A Day Like All Others

The Tales of The Seekers is a collection of short stories set in The Seekers universe. Feel free to comment so I can improve them. If you want to learn more, please do read my published books in the same universe: The Seekers: Soul-Ties, Kirin, and Perrin Peters. And if you don’t want to buy my books but still want to support me, I’m on Patreon. And if you prefer one-time payments, you can Buy Me A Pizza or a Coffee.

Content warnings: Geekery

Fabulous Figurines was as spacious and brightly lit as always. The big, colorful posters depicting movies, games, and cartoons covered every wall and hung from the white, high ceiling, marking different sections of the shop.

Feeling like home, Fez made his way between the customers, ignoring the thoughtful artworks on the floor, for he didn’t need their guidance. As he walked deeper into a maze of high, deep, and wide shelves, his eyes scanned the swaths of action figure boxes, each with colorful artworks and a transparent plastic window. The computer in his visor followed the commands of his brown eyes and made notes. Today, his goal was set, but in the future, one of these boxes may end up in his possession.

Here it was, standing at his eye level! Fifteen-centimeters high, slim, clad in a white linen jacket, black pants, shirt, and sneakers. The white, silk necktie was both strict and flashy. The hands in white, fingerless, leather gloves rested on the hilts of two razor-sharp sheathed swords. The green eyes of real emeralds, framed by black bangs of real human hair, dared him to a fight. Indeed, Black Blade from The Radicals II was a sight to behold!

With trembling hands, Fez lifted the big metal box with a plastic window and beheld the object from his dreams from up close. He could make out the tiny painted blood vessels on the scleras of her eyes. Perfection!

~*~

The morning was busier than usual. Many people were interested in the new “White Star — The Meora Detective. Chapter XVII,” which was indeed a good game. Some customers sought after the sheet music from various games and movies — why couldn’t they just download them? And many were looking for presents, so Vicky recommended them obscure but interesting action figures.

The fast gate of heavy boots reached her ears. Her eyes caught a bloke in a black leather jacket with black shoulder spikes, who quickly made his way deeper into the shop. Looked like he knew exactly what he wanted, which was good to see for a change.

She turned her attention to a new customer. Very soon, the sound of heavy boots returned. The bloke returned, holding an expensive box like a treasure, and stood behind the customer Vicky was consulting. The new man wasn’t very tall, so his head barely popped out from behind the customer’s shoulder. Yet, he was tall enough for their eyes to meet. Something struck in her brain, too intense for the eye contact to continue. But as she looked away, the pleasurable aftertaste remained.

Shit, he stood right there, and she’d have to talk to him very soon! Both terrified and full of anticipation, Vicky finished helping the first customer as quickly as she could. He left, and a step of heavy boots reached her ears again.

Aside from that old, black leather jacket with spikes, the dude wore white cargo pants and a red bandana that hardly covered his curly black hair. Wide and muscular, he held the box with Black Blade with reverence, and put it on the counter so softly like the action figure could explode.

His big, brown eyes met hers, sending a jolt of electricity down her spine. His square jaw moved, and a soft but powerful voice spoke, “I don’t trust the box.”

“Err… Ex—cuse me?” Vicky blurted out, almost dumbfounded.

His eyes widened, and she noticed that one eye was a bit darker than the other. Did he manage to lose it while biotechnology wasn’t very good?

“I want to check if the box says the truth!”

She looked at the box, then at him. “Err… Oh, sure.”

Making sure her visor was recording the video of the process, Vicky carefully set Black Blade free.

The man’s strong, tanned fingers with perfect fingernails, yet a few small cuts, gently touched the white fabric of her jacket, feeling the texture. Then, the fingers went to her white necktie, to her black shirt, then down her breasts and towards the pants…

She knew the air at the shop wasn’t this hot. She knew she shouldn’t stare at what those gentle fingers were doing. She knew she had to stop imagining…

“I see them, but I can’t feel the seams at all!” Vicky’s tormentor exclaimed with awe in his almost whisper.

She slowly raised her gaze, but his focus was on the action figure. The fingers stopped checking out the fabric and were now checking the articulation of Black Blade’s limbs. The awe on his tanned face got replaced by a smile. Then, he unsheathed one of the tiny swords and tested the black blade against his fingernail. The edge didn’t slide off, which made his smile even wider.

“I’m taking it.” His eyes met hers again. “Name’s Fez, by the way. You’re new here.”

“Em… Yeah, I just started recently.” She thought she nodded, but did she really?

The genuine smile reached his eyes. “You’ll be seeing me here regularly… Vicky.” He read the badge pinned to her uniform. “My house still has a lot of space for shelves.”

Seeing him regularly?

Fez retrieved his old-looking communicator and got ready to transfer points for the purchase.

Embarrassed, hopeful, and somewhat confused, Vicky hurried up to punch in the purchase and accept his payment.

“Thank you,” He said more to the action figure he put back into the box than to Vicky.

A few more seconds, and he was gone. The line, assembled behind his back, finally moved. Something told her that it would be hard to focus during this shift. Yet when she returned home, she’d put today’s memories to such good use!

~*~

Holding his treasure close to his chest and evading potentially fatal collisions with fellow citizens who had no idea about the reason behind his wide grin, Fez safely made it to the portal point, and then to the tower where he lived.

The whole way there, his imagination was painting pictures of giving Black Blade the place of honor amongst the army on his shelves, changing her pose every single day, putting her against some of his favorite characters to see who would win… Yet as he stood before his front door, something stopped his finger from touching the fingerprint reader. There was a question on his mind. A very important one.

~*~

Vicky was glad the stream of customers died off. She could sit behind the counter, relax, and think about that man. Fez. The name was somewhat weird, but it suited the intense feelings his presence evoked in her. If he were to come back regularly, she’d have to make it count.

The bell rang, and her face tilted upwards towards the door.

Shit!

A jolt of something rushed her to her feet, and the familiar feeling in the bottom of her stomach returned. Did he forget something? Did she mess up? Vicky quickly brushed her hand over her wavy auburn hair. When was the last time she used a mirror? This morning? Shit, she should’ve…

Still holding the box with Black Blade, Fez strode straight towards her, making Vicky’s heart rate soar.

“How did they determine the number of cycles her limbs can safely move?”

The question reached her ears, yet the meaning escaped her.

“Errr… Excuse me?” He frowned a bit, taking half a step back and looking directly into Vicky’s eyes. “Is something wrong? How can I help?”

“What? No, no, sorry.” She shook her head. “What can I do for you?”

He repeated the question.

“Oh, that’s… the first time anyone has ever asked this, actually.” Her mind stumbled, but kept racing. “I’ll just ask.”

He nodded. “Yeah, I hoped you could do that. Your shop was always in close contact with the manufacturers.”

What’s happening today? Vicky’s fingers were looking for a number on her computer, yet her brain was elsewhere. It can’t be he’s really asking that! Then… She paused, then mentally shook the thought away. No, he didn’t come back just to have a pretence to talk to her again. Did he?

When the number was dialed and she was awaiting the answer, Vicky raised her gaze. Fez was looking through the transparent window of the box, but maybe he just diverted his eyes? Maybe he was checking her out just a moment ago?

The familiar voice answered, and Vicky quickly related the question to the manufacturer, almost without stumbling. To her surprise, the answer was very quick and concise. She relayed the information to Fez, who gave the action figure an approving nod.

“I knew they were the best! I can really do whatever I want with her all day, every day.”

Whatever he wanted? He was very gentle when checking out the fabric, so he couldn’t be… Get a grip, Vicky!

“Thank you!” He nodded her way as well. “This really deserves a tip, even though I know you’re not allowed to accept them.”

Vicky shook her head. “Er… Would there be something else you want? Anything at all?”

His big eyes narrowed, his mouth half-opened to speak, but then his expression softened. “No, that would be all for today.”

He was gone, and the emptiness was not only in the air but also in her soul. Well, a shadow of it, anyway. Nothing was conclusive. She should gather her resolve and ask him plainly. Once his mind was away from Black Blade, he might start thinking about this sort of thing. He might become responsive to her. She just needed to wait and see if it was true.

~*~

Fez was home. The box with Black Blade was on his workbench, ready to be opened. His fingers were a few millimeters away from the intricate locking mechanism, poised to open it. Yet, once again, something stopped him. Something was missing. Indeed, it was the first time he was dealing with real emeralds in her eyes. As small as they were, they would still need cleaning. And since Fabulous Figurines had a few shelves where they showed off pieces in their unboxed glory, they had to know every tip and trick there was!

~*~

The bell rang again. Now, the shop was a bit busier, so Vicky, who was talking to the client, hadn’t paid it any mind. Yet as the satisfied customer walked away, Vicky jolted back, almost crushing into the shelves behind her.

“Oh, I’m sorry!” The terrified, wide eyes watched her rubbing her back. “I didn’t want to startle you.”

Why did this terrible but awesome feeling return? Why couldn’t she be mad at him for showing up again? Why did she want to have him around? To notice her? Talk to her?

“It’s okay,” left Vicky’s already smiling lips. “What can I do for you?”

As she listened to the explanation, she became certain that Fez was looking for a pretense to come back. No one could be this crazy about action figures. Now, how could she make it work? She could just give him her number, so he’d go home and stop bothering the customers. But when he’d call her this evening, the conversation would certainly not be about taking care of Black Blade. Right?

~*~

“Excuse me,” a voice came from behind Fez’s back.

He turned around, interrupting his explanation, and beheld a slim woman noticeably taller than him.

“I have a few emeralds and figures…” She showed him her hand with an emerald-adorned ring that matched her eye color. “So, I think I can help you. In fact, I run a hobby group. The Careless Tinkerers.

Fez felt his eyes widen as his blood pressure rose. “It can’t be! You are the RoaringPuppy?”

An embarrassment flashed over the pale face as she took a half step back. “Err… Looks like you’ve heard of us.”

“Yes, of course I’ve heard of you!” Fez exclaimed, unable to believe his luck. “Oh, this is so cool! I— I’ll send you a message and you’ll explain everything! And maybe you’ll share something about your future projects?”

Despite being spotlight-shy, RoaringPuppy courteously agreed to help him out and gave him her handle. It was the second-best day of his life! Unwilling to disturb her further, Fez picked up Black Blade and hurried home, already writing the letter to RoaringPuppy in his mind.

“Excuse me, mister!” A yell and the sound of running footsteps stopped him as he barely exited the shop into the wide hallway of the mall.

It was Vicky with wide, desperate eyes. He stepped out of the way and showed with his whole being that she had his undivided attention. “If I may, Vicky, you kept having interesting reactions upon seeing me. Do I have toothpaste on my face or something?”

Her mouth opened, but nothing came out for a second. “Toothpaste? No, no… Look. Erm…” She shook her head, looking somewhere far away, then turned back to him. “If you’re interested, I have no boyfriend at the moment.”

No… boyfriend? A hurricane of embarrassing realization washed over him. And he was calling himself a detective?

Fez gave her a wide smile. “I’m flattered.” He made sure to hold the box firmly. “I would’ve gladly become your new, and hopefully the last, boyfriend, Vicky. Yet, I’m not sure that Synthia, my wife, would approve.”

Vicky’s intense face softened, the bright eyes dimmed a little, and she distanced herself from him just a little.

“That’s interesting…” The words left Fez’s mouth as his mind raced. “I never thought about it.”

“About… what?” Vicky’s voice sounded strange.

He looked into her blue eyes. “I never thought about our duo becoming a trio. So, I don’t know how I or Synthia would react to it. But I can try to figure it out, and I can ask her. If you want it.”

Vicky’s eyes and voice became brighter again. “Well, I have thought about it, and I think it could be wonderful! If I like Synthia, of course.”

The amazing feeling of something new and unknown pushed away everything Fez had on his mind, sending his heart racing. “That’s a deal, Vicky! Just give me your number, and I’ll call you as soon as I have our answer. And even if I say no, I’ll still remember this day for years to come.”

~*~

Fez was gone, and the customers were waiting for her, but Vicky could not make herself move and go back to work. Instead, she wondered, looking at the spot where she saw Fez last. It was a day like all others, but it changed so unexpectedly. If the future was so shaky, if nothing was preordained, what else would the future bring? What good or bad would happen? There was no answer, but one thing was certain —she was so willing to live and find out.

The End

Anton Anderson, 2025

If you want to see more of Fez and see the fate of The Radicals III, you should read my sci-fantasy detective novel The Seekers: Perrin Peters. Fez is not the main character, but he’s Perrin’s best friend and shows up from time to time.