'd be staying at, he followed along.

This was meant to be a vacation, but here he was, hardly up to do much of anything.

Once they reached their destination, he took a deep breath and allowed the jacket to slip off of his head and instead rest on his shoulders. There was no shame in emotion, but thankfully he had halted his tears enough for now. While tracks stained his face and his eyes remained red, Roman's focus fell on getting to their room. In that note, he could be completely vulnerable in front of his partner. He'd never felt so liberal with his emotions, even in his previous marriage. His wife had insisted her own emotional turmoils outweighed his own, leaving him guilty to offer any emotion that wasn't stereotypical of man.

As they reached their room, Roman noted that their bags had arrived before them. What a relief. But with the fact they'd found their way to their destination, Roman locked the door for a sense of privacy, and took the lead to their shared bed. He sat down, and soon took Lorelei's hands to pull her down on top of him. There was no malice in his gestures, simply that of someone who seeked comfort. One arm laid itself around her waist as the other intertwined fingers with her. Such felt like it was taboo, like they shouldn't find themselves in this position, but the other part of it felt right. As though this was exactly what they needed. What he needed.

"I don't want anything from you but your company. I know that in itself is a lot to ask of you given you're so busy but... I need you. At least in the emotional sense."

With that said, his eyes began to shine as if a new wave of tears had begun to wash over him.

"You know so much about me, but here I am, hardly knowing anything about you. Tell me all about what makes you, Lorelei."

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LORELEI DU'MOT

Her story resonated deep within him. Perhaps it was then he realized just how lonely, how miserable Lorelei herself was since childhood. Perhaps even before then. He exhaled a breath he hadn't realized he'd held in fear of throwing her off the track of her story. Soon enough, he pulled himself from Lorelei's grasp, only to sit up. It was fair for him to share his story, but he couldn't simply lay there like a scared child and do so. While he'd pulled away from her grip, his hand clasped gently around hers. They'd grown accustomed to touching one another without worry by this point, but he wanted to show that he felt no pity towards her for what she had gone through. Instead, he was grateful she opted to share her story with him. A brush of his thumb fell over delicate knuckles as he broke the silence.

"Jasper," he offered. "The man's name was Jasper, was it not? The only other man you've told this story to?"

He didn't pause for confirmation. Roman knew that was the case. Perhaps out of wandering eyes (or eye in his case) where secrets lie, he'd caught the name. Whispered hushes between Cato and Lorelei, notes that had yet to be destroyed -- all of it gave him snippets, but never the whole story. It was only fair for him to speak on his own behalf since Lorelei had opted to speak so vulnerably to him.

"I was the oldest of five kids," he began as he dwelled on memory lane. "My family was well off in the sense we weren't struggling, but it's not like we were rich either. I guess you can say I came from a humble background. My parents had the stereotypical white-picket fence romance that everyone wanted in a small town. I'm not saying it to rub it in your face, but there was a lot of love, patience, and kindness in my home."

He paused and let out a sigh.

"My youngest sibling and I lost contact years prior to everything that's happened. Nothing major, it's just that she chose to go see the world for what it was. Even now, I hope she's still safe. The other three siblings all lived different lives: my oldest younger brother wanted to be an actor and moved to Nimbasa City in hopes of making it big there. The younger oldest sister and I bonded the most. We just wanted to live simple lives and live happily like our parents. My youngest brother? There's not much to say about him. He died at a very young age -- doctors told us it was from uncontrollable seizures, the medicines they tried him on just didn't take. It killed both of my parents."

Another pause. He wanted to mention how his own disappearance was likely the death of them, but he didn't wish to rub salt in the wound for Lorelei. Nonetheless, he continued.

"But my parents had four other kids to worry about. I took on most of the responsibilities with my siblings, like making sure they were up for school, got the help they needed with their classes, anything to help alleviate the stress on my parents. They deserved it. Eventually they learned to grieve, and family life returned to a balance, but it wasn't the same -- it never would be. But that was ok, we learned to live with it. We grew up and started parting ways in our own fashions. I went into schooling and that's where I met my future wife. I can't say it was love at first sight, because it took us both some warming up. We have strong personalities and clashed heads quite a bit. But once we took interest, we really fell for one another."

It felt harsh to say those words given what he knew now, but it was the truth. At least at that point in time. He looked at Lorelei once more and gave a laugh of his own. It lingered with something bitter, almost as if he despised the way he spoke of his past now.

"It took us like what, seven months after I graduated the police academy? After we decided to tie the knot. That's when I met you. You made an excellent bridesmaid, but it's a shame you weren't her maid of honor given you were her best friend: she insisted that it was due to the fact she didn't want to be upstaged. But the marriage went through, we were still happy, and while we tried to start a family of our own, she went through the trauma of miscarriage. It put a rift between us. I started drinking, burying myself in my work; she distanced herself. So much time wasted as we grieved separately. But I wanted to make it work. I had to make it work. So we tried again and much to our surprise, we were expecting again. But well..."

He gestured vaguely. Bitterness rolled off of him as he uttered the sentence that sealed his fate.

"Turns out it wasn't even my kid. But you knew that already. You knew a lot. Part of me hates you for telling me the truth, but part of me is grateful. You've opened my eyes, and honestly? You're the only person I can trust."

His words hung heavy as he furrowed his brows with a sense of worry as he made direct eye contact with Lorelei.

"Please. Please don't make me regret that choice."

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LORELEI DU'MOT