Juliet's actual dream was much stranger than her waking one. She was flying through the sky with her wings at full power once again. She could feel the breeze on her face as she soared freely. She was jarred awake by her hitting the windshield of a car. Before the dream faded she came to the conclusion that she was the size of a bug. There was no sense of time in this room. The windows were blacked out. The only timepiece was a glow-in-the-dark clock on the wall that would be wrong since they were changing time zones.
She rolled a bit to find that she had much more freedom than before she fell asleep. Her body pillow had shifted slightly away from her and was now lying on his back. She moved her foot backward until she tapped his leg. That was enough for her to know that he was still there and she could rest easy once again.
Her real alarm went off when she felt something nudging her. She rolled over, unable to see the face, "Hunter?" The darkness hid the face but she could hear it address her, "He is waiting for you in the main room. We are about to land." It was Hanson! She jarred herself awake thinking it was the same person she fell asleep next to. And about to land? This was a 17-hour flight! She forced herself to move, readjusting her clothes. As soon as the door opened she was hit with a ray of sun. The silhouette in the doorway sure did match Hanson though.
Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she joined the rest. Hunter was nose-deep in papers looking them over. He was already strapped in ready for the landing. Juliet took her seat across from the table they were working at to get herself ready. Hanson really wasn't kidding when he said they were about to land. The plane started dipping as soon as she got her buckle set. The landing was soft. They came to their stop where the plane was parked. The door opened with Hunter taking the lead on this one. Greeting them were customs officers, ready to do their job. Hunter handed over passports and papers related to the job. It was maybe a minute before they were cleared. Hunter jumped back on the plane taking his seat again.
There was some confusion about this. Weren't they where they needed to be? Hunter saw the signs, "This is Sydney International Airport. We need to be in Cairns. That's a 26-hour drive or a three-and-a-half-hour flight. Which would you prefer?"
The flight was the better idea. They needed to refuel before heading out again. It took maybe an hour before they were on the runway speeding off into the sky once again. Hunter went back to his papers. They looked like profiles. Probably for the fishermen. Hanson seemed to have his nose deep in another sort of paper. He was enjoying a rather beaten-looking book. It looked familiar. Judging by the wear and tear, it would not have been a bad guess to think that she had seen him reading it before.
The flight to Cairns was smooth but they arrived ungodly early. They landed like a feather finding their spot rather quickly. Now they were where they needed to be. It would still be a good drive to their hotel where they would meet with the local contractor. Supposedly, they were already in talks with these fishermen. They would have to see just how far they got.
The hotel was nothing special, yet still rather nice. The main lobby was its own building but the rooms were in buildings scattered across the grounds. They had to be split up as they were too small for more than one person. The room order was Hunter on the end, closest to the entrance to the place. Hanson was next in line. And Juliet got stuck in a second-floor room on the other end of the building. It was only five doors down but it was still quite a trek. Hanson volunteered to be the base for this one but they didn't expect to stay for more than a day.
Their contact from the local service met them a few hours after they settled in. The man was rather short. Juliet dwarfed him by a good couple of inches. But he showed up looking professional with khaki dress pants and a solid color polo. For being winter on this side of the globe, the weather was cooperative with them. The sun was shining to keep the temperature up.
Hanson did his usual meet-and-greet attempt with this gentleman but was snuffed, "Nah, I know who's in charge here. Bring me the boy you've been working for." Hunter wasn't too far off so their usual charade of Hanson being the man in charge was going to have to be used another day. Once this guy laid eyes on Hunter he lit up. "There he is! You've surely gotten yourself a reputation since the last time I saw you!" Hunter greeted him with a small and a swinging handshake, "I hope it's been good news! Don't want to have to explain it to you."
"Like I would listen anyway. I did hear you got yourself into a tidbit of trouble with one of DeLeone's old mates."
Still a sore subject but the news had to travel fast so everyone could keep an eye out. Hunter may be the primary target but there were many other players in the game who helped coordinate the worldwide raid. Hunter only rolled his eyes. He couldn't even justify it. Nonetheless! He had to take point on introductions, "Jolly, you already know Hanson."
"Stiff as ever I see."
"And our key negotiator, Juliet."
"I'm glad you agreed to this. We've been hammering these guys for days and they aren't budging."
Hunter gave him a pat on the back. "We may be able to give them a push in the right direction. They still around?" Jolly nodded, "Yeah, they're back at our office. They've been getting a little pissy recently. Two days in holding will do that to you."
"And the lady?"
"We don't know where she is. We've been trying to track her down but we can't find any place with enough water to house her."
"Then I bet they have her somewhere she doesn't have enough water."
Mermaids rely on water to keep their skin and scales alive. They don't need water to breathe but like many amphibious animals, they do require it to thrive. Without water, they are very miserable and put under a lot of stress. That stress is what can kill them. They are more robust but the worry is still there.
The ride was quick. No more than 20 minutes with Jolly complaining that it wouldn't be as long if traffic was so horrendous. They had been to another contractor's office before and it was a small town show box of a building. This one still didn't hold a candle to Hunter's. The outside looked like a plain building with no signage, lettering, or even an indicator that it was there. The door was even hidden away. As they entered they were greeted like any other reception area. The woman behind the counter perked up at their guests, "Johnny, you brought friends."
"Tilly, we've been expecting them, remember?"
"Right! Our new negotiators."
That's similar to the warm greeting that Hunter received the first time he came around. But back then he was almost a nobody who just so happened to be in the area. This office is too small to house too many field teams. They don't make enough to expand out to meet the demand in the area. They often have to call in teams from the larger cities but Australia being the continent that it is, can take a while for help to come. If there are other contractors in the region, they often get called first. This was Hunter's luck. He happened to be in the area when the worm was eating the wildlife.
This call was much more appreciated. It was less of a convenience and more of a need.
The group sat down in a conference room set aside for them. They were still short chairs so Hunter and Hanson elected to stand. Jolly gave them a brief overview of what they had tried up to this point. "Mikey here threatened their family. Turns out they either don't have one or don't care for them. Lizzy tried using her feminine wiles but they ended up making her cry. I threatened their knees after trying to come to a deal with them. And the government sent a stooge who will spend the next week filing paperwork to be denied the sum of money they are asking for. Plus, it's suspicious for these water rats to come into that kind of cash so quickly."
"Where's their boat?"
"Impounded and searched. All they found was tetanus."
"Homes?"
"Yep, raided and the only thing fishy thing was the smell of their old clothes."
Hunter started going into his detective mode thinking of how they would offload a mermaid in such a short amount of time. It became pretty clear, pretty quickly. "Account books?" Jolly laughed, "They are not the kind of people who keep records. They can barely do basic addition."
"But they have to have someone to sell their catch to. I'd bet that they offloaded our mermaid to them for keeping. If it was a wet market they may have a tank large enough."
Jolly buried his head in his hands. The answer was obvious now! "Fuck me. Mikey, get to shaking down the port stalls. Someone has to know where they're keeping the half-fish lady. Lizzy, collect yourself and head down to Little Tokyo and start cracking skulls if you need to." He did not mess around when it came to getting things done. This was his moment to shine and he was not going to lose it.
Hunter moved out of their way as they barreled their way out of the room. Jolly sat at the head of the table looking like he was a proud father. His people knew who ran this place and they respected him. Even if his methods were weird or unorthodox. "While they're out, do you want to work on these blokes?" Hunter turned to Juliet, "You want to give a crack at them?"
She was hyped now! Jolly barking orders, her newfound value. She could take on the world. "Let me at 'em!" It even threw Hunter off. This was a side of her she hadn't shown before. It got Jolly though. He laughed a hard belly laugh, "I knew she would be a spitfire! You get her ready then we'll unleash her on them."
Hunter and Juliet were given a private closet to get her ready. "You prepped for this?"
"I am!"
"OK. I'm going to remove the collar. Limits are that you don't drain them or attempt to flee."
She looked over her shoulder at him with offense, "All this time, you think I would run now?" He shrugged, "If I don't say it." She rolled her eyes, lifting her hair for him to get to it. He ran his finger along the band whispering to her, "Hisari, I temporarily release you from your bonds." The collar released into his grip. She took a deep inhale as she could feel everything free-flowing again. Her hair regained a sheen that made her glow. The curls returned to the tips. Her bust and hips shifted giving her body more of an hourglass figure. Her teeth were tight as she inhaled with a hissing gasp. "It feels good to be me again."
She took the lead coming out of the closet. As she entered the hallway, everyone could feel her presence. Hunter stayed behind her. It was the best place to avoid her overwhelming aura. She had her confidence back. Her hips swayed as she walked with purpose. One foot in front of the other, strong strides with heavy steps made her flats echo in the hall. Everything about her screamed she was in control now. Even Jolly was thrown back. He had to stick with Hunter and vocally guide her to their makeshift interrogation room.
"Oie, Hunter. She's no ordinary succubus is she?" He had to ask. There was just something about her demeanor that wasn't normal. Hunter could only beam with pride, "You noticed it huh? She's not just a succubus. She's a mistress. She ran her own brothel before I stopped her."
"Holy hell, a mistress."
Succubus on their own are scary. They can tempt even the most prudent of men with their spells. As a brothel, they shared the spoils with one another and made sure that they were able to thrive. But at the top of every brothel is a mistress. A succubus with a unique je ne sais quoi that allows them to tower over the others or bring them together. Juliet brought together a mish-mash of run-down succubus and brought them together but got greedy. That didn't diminish any of her natural abilities.
When she was let loose, she could conquer anything. But that's what they were banking on. Use that ability to squeeze the information they needed while the others were out beating feet on the street looking at any of their potential buyers.
They could see the four men sitting at the table through the one-way glass but as Juliet walked in, all four of these guys turned to her with their looks of anger melting as they locked onto her. Their eyes were saucers. Even in her plain clothes, the way she moved, the way she controlled the room. These normal folks had no idea what they were about to be ambushed by. They might as well have already told them everything. But Juliet still needed to have her fun. She was going to enjoy this. She didn't get to do this often. She was going to savor it.
Hunter stepped in behind her with Jolly hanging on to his senses. Juliet made her way to the chair across from the men while the other two leaned against the wall. Once the door was shut, there was nothing they would be able to do. They were already putty in her hands. She didn't have to say anything. She leaned forward in her chair putting her elbows on the table. With one finger, she traced out shapes on the metal table. All four men were entranced. They followed her finger as it danced around. Time had no meaning to her but she broke the quiet.
Her voice was even different. Restricted, she sounded nice but it was just a voice. Now her voice carried. It was a soft sound that caressed your ears before crawling to your brain on all fours tempting the entire way. It pulled on your heart making you want to follow every letter that left her lips. "So…" She finally made eye contact with them working them down the line, "You don't want to work with us. That's a shame." She put a little bit of a pout at the end of her sentence. All four of them seemed ashamed.
"They told me that you don't want to help them. Maybe you would want to help me?" Her finger traced across the table closer to the man in the middle. She reached further out and he leaned further in trying to slide his hands closer. "If you help me…" Her words slowed as she lifted her finger off the table. "I may be able to help you." Her finger came down on the back of his hand. She traced his index finger from the knuckle to the tip and back to the table.
His face turned red as he took in a deep breath. He had forgotten to breathe! Once he caught his breath he broke like a twig, "I'll gladly help!" The other three clambered to get closer to the table hoping for some contact. "See, now you're a good boy. They just want to know where you're hiding something you caught while fishing. I would like to know that too. Something like that, no normal man could claim that and, well, it would be something special that would get a special reward."
The four turned into animals. They all started slamming on the table yelling. "I hooked it in the net!"
"I pulled it in the boat!"
"I know where it is!"
And that was what they were looking for. He blurted it out, "In the Chinatown Aquarium! Mrs. Kim has it in a tank in the basement." Jolly grabbed his phone and sent a text to his agents to redirect their course. Juliet stood up, "Now that's a good boy. Rather, a big man. Her finger traced across the back of his hand to the table on to the next one. She went down the line whispering to them," I promise to reward you all with something special."
They all grinned waiting for her. She stood up, giving them a wink. Their eyes rolled back as their mouths fell open. They started to drool on themselves. Three fell forward onto the table while the last fell backward in his chair. They were all passed out in a hypnotic dream state. Jolly made his way out into the hallway before he passed out himself. Hunter stayed leaning against the wall keeping his stoic face. Juliet straightened herself up giving him a smile, "That was fun. I'm glad to know that I've still got it."
She swayed her hips as she walked up to Hunter, "I am a bit displeased that I still can't seem to get to you. And that's a real shame but it really is a personal turn-on." She ran her palm under his chin to his neck bringing herself to his face. "I do enjoy a challenge." Hunter blinked, keeping his eyes locked with hers. He shifted himself standing up from the wall, "Repress your power, or this will hurt." He held up the metal collar within her view to remind her.
Her eyes rolled as she turned around. With a deep breath, she repressed herself. Her hair was brought up so he could easily get it back on. With a quick click, it was back where it should be. She winced as she could feel it sap her back to her normal level. Hunter placed a hand on her shoulder to turn her towards him. Was this it? Did she get to him? "Thank you for your help, Juliet. This is why we need you."
It wasn't what she was looking for but it was a genuine compliment. She took it with a smile. Leaving the room, there was fresh air. Even after being restrained, her after-effects were still left in the room. Jolly stepped up to Hunter letting Juliet continue on her way, "Mate, how do you do that? I saw the whole thing through the one-way glass." Hunter looked around before looking down at his watch. He turned back to Jolly and leaned in to whisper to him, "My heart rate was 177 beats per minute." And nothing more.
It didn't answer his question but for someone to keep such a cool face in that situation was absolutely nuts! Jolly remembered back to that sheepish guy he first met so many years ago and compared him to the professional standing before him now and it was like looking at a whole new person. He had to get his head back into the game though! They had a mermaid to rescue!
Lizzy would be the closest to their destination. Little Tokyo wasn't far off from Chinatown but there was a clear divide between the two. The group piled into Jolly's car to head that way and see if they could find this "Mrs. Kim '' that the fisherman gave up. Hanson took the front passenger seat while Hunter and Juliet sat in the back. Juliet had something on her mind though, "Jolly, why does everyone in your office call you Johnny?"
"Well, that's my name. Your boss is the only one who calls me Jolly."
"Why is that?"
"Oh ho, you better ask him that."
She turned to Hunter who was looking into the back of Jolly's head. Was this one of those questions where it may be crossing a line? Was she about to be in trouble for this? Her nerves started getting to her. Hunter groaned, "So when we first met, his accent was so thick that when he introduced himself, I thought he said 'Jolly' instead of 'Johnny', and no one bothered to correct me the entire time I worked with him."
Jolly cracked up once he finished, "You're damn right and now you're stuck with it!" This was humbling. This showed that he was human after all. Jolly kept them entertained along the way by telling stories of the jobs that his office had done on their way to their destination. He would point out a spot and say "So-and-so did this time on this date where they" and go into the case file from memory. He was like the Australian Hanson. Everything was documented well in his mind to where no detail would escape.
They pulled up to an area outside of what looked like red arches. There was no easy way to get around without having to fight with people. Cars could still get through but Jolly said trying to drive through it would be like trying to drive through pudding. He also didn't have the patience to wait for people. They don't care about the rules of the road. Everyone just did whatever they wanted.
Now, they were looking for The China Town Aquarium. There was no proper aquarium in Chinatown. It had to be a shop of some kind that sold fish or other aquatic animals. The problem was, that there were quite a few that did. Lizzy had already gotten a head start. She was reporting progress to Jolly as she moved, giving him names of people she had talked to and if anyone knew anything. Very few were willing to talk if she wasn't buying something.
Mikey reported having issues getting into the area. Traffic was at a standstill where he was so he was useless. The group was on their own in this hunt. Hunter kept his eyes open. He was looking for anything really unusual but nothing seemed to really stick out. He could spot a few creatures and monsters that were blending in but there wasn't anything he could do about it. They wouldn't know what was going on or even who they were looking for. It felt like they were walking around in circles.
"Juliet." He nudged his partner, "Do you remember the lich in Afghanistan?" She shuddered at the thought, "Oh good, you do. You were the one who heard the song. Can you listen to one again? Mermaids like to sing and maybe she's trying to reach out." She looked confused. She agreed but wasn't sure what she would be able to hear. There were too many people that were being loud. Vendors were shouting into the street to attract attention, horns were honking, and trains were running. Everything was offensive to her senses. Hearing was probably the hardest she was going to have to focus on.
She could try to focus all she wanted to but there was always something screaming in her ear. She had to stick with the group and try to focus. It was starting to cause an issue but Hunter stayed behind her. He made sure she was still moving while keeping an eye out for everything around her. Something did catch her ear though. It sounded like a music box at first. The notes were very metallic in sound. They echoed as though they were in a box or it was rebounding off of a lot of other objects. She couldn't pin it but it started to fade as they walked. She stopped dead in her tracks once she realized, "Hunter, I think we're going the wrong way."
He yelled to Jolly and Hanson to turn around. They started following while Hunter kept close to Juliet. She moved around trying to focus on the sound but it seemed like it was fading in different spots every time. She started running around in a large circle near a building but couldn't figure out why it was fading. Hunter had to stop her before she ran into someone, "I'm guessing you're having an issue or we're close."
"Both, I think. It keeps fading and coming back."
Hunter started looking around. Finally, he looked up to see what looked like an exhaust vent coming out from a building. Pointing up, Juliet stared at it. She moved around it and it seemed to be where it was coming from. The problem is, that vent could run anywhere from any of the buildings. It could only pass through the building it was connected to through the walls to something else entirely. But they had a place to start. Jolly was ready to start breaking down doors. It was the first thing he did. The door they found to the building was locked but Jolly didn't care. Procedure was something a doctor did and he wasn't a doctor by any means of the word. They were met with a strong, wet smell, like standing water that had been treated. The chemical smell started making Hunter's eyes water. The thin hallway traveled behind some of the shops off the street. They followed it until they found themselves in a kitchen. Some lady started yelling at them in Chinese as they wandered in. Jolly took the brunt of the blows and started yelling back at her, "Listen here you crazy bat! We're hired to be here and if you're gonna kick us out you can bet you're in for a fight."
He started pushing back as he yelled at her, further escalating the situation. Hunter finally piped in shouting over both of them, "We are looking for Mrs. Kim!" She got two more blows on Jolly before stopping. "There are a lot of 'Mrs. Kim' and I am one of them. What do you want?" That was a better answer than her yelling at Jolly. "We are looking for something that some fishermen may have dropped off."
"We have fishermen drop stuff off all the time. What are you looking for?"
"It's exotic."
"We have all kinds of exotic fish for eating."
"No, no. Something," He emphasized his word, "Exotic."
If she knew about what they knew about then she was going to get a reaction. There was a pause. "I don't know what you are talking about. Goodbye!" She turned around and started to storm off through the kitchen. "Jolly!" Hunter barked. "Already on it!"
Jolly's small size made it easy for him to get around the long way to try and cut her off. Hunter used his size to bowl through the work staff that tried to stop him. Some had knives, others were working with hot pans. He deftly dodged them trying not to retaliate against them using their own instruments. He kept Mrs. Kim in his sights as she barreled through a double door. He followed stumbling into a man with a try. He had reached the front end of the restaurant. It was small, the tables were crammed together, and everyone had someone there. Mrs. Kim was deftly moving through the crowds making her way to the street. There was no way he was going to be able to move like she was so he had to do something drastic.
He pushed himself up to a table and began jumping from table to table. He stepped on fingers, utensils, food, knocking over drinks. It was an absolute mess but he could not let her go. She had almost reached the front door when Jolly blindsided her from her left. Hunter was able to get down grabbing her shoulders pulling her up. Jolly released his grip with a heart breath. "Hunter, I would say that she knows something. Maybe we should talk more about this in the kitchen or an office so as to not cause any more of a noise?"
She knew she was busted. Her best bet was to at least entertain their idea. With Hunter's firm grasp on her wrist, she led them back to the kitchen apologizing to every table that Hunter destroyed on his way to her. She made sure to note that it was not her fault and that it was this crazy man they should be upset with. Juliet kept herself safe in the kitchen but she was getting some odd looks from the workers. She could feel her body relax a bit more as Hunter walked in attached to this woman.
The kitchen was still a bad idea so she offered them her office. It was more like a closet than an office. Her desk barely fit, there were filing cabinets that took up almost every inch of free space available. Hunter stood at the door, Jolly took the seat in front of the desk offering to Juliet before standing up in front of this woman, "Aight, out with it then. We have a timetable to keep." She opened a drawer in her desk causing everyone to jump a little in their shoes. She pulled out a cigarette pack grabbing one for herself. "I do not know what you are talking about. I run a legitimate business."
She took her first drag with a smug exhale and smile. Jolly wasn't going to play this game, "Oh Hunter, she thinks she holds all the cards."
"She does. How do you want to handle it?"
"Do you remember the Kangaroo incident you helped me with?"
"How could I not?"
"Well, I got some good news about that! There's more and I know where the farm they live on is. Those overgrown worms would love to help me with a missing persons case."
"I would ask if that deals with finding or making someone go missing but if I ask, then you know what happens."
"Plausible deniability will let you walk away a free man."
These two were talking about those worms. And they were ready to feed her to them. She still looked rather content as she leaned back, "You two can make up stories about whatever you want but you don't scare me."
The two went back into their schtick, "She thinks we're joking. She has something in her basement that proves we wouldn't be lying and she still thinks we're joking around with her."
"Well, maybe a bit more convincing is in order. Juliet, would you do us the honors?"
She could feel some of the restrictions lifted from her body. Her back itched. Her tailbone as well. She knew exactly what she was supposed to do. Her wings blew out of the back of her shirt as her tail emerged from underneath. The gust of wind blew the papers on her desk into the air slamming into her face before setting on the ground. With another flap, the air kicked up again. This time her wings smashed into a lamp knocking it over into a cabinet. The room rang with noise until Juliet settled down tucking her wings in yet leaving them exposed to remind this woman who she was.
Mrs. Kim nearly fell out of her chair from the scare, "You brought a demon into my office!" While not totally correct, she was not completely wrong. But this gave the two enough convincing power to get an answer. She folded hard. She promised the world as long as they took that cursed thing with them and never talked to her again.
They didn't want the world, they just wanted their target. They were led down a back alley to another door connected to the same building. The stairs led down underground where all natural light just disappeared. The lights that were on were either so dim they were almost useless or so bright you couldn't see anything. They seemed to alternate around every corner they turned, blinding them and then leaving them in the dark.
She opened a metal door that scraped across the floor grinding in everyone's ears. As the air escaped they could smell salt air with a damp, humid taste. Mrs. Kim stepped out of the way letting them pass. Hunter stood next to Mrs. Kim, making sure she didn't shut them in there. Jolly took point, as it was his job, to take the first steps in looking at the rows of tanks. This place was a lot bigger than it looked. It had to have stretched under multiple buildings on the street to get this size. There were all kinds of fish as well. A lot of them she should not have had. Many invasive species, a lot of rare or endangered species, but not the ones they were looking for.
He walked through the rows going further back. Some tanks were completely covered. Some because what was in them needed total darkness or they were empty at the moment. Jolly's ears picked up the sound of humming. Not of a machine but as though someone was singing to themselves. It sounded sad as it swayed through the area. He could follow it though. It led him to a rather large tank that would be best suited for holding a shark. Instead of a shark, was the mermaid they were sent to find.
Jolly dropped his weight to walk slowly to the tank. He hushed his voice as he spoke to get her attention, "Easy there, lass. We're here to get you out of here and back to your kind." He did get her attention but she was not happy to see him. Her tail flipped hard as she darted to the other side of the tank. She hit the glass with her back before sinking to the bottom of the tank. "Oh dear, you are not in good shape."
He moved around the tank to get closer. Once he could actually get a closer look at her, the poor condition she was trying to survive in was appalling. He was pretty sure that since she was brought in, she had been neglected without food. Her body was showing signs of starvation. Her ribs were prominent, and her body was eating itself to try and keep her alive. That tail flip to escape was probably the last bit of adrenaline and energy her body could muster. She was in a sad shape. They were going to have to get her out of there as quickly as possible.
Jolly called for an extra hand. Hunter sent Juliet in so he could keep an eye on Mrs. Kim. He scrounged around looking for anything that could help them. He ended up grabbing one of the cloth covers for the dark tanks lying down on the floor. He tapped on her tank trying to get her attention, "Hey, if you can get to the edge, we can get you out. Do you understand?" Her eyes were half open but she was able to give a nod. She got it that he was there to help.
Her fingers grabbed the edge. She pulled herself up to her shoulders, getting the rim of her tank under her armpits. That was as far as she could go though. She was too heavy and weak to pull herself fully out of the water. Jolly couldn't get enough to pull her upland over either. "Juliet, you stand here. I'm going to push her into you. I need you to catch her and get her on the mat.
He emptied his pockets before mantling over the side of the tank. He was too short for the height of the water so he was fully submerged while he worked. He got one breath before setting himself on the bottom of the tank. He got under the meat of her tail to give her a push. Juliet was able to get her sliding forward out of the tank. Once most of her weight was out she flopped forward but Juliet was there. She grabbed her with full control. There was no way she was going to let her fall. Jolly got himself out of the tank to get back to helping get the mermaid wrapped up. They had to keep her hidden as they moved back to the vehicle. Juliet was instructed to grab his stuff as he was now drenched. No need to ruin his phone and destroy everything in his wallet.
Between the two of them, Juliet and Jolly were able to easily get the mermaid off the floor and through the maze of glass. Mrs. Kim looked absolutely pissed that they were taking her prized find. She was red in the face but Hunter made it very clear that she was in no position to say anything. It ate her up inside.
Back on the street, the two moved around the crowd doing whatever they could to not jostle her too much. It was hard as people were moving, trying to pass through. Someone even jumped over the rug to get around them to which they were met with screams from all three of them. People just did not care here.
The next problem was going to be that there wasn't enough room in Jolly's car to hold everyone. It was obvious to get the mermaid out first. They had her in the backseat of the car with Hanson supporting her. Jolly was to get her out of there. Plain and simple. They had a holding tank back at the office prepped and ready for her but they needed to get her there and get her something more substantial to eat. All Jolly had on him was a protein bar he didn't have for breakfast that morning. It was something but not enough or the right food.
Mikey would be around to pick Hunter and Juliet up on the west side of Chinatown. He was fighting with traffic so that was as far as he was able to get. That means the two of them had to fight the crowds once again to get back to him.
The crowds were horrid. The shouting, the yelling, the occasional accosting from a shopkeeper. Both of them wanted out of it. Things only got worse when they saw three men standing in the middle of the street. They were looking in different directions but were huddled together. They looked pissed. Almost as though their boss yelled at them to find someone. Someone who may have taken something very valuable from her less than 10 minutes ago. Juliet lurched to her right as Hunter pulled her towards him and down another street. "Hey! We need to go that way!"
"No, we need to avoid them. Mrs. Kim sent people after us."
He moved with purpose making a way for Juliet to follow closely. They thought the crowds were pushy. When Hunter moved, he moved through people. Body checks, shivering, he nearly flipped one person over who tried to give him a flier. They were booking it through the crowd. It seemed that they had made it but the commotion caused by his quick moving grabbed more attention. The group they saw didn't catch them, but the other group did. The three of them managed to halt Hunter's advance through the crowd but not without some damage to themselves. One got a bloody nose while the other was dealing with a sprained wrist, "Mrs. Kim would like a word with you."
"If those words aren't 'I'm sorry. I'll never smuggle fish again' Then I am not interested in what she has to say. Move!"
They didn't like his attitude. But they were going to have to deal with it. The first guy reached for him and pulled back a twisted wrist while screaming. Another made a grab at Juliet and he almost pulled back a bloody stump. Hunter was not messing around. They needed to get out of the crowd and to Mikey. Hunter shoved the three out of the way again and continued his own rampage of plowing through people once again. He took a side street that was a bit less crowded. This gave them some good distance that they could no longer hear the men screaming in pain.
Hunter got the two of them back on track to the west end of town. It was just a few minutes before they passed through another set of red gates and the crowds let up instantly. There were still some stragglers but there was breathing room. Juliet was huffing from trying to keep up with her boss. He moved like a machine! "You know. I could have flown out of there if needed."
"Low profile, Juliet. Low profile."
Flying would have had to have been a last-ditch effort to get out of there. They already had enough trouble hiding a mermaid. Concealing a flying succubus would have been a whole nother can of worms they didn't need to open. Even though they were out of immediate danger, it was still a good idea to keep moving. More distance meant they would have to search a larger area to try and find them. For now, they could rest on a park bench until Mikey showed up.
Even Hunter seemed a bit winded by that excursion. Juliet just seemed to be out of it. The two enjoyed the sounds around them for the moment. The playground nearby was filled with the sounds of children laughing. A few people walked by either jogging or just enjoying the weather. It seemed like everything that just happened, didn't. It was quiet for once. They knew that there would be some issues, even some resistance once they found out that the mermaid was taken to another person. Every job they've had was filled with some type of adversity. But this one seemed to be on the lighter end of things.
The next step was simple; return to Jolly's office, Hanson would fill the report for their end of things, and head home. Easy! Well, maybe not that easy. The two were approached by three men who looked a lot fresher than the other three they had plowed through in the crowds. As they opened their mouths to speak, Hunter cut them off with a mocking tone, "Mrs. Kim would like a word with you." He groaned rolling his neck, "Just go away. I'm not in the mood to deal with you. Your boss was in the wrong. She'll get her whatfore, and if you don't back away I'll give you your whatfore right now."
"You would fight us in a public park?"
Hunter's answer was unorthodox. His leg shot out slamming into the kneecap of the one standing right before him. He fell to one knee with a strained grunt. Without leaving his seat Hunter swung the leg back crossing it over his other leg but not before sweeping it across his face and throwing him to the concrete. "I'll fight you in a preschool if I have to. Do you think the authorities are going to come after me with the evidence that I have?"
He was in no mood to fight with these thugs. But he was very willing to throw down with them if they so desired. Instead of following up on that kind offer, they scooped their buddy off the ground to drag him away in the direction from which they came. Once they were out of sight, he released the tension he carried a bit more. "We were so busy I forgot to ask if you are OK?" He tapped Juliet on the shoulder to make sure she knew he was talking to her. "A bit banged up from running into and through people, but I'm OK." Her wrist popped as she moved it back to a position that was more comfortable. "Sorry about that."
He felt bad but he needed to get her out of there as quickly as possible. The breeze kicked up bringing some relief with it. Hunter's phone went off just as the two were able to catch their breath. The message was from Jolly saying that Mikey was around them. Sure enough, he was sitting in a beaten-up red pickup that sounded like it was going to explode. The two hopped onto the cab and took up. Mikey made as much conversation as he could on the way back explaining a few things that he did around the office. He was looking for some validation for his work, which Hunter did give him. But Hunter also knew the importance of team morale and that every little bit of effort to push something forward is appreciated.
Mikey must have been a fan because he shut up once Hunter gave him what he needed. He just kept a stupid grin on his face the entire ride back. Hunter jostled around in the center seat trying not to bump into everyone. Juliet was getting seasick on dry land from the rolling cab. She was looking a little green when they arrived at the office. Jolly's car was parked as close to the door as they could get all cock-eyed from the rush.
Inside the office felt like a totally different place. Everyone was cheery with a smile. No job was too small to not celebrate as a success. Jolly met them near the conference room absolutely beaming, "We did! We put her in a recovery tank and got her eating. Once she's good, we'll get her back where she came from."
The boys got together and celebrated their success in the meeting room. Juliet decided to wander around a bit. She found the room where the recovery tank was kept. The room was warm and humid like a tropical environment. The tank itself was pretty basic. It looked a lot like the one they had in the basement. The water looked completely different though. Almost like it was sky blue with a little bit of a murky tint to it. She could see the mermaid though. She was resting on her back looking rather peaceful for once. The color on her tail had already returned.
All she did was exhale and the mermaid woke up. But instead of being scared, this time she seemed rather relieved that she was there. She made her way across the tank to pull herself out again to get face-to-face with Juliet. The water fell off her upper body as she emerged. She was decently clothed with a thick cloth that resembled more of a halter top than anything else. All she got was a smile from her. No words. Juliet put her hand up to her and the mermaid responded with the same. Their palms touched and in that moment they had a simple connection. A thank you without words.
"Oh good. She wanted to meet you before we left." Hunter stepped in behind her, nearly scaring her to death. "How?! Do you do that?!" He was absolutely silent until he wanted to be noticed. He pointed to the mermaid as he walked in, "So some facts about her since I know you're dying to know. Biologically, she's more related to sirens but in the human classification of things, she's very closely related to succubus. You two both have powers to allure others to yourself. That's why you were able to listen for her song. Same kind of line of thinking."
The mermaid propped herself up on the edge and started moving her hands around in a peculiar fashion. Hunter responded by signing back at her. "And because their voices are alluring, they communicate to us with sign language. She wants to properly thank you but she doesn't have anything to give you." Juliet turned to her and back to Hunter, "That's not why we do our job though." The water behind her displaced as she felt something cold, yet warm on the side of her face. She turned back around to see the mermaid sticking half out of the water. She had given her the only thing she could at the moment to show her appreciation, a kiss.
She grinned widely before heading back into the tank. For once, someone made an advance on Juliet that threw her off. She had always been on the other side of things. This was new to her. She didn't know how to react. "Well, there you go. Contract paid in full." Hunter made himself laugh with that joke. "But she is grateful. Since she's from this side of the world odds are we will not be meeting her again. At least not for a long while. We'll be heading out in a few hours, so do your best. But don't tire her out. She's still recovering."
He let them be giggling at his own dumb joke. The mermaid dropped into her tank relaxing once again on the side closest to Juliet. Juliet took a seat so she could rest at the bottom of the tank. They two didn't really say much. Juliet didn't know sign language and the mermaid couldn't really speak to her. "I wish I knew your name." She flipped in the tank a bit writing on the wall. K-Y-L-I-E. Kylie. Or at least that was her name as a human equivalent. "Kylie, my name is Juliet. It's a pleasure to meet you." She got a smile back as her tail flipped in the water.
Juliet sat there as long as she could. It came about time for them to leave but it didn't bother her too much. Kylie already had started to nod off again. She would need a lot more rest before she was OK to go back home. Jolly was giving the boys a fabulous send-off in his usual fashion. Kept saying goodbye but not letting them leave with a slight slur to his words.
They finally got him to head inside so they could head back home. It was a quick job but it needed to be done. Hanson would post their portion of the report so they knew what the cut should be for each team for their assistance. But it would be another 17-hour flight home before they could get back to their normal. They kept themselves entertained for most of the trip until there were a few hours left. Hanson found the deck of cards so they played for a bit. He switched to solitaire once everyone else was feeling burnt out.
He retired to the spare bedroom with about six hours left in the flight to catch some shut-eye before landing. Juliet was left alone with Hunter in the main area where they sat in uncomfortable silence for a few moments. This was harder than she thought it would be. She wanted to talk to him, about them, and learn more but keeping it professional was difficult. "I think I'm going to lie down." She had to break the silence. Even if it was with something she didn't need to do.
She lay in silence in the dark room listening to the idle noises around her. The door opened up only to close quickly after. There was no noise until she felt the bed shift. This time she was expecting it. The jostling didn't make her jump this time around. He came to a resting position next to her.
There was a deep breath from him as he seemed to sink into the bed. "Juliet, how about we do dinner this coming weekend? My place if you're not opposed." She could feel her ears catch fire. It was meant to be a proper date! She couldn't hide the excitement though. She let out a small squeal before she answered with a yes. She couldn't see his face but he grabbed her hand with his, "I'll make sure we have something nice then."