"Ah—"
Here we go again.
Into the darkness of the craziest company I've ever known.
"So it worked well?"
Did they get fooled by Dean's image or what?
"Wait, Dean!"
I remembered that I needed to know what happened to them, but when I tried to, nothing worked.
Connection with anyone out of this place was off, maybe because the rate of time flow is different.
"So…"
The only thing to do was to sleep!
Yeah, sleep…
I saw my pillow and blanket on the floor and felt as if I had a last desiring dream.
Perhaps ten hours of sleep would be enough?
"Anyway, whatever it took."
The moment I closed my eyes after getting ready to sleep, the door cracked open in such a violent way.
What worse than that?
The one on the door was the Vampire from the ethics— and somehow the way the door was opened in was completely because of his weight when he leaned on it.
Poor man with zero energy.
No, no, no.
Don't forget what he did with Drew, he nearly roasted him.
"Sir Nathan." I was already standing in front of the table when he sat on the chair. "Set please."
I did it, out of curiosity. Then the first thing that I faced was a file.
Brown file with waxy glue.
"It is such a nice thing to see you well again… especially after staying here for too long."
"This company loves to treat its employees with the best treatment ever."
"Cruel treatments." He smiled, out of sarcasm. "Your indictment was a critical issue, somehow."
"...?"
"Forget about this." he waved his hand, then leaned back on his seat. "I'm not here because of the company."
"...?"
"In fact, I'm here with no permission to be." With a check to his watch, he continued. "It's the middle of the night outside."
"Oh."
The room didn't react to his talking, as if he didn't just say something that could be either a lie or an absolutely suspicious thing.
"Why then?" I also leaned back, folding my arms in front of me. "I'm ready to hear it."
"You could say that— some kind of asking for a favor?"
Now, that was crazy.
I just came out of that Crazy Vessel and now I have to deal with this?
"You are talking as if I could do anything for you when I'm trapped here."
"You'll be out soon… the HR just finished the proceedings."
"That's nice to hear. I really need to sleep well."
"Right. The floor wasn't the best bed ever."
Why was he so comfortable?
Or is he too lazy to pretend anything?
"Sir Nathan, I'll re-ask you. Could you do me a favor?"
"Depends on what it is."
"Yeah… that's fair." he moved the file on the table closer to me. "I need you to buy something for me."
"...?" I opened the file, not expecting anything normal or easy. "Could you guarantee that this won't cause me any harm?"
"Yes, of course it won't cause you any harm. That's of course unless you were the one to harm yourself intentionally."
Okay—
I decided to reject it anyway but seeing the file didn't seem harmful so I gave it a look.
Two papers, all talking about things and items I've never seen anything alike in my life…
"What are those?"
"There is a Vessel that will start soon." He put his hand in his pocket and got something out of it. Something so familiar—
The Tie tack I gave him back in the Carnival.
How didn't it disappear when all of the changes that happened to my clothes vanished?
"This is the payment."
"Oh… let me put it into words. You need me to buy these things for you, with this as money?"
"Yes."
"Why don't you do it yourself?"
"Some issues with my contract with the company. I can't enter a Vessel unless they allow me to."
"...?"
"Sad bad story."
Nice…
"And that means that I need to go into a Vessel to buy it."
"Yes."
"Which one?"
"One that only opens after the Carnival...An Auction."
"Let me guess… it is in The Carnival city?"
"Yes." he frowned a little, as if he was asking about 'how did you know.' but fortunately, he kept his curiosity to himself.
"And how did you know that this tie tack will be a proper way to pay?"
"I just know."
"Okay." I touched the tie tack and looked at it for a while before lifting my eyes to see the Vampire again. "Now… Why me? you could ask anyone and he'll do it well."
"Greed."
"...?" I raised an eyebrow.
"No human would see the things there and not feel greedy to have them… even if he'll pay with his life. I don't want to send anyone to his death… especially to that Vessel."
"With their lives— you say."
A low chuckle came out of my mouth unconsciously. A faint feeling of anger was spreading slowly in my chest.
The Vampire looked at me with an obvious confusion, and that was the first time I saw him do any kind of clear expression ever.
I surely looked like a madman.
And I didn't really care.
"What's your name?"
"Excuse me?"
"I keep calling you Vampire in my mind, what's your name?"
"Vampire?"
"So pale, so much like a handsome noble Vampire."
"Should I take this as a compliment?"
"Yeah."
"You seem too comfortable, unlike the last time we saw each other in the Ethics Department."
"I've been through a lot since that time, people change…"
"Right." He smiled, true one. "It's Louis."
"Nice to meet Louis." I smiled too, my hand returned the file to his side. "Unfortunately, I can't do it."
"Any reasons?"
"You could say that the Vessels are too dangerous for someone without any specialization like me, add to that that I have no equipment at all."
"I could do that. What do you want?"
I didn't think that he would fall in the trap so easily.
Was he so desperate to have the things he listed?
"I don't even know what is there to have. But something like a weapon, and things to keep me safe and other things will be fine… You know about these things better than me, I think."
"Yeah. I'll see."
"Keep the file with you until you get things ready then."
He took it while standing up. And before leaving, he gave me a long look.
"You seem too familiar."
"My face is so common."
"Your face?" His snicker was too obvious. "Your face is so common? Your jokes are too bad."
"Yeah… everyone tell me that."
The fact that I took him away from the 'familiarity' topic made me feel relieved. At least my bad joke did its job!
"I'll see when I have the equipment ready."
"Okay. Take care."
Why did I say 'take care' to someone with his kind of power? I don't know.
He just seemed so much like a human this time. A lazy human-vampire, so to speak.
"And I got what I needed."
I had to go to the carnival again anyway and having equipment with me, for free, was a benefit I didn't consider…
And to think of it,
They scared me of the containment team so much that I thought that they were monsters… meanwhile Louis was so calm and normal.
Okay,
Let aside the 'normal' thing. He was friendly at least, from the very first time I saw him.
"This makes him more suspicious, actually."
I need to sleep as long as I can.
"Nathan Vale." The door opened again with a loud thud. "You can get out."
"Aha—" I looked at the Green Demon from the HR and just leaned back on my seat, seeming unbothered. "Where's the sincere apologies and the honest compensation for the psychological, mental, and material harm?"
"..."
"You can't just throw me in such a cruel Vessel for days then come to say 'get out' this easily as if everything ends and there's nothing to consider anymore."
"Things like this we could talk about in another time."
"No." I pointed at the other seat. "Here."
"...?"
"Or you are afraid that you won't be able to do your part?"
"We could just leave you here if you kept this behavior on."
"Oh… my bad." I nodded as if I was disappointed. "What kind of companies do this? May I get out and go to the Disaster Management Authority instead? At least they treat each others like humans. Unlike some people here."
"Go."
"Haha… would your boss be happy with this two letters?"
"..."
"So?"
"Why do you treat yourself as if you are such an important being here? Too disgusting."
"Because I am."
After saying that I remembered that it's a made up thing… but surprisingly, the room didn't react.
Was I someone important?
Or it decide depending on my pure intention to lie?
And, let that all aside,
The Green Demon reaction was so weird that I got confused because of it.
Did the fact that I was important or whatever that alarming?
What it meant to be important, to start with?
"Okay."
She took a deep breath, then got in with her assistant beside her.
"Let's give you the compensation."