Ben knows him only as "Wrench".
The Burger notice only that a man at one of the back tables turns the page on a newspaper he's reading, glances around the cafe, and stops when he comes to Ben. He smiles and nods once, then goes back to his newspaper.
Ben pushes his chair away from the table and stands. Without a word, he makes his way towards the back of the cafe coming to a halt in front of a man reading a newspaper. "Mind if I sit down a minute?"
The man looks up and smiles at Ben, looking for all the world like a kindly uncle speaking to a favored nephew.
"Of course, of course my boy. Please, have a seat!" he waves to an unoccupied chair on the other side of the table.
Ben takes a seat, leans forward with one elbow resting on the table, and begins speaking in a low voice. "I'm surprised ya recognized me. It's been a long time and we were never formerly introduced. I'm not interrupting anything am I?"
"No, no, my boy!" Wrench replies, "Nothing of any consequence. And it is a requirement of those of my age and profession to keep up on those coming up through the ranks - the race between glorious retirement and ignominious removal goes to the swiftest, eh?" He smiles, seeming to take his own implication that Ben may one day attempt to off him in stride.
"Perhaps you could even answer a question for me, you being experienced enough to have some judgment in these matters. The woman there, with whom you are seated," his eyes flick in the direction of Kitty, though his head never moves, "seems rather... formidable. Does she strike you as the sort to interfere in the difficulties of another person?"
Ben notices that one of Wrench's hands is no longer visible, having moved under the table.
"As to whether or not she'll interfere, I can't say," admits Ben. "I do know she was just hired at Kuan's as an instructor, which would lead me to believe that she is formidable. You see the bald kid that just walked up to the counter?" he asks, his eyes never leaving Wrench. "Now there's one that might get involved. And he's just good enough ta get 'imself killed."
"Now maybe you can help me out. I just got back to the island and for reasons of my own, I'm hesitant to look up my old contacts. If you could point me in the direction of somebody who's hirin' I might be obliged enough to keep the girl off yer back."
"No, my boy. Too complicated, too many unknowns. Its a bad place to work anyway and besides, I have some flexibility in this matter. In truth I was merely considering it as a target of opportunity anyway. I haven't even given him the opportunity to top my employers offer, though given where he works I'm doubtful. Still, one never knows. I have been surprised in the past."
"On the matter of employment I could certainly ask around if that's what you want. I can't promise anything you understand - not really my area of expertise since I don't generally employ people myself - but I could drop your name in a few ears I suppose. What are you looking for? What sort of resources do you have at your disposal? And is there anyone you specifically don't want me to mention this to? As I recall you left the island rather abruptly."
"Not really necessary ta pass my name around," says Ben, shaking his head. "I was just hopin' you could give me a name or two I could look up. I'm startin' over from the beginning. I'm lookin' ta get my feet wet and I'm not sure who's who anymore."
"Two names," Wrench replies. "Number one, Raoul Enescu - Maitre d' at Sequins. Go there, eat a good meal, show respect for the establishment, tip lavishly, approach him subtly, and he may introduce you to someone connected to the Rainmondi family. They're always looking for extra muscle."
Ben recalls that the Rainmondi family are the "old guard" mafia family on Al Amarja. Sequins is an expensive estaurant run by the Rainmondis in Broken Wings.
"Number two, Islam Petri. Don't know him personally, never worked for him myself, but he has a good reputation for paying on time, and I've never heard of him screwing anyone over. Looking for someone 'special' for a job. You'll need to set up a meeting soon, he wants the person by tonight. Wasn't interested myself, but you may want to look into it. The number is 3548080."
"Now, is there anything else I can do for you?"
"Nope," says Ben as he stands. "Thanks Wrench, I owe ya one."
"Three," replies Wrench. He holds up the visible hand, sticking up two fingers (he's put the paper and coffee down), "There's a twenty thousand dollar contract out on your head, not including travel expenses. Its open, I haven't picked it up, so you don't have to worry about coming up with a better offer. For now anyway." He sticks up a third finger. "I heard about it a year ago from Moritz Vetter, so if you were planning on looking him up I would advise against it."
Ben has no idea who Moritz Vetter is - he likely works above Ben's circle if he gives out contracts to people like Wrench.
"Sonofabitch," swears Ben, shaking his head in disbelief. "A year ago? I'm surprised nobody's tried to cash in. I guess I owe ya another one... or two. I'll try to stay alive long enough for you to collect. How's that for payback? See ya around Wrench."
"Three," repeats Wrench. "One for the job leads, one for the warning, one for the name. Take care of yourself, my boy."
Ben scans the room -- yes, there's a telephone over by the bathroom. He walks over and starts dialing. Needless to say, Ben's calling the number Wrench gave him. The phone rings five times. There is a click and a beep.
"Yeah, I got this number from a business associate," says Ben. "He says you might be looking for someone special for a job." Ben pauses a few seconds to see if anyone picks up.
There is a click and a woman's voice says "Hello?" Her pronunciation is halting and somewhat nasal, as though she has some sort of speech impediment.
"Yeah, is this the right number? Is the job still open?" asks Ben.
"Y.. y... y.. yyyeeeessssss," the woman answers. She then painstakingly recites an address in Sunken: 1675 Dear Road, section B. "Ccc... cccome aaat s... s... seven o'clock t... toni.. ni... ni... night."
"I'll be there," says Ben, and then hangs up the phone.
"Sure, Li," Ghishu answers, "what will you have? How about one of those herbal teas?"
"I'm up for the Emir's feast! Bring it on!" Li replies with a grin.
Ghishu's face take over a slightly shocked expression. He then takes another look at Li's thin and fragile body and tries to figure out how can this body even think it can consume a two-person meal. As he gets up to place the order, he turns to Li with a questioning look and says, "Are you sure you're up to it? I mean, it's probably a BIG dish."
"You're gonna split it with me, aintcha Burger?"
Ghishu walks to the bar, and says to the man behind it. "Please also add the Emir's Feast to our order." Turning to Leo he explains, "This is for Li. I will pay for it."
"Like hell you will, Burger!" Li chimes in. "What are you, stupid? Save your cash -- you'll be eating out of dumpsters soon enough without blowing it all on a date!"
At Gishu's request, the Guy Behind the Bar stops stroking the cat, and hangs his head with a sigh. He looks up at him with a somewhat pained look on his face. "Are you sure you want the Emir's Feast? I mean, I'm pretty much on my own today... well," he looks down at the cat, "'sides kitty here. Listen, if you REALLY want it, I'll go ahead and make it, but..."
Leo's face lights up when he sees the cat. "Oooh, another Kitty!" he exclaims, playfully poking Kaila's shoulder. He leans across the counter and advances his hand cautiously towards the calico cat, to see how the feline will react to him. "Hello, pretty..." he murmurs.
"Leo stop that, you promised!" Kitty says, smiling playfully. She props her elbows on the counter and happily looks at the cat with her face in her hands, listening to the conversations about her.
Leo seems entirely oblivious to the fact that the guy who is going to prepare their dinners and drinks is currently petting a cat in an eating establishment. Were he to reflect upon the matter, he would surely agree that hygiene laws in Al Amarja differ markedly from those of North America, though not necessarily from those of many other Mediterranean countries. Fortunately, Leo is well-traveled and not too picky...
"I'm looking for a friend of mine, an artist who moved to Al Amarja," he explains to The Guy while trying to woo the cat. "I was hoping Ms. Stuidhuist might help me to find my friend. Also," he confesses with a grin, "I need a job myself, and I could use pointers and contacts."
Ghishu, Li, Bruce and Ben all stare in horror. Just what the hell is it about cats anyway that makes people go all gaa-gaa over them? Wretched little creatures!1
All the attention the cat has been getting has brightened The Guy Behind the Counter up considerably from the mood that Gishu's request seemed to have put him in... He puts the cat on the counter so that she can introduce herself. He continues with Leo, "Like I said, she's in and out. There's hardly any night where I don't see her here..." A pained look appears on his face, "Oh, not again..."
He sneezes.
"Uh, yeah." He shakes his head, "She's a pretty cool person." He says this as he stares emptily at his computer screen.
"What are you allergic to?" Leo asks The Guy, curious. "I sure hope it's not cats?"
The Guy Behind the Counter looks at Leo in horror, which then turns to some semblance of anger. "I'm pretty sure its the pollen," he says pointedly as he picks up the cat and moves it out of Leo's reach. Turning back to Gishu and in an annoyed sort of tone: "So, are you sure you still want the feast? Like I said, it's kinda a pain in the ass... If I had more help today..." His face brightens up and suddenly, he seems happy again, "Hey, how about this; if you DON'T get the feast I'll throw in another hour of computer time for free, on me." He looks at Gishu as if this is one offer he couldn't refuse.
Ghishu apparently goes into some sort of inner struggle with himself, at the end of which he appoligetically tells the man behind the counter: "Sorry, but I really want the dish."
The Guy starts back in surprise, shakes his head, looks back at Gishu, sighs, mutters to himself in wonderment, puts down the cat and, finally, with occasional glances of confusion at Gishu and continual muttering (he seems to be having an entire conversation), moves to the espresso machine where he starts on the orders. (breath).
Menwhile, an effect of insult washes over Kitty's face slightly, and she turns her back to the bar and cruises the room with her eyes. Hmm Ben still talking to the gentlemen with the newspaper, group of cohorts talking among themselves. Leaning over and whispering to Leo: "Umm Leo, are you any help in the kitchen or counter? Maybe you could apply here, have a better chance to check things out?"
Leo frowns as The Guy pulls the calico cat away. He glances at Kitty, clearly miffed.
"No, I don't think I have what it takes for the job," he answers Kitty in a mild voice. "I'd rather start by looking in my own field first, just like you did." He waits for the drinks and the food without further attempts to pet the cat or chat with The Guy.
Kitty nods with agreement and again commenting in a hushed voice, "You would probably have a better chance getting lemon juice out of a rock, than info out of these surroundings." She also hangs around to carry drinks when they arrive.
Ben stands, apparently done with his conversation. He steps away from the table with an annoyed look on his face and glances around briefly before noticing a payphone near the bathrooms. Heading across the cafe, he stops in front of the phone and proceeds to make a call.
Everybody but Ben gets back to the table and sits downl. While Ben is talking on the phone the expresso bar guy brings over everyone's drinks.
"Hey Burger!" Li repeats, "You ARE going to eat half aren't you?"
"Well," Ghishu replies, "I will eat some of it, but I don't know if I'm up to eating half of it. It's too early and I'm not used to eating big meals." He then turns to Leo "Leo, you mentioned something about a job at Myron's Gym. Can you tell me more about it?"
Leo shakes his head. "I don't know about the place or whether they're hiring," he answers. "All I know is 'Myron's Gym' sounds like a place where one would expect trainers and other support staff to be hired occasionally. It was on Kitty's list of places to try, so I thought it might be good for you two."
He lifts the small cup holding his turkish coffee and grins widely. "Kitty here doesn't need to try Myron's Gym anymore, and that's why I ordered that round to celebrate. To Kitty and her awesome skill; may she always be as graceful as a cat and as lethal as a panther!"
Kitty raises her glass and her eyebrow towards Leo with a playful look of 'you're going to get your butt kicked'. "Amen to that!" she takes a sip from her drink. "Hopefully next time the winning will be in your favor, Hop Sing chef!"
Ben hangs up the phone and rejoins the others. Sitting down at the table, he positions himself to get the best view of the cafe and its other patrons. He looks a bit on edge.
Kitty's jibe only makes Leo grin even wider. He entertains himself by juggling silverware for a moment while they wait for the food, then gives it up. He takes another sip of the rich, almost syrupy turkish coffee.
"You may be right about the employment potential here, though," he remarks to Kitty. "Does anyone else here think it strange that such a place would have only one employee as barman, waiter, cook and cashier? It seems rather short-handed to me."
Kitty looks around the cybercafe in a gruff and nods her head. "I guess they think it's not as busy as it should be." Looking at the taxi drivers, she seems about to ask a question but thinks twice because she does not want to intrude.
Li pipes up, "Maybe someone call in sick? Shit happens."
While Ghishu ponders exactly what sort of date he has gotten himself into, Mr. Expresso begins bringing out meals for the others who ordered. The meals are quite large, and have numerous dishes apiece, though the portions of each dish are generally small. Again, everything is quite good.
Those who poke around on the net will find things pretty much as expected. The homepage of the system is set to a menu for Breakneck, and also lists various artistic performances that are upcoming on Al Amarja.
In the end, everyone who wants to be is stuffed, and everyone who hasn't been eating, drinking, or playing on the net is probably bored practically to the point of homicidal mania. It is Saturday, mid afternoon (say 3:00 pm ish)
Kitty looks at the food and actually believes that it has lost it nutritional value. She sips her drink and smiles. "Leo, did you get those bugs that I needed? If so after we finished I think we," nodding to Ghishu "should head out and at least try a couple of places for you two".
Kitty then proceeds to excuse herself from the table and walks up to the bar again. "Excuse me, cool cat, can I speak to you for a second?"
Ghishu looks at Leo and says, "Leo, looks like we won't find Sigourney Stuidhuist here. At least not at this time." Turning to Ben: "You know a few people around here, right? Maybe you know someone who can help Leo find Serena?"
Turning towards Kitty at the counter, he asks her, "Leo told me you had a couple of places you wanted to check out for a job. Do you mind sharing them with me? It seems like we are both looking for the same kind of job and I really don't know where to go next".
Kitty asks the counter guy, "Excuse me, other than this establishment are there any other places that an art enthusiest might hang out at?"
She then turns to talk to Ghishu. "Leo has a better list than I do, but I'm sure we could scope something out." She then looks at Ben and smiles
Leo seems to be holding an internal debate; his frown is almost a scowl. Finally, in an uncharacteristic show of resolustion, he pushes his chair away from the table, although he remains seated.
"No. This doesn't work," he says, as if answering a question no one asked. He pulls the pictures out of his wallet again and leans forward, looking at Li with intensity. "Li, do you think you could circulate copies of those pictures among the cabbies, and tell everyone I'll give a reward to anyone who helps me find this person?" He shows her the pictures. "Of course, I'd pay you for your trouble."
"Whoa, hold on there a minute big guy," says Ben. "You should think twice before makin' this public knowledge. If yer operatin' under the assumption that Serena's in trouble, then being so obvious about yer search will most likely increase her danger. Worse than that, there may be someone out there who doesn't want you to find her. That could put yer nuts in a vise. I'd suggest that you be as subtle as possible. The less there are of those who know yer searchin' for her the better."
"But hey," he says throwing up his hands. "That's just my two cents. You can put her face on the side of a milk carton if ya want."
Kitty looks at Leo with a suprised yet saddened face. "Leo, he's right, you have to keep your cool, guy. Posting a profit out on the streets is like painting a bullseye on your dear friend."
Leo gives a long look to Ben, then to Kitty, then Li. He finally picks up the pictures and puts them away, and slumps into his chair, head down. "You're probably right," he murmurs. "I'm out of ideas."
"Listen Leo," says Kitty, "I know it seems endless but this is not the only place that the -" looking around the room and frowning "- artistic crowd hangs around. While we look for work situations, we can check out the community."
"What? Ya didn't really expect ta walk in here and find Serena sittin' at a table did ya? Look," says Ben. "Ya had the right idea lookin' up Stuidhuist. At the very least she should be able ta give ya a lead or two. Don't give up on her so easily. If I were you, I'd walk back over there to the counter and talk ta Sneezy again. And this time be a little more persistent. At least get a damn phone number."
Leo looks at The Guy and frowns. "He hasn't been much help," he comments dryly. "Let's see if inanimate objects can be more helpful."
He gets up and walks over to the phone Ben used a while ago to look at the phone book. He looks up the name 'Stuidhuist' in both the residential and business pages. Then he walks back towards the computers and logs on to search the local pages. As long as he's there, he takes a few minutes to search for other potential locations where an artist like Serena - or himself - might look for work.
There is no "Stuidhuist" listed in the Al Amarja phone book. Said book, incidentally, has a surprisingly thin set of residential listings for such a large city. Similarly, a web search turns up no listings of "Stuidhuist" at all, even using Dogpile. Only one vaguely performance art sort of place springs up in Leo's web search. "THE BLACK DEATH THEATER TROUPE, 2317½ Varicose Lane, Flowers Barrio." No telephone number listed. In addition D'Aubainne University has some sort of Arts program, but there isn't much info on the web site.
Finally, Leo walks back to the counter where The Guy still sits. "Are you awake?" he asks. He scoops up the cat to see if that will get The Guy riled up again.
Expresso guy seems to take no notice whatsoever of either Kitty or Leo.
In fact, he doesn't seem to be taking much notice of anything at all.
Doesn't seem to be moving much.
Not blinking either.
The lack of breathing is worrisome too.
To Be Continued...