"What's your pleasure?" The bartender leans up against the counter with a slick smile as he glances to the group of Samurai before him. Oddly dressed Hunters were a dime a dozen around here—any and all of them attempting to give themselves a uniqueness while using whatever supplies they can scavenge together. The weirder, the more memorable you are—and the more noticed you get for the lucrative quests.
But the group before him wore nothing that would even protect them. All style, no substance. They didn't strike him as strong when they first came in hours ago, and they don't strike him as strong now.
So it didn't surprise him at all when the man with a firm scowl on his face stepped forward and asked, "Hoy, have you seen our fellow?"
The bartender lifts a hand as he states, "Sorry to hear he's missing. But I can't do anything without a picture, see?"
The two young men and the woman glance to each other. Finally, the second man—tall, with curly brown hair and a neat yellow ascot—awkwardly wrings his hands together. "We have no image of our fellow. However, he is dressed the same as us, and he has long black hair tied behind his head."
Raising his eyebrows, the slouched bartender purses his mouth. "I think I remember him—" The woman of the group's eyes grow large with relief. "—but it was with all of you, hours ago. Sorry. He probably got distracted and wound up somewhere he shouldn't be. None of you look like you know where you're going, if you know what I mean."
He's surprised that comment didn't get them upset.
"Thank you, sir. We'll be off now." The tall man nods, tries a smile—though the smile's busted up—and he turns to leave.
"Please, let us know if you find him," the spiky-haired one hastily adds. He grabs the woman, and the trio leave together.
The bartender sighs and looks to the Hunters sitting at the counter. "None of you have seen a long-haired fellow in a blue coat like that?"
If anyone did, they didn't allude to it as they all look to their drinks and say absolutely nothing.
"Damnation!" Walter yells, kicking the wall outside the Hunter Association. "Where did Flynn go?!"
"Perhaps he noticed something that could lead us to the Black Samurai," Jonathan offers, leaning against the wall his fellow just kicked. "And he merely got lost, like the Unclean One told us." Though if his tone's anything to go by, he doesn't believe his own words as much as Walter doesn't believe them.
With a screw up of his nose, Walter plunks to the floor and shakes his head. "No. If Flynn saw something, he would have told us. He may be in his own head half the time, but he's not an idiot. H-he led us all the way to Ueno, why would he just leave!"
"Do you truly believe Flynn simply left?" Isabeau folds her arms and joins Jonathan against the wall. "I heard talk as we entered this underground facility." She keeps her eyes down as she continues. "The Unclean Ones were afraid of us. Perhaps there is another group here that is a threat to them."
"What? You think Flynn was taken?" Panic floods Walter's voice. "No. He has only been gone a short time—we'll wait here until he returns."
"What if he does not?" Jonathan asks. His companions look at him with a nervous, melancholy stare. Without saying anything, the taller man fiddles with his Gauntlet—and the screen fills with static. "We still cannot reach his Gauntlet." He adds this in a sigh as he clears away the attempted video communication.
"Jonathan, we are not leaving him yet!" Walther says, shoving himself to his feet. "Give him time!"
"I…I do not wish to give up hope, either, Walter, that isn't my point, I just…" He bites his lip and averts his eyes.
Both men look up to Isabeau's waving hand. "We shall be here for him until tomorrow."
Walter exhales. "Hoy, we can't even tell when tomorrow is."
"We have a grasp on time, do we not? Let us continue searching for him until we feel there is nothing more we can do." She pushes herself off the wall and casts a firm stare to the two men. "Flynn needs us. So, shall we go?"
"Go where?" Jonathan asks.
"Anywhere, I suppose…," Walter sighs, heading to the nearest person around them. "Hoy!"
The thick-accented woman swallows hard and shakes her head as she looks to Isabeau, and then Jonathan and Walter, right by her side. "No. No, I haven't seen your friend. But if he's lost, you…you might…"
She sharply looks around the underground tunnel before shoving all of them into a nearby room. As she shuts the door, a Hunter shouts and backs into the wall. The woman, pulling her worn coat closer to her, gives him a look of surprise before shooing him away. Glaring, the man does so—and slams the door behind him, making the woman flinch.
"We can't talk out there. They know everything we say," she whimpers, sitting on a nearby box.
The Samurai glance to each other, and after a long string of silence, Jonathan speaks up. "Who?"
"You don't know?" she asks with surprise. "Where did you live to not know them?"
"Who?" Walter asks—with far more impatience.
Her eyes move to the dirty floor, to her hands, wrung in her lap. Finally, the name slips from her mouth in a hushed whisper. "The Ashura-kai. They protect us until people disappear."
"Are you implying they abduct people?" Isabeau gives the woman a concerned look.
"Shh!" After sharply sweeping her wide stare around the room, the woman shakes her head. She won't look any of the Samurai in the eyes. "M-maybe not…," she offers. "Perhaps they just…can't watch everyone… And someone steps outside and… Anyway, your friend is probably, um, probably gone. I'm sorry, I—"
"Wait!" Walter shouts—but the woman bursts past them all to the door, which she tears open so quickly the Casualry doesn't even get a chance to go after her. He growls. "That was more than suspicious, I harken she has something to do with Flynn's disappearance!"
Slumping his shoulders, Jonathan rubs his arms and sighs. "No. She only seemed frightened."
Walter glances at him as if he just uttered blasphemy.
"Well…" Isabeau sighs. "Shall we keep looking?"
The two boys exchange glances before reluctantly nodding.