What comes next [Completed]

[Yukki Kazuto]

I quickly headed to the street the the girl, who I had learned was named Cupa, had sent me to. I began asking people on the street if they had seen Scarlet, and I showed her picture to them as well. Most people brushed me off, ignoring me. A few people politely told me that they hadn’t seen her anywhere. Eventually I found one woman who told me that she was staying in a hotel close by. She showed me what hotel, and wished me luck in finding her.


I walked into the hotel, which wasn’t the best of places, but was still fairly decent in terms of luxury. I’d say it was about the quality of a three star hotel. Somewhere that wasn’t going to cost a kidney per night, but also isn’t going to be falling apart and have mold growing in it. I knew the type of place well. It was common for criminals with money to set up in places like these when away from their home base.


It allowed them somewhere to set up and organize their plans, and also served as a meeting place that they couldn’t be found at. Especially since there seemed to be no type of credit cards or other ways to track someone through the dataverse. However, it does strike me as odd that someone who could just summon money for anything they needed, wouldn’t set up shop in a private building, or in a place with more security.


Putting on my best charming face, I approached the front desk. A young girl sat behind the counter, and seemed to be more interested in what she was doing on her computer than anyone who walked in or out of the building. She wasn’t going to be much use at telling me who was in the building at any given moment, but maybe she would know who was staying in what rooms.


“Hi there! My name is Oliver Burns, and I’m looking for-” I was cut off by her holding a hand up.


“Give me a few minutes to finish this, okay?” She never looked away from her computer, not even to look up and see my face. She didn’t seem to be worried about me, as if she thought I wasn’t worth her time, or as if I wasn’t important enough to stop what she was already doing. A few minutes passed, and eventually she turned to me with an upset look on her face. “How may I assist you?”


I smiled at her, attempting to set her at ease. “Hi. I’m looking for this girl, have you seen her by any chance?” I showed her the picture of Scarlet, and she didn’t show any signs of recognition.


“No, I don’t think I have, sorry. Is there anything else I could help you with? Perhaps you would like a room?” She handed the picture back to me, her face completely blank.


I put the photo back in my pocket. “Can I see your current guest list?”


She shook her head. “I’m sorry, but that’s against our policy. I can’t help you.” Her eyes narrowed at me. “Why? Is this related to the girl you just showed me?”


I sighed, showing my disappointment. “I’m trying to find her for questioning. I believe she was involved in a robbery, and I have reason to believe that she is staying here with another person I know.” I drummed my fingers on the reception desk. “Is there anything I could do to see the guest list?”


The girl shook her head. “I’m sorry, but it’s against policy for me to tell you who is a guest in our establishment. I wish you the best of luck in your search though!” I didn't bother asking about Reuben, as I had no picture of him and didn't think it would help my cause to summon one right in front of her, especially since she didn't seem to want to help me anyway. As soon as I turned away from her, I heard her immediately go back to her computer.


Before I walked outside, I grabbed a newspaper off of a chair arm. Heading outside, I sat on a bench outside of the hotel and waited for someone I recognized to either show up or leave. I knew that at least Scarlet had to be here, and chances are she was working with Reuben as well. But hey, it wasn’t my job to stop them. My job was to get the items back. That thought stayed in my mind as I sat behind my newspaper.

Besides, it’s not like they were doing anything unexpected. They were criminals by trade after all.