The Last Dainv

Chapter 274

Gale sat on the chair that was on its last leg. Only the rear right leg was left, but he didn't mind. Dainv Combat Arts was constantly active, making it easy to just sit on a chair that was basically a pole.

His laptop sat on the desk in front of him. Screen glowing and words showed that mostly went over his head as he filtered them out in real time due to not being relevant to his primary goal: the legendary library card.

It was something he'd only heard in legends. A card that would allow you to access endless amount of books. Compared to the orphanage library, a library card would allow him to jump out of the well and into the sky where he became a small fish once again.

Stupid Ms. Molly, never allowing the kids to get their own library card for 'safety' reasons.

Gale typed into the search bar: "how to get library card toronto."

The first result was the public library website with the title 'Your Library Card.' Hovering his mouse over it, he clicked the search result. The Toronto Public Library website loaded, and what he noticed first was that there were no pictures.

Ok. Calm down, Gale. It's no biggie. Just read the instructions on the website, and it should allow him to get it online, just like what Mia did for his registration classes.

Scrolling his eyes down to the requirements, he saw a bullet list.

You live in the City of Toronto

You work in the City of Toronto

You go to school in the City of Toronto

You own property in the City of Toronto

You live on a First Nations reserve in Ontario

He checked everything except the last one. He didn't even know what a First Nation was. Robert from the hotel did say that the place they went to was a reserve. Maybe it was something like that. But he definitely lived in an apartment, not a reserve.

And then Gale's eyes peered onto the last line.

Check the list of identification requirements before going to a branch to register.

Gale stared at the last few words. It told him to go to a branch to register. Refreshing the page, it didn't go away. Maybe the website was not updated with the latest tech.

For a couple of minutes that totalled about half an hour, he scoured the website for any clue on how to get it online. However, it was all for nothing. Every time he'd get a clue on how to get a library card, it would direct him back to the same page he opened up before.

That couldn't be, though. Mia and Jacob said that everything was done online nowadays. Why was this thing different?!

Gale's heart started racing. Lungs hyperventilated. Eyes dilated as adrenaline rushed into his system. Scrunching up his body, he groaned, "Why does everything need a man behind the desk!! GAAH!"

A branch meant people. People meant that he had to talk to them. Talking to them meant questions. Questions meant he didn't know what to say. And then if he didn't know what to say, maybe they'll think he's an idiot, or worse, a child. He didn't even know how to get his pay stub or employment confirmation letter. Wasn't there supposed to be processes that would explain it to him!?

But no. It was the perils of being too well connected to Ollie that had skipped all of the process.

In other words, he was suffering from his own success.

Unbelievable.

Gale quickly pulled out his phone and opened his message app, tapping Rachel's icon.

[Gale: are you busy? can you help me with getting a library card today?]

Three dots appeared. Then disappeared. For a few seconds, nothing happened. Then the three dots appeared again.

[Rachel: I can help you some time in the week, but I'm a bit busy today with family stuff.]

[Rachel: How about trying to go on your own? It's easy.]

Easy, she said. The only thing easy was getting demolished by the man behind the desk.

If it was so easy, why was adrenaline surging through his body as if he were fighting Elliot all over again? Maybe even then, it wasn't that much of an adrenaline rush compared to now. At least Elliot could be killed by swinging his fists and doing some maneuvers to make him fight the dark knight.

Alas, Rachel had betrayed him once again. First the ghost hunt, now this. The light of the city was too busy for him these days, probably doing something for family after coming back from the rift.

It's ok, Gale. There were other tactical options. Opening up Ollie's icon, he typed immediately.

[Gale: ollie, can you help me get a library card?]

[Ollie: AUTO REPLY 'Oliver Glory' is currently sleeping. Your message will be read as soon as possible.]

Gale checked the time on his phone. 1:03 PM.

Sleeping at 1 PM on a Sunday. Must have been a heavy lunch. Or a late night. Can't really complain about a man having a good meal. Ollie did seem kind of out of it at Fran's. He just needed to eat his heart out to feel better.

Gale nodded at his own conclusion. Food always fixes everything. When Ollie was ready to talk, he'd listen.

Moving back to marching orders, the nearest branch...

The library website said the nearest branch closed at 6 PM today. That gave him about five hours. If he could get the card in an hour, that'd be four hours left of reading time, and he could also just borrow the books he was reading.

The strategic goal was obvious. The library card. It was mission critical.

Tactics? That's where he was lost. What kind of questions would they ask him? Would they ask him about Dani if he used her as a comfort pet? Why were there men behind desks that were annoying?

There were so many questions, so little time.

Gale stood up, and the chair he was sitting on fell behind him. It was time to do this.

Putting on his hoodie and jeans, he quickly swiped his keys from the counter. He opened the door to his apartment and left for the elevator. He quickly pushed the down button steeling his resolve.

On second thought, he walked away from the elevator. Can't get caught lacking in a metal box coffin again. He took the stairs down, jumping to each landing until he reached the first floor in less than a minute.

Exiting the stairwell, he entered the lobby and left the foyer of the apartment.

Presence Between showed him the nearest library, The Toronto Public Library Bendale Branch, about a kilometre and a half away from where he was, towards the north.

Time to do this. But he had to be covert up all in this. It was daytime, and people were walking and driving about. He needed to act mundane.

Pulling his hood up, Gale shoved his hands into his pockets and began his prowl through the streets of the GTA (Greater Toronto Area). His eyes darted left and right, tracking cars that passed by and smiling at the passing children with their parents.

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All of the passersby gave him space, pushing themselves into the grass, giving Gale a wide berth.

That was the right choice by the citizens of Toronto. Give him space to work with to allow him to face evil much easier.

Gale continued walking as his breath fogged in front of him. Sometimes, he'd imagine he was a dragon breathing out fire. He imagined himself roaring as he breathed out the fog, causing him to chuckle.

Suddenly, Presence Between tugged at his senses from behind. Two familiar signatures. Immediately after, the sound of tires hit the curb and onto the grass.

A black SUV pulled up beside him halfway onto the sidewalk. The plates read 'TWINS22'. Both Early-Resonants which made Gale smile as they finally increased their stage.

The passenger window slid down, revealing Clyde's face.

"Get in, loser," Clyde said. "We're hanging out."

Gale nodded excitedly and got into the back door. Before Kyle could pull away, he asked, "Can you two help me get a library card first?"

Kyle leaned over from the driver's seat, exchanging glances with Clyde before grinning. "A library card?"

"Yeah. A library card. To read books, comics, and fantasy books. Isn't it free?"

"Now you're talking my language, free," Kyle said.

"True that. TPL got some crazy collections right after the '65 crashed migration," Clyde said. "Guess we got a mission today, eh?"

"Mission: Attain library card for the feral."

"In and out, real quick, like a mission in Die Hard."

"Idiot, the missions they did in Die Hard were not even quick."

"It's the thought that counts."

"What's Die Hard?"

"Don't tell me you haven't seen Die Hard," Kyle asked.

Gale shook his head.

Kyle slammed his palm against the steering wheel. "Clyde! He hasn't seen Die Hard!"

"Tragic," Clyde said without turning around. "This mission just turned critical. Public Library's got some of the biggest vintage collections."

Kyle pushed the gas to the floor and the tires screeched, lurching them forward as he swerved through traffic. "Don't worry, buddy. We're going to fix that! After the library card, you're going to get a copy of Die Hard to watch!"

"Non-negotiable, Gale. Trust us." Clyde pulled out a twinkie from his blazer. "If you accept, you'll get this Twinkie."

Gale immediately took the twinkie and said, "I accept."

Opening the wrapper immediately, he ate it with a smile on his face. He'd never say no to a Twinkie.

Even though Kyle swerved through the busy traffic and into oncoming traffic, Gale's butt stayed planted on the seat. Dainv Combat Arts did all the work for him as he took the last bite of the Twinkie.

"Hey, Gale," Kyle said, glancing at him through the rearview mirror. "You know about the video game section in the library?"

"The library has video games too?"

"Yeah, man. They got games you can borrow. Like actual video games. For consoles and everything. We'll see if this branch has some consoles you can borrow too."

Gale nodded. But that wasn't his original purpose, but he might as well go with the flow of it. "I just wanted to read books though."

"Shhh shhh," Clyde shushed him. "Its an all you can eat buffet of games. Pure ecstasy. And no, you can't eat them."

Dammit. The moment he said all-you-can-eat was the thing that made Gale's ears perk up. It was too good to be true. A free all-you-can-eat, but that didn't make sense anyways. Games couldn't be eaten.

"It's not free though," Kyle said. "You have to return them."

"That's optional."

"Don't let them catch you do it though."

"Never go to the same branch. They forget your face every 3 years anyways."

Gale took a mental note: never go to the same branch. So after going to this branch, he should look for a different branch so he wouldn't have to go to the same one.

But now that Kyle and Clyde were here, it was nice. He didn't have to fight the man behind the desk all alone. In fact, the twins were probably the best at fighting that type of criminal. The dark hunter was more suited to fighting cult leaders. Which was weird.

First Elliot... and then the Proctor. Definitely weird indeed. Next thing he knew, Erin would be telling him that the tide was controlled by a cult leader who believed in outer gods or something.

Gale laughed internally. There was no way. Vianne also did say there were other invaders, whatever those were.

The SUV slowed as they approached the library. It was a single-storey building, brown brick with large windows. A sign out front read "Toronto Public Library - Bendale Branch" in blue letters against white.

Kyle pulled the car up onto the grass directly in front of the main entrance, stopping right in the middle of the pathway and completely blocking access to the front door. Anyone who wanted to get inside would have to climb over the metal railings on either side.

"Perfect parking," Kyle said, turning off the engine.

Gale nodded, agreeing. There was an empty parking lot beside the library, but he trusted the twins to know what they were doing. It was mission critical after all.

"You guys know how to get a library card, right?" Gale asked as he exited the car.

"Pfft, of course," Clyde waved his hands. "Just let us do all the talking, capisce?!"

"Capisce," Gale said, nodding eagerly. Leave this mission to the professionals who tread the waters of bureaucracy on a daily basis.

After hopping over the metal railings on either side, the trio walked through the entrance that opened automatically.

Rows and rows of bookshelves stretched toward the back of the building. Contrary to how it looked on the outside, the library was decently packed with older looking folks reading books. Presence Between quickly looked into one of what the older men were reading by the corner beside a window. He read a textbook about tea.

Gale cringed. Why would people read about leaves? Just go outside and touch grass and leaves. There was no point in reading about it.

Suddenly, an older woman with graying hair pulled back into a tight bun entered their danger zone. Her name badge read 'Beatrice' in black letters against the brass badge.

"You can't park there," Beatrice scolded. "You're blocking the pathway."

Kyle stepped forward, reaching into his jacket. In one smooth motion, he pulled out a badge, flipped it open toward Beatrice's face, and snapped it shut before she could get a good look.

"Official business, punk."

Beatrice tried to grab Kyle's hand but failed. "That didn't look like a police badge. Can you show it again?"

Kyle raised his voice. "Old lady, ma'am, woman, whatever you call yourself, you're impeding an active critical mission right now. And my cuffs are itching to be used. I suggest you get behind that desk and help us with what we need. Capisce?!"

"Capisce? Are you with the mafia?!" Beatrice asked.

"You looking to test us?" Clyde said low and threatening.

Beatrice stammered but didn't end up saying anything as her hands trembled. She quickly went behind the desk and forced a smile at them.

Gale stared at Kyle and Clyde, wide eyed. They literally just defeated the man behind the desk in two sentences. One day, he wanted to become like them, able to bend bureaucracy to his will.

His luck was at an all-time high today, unlike yesterday's ghost hunt.

Kyle cracked his knuckles as he approached the counter. Clyde flanked his right, squaring up his shoulders, making himself bigger. Gale stood behind them, watching the masters at work.

"Library card," Kyle said, jerking his thumb back at Gale. "For him."

Beatrice's hands still trembled as she pulled up the web page for the form. "I'll need some information. Name?"

"Gaelic Hatchet," Clyde said.

Huh? That wasn't his name... but it was best to let the masters work their magic. The Twinkie meant trust.

"Address?"

"742 Evergreen Terrace."

"That's... that's not a real address in Toronto."

Kyle slammed his palm on the counter. "You calling my partner a liar?"

"N-no. I'm not. But I can't find it in Google Maps."

"Just write it down."

Beatrice typed it onto the form.

"Phone number?"

"416-867-5309," Kyle said.

"Isn't that a song?" Beatrice asked, turning her gaze to Kyle.

"No. It's his phone number. You calling us a liar, HUH PUNK?"

Beatrice immediately looked away and typed it down.

"Date of birth?"

"October 2, 1999."

Beatrice sighed but continued typing what he just said anyway.

"Email?"

"He doesn't have one," Clyde said.

"Everyone has an email."

"Are you assuming things about our friend here?" Kyle leaned forward, giving her the evil eye. "That's profiling. That's discrimination. You want us to report you for discrimination?"

"I... no, please don't."

"Then skip the email field."

Beatrice skipped the email field.

The form continued.

"Emergency contact?"

"Oliver Glory."

Beatrice was about to say something again but sighed one more time and continued typing.

"Occupation?"

"Professional consultant."

"How did you hear about the library?"

"Divine message from the RNG Gods."

Finally, Beatrice clicked submit and then to the next form. "Alright. I just need to take his photo for the card."

"Photo?" Gale asked.

"Yes, now look at the camera."

"What camera?"

A flash exploded in his face, making him flinch backwards, hands covering his head for oncoming pain. However, nothing attacked him. Blinking multiple times, the spots disappeared from his vision.

"Okay," Beatrice said. "Just give me a moment to print the card."

A machine whirred behind the counter, and Beatrice returned with a small plastic card. As she slid the card toward Gale, he picked it up and looked at the legendary library card.

The photo had him scared, covering his head to shield for an oncoming predator. His face could barely even be seen.

In other words, this was the perfect library card.

"Mission accomplished," Kyle said, clapping Gale on the shoulder. "See? In and out. Real quick. Now what about them games and books, eh?"

Gale's phone buzzed in his pocket. Pulling it out, he checked the lock screen.

[Rachel: next Saturday, 1pm. Want me to pick you up or we meet at Eaton's?]

Saturday. They did promise to go shopping together after the rift. For new clothes, mostly. Maybe she'd even treat him to liquid candy. That was what he anticipated the most.

Before Gale could type a response, Kyle snatched the phone from his hand and typed a message to her. After giving it back to him, he looked at what Kyle sent.

[Gale: meet you at eaton's.]

"Isn't this too short?" Gale asked. "What if she thinks I'm being rude?"

"Relax," Kyle dismissed him with a wave. "Real men type less than 5 words per text and never double text."

"Why?" Gale asked.

"Think about it. It's a date."

"But it's shopping."

"Pfft, same thing," Clyde said, putting his hand firmly on his shoulder. "Leave it to us."

Kyle pulled something from his jacket pocket. An earpiece, similar to the one he used during the airport heist.

"Wear this on Saturday," Kyle said. "We'll be there with you every step of the way. You'll be smooth as butter."

"Smoother than butter. More like water flowing into her heart," Clyde said.

Gale nodded. Truth be told, he had no idea what they were saying. But it was just better to nod and do what they said anyways. Social situations were still something he had trouble with.

"See, Gale," Clyde said, squeezing his shoulder. "Aren't you so lucky you have such good guides?"

"Yeah! Very lucky," Gale said, nodding excitedly. Really lucky indeed.