Man of Fiction

They've been in Lacras for five days, so seeing a crowd for the first time has overwhelmed them. Gareth and Emily waited in a line, for Helios Dome to finally open the doors to them and other excited fans. Pop culture enthusiasts and fans were a refreshing sight for Emily Rose. Gone were the long skirts and formal polos, and in were the Mob Boy Order cosplay outfits of mini shorts and tight suits. She suddenly felt conscious with just her purple Danooki shirt and jeans.

At least Gareth looked great, she thought.

The monk was at home with his Protector uniform, in spite of the beating heat. He hesitated in wearing it to the Mob Boy Order Fan Meeting, but Emily told him that he needed to look the part if he wanted the author to help him. The doors opened exactly at ten o' clock sharp, and the ground below vibrated at the excited footsteps of the Mob Boy Order followers.

They entered the large convention area, where booths welcomed the fans with various activities that they could do. There was merchandise, food, mini contests, gaming areas, and discussion areas. Emily was submerged by the craziness, suddenly forgetting Operation Adonis. The desire in her wanted to go to every booth and relive her teenage days, but she had to focus on the task at hand. The author's big appearance was going to take place in two hours, which meant that the duo had time to kill. She searched for booths that could occupy their free time, while Gareth engulfed into how the people treated his world with so much glamour and thrill.

Gareth's eyes widened at everyone who decided to dress up, especially at the female cosplayers who went for the Doctor Rowan look. Some girls took notice of him, giving him flirtatious looks. He smirked at these advances, realizing that they weren't really her. There were a lot of Protector uniforms in the area as well. Some were close to accurate, while others were improvised. Either way, the monk could not help but examine every single piece of clothing.

They walked by a booth that sold posters of Mob Boy Order. Gareth eyed all the images of himself, posing with a glowing fist. He flinched at other posters of Cyrus and the Lost Boys, and then he softened when he saw images of Rowan. He asked the owner of the booth if he could purchase some of the posters. The person at the booth asked which one he wanted, and he pointed to an image of him and Rowan and an individual poster of the Doctor. The seller placed his purchases in a paper bag and in exchange, Gareth paid him 250 coppers. After that, a couple of girls intruded, which caught him by surprise.

"Can we please take a photo with you???" one of them asked.

"Why?" he asked, confused.

"Your Gareth cosplay is amazing! Please???"

"I'll take the photo," Emily offered. The girls squealed as they stood next to the stunned monk. The brunette took one quick photo of them and she returned the camera to the fangirls. "Thanks!" another girl said, hopping away.

"Hey! Great Gareth cosplay!" A random Protector guy said, passing by. Gareth nodded to the stranger but then he muttered, "Why are his buttons open at the front like that? That's disrespecting the dress code of the Masahiro Human Protection Company."

Emily Rose laughed at his disgust. "Everyone just thinks your world is a work of fiction, Gareth." she reminded, passing by a group of cosplayers surrounded by photographers. They were all dressed up as The Lost Boys, and they had the most elaborate costume pieces. Gareth ignored them, frowning. "Why are they getting so much positive attention?" he asked. "They're dressed up as terrorists. What's so amazing about that?"

"It is just cosplay, Gareth." she added.

"Cosplay?"

"It's when people get to dress up as their favorite character," she explained. "Sometimes, they try to act like them, too. I...honestly thought you were some dedicated cosplayer when we first met." The monk nodded, keeping his hands behind his back. His clothes and mannerisms gained more attention from the Mob Boy Order fans. Emily noticed this, but her companion was oblivious to all of the stares that he has been receiving.

A man in a dark purple suit, black shirt, and red tie appeared in front of them. He had neatly gelled hair, with slick bangs curtaining the right side of his bony face. His face was caked with the palest shade of foundation, and Emily could see parts of his thick eyebrows concealed underneath. Gareth gave a horrifying look to the man dressed up as Cyrus. The cosplayer simply laughed at his reaction. "Pretty accurate, right?" he joked. "I just want to say that your Gareth cosplay looks so… real."

The monk maintained composure and he bowed his blonde head to him. "I get that a lot," he said, unsmiling. The uncanny appearance still made him feel uneasy, so Emily patted her hand at the small of his back. "What fabric shop do you go to?" the male cosplayer asked. "It looks like it was actually tailored for the military."

"I'm afraid I cannot disclose such classified information." the monk said.

"Whoa," the Cyrus cosplayer giggled. "Your acting is on point, too. Are you also participating in the MBO Cosplay Competition?"

"There's a competition?" Emily asked.

"Yeah, it's a Fan Meet after all." The guy answered, gleefully. "Looks like it's more promising this year! The prize money is 10,000 coppers and a special meeting with the author! They also say that she is going to be one of the judges!"

Gareth and Emily exchange glances. "I'd like to participate," the monk declared. "Where can I enlist myself into this cosplay competition?"

"Follow me!"

The Cyrus cosplayer led them to the large stage, where all the public appearances were supposed to take place. Below it was another small booth for the cosplay competition enlistment. The lady in charge was beguiled by Gareth's presence, as he wrote his name on the sign-up sheet. He kindly smiled at her, who blushed in return. "The competition starts at 2:30pm. Be sure you have an introductory speech and act ready." she told him, gently. Gareth looked at Emily, in confusion. They turn their attention back at the booth lady, who had infatuated eyes for the blonde.

"An act?" Gareth repeated.

"Yes, you're going as Gareth right?" she said, giving a suggestive smile. "Perhaps you can reenact a famous speech of his or even his Meiyan moves, as your performance."

"I see. Thank you, my lady." He left the gushing booth lady, with Emily. The brunette saw through his concern. "Don't worry about that," she said. "You don't have to actually use Qishi energy; just show off some fighting styles."

"And the introductory speech?" Gareth asked. "To be perfectly honest with you, I do not remember delivering big speeches." Emily held back a snicker, for she expected this sort of response from the monk. She patted his shoulder and said, "Leave the speech to me. I can write it down for you, and all you have to do is just memorize it."

"That seems feasible. But to show my moves without any sort of training--"

"That did not stop you from fighting off the Slash Bandit, Racket Vengers, and some Mopane dealers!"

"This is a competition, Emily." Gareth explained. "If we want to increase our chances to meet with the author, then I must not underperform. It is imperative that we win, if we want Operation Adonis to succeed."

"Let us find a space for me to at least warm-up and prepare." The monk marched through the crowd and giggling Emily followed. She found it amusing that he took his sacred fighting art seriously.

The two went outside of the Helios Dome, where there were lesser crowds. Gareth began to stretch and perform his warm-ups in silence. Emily sat at the gray steps, tapping her pen against the clean Danooki stationery pad. She knew that the monk's speech needed to be very convincing, if they wanted to win the first place spot. She tried to think of all the typical things Gareth would say, but nothing came to mind. Emily was certain that all of the Gareth cosplayers were going to use the speech that he used in the first arc.

'I am Gareth of the Adonis Continent. A brother, a fighter, a victim, and a survivor of the Great Opposition. I have walked a thousand miles, swam through great oceans, and climbed the highest of heights to become the strongest fighter in the world. I have learned and abandoned my sacred teachings for this very goal. Becoming invincible is the only way I can truly end the violence and cruelty of Cyrus, the man who has taken the lives of innocent lives. Soon, his cold-blooded hand will meet my enlightened hand, and I will make certain that it will be his last encounter.'

Emily cringed. Not only did she remember it word per word, but his words were actually cheesy.

She knew that Gareth was not the same person as he was in the very first few episodes. His view changed dramatically when he met Doctor Rowan, who begged him not to pursue his revenge. The Gareth before her was also not the same Gareth that the doctor loved, either. It was important for the audience to know that he was more than just a vengeful monk--he was a human that simply desired peace and justice. This development needed to reflected in his introductory speech. It will help him stand out from the rest of the competitors.

She uncapped her pen and began writing.

*****

Gareth and Emily made their way to the front of the stage, where a crowd began to form. There were only ten minutes left before the interview was going to begin. Emily felt her heart race at every second. She was going to see the author with her very own eyes. On the other hand, the monk was preoccupied with a piece of paper that contained the speech Emily wrote for him. He muttered the words to himself, jamming every single sentence into his memory. The brunette gazed at the stage, anticipating any changes.

Soon, a man in a Mob Boy Order shirt walked to the center. The male emcee held up a mic and grinned at everyone. "How's it going my fellow Protectors?!" he shouted, and this earned a cheer from the audiences. Emily cheered along with the crowd, but the monk still had his nose on the speech. "Are you excited?" he chuckled. "I'm sure you are. It's the 15th anniversary of Mob Boy Order, and we have lots of things planned! Anyway, welcome all to the Lacrassan Mob Boy Order Fan Meet! This year might be the best one yet! Because we are now going to hold one of the most--if not, THE MOST anticipated interview of all time! Behind this stage right now, is none other than the author of the best series in the world! Are you all excited to meet her?!"

The crowd cheered.

"Well let's not keep up with the suspense any longer!" he said. "Everyone, give it up… for THE AUTHOR OF MOB BOY ORDER!"

The fans made all sorts of noise, when a woman entered from the left side of the stage. A spotlight shone against the Author, making her features more apparent to Helios Dome. The Author had long and messy black hair, with her bangs going to different directions on her forehead. Her brown eyes hid behind the dark and thick frames of her glasses. She wore a wrinkled white, long-sleeved, and collared blouse, with a few buttons undone at the front. Her blue jeans were frayed and splattered with poster paint, and her white sneakers worn out into a shade of gray. Her overall stature was quite languid, like she just woke up from a power nap--and that might have been the case. Gareth finally took his eyes off the note and he gazed at the infamous Author in awe. Emily saw various photos of her on the internet, but she was just as starstrucked by her presence on the stage. Despite of her disheveled clothes, everyone was bursting with joy. The Author shyly bobbed her bed head to the applause and attention that she was getting.

The male emcee quickly guided her to a red sofa chair that was already on the stage and then he sat on another one next to her. "It is an honor to have you here today, Madam!" the emcee grinned. The Author propped her elbow on the chair's arm, resting her chin on her slender backhand. "It's good to be here," she said, sleepily.

"You've avoided the press ever since the publishing of your last Mob Boy Order novel," the emcee continued. "What made you decide to come out, now?"

The Author laughed. "I have a new novel that's coming out, soon." she said. "And I want you all to read it."

The crowd cheered again.

"Also, this seems like a monumental moment for my readers." she continued, leaning her weight on the chair's arm. "I did not know fifteen years have already passed. I have children and a husband, and people still have not gotten over Mob Boy Order."

"We love you!" someone in the audience screamed.

"Mob Boy Order still holds up to this day," The emcee said, grinning. "We all have so many questions for you, but there's one thing that we all want to know--that ending. First of all, how dare you."

The Author laughed, which made everyone in Helios Dome laugh with her.

"And you only released 40 copies!" the emcee cried. "I understand that you were in a tight situation back then, but do you think there's a chance you can release more copies?"

The Author paused for a moment, making everyone yell in between the lines of 'DO IT!' She chuckled at her eager audience, which made them cheer more. She faced the man and said, "I think the first place winner of the cosplay competition later on, might get a signed copy from me."

This made everyone squeal. Gareth gripped his note, looking more determined than ever.

The interview went on for another hour, and they talked about a lot of things. The Author said that her upcoming novel was going to be about a young girl who meets her fictional crush, who mysteriously came to life. She also mentioned that she was getting nervous about the release, because it was her first time to delve into the romantic comedy genre. She then talked about her experience writing the last Mob Boy Order novel, which brought the monk and Emily to the edge of their seats. The End of Mob Mentality was written at the lowest point in her life, which explained the overall tone of the entire book. But the Author also said that she already had the ending in mind, when she first wrote the first novel.

"Poor Gareth, though." the male emcee commented.

"Indeed." the Author nodded. Emily held Gareth's hand before clenched it into another fist.

"Is he really…?"

"Dead?" the Author finished for him. She gave a light shrug, looking at the audience. "I honestly don't know."

A series of gasp flew through Helios Dome. Gareth kept his green eyes glued onto the Author, waiting for something hopeful to come out of her mouth. "You don't know?" the emcee said, chuckling. "What do you mean? You're the writer, don't you know what happens better than anyone in this room?"

"Perhaps," the Author replied, crossing her legs. "But I decided not to explicitly write the words, 'he died', for some reason. A part of me still wanted to spare him, so I left his ending to open interpretation to my readers. I wanted them to decide, if he should live or not."

"How about you, then?"

"What about me?"

"What's your own interpretation of Gareth's fate?"

"I avoided this question for a long time," she said. "Because my own imagining might defeat the purpose of the open ending that I wrote."

"It's fine! Just tell us!" The audience laughed at his hunger and curiosity. Emily also laughed at the way he jokingly forced those words, but Gareth remained quiet. The Author chuckled along with everyone. "You really want to know?"

"Yeah!" the emcee said, and the audience said the same thing in unison. "Just pretend that… you're just a reader and you have your own guess at how his story ends."

"Okay, if you put it that way." she sighed, and everyone leaned towards her. "If Gareth survived the fall, I don't see him going back to the doctor. He loves Ro so much, that he thinks that he does not deserve a normal life with her. So he goes his own way--he tries to live a life that he's proud to call his own, without Cyrus or the Don Heads. He picks himself back up, and he slowly learns to move on."

Everyone fell silent at this response. A clap started to echo from a distance, which encouraged more hands to bring forth an applause for the Author. The emcee stood from his seat and slowly clapped for her. She grinned at him and made a hand gesture, telling him to sit back down. Emily peered over to Gareth, who did not seem angry or upset. He was confused.

The emcee ended the interview, giving the Author another standing ovation. She stood and bowed to her fans. Everyone stood and jumped for her, yelling all sorts of praises. While she waved at everyone, Gareth kept on staring at her and eventually, their eyes met.

He was filled with confusion and sadness, which made the Author maintain her gaze. The questionable anxiety was shown through his eyes, and Author oddly looked...fascinated. Her words had a major effect on him. She was the one who created him, after all.

The Author continue to study the monk's face, carefully. Behind her sheepish nature, Gareth sensed an uncompromising force. Inside those framed eyes, was something else.

And she only smiled.