Astrey, for the most part, was a very beautiful place. Romanesque style buildings lined the streets, and a great majority of the city was built on the sides of a seaside cliff. Strong gusts of wind came off of the ocean, ruffling the guardians' hair and bringing the distinct scent of saltwater with it.
Since they were starting their investigation on the outskirts of the city, they were in the neighborhood that was at the highest elevation. From the street, over the smooth-stone tops of the buildings, was a breath-taking view of the water. Faint sounds of waves crashing could be heard beneath the chorus of the bustling city, creating an exciting and novel symphony for Vanna to hear and see.
Vanna trailed slightly behind the others, distracted by the sight. She couldn't help but smile gently as she observed, wishing she could share the experience with her mother.
Shizuka had been watching Vanna's reactions with a slightly amused stare, "Have you ever gone to the beach before, Vanna?"
"When I was very young, my family visited the ocean," Vanna answered quietly. "I don't remember it, though. I've just seen the pictures in my mother's photo album a few times."
Quynh slowed his pace until he finally decided to stop walking. "We're here to actually accomplish something, in case you've forgotten."
"We've only just arrived, and we have all day," Liu Bai said. "There is no reason to be so pig-headed. Besides, we likely won't find anything this far out of the citycenter anyway."
"We can leave earlier if we gather the information and samples we need sooner," the dragon replied. "I don't really like leaving the company unattended for long periods of time, so the quicker the better."
Vanna could have sworn she saw the man looking at her accusingly from the corner of his eye as he spoke, as if it were all her fault that there was no one left to take care of the company in their absence. She felt both saddened and irritated by the idea that he was likely blaming her for the time limit put on the excursion. It wasn't her idea to get kidnapped by a rich CEO, let alone be forcibly placed under his protection.
Their conversation died with Quynh's last statement, and the group fell into silence once more. It seemed that talking to one another was out of the question when the dragon was in a bad mood. Not that it particularly bothered Vanna, since she was used to keeping to herself for the most part.
"I'm going to search on my own," Liu Bai suddenly spoke out of nowhere. "I will meet up with you guys shortly."
Quynh raised a brow in suspicion. "What? Why?"
"We will cover more ground if we split up," the tiger answered simply. "Also, let me borrow some money."
"Liu Bai, why don't you ever bring money with you? I know that I pay you, so there's no reason for you to be broke all the time," Quynh spat.
"I'm not broke," Liu Bai said. "I have all of the money. I just keep it in my war chest back home. It won't fit in my coin pouch, so it's inconvenient to take places. It isn't my fault that modern society has taken to creating paper money, when coins are so much more reliable. Anyway, I need a couple hundred, at least."
Despite Quynh's vocal reluctance, he had already been reaching for his wallet. He pulled it out and grabbed several large bills, then put them into Liu Bai's outstretched hand. Just when Liu Bai was about to close his fingers around the cash, Quynh retracted his hand slightly and said, "What are you going to use it for?"
"To purchase drugs," was the White Tiger's simple response. "I already told you that I am going to try them. It is for the good of our organization, after all. Once I acquire the substance, I will return to the rest of you before I partake – to ensure that we are all able to witness and study its effects. Naturally, I will not be susceptible to it, but I can determine exactly how it flows through my body using my qi."
Quynh just stared at him for a few long moments with a disappointed expression on his face. He didn't bother putting up another argument, and instead just gave the money to Liu Bai. The dragon sighed, "Do as you wish. Meet us in the square in a few hours if you haven't returned already."
"Call us if you find anything, or have an emergency," Shizuka added.
Liu Bai just rolled his eyes and waved his hand dismissively. "I lost my cellular device. I will be fine, though. I am the strongest one here – you should worry about yourselves instead."
"...This is the fourth phone you've lost or broken in the last two months, Liu Bai," the Qilin answered with an irritated growl. "How the hell do you keep doing it?"
"If it's lost, how am I supposed to know where it went missing? I don't know how I did it either," the tiger answered, then rolled his eyes. "I'll be off. See you later."
…and with a twitch of his ears, he disappeared down one of the busier streets, cash in hand.
"Sometimes, I want to punch him so bad," Quynh muttered. He shook his head to rid himself of the violent thoughts that were taking over his mind and said, "Whatever. We will catch up with him eventually, whenever he decides to show up. Let's go this way, I have a contact that we can ask for additional information while we're here. Thankfully, he lives on this side of the town as well."
"Oh… is it the man I am thinking of?" Shizuka asked apprehensively. "Please say it isn't."
Quynh's lips pursed for a moment and he answered with a grave frown, "Yes… it's him."
"...This is going to be an incredibly long day," the Qilin sighed.
As usual, Vanna had no idea what was going on – and was too nervous to ask.