Pierre's Bistro

Asher turned off his phone and slid it into his pocket. He didn't know why, but whenever he transformed, anything on his body that wasn't his clothes wouldn't disappear. Instead, they would appear in a convenient pocket or somewhere nearby. Thus, he didn't have to worry about his items.

'I guess reading the forum will have to wait.'

Asher leapt to his feet, grabbed his keys, and headed straight to Yun's Office.

By the time he reached the bottom of the stairs, he had already transformed into Sophie.

Strangely, the hospital gown he wore yesterday had been replaced with the white, charred dress that he had on when he first synchronized with her.

He knew this simply from the burnt aroma that covered his body. It actually didn't smell bad though; it smelled like an herbal incense stick.

The alleys were dark and cramped, as always. Damp air filled his lungs, and he tried to breathe through his mouth to limit the stench of the trash that littered the narrow hall.

He passed by the building with the two cannibals, Jack and Pierre, that he had met yesterday. They had erected a sign named 'Pierre's Bistro' above the doorway, and he distinctly remembered that it wasn't there yesterday.

After 'enjoying' the atmosphere, he reached the Neon Streets. He didn't actually know what they were called, but it was the part of the Backstreets where the only way he could see anything was from the blaring neon lights everywhere.

Now that his personality was somewhat fused with Sophie with their perfect synchronization, some of the shops he passed by caught his attention.

Children's toys, pet stores, weapon vendors, and drug facilities all piqued his curiosity. Of course, he couldn't buy anything because he was dirt poor.

"Hey cutie~ What's up?" A pair of men approached her, and one of them tried to wrap his hand around his shoulder.

A sense of disgust bubbled inside him, but he didn't show it.

Instead, he snapped his head 180 degrees around with his [Puppet Movements].

A coarse stream of blood dripped down his cheeks as he smiled sweetly.

"The sky, idiot." He tilted his head in a curious manner, much like a small girl.

"Bleugh..." One of them began to vomit on the ground while the other screamed and ran away.

"Hahaha~" Asher left the sick man on the ground as he stopped window shopping. He realized that if he kept meandering around, then people like those would definitely flock around him because of his young and helpless appearance, regardless of his ashen clothes.

Luckily, Yun's Office was just around the corner.

He approached the building, which looked just as dilapidated as yesterday.

This time, he didn't hesitate to go inside.

*Ring Ring*

The wind chimes attached to the door tapped together lightly, and soon a pair of light footsteps rustled toward him.

"Wah- hi! Um hello, Sophie!" Finn nearly tripped on the rough carpet as he saw Asher, his face suddenly drawing into a grin.

"Is Yun here?" Asher glanced around the Office. It was empty and lifeless. Obviously with an exception, because Finn was still as energetic as ever.

Finn flashed him a thumbs up before bouncing deeper into the building.

"Captain! Sophie's here again!" Finn barreled through the door and pointed at Asher who was walking into the room.

"Alright, thank you for bringing her here. Now, we have something private to talk about." Yun shooed the boy away.

Yun shook out a cigarette from his coat, lighting it deftly.

"So... You are probably wondering why I'm not bringing Finn into this. To be frank- he's still too weak for Urban Myth cases. With no combat experience at all, he's much better suited for Canard missions. And I think he's still too young for real combat, anyway."

Yun paused for a second, pursing his lips.

"Er- he's about your age but that's beside the point."

As Finn's innocent face flashed in his mind, Asher found himself agreeing with Yun.

"So what's the case? And can't you get some other people? Not that I'm not interested, but I find that puzzling."

"Eh, I was just searching through the Fixers in Section 12. By chance I saw that you recently joined. As for the case, a severed hand was found in the bins next to 'Pierre's Bistro', a newly opened restaurant. Human genomes have been identified. Our task is to clear out the place." Yun took out his phone, which was the same model as Asher's, and opened it to the case of 'Pierre's Bistro'.

Asher quickly read through the file. Constant noise complaints, a severed hand, and bloodstains on the walls, all within the same day. Residents that confronted the individuals inside mysteriously disappeared. The time of the disappearances also coincided with the noise complaints.

The complaints were about... screams...

"When are we leaving?" Asher clenched his fist. He regretted not dealing with Jack and Pierre yesterday, and it seemed like his indecisiveness had costed a few lives already.

"Not yet. Even a seemingly simple case can be fatal if planned poorly. Fixers need to trust their partner's skills first. Here, I'll go first." Yun opened his coat, revealing a wide arsenal of miscellaneous tools tucked on the inside of his jacket.

"Flashbangs, white phosphorous gas, explosive charges, stun gloves, a poisoned knife, a few listening devices, along with some more things. Ask for anything you need; it doesn't seem like you prepared much."

"I'll take the knife." Yun handed him a folding knife. As Asher extended it, the blade's length nearly quadrupled in length, looking much more formidable than before.

"What hidden weapons do you have? You couldn't have come completely unprepared, right?"

Asher chuckled in his mind. He came prepared, yet also unprepared. His synchronization itself was a stockpile of multiple unique skills, after all.

"I can turn invisible." Asher activated his [Bystander] ability, fading away from Yun's vision.

Only when Yun stared intensely at where Asher used to be could he see a faint translucent outline of him.

The man whistled in admiration.

"That's incredible! Where did you buy a camo like that? Can you introduce me to the seller? Or was it from a Wing?" Yun could imagine how his arsenal could be improved with something like that, but Asher shook his head.

"It isn't... No, they aren't selling anymore."

Yun's eyes dimmed, but he nodded in understanding.

"That's alright. Let's go, then." The man stood up and re-buttoned his coat, preparing to leave.

...

Within minutes, they found themselves in front of 'Pierre's Bistro'. Dried grease and filth covered its wooden door. The ripe aroma of flesh hung around them.

Yun tried to open the door quietly, but it was locked.

He reached for the explosive charge in his coat, but Asher stopped him.

"Knock on their door first; distract them while I check out the inside." With that, Asher slowly melted into the background, turning invisible.

Yun nodded, knocking on the door instead. He hadn't thought of that plan, as he had little experience working with assassination and recon-oriented Fixers.

He was more of a tactical specialist, and while he did want a 'camo device' like what he thought Asher had, he knew that it wasn't suitable for his type of work.

*Knock Knock*

Yun turned to Asher's fuzzy outline.

"A bit of advice for these types of psychos; they never get tired of someone praising their 'work'. Get ready." Yun adjusted his coat and hair, making himself presentable.

The rattling of locks, bolts, and chains came from the other side of the door as someone unlocked them one by one.

*BAM*

"Hello~ Welcome to Pierre's Bistro!" The door slammed open as Pierre greeted Yun enthusiastically. Her hair was tied in a messy bun, and a lick of hair stuck out of her head like a duck's tail. A crazed smile touched her face as she shook Yun's hand.

"Yes, yes. I've heard that this restaurant is a hidden retreat for magnificent flavors, would you mind if..." Asher slipped inside without any trouble, but he nearly choked after hearing Yun's flowery praise. Would she really fall for such an obvious bait?

'Then again, Yun should have plenty of experience with these cases.'

The inside of the restaurant was small, with only a couple of lone tables and a row of seats that directly faced the kitchen.

A couple sat in the corner seats, sitting on the tall barstools facing the open kitchen. They ate their food in silence, occasionally laughing quietly or scooting closer to each other.

'Wait, why are customers here if the doors are locked?' He paused for a second, then understood. The chefs could get ingredients and money at the same time if they simply killed the customers. They could also verify their food's taste with the customers as well before they murdered them.

Pierre shrieked in delight at the doorway, startling both the couple and Asher.

"Jack! Come over here, we're famous now!!"

The lumbering giant emerged from the kitchen, his head nearly reaching the ceiling. As Jack walked to the front to confront Yun, Asher snuck into the kitchen.

Pots and pans covered the kitchen counters, and the floor would have looked clean if there weren't bloody footprints covering the white tiles.

There wasn't anything particularly incriminating in the kitchen, but there was a separate passage deeper into the building, with a plaque that read 'Butcher's Station' stuck onto the wall beside it. If there was any evidence of cannibalism, he would find it there.

He slowly approached the ominous-looking door, his invisibility skill easing his nervousness somewhat.