Chapter 317: Aftermath
"Pickpocket: Eggsy's Signature Skill - The ability to randomly steal something from someone the moment they make physical contact."
This was Ron's biggest takeaway from the Valentine mission.
The mission was essentially over after Paige took down Valentine's system; aside from Valentine himself, only his secretary, who had always been by his side, escaped having her head blown off.
But she still couldn't escape Eggsy's beatdown, ultimately dying from poisoning after Eggsy slashed her skin with a poisoned blade hidden in his shoe. Ron couldn't help but find the manner of her death truly ridiculous.
"Is that gun just for show? Wouldn't it have been better to just shoot her?"
Ron wondered when a bad trend had started circulating in the intelligence community: when facing the final boss, no matter how good the weapon, it was all the same – they had to rely on hand-to-hand combat to win.
Ron's only comment on this was that it was utterly insane.
To his surprise, he eventually won Eggsy's approval and acquired the new skill. However, due to the randomness of the skill's effect, using it might not yield the desired result.
For example, just now, to test the skill, he patted Rajesh on the shoulder, and when he reached into his pocket, he found a warm piece of clothing with a distinctive curry scent.
Startled, Ron quickly threw it into the bathroom trash can and frantically scrubbed his hands with soap.
The Indian, however, remained calm, continuing to order food as if nothing had happened.
"Are you staying with us again tonight? We'd love to have you," Sheldon said, glancing at the menu as he extended an invitation to Howard.
While Ron and the British gentleman were saving the world, some interesting things were happening within the scientist quartet.
Howard, torn between living with Bernadette and continuing to live with his mother, decided to stay at Sheldon's apartment for the night to avoid offending either side.
Leonard, who had just learned that his ex-girlfriend Priya, Rajesh's sister, had returned to Los Angeles, gave up his bedroom and came to Rajesh's apartment to reconnect with his sister.
Sheldon was very satisfied with Howard as a temporary roommate, hence the question.
"Thank you for your kind offer, but I have my own plans," Howard politely declined.
"Just remember, whenever you need help from a slightly aloof third-ranked friend, I'm always ready." Ranking friends by intimacy was something only Sheldon would openly discuss, so Ron wasn't surprised at all.
Just as Sheldon finished speaking, Leonard and Priya walked over hand in hand.
"Why are you two holding hands? I clearly forbade you to hold hands!" Rajesh glared at their clasped hands.
Priya said tactfully, "Rajesh, you know Leonard and I have already spent the night together."
"Yes, but you only slept in the same bed because I forbade you to do anything else," Rajesh continued to deceive himself, but his sister didn't tolerate his denial.
"Listen, Leonard and I have decided to be together. You have no right to decide who I date."
"Actually, he kind of does," Ron said, favoring Leonard and Penny more and therefore not particularly fond of Priya. "According to traditional arranged marriage customs in some cultures, there are clear provisions on this kind of matter. If a woman's father is not alive, then the responsibility for overseeing her relationships falls on her closest immediate family member, in this case, Rajesh."
"That's really surprising, I was just about to say that!" Sheldon looked at Ron strangely, as if he were seeing his brother for the first time. "I didn't expect you to have such a deep understanding of cultural anthropology."
"Please, don't look at me like that, 'You actually read books?'" Ron shrugged casually. "Don't forget, I'm a PhD in Literature from Harvard. It's perfectly normal for me to have some knowledge of various cultural traditions.
And I also know that some traditions stipulate serious consequences for violations. If all of this is true, considering the prize is only Leonard, your gamble seems a bit too risky."
Ron's explanation earned him an eye roll from Leonard, but Rajesh gave him a grateful look and spoke up before Leonard could say anything: "That's right, Priya. We're traditional Indians, we believe in this stuff, there's nothing we can do about it."
"I remember those same traditions also say that if you eat beef, you have to perform some elaborate ritual to atone for your sins. So, how do you plan to explain that cheeseburger you ate at noon?" Priya, being a law student, retorted quickly.
"You know how superstitious things are, some parts make sense and some don't, you can't believe them all," Rajesh said, somewhat at a loss, resorting to stubbornness: "I mean, you can't be with Leonard."
Ron sighed at Rajesh's clumsy performance and stood up: "I'm going to the restroom, Leonard, do you want to come with me?"
"Ron, are you also going to side with Rajesh and oppose me and Priya?" Leonard followed Ron to the restroom and immediately asked.
"Also?" Ron sighed: "So, besides me, someone else warned you? Who? Howard or Sheldon?"
"Sheldon, he's never liked Priya."
"Okay, listen to me, Leonard," Ron said seriously: "I would never interfere with my friends' choices, but in this matter, you haven't thought things through. I'm just saying this once, and I won't say another word after you decide, okay?"
Leonard nodded, but his eyes were full of resistance.
"Although you and Priya have the same level of education, which gives you a lot to talk about, I also want to remind you that you are two different people from different worlds. And I'm not just talking about cultural backgrounds."
Ron didn't want to meddle, but remembering Leonard getting his heart broken in the original timeline, he couldn't help but offer a kind warning. Of course, whether Leonard listened or not was none of his business.
"I know," Leonard said, head down, lost in thought.
"No, you don't know, Leonard. Priya is only temporarily staying in Los Angeles for work, right? Once her work here is finished, she'll leave. What are you going to do then? Do you think she'd give up her career and stay with you? Or are you willing to abandon everything here and start a new life in a completely unfamiliar country halfway around the world?"
(End of Chapter)
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