01-09-2017, 12:00 AM
I walked out of the bar, my head hung low. I pulled out my map, and marked another X in a circle, before walking down the street to the next one. I was beginning to get used to the sound of failure. Nobody seemed to know anything about anyone that was unusually pale for the area, and nobody had spilled any details about planning the robbery of a store. I had been trying for a few hours now, and it was around the time that bars were beginning to close.
I checked my dataverse website, although I hadn’t received any notifications, and was disappointed that nobody had responded. No members showing interest in a group was bad for the future of that group, and this job would be so much easier if I could do a job for someone who knew some information.
I swallowed my unhappiness, and walked into the next bar. By this point I had a routine down. Walk in as if I had no purpose for being there other than to get a drink. Sit at the bar far enough from the bartender that it didn’t make it obvious they were the reason I was there, but also not far enough that I gave the impression that I didn’t want to talk to people. Straight face, no emotion.
I sat down at the bar, and the girl who was behind the counter came over to me. “What can I get you to drink?” She had a very professional tone, and I knew that my usual trick of charming the girl behind the bar wouldn’t work, and neither would a bribe get the information out of her. She was the perfect type of person to pick up the info I needed though, quiet, blends into the background, but is attentive to the things people say.
“Jack and ginger, no ice.” It was my drink of choice, but I wasn’t going to be drinking any tonight. Never drink on the job, it was bad for your overall performance. I went through the list of interrogation methods that Mey had taught me during my training. I couldn’t use any forceful ones, no, I’d have to get her to willingly give me the information.
She handed me the drink. “It’s almost about closing time. You sure you want to stick around for that drink?” I faked taking a sip of the drink, to look up and see her eyes on me.
I decided to try being forward with her. For all I knew, she was a very open person. “Hey, have you seen any unusually pale people come through here?” She rested her chin in her hand before answering me.
“No, not really. Everyone has some kind of tan if you live here long enough.” She pulled out a rag and began wiping out a glass she found on the counter.
I faked another sip. “Have you heard anything about the robbery that took place a few days ago?” She continued wiping the cup without missing a beat.
“No.” I smiled internally. I had found someone who knew something. I noticed that her speech pattern changed. She had gone from long answers and detailed explanations to a short, single word answer. The reason? People don’t like to lie for long. You subconsciously feel that the longer you say a lie, the easier it will be for you to get caught in the lie. Usually it’s the opposite.
I placed my drink back on the bar. “Are you sure? I heard some people talking about a guy coming through here talking about it.” A complete lie, but she didn’t know that. She stopped cleaning the cup and turned to face me.
“Why do you want to know so bad? You a cop or something?” I gave her a reassuring smile to try to set her at ease.
“Relax, I’m not a cop. I’m just trying to help a man recover what belonged to him. If you know something, I would greatly appreciate the information.”
She looked off to her left side. “Well, there was this one guy. He came in two days ago, and ordered a few drinks. He seemed to be super happy about something, saying that ‘It had gone perfectly’ and ‘She’s a natural at it’. He seemed to be celebrating something, but he never said what, and I never asked.”
I sat up straight on the stool. “Do you remember what he looked like by any chance?” I let a hint of panic slip through my voice, to give her the impression that it was extremely important.
Her eyebrows scrunched together. “Yeah, he wore a suit and tie for some reason. Seemed kind of out of place in Costa de Sol. Had kind of shaggy brown hair. Brown eyes to. Light skin, but not extremely pale.” She thought for a moment longer, as I anxiously waited for her to say something else. “Come to think of it, he had a girl with him as well, but she didn’t drink anything, and never spoke.”
I smiled. “Miss, do you have a name?”
She smiled “Jennifer”
“Jennifer” I said. “Let’s trade contact details. If I ever need to know something that’s going on, or if you ever need something done, we call each other. You’ve been a great help to me.” We exchanged contact info in our phones, and I headed out of the bar and to a park. Jennifer didn't notice the small pile of money I left on the table for a few moments, but when she did, quickly picked it up and pocketed it.
I sat down on a bench, realizing something that I had never even considered as a possibility. Reuben and Scarlet were in Costa de Sol. Reuben and Scarlet had pulled off something. Scarlet had been a natural at it. Scarlet had long brown hair and really pale skin, and was small enough to fit through the hole. Reuben had always been a melee expert, and would benefit greatly from a sword of such quality as the one stolen, and flashbangs are always useful for dealing with police.
My hands flew to my head. I was hunting Scarlet.
I checked my dataverse website, although I hadn’t received any notifications, and was disappointed that nobody had responded. No members showing interest in a group was bad for the future of that group, and this job would be so much easier if I could do a job for someone who knew some information.
I swallowed my unhappiness, and walked into the next bar. By this point I had a routine down. Walk in as if I had no purpose for being there other than to get a drink. Sit at the bar far enough from the bartender that it didn’t make it obvious they were the reason I was there, but also not far enough that I gave the impression that I didn’t want to talk to people. Straight face, no emotion.
I sat down at the bar, and the girl who was behind the counter came over to me. “What can I get you to drink?” She had a very professional tone, and I knew that my usual trick of charming the girl behind the bar wouldn’t work, and neither would a bribe get the information out of her. She was the perfect type of person to pick up the info I needed though, quiet, blends into the background, but is attentive to the things people say.
“Jack and ginger, no ice.” It was my drink of choice, but I wasn’t going to be drinking any tonight. Never drink on the job, it was bad for your overall performance. I went through the list of interrogation methods that Mey had taught me during my training. I couldn’t use any forceful ones, no, I’d have to get her to willingly give me the information.
She handed me the drink. “It’s almost about closing time. You sure you want to stick around for that drink?” I faked taking a sip of the drink, to look up and see her eyes on me.
I decided to try being forward with her. For all I knew, she was a very open person. “Hey, have you seen any unusually pale people come through here?” She rested her chin in her hand before answering me.
“No, not really. Everyone has some kind of tan if you live here long enough.” She pulled out a rag and began wiping out a glass she found on the counter.
I faked another sip. “Have you heard anything about the robbery that took place a few days ago?” She continued wiping the cup without missing a beat.
“No.” I smiled internally. I had found someone who knew something. I noticed that her speech pattern changed. She had gone from long answers and detailed explanations to a short, single word answer. The reason? People don’t like to lie for long. You subconsciously feel that the longer you say a lie, the easier it will be for you to get caught in the lie. Usually it’s the opposite.
I placed my drink back on the bar. “Are you sure? I heard some people talking about a guy coming through here talking about it.” A complete lie, but she didn’t know that. She stopped cleaning the cup and turned to face me.
“Why do you want to know so bad? You a cop or something?” I gave her a reassuring smile to try to set her at ease.
“Relax, I’m not a cop. I’m just trying to help a man recover what belonged to him. If you know something, I would greatly appreciate the information.”
She looked off to her left side. “Well, there was this one guy. He came in two days ago, and ordered a few drinks. He seemed to be super happy about something, saying that ‘It had gone perfectly’ and ‘She’s a natural at it’. He seemed to be celebrating something, but he never said what, and I never asked.”
I sat up straight on the stool. “Do you remember what he looked like by any chance?” I let a hint of panic slip through my voice, to give her the impression that it was extremely important.
Her eyebrows scrunched together. “Yeah, he wore a suit and tie for some reason. Seemed kind of out of place in Costa de Sol. Had kind of shaggy brown hair. Brown eyes to. Light skin, but not extremely pale.” She thought for a moment longer, as I anxiously waited for her to say something else. “Come to think of it, he had a girl with him as well, but she didn’t drink anything, and never spoke.”
I smiled. “Miss, do you have a name?”
She smiled “Jennifer”
“Jennifer” I said. “Let’s trade contact details. If I ever need to know something that’s going on, or if you ever need something done, we call each other. You’ve been a great help to me.” We exchanged contact info in our phones, and I headed out of the bar and to a park. Jennifer didn't notice the small pile of money I left on the table for a few moments, but when she did, quickly picked it up and pocketed it.
I sat down on a bench, realizing something that I had never even considered as a possibility. Reuben and Scarlet were in Costa de Sol. Reuben and Scarlet had pulled off something. Scarlet had been a natural at it. Scarlet had long brown hair and really pale skin, and was small enough to fit through the hole. Reuben had always been a melee expert, and would benefit greatly from a sword of such quality as the one stolen, and flashbangs are always useful for dealing with police.
My hands flew to my head. I was hunting Scarlet.