Episode 9

The weather outside the cafe was cold. It was so cold, it required you to wear winter clothes. In a pocket space however, you can't get sick so those who could take the cold could stay outside however much they wanted.

The faint sound of the cars racing on the highway and the occasional angry honks made this pocket space feel like home. The time in there always seemed to be during dawn when the environment around us would be painted in red light. At that time, the lights on the street would also turn on. Inside was warm but not too hot. It was the ideal temperature.

I made a cup of coffee for Karia. It's aroma was absolutely delicious and the roasted bean smell filled the place up quickly. I had put on my best jazz music play list for additional relaxation. The faint orange lights inside did a good enough job of illuminating the shop.

Karia grabbed the cup with both her hands and lifted up to her lips. She took a sip and made sure to savor it like I told her by keeping it a bit longer in her mouth.

"Damn. That's pretty good. I heard this drink is usually bitter as hell and enjoyable only for those with the taste for it. This, on the other hand... it's sweet and slightly bitter. I can feel a complex web of taste and aroma behind this cup of coffee, but I'm not good enough at this kind of thing to talk about it."

Karia had a twinkle in her eyes. I liked seeing her happy like that. I hope I can keep her happy like that.

"Didn't you say you were going to tell me about Quon?" I said as I cleaned the espresso machine after it's usage.

She put her cup down and took one big breath in.

"Where should I start.... Hmm... I'm sure Father already told you, but I am 500 years old, about to turn 501 in April actually. Quon is 750 years old and we met... I want to say... 235 years ago?"

I remained silent.

"When we first met, we were both different than how we are now. She used to be so free-willed. She used to do and say whatever she wanted and no one could say anything to her, since she had the power back up her actions and behavior."

"I admired... I still admire that about her. Back then, I used to be a jerk. I knew what made people angry and took advantage of that. I was a brat. If you asked me now... I wouldn't be able to tell you why I was acting like that. Perhaps the young age?"

"Anyway. She uses a spear like you and she was beyond talented at combat. I can remember how I used to annoy her by begging her to help me get better. Back then, I had reached a point where I wanted to change. I wanted to become a strong person like her. At first, she rejected me because of my behavior, so over time I did my best to change and become the person I am now."

"Although she did not use the Japanese katana like me, she taught me everything else. From footwork to the way I transition into moving and then chaining movements in a way that allowed me to pick up after finishing a movement. She taught me martial arts as you humans call it. She taught me how to use my blood techniques. If it wasn't for her, who knows where I would have been now."

That sounded familiar. We both smiled.

"I see why you said that Vetel sounds like my brother."

She nodded.

"Everything was fine for a good 100 years. Those 100 years were the best years of my life and a period of my life I will never forget. A short while after those 100 years though, her family deemed Quon worthy enough of running their business."

"Business? Vampires run businesses?"

"Not all. Some have their own thing they do within Valachia, but a lot of them, including the VIkas clan, runs their business in the human world. The business they are running specifically is a bodyguard agency."

"Even after that, we still kept strong in contact. She was so good at running that bodyguard agency that it rose to the... top 500 fortune companies? Is that what you call them in your world?"

I nodded.

"She was running that business so well that they didn't want her to do anything else. They didn't want her to become clan leader and let another sibling run the bodyguard business. All they wanted was for her to be there and there only."

"I have a feeling that what they did next is pretty reprehensible."

She chuckled and looked at me with a sad smile on her face.

"Quite true. What they did was send strong vampires within the Vikas clan to supervise Quon and make sure she doesn't even think of rebelling. She was a strong woman though, so she didn't pay it too much mind. That was until they began setting up matchmaking sessions for her."

I could feel the sadness and disgust in her voice.

"Don't tell me..."

"Yes. They are treating Quon like an object to further their profits and increase their hold on the human world... but that's not the worst part..."

She struggled a bit to force the words out.

"The problem was that the only people who would accept that are the ones who don't care about Quon at all. They are willing to cooperate with the vilest methods and willing to overlook whatever abuse her pants hurl at her. The worst part is that... some of her partners tried to..."

I had a feeling I knew what she was going to say. It was the most cliche thing in this world and something that you almost expect to happen in situations like the one Quon was in.

"Yeah. She would find opportunities she could use to leave her company's HQ which is in the human world and travel all the way here and talk with me about it."

She sighed.

"I idolized her up until then. I thought that nothing people could hurl at her could possibly get under her skin or make her upset... but that's when it finally clicked in for me. She was a sensitive girl like me. She didn't know what the best choice always was and only tried to live within her means."

"...She would often cry as she relieved those moments. Then I would let her sleep over. I'd hold her all night trying to give her the warmth she so desperately seeked. Sometimes she would cry herself to sleep."

"Nobody deserves to have something like that happen to them. Nobody deserves to have perverted deviants who are only after their status and body sicced on them like that."

"I agree."

I honestly felt quite upset. Maybe not as much as Karia, since I didn't Quon that well... but it made sense. The obvious bags she had under her eyes when we met. That look in her eyes as if she w as watching her own life's course from a third person point of view. She didn't want to deal with those things anymore. But she had no choice.

I couldn't help but feel bad. I wanted to help her.

Karia smashed the counter with her fist and that shook me out of my train of thought.

"I want to help her so much! I want her to smile from the bottom of her heart! I want her to god damn happy!" She shouted as tears fell down her cheeks.

Her eyes became red and puffy and I could see the frustration she held inside herself for so long... for not being strong enough to help her older sister. For having to not do anything while Quon continues to suffer.

From the corner of my eye, I could see the door on the left that led to the living space opened a jar. Idris and Keiran were there. They both had sad looks on their faces and seemed to heavily emphasize with Karia.

I gave them a smile and a gesture to come in.

Idris came and hugged Karia from behind, gently resting her chin on Karia's head. Kerian, as a guy, could not afford the same physical intimacy, but I know he felt the same as Idris.

"I see then. I have a good grasp on the situation your precious older sister is in. Now. Are you going to do something about it?" I said in a cold, provocative way.

She predictably got angry again.

"You think I don't want to help her?!"

Her lips were curled into a frown and her eyes were narrowed, almost inundated with tears.

"Heeh. You don't understand." I said as I shook my head in disappointment.

Idris and Keiran seemed to have caught on to what I was saying and had large smiles on their faces. Their resolve to help Karia and by extension Quon was more than obvious in their eyes.

"I asked you, Karia, what do you want to do?" I said as I rested my elbows on the counter and supported my head with my hands and got closer to her, looking straight into her eyes.

She mulled my words for a few moments.

"I want to help her!" She said as the tears finally stopped.

"Then that's what we'll do." I said as I casually got back up and turned around to clean the glass in which I made Karia coffee in.

Before I turned away, Idris and Keiran gave me a confident and hopeful nod and I returned the gesture in full.

"But what are you going to do?" Keiran inquired all of a sudden.

"I was thinking of letting Karia here play the part of the clan leader while I joined Quon's bodyguard detail."

"How are you going to do that though?" Idris said.

"Idris is right. You were a human just a few days ago and have no history that the agency could use to deem whether you are a safe person they can hire as a bodyguard." Keiran said.

I didn't act all cool like that without a plan. I wasn't too crazy about it, but if I used Vetel's help, I could probably inflitrate their angecy without a problem. I had to contact him first before I could tell them though.

I was deemed as missing or possibly dead for more than 48 hours now. It was quite possible for Vetel to have freaked out, unlikely as that may be, knowing him. I had to think things through and determine how much I wanted him to know...

"Before we go any further though, I want to say that I will go alone."

The three didn't seem to mind.

"We understand." Keiran said.

"If any of us went with you, they would immediately suspect you." Idris added.

"I'm putting my older sister's life, happiness and future in your hands, Ogen. We're counting on you." Karia finally finished.

They all seemed to echo the sentiment strongly. They were amazing people. I wish I could have introduced Vetel to them... but that would invite unwanted trouble, as disappointing as it may be.

Surprisingly, my phone was undamaged from all the crazy shit that happened these last few days. I had full signal too. I gave Vetel a phone call.