The NSO branch office was really nice.
The chief of the north American branch had attended the meeting but only to observe. Through out the meeting he was just making idle chat with the representative of the minako clan. His true interests had nothing to do with the meeting. He had come to see his operative that he had sent to help the NSO branch and to see the legendary captain Arlen. The captain didn't speak throughout the meeting and only conversed through his phone to someone else. Most wouldn't have noticed but he had, simply because that was what he came to do.
He didn't trust the man. He didn't trust anyone that high up.
He suspected that he knew who was on the other side of the call.
That was why before the meeting he had scraped the search and capture force already active in NSO.
It was also why he had told Neil exactly what to say. His friend Vermont, the fatso, had also helped him.
His objective was to control the narrative of what the captain was going to report to whoever was on the other side of the call.
" Chief !", someone called out to him as he headed to the lounge in the building. He turned for a brief moment and turned his to face back almost immediately after. He didn't stop walking but now his destination had changed, he was heading to the last wall in the left wing of the building.
The signal was clear and he knew what it meant.
' we've been made, it might simply be someone suspecting something but that is enough to consider us made'
Simon wasn't sure what was happening but he played along. He had said and done everything he was supposed to. After the meeting though he was approached by a red headed man, possibly alivero the chief of the grayfeurd region of America. He had asked Simon why he had played along. Knowing that he wasn't a part of the plan he recognised the man as a threat. He had started to chat with the man even going of the point trying to drag him along. At a point he gave out the signal and left the man behind. Simon was smart, he could have gotten the man to believe otherwise or even made him to understand a false reason but he had been instructed to do nothing about it. Only to give the signal when a member of the group was around.
Simon didn't know the meaning of what he'd done or more specifically he hadn't been told but he could guess.
Damien couldn't think of what he was going to say and he was more focused on the fact that Clare had just 'judased' (betrayed or just left out) him.
' for that I'll cut a branch down for the fun of it '
He smirked to himself.
" Damien I didn't expect to find you here "
Elissa said.
" Why not "
" The rumours of course. The ones about that wolf that lives here"
" I half expected you to say the one about the nymph that stays here "
" Why would I. The mere fact that your standing here means it must not be true"
" So what brings you here"
" I recall asking you first but fine. I came to kill it"
" Kill. Kill it ?!"
" Yh. Those lousy operators with Simon left the job unfinished and I can't rest knowing that such a vile thing is still alive"
" Who says the nymph hasn't killed it"
" If it where dead I'd like to see carcass with my own eyes "
" You didn't even come with a scanner or something else that can detect it's location. For all we know it could be above us and we wouldn't know."
" I couldn't get one. Why does it seem like you know something. Is there anything that I should know?"
" Not really "
" Then what where you doing here before I came."
Damien didn't know what to say so he stayed silent.
" If you know something about this and you don't say I could report you"
" Okay wait. I'm here because the forests nymph is my friend."
" Friend? I thought the rumours said she killed anyone at all who entered her forest"
" Well she seems to like me enough and I honestly don't get why"
" I think I might know why" Elissa mumbles under her breath.
" Ooh really and what is that" Damien asks her.
Suprised that he heard her she blushes but quickly regains composure.
" I don't believe you"
" I can't force you to believe me"
" Then prove it, unless I'd report you for harbouring information"
" Wait am I being threatened?"
" I don't know, you might"
" Hey! Clare ! Come out here for a second. I'm being threatened so come save me."
Nothing happened.
" Is she really your friend?" A creeping suspicion is entering her head. For now she doesn't know what it is and doesn't allow too care.
" Yh she is. Hey Clare this isn't funny anymore. I could go to jail and you won't see me again."
" Are you threatening her ? "
" I don't know, I might"
She chuckles lightly.
" Give it up your imaginary friend isn't coming. Besides something as vicious as her would have tore you to shreds regardless of how good you..." She quickly shut her mouth and prayed he hadn't heard her.
A branch from a nearby tree bent noiselessly till it touched the ground and like a catapult it flew back up only this time there was something in its way that got hit hard.
" Ouch ! Damn it ! What was that" Elissa grumbled trying not to touch the hurt region. Holding it in was going to make her cry but she'd rather cry than rub that spot right now.
" It's the vicious nymph that is imaginary"
Clare said without revealing herself.
Reacting faster this time she caught the vine that was about to hit her in the same place.
" Nice reaction time"
This time she said it from in front of Elissa.
" Hi, not nice to meet you, I'm Clare the nymph of this forest and your trespassing"
Elissa afraid that she'd get hit again stood upright with her legs really close together.
Clare chuckled at the sight.
" You can stand at ease, I won't hit you again, plus Id I wanted to it'll still get past your defence. The grass beneath your feet are really small after all. If I sent them straight up... Well you won't be able to stand for a while."
Elissa couldn't tell if she was being curt or actually threatening her.
" I'll be off your land really quickly if you tell me where the wolf is" looking at her in the face Elissa was stunned at how beautiful she was. She was slightly jealous.
" You can't be making requests until you apologise "
" I'm sorry I called you vicious and imaginary"
" I'd expect so, after the good beating I gave you. Plus how can he imagine something as beautiful as me "
" So do you know where it is "
" Straight to business? Alright fine. No I don't know "
" How won't you know? It was seen entering this forest "
" I said I didn't know where it is not that it hadn't entered here. It left and for all I know it's probably dead"
" How so?"
" Look I don't know what you want with the wolf but as you can see , this forest is very small so it wouldn't be here. If you want to find it ask the nymphs in the lake."
...