Chapter 208: Battle of persistence

"Ah, I just ate whatever the heck I got from here." Park replied upon being asked about his survival there.

"By whatever, do you mean the fruits lying around and stuff? Damn, that's really resourceful of you." Kunjan appreciated a person who's able to survive no matter what is put before him. So, naturally he began respecting Sinyim as well.

"What? Hell nah! I meant that I looted stores for food and lived off it." Park replied.

"Oh, shit. Why did I even thought of being respectful towards you then?" A taste of disgust filled the plankton's mouth as he heard Park's response.

"I never asked you to be so." Park shrugged.

"You know, I can simply call the police right now and lodge a complaint against you. Right, Thankappan?"Kunjan turned towards Thankappan who was tending to his injuries from the beating he received moments earlier.

"Well…" Thankappan was about to give out a proper reply for the first time after getting his shit kicked out, however Park had other plans.

"First of all, there's no proof about what I did. Secondly, I'm pretty aware that you won't do that since alien welfare is a thing here." Park replied.

"Hmm. Well, alien welfare might be a thing and we might not be able to call up the police, however we do have a detention centre, so if you wanna be treated as a criminal anytime soon, you'll probably end up there." Thankappan warned, with a glaring look on his face.

"Speaking of that, how are we gonna get him into the Holy Land. I mean, what would Lonappan say?" Taro asked.

"Ah, don't worry about that. Another person won't be a big deal. I mean, if Scarlet can hang around, then your friend can do that as well." Thankappan replied.

"Great, but Lonappan…" Kunjan was about to voice out his concerns as well, but the MIB agent stopped him midway.

"Didn't I say not to worry about that. I meant it, you know? I'll convince Lonappan for you guys. So for now, enjoy some quality time with this friend of yours while I go back and sleep. Total waste of time, if you ask me. I should've never asked you to do this, I guess." Thankappan sighed as he walked away.

"I'll never understand the dynamics of that man. One second he's all happy and in the other he's grumpy. Can never expect a stable behaviour from him." Taro spoke as he stared down at Thankappan who was walking away.

"I guess that's true." Kunjan nodded his head along. "Okay, although I'm not gonna be all grumpy about it like Thankappan was, I guess it's a good timing for me to leave with Gibli right here and leave you two alone. So, I'mma go then." The plankton spoke as he got back into his exoskeleton and picked up the Arkian, who was still out from the beating he received and piggybacked him off.

"Ha, pretty nice guys, aren't they?" Taro asked as he looked at his best friend.

"Yea. They are nice guys." Park nodded his head in agreement.

"Ok then. Tell me, why the hell did you beat them then?" He asked.

"Well, it wasn't something that I planned. However, I felt like that was the only way to gain your attention." Park replied.

"Dude, what the hell are you even saying? If you wanted to get my attention, you should've showed your face to begin with. I mean, how the hell did you even manage to hide it to begin with?" Taro asked.

"Well, the leaves helped in that." Park answered.

"I don't get—whatever. I ain't asking it. I feel like shit will get more complicated if I'm to ask the science behind it or something. So, let's just focus on the good parts, shall we?" Taro asked.

"Well, I'm fine with either. I mean, you're the one who asked those questions to begin with, so…" Sinyim shrugged as he spoke.

"Don't go around putting the blame on me now!" Taro looked offended before swatting it off as a joke from his best friend. "Anyway, thinking of how we're gonna live together like before, it makes you excited, don't it?" He asked.

"Yea, it does. Just like the old days, huh?" Park asked with a smile on his face.

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"No." A stern reply came from Lonappan's side.

"What do you mean no? You let Scarlet in, but you can't let my best friend in as well? Why are you being like this?" Taro asked.

The day of his return back to the Holy Land wasn't going the way he wished it to go. For some reason, a sudden downpour occurred which made their journey back a bit more difficult as they moved through the dirt roads.

However, things took an even worse turn when Lonappan actually rejected the plan of having Park live together with them in the Holy Land. He didn't expect a no from Lonappan, so the shock was considerable.

Lonappan sighed. "You want answers now, hu Well, first of all, your friend here isn't registered with-" He was about to finish his sentence, but Taro didn't give him the luxury to do so as he pounced back.

"Ha! Is Scarlet registered then? Why is he allowed then? Huh? Answer me, will ya?" Taro asked.

"Calm down first and listen to me. What I said was the first reason. And in that case, yes, Scarlet wouldn't have been eligible to live here as well—if not for the loophole. He can disappear on accord. Your friend can not. And that makes a very huge difference. We're living with a really volatile person in John. And I can't risk it with him. Who knows what he might plan to do if he's to regain his memories!" Lonappan spoke.

"…. This is unfair!" Taro cried.

"Welcome to reality. It's often disappointing, isn't it?" Lonappan asked.

"I'll get you back for this!" Taro spoke as he stormed off.

"Sure, whatever. Good luck with that." Lonappan wished as he waved his hand goodbye.

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"Are you listening to me now?" Taro asked to Thankappan who looked disinterested by the conversation.

"Yea, yea. Lonappan didn't accept your request and you are fumed by that decision. I get it. After all, I've been hearing this for the umpteenth time now, so I know what's going on." Thankappan replied.

"Hey! Why do you sound like you don't even care about what's going on, huh? This involves you as well!" Taro spoke.

"Huh? How come? When did I get involved in this shit?" Thankappan asked with shock clearly written on his face.

"You were the one who said that you're gonna make Lonappan agree about Park's stay here! Did you forget about that already, huh?" Taro asked.

"Oh, my! You actually believed that shit? I was kidding. You really think I can make Lonappan change his decision once he's fixated on something. Not gonna happen, dude. Not gonna happen at all." Thankappan spoke.

"Then why did you even say something like that? I believed in you! And you betrayed my trust." Taro said with a disheartened look on his face.

"Okay, look. I wasn't planning to do that to you. It just happened. I was going with the flow by saying that. And I regret saying that at all now. I didn't know that you'd actually believe that. I apologise." Thankappan bowed his head.

"Nah, I don't want your apology or something like that. I wanted to stay with my friend, but if that's not meant to be, then what can I do, e" Taro asked with a sulky look on his face.

Thankappan sighed. "Oh God, I know I'm gonna regret doing this, but I'll try asking directly to Taro just this once. I don't think it'll work out, but all I can do at this point is to try. So, that's what I'm gonna do." He spoke to which a bright smile rose from Taro's face.

"Thank you! I know that there's a chance that it won't work out the way I want it to, but at least you're trying and that's what matters the most for me at least."Taro replied.

"Glad that you think of it that way." Thankappan felt thankful for Taro's approach and thought of doing it as soon as possible.

It was only after Taro left that he understood the gravity of the situation. Unknowingly, he actually accepted a heavy task in his hands. He had the weight of his promise on him and he had never regretted accepting a task more than right then.

Although Taro said that feelings was what mattered the most, he made it so that it would be devastating when Thankappan actually fails in completing the task. It was truly a psychological move that Thankappan didn't expect. However, now that the task fell into his hands, he decided to give his maximum trying to convince Lonappan. It was a battle of persistence. Who persists with their argument for the longest time wins. And the battle was on.

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