Where to Meet

"AH! That hit the spot!" A man shouted, slamming his shot glass on the table.

"You seem excited to drink today." A woman in a tight black dress remarked, sitting beside the man as she poured another glass of whisky for him. "I see so many men from your … organization here as well, is it a time for celebration?"

"I suppose it could be for some." The man said, playing with the liquid in the glass. "Though I can't be certain about the boss."

"What happened?" She asked, looking behind him to a table with Eden, Ages, Celt and one other man were sitting and talking, not a single woman on the table.

"Nothing important." He said dismissively, putting a hand on her exposed thigh. "How have you been, Doris?"

"Fine." She said, batting her eyes at him and looking behind just in time to make eye contact with Eden who called her over. "Excuse me, your boss wants to see me."

"But-"

She didn't want for him to complete his sentence as she took off to Eden, almost skipping all the way there as he took her hand and placed her on his lap.

"Never mind her, Bruce." The man beside him said, patting him on the back. "She had always had her sights on the boss and it seems he reciprocates it as well."

"Still, she is the best hostess in the bar, Dayton," Bruce complained, drowning another cup of heavy liquor down, annoyed.

"There are still other women here," Dayton said, indicating some of the other women at the side, wearing a similar dress as Doris, as they made their way to them. "See?"

"Fine. Fine." The man said, slightly drunk now as he made eye contact with someone across the bar. "Ooo~. She's pretty. I'll be back."

"Bru-"

"Would you like another drink to be poured for you?" A woman in pigtails asked, holding the bottle out in front of Dayton.

"Sure." He said, giving up and settling into his seat as his friend disappeared in the crowd.

____________________

"How has business been, Doris?" Ages asked the woman sitting on Eden's lap.

"It's been pretty slow these days." She said, pouring him another cup of liquor. "Because of that, I have to work extra shifts. But I don't mind, because I was able to meet you all today!"

"It's good to see you so enthusiastic still." Eden laughed, trying to hold her still on his lap. "I can't say the same about me though."

"I heard that something happened today, care to tell me about it?" She asked, tucking her thick, black hair behind her ears as she leaned in closer to Eden.

"I would rather not," Eden said quickly turning to Ages. "Right?"

"They are on a need-to-know basis." Ages explained, his dark skin almost making him invisible, if not for the neon coloured lights. "Celt had fun though."

"I did." The man laughed gleefully. "Man it felt good to shove that son of a b-"

"Celt." The man beside them scolded as he looked over his gold rim glasses with gold chains all along the ends, his blue-brown eyes twinkling.

"What? He is that."

"I am just reminding you of the bet we made. You were just about to lose."

"Oh shit," Celt said, covering his mouth with his hands. "Thanks, Fern. I almost swore there."

"Uh-"

"So, are there any new hostesses here, Doris?" Celt turned from the man, ignoring him completely as he began talking to the woman.

"I don't think so." She said, thinking. "Oh, we have a new bartender. He makes the best Dry Martini I have ever tried."

"Then I should ask him to make me some," Eden said, getting to his feet. "I could do for some Dry Martini right about now."

"I will take you to him the-"

Ring. Ring.

"Sorry." Eden pulled out his phone and paused, reading the caller ID.

"Who is it?" Ages asked, noticing Eden's expression.

"Nothing." He said quickly. "I will just be a minute."

"Let me come with you-"

"Stay here." He said sternly to Doris and everyone else at the table. "I will be only a minute."

"O-ok." She said, sitting down reluctantly as Eden made his way out of the loud room where everyone was busy dancing around, the booming of the music contrasting with the vibrations from his phone.

_________________

Sneaking into one of the VIP rooms, he finally picked up the persistent phone call, the noise from outside is very dull in the room.

Taking in a deep breath, he picked up the phone, "Hello?"

"WHERE ARE YOU??"

"Geez, calm down." Eden pulled the phone away from his ear, cautiously talking in it again. "And I am at a bar. What do you want?"

"Do you remember the organization known as the Wolf's Bane?" The person on the other end asked, frantic written all over his voice.

"Yes, they are the ones that Bun embezzled from." He said nonchalantly, taking in his surroundings.

The black furniture contrasted with the black curtains that he pulled away to reveal the party happening below, the bass from the music could be felt all the way from inside his shoes.

"Well, they want revenge." The one on the other line of the phone said, a scuffle could be heard around him. "They also feel betrayed believing that you did this on purpose."

"What is the problem?" Eden asked, grinning. "We will just get into a fight with them and done."

"You don't understand, boss. We still need their resources. They hold some of the most important trading docks here in Bruit. We can't go into a war with them."

"What do you suggest we do then?" Eden asked, leaning against the wall.

"How about we hand Ban over to them? Maybe they will be happy then?"

"Ban is not here anymore." He said nonchalantly. "I disposed of him. He got too into my nerves, I couldn't control myself anymore. Sorry."

"No, it isn't your fault." The man on the other line said, sighing. "I wondered when he would finally piss you off enough for you to kill him. Let me guess, the human trafficking."

"Don't remind me." Eden hissed. "I told Ages to look into it more after tonight. We had quite an eventful day."

"I can imagine." The man on the other line fell silent as the only sound that filled the room was from the music.

"Gemi? You still there?" Eden asked after waiting five seconds to a silent phone.

"I am." The man finally spoke after two more seconds. "I am just wondering what we can do to prevent this all-out war."

"Why not do what we are always good at?" Eden asked, blowing on the glass, fogging it up as he began drawing on it.

"What? Having attractive leaders?"

"Oh, you flatter me." Eden laughed, feeling a little bit of pride rise in him. "But no. I know the boss of the Wolf's Bane, he will call me for a meeting, perhaps tomorrow and will ask me to either hand Bun over or return the money, perhaps both.

"But I also know that they have been doing things behind my back. Now if only I can find out what they are."

"Maybe we can ask our best hackers to dig up dirt on them?"

"No." Eden bit into his finger, trying to think of a possible solution. "Our trackers use a specific server and they follow a certain pattern. We will need to find someone else, someone completely unknown."

"I understand. Well, I will keep looking then. Bye." The man on the other line said cheerily. "Don't get too drunk. You know how you are like."

"I know. I know." He said, keeping the phone while he continued to stare out of the window at the people below, a frown coming on his face. "Can't I just have one day where I don't have to worry about all these nonsenses?!"

Eden froze mid-rant as he heard movement behind him and turned cautiously as he saw the curtains begin to move, hand on the gun on his side, ready to attack as the curtains drew back but he could only freeze, again.

As the curtains were pulled away, dark raven hair was the first thing he saw, followed by a pair of icy blue eyes with a beauty mark just below the eyes and then smooth, rosy skin extending forever, it would seem.

The person he was looking at sat on a bed, the thin sheets covering the person's lower half but Eden didn't need to see any more to know that he is a man.

Call it intuition, if you will.

"Who are you?" He asked as the person on the bed light a cigarette, blowing out a puff of smoke before turning to him, a bored expression on his face.

Instead of answering Eden, the guy reached for his phone and began typing something on it.

"H-hey, I am asking you a question!"

Clicking his tongue, the man typed even faster before holding the phone up as an automated voice began to speak.

"You are so noisy," was all it said, confusing Eden. "I can feel you talking all the way here."

"Wait." Eden stared at the man closely. "Can't you speak?"