LIGHTNOVELONLINE 『Chapter 14: Interview』
Earlier.
2:00 AM
At the Underground.
Just as Chad and Jinsei go up the elevator, Edward complains to himself. He rubs his stomach, noting that the peppers from his soup was too much. "Catch up to them...? Psh yeah well, if I literally didn't just finish eating I'd be FINE but... whatever."
All of a sudden, an androgynous person with purple highlights sits right next to him. They're wearing a comfortable looking wool turtleneck, ear piercings, mama jeans, cute round glasses, and converse shoes. Edward notices that they have a small notebook in one hand. "So," they say with a smile. "What's your name?"
Edward, clearly caught off guard, looks at them.
"...Huh?"
"Your name dude! I've never seen you around."
"Uhh... What for? I've never met you."
"Oh well you can call me Quinn. I'm a regular around here."
The bartender, a skinny 20 year old male with glasses gives them a raised eyebrow look, before ignoring them.
"And you are?" Asks Quinn.
"Well, I'm not too keen on meeting strangers. If you could go away, that'd be great." Responds Edward, flipping through the drink menu.
"I'll pay you a drink if you tell me about yourself."
Edward immediately turns towards them. "Alright! So whaddya wanna know about me first?" He says in a joyful tone, pulling their shoulder to his in a buddy-buddy fashion.
"(He immediately folded...)" Thinks Quinn to themselves.
"Well," says Quinn, politely pushing themselves away. "I want to know your name."
"Before we actually start, what's with the notebook?" Asks Edward
"Oh this? I like to host interviews with people, and more specifically, about their stories."
"But why?" Asks Edward.
Quinn looks up at his eyes. He stares back. Quinn's eyes seem cold, yet their body language seems warm. Edward's body is closed off, yet has an inviting face.
"Well my major is in psychology, and my minor is in anthropology. Chronicling people and how they think is just- really interesting to me, you know?"
"Wouldn't you be content with your own life experiences?" Asks Edward. "Sorry if that came off as insensitive, I'm just curious about how you think."
Quinn chuckles. "Well, that's the thing. I myself never really lead an 'interesting' life. So, I just ask people for their stories instead. Now, with your name."
"Well aren't you an eager one?" Chuckles Edward. "The name's Edward. Now, with my drink."
Just as Quinn finishes writing Edward's name in the book, they roll their eyes and call the bartender over.
"Whatever he wants..." Grunts Quinn.
"I would like the Karot Martini, please."
The bartender gives both of them an eyebrow raise. "Just so you're aware, that'll be $80."
"80 DOLLARS?" Asks Quinn.
"Damn...inflations pretty bad nowadays..." Comments Edward, rubbing his chin.
Quinn gives an annoyed look at Edward. Edward in turn, shrugs. "You said any drink."
Quinn grumbles and rolls their eyes. "Fine," they say, rummaging through their wallet to fetch out 20 dollar bills.
"Pahaha, no way," exclaims Edward. "You're actually doing it. I thought you would ask for a more reasonable price."
"Well a deal's a deal." Responds Quinn. "And besides I make enough to not be worried about it. Hey bartender, why's it so expensive by the way?"
"There's small flakes of gold in the drink," says the bartender in a dry tone.
Both Quinn and Edward look at the bartender confused. The bartender ignores them as another customer calls his attention.
"A non-alcoholic Gin for me please," calls the stranger, sitting not too far away from them. It's a skinny boy with shaggy, cloudlike bangs that covered his face. He's also wearing a hoodie.
Edward looks at him and quietly scoffs.
The bartender mixes the drink. He forms small flakes of gold from the skin cells in the back of his hand, and sprinkles them in out of sight.
Edward props up: "Why would you put gold in alcohol?"
Quinn pauses before turning to Edward. "Why would you order it?"
The bartender finishes, and gives both Edward and the stranger their drinks.
Edward closes his eyes and takes a healthy swig. "Good question. I could've easily changed it to a normal drink but, its not everyday you get to drink gold in alcohol. That's shit not everyone experiences. That's bragging rights right there."
He licks his lips. "Mmmmm. You wanna try some?" He offers to Quinn.
"I'm... good. Say anyway, what are you doing here in The Underground?" They ask.
"Oh I'm here with a couple of friends. They needed some info for a mission we're gonna do but, for now they're off handling something else."
"A mission huh? What's that all about?"
"Oh something to do with Japan and taking it over or destroying it or some shit." He says, taking a swig.
Quinn hears the country and instantly freezes up. Their hands quiver. They tilt their head and cover their mouth. "Japan huh?" They say. "So you're strong?"
Edward ponders for a sec. "Eh. Kinda. I'm stronger than 99% of the human race but compared to everyone else here, that means jack shit. I've been studying magic for a while so I know I have some growing to do."
"I see." Comments Quinn. "What's your specialization?"
"Specialization?" Asks Edward, averting his eyes as he asks.
"Yeah, you know? All-rounder, Half-and-half, Specialist?"
"I uh...I'm not sure," he responds.
Quinn's left eye twitches.
Edward notices.
"Oh ahah... but do you know what spell or technique you can use yet?" Asks Quinn
"Uhm... I mean Chad is recently showing me how to summon spirits but that's still a decent bit away. The only one I have for now is a useful one, but its more for transportation."
"Ah...I see," they say, slowly looking away.
An awkward silence befalls them. Edward sips his drink. Quinn studies the page on their book.
"So," starts Quinn. "Where are you from?"
"Missouri." Simply states Edward.
"Oh!"
"St. Louis."
"Oh."
Edward takes a big chug from his glass.
"How were uh... how was your dad?" Asks Quinn.
"He was ok."
"And your mom?"
"She was ok. I understand now that they tried their best in raising a child and that's about it. No complaints, I don't think." Responds Edward.
"I see." Quinn notes down the indigo priest-like robe that Edward adorns. "Well, your outfit seems very religious. Is that on purpose or is that just an ornately styled trenchcoat?"
"Yeah, well, I'm pretty sure I was a priest back then but that life seemed like a blur."
"Pretty sure?"
"Again, that was just a phase."
"Why'd you leave it? Was it because you were lonely?"
Edward chuckles. "That's the thing about priests. You'd think that the one's not touching kids would be the calm and collected sages of wisdom and preachers of holiness who talk nonstop about the bible and talking to jesus and whatnot. But the thing is, priests aren't lonely. I mean think about it: you have all these people talking nonstop about how guilty they are about their sins and all of a sudden you have to be their pseudo-therapist going 'ok pray the rosemary like 15 times and you're good.' You're surrounded by people, it's annoying."
Quinn smells the fruity scent of the drink in his breath. "Erm, I think you mean the rosary?"
"What? Yeah man whatever."
"...Right. Well then did you learn anything of use at your time as a priest?"
"Umm... like parables and shit?"
"Yeah. Parables and shit."
"I mean, there's the one with Ezekiel."
"...Yeah?"
Edward goes quiet.
Quinn looks at their book before looking up and nudging Edward. "Go on?"
"Yeah he was like... he loved god so much and he offered his son to him and then an angel's like 'hey man it's just a test, what are you doing.' You know?"
Quinn slowly looks up. "That's the story of Isaac. Like, I'm an athiest and even I know that."
Edward scoffs. "Well, what? Do you want me to be a walking bible or something? Do you think priests just remember all stories by memory?"
"...Fair point."
Quinn looks at the almost blank text on their book. "(No wonder he didn't last as a priest.)" They think to themselves.
"Wait then, what's the point of the robe?" Asks Quinn.
"Well duh, it looks cool!" Says Edward.
"Yeah man." Responds Quinn. "Wait so," they continue. "What about your hair? In the dark it's black but when there's light its white. Is that a spell?"
"Oh no I'm just a genetic freak."
"Oh..."
In an almost disappointed tone, Quinn starts motioning to leave the seat. They ask one last question. "What's the meaning of life?"
"It's what you make of it, next question."
Quinn's eye twitches, before they tilt their head towards Edward. "That was a pretty quick response, don't you think?"
"Its a pretty simple question that stupid people stumble on."
Confused, Quinn pries further. "What do you mean by that?"
"Well yeah, people like to take things a step further and delve waaaay too deep into shit that really doesn't mean much. They distract themselves with philosophy, religion, history, and whatnot in order to get a distinct 'why' out of things. I can understand why'd they think like this. It doesn't mean that they're necessarily smart in the first place. Truth is, if you want to distract yourself with the 'why's of things, then you have the power to do so. But they're missing the point of life. It's to enjoy it."
Quinn rests their hand on their chin. "How sweet."
Edward turns to them. "How?"
"...How what?"
"What do you mean 'how sweet'? You're missing the point of what I'm trying to say. The enjoyment of life can be fulfilling, happy, and full of friends and family. But that's not everyone's point of life. That's not everyone's enjoyment."
Quinn slowly takes their hand away from their chin. "I think I get where you're going with this. Say, what's your goal in life? Now that you're going on about this whole, 'enjoying life' thing."
Edward chuckles to himself again. "When my friends asked me that, I said something along the lines of 'taking down the Ordinance Academy for the sake of God' or something like that. Can you believe that? Surprisingly, one of my friends actually has that same exact goal but, he's just a little crazy." Edward snickers. "Also, if you meet them, don't tell them this but I'm pretty sure I was high when I had that vision with the whole god thing."
Quinn looks at him puzzled. "Wait so did you learn about magic before or after the vision?"
"After. I hid a body, looked for a specific person, and learned the basics of magic afterwards."
"Then how did you know about the Ordinance Academy?"
Edward blankly looks at them.
"Huh... I guess never thought to realize that. Maybe I'm misremembering the order of things but I'm not really one to think hard about it you know? I mean, I've been a priest for a while and I can't even tell what that was like."
Quinn stares at him. "Uh huh. Wait so even if you were high, and even with the possibility of meeting god or whatever, hiding a body, learning magic and the reality of the world...why? Why do you still continue doing whatever you're doing? What do you get out of this?"
Edward stares at his empty glass, and twirls it around, admiring it. "You know, when I was 15, I realized the reality of the world. And not in the same way we do now, with spirits and all that. I mean, I had a sudden realization. I understood the station of my life, and those around me. My teacher. My parents. My friends. The ants. The birds. The flowers. The state of Missouri. The country. The world. The galaxy, and whatever the hell lied beyond the stars. Even if I couldn't understand the MEAGER microcosm of an atom, or the vast laws of space that I couldn't even begin to comprehend, I simply stared at it and said to myself:
'that's it?'
The realization crushed me. It wasn't a divine awakening, nor was it a terrifying reveal. It was boring. All of it is matter. Simple organisms atop simple rocks. And all of it is defined by the simple organisms' thoughts and feelings. And that's kinda it. We eat each other, shit each other out, listen to adults, obey the government, fuck for the sake of prolonging our species, all until we die. Obviously, this depressed the then-naïve 15 year old me. I lived like that for years. But that's when I started thinking.
Matter is temporary. If the government or company doesn't already own what you 'own', then its going to rot either way. I love money and food as much as the next guy, but taxes exist, and the gourmet meal I prepared is going to end up in the same place as the Big Mac I ate the other night. I already went on my schpeal about those who overthink and complicate things for the sake of distracting themselves. So again, the only thing we own is ourselves. A person's soul is the most important thing that belongs to them. Without it, we lose who we are. And who we are is the most important thing in the world. Not in a cheesy metaphorical way, no. Think about it. Let's say, there's Carl and Jose. They're your buddies, right?"
"O...k?" Complies Quinn.
"They're both pretty stand up dudes. Both are your friends but each one has their own flaws. Jose is a naïve but ultimately a well meaning guy. Carl is a tight ass about everything, but he's fun to be around nonetheless. Who has more worth?"
"Uhh... I mean both sound decent enough to hangout with, I don't-"
"That's the thing," cuts Edward off. "It means jack shit."
"Now when I reveal that Jose is a plumber, and Carl is a cop, who has more worth?"
"I mean, they both have their own stations in life." Responds Quinn. "Without plumbers, we'd still have outhouses. And without cops, the world would be a better place."
"So that's where-" Edward pauses.
He looks at Quinn and points. "You get extra credit for that one! But I digress. On a wide scale, sure. Both of those professions have their place in society. But one on one? One will always have more influence."
Edward slowly leans in closer to Quinn.
"It doesn't matter if you flick the cop off or throw the ticket back at his face, those twenty minutes are in his hands. You piss him off, you're in deep shit. You hurt him, you're in bigger deep shit. Meanwhile the only influence Jose has is whether you get to use the toilet in twenty minutes or in thirty.
You see, life is all about power. Power is influence. Influence is evidence. Evidence is proof that we exist; evidence that we matter."
Edward clutches onto Quinn's shoulders. He stares in their eyes, grinning.
"I'm pretty sure you of all people get it. To hell with all these phony sentiments and subjective philosophies. To hell with these hypocrites and preachers. I know the truth; I know that with the power of magic, we can all have what we want. It's no longer about politics and militaries. It's all about whether or not I decide to put a fucking crater here and now. My whim has weight- meaning to it. Me. Me alone. The more impact you have, the more worth you have as a person. The more influence I have over people's lives, the more I matter. But now, instead of celebrities and politicians gathering all that soft power, it's tangibly in our hands now.
The world is cruel.
And so, we must do what comes naturally."
Quinn simply stares at them before opening their mouth.
"Take your damn hands off me."
Edward slowly takes his hands off of them and retreats back to the bar table. An awkward silence ensues. "Sorry," he says. "The drink's got me all... you know."
Quinn breathes out. "It's fine," they say. The quickly open their book. Their sour expression immediately inverts to a chipper face as they see Edward's updated page on the book.
"Well," starts Quinn. "In a sort of sense, I know what you mean. The soul part I get; you're not you without being... you. Self-importance is key too; I learned that the hard way. Actively being selfish is the only thing we can do to survive. I could help someone else out but, that can also be a waste of time and energy. It's all dependent on the person of course but, I get what you're saying. And hey, if life gives you an opportunity, you'd be stupid to not take it. Conversely, we can also build up opportunities ourselves."
"Like jobs?" Props up Edward.
"Ehh, more like..." Quinn stops then blushes. "Ok I know this sounds really bad but, taking advantage of people."
Edward giggles. "But that is bad. Not that I disagree."
"No like- listen. If I'm at a bar, and I'm all prettied up and shit, and if a guy or girl offers me a drink, I'm taking it. Just because I accept it doesn't mean I'm sleeping with them, y'know? That's what they expect but, I don't want to. I'm just getting what I can get."
"What if they put something in the drink?" Asks Edward.
"Well that's why we can reads minds so."
"Oh yeah, right" Says Edward. "Man I keep trying to practice that but Psychopower is so hard."
Quinn makes a mental note of that comment.
"Say," continues Quinn. "You like dancing?"
Edward looks away. "I mean kinda, I'm just not really good at it. I'm more of a solo-dancer."
"Oh no worries" giggles Quinn. "Having fun is all that matters. There's a small sector on the other side of The Ungerground that's basically a nightclub. So why not join me?" They say with a forced smile. "It's Friday night after all. Let's dance."
Edward shrugs. "I mean technically its Saturday morning now but, yeah sure." He instinctively whips out his wallet to fetch a tip, before remembering ; "(Wait. What am I doing?)" He instantly puts his wallet back in his pocket. "(Much better.)" He thinks to himself.
The bartenders sees this and rubs the glass he was cleaning harder. "Prick..."
Both Edward and Quinn walk off towards the other section of The Underground.
The bartender notices the other customer, plastered on the bar set. "Hey, you good?" Asks the bartender.
The customer in turn, mumbles and slurs a groaned response.
"You didn't even have alcohol how are you-"
The bartender then looks back at the Non-alcoholic Gin and the Gin used for the Martini. He looks at the now distant Edward and the clearly hammered customer.
"Oh. Shit."
.
.
.
Both Edward and Quinn are at the dance floor. Edward sporadically shuffles and moves in aggressive fashion, timing each rhythm of the beat perfectly. Quinn on the other hand goes for a more casual approach, simply swaying from side to side. They stare at Edward and quietly admitted, despite being a moving hazard for the people around him, he's a pretty dancer.
Edward looks at them and smiles. "You know, you're really cute."
"Thanks, I know." Quinn simply responds.
.
.
.
Hours pass. Both of them sweaty and sitting around the arena chairs, stare at the match thats ensuing.
"After this one, I'm gonna head out," says Quinn.
"Aight." Responds Edward.
"I had lots of fun tonight. You're not like a lot of people around here, you know?"
"Sure man."
Quinn grumbles.
Edward looks at them. "Sorry I'm just- really tired. And a little pissed too."
"Pissed? About what?"
Edward leans in to Quinn. His demeanor changes. "Ok this is between you and me, so you don't tell anyone, ok?"
Quinn quietly leans in. "It's that serious?"
"Yes." Edward let's out a deep sigh.
He pauses, before ensuing his sentence.
"You saw that asshole with the boomerang, right? With the red beret and ugly ass outfit."
Quinn looks at him. "Oh my god I KNOW right?"
"He's a fucking prick. That boomering almost hit me in the eye. Like yeah he stopped at the third throw but like- no. I'm just upset. Like I was this close to kicking his ass but, whatever."
"Well if you kicked his ass we'd be in trouble."
"How?"
"Remember how you agreed to the contract? Yeah you would most likely die if you start shit. And anyways, there's a rule that says to not allow weapons so either he got asked to leave or he got a brain hemorrhage on the spot so...I don't know."
"Ohhh yeah, that's fair." Edward pauses before turning back to Quinn. "Wait how would that also be your problem?"
"Well, I would answer that but I'm getting tired. I'll tell you the answer..." Quinn leans in and boops Edward in the nose. "Next time I see you. I already got your number right?"
"Yeah. Alright well, just let me know when you wanna hangout again."
Quinn smiles and walks away.
Edward looks at his phone. It's 4 AM. Most people are starting to leave too. He groans. "Dude where ARE THEY. Y'know what, fuck it."
He calls Jinsei.
.
.
.
After their brief call, Jinsei calls Edward back.
"Yeah what's up," says Edward.
"One last thing. A couple weeks from now, get ready to meet up again. We're going to Utah."
"Utah? Isn't that where Chad lives?"
"Precisely."
"...The fuck are we doing in Utah?"
"We're going to train. All of us."
"As in... all in our group or-"
"Some of our new co-workers will be joining us."
Edward groans.
"Can't we just like, rent like a dojo for a day? Don't they have all the money in the world to do that?"
"It's called being discrete. Besides, I don't see why you'd be upset. Aren't you jobless at the mo-"
Edward rolls his eyes. "Ok yeah you're annoying me now, see ya byyyyyyyyyye." Edward closes the call. He can already sense Jinsei 60~ miles away looking at his phone in mild annoyance.
.
.
.
A couple days later.
Quinn is casually walking around their city. They're wearing a long skirt, leather boots and a blouse, all in black.
A homeless man, around his 60s goes up to them.
"Excuse me, could you spare some-"
"FUCK OFF."
.
.
.
Meanwhile, at the Ordinance Academy, Yamada the cockroach rests in his bed.
It's early in the morning.
Two figures stand ominously at the side of his bed.
They observe.