Outside The Box

Part Two Chapter One: Memories to Forget.

April 18th, 2090- 13:33 PM.
Ainz Daniels.

       A crow landed gently onto the low stone fence in front of me and cawed furiously before flying off down the street. I sighed deeply after realizing I was holding my breath the entire time the crow was here. My eyes wandered at pedestrians passing by the café I sat in and took in their carefree faces. Infected have taken over the north leaving Banes Point to be the safest city in Glenmont. People should be scared of that, but they aren't.

       I turned back to the table where my now cold tea sat untouched. I went to take a sip when someone announced their presence with a chuckle. I glared up at Bex. "What?"

       Bex chuckled again. "Nothing. It's just you're thirty-four years old and afraid of birds. You're not in your twenties anymore, so people will start to make fun of you for that." Bex appeared the same, but now their shaved sides have grown out along with them having bangs propped just above their eyebrows. They also have more wrinkles, but I wasn't about to tell them that.

       "At least I am closer to my twenties than you are. What kind of person in their late thirties keeps a shrine of unopened cigarette boxes? You don't even smoke anymore." I said, jokingly.

       Bex stuck their nose in the air and huffed. "They make for some nice decorations."

       "What are you two arguing about now?" A female voice said from behind me. I turned around to see Regina approaching our table. It was a cloudy day, yet she still wore those sunglasses. She adjusted the elastic that held half her greying hair up in a ponytail before leaning against a stone pillar that sat next to our table.

       "Oh nothing," Bex said, "I was making fun of Ainz for being scared of birds." I went to rebuke their claims, but they carried on. "Aren't you going to sit, Reggie?"

       Regina shook her head. "No need, I just finished sitting through hours of lectures from the general, so my ass is asleep. I just came to say to start getting prepared to head down south."

       "You mean we got permission to investigate the border?" I piped in.

       "Yes, however, part of Xavier's squad will be joining us."

       "Let me guess, Jan and Leah are tagging along?"

       "Precisely."

       "And what about Xavier?"

       Regina quirked her lips. "He is staying behind, but I already ordered my subordinates to stay behind to keep an eye on him."

       "I thought we were done with all the spying five years ago?" Bex grumbled.

       "I only did that because I find it suspicious that Xavier would only send Jan and Leah with us and not anybody else. He has done that before if I recall." Regina studied the area of any onlookers before getting closer to us and whispering. "We are going because Renfrew soldiers have been spotted in Glenmont near the border."

       "We are being sent out to snuff out any soldiers we can find?" Bex asked.

       "Yes, however after the meeting, Xavier pulled me aside and said he has another request for our mission." Regina carried on, now sitting in a chair stolen from a vacant table.

       Nobody asked what that request was. We all know what Xavier could possibly want in the south other than the blood of Renfrew soldiers. I decided to state the obvious anyway. "He wants us to find Joss."

       Bex sighed. "It has been nearly fifteen years and he still can't let her go."

       Regina shrugged and stood up. "We have a few hours to kill before Xavier wants to meet up for a debriefing. I have some paperwork to do, but you two are free to go where you please."