Punished GNMorgan
》21 AUGUST 2050《
"So how did your date go?"
"Uh well..." the bespectacled man sitting across Morgan was taken aback by the sudden question. "It was good. I mean, we didn't really talk and it wasn't really a date, but-" Morgan smiled as he continued listening to Andrew trying to coherently make a response. He wasn't planning to invite the bashful journalist for lunch, but he had some extra time, he was curious if Andrew actually mustered the courage asking his co-worker out, and there was a specific topic he wanted to talk about.
"...Anyway, thanks for that restaurant suggestion. Maria liked it! I think she did. She didn't seem like she hated it-" Morgan raised his hand, stopping Andrew from talking in circles again. "You're welcome. I just figured you two needed a break. After all, the fog must've added a lot to your workload, right?" Andrew stared at him for a moment before realizing what Morgan meant by that.
It wasn't an task that needed immediate attention, but Morgan asked about the fog whenever he could. Unfortunately, all he ever got as of late was mild indifference or annoyance at losing some prospective business deals in Antarctica. Everyone was anticipating something happening with bated breath, but after a few weeks without any change, things generally went back to normalcy. But who he didn't ask yet was a certain reporter who might have some answers regarding the incident.
"You'd think so." Andrew started, adjusting his glasses. He showed a more serious attitude now, completely different from the anxious man from before. "But it's been pretty calm on my side. After the initial uproar, we've just been reporting on the same old same old." Morgan quietly nodded in response. It was unfortunate, but it looked like he'd have to wait for any new information on the fog.
But there was another way he supposed. He could join one of the many groups investigating Antarctica. But he felt the public campaigns, as well the few private organizations that gave him an offer, were ineffective. He entertained the idea of asking Vulcan, but it seemed like they weren't part of any current investigations, and that was even assuming they would hire him in the first place. Still, he considered joining the next offer presented to him. Better than never fully knowing what his strange connection to the fog was.
But seeing as the two exhausted that particular topic, Morgan went back to his usual small talk. The rest of their lunch was spent in relative peace. As the two finished their meal, Morgan stood up, paying the bill along with leaving a generous tip.
"Thanks for joining me Andy, tell me how it goes with Maria later, alright?" As Morgan left a flustered Andrew behind, he checked his phone for messages. There were a couple of new texts, all of which were invitations to somewhere, for various reasons. Looking over his choices, he politely declined all but one. It was just hanging out at some local bar and getting a few drinks. He thought it would be a nice way to end the day.
Morgan groaned as he sluggishly got up from the couch. Looking around the dark room, he realized it was probably close to midnight when he woke up. He rubbed his temples for a while before finding a silhouette of letters on the nearby coffee table. As it turned out, getting roped into a drinking contest with a Daeva was a bad idea. Luckily however, not only did he remain coherent enough to call a taxi to go home, he even managed to pick up the mail on his way up. Figuring he wouldn't be able to sleep for a while after waking up, he started checking them.
"Bill, payment, bill, birthday party..." he shuffled through each one, already knowing what most of them were at a glance. He stopped on the last one, a letter that looked unfamiliar from the usual. Opening it, he could barely make out the wording in the dark and in his disoriented state.
"Investigation...Antarctic anomaly..." Morgan skimmed through the letter. All he made out was an investigation offer in typical legal jargon. But seeing as it looked legitimate, he signed it without much thought and left it on the table. As he finished sorting, Morgan collapsed on the couch, immediately drifting off to sleep. He can deliver the letter later he thought. It probably wasn't that urgent.
