The Creature and the Spy

5: The Fake Diplomat

With a cup of warm tea in his hands, the man stares at the night sky with a smile on his face. It's an unreadable smile, the smile that one wants to make one stay away from the person, or just stand beside as far as possible if one has no choice to flee.

To SPO2 Felix Nostrad, that was the option. He still has no idea why the temporary NBI agent resident, Hansel Juno, recommended that he go to church to pass the time. It doesn't help that the detective mispronounced his name to "Frank", which he forgave since he knows he's not a very memorable character for a high-standing and well-decorated detective.

"Pass the time my ass." He murmured. "Who passes the time at church?"

"What is it, Mr. Officer?" The man called, not ripping his eyes from the sky.

The officer decided not to repeat what he said. The priest in front whose back is facing him is a young-looking priest wearing a white polo-shirt and comfortable brown slacks. He looks peaceful with that priestly aura, however, deep inside he knows this guy is a bit eccentric, as Hansel warned.

His name is Father Quincy Esperanza. As soon as he enter the church, the guy welcomed him like he's been expecting him. He said some lines like, "Oh, hello Hansel's payment." or something like that. He immediately ordered Felix to make him a cup of Barako Coffee, and stand beside the door as he watches the night sky from the big Victorian-style window.

"Um, Father Quincy..." Felix shifted.

"Just call me Quincy." The priest said, still not looking.

"What?! I can't do that! You're a Priest! I'm not religious, but at least I'm not disrespectful." Felix defended.

The priest finished his coffee. He then faced Felix to give him a sip of it. Felix reached for it like a dutiful assistant. "Okay then. You can stay respectful but don't call me Father. I'm actually not used to it."

"Not used to it? Don't people here call you Father Quincy? How do people call you every Sunday when you preside a mass?" Felix asked, putting the cup on the small table beside him.

The priest smiled a little, a kind of bittersweet smile that one would like to approach and hug away. But that's weird so Felix refrained. "Actually, I have no contact with society. Mass presiding is not the purpose of this Church, so I'm just here. Alone. For decades."

"Um, I..." Felix doesn't know what to say. He just stared at the young-looking old man, feeling the sadness in his moon-lit eyes. His eyes are deep brown that they almost appear black, a common eye-color in this continent. His hair is jet-black, his lips are pink and thin, and his skin is light brown. He has an average height, but his limbs are thin and lanky - lankier than Officer Hansel Juno's. Compared to him, Felix Nostrad is more muscular, taller, and more capable. He could leave any minute without physical intervention, but as Hansel Juno told him,

"Believe me, you'll find a reason to stay."

*Hansel*

The only question I need to answer in this mission is: "Is the country involved with the crises?" With such simple information to confirm, it takes great lengths to fulfill the mission.

I started trekking the mountain, and I realized that the closer I get to the Artificial Sun, the stronger I become. The mountain is quite steep, there are even parts where I have to climb, but thanks to the energy source I don't feel tired. So that's the reason why the loss of the Artificial Sun killed the female population. Not because they're weak as what a sexist human would assume. Araki said something about "All trees are females, and trees need photosynthesis in order to live." Maybe the male population has a genome closer to that of humans, or sulfur bacteria. Not to get irrational, but Araki and King Dimito are bacteria-like to me.