Silver landed on the sidewalk and paid no attention to the humans watching him. He strolled over to the detective agency door and walked inside.
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He walked into their conversation. "-are so much brighter now. They won't bring up our electric bill, will they?"
The fox shook his head, "Actually, it's going to bring it down from now on."
"Wow, and you did it with just a paper clip?"
"Hiya Silver!" The bee flew around the hedgehog. "Where's Espio?"
Vector and Tails turned to him.
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"We followed the messenger to a warehouse." He closed the door behind him. He could already feel the strain from the flight alone. "She was tasked to find Jon by Canstella himself. Espio is following her and her partner at the moment." He spoke quickly. "Tails, I need the device." He started to get dizzy, but held onto the back of a chair.
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"Oh, alright!" He grabbed the device off Vector's desk and handed it over to Silver. "This is it, huh?"
Vector saw the way he held onto the chair. "You don't look so good. Nervous?" He understood the intensity of the situation. The Mafia was nothing to fuck with. He knew Espio could escape if he slipped up, but he wasn't sure about this hedgehog.
Trevor pushed the door of the bar in, not really noting whether or not it shut into Saima's face. God, what a dump. He knew at least four of the people here were homewreckers and one of the girls advertised herself as a sugar baby for hire. He wasn't sure how that worked out since she was still sitting on the same lonely stool.
Espio looked around. He'd never been in this part of town; none of his missions ever called for it, thankfully. Seeing as it was a little cramped, he had to be more careful.
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Silver nodded meekly to Tails as he gripped the sides of the devices. There was a gnawing feeling in his stomach that made him feel slightly nauseous. "I'm feeling-a little weak." Two waffles wasn't going to get him through this, sadly. He steadied himself the chair again with the device tucked safely under an arm.
Saima walked in and noticed the usual crowd. Liam would be the best person to ask, he was Jon's right hand man. Strangely enough, he never got the same treatment like she did when it came to his disappearance. Her eyes caught onto the coyote in the far corner with a woman practically sitting in his lap. If she went over there to interrupt she would definitely not get any help from him, so she walked over to the bar instead.
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"Oh no! What happened?" Charmy brought a fluffy pillow and wedged it between Silver and the chair so he could sit comfortably. "Did you get hurt?"
He sat on one of the stools, requesting a cup of whiskey. From his peripheral, he could soon see the woman get up from her seat and shimmy over.
"Hey, honey."
"Hi Courtney."
"You're looking lonely. You need some company?" She wrapped a lock of bleached hair around her finger.
"Nope. Already have it." He stared hard at the encapsulated design on the table.
"Yeahhhh, right. Wait." She noticed Saima. "That Jonny's girl?"
"Have you seen him?"
"Not me, but someone else might've."
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Silver leaned into the pillow. "No, I'm fine. My energy levels are low and I need to eat something." He looked up at Charmy and Tails' worried expressions. "If I don't-I might pass out. Please tell me you have something." His eyes were getting more tired by the minute.
Saima's ear twitched in their direction but she didn't look over to the pair. "Are you buying?" Saima moved her eyes from Liam to the large boar bartender next to her.
"Uh, yeah. One rum soda, please."
The boar wheezed. "Can't remember the last time I've heard anyone say please 'round here." He stomped away to give Trevor his whiskey. Saima climbed onto the stool that was further down the counter. She glanced over to Courtney and shook her head slightly. Pfft, that bird isn't interested, lady.
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"Charmy, check the fridge. We might have an open sardine can or somethin'." He fled to the fridge and popped it open. "Umm, no. You ate those yesterday." He looked at the half-empty shelves. "We have apple juice, honey, a cheese block..." The insect scrunched his face up at a blob in the back. "I don't know what that is."
Tails looked at the top of the refrigerator. "Maybe one of those granola bars?"
"Oh yeah!" Charmy closed the fridge and took the box from the top. He handed the box to Silver.
Trevor dipped the tip of his beak into the whiskey and sipped. The scraggly woman sat on the stool next to him. "Anyone ever told you what a handsome swan you are?"
"I'm a stork."
"Same difference, right?"
"Not even close, Leda."
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Silver took the opened box of granola and found four left in the box. Four is better than none, he thought as he grabbed one and quickly unwrapped it. "Thank you." He bit into the bar and looked to Tails. "Canstella and Silas' partner are in the warehouse now, is there any way I can set the device to affect multiple people at once?" From previous demonstrations the device was used on only one person, he couldn't just waltz in there and not expect to get jumped.
Saima watched the woman for a moment before noticing Liam's date leaving in a hurry. She furrowed her brows and wondered why she was upset. Perhaps he said something insulting? Who knows, and it wasn't important anyways. She received her rum soda and left money on the counter.
She observed Liam's expression and he looked disgruntled at best. She picked up her glass and walked over to him.
"What got her panties in a twist?" She teased as she took a seat across from the scarred coyote. The two of them had mutual respect for each other, but her current situation with the Mafia had caused a long silence between them.
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"That'll be tricky." Tails looked at the device on Silver's lap. "I could try, but it's meant to target specific memories. If I make it so multiple people forget, they could lose a huge chunk of their memories." He seemed unsure. "But if it helps them forget about this...and they stop targeting it and me, I feel like it's necessary." He grabbed the device from his lap and started tinkering with it.
He watched as the girl pushed through the bar door. He didn't even turn to Saima, he already knew it was her voice."I only said I wanted her friends to come along on our next rendezvous. She wants me all to herself." He adjusted himself on the chair.
"A little selfish, wouldn't you say?" He finally looked at her.
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Silver watched as Tails started to tinker. "I'll be careful." He finished his first bar and went to the next immediately.
"Definitely." Saima grinned. She held the glass with two hands. "How's business?" She brought the rim to her lips. She could smell the strong scent of liquor and the subtle hints of spices.
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By Silver's third bar, Tails finished upgrading the device. "This should do it." There was no way he could test it out, so he just handed the device to Silver. "You know how to use it based on the earlier demonstration, right?"
"Good. I won't be seeing my best customer for a while, though." He crossed his arms. "I'm guessing you're looking for him?"
The chameleon positioned himself at the coyote's side. He hoped Silver could make it in time without fainting and be through with one half. Two stressful missions at the same time...He could really go for some sake right about now.
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Silver didn't have much more time to spare, he unwrapped the last granola bar and held on to it. "Yeah, yeah, I think so." He thought back to that morning with Vector wanting to forget a show called, Gotta Call Paul, whatever that was about he had no clue. "You press that button," He pointed to the large one in the center. "And-you just wait. It'll beep when it's working." He looked back up to Tails.
"Yeah, I am." Her grin faded and she settled into a more relaxed position with her elbows on the table. Even though Jon put her through a lot of shit this week, she still missed him. People always assumed they were together and at times they would be right, but not always. At the time of his disappearance, their status as a couple was separated, but thinking back on what caused it was embarrassing. "I need to find him, Liam." She looked down at her drink again.
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"Right. You'll have to keep it down for longer, just to be sure." Tails smiled appreciatively at Silver. "Thank you again. You're pushing a huge weight off my life. Good luck."
Liam sighed harshly. Jon told him not to say anything to Saima. "Why, do you want to bring him back to that old croc?" Escaping the Mafia was his main concern. Too many people knowing where he went would risk a leak.
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"Thanks." He smiled back at him, already feeling better about getting the job done without fainting. He looked over to Vector and Charmy. "Thank you for the granola bars, I'll pay you back later." He held onto the device and got out of his chair. "I'll be back tonight, hopefully."
"You know I don't want to do that." She leaned in closer so Trevor couldn't hear her. "But that's what Canstella has ordered me to do. Liam, I want to know so I can leave with him." She felt her voice waver with the last sentence. She took another sip as if it would make her feel better.
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"You better." Vector pointed at Silver. "Come back here, I mean. And try to come back with Espio if you can."
"We'll miss youuuu!" Charmy laughed. "If Espio brings back that Victor guy today, we can all eat together sometime."
"After-after we pay all our expenses." Vector sighed. "If we have anything left. Stay safe."
He looked at Tails. "Alright, foxboy. I have another paperclip for you to use in the bathroom this time."
"I'm on it!"
Leave with Jon? They'd track them down...it'd be impossible to escape unless they had a hold on the device, or if Silver erased their memories to that extent. No, he wouldn't go so far. Tails' inclusion was rather recent. Espio stared hard at Saima and sighed mentally in frustration. It didn't even matter. The important thing was finding Victor and bringing him back. But he was still conflicted.
He looked at her after thinking silently for a while. "He's visiting the place where we all met. Jon's..." He leaned in, and so did Espio. "Jon's leaving the country."
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Silver smiled as he pulled the door closed behind him. He wasted no time getting back into the air, the snack helped but he still needed to hurry. Silver kept a firm grip on the device as he flew.
The country? Saima blinked a couple times for it to sink in. Holy shit, he can do this. Jon can leave this shithole behind, but without her? She felt a lightness in her chest she couldn't quite explain. "I-Thank you." She whispered back.
Saima cast a quick look behind her at Trevor, and then back to Liam. "Act like you're pissed at me." She whispered. "This piece of shit needs to go." She couldn't wait to shake him off. Once she had the opportunity she would rendezvous to the location to where they all met. An abandoned shelter located just outside Station Square, the worst thing about it was the miles of forest that surrounded the structure.
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Liam nodded, immediately rising from his seat and slamming his fists on the table. "You stupid cunt! I have half a fucking mind to not beat the shit out of you! Get the fuck out-now."
The bar patrons whipped their heads curiously at the eruption. He grabbed the glass from her hands and smashed it onto the ground.
Trevor stood up, leaving some money on the table. "What the hell's happening?"
"You know this bitch? Get her the fuck out of my face. I never want to see her here again."
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Saima flinched at the sound of broken glass and backed up from Liam. "Go to Hell!" She didn't intend to drag this out longer than it needed to be, but she got Trevor's attention and that was the goal. She turned to leave the bar, ignoring the other patrons. She gave everyone a middle finger before pushing the door open. She smiled to herself. It was a bittersweet way to say goodbye.