18. The 79th

"Bahlad, Toni Bahlad. I wrote to you, that I'd come and… to save the spot. Is it taken? Please say no…" I say to the guy who had clearly put up that ad, and I had CLEARLY written to him. Yet he looks surprised.

Varon rah-something. Pretty nice-looking and confused guy. Seems my age.

"No I just thought… you'd be a guy, is all."

"Oh?" Was he happy? Looks sad though. "See: the ad wasn't gender specific… like my name."

"Yeah, no… I mean… a girl moving in with a guy would be… did you know I was a guy?"

"Yes?" The only guy and person who had put up a cheaper price as the shared-rent.

"It could be seen as wrong."

I sigh and go forward, and clasp my hands together. "Look, you may not know… but it is quite hard to get an apartment. Honestly, you said the cheapest price. Which again, is the maximum price which I can afford. So please… I really need a place."

"N-no," Varon says, making my heart sink. What a jerk. "I don't mean to be against. If you are okay with this… I'm okay too, as long as you're okay and are sure. And I understand… it truly is hard to handle things at our age. And you seem younger."

"Yes, YES! THANK YOU SO MUCH! I REALLY CAN'T- sorry, I just… it truly has been hard. I just turned eighteen and… had to move out and all. It truly is so… frustrating! No friends to crash in-and I'll stop talking."

"You got a job?"

"Er… I have an interview just this noon. Not too far or near from here. But hey, surely getting in. So please don't look away."

"Yeah no… I just asked. You are welcome to stay. And for the first two months, it is okay if you just pay a little. But at least a little… I could manage the rest."

"Yes, definitely! I'd rob a bank and get you the money if I have to," I chuckle.

"No need for that. But if you really need another job, I could help with the hunting."

"That's so nice of you. And I'm sorry but, I haven't bathed in like… two days. Gross, I know. So could I like… move in now, and use the… whatever is available?"

"There is a shower. And a broken bathtub actually. Need to get it fixed up. Sorry if that-"

"-no, no! Shower is… an upgrade. All of this is an upgrade to me. Thank you. I swear I'm not a thief or anything. I could show you my ID."

"You seem in a hurry. You should go."

"Yes, thank you. The interview is in an hour actually, so…"

And I race inside with my luggage, as Varon just stands there, doing something which I don't notice. After a quick shower, I find extra keys, probably of the apartment – hanging at the bathroom door's handle.

Without trying to find where Varon is, I rush outside; I was already, surely, late. I lock the door behind me, before leaving.

In the alleyway, my skin gets colder, and my freezing skin changes into something else, something which THEY would LOVE at the… interview. But everything was under the coat I was wearing, to not scare people off, on the way to the place.

I was the last token on the interview. '79' like the year. Like, but unlike me; people here were in disguises. Petty makeup and costumes. But surely some could be respected here.

I patiently wait and finally get to enter the interview cabin, where there are two well-known figures, completely identifiable, sitting in the middle-chairs, with two unknown ones on their sides, whose identification was hard to make.

"You are the last one I believe. And possibly late. So you are starting at negative points here. So even if you get the job…" I'd be paid lesser, I knew that. That is why this person at the right-most just smirks.

"I'd like you to reconsider," I say, pulling off my coat.

They gasp, looking at how I looked like the person in the middle-left, Adleon. Well, not exactly like him, but his other form of scaly-skin over a lion-like body. He himself could make only the lion-like body. Bigger, but… who's comparing? Them actually, but they look shook and impressed.

Adleon yawns out loud, while blinking towards me.

"Sure. I may not be as strong as y-" I say, but I choke on my words.

"-rule number one, kid. Don't agree that you are weak. Even when you're pathetic!" Adleon holds my neck tight enough, while being in his muscular lion-like form.

He was the king of the villains. The Lion. Adleon.

He lets me go, and cracks his knuckles in front of me.

"Funny, I heard-"

"-that my predecessor, the greatest of that time, did the same. Please. I have heard that line so many times already. You think it fucking makes a difference?" Adleon interrupts me again.

"Adleon," the one on the middle-right, Fro, calmly says – causing colder air in the room, and I change once again – to look like Adleon's predecessor.

"Turn back you b-"

"-ADLEON!" the whole room freezes at Fro's voice, even Adleon. And I get thrown back to be my normal-self. Fro calmly moves Adleon in the air-back to his chair, making him and himself sit on their respective chairs. "You must be Season."

"I am," I say. "Working on the name."

"We all are," Fro scoffs, causing the table to shudder. "But I can hear it, your name. I'd like to."

I nod.

"Mr. Adleon hasn't decided. This one seems to not like working under him, seeing as to her ATTITUDE with him," the person on Adleon's side says. Oh, those two at the sides must be the bosses of Adleon and Fro. More like funders, but bosses. Or assistants even.

"For that reason, I'd like to work with her," Adleon nods. "I did hear about her too. It is hard to find somebody with so many powers. Moreover, somebody who wants to be one of us, on it."

"Were you able to find a place, like you said you would, Toni?" Fro asks me, making ME shudder. "Of course I know your name. I like knowing what to kill, if needed."

"Yes. With a roommate… human, no records saying otherwise."

"Good. We don't need another rotten tomatoes, now do we, Adleon?" Fro asks, making Adleon scoff.

Adleon and him were roommates, back in the day. Unknown to each other. But, when Fro found out that his roommate had undisclosed powers, Fro almost killed Adleon using rotten tomatoes. Long story short.

"So… when do I start?" I ask.

"Whenever we find a need for you," Adleon says. "There is always room for misery. So will be soon, no worries."

"I have more powers than just-"

"-as we mentioned. We know. And we'll let you know," Fro says, glaring at me. "Now, off with you."

I leave the place, unscathed. But I feel the slight-press of Adleon's claw on my neck. Claw, or whatever. Paw? Who cares? That jerk… these jerks… including their opposer-jerks. Pathetic idiots.

I go back to the apartment, after waiting by their building for a while, for someone to notice me. I see Varon standing with some other guy, at the door. They were doing… something to it.

"Oh, hey," Varon notices me. "Did you get it?"

"Did someone break in?" I ask, looking at the mess inside.

"Well… I kind of have claustrophobia," Varon plainly says, and I stare at him – confused of what that had anything to do with this. "And those keys were the only ones we had. And I was inside."

"Oh shit, I'm so sorry that I locked you in."

"No. That's fine. I forgot the part where you were in a hurry, and expected you'd get duplicate for the keys. My bad. But I didn't expect you to… anyways, did you get it?"

"Yes, yes I did. But I'm so… so sorry. Whatever it cost for the door, I'll pay you back."

"No-no. No worries. Though, it'd be lovely if you could get the bathtub. Whenever you can."

I nod. He hands me extra keys for the new lock, and I help him clean-up the mess. I didn't know people threw tantrums when they were claustrophobic. At least, he didn't die or something.

The apartment had two separate rooms for us. A big enough hall, kitchen. Single washroom plus bathroom though. Anyways, Varon may be the only one using it on a regular basis. Overall, the room was good enough for the price, but I think Varon was planning on paying most of the rent, at least at the start.

I sit on the bed, after quickly unpacking my not-so-large luggage. As I sit in silence, not knowing what to do – planning on what all to do to escape being obvious on not doing a regular job to Varon… a bloody mosquito bites me-

"Don't squish it please," I hear a voice, as I just sit there – channelling my powers to make my next careful-move. "It won't give you dengue. Maybe paranoia, which is honestly pointing the right way… just can't escape that one."

"Ah, so you are one of us," I say. "Don't you need to be more careful? His room isn't too far away."

"He's asleep. Besides, now YOU are one of US, for the record," he says. "And no, my name is not 'mosquito'. That'd be boring, right?"

"Then what is it?" The mosquito sting hurts, and the mosquito finally leaves my side. The guy sizzles as he looks at me flinch at the sting.

"Kidding, it is Mosquito," he scoffs. "No, how about Black-wing? Or Flutter-annoy? Girls are good at it, right? What do you think of those? I'm getting a voting system running here."

"How about, Buzz?" I ask. "No annoy or any addition to it. Just Buzz. Or even Buzzer?"

"Hmm," he says, clicking his pen and writing it down. "Buzz… like a vibrator. I didn't see you unpack a vibrator. Not with Betty? That'd make me sad."

"Made your point on my privacy. Been following me and I didn't realise. Adleon's line on rule 2?"

"No, no. I'm just that good. Adleon just wanted me to tag-on on your heat signature. But Fro wanted me to make sure you know how deep you let the-"

"-sheesh, you're just making obvious sexual statements now," I scoff. "At least take me on a date."

"Woah, woah. Hold your horses now. I expected you to throw me off."

"Well, I'm as pathetically lonely as you, so what the hell?"

"Ouch… redemption for one sting? Eesh. But maybe some other time. Only one love bite tonight."

With that, Buzz just vanishes from the dark corner, even when I still see a silhouette of where he was standing. But he really had left, just like that.