Wisdom and War

Chapter Two

It was a normal day in Manila. Throngs of people walking towards different directions, their steps fast paced and eager to get to their destination. I was sitting at a small table inside a coffee shop that was only a five minute walk from headquarters, a cup of coffee and plate of corned beef pandesal in front of me. It was Wednesday and under my list of coffee shops, Ground Up Cafe was the one for today. Since I've been supposedly dead for over six hundred years, it was always best to keep a low profile, and rotating among coffee shops was a must. There were over fifty of them on my list, all scattered around Manila, but sometimes I'd wander off to farther places depending on what I had planned for the day. Since I was meeting the President in a few hours, it was better to stay close.

Three people entered the store, catching the attention of the staff who immediately greeted them a good morning. They were obviously students wanting to get a drink before their class which was probably about to start in five minutes. They wouldn't make it on time, but that wasn't a worry for any of them. One of them sat down on the table beside mine while the other two went over the counter to order. When I felt his gaze on me, I buried my face deeper into the book I was reading even though I knew it wouldn't be effective.

Here we go again, I thought to myself as I heard his chair scrape and footsteps stop just in front of my table.

I ignored him and continued to read the book I was holding, The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. The pages were already tattered and filled with footnotes or annotations that I've written over the years, but I continued to read it. On the bottom right of the first page was a signature by the author himself and a few words that one usually writes to a fan. The boy was persistent, even clearing his throat to catch my attention. When he sat down on the seat across from me, it was decided that he was one of the arrogant ones who didn't know how to read the words back off that were floating above my head.

I sighed deeply, before putting down my book and eating the last bite of pandesal. So much for a peaceful breakfast.

"I'm Jeff." He spoke, leaning his elbows on the table and flashing me a toothy smile. I tried hard not to roll my eyes and instead took a sip of my coffee. I was only interested in talking to one person whose name starts with J, and he was no doubt still sleeping beside the pillow I left this morning.

"Hmm." I nodded uninterestedly, glancing at the counter where his friends just finished with their order. My cup only had three sips left which I'd finish in less than two minutes. Let's just hope that this guy– Jeff– wasn't as chatty as he looks.

"I've never seen you here before." I couldn't help but scoff, shaking my head at such an awful line. A lot of people, both men and women, have approached me before and those six words he said would qualify under the Worst Pickup Lines I've ever experienced. It could even have the potential to make the top three, bumping "Are you okay? It must've hurt when you fell from heaven." to fourth place.

I took another sip before leaning my elbows on the table, causing our faces to be around eight inches apart. A foolish grin appeared on his face which will surely be gone in just a few seconds. "Here's the thing," I started, looking up at him from under my lashes and acting all shy and sweet. "In about sixty seconds, your friends are going to head to your table and see you all disappointed and heartbroken because you just got humiliated by the girl you're hitting on. It only takes fifty seconds for the barista to give their order and ten more for them to walk. By that time, I'll be long gone and you'll be sulking in your seat." As expected, the grin left his face and was replaced with a frown. "Listen closely, Jed."

"It's Jeff–" He interrupted but I lifted a hand and brushed off his comment.

"I don't care." I deadpanned since I only had forty-two seconds before the barista handed the drinks. "If you want to catch someone's attention, at least try. It's the twenty-first century for gods sake. There are better pickup lines out there which we both know you're capable of searching using that brand new phone that your parents bought for you." I saw him glance at the gadget he was holding and not so subtly put it under his arm. "Second, learn to read the room. When someone ignores you the first two times you try to make yourself seen, take a hint." I drank the last sip of my coffee and grabbed the worn- out book before standing up. I glanced behind him and saw the barista handing three cups to his friends. "Lastly, I would suggest cleaning the very obvious stain on your pants before leaving the house. It seems your recent...private activities were left in a hurry." His face turned beet red as he looked down at the stain I was pertaining to and coughed in embarrassment. His friends were on their way here and that was my cue to leave. "Have a nice day, Jess."

The peacefulness of the coffee shop disintegrated when I walked out onto the streets of Pablo Ocampo. Everywhere I turned, people were rushing off, cars were honking, and pedicab drivers were shouting to pedestrians. I kept my gaze straight as I continued to walk towards the entrance of the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex, the home of the Luzon omada. Nodding my head at the man sitting by the entrance, I headed straight for the elevator and opened the control panel. I was the only one inside so I didn't need to wait for everyone to get off before pressing the series of numbers that would activate the elevator to go down instead of up.

1-4-7-9

Luzon was only one of the three omadas that were present in the Philippines. The other two were in Visayas and Mindanao, each managed by four descendants just like ours. The elevator doors opened and I was welcomed by seven letters that were placed up against the wall– Padayon. Under the ceiling lights of the first floor, the sign made out of black tourmaline shone and caused reflections to bounce off on the dark gray stone tiles. The institution that once had only 9 local recruits, now had thousands spread all throughout the country. I felt the looks of the people walking around before I even stepped out of the elevator. The curious ones were obviously the trainees that I had seen the other day, gawking as they watched me walk across the floor and towards the second set of elevators connecting all the ten floors underground. Those with fear and unease were the cadets who've had the pleasure of meeting me before and have most likely been in some of the training sessions I've taught. As for the rest, respect and admiration filled the eyes of the captains and colonels I've worked with during missions and strategy meetings.

Aside from the trainees, each of them had a symbol etched on their left breast pocket, signifying which part of the omada they were under. The Fura had a silver shield on theirs with the hilts of two swords crossed behind it. It was inspired by Joaquin and I's main weapon of choice since the first recruits that Padayon has ever had were all Fura and joined during the peak of the Spanish occupation. Later on, the three stars and sun found on the Philippine flag were added after the country gained its independence. Fura comprises over half of the people in the omada since ensuring security throughout Luzon was a top priority. They train every day, learning how to use newly-created weapons and studying different tactics for the missions assigned to them.

I stepped into the elevator and felt the air around me change as the group of people who were previously murmuring suddenly fell quiet. I glanced at one of them and saw a gold magnifying glass over an eye stitched onto their uniform. Shaking my head, I tried not to laugh in amusement at the nervous look on their faces. The Anzani have always been quiet except around people they call their own. For almost all hours of the day, they spend their time sitting in front of a computer and helping the Fura scout locations and formulate plans for their missions. They're skilled hackers who can figure out anything in just a few minutes and give you access to anything under the sun– sometimes even beyond that. The one standing beside me dropped her pen and looked at me anxiously because of the loud noise it had made. A look of surprise crossed her face as I nodded in greeting to all of them when the elevator stopped on the sixth floor.

The place was swarming with men and women wearing safety goggles and nitrile gloves as they hunch over tables filled with ongoing experiments. Some of them were different kinds of liquids placed inside beakers and test tubes while others were experimental equipment used to produce new and more advanced weapons. The Erevna were local scientists specializing in physics, chemistry, and biology, each properly scouted by Maiko herself. When I saw a flash of blonde hair, I headed over to the direction of Maiko who was sitting in front of three petri dishes and holding a dropper. I ignored whatever was inside those dishes since she'd probably blab about it on the way to the meeting. She would usually turn to me to talk about whatever the Erevna had done in the lab that day since I was the only one out of the four of us who shared the same love for knowledge. The only difference is, Maiko was more inclined to the biological and environmental side while I ventured to those related to physics and astronomy.

"We're leaving in thirty minutes." I told her, leaning on the lab table as I glanced around the room. Unlike earlier with the Anzani, the Erevna didn't spare me a glance while those who did, only looked at me for a few seconds before getting back to work.

"Give me an hour." Maiko requested and removed her goggles. She picked up the petri dishes and kept them at a safe distance from the edge of the table. She took off her lab coat and followed me as I went for the direction of the elevator once again. Our personal quarters were on the ninth floor, below the rooms of the locals who lived here.

While waiting for the elevator to arrive, the door to the staircase suddenly opened and a man dressed in gray scrubs walked out, his hands and upper body drenched in blood. The capsule stitched on his scrubs had specks of blood on it but the heartbeat inside the capsule was still visible from where I was standing. I subconsciously took a step forward, panic rising in my chest and I saw Maiko do the same, but we both stopped when we saw the man approach an Erevna and ask for morphine since the third floor ran out. He proceeded to explain that someone entered the clinic– a trainee who broke his leg during a practical exercise. The man was a part of the Soma– medical professionals who look out for the health and well-being of everyone in the omada. They work closely with the Erevna in figuring out new medicines that could heighten the healing stage of a human being and also further strengthen their endurance to pain. The Soma were just a floor below the Fura so that it'd be quicker to reach them when someone was injured.

"No." I said, glancing back at Maiko and crossing my arms over my chest. "We both know you only need fifteen minutes to get dressed and are going to spend the rest of the time checking on your plants and saying goodbye to Elias." The elevator opened and we both stepped inside to head to our floor.

"It's not like you're not going to do the same thing. Am I going to wait outside of your door or Joaquin's?"

I ignored her and headed straight for my room when the elevator doors opened. Maiko's laugh echoed throughout the hallway and only disappeared when I shut my door. I took off the black ankle boots I was wearing and placed them next to my other shoes that were lined up against the wall. My desk was a mess since I spent the entire night reviewing mission plans that were going to happen this week and also some files that Felix needed me to sign for today's meeting with the President. Instead of walls, each vacant corner of my room that wasn't occupied by a piece of art or any furniture stood a bookshelf. There was absolutely no space left in the shelves so some of them were neatly placed in stacks next to my bed. It wasn't a bother since I rarely slept on it anyway, giving me a go signal to always chuck something on it when I was in a hurry. I returned The Alchemist back to its rightful place and went inside my closet to change my clothes.

No matter what I wore, the President always found lewd comments to throw my way so it was useless to dress like a professional for a meeting with him. Nevertheless, I opted for a black turtleneck and beige high-waist pants that Maiko has been begging for me to wear ever since she bought it for me last Christmas. I grabbed one of my few pairs of heels and wore a matching beige coat to hide the holster that would hold my daggers. Today's picks were a part of the set that Elias brought home from his five minute trip to Istanbul. Both were designed with colorful gems that shone as the light hit them, adorned with the colors green, purple, and gold. The only difference were the hilts: one was made of ivory in the form of a dragon's head, while the other was transparent, showcasing small particles of amethyst inside. Knowing that there was a possibility of them confiscating my daggers, I grabbed another one that was more flexible and discrete. Slapping it across my wrist, the dagger could easily be mistaken as a gold bracelet.

I still had fifteen minutes to spare, I thought, as I closed the door to my room and crossed the hallway. When I opened the door opposite mine, the sight that greeted me was the same as the one I left this morning. Gray concrete walls decorated with paintings on one side and weapons on the other. There was a bookshelf on the right corner of the room next to a desk that was definitely cleaner than mine. There were only three things on top of it: a brown leather journal engraved with the symbol of Ares, a matching ballpoint pen, and a tattered letter that I remember writing back in 1912. My eyes moved to the sleeping figure on the bed and smiled when I saw him hugging the pillow that I left behind.

Careful not to make any noise, I sat down by the foot of his bed and lightly shook him awake. From what he told me last night, he had a training session with some of the Fura today and another meeting with the colonels in charge of the recent murders. Joaquin groaned and turned to look at what was shaking him when he saw me. Groggily, he sat up and rubbed his eyes before meeting mine. His hair was all over the place because he kept on moving when he was asleep, so he grabbed the black rubber band he was wearing and tied it into a bun.

"What time is it?" He asked, pulling the covers off of him and planting his feet on the floor. I stood up and put on the snake ring I left on his bedside table last night before stopping in front of him.

"Almost ten." I felt his hand settle on my right hip as mine settled on his shoulder. He was looking up at me, dark brown eyes sleepy but still full of fire and determination. "You need to prepare for your session." I took a step back and pulled on his arm to bring him to his own closet. Most of his clothes were black, save for a few other pieces that were either in white or gray. He leaned on the doorframe of his closet as he watched me grab a black sweater and track bottoms from the bottom of his shelf.

"I can ask someone else to do sessions for me." Joaquin said when I passed him his clothes. Unlike earlier, I was the one looking up at him now. With the heels I was wearing, he was still a good six inches taller than me and to think he wasn't even standing up straight.

"I already told you it's okay." I reminded him. We already talked about it last night and the only way I could make him stop was to agree that we'd finish the meeting as early as we can. He repeatedly explained to me that he knew I could very much hold up my own, but I didn't need to be in a room with someone who looked at me as if I couldn't throw him across the room with just one arm.

He sighed and placed his hands on my cheeks before placing a fleeting kiss on my forehead. "Come see me at the training room when you get back."