What are we? (5)

Taking a deep breath, Jin opened the door of his favorite restaurant. Despite being rundown like everything else in the Tenth District, Jin liked this place because it was still cleaner than most.

"At least they're serious about hygiene," Jin thought every time he entered the restaurant. The appetizing smell of various foods being prepared could be detected even at such an early hour.

Before Jin could even attempt to find the man he came to meet, the informant, the first person he encountered was the ginger girl behind the counter, Jasmine.

With a quick exchange of smiles and a friendly wave, Jin and Jasmine acknowledged each other's presence. 

"Morning, waitress." Greeted Jin, trying his best to remain undercover, his voice was lower as well.

"Morning to you as well, customer," Jasmine greeted back with a wide, friendly smile. It was not quite the same as the one she showed to Jin; it was more akin to those displayed in public service.

()

"Excuse me, waitress, did you happen to see anyone come in wearing all black with a black fedora?" Jin inquired.

"Yes, I did. He arrived about ten minutes ago and is currently seated at a window table towards the back. He hasn't ordered anything yet," Jasmine explained.

"Ah, perfect. I'm here to meet him. Could you please also order a cheese pizza for that table?" Jin requested, his smile widening at the thought of the food.

"Of course," replied Jasmine, starting to input the order into the terminal.

"It's twelve credits," she stated, her friendly smile faltering slightly as she announced the price.

Jin clicked his tongue in annoyance, but he knew he couldn't resist his love for pizza.

Putting his watch to the terminal before him, he paid the twelve credits, feeling a pain in his heart as he did so.

Seeing his balance drop even further made his heart ache, but he ignored the feeling and walked up to the table where Jasmine said the informant was.

"Thirteen was right, I love having it, I love spending it, but it hurts when they actually take it," thought Jin to himself. Nonetheless, he continued to walk up to the table where he saw a man, dressed in all black with a fedora.

Approaching the man, Jin didn't utter a word but instead gave him a nod to show that he acknowledged his presence before taking a seat across from him.

The desk had only two chairs, making them face each other while the window was just beside them.

"Good morning to you kind sir." Said Jin, his friendly smile was obviously fake towards the man before him, but it managed to get out a slight chuckle.

"I believe I'm talking to Jin, is that correct?" Asked the man standing on the opposite side of Jin, he had smooth skin and emerald green eye, but Jin knew that they were obviously fake, hiding behind a fake face and contacts.

Everyone in their line of work used these tools to masl their identity on another level, these hyper realistic mask's could make anyone not recognize them, this paired up with a good voice changer hidden inside the mask, made them another person.

"You are… now, let's talk about the information that I came here." Said Jin, he wanted to get trought with this as fast as possible.

"Straightforward, I like it." Said the man before him with a smile and a chuckle before turning more serius, his smile disserpairning as if it was never present in the first place.

"The payment first." Said the man before him while interlocking his fingers and staring holes into Jin.

"You get the payment the moment you start talking, my partner will send it to the agreed accaunt." Said Jin, he hismelf turned deathly serius while starign right back at the man.

"Perfect…" Said the man, hdiding behind his words, he still let his distase show.

"You two wanted information about what is Genesis doing here in the tenth District, am I correct?" Asked the informant for confirmation.

"That is correct." Anwsered Jin, but he was obviusly frustrated by the informant taking up time.

'Bastard already knows it, quit stalling.' Cursed Jin inside at the informant, biut his face remained straight and emotionless.

"They are doing the only thing that their corporation wanted to achive from day one." Said the informant, a wide, fake smile on his face showed itself.

"And what is that ecaclty?" Asked Jin, not following the informant.

"They are want to figure out your kind, of what you are." Anwsered the informant while pointing at Jin.

"What are we?" Repreated Jin while poitning at himself and his furrows were burrowed.

"Exactly, they want to reach what they call… the pinalce of evolution, they try to mass create S rated Cypehrs and transfer their brain into these bodies, but they were always unsucsesfull, but now, they are clsoer then ever." Said the informant, the same smile on his face that only widened as he looked down at his watc.

Just to see the payment that they agreed on arrive at his accaunt, making his smile itno a genuine one this time.

"But what are they doing here, in the Tenth District, this is a no man's land, no corporation tired to take control of it, and even if they did, they doN't really get anything out of it.

"Well, it's becouse they are under the knwoladge that there is at least on or two S rated Cyphers here, they are doing a manhaunt on the two, but no one knows these Cyphers yet." Explained the informant.

'God damn it.' Cursed Jin inside, but not letting it show in the face of the informant, the moment that the man before them owuld knew their identyte, they would be haunted down by anyone willing to pay enough for the information.

"I hear it." Confiremed Thirteen in Jin's ear, his voice was grave.

"Fuck, they already knew about us, but how the hell did they catch up this fast?" Wondered THirteen out loud into Jin's ears, but he did not anwser as he was still dealing with the informant so he could not awnser.

"Good to know it, thank you for ciming here." Said Jin with a wide smile on his face, trying his best to mask their true feeling.

"My pelaseure." Said the informant who got up from the desk, just before Jasmine walked up to them, dleivering a family sized Cheesy Pizza.

"THank you, waitress." Said Jin with a smile on his face, not making himself get suspicus to Jasmine by calling her by her name.

The informant left, only lebing Jin, Thirteen in his ears, and the pizza before him, but for the first time, he wasn't that hungry.

"Fuck, we have less tiemthen we thought."