Transcendent Gene
Chapter 53: Settling Affairs [1]

Chapter 53: Settling Affairs [1]

’Ricky?’

Gio hummed curiously as he opened the door, seeing the older boy for the first time in at least a few months.

"It’s rare for you to visit. What’s up?"

He moved over, making space for Ricky to enter the house before closing the door behind him.

"Nothing much," Ricky responded with a shrug.

"I just had some things I wanted to talk about."

He took a seat on one of the new chairs Gio bought since his house received more visitors than expected in recent days. Gio pulled out a seat for himself before going to the fridge and grabbing two drinks for them.

He didn’t have much, but he could flavor some water and give them something to sip on while they talked, which was enough.

Ricky stayed silent through it all. When Gio sat down and passed him his cup, he grabbed it and took a sip with his eyes on the ground.

"I’ve been living in the city for the past few months, ever since we came back from the mine," he finally said.

"I’ve been living on my own. It’s not the first time, but it’s the ’first time.’ You know what I mean?"

Gio nodded.

It wasn’t an uncommon feeling. Gio felt it too after leaving the mine the first time.

A lot of kids in the Wasteland grew up without parents. Most of their parents had abandoned them because feeding a third mouth was a luxury one couldn’t afford unless one lived in a city.

If those children didn’t die, they’d be picked up by somebody. Whether they were raised well or abused was also a matter of flipping a coin.

However, those children, if they lived, would always have people around them. It was rare for them to be forced out into the world to survive alone.

If they were, they also became statistics. They weren’t a part of this conversation.

This was Ricky’s first time having complete and utter responsibility for himself. It was his first time interacting with the world alone.

"I’ve been working wherever I can find work. I learned that people have to learn how to read and write to get most jobs, but I can only read a little and write my own name. There are some jobs for me, but when it comes to supporting myself..."

Ricky’s words were heavier than any words he’d spoken before.

His thoughts were forced to become deeper in order to cope with his circumstances.

Ricky was forced to mature for the first time after experiencing the mine site disaster.

’Did he just need to vent?’

Gio listened to the story that Ricky told.

"Did you know there was so much that went into just living? Did you know that it took so much to just have a roof over your head? If you go out into the sands, it isn’t like this at all."

"That’s because a house out there is just some sticks put together."

"I know."

Ricky nodded his head. It wasn’t that he didn’t understand why he needed to earn his keep.

"It’s just that I don’t know how I’m supposed to earn those things."

His primary concern was that.

He knew that he needed to get himself together. He understood that he needed to change the life he was living.

But how was he supposed to do that?

"I didn’t realize until recently that I’ve never done a thing for myself. I don’t think I’m good at anything other than following orders. It’s like I was born to be an eternal goon..."

"Err..."

Gio wanted to say something, but he couldn’t necessarily disagree. That same thought was the one he had when he first laid eyes on Ricky again.

"...but I don’t want to keep following people randomly and ending up in shitty situations like last time."

Did he also end up in the mine because of someone else’s words?

Gio didn’t know what advice to give him. Realistically, it was best for Ricky to become a bodyguard somewhere and live a simple life, but was he not able to do even that?

’Then again, there aren’t many opportunities like that in the Wasteland for people who aren’t Sequencers. That’s especially true in Gastle, where the city’s security handles pretty much everything.’

Ricky didn’t just need to talk about his situation. He needed a solution that would allow him to live the good life he aspired to reach.

"Gio..."

"Yeah?"

Ricky suddenly said his name, looking up from the ground for the first time.

"I realized that the only thing I’m good at is following other people. I think in the future, I’ll need to keep doing that."

Gio nodded. He thought the same.

"But I don’t want to follow just anyone. I don’t want to end up dying over nothing."

Gio nodded once more. These were indeed words Ricky had already spoken, so why was he saying them again?

"Gio, when I followed you, it ended well. I made it out of the mine, I got to fly for the first time, and I made it here. If I follow you again, won’t good things keep happening?"

Gio’s eyes widened for the first time. This was not the direction he expected the conversation to go.

"You want to follow me?"

"I think I can trust you."

"But I can’t pay you? I can’t help you get any of the things you want, so why would you want to follow me?"

Ricky scratched his head.

"I just have this feeling..."

"A feeling?" Gio echoed.

"Yeah. Something is telling me that if I follow you, I’ll be fine. I don’t know what it is, though."

Gio’s eyes narrowed. It was fine to call it instinct, but in this world, one couldn’t automatically make that assumption.

"What do you mean something is telling you to follow me?" Gio asked.

"Umm..." Ricky hummed as he thought about it.

"It’s like a little voice in the back of my mind whispering. I can’t really explain it, but it doesn’t sound like my voice, so it feels trustworthy."

Was it possible...?

’Have I ever asked myself that question before?’

When he thought about Ricky, Gio’s thoughts never went in that direction. He’d never considered it before, but...

What was Ricky’s Original Gene?

"Ricky, how sure are you that you want to follow me?"

Ricky scrunched his brows.

"I’m pretty sure, I think? I don’t have any better plans."

’I never thought about what Ricky would do after I saved him.’

A lot of the people Gio knew or knew of and planned to save were good enough to make it on their own after he saved them. He could maintain contact, but he wouldn’t need to directly watch over them to make sure they were okay.

Ricky was different.

He didn’t have the same kind of future as those people.

’The Wasteland isn’t safe. There isn’t much stability either. For him, this place might be a death trap.’

If he was lucky enough to avoid all dangers, he could live the small life he wanted, but what was the guarantee of him surviving?

Even the Old Lady wasn’t guaranteed to survive if Gio didn’t step in.

’He’ll be left alone here for a year, but where I’m going after that...maybe that place is better for him.’

He didn’t think about taking Ricky as a real follower who would accompany him on his travels, but if it was just a matter of bringing him along to a better place where he could live in peace...

’I can do that.’

As a matter of fact, it was the least he could do for someone who’d saved his life.

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