"You know, this place seems to get darker every time I see it," said Squall
as he and Jace entered the Deling City Hotel's dimly lit lobby.
"Pretty perky place, isn't it?" remarked Jace.
"May I help you?" asked the receptionist sweetly from behind the counter. Jace smiled and walked over to her.
"Yes you may," he said. He held up the photo of Hernandez. "You ever seen this guy?" The young woman looked at the photo with a smile on her face. When she saw the picture, however, the smile dropped off her face and she pushed it away.
"I've never seen him before," she said in an icy voice. Jace looked closely at the woman.
"Something tells me that you lying. Am I right?" The woman glared at Jace, then flopped into the desk chair behind her, all the hatred gone from her face.
"Alright. Yes, you're right. I was lying. I do know that sneaky little bastard."
"Sounds you don't really like him at the moment," remarked Squall, stepping up beside Jace.
"You!" said the lady with excitement. "You're famous here! Come in, come in!" Squall turned to Jace with a smile.
"Guess being famous has some perks." He turned back to the lady. "I might just do that, but for now, I'd like for you to give us some information."
"Alright, what do you want to know about him? What's he done now?"
"First, I'd like to know your name."
"Tanya," replied the woman.
"Okay, Tanya, we just need to know where he is," said Jace. The woman looked down at her lap, then back up at Jace.
"I don't know where he is, I haven't seen him for a few days."
"Did you know that he escaped from a mental asylum a few days ago?" Tanya looked at Jace in shock.
"That's where he was? That bastard told me he was in the Caribbean! I should've known he was lying!" She sent her arms angrily across her desk and sent a huge pile of paper flying into a wall.
"Easy," said Jace. "Is there anything you can tell us that might help?" "Yeah. He told me he got a hotel a couple of nights ago in Balamb, something about liking the school."
"I thought you didn't know where he was," said Tanya. "He told me after he'd changed the place where he was. He called me on the phone to tell me."
"Do you know why?" asked Squall.
"No idea," replied Tanya. She suddenly looked at Jace. "Do I know you?"
"I doubt it," said Jace, turning his head away.
"No, I'm sure I met you when I was going out with Tony."
"No! You don't know me and I don't know you!" said Jace, walking out of the room. The woman moved back a little.
"I'm sure I know him," she said to Squall.
"Don't worry, I'm sure he just—," Squall's statement was cut off by a loud crash.
"Squall! Company!" shouted Jace from the outside. Squall took out his Lionheart gunblade and ran outside, his age not slowing him down one bit. He reached the street and found Jace moving backwards, parrying attack after attack from five people at the one time. Squall turned and found five more rushing towards him. He brought up his gunblade as one of the men threw a knife at him. Squall knocked it into his hand, then threw it back at the man, who dropped to the ground. The others quickly surrounded him, but he fought his way through. Jace meanwhile, was attacking his assailants in a blurred frenzy. With every hit that he took, his eyes glowed brighter and brighter. Suddenly, one of his attackers, using a whip, hit him in the face, and Jace dropped to the ground, his body quivering. He screwed his eyes up and started screaming in pain. Suddenly, he stopped, and got to his feet, his eyes still closed. His attackers, who had stopped when he started screaming, laughed at the foolishness of Jace having closed eyes, and moved forward. Suddenly, Jace opened his eyes and flames erupted out of them, which quickly made his hair catch fire. Jace growled, and lunged forward, catching his first attacker in the chest with his sword. He then spun and used his momentum to throw the dead man into another attacker, and kept going until he had hacked his way through a third. The other two attacked at the same time, and Jace jumped into the air and kicked them both, one foot at each man, and knocked them flying into the wall of the hotel. Squall and his attackers has stopped to watch the events unfold, as they were caught by surprise when Jace ran at them and attacked, taking out all four remaining men in less than three seconds. Squall stared at Jace as he stood motionless, then dropped to his knees. The flames slowly died out, and Squall moved over to touch his friend on the shoulder.
"You alright?" asked Squall, wanting to find out what had happened to him.
"Yeah," said Jace, standing up slowly. Jace turned around and his face became cocky again. "We have to move. Someone knows what we're doing, and they sent these assholes after us. We have to be quick." Squall nodded.
"Let's go," he said. "We need to go back to Garden for tonight. Things took a little longer than I expected. We'll get back to this in the morning." Jace nodded and headed to the car.
"Pretty perky place, isn't it?" remarked Jace.
"May I help you?" asked the receptionist sweetly from behind the counter. Jace smiled and walked over to her.
"Yes you may," he said. He held up the photo of Hernandez. "You ever seen this guy?" The young woman looked at the photo with a smile on her face. When she saw the picture, however, the smile dropped off her face and she pushed it away.
"I've never seen him before," she said in an icy voice. Jace looked closely at the woman.
"Something tells me that you lying. Am I right?" The woman glared at Jace, then flopped into the desk chair behind her, all the hatred gone from her face.
"Alright. Yes, you're right. I was lying. I do know that sneaky little bastard."
"Sounds you don't really like him at the moment," remarked Squall, stepping up beside Jace.
"You!" said the lady with excitement. "You're famous here! Come in, come in!" Squall turned to Jace with a smile.
"Guess being famous has some perks." He turned back to the lady. "I might just do that, but for now, I'd like for you to give us some information."
"Alright, what do you want to know about him? What's he done now?"
"First, I'd like to know your name."
"Tanya," replied the woman.
"Okay, Tanya, we just need to know where he is," said Jace. The woman looked down at her lap, then back up at Jace.
"I don't know where he is, I haven't seen him for a few days."
"Did you know that he escaped from a mental asylum a few days ago?" Tanya looked at Jace in shock.
"That's where he was? That bastard told me he was in the Caribbean! I should've known he was lying!" She sent her arms angrily across her desk and sent a huge pile of paper flying into a wall.
"Easy," said Jace. "Is there anything you can tell us that might help?" "Yeah. He told me he got a hotel a couple of nights ago in Balamb, something about liking the school."
"I thought you didn't know where he was," said Tanya. "He told me after he'd changed the place where he was. He called me on the phone to tell me."
"Do you know why?" asked Squall.
"No idea," replied Tanya. She suddenly looked at Jace. "Do I know you?"
"I doubt it," said Jace, turning his head away.
"No, I'm sure I met you when I was going out with Tony."
"No! You don't know me and I don't know you!" said Jace, walking out of the room. The woman moved back a little.
"I'm sure I know him," she said to Squall.
"Don't worry, I'm sure he just—," Squall's statement was cut off by a loud crash.
"Squall! Company!" shouted Jace from the outside. Squall took out his Lionheart gunblade and ran outside, his age not slowing him down one bit. He reached the street and found Jace moving backwards, parrying attack after attack from five people at the one time. Squall turned and found five more rushing towards him. He brought up his gunblade as one of the men threw a knife at him. Squall knocked it into his hand, then threw it back at the man, who dropped to the ground. The others quickly surrounded him, but he fought his way through. Jace meanwhile, was attacking his assailants in a blurred frenzy. With every hit that he took, his eyes glowed brighter and brighter. Suddenly, one of his attackers, using a whip, hit him in the face, and Jace dropped to the ground, his body quivering. He screwed his eyes up and started screaming in pain. Suddenly, he stopped, and got to his feet, his eyes still closed. His attackers, who had stopped when he started screaming, laughed at the foolishness of Jace having closed eyes, and moved forward. Suddenly, Jace opened his eyes and flames erupted out of them, which quickly made his hair catch fire. Jace growled, and lunged forward, catching his first attacker in the chest with his sword. He then spun and used his momentum to throw the dead man into another attacker, and kept going until he had hacked his way through a third. The other two attacked at the same time, and Jace jumped into the air and kicked them both, one foot at each man, and knocked them flying into the wall of the hotel. Squall and his attackers has stopped to watch the events unfold, as they were caught by surprise when Jace ran at them and attacked, taking out all four remaining men in less than three seconds. Squall stared at Jace as he stood motionless, then dropped to his knees. The flames slowly died out, and Squall moved over to touch his friend on the shoulder.
"You alright?" asked Squall, wanting to find out what had happened to him.
"Yeah," said Jace, standing up slowly. Jace turned around and his face became cocky again. "We have to move. Someone knows what we're doing, and they sent these assholes after us. We have to be quick." Squall nodded.
"Let's go," he said. "We need to go back to Garden for tonight. Things took a little longer than I expected. We'll get back to this in the morning." Jace nodded and headed to the car.