Michael Brooklyn Morgan "Red Alert"
Act 2, Chapter 3 "There is a Creep Among Us"
The was about to set on the horizon and he just got back from his little ordeal with the… individual who shall not be mentioned. As distasteful as he is of Crazy Itza, he sure knows his way around the open sea. That, and his memory of the fight put a spotlight on the soldier-mage. Oddly enough, the captain brought proof of his deed, and Michael was awarded with a bountiful amount of jewels when news broke of his deeds back at the open sea by the port officials. According to them, the sea monstrosities have been plaguing Lavanitir for a very long time. That was a complete exaggeration, however. It had only been a month or so when these monsters started appearing out of nowhere and attacked ships. Hell, they’d be lucky enough to get through with the shipment and crew intact. Escort mages were, afterall, expensive, and their cost doesn’t justify their worth. All they did was repel the enormous serpents, not outright kill them. He was glad something came out from his recent endeavor with the captain.
The sky was painted with vivid orange and yellow colors at this hour. Michael was on his way back to the hotel to greet Giselle of his recent deed and the reward he got. Sadly, she didn’t seem enthusiastic when he entered her room, but not before knocking on the door. “Achoo!” Giselle sneezes. She grabbed a piece of tissue by the tissue box and blew her nose with it. Clearly, she’s not in a very good condition. The bed and nightstand was a mess, something that is very rare considering that she was a very hygienic person. Understandable that she wouldn’t bother with it. It’s too much work for a sick person. There she was lying in bed with nothing to do other than watching telenovelas on the television. Michael is visibly concerned with her health, but not that much. She just had the cold.
“I don’t think you’d be in a mood to be happy when I tell you of the good news.” He said as he closed the door behind him, approaching her bed and sitting beside her. Up close, she doesn’t look very well. It may be because of the lack of makeup Giselle usually wears every time they go out for a mission. It could also be the reason behind her ailment - a poisoned makeup. That may have been jumping the gun. She only had the flu, afterall. “I can, just with very sloppy wiping of my snot and all. Because duh, flu.” She retorted to his statement. Nice to know she’s still sassy despite being sick. Michael remembered that he did bring back something to help with Giselle’s current ailment. He procured a small plastic from his pockets, containing a medicine. “Drink this. You should feel better in awhile.” He extended it to her, and she sloppily grabbed it from him, taking it with one gulp. “Thanks, Michael. Why don’t you get some fresh air? I’m busy watching… something, I don’t know. I just want to be left alone for now.” He understood and left her room, but not before telling her, “If you need anything, give me a call…or give the hotel staff a call.”
He took Giselle’s advice and headed out. While on his way outside, he was thinking where to go in this down time. Usually, whenever he accomplished a mission, his pseudo magic was recalibrated manually by Giselle. So far, there weren’t any issues with his armors. His combat performance was smoother than before, and it’s all thanks to her ingenuity. He wondered why it took too long for her to update his system, but it’s not worth complaining about. What is done is done.
He stopped in his tracks when he saw two familiar figures. One of them was suspiciously small with pointy ears and orange spiky hair, wearing a black tank top, a pair of light khaki shorts with a brown leather belt to secure it in place, and a pair of leather sandals. A single gold earring is worn on his right ear, and three varied jewel bracelets adorn his left arm. He had a pair of violet eyes, pinker than Francois’. The other one was bigger than the two of them, wearing a white v-neck tee that exposes his hairy chest, a pair of black short pants, and a pair of black shoes. He wore an expensive looking sunglass, and a pair of silver earrings could be seen. He was definitely handsome, for sure, with a clean haircut and beard. Who else does he know who matches this description other than his older step brother, Zander, and his boyfriend, Ferdinand?
"Michael!" Zander waved his arm in an attempt to grab Michael’s attention. It didn’t go unnoticed because Michael also saw them walking to his direction. He wondered where they were going at this time. He recalled them being here on a vacation, unless he remembered their conversations wrong. The older step sibling rushed to him and greeted him with a hug - An awkward step sibling hug, and his small stature is making it awkward enough with his head a few inches above Michael’s waist. “Uh, hi, Cinna.” He greeted, mistaking him for the other twin sibling to Zander’s irritation. He immediately let go and pouted, “It’s Zander. Zan - der.” he said with a hint of irritation in his tone. He couldn’t help confusing the two, which is weird because oddly enough, he can distinguish who’s who between him and his other related siblings. Ozwald is a few inches taller than him, with green eyes and is beefier and more muscular than him, while Francois has purple colored eyes and neck length curly hair which looks like he went to the salon. Both Francois and Olaf aren’t as muscular as him and Ozwald, however, Francois’s training as a swashbuckler makes it evident from his cold, calculating eyes, while Olaf looks like the textbook definition of a NEET; a fat depressed manchild with blue sullen eyes. No offense to him.
“C’mon, I have pink eyes! Cinna has orange.” He mentioned as he pointed at his eyes. He recalled seeing Cinna with orange colored eyes so it must have slipped his mind when he saw him, but then again, it’s a little hard to distinguish colors if everything’s a little more saturated than before - a detriment in his part due to the influence of the demon inside him.
“Sorry.” He apologized to Zander. From his previous encounter with him, he’s not that mad that he made a big deal out of everything, though the tone of his voice would suggest otherwise. He didn’t know why, especially when he mentioned that he can’t tell him he can’t have Ferdinand as his boyfriend. It hinted to him that he may have done something in the past relating to his previous relationships, or perhaps he treated him like a child before due to his smaller stature, which he believed that he was overprotective of his siblings. He couldn’t recall because of the memories he lost. However, though he has no qualms with Zander’s relationship now, Ferdinand’s bigger stature is a little concerning given the massive gap between their heights. “What brings you here? Are you two going somewhere?” He asked the two. He had no destination in mind when he took Giselle’s advice. Or order. He doesn’t even know his way around the Lavanitir Port City. He didn’t bother looking at his sonar map because after all, the city is filled with civilians.
“Yeah we do! We’re going to the mall to get some stuff I wanted to get. I heard they were on sale.” Zander replied to his question, his demeanor shifting from irritated to glee. It’s as if he was expecting him to come along with them because as far as he knows, Michael was never one to idle around. Given his body movements, it is clear he has nowhere to go. “Want to come along? I heard they got good smoothies.” Michael pondered for a bit. He never pampered himself before, let alone treat himself to the delicious goodness of smoothies. His brothers Ozwald and Francois always found the time to relax. Michael was always on the move because of his occupation as a freelance wizard taking jobs here and there to pay for his own apartment and bills. Then there’s the sea monsters he killed earlier on his way to find a non-existent mermaid, which was a hard fought battle. He never thought of himself as a person who gets stressed easily. He was far from it, it was difficult for him to get stressed, especially in combat. Why not accept Zander’s invitation for an R&R? “Sure. Why not.”
WORDS: 1464 / 5000
MEL @ WW