Noon rolled around with a beating sun. The children had long given up their games and chases for the cooler confines of their houses. Sylvie was gathering up her things on her desk when she heard a young woman speak to her from the front of her booth.
"Excuse me."
"May I help you?" Sylvie said, smiling. There were two women actually. One was a short woman in her early twenties with dark black hair that was so glossy that at times had a purplish sheen. She was dressed in a dusty white jacket or blouse. The other woman was much taller with long light brown hair that came past her shoulders. She was wearing a dusty yellow overcoat and a tie.
"I'm not sure if you can help us." The shorter woman said in a disheartened manner. "We're looking for someone."
"Oh, maybe I can help you." Sylvie said. "Who are you looking for?"
"We're looking for a woman named Sylvie."
Sylvie stared blankly at the two women staring back at her. Why would anyone be looking for her? Maybe it was another Sylvie they wanted. But maybe they were looking for her. Sylvie quickly collected herself. "Do you have a description or a picture of her? That would really help."
"We actually have a picture of her. It's not the original, but it's still a picture." The shorter woman said digging through her bag. "It's a picture of her when she was a child." The woman straightened up and slid the picture across the booth desk to Sylvie.
Sylvie stared at the picture in disbelief. The picture showed her, Sylvie, when she was six years old. Her hair had been much longer than it was now, but the eyes were exactly the same as they were now; sparkling blue eyes. This was the same picture Sylvie had given Vash all those years ago.
Sylvie grasped the picture in trembling fingers before backing away from the desk and walking out of sight. The shorter woman called desperately into the empty teller booth. "Please come back! I didn't mean to offend you in any way! We need that picture back! We have to find and talk to Sylvie!"
"You didn't offend me." Sylvie said quietly as she walked in the bank carrying the picture and her work bag. "It's just that it's been a long time since I've last seen this picture. I remember giving it to him all those years ago."
"So, you are Sylvie?" The taller woman asked.
"Of course, she is, Millie! Haven't you been listening to anything to anything she's said?" The shorter woman cried.
"Why don't we talk about everything over lunch?" Sylvie asked.
"That's a wonderful idea!" The shorter woman exclaimed. "By the way, my name is Meryl and this is my partner Millie. We're from the Bernardali Insurance Society."
"We're disaster investigators." Millie said brightly.
"I'm pleased to meet you two." Sylvie said. "I know of a great little outdoor café that we could eat lunch at."
"All right, let's go!" Millie squealed happily, clapping her hands together gleefully. The three women walked down the dusty road under the warm sun to the café.