Sighing, Cologne turned to look and immediately saw that the men there were not just another batch of visitors. Oh, they certainly had most of the look of tourists, as most of them were westerners, but that wasn't what really made them stick out. If that had been it, then they wouldn't have been peering around the restaurant as if they were searching for something. Of course, they could have been simply been peering around for a menu in French, but she rather doubted that.
"Welcome to the Nekohanten, boys," she said, and tipped her cane at them. "Just make certain to not start trouble here."
One of the men stepped forward and tried to give her an ingratiating smile. "Ma'am, I can assure you that we're not here to make a fuss...."
"Unless we gotta," grumbled the short man with the thick sideburns.
"Even so, we'd like to avoid conflict, if we can. Besides, why would you think that we're anything more than tourists?"
"Other than the fact that you're wearing clothes so new that they don't have any sign of wear, or that your words don't exactly match the flap of your lips?" she asked.
"Heh. She's got you there, Riker" the hairy man chuckled.
"Thank you for that, Mister Logan," drawled the other man with a droll look at his companion.
"If the two of you are done, perhaps you can bring yourselves in and not block my door," Cologne told them.
"Of course."
"And you," she commented, tapping Logan with her cane. "Don't be in such a rush for a fight."
"Hmm. You could tell," murmured the named individual as he eyed the diminutive old woman.
"Something like that is easy. Only a fool wouldn't take note of something like that, boy."
"I see. I'll have to be careful around you."
"Just mind your manners, and you should be fine."
A grin stretched Logan's features and he glanced over at Riker. "I like her."
"Then don't even think of smoking in my restaurant," she admonished.
"Well, no one's perfect...."
"Obviously, since you haven't told me why you've shown up here."
A nervous looking man in glasses ducked his head a bit and blushed. "I'm sorry about that, but you see we've come a long way. Some... people we know, girls and women, really...."
"Have been kidnapped, taken by someone that you don't know, and can't find, and you want them back."
"How did you know that?!"
"It happened here too, child."
"It did?! And... I'm Makoto Hyuga, not 'child'."
"You are a youngling if such a fact would surprise you," Cologne scoffed, and gave them a flat look. "But then, we did do something about it."
"Looks that way, since you've got girls here," Logan observed, watching the passing of the waitresses out of the corner of his eye.
"Yes, we went on a rescue mission where the girls were being kept."
"And it worked."
"In a way. Not only did they do something to the poor children, but we wound up with... stragglers."
"Really?" Hyuga said... and then choked on his own breath as his eyes went wide. "Rei?!"
"Well, I suppose that there's a point to your visit then."
"Most likely," Riker confirmed as the man in glasses fell over a chair, while:
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(Posted Sun, 12 Jul 2009 23:51)
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