An Undesired Encounter with a Wealthy Heiress

[Bobbie]

The new lead that Sylas had uncovered would take him off Bupae Island, a place he was all too eager to leave. It was rundown and everything about the island had a dirty tint of corruption that he'd prefer to steer clear of. After taking care of his business on the island and acquiring the information that he needed, it was finally time to move on to his next goal that would bring him one step closer to locating Bishop, or so he hoped.

All of his belongings were packed and stowed away in the shady hotel room he had been staying at, just waiting to be picked up and the room to be officially checked out of. He had booked a few extra days just in case his tasks on Bupae Island took longer than anticipated, and was currently at the dock to buy his ticket out of there aboard a ship ahead of time.

There was a longer queue than he expected there to be, as he couldn't for the life of him understand why anyone would willing come to this island for anything other than business. Thankfully, his lead wasn't going anywhere, so it wouldn't be the end of the world if he has to wait hours in this line, although tedious as it was. His jacket on, the two additional sleeves handsewn onto the garment to cater for his extra pair of arms, Sylas stood patiently in the line of people, minding his own business. 

Most of his attention was on a little brown book that he held which features a series of maps along Hawk Route. He was studying routes and passages, and as he turned the pages to get to a hand-drawn map of Bupae, it was easy for him to spot the general area where he was currently standing in the Port.

At last, the queue moved forward and Sylas took a step.

Flipping through the pages once more, he stopped on a list of noteworthy landmarks on this island. His hotel was obviously on the list, as well as this port, among other smaller and perhaps less important places, such as restaurants and market stops. Studying maps was how he was able to get by so easily in new locations, some of which were found and others were drawn by himself as he made his way around unfamiliar places.

The queue moved forward again and Sylas took another step with a little sigh as he raised his gaze from his book.

---

Sylas: #32e8ff

[Aromancer]

Eddy smiled to himself as he walked through the streets of Bupae. He stuck out like a sore thumb, his well-tailored jacket marking him as an outsider among these poor, unwashed masses, but he was also given plenty of space; these wretched folks had learned not to anger their betters, and aside from one desperate junkie who begged him for a hit of Fairy Dusk before being violently kicked off, he was left mostly alone. He could get used to this.

Only one stipulation, though; he wasn't actually the man many assumed him to be. He had no relation to the Red Sparrows.

Yet.

He could fix that.

He was currently pursuing that very end, as it happened. As Edward Ross made his way to the dock, he pulled out the latest in a long series of passionate romance novels beloved by women all over the North Blue. He didn't know if the book was as popular in the Grand Line, but he was sure the locals would have at least heard of it. He buried his nose in the book, pretending to read it intensely as he deliberately ran into his mark.

"Oh, goodness! I'm so sorry!" He cried, falling to the ground in a heap. Quickly, he stood and stretched his hand out to the woman. "I really must be careful where I'm going, this isn't like me at all! I'm afraid I was rather engrossed in this book, you see; quite an enthralling tale."

"Um... that's fine," she replied, accepting the outstretched hand and seeming to pay the book no mind. "I should have been looking too, I don't usually bump into people like this."

Ross laughed in that musical way of his. "Of course, of course! I must say, the folks around here are quite good at giving you personal space. I'm only a visitor, I'm afraid. Still learning my way around town!"

"I see..." She brushed the dust off herself. "Well, it was nice to meet you, Mr..."

"Edward. Edward Ross."

"Mr. Edward. I'm afraid I really must be off."

"Well now, not so fast," he said, "I still haven't gotten your name!"

A blatant lie if ever a lie were told. There wasn't a soul on Bupae Island who didn't know the Princess of Poison, but even if he had only just touched down, Ross would still be a fool not to recognize the red bird on her black jacket and know her true nature.

"...It's Ivy. Ivy Hideki."

[Bobbie]

With another couple of steps forward, Sylas was getting closer to the office window as people were registering their tickets to get off the island, a separate queue on the opposite side for those who had just arrived, but both leading to the same office.

He had gone back to studying maps and routes, and was only two people away from it being his turn at the window when he heard the commotion between a man and woman. Turning his head to look in their direction, the red bird on her jacket instantly caught his eye. He wasn’t entirely up to date on everything that went on here on Bupae Island, but he grasped the basics, and the Red Sparrows made it into that list of things to know before visiting this land.

The person ahead of him moved and Sylas was now next up after only one more citizen. His attention went back to the pair as he waited.

There was something about the lad that made him uneasy. Sylas was quite familiar with the charmer type. His mother had fallen victim to one after all, and look where she ended up… with a frown, he followed the conversation for as long as he could before he received a nudge from the person behind him in the line of people, urging him to go to the window or get out of the way. With a quick apology, he stepped up to the window and did whatever he needed to do to get his hands on one ticket to board a ship and leave the island. He still had time, as it seemed that he missed the first fare and his wouldn’t be leaving before a couple of hours, well into the evening. It looks like he’d be getting the night voyage.

Now that he got what he came for, Sylas prepared to leave, overhearing both their names as he walked past them, Edward Ross and Ivy Hideki. Initially, he had to tell himself not to get involved several times, as whatever this may or may not develop into, it was none of his business; however, upon hearing Ivy’s last name, there was no further convincing necessary as he immediately decided to stay out of it.

The four-armed man might have only had the limited information of a visiting tourist, but it was enough for him to know the importance of such a name. Now avoiding looking at either of the pair, he kept his eyes on the ground as he kept walking.

---

Sylas: #32e8ff

[Aromancer]

Naturally, Ross already knew the name of the woman he was flirting with. Ivy Hideki, niece of James and Kory Hideki, a.k.a. the owner and second-in-command of the Red Sparrow Trading Company, heir apparent to the company upon her parents' passing. Her fortunate heritage as the daughter of James's brother meant that she shared a last name with the head honcho himself, making her exceptionally easy to track down. Still, when Ross heard her say it, he couldn't resist a triumphant grin that he'd made contact with his mark.

"Hideki! You wouldn't happen to be... no, I shouldn't say." He looked away as though frightened, but then his eyes flickered back to her as though unable to pull away. "You're not related to James Hideki, are you?"

Ivy scoffed, unimpressed at Edward's ploy. "So, you know my uncle's name, but not mine?"

"I doubt there's anyone in the Hawk Route who doesn't know James Hideki," Ross said, trying to appeal to Ivy's sensibilities. "He's your uncle, then? Had I thought the man's genetics capable of producing such a fine beauty as yourself, I would have taken more interest in his extended family." He reached down and kissed Ivy's hand, causing her to blush, even as she scowled at him.

"B-beauty??? Come off it, old man! You're just after my family's fortune, just like every other guy!"

Ross's eyes widened as though in surprise. "Oh, but of course! You've been hurt before, I can see it in your eyes." He reached out to caress her face tenderly, his penetrating eyes gazing into hers. "Poor Ivy, forced to live in her uncle's shadow, pursued endlessly by male suitors who only care about her money. Tell me, young lady: have you ever known true love?"

"W-w-what kind of a question is that?!?" Ivy's blush seemed to be one of embarrassment. "O-of course I know love! In fact-" her eyes flitted around, before landing on a man who, for all his attempts to lie low, couldn't help but stick out in that way that four-armed people always do. "-In fact, I've got a boyfriend already!" She grabbed one of Sylas's arms and pulled him in, holding him close to herself. "So... sorry, but this girl's taken!"

Ross reeled back for a moment, then thought critically for a second moment. He'd done a background check on Ivy; the girl had no friends, no confidants, no relationships outside of her immediate family whatsoever! The thought that she could possibly have found herself a boyfriend... it was absurd! He cleared his throat and straightened himself back up again. "Ah, of course. My apologies. And, er... what is your boyfriend's name?" He asked her, gesturing at Sylas.

Inwardly he jeered at the girl; that she thought to fool him so easily was laughable.

Ivy was starting to sweat now, clinging to Sylas with perhaps more strength than one might expect from her stature. "Um, uh... go on, babe... tell him your name..."

"I want to hear it from you," Ross said, giving the heiress a somewhat predatory glare now.

[Bobbie]

Before he knew it, the worst possible scenario seemed to become a reality for Sylas. One of his left arms was grabbed with more strength than he anticipated from a woman of her size and stature, and he was suddenly yanked into the middle of the encounter. Having nowhere else to put his other left arm without having it stick out between them awkwardly, he let it slip behind Ivy without actually touching her.

Get out of this situation, he told himself, having heard enough of their little argument - if one could call it that - to have a vague idea of what was going on here and a clear want to stay out of it. However, on the other hand, if she was in serious trouble and this man really was harassing her, shouldn’t he do something to help?

Sylas had no delusions of being anyone’s knight in shining armour, but he did have a conscience. Helping her out would be the right thing to do, especially considering this poor woman was desperate enough to rope a stranger in to assist her on the very slim chance that somebody would. That red bird on her back, however, was a huge deterrent for him to get involved in whatever this was. If that hadn't been there, he'd probably help without it even being a question, regardless of whether it was in aid of a man or woman.

It seemed that his time was up, as Ivy prompted him to give the man his name. He could feel her nails digging into his arm like talons - ironically fitting.

Making his decision in a split second, he looked down at Ivy with confusion written all over his face. He really did not want to be a part of anything that would get in the way of him leaving this island...

“Who the hell is this, and why is he bothering you for my name?” He asked in an impatient tone that wasn’t entirely fake. Handing her the ticket he just bought, he sighed. “Hold onto this, would you? I’ll lose it like I did the last one and you’d never let me hear the end of it.” With that, he shifted his attention to Edward, an irritated frown on his face. “Can we help you with something?”

---

Sylas: #32e8ff

[Aromancer]

"One ticket?" Ross asked, raising an eyebrow. "Just one ticket? Seems your boyfriend is leaving you on a lurch, Ivy." He grinned, turning his attention to Sylas. "Well, Mr. Mysterious Boyfriend, if you're leaving her be, I'd be happy to warm her bed while you're away."

Ivy pursed her lips towards the pirate. "He's not leaving me," she replied. "He's going on... a business trip."

"A business trip?" Ross widened his eyes in mock surprise. "Already getting into the family business then, boyfriend? I didn't take you for the drug-peddling type."

Ivy scowled. "Of course he's not part of the family business! He's a..." She looked Sylas up and down wordlessly for a moment. "...topman! Yeah! The extra arms help with all the rigging and such!"

"I see, I see." Ross's placid smile did not change. "So he merely helps smuggle the drugs along island lines, he doesn't sell them personally. Fair enough." The girl snarled at him, but honestly Ross was losing interest in winning her affections, and mostly wanted to get this guy out of the way so he could get a little rough with her as part of plan B. "I mean, this island only has one export, I can't think why else a topman from around here would be setting off. I'd head out as soon as you can, by the way. No telling what... 'accidents' might befall somebody who hangs around the Red Sparrow too long."

"That's a good point, actually," Ivy said, smirking as she reached for a knife on her belt. "You might want to think long and hard before you keep bothering-"

She was cut off as a stone spike jutted out of the ground, inches from her neck, before retracting once more. "You were saying?" Ross asked, in that same placid tone.

[Bobbie]

Sylas stared at the man who portrayed himself in such an obnoxious and irritating manner that while it was clear that his target was Ivy, he felt equally irked by his mannerisms as if it were personal. Perhaps it was the way he overtly mocked her with his pretend-reactions or his echoing of every proposition that she put forward with a ridiculous amount of open scepticism.

A topman..? The four-armed man thought to himself. It wasn’t quite as esteemed a position as he’d like to be given in this imaginary scenario, but she was right, it worked. He himself was knowledgeable enough of how sails worked from his own navigation skills to pull this off too.

There wasn’t really much that he could do or say in the situation. The conversation went on between Edward and Ivy, which gave him time to think. Ross raised a valid point - the more he involved himself in the situation, the worse things could get for himself; he didn’t particularly want to be remembered. However, surely, sticking his neck out for this woman could only result in a positive memory that would bring him no harm… he hoped so, at least.

The rock that jutted out of the ground and retracted so rapidly startled him while it seemed to silence Miss Hideki. By instinct, he pulled Ivy backward and stepped between her and Edward. He didn’t have the height to tower over the man by far, in fact it would be quite the other way around, but the extra pair of arms and muscles on his body was enough to make Sylas an intimidating figure to most, regardless of his height.

“Okay, back off, man. She made it clear she wants you to leave her alone, and I don't quite appreciate your behaviour either, alright?” Sylas was polite enough, but the frustration was clear in his tone. To an outsider, this could easily come across as an irritated lover, defending their other half; the truth, however, also had something to do with all the time this was wasting.

If he missed his boat off this island, it wouldn’t be the end of the world, but he would be quite unhappy. As long as news didn’t reach his target in Marchen Kingdom that he’d be heading over there, there would be no reason for them to make a run for it and ruin his plans. That said, he had absolutely no interest in a physical scuffle with this worm and he hoped to settle this in as peaceful a way as possible.

“Ivy, let’s get out of here and away from this clown. We got what we came for.” In an attempt to disengage, he turned to the woman and grabbed her hand in a show of affection. Putting another arm around her, he began to walk away with her.

“I have a hotel room booked you can stay at, if you want it.” He whispered quietly to her to ensure nobody else would hear.

---

Sylas: #32e8ff

[Aromancer]

Ross growled, unaware of Sylas' time restraints. Didn't he have somewhere to be? Or was that ticket for a later date? He hadn't gotten a close enough look to tell. Whatever the case, the man had now made an active decision to get involved, and was interposing himself between Ross and Ivy. His original "seduction" plan had failed, and now it seemed intimidation wouldn't work either. And unfortunately, he couldn't get actively violent, not with the heiress to a drug cartel or her new guardian. That would surely end badly.

"Thanks, big guy," Ivy said, as Sylas led her away towards his hotel room. "Sorry to get you wrapped up in all this, I saw a Devil Fruit user and thought you might be able to scare away that creep." She quirked an eyebrow at him. "You are a Devil Fruit user, right? Not some obscure cousin of the long-arms? What's your power, like the Ude Ude no Mi or something?"

Arm Arm fruit? Probably as good a guess as any. But of course, Sylas was completely able to confirm or deny.

As the two of them left, however, it wouldn't be hard to note the tall man following them at a distance. Ross may not have been able to seduce Ivy, but he sure wasn't about to let her get away without a fight. The man wanted the money and power that would result from monopolizing the Fairy Dusk industry, and he wasn't about to let some nobody topman get in his way.

When Ivy noticed Ross, she sighed and rolled her eyes. "Come with me," she said. "We need to shake this guy before we head to the hotel." The girl ducked into a back alley and pulled a vial of Fairy Dusk out of her pocket. Dangling it in front of a homeless man, she grinned rather ghoulishly. "Hey, old man. Got a treat for you. It's all yours if you can distract that guy that's following us."

The man grabbed at the vial greedily, downing it immediately. His eyes seemed to sparkle as he sprang to life, and rushed out of the alley to accost Ross.

"Ah! Dammit!" Ross leapt out of the way, his Devil Fruit enabling him to leap further by augmenting his steps with asbestos stilts. He was only deterred for a moment, but that was all the time Ivy needed to drag Sylas far enough away that they could shake their tail.

[Bobbie]

Sylas nodded in response to her thanks. He wasn’t exceptionally pleased about the outcome, but it was too late to back out now. “My name is Sylas,” he muttered to her, but wasn’t keen on giving his full name to any person of such high importance on the social ladder.

He had been looking forward most of the time, but glanced down at her to see the quirked eyebrow as she put forward her question. It sounded like a ridiculous one to him, as he had never heard of any relative to the long-arms having an additional pair of limbs with no extra length to them, but that wasn’t to say it was impossible… all sorts of unusual people existed in the world. “I am a Devil Fruit user, but no, nothing like the Ude Ude no Mi…” Again, he hesitated. Despite him offering her help, he didn’t trust her, or any stranger for that matter, enough to share every detail about himself. “It’s a Zoan fruit,” was all he could spare to say before they both had to shift their attention away from their conversation.

It seemed Edward had followed them - of course, he would. The man was a predator and it was clear that she, or what she owned, was his prey. Following her into the alley, he grew quiet as he watched her engage with the homeless man seeking refuge in the narrow passageway.

A frown grew on Sylas’ face. The smile that appeared on her face wasn’t too unlike her own pursuer’s and ever fibre in his being wanted to get out of this situation he stupidly got himself into. Watching the man’s greed exploited was almost sickening, but he said nothing of it. Now didn’t seem like the best time to judge. Perhaps he himself might have done the same thing, had he the opportunity and the desperation that he saw in Miss Hideki.

The man rushed past him and Sylas moved out of the way quickly, being careful not to touch the alley walls nor the man himself, the pungent odor coming from his body causing Sylas to turn his head away.

Ivy didn’t need to prompt Sylas very much, as he was happy to continue on their way and get out of the dirty alley he found himself in. This was a route that he wasn’t familiar with, however, and had to rely on her to guide him. “You’re resourceful,” he commented, now beginning to question whether it was ever necessary to pull him into her conflict or if it was done for another cause.

“I’m staying at The Rockfinch Hotel, do you know how to get us there from here? I don't know these streets.” Immediately, he fished out his notebook from his jacket pocket. He was careful with his jacket so as not to reveal the empty holsters that were strapped around his body. He had left his guns securely packed in his luggage, having no reason to carry them on him to the dock, but any sign that he owned firearms could spell disaster. To his knowledge, they were prohibited.

He flipped through the pages of the many hand drawn maps, but not a single one had this detour included. Raising his gaze, he looked around him for any landmarks.

---

Sylas: #32e8ff

[Aromancer]

"Nice to meet you, Sylas!" A zoan fruit, eh? Ivy tried to think what animals she knew of that had four arms. Maybe he was a mythic? It would explain his cagey explanation; she'd heard legends of mythical figures being represented in logia, perhaps he had a hypothetical "model Shiva." For some reason, the thought of an insect didn't cross her mind.

The girl avoided saying anything further about it for the moment, though, instead leading the two of them to a spot where Ross wouldn't be able to find them. "Ah... so, where's your place?" She asked, seeming rather chipper now. "If you give me the street name, I can lead us there through a back way. We won't have to see that... that man again."

for all her independent spirit, Ivy seemed genuinely unsettled by Ross. Maybe it was his height and obvious physical prowess, or the way he obviously didn't want to give up the chase without a fight, but more likely it was something to do with that stone spear he'd conjured from the ground. Whatever the man's abilities, it was clear he could pose a significant threat.

"Thanks," she said, when he complimented her resourcefulness. The girl peeled off her jacket, not wanting to be spotted again with the obvious insignia, then turned it inside out before putting it back on. The inside had been regular leather, and the brown helped her blend in a bit. Not much to be done about the rest of her wardrobe, though; the short, dark-haired girl was wearing a lime green sundress under her jacket, with a leather belt looped around her waist to match her jacket. If Ross got a view of her from the front, he'd probably recognize her right away.

"Oh yeah, I know Rockfinch!" Quickly, Ivy began to lead Sylas towards his hotel, sticking to out-of-the-way routes. It was clear she knew these streets like the back of her hand.

Meanwhile, Ross snarled to himself, having lost sight of Ivy and Sylas. No matter; he would simply stake out the docks. He'd gotten a look at Sylas's ticket; the man was scheduled to depart that evening. All he'd have to do was intercept the four-armed man before he boarded the ship and make him tell him where Ivy was. He booked a room at a nearby establishment, one with a window looking out at the docks, and settled in to wait.

[Bobbie]

Happy to have a guide back to the hotel, Sylas followed Ivy as he made mental note of a few memorable items along the way. A hand drawn design on a wall, pattern in a corner stone, or a coloured banner outside some merchant’s little establishment. Of course, his vigilance included keeping an eye out for the man in case he caught up to them.

“No problem…” he finally replied to her gratitude, though he wasn’t quite sure that was honest - he hoped this wouldn’t become a problem. “What did he want from you, anyway?” The four-armed man made conversation as he walked with her, though he was cautious of what questions to ask and what subjects to avoid.

Before long, they reached the hotel and he gestured for her to follow him to the stairs. It was a good thing he hadn’t actually checked out yet, though his things were already packed in his room.

“Stairs fine?” he asked, glancing back at her, but didn’t give her much chance to object and opt for the lift as he was already on his way up a couple of steps.

“It’s just on the second floor,” he continued as he took out a key from his pocket, then remembered something else that was missing. Upon reaching the door to his room, he opened it and let her in first. “I’ll also need my ticket back, by the way. I was planning on checking out today, but I might be able to extend my booking for another night if you need it, unless there’s a double booking. I’ll just let them know of who will be staying here instead of me.”

I’ll accept a cheque, the thought of payment occurred to him, but didn’t say it out loud. It wasn’t an expensive place anyway, and the quality in his room reflected that.

Inside, there was a single bag, already containing all his belongings, sealed away. The single bed was made but the sheets were of poor quality, and the room was crammed - there really wasn’t room for much more than that bed. Everything was clean, but there was no effort to hide the cheap materials that everything was made of, including the cutlery in the little corner kitchenette.

“Ivy… Hideki, right?”

---

Sylas: #32e8ff

[Aromancer]

Ivy scoffed and rolled her eyes when Sylas asked her what Ross had wanted with her. "Money," she replied. "Same as everyone else. His bit was better than most, but it was just as transparent."

The girl had no problem with the stairs, and even gave him a somewhat quizzical look as he asked if they were alright before ignoring her anyway. "Of course the stairs are fine," she said, following him up. "Safer than the lift looks, anyway."

She looked around distastefully at the hotel they'd arrived at. No building not associated with the Red Sparrow could be considered "nice" on this island, but this was more livable than most. "Well... it'll do for a few hours, at least. You don't happen to get room service, do you?"

She tugged at a pull cord next to the bed; it caused the blinds to fall off the window. "Guess not." She sighed. "Well, gift horses and all that. I really am grateful, by the way. I know you kinda had to back me up like that, but I still appreciate it."

She was kicking off her boots when Sylas asked his next question, one that actually caught her off-guard. "Um. Yeah. I'm Ivy Hideki."

She narrowed his eyes at him. "That... that name means nothing to you, doesn't it? Wow, you really are a foreigner!" She laughed. "Just figures my savior would be the one guy on the island who doesn't know who I am!"

The girl offered a friendly handshake, her face turned up in a bright smile. "My uncle runs the Red Sparrow Trading Company! And basically the whole island! Fairy Dusk is a pretty lucrative enterprise; we have massive exports, even to other islands! So feel free to stay as long as you like, and I'll make sure none of the locals mess with you!"

[Bobbie]

Sylas watched as the women seemed to feel the need to test out the features of this room. Of course, she would be right to be disappointed, but the room offered what was paid for… cheap cost for cheap service. Her question of room service made him chuckle, but there was clearly no need to answer it.

As Ivy narrowed his eyes at him, he raised his brow in genuine innocence.

“You’re welcome, and yes, I really am a foreigner…” he confirmed with a nod. “Must be a nice change of pace, you don’t seem to meet people who don’t know who you are very often.” Of course, Sylas had done enough research to recognise the name of a very important family, but that was as far as things went. Just enough to know to stay away from them, yet, here he was, in a hotel room with one of them.

Extending one of his four hands, he took hers and gave it a firm but gentle shake. “Thank you, that is a generous offer,” Sylas considered making use of this connection to such a powerful family, but then decided it would be better to remain less conspicuous. "But I really can't stay longer." However, information was always useful.

“Which islands are affiliated with your uncle's company, if I may ask?” As he withdrew his hand, he slipped a quick and subtle glance toward a clock that hung on the wall above the bed. He wasn’t sure if it worked, but apart from the daylight shining in through the window, it was all he had to go on to tell the time - he didn’t want to miss his ferry off the island.

---

Sylas: #32e8ff

[Aromancer]

Ivy nodded. "I'll be sorry to see you go, Sylas. The Red Sparrows have major bases in pretty much every island we can reliably reach with a log pose... all the ones without a major marine presence, anyway. You'd be hard-pressed to find an island on the Hawk Route where we don't at least have a foothold, although we're nowhere near as strong on other islands."

She dug around in her pockets for a second, before pulling out a patch with the Red Sparrow logo printed on it. "Here. If I can't convince you to stay, I can at least give you this. It's not much, but if you find yourself in a tough spot on one of those islands, just show a Sparrow one of these, and they should help you. Consider it payment for services rendered." She winked at him.

"Anyway, if you really need to go, then go. I should be heading out soon, too. I gotta put the word out about that guy from the docks... Ross? I feel like his name was Ross." She shrugged. "Well, whatever. I remember his face well enough. We'll get him out of here faster than a junkie at a Marine raid!" She gave the easy laugh of a woman who had absolutely no fear of corporal punishment.

---

Edward Ross checked the clock impatiently. Only half an hour until boarding time. He sighed, then redoubled his observation. No way he would miss the four-armed man.

[Bobbie]

Taking the patch and his ticket whenever it was returned to him, Sylas nodded. He eyed the logo sewn onto it while she spoke, scanning the pattern that could supposedly get him out of any tight fixes through whatever corrupt channels the Red Sparrows worked through.

“Thank you, I appreciate it.” The four armed man smiled and nodded once more. “Yeah, Ross. Edward Ross, if I heard correctly.”

Whoops, that was a slip… Quickly moving on to take focus away from the fact that he had been eavesdropping at the dock before he got involved, he grabbed his one bag of belongings. “Until we meet again, Ivy,” he politely said, although he partly hoped that they wouldn’t. He simply couldn’t get a good vibe from anyone involved with such a family.

Taking his leave, he exited the hotel and made his way to the dock. Looking down at his ticket, he saw the time of departure, then turned his attention to the setting sun and huffed. He didn’t have a lot of time.

Walking at a brisker pace, he finally made his way to the dock. He tried to keep an eye out for this Ross person or anyone else who looked suspicious or dangerous, but a lot of his focus was on making it to the ferry before he missed it. Pushing through the crowd and excusing himself to every person he had to elbow to get through, he finally caught sight of his ship and quickly advanced toward it.

---

Sylas: #32e8ff