The night paihe sky, and Billy had some doubts. Perhaps, it was in his walk or his lowered head. If some people noticed, not many said anything about his attitude. Already on the sed floor of the pany, he decided to use the remaining time to focus on fixing the sketch he made for Cowboy Bebop, for its delivery and promotion. This ic told a sad, heavy, and long life story of a space cowboy.

  Anne Hale was not present. He entered his office, the rge room with a library that crossed from wall to wall, along with a giant window in front, the spaarble desk, and a rge delier with three lights that illumihe room, along with another mp on the elegant-looking desk.

  A small leather armchair arranged in front of the library, fag away, and a gss table in front, spaced just enough between the armchair and the gss table to strete's legs a bit. was a long chair, leaning against the wall. On one side were three other chairs, perfect for sitting in front of the rge wooden desk, and in one er, a thick filing et with a shelf on top, with drawing and ic creation tools.

  The room was as impeccable as when he left it. There was his suitcase, occupied by Anne when she unloaded it in the m. He ope, and his Cowboy Bebop sketch, three episodes in one, is simple. The job he has to do is to detail everything with extreme care. He spent a lot of time creating the best product, from hyper-realism to hyper-detail throughout the work. With great care, he created the ic's process, with many c and shading tools, almost as if it were a medical operation, as the perfe sought in this drawing, in particur, is at the highest level. For deliveries like The Walking Dead, Trigun, Evangelion, Samurai X, Sm Dunk, and Ghost in the Shell/Yu Yu Hakusho, he has created very good artistic impressions, even improving the position of the deliveries as best as he could.

  But for Cowboy Bebop, this has taken him to the highest possible level—creating an artistiposition that surpasses everything else in art. This, for the time, is a challenging task, as the drawings delivered by Lux ics are the best in teical quality on the market. Even the old school knows that they are surpassed without a doubt, but it's precisely this that has made many fans fall captive to the artistic quality of the provided deliveries.

  Someone knocked on the door with some force.

  -e in, - said Billy.

  -I 't believe you're still in the pany. Tomorrow, you have to record for The Lion King movie, and although I appreciate the work ethic, it's not good to have such excessive work hours. It's 10:23 PM, and you've been at it for four hours. That's enough, Billy, - said Anne Hale from the entrance, with a stern voice, but... also with a hint of fatigue?

  -e and look at the new delivery I want to unch, - said Billy.

  Anne approached, crossing the hallway, her heels making noise. But something she had gotteo since w at Lux ics—dressing like aive. Aive who usually had talks with powerful people, big faces, and experienced old ones. Many attacks and heavy work have molded her into a successful person.

  -It's undoubtedly very beautiful work, -- said Anne, seeing the detail printed on the pages. -- This will win many awards, I 't be wrong about that, - she said.

  She had attended all the award ceremonies, and they had only won two awards in all the publications. An insult. But the trend of DC, "Warner Fragmenting," is something she 't fight. Along with Ronald Perelman to the left, the awards are inferior. However, Billy has won awards, the most important of all for those ied in the idustry. The one he has provided is a golden-painted metal pque delivered at the grand ic meeting. It has three pques, an unsurpassed achievement. Everyone always stops and looks at it with honor in their eyes. It's the hidden Oscar of the ic world.

  Sealed by its fidentiality. The overwhelming gain of awards has earned several valuable items, such as inal scripts, unpublished drafts, and lost stories from some series.

  -The series will premiere in December alongside The Walking Dead, - said Billy.

  -Well, I'm gd your ideas don't run out, even when your mind is occupied and you have little time to think. However, e on, that's enough. I noticed in the parking lot that you didn't bring your truck. I'll take you home unless we run into Raimon at the arcade room, - said Anne.

  Billy sighed. -I'll leave everything as it was. -

  Fortunately for Raimon, he wasn't there, and only some animators from the Gargoyles series were still w. With the end of The Lion King, the Gargoyles series gaiwenty new workers, clearing up work, and the sequence of series like Cow and Chi also gained new animators to join the legion of animators.

  Anne didn't speak during the drive, and Billy's already imprinted seriousness left them in sileil they ehe parking lot.

  -I'm hungry, Anne. Would you join me for something to eat? - asked Billy.

  -At this hour? No, thanks. e, let's go to my house. Nana must have cooked something, - said Anne.

  -Alright, - said Billy.

  The journey was short; Anne lived no more than 20 minutes from the pany. A rge house came into view; they parked and were greeted by an elderly dy—Anne's grandmother? It wasn't clear because they exged no more than a brief greeting. Billy took off his shoes, just as Anne had do was a quient thanks to the elderly dy, who handed him a pair e blue sandals.

  There was a rge pot of pasta in the middle of the table, freshly heated. A pte on one side, and another one didn't take long to arrive, as Aook it out. The house was beautiful, rge, and spacious—refined in every aspect, very different from the uninhabited home he had with his father.

  -You eat as much as you want. I'll prepare a drink for you, - said Nana.

  The pasta was exquisite. The table didn't have a very long versation, just the king of metal against fine por, and occasionally a sip from Anne's wine gss. She seemed so exhausted whe home that Billy felt a bit embarrassed for imposing.

  -Here's some ginger lemonade. I added gio protect you from colds. You e home so te from work that you're sure to catch a cold, - said Nana.

  Billy smiled and found a certain resembo his grandmother.

  -Thank you, - said Billy.

  -By the way, young man, your eyes are so dark and heavy. I'd like to know your name, - said Nana.

  -Billy a'am. You call me Billy, - he said.

  -o meet you, young man. Anna doesn't bring ao this house, and sometimes, I fet these social retionships, - said Nana.

  Billy fihe pasta, and the old dy just smiled and served him another helping—with so much happihat he had no face to refuse the sed pte.

  Anne just ughed, a faint glimmer, a subdued smile.

  -Alright. I think I'm full. Thanks, Nana. I'll have some wine. Would you like some? - Anne asked.

  Billy just wao escape from home, so he nodded without reluce. Anne raised an inquisitive eyebrow but let it pass.

  They poured two gsses of wine in silence while an old dy just sat and looked at the horizon with a joyful expression. Billy drank that wine slowly; Anne finished hers and just looked at him, eager for him to leave. However, what determined his departure was the taxi he had called.

  -Good night, Anne, - said Billy.

  -Rest, - said Anne, without b to wait for the taxi, heading upstairs.

  -She's tired, -- said Nana, o Billy. -- She es home and sleeps until the day. Tired from the long day and the extensive hours of work that drown her free time. -

  Billy just nodded.

  He was the boss, and partially responsible for Anne's exhaustion.

  -Your taxi has arrived, - said Nana.

  -Thank you. I hope you have a very good night, - said Billy.

  He got into the taxi, almost on autopilot. He entered his home, and there was his new family: Thomas Carson, Ivanova Branovich, and Cudia Branovi the living room. Thomas was reading a neer in his chair, while Cudia y on the carpet, and Billy could see Ivanova's rebellious gaze.

  -Good night, dear, - said Ivanova.

  -Good night, - replied Billy.

  -Sit down, - ordered Thomas.

  The room became tense; Livy's previous smile disappeared, and Cudia could also feel the tensio by the two Carson individuals, almost like a reverberating suffocation, a struggle of invisible wills.

  "Good evening, Father. I'll take a seat, but not befrabbing something to drink, - said Billy.

  Thomas didn't take his eyes off Billy since he uttered those words. Billy poured himself some juice, refreshing his thoughts. The e juily gave him time to think with a clear head about his father's possible questions and ter-offers.

  -Alright, now that you've had your juice, we talk to have, - said Thomas.

  -I'm waiting, - said Billy.

  -As you know, I'm going to marry Ivanova, and I hope you uand that Cudia will live here, and her mother will also live here, - said Thomas.

  -Of course, no problem, - said Billy.

  -Very well, the wedding is in December, especially because I postpo due to the itments ending—well, that you have pending. On December 6, you have to e, and first of all, we're pnning a family trip to Texas scheduled fust 23. I hope you make time. Even yrandparents miss your presence, - said Thomas.

  -I see. Tomorrow I'll schedule with Anne. Although I may not be there for the entire journey, I'll keep December 6 reserved for the wedding. Anything else you o tell me? - asked Billy.

  -Nothing more. On Sunday, we're having a barbecue. You drop by. I think it's two days before your trip. Without further ado, that's all I have to say for now. Good night, Billy, - said Thomas, downpying and behaving as usual, now wearing reading gsses, but the book in his hand was hahe same way as the st 20 years.

  -Good night, -said Billy, going up to his room.

  Calming the ahat surged through his heart.

  ...