My eyes remained on the new email that I've just received. Even if I don't open it, I have a hunch on what's inside of it. Bumaling ang tingin ko kay V na napapansin kong madalas ang pagiging tulala sa umagang iyon.
I bit the insides of my cheeks as I looked at the email again. Should I open it? I know this email contains the location of the Red Faction. The voice is true to its words. Once we've given it the correct answer to the question, ibibigay nya na nga sa amin ang impormasyon na kinakilangan namin.
And it's here. The location of the Red Faction's hideout.
"Alter." I called her as she was still busy typing with her laptop.
Tumingin sya sa akin. Even if her eyes were already looking at me, her hands didn't stop working. Patuloy lang sya sa pagtitipa habang naghihintay sa sasabihin ko.
"You can stop doing that." I said.
"Ha—Huh?" tanong nyang saglit na tumingin sa laptop nya bago ibinalik ang mga mata sa akin. "Alin?"
Tumingin na din sa akin si L na katabi lang nya. They were like, inseperable couple when they're working. Palagi silang magkatabi. And I guess it's they're way to show that they're supporting each other. Lalo pa at mukhang natataranta si Alter ngayon.
I couldn't help but to miss my wife and the twins. Kung minsan ay hindi ko maiwasang mainggit kina L, Kier at Fourth. Because their partners were also part of the game that's why they were able to spend time with them kahit na nasa gitna kami ng laro.
Archer's always complaining about this. Always ranting na malapit nang manganak si Fatima pero nandito sya at hindi pa rin makasama ang asawa.
We've sacrificed a lot in this game. And I fucking swear that we will win this game. I will not let that stupid old geezer, the gamemaster, to take everything away from us.
Babawiin ko ang kapatid ko.
"You can stop searching for the Red Faction's hideout." I said. "Thank you but it's alright now."
With that, Alter's fingers stopped mid air. Narinig ko ang pagbuntong-hininga ni L bago sumandal sa kinauupuan nya. I didn't have to explain everything to him. We've both been working as the EL Ordre's trackers for years so he knows what I meant by now.
Unlike Alter who keeps her stares at me. Parang binabasa kung anong nasa isip ko. She blinks before she looked at my laptop and then back at me again.
"Oh." she muttered. Mukhang nakuha na ang ibig kong sabihin.
They both looked at V who was silent the whole time. We were all in the living room but she hasn't said anything yet. Napansin ko na pilit nya ring iniiwasan ang mga tingin namin. Her eyes were restless and she keeps her head hung low. Kier never left her side the whole time.
It is clear that she is still affected.
I looked at my side and caught Eresh staring at me. Tingin ko ay kanina pa sya nakatitig sa akin and I figured that she knows about what I just said to L and Alter as her eyes went down on my laptop. Nakataas na ang isang kilay nya nang bumalik ang tingin nya sa akin.
I smirked at her. I really admire her intuition. She's so fast in understanding and grasping things that sometimes, I admit, it scares me. With just one look and she could comprehend everything easily.
Just like now.
"The gamemaster is really playing with us." Archer said so suddenly kaya napatingin ako sa kanya.
He tossed the baseball he's holding that I have no idea where he get it from, and caught it in with his hands. Ilang beses nyang ginawa iyon habang nagsasalita.
"Anong trip ng matandang 'yon?" he asked that made Aius chuckled.
"May I remind you na nine years ang age gap nyo ng asawa nyo." he said. "Matandang gurang ka para sa kanya.
"Fuck you, fucker!" si Archer na halatang nainis sa sinabi ni Aius. I chuckled. "Eight years and ten months lang! You can't even do a simple math!"
"In mathematics, there's a procedure called rounding off numbers." Auis rebutted. "And it's easier to say nine years than eight years and ten months. Too long to say, fucker."
I made a low chuckle. The fucker, Archer, is really sensitive about his and Fatima's age gap. It's no big deal with us, actually. And I honestly thought that they actually suits each other. Fatima needs someone who can act mature around her as well as can match up her childishness at times. And Archer is the perfect one for her.
Pero dahil naiinis si Archer kapag nababanggit ang age gap nila na wala lang naman talaga para sa amin, mas lalo tuloy syang inaasar ni Aius. Another fucker one.
"Bakit ako lang ang pinag-iinitan mo?" sabi ni Archer at itinuro nya ako gamit ang kamay nyang may hawak ng baseball. "That fucker and his wife also has a big difference between their age!"
"I don't really have any problem with that though." sabi kong nagkibit-balikat pa. Napasimagot si Archer at halatang mas nainis pa dahil hindi man lang ako naapektuhan sa sinabi nya.
Tarantado. Ginagawa nya kasing big deal ang agwat ng mga edad nila ng asawa nya.
"What's wrong with almost nine years age gap though?" Eresh asked. Nagulat pa ako sa biglang pagsali nya sa usapan namin. "I don't see anything's wrong with that."
"Naging estudyante nya kasi muna ang asawa nya noon." it was Aius who answered her question. "Kaya siguro ganyan syang ka-sensitive sa age gap nila."
"Oh..." Eresh muttered. "Still I don't see anything's wrong with that. She's not your student anymore. She's your wife now, for fuck's sake. Stop whining about your age gap. You love her and you're gonna spend the rest of your lifetime with her and that's what's more impotant."
I noticed Fourth smirked beside her. There he goes again. Looking so proud everytime Eresh says or does something smart.
"And based on the stories I've heard from Artemis, I could tell that you have a good wife. So I'm certain that she doesn't really mind about your age gap at all."
Napangiti si Archer sa sinabing iyon ni Eresh. He looks like he finally understand na walang kwenta naman talaga ang pinoproblema nya. He wanted to hear those words to stop minding about their age gap. Both Aius and I knew that.
But Aius, being the fucker and his friend, chose to make fun of him with that. Pambawi man lang daw sa mga corny jokes ni Archer dahil naaawa na daw sya sa tenga nya.
"Saglit." Archer said and he took out his phone. "Ulitin mo sinabi mo. From the top."
Eresh rolled her eyes and ignored the fucker who wanted to record her saying those words again. Just like what he did before. Minsan nga lang naman kasing may lumabas na mga papuri sa bibig ni Eresh. Especially for Archer.
I think the fucker's problem has been resolve now.
I saw Eresh whispered something to Fourth that made him look at me. That got me confused but when his gaze turned on my laptop, that's when I remember the email that I've just received. She probably told him about it.
Right. I don't know if I should open it now or wait for V to recover from her talk with her father. Napatingin ako sa kanya at nakita kong nakayuko pa rin sya. Like she's guilty about something. Like she's ashamed to meet our eyes kaya mas piniling yumuko na lang.
If she's guilty for what her father did in the past, then what she's doing is useless.
"I'm sorry!" V said so suddenly that a lot of them got surprised. Nasa mga mukha pa nila ang pagtataka dahil sa biglang sinabi ni V.
I poked the inside of my left cheek with my tongue. Seems like I am right.
V is good in combat fights. I wouldn't deny that. She's one of our best frontliners at madalas ay naipapanalo nya ang mga misyon na ginagawa nya. She has a good fighting skills. But sometimes, I didn't like how her mind works.
She's always overthinking things that she's becoming irrational. Just like now.
"God, I am so sorry." sabi pa nya and she even covered her face with her hands. "I feel so ashamed."
Kier sighed. Napatingin pa sya sa amin at mukhang hindi nya alam kung anong gagawin sa asawa nya. Is it her pregnancy hormones acting up? Mas maiintindihan ko pa kung ganoon nga instead of her blaming herself so suddenly.
"Ano bang pinagsasabi mo dyan, V?" tanong ni Archer na may nakakatawang ekspresyon sa mukha nya. He was looking at V like she turned into some kind of unknown specie.
She looked up. Her eyes brimmed with tears as she sobbed. Sinubukan syang hawakan ni Kier sa mga balikat para hapitin palapit ang asawa sa kanya but she refused by moving her shoulders, trying to shrug his hand off it.
"Lahat ng 'to," she said. "All of these are happening because of what my father did. Kung hindi nya ginawa ang utos ng gamemaster, hindi sana magkakagulo ang laro."
I sighed when she finished talking. Sa kalagitnaan pa lang ng pagsasalita nya ay nakaramdam na ako ng pananakit ng ulo. Damn this girl. I knew that she'll gonna think this way!
I pinched the bridge of my nose. Damn... I suddenly remember that time when she was so drunk and sang her lungs out. I don't wanna hear her sing again.
"Nobody's blaming your father, V." Kier said and V looked at her.
"Pero totoo diba? Kung hindi nya sinunod ang gamemaster, hindi magiging madugo ang laro! Wala sanang mamamatay at kailangang magsakripisyo!"
"Your father was just trying to protect your mother and the family that he's planning to build." Viper tried to explain. "He was just trying to protect you."
"And Eresh." sabi ni V na mukhang hindi tumatak sa isip ang sinabi ni Viper. "You pointed this out before. That if the EL Ordre hadn't cheated back then, your father wouldn't do those horrible things to you."
Her tears continue to fall. Eresh just stared at her as she cried, still blaming her father and feeling ashamed as she thought that all of these happened because of what her father did.
"I am so sorry." she said. " I'm sorry, Eresh."
Eresh eyes turned so cold as she stares at V. Inaabangan ko ang sasabihin nya. Hindi lang ako. All of us were waiting for Eresh to say something that base on her looks, will not be a good one.
"Yeah, you should really apologize." Eresh said. "Kneel and beg."
Natigilan yata kaming lahat dahil sa sinabi nya. I was not expecting that. But Fourth seems like he knew something as his lips were suppressing a smirk.
Malamig pa rin ang mga tingin ni Eresh kay V na natigilan din. She then sobbed when Eresh smirked at her manacingly.
"C'mon, V. Kneel." she said. Mas lalong napaiyak si V.
"Eresh—" Kier started to say but Fourth shushed him.
"Kneel and beg, V." Eresh said. "Apologize for being stupid by thinking that way."
V looked at her. "Eresh..."
"I was wrong." sabi ni Eresh na humalukipkip at sumandal sa kinauupuan nyan. "I was wrong by thinking like that before. Sadyang demonyo lang talaga ang ama ko para gawin ang mga bagay na 'yon."
I almost smirked by her words.
Something had changed again with Eresh. Before, she's doing things to make her father proud and accept her as her daughter even after what he'd done. She continue to do things that she thought will make him proud even if he's already dead. Lahat ng ginawa nya ay para sa ama nya.
And hearing her talk like this about him, just means that she's slowly overcoming and accepting her past.
"Did you hear me blame your father when I learned about the truth?" Eresh asked to V. "No, right? It's because I am not blaming him. Not at all."
"Maybe you just don't want me to hear it." V said that made Eresh laughed.
"Oh no, V. I thought you already know me? You should know that I say things I like to say. Not minding what the other people will feel. Sinasabi ko ngang tanga si Archer, hindi ba?"
"Hoy—" reklamo ni Archer pero hindi natuloy nang magsalita si Fourth.
"And V, we all understand why your father did those things." he said. "That's his own way of protecting you and your mother. You know, parents will do everything for their children."
"Not all parents, though." Eresh said and the air suddenly became so gloomy.
But Fourth smiled at her and took her hand. He kissed the back of her hand before he looked at V again.
"Yeah... Not all parents. That's why you are lucky to have a father like that." he said. "And you should appreciate him, V."
"Hindi din naman ang ama mo ang may kasalanan nito." Aius said. "It was the gamemaster. We wouldn't be here if not for him."
"He's the one who ruined everything." Viper said. "Sya dapat ang sisihin sa lahat, Vexen."
Plutus puffed on his vape. Vanilla scent could be smelled on the entire room and somehow, its sweet scent calmed V down.
Hindi na nagsalita si V pagkatapos noon but I guess that she's feeling better now. Hinayaan na nya si Kier na hawakan sya at yakapin para mas pakalmahin pa.
I looked at my laptop again. Binuksan ko ang bagong email na natanggap ko and it confirmed my thoughts earlier.
I smirked and looked at everyone.
"By the way, I got the Red Faction's location now."