Chapter 201: 201
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July 14, 2013 – Friday, 10 AM – West Ouigab
Tayaw is currently in West Ouigab, sitting in his pick-up truck. Tayaw is on his way to Jouny and Ongki's apartment for an appointment, but being stuck in a red light, his enhanced brain has nothing else to do but look around the part of the city he has not often visited both in his previous and current life.
*chuckle* Tayaw suddenly chuckles in amus.e.m.e.nt when he sees a group of young men, dressed in well-fitted suits and fancy vintage looking hats, cross the road, with arrogant gaits.
"HEY! GET OUT OF THE WAY BEFORE I BREAK YOUR LEGS!" Tayaw then hears a driver of one of the cars in front of him yell out to the group of young men.
The young men then give the driver smiles and chuckles, before raising their middle fingers.
"OH YOU THINK YOU'RE FUNNY, HUH? FUNNY MAN?!" The driver also returns but his tone is more joking compared to the sarcastic threat.
*laughter* Tayaw with his enhanced hearing hears pedestrians, drivers, and passengers who are also witnessing the scene, laugh.
Tayaw cannot help but feel proud, despite the crass behavior he just witnessed.
The young men are dressed in a way that are definitely adapting the fashion of the 1930s gangsters portrayed in 'Gold, Blood, and the Deer'. The words yelled out by the driver are lines by some of Orsini thugs in the film. Finally, the middle finger by the group of men mirrors a memorable scene in the film.
GBTD, since its release immediately became a household name both in Teungeb and English-speaking countries.
In only 5 weeks, the film sold a whopping 55 million TICKETS, with a box office of 475 million USD. After deducting shares, fees, and taxes, Tayaw's Swiss coffers has an extra 132 million USD. The ticket sales meanwhile, are still not slowing down. Just like 'September Ninth', 'GBTD' is not just any movie, but a hang-out. Something that people are willing to spend their time on with their friends and family. It has become some form of a cheap substitute to expensive stadium admissions of sporting events.
*vroom* Tayaw is pulled out from his daze by the cars in front of him moving after the traffic light turned green.
A few minutes later, Tayaw is now in the doorstep of his destination.
*ding* *dong*
"Tayaw. My man!" Ongki greets Tayaw with a hug before letting him inside their apartment.
"Ongki. Nice to see you. Nice place." Tayaw says as he looks around the apartment.
"Yeah. We invited you multiple times but you're always busy. Hey, what's with that box?" Ongki asks looking at the 40cmx40cmx40cm gift box in Tayaw's arms.
"Oh. Gift for the baby." Tayaw says. "
You didn't have to… but thank you. Put it down over there first." Ongki gestures to the doorway.
"Okay.. Oh?" Tayaw then notices two petite old women in the kitchen as him and Ongki passes them.
"Oh. The taller one's my mom, the shorter one's my mother-in-law. Moms! Our guest has arrived!" Ongki starts introducing Tayaw to the two ladies.
"Ah! Tayaw, right? Nice to finally meet you! I'm sorry, I'll talk to you later, as you can see, we're quite busy." Ongki's mother says.
"Go wait in the living room. Ongki here will grab you a drink." Jouny's mother says. And with that, they continue cooking.
"…" Tayaw can only smile at the sight, giving him an urge to visit his own grandparents.
-
"Hey. I heard from Chala that your new novel is selling like world cup tickets." Ongki says as him and Tayaw arrive at the balcony instead of the living room.
"Yeah. I've satiated the hunger of the fans, for now." Tayaw says as he sits down on one of the comfy chairs by the balcony table.
The English and Teungebian versions of the first part of 'The Ruler's Ring' was released in the last week of June. Since its release, the book sold more than 5,000,000 copies worldwide in only three weeks and just like GBTD's ticket sales, the book sales are not slowing down either and is still far from reaching saturation especially because the non-english versions of it are have just been released.
"Hehe. I have to say, I'm a fan as well." Ongki says.
"Yeah? Huh. I didn't see you as the reading type." Tayaw jokes referencing Ongki's bulging arm muscles and slightly bulging belly.
"Hey man. I didn't see you as an artist type as well. You look like a football (soccer) player." Ongki says.
Tayaw can only chuckle at that.
"Anyways, you're kinda right. I only read three novels before I read yours." Ongki admits as he opens some sort of a case under the table and pulls out two hardcover books from it, each being an inch thick.
'The Halfling', 'The Ruler's Ring, The Companionship of the Nine.' Tayaw immediately recognizes the books. Ongki lays them down to the table as if proving that he read them.
"What do you think of them?" Tayaw asks out of curiosity.
"They were pretty hard to read. Half the time, they're also very dull but thankfully, there were drawings to help me imagine it better." Ongki says.
Tayaw simply nods, reflecting some of the negative reviews on the internet for 'The Halfling' and 'The Companionship of the Nine'.
"If I didn't have free time, I would not have gotten used to it. Why'd you have to write them that way?" Ongki asks.
"hehe. Yeah… Uhh. I overdid it, huh?" Tayaw says as he quickly processes an excuse.
"How do you mean?" Ongki asks.
"My first book. The fairy tales? They were very easy to read as they are for children." Tayaw says.
"True. I've been practicing reading them to the baby." Ongki agrees.
"Yes. But I intended 'The Halfling' for a.d.u.l.ts, so the more complicated grammar." Tayaw says.
"I see. Well why didn't you write the 'The Companionship of the Nine' to be more digestible than 'The Halfling'?" Ongki asks.
"Nobody really said a thing about the Halfling, so I decided to write the sequel the same way." Tayaw says.
"You're keeping them that way?" Ongki asks.
"Yeah. But my next series will be easier to read." Tayaw says.
"That's great." Ongki nods.
"By the way, how do you even have the time to read? You have a baby, your seafood shop too." Tayaw changes the subject, not confident in further defending the work as his own.
"Ah. I hired two new employees on the shop and I have a lot of down time to read… Anyways. I have more questions about the book." Ongki brings the subject back, unknowingly making Tayaw nervous.
'Please, not the elf languages. Please not the elf languages' Tayaw hopes.
"Okay. Does the questions have something to do about what will happen in the next book?" Tayaw asks, hoping that he guesses right.
"Y-yeah." Ongki says as he scratches his stubble to hide his embarrassment at being caught.
"Well. I can't tell you that." Tayaw internally sighs in relief.
"Not even a little?" Ongki says.
"Not even a little." Tayaw says firmly.
"Ugh. A shame. It'll take you at least a year again to write the sequel." Ongki says in disappointment.
"Oh.. The next book will come out in a few months. 'The Ruler's Ring' is just a long sequel after all." Tayaw says.
"Really?... Good. Good." Ongki nods, happy with the news.
"Anyways. You might be a good author, but I think my wife is still a better screenwriter than you." Ongki says, as payback for not getting any more information.
"And I agree. That's why I'm excited when she called me to come over." Tayaw says.
Ongki can only roll his eyes at Tayaw not starting a banter.
"Ah-ah. Before that, why don't you meet my son first? I think Jouny's done feeding him." Ongki says proudly as he stands up, urging Tayaw to stand up and follow him.
As they made their way to the nursery, Tayaw is oddly excited to see the little Jouny or little Ongki.
A moment later.
"Ah-chuchuchuchuchu…" Tayaw's heart warms at the sight of Jouny playing with her baby in her arms. The color of the crib, walls, and linens even help with the imagery.
"*baby sounds*" the sounds the baby is making is an obvious sign that he is widely entertained by Jouny making faces and odd sounds.
"Ohh.. Steve~ Uncle Tayaw is here!" Jouny smiles at Tayaw.
"ahhhh" The baby looks at the face he is seeing for the first time and smiles. Tayaw too returns an exaggerated smile.
"…" Tayaw does not know how aware the baby is but the little guy staring at him gives Tayaw an odd sense of peace.
"Looks like he likes you. You wanna hold him?" Jouny offers.
"Y-yeah… sure." While Tayaw is taken aback, he is glad to take the offer and a moment later, baby Steve is now in his arms.
"*cooo* *ahhh*" Steve holds up his little arms as if reaching for something.
Tayaw then stoops his head lower and Steve starts touching Tayaw's face.
"You're good with that…" Ongki remarks seeing Steve cooing and ahh-in in Tayaw's arms.
"…" Tayaw only smiles in return.
The next moment however, "…" Tayaw with his enhanced senses immediately feels Steve's bottom become warmer and a weird smell starts leaking out.
"Let's change the little guy's diaper?" Tayaw says.
*snicker* The couple is amused by the situation.
-
A few minutes later, Steve with his fresh diapers is back asleep in his crib and the three a.d.u.l.ts leave the nursery to the ling room.
"Healthy kid…" Tayaw says.
"Yeah. We're blessed." Jouny says with a motherly smile.
The three are welcomed in the living room by the two old ladies laying snacks on the table.
"Tayaw, it's finally nice to meet you. I wanna thank you personally for making 'September Ninth'." Jouny's mother says.
"It's a great script ma'am. I want to thank her instead for letting me start my career in experimenting with her work." Tayaw says, embarrassing Jouny.
"Just as humble as she said." Ongki's mother nods.
"…" It is Tayaw's turn to be embarrassed.
"Ah! That's right. Moms, let me borrow Tayaw. Tayaw, let's go to my study. You folks can start lunch if we take long." Jouny says.
"…" Ongki and the two old ladies are now anxious and nervous watching Jouny and Tayaw leave for Jouny's study.
"Do you think he'll like it?" Jouny's mom asks Ongki worriedly.
"Jouny said that even if Tayaw wouldn't like it, she can try again." Ongki says appearing relaxed but inside, he is more nervous than the two ladies.
Meanwhile in the study.
"You're really done with your script?" Tayaw asks as he takes the seat Jouny offered.
"Yeah. I've done enough refining, researching, and rewriting. I might ruin it if I play around more." Jouny says as she takes out a stack of papers from her desk drawer before handing them to Tayaw.
[Tentative Title – Hope and Innocence by Jouny Yalen] Tayaw reads the title.
Please report us if you find any errors so we can fix it asap!
July 14, 2013 – Friday, 10 AM – West Ouigab
Tayaw is currently in West Ouigab, sitting in his pick-up truck. Tayaw is on his way to Jouny and Ongki's apartment for an appointment, but being stuck in a red light, his enhanced brain has nothing else to do but look around the part of the city he has not often visited both in his previous and current life.
*chuckle* Tayaw suddenly chuckles in amus.e.m.e.nt when he sees a group of young men, dressed in well-fitted suits and fancy vintage looking hats, cross the road, with arrogant gaits.
"HEY! GET OUT OF THE WAY BEFORE I BREAK YOUR LEGS!" Tayaw then hears a driver of one of the cars in front of him yell out to the group of young men.
The young men then give the driver smiles and chuckles, before raising their middle fingers.
"OH YOU THINK YOU'RE FUNNY, HUH? FUNNY MAN?!" The driver also returns but his tone is more joking compared to the sarcastic threat.
*laughter* Tayaw with his enhanced hearing hears pedestrians, drivers, and passengers who are also witnessing the scene, laugh.
Tayaw cannot help but feel proud, despite the crass behavior he just witnessed.
The young men are dressed in a way that are definitely adapting the fashion of the 1930s gangsters portrayed in 'Gold, Blood, and the Deer'. The words yelled out by the driver are lines by some of Orsini thugs in the film. Finally, the middle finger by the group of men mirrors a memorable scene in the film.
GBTD, since its release immediately became a household name both in Teungeb and English-speaking countries.
In only 5 weeks, the film sold a whopping 55 million TICKETS, with a box office of 475 million USD. After deducting shares, fees, and taxes, Tayaw's Swiss coffers has an extra 132 million USD. The ticket sales meanwhile, are still not slowing down. Just like 'September Ninth', 'GBTD' is not just any movie, but a hang-out. Something that people are willing to spend their time on with their friends and family. It has become some form of a cheap substitute to expensive stadium admissions of sporting events.
*vroom* Tayaw is pulled out from his daze by the cars in front of him moving after the traffic light turned green.
A few minutes later, Tayaw is now in the doorstep of his destination.
*ding* *dong*
"Tayaw. My man!" Ongki greets Tayaw with a hug before letting him inside their apartment.
"Ongki. Nice to see you. Nice place." Tayaw says as he looks around the apartment.
"Yeah. We invited you multiple times but you're always busy. Hey, what's with that box?" Ongki asks looking at the 40cmx40cmx40cm gift box in Tayaw's arms.
"Oh. Gift for the baby." Tayaw says. "
You didn't have to… but thank you. Put it down over there first." Ongki gestures to the doorway.
"Okay.. Oh?" Tayaw then notices two petite old women in the kitchen as him and Ongki passes them.
"Oh. The taller one's my mom, the shorter one's my mother-in-law. Moms! Our guest has arrived!" Ongki starts introducing Tayaw to the two ladies.
"Ah! Tayaw, right? Nice to finally meet you! I'm sorry, I'll talk to you later, as you can see, we're quite busy." Ongki's mother says.
"Go wait in the living room. Ongki here will grab you a drink." Jouny's mother says. And with that, they continue cooking.
"…" Tayaw can only smile at the sight, giving him an urge to visit his own grandparents.
-
"Hey. I heard from Chala that your new novel is selling like world cup tickets." Ongki says as him and Tayaw arrive at the balcony instead of the living room.
"Yeah. I've satiated the hunger of the fans, for now." Tayaw says as he sits down on one of the comfy chairs by the balcony table.
The English and Teungebian versions of the first part of 'The Ruler's Ring' was released in the last week of June. Since its release, the book sold more than 5,000,000 copies worldwide in only three weeks and just like GBTD's ticket sales, the book sales are not slowing down either and is still far from reaching saturation especially because the non-english versions of it are have just been released.
"Hehe. I have to say, I'm a fan as well." Ongki says.
"Yeah? Huh. I didn't see you as the reading type." Tayaw jokes referencing Ongki's bulging arm muscles and slightly bulging belly.
"Hey man. I didn't see you as an artist type as well. You look like a football (soccer) player." Ongki says.
Tayaw can only chuckle at that.
"Anyways, you're kinda right. I only read three novels before I read yours." Ongki admits as he opens some sort of a case under the table and pulls out two hardcover books from it, each being an inch thick.
'The Halfling', 'The Ruler's Ring, The Companionship of the Nine.' Tayaw immediately recognizes the books. Ongki lays them down to the table as if proving that he read them.
"What do you think of them?" Tayaw asks out of curiosity.
"They were pretty hard to read. Half the time, they're also very dull but thankfully, there were drawings to help me imagine it better." Ongki says.
Tayaw simply nods, reflecting some of the negative reviews on the internet for 'The Halfling' and 'The Companionship of the Nine'.
"If I didn't have free time, I would not have gotten used to it. Why'd you have to write them that way?" Ongki asks.
"hehe. Yeah… Uhh. I overdid it, huh?" Tayaw says as he quickly processes an excuse.
"How do you mean?" Ongki asks.
"My first book. The fairy tales? They were very easy to read as they are for children." Tayaw says.
"True. I've been practicing reading them to the baby." Ongki agrees.
"Yes. But I intended 'The Halfling' for a.d.u.l.ts, so the more complicated grammar." Tayaw says.
"I see. Well why didn't you write the 'The Companionship of the Nine' to be more digestible than 'The Halfling'?" Ongki asks.
"Nobody really said a thing about the Halfling, so I decided to write the sequel the same way." Tayaw says.
"You're keeping them that way?" Ongki asks.
"Yeah. But my next series will be easier to read." Tayaw says.
"That's great." Ongki nods.
"By the way, how do you even have the time to read? You have a baby, your seafood shop too." Tayaw changes the subject, not confident in further defending the work as his own.
"Ah. I hired two new employees on the shop and I have a lot of down time to read… Anyways. I have more questions about the book." Ongki brings the subject back, unknowingly making Tayaw nervous.
'Please, not the elf languages. Please not the elf languages' Tayaw hopes.
"Okay. Does the questions have something to do about what will happen in the next book?" Tayaw asks, hoping that he guesses right.
"Y-yeah." Ongki says as he scratches his stubble to hide his embarrassment at being caught.
"Well. I can't tell you that." Tayaw internally sighs in relief.
"Not even a little?" Ongki says.
"Not even a little." Tayaw says firmly.
"Ugh. A shame. It'll take you at least a year again to write the sequel." Ongki says in disappointment.
"Oh.. The next book will come out in a few months. 'The Ruler's Ring' is just a long sequel after all." Tayaw says.
"Really?... Good. Good." Ongki nods, happy with the news.
"Anyways. You might be a good author, but I think my wife is still a better screenwriter than you." Ongki says, as payback for not getting any more information.
"And I agree. That's why I'm excited when she called me to come over." Tayaw says.
Ongki can only roll his eyes at Tayaw not starting a banter.
"Ah-ah. Before that, why don't you meet my son first? I think Jouny's done feeding him." Ongki says proudly as he stands up, urging Tayaw to stand up and follow him.
As they made their way to the nursery, Tayaw is oddly excited to see the little Jouny or little Ongki.
A moment later.
"Ah-chuchuchuchuchu…" Tayaw's heart warms at the sight of Jouny playing with her baby in her arms. The color of the crib, walls, and linens even help with the imagery.
"*baby sounds*" the sounds the baby is making is an obvious sign that he is widely entertained by Jouny making faces and odd sounds.
"Ohh.. Steve~ Uncle Tayaw is here!" Jouny smiles at Tayaw.
"ahhhh" The baby looks at the face he is seeing for the first time and smiles. Tayaw too returns an exaggerated smile.
"…" Tayaw does not know how aware the baby is but the little guy staring at him gives Tayaw an odd sense of peace.
"Looks like he likes you. You wanna hold him?" Jouny offers.
"Y-yeah… sure." While Tayaw is taken aback, he is glad to take the offer and a moment later, baby Steve is now in his arms.
"*cooo* *ahhh*" Steve holds up his little arms as if reaching for something.
Tayaw then stoops his head lower and Steve starts touching Tayaw's face.
"You're good with that…" Ongki remarks seeing Steve cooing and ahh-in in Tayaw's arms.
"…" Tayaw only smiles in return.
The next moment however, "…" Tayaw with his enhanced senses immediately feels Steve's bottom become warmer and a weird smell starts leaking out.
"Let's change the little guy's diaper?" Tayaw says.
*snicker* The couple is amused by the situation.
-
A few minutes later, Steve with his fresh diapers is back asleep in his crib and the three a.d.u.l.ts leave the nursery to the ling room.
"Healthy kid…" Tayaw says.
"Yeah. We're blessed." Jouny says with a motherly smile.
The three are welcomed in the living room by the two old ladies laying snacks on the table.
"Tayaw, it's finally nice to meet you. I wanna thank you personally for making 'September Ninth'." Jouny's mother says.
"It's a great script ma'am. I want to thank her instead for letting me start my career in experimenting with her work." Tayaw says, embarrassing Jouny.
"Just as humble as she said." Ongki's mother nods.
"…" It is Tayaw's turn to be embarrassed.
"Ah! That's right. Moms, let me borrow Tayaw. Tayaw, let's go to my study. You folks can start lunch if we take long." Jouny says.
"…" Ongki and the two old ladies are now anxious and nervous watching Jouny and Tayaw leave for Jouny's study.
"Do you think he'll like it?" Jouny's mom asks Ongki worriedly.
"Jouny said that even if Tayaw wouldn't like it, she can try again." Ongki says appearing relaxed but inside, he is more nervous than the two ladies.
Meanwhile in the study.
"You're really done with your script?" Tayaw asks as he takes the seat Jouny offered.
"Yeah. I've done enough refining, researching, and rewriting. I might ruin it if I play around more." Jouny says as she takes out a stack of papers from her desk drawer before handing them to Tayaw.
[Tentative Title – Hope and Innocence by Jouny Yalen] Tayaw reads the title.
July 14, 2013 Friday, 10 AM West Ouigab Tayaw is currently in West Ouigab, sitting in his pick-up truck. Tayaw is on his way to Jouny and Ongki's apartment for an appointment, but being stuck in a red light, his enhanced brain has nothing else to do but look around the part of the city he has not often visited both in his previous and current life. *chuckle* Tayaw suddenly chuckles in amus.e.m.e.nt when he sees a group of young men, dressed in well-fitted suits and fancy vintage looking hats, cross the road, with arrogant gaits. "HEY! GET OUT OF THE WAY BEFORE I BREAK YOUR LEGS!" Tayaw then hears a driver of one of the cars in front of him yell out to the group of young men. The young men then give the driver smiles and chuckles, before raising their middle fingers. "OH YOU THINK YOU'RE FUNNY, HUH? FUNNY MAN?!" The driver also returns but his tone is more joking compared to the sarcastic threat. *laughter* Tayaw with his enhanced hearing hears pedestrians, drivers, and passengers who are also witnessing the scene, laugh. Tayaw cannot help but feel proud, despite the crass behavior he just witnessed. The young men are dressed in a way that are definitely adapting the fashion of the 1930s gangsters portrayed in 'Gold, Blood, and the Deer'. The words yelled out by the driver are lines by some of Orsini thugs in the film. Finally, the middle finger by the group of men mirrors a memorable scene in the film. GBTD, since its release immediately became a household name both in Teungeb and English-speaking countries. In only 5 weeks, the film sold a whopping 55 million TICKETS, with a box office of 475 million USD. After deducting shares, fees, and taxes, Tayaw's Swiss coffers has an extra 132 million USD. The ticket sales meanwhile, are still not slowing down. Just like 'September Ninth', 'GBTD' is not just any movie, but a hang-out. Something that people are willing to spend their time on with their friends and family. It has become some form of a cheap substitute to expensive stadium admissions of sporting events. *vroom* Tayaw is pulled out from his daze by the cars in front of him moving after the traffic light turned green. A few minutes later, Tayaw is now in the doorstep of his destination. *ding* *dong* "Tayaw. My man!" Ongki greets Tayaw with a hug before letting him inside their apartment. "Ongki. Nice to see you. Nice place." Tayaw says as he looks around the apartment. "Yeah. We invited you multiple times but you're always busy. Hey, what's with that box?" Ongki asks looking at the 40cmx40cmx40cm gift box in Tayaw's arms. "Oh. Gift for the baby." Tayaw says. " You didn't have to but thank you. Put it down over there first." Ongki gestures to the doorway. "Okay.. Oh?" Tayaw then notices two petite old women in the kitchen as him and Ongki passes them. "Oh. The taller one's my mom, the shorter one's my mother-in-law. Moms! Our guest has arrived!" Ongki starts introducing Tayaw to the two ladies. "Ah! Tayaw, right? Nice to finally meet you! I'm sorry, I'll talk to you later, as you can see, we're quite busy." Ongki's mother says. "Go wait in the living room. Ongki here will grab you a drink." Jouny's mother says. And with that, they continue cooking. "" Tayaw can only smile at the sight, giving him an urge to visit his own grandparents. - "Hey. I heard from Chala that your new novel is selling like world cup tickets." Ongki says as him and Tayaw arrive at the balcony instead of the living room. "Yeah. I've satiated the hunger of the fans, for now." Tayaw says as he sits down on one of the comfy chairs by the balcony table. The English and Teungebian versions of the first part of 'The Ruler's Ring' was released in the last week of June. Since its release, the book sold more than 5,000,000 copies worldwide in only three weeks and just like GBTD's ticket sales, the book sales are not slowing down either and is still far from reaching saturation especially because the non-english versions of it are have just been released. "Hehe. I have to say, I'm a fan as well." Ongki says. "Yeah? Huh. I didn't see you as the reading type." Tayaw jokes referencing Ongki's bulging arm muscles and slightly bulging belly. "Hey man. I didn't see you as an artist type as well. You look like a football soccer player." Ongki says. Tayaw can only chuckle at that. "Anyways, you're kinda right. I only read three novels before I read yours." Ongki admits as he opens some sort of a case under the table and pulls out two hardcover books from it, each being an inch thick. 'The Halfling', 'The Ruler's Ring, The Companionship of the Nine.' Tayaw immediately recognizes the books. Ongki lays them down to the table as if proving that he read them. "What do you think of them?" Tayaw asks out of curiosity. "They were pretty hard to read. Half the time, they're also very dull but thankfully, there were drawings to help me imagine it better." Ongki says. Tayaw simply nods, reflecting some of the negative reviews on the internet for 'The Halfling' and 'The Companionship of the Nine'. "If I didn't have free time, I would not have gotten used to it. Why'd you have to write them that way?" Ongki asks. "hehe. Yeah Uhh. I overdid it, huh?" Tayaw says as he quickly processes an excuse. "How do you mean?" Ongki asks. "My first book. The fairy tales? They were very easy to read as they are for children." Tayaw says. "True. I've been practicing reading them to the baby." Ongki agrees. "Yes. But I intended 'The Halfling' for a.d.u.l.ts, so the more complicated grammar." Tayaw says. "I see. Well why didn't you write the 'The Companionship of the Nine' to be more digestible than 'The Halfling'?" Ongki asks. "Nobody really said a thing about the Halfling, so I decided to write the sequel the same way." Tayaw says. "You're keeping them that way?" Ongki asks. "Yeah. But my next series will be easier to read." Tayaw says. "That's great." Ongki nods. "By the way, how do you even have the time to read? You have a baby, your seafood shop too." Tayaw changes the subject, not confident in further defending the work as his own. "Ah. I hired two new employees on the shop and I have a lot of down time to read Anyways. I have more questions about the book." Ongki brings the subject back, unknowingly making Tayaw nervous. 'Please, not the elf languages. Please not the elf languages' Tayaw hopes. "Okay. Does the questions have something to do about what will happen in the next book?" Tayaw asks, hoping that he guesses right. "Y-yeah." Ongki says as he scratches his stubble to hide his embarrassment at being caught. "Well. I can't tell you that." Tayaw internally sighs in relief. "Not even a little?" Ongki says. "Not even a little." Tayaw says firmly. "Ugh. A shame. It'll take you at least a year again to write the sequel." Ongki says in disappointment. "Oh.. The next book will come out in a few months. 'The Ruler's Ring' is just a long sequel after all." Tayaw says. "Really?... Good. Good." Ongki nods, happy with the news. "Anyways. You might be a good author, but I think my wife is still a better screenwriter than you." Ongki says, as payback for not getting any more information. "And I agree. That's why I'm excited when she called me to come over." Tayaw says. Ongki can only roll his eyes at Tayaw not starting a banter. "Ah-ah. Before that, why don't you meet my son first? I think Jouny's done feeding him." Ongki says proudly as he stands up, urging Tayaw to stand up and follow him. As they made their way to the nursery, Tayaw is oddly excited to see the little Jouny or little Ongki. A moment later. "Ah-chuchuchuchuchu" Tayaw's heart warms at the sight of Jouny playing with her baby in her arms. The color of the crib, walls, and linens even help with the imagery. "*baby sounds*" the sounds the baby is making is an obvious sign that he is widely entertained by Jouny making faces and odd sounds. "Ohh.. Steve~ Uncle Tayaw is here!" Jouny smiles at Tayaw. "ahhhh" The baby looks at the face he is seeing for the first time and smiles. Tayaw too returns an exaggerated smile. "" Tayaw does not know how aware the baby is but the little guy staring at him gives Tayaw an odd sense of peace. "Looks like he likes you. You wanna hold him?" Jouny offers. "Y-yeah sure." While Tayaw is taken aback, he is glad to take the offer and a moment later, baby Steve is now in his arms. "*cooo* *ahhh*" Steve holds up his little arms as if reaching for something. Tayaw then stoops his head lower and Steve starts touching Tayaw's face. "You're good with that" Ongki remarks seeing Steve cooing and ahh-in in Tayaw's arms. "" Tayaw only smiles in return. The next moment however, "" Tayaw with his enhanced senses immediately feels Steve's bottom become warmer and a weird smell starts leaking out. "Let's change the little guy's diaper?" Tayaw says. *snicker* The couple is amused by the situation. - A few minutes later, Steve with his fresh diapers is back asleep in his crib and the three a.d.u.l.ts leave the nursery to the ling room. "Healthy kid" Tayaw says. "Yeah. We're blessed." Jouny says with a motherly smile. The three are welcomed in the living room by the two old ladies laying snacks on the table. "Tayaw, it's finally nice to meet you. I wanna thank you personally for making 'September Ninth'." Jouny's mother says. "It's a great script ma'am. I want to thank her instead for letting me start my career in experimenting with her work." Tayaw says, embarrassing Jouny. "Just as humble as she said." Ongki's mother nods. "" It is Tayaw's turn to be embarrassed. "Ah! That's right. Moms, let me borrow Tayaw. Tayaw, let's go to my study. You folks can start lunch if we take long." Jouny says. "" Ongki and the two old ladies are now anxious and nervous watching Jouny and Tayaw leave for Jouny's study. "Do you think he'll like it?" Jouny's mom asks Ongki worriedly. "Jouny said that even if Tayaw wouldn't like it, she can try again." Ongki says appearing relaxed but inside, he is more nervous than the two ladies. Meanwhile in the study. "You're really done with your script?" Tayaw asks as he takes the seat Jouny offered. "Yeah. I've done enough refining, researching, and rewriting. I might ruin it if I play around more." Jouny says as she takes out a stack of papers from her desk drawer before handing them to Tayaw. Tentative Title Hope and Innocence by Jouny Yalen Tayaw reads the title.
