The situation of things weighed heavily on his mind for days on end. Xzavier who was always consumed with his missions was so consumed by his own thoughts that he completely forgot that the military system even existed.
Time passed, but Xzavier didn't seem to pass with it. With every sunset and sunrise, Xzavier was plagued by the knowledge of oppressive environment which his new friend the waitress had found herself in.
He thought deeply on the unfair quandaries that faced her every single day, as well the fact that she remained powerless against her situation. Xzavier absolutely hated oppression.
He detested tyranny in any and all forms it took. Right now, it irked him that he couldn't do more for the oppressed class in this world. It was too late for people like Miss Mary who had paid the ultimate price for the society's folly.
But Tacy was alive and she was the one person whom he could actually help, given his own meagre resources and limited power. So, the thoughtful young man drafted the ideal plan. He nurtured it for days and mulled over it before finally putting it to action.
On one of those particular evenings when he hung out at the underground exchange as he waited for Tacy to finish, he finally made a move to act out his plan. While Tacy wiped down the counter, Xzavier surprised her with another one of his famous bombshells.
"Tacy I want you to come over to my hotel after your shift this evening."
Tacy's face immediately turned red. She blushed so hard that Xzavier had to inquire if she was okay.
"Are you alright? Is this a bad time?"
The young waitress fought to maintain her cool. Her rosy red cheeks diverted all the blood on her face that her facial muscles refused to allow her open her mouth to speak. Xzavier was always surprising her with his questions and requests.
One would have thought that Tacy would have been used to it already. But Xzavier was unpredictable. Each time, it genuinely seemed like he kept inventing new innovative ways to sweep her off her feet with his doings and words.
The mental image her brain had conjured up was a logical one given the way Xzavier had thrown the question to her. Xzavier was a man, so she had been expecting this from him, but even when he made a pass at her, he was coldly perfect.
"I don't know about that Xzavier," she replied softly as she avoided his gaze. "I mean, I hardly know you that well."
"Oh come off it Tacy. We are practically friends now."
A part of Tacy recoiled at the way Xzavier casually threw the word 'friends.' She was crushing hard on him, and she hoped they would be more than that soon. Trying to be coy, Tacy replied him elusively;
"I am not saying yes, but I am also definitely saying no either. Let's just see how it goes."
Xzavier raised his eyebrows quizzically in the manner that was typical of him whenever she said something daft. He pressed on relentlessly.
"It's either a yes or a no Tacy, it's really not that hard."
Tacy wasn't shocked by his persistence. Just as she was about to cave in, Xzavier teased her further;
"We both know I am your only friend Tacy, so quit the jibber jabber and tell me already."
Tacy was flustered. His impudence and presumptuousness could make him seem overly confident sometimes.
The truth was Tacy had already made up her mind to come over from the very moment he had asked, but she wanted to play him a little longer just to weigh how much he wanted her to come over. Satisfied with her little experiment, Tacy finally consented.
"Fine, I'll come over as soon as I finish my shift here. Say seven-ish?"
"Seven is fine."
As she finally agreed, Tacy looked for a sign of relief or joy in his face, but as usual, Xzavier's face was as unreadable as a bronze statue.
"I'll be heading off now, see you then."
Tacy waved at him as he left. As she watched him leave through the exit, she noticed that Xzavier didn't turn to look back. He never did.
She finished the rest of her shift hurriedly. Her brain was already melting with the thoughts of what awaited her at the end of the evening with Xzavier. She found herself humming a tune and swaying to the rhythm as she locked up the underground exchange.
As she flirted with the idea of dashing back to her own place to change into something more fitting, she realized that she would never make it in time.
She knew how much Xzavier hated tardiness. She cursed herself for not putting on something more alluring at the beginning of the day. But how was she to know that today would be the day?
Tacy glided through the streets of the town as if she had wings. By the time she arrived at the hotel room, she was a nervous wreck. Besieged with all kinds of thoughts, Tacy stood before the door as if she had completely forgotten how to knock.
Eventually, she summoned the courage to knock and three seconds later, Xzavier opened the door with a blank expression on his face.
"Come in Tacy."
Tacy didn't know how, but she found her body moving on its own accord as she floated into the room. Behind her, she heard Xzavier lock the door and her heart began to beat wildly. She had been alone with Xzavier in the past before, but she didn't know why this felt different.
The soft candle light from the candlesticks bathed the room in a warm orange light. Still standing, her palms suddenly began to feel sweaty. Her stomach felt as though there were butterflies, she was well aware of Xzavier's presence behind her. With her back still turned to Xzavier, she began to stammer.
"Xzavier…look…uhmm…I think we should uhmm…"
With no echoing footsteps at all, Xzavier's form suddenly appeared before her clutching something in his hands.
"Oh no!" she thought. "This is all moving too fast."
Xzavier finally spoke up in a clear strong voice;
"Listen to me Tacy. I want you to take this money and leave this dangerous place immediately. You deserve a much better life than the one you're currently living at the moment. You can start all over again in a much better place."
Tacy was sure that at that moment, there wasn't anyone in the world who was more confused than her. She looked closer at the package in his hands and recognized it instantly!
It was the same enveloped that contained the gold coins she had personally delivered to Xzavier by Kadin's orders. She knew that even if she worked hard all her life, she could never amass this much fortune.
She looked at the gold that Xzavier had handed over to her and swallowed hard. There was no doubting the fact that she could spend the rest of her days very wealthy with this much money. She couldn't believe what was happening to her.
This was the type of offer that only came to people in dreams and yet, before her very eyes, it was manifesting beautifully.
Struggling to find the right words, she lifted up her head from the gold and discovered that she had been all alone in the room for quite a while. Xzavier had left long ago and left her to her dream. Tacy was stunned. Xzavier was her angel after all.
She had toyed with the idea before, but right now, holding the fortune that was the key to her future, she believed more than ever that angels actually existed.