Chapter 7

Not to say that the eyes were the only things he thought about. For he definitely noted about the other aspects of the exquisite creature he saw. He thought of her light-pink feathers, and her beak, and her hair, and her body, and everything about her. Though, he realized, she had no wings. All the better for him if the birds on this world didn't have wings, he could fit in a lot easier.

If it had been himself from a week ago lying there, looking at the Angel bird, he would have debunked himself as a foolish romantic. For now he was utterly lost in puppy love. Though that really wasn't a good analogy for it at all.

Was this love? Could he base it all off of appearance, or was he truly delving into her soul, as he stared into her perfect eyes. Wasn't beauty only skin-deep, for at the very least she was the most beautiful bird he had ever seen before. Should he find out what her name was, and talk with her about broad topics to see what made her tick? Or was he overreaching, and undermining his emotions.

Maybe he should just shut his inner monologue up, and listen to the words about to emerge from her pristine beak.

"Oh, you're finally awake!" She smiled at him, with a warm and caring smile. "How does your head feel?"

Surprising himself, he at first only stuttered, as he tried to find something to say. Finally he closed his beak and took another shot at speaking. "O-oh, uh, bruised."

She laughed at him. "As long as it isn't broken. So, what's your name?"

He stayed quiet for a moment, making sure that the words would come out in enough clarity to be understood. "Rei. Ah, Rei Kiljrow."

Smiling, she took his right hand, and pumped it vigorously. "Well it's a pleasure to meet you Rei, and my name is Chassy Winnebaugh. Where do you come from, Rei?"

Staring at her face blankly, he was at a loss as to what to say, knowing that any kind of place he told her would confuse her. Perhaps it was best to keep quiet about his world. "Uh, a town from up north." He touched his forehead. "I must have been hit harder than I thought," he said, feigning amnesia, "I just can't remember the name."

She thought about it. "Hmm, you must mean Thornwood or Kabe Town. I've always wanted to go to Kabe Town myself."

Her voice warmed his heart, and he was thankfully beginning to feel more inclined to talk, and less nervous to talk to her. "That's the one!" he proclaimed.

Gently she sat down at the foot of his bed, looked at him and asked, "So what brings you all the way from Kabe Town?"

"Well being cooped up in a small town makes one restless. Taking up my things I left out on the road, hungry for adventure."

"How exciting, did you find any?"

Rubbing his head he grimaced. "Just thieves and a bruised head." He almost said, 'and I found a beautiful bird name Chassy', but felt it was inappropriate for the time being.

She giggled a very girlish giggle. "You have such nice feathers, Rei. Are there more gold birds like yourself?"

"Uh, not in Kabe Town, there aren't too many, but, uh, over in…" Where, where? "But the rest of my family is…" Was his family from another continent, perhaps another country? Were there other continents, was there only a unified country! Maybe they were dead? Too late…

"Oh, it's okay, I shouldn't ask you so many silly questions." Chassy turned to face the wall, where a clock was proudly ticking and tocking. Then she turned to look at Rei, as she pushed herself up and off of the bed. "I'm going to go make you some soup. You can take a warm, relaxing bath, while you're waiting."

As she left the room, Rei warily looked about himself. All of his attention had been on her, he hadn't noticed the room at all, and he hadn't even noticed he was in a house! Then he realized there was a lousy stench in the air, which seemed out of place. Growing pale, he realized it was himself! Either she had been polite and not told him, was unable to smell, or was so infatuated with talking to one so handsome as himself, that she had ignored the unpleasant smell.

Hoping for the latter, he got himself out of bed, and into the bathroom, as quickly as his bruised body would take him.

…

Absolutely everything about the house was done in a high and elegant style. Great, olde style architecture, and everything in his room was fantastically regal. It was possible that the Winnebaughs were nobility, but he couldn't be sure unless he asked.

Strange though, that while the entire house was done up in a suggestively Victorian-like style, Chassy was not. The colloquiums and mannerisms in the way she spoke could be traced to any moderately happy girl from his world, and she did not dress in an old style either. There was thankfully no annoyingly persistent politeness in her voice, as the people in movies portraying Victorian people did incessantly. Also, it had appeared that she had worn a plain shirt and faded jeans when she had spoke to him, which was certainly common on his world.

Another odd thing was that she had had no wings. All the better for him if the birds on this world didn't have wings, he could fit in a lot easier. In fact he had been an oddity on his own world, where only he and his father had no wings.

He had taken his bath, and there had been running water. It had been nice and relaxing, and when he looked back in his room to look for a robe he found one laid out on new, clean sheets. Wrapped in a nice terry robe he inspected the closets, and found to his dismay blue jeans and some t-shirts. Were clothes universal in design? He was at least expecting a little more difference between his world and the North World. Shrugging, he found the best size, and put them on.

Instantly he was thrown into a mellow mood, as the pants and shirt were the nicest, most comfortable clothes he had ever worn. Whatever material had been used to make them was so much more pure than those on his world. Wearing them made him feel strangely euphoric.

Fresh from a bath, and clothed, Rei felt ready to really take on the new world. Perhaps even win a lovely lady's heart. And she was lovely, and she was wonderful. Dreamily he thought of her, and realized that he was indeed in love, and if he didn't do something quick, his mind would begin to compile poetry.

Most definitely bad poetry, for it was his least favorite type of literature. And what was love, since he was obviously in a world of fantasy, as compared to his own dire and dull world. Love had certainly always seemed to work for the tireless romantic heroes. There was always a beautiful damsel for every stalwart hero. Sometimes the whole deal would end in tragedy, but commonly all was good in the end. Yet the love interest could be simplified to merely being a vessel to advance the story, and show the sentimental side of a character, or characters.

What of his own feelings for her, what of his sudden infatuation with this girl? For he hardly even knew why he was in her house, let alone why he should like her. She was pretty, and she was lovely, and she was kind. Well, why wouldn't he be able to like her? Yet, was he in love with her?

It is also important to not confuse love with other emotions, which does happen. Rei did realize that he didn't know enough information, and he wasn't willing to pursue a married or engaged woman. That kind of love was bad, and always was in a tragic tale. Placing those transgressions aside, he focused on finding out more about Chassy. That would serve the purpose to find where her beauty ended, and to find if he might pursue her more. Certainly if he was to no longer be a fool, he would have to believe in love of some sort!

Straightening himself out, and telling himself what he was about to do, he took in a deep breath, and almost lost his feathers. A knock at the door had shocked him so much, that he almost irately yelled at the person who had done the knocking.

"Dirty clothes I can take, sir," a husky voice told him. He figured it had to be the maid.

"Hang on a sec, I'll go get them."

Rei caught a whiff of his clothes, and was nearly knocked over by the reek. Clutching pile of clothes that stank like sun-warmed, week-old fish, he opened the door, and deposited them in the open arms of the short and chubby otter-maid.

The maid looked green at the gills. "Whoa!" she proclaimed. "What do you do, sleep in garbage heaps?" Then she blushed, realizing the uncouthness of her comment, "Many pardons, sir, I go take care of these right quick."

Rei cautioned her with his hand. "No need to wash all of those. Toss out the shirt and pants. The jacket can be machine washed on low cycle by itself, then set the dryer to permanent press, low heat. It doesn't say so on the label, but it works for me every time."

Met with a blank stare, he realized that there were no machines of that sort. Rei rephrased the instructions. "Hand-wash please, and try to dry it quickly, thanks."

"Okay, right away, sir. Yes, oh, and Miss Chassy has soup ready for you, down in kitchen." Then she shuffled off down the hall, with stinking laundry in hand.

He shook his head, knowing there was a lot he had to learn about the North World. He closed his door, and headed downstairs for food.

…

The house was even more impressive than his room. Just two stories high, but the rooms that he saw were lavishly decorated, and filled wall to wall with high-priced goods. If they had all of this, Rei pondered whether they had a security system.

Just how far along was technology anyway? Clothes had gone a long way, and cold and hot running water were prevalent. And what of washing machines, phones, TV's, radios? Nothing, nada, not there. It was like some pivotal discoveries were lacking, and affected all but a few inventions.

Certainly it would be fortunate if Chassy's family were indeed wealthy, as Rei could get acquainted with many objects on the North World. Maybe there was even a library with books he could read. The kitchen was astonishing in of itself. Full of brass cooking pots, and lined with great marble tile. This would be his panacea, if he had ever learned how to cook.

A prehistoric coffee maker lay dormant on a counter, and a wide stove top was built into the island in the center. Sadly he realized that there wasn't a microwave anywhere. It seemed that things here were made slowly, but slowing down was something that Rei had been hoping for, even if it meant no more nuked burritos for him.

Chassy was there, slowly stirring the contents of a pot on the stovetop, as she did so she read from a book. It looked like paperbacks were possible on the North World, as were sleazy romance novels. The cover showed two foxes in a warm embrace, as they passionately kissed each other. Silently reading the book, she mouthed the words, and all Rei could do was watch, awed by her beauty.

He coughed a little and surprised her. Blushing, she closed the book, and shoved it into a drawer on the island. "Oh, I didn't even hear you come down the stairs. How was your bath?"

"Very relaxing, I'm feeling so much better, thanks for everything."

"Well that's good. Take a chair, I've got everything ready."

So Rei pulled up a chair to the island where a place mat, bowl, and spoon were set for him. Chassy spooned some generous helpings of thick, yellowy, delicious-smelling soup into Rei's bowl. Strange shapes bobbed in the opaque mixture. Funny looking vegetables they had on the North World. Decidedly he kept his beak shut about such trivial issues, just so long as the taste matched the smell, Rei would be fine.

As he put his spoon into the concoction, he noticed her eyes on him, waiting for him to spoon it into his mouth. Not wanting to be rude, Rei quickly put the steamy glob down his gullet, praying that he would get the same reaction he did from their clothes.

He gave his hostess with a smile, and thought about the taste. Not bad, better than anything he could make, even if he really tried. Could be that he just wasn't prepared for the foods of the North World, but the sentiment made it go down nicely. Poking a blackish, surprisingly cubed vegetable, he picked it up and threw it into his mouth, and

"Just as long as you liked your mother's cooking," she joked. Then she began to eat her own soup.

After a bit of eating, Rei said to her, "I never said it, but you certainly have a nice house here. Never seen anything like it."

Chassy looked at him strangely. "Really? These kinds of houses are all over the country."

"Oh. Well, what I meant was not one so, uh, well furnished. Some unique stuff here."

Chassy shrugged. "I suppose. We're not rich, but we don't do so bad." Cheap priced, high-end merchandise, odd.

"What does your family do?" As he hoped that 'we' might not involve a husband and a kid.

Rolling her eyes, Chassy said, "Father's involved in running the city, he's the head of the NSC. Mother and I sit pretty. Mom is out shopping right now. What do your parents do," she asked him. "Must have been something boring to provoke you to come here."

Point for him, she lived with her parents, and certainly not with a husband or boyfriend. Rei stared at his soup, and thought of occupations for his non-existent North World family. "Uh, fishing, and you're right, it's what got me to traveling. You know, the boredom and the chowder and all that."

She looked at him queerly. "Fishing? I thought there was only a small lake near Kabe Town?"

He had thought that it was an ocean town. "I meant evangelist," he said as he pantomimed fishing. "You know? Fishing for souls."

She forced a laugh. "I see."

"So do you just sit around all day?"

"It's a hard life," she jokingly admitted. "I read a lot of books. Shopping's pretty good here in Nogrias, but I didn't feel like it today."

Inside his mind he scribbled away at a notepad, adding 'town of Nogrias', next to 'I am an evangelists son.' "Well there has to be someone who brings you places right?"

"Hmm, no, there's only my parents."

Score! While she didn’t say it directly, it was clear that she wasn't dating anyone. Now to progress his plan! "There has to be something at least a bit entertaining to do."

She shrugged. "Uh, they do plays on the weekends sometimes, nothing I haven't seen before."

Realizing that this was somewhat his chance. Ignoring the fact that he didn't know when the weekend was, he awkwardly made his move. "Do you think we might be able to go see one sometime?"

…

That weekend's performance had fortunately been done the night before. That left him roughly five or so days to get acquainted with the town of Nogrias. He still didn't really know how long a week was there.

Along the course of that week he wound up meeting Chassy's parents. Knowing of his waywardness, they made him their guest at the moment. That was until he could find a way to further continue his journey, and all of his possessions had been stolen.

Gordith Winnebaugh was a Good Samaritan above and beyond, for it was his own office that had found Rei in a gutter in Nogrias. Hearing of Rei's misfortunes, he requested that Rei be left at his house, despite the unpleasant odor. Gordith was the head of the Nogrias Sanitation Committee, or NSC for short. He had the massive task of keeping the town of Nogrias clean, and he was very good at his job.

As Chassy had said, her mother, Isabella Winnebaugh, loved to shop if nothing else. That and she played bridge with 'the girls' to fend off boredom. Several times she would tell Rei of things she had accumulated, explaining to him that she was expanding his knowledge of the lands outside of Kabe Town, believing him to be sheltered. Every time he asked if she could go and show him the curiosity piece she described, but she always refused the idea, telling Rei that she would be lost for a week in her closet.

After a few days Rei began to settle into the Winnebaugh's family. He ventured out just about every day, leaving Chassy to read one of her books. Having been told that crime was at an all-time low, and that clean-streets at an all-time high, Rei was able to set foot into the town without a premonition of dread.

Which is something he certainly should have had, for as he had met Chassy's parents he was soon to meet her suitor.

Rei was walking about the town after hours when he decided to go a small bar. He walked in, and was welcomed by familiar sounds, and a feeling of camaraderie. The air stunk of smoke, alcohol, and a good time. It sounded like all those things as well. Friends were shouting bits of conversation at each other, more folk were lined at the bar somberly sharing good times, and still others were boasting of victories over a game of darts.

He was a bit dumbfounded by it all, feeling out of place. At first he thought of sitting at the bar and ordering a beer, but a voice called him from a table. A tough manly voice yelled at Rei. "Hey you! We need another player!"

Rei turned and looked at the speaker, a large hawkish bird, with gleaming green eyes and well kempt plumage. Muscles bulged on his arms, and something like a cigarette hung out his mouth. He happily snarled at Rei. "Come on yellow bird! Get on over here!"

Rei thought why not, shrugged and walked on over. A chair was pulled out for him, and he sat in between two ferrets, at the exact opposite end of the hawk.

The dealer was a large turtle with a snapper beak, as he shelled out some cards to Rei and the others, he explained the rules. "All swords are wild, we're playing clockwise, and don't show your hand till you're through." Rei recognized it off the bat as the game Rinenol, a common card game much like his world's poker.

"Hey Harker, what're we betting?" the ferret on his right shouted.

"Alcohol!" raising his glass the hawk yelled.

It went on for some time, just a friendly game of cards. Pretty soon Rei was telling his own stories to everyone, mostly all made up. He was having a great time. After about an hour Rei had won most of the game, which had made the hawk a bit angry.

Slamming his losing hand down, the hawk pointed at Rei. "I've been thinking, and I wouldn't be surprised if this little bird here were the general reincarnation of Lulf, the dragon slayer! Got any dragons to slay, eh?"

Hearing the name he shuddered. He had heard that name before! That dragon from years ago had called his father Lulf, and had accused his family of being dragon slayers. He was a bit frightened by the possibilities, but he tried not to think about it.

"Yeah, you know they said he had wits! Bet he played a mean game o' cards too!" the ferret on his left said.

"So, yellow bird," the hawk said to Rei. "You sure do look like Lulf, with yer gold feathers! Just what is your name? You never did tell us."

Rei knew the kind of person that the hawk was, so he kept is cool. "It' s Rei."

Everyone at the table stopped breathing, all except for the hawk, who took a very deep breath instead. "You the one that's staying at the Winnebaugh's, aren't you?"

Rei nodded. "Yeah."

"That's what I thought, you'd better not be getting fresh around Chassy, do you hear me?" The hawk was building himself up, trying to be menacing to Rei.

He had just been playing cards and he knew a bluff when he saw one. Chassy would have mentioned someone that she cared for, not someone that was obsessed over her. "I hear you, but it doesn't mean I care."

A vein popped out on the hawk's forehead. "Is that so? You know what? You should get out of here while you still can." The hawk tried to stare him down, but Rei just met his gaze with his own. "Get it? Just get out of this town, forget about that girl."

Doing anything else would have been pointless, so Rei slowly got up from his table, and headed for the door. The hawk sat back down and brooded.

…

It was still early evening when Rei got back to the Winnebaugh's. After closing the door behind him he went straight for the kitchen for something to drink. Instead he found a pie, and was about to take a slice when Isabella came into the kitchen and stopped him. "I just made that, it needs to cool first, you bad boy you!" she scolded.

"I had no idea you cooked, Ms. Winnebaugh."

"Well," she replied, acting lady-like, "you can just call me Isabel, darling. Of course the maid cooks the meals, but I like to cook deserts sometime. I learned it from a cookbook I picked up a long time ago. Well, really I can only make pie, I'd find the book and learn more recipes, but you know."

Rei knew what she was saying. Isabel got two glasses, and filled them with water from the tap, handing one of the glasses to Rei. "Thanks."

"Now, dear, I'm off to bed, if you don't mind."

Rei remembered the hawk from the bar and stopped her. "Actually, Isabel, I have something to ask you about."

She smiled at him. "Oh?" She loved to talk.

After describing the hawk and the events at the bar, Isabella smiled gleefully. "Oh, that was Harker Baritol, the General's son! He's had a crush on Chassy for the longest time, isn't that cute?"

He paled, and stared at his water. "Yeah, cute."

…

A suitor! Someone yearning for Chassy's attention, just as Rei was! The nerve of it! At least he wasn't a calloused jerk like Harker was, but still, competition!

Was Chassy worth all this, was he so caught up in her? At the very least he would find out that weekend! Perhaps he should write a poem to tell Chassy how he felt, though had he ever written poetry before?

Sitting down at the table in his room, he took out a ballpoint pen, which was thankfully found by the maid in his jacket, and a scrap of paper. First to write an outline, so that he could get all of his disjointed thoughts, onto an even more disjointed piece of paper. Writing out the words he would need the most; love, sweetheart, nervous, beautiful, Chassy. He then began to think of rhyming words to compliment the first words. All he came up with were, muff, tart, and sassy, most of which weren't even close to being rhymes at all.

Silently cursing his uncreative genes, Rei quickly developed a pyramid of wadded paper before his feet. After a short while the lone pyramid was joined by two smaller constructions and a sphinx. The motions of drowsiness began to overwhelm the hopeless poet. Then he fell asleep.

When he woke up, he found a drool-soaked paper stuck to his face. When he had successfully peeled it off, he realized that what he had written the night before didn't rhyme at all. "A haiku? Naw, its crap."

Wadding up the final sheet, he tossed it at the pyramids, and destroyed the miniscule wonder of the tiny carpet-covered word. He then took a short snooze, having only slept a few hours prior, and also to rev up whatever creative juices he had not drooled out the night before.

…

The air was fairly humid, and the night was just beginning. Sparse clouds hung overhead, and ample light bathed the town of Nogrias in moonlight. He felt cold though; his fur had become pretty thin since he was last on duty. Sure lounging in the sun for a few months, drinking all the time, and staying out for long hours, was no good for his health, but it had been one heckuva good time!

A naked, claw like hand, grabbed his wrist from above him. "Palcos, why are we still here?" a thin voice pleadingly whined.

Palcos shook his wrist out of the miserable rodent's grasp. "Now look, has Sieve ever steered us wrong?"

"Well, n-no…not really, " the rat muttered, "but it's still odd, ain't it?"

Gripping the branches with his prehensile tail and his feet, he glared at the rat. "So what if it's odd, this ain't a bad place to be on stakeout."

At the base of the tree, on the ground stood a wolf with only one ear. He looked up at the two in the tree. "Yah, think of the poor saps up in Icelina. Probably got frostbit in their tails."

A nut hit the wolf square between his ear and ear stump, as a hissing voice came from above. "We're undercover, and that means this tree is empty, ya fat moron! So shut up! Back on post, or else I'll have you demoted to janitorial work!"

The wolf leveled his eyes with the horizon, and grumbled, thinking how a monkey might taste if cooked. Meanwhile the rat was struggling at his harness. "What about these straps Palcos, can I loosen them a bit? They're cutting off my air," he whined.

"Only if you want to land on that unsuspecting wolf's head," he sarcastically told the rat. "Shut your yap, and why doncha try to get some shut eye."

"But I can't get to sleep."

"Hit your head on the tree then!"

"Strange," the wolf wondered aloud, "must be thunder in the air. I swore I just heard some voices above me."

"Shut up, shut up, or I'll clobber the both of yas!"

…

It was the morning before his date, and Rei had nothing. He began to suspect that he might be barking up the wrong tree. No, tonight would be the night! Whatever would be would be. Whatever actions he was going to do, would be done. He couldn't let himself be stuck up on fearing what was to come, and he had to take life as it came. Which is exactly what he had done in the first place.

He almost felt like he didn't deserve her, that he shouldn't even be trying. She was going to be beautiful and lovely, and he was going to be himself. Then again, here if nowhere else, that's exactly what he had to do. He had to believe in that dream, no matter how far off, or risk being exposed as a fool. Do a foolish thing, so as not to be a fool.

He had to do it, for this world was grand and beautiful. He loved it here, not being pinned beneath a glass ceiling at a job, having someone to talk to, and not having to venture into an ocean of concrete and drunkards every day. Yet he was still only breaking free. Having fled the dilapidated city, and entered into a world of beauty. He should be happy about his good fortune!

That's what he had to do, for he loved this world, and unless he really was tricking himself, he loved her too. She wasn't going to just be something he wanted, but something he might have. And only if she would let him.

…

The day soon came, and he ventured out into Nogrias, with a lovely lady on his shoulder. Nightlights were on at every corner, and the drunks had turned in.

She pointed out the spotlessness, and even the cleanly swept alleyways. "This is all thanks to my father. No bums on the streets, and no robbers to make trouble."

Through years of hard labor, as he told the tale, Gordith had made the city thoroughly clean. Yet even he admitted that one could never rest, there would always be grime to stomp out. "He's quite the man, your father. Really cares about this city, doesn't he."

"Sometimes he gets a bit ahead of himself. Now I heard that in Kabe Town this sort of thing is common, being that everyone wants their Kabe Town to be a nice place."

Thinking of his own city, with the homeless in cardboard, and the lesser prepared ones forced to sleep in garbage bins, Rei thought of telling Chassy of it. He decided not too, instead living up to what she had heard. "Couldn't put it better myself."

They walked on, as a leaf gently blew over the litter-free ground. Looking up she said to him, "The moon is beautiful tonight."

"Not as beautiful as you," he told her.

Berating the dumb thing he just said, he was pleasantly surprised when Chassy smiled. "That's sweet. Come on we're almost there," she happily said to him.

As they turned the corner, sudden dread filled his heart. There stood Harker Baritol. His eyes seemed to be filled with malice towards Rei. Slowly Harker walked towards them, as Rei felt the new world closing in on him.

"What do we have here?" Harker asked in a disgusted voice.

Rei was at a loss of words so he scowled instead. This made the hawk angry. "Oh, think you're tough, huh?" With that he pushed Rei backwards. Then he pushed Rei again, and again. Rei just took it, his chest out, anger in his eyes.

Then Rei blocked Harker's hands. "Leave us alone!"

Harker pushed Rei down, and yelled at him. "Is that what you think? You can come here, butt into Chassy's life, and then tell me to back off? You've got another thing coming if you think that!"

Feeling a tap on his shoulder, Harker turned around. "What's the prob--" he shouted until Chassy stopped him with a right jab to the eye. He dropped to the ground in shock. "Chassy? What do you think you're doing?"

Rei picked himself off the ground, and watched Chassy get in Harker's face. She pointed at herself. "Me? What do you think you're doing, you jerk?"

The hawk was ticked. "I'm protecting you, you're my girl!" he told her.

"I'm what?" Her eyes grew wide, as she looked at him and started to laugh. "I'm your girl? Since when?"

"Well," he thought about it, "Since I came to Nogrias. I mean, come on, I know you dig me. I'm all cool and tough. We were meant for each other!"

She stopped laughing. "I'm not anyone's girl, and if I was, I wouldn't be yours."

Rei felt like he should do something, but he wasn't sure what was the right thing to do. So he just sat on the ground and felt a little bit useless.

"Don't say that. Look, just tell this guy to leave, then all this trouble would be over."

She looked ready to kick him. "Harker Baritol! I don't know what exactly you were thinking, but since you got to Nogrias, you've barely even spoke to me! Rei, on the other hand, has asked me out on a date. If you had ever had the balls to do the same thing, then I might have given half a care for you! You're just a stupid child." With that she turned around, and took Rei by the arm.

Harker was offended. "I am not!" he exclaimed.

"Then, Harker, you are a moron." And she and Rei walked away.

"You like him, don't you?" Harker crossly yelled after them. "Don't you see? He's an ugly, cross-eyed twit from some misbegotten town! He's got no future! Chassy! Are you listening to me? Dammit!"

An ominous thunder shook the sky as Harker watched Rei casually take out an umbrella and spread it out above him and Chassy. A sudden deluge of rain poured from the heavens, quickly soaking Harker.

Left with hard truths and wet clothes he began to sulk. "Guess I'll just get a new girl…" Thinking a devious thought he chortled to himself, "Naw, I got a better idea." He shook his fist at the heavens. "I will have vengeance!"