Second Adventure (AWC Sequel)

Recruit II

The busy street of Pomona had been filled with a lot of people since the very beginning of the county fair that annually happened in the place. It was often been visited by a lot of people from around the world. People had their own businesses, enjoying the trends that they could relish and had fun with along with their friends. Loud music was heard that that toppled the noise of those voices from the conversation the people were participating in.

However, as everyone was aware, or not really, with this many people going around everywhere, strangers to strangers, skin to skin, they were not knowledgeable of each person's objective of why they were there. Most people must have been there to have fun, and it was certainly the case of the man standing still by the roadside nearby the street light, feigning as if he was going along with the music and dancing with his feet going from left and right, chest bouncing slightly but his face never showed the slightest reaction of enjoyment.

His eyes, instead, were busy roaming around the place, looking at the sea of people and zooming in to those that he deemed to be rich and could make him get a feast for the night since he hadn't been eating for like an hour. Yes, he was one brilliant thief that only depended on his food for the day with the amount of money in the wallet he sneakily stole from whoever was his target.

Events like this were what he liked the most, he got to steal a lot. He got to stop for a week on stealing because the money he collected was enough to supply his food for a week, while at the rest of that job, he was doing another work which was to help the vendors around his street from discharging and carrying huge stuff which they, in turn, would pay him money even just a little. Using his manliness sometimes does work, especially if he was nearly caught on stealing and he had to lie low.

"Ooh, that old man is cool," he muttered to himself as his eyes locked at the man who just walked past him. He got a whiff of his perfume that mainly caught his attention, "Hmm, smells like money."

He wore his black cap and shades, opening a plastic of bubble gum, and threw it straight in his mouth. He blended with the sea of people, folding the plastic in his hand while carefully eyeing the old man, he turned around and threw it on the yellow garbage bin on the side and casually skidded his way through the man until he was just behind him.

He clutched his small sharp knife inside his jacket's pocket, slipping both of his hands on its both side pocket as he waited for the right time. The man had a black satchel bag, wearing a black polo shirt, black jeans, and black shoes as if he had just come from a funeral. But who does he expect with old men? They're nothing much fashionable compared to the lads nowadays.

The man turned his head to the back to where he was, so he had to pretend like he was also one of the tourists and enjoying the place, which means he had to bob his head along with the music and look around except meeting the man's eyes. He saw him looked at him from head to toe, it lingered for a while until he went back on looking in front and walking along the road.

He just followed him wherever he went to, the old man was kind of adventurous, he had been stopping frequently over the stalls but never buy anything. He was also wondering if he was alone and no one else to come along with, he's an old man, though not that old, he wondered how come he was not with anyone to enjoy the place with, he looked lonely in his sight.

He tried to do his work, trying to take advantage of the thick and almost solid crowd that bumped him and pushed him further to the man. He had managed to grope his bag, but never more than anything beyond that, the man would always look at him and ask if he was fine, and he didn't know if he should be moved by that or annoyed because he couldn't do what he wanted to do. But anyway, he tried to be more casual on him.

"Hello, Dahlia? What!? I couldn't hear you!"

He rolled his eyes when he talked to his phone, though he couldn't take off his eyes on the phone. He depicted and assumed him to be rich based on his appearance, but with what he was seeing now, he was not expecting to see a phone that was very much an old model, though still touch screen, but it seemed to be almost ten years already since it was released, it also even had a c***k on its screen which made him dubious of his wealth.

"Maybe it was only his appearance. What a bummer," he muttered to himself, clicking his tongue as he swerved to the other side, leaving the poor old man alone.

He went to the aid of the road where barely anyone walked on, he spewed out his bubblegum on the trash can and crossed his arm, once again eyeing the busy crowd for his target. He couldn't believe he just waited his time following that old man around, and he was also amused that someone was still using that kind of phone in this generation. Even he, a poor guy and an orphan had a phone that was recently released, though stolen, again, not shocking at all. While that man who looked rich had no anything? Such a waste of time, he could have at least stolen a lot of wallets now with the time he invested in that man.

He found a burger stall nearby, and its aroma coming straight to his nose, he felt his stomach grumbled. He looked at his watch, finding out that it was already nearing lunch, and since he didn't have breakfast earlier, he was easily hungry. He decided to walk to that stall, taking off his cap and shades and back to showing off his handsome face.

"Two large-sized double cheeseburgers, one order of french fries, barbeque flavor, one large coke, only code but no ice, and...that's all I guess, please."

The woman behind the stall stared at him for a moment before going back to writing his order, "That would be thirty-seven dollars,"

He put his hand on his back pocket, to where he remembered he placed his wallet the last time. His heart thumped faster as his eyes widened, frantically searching now all of his pockets.

"Where on earth is that?" he uttered with frustration and nervousness.

The woman was now eyeing him with skepticism while preparing his order, but he just smiled at her, then went on frowning and looking for his wallet in all of his pockets. He took off his jacket, searching it from the inside to outside, felt his pants, and did the same thing, but there was no trace of his wallet, not even a single penny in his pockets.

"Everything fine?" the woman asked, curious of his dejected and pissed expression.

He smiled and nodded, "Uh, yes. Certainly."

"Your order will be ready in a minute, payment first before I give it to you. Give me thirty-seven dollars, lad."

"I'm waiting for my friend, I think I left my wallet with him, can I eat first?" He smiled appealingly at her, taking out his best smile as if that's going to work.

As expected, it didn't.

"You're handsome boy, but now, let's wait for your friend together," she answered firmly, tending to the other customer that lined up behind him.

To his surprise, when he turned his back with a curse, he found the old man that he was following earlier behind him. His arms were crossed while looking at the menu above, he couldn't help but tut at him, he was blaming him for suffering right now, if he didn't follow him then his wallet must not have been stolen as well. He could now feel what those people that he robbed with felt.

"You seemed bothered,m and hungry, do you want me to treat your food, mister?"

He looked back from cursing on the ground upon hearing that, he immediately looked back with. a huge smile for the chance of having a free meal, "You know, I was robbed so I don't really have money, I wouldn't say no to that offer, sir."

"Well, okay. Get your food and let's talk for a while. What's your name?"

"Mikael, sir," he answered with a smile, walking toward the woman and asked for his order, telling her that his friend would pay for him.

"Mikael, okay," the man uttered, "shall we sit on the side for a while? I want to ask you something."

Mikael stopped from munching the fries as he stared at the man, he wondered what he needed to ask, but nevertheless, he nodded enthusiastically, he was the one who bought him food so he needed to be kind.

They sat on the chair that was available beside the burger stall, facing each other. Mikael was too busy filling his stomach to mind the man in front of him and the stares that he was giving him.

"For a man like you, I'm surprised that you didn't know me," the old man spoke, crossing his arms and legs.

It made him looked up, fries on his mouth as he stared at the man who claimed himself worth to be known for a man like him. He creased his forehead, tilting his head, and shook it, "I don't know you. Am I supposed to?"

"Yes. But anyway, before I introduce myself, you are an orphan, Mikael, am I right? Living on the street and fed by the people you robbed."

Mikael's eyes widened, then he coughed, the fries coming in his throat. The old man gave him his coke, and he immediately drank it up, only to make a scrunchy face because of how it hurt his throat and froze his brain.

"Don't be so shocked," the man said, chuckling, "I may not know everyone, but I can know them if I want to."

"That's a beautiful way to introduce a creep," he shot back, taking a really huge bite on the large burger.

"Perhaps," he answered, "Anyway, I want to recruit you."

"For becoming a creep? Thanks but no thanks. I rather-"

"Steal?" the man raised a brown leather wallet in between his middle and forefinger, "I don't think you're good enough with that."

"That's.. my wallet!" Mikael exclaimed, pointing to the wallet in his hand, he tried taking it away from him but the old man was oddly fast enough to take it away from his reach. "Give me back my wallet!"

"I think this isn't yours, this is from the person you stole the money of...hmm, Gregorio? His identification cards are still here," he said opening the wallet and reading the identification cards inside, "Oh wait, these are the collection identification cards, wow."

"Whta do you want from me creep? And who are you?" he asked, completely irritated by this nosy old man.

The man looked at him with a smile, a mischievous one, he moved closer to him and whispered, "I'm Hermes, former chief of police and the founder of Themis Agency. And I want you to join my team, Mikael."