The trifecta. All three Taboos broken by one single man in a span of a few seconds.
Things couldn't be more calamitous.
Everything happened so fast that Bambi couldn't even react before it was too late.
She closed her eyes and readied herself for what was about to come. Regret started to fill her thoughts. Why did she even come here in the first place?
"..."
But after a few seconds, nothing happened. No nausea, no itchy skin, and no headache. She was in tip top shape.
She slowly opened her eyes and looked at the man grabbing her jaws.
He had done all three Taboos: Talk, Touch, and Threaten. Yet, Bambi felt no adverse effects coming up on her body, not even a single itch on her skin. In fact, she felt cool—cooler than she'd ever been outside her home.
What…?
"Hey. Are you deaf or something? Who are you even?"
The man gripped her jaws even more aggressively as he tried to ascertain her true identity. But the confusion on his face was clear; he had never met her before, and she had never met him before either.
This was why Bambi was so confused. He was a total stranger, yet he could come close to her as if she was family. That wasn't possible. She would immediately get the symptoms even when she talked to acquaintances she'd met a couple of times before.
And now, here she was, symptom-less in front of an aggressive man treating the Taboo Threes as nothing more than a guideline meant to be broken.
This was perhaps the first time that Bambi was disappointed that her symptoms hadn't acted up.
Just then, the door opened and the bodyguard that had been chasing Bambi entered the room. His suit and his well gelled hair was disheveled. Clearly, he had been stressed about losing Bambi in the VIP section of all places.
"I'm sorry, sir Lionel. I'll take care of this intruder as soon as possible."
Lionel got up off the ground and got rid of the crease on his suit. "Just get her out of here."
Bambi picked up her sunglasses off the ground and put them on her face. After she stood up, she quickly bolted out the door, making the poor bodyguard even more stressed than before. "Oh come on!"
Her head was only filled with the thoughts of escaping. Just because her symptoms didn't show up now didn't mean it wouldn't show up again. It could have been delayed.
She ran through the gates and entered back into the main office of Liberty HQ, hoping that she could finally get to the exit.
Fortunately, the lights were dimmed and everyone was already at their seats. All their attention was directed at the stage, where a video montage of the company's history played.
And most importantly, no one was at the exit doors.
But just as she took another step, someone blocked her way.
"Excuse me miss, you dropped your ID at the reception area."
It was the receptionist.
"I took the liberty to scan your ID for you," she said, showing Bambi her company ID with her name and occupation listed below her picture. "Your seat is at table 42 right over there. It looks like your workmates are already waiting for you."
Meanwhile, the bodyguard behind Bambi heard the entire conversation and scoffed.
"You were a guest all this time? Why didn't you just say so?" he said, trying to catch his breath.
The man huffed and puffed before returning to his station in the gates. Bambi could hear the man mumbling his grievances towards her for making him run around the building all for nothing.
And while Bambi was distracted, the receptionist took her hands and gave her back her ID.
"Here you go. Enjoy the party," she said, before going back to the reception area. She was completely unaware of the storm of thoughts ravaging through Bambi's mind because of her casual action.
She touched me. She talked to me.
Even when the receptionist broke two of her three taboos, she felt not a single symptom act up in her body.
What's happening to me? Bambi wondered.
Could this be the 'luck' that had been eluding her for all her life? Had she finally outgrown the disease that had been plaguing her since her childhood?
Even though everyone told her not to take any chances, Bambi felt as if something had changed within her.
She wanted to see it. She wanted to see if her disease really had gone away just like that.
She walked along the tables, getting near the guests and greeting them with a nod as she passed by.
Nothing. Her symptoms weren't acting up.
Was this just a dream? If so, then she wanted to take advantage of it as much as possible.
She started to get bold.
"Hello…" she muttered to the waiter delivering champagne glasses to tables. He replied with a respectful nod and gave her a glass to drink before servicing the other tables.
Even though this was a normal interaction for everybody, this was nothing less than a breakthrough for Bambi.
She talked to someone. And she didn't feel her body cursing her.
Her shoulders started to relax. Her posture straightened. She looked around the room and finally took off the black sunglasses that had been darkening her view of the world.
Even for just a night, even for just a moment, she wanted to enjoy this peace she had with herself.
And before she knew it, she ended up in table 42, where her workmates she'd only interacted with online were seated.
An older woman in her late thirties looked at Bambi and saw the ID on her chest.
"Ah Bambi," she said with a smile. "I was beginning to think you wouldn't show up."
Bambi recognized her. She was Lydia Styles, the team leader of their department.
And once Lydia spoke, the rest of the people at the table looked at Bambi. This was the first time they would ever lay eyes on the elusive 'Bee'.
"Come sit down," Lydia pulled the chair next to her. "Let's discuss that promotion I promised you."