The Drunken Man 2

The man was indeed going for a refill. Wren sat at the bar, silently looking at the empty glass that was in front of him. He glanced at the bartender with a smile.

"No." the bartender said, "I'm not going to."

"C'mon," Wren whined. "Just one more."

"And be the one to drag you out, nope."

Wren put two coins on the table. The bartender looked at the coins and sighed. "Fine, just one…"

Another coin rattled on the table.

"Two…"

Another coin rattled on the table. Yet another coin fell on the table and before the bartender could say anything, ten more coins were slammed on the table, making a total of fifteen coins.

"What did you do? Rob a bank?"

"Nah. More like I own it."

"Ha!" the bartender laughed, "You got that right."

The bartender refilled his glass. Wren drank it to his satisfaction, letting out a sigh of relief. He drank three more, before sitting back on his chair. He drowned himself in his thoughts.

He wasn't drunk. That guy was right.

He could never get drunk, however he wished he could. Damn that rigorous training. Now he had to live, and relive the memories he wished to forget.

His thoughts were disturbed by two guys who entered the bar. They sat down on both sides of him, not saying a word. They were Gang Orca members, not the tough ones, but they were still a bother. The bartender had excused himself, because of course he would. No man came to the bar in the morning. Especially no man who wasn't part of the Orca in Upper Half.

"Seems like this guy's already gone," the one on his right said.

"Yeah, too early in the morning to be high in the skies." The left guy said, looking at him from head to toe. "Say, I saw you take out a bunch of coins to the bartender. Mind if you lend me some?"

"Yeah, and while you are at it, leave some for me too."

Wren sighed. He had hoped that staying drunk would have laid them off. Seemed like it wouldn't work this time. He'd liked it better when they had only kicked and spat at him. Now he had to deal with them.

"Listen…fellas. I'm having a…bad day."

"Oh we can see that. But then, if it's a bad day for you, we might as well just relieve you of the coins on you, to…keep em for ya."

Wren felt the jab at his ribs with a knife, white the one on his left stared at him menacingly. The pressure they were exerting on him was just too disgraceful. He had to suppress his laughter. But what happened next was all the more entertaining.

The door opened and immediately, whoever entered rushed in and smashed the heads of the Orca members on the table, knocking them out.

Wren picked his glass, examining it, while looking at the tall figure that stood behind him. He recognized him. He didn't like him.

"Wren," the guy said, "you look much better with the beard."

"I'm sorry, do I know you?"

"No. But your reputation precedes you." The man pulled one of the Orca members on the floor.

"I'm…flattered."

The door opened and someone walked in. A woman wearing glasses and a suit, an all too recognizable suit, underneath a winter coat and a scarf.

"Good evening, Mr. Wren." The lady said, sitting down beside him. The bartender returned, serving the lady, who smiled at him.

"My name is Ms. Robbs. I am the Left Hand of the Head of Defense of the Special Officers Unit Worldwide. You might not know who I am, as I was appointed when you were still here."

"Great. Another one," Wren said, disgusted already, "what do you guys want?"

"I have a job for you."

"I don't do any jobs any more. Those days…they're over."

"Yeah," The woman said, "But then you haven't heard the full details of the job. I need you to find someone for me."

"Not interested."

"She isn't taking no for an answer." The man said. Wren glanced over his shoulder, looking at the guy. He had dark skin and white hair, exactly as he'd remembered him. He'd never spoken to him, only seen him.

It was actually odd to see them here. This wasn't their jurisdiction. It was way over their field.

"So…what is it?" Wren asked, looking at the woman.

"I need you to find someone for me. A girl. She's seven years old with blue hair and orange eyes. She was last seen…"

"…in a white sleeveless dress. I've probably seen her waltzing around."

"You saw her?!" The man exclaimed, banging his fist on the table. Wren looked at him.

"Yeah, she's not observant. Didn't even see me even though I was right beside her. You'll have better luck checking with the Orca."

"She isn't there."

"And how will you know that?" Wren asked her.

"All you need to know is that she is still in this town. We need to find her. She is our top priority."

"What's in it for me?"

The woman stood up, straightening her glasses. She put a note on the table. "Your record."

Wren looked at her, and laughed.

"You're telling me, that you can clear my record. Now that's a good laugh."

"I am dead serious, Mr. Wren." Ms. Robbs said, "Find me the girl and I'll relieve you of every single offense you have done."

The two walked out of the bar, into the cold. The snow had intensified and thus fewer people were on the street now.

"You think he'll do it?" The man asked Ms. Robbs.

"He will." She said, "The offer is too great to turn down. And knowing the things he's done, do you think that he will reject such an offer?"

"But isn't it too much? The offer. You know the things he's done, he would be facing a death sentence."

"Yeah." She said, "But we already have a different agenda here already. Though she is important we cannot afford to waste our resources on her. We know nothing about this area, hence we can't afford to get carried away. The least mistake and we all get burned."