Wisdom and War

Chapter Two

It was a normal day in Manila. Throngs of people walking towards different directions, their steps fast paced and eager to get to their destination. I was sitting at a small table inside a coffee shop that was only a five minute walk from headquarters, a cup of coffee and plate of corned beef pandesal in front of me. It was Wednesday and under my list of coffee shops, Ground Up Cafe was the one for today. Since I've been supposedly dead for over six hundred years, it was always best to keep a low profile, and rotating among coffee shops was a must. There were over fifty of them on my list, all scattered around Manila, but sometimes I'd wander off to farther places depending on what I had planned for the day. Since I was meeting the President in a few hours, it was better to stay close.

Three people entered the store, catching the attention of the staff who immediately greeted them a good morning. They were obviously students wanting to get a drink before their class which was probably about to start in five minutes. They wouldn't make it on time, but that wasn't a worry for any of them. One of them sat down on the table beside mine while the other two went over the counter to order. When I felt his gaze on me, I buried my face deeper into the book I was reading even though I knew it wouldn't be effective.

Here we go again, I thought to myself as I heard his chair scrape and footsteps stop just in front of my table.

I ignored him and continued to read the book I was holding, The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. The pages were already tattered and filled with footnotes or annotations that I've written over the years, but I continued to read it. On the bottom right of the first page was a signature by the author himself and a few words that one usually writes to a fan. The boy was persistent, even clearing his throat to catch my attention. When he sat down on the seat across from me, it was decided that he was one of the arrogant ones who didn't know how to read the words back off that were floating above my head.

I sighed deeply, before putting down my book and eating the last bite of pandesal. So much for a peaceful breakfast.

"I'm Jeff." He spoke, leaning his elbows on the table and flashing me a toothy smile. I tried hard not to roll my eyes and instead took a sip of my coffee. I was only interested in talking to one person whose name starts with J, and he was no doubt still sleeping beside the pillow I left this morning.

"Hmm." I nodded uninterestedly, glancing at the counter where his friends just finished with their order. My cup only had three sips left which I'd finish in less than two minutes. Let's just hope that this guy– Jeff– wasn't as chatty as he looks.
"I've never seen you here before." I couldn't help but scoff, shaking my head at such an awful line. A lot of people, both men and women, have approached me before and those six words he said would qualify under the Worst Pickup Lines I've ever experienced. It could even have the potential to make the top three, bumping "Are you okay? It must've hurt when you fell from heaven." to fourth place.

I took another sip before leaning my elbows on the table, causing our faces to be around eight inches apart. A foolish grin appeared on his face which will surely be gone in just a few seconds. "Here's the thing," I started, looking up at him from under my lashes and acting all shy and sweet. "In about sixty seconds, your friends are going to head to your table and see you all disappointed and heartbroken because you just got humiliated by the girl you're hitting on. It only takes fifty seconds for the barista to give their order and ten more for them to walk. By that time, I'll be long gone and you'll be sulking in your seat." As expected, the grin left his face and was replaced with a frown. "Listen closely, Jed."

"It's Jeff–" He interrupted but I lifted a hand and brushed off his comment.

"I don't care." I deadpanned since I only had forty-two seconds before the barista handed the drinks. "If you want to catch someone's attention, at least try. It's the twenty-first century for gods sake. There are better pickup lines out there which we both know you're capable of searching using that brand new phone that your parents bought for you." I saw him glance at the gadget he was holding and not so subtly put it under his arm. "Second, learn to read the room. When someone ignores you the first two times you try to make yourself seen, take a hint." I drank the last sip of my coffee and grabbed the worn- out book before standing up. I glanced behind him and saw the barista handing three cups to his friends. "Lastly, I would suggest cleaning the very obvious stain on your pants before leaving the house. It seems your recent...private activities were left in a hurry." His face turned beet red as he looked down at the stain I was pertaining to and coughed in embarrassment. His friends were on their way here and that was my cue to leave. "Have a nice day, Jess."