Screeching Gears
A couple of days later, Nol left Fox's side. Currently, the government was employing a geopolitical event of sorts, where they'd cooperate with some southern countries in a naval practice. Neither of the participating countries had something bigger than a frigate, and only a few had submarines, not including Lýmoca. All in all, it was a simple cooperation. It became even more notorious after the incident at the beginning of the month.
It was a practice that usually happened after entering the SO, and in terms of peacefulness, as a means to show cooperation and support between neighboring countries to any other. It also served somewhat of a reminder to remain united. Of course, that didn’t work well until the end of massive periods of war in the 5th century, with the Total Change War Period.
Regardless, while people worried about naval practices and cooperation, Lýmoca serving as a guest to their Ly Ocean and the Lyclan Sea with the Endessa, Carnage, and the Pyot Island, Meztle Island, and Argopolas nations, Fox continued the tour.
He went ‘alone’ to Sargonde. He wasn’t just by himself, as he had a team that were all paid to do their work, and had to be screened for professionalism, afraid of the opposition’s plays. Furthermore, there were fewer NF’s members than one would anticipate, further showing the importance Fox had in the future for this political party.
Of course, neither Fox nor the party members minded it. Fox was paid, and they were contented as long as everything went and ended well. Moreover, the hired workers to prepare the stages, accommodate more and more space as Fox’s tour gained popularity, and stuff, were rather respectful. Nobody really wanted to be faulty or careless when dealing with the Fox.
The morning Fox prepared to meet with a little someone who has a bunch of concerts in this place, and some guest programs in the national network, he met a little someone. Just before leaving the hotel room he had just arrived to, showered and prepared for some free advertising from someone influential, ‘she’ stood in front of his door.
“Nala- Captain?” Fox widened his eyes at the surprise. He smiled after being taken by surprise by her again. Only she could sneak upon him while being right in front of him, even if there was a wall or a door in between.
“Excited to meet your previous client?” Nala Loba casually asked him, looking at him with her arms relaxed down her hips. She wore a suit, although a specially designed one. It was like Fox’s in terms of colors, but it had a much broader aperture in the middle below her sternum. She wore a sky blue shirt underneath, buttoned with light blue colors.
She had a hair addition, an ornament, simulating a long ponytail, but this one was too thin and more like an elongated lock of hair. Nala Loba looked at Fox and waited for a reply, patient and quiet. Fox blinked before speaking, his smile eased. “I was just going there. Will Captain follow me?”
“Let’s go,” Nala Loba tilted her head backwards, gesturing. Her move was every bit of freshness. Fox nodded, and so, they walked out of his hotel room and on their way out. Fox talked to her as they walked, “How come you have come, Captain?”
“I happened to be the one coming, that’s it.” Nala Loba walked and spoke, receiving a nod from Fox, who directly asked again. “But isn’t the naval cooperation happening these days? You must be missing that, leaving it to Akina or Nol, right?”
“It’s just an event. Nothing like that can beat the importance of my person. The only thing I want to put my attention to is the things that don’t waste my time. I rather keep teaching you leadership than spend days at sea, or some shores.” She spoke in her natural voice.
“Mhm, did they offer you any pay when you first rejected it?” Fox nodded, thinking before inquiring, wanting to know the sum. But Nala Loba shook her head, blinking a bit slowly, “No.”
“Huh? Then how?” Fox was a bit taken aback. Nala Loba turned her head to him, her eyes rapidly moving from his mouth to his eyes, “I didn’t respond and came here.”
“… You took a flight?” Fox’s speechlessness as he looked at her aloof expression didn’t last long. Nala Loba nodded. Fox blinked and inquired again, “Colmillo helped you?”
“Mhm,” Nala Loba exclaimed before staring ahead, where the elevator was waiting for them with its doors open, and completely empty. Fox nodded, pursed his lower lip up with a cocking motion of his head, and walked into the elevator with her.
Once inside, she pressed a button, heading to the main, first floor. After the doors closed, they remained silent. The elevator was pretty basic regarding size, with only 2-people space between the two of them. They were quite high up in the hotel, so it would take a bit to reach the first floor.
“How is Selena looking like nowadays?” Nala Loba voiced. Fox looked at her. She spoke just as he was about to, feeling like she did it on purpose. After looking at her for long enough, he tilted his head with his eyes up, “Not seen much of her, only a few images from recent contracts.”
“How many clothes did she have in those few images?” She asked. Fox blinked twice, letting silence prevail, before blurting out, “She covered her groin while showing her bra.”
“…” Nala Loba ‘led’ the ensuing silence. A few moments later, she turned her head to Fox, her hair lock swinging from repose to the side. “She must be so pretty to even be noticed by you.”
“Her hair is wavy, that… is something.” Fox hesitated for a moment before saying those words on the second half of his phrase. Nala Loba nodded a bit slowly again, moving her lips afterwards. “So she is pretty, and on the right ways. Considering Sona, what motivates you to meet so many women of such caliber?”
“Caliber?” Fox asked, repeating the word. Nala Loba nodded a bit, staring ahead with her eyes showing a bit more coldness than usual. “They are all those who you’ve seen naked. Miss Sona? You were body-lovers. Miss Selena? Who knows?”
“…” Fox offered no comment, and the elevator died in silence. Yet, still 12 floors from the ground, Fox leaned a bit to the right and hushed his words. “Wavy hair is something, but short… is key.”
He then returned to stand in good position in the elevator, looking like a straight halberd with fantastical curved blades at the sides, hooked and twisted additions. When they were still 3 floors from the ground, Fox muttered, “I was never without a piece of cloth when Selena was indeed otherwise. Only with you, Miss Captain.”
His words leaving her startled, Fox walked out of the elevator as soon as its doors opened. His back distanced more and more, so she shook her head a bit and went after him, catching up to look like his bodyguard.
“He’s coming!” - “Fox, Fox, Fox! Over here~, Fox!” - “Fox, can you give us a wave? Fox, Fox!” - “Fox! Hiii~! Who is-” - “That’s his girlfriend, no? Look at her, she looks so different.” - “Miss! What is your name? Are you engaged or married to Fox? Miss!” - “Fox, who is she, Mr. Fox!”
There were dozens of cameras pointing at Fox when he stepped a few meters out of the elevator. If these people were expecting him to come out at this hour, they wouldn’t have missed his image for more than half a second with the elevator coming down.
Regardless, with the bright and cold morning surprising them, their cameras quickly aimed and shot. When they recognized Nala Loba, they went all-out to employ their family secret photo shooting arts, showering the just-peaceful lobby with camera flashes.
On the other hand, Nala Loba didn’t react, keeping a 2-step distance from him, staying behind with her resting expression. She looked insanely beautiful, unreachable, yet one just couldn’t take their eyes off her.
Fox gave the cameras a little wave just before stepping out, surprising Nala Loba as he opened the door and stood immobile in the middle. Such an action was noticed by the reporters, let alone Nala Loba, who momentarily stopped and looked down at his feet. But even after several seconds, Fox didn’t back down, making her look up at his face.
She blew air from her nostrils and accepted his gesture of opening the door for her, walking through the doorstep. When she was just stepping past Fox, he touched the side of her hand with his fingers into a passive hand holding. Their fingers traced each other before completing the hold, walking to a large car where Fox’s team was awestruck, waiting for him, now them.
Nala Loba softly held his hand back before entering the large car, its door opened by Fox, who went in right after her. Once inside, the ordinary people with their paperwork, devices, and just standing by on their seats looked at them, then at each other, in complete silence and wide-eyed.
The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
“Took my hand for points?” Nala Loba turned to face him and said after giving Fox’s team a glance, retrieving her arm. Fox stared back at her and blinked, “It’s our cover to be involved together. I can’t just start treating you coldly. That would waste time used before to form that image, no?”
“…” Nala Loba remained silent and glared before leaning her back on her seat, crossing her arms with a silent huff and lowering her gaze. Fox blinked twice, somewhat pausedly, before hooking the left corner of his mouth a bit. On the other hand, Nala Loba’s little head went back to that night, to the things, all of them, from that gala. She was suddenly busy with a flood of those memories, and a worried frown as she looked through the window.
***
Proteros. In one of the beautiful protected natural zones in the state.
It wasn’t an exaggeration to consider Proteros as one of the most beautiful states in the world, and as a capital state, for that matter. What was once a ginormous jungle whose center was just a lake and wide clearing to allow a small nowadays city to be built in the past AO, had become the center of Lýmoca’s capital city. Now, it is one of the largest cities in the entire world.
But everywhere around it was a beautiful piece of nature, one that the previous governments weren’t allowed to touch, nor let other foreign companies lay a finger to a mere grain of dirt. It wasn’t by the mere government, or some Lys alone who wanted to protect it. Within the Green Transformation, many associations were created around its values.
It has been many decades since such associations decided to lend their helping hand to protect places like these, and they were pretty important since the peaceful times began. Although, as of late, they have been kind of ignored.
Their influence was still strong, but it didn’t seem as meaningful as it used to be even a decade ago.
Luis stood with Butler on the side of a road, with a car parked behind them. They stared at a forest whose trees were ginormous, verdant green, and left dark shadows below. There was a bit of rain, with the morning in this zone gray and cold, easy to get sick.
They stood before a long steep leading down into the forest, with its dirt turning darker as it continued to lightly rain. Luis looked at the peacefulness of nature, holding his umbrella, with Butler doing the same, although he only gazed ahead without darting his eyes around like Luis.
“?” Out of nowhere, Butler lowered his umbrella, pressing a button to let it retract into a sizeable stick before throwing it down the steep. As it rolled, and Luis frowned, eyeing Butler, the latter kept looking ahead and crossed his arms. “If you keep looking ahead, President Luis, time keeps passing on.”
“Many live like this. Others feel restless, doing nothing. President, this is a nice place to seek calmness.” Butler looked at Luis, “You shouldn’t cave in that fortress anymore. It’s your place to be around the nation, and that kid is showing you just how easy it is.”
“If you really want to have another 6 years, don’t ask us, we won’t aid. But we will remain with you if you do. This is the time.” Butler expressed before stepping backwards once, but he didn’t leave. On the other hand, Luis stared ahead, a bit like Butler did.
Behind him, Butler voiced before returning to the car, “The rain will keep falling no matter the umbrella above your head, or a roof. Come back into the car to return to the presidential precinct as soon as you can, President.”
“…” Luis looked ahead still, his eyes calmer, or the calmest that they have ever been. At some point, he tsked and chuckled humorously. Knowing Butler could easily hear him, he muttered as he pressed a button, “Don’t even think of saying nonsense again. No one will ever touch the decision of the people.”
There was a twinge of seriousness in his voice. After his umbrella retracted, he let go of it. But it didn’t roll down the steep. Instead, it embedded into the dirt, aided by the wetness it had grown to acquire from the light rain, standing straight behind his left foot.
***
Back to Sargonde, Fox arrived at a lavish hotel for super VIP members.
Nala Loba followed behind him, looking as indifferent as cold as ever, with only the difference being the common eyes knowing about her as more and more pictures of her were uploaded to the semi-eternal internet.
Fox wordlessly walked to an elevator with Nala, becoming the eye-grabber as he did. There were some people inside, but even if he wasn’t there, they didn’t dare stand near Nala Loba after she came close enough to them. Her eyes alone forced their breaths into whispers.
After exiting the elevator now reeking of sweat and nervousness, Fox went to Selena’s hotel room, casually knocking on the door. Selena opened it at once, wearing a folded, black bandeau and a pale green mini-skirt hugging her slender thighs tight.
So much bright white skin showed, and her long jet-black hair looked luscious, maybe recently showered. Her pure black eyes narrowed in a smile, looking at Fox before she hugged above his shoulders and buried her head on his collarbone.
Nala Loba looked at Selena’s smooth hair with crossed arms, then the rest of the bountiful body assets, before analyzing the exposed skin. Then, she saw Fox’s face as he awkwardly let Selena hug him, clearly not enjoying it, and not because she, Nala Loba, was just beside him.
Nala Loba concentrated on Selena’s hair again, seeing that it wasn’t prepared with a wavy hairstyle, and was long, and looked to the side with narrowed eyes.
Selena separated and smiled at Fox, looking up at him with closed lips. Nala Loba looked at Selena’s height, once again looking at the side with narrowed eyes and her arms crossed.
“Ah? Is this your girl? How pretty… ahem, beautiful.” Selena looked at Nala Loba and commented, lifting her hand out of appreciation. Nala Loba looked at her. Selena pressed her lips, feeling a pressure that wasn’t there just now. Moreover, those eyes were so striking.
“She’s Nala Loba, and my Captain,” Fox said. Nala Loba looked at him, lifting her left eyebrow, arms still crossed. Fox smiled, with Selena looking at him from her side eyes, also smiling before giggling. “Come on in! We’re leaving in 15 minutes, I want to show you what I think, okay? ‘Captain’ Nala Loba, please come in.”
With that, as Nala Loba’s eyes quickly darted between Fox and Selena, the former easily went into the latter’s hotel room, propping Nala Loba to walk after them.
… 30 minutes later, they were on the road to bring Selena to her first activity of the day. She had a busy one, as she had a break for a week to prepare for today. On the way there, Nala Loba sat beside Fox, letting Selena sit on another row of seats but still near them.
Having facilitated their cooperation with just that little notion, things became smoother. Selena first went to a radio show to tease a bit of her new song, only humming a rhythm. Then, she went to a studio to film an ad for a show where the common people would come to find love.
There were some hot scenes, but she was only walking in between as they happened, appearing charming and all-knowing. In this one, Nala Loba was bored. Very bored.
After a few more little jobs, Fox brought Selena to his rally, which she made the thousands and thousands of people attending cheer like crazy. After all, they were all going to her concert afterwards. But when Nala Loba showed, and everyone remembered Fox was human, it also brought cheering, albeit nowhere as loud.
However, it seemed to evoke something on the people, as if her ‘re-existence’ kindled the unknown within Fox’s image. It wasn’t so dark and bloody everywhere, but it was still so.
Fox’s speech was, as usual, a bit of a story lesson before the questioning came. Fox wasn’t the least bit impatient when he heard repeated questions he answered in other states. The people weren’t afraid of being repetitive, only that their ears were wrong, or that the people they seemed to believe were tricking them again.
Whenever there was a commotion from a matter Fox also already explained in another state, he quickly explained it, giving a brief explanation that was the same as before, only shortened.
With this, Fox brought Selena to her concert, still with time left, and with the sky obscuring. Selena was all too spirited, quite the contented young woman who had even more to give. Nala Loba was bored, but she never complained or made faces, only staring at the side or through the window and, of course, at Fox.
After Selena’s concert, of which a government public servant returned her to her hotel, with Selena winking goodbye to Fox, he and Nala Loba returned to their hotel. More like Fox’s hotel, but since she was now accompanying him…
… Arriving at the hotel, Fox took his jacket off, about to throw it to some couch, when Nala Loba caught it. She said nothing, but Fox stopped in his tracks and turned his head to her, eyes a little widened.
“If you’re going to take something off, do it properly. Don’t just do things recklessly, brushing it off like it’s nothing, and then ignore it. As a mature young man, you should know the risks of not caring… If this gets uglier, all social media will be on you. The opposition, yes, but that is Lýmoca’s all media. Do you hear?”
“Hear…” Fox looked at Nala Loba like the aunty who is always the best and so sweet, suddenly shout sternly and reprimand him. After hearing his response, Nala Loba looked up at him and blinked, swinging her luscious, short golden blonde hair. Her uniquely seductive, feminine, and exotic cocoon hairstyle, freeing her face as her hairline showed, flew downwards; a new sight.
Fox was baffled. After a couple of seconds, he gulped and stepped in front of her to show he understood. Nala Loba had already perfectly folded his jacket. When he stood before her, she placed the jacket on the couch carefully before looking back up at him.
Fox had lifted his hands to his tie, but his fingers trembled, not deciding which spot to start with. Nala Loba’s cold, indifferent eyes, fully opened and challenging him with a stare, looked up at his visage at this time. When seeing his fingers tremble, the gray, light blue in her eyes slightly darkened with her eyelids dropping a bit. They also turned soft but only ever so slightly…
Her hands were raised, reaching for his hands, but she only tapped them with her fingertips before pushing them down a bit. Then, she grabbed his tie, letting her fingers roam his collar, with Fox staring down but craning his neck to let her work it.
She untied his tie, liberating his neck, before starting with his shirt; white, slightly adorned with some patterns, and very loose under the otherwise tight jacket. Hanging his tie over her shoulders behind her nape, she unbuttoned his shirt from the top to the bottom.
Once it was off, revealing his PSD regular uniform tightly stuck to his skin, she took his shirt off, touching his chest and ribs with the fat of her palms to lower it from his shoulders. Nala Loba held his biceps when she had to ‘pluck’ his shirt from his hands, a bit bigger than previously measured, and without unbuttoning the wrists.
Fox watched as she first placed his tie elsewhere on the couch before folding his shirt, being quick and unceremonious about it. Every movement of her fingers consumed in his eyes.
Nala Loba turned from him, facing the couch as she placed his jacket at the bottom, his shirt in the middle, and his tie at the top. Meanwhile, Fox serenely glanced at her figure, more so when she slightly bent and placed half his suit on the couch’s backrest.
Then, she turned to him again to continue.
…