The City XI
#11 of The City
Khopesh Aeterno walked down the street, scanning the houses slowly, blinking a bit as the sky started to turn orange. He inhaled softly, then exhaled, depressing the button on his radio. "K1 to S1, sector three is clear."
The radio crackled back. "Roger, S1. Come on home, patrol for you is up."
Khopesh stretched and checked his weapons again. He was allowed to keep the revolver and shotgun he had regained from his safe in, what Eagle Rock military staff was now calling "Operation Swift Mercury". Additionally, he had been given a modified 417 rifle for sniping purposes. He slung the rifle onto his back and let the shotgun hang from his hip, wandering back to the compound, head turned skyward as he slowly thought. Amber is home. Tek is making her happy. Jak and Palla are back together, protecting Tanz. Vir is making eyes at that lynx in the engineer squad, Sill and Copp are... probably together. So, why am I so angry?
He shook his head to clear his thoughts, pinpointing the Hunter, the Lion, and the Warrior in the sky to focus himself before he hit the gate.
"Major Khopesh, sir!" Khopesh had to chuckle at the mouse manning the gate, nodding and pulling out one of the low-quality, yet still sweet, candy bars from a clip pocket. "Here you go, Corpoal. Keep watching, and thanks for welcoming me back." The mouse took the candy bar with a nod and a swift, "Thank you, sir!"
Khopesh wandered around Eagle Rock for a while, greeting some of the early morning vendors. A barter system was in place, due to the lack of ability for the place to create a good sort of currency. After picking up a bottle of roughly-made bourbon from a mole in exchange for a fine watch, and some groceries from a family of badgers in exchange for the promise of a week's worth of history lessons for their kids, Khopesh headed to his room, settling in and sitting on a chair. As he uncorked the bourbon, he looked to the ceiling and sighed deeply. Taking a swig, he thought, So, this is my new life, a month from saving everyone I used to look over. Patrol, drink, pass out. No hope for companionship. He shook his head and took a deeper drag, seeing the world dim and swirl before he blacked out.
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He woke to a soft beeping, his head shaking as he muted the alarm. He sat up and checked his guns, unloading them and placing them on a table, the ammo thrown into their respective boxes. He looked in the mirror and noticed that his chin fur was growing a bit more than he was used to. After staring for a long while, she shrugged and cut his fur down to a more acceptable length, cleaning his face and dusting off his clothes. He put his glasses back on and made his way to the mess hall.
He grabbed his tray, loading up on a simple chicken-and-salad meal, sighing softly, knowing the food was grown at Eagle Rock, frowning at the fact that his own base had never gotten that far. He walked into the hall, being waved down by the so-called 'old guard' group. He sat with his friends - Tek and Amber holding hands, Pallas and Jak feeding each other, Sill and Copp scribbling on a piece of paper, and Vir introducing that lynx to everyone. Khopeh kept focused on his meal, eating it and listening in before feeling a warm pair of somethings on the back of his head. He looked up, locking eyes with a grinning Haka. "What's up, foxy?"
Khopesh blinked a few times, shaking his head and glancing at the free space next to him. "Sit, Lieutenant."
Haka lightly smacked Khopesh's head, then settled in and stole his dessert, a simple-yet-delicious square of cheesecake. "So, Major Aeterno, this Lieutenant had a battle plan suggestion."
Khopesh paused and looked over, worried about heading into battle again. "Oh?"
Haka gave a big, toothy grin. "Museum across the street gives free drinks to the military personnel. You and I have the night off tonight. Who don't we infiltrate, I gather intel on the fox, you gather intel on the shark?"
Khopesh chuckled, shaking his head playfully before nodding firmly. "See you there, then? I'm up for it."
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Khopesh walked across the street at around 8 PM, finding Haka standing in the casual military dress that Zor had designed for his staff. After a quick hug, they headed inside the museum, passing under a skeleton of a huge oceanic mammal - "My cousin coordinated and set that up, you know," Khopesh told Haka as they walked underneath it - before making their way into the exclusive "Central Antigua Gallery", a hallway with a few tables, decorated with gold and stone carvings. They sat, and a server walked up to them. Before Khopesh could raise a finger, Haka swiftly said, "Mojitos, please. Two. Double his."
Khopesh smirked and raise an eyebrow. "Still remember my special, er, 'luxury' treat, huh?"
Haka nodded with a smile. "Went with you long enough to remember."
Khopesh sighed and looked down. "Ten years, my own... It really was ten years, huh?"
Haka grabbed her drink as the server returned, taking a drag and nodding. "To the day, actually. I'm kind of surprised you kept track."
Khopesh shrugged, taking a drag from his drink and nodding. "You know my education. Archaeology. We track time."
Haka nodded, looking at the nearby piece of pottery and pointing at it. "So, what is that?"
Khopesh smirked a bit. "Moche. Maybe AD 700. They liked to make furs and basic concepts in their works. Easy."
Haka chuckled and rolled her eyes, pointing to a lintel. "What about that?"
Khopesh glanced at it. "Fake. Trying to emulate Aztec. Maybe mid-1800s? Not really appropriate here."
Haka smiled, resting her chin on her hands, staring at Khopesh. "And me?"
Khopesh smiled softly. "Pacific islands. Beauty incarnate. I may have acted a bit... hastily. It was right in the long run. You said no to a long-distance, and if was stationed in Bella..."
Haka sighed lightly. "What stops you now?"
Khopesh looked at Haka for a good, long time, sipping from the mojito, draining the liquid and popping a mint leaf in his mouth. "Well... Nothing. Except how you feel. I don't know. I lost that ability seeing so many people under my command die. I got hurt and I had to deafen it."
Haka nodded, her drink finished as well as she locked eyes with him. "So, why don't we give you your aural sense again?"
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Khopesh looked up at the ceiling, the sunlight dancing across it in the morning light. He inhaled and exhaled slowly, his body aware of the nearby presence as he turned his head to see the still slumbering Haka. He smiled lightly before sliding out of ed, sitting upright, looking down at his nude form before closing his eyes. Was that right? Was that okay? Did I manipulate her? Did I make a mistake?
He shivered a bit, feeling her hands slide onto his body as she hugged him. "Morning, Major...ly large cock."
He chuckled a bit, shaking his head. "I know you've had better. You've told me."
She giggled a bit, giving him a hug before sliding out of the bed and into the restroom. He sighed as he heard the shower running, his eyes still shut tightly as he listened to the water. His mind raced a bit before slowing and focusing, his eyes opening to his firearms lined up on a nearby table. We're... at war. We're desperate for love. It... forces us to look closer than we would want to. She...
His ears perked as he heard her exit the restroom. As he turned, he noted she was in her basic undergarments, which everyone on the floor knew as her workout clothing. She sat by him and hugged him tightly, whispering, "You know where to find me to make it more."
She left the room, door closing slowly as his eyes flicked down to a ring on the table. A golden, inscribed ring he had received from his father. He looked at it for far longer than he personally thought was right. He picked up the wring, tying it up in a leather cord and putting it on before heading to the shower himself.Maybe there is something here.