Four Paths with Bigfoot

Chapter 4 More Will Come

The sound of the ATVs speeding through the forest, the men had not been abducted by extraterrestrials, instead they were off living their boy dreams. 

Knights tearing through enchanted landscapes on metal steeds, their armor neon and bright. 

Once they braked and parked, Reston, Barin and Viviali approached the new arrivals.

"Aye!"

Reston exclaimed, arms outstretched. He pulls Fort to him for a warm sturdy embrace.

He turns to Nicey, "Hey Nicey!" he hugs her.

Says her name in a musical sing-song way.

She liked it.

Not because she thought he meant it in any other way, he was a public figure, had an image to maintain.

His charm  and  warmth was not fake, it was enhanced.

She returns the hug, trying to her best not to appear too happy to give and receive it.

Reston is a handsome man,

"He has social skills."

Fort would argue that was his 'public facing persona,' that Reston could be as aggressive and volatile as him, if she knew Reston like he did.

Nicey believed that could be true. Reston was a solitary person who spent the majority of his time in his warehouse studio inventing.

She could imagine him as a muted Fort.

Able to glide while navigating public spaces, never needing to 'prove' himself, his work had already done that.

All he needed to do was keep building, creating.

She suspected that Fort's underplayed envy stemmed from his own inability to build with others, without trying to  dominate them.

Reston was likely dominating, but he had found a way express this need softly.

Ensuring that his underlings did what he wanted, exactly how he wanted it to be done, saving his rage privately, for those closest and highest  in the pecking order.

Business partners, head tech assistant maybe?

Scandals dealt with discretion and of course money.

Nicey imagined how Reston a former "boy genius,"  now "Billion Dollar Tech Giant" could possibly behave behind closed doors.

Demanding high degrees excellence from his work subordinates, as he expected perfection from everyone in his orbit.

But she would  also have to believe Fort.

She knew Fort.

He loved and resented his younger more successful friend.

Nicey was convinced that he was envious that Reston could 'act out' and people would rush to appease him.

 Reston did not have to listen or apologize to anyone.

Deciding something was not his fault, then 'poof,' the fault was no longer his.

If he slighted or insecure about his ability in the face of a new ingenue, could he make their life difficult...if he wanted to?

Sure.

Did he snake many people on the way  up?

A high chance, yes.

The environment rewarded this.

Just be discrete.

Reston seemed to understand human emotions and business.

Nicey believed he was tactical.