"I'm not interested," said Maitho.
The young man named Bevan looked taken aback. He blinked once in confusion. "But I didn't even say anything."
"Well, I'm not interested in what you have to say."
Bevan pulled a chair from a nearby table and sat down a couple of feet from Maitho's table. The way the chair was positioned, it partially blocked the path towards the main door. Interesting. Either the man was desperate to get attention or he was trying to keep Maitho inside the café. The presence of the knife felt comforting, but it was not time to take it out yet.
"Look, all I'm asking for is five minutes of your time. If you don't like what I have to say, then you will never see me again." Bevan pointed at Maitho with his hand and then pointed at himself. "You and I are no different. I practically told you why."
Maitho didn't say anything for a moment. When he did, he took a quick peek outside the café. There was no other suspicious person outside. But that doesn't mean there wasn't anyone else there just waiting for an opportunity to attack him. "How many people are with you?"
Bevan blinked once. "What do you mean?"
"Wrong answer."
The lifted himself off his chair, his hand outstretched in front of him as though he was about to stop something. "Hold on just a moment. At least let me tell you why I am here. At least give me that courtesy."
In response, Maitho didn't respond. Instead, he jerked his head towards the chair, indicating that the red-haired man should sit down.
After taking a deep breath, Bevan began to fiddle with his thumbs. A few seconds passed. Then a few more. Eventually, it seemed as though the man had made up his. "I want you to be part of my team."
That was unexpected. "What do you know about me?" asked Maitho.
"We have some information."
"How? And who gave you that information?"
Bevan shifted in his seat, a flush spreading across his face. "Well, we have a common source."
That won't do. It sounded fairly concerning that Bevan was withholding information. Maitho had to coerce him into revealing more. He watched as the other man continued to twiddle his thumbs, which presented an idea.
Without warning, Maitho lifted up the table slightly and pushed it towards Bevan. He had not only trapped the other man in his chair, but he had given himself a clear path towards the exit. Bevan looked up in genuine surprise.
"Next time, if you want to have a conversation, try not to corner someone." Pushing himself away from the table with one hand, his other still casually tucked into the pocket with the knife, Maitho eyed the café entrance.
Panic showed itself in Bevan's eyes. "Wait please. That wasn't my intention."
"That was your intention. You don't have to lie."
Maitho began to walk towards the entrance.
A voice stopped him in his tracks. "It was Charon."
And with that one response, the two men were back at the table, one holding a fair amount of skepticism while the other looking like hope had found renewed energy.
"You help each other finish your missions" said Maitho, pinching a small amount of the muffin on his table with his free hand and popping it into his mouth. His other hand was still placed in his pocket, holding the stainless steel knife.
"That is correct," said Bevan, grabbing a piece of muffin without permission. He chewed on the dessert quickly while waving his hand in slow circles in front of his face, as though he wanted to say something urgently, but was too distracted by the sweet flavors invading his taste buds. He finally swallowed, licking his lips. "And we are inviting you to our team. The fourth member."
"What's wrong with a team of three?"
"Nothing. There is strength in numbers. And we could complete jobs faster."
"Help me understand this," said Maitho, leaning back his chair and relaxing his body. "You somehow found out about me and now you want my help." Bevan nodded. "But why me? I'm certain there are others you could have reached out to." Bevan was about to speak but Maitho held up his hand. " And I still haven't met the other two members. I don't even see them standing outside."
"They asked me to speak to you first," said Bevan.
"Why the hesitation?"
"More like apprehension."
Maitho's eyebrows angled upwards in disbelief. "You want my help, but you are worried I would do something. How does that work in your logic?"
Bevan nodded his head a few times, as though he was trying to confirm something to himself. He looked like someone who wouldn't be able to convince that the moon is round, even on a full-moon night. "That's fair," said Bevan. "That is absolutely fair. In fact, I should have thought of that before. You know what? Let me make it up to you. I think it's time to invite my friends."
The Scottish accent of the man before him became slightly more obvious, perhaps because Maitho was paying close attention to the man's words. It made him wonder how many people were out there in his position. Where were they from? What did they do for a living?
Bevan slipped out his smartphone and typed a quick message. Once done, he placed the phone on the table and gave a smile to Maitho. "They should be here any moment. Want me to get you something else?"
Maitho shook his head slightly. "I'm fine."
Less than a minute later—during which time Bevan drummed his fingers on the table while pretending to admire the décor of the café—two women entered the room. They were both young, and would probably be around Bevan's age. One of them, a woman with deep-red curly hair that flowed till her shoulder blades, looked over at Maitho's table and frowned. She and her companion walked over to them, drawing chairs as they passed by an empty table. She positioned herself close to Bevan, but further away from Maitho. The other woman, who had close-cropped copper hair, leaned against the wall nearby.
Bevan had drawn his chair closer to Maitho, possibly dropping his guard. Perhaps he felt comfortable in the presence of his teammates. He looked at both women with a schoolboy-like joy for a few seconds. There was a certain reverence in his eyes. While the women stayed silent, he simply swiveled his head from one woman to the other. Maitho wondered if the man was seeking permission to continue talking. When neither of the women gave him any response—they were staring intently at Maitho, who stared back without reservation—Bevan cleared his throat and slapped his thighs. "So, I think we could all do with a small introduction. Name, age, and favorite hobby. I'll go first. My name is-"
Before he could proceed any further, he was cut short by the woman with the curls. "Despite my team member's insistence, I do not find the idea of adding another member to the team appealing. And so, I will cut straight to the chase. What is your ability? If we think that you can be of some use to us, then we can consider working with you."