I was in a 'safe bubble' so to speak. I pumped my wings furiously and rose into the air. As soon as I had gained maybe fifty feet, spells started zapp...ng my shield.I was rested, and prepared to use magic myself. I roared a challenge, and cast my first major spell. It was a modified specialty spell. I energized it, and cast it. A glowing ball of energy appeared, and shot towards the enemy's line.After it had gone far enough I cued it to explode. As it did, hundreds of smaller sparks flew out of. ." Shirley," I said, "it's John Charles."She replied, "Oh hello, Mr. Charles."Good luck so far. Shirley was on duty. Often, that meant that Jerry was there as well. Shirley was his right hand. I suspected that she was more than that, but it was none of my business. I asked, "Is Dr. Greenstein in the office?"She replied hesitantly, "He's here, but he's just doing some paper work. He's not seeing any patients."I said, "Let me talk to him. Please."Shortly, Jerry's voice came over the phone. "Jack,. I angered him greatly when I came back in crying and told him that you found us beneath you." I started. "I know that wasn't true but Tomas would have been insufferable otherwise. In a way, that statement was true. We had acted in a way that would not lead to survival and that did put you above us."At that moment, more gunfire broke out and it sounded closer to us. I had decided, reluctantly, that Graciana was not a spy for these bad guys though her story still didn't quite ring true to me.. And rather than go out to the store and get more, they switched to the only other booze she had in the apartment, Asahi beer.They had each drank two bottles of that, but Haruka was not feeling better. In fact, getting drunk, if anything made her more miserable. "You know why Akira really dumped me?" she slurred."No, why?" Because I wouldn't sleep with him until I got a commitment from him."But I was ready tonight. I thought he was going to propose. I was ready to give him my body, to use as he.