An Immortal's Favour

Jack- To Preserve

"Jacob, almost everywhere we've been has ended up in one paper or another. I wouldn't be surprised if one of those paparazzi people where clicking away at us from some corner right now."

"But we don't know that for sure. And if we want this to work, we need to be sure. Any idea where I could find a telephone, Kai?"

"There's one at my office."

"Office?"

"I'm a doctor in these parts."

"I see. So that's that, then." Hands over my hips, I returned my attention to Gale. "Remember, we'll meet back here-" I darted my eyes to the restaurant behind us- "in a couple of hours. Okay?"

Kai nodded in affirmation.

"Well, look who's in their element," Gale teased, crossing her arms over her chest. She shot me a toothy grin.

"Hey, this might actually work."

"And if something goes wrong?"

"We'll be able to figure it out between us. Now, Kai, if you could give me some directions that'd be great."

I finished up at Kai's office in good time and took the road back to the main part of town with the hope that everything was moving along well with the others, too. As I closed the door to the car, a kid ran past, dribbling a ball between his feet. Another child followed suit seconds later, lanky arms swinging at her sides as she gained ground and weaved between the buildings, traversing further into the streets. To kill some time, I followed after her, taking in how diligently the other people got on with their day.

Up close, the town looked a little shabby; paint peeled at the edges of the bungalows, and even with the pretty patterns that'd been carved on some, nothing looked as picturesque as it'd been from afar. But no one seemed to mind much.

Women knelt at the ground, pounding yam and plantain in a pestle with a mortar half the size of me. Their children hung washing out to dry and sneaked in a grin or two at one another over the washing lines. Some folks even plucked leisurely at the strings of jobas.

At last, I leaned against the trunk of a tree, closing my eyes and relishing the cool feel of the shade. By now, Gale and Kai should've been looking for people who'd be interested in joining us at the tunnels. The paps wouldn't be there until the evening if all went according to plan. Sliding to the ground, I opened my eyes again. 

People passed by, and a few stopped to talk to me. They spoke in a dialect of Veilo that I hadn't heard before, but it wasn't very different from the Veilo spoken in the larger cities. I picked at my nails thirty minutes later, having nothing to do then, and eventually wound up at the restaurant, despite knowing full well that the other two wouldn't have been waiting there.

It was only after two hours that a familiar head of dark hair appeared past the low houses opposite to Chichini's. Gale drew up beside me, lugging two cloth bags over her shoulders. Kai struggled behind her, hauling a bag of his own, and I reached forward to help.

"What's all of this? Don't tell me you didn't find anyone. "

"Oh, we found people. Plenty of them," Kai confirmed, pushing back the clumps of grey hair that'd stuck to his forehead with the back of his hand. I lifted his bags into my arms, catching the scowl across his face.

Gale, her eyebrows drawn in a similar fashion to Kai's, set her bags down gently. "I knew there was something strange going on here."

"What are you talking about?"

"Remember what I'd said about the lack of fencing around the tunnels?"

"Yes, but-"

"Those workers- they're fakes. I looked into it, asked around, that sort of thing. There were no sort of checks or regulations done. They just showed up and started right away."

"But why?"

"I'll tell you why." Cracking his knuckles as though he was about to start a fight, Kai continued, "Bo and I caught one of them during their lunch break to get answers. The man we talked to tried to weasel his way out of it, but gave in soon enough."

"As it turns out," Gale started, "they're from a small company, a broke one judging by the lack of proper safety enforcement. I think they were looking to make some easy money by getting rid of a few tunnels and setting something else up in their place. We could report them- and we will -but, for now, I've got something more...exciting in mind."

"Care to elaborate?"

"Gladly."

Leading us to the outskirts of town, Kai pointed out one of the tunnels. "The workers haven't touched this one yet. There's a pipe running along underneath the ceiling, and we're going to need it. How long until the paparazzi get here?"

"We've got a couple of hours."

"Alright, and you said they'd meet you by the restaurant? Perhaps you should go back now; we'll need you to bring them here. Kai and I will handle the rest." Gale patted one of her bags.

"Okay. I'll see you soon. Good luck."

"You, too."

Just as I'd said, photographers in loose summer clothing with cameras looped across their necks drew up in front of Chichini's in a few hours time, some looking around them in ill-concealed disgust while the rest of them clutched tightly at their cameras, grinning. Their cars and motorbikes were hidden, but that didn't make them appear any less out of place.

"Evening, fellas." The sun had just started to sink beneath the horizon, falling through the dark blue that'd started to stain the rich orange of the sky, and was already being replaced by the faint glow of the stars and the wispy image of the moon. By the time everyone arrived, the oranges and yellows and blues of the sky had been swallowed by pitch black. I led the group to the edge of town. Gale and Kai were nowhere to be seen, and I know just how impatient the paparazzi could be. Some of them continued with their questions, though a few had started to look bored. 

"C'mon, c'mon..." I whispered.

"Excuse me, Mr Agyakwa! If you could tell us about your proposal to Ms Boahinmaa, if you could confirm anything-"

"Do you plan to ask her at the end of your trip?"

"Aren't you still in a relationship with Kaia Boateng?"

For the love of all the spirits. What did this have to do with anything? Could a man and a woman not be seen together without everyone and their dog asking questions about it? Apparently not.

A crackle sounded, followed by a low sizzle that stretched on. And then, before anyone had time to even notice, flames, each at least twenty feet tall, shot into the sky, illuminating the area with a barrage of vibrant colours. There were about thirty that meandered through the darkness. Some were green, a few were red, but the majority were sky blue. And, as if appearing from nowhere, Kai and Gale sidled up to either side of me, followed by lines of townspeople, shielding their eyes from the light of the cameras and the fire.

"I'd say this was a success," Gale murmured from the side of her mouth.

"Yeah. If this doesn't get anyone's attention, I don't know what will." I grinned.

*

Discussion: Mission complete! What are your thoughts on these events, and how might they help out our characters? Do you think they might be enough to alter the general opinion regarding casting?

Feel free to comment and vote if you enjoyed this chapter!