Angels with Newfound Hope
Chapter 2: Introductions
Alex stepped out of the cafe, taking in the scenery around him. Children played on the sidewalks, some reptiles stared at him from their various seats, various buildings surrounded him at every turn. It was quite a view that reminded him of cities such as San Gregario.
He had always wanted to visit different countries at some point in his life. The sheer amount of unexplored territory always left him theorizing about what they'd be like. He'd seen one side of the coin with the Dragon Realms. Now the other reared its head. The very reason of exploration was why he enlisted Mongoose as his tech.
She was an inventor, who always put herself to new challenges. That portal they discovered was her magnum opus. He was to test the technology and report back any calibration mishaps or malfunctions. The only problem was a situation like his right now, where he wouldn't be able to establish contact at all.
Alex would be lying to himself if he wasn't curious about the trouble Reza mentioned. What could be such a threat that his mission would be compromised. His thoughts drifted back to the environment. The suburbs of the town itself had quite a European Countryside feel to it, yet was almost entirely modernized. He found himself admiring these species' craftsmanship. His last experience outside of Terra was entirely medieval. How he relished that hot shower when he got back.
And then Reza decided to invade his mind. That man would always have some comment on something. He would never shut up about what could be improved or changed back in high school. Yet here, he was far more smitten with that generator he took. The brunette began wondering if this was even the Reza he once knew.
Alex's little bubble was suddenly popped when something zipped past him. The pink blur clipped his leg, nearly causing him to fall. He regained his balance just barely long enough to see what was in such a hurry. It was a young dragon, rushing past with some sort of satchel in their mouth.
"Hey, please be careful!" The human shouted before he hit the pavement. It wasn't like the child would've heard him anyway. Sebastian watched from just outside as the human picked himself up.
"Are you okay, Alex? No major injuries?" The officer questioned as he checked him over. There were no injuries to speak of. Just him being dirtier than normal.
"Yeah. I'm fine. Thanks for your concern, though. Maybe we should head off now." Alex suggested with a shrug. The raptor gave a concerned look before leading the way.
"By the way, I left a generous tip on your behalf. I hope you don't mind." Sebastian stated. This prompted his companion to pull his mouth into a mock pout.
"What if I wanted to tip her myself?" He pouted as playfully as he could. The reptile just rolled his eyes bemusedly.
"In any case, We've got the PDA and Reza the generator. Your schedule's complete for the day. Just let me know if you want to go anywhere. I'd be happy to show you around if you want." Sebastian offered. It did tempt the brunette to get a proper tour, but he didn't want to push it. He decided to just be taken home before that letter arrived.
"That's kind of you to offer, but I should head back. Reza's supposed to be sending me something later. Maybe we could do a full tour tomorrow?" The time read around 1:30 when Alex checked his watch. Yep, he'd definitely have to ask then.
"I'll just accompany you back then. Just let me know whenever you want that." The reptile turned to his company, who smiled. And so the journey back began.
"I will. This place is far too unexplored for me to leave it as is." The two continued their conversation as another person came up behind them. One look sent Alex into a blushing frenzy. The dragon in question had brown scales that glistened a fiery red in the sunlight. The lighting only served to accent his large muscle structure. In place of wings was a set of odd limbs. A bite scar on his neck gave him a rugged, badass appearance. In short, this dragon was smoking.
"Hey Sebastian. How's everything going so far?" His deep voice melted the man into a puddle. He had never felt this way around anyone but his late fiance, Zoe.
"It's going just fine. Alex's schedule is all done for today. You just walking your beat right now?" Sebastian asked the guy, who the human was trying to keep from invading his mind further. Needless to say, the attempts failed miserably. The officer's snapping claws broke him from the increasingly perverse thoughts.
"Alex. You okay there? You're not overheating, are you?" Both reptiles carried concerned looks. Not like the heat was helping anything either, instead soaking into his clothes and killing him slowly.
"I-I wish I had a different answer. It's stupidly h-hot out right now." Alex managed out after a few failed attempts. The mysterious dragon's concerned look soon turned to amusement.
"Wait, I get it. Someone here already-"
"Shut up!" The stormy-eyed human yelled out of mortification. That guy even had enough nerve to belly laugh at the action. This did literally nothing for the brunette's composition.
"You really aren't helping yourself there, kiddo." The stocky reptile downgraded to a mere chuckle. Alex groaned and sank into the wooden siding of his apartment. It seemed they had arrived whilst he was being relentlessly teased.
"Maybe we should quit while we're ahead, guys. Alex, you head on in and cool down." Sebastian offered. The man took it and rushed inside, the chilly air hitting like a lead brick. He turned on the kitchen faucet in order to listen in more discreetly.
"I like that guy already. He reminds me of this one friend I had." The new guy mused. That must've offended Sebastian in some way.
"He can also make your life a nightmare. You need to be more careful around Alex, Bryce. What if he reports you to Emera?" The officer chastised Bryce. It was silent for a second before the latter spoke up again.
"You saw that blush, right? You even sure it was the heat getting to him?" There was a stagnant pause between the two for but a moment.
"He did have Mugen's special today, with a lot of added spice. Maybe he was just feeling that heat." The raptor speculated. They both remained silent whilst Alex continued to listen. Maybe this Bryce guy was stunned into silence.
"Wait, the fish special?! Is that guy a masochist or something?" The massive reptile bellowed. That dish must be a sort of challenge around here. Either that, or a very acquired taste.
"That doesn't matter right now. Maybe we should get back to our work." A silent agreement was made between them.
"I guess I'll see you around then. Goodbye, Sebastian." Bryce bid farewell to the raptor as he walked off. Alex went to the sink and dunked his head into the now full basin. The refreshingly cold water dripped from his chin when he finally resurfaced.
The doorbell rang right as the brunette finished drying his hair. In front of him stood a bright blue dragon of some other sort, holding a clipboard and envelope. Over his shoulder sat a leather messenger bag. The biggest difference between this dragon and Maverick was that they were anthropomorphic, much akin to Chris.
"Hello there. Could you please sign here?" They held out the clipboard for him. He took it and started scribbling his name.
"I'm not signing my rights away with this, am I?" Alex chuckled to emphasize the joke.
"Just got a letter for you that requires signature confirmation." And it flew right over his head. This dude probably needed a little lesson in comedy.
There were a few things noted from the form, such as Reza's return address, and the scent on the envelope when received.
"I'm Lorem, by the way. Would you mind if I asked a few questions?" Sebastian stepped around the corner at that point. Alex had a feeling he was listening in.
"What's this all about?" The officer cut him off right before he could even open his mouth. This, in turn, mildly annoyed him.
"I'm just making small talk." Lorem grinned sheepishly. The stormy-eyed man could tell he was nervous from his posture. He would be too if he received a glare like Sebastian's.
"Wait a second, I remember you. You tried to do the same with Reza! Maybe I should report you to your superiors for-"
"Let him speak." The tan reptile whipped around to the source of the interruption. Alex was standing there with crossed arms and an annoyed look.
"Alex, he needs to go through the proper channels fir-"
"Just do it, Sebastian. It'll only be one question. And Lorem, Just something general. No personal stuff for now. I'll let you give me your number for that." The larger human went over to Remy's note and tore off a small segment, handing it to the postman as scrap paper.
"Okay. Just let me find them real quick..." The dragon fumbled around in his bag for a moment. The man could feel the excitement radiating off him. It was like he told a kid he could have an entire toy store.
"Shoot. I think I lost them somewhere. I had some pictures of what people think humans look like. Some of them even have four heads. It's crazy!" Lorem explained. The human put a hand on his hip in amusement. He'd heard of hydras before, but never even thought of what one would look like as a human.
"Okay. You've piqued my interest. Go ahead and jot down your number. Maybe I'll call later, but that's about all I can promise." The sky reptile scribbled it down and presented it sheepishly with both hands. Alex gingerly took it from him, garnering an impossibly large smile.
"Alright, you got what you wanted. Now off you go." Sebastian shooed the postman off. He squealed in such delight as he left the premises, the brunette couldn't help but find it endearing.
"That could've ended poorly. You really need to be more careful about who you trust, Alex." Sebastian chastised the human. Yet all he did was wave the poor officer off.
"Forget about it. I can defend myself if need be. Besides, that was a nice little diversion. Ten out of ten." The taller male chirped happily. His security, however, didn't share the sentiment. The exchange could've ended so poorly with such recklessness.
"I'm just glad it's over. If that's it, then I'll be seeing you tomorrow." Sebastian sighed blankly. Alex waved him goodbye and shut the door softly. Now he just needed to decode that letter...