The black limo rolled out of the mansion's long pathway and hit the road, with Simma driving in smooth artistic precision and Tony relaxed at the back, trying to loose the tight coil of anxiety twisting in his gut.
Obviously, it was going to be a long ride to the company, and he was walking on a thin thread already for being late. Now, if he missed his mom's speech, it would be a knife to the neck.
However, as bothersome as missing the speech was, it was nothing close to his priority; which was his mission and new life.
In the meantime, he wanted to know more about it. He was about to call up Manniak when he realized how weird it would be, especially around Simma, because to Simma it would practically look like Tony was talking to thin air, and he would think Tony had lost it.
Luckily enough, the limo wasn't the type that was long for nothing. At the back where Tony sat was like a small living room. All he had to do was close the little square demarcation window between him and Simma and turn on the soundproofing.
Sincerely, it all amazed him; how he knew how to do all that. He never knew soundproofing existed inside cars. In fact, he had never been inside a limo before, not as Tony. Well… apparently being Tom and having all his memories had its perks.
Now, having the entire back of the limo to himself, he called up:
"Manniak."
Her subtly melodic voice echoed through the fabric of his mind.
[Yes, Mr. Quin] she answered.
"Tell me more about the vixens," he demanded, adjusting himself into a more comfortable position.
[Right.] Manniak replied.
[The vixens: cruel, conniving, manipulative, dangerous…and more... are the very reason the Maniacal System chose you.]
A sudden immersive curiosity washed over Tony as he paid attention.
[They are a range of sexy women who are seductive, calculated, shameless and sly as snakes. Most are married women, most engaged, most in what should have been serene relationships. But instead of keeping the sanity of love and the dignity of marriage, they choose to treat love as trash, feeling too proud to trust, and using men as nothing but ATMs, emotional dumpsters, and toys for pleasure. Not caring how they hurt them. Their loyalty is hollow and their dignity negotiable.]
An uncomfortable bitterness seared through Tony since the description reminded him of Sarah.
However, Manniak's voice went on.
[The vixens' behaviors cannot be characterized into one class, for their innate goals differ. Due to this, the system has classified them into three anomalies:
> The Red Rukresses (lowest tier)
> The White Queen (intermediate tier)
> And the Green Witches (top tier)]
[The Red Rukresses: they are the vixen of the lowest category. These are ladies that are not loyal to men; they cheat on love for the sake of material things and to gain whatever they want.]
"Someone like Sarah," Tony muttered, clenching his teeth and fist in fury, and nodding as he absorbed the information in rage.
[Yes, Mr. Quin. But unlike ladies in your world, these Rukresses are badder.] Manniak answered as she continued.
[The White Queen: as much as they go after money and use seduction and charm to get whatever they need, they'd also love to have a taste of every handsome, and full fledged man they see, even when they are in a relationship.]
"And let me guess," Tony chimed in.
"These set of ladies are worse than the Rukresses, am I right?"
[Yes, Mr. Quin. They are badder than the Rukresses.]
"The hell, man, is that even a correct word; 'badder'?" Tony asked with a contorted face and confused gesture. He'd ignored it the first time, but now it tingled.
[(●_●)]
"You son of a bitch," Tony cursed, at the smiley face that appeared in his mind's eye.
[I prefer 'badder.' It gives me evil vibes.] Manniak replied, totally enjoying how she pissed Tony off with her smiley face.
Tony slapped his face in utter embarrassment. "Whatever, Manniak… just tell me about the Green Witches."
Manniak hesitated, as though mentioning their name shook her bones...(if she had any, of course.)
But finally, she let it loose.
[The Green Witches… these are the worst of all. They are not after money, not after mundane things, they are already rich, wealthy and established. They are worldly-satisfaction complete. All they want is pleasure, sex, and more pleasure and more Sex.... More sex. And further indulgence.]
Tony winced. That last one really baffled him and left him almost aghast. But the way manniak kept hammering on the sex and more sex made him chuckle.
[They are hard to detect with karmic insight, and they are extremely good at being incognito. Hard to redeem and very hard to seduce. Calling them Green Witches might just be the system's way of classifying them… but honestly, they give off the vibe of witches.]
Tony exhaled. It was a lot to absorb, but he did it anyway.
He exhaled, processing everything. Then he remembered something else.
"Karma," he said. "Karmic essence… karmic insight. Explain all that."
[Karma: it is the cosmic ledger of consequences. The invisible debt of positivity or negativity every soul creates with every action, which at last winds back to the soul.
In this world, karma might be punishment.
But in the Maniacal System, karma is currency, essence, energy, and insight.]
Tony leaned forward, engrossed. It was very interesting, and somehow he felt like he was a chosen one.
[Mr. Quin, karmic essence runs in you. And like I love to say… it is the raw, distilled residue of a vixen's sins; the tranquil blood their soul bleeds after retribution is served. It powers your insight and your mission, your energy. The darker the woman…]
Her voice lowered dramatically.
[…the richer the essence. The richer the essence… the stronger the host.]
Tony shifted into another sitting position and continued listening.
[You should already know what insight is, Mr. Quin.]
"What?" Tony asked, raising a brow.
[I said...] Manniak began, trying to repeat her annoying self, but Tony cut her off.
"You dumbass, that 'what' was rhetorical... not a question for you to answer. And as a matter of fact, I wasn't done talking. And I just took a relaxed position to hear about my karmic insight."
[Mr. Quin, I...]
"I don't want to hear your reason, Manniak. Tell me about the damn insight," Tony retorted. Somehow, Manniak was enjoying being a pain in his ass.
[Mr. Quin, I believe you are a graduate and should be able to relate what karmic insight is from the information I've fed you.]
"God, I'ma kill this motherfucker," Tony cursed. "You know you're a maniac, huh? You know that?"
Manniak chuckled softly, the sound echoing annoyingly through Tony's head.
[Mr. Quin, it's Manniak with a 'k,' not 'c.']
Tony threw his hands up, totally tired. "God, I'm doomed," he muttered. "Is there a way I can kill you?" he asked, annoyed.
[Yes, Mr. Quin, but the process requires that you die along with me.]
"Good. So so good... That's a chance I'm highly willing not to take."
[Because you love me.] Manniak said, surprisingly sounding romantic.
"Hope you're being sarcastic right now," Tony replied flatly.
[(●.).....]
"Don't.... don't show me that fuckin' smiley, Manniak," Tony said as the sign of the smiley face was about to appear in his mind's eye.
[Mr. Quin, I will tell you what the insight means if you allow me to show you the smiley.]
Tony exhaled, exasperated. "I thought you were meant to be guiding me, not blackmailing me," he bellowed, fed up.
[It's all part of the process, Mr. Quin.] Manniak replied, her voice so sweet and innocent that anyone who didn't know her would never believe she was so aggravating.
"Fine," Tony replied, trying to shut his mind's eye... yet he still saw it clearly. It blasted across his mind like a billboard:
[(●_●)]
"Huuuuuu," he gasped like a man who just lost a battle with a toddler.. "Fuck you, Manniak."
[The pleasure is all mine, Mr. Quin.]
[Now: your karmic insight is your weapon... your cheat code against the vixens. It helps you:
> Detect them
> Access them
> If enough, predict their karma
> If enough, aid in seduction and point out seduction weak spots
> Manipulate them]
"Is that right?" Tony chuckled, rubbing his smooth jaw.
[Mr. Quin, there is no hair on your jaw. I advise you stop stroking th...]
"Oh Jesus," Tony cried, tired of Manniak's insistent attacks.
He ignored her completely and opened the square window between him and Simma.
"Simma," he called.
Simma hummed. "Mm-hmm?"
"How are we?"
Simma smiled. "We're not far now, sir."
Tony nodded. The company was actually very far from the house and should feel like a long trip, but with all the distraction from Manniak, it seemed short.
"Good," Tony muttered.
…
A black-tinted limo rolled to a stop in front of a skyscraper, spreading a wealthy vibe into an atmosphere packed with people gathered outside the building.
The driver stepped down from the limo and, with a swift and humble motion, opened the car.
A black, shiny shoe stepped onto the floor, the ground seemingly respecting its presence. As the second shoe landed, all eyes turned toward the limo, but even more toward the person stepping out. When he finally clambered out of the car, the air itself changed, and the atmosphere thickened.
The next instant, murmurs filled the air.
"Oh my God… is that… is that… Tom?" a lady giggled.
"God, I can give anything to bone that guy," another said.
More eyes turned to the guy, and every pair that turned stayed glued, rolling up and down his body.
Giggles filled the air, and the man wasn't making it easy for them either.
He was emitting a lovely aura. The limo's lights kissed the sharp lines of his suit. From his tousled hair and brown eyes down to his reflective shoes, he radiated heat.
He was entirely hot.
He released a sexy smile that made the ladies almost collapse as he, with a swift grace, tugged lightly at the collar of his suit.
"It's good to be back."