"Guinness. And maybe some stability," Eggsy Unwin said to the waiter at the pub when asked if he wanted anything. Far from the daft life of yesteryears, Eggsy is now serving as a Kingsman.
He excelled in his craft. Although he wasn't necessarily the top of his class, he rose up the ranks to become one of the most prolific, most dependable spies in the secret service. His father, Michelle Unwin, would be so proud of the man that he has become.
Eggsy was on leave from the service, having suffered an arm injury in one of his missions overseas. He was faced with an unexpected enemy—a rather brute Irish fighter skilled in martial arts hired to protect a wealthy weapons syndicate. The job was almost done. He already knocked down the Irishman and retrieved the disc that contained information on transactions and involved personalities. But the Irishman came from behind, snatched Eggsy's left arm and twisted it so fiercely that it broke.
Having his arm broken was one thing. Receiving news that it might not heal back to its ship-shape condition is another. Five months had passed, but Merlin hasn't cleared Eggsy yet. Even Harry wouldn't budge, despite Eggsy's constant pleading.
He still needs more time to recover and probably more time to think about what he might want to do next if he's no longer qualified to serve as a Kingsman.
Prior to Kingsman, Eggsy didn't have that many friends. There's Ben and Connor, but they were busy juggling shifts at the time. They didn't know anything about Kingsman or espionage. None of the people in his life knew. Not even his mum and his siblings.
Basically, Eggsy was alone with his beer and his thoughts.
The door of the pub swung open and a brunette girl stepped in. She had long dark hair that complimented her dark brown eyes. She was carrying two thick books and a bag that looked so heavy you would wonder how she was managing herself. She flung her things on the cushioned seat by the corner, took a breath, and made her order.
"Guinness, please," she said. She didn't immediately down the beer. She was looking at her phone with a heavy frown. She bit her lip before she soothed her right temple with her fingers. Resigned, she placed her phone on the table and took small sips of her beer.
There was a look of wonderment on her face as she looked around the pub and examined the decorations on the well. Eggsy was a frequent customer at the Black Prince, but it was the first time he's seen her here.
The girl took another deep breath before she read the earmarked portion of her book. Meanwhile, Eggsy got his phone out and checked the latest UEFA stats. He may be part of Kingsman now, but that doesn't necessarily mean he's let go of everything he's grown used to. If he could, he probably would be on Snapchat now, singing an ode to his lonesome.
Eggsy contemplated the idea with a snicker, until he was distracted by the voice of the brunette girl sitting in the corner.
"Yes, I'm alright," the girl told the boy who previously sat by the bar with his friends. He was now sitting on the chair opposite the girl and making vain attempts at flirting with her.
"My mates and I have a gig tonight. You should come see us," the boy said. "That's really nice, but I'm sorry I must decline," the girl said politely. Eggsy only noticed then that the girl was speaking with an American accent.
"What are you reading? You're not from here are you? It's rare finding girls studying in a boozer," the boy said sarcastically. His friends were laughing. They were obviously very drunk. "I would really love to be left alone, thank you," she retorted, with an obvious tinge of frustration in her voice.
"Woah! Chick's got attitude. Do you even know who I am?" The girl was visibly annoyed by the punk, and Eggsy could see her clenching her fists and ready to strike a blow if the musician wannabe inched closer to her. "You know what lady, you should really be more polite when dealing with strangers," the boy hovered over her. She pushed him with such great force that he almost fell face-down on the floor.
"You little bitch!" the drunk bastard exclaimed. Eggsy couldn't just stand by and watch the girl get harassed by these losers, so he stepped in between and blocked the boy's hand before he could strike her. Eggsy bent his hand sideways, making the boy scream in pain. His friends stood up and motioned to take a jab at Eggsy, but missed. He then kicked one of the boys one knees, just enough to keep him down.
Jim, the pub owner, wasn't going to take the mess lying down so he told the group to take their beef outside otherwise he was going to call the cops. The boys, seemingly threatened, stood down and exited the pub after paying for their orders.
Before Eggsy could finish apologizing to Jim for the commotion, the girl already bolted out the door. Eggsy caught up with her at the bus stop nearby. The girl was surprised to see Eggsy had followed her, so she maintained a rather defensive stance, ready to swing her books at Eggsy if he meant harm. Noticing this, Eggsy held his arm up and explained that he's not like those punks at the pub.
"Hey! Take it easy. I just wanted to know if you're alright," Eggsy asked, maintaining reasonable distance between him and girl.
"Yeah. I'm good. Thanks for that rescue back there. I really shouldn't have gone there to have beer at three in the afternoon," the girl said coyly as she tucked her hair behind her ear. She had no idea how bad Eggsy wanted to tell her that he's happy she stopped by the pub, minus that small commotion, of course.
Eggsy was so consumed by her beauty that he literally ran out of words to say. Her smile was mesmerizing. She wasn't even wearing any make up but her face glowed in the dim light of dusk. All he could muster was, "Ayt," and a really wide small that made him look like a teenager in love. Maybe he was.
"I'm Eggsy," he said, reaching out his hand to her. She shook it and said, "Ellie."
