004

I went back to the bar with Haya and sat beside her. "I've compiled all the data you've collected inside." She said.

"What?"

She pointed at her collar, then I looked at mine. Hidden inside it was a small mic. "Really?" I said.

"I was curious." She replied, "Anyway, we only have a couple of time left before the supply drops in our room. Wanna head back now or do you still have some business to attend to?"

` "I'm good. You ordered drinks?" I asked.

"Yeah." She handed me a tall glass, It smelled of mellow orange juice. "You owe me." She said, After that she sighed, "What was up in there?"

"Hm?"

"The crimson king?"

"Oh… It's a personal matter, but since they're also in the castle, I guess it ties up."

"Yeah! That's pretty convenient. Now we don't have to worry about finding whatever crimson king is." She started celebrating like a child.

"It's an international criminal."

"Huh?" She stopped.

"An international criminal, might even be interplanetary."

"How come he's not on our database then?"

"Because we're all led to believe he doesn't exist, though I'm not taking that."

"So you're chasing after something that has no proof of existence?"

"Yes! The people in the castle, they'll be my proof that the Crimson King exists and he has followers.

"Uh-huh."

"Come on, you don't believe me?"

"I have my reasons not to, but I can't stop you from chasing them so… I'll give it the benefit of a doubt, partner." She downs her drink, I noticed now that hers smells vaguely of alcohol.

"How many did you drink?" I asked her. She shrugs then smiles wryly, I looked at the bartender, "How many did she drink?" I asked him. He raises four fingers. I looked back at her, "Will you be okay?" I asked the clearly drunk girl.

She just smiles then barely stands up. Glad she took her medication, lest she'd be a barely walking, coughing mess. She laughs a bit as she struggles to head on outside.

I dropped a handful of credits to the bartender then said my thanks before chasing after Haya.

There she was, at the other side. Leaning on a railing, and looking down the dark abyss. I silently approached her. Then I heard her silently mumbling to herself, curious, I approached more to take a listen. "Stare back at me you bitch." She says.

"Hey hey," I pull her out of it. As I did, a strong alarm blares throughout the entire mall. After a while, a beam of bright light shot itself out from the bottom of the pit. "Holy shit." Were the only words I managed to mutter out.

"Woah! That was the thing!" She excitedly points out

"Uh, thing?"

"Yeah! When high capacity buildings reach their maximum capacity, they discharge electricity in the cosmos. That's.. That's how they keep buildings afloat… I guess.." She trails off, caressing her head as if dizzy.

"Oh." I took her up to her feet as she dusted herself off, still a bit dizzy, "Tsk, shouldn't have drank too much."

"Psh~ I'm fine!" She gestures all around, trying to indicate that she's sober when in fact she still looks like a drunkard.

I figured I should mess with her a bit.

"Sobriety test." I told her as we walked down the mall.

"Sobriety test?" She gave me a look of confusion.

"Yeah, It's a test made back then to determine how drunk a person is."

"Couldn't you just check my status with your sensors?"

"Your sensors indicate that you're 100% sobe-"

"See! I'm sober, easy, now let's move o-"

"But it also says here that your lungs are 100% healthy."

She flashed me a threatening glare. She then moaned begrudgingly. "Fine. Give me the test."

I snickered a bit then walked over to her and touched her shoulders, pulling her towards a floor tile. "So, sobriety tests back then have you walk in a straight line. If you can't do it then you're drunk."

"Psh!" I can hear the strong sound of pride in her voice, "So what~ I can walk straight with my eyes closed." She put both her hands over her eyes, mocking me.

One step right,

One step left,

One step right,

And she falls down on the ground.

"Motherfuck!" She yells out. I ran over to her and took her up, in her face a clear frustration.

"So?"

She sighs, "Fine. You want me to sit out the mission?"

"As much as I would want to, no." I assisted her outside the mall as the searing lights hit her eyes making her fall into a more thorough state of confusion.

"Ugh.."

"You're going to vomit?" I asked, genuinely concerned about her public image.

"Nah nah… I can handle this, I'm not a lightweight."

"Yeah.. sure."

She held her vomit in as we got back to the hotel. It was almost half an hour of excruciating sounds from the bathroom. But at least, the supplies were there.

Another half hour of waiting for her as I exhaustingly started setting up the supplies we needed for the expedition.

Back-breaking, and tiring. I could've ordered servants to do it for me. But Haya and I have already taken too much from our department budget with these supplies.

And thus, I sat down by the table which faces the door to the hallway. The door to the bathroom is to its right, why am I writing this? Perhaps to fascinatingly detail possible scenarios I can be murdered on.

With her still gone, I lit a cigarette and started writing again.

I hear the door open, "Haya, wash your arms back in the sink. You'll stink up the room." I state as I distract myself with writing. But it wasn't Haya.

Lit by the bright orange hue of the setting sun, yet blocked by the harrowing smoke of the cigarette was a balding, disgruntled looking man.

"Is there a problem with Agent Kinthos?" Commissioner Hartman asked. He was the commissioner around these parts, scuffed look, brown pants, white shirt, you name it. And now, he personally visits us.

"Nothing at all, Commissioner." The sounds of belching resound from the bathroom as I put out my cigarette, "She just had a few drinks."

The commissioner's face twisted into a visible anger, "Take this mission seriously, Pollus! The mayor wants that castle cleared, ASAP!"

"Yes, yes, Hartman. You gotta stop telling me about what the mayor wants. I don't care about him and his need to destroy that godforsaken castle for his.. Villa? Mall? Whatever you need an area with high elevation for."

"Stadium." He said.

"Stadium." I replied.

The bathroom's door slid open and out came a heavily disgruntled-looking Haya, she wipes the remnant vomit from her mouth as she says, "Stadium? On top of a hill? That's stupid, commissioner."

"The Mayor asked for it. I have no sway against it."

She ignored what he said and just sat down on top of the bed and looked down, she seems to still be in a state of confusion. I snapped my finger once or twice at her face as she looked back up in a surprised expression, "Ey, ey. Bro you alright?"

"Enough!" The Commissioner yelled, "Pollus, I need those reports as soon as possible, stop slacking off and wasting our budget!" He stormed off, I think I heard him throwing off further swears. Obviously, omitted. No reason to include them.

Haya just turned her head over the door following the useless tirade, and looked back down, "I feel fucking terrible."

"Yeah yeah, I can tell. You lightweight."

"Shuddup.." She was silent for a long while, "You gonna drop me from the mission are you?"

"No. I'll wait for you to sober up."

"That'll take time..." She groaned as she caresses her head in pain.

"Yes. And I'm patient enough to wait for you. I need you."

She looked up smiling, "Thanks!" I turned away.

"For the mission. I need you for the mission." I cleared up.

She laughed lightly. "I'll try to sober up then. First time a partner needs me." I see in her a genuine smile. She herself is genuine.

It's almost midnight by the time she actually looked, walked, and sounded sober. By then it was too late to go anywhere reliably without one of us dying. So we waited the next day.