A man walked by the small palace, a dark blue kimono covering his body as he looked around the small city of Takayama, Japan. He obviously wasn't Asian, his sun kissed skin giving away any cover he had in this country. But what he lacked in looks, he made up in language and skill. He was tasked with the objective of finding a small coffee house in the middle of this town, in which he had no idea even existed until 48 hours ago, while he was being briefed on his task. He was to find his target, and interrogate them until he got the information he needed.
But, finding the coffee house was easier said than done.
This man's name was Lance McClain. He was 21 years of age, and a CIA agent from America. He was taller than most, if not all, of the people he passed. A few kids ran passed him, looking up to the tall male as they passed, a small boy stopping for a second to study his features. Along with the sun kissed skin, he had a bit of stubble on his chin. His eyes were copper, like a new penny. They stood out more than anything on him, the spheres showing secrets that he'd much rather keep secrets, his auburn hair tucked back into a large hat. A girl mumbled some things in hushed Japanese to a few of the boys, but that was no problem for Lance.
"Who is he?"
Lance groaned quietly, continuing on with his journey. He didn't want to get involved with anyone unless he really needed to, which was hard for him. He loved talking to natives from different countries, especially in their mother tongue. It was probably his favourite thing to do when he was on these missions. But, he was given strict orders by his employer not to get involved with anyone unless he was in dire need of help.
Which didn't make things easy, considering all of the buildings around him looked exactly the same. No signs, not a piece of paper to show the difference in anything in sight. The tanned man groaned once more, as he decided to go up to the last outcropping of wood and paper-thin sheet, opening the door. He cleared his throat, the few people inside looking over to him. "Does anyone know where there might be a coffee house around here?" He asked in clear Japanese that sounded like he had spoken it since birth.
A woman, who looked to be at least 80, stood from her seat on the floor, walking over to him to inspect him. After a few moments, this woman smiled, taking his hand gently. "Your eyes look pained, even though the happiness you portray..." She told him in hushed Japanese. She gently pulled him towards her seat, handing him a cup of what looked to be green tea. "You wish to know where Shirogane's Coffee House is? I will take you there as soon as I am finished with my tea." She watched Lance as he took a small sip of the tea, handing it back to her. "You see, that coffee house is a well kept secret from the outside world..." She told him, her voice hushed. The woman looked around to the others, smiling back to him. "But, you look like you have questions. I may be able to answer them."
Lance smiled gently to her, sitting on his knees next to her. "Well... I would very much appreciate if you did answer a few questions for me..." He grabbed a small black book from a small bag he had on under his kimono, pulling out a pencil. He turned to a page which showed a small map of the city. "I just need you to circle where that coffee house would be on this map. Then I will leave you nice people to continue your day." He kept the smile up, but in his eyes shone impatience and slight annoyance. He tried to hide it as best he could. but that small glint didn't escape this old woman. She stood up, taking the book gently. She hummed gently as she circled a small spot near the entrance of the city. "Go here." Is all she said before giving him a dismissive look, like she was done with him. Lance took this as the opportunity to leave the inhabitants of the tea shoppe to what they were doing.