THE NIGHT BEFORE A GRAND CASINO INFILTRATION
“Thank you so much, Mr. Allen!”
How many times had Allen wanted to punch this gray-haired girl right in her smiling face? But through colossal effort, he stayed his hand, causing his shoulders to quiver.
“I can’t believe you came all this way just to bring me an invitation to the casino!”
“You were the one who threatened me to get a hold of it in the first place,” Allen spat back.
“‘Threatened’? Of course not! All I did was hint that it would be great if someone did it for me.”
“Coming from you, it’s all the same.”
Syr’s mercurial nature caused Allen to heave an uncharacteristic sigh. It was evening, and the two were standing in a shadowy alley at the tavern’s rear entrance. Allen had taken great pains to procure an entry ticket at Syr’s “request.” It went without saying that the girl intended to poke her nose into places it shouldn’t be.
And since Allen was supposed to protect Syr, that meant more work for him, too. As much as he wanted to talk her out of it, there was a reason he couldn’t.
The Grand Casino? I’ve heard stories about that place that’ll make your stomach turn. Now Hedin wants me to sneak in and investigate the owner? And since I owe him, I can’t say no. What a pain in the ass…
For all his grievances, Allen really did care about the young girl’s safety. And in the end, he did infiltrate the casino, unbeknownst to the young boy and the elf girl who were there at the same time. Ultimately, though, his shadowy vigil was wasted, as the elf and the rabbit rounded up the owner and his conspirators without Allen’s help.
It was unclear whether Syr realized Allen’s annoyance as she shifted to an altogether different smile.
“Would you like to come in?” she asked. “Ahnya’s on the clock today, you know?”
“…”
A terrifying scowl filled with hate appeared on Allen’s face, but the girl didn’t even flinch. Then Allen sighed at her proposed family reunion.
“I’ve done what you asked for,” he said. “I’m leaving.”
“Very well. Thank you again, Mr. Allen.”
Only Allen could detect the sincere gratitude and concern for his well-being lurking in those words, and it made his lips curl into a grudging smile.
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