Sen stood alone in the dinner as the two hurriedly moved back into the kitchen. The girl faced down not daring to look at the lady as she paced off to the back. The male server followed. His eyes were filled with disbelief as the girl meekly walked towards the kitchen. He shook his head as he dropped into the back where Sen could see them through the counter.
The restaurant dinning was beautifully layered to give room for orders and service. The tables, covered by a white table cloth lined gold flower patterns, were paired with two chairs and we're sequentially placed around the room. At each of the sides of the doors were two windows taking up a majority of the room. Earlier there were no tables placed there because of the searing sun outside but after the lunch rush two tables were placed there in wait for the night meals.
Across the room from the door was the counter where the servers usually received food for the customers. It was cleanly polished with its wooden slider doors pushed to the side bringing the kitchen to full view. Sen remembered back when he first ate in this dinner, before he left with Orin. A lot had changed since he left. He never knew it could but two years down the line here he was in a completely different Laptove with many new features and many new faces. He could barely recognize it anymore.
" Don't mind them, they are new too. " the lady standing before him concluded.
The lady in front of him was one of those new faces. She had a warm smile on her face. Her tone was familiar, with a unique verbalization that he had only heard in one place.
Her dark hair was bundled up into a bun at the back of her head with a few strands falling close to her eyes. In her hands the towel moved through finger to finger drying the last bit of moisture on them.
" Oh I guess you don't remember me. Okay then introduction time. I'm Nellie and I'm going to be your attendant. " she said.
Her voice was still familiar. He could help but think that he should've known her from somewhere.
" Looks like you still don't remember me. " she said on seeing Sen's searching look.
" Sorry. " Sen responded
" Back then you were children and all you did was run around and play all the time, so you hardly ever noticed people, " she said.
With those words only one thing shot up in Sen's mind.
" Is she from the village? "
" How's Neil and Mira? " she asked.
That confirmed his suspicions.
" The… Haven't really talked to them lately. " Sen answered eyes dropping to the ground. This was the first time in a long while he had ever thought of them. It was like he had completely…
" Oh. You three were inseparable as children but look at you all grown up and tall now," she said ushering to his lean physic.
" And still getting into trouble I see. Guess you haven't changed that much. " she added teasingly.
" Yeah I guess so. " Sen said rubbing his hair.
" Now as you attendant I'll be observing you around here and reporting back to the lady. You should try not to get into too much trouble or he'll get involved. "she said looking at the shadow of the built man watching them at the door.
" Other than that, I'm looking forward to working with you. " she added.
Sen couldn't help but smile. It had been long since he had a warm welcome like that. Everywhere he seemed to go he was met with stern hardy faces each sterner than the last.
" Thanks for having me. " he answered with a light heart.
" Alright them get back to work. " she said before turning back to head into the kitchen.
Sen walked towards the door, a light smile on his face.
"So she's from the village… I'm glad. " he thought as he walked onwards.
But his sunny parade soon met its clouds. They hovered above him like a tower of gloom and work. They were stern as they grunted.
" Follow me boy. There is something you must do first. "
The sun was completely hid by the built man's frame. He stood on the door mat he had so tirelessly worked to dust with little care of his dusty boots. His eyes a complete contrast of the warm and sunny he had just seen.
" Great. " Sen murmured as he followed the man. In the back he could here Nellie talking. Her tongue was sharp and fast and filled with reprimand.
" She must be scolding her. " Sen thought.
He didn't turn to confirm if it were true or not. He just followed the man whose pace accelerated faster than his.
***
After a short while of walking, Sen and the man we're striding across an alley. Judging by the path they had taken Sen deduced that they were currently behind the restaurant. It was filled with trash and other organic waste that stirred up together to form a pungent smell. It was thick and stung every time Sen inhaled it. The trash itself was hauled into a single container, the origin of the foul smell, making the back tidy but still smell of accumulated rot.
Their walk didn't stop there. Moved along that path and going deeper into the parts of the restaurant hidden to the streets upfront. And as they Sen noticed something strange.
He sniffed the air. Not once nor twice. The same strange thing popped up.
The foul smell had disappeared.
Not that he wished for it to smell like moist rot in the noon sun, but it was strange. The air had suddenly became clear. It was fresh, untainted and odorless.
He sniffed again. This time it caught the attention of the man.
" Stop that, its annoying. " the man said giving Sen a sharp side eye.
The path they were on was narrow. It was sandwiched between two blocks, the first one was the one the restaurant was in and the other was directly opposite of it, resulting into the two walls stretching out across the path they were on. It was slightly dark, Sen barely seeing his feet shuffle through.
The man in front of him sounded mad and within that narrow path Sen would be able to escape if he shot at him. So he decided to let it and follow him quietly.
…
" We're here. " the man said as they stopped at wooden red door.
He opened the door and made his way in.
Sen was reluctant.
" Hurry up! " his voice echoed in the dark room.
Sen heaved his last breath of open air. He stepped into the room hoping that that breath wasn't his last.
The room was quiet and generally dark. Most of the space was hidden in darkness apart from the single lit space around where they were standing. There was a crate between them and on the crate the source of light that lit up the space.
The man looked down on Sen. Sen was peering around trying to make sense of the room.
" Listen up. " he said.
Sen attention was instantly drawn to him.
" Recently there have been some cases of thefts. They've been mainly targeting the restaurants and the warehouses causing some major distress amongst the workers and most importantly they're a nuisance to the Lady. " he started.
" The attacks have been random and they don't seem coordinated by a larger mind or an influential power. The lady needs them dealt with… " he said.
" And that where you come in. " the man said.
" Me? " Sen asked slightly dumbfounded.
" The lady wishes it so."
" Why me then? "
" She's giving you an opportunity. An opportunity to prove yourself worthy of the few weeks you've been in her care and whether or not… you are of value to her. " the man added. His voice died down into a hoarse and scary stop.
" Of value to her. " the words lingered in his head. They sounded like a threat.
What could she mean by that. And what if he wasn't. What then?
" She's given you a week to find and stop those bandits and today's nearly over so you've got six days to find them before she decides what next. "
" Six days?! " Sen asked dumbfounded. " I don't even know where to start, what they were after or even who they are. " he flurried on with the questions.
" Three. " the man said.
" Those were three questions. I'll answer them and from there you'll be on your own. "
" Wait what Questions? " Sen frantically asked.
" As I stated earlier they attacks have been random, the thieves seemed to pick the warehouses arbitrarily. "
" Second, they were stealing Sol Glass, " he said pointing to the crystal source of light that lit the room. " Most of the warehouse they hit were a major storehouse that stored unshipped Sol Glass. "
" Lastly who they are… is your job to find out. " he said as he started to walk towards to door.
His words had flown by in a flurry, Sen could hardly process them. He was still stuck on the first few words the man said. He could here the man's heavy footsteps walk past him as he walked towards the door.
" Also… " the man said.
" I'd advice you to take this matter seriously. The lady is kind but she is just as much cruel. "
His low deep voice drove his words deep into Sen's cognitive where they sunk and stuck.