8:00 A.m in the morning. A Japanese boy, Toshi, at the Sofa is playing Animal crossing on his Nintendo switch, waiting for his partner Roxxy Barrett to finish her business on a laptop.
He doesn't know what time has passed by, as he realized, Roxxy already stood behind him with their luggage ready to travel.
" How long are you going to play that?"
Toshi instantly quits the game.
" Oh, we're ready?"
" .... "
" Hey, that's my luggage, You prepared that for me?"
" .... "
" ~ooohh Paethai, I love you the most, come on, Lemme kiss ya"
" Keep that for Syd and Mickey, asshole."
" K. I'll kiss your brother instead."
An Image of her brother, Syd, having a kiss with Toshi pops up in her mind.
(... Uh... That's heaven...)
She thought.
" Oh yeah... I was going to ask you on the first day but uh...Aren't you act too cold to Jody?"
" No. What's wrong with that?"
" It's not like I wanna interfere or anything, but should it be better to lower the wall between you guys?"
Roxxy sigh again.
" Toshi. Listen carefully, Women are the foxiest things ever existed. Once she can put a butterfly under your belly, You become her charming slaves. She controls you, She uses you, She deceives you. She makes you blind to everything but her charm. Having many things running behind your back. And once you realize you've been fooled, she got away, what remains is just a 'You' looking like an idiot knowing you shouldn't have been fallen for her in the first place."
"... Uh, That's a fact...from your point of view... Hey, but it doesn't entirely true. All women aren't like that. And I don't think Jody is that kind of person ... She's...like us! If she were trained, she could be one of the best agents we ever had."
Toshi tries, but he failed as Roxxy cut him.
" Is it wrong to be cautious? "
" .... Nooo... It's not wrong at all... Couldn't we just leave this matter to...."
Toshi gulped.
" Cassie? ..."
He seems to be scared of that person he talked about.
At that moment, Roxxy grins.
" Yes, We could have done that."
Roxxy opened the mansion door.
"But Jody is American. A big difference between Americans and Asians is that Most of them fear 'demons'… Not spirit."
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Syd Barrett's House.
After Jody finished changing her cloth, She walks downstairs to the middle room. She found Syd was doing something on the table.
Looking closely, he's pouring all the strawberry milk she bought in the glasses.
" What are you doing? "
" Pouring milk into these glasses."
" I know. ah, shit... My fault... I mean... Why?"
" We're leaving London today, right? It will be a waste If I just left all these here."
" So...you're gonna drink them all?"
" Hell yeah."
" At once?"
" Uh-huh."
" You seem to addict to strawberry milk..."
" And must be this brand." He said.
" Is it that delicious? "
Jody comes and sits next to him.
" *Big Sip*... To me, Yes. Want some?"
" Nope. I already brushed my teeth."
Jody decline.
" You can brush them again, can't you?"
" I don't want."
" Okay...."
Syd takes a big sip until half of the milk in this big glass is inside his stomach.
Peeking his eyes to Jody without intention, he spots her sitting both hands on the chin, staring at him the same way she stares at a six-year-old kid.
"....."
Syd thought maybe he's overthinking. So he tries to ignore it.
But can people like him really let that slip away?
No.
He couldn't.
"....."
Out of dead air, Syd finally spoke.
" What'cha looking? "
" Am I not allowed to take my time to appreciate myself for buying this milk for you on the first day I moved in?"
"....."
( 💢 Fuck. She's doing it again.)
" What's so special about it. I didn't see anything fascinating tho."
"Ain't you just love that feeling? When your friends actually like the movies you had recommended?"
" And? "
"...."
Jody didn't reply but gave him a friendly grin.
That irritates Syd even more.
💢💢💢
" Lemme say this. *SIP* I don't... Really... Really fucking like being treated like a child. Okay? If you were others, Your teeth may fly off by now. *SIP* "
" And why is that? "
" .... "
" Don't you think you're being aggressive, Syd? How can you do that to me? I'm sad..."
Jody chuckles.
" I don't need to be aggressive. Just a slight dropkick on your knee caps and you become a cripple."
" Ouch... Hooo. You're mad?"
"....."
" come on Syd, you are a man... Not a boy. A man should be more silent and stable. Hahaha"
" At least I'm more stable than your legs." He said in frustration.
"Aren't you realize? I think you're cute when you're mad. Has anyone ever told you that?"
She says.
"No one in my life ever thinks like that, Jody. I think you have a problem."
" Hmm, maybe? I don't know."
She grins.
"Jeez, Woman, just stop"
Syd pours another load of milk and drinks it again.
" Damn. That's a lot. Why don't you share this delicious milk with your friend, instead?"
" Sera is tea addicted, Mickey is Jewish, Toshi will get diarrhea, and Roxxy... Uh... Let's not talk about her."
SIP.
"..."
Jody realized something.
Yes. This should be the best time to talk with Syd about this topic with no interruption.
" Oh. Yeah... Speaking of Roxxy... I don't have any idea why she acts so cold towards me. Uh, I didn't mean to cry on you but I'm just kinda curious... I wonder if I do anything wrong that irritates her or something...I would fix it."
".... Well... This is our first time having a civilian joining our force. So she's kinda... Afraid of a mistake that will occur, You know what I'm saying?"
" She didn't trust me and Sera because we're not professionals like you? Is that what you trying to avoid saying?"
"...Umm... Something like that. Let me ask you When you're doing a group project at school, Will you choose someone you don't know than your trustworthy friend?"
".... That's reasonable...."
Jody understands it well.
Back in the school, when there's a group project, She would choose the people that she trust more than someone she doesn't know or being introduced by her classmates either.
(... But there's a conflict... Toshi said one thing but Syd said another...)
She remembered that time she asked Toshi about this, he said it was because Roxxy was afraid if Jody was seducing his brother.
"....."
Jody hesitates whether she should say it out or not.
Finally, she had decided.
" Syd... I..."
But Syd said something before her.
" Jody, Roxxy may suspect how strong you are. Of course, She knows you are strong on your school list. But paper is just paper. You can't apply that bullshit to real life. Yes. We may have abilities, but if someone surprisingly shot us from the back, We die. But you know what? I kinda trust you, Jody. I can tell you have a very high potential. I don't wanna hide this anymore, Jody but..."
He breathes in...
" there's one thing We, Thrak, are suspecting on you. In the end, we're gonna tell this to you anyway, so why keep it."
" What? Suspect me what?"
Syd drinks milk puts the glass back on the table.
" Okay, *clears throat*, Listen carefully. People in this world may have different powers depending on what God wants to grant them. But there are 4 different kinds of abilities, which will be given only to the luckiest 4 people in this world..."
" ?! 4 in 7 billion? "
" Yeah. The probability is lower than finding the activated end portal in Minecraft."
He continues:
" And those 4 abilities are the abilities to allow users to take control of the 4 main elements."
" Earth, Fire, Water, and ...'Air' ?! "
" You catch up pretty fast, Jody. And what so special about that is they grant the strength more than others to people who own them. It may be a cruel fact, but If you mastered your ability at one point in life. You don't even have to use your brain to win the match."
" So it means... They were born over power? "
Syd nods.
" Haven't you noticed? You're born better than others."
"hmm... I see..."
" We call them 'Elementalist'.And these 4 users are in the different parts of the world. However, In order to prove that you are actually 'The Air', it needs to go through a lot of process tho."
" What about other elements? Like Darkness? Light? Or Ice? Oh yeah... Roxxy can use Ice power too, can't she?"
" Those ain't count. Only 4 main elements. Others are counted as Hybrid. Like Roxxy's Ice, Lightning like Mickey. To make it clear, they are like the color wheel. You have the 3 main colors, Red, Blue, yellow in the middle right? Then shits get spreading around like Orange, Green, Purple, and shit. This is the same. 4 elements are in the middle, and they expand the roots, giving Ice lightning, Lava, weather, life, metal, and whatever..."
Syd drinks milk again.
" But If you ask for an opinion, Jody. I think you are definitely 'The Air'. No doubt. But you just kinda chilling with your life that you look over it."
" !!!! Shit... I thought they were just some avatar vibe... So this is real??"
" Hell yeah. Another important fact is... Mother nature... She loves to keep things in balance. So...She created those 4 abilities to oppose each other."
" What do you mean?"
" Water wins Earth, Earth wins Air, Air wins Fire, Fire wins Water and then they loop... Shit like that."
" Wow, Ain't that some kind of video game thing? "
" Um-Hm... Likely."
Syd manages to empty the glass.
He drank the 2.5 liters of milk by himself.
" Shit... This milk was so good that I regret myself for swearing."
" Anyway, Jody, what do you wanna say to me?"
He asked.
"...."
" Um... Nothing so important--"
" 99.99% of women say that and it turns out to be the most important shit ever existed. So you better tell me or your brain will wash it away later."
" ....ok..."
Jody took a deep breath.
" I heard that you were very popular among the girls back when you're in middle school, Is that true?"
"...."
That question muzzled Syd for 5 seconds.
"...."
" What? You're jealous?"
" Uh, No..."
" Then why asked, No... More important, Who the fuck told you that?"
"It doesn't matter how I get this from."
" Then why the fuck you bring that up, Jody?"
He's confused.
" I'm just thinking...that maybe,... um. It's very hard to say this to you. But promise me you won't get mad...I mean, seriously mad..."
"... K..."
" I think Roxxy, your sister, has a negative attitude on me... Repeat again, 'I'm just thinking' that I am some kind of a foxy bitch to her."
".... Well well... She ain't wrong tho. Your appearance looks like one."
Syd said.
" Plus, I had a negative profile...so...It's reasonable to make your sister thought that I may use my uh, 'Charming Spell' on you? "
"...."
If it was a normal conversation, Syd would have laughed. But seeing Jody in super serious mode, He knew this is the real shit.
"... Hm, I see... She always is like this since we were kids after all."
" Does she have some brother-complex thing, or what?"
She asked.
" No, No, No... Not like that. We were taught to look for each other since we're kids. I'm also looking for her too. But not as obvious as her. You know, just watching from behind."
" Damn, I'm feeling sorry for Toshi."
" Toshi is trustworthy. Don't underestimate him, Jody. He's done much to get to the point that I truly can rely on him. What's going on now is up to Roxxy whether she'll accept or Nah."
" This is weird...Aren't they like...don't allow spies like you guys to have a relationship? "
Jody asked in curiosity.
" Yes, of course, it's prohibited. But we ain't plan to do this for our entire life. That has many potential people swapping in and out. Once she accepts Toshi's proposal, They'll quit."
".... I see... Looks like Thrak wasn't that scary after all... Aren't they afraid of the quit people will turn against them? Aren't they going to like... hunt down people who have quit or something like that? "
" Of course, Thrak ain't that scary. Don't let that image of the powerful organization in the movie blinds you. One ain't easy to become one of their organization. ... 1 in 1000 I would say. As I mentioned, They're all progressive in both physical and mental ways. They ain't Barbarians."
"...So what should I do to get along with your sister? "
" See what happens between Mickey and Sera? "
"....."
Syd continues:
" Same shit. You just need to prove yourself as Sera did. That's all. Action always speaks louder than words. But In your case, It will take time to develop."
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An hour later.
Arriving at the airport.
" Why do we need to go there by plane? I don't understand. Why don't we just go there by using those teleport people?"
Sera asked.
" Because their power range isn't that far. They only teleport back to somewhere in London."
" Like a secret base?"
" yes. And If we go to wales, they'll have another couple spared just for us too."
Roxxy explained.
" Right now, That side may send people like us to look for Sally. We don't even know who will they send? Or when will they arrive..."
Toshi mused.
" We're taking a normal flight or what?"
Asked Sera.
Mickey turns to her.
" Nah, We'll go there by a personal jet. But it will be kinda risky. Because we'll sneak in that country. We should avoid being detected."
"... Hmm..."
" Why you asked?"
" Because I have my personal jet here... I'm just thinking, Will it be better to go there by my jet? I mean...uh... You guys can hide under my name...they'll just think that this is just another group of wealthy brats traveling to wales to have their ridiculous vacation?"
"....."
"...like...sort of...Classy kids Activity... " Sera obstructed.
"...."
"...."
"...."
" What? Why're you looking at me like that?"
" Bitch, why don't you tell us sooner!?"
" Because you didn't ask! "
" But...Hey... This is a really good idea... We're just pretending like we are uptown brats, going to have a party in wales...under her name... This is perfect! The enemy won't even suspect in the flight. Plus we don't even need to take a risk...because Sera's family...they have credit."
Mickey supported that idea.
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Sera walks to the reception desk.
As soon as the staff realizes it was her, they quickly called the manager to welcome them himself.
" Good afternoon, Lady Seraphina. What can we do for you? "
" I would like to take a flight to wales with all my friends here. We'll have a party there."
She said.
" Understood, Lady Seraphina. What time do you desire to leave?"
" Right now. With my personal jet."
The manager nods.
Other airport staff came from behind them and asked them for taking their luggage to load them in the jet.
"Your flight will be ready in 10 minutes. Please follow me."
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10 minutes later.
They got themselves in Sera's personal Jet.
" Oh, ...uh...thank you..."
Syd receives a drink from the air hostess.
She smiled for him before walked out and closed the door.
Leaving them in the private section of the jet.
Thus, there's no outsider in this room. Only 6 of them.
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