At a bar, somewhere in the city...
"Sorry that I have messed with you time scheme, but your friend must wait for a day," Yvan apologized with the usual business voice towards Edwin, who still did his duty as a bartender to don't be upset with small changes in his schedule.
Normally at the current time, the bar would be containing the usual and daily guests, but as the facts speak, the whole room was empty, except the two of them
"He didn't mind, so it wasn't necessary to pay me eight hundred euros, to reserve the bar for your own goal," Edwin replied, preparing a pair of glasses in advance for Yvan and his upcoming business partner.
Yvan had asked him how much he earned on a busy night and after his refusal to say anything related about money, Yvan demanded it, otherwise he would leave the bar for good.
"It depends on the mood and the day itself, but normally it would be around the five hundred fifty. That's without the cost of all the products.", he stated, without realizing what Yvan was going to do.
Dravok settled that as the start prize and added extra features on it: Edwin's calming attitude, the suffering that was called waiting and the suspicious bonus to keep the upcoming conversation private. However, Edwin could speak and contribute his own thoughts about the matter, as long as it was appropriate.
He was holding a case, the expensive leather where it was made of, was still wet from the asphalt the other day. He opened the case a bit, searching for a consumable item.
"Well, at least, you don't have to pay for this bottle of alcohol", he stated and found the object where he was searching for.
"As a present and as a preparation for my client, you will definitely refuse this gift."
An oriental flask was put on the bar, now full in sight for Edwin, who witnessed the label and quality of the alcohol with childish eyes, full of passion.
"Normal, you would be right, but I can't divert my eyes from this lovely flask of sake."
Edwin lifted the bottle with motherly care, as a freshly new born baby.
"Hot spring Sake, from Akita. I kind of expected this kind of rare quality from a dealer like you, but even my mind couldn't see this rare gem coming. That region in Japan seemed to be unreachable for me, even the exclusive bars would crave for this standard of quality, so this feels like a divine gift to me."
He is already thinking about where to hold that rare sake, what passionate, we are not that different from each other.
"I see, your business partner must be the real deal, the top of the top, isn't it?" Edwin questioned Yvan about the guest with wonder. Due to his expectations, even Edwin didn't know if he was formal enough for this upcoming client.
As a matter of fact, he couldn't think about it anymore, because Yvan's business partner entered the bar.
"Oh my, a whole bar for us two, you treat me well mister Dravok", the business partner stated with a full overdose of jolliness and wondering. The guest wasn't an eccentric person in the slightest, because he surpassed that description with ease. His outfit contain of a heavy worn gas mask and a white lab coat, covering his whole body.
"Especially with this gorgeous location."
It was the interior of the bar where he spoke off, which was a melting pot between all kinds of European nationalities.
The beer taps were of course displaying different Dutch beers, covering the assortment from the east to the west side of the country. The lights above the bar were fashioned in Italian style, shining on the layered pieces of wood attached to the walls. It reminded Edwin of his Scandinavian roots, while still functioning as comfortable surroundings.
The tables where set in two long rows with additional tables against the wall, which was the typical formation of a German Bierfest. On the tables were lying the newspapers, offering some conversation material, while bottles of ketchup, mayonnaise and mustard were spread over all the tables.
"Of course, I treat you well, I don't want to scare my business partner," Yvan joked and invited him with a semi-serious tone.
"So, take a seat and let's starts talking."
He couldn't see the expression on the client's face, who was hiding behind the mask, but he knew that the 'eccentric' guest enjoyed his welcome. Who would not? The business partner was going to be treated like a VIP.
Yvan was aware of the VIP's likes and dislikes, however, the attitude that he got by living in this down-to-earth country, held him back in completely pampering his partner.
"I see, we even got our private bartender. I hope that you won't burst in anger, I don't want that to happen," the man joked, while his gas mask remains on.
Yvan busted out in laughter and turned an honest smile to the bartender.
"He's the owner of this bar and I can assure you, he won't talk with anyone else about our business deal and chat. Furthermore, to calm you, he's the most passive and calm person that I've ever seen."
"You're not exaggerating. Yesterday's night a group of five Rotters came in, I didn't give an inch."
He left the rest of Astrid's story in the dark, it wasn't his guests' business in the slightest.
"The Rotters, are these a gang or something? There was one over in Japan, who called themselves the Dollars," the VIP questioned it to himself a bit too loud.
"They are not a big issue, they are a group of burglars, a friend of mine got annoyed by them." Edwin was saying it with a smile on his face, though.
"They like to prank and mess with the police. However, do you like to have a drink, sir? I got a speciality form him to serve it to you."
He had already putted a glass before them and was prepared to take the sake out in less than a second.
"I am curious what he brought with him for me."
The masked individual wasn't finished or he observed his glass, where delicate liquid was on the bottom his glass.
"Oh my goodness, Hot spring Sake, that's rather interesting mister Dravok. I see that you've done your homework."
He's impressed, it wasn't that difficult with a family name like Kishitani.
"That's fine to hear, however, I like to do first the formal business part of our conversation. You have already received the payment, so I like to see the object that I had ordered for a client of mine," Yvan spoke with a formal tone and pointed to the iron cubic case of his business partner.
"May I inform you that you are pointing to the wrong case. I have the pocket watch in a different case, just wait a second," the man replied and looked into his leather doctor's case that he brought with him too.
"What have you than in the iron case?" Edwin asked politely and got completely ignored, getting no answer on his question. He figured out that it wasn't appropriate subject for this time. He looked to Yvan, who gave the expression that he also didn't know what was in the case.
Edwin got a good point, why did he bring that case with him if it wasn't the order? Is it that expensive to take it with you along the whole time, not losing it out of sight?
"This is your pocket watch that you ordered from Indonesia," the masked man said and put the wooden case on the bar. The case was engraved with decorative scenes and was covered by tiny pieces of gold, conveying the impression that it came from a wealthy family.
"The former owner of the object inherited from an uncle and didn't want to keep the inheritance. He has sold it for a good fortune to you I heard, but why did you spend a half million for a defect pocket watch?" the 'doctor' informed and ended with a question for Yvan, who gave him a mischievous smile.
Edwin was curiously looking for the watch and got permission of Yvan, who started to talk optimistically.
"That's pretty sad for him, he couldn't figure it out that it wasn't meant as a pocket watch, I understand his observations, though."
He took the fake watch out of his case and saw how both of his companions looked interested in the object.
"I thought so, in my opinion it didn't work either. Do you mind to explain to us what it actually is?" the doctor replied filled with interest.
Yvan didn't answer, though. Instead, he held the mechanism in his palm where after it began to tick.
"It's an antique mechanical version of a cardiograph, a heartbeat counter. You can measure the pulse of your heart with this mechanical device. It isn't completely precise, but you will get a general estimated result, good enough to judge your own health with it."
While Yvan had explained the truth about the object, he nodded with his head to count his own heartbeat.
"Ninety-six, a stable one," he stated simply as a fact.
"It looks very eccentric, even extra-ordinary," Edwin commented with hints of wonder and fascination towards the object.
He knew Yvan's business, but he has never seen one of the products that his friend sold. It was reasonable to not bring your expensive antiques to a public bar, you can't be sure if it will be safe.
"Oh, of course, it is extra-ordinary, at least that is how it looks to you," the gas mask wearer reacted.
"Speaking of that, mister Kishitani," Yvan was speaking towards the very eccentric lab coat man.
"Is there a point or line between the extra-ordinary and the supernatural? As an expert at Nebula, you should have an answer for my question."
His voice was a mix of being interest, calmness and the serious matter of a business conversation.
Of course, I have heard the rumours that Nebula is dealing in the supernatural. Combine that with the fact that these items are even rarer and you get my interest peaked as a rarity-seller. I want to know more about it.
"I would rather begin first with the question where extra-ordinary begins," Kishitani countered the question with Yvan's own strategy.
The line between the ordinary and the extra-ordinary? I've never thought about that specific line.
While Yvan was thinking about the solution, the masked individual turned his attention to the bartender.
"I'll introduce myself first, because it will make things a little bit clearer where this conversation and also probably the discussion after the formal part is heading towards," he said and sprang with a little bounce out of his bar seat.
"I am Shingen Kishitani, one of the front researchers of the supernatural at Nebula. And with who am I speaking now?"
"With Edwin Göterson, the owner of this bar and how I like to call it, Yvan's closest acquaintance," he responded and returned to previous pose on the bar, that of a small child, listening to the wonderful stories of his or her parents.
This introduction lasted long enough for Yvan to come up with a satisfying solution in his eyes.
"It's a relative border, after a while you get used to it and it will appear mundane and ordinary to you. Am I right?"
It appeared that Yvan spoke from his own experiences. First, he sold guns, later other weapons and he was at the point of selling antique medical devices, eager to enter the next stage.
"That's a good solution, I couldn't explain it better. The same is for the line between the extra-ordinary and the supernatural, except on one front."
"It's against the laws of nature, they aren't bound by the laws of physics in this world," Yvan guess the explanation.
"Partly, it's correlated to laws where we don't know the existence of. Even for supernatural beings, there is a limit what they can do. So, you see, that indicates that there is a law in nature that hold them in check.", corrected the supernatural expert from Nebula.
"Wait, you mean that the supernatural exist? I thought that you were joking about it."
Edwin stuttered out of disbelief. Of course, he had heard legends, pieces of folklore and fairy tales, but these were just fantasies, made up by people with huge chunks of imagination. Or at least, that was what how he thought about them.
"Of course, otherwise I wouldn't have a job like mine," Shingen responded, his voice was completely serious about the matter, it was normal for him to talk about the topic of the supernatural.
"Imagine that I want to sell the supernatural, is there a way how I can spot it? I have seen one in my younger years, in my childhood and I have never encountered it again," Yvan spoke with business interest, though the foundation of his passion for the extra-ordinary shined through his words.
Shingen's answer was a more of a poetic sentence than a real answer.
"It isn't that simple, reality and fantasy aren't that much removed from each other."
Back to afternoon, at the improvised fighting dojo at the film set...
That, that couldn't be true. It-it isn't poss-possible, it doesn't exist.
Uthan's eyes were still fixed on nothing, his vision was vague without the normal focus that he had. The focus to spot each insult towards him in a radius of twenty-five meters. The focus in his head was gone too. Own memories, new ideas, old nasty comments, it started to clutch together in his head, forming a realisation that couldn't be true, but in contrast, it fitted his reality clearly, as the last puzzle piece of the bigger picture.
I have never fought at the police academy without the restrained version of me, so I couldn't notice it then.
The fight of today made him happy, it felt nostalgic to him, it reminded him of the struggle fights that he had with his dad. It didn't have the same moves than at home, but the sense of recklessness and freedom were coming back to him.
He stared forward, trying to focus on Hijiribe before him on her appearance and her aura.
She must know what she is, she is the same as me, a monster.
It started to become clear to him, literally and figuratively. He could guess the feeling that he had when he first met her, that was of their monster side.
It was even familiar to me and now I know why.
"I think it would be better to explain it somewhere else in private," a blanc monotone voice said.
Her head turned to it and ask to the person if the manager could hire a private room for dinner somewhere.
He knows it too? I didn't sense the same thing with him nor the manager, so I can assume that these two are normal?
His legs moved his body to the bench and let him settle there for a couple of minutes.
His mind was now working as an administrator, replacing old memories in the dark archive of his brain and putting his thoughts in the new context. He separated the facts about what was normal and what was abnormal.
"Honey-chan asked if we could have a conversation about something private, this isn't about leaving the film set, isn't it?" the manager spoke. He appeared confused and the straight face of the actor didn't make it clearer.
"It's about something confidential, not everyone has to know about it."
The actor face was suspicious looking around, try to spot other members, who were better off to not know of the upcoming topic.
"This isn't about something scary? I hope not, because I don't have a really strong stomach," Sandshelt was as dazzled as Uthan, who just stood up and found himself in control of his vision again.
"I don't think it would be that scary," he commented and saw how Ruri didn't see surprised by his reply.
Yeah, I know there are some things that needs explanation; however, I understand the basic of my existence.
"(…)"
With now four people standing in the dojo, there was only one who didn't get it. Sandshelt was assuming that it was about info that Uthan didn't know, but appeared he also knew about it.
"I will try to order a private place, but I don't think it would be an expensive place. There are camera's in these kinds of restaurants, so I will look for local ones. I need some time, because the local places only advertise in such a strange language," Max voice was a strange mix between complaining and genuinely caring about his star actors and left the place to find a restaurant or bar with a privacy proficiency.
What I will hear next, will probably determine my world view, which has already changed since my time here. I am almost graceful to these bastards for dumping me in this country.
At a bar, somewhere in the city...
"It isn't that simple, reality and fantasy aren't that much removed from each other."
Wait, and Yvan knew of it? He knew that the supernatural exist?
Normally he would stop his usual work for just a second to come with a polite response to the discussion.
However, there was no work for him now, so he could immediately figure out a reply, which he never found in this situation.
"Is that true? They really exist? That sounds ridiculous to me!"
His eyes exchange a small impression with Yvan and it looked that Yvan was deadly serious about it.
"Edwin, I never told you the reason why I love the extra-ordinary. So, I have decided to open up about it and I am going to tell you and mister Shingen here the story of my start into the extra-ordinary."
He took a small nip out of his glass, the sake already started to loosen his tongue.
"You know that I am not Dutch from origin. I was born and raised in Poland and got a caring, but also a strict father. It was normal for him to put me out of the house for a mistake that I made. He didn't care if it was ice cold as a tundra outside or hotter than the American Death Valley. That's the part why I am totally okay with Dutch weather, which isn't extreme like the weather in Poland."
Both of the listeners only nodded, both of them understood his explanation so far, but also knew that this wasn't everything.
"He would me even keep me outside for days and as a kid, I was bored and wondered through the vast forest close that surrounded our house."
Yvan's eyes started to shine from nostalgia, it was remarkable to see some be thankful of such an experience.
"One day, when I couldn't find food for a long time, I encountered on a medium distance from me a werewolf, who already had torn a corpse open. Some of the organs were consumed and I only wanted to know if there was anything useful left, like bones or maybe some clothes. I started to approach the beast and when it spotted me, it flew away, which was not what I expected."
Both of Edwin's guests took a nip of their glass.
"I can only state that my encounter with the werewolf, started my whole passion of the extra-ordinary and the supernatural. I have never encountered such a phenomenon again. But when you get a taste of the extra-ordinary, you will look for more and I started to deal in rare guns. My father was a hunter and so, I got already the taste of guns. Other fire arms and antique came later in my arsenal."
I have never foreseen such a beautiful yet harsh backstory.
Edwin himself never found something supernatural, which didn't make him jealous.
"Well, in that case, you have experienced by yourself that it can work as a hard-core drug. Once you get a taste, most people will search for more of it, until it breaks them," Shingen commented on Yvan's backstory. He also has found a rather interesting person, however, not because for study, it was just personal preference and family reasons.
"I know, it's like a drug, but I found a remedy for it. I have found the rarest thing in the whole universe, so I don't crave longer for the ultimate extra-ordinary."
"Oh yeah, you have a daughter, is that right? You have talked about her sometimes, praising her like most fathers will do. However, most of the normal descriptions doesn't involved imagery of the old Soviet Union," Edwin responded with a honest smile on his face.
"You're right, she keeps me in check. I can't give something else more priority than her."
Shingen was ready to proceed with his conversation, when Edwin's phone was abruptly ringing.
"Excuse me, just a moment, it could be a friend of mine," he apologizes and took the call.
"Is there any room at your bar for a private conversation? I have search whole Rotterdam for a private room and because your bar difficult to find in the first place, I thought it must be a very secretive place."
It wasn't the voice that Edwin predicted. The pronunciation of Rotterdam was heavily influence by an American accent.
This isn't him, now I am looking for a way to end this phone call.
"Sorry, but in my bar there's already a private conversation going on. I don't think that I can help you, my apology," he reacted friendly and thought the call was over.
"Oh, that doesn't matter, we can wait for an hour if you want. I will pay you nicely for the disturbance that I must have caused for your guests."
Will he also pay another 700? Even when he doesn't pay that much, I will have some new interested customers to the bar and he doesn't sound like the shady type. He sounds like a very serious child at the moment.
"Do you have a moment?"
He covered the phone with his hand and asked to Yvan and Shingen how long the discussion will go on. He added that it could be an estimated amount of time.
"A half hour? I like to spend some time with my own daughter and Shingen still needs to recover from the time-zone illness."
Yvan's answer was appreciated by Edwin, who could add fifteen minutes to it for the preparation of his new guests.
"You can come over 45 minutes, is that okay?"
"Of course, my rescuer! We are graceful to you, they will be very pleased with you help. It seemed urgent to them."
"Just a small question, hopefully it doesn't bother you, but with how many will you come?"
He talks about more than two people, I don't want a whole bunch of them. I need to prepare somethings first.
"With myself included, four. That must not be a problem for a single bartender?"
"Nope, it isn't."
"Well, we will look forward to our encounter. Bye!"
He appeared to be really happy about the fact that he found a private place. For some reason, I imagine him as an odd American with a good amount of money. I don't know how why, but that's the image that I got from his voice.
He put his phone away, signalling that the telephone call was finished.
"Let's go further with this productive discussion. It seems that you as a bartender, has never met the supernatural before. Isn't it?"
Shingen turned his head to Edwin, who calmly confirmed his guess.
I have found happiness in the ordinary, I guess, I have found it in the guests of my bar. However, that doesn't mean that I haven't met the extra-ordinary.
"That's true, but back to the distinction of it, I've met some extra-ordinary folk in this place, like Yvan here and the Kroegtijger."
"A what?" Kishitani appeared to have never heard such a foreign sounding word.
"You're talking about Astrid, aren't you? She is indeed quite remarkable," Yvan responded, he has seen her just twice, but she had already conquered her own place in this particular interesting bar. She was already a legend under the guests, a member that they don't want to lose.
"Yep, she is especially eccentric in her behaviour. Devouring huge amount of drinks, alcoholic or not and complaining about her life in the most poetic ways, sometimes even in a philosophical manner. In my business, she's the most valuable and precious guest you can get in your café or bar."
"I would definitely like to see her, she sounds as otherworldly as a Dullahan to me."
He didn't used that word on purpose, but it remembered him of a favour he wanted to ask to Yvan.
"Mister Dravok, may I ask you a little favour of yours? In return of all this intel about your background and sparkling my interest in a lady who isn't supernatural."
"Of course, I don't think it was that special to you, so I won't count these stories as debt towards you. However, I really like to help with your research if that is what your mean."
For Edwin, the next few minutes were going to blow his mind and would carve the existence of the supernatural into his head.
This would really be the conclusion of the tonight's discussion.
At the local police office...
All I wanted, was to be able to entertain men. Before the last few days, I would never think that I would take this route.
She sat in the cell at the police station; it was cold inside, but she didn't care about that. She also didn't care about the radio who was on in the department.
Of course, she knew why she was locked up in the cell. In fact, she was happy with the reason and the response of the police. She had threatened a young girl, claiming that she was going to kill that innocent child and got overwhelmed by the police. This was all on purpose and she was happy that it turned out the way she for-saw.
I don't know how or why she got involved in this mess, but she's the one I need to get some peace in my mind. For now, they will keep an eye on her.
She could hear the conversation between the police man and the girl, asking questions to her around the circumstances surrounding her. At least, the girl was safe. That was all what mattered to her, she couldn't give any fuck about the world or herself anymore, only about the girl.
For the first time, I am grateful that I got tricked by him.
When she was forced to the ground by the cops, the first thing that the police did, was securing the blade that she wielded. It was a reasonable response, but it will get unreasonable results for them.
I let it go for that moment, not worrying about the return of it.
She sighed and closed her eyes for a couple of seconds, which brought peace to herself, while returning something else back to her.
One man.
One Human.
Combined with:
One woman.
Also Human.
And love
has twisted her.
"You didn't have to do that, as long as you wash the dished and do your part of the household, then I will do the cooking," she said, while staring at the table, who was already dressed by her husband.
"I would like to treat you on a traditional English dinner, so that's what I did. I made this for you, my darling," he explained and gave her a simple, but effective kiss on her cheek.
Both of them sat at the table, however, one of them was sitting down with a plan, the other sat down without any suspicion.
"Let's reverse it then, I will do the dishes and cleaning tonight. After that, just ask when you want to cook. By making it by yourself, you're questioning the cooking skills of your wife and I don't like that," she decided after dinner, which tasted fabulous and so, she did her job.
After the household, they looked if there was something on television. The only interesting thing was the news program, which reported the ongoing case of misery: Illnesses, wars and the local robberies.
"I wish we could do that," her husband commented and he received a kiss from her.
"Don't go further than what you are currently planning, you naughty boy."
With two people bored on the bench and with nothing interesting to see on the television, the screen turned black. After the normal small talk and reading the newspaper, they moved their romance to upstairs.
As a happy couple they sleep peacefully together in their shared bed. One of them was a prostitute, the other was a small operating criminal.
That cursed knife, that cursed offer he gave me.
She looked at the blade in her hand, when she opened her eyes again. She could still hear the questioning, the girl was still safe.
"Has someone moved that knife that she had with her?" One of the cops, asked confused for a fitting solution to the problem that abruptly occurred.
"I haven't done anything with it. Jerry is questioning the teenager, but she doesn't say anything," this small explanation made the situation even more problematic for the all the participants.
Why, why don't you speak? They are there to help you, to protect you, just like how I did.
"In that case, have you seen what has happened to that blade?"
The first agent tried to make a picture out of all these weird little things, it appeared that he was taking responsibility for the whole disappearance.
"No, I haven't and it couldn't be stolen."
"She doesn't have it either, I try to speak with her, but she doesn't respond to everything"
That must be Jerry, he was talking with her.
"We've already checked every possibility. It can't just vanish, that's impossible."
The three cops were feeling that there was something off, something wrong with this whole event, so they got nervous.
"Oh shit, fucking crap! The teenager is gone too, she has escaped."
What is she doing? She's going to hurt herself if she isn't careful. Hopefully, they didn't frighten her, she was already scared enough.
Astrid stood up and walked to the little window in the iron door to see what was going on.
"She will be in trouble, if she's alone on the streets, because the Rotters might be looking for her. That's what that witch was saying," one of them reported his thoughts desperately.
Between the two stressing voices appeared a third one, a calm one and full of disappointment.
"My first night reception in a long time and it's already a confusing mess. I will lock the front door, when we are all outside. That woman is locked in her cell, so she can't escape."
The instructions were clear as all three of them went outside for the car.
"We must find her, if she's hurt then I won't sleep well for a long time," the instructor murmured when he left the office. With a fast slam of the now-closed door and the sound of the key in the lock, the office resulted in a strange and ominous silence.
I must find her, I can't lose this chance to change my life for the better.
It wasn't rage, it was desperation mixed with a feeling that she never had felt before, an urge that seemed to be rooted in her as a primal function of her being.
I must protect her, to tell her what's going on before I can't see her anymore due to death or distrust; I can't let that happen.
She only could smash the door with her weak fists or her blade, which seemed to be a bit more effective.
Don't make me sad, I have done that already to myself by just one irreversible mistake that I made. Don't let this happen again to me.
A heavier object seemed to hit the door, leaving a dent behind. She smashed the door again, one time, two times, three times before the door fell on the ground.
Come on, they must have left one behind here somewhere.
With the hope for an simple escape, she searched for a key of the front office door. She couldn't do the same what she did with the cell door, it would attract to much attention to her.
In the small room where the girl has been questioned, was the only option for her to escape. A small window was half opened, almost against the ceiling.
How has she escaped? That window is too high for her, she even didn't move the table for it.
The noise, caused by the table scratching over the floor, was her last concern. There was only one thing that got priority in her mind.
I need to find that mysterious girl, otherwise, I don't know how to redeem myself.
In a three stars hotel with hotel rooms for duo's…
"Kishitani-sama, you are back, where were you the whole time?"
Normally, the sentence would be said with concern or worry, asking if the person wasn't hurt after the whole disappearance. However, this time is sounded as if it was said with a strange mix of excitement and distrust, if he maybe had cheated on his wife, who wasn't in the city at all.
"Oh, just chatting in a bar. I can guarantee that I handled the business deal well, we had a nice small talk," the man said, knowing really good what she was trying to say. The man never felt this sensation before, because he has never been observed by three persons at the same time. All three of his observers got the same idea and thought about his return:
"Where did you leave the head?"
Other guests in the café of the hotel would normally looked baffled by that absurd question, but most of them were already asleep at this hour and couldn't understand Japanese. The bartender of the hotel assumed that the conversation was private matter and didn't ask for any translations.
Two of the Japanese guests were famous at Raira Academy as a couple, the third was lurking with a cold blaze in the background the whole time, eager to strike and claim her prize.
For the young man, who was considered to be the least insane of the three, he knew exactly how far he could go.
Don't cause trouble about this. Of course, he won't tell us where the head is now. He isn't that stupid.
The young man was correct about his assumption, when he saw the jolly attitude of the person he thought about. That person was amused to see their fanatic faces again and decided to make an inappropriate joke for the people who knew the context of it.
"Oh goodness, I think I lost that body part somewhere, what unlucky for you three."
"You could at least tell us that you could see if it was damaged, when you lost the object," a young cheerful and energetic voice spoke. Behind all the innocent, there was a serious question hidden.
"Miss Harima, I will guarantee you, the head is in a safe place, so it won't get damaged by anything or anybody."
He wants us to search for it and normally we would be glad to be able to do that. However, with the nationality of Japan, we are very rare in this part of the Earth. We will attract a lot of attention to us, when we go outside.
"Can you tell more, please. I can cook for you," the girl requested friendly, maybe too friendly for a girl like her. Even inside the hotel, she wore a white cap with a pink accent and her almost never fading smile.
The smile and the proposal did the trick and Shingen, who sat with a bit of imbalance in his bar seat, spoiled a little bit of what he did with the object.
"That's a good deal, I would never try something that my wife has cooked, but you're almost a chef," he admitted and leaned with his ribs against the back seat.
"I have given it to somebody in custody. Someone who I can trust, someone who don't have an obsession with that head like the three of you.
I won't deny it, he's right about that. However, I am doing it out of love, not out of my own desires.
Seiji Yagiri was looking as the wisest of the four, he seemed to have a good grasp on the world around him and was looking with a bland expression to the reality. He might have twisted his definition of love a bit, but it was in his opinion much closer than the love that his sister was nurturing.
For the woman who wore a lab coat, his older sister Namie, it was out love for her younger brother, a love that everyone would call incest. However, nobody would say that out loud, because they might got looked in the eyes by her sharp stare, the temperature was as cold as almost absolute zero.
Seiji could only understand the reason of the third participant of this ongoing contest, Mika Harima. They were a couple in agreement as the love came only from her side.
"Before you storm into the city, I would like to warn you about the person who is in custody of the object for now. I think that even love isn't strong enough to take him head on," Shingen added with a childish comment to all.
"I would appreciate it if you could take care of a certified object for me. I have heard you have a private warehouse," Shingen proposed his request to Yvan, when he putted the iron case on the bar.
The next minute, it convinced Edwin completely that the supernatural existed, as Shingen showed a perfectly severed head to them, preserved in a scientific liquid. It felt if they were now with four people in the room. The head was still warm and seemed to be breathing like humans would do, some will count this head as a separate being from the rest of her body.
"I think you already know what a Dullahan is, you have probably already read about it in books and articles. I can say that this a head of one of their kind, separated from the body."
"A what?" Edwin was unknown of the specie that the scientist was talking about and requested in an indirect manner for an explanation.
"A Dullahan is the announcer of death in Celtic folklore. They ride through Ireland and Scotland in a specific vehicle, a so-called coite-bodhar to visit people who will soon die. If you open your door for them, then they will throw a bucket of blood over you."
It was Yvan who was giving the clarification this time and he openly admitted that he have read about it.
"A personification of death itself, like Magere Hein?"
"Nope, skinny Hein is death itself, a Dullahan brings only the message of death."
"Okay, I only wanted to know if these two were the same, which they apparently aren't," Edwin apologized and asked for the reason for this request.
"Well, I got three companions with me who are all obsessed with the head for different reasons. We will stay here for a while, so I can't risk that I will lose the head. Nebula doesn't like it, when such a rare item is stolen by some abnormal people."
"I will take care of it, it's a rarity, so why not. As long as my daughter isn't involved with it, then I am fine about it."
Yvan could accept the deal with an enthusiastic voice, but he sounded only practical when he took the case.
"You were right about the storage, I have a private warehouse somewhere in Rotterdam. I store objects on where the prize isn't as high as it was supposed to be, waiting for their value to be raised some day. Of course, only myself know the location of it."
"That's great, I genuinely believe that her head would be in good hands. I will retrieve it, when we will go further with our journey to the west."
Shingen's comment made Yvan smile, while Edwin smiled because he saw that it was supposed to be a joke and so, he smiled to.
"Believe me, nobody will ever see it here. I will store it deep in my warehouse somewhere," Yvan and with that, their conversation was finished.
"Don't underestimate the power of love," Mika responded on Shingen's comment that even love will have a problem with the new guardian of the Dullahan's head.
"We will see which kind of love will defeat that person. I can't tell now who will win: Common-sense obsession, hyperactive stalker tendencies or straight up corrosive love. However…"
Shingen delayed his last sentence to build up some tension between his companions.
"…when you're searching for it, do me a little favour and report any supernatural being that you may encounter in this city. I like to do a dissection on it, it has been a long while since my last one."
With a little jump from his seat, he landed on the ground and say goodbye to the other three. When he was gone to sleep in his bed, the three rivals were looking to each other with eyes of energetic warmth, neutral blandness and sub-zero coldness.
"He's such disgusting," Namie said and took a gulp of her drink.
She has an advantage over here. She doesn't have to go outside, she have probably contacts over here too. However, that makes her information a bit untrustworthy.
His older sister Namie Yagiri was the former head of one of their family's laboratories and Seiji knew that was intelligent enough to be a worthy opponent.
Well, I hope that Mika won't be arrested by the police. She has quite a habit to break into houses with her love for me as an excuse. She has done that already multiple times over in Ikebukuro.
His girlfriend would be the stealthiest of them and was extremely good in getting information. He didn't doubt that she could be a successful info-broker, but that wasn't her goal in life, which was staying with him.
What do I have? Well, I may be the strongest of the three and the most normal. Further, Shingen-sama appeared to be a bit tipsy when he returned, so that's a good point to get some info.
"I will also go to sleep, I still haven't recovered completely from our voyage," Mika said and went enthusiastic to their bed room.
I doubt that, she will probably already start her search for the head. I can't blame her for that, but she knows that I will kill her if she finds the head before me.
Seiji decided to sleep as well and as expected, when he entered their bed room, Mika was already gone into the night.