New Information, Waiting

While Joe was doing his experimenting on his body, Amelia was out on the streets gathering information. Or at least trying to.

Nobody quite took the time to talk to her, simply sparing a glance before walking away. It seemed the busy street was not the best place to gather information.

After a half hour of failing to talk to anybody, she decided to go down toward the suburbs of this so called village.

She continually tried to ask people on the way, with people getting more and more willing to speak. They didn't give much valuable information though, as only men were willing to stop for her. Men don't exactly keep tabs on other men they don't personally know.

As she continued walking, she began to hum a tune. It was the same one from the hotel.

In the suburbs, she appeared as a single woman having a nice evening walk. After about an hour of walking and asking questions, she passed by a group of women. They seemed to be mothers. She slightly overheard their conversations.

"If only my... handsome as that...!"

"Ah yes... crisp voice... if only my son..."

"His... are great... well!"

She only heard bits and pieces of the gossiping mothers, but she overheard what seemed to be the features of the suspected murderer. They seemed to be comparing the man to the male members of their families.

Amelia swallowed her saliva and proceeded to ask the group of women about it.

"Hello there. I just so happened to overhear some of your conversation. Who are you talking about?"

The mothers reacted positively toward her intrusion, and proceeded to speak even more excitedly.

"Well you see, we're talking about a handsome commoner young man, who just so happened to charm the daughter of a big family! It's such a touching love story!"

They began to talk about what they knew of the young man's origins. Basically, on a day when the daughter of the Axiom family came out to play, the man suddenly appeared, of which the girl proclaimed that it was love at first sight. Thus, his face was soon all over the place, at least figuratively.

The story of the mothers' was quite embellished, but Amelia could get the gist of things from the story. They didn't know too much though, as this was just one of many public stories.

Once the mothers were finished with their story, Amelia said her goodbyes, before walking off. The suspect was nearly located. On the way back, she pulled over several more people to ask about the Axiom family. After pulling over several people, she got the final gist of things.

The Axiom family was a competitor of the victim's family, the Ragom family. Things slowly began to be pieced together. It was all just one big business competition. The Axiom family, currently stronger, was trying to eliminate the Ragom family. It was all so simple.

It was likely that the handsome man was no regular person, and was specially chosen for some purpose. Upon coming to this conclusion, Amelia decided to head back to the hotel.

Coming back after another hour, Amelia came to see Joe doing some regular tasks. She was slightly shocked but hid her surprise.

"What are you doing? Shouldn't you be resting with your injury?"

"No, I should be fine now. I did some magic."

"I... see..."

Amelia didn't quite understand how, but she didn't pry too much. She sat down on one of the beds before explaining what she learned to him.

"I see. So the Ragom family is being picked on by the Axiom family, who is sending some kind of assassin after them? Or rather, a thief."

Joe contemplated for a while before speaking again.

"However, it doesn't mean they're instantly guilty. It could be someone else."

Amelia nodded. She laid down before tucking in.

"Well, we can just go see them tomorrow. It's already evening, and we would be a bother if we came at night."

Joe nodded at that. He walked over to turn off the lights before tucking himself in.

…

Joe languidly got up from his bed, before heading to the bathroom to wash his face. He decided to come out to the lobby for some fresh air.

He sighed as he stood in the open doorway of the Accumula Hotel. He felt cleansed by the fresh air of early morning, and the relaxing music of the hotel. As a furret-like creature rubbed against his leg, he felt refreshed.

After enjoying the cool breeze for a while, he headed back into the hotel and woke up Amelia. They then headed outside to find the residence of the Axioms. After asking several people for directions, they finally got to their destination.

The home of the Axioms was a grand mansion, greater than anything Joe or Amelia had seen before. The entire building seemed to shine, its intricate design only further bringing out its beauty. The building was surrounded by a gate.

Upon walking toward the entrance, the gatekeeper stopped them.

"Halt. What business do you have here?"

The gatekeeper's voice seemed quite indifferent. His sharp eyes seemed as though it were trying to see through them.

Amelia spoke first. "Wizards of the Nine Towers."

The gatekeeper replied calmly. He seemed to be able to keep calm in the face of a big organization like the Nine Towers. Either that, or he didn't know who they were.

"I see. I guess I'll have to report in to my employers."

The gatekeeper than walked in the gate, keeping them waiting. Several minutes later, he returned.

"Esteemed guests, please enter. The family has permitted you entry."

He opened the gate while slightly bowing his head. The two of them walked inside, with the gatekeeper remaining.

The inside of the grounds were just as extravagant as the mansion from behind the gate. The bushes were delicately shaped in the figures of angels and money. They likely represented some kind of good fortune.

They were respectfully served inside with their status, and were taken into the dining room. There sat a middle-aged man. He had rather handsome features with a masculine charm. He spoke in a deep voice.

"Greetings, Wizards of the Nine Towers. My name is Croft Axiom. I am serving breakfast, so I hope you could join me."

His voice was deep and calm, while maintaining a slight respect. Joe replied to his strong voice.

"Alright. Our names are Joe and Amelia. I just so happened to have not eaten breakfast yet, so I'll help myself."

The man smiled at that, before asking. "I'm sure you haven't come here for nothing. What is it you need from us?"

His amicable smile seemed reassuring, but Amelia saw it had some hidden layers. He would likely respond very differently depending on their attitude. She spoke instead of Joe this time.

"We're here to ask for help. We came here to investigate a murder, and after hearing of your influence, we have decided to enlist your help."

The man's smile reached even wider, before he spoke with energy. "Alright then! We, the Axiom family, shall help you find the murderer!"

After finishing the rest of the breakfast in silence, they were taken to two different rooms, neighboring each other. The protagonist duo was finally separated, but they still had to speak about things.

Joe decided to head to Amelia's room. He knocked on the door, before the door opened. She looked just the same as before, with a basic t-shirt and some jeans. It had only been a few minutes after all.

She made a gesture that indicated it was alright for him to go in, before he seated himself on a nearby chair. Joe spoke first.

"So, why did you ask for their help if we think they're a suspect?"

He was a regular guy, and he didn't know much about politics as a guy who only worked a few part-time jobs for a living. Amelia spoke firmly in reply.

"First, he might have gotten angry with us for suspecting part of his family, and he may refuse to cooperate. Second, since that the murderer is related to the Axiom family, we might see him around the place and we can confirm whether he's the man we saw or not. Finally, we may find more evidence by staying with them."

Joe was basically speechless at this. He hadn't really thought that much. "I... I suppose so..."

He soon came up with another train of thought. "So we just stay here for a while? And wait? Won't they hide any evidence now that we're here?"

Amelia nodded. "Yes. We wait. Once we confirm the suspect and his affiliation, we apprehend him and alert the Nine Towers. All we need to do is find the man who attacked us, and that is evidence enough. And, if the Axiom family does manage to find a suspect, we can investigate them as well."

Joe nodded. "I see... So we just keep waiting..."

He left the room and walked back to his own. He sat down on the bed and sighed. He muttered to himself while resting his chin on his hands.

"Waiting... This is gonna be a long few days..."