Chương 145: Theatrical Masks

The act of anger was a difficult one for June. He was the type to forgive quickly and forget faster; his standards and boundaries for his personal being were loose, meaning that when someone transgressed against him in some way, very little to nothing truly bothered him. He felt some pride that he was able to feel upset on behalf of others, but a small inkling of himself ran rampant within, reminding him... No! Shaming himself for the fact that anger didn't come naturally to him.

What kind of human didn't get angry when they were wronged? June sat on a plush couch located inside the Branchmaster's office; he leaned forward, with an elbow on his leg, reaching up to support the side of his helm from toppling off. He scrounged his mind for all the angry people he had met during his life, all the angry people he had ever observed, and did his best to put himself into an enraged mindset.

Though, in the end, his enraged mindset was just him recalling and mimicking the furious actions of those he had seen before. He tried to amplify his paltry frustrations with the current scenario to one that he deemed appropriate, but all that he could truly muster was a long huff and silence. Even though the local Branchmaster called him in for a meeting, the Branchmaster themselves were late.

June didn't mind waiting; patience was a virtue, and he wholeheartedly believed in that, but he kept on reminding himself that he needed to act perturbed enough that the Branchmaster thought twice before calling him in again. His goal by the end of this meeting should be to receive his payment, or receive a bonus on the off chance of some reasonable stipulations coming up. Why else would someone go out of their way to invite a random person if not to propose… or force conditions onto them?

June straightened the shell's back; even if releasing his aura prevented him from broiling from within, it noticeably reduced his reserves. He felt invigorated, yet handicapped.

'I wonder what the Branch Head would be like? Maybe they're old, full of wisdom and experience! There's also a decent chance that I'll meet a grocery store manager instead of what I'd expect from an adventurers guild.' If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. About half an hour after June was brought in, a middle-aged man with auburn hair and beard walked in, doffing a pair of leather gloves from his hands.

A grey strip seemingly ran down from his hair down to his beard; the man seemed human at a glance, from his height to his immediate features, and he wore a leathery coat with a mix of worn formal wear underneath. His eyes were a dark brown shade that matched his hair, and his face had a rugged, suave look to it. The man had an aura to him, but not exactly a Dreamer's aura.

A minuscule metallic scent was picked up by June's supernatural sense, a smell that either meant he was having a nosebleed or that there was blood in the air nearby. The scent of iron was delicate, masked by perfumes and colognes. Following behind was a young-looking elf; the elven man stood stalkier than the human who walked in first. He, too, had a similar aura, still not one of a Dreamer.

The man had shorter ears than Silvester's or Leonard's, and had gentle features on his face; his face was cleanly shaven, and his eyes were a tinge of blue; he had orange hair, and his eyes looked swollen due to eye bags on his face; his fatigue was quite evident. He also wore formal wear, but unlike the human man who entered first, excusing a few wrinkles in his clothing, his outfit seemed to have more thought put into it and more effort put into keeping it presentable.

'You would think that a Dreamer would be in charge?' June's thoughts spoke out, and only the silence of his mind rang back to him. He robotically turned the helm enough to look at them through the farthest corners of his visor; he had already figured out how he should act in the moment; now he just needed to wait for the Branchmaster to identify themselves and spark the negotiation.

'I think this is a negotiation at least... better if it wasn't though.' June rathered his summons be for a trivial reason, for the Branchmaster to personally give him his paycheck and send him on his merry way with a pat on the back and a thumbs up; that was the best scenario that came to his mind at this very moment, but a part of him, the pragmatic part, had a feeling that with the master's summons came responsibility, with June's name printed onto it.

The auburn-haired human walked around the opposing sofa and outstretched a hand while sitting down. June considered shaking his hand, but before he could decide or even shift his body in response, the man withdrew his hand with an awkward look. The elf sat down on the sofa and faltered for a moment, presumably immediately drawing their hand back after seeing June's response to his companion's gesture. The two glanced at one another, and surprisingly, all three people shared a thought.

'This meeting is going to be a long one.'