26. Death by claw (2)

"Love-bite," Adleon's rough voice says, and his green eyes look towards me. "Let your friend go home."

"Adleon-" I try to say.

"-Season. It is enough… what you've done. I watched the tapes already… quite good. You'll soon have your assignment given to you. Please… go rest. Go home."

I just nod, after realising that I didn't have Fro to save me here. And so, I walk out, and walk back to the apartment, after changing my clothes… putting it in a stash around the apartment, where no one could get it.

The deep dark makes my eyes twitch and makes me see everything in a bit of grey. I hit the side of my head, as if I'm working with some kind of a broken electronic device. And I see half and half… of colour and grey. Making it both a bit of a blur to me.

At this moment, something moves towards me – making me defensive and take a stance.

"Ah, you scared me," some old person says, I barely am able to make her face out. "Oh, aren't you that guy's roommate, that really fit guy?"

"Uh… Varon?" I confirm.

"No…" she drags her voice. "Some… some ri… writer? Something that way."

"Rihler. Varon Rihler. Apartment eight on the third floor?"

"Oh yeah. That one… so you are her. The rude girl who said that she is a guy, and then got into his apartment. You should know… he has a girlfriend. Also, you need to get in line, behind me."

"I know," I say. "Did… he say that? That I did that?"

"What if he did?" she asks, scaling me up and down. "No… he is too kind to do that. He can't even hurt a fly… but he went and tried to stop the Mosquito. Ah… that idiot is heartless."

"Varon did what?"

"Some girl was screaming for help. This fellow… he went there, few blocks from here. He has a good nose and ear, even for his age. But even with such a body… he only got hurt. He… he got hurt," she ponders.

"Wait, really?"

"You… you are a bad roommate."

I knew that.

"Anyway… that happened long back. But you… need to look out for your roommate. You came saying that you are a guy. Protect him like one, yeah?"

With those words, she just abruptly leaves my side.

I just stay there for a few moments, before going to my apartment door. Using the extra keys which Varon had given me… which, surely, were extras… I get into the apartment.

I find the lights on, and Varon watching the TV. It was past midnight, was he waiting for me?

Even that lady from before… what really was she doing this late at night?

I was on the same boat… so I couldn't really be wanting to question them.

As I look towards Varon, he turns to look towards the windows ahead… at the night sky.

"The night sky looks better from the tallest building, you know. In case you haven't watched it before," I say, rather than ask him why he wasn't asleep.

"I have… and I do agree."

I smirk in a way, and close the door behind me. As I reach to my room's door… I see a medical kit on the table ahead of Varon, and freeze. It was open.

"Hey, Varon…?" I ask, and look at him: still looking at the window. "Oh my god, are you hurt?"

I rush closer and look at his face… he seems to be applying a kind of ointment to a wound near his right eye.

"My skin is just a bit sensitive," Varon says, with a bit of embarrassment.

"Let me," I say, grabbing the tweezers or whatever from his hand, and putting it aside.

Taking some cotton and some ointment upon it: I spread some around the wound, as he sizzles in pain. Taping the cotton upon that wound, I look at it.

"Thank you," I say.

"Y-yeah, thank you."

"No… about… the other day," I say, feeling a bit of embarrassment that I was late for this. "The food was delicious."

"I'm glad then. I really was second guessing it but," Varon sighs shyly. "I'm glad."

"I'm sorry that… I made you worry. You… have to stop worrying, you know. About people," I say, and recalculate my words. "I mean… not my place to say. But, we sometimes hurt ourselves that way."

Varon just looks at me, seemingly unable to say anything.

"Mosquito…" I say. "Some lady told me. That you got hurt."

"Ah… that's Menah. People around here call her as 'Menace'. That… is how I got hurt, yes."

"Oh but… she said that it was long back."

"Yeah, long back," Varon scoffs. "She isn't exactly… best at remembering stuff. Not too worse… just a puzzle, her head. She does pretty great. Heard she's been this way for a couple years."

"Oh… how long… have YOU been here?"

"A couple months. You're my first roommate."

"Ah… she… well, she couldn't remember your name exactly. Guess it is for two reasons."

"We just chat. Not much regarding names, I suppose. But yeah, messy memory. She still uses the gym, you know. She is quite in a good shape."

"I couldn't observe that, actually. The lights are out."

"Right, yeah. Midnight and all… wonder what she was doing up late," Varon thinks for a while, saying that. "Guess it is pretty late. Good night, then. And thanks! For the… treating."

"Guess that's what roommates are for. Let me know if you need a stitch, I do know how to. Not that I want you to get hurt… but, I can be pretty handy. Just letting you know."

"Will remember."

Varon picks the kit up and places it in one of the cabinets under the TV.

It sure wouldn't be a surprise… if such a guy worked in the police or some kind of a secret service, or something. Got the skills, and he supposedly gets paid well too. Good for him.

But, I couldn't expect him to take care of the powerful ones.

It had to be me. All the people who hide behind the masks of heroes and villains… they were all the same, in the end.

I sleep on the bed… without bleeding out, or having a side-effect of my healing. With a clear mind on my goal.

"Hey," I greet Varon, who returns home - late at night, the next day. It was me watching the boring TV, but not the news.

"Good sitcom?" Varon signs towards the TV screen.

"Almost boring. But I get why it is addictive to some."

"Yeah," Varon laughs, locking the door. "That's why I stick to the news. Real information."

"Figured," I say. "Bored alone. So had quite a time… thinking."

"Didn't have work?"

"It is the thirtieth," I shrug, and Varon looks at me: unable to decipher my code. "A Sunday."

"Oh, right."

"Weird that you had gone out."

"On a date actually. I usually give my Sundays to Antonia," Varon says and looks at me. "Unless I get work. Mine is that kind of a job."

"Jobs… yeah. My job is weird too, as you know."

"Actually," Varon says and sits at the nearby couch. "I don't. Your job… no idea."

"Well… reasonably so. I… think… it is a weird enough job," I say, but Varon's gaze doesn't leave me. "It is a good job and all… but I'm worried. Worried that people would judge it."

"Alright… let's treat our jobs this way then," Varon says, drawing my attention. "National secrets. We are nations who share borders. Staples."

"Rents," I add. "I promise I'll pay. Thanks for the offer."

"Okay… yet, we disclose only the information we ourselves can validate," Varon says, and holds out his bottle – as if giving a toast. "Unless there is a crisis."

I chuckle with a scoff. Folding my palm together – imitating a glass, I fist-bump to the bottle he's holding out. "Sounds good."

"Let's continue watching, two channels up."

"It is late you know," I chuckle.

"Eh, they have a pretty good sitcom on there."

"Thought you were news only."

"Hey… Kurius Cate is a NEED to know the reaction to," Varon snickers. "Unless you are sleepy."

"No, no. Zero tired."

"Then let's do it!" Varon excitedly says. "As a little back story… it is a sitcom where the girl lives in the very future."

"Future? So sci-fi?"

"In a way. But sitcom. In this future, they play video games as if it were a real film."

"A real film?"

"Well… it is like… what if you lived in a film? Or could? Basically that. They use devices to put themselves as video game characters and play the game."

"That sounds like a cool concept. Would that even be possible?"

"As they portray… maybe ages after."

"That's brilliant. How did I not know such a thing existed?"

"Exactly… it is a pretty isolated sitcom. Not many know."

And this way… we go on and on, about this show called 'Kurius Cate'. Even after we were finished with watching the episode… we talk through and beyond it, like two nerds.

Day two passes, and then day three. No signs of Buzz… or any news of any MISSION.

Were we perhaps found out?

Yet… I spend my day in boredom, and late-night watching 'Kurius Cate' with Varon.

"That Kurius Cate show? I know that. That was a porno, few years ago," Menah chats up with me and Varon, on the fourth day. "It is now an unpopular sitcom. They wanted to air on TV, so took down the initial idea."

"How was the initial idea a porno, for it?" Varon curiously asks, as I stand by him. "It is more than that."

"Your times and my times are different… back in my day, porno was frowned upon even when everybody used it."

"I don't think that is what his doubt is," I clarify.

"Anyway… be careful. People say that disgusting habits come around. They could just start playing porno in between."

"But-"

And the discussion on 'Kurius Cate' continues between the three of us, while I stand at the side-lines like a judge.

Day five and day six go by, just like day seven to nine. And on the tenth, I finally find a letter on my bed, after coming out of the shower.

"Adleon," I say, holding the letter.

It was only a card. One side of it was the art of a lion's head, with a huge wavy mane of different colours. Behind the card, were the exact words 'Death by claw'.

So, it was time finally. For the first mission.

I had merely heard of this card… but seeing it in my own hands, knowing it was intended for me to find… goose-bumps run down my entire body, heightening my senses and scaring me a bit.

Soon… I'd have my revenge.