PAOLO DRAGON 01

FIRST PRESENTATION:

CHAPTER 1 - PAOLO DRAGON

It was a humid and warm night in Metropolitan Manila.

It was just another typical day in this country.

But for others, it was the Chinese New Year of 2012.

The year of the Dragon.

Apparently, I was born in the year of the Dragon 24 years ago.

This year is supposed to be an auspicious time for me.

But I never put much stock in Horoscopes.

I'm also not particularly keen in keeping with Chinese Traditions.

So, little did I know that I was about to come across the 'great fortune' that was my birthright.


I worked really late into the night, until even the bright light of the city was reduced to the orange glare of street lamps and dim glimmers from nearby buildings.

I really don't remember what I was doing; maybe I was working on a small video game, or some kind of animation to be put on those little website banners.

Anyways, my work isn't really that interesting.

Soon I realized that it was way past midnight already, and I really had no reason to stay any longer.

After checking out with the security guard, I stepped out of my small office.

I was about to board the elevator, and was slightly surprised that someone else was inside at this time.

As the doors opened, I noticed a woman standing in the corner.

She was a foreigner of the western sort, with wavy auburn hair, fair skin, green eyes, and freckles.

She had an average build, and though she looked a bit older than me, she didn't leave a bad impression.

But she just had to almost beat me in terms of height, standing at about 5'10".

If she were any taller, I'd be quite annoyed. (I'm proud of being a big, in this case tall, fish in a small pond!)

The woman was wearing a blazer with the whole formal professional office-lady look in dark blue colors. 

Her overall 'look' was completed with one of those no-spill coffee tumblers in her right hand, and some files and folders under her left armpit.

I then soon realized that she was also looking at me intently.

Oh, how embarrassing.

I didn't want her thinking I was checking her out or anything.

So, I averted my gaze and went inside.

“Sorry, excuse me.”

It's one of my overused phrases.

Though considering where I live, it's probably seen just the right amount of use.

There was an awkward silence as the doors closed.

On the reflective metal of the shutters, I saw her still looking at me.

 Now she knew I was looking at her reflection as well.

“You work here?”

Right when the doors shut completely, she asked a question.

I was caught off-guard, surprised with her casual gesture.

“Uh... Err... Yeah,” I answer, unprepared.

“Hm. There were other offices still open at this time? I thought they'd be closed.”

She continued to press on with conversation.

It made me wonder if she was setting me up for something bad later. 

“Well, it's not the first time we got guys working till 12 midnight...” I half-lied.

Most of the time, my colleagues stay over late to play some Dungeons and Dragons or something.

Although this group was full of Elven G.I.R.L.s (Guys in real life), I would have considered sticking around with them at this hour if I had no other commitments.

Yes, I am a masochist like that.

“Oh, that explains the group of noisy guys I saw the other night!” She quickly interjected.

Then I remembered that before I left work today, those same guys were in our makeshift meeting room, playing Magic the Gathering.

Ah, I've played with magic once.

I just don't have the time or resources nowadays to deal with it's consequences.

“Also, If I remember correctly, there's an outsourced telemarketing agency on the 23rd floor,” I continued.

“Yeah! That's where I'm from. Usually this building's empty at around that time,” she said.

So she's here because of one of those 'call centers', most likely as a supervisor or the 'home' company's representative in this particular region.

I don't mind these foreign-generated professions - they help our country's needy economy anyway.

Some other people would argue this or that against the concept of a country's workforce conforming to outsider demand, but those guys'll be far behind by the time they figure out that this changing world doesn't give a damn about what they think.

“I usually get only security guards, janitors and our people in the car,” she continued, breaking me out of this train of thought.

“You're with them, right? Those noisy guys?” She finally asked.

“Erh, yeah, I think,” I answered.

Although I sometimes hang with them, I'd rather not be associated with them in things other than work.

I guess they're cool guys, though.

My boss (who also happens to be the dungeon master) offered to have me sleep over at the office today because he was worried about me going about at this time. 

He kept going on about how going out at this time was dangerous, even in the 'republic' of Makati City, with its strict policemen and absurd ordinances.

That's Filipino hospitality for you - though it is mixed with a bit of geeky, needy companionship.

Then she spoke up again. 

“You, I mean your organization, makes games, right? They were speaking in Filipino the entire time, but I could hear some English words like 'shooters', 'Starcraft' and 'platformers'. They probably also talked a bit about D&D. People still play that nowadays?”

I didn't expect a conversation like this.

It's not that I haven't spoken with westerners before, it's just that the ones I see in this building tend to just leave me alone.

So I don't mind them, either.

I just say "Excuse me" or "Sorry" if I ever inconvenience them, and that's that.

“Oh yeah! How rude and silly of me to have taken up your time without introducing myself.”

She held out her opened right hand.

Subconsciously, I searched her outreached hand for a ring, but there was none.

I surmised that she was single.

Then I quickly realized that this was an indicator of my age, and I was saddened by this fact.

“I'm Heather Andrea McDougall, a Consultant for Annette-Qeptis Telecommunications. My nickname is Heather. You are?”

I reluctantly reached out my right hand, then I realized I hadn't clipped my nails.

Also, it was dry, with skin peeling off, yet it was sweaty at the same time! 

I stopped reaching it out halfway out of shame, but she took it before I could react, and gave me a firm handshake.

“Er, I'm Paolo Cavanza. Artist and Programmer. I go by Paolo,” I said nervously.

“Nice to meet you, Paolo!” She replied with a smile.

I tried to smile too, but it's not something I can pull off if it's not natural.

“I like your hairstyle by the way,” she commented.

Oh yeah, I have this pompadour thing going on, since my hair is so thick and I keep forgetting to visit a barber.

I don’t use hairspray or anything, I just kinda stroke and comb it into place every few minutes.

Otherwise my hair is a disaster.

“It reminds me of Elvis,” she continued.

All those Gakuran-wearing juveniles from the 70s and 80s were going for that look.

Their adventures were the secret guilty pleasures of my childhood.

“Oh, yeah. Thanks,” I reply, smiling to myself.

Ding!

The elevator doors opened right at that moment.

Ground Floor.

“Yeah... Uh, This is my stop,” I said, snapped out of her flattery earlier.

“Oh, don't let me stop you. My car's in the basement,” she said.

A car, huh.

That's something I can have only in my dreams.

“Okay. Good bye,” I said, quickly, walking out of the elevator.

“Bye, Paolo!” She said in that cheerful singsong voice of hers.

It's probably because they have to sound nice and friendly all the time at work.

...But it's weird to see strangers in real life use it on you for inane conversation.

She wasn't trying to sell me anything, was she?

Just in case, I checked my wallet.

Nothing new here. 

Nothing lost either.

That puts all my unfounded worries of hypnotism, subconscious manipulation and scamming to rest.

“Hm.”

I walked out of the building's front door, and into the bright orange lights of the city.

Immediately the humid, polluted air of the city greeted my senses, slightly alleviated by the rush of a cold breeze.

Summer was coming up though, so that coldness would change very soon.

I started walking briskly, hoping that the wind would cool me off the entire trip.

The streets, once bustling with people, were now sparsely populated, save for the usual night crowd at the Seven-Elevens and rival convenience stores. 

Something at the back of my head nagged me to stay over at the office and not go home. 

There were delicious, grease-filled fastfood joints nearby to make the Dragonslaying session more bearable anyway!

While tempting, I instead stared down at my sinful belly and reminded myself of my penitence.

After I rounded the corner, leaving the familiarity of my building's avenue, the roads became even more quiet.

It felt like I had entered a ghost town.

Sure, I encountered a few workers on the road; both blue and white collar types.

But the underpasses made for pedestrian crossing were eerily empty.

It’s like a ripe set-up for a monster to pop out from the empty glass billboards and their faded posters.

I was eyeing the janitor rooms and the corners of the hallways, but both were too well lighted for any hidden threats.

Well, I gotta admit that the underpasses were unnaturally a sterile white without human traffic.

That could have contributed to my tension.

Or it was probably my unneeded attempt to spice things up in my dull, dreary lifestyle.

Really, I should have known better.

I silently commended the effort of the janitors as I walked up each flight of stairs leading back to the roads.

Then, I eventually found myself in a dimly lit section of road devoid of traffic – human and automobile.

I found this a little strange, but for some reason I paid it no heed.

I just walked along this road absentmindedly, since it was the quickest way for me to get to the bus terminal.

Again, a poor decision.


Then I saw her.


Walking towards me was a lithe young girl, with fair skin and long, silky black hair.

She looked like a Mestiza, particularly one with Chinese blood…

- Which I inferred from her red Cheongsam dress, with a shiny golden Dragon emblazoned in front.

Also, her eyes were small, but not as proportionally small when compared to mine.

Only an eighth of my ancestry is Chinese.

… And I have a wide face.

Despite this, her dark brown eyes were attention-grabbing, and her lashes were long and black.

Though that could be attributed to her make-up, particularly that oriental red dash at the corners of her eyes.


I wondered what would prompt a young girl to walk alone, wearing such attention grabbing clothing in the middle of the night.

Was there a Cosplay Convention I wasn’t informed about!?

That would be disappointing if it was near the place I worked.

I would have definitely gone out earlier if there was such an event.

- But considering the time, it would most likely be over!

Of course, I kept these inane thoughts to myself as I nonchalantly walked past her.

Then in that moment, I realized something was wrong.

I blinked.

Then I saw ‘her’.

… Or more specifically, the pair of strange, forking, twisted light that suggested horns upon her head.

They rested upon her long, radiant golden hair.

She shone brightly, with all the warm colors of the sky.

Her small eyes had long golden eyelashes, and dazzling yellow irises.

The pupils in each eye were vertical sharp-ended slits, giving the mental suggestion of her being of a serpentine nature. 

I shouldn’t be able to see spirits.

I’m not that special yet.

I shouldn’t be able to see ghosts either.

Of that much I was sure.

Then what the hell was she?


If I turned to look a second time, I was certain that I would see the same things I saw earlier.

I was frozen by fear, but I forced myself to continue walking.

With a supreme effort, my face remained as it was before, betraying nothing of my realization.

I didn’t want her to know.

I’ll leave her alone, and she’ll leave me be.

That’s the way it has always been.

“Hey, old man.”

But this time, it was different.


“You can see them, can’t you?”

I stopped, frozen by her words.


“You can see me, can’t you?”

... And with that, all the masks fell off.

GRAPHIC LINEART BY PAOROU-SAMA AND DIGITALLY TREATED BY ANANAGI

THANK YOU TO ANANAGI FOR THE SITE LAYOUT AND OPENING GRAPHICS THUS FAR!