Roman stalked down the dark streets of Port Sanus, a swagger in his step and a smirk on his face. Street lamps filled the sidewalks with blotches of light in between the darkness of the city.
Stepping into the park, Roman checked the time.
10:35 pm.
He was exactly 5 minutes late, that should put the man he was meeting on edge.
Perfect.
Nearing the meeting point, he slowed into a stroll, Melodic Cudgel clacking against the sidewalk rhythmically as he walked up to the man he was meeting with.
Sitting down next to the man and lighting a cigar, Roman was content to sit still and take a couple of puffs.
"W-weren't you locked up by Atlas after some attack on Vale a couple months back?" the wiry man with dark hair and a little stubble on his chin next to him stammered. His eyes danced nervously around the area though he still gave Roman his attention.
Roman took a another puff of his cigar, making the tip glow orange in the darkness. "I was" Roman said with a smirk "But obviously since I'm here with you that didn't work out too well for them."
The man gulped "Did you take part in that whole Vale attack I saw on the news, the one that knocked out the CCT?"
Roman sighed, ignoring the question. "Ferris, we're here for a reason."
"Right! Sorry" Ferris wiped his forehead. "What did you need?"
Roman handed him a piece of paper, listing several kinds of dust.
Taking a moment to look it over, Ferris looked visibly relieved "That's it? Some dust?"
"Flip it over Ferris."
Ferris paled at what he read on the other side of the paper "Where am I supposed to get that much lien by tomorrow Roman?"
"Doesn't have to be yours. Just get it, though I would advise against anything stupid like a bank robbery." Roman drawled, still puffing on his cigar.
Ferris thought about it for a second then nodded. Then after reading the last item on the list he looked over at Roman once more, though more out of confusion. "What do you need that for?"
"Ah ah ah" Roman waggled his finger in Ferris's face "I'm afraid that's above your pay-grade."
Roman let out a chuckle before continuing. "Though since I'm a nice guy, I'll give you a little more friendly advice. Don't get caught when retrieving that information, or you'll end up dealing with people that are far less...reasonable."
Ferris simple nodded gravely.
"Well, that's it Ferris." Roman said as he stood up. "I'll tell you our next meeting place tomorrow at 9pm. Bring everything on that list to the meeting spot at 10 pm and all your favors will be paid off."
Ferris breathed a sigh of relief at that, got up, and walked in the opposite direction as Roman.
As Roman strolled back to the Inn, he sighed to himself. It was a shame to use up all his favors from Ferris like that. In this business favors were golden. In reality they were more like debts. It gave you leverage over someone, power. Nobody wanted to owe favors to Roman Torchwick, though many still did. 'It worked out though, this is probably the best use I have for Ferris anyways.'
As he was finally made his way back to the Sanus Sunset Hotel, he saw something he wasn't prepared for. Or more accurately someone.
Hazel jogged across the sidewalk to meet him right in front of the hotel's entrance. "Hey Roman!"
"Oh! Hi Hazel, what are you doing out here?" Roman, still completely caught off guard, was essentially in conversational autopilot.
"Actually, I was waiting for you."
Shit.
In response he simply raised an eyebrow, prompting her to continue her explanation.
"I just saw you leave your room, I was gunna join you, but I didn't know where you went." She elaborated with a smile.
Roman flashed her a smile "Sorry, I didn't realize you wanted to tag along."
"It's fine. So where did you head off to?"
"Well I decided that I should go get that dust instead of pawning off the job to you guys. So I walked around to find a dust shop, but they all seemed closed. I was already out so I decided to see what Port Sanus has to offer" he accentuated his words with a sweep of his cane towards the shops, restaurants, and clubs that were glittering in the evening down the road.
"Cool! Find anything noteworthy?" Hazel said with just a little too much excitement.
He responded with a shrug "There's certainly plenty to see. You kids might like one of the clubs or maybe some window shopping."
Before she could ask anymore questions Roman spoke up again "Well nice to talk to you Hazel, I'll make sure to ask you if you want to tag along next time I take a walk. I'll see you in the morning" He gave her another smile before strolling into the hotel.
Making his way back up to the room, Roman's face soon turned to a scowl. She was getting suspicious, he could tell. Luckily, as far as he knew, she had nothing to back up any suspicions. 'Oh well, I only have to get through another day and they'll be behind me. I can stave her off until then'
Hazel racked her brain to figure out what was bothering her as she continued to stand outside the hotel. She had seen Roman leave his room as she walked out to grab ice for her room. Curiosity getting the better of her, she had followed him outside, but quickly lost him in the evening crowd.
He hadn't done anything wrong, and her questioning had turned up that he had a perfectly legitimate reason for being out. He hadn't even seemed worried by her questioning. Besides being a little surprised in finding her waiting for him, he seemed pretty much like he always did. She hadn't noticed any strange dirt on his shoes, or anything else indicating he had been lying.
So why did she still feel like there was something he wasn't telling her?
Shivering slightly as a sea breeze picked up, she turned and headed inside. 'I'm being ridiculous' she thought as she took the elevator up to her floor.
'Still...I'll keep an eye on him'
