Interim. (7)

Seemingly having nothing left to say, Relovan began to walk again. The other Enforcers said nothing to defend themselves and the closer he got to the front of the group, the more anxious they appeared to become. The look on Relovan's face as well as his demeanor as he approached them clearly had an effect on the majority of the gathered Enforcers, and before they knew it, they had split down the middle to let him through. Relovan neither made a sound nor actually looked at them and he just made his way right through them all. He was shocked to see that it wasn't just those who had been placed in command of the makeshift squads who were present in Ralph's, but almost all of the eighty Enforcers that had been assigned to monitor the Void Lords and their Personal Knights. They all split down the middle and opened a path for Relovan. Once he was free from the group, he walked over to Ralph while reaching for his wallet. The barman smiled and raised his hand, before signaling with his hand that the Enforcer's drinks were on him. Unlike with his colleagues, Relovan actually nodded in appreciation as he accepted the offer and made his way out of the bar. He was certain he was being cussed out in a plethora of languages but couldn't care less. He walked over to the cab, which was actually started the moment he was spotted. He stepped into the back of the vehicle, and the cabbie looked at him.

"Back to my apartment." Relovan stated simply as he buckled up.

"As you wish, Sir."

On the way back to the apartment, the driver could tell that something had happened, but could tell that the Enforcer wasn't the type of person that appreciated prying, so he just kept quiet and drove him home. Once they reached the building, Relovan reached into his pocket to pull out his wallet but was stopped by a raised hand and a shake of the head.

"No no, that won't be necessary Sir."

"What are you talking about? Look at the time – it's dark out, and you picked me up during the fucking day. Take your money and go home."

"I apologise, but I cannot accept the money."

"Look at the meter – are you seriously telling me that you're going to refuse what is owed to you? Especially when it amounts to that much?"

"The gratitude I have for still being alive is worth far more than this amount of money, Sir."

"What?"

"It doesn't take a genius to figure out who you are; especially after hearing what that giant Police Chief had to say during his update. I am from the First Planet; I saw up close what kind of devastation those beings are capable of. I watched as armed and armoured men and women trembled in fear every time the ground shook. So when I heard that there was an Enforcer that not only stood up to the Void Lords and their Knights, but actually took the fight to them and even arrested a few, I couldn't believe my ears. The fact that I picked that Enforcer up is a massive honour for me, and this really is the very least I could do."

Relovan just sighed and pulled his hand out from his pocket. He didn't look happy about the current turn of events, however it appeared as though he had accepted gesture through gritted teeth.

"Relovan." The Enforcer grumpily snorted.

"E-Excuse me?"

"My name is Relovan, what's yours?"

"I am Rahamat."

Rahamat said this as he dug around a compartment in the car's interior before pulling out and handing a card to Relovan.

"This has my contact details on it – any time you need a ride, please do not hesitate to call me."

Relovan accepted the card warily before stepping out of the cab. Once he was outside, Relovan looked at Rahamat in silence for what seemed like the longest time, before sliding his feet together and saluting the cabbie. The salute was brief, and a little wonky due to the amount of alcohol that had been ingested, however it appeared to be effective as Rahamat bowed his head slightly in return. The men then parted and Relovan made his way up to his apartment, with the cabbie waiting to see the Enforcer disappear before driving off himself. Relovan walked into his apartment and sat down in the lounge with a tired sounding sigh. He sat there quietly for a while, before pulling his phone out from his pocket and staring at it for the longest time. He eventually switched the device on, and the small external screen displayed the Cosmo logo. Almost immediately after being switched on, the device started bleeping and vibrating as the influx of messages and notifications drove the phone crazy.

Relovan rolled his eyes and groaned slightly as he had anticipated this happening and was secretly dreading switching the phone on. The tiny screen looked somewhat disproportionate on the large slab that was the phone, however Relovan actually opened the phone down the middle, revealing a large landscape screen as well as a physical keyboard. Again, he just stared at the screen as the phone continued to buzz and vibrate.

"Ugh…" Relovan groaned, placing the device on the couch beside him.

He wasn't sure quite when it happened, however the Enforcer was out for the count before he could contemplate which message to read first. He slept right there on the couch, and his fatigue and physical condition were such that he slept right through his alarm and well into the morning. He found himself waking up quite a bit later than he was used to, and with something of a start. He looked around with barely open eyes and looked at the phone that was still in his hand.

"I have to get to work." He said to himself as he unlocked the phone and saw not only some fresh missed call notifications, but the time as well. "Oh."

Relovan stood up slowly, still favouring his left arm. Whatever they had given him in that hospital for the pain had kind of worn off, and he was feeling the pain and discomfort not only in his left arm, but his entire body as a whole.

"Shower." He said to himself once again.

He stumbled over to the shower and although he could barely raise his arms, Relovan still counted being hit by the water as having taken a shower. As he stood under the flow of water, a rather loud series of knocks echoed throughout the small apartment. This prompted Relovan to shoot a glance towards the shower door and sigh.

"Who the fuck is it?"

He grumbled to himself as he stepped out of the shower and grabbed a towel off the rack. He loosely wrapped it around his waist and made his way over to the door. His surgery scars were still rather prominent, and by showed just how much work had been done to save his life. He had managed to keep his shock rather low key; however, he too was a little surprised – although his surprise was about to be increased by orders of magnitude. The knocks continued, annoying Relovan to the point where he opened the door with about as much strength as he could muster, only for his eyes to grow large. They were greeted by the sight of Juxtae's subordinates standing at the door. The two women that spoke for the Void Lord stood there with facial expressions that could only be described as sneers. They looked at Relovan, who quickly recovered from the initial shock and stared the two women down.

"Greetings, Enforcer." One of the women said.

"It appears we have caught you at an inconvenient time." The other said.

"You have." Relovan bluntly responded. "What can I do for you?"

"We come here bearing a message from the Lady."

"An important one."

"…what is it, then?"

"Excuse us?" The women asked simultaneously.

"What is the fucking message?" Relovan asked impatiently.

The two women looked as though they were ready to slaughter the Human Enforcer, however something stopped them from even trying to. The women looked at one another, before looking at Relovan with barely contained disapproval. One of the women calmed down before her partner, and with a sigh a slight shrug of the shoulders, she lowered not only her gaze, but her body as she bent her knees. She knelt down before the Enforcer, much to his immense yet well contained surprise and kept her gaze fixed firmly on the ground.

"Enforcer, we have been tasked with bringing you back and the Lady made it clear that if we have to lick the soles of your feet to get your consent, then that is what we shall do."

Relovan watched on in silence as the other woman sneered just a bit before kneeling as well and looking down at the floor as well. The pair remained in that position, outside Relovan's apartment and in clear view of those outside. Barely a minute went by before Relovan turned around and hobbled back inside the apartment.

"Come in and close the door. I just need a few minutes to get dressed, and then we may leave."