"Thank you for coming, you two. My guys should be on their way back now." I tell Ivahstar and Heiya as I opened the door for them. And as I ushered them in, I internally hoped that this morning fog would cover their entrance. Didn't need issues to be further complicated by the Union.
"Aaabaut time!" Heiya said as she stretched her arms and popped the joints.
I huff in amusement as we walked through the quiet establishment, "Indeed, no more delays."
"We go. To her." Ivahstar tells me as we walk past my guys swapping shifts and rotations.
"Of course, just, be a little more patient." I tell them as we arrive just before her office.
"The Madame will take you in when they get back." the bodyguard at the door tells us as he and the other one move to stop us.
"Come on, let us pass." I tell them as this was a little ridiculous. Sure, she was the establishment owner, but these guys were all under my employ.
"No, sorry, Hrurim. With the treasure or nothing at all."
I tut in response, "Fine, get me a line to the bay area." I tell one of the others. Snatching up the phone once it was done.
"Yeah, Bossman?"
"Are they back?" I demanded to know before I gave a thumbs up to Ivahstar and Heiya.
"Yeah, we got word they're coming through the passage."
"Excellent, make sure it is brought up to the Madame's office!" I say with a smile before I slam the phone and turn to the bodyguards.
"Still going to have to wa-"
"No, it's fine. I overheard!" the Madame says excitedly as she opens the door for us. I then make sure the other two went in first before I went in. We then found ourselves waiting as the Madame paced about eagerly with a wide-smile.
"She's haaappy." Heiya quietly quips up at me.
"Of course." I say with a shrug as noise started to fill the hallway on the way to here. Yet, concern started to root itself in my head when the Madame lost that smile.
"Where is it!?" was the first thing she demanded to know as she started to get upset.
"There were..." my guy started to explain before he was slapped harshly.
"WHERE!?" the Madame roars before an injured aelenvari is dropped into the office. It was that one who I helped back on the Spiral-Tram as well.
"Hold on, Madame, I'll handle this." I say as I gently grab her to move her away before I stood before the red-faced guy.
"A witch was there, at the ruins!" he exclaims.
I look back at the other two first, "Did you see them?"
"No... But we felt the magic!"
"I even saw it! Cut straight through the old stone like a hot knife in butter!"
"So you ran away before you even saw the treasure?" the Madame asked with a disappointed tone as she moves to her chair.
"That is true... Yes..." he finishes answering before I punch him down on her behalf. His lack of a reaction as well made it clear he understood where I was coming from. Even if his later reactions seemed to indicate otherwise.
"Easy." I whisper to him as I turn to face the Madame.
"It was supposed to be simple... Ambush the petals, grab them and bring the sapling to ME!" she explains with a low tone before she suddenly gets violent.
"Madame, calm down, they couldn't have gotten far."
"CALM DOWN!? THEY'RE PROBABLY AT A FLOWER BY NOW!" she screams at me before a glass shatters against my raised writst.
"God's dammit..." I mutter as I pat the glass off my leather jacket.
"You pay. What owed. And more. We find them." Ivahstar offers as he steps forward, unaffected by the Madame's anger.
"YOU AREN'T OWED ANYTHING TIL I GET WHAT IS MINE!" she roars down at the stoic hwardgon.
"So what about this one?" I ask one of my guy's as I step forward to inspect her.
"She just ran out at us after we cleaned up another group of travellers." they answer before I sigh in frustration. That only meant they went off the rails with their actions.
"Right..." I comment thoughtfully as I ponder why an abused luggage carrier would just do that. Could it possibly have been a sacrifice of sorts? Her leg injury certainly made it clear she would slow them down...
Or maybe she just made the best of her situation as she was being abandoned anyway?
"Spruce..." the scarred petal mutters worriedly as a nightmare seems to plague their thoughts.
"I think we might have the mother here." I say as I rise up to my feet again.
"The mother?" the Madame asks doubtfully.
"Yeah, call it a little guess." I mutter as I swirl that name around my mind. There was no way she was speaking about the red-head. So that only meant it was the child's name.
And maybe, just maybe, I could work with that small detail.