Can't See

  Fox waited for another couple of minutes before getting his drink, brought by a maid wearing a suit. Fox took notes, imagining beautiful things, and took a sip of his drink. It wasn't bad, and it felt like his body suddenly erupted softly with 3 different breaths in his mouth from the back of his throat to his palate. But it lasted too shortly.

  The glass he was given was black, with the liquid also being of a blackish tone. Fox liked its consistency, but he only had enough for about 10 other sips. He now wished the taste was a little better, but it was fine to spend some time.

  Just as he was drinking down to 5 sips left, a rather distantly familiar voice emerged from behind his seat, making his ears throb. “Here I thought I would be the one being found. What are you doing sitting here, all bored and funny-looking?”

  Fox twisted his head to look back, staring at her. A young woman in her very prime, sparkling youth that many here lacked. Rosy white skin, golden chestnut long hair, and brown eyes. She was once shy and cute, but while vestiges of that time remained, she had grown into a young woman. Oozing the maturity of one, the tall beauty with small attributes outlined by an elegant, golden pale pink denim dress stepped towards Fox.

  She smiled and walked around the seat, with Fox blinking at her, following her body with his rotating head like a laser locking onto its target. When the beauty stood a meter before him, conveying to him with a smile, Fox sobered up and stood up, meeting this old lover.

  “You found me already? I thought I had some time to get drunk first.” Fox tilted his head a little to the left and ‘politely’ greeted her. The beauty smiled, closing her eyes for a moment, unable to believe this was happening.

  “It’s been not that long since the Ojazul School,” she shook her head and delicately shrugged in a gesture. “I could have never imagined this life for you. I’m really sorry. Don’t ask, because I don’t understand it myself, but I feel that way. Oh, and you were right.”

  “About what?” Fox smiled, looking at her a little like he does to Teon. She smiled shyly, blinking profusely before wording, “I wouldn’t have been able to handle you. I mean… it’s not that I wouldn’t dare, or that I would falter… I just don’t see myself putting my feet forth first before myself, changing and impulsing towards things not for me… not for my nature. Is it too weird?”

  “That’s just right,” Fox shook his head and blinked. The beauty smiled, her lips furthering that smile from ear to ear with her brown eyes narrowing in contentment. Fox added, tilting his head to the right, “You may think this as a weird thing instead. Being with you at that point in my life made me unknowingly realize I was still capable of things.”

  The beauty blushed a bit, lowering her gaze for a moment before Fox carried on. “I… got to enjoy more than I thought I would, and thought of things I considered wonderful things— not for me.”

  “Oh, Phesx…” Her eyebrows arched, becoming sad along her eyes with a tilt of her head. Fox shook his head, showing he was just fine.

  He caressed her cheek with his knuckles a bit, “You are something else, girl. From a scholarship to a mentorship, then a big girl who knows how to grow big and look like a little pearl all the time. Hm? You are amazing.”

  “Oh, stop it. Nothing but a few lucky chances, and the right words, and some coincidences, and… ahh, I’m just glad to see you again!” She stopped after realizing she had grown a bit too stimulated. Looking at the small dance floor with some light, slow music sounding around that area, she looked at Fox and gestured with her head towards it.

  “Wanna dance? I saw you that time. Come on, we won’t get too bothered there.” She didn’t look back and walked there, her dress giving her extra elegant and purity points. Fox nodded, following suit. He couldn’t bring himself to leave the pure lass alone.

  At the dance floor, with only half a dozen others around, Fox politely took her waist with his hands, while hers were on his shoulders. They moved at a regular pace, slower and faster than the others who looked at their dancing partners meaningfully.

  “So, how was your life after Ojazul?” She asked after dancing for a bit, smiling and narrowing her eyes at him, feeling contented like children playing. Fox shrugged a little, “I first went to Riverlye before directly under the government.”

  “Oh, I see. How about the training of your body? How was it?” Her eyes widened with the first answer. Fox could see the curiosity in her eyes. Even if he did not want to elaborate for her, which he didn’t, he could only humor her. “For a ‘special agent’? It’s a new hell. It also teaches almost-magical things.”

  “Really?” She asked with a tilt of her head, a little unconvinced. Fox nodded, “You’ve seen nothing, girl.”

  “Not a girl~. You aren’t even older than me. Ahem, so. What about your body? Can you resist poisons, or reflect bullets?” After pouting, the beauty asked again. Fox tilted his head, replying as he darted his eyes from the ceiling to her. “Well, my training was even more hellish. It happened because of the specialties of mine. But special agents don’t have such super abilities.”

  “I do have some tricks, which other special agents can also replicate… somewhat. There is nothing shocking like what you think. If anything, we can act like trained support dogs, only many times better.” Fox shrugged, not feeling particularly anything from the fact.

  “You’re hiding things, but that’s fine.” She narrowed her eyes, staring at Fox with puppy-smart eyes. She relaxed almost right after, lifting her chin and looking at him with downturned and narrowed eyes. “But that’s fine. I can do further research from the details on my own.”

  “No one’s stopping you.” Fox smiled in a teasing manner. They danced a bit more, with the beauty becoming more tranquil. She looked up at him, more than she had to before, and begun. “I know of a number of backers interested in what you have to say, or what you can promise.”

  “What do you seek?” Fox asked her after a quick nod. She freed her eyes, looking at the ceiling aimlessly as she breathed in before elaborating, “I decided to opt for what truly made me move forwards, so I built an agency for the recuperation of certain… people.”

  She looked at Fox’s eyes, putting significant attention in his reactions, to see what he thought. Fox nodded a bit more for her to continue. “In this case, I have put heavy emphasis on the members of the organized crime the government has captured. Not all, because I have made some inquiries. But I would like your support to bring these people to one of my programs.”

  “Does it involve rehabilitation and heavy labor?” Fox asked. The beauty nodded, hoping he’d agree in silence, unsure if he would after hearing and seeing so many things about him on the internet.

  “That can be worked.” Fox nodded without hassle. Something like that was easy to access and maneuver. Even then, with Piya Sanctum District, it wouldn’t matter if a dozen or two somehow escaped.

  “Great!” The beauty exclaimed. She gulped the accumulated saliva in her mouth, “In that case, since you- well, the government— is making those programs to make the corrupt politicians describe everything they did and exposing their shame… Can I make an interview with, uh… Carlos Medena?”

  “The ‘intelligent’ of the organized crime?” Fox tilted his head a bit, and she nodded again. He shrugged, “That sounds interesting. You will do it under supervision, and with my ‘pass’. We can talk about it later.”

  “Don’t you need me to sign a non-disclosure?” The beauty asked, thrilled but pensive still. Fox cocked his head, teasingly smiling with his eyes on her, “Not for you, no.”

  “Okay. They told me they’d be free around 7:30. We got some more little talking to do.” The beauty seemed relieved. Her eyes sparkled with longing, also showing ambition that reminded Fox of Fabiola. He nudged towards her, “Shoot away then.”

  “Right, I also know you got a great girlfriend now.” The beauty smiled, showering him with little eyes. “I want you to know I’m proud of you. Mn, she must be your dream woman, hmm?”

  Fox’s eyes widened a little when hearing this, further showing closeness with her last few words. He playfully squeezed her left shoulder, “Not a girlfriend, my woman. It’s more mature and official, and I prefer it.”

  “Aha.” The beauty smiled, before her face suddenly dropped. She seemed to look into the void before tracing her eyes to him. “She won’t go after me for dancing with you, right?”

  “Wel-…” Fox opened his mouth but stopped. After a few seconds, under her arched eyebrow and curious eyes, he advised her. “Just know that if you are awoken at night by a female’s voice, mostly cold, and you feel some strange object against your skin, remain calm. She won’t make any weird requests or stay there for long, much less touch you. Don’t worry. Well, if she did ‘go after’ you.”

  If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

  “…” The beauty looked up at Fox with startled eyes, almost looking terrified. She shook her head after a bit, dancing with him a little stiff and slowly relaxing. “Seriously, I already have enough with a project where everyone seems too afraid to help or support me to have a most beautiful woman coming to my bedroom for dancing with her man. What hella problem did I get myself into… again?”

  “Oh? Andrea can now cuss? The pure and sweet, virtuous lass has changed…” Fox teased, making Andrea look up at him with narrowed, murderous eyes of cuteness. Seeing her stable mindset, he smiled softly at her, dedicating a few more words to encourage her. “You’ll be fine.”

  “Oh, wait. You weren’t subtly asking me to find you a perfect match, were you?” Fox smiled, making her blush to tomato skin. “Pheeeesx~!”

  “Come on, I know there was something else that was good from my teachings when you were still a small chick-” Fox was interrupted with evil, small fists thrown to his chest.

  … Time passed, slowly and comfortably, unlike before. Fox was brought to meet those backers Andrea spoke of. What surprised him the most was a well-known face among the crowd, one that might sound more familiar to any Ly’s ears but wasn’t so much so in their eyes. Lázaro Rentería.

  He was the founder of the largest provider of white bread in Lymoca, along some other products of similar sources. Furthermore, with the past couple of decades, nutritious yet tasty beverages and snacks have been developed or bought and improved. Some others became the Bread Poeta company’s bought brand, sponsoring those that could be attained, and with a healthy but still too delicious of a reputation.

  However, it wasn’t this man one of the backers interested in what he could offer, although he did spoke excitedly to Fox. It was the people he brought with him, all from not-too-large business, but that were still decades ahead of the current Fox. Of course, that is considering he was doing things as usual, which he hadn’t. Ever.

  Fox conversed with these people, knowing of their interests and letting them know of his offers. Of course, this only came after they signed the non-disclosure agreement Fox prepared them.

  … Fox bid farewell to Andrea, whom he hadn’t seen since the Ojazul School, even before his mother’s death. It was a simple and light farewell, with Fox silently ordering to check any ‘traffic’ around Andrea Crescar’s information. Not to check on her, but on those checking on her.

  Instead of guarding her, where another hoog would notice sooner or later that he was placing a value on Andrea by guarding her, he would use a method to figure out if someone was keeping her safe first.

  After the successful evening in that gala, getting the gig of an entrepreneur… a rather extensive one, so to speak. Fox took a PVT to the workshop where his Myertha was being repaired… and upgraded.

  Fox walked into the workshop, feeling the reading from the entry he once installed. He looked around it, wondering if it needed some maintenance. But everything should be fine until the middle of the 27th year, not this soon. It also didn’t seem deteriorated or touched, so he could only think he either sharpened his basic senses, and his breath had given his body another fruit of his endeavors all these years.

  In other hands, his special agent’s ‘career’ had finally self-promoted.

  Walking to a corner where people were working even as 9 PM had already hit the clock in this side of the world, Fox silently stood behind Miros. He looked at his Myertha, with the Mintip well-placed at the sides, and the base for the Pugor container being prepared.

  “Here’s this one for you,” Fox bumped Miros’s arm with his wrist, presenting him a lonche of regular size. The young boy looked down and took the sandwich, then up at Fox in surprise. “Boss, I didn’t know you were coming already. Is this one of those you and Nala always eat?”

  “Give it a try,” Fox blinked, looking at the sapphire eyes without any thought. Miros gulped before staring down at this lonche. He unwrapped it and looked at Fox again, but by then, Fox was eating a much bigger piece himself, devouring it like a starving fella.

  Miros blinked, once again asking himself how good can such simple food be… Before he knew it, he had taken 2 bites, not knowing when the second started, and then not realizing he was almost finishing his lonche. He looked at Fox, who had nodded at him when he was engrossed eating, but Fox ignored him now.

  “Boss, the kid is eating, and his big brain needs it. But did you really bring nothing for us?” Mauricio asked after the team took a little break. They usually work this baby until midnight or so, but it looked like they haven’t gotten their dinner yet.

  Fox looked at their faces, all staring at him like he owed them something, maybe everything. Looking down at the bread and mashed beans pieces left in the wrapper, chunks of tastiness, and eating them one by one, he answered their pleas. “I bought you all salad. Is coming soon.”

  “… … …” Silence permeated the workshop. Even a guy moving things around his Myertha seemed to become paralyzed. The silence growing even there. Then, before everyone knew it, with Miros grinning without their notice, motorcycles parked outside the workshop.

  “Sargonde’s #1 pizza delivery! Are the owners here?” A delivery guy shouted from outside, making the mechanics walk out like their neighborhood was threatened by another community gang. Meanwhile, Miros looked at Fox, boyishly smiling at the boss.

  When the mechanics returned and sat around them to eat to their belly’s content, Fox was resting with his head low and eyes narrowed. He lifted it and asked out loud, “What would be a good place to celebrate going to war? With ‘to enjoy before possibly dying’ theme?”

  “… Boss, do you know anything your group would like? Something they enjoy better or more easily?” Mauricio asked after the initial startle, ‘leading’ the mechanics who tried thinking of an adequate answer. Fox looked at him, blinked, and dully replied. “I don’t know.”

  “… … …” Silence permeated the workshop, including Miros, who had an idea but didn’t know if it was okay to speak it so soon now.

  . . .

  A few days later.

  After the initial events with Lymocan forces’ mobilization, the misunderstandings and the skirmish at sea that woke everyone from thinking this might just end well and with a false alarm, or that Lymoca grew soft. The only thing remaining in social media throughout the globe was the Lymocan army’s marching line.

  They were fast enough, even if not arriving at that 70 km/h other countries can with a more coordinated army and advanced technology than Lymoca. At least that is how it was known before the Green Transformation.

  They could try going even to 90 km/h on the main roads, but there wasn’t such a heavy need to, and fuel wasn’t made of Pugor, but the ordinary materials. To transport all of that while also burning it fast would be foolish, and Terka could always demonstrate their craziness.

  Since they dared assault an embassy, they could very well attack a marching army in another country that has nothing to do with the war. Thus, 35-40 km/h were maintained.

  On the other hand, while this was happening, and the Lys remained numb, 600 years of not seeing or ‘experiencing’ such a situation, news came from the government to all of Lymoca. The president, Luis Heartez, would give his second term’s last government report.

  It usually happened in the beginning of the term’s last year, but it was happening now, months after the accorded, delayed election for the next cycle. Furthermore, there were big news pertaining to the situation with Lymoca’s celebrations, and a rumored reason to further celebrate.

  In the morning, at 11 AM of the 3rd day. Luis and the congress sat in the national chamber, where all the congress and the government cabinet members and their lower public officials could sit together. It was also where the presidency went from the outgoing president to the incoming president after the end and beginning of every term.

  At this moment, in the national chain, the event had taken place at last. After numerous calls for attention, Luis was accompanied by his cabinet at the high stand. These images were transmitted to all of Lymoca.

  Fox stood behind the President, standing on the right of the Lymocan flag behind Luis, with Nala on its left, proudly. The President would speak soon, with the necessary buffer only requiring about a minute before everyone had to go silent, and the President could start.

  At this moment, Fox spotted a man from National Scholars of Honor, a senator, who wasn’t walking around the place he should be at, heading towards the high stands.

  The man was of no importance, and he could make any play he wanted. From grabbing microphones to insulting someone in the face. But he just had to give Nala nasty glares after looking at the cameras to see if they had the ‘live on’ indicator on, and after giving him a sneaky glance.

  Nala ignored it, though her narrowed eyes turned lethal when he passed by her. The man was looking at her as he did, but at her lower body, not her face, or he would’ve noticed. Since he didn’t, that was fine, because it meant Fox could…

  “President Luis, I have only felt humiliated of serving the nation with yo-” The senator was white, had blond hair, too short, and was balding. His belly was a little big, but he was slightly tall. For an ordinary person, that is. He brought attention to himself by pointing at the president with his finger.

  “GAAASP~!”

  Fwip- slam! Crack, crack, crrreeeeckk! But before the man could take the third step in this manner, Fox took a long stride towards the senator. Grabbing the extended wrist with his left hand, only the senator knew what was happening as he felt like his bones turned into butter, and Fox’s hand were the hottest pincer blades in existence.

  Then, Fox pulled the senator’s arm, throwing him over his shoulder and right before the Lymocan flag, against the floor. The people sitting in front were already reacting, with those watching from the live feed still amidst processing if this wasn’t a bug or a joke.

  By the time that the gasping sounds were midway through, Fox had twisted the man’s arm with ease. He gave the arm another 2 ‘elbows’ to bend from after pushing his sole on the arm and pulling the senator’s hand on the opposite direction.

  When the gasps were finishing, Fox directly dislocated the shoulder, breaking part of the senator’s shoulder blade in the process with the same fashion.

  Finally, when the social media was just about to blast with what was being transmitted, Fox threw himself on the ground and lightly shouted without emotion after dislocating the man’s jaw. “He has a gun.”

  With Fox’s arm around his neck, and his jaw dislocated, the man couldn’t talk. Fox’s suit covered his face, only showing the senator struggling. Just then, Nala dashed to the floor, with an unnoticeable pocket handgun exiting from her right sleeve, wearing matching suits with her man.

  The handgun fell on the floor, which Nala covered with her jacket and appeared relaxed. However, her sudden movement, still noticeable by the ordinary eye, and her cover-up from something on the floor made even children widen their eyes in realization.

  More people, SA disguised as security, walked up the high stands to bring the senator away. But thankfully, nothing seemed to go beyond that.

  When Fox stood back up and returned to his post, not exchanging a glance with Nala, who stared ahead like someone just tripped, he noticed Luis’s knowing but silent stare.

  …

  Let It Rain's note: Phew, how far am I gonna go for these old characters?