It's Not Easy (1)
A few days later, in the 4th day of the 9th month's 2nd week.
Fox looked at his phone before calling Fabiola. She picked it up rather quick, even though it was just noon, and she should be in class. Academy's classes are something, alright. “Yes? What's uppie, bro?”
“Hm, what are you doing?” Fox smiled a bit, preparing his bags as he gave the youngsters a look and sent a message to Pamela. Fabiola sounded from the other side, “I’m relaxing. The class I was supposed to be in is 2 months behind what I know. This isn’t me lying, the teacher said only I and other 8 were like this. She’s pretty good, you know.”
“Mn, good for you. Listen, I’m leaving again. Pamela has started screening new guys like them.” Fox said. Fabiola fell a bit silent before inquiring, “Homeless school dropouts?”
“More like schoolless or homeless, but yes.” Fox cocked his head at the sides, with the youngsters around him looking at him, blinking. Then, he kept nodding in the phone before hanging up. “I already told her, but do contact each other each time I do, and get into agreements. Mn, take care.”
Fox then nodded one last time at the ‘senior’ attendants working here that were secretly candidates to become the new first floor’s clerk. Seeing them nod in return, Fox turned and left, feeling at ease. One quick call to Teon let him know she was being pesky to the person she was courting, wanting to spar nonstop.
Then, he called Morena, his therapist, to tell her about it, since he forgot yesterday. As for Mena, she knew. She always did. With a couple of millions still in his bank account, Fox didn’t buy anything, not even food, except for Teon, and left for his next assignation.
… This time, to his worst nightmares, it was to help people. Fox went to Jaewim. Since it was so close, past Coalely, he took a railway to the westernmost region of the state of Jaewim. Fox met with a White firster, who led him to a secret booth, and then, into a PVT (taxi) to leave the train station.
He traveled for 20 minutes before arriving at a used-to-be small mansion at nighttime.
It was candidly lighted, with the top of the mansion, no more than 50 meters tall in total, completely dark. That part was truly abandoned; once upon a time, it was known as a noble house. Not because of noblesse, but because it belonged to a part of the anarchist faction of the Lýlaco Empire, still surviving, which resided here to keep certain ‘traditions’ of an ‘Empire’ alive.
After its blatant betrayal, unearthed by the spies of the Empire, right before it fell, the commoners simply surrounded the mansion and killed them left and right. Only a few survived, spreading through the land to flee the home they became traitors. It is said at least a fourth survived.
Firearms were obviously well researched back then, but stones, feces or urine and fire, and fists and kicks, have always been known for killing people, any living being; one way or another. The females weren’t even groped that day, simply torturing them shortly with the worst pains before dying. Tendon-pulling was like water beside an ordinary plate that day.
Fox entered the mansion after grimacing with a pout. He thought back to Victor Ruva’s Ly history collection and wondered what all those things would have. Learning history, from the mouths and hands of those who left it in books, records, images, and art; was a new lifestyle to him.
Stepping into the entrance, the gate was opened, but it wasn’t like there was anything to rob here, nor did anyone want to enter this repudiated piece of land.
When he went into the mansion, everything was an open space. At least for the main, ginormous floor. Fox could tell there used to be walls, pillars, and decorations. This thing might have been burnt and have fallen apart hundreds and hundreds of years ago, only rebuilt later on in those times. In the end, nobody seemed to care for it.
“Ah, José! Seems like you made it in time. Can you see with those glasses?” A middle-aged man walked to Fox. The man radiated good father disposition as he walked over with a broom and spread arms to welcome him. Fox politely, and by compromise, hugged a little back.
“Yea, sir, haha. Thanks,” Fox wore his gigantic sunglasses. Ending the hug, he backtracked and pointed at his comical face. “My eyes are partially blind, and they ‘kinda’ survived cancer. I need to keep them on, or they won’t stop laughing. Then, I won’t stop laughing.”
“Gosh!” The man embarrassingly exclaimed, lowering his head. Fox saved him the trouble, “Where is everyone? Don’t tell me…”
“You’re 15 minutes late. Everyone here is from the outskirts, so they can leave at night, but not that late. Come on, I’ll show you where you can stay. Just a few days, right?” The man said, gesturing to follow him before turning around, walking away out the mansion. Fox gave the mansion interiors another look before following the man.
This place was just in the outskirts of a city nearing the state borders between Jaewim and Coalely. It was dirt roads everywhere, with the humbleness of a forsaken town, but the people and liveliness of a warm city.
“Even though you’re only here for some days, I want to let you know we appreciate you coming. Just your expertise might help the others and us counselors improve our methods. See you tomorrow at 6.” The man said, giving Fox a set of keys before leaving.
Fox looked at his cabin. Like the rest of the outskirts, it was warm and humble, even though it was cold and obscure outside. With no lights, even an ordinary person would feel compelled to step inside and get comfy, only bothering to turn 2 lights at most, to keep the silence.
Fox, however, saw many of the things he’s always been followed…
Ignoring the many gruesome, somewhat comical but never to laugh at faces, among eyes and shadowy figures, Fox went through the dark and searched for a spot to sleep on. Too lazy to go to a bed, Fox picked a long enough sofa to spread his legs and not touch either armrests at the sides with his feet or head, before leaving. He dropped his large bag on the silent, dark space.
He went to the small PSD workshop installed here. A base wouldn’t be necessary in the outskirts, but things like workshops, shops, and tech-repairs could be installed outside the cities.
… Time passed. From night to early morning, Fox received no notifications from the tiny sensors he dropped around his cabin, doorstep, and first floor windows. After a session of building bions, he decided to rest a little. After resting, Fox went back to the workshop.
Finally, at around 5:45 PM, Fox received a notification, with further footage showing the middle-aged man coming to knock at his cabin. Fox walked out of the workshop, having spent the last couple of hours wasting time checking, disassembling and assembling unimportant parts, and met with the man.
Seeing Fox already out, the man was a bit surprised, but now it made sense why. The man led Fox away, back to the mansion. Fox commented that, if he could have come earlier, he should’ve been told. The man humored him with some idle chat before going inside the mansion.
“This is the place?” Fox said, looking at the small places where a circle of a dozen to 2 dozen chairs formed a semi circle, leaving a few spots to walk in and out of with ease. It looked quite neat; to Fox’s taste.
“Ah, you don’t like it?” The man questioned, worried. Fox didn’t shake his head, but he said, “On the contrary.”
“Well, they are coming in about 10 minutes. Get ready. The one in the middle, to the right, is yours. It’s only 12, so that you can focus well on each person in your group. Is that alright?”
Fox grimaced. Nope. He wanted to leave this place, anything similar to this, out. Thus, he nodded lightly, “That’s perfect. Thanks for taking care of me.”
“Oh, you’re too nice! Don’t worry. We always care for each other. Alright then, pick your chair. After a few days, they usually like to pick the same spot, or chair. We even had to begin putting numbers on their chairs, and separate the places orderly. Also, we can’t put the circles too far from where they usually are. It’s a type of trust. Well then, I’ll leave you to it.” The man said, leaving his side to join his circle of chairs.
Fox raised his eyebrows, quite a bit intrigued. Then, he walked to his place. He checked the chairs and the numbers, as well as some who had some stickers and words, very thin and not widely spread. It was done carefully, not wanting to look vandalish.
After several minutes, Fox heard a flurry of steps coming in all directions from the outside, slowly becoming louder and louder. It was in the couple of hundreds at most. Fox heard at least 40 to 50 people walking together in groups. Thinking back to the past, of history, he wondered if this is what they felt when people came to burn their noble house down?
A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
“Welcome, I’m your new counselor. Take a seat so we may begin,” Fox stared at a group of 12 people before him. They all knew where to go, but didn’t know him. However, as they looked at him, they seemed to know the drill. Not even nodding, they pulled their long, expressionless faces around and sat around the circle.
“I’m José. The best thing I can tell you about me is that, well, apart from surviving eye cancer, I am well-guided in spiritualism, and I believe all kind souls go to heaven… As long as they know how to bribe the world’s guardian.” Fox said with deadpan humor. He caused a few grins to appear, regardless if they were ridiculing or containing laughter.
“Who’d like to start?” Fox said, soundlessly clapping his hands before someone could interrupt him and ask him something to cause some drama or tension. With this ordeal avoided, Fox felt 300% more calm. His counseling had just begun.
… After just 5 hours talking with people, drinking a bit and eating some pastries from a lovely young girl, who everyone treated diligently, Fox adapted to the mansion’s AA group.
An old lady in his group commented, feeling like a burden was expelled from her very own skin. Her voice was trembling and a bit rough, quite a bit old. “I used to make my boy get naked and spank his rear until my wrists grew numb whenever… whenever it came to be about my drinks. At first, he only asked me why I kept drinking if it was so bad. Then, he implored me to stop… But then, I started doing it if he just saw me drinking.”
The old lady looked down, mimicking some motions when manually sewing a scarf, or long cloth. Maybe tears would’ve come out, if she wasn’t old to the point she could only squeeze them out with indirect bodily reactions, like pulling one’s hair from their shins.
“And then… It went on even when he just saw me… drinking… … …just something, anything.” The old lady had trouble speaking and remembering at the same time, terror in her eyes. She seemed like choking and convulsing. At that time, Fox leaned over and held her hands.
He pressed heavily but harmlessly against the spots under her yolks, then his nail on her fingerprints, trying to not damage her wasted skin. He ended doing the same to the end of her fingers. It seemed to work for her, as she calmed down, and even began crying after giving Fox a surprised, long-lasting look.
Exiting the mansion later at around 11:30 PM, bidding the young lass farewell beside his father, Fox sighed. His cabin looked cozy this time around, so he stayed there first for the night. However, at merely 2 AM, he woke up without any movement nor feeling a bug nearing him. He just woke up.
He didn’t fall asleep, not truly. It was but resting his body, in repose, but not him as a whole. A little gadget some, like special forces, learn after experience, but for a special agent, it becomes an improved evolved version, one that although it only helps the psyche a little, is much better.
Fox walked out of his cabin, searched for a food vendor, saw a few obvious criminal folks hanging around, which ignored him after recognizing his sunglasses, and went for a bite in a 24/7 right-violating minimarket.
Then, Fox went to the workshop again.
He learned one thing from this AA group. They weren’t for just people around the outskirts, and those who didn’t seem to have lived here before have moved in after a few days, somewhat permanently.
At least a third of them were rich people outside of not just these outskirts, but even Jaewim, The rest were either from Jaewim, inside the city, or from the outskirts. The first type, although some showed pride of their status, they treated the people in the AA group as nicely as any other did.
The only difference was depending on the time they’ve been here. Those who have been around for longer than weeks were polite, while those months or a few years around are all easygoing and warm to the rest. The others, much ‘younger’ in the AA group, were only not offensive, trying to avoid trouble where they found help.
Regardless, there was something Fox hadn’t known of, or noticed before. Drugs. While these existed, and were apparent in the world, it wasn’t a problem that recurred into Lýmoca. Drinking was different, because it was the ‘least’ worsening addiction in the market, and legal across Resilient.
However, drugs in Lýmoca were a laughingstock. It is even said, in the netizens’ ruling social media, that Lýmoca has no drug or family critical issues, because it is all leaning on their levels of political corruption.
They weren’t wrong. But how did Lýmoca accomplish this?
It wasn’t a problem in the 7th century, it didn’t become one in the 8th, where the Green Transformation occurred. There were many reasons the Ly felt proud for, one of them, perhaps, is the warmth they carry. Among the supercontinents, it is unique. But sadly, within the same Moonblue supercontinents, it is also unique to them.
Even in the south, where ANS was once limited of their reach by the growth of Lýmoca after the fall of the Lýlaco Empire; It lacked the liveliness that is heard of in their past, of their honor and joy.
Fox ate to his small fill before beginning bion work in the workshop. Once it was 5 PM, he went back to his cabin and spent several hours in the AA group, surprising the middle-aged man when coming up 30 minutes prior.
The following day, Fox repeated the motion. It had been 3 days since he arrived here and began completing his task.
… On this fourth day, 1st day of the 3rd week, Fox walked into the AA group, only to find a new person sitting in his place, even beside his chair, with a new one added to the circle. At once, Fox knew the others wouldn’t like this.
“Ah, she’s new. We didn’t have any other spots, and your group seemed to have acclimatized very well to you, so she was sent there. She arrived just… ah, 33 minutes before you did. Could you please deal with this? She needs as much help as anyone else, but the others, I’m not sure they’d do well with a sudden addition to their circ-” The man came to Fox at once, apologetic.
“I get it,” Fox said. “I won’t refuse. This isn’t anyone’s fault. You make me feel like a person who likes to make trouble. I’m just a lonely soul. As a matter of fact, you might have played wingman here, heh heh.”
Fox smirked with open lips before walking past the middle-aged man. His faced eased immediately afterwards. He understood this fella well. The middle-aged man wasn’t a malicious person, and maybe a bit too softhearted, but he had a great emotional coefficient.
‘I am also softhearted, too…’ Fox thought for a moment, stopping as he upturned his eyes to the left corner, falling pensive just then.
Walking inside, Fox almost stopped halfway through. He looked at the woman whose face was covered by a white, intense-care mask, only showing one gray iris and light blue pupils, with mixes of both between one another. That was his Captain.
Fox wordlessly walked forth and sat on his chair, not knowing what to say, or think. He sat there, knowing he was supposed to say something. Maybe ask her why she was here. Loba, her alias. Nala Loba, her name. But he didn’t find himself doing so.
He wasn’t even anxious to do so, as if it wasn’t deemed important, and it shouldn’t be. Fox looked to the past women he’s ever done more than talk to, touch, have intercourse with, and even feel. Each of them were memories of his old self… and as always, and as of late, a source of shame for him. What was it he felt back then? Even the idea of having children seemed… tasteless and gray. Before, how could have he?
She remained on the spot, and Fox felt it was to wait for him, or something just like this, but… He could at least send a signal to see if she just came here out of boredom, for a task, if something urgent happened, or… maybe just to see what’s up with him during his assignations. But still, no; nothing.
Shortly after, people walked into the mansion, all used to the same deal everyday. There were breaks every now and then, but Fox’s scheduled stay as ‘Jorge’ wouldn’t get to experience such boredom. Whoever assigned him had at least that decency.
They were surprised, at first, about the new lass showing up. But seeing her mask, and what could very well be a worse environment she lived, they silently sat in their preferred spots. The old lady who spoke about her boy walked in and tilted her head curiously, trembling, when she looked at Nala Loba.
“Well then, first and foremost,” Fox went ‘Jorge’ mode and addressed everyone, already sat down. At that very same instant when he began speaking, Nala Loba turned her only eye towards him, almost as if snapping at him with a regular pace.
“This is a new ingredient to our spicy sauce,” Fox gestured to her. “She will introduce herself, and then, we might hear something from her. If anyone wants to ask her something, she’ll let me know if she’ll answer. Then, you guys can go ahead. Alright, expose your nature to us, lady.”
In the same instant Fox thought she’d look at him and at least narrow her eye, the only visible one anyway, Nala Loba nodded and meekly sat upright to face them properly. She wore a white plated skirt, but also white jeans.
“My name is Wolf, nice to meet everyone. I’m just being polite,” she gestured in the second half of her sentence with her left arm swinging in the air, appearing easygoing and humorous. The group warmed up a bit, feeling she was just the young lass everyone adored in their family. If they had one; a family.
“I had… an addiction after a certain point in my life. That addiction changed a little when something happened in it, ah, my life.” Her voice was like dinging bells sounding and ringing in consecutive motion, yet indifferent and cold, with an aloof touch. “I am 25 years old, born in 1,000. Índigo person, if you will it.”
She gestured cutely and a little dumb. Inadvertently, for Fox, she gained his attention. His sunglasses moved even more dumbly. The group welcomed ‘Wolf’ into the group, with some voicing the notion, while others nodding with crossed arms or just staring.
“Will you be okay with questioning?” Fox asked, assuming a cheap lawyer’s attitude, crudely asking Wolf this. Yet, once again surprising him, Fox received a light, meek nod from her. He pouted his lips a bit, reacting, before a bald man with a gray shirt unfolded his crossed arms and pointed at her. His voice was broken and like a pair of fiber sponges scrapping together. A little like Fox’s, but much lower and weak.
“What are you suffering now, you were saying? Like, you said something about your addiction changing after something occurred. What occurred? Did it make your addiction worse?”
“Yes…” Nala Loba remained quiet for a few seconds before responding in a small voice. She added, slightly elevating her voice, “I lost someone so important I almost lost myself. Even after I recuperated. I almost lost myself again… until I saw someone whose resemblance took to that person I lost— so quickly, too.”
Nala Loba directly answered, but Fox felt a strange notion surround him, like an aura. Of course, this was just like pheromones between living beings, albeit perhaps influenced by their trained bodies by breath. A sensation of being watched… of being taken into consideration.
“And are you single?” The same man asked, widening his eyes brightly, almost like looking at a small animal. Fox turned his head to him, sternly calling out, “Hernán…”
“S- sorry…” The man widened his eyes further upon hearing Fox, but their contents shrank instead. Fox’s face, albeit mostly hidden and his eyes unavailable, pined his spirits and dumb intention down.
This wasn’t because of the improperness from the man, Fox realized this quickly and felt it within his chest. Nala Loba, for whatever reason, looked at him as he did. Fox only noticed a few seconds after he piped the man down. After remaining silent for a little while, he shook his head awake and echoed his words, “That is enough. You may continue to be here, or leave. Now, let’s hear others, alright?”
…