As Axel ate, he realized that the food tasted worse than before with the new spice he had just put on.
A few days past from the day that Axel fought the wild witch. He had taken the bandages off, bringing much needed relief.
Every night before then he prayed for a speedy recovery, of course he prayed every night, but he prayed for recovery on those nights especially.
Axel had gone on many missions, but none of them were what could be considered exciting. More picking up trash, traffic guards, and guards in general.
In that time Axel had been looking for something to put on his food to make it taste better, though there was one he kind of liked, there was nothing that he felt would be the one.
Getting up from his seat he threw his unfinished food into the garbage, and walked up to get into lines, so he could get a task.
With the money he had gotten from the other tasks, he had bought himself a notebook and pencil, better sheets for his bed, and a puzzle.
Not all too much, but the pays not the best considering that the Emperor's Coven gives free rooms and food.
Axel was one of the first few in the job line, not out of a necessity to be first, or to be better, simply because he had nothing better to do. Also, being the front means that you get called first.
No time to think about what job you may get if you already have a job after all.
He stood there as other scouts finished eating and lined up as well.
Eventually the long-haired woman, who Axel found out is named Lilith, came to give their scouts a job.
"Wristberg, helping the head of the Illusion Coven create propaganda, seven people," Lilith called out, Axel being in the seven scouts sent.
About everyone that was called to Wristberg started to groan, Axel being one of them though he wasn't sure why the other scouts were so annoyed.
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"No no no! You walk towards the camera, left foot right foot, heel toe heel toe!" the head of the Illusion Coven yelled out.
The head of the Illusion Coven, named Adrian Gayne, was a rather tall skinny man, wearing what looked like dark blue a track suit that had tuffs of tan fur on his shoulders, and his chest was a light blue with a circular mirror in the middle.
Behind him was a tail, the same dark blue as his track suit, that ended in a small blue marble, with another tuff of hair coming out of it.
"I, what?" the scout replied confused.
The scout and Gayne were on a stage, in front of them were two scouts, one holding a light the other holding some kind of recording mirror. To their sides were scouts holding audio equipment, and one scout holding his bean juice.
"Look," the illusion head said.
He then made a circle with his finger, and in a poof, Gayne became the scout. He did something that was very similar to what the scout did, but it was slightly different.
"You see!" Gayne asked, poofing back to himself.
"Um," the scout thought.
"Perfect! Now get ready, we'll be rolling in a moment," Gayne said pointing at the scout while walking off stage.
After walking off stage he grabbed his drink and took a sip.
"Ready?" he asked.
"Ready!" all the scouts that were holding something, and the scout being recorded, yelled.
"Action!" Gayne called out.
The scout put one leg in front of the other, walking the same as Gayne did.
"The," he began to say.
"CUT," Gayne yelled out.
At that word everyone stopped moving in an instant, the scout that was in front of the recording mirror stiffened up.
"Okay," Gayne said putting his hands together, "While your stepping was good, the delivery was a little eh," he explains.
"Sir?" the scout replied.
"Let's take ten, and then get another scout in the acting role, shall we?" Gayne ask with a fake smile while patting the scout on the back.
"Sir I swear I can," the scout began to say.
"I wasn't asking," Gayne told the scout, "We're taking ten!" he yelled out, "And get me some more if you will," he said handing his drink over to the scout who he took it from.
The scout then ran off to get some more of his bean blood.
This series of events has happened multiple times, in which a scout goes up to be recorded, disappoints Gayne, and they get sent off to do something else.
The scout holding the light? They tripped on their feet and fell. The scout holding the mirror sneezed close to Gayne, and that was enough to get him off the stage.
And Axel? He actually lasted the longest, the theater classes he took were paying off, but one bad step caused him to trip on his own coat.
'I really got to fix that. I can't really ask for a new costume, so maybe learning sowing is an option?'
After that incident, he was demoted to being the person who gives and gets Gayne's bean blood. Which he was doing currently.
It was just coffee, it was made like coffee, and it looked and smelled like coffee. Every time Axel had to call it 'Bean blood' he died a bit inside.
But he filled it up all the same and then ran back to Gayne to deliver him his drink.
Gayne took the bean blood and started to drink it, he didn't say thank you, he never said thank you.
'I see why scout don't like working for this guy'
"Group up!" Gayne yelled out, causing the scout to drop the things they were holding and go over to him.
He then took a deep breath in.
"Sense it seems that none of you know what you're doing," Gayne explained, "I'm calling over a professional to do the acting okay?" he asked.
"Yes sir," all the scouts replied.
"So, while I do that you go do.. scout things," he said taking out his scroll phone and shooing the scouts as he walked off.
Gayne walked off while starting to talk to somebody on the phone, while that was happening the scouts began to group up in a circle and started to talk amongst themselves.
Axel was in the circle, but he didn't have much to say, it wasn't that he didn't want to talk, it was that he wasn't sure what to talk about.
The scout were talking about penstagram and their grom photos, which he didn't know what those were and the conversation was going too fast for him to pick up context clues and
"Hey," a scout said wrapping his arm over Axel, "You've got any funny things popping up on your penstagram feed?" the scout asked.
'Popping up on a feed, social media?'
"No, I don't really bother with that stuff," Axel replied with a wave.
"Yeah, I can understand that, Grape Juice by the way, just call me Grape" the scout introduced, extending their other hand.
"Nice to meet you," Axel said shaking their hand, "And I'm still figuring out what to put on my food," he admitted.
"Well I hope you find your topping soon, by the way, if you don't have penstagram what do you do in your free time?" they asked.
"I'm thinking of getting into sowing," Axel replied.
"Oh really, I've been sowing for a while now, I could show you a few things," Grap said unwrapping his arm from Axel's neck and taking a step back.
"I would be very grateful if you would," Axel thanked.
"It's no issue, I got nothing better to do after dinner anyways," Grape said, waving it off.