65. OutMission (4)
It was Right before Lex and the rest fly away from Indonesia, and after Lex and the rest left Crimson Eagles' Moving Island,
The rest are waiting in the airport waiting room, While Aria taking care of the necessary documentation for them to aboard the plane, Max was looking at the sky blankly across the big window, it's like he looking at something far away from there
"Max" Cleos called, but it seems Max didn't hear him well then
"What's wrong?" Lex called out to Max. while swaying his shoulder
"…!? Hm?" it was then Max snapped out from his longing, then he realized the others were staring at him too, Max scratched his cheeks shyly "I'm sorry…"
"Are you okay?" Lex asked
"I'm okay" Max nodded
"What were you daydreamed about? Get a grip" Cleos said, "or could it be you miss home?" Cleos joked "haha, there's no way-"
"Yea" Max replied stunned Cleos "huh?" Cleos replied before keeping his mouth shut as he didn't know what to say other than "sorry" he muttered softly
Cleos knew unlike him and the rest who were Guests they could go back home whenever they wanted or it's more like they had home to go back to, but Numbers are different, they contracted and chained in this Crimson Eagle, they were orphans too, except their Orphanage there's no other place they can call home, for the lucky one they can call that orphanage their home whenever they want, but for the unlucky one like the one who always got bullied in the Orphanage by the other kids, there's no place left for them to call home,
In the past year, they become closer, but Max didn't tell him about his background or Orphanage and Cleos never asks him either, that's why family or background things were a bit delicate topic for Max, that's what Cleos thought.
"Why you suddenly miss home?" Lex asked, yeah unlike Cleos Lex knew a bit about Max's background, and he knew that Max wouldn't be bothered by something like that too. And Lex didn't realize Cleos was glaring at him all the time too
(Hmmm…. Max had a complicated background too) Lex thought as he remembered 'Quintonella' pendant and his sister back in the Orphanage (Geh! Mio, Max, Cleos, Aria, and me… what the heck! Is this a coincidence?)
(Adding me who My parent suddenly missing and fabricated as death… aren't all of us had complicated background!? Maa~ except for Arthur) Lex remembered the cause of the other day's inner conflict too.
"I lived near here," Max said as he once again looked at the far sky
"At this country?" Lex asked
"Nah, it's close but not in this country"
*slap
Max slapped his cheeks "I'm sorry, maybe because it's close that I started thinking about her, we're on the Mission aren't we, Cleos right I need to get a grip" Max said "besides I'll see her after this OutMission ended too"
"" Max…"" Mio and Lex quickly responded to his words "Oi! Didn't he just casually raise a Death flag!?" Lex exclaimed
"Kukuhaha, this is that kind of 'I'll get married, when this battle is over' thingy, isn't it?" Mio said while acting like the one from the anime
"Huh? Death flag!?" Max got confused, unlike them, he who lived in the orphanage didn't have that kind of leeway to watch anime. Max then turned to Cleos for an answer but
"Huh?" he had the same stupid face, Cleos too didn't know about it, Cleos' way of thinking is 'I didn't have time for that kind of thing!'
While Mio and Lex starts to communicate about anime, it was like Alien language for Max, then lastly Max turned to Arthur "Sorry, can't help you there" Arthur said, it's because Arthur knew exactly what Lex and Mio talking about, he too thought the same thing when Max said those words
"Lex! What did you mean?" Max finally gave up finding another alternative to explain, he called out to the duo, it was after a good laugh from Lex and Mio that they finally explained what it means to Max
"What!? no way!" Max cried
"Haha" Lex laughed again "it's ok~~! It only happened in the story! ahaha~~!"
"Phew~~! That's a good laugh, thanks Max" Lex said while Mio added from behind "Thanks from me too, kukuhahaha"
"It's not happy for me though" Max retorted
"maa~ maa~ you just didn't know about it, don't worry about it" Lex replied, "oh! by the way, you and your sister were two years apart, no?"
"…." Max sulked for a bit before he decided to answer Lex with a nod
"Which means she's coming to Crimson Eagle, don't forget to introduce us!" Lex said jokingly
"She won't come," Max said
"Really?"
"Yeah, I negotiated about it with Venti and she helped me to talk about it with Vera Crimson too, so she won't come here" Max explained
Lex saw the expression on Max's face quickly loosened as he thought about her sister "that's good, make sure to fulfill her dream, and don't forget I'll always be there to help you, you're not alone" Lex said seriously
"Yes!" Max sincerely replied
(It's like seeing him from the past when we're still on the training camp) Lex thought (even when he became so muscled like this he didn't change much on the inside)
"You're splendid brother" Arthur suddenly praised Max, and Max accepts it sincerely too then Arthur muttered softly to himself "unlike me…."
(Here it comes!!! Now we had a full set of people with a COMPLICATED background! I knew it! Is there anyone pulling the strings from behind!? Damn it! I can't but feel it like that!!)
Before long, Aria back to them with each of their flight ticket
"Wait! I didn't know you had a sister!?" Cleos complained to Max in the background "Lex know but I'm not…" it's like a jealous girlfriend, but luckily no one heard their conversation
Like that, they board the plane and flight to their destination, close to the border of three countries, China, Laos, and Vietnam.
****
After an international flight and followed by another domestic flight, Lex and the rest arrived at the nearest airport to their destination,
"From here we'll take land vehicles," Aria said then she explained these too were supplied by Crimson Eagle, unlike Aria and Arthur, This is Mio, Lex, Max, and Cleos first OutMission after all, she thought she had an obligation to explain all the things needed to know on OutMission.
The thing Crimson Eagle for them was 2 four-seater off-road jeep, with six of them they need to be divided into two groups, and at the same time there were only two people who could drive professionally, they were Lex and Max because the two of them took the Training Camp for one year, they learned how to drive there, while the rest only knew how to drive but have not Mastered it,
Aria and Arthur were used to team up with another party as well, when they took the OutMission, that's why they rarely drive too, with that it's obvious one group will be with Max and the other will be with Lex.
The result of the group.
Group 1
- Lex Spifer, Aria Tearlake, and Furuhashi Mio
Group 2
- Max Azela, Arthur Dragonsclaw, and Cleos Sariela
"Wait!" Cleos cried "isn't these groups strange?"
"Strange?" Aria replied while tilting her head
(She sometimes makes this kind of gesture unconsciously!) Lex thought (and… it was so damn cute~!)
(Phew~! Calm down me calm~ down~, focus, I need to focus, I can't underestimate things)
"Yes, with this group there will be two heavy tankers on our group, and there will be none on yours," Cleos said
(That makes sense, I thought he complained because the two girls were in my group, looks like it's only me who had that kind of mind…, they all still a pure-minded teenage children, while I'm a dirty-minded old man…. Uuuu~~~)
"Ah…." Aria silently stared at Cleos for a while "you're right I should've told the reason behind this grouping beforehand, I'm sorry" she bowed to Cleos
"Eh? Um, it's not-" while Cleos struggled how to answer the sudden apologize
"I anticipated for a fight when the two drivers can't fight or can't leave their wheel," Aria said, "and because you and Mio were rearguard we need to divide you two too, so Cleos with Max and Mio with Lex, I don't need to explain the reason, right?"
(Yeah, Max and Cleos, then Mio and me, we had our teamwork)
Aria continued to explain "then the rest were only me and Arthur, while Arthur can work with either one, as a Tank he didn't need much team works with the rearguard, the problem within me, I need more teamwork on my part, I and Cleos just met the other day, I can't expect better teamwork with him rather than Mio, so I'm on this group, now… is it clear?"
""""yes!"""" they all replied and nodded then Cleos added, "Thank you very much!" Aria nodded back then
"Let's move, it'll be the best if we could reach the village before night" Aria commanded