If one looked in the front window of the old villa outside of Costa del Sol, they’d be rather surprised at the three fellows just inside the open screen. One, a silver-haired former General, lounged on the window seat, soaking up the sun’s rays while he read a treatise on Wutaiian swordsmanship, one hand keeping his long locks out of his glasses.
Farther back, in the soft shadows of his armchair, sat a formidable ex-Turk, his head propped up by one arm as he flipped through a classic novel. Occasionally, he made notes on a small pad sitting on the table next to him, his lips moving with the words as he adjusted his own lenses. Now, both men were elegant, handsome almost to a fault, and might have been considered a pair…until one lays eyes on the third and final of their number.
Ensconced in his Lazy-Boy, the cranky airship pilot rustled his newspaper as he perused the sports and news, occasionally swearing in the balmy air when he read that his team had lost another game…
“Oy, Seph! Get me a sammich.” Horn-rimmed bifocals peeked over the edge of the paper, only to dip back into hiding as slit-pupiled green eyes glared over at him. A soft laugh sounded from the armchair, and Cid grumbled to himself.
“You’re not going to win, Chief.”
“Eh, bite me.”