Any Way You Want It
1408 words
1408 words
Lottie had been relieved to get a summons from Eden, especially when Janus had told her that Igne Ebrius and most of the housing Eden owned was still standing and in good shape. The idea of lodging and a hot shower was appealing.
Of course, the spurii knew she was only being offered such luxuries in exchange for some service, but that didn't matter. Lottie grinned at the enlil leading her and listened to idle chatter about goings ons without complaint. Working with Eden often lead to interesting discoveries, and there was a chance she might learn something related to her latest case, or even better something to do with putting down those demons once and for all.
She hardly remembered being lead to a house not too far from Igne Ebrius and being given a room. Lottie sequestered herself in the room she had been offered, barely taking note of the time she was expected to meet with Eden, and immediately began to strip. The agent nudged her discarded clothing into a pile near the bed and headed for the shower. The bathroom was stocked with soaps, shampoos, conditioners, and lotions, all of which were ones Lottie liked. It spoke as much of Eden’s good taste as it did of the relative safety of the inner parts of Terminus.
The hot water and scent of steam and soap washed away the busy thoughts and speculation almost instantly. The dark skinned woman sighed as she lathered her skin. After the emotional roller coaster she'd been on and the taxing fights, it was heavenly to relax. After her shower, Lottie checked the armoire opposite the bed and found clean clothes to slip into. Shortly after, she laid down for a nap.
A few hours later, Lottie sat across from Eden and Parker in Eden's office. The ornate desk that had once been there was gone, replaced by a low table. There was a new rug, probably to hide quick repair work to the floor, and low stools replaced the chairs.
Eden waited patiently for Lottie to glance around the room; the younger spurii liked to catalogue her surroundings and the business woman could appreciate the attention to detail.
“So,” Lottie drawled, dragging out the word as her dark brown eyes lifted slowly to meet Eden’s bright blue ones. Her breath caught a little in her chest. Eden was a striking figure and fascinating. Now, however, was not the time to be distracted. The agent cleared her throat. “I see your place held up well.”
“So it did. The demon attacks weren’t as severe in this part of Lupanar. We also had quite the defenses.” Eden’s expression became more strained. “We also lost quite a few of our beasts.”
“Ah.” The agent nodded.
“Although Lupanar District is closer to the center of Terminus and went mostly unscathed, a few smaller groups of demons made their way to parts of this district,” Parker explained. “They were mostly minor or moderately dangerous demons, but they were quite adept at causing structural damage. I imagine your neighborhood was impacted more severely...”
“Yes,” Eden cut in when Parker trailed off, “you were difficult to find, Janus tells me. Did you run into trouble?”
“Trouble ran inna me, more like,” Lottie replied with a hint of irritation, accent growing a bit stronger. “They tore up my place.”
“The destruction was worse out where you, live, wasn’t it?” the magenta skinned woman said, sounding sympathetic. It was the closest Eden had come to offering comfort or empathy to anyone in a long time.
“Yeah...” Lottie tried to smile, but the expression faltered. “Do you know anything about where they came from?”
“No.” Eden frowned. “However, I’ve heard rumors that large amounts of people from the Conexus and Arcanum have been travelling across Terminus. They might be going to respond to the the threat of demon attacks.”
“We are interested in seeing these demons contained, but we also have other concerns,” Parker added.
Lottie nodded and looked at her hands. While she was glad for a lead, the agent knew she wouldn't necessarily be able to pursue it right away. Eden never called on her unless she wanted something. The dark skinned woman assumed she would have to do a favor for Eden before pursuing information about fighting demons.
When the younger woman didn't respond, the business woman continued, “I know you've also been on a mission to find someone... I caught wind of his location and thought I'd give you a push in the right direction, for a favor of course.”
Lottie narrowed her eyes. “What do you want?”
“I just need you to deliver a message and keep an eye out for a young woman who I've heard a lot about.”
Parker slid a folder across the table. “We cannot quite discuss all the details right now and our plans are not completely defined. You are quite resourceful, and we are confident that you will be able to figure out what we know about certain individuals along with details we may have missed. Once some questions and uncertainties have been resolved, we may request you to take further action.”
The agent flipped it open and briefly scanned its contents. She froze when she noticed a familiar face on a wanted poster. “I just met with her...” Lottie looked at Eden with a mixture of confusion and suspicion on her face. “What do you need her for?”
The magenta skinned woman smiled, baring sharp teeth. “Don't worry about it. Go over the details in your folder more carefully and it should tell you what you need to know to get started. Besides, I'm funding your investigation.”
Judging by Eden’s expression, Lottie determined that the other woman knew full well that those were the magic words. The business woman was not the kind to provide people aiding her with inadequate resources.
“Alright.” Lottie closed the folder and set it in her lap. Despite her suspicions, the offer was too tempting; Lottie wasn't one to examine a gift shark's teeth too carefully. The information Eden had dropped into her lap was useful and the funding would be more than enough to explore, research, and chase after her targets to her heart’s content.
“Did you rest well?” Eden inquired, changing the topic.
“I did... thank you.” Lottie sighed. The woman across from her wanted to know how soon Lottie could get to work. Part of her wished the business woman would show a little more genuine concern. “I should be able to head out tomorrow.”
“Good. Don't hesitate to take anything you need before you go.”
Eden stood and leaned over once she was next to Lottie to set down a coin purse. “I really do, mean it. I encourage you to make good use of your budget.”
“I will.” Lottie tried not to get too flustered at Eden's face being so close.
“Good.” Eden straightened up, pulling away. “You should return as soon as possible with any news.” The business woman left the room without a proper goodbye, looking entirely too self satisfied.
Lottie held back a groan and sent Parker a plaintive look. Eden was always dangling things she wanted in her face to get her way, tugging the spurii along on a string. Sometimes, Lottie didn’t know if she liked being one of Eden’s favorite agents more than it frustrated her.
“You should get some more rest, perhaps eat,” was all the demvir offered. “Eden is distracted by this latest set of machinations, but I am sure if you took a detour to accompany the effort to finish of the demons at their source, she would appreciate it. You could take Janus with you. She has a way with taming creatures.”
“Ain't that like playing with fire?” Lottie frowned.
“Perhaps. But I'm sure we could find uses for a few demons besides using them in the arena.”
Lottie rolled her eyes and stood. “Right,” the dark skinned spurii drawled. “You are up to somethin’. You're lucky I'm too tired to worry 'bout it. I think I'm hungry.”
Parker merely waved as the curvy woman left.
The agent grumbled to herself about schemers being up to no good while she made her way towards the kitchen. Nothing was ever simple when Eden and Parker were involved. Lottie decided that she could worry about it after raiding Eden's kitchen for a cup of coffee and a good sandwich.