The man parted away his wet hair, revealing his young face. He had narrow brown eyes with eyelids that looked like they were pried open. He struggled to keep his mouth from frowning as his looked into Enidri's eye. "Please. I promise I can make it worth your while," he pleaded
Enidri looked at the robot behind the counter and watched as he continued to wipe down his glass. "Can you get me a drink, AL?" she asked.
The robot rolled over and pressed a hand against the counter top. "What can I get you?"
"A refill," she blurted out.
"I'll be just a moment." AL rolled over to the beverage dispenser and placed the nozzle in Enidri's glass.
The disheveled patron next to her leaned closer, looking at Enidri with open yet weary eyes. "Will you at least listen to me?"
The Exterminator leaned back in her seat and gave the young man an irked look with her only eye. "What do you think I'm getting a drink for? I need something to keep me focused in case you start rambling."
"What?" he replied in bewilderment. "Why would I start rambling? Do I seem like the kind of person that would do such a thing."
Enidri looked at the man from the bottom up. "Looks like it. You don't have a shirt. You're soaked form head to toe. And it looks like that bandage wrapped around your waist is the only thing keeping you from splitting apart at the seam. If I had to guess, I'd say you're one of those beggars that are always hanging out in the alleys, doing anything to get a token."
"No, no, no. It's not like that at all," the other patron stammered. "I've been searching for you for a while. And I've been saving up, too. If anything, I'm here to give you some Tokens."
"Name?" Enidri said as she watched AL top of her glass.
"My name?"
"No. The name of your favorite Rumble Circuit broadcaster," she said with a hint of annoyance.
"Oh." He lowered his head and scratched the back of his head.
"Of course I meant your name."
"Right," he replied with a forced chuckle. "It's Hidiko."
"All right, Hidiko," Enidri said. She opened up one hand and plopped it on the counter. The robotic bartender slid the drink across the surface right into her hands. "Tell me. What is it that you want?" Enidri said as she put the glass to her lips.
"I need your help," Hidiko said softly before taking a deep breath.
"Yeah. I know that part. But what is it that you need?" Enidri put her drink on the counter, focusing on the glowing display of drinks on the other side of bar.
"My sister," Hidiko said with his head hung low.
"What about her?" Enidri said with her head still facing forward.
"She's been captured." Hidiko leaned back in his seat. With a flick of his hand, a large screen appeared in front of his face. With a few taps of some buttons, he brought up a gallery of photos. "This is her." The young man nudged the screen's edge with his palm and set it floating towards Enidri. The Exterminator tilted her head just enough to glance at the picture with her only eye.
"How old is she?" Enidri asked quietly as she squinted her eye. Hidiko stood in the middle of the frame and smiled at the camera, making a peace sign with his right hand. On the right of the image was a younger woman turning her head away from the camera. Despite her awkward expression, she mustered a sincere smile. Hidiko's sister brushed away a strand of her black hair while Hidiko pulled her in close for a hug.
"Eighteen."
"Damn," Enidri said as she faced forward again. She took a sip of her drink and put it back down on the counter.
"My father... was a great man, Miss Saelex," Hidiko said after taking a deep breath. "He really did the best to make sure my sister and I lived a comfortable life."
"Hey, Hidiko," Enidri said. She placed a hand on the young man's back and looked him in the eye. "I don't want to sound rude, but think you could get to the point? You're not paying me to listen to your autobiography, right?"
"No, no. Of course not."
"You're here to ask me to get your sister back."
"Exactly," Hidiko said with a nod.
"So think you could cut to the point then? You know who took her? Where can I find her? And of course the most important part." She stretched out a palm and flexed her fingers. "How much you're willing to pay to get her back."
Hidiko lowered his head. "I'll get to the point then," he said with a trembling voice. "Once he died, the debtors came to collect. We had no money, so they took Etska instead."
"Tragic." Enidri twirled the glass, making the beverage swirl like a miniature whirlpool. "You got an idea who took her?"
"I know exactly who it was." Hidiko's entire body shook as his eyes cautiously scanned the area. Enidri watched in confusion as he leaned in closer, placing his hand in front of his face as his mouth approached his ear.
"Just say it, kid," Enidri snapped. "AL here doesn't care. You know how many illegal dealings go on this bar?"
"Confidentiality is in my programming," the robot replied as it cleaned out another empty shot glass.
"Are... you sure?" Hidiko whispered. he looked past Enidri and at an older man slumped in the corner of the booth a tipped over bottle leaking onto his lap. "Do you think any of the patrons here would reveal what I'm about to say?"
"Kid. The folks here don't even remember what they ordered. Just get what you're trying to say out."
"Fine." Hidiko carefully eyed the area again. "It was Aldus."
Enidri's eye opened wide. She tilted her head back, creating space between herself and the only other conscious bargoer. "Hold on now."
"But Miss Saelex!" Hidiko raised his voice. "You said to just say who kidnapped my sister! And that's what I did!"
"I know, I know." Enidri said in a low tone. "But I was expecting someone... you know. Just a bit less... influential."
"So you know of him?"
"Of course I know of Aldus! Everyone that's ever been to the Refinery Sector knows of him and his gang. You can't just go exterminating Essencima over there unless you've gotten permission from him."
"And you're known for your work in the Refinery Sector!" Hidiko's eyes lit up while a small grin of confidence emerged from his lips. "That mean's you've at least talked to Aldus, right?"
"I have a few times. But it's not like we're business partners or anything. I can't just walk up to him and ask for your sister back."
"Ah, I see. I was hoping some negotiating would be an option." His hopeful disposition soon returned to despair. "Perhaps you could make a deal? I can earn more Tokens. I'll pay Aldus whatever he wants, and of course you will collect a fee for being the one to organize the trade."
Enidri picked up her glass again. She shook her head before letting the drink touch her lips. "You don't get it, kid. Aldus isn't a vendor. He's not just some person you can go up to and start making bargains with."
"Excuse my bluntness, Miss Saelex, but that's why I'm looking to hire you," Hidiko said sternly, his eyebrows furrowing as he looked Enidri in the eye. "I certainly don't have the means to get in touch with Aldus, let alone the talent to converse with him. But someone as experienced and well-known all throughout Labrisson might fare better."
"I can tell that you're not familiar with Labrisson. You've got to be from somewhere else."
Hidiko leaned back in his seat and looked at Enidri with surprise. "I spent most of my time growing up in Ezaku. But once my mother died, we had to move to Labrisson to make ends meet."
"How long ago did you move here?"
"Couldn't have been more than two years."
"That explains it." Enidri took another sip of her drink. "Anyone who has actually grown up in this town would know better than to just ask someone to ask Aldus for something."
"Is it safe to assume that your answer is 'no??'" Hidiko said with exhaustion and disappointment.
"Now, I didn't say that. If I was going to decline, I would have just said no from the start. I just wanted to let you know what you're getting into." Enidri raised a hand and rubbed a some imaginary dollar bills in between her fingers. "I'm willing to give it a go. If the price is right."
After gulping, Hidiko put his screen in front of his face again and went to his banking account. "Here," he said as he spun the projection with a flick of his wrist. "Everything you see will be yours." The Exterminator downed the rest of her beverage before clanking the empty glass back on the counter.
"I'm guessing that's the door fee, right?" Enidri said as she slid the glass back to the robot on the other end.
"Door fee?"
"You know. To get me started. Make a note in my schedule."
"I... I... uh..." Hidiko broke eye contact again, instead choosing to focus on closing out his screen. "I was hoping that this would be enough for the entire the deal."
"I had a feeling you were going to say that."
"I get it." With his head hung low, Hidiko slid off his stool and faced the bar's entrance. "Perhaps someone else could help me with retrieving my sister."
"I hope you do, kid," Enidri said as she watched Hidiko leave the bar from over her shoulder. He pushed the swing door open with enough force that it stuck open, letting a torrent of rain come in as he vanished into the neon lights of the city outside. "I really hope you do."
Art Spotlight: Hidiko Hagoya
