"And so, after that introductory trailer, the episode started off with a great fighting scene. The drug lord was able to escape using a trap door from his office, making Astria curse out loud. And seconds after, she found herself being surrounded inside the office by about twenty or more people. She wanted to run away but she knew she had no choice but to fight back in order to clear an escape route."
"And so, quickly grabbing the two hidden guns in her thighs, one after another, she shot the enemies from the frontlines without missing a single bullet. After the first shot, some quickly dashed towards her to stop her. And when they drew near, she began to fight them head-on while keeping one hand constantly firing on the enemies by the distance. Man, it was such a great episode."
Inna breathed out her amazement as she recalled it.
"It was like, just barely a minute of... Bang! Bang! Whoosh! Hi-yah! Then, Bam! Everyone was dead!"
Inna tried imitating the moves as she felt her inner kid resurface whenever she remembered the show. Raghnall could only watch in bewilderment at her sudden actions.
"Then, after all the fighting, there was suddenly a chuckle and when Astria looked up, it was her partner, Officer Kyril who was laughing at her. She was like, 'why are you laughing?' And he was like, 'I thought you were only going to make an escape route but it seems like the one who needed to escape was them.'"
Inna giggled as she recalled the handsome actor who played Officer Kyril. He was her first crush, for sure. But at the same time, she rooted for him and Astria not only as a couple in the show but also in real life.
Seeing Inna giggling away as she continued to talk more and more about her favorite show, Raghnall felt a weight off his shoulder as he finally fully calmed down. He really felt worried for her earlier but seeing how she was now, giggling and blushing at some guy named 'Officer Kyril' despite his displeasure, he's greatly relieved that she's able to still smile and laugh as bright as before.
After a few minutes, Inna realized that she was babbling away so she blushed furiously before apologizing.
"Uh-uhm. I… As you can see, that was my favorite show. Ha-ha…"
When she turned around to check if Raghnall was bored with all her stories, she quickly turned back when she saw the look Raghnall was giving her. It was the look of fondness, relief, and amusement rolled into a gleeful expression.
Why the fuck was he smiling at her like that?!
The weirdo...
She tried to reign in her embarrassment and control the redness of her cheeks by coughing awkwardly. But when she tried to move her hand to cover her coughs, she noticed it was held by his hand. And so, she used her other hand instead since she didn't want to awkwardly remove it. After all, he might get the wrong idea.
Inna bit her lip as a realization suddenly crossed her.
But then again, continuing would make him get the wrong idea as well…
Bah, whatever! It's just his way of comfort! There's no malice at all!
Besides, she really shouldn't be so distracted. She needed to continue the other end of her story. After all, she got far too distracted with the tv show earlier so she really should finish it up or else they'll be there until sunrise.
"S-so… back to the story…"
Inna coughed again, trying to sort out her thoughts and words.
"So, yeah, I ended up finishing the whole season that they released in bulk. And I fell in love with how strong, courageous, and outspoken she was. She was the opposite of me at that time. And I envied that. I wanted to be the opposite of me too… And so, I copied her."
"Like a child wanting to become her most famous idol, I repeatedly watched every video she was featured in, whether it be about the show or just the actress's interviews. Then, I copied her. I copied the character 'Officer Astria' from the way she walked to the way she would eat. I even copied her look, her tone, her manners, and even the way she held the gun."
"But back then, what I first mastered was the way she talked and held the gun. It was fairly simple. Too simple that it soon quickly became a habit. And that habit ended up becoming a big part of my life."
Inna chuckled.
"It's pretty obvious now, how she talks. I do it all the time... The swearing. She swears left and right. She swears to reflect anger. She swears to reflect sadness. And she swears to reflect happiness. There is no occasion at all where she couldn't say any curse. And for me, that was the very core of her charm and personality. Despite her cutesy and innocent appearance, once she swears, she suddenly seems tough and rough. Though there were times where she seemed more to be the villain than the hero, the cussing was her way to express her emotions in their true rawness. And for me who always had trouble showing what I truly think or feel because of how timid I was, it was a godsend. I found it as a great medium to release my emotions without having to think deeply about it."
"And so, once I was able to master the art of cursing, I then tried to imitate one more thing that somehow was the other foundation of Officer Astria's whole tough and fearless persona."
"The fact that she was an officer."
Without knowing, Inna smiled as she recalled her ridiculousness during those days.
"At first, I was perplexed. I wanted to be tough and fearless so bad but how can I possibly imitate being an officer when I was just an eight-year-old child? With that problem, I rewatched the series again and reached to the conclusion that I should learn how to use a gun. But the kind of gun that was fit to be practiced upon... A water gun."
"It was a fun week, I'd say. The happiest I've been ever since. I'd stay in our backyard all day, training. And I was covered in mud nearly every single day from me trying to imitate some moves she made in her action scenes wherein she did great tricks with the guns. My nanny at that time was probably the most stressed one out of all the nannies that worked with me in the past. Well, I couldn't blame her though. After all, I really changed so much after I saw that show."
"I was no longer the timid child who would have trouble speaking without having a near nervous breakdown. I was no longer the kind of child that would try to endure things without even a sound of complaint. I was no longer that child that would give up easily."
"Because I was no longer Inna Loven-- Ingrid. I was no longer I-Ingrid."
Swiftly correcting her mistake, Inna's smile dimmed down a little when she realized that she almost said her real name. But Raghnall didn't seem to notice as he just kept staring at their connected hands while he listened.
"I was no longer all that. Back then, I proclaimed myself to be the new Officer Astria, the Bearer of Justice. But then, I realized as well that if I were to truly be Officer Astria, I needed to live without fear and to settle my issues head-on. After all, it's my duty to cut the root of injustice!"
Inna proclaimed sternly before laughing at her foolish self.
"And so, on the next day, equipped with my trusty water gun and my new cursing skills, I told my parents that I was ready to take on the school."