"I'm not going to explain my methods to do, but I will tell you this." She pointed over at Aiolia, "Shut the fuck up and take it, or leave." She wasn't here to fight them and she wasn't going to take Aiolia's mouth. There was only so much that could be said before the money was left behind with the woman's jaw holding it down like a paperweight.

The other man from earlier came in and spoke to Ryan, soon asking him to go away with him. She looked to Ryan and gave his hand another squeeze before pulling the covers further up over herself and laying on her side. Maybe he would come back later, maybe just tomorrow. Both would be nice... Alice drifted off to sleep before Ryan even left the room.

He'd fallen asleep with his arms crossed over his chest, snoring silently. The ice cream container lay beside him but had been knocked over a while before. After Leila tripped over him, he snorted and looked around, "Hm?" Rubbing his eyes, he caught onto Leila's smell and looked over, "Hey..." She was standing weird and his eyebrow quirked up. "Are you alright?"

Leila stood up straighter, correcting the pose and trying to not look awkward. "I am fine," she replied, although didn't really feel like that after today. That was nothing he had to know, though. She felt she had been already far too open with Amante. And that stirred annoyance, both at him and her self.

"But what's with you? Decided sewer floor healthier than outpost's bed?" Her voice was mocking as she quirked eyebrow, but then the girl turned to leave. "Oh well, whatever suits you the best." Leila really was in no mood for chitchat.

Aiolia glanced at Eve and just shrugged, with slight smirk. She wasn't here to pick up a fight, it was just that her words seemed to have hit a sore spot, according to the way the other woman reacted. All the better, then. "I recall my orders were to find a partner for dodging," she replied finally with smile. Then she mingled in the group of people.

What was her problem? She was being so curt and cold with him, from seemingly no where. Shrugging it off, he adjusted himself and looked over the empty container. Not wanting to little, Amante stood and wandered back to the outpost and chucked the remains of his ice cream into a trash can.

Eve sat down, for once, and watched the scene. She didn't talk to any of them or give direction. They should have known well enough what to do on their own...

Leila's head hurt now, it felt like a horse was kicking her temples from inside. "It must be my pulse, just my pulse..." she tried to tell her self as she slowly walked to her tent. The girl half stumbled in the tent and flopped down on the bed, burying head in the cool pillow.
"Misstresss..." voice whispered in her ear, or maybe mind. Leila rose her head a little. "Yes?"
"The tall man... he left you thissss, and ordered to keeeep it cold." Shadowy hand presented her the carton of the ice cream and the girl's eyes widened. That was... unexpected. It was nothing he had to do, nothing that would benefit Amante, only maybe gain her favor - not that he really needed it either.

Touched more than she would like admit, Leila got up and poked her head out of the tent. "Hey you! Big guy," she called out, and when Amante looked at her, she showed the ice cream. "Thanks." Her voice was a little stiff, as if she was not used to saying this word. "Oh, and about the other time... I could done it without you, but I owe you one." Leila then slipped back in tent and began eating her ice cream, wishing the sweetness could seep in her mind and soul, just a tad bit.

Amante looked up, assuming he had been called, and saw Leila. She got the ice cream, which he knew she would, and thanked him for saving her in the tunnels a day or two ago. She disappeared back into her tent and he could hear her eating it. He grinned, glad to know she was not totally cold, like ice cream... she could be sweet sometimes.

Stuffing his hands into his pockets, he wandered past her tent and took in a deep breath through his nostrils. As he wandered over to another tent, checking the area a bit, he went through the smells he'd picked up from her. She smelt of flowers and an old, dead or ding field. It smelled more like formaldehyde and rotting corpses along with... nightshade. She'd gone to a cemetery.

nodding to himself, he figured it was nothing, but mostly due to the fact that there were no live smells on her, and plopped down in a corner in the outpost, looking up at the light seeping in from a grate so far up that any noises that came from them would likely go unnoticed. He drifted off to sleep, again, head resting on his own shoulder.

Leila slept for only few hours, before her Shadous woke her. In a half hour, others would get up, but she preferred to be the first one. Taking some pain killer pills for her headache that had hardly lessened before her sleep and now seemed to have doubled, Leila prepared for her day. The girl's head was still full with thoughts about yesterday and she hoped she could clear her mind today and set it on the "right track". Visiting family's grave always left her messed up.

Leila went out, made her own coffee and while it was brewing noticed Amante. "Gee," she said quietly. Whom was he waiting for now, that he slept there? He probably had to feel cold. She reminded her self that it was none of her business and eat a little, but every now and then shot a glance his way.

Finally, before heading off to her patrol, she filled one of the three termocups at the outpost with her coffee, which she was not going to give to anyone else, and left it next to Amante. It felt like a small repay for the ice cream, and Leila sure did like getting debts off of her shoulders.

Earlier afternoon was coming around when Amante woke up and found a thermos beside him. He picked it up and sniffed it. Coffee.. and Leila. Grinning, he spun it open and sipped at it. It was around room temperature, which wasn't so bad, but he enjoyed it nonetheless. When he was fairly awake, he got up and went over to check for any messages.

Elek wanted him back at base and it had something to do with the Ryan character. Already feeling on edge, just because of this, he crumbled up the letter into his pocket and headed out for the base. He decided to walk there and it would take quite a while, but he wouldn't mind. He had at least a day to get there.

Leila was nearing the outpost again on her patrol. With the passing time, she had put her thoughts in place and formed a firm plan of how to find the location of the base. Now all she needed was a good opportunity, and then she would be one big step closer to the grand finale.

"Misstressss, the large man... He is going away," one of the Shadous whispered in her mind and Leila froze. "Four follow him. Be as careful as possible and take note of each turn and twist of path, like we talked over." Smile spread on her face. Just what she had wanted. Leila trusted her Shadous and although Amante knew of them, which wasn't in the original plan, it would take him some time to notice her servants.

A few hours had passed on when he stopped and took in a breath. Amante sighed and grumbled, rubbing his face. Her shadows were following him. It would be impossible for him to get rid of them but he gave them a fair warning, "If you're going to follow me, at least make an effort to hide." He was more sensitive to the shadows than most people, which was why he knew they were there.

Amante continued on, taking a much longer route with more twists and turns, even backtracking through some tunnels to make it harder for Leila to pick the direct path. Though, eventually, he made it into camp by the morning of December 4th.

Elek had slept few hours and was already up and about. He had gotten an early meal from the chefs, and now was having a quick round up around the base, while drinking coffee. If the brown, nearly tasteless substance could be called so. But he wasn't complaining. In their situation, any supplies were good and they couldn't waste (or use) them in large amounts.

Elek had come near the entrance when the guards let Amante in. It took him a bit to notice his friend, because his mind was occupied with trying to put in place this foreign presence... It was slightly familiar, but Elek couldn't put finger on it. And then it slipped away, before he could figure it out. Just a moment later, he noticed Amante.

"Good morning! I am glad you came. You must be tired, though. Do you want to rest before we talk?" he asked with smile, as he approached Amante. Elek knew how he never used the electrobikes due to his fear of crashing and distrust towards the vehicles, so, he must have come all the way here.

"Rest is for the lazy," He quipped with a grin. It was a bit of a joke at himself. Amante rarely rested as he tried to have something on his plate at all times. "Though, a drink wouldn't hurt." He scratched at the stubble on his face and walked with Elek toward wherever it was they needed to go. "Let's talk about... Ryan." He frowned, not liking the man and really not wanting to talk about him. "Did you find out anything else?"

"This coffee? That's all we have and I am not sure it would help," Elek chuckled and changed direction, moving to kitchen, to get something to eat and drink for Amante. He listened to his request in the mean time and frowned a little. Indeed, his friend seemed quite on edge whenever the man came up in the conversation. But he shrugged it off, since he wasn't about to ask about it anyways.

"The problem is - we didn't. Apparently, someone employed Ryan to kidnap Alice, and he became sympathetic for her, so, in last moment, he ran away from people that were about to pick her up." He paused the conversation to thank the cook for few sandwiches and another cup and then handed them to Amante.

"Let's go to my room," he suggested and took the course. When they finally could close the door behind them, Elek sat down and sighed softly.
"Ryan has no idea who was his employer, if they know where they are right now, how desperately they want Alice or just who is Alice." The man looked at Amante quizzically, still thinking he most likely knew more about Alice than her savior.

"That's what I would like you to investigate, if possible. Maybe you need to talk with Alice, I don't know." Elek shruggeda little helplessly and took another sip of the brew. "Oh, almost forgot. Twins crafted up some spying device that will help you listen to what Leila is talking. It works only in short range, though. Few kilometers or so." The man gave Amante a small box, which contained something like a hearing aid, and small button, which he apparently had to attach to the subject's clothes.

"Anything in particular you want to know about Ryan or something?" He asked, with a small,nearly guilty smile.

With his hands out, he took the sandwiches in one and the drink in the other. Immediately, he put the edges of the sandwiches into his mouth and began to eat. While chewing his food, he asked, "So he's a mercenary?" Great. He followed after Elek and into the room where he sat down.

with his sandwiches finished, he sipped at his coffee and listened. So, more spying. Great. He took the box and looked into it, "You know I don't need this." He shut the box up and finished off the drink. Thinking about it, he decided it best to plant this on Ryan or, maybe, Alice.

"I can still use it for something." He tucked the box into his clothes and dropped the cup into the trashcan. "What is he going to be doing around here? Or is he not going to even stay?"

"Yes, apparently this was the first time this person hired him, though. Ryan thinks he was chosen for the job because he is little known as a mercenary." Elek emptied to cup and put it down next to the pile of papers. The were records of their expenses and incomes and he dreaded the information within.

"You can't be around her all the time, right? For example, now." Elek quirked an eyebrow. "I know in this situation it wouldn't help, but they are working on stronger one. Has Leila done anything suspicious, by the way?" The man rubbed his forehead, hoping the headache would stay away for some time more.

"Ryan is very determined. The pay for the last job, he is willing to give us. His request was that we keep Alice safe, no matter what. If we keep him, he will help us on missions after his arm recovers. I think he will stay. I read his mind and..." Elek paused, thinking how to put this. "He is not a bad person. And what he says is true." The man didn't add that he was also obviously also harboring something for Alice, or at least developing some feelings for her. He guessed, Amante wouldn't want to hear it even more directly.

"By the way, have you met Eve? She and Aiolia are at each other's throat now, basically. I have no sure idea why, but I bet you will her alll about it while you're here." Elek shook his head, as if he was talking about two kids.

Amante frowned. Elek was right, he wasn't with her at the moment but... Leila was not his main interest like it should have been. Though, he could not deny he was having some interesting times with her. Sighing, he scratched at his neck and gave a nod. He'd have to find a way to plant it without the damn shadows seeing him.

Hearing Ryan would likely be a permanent addition, he tensed up. Great. Just great. He rubbed his forehead and waited for Elek to finish... something about some chick and Aiolia. Did he have to meet her? Because he already knew he wouldn't be up for it.

"What else did you find? Anything about where he got Alice? Any thoughts about her at all?" He wanted to know their relationship but he didn't want to be obvious with his question. "And do you want me to meet this Eve?"