Alone, nestled into a quiet alcove of a dimly lit bar, papers stacked high and folders haphazardly strewn across the table, was her only company. It was a Sunday evening, yet here she was, chained to papers.
Captain Shimada's job resting on the edge of a knife, waiting to fall. She would have to find something soon, or else everything she had represented since joining the RCU would be for naught. To make a difference within the laws of world, to keep everyone within them. To maintain balance between rankers and civilians.
"It's a Sunday you know." A chipper voice spoke behind one of the piles of documents. A young man, with his face the picture of youthful vigour. Blonde hair framed by a boyish smile. His eyes betrayed his youthful appearance; they had the depth of an old soul, wisdom beyond his years.
"Hello Kim."
"I thought I would find you here." Kim Shi-Woo smiled at her. He had been searching high and low for his friend. Seeing her last week; he wanted to catch up. However, her current predicament was the opposite of what he intended.
"Yeah." She sighed. Her head resting in her hands. The weight of responsibility was heavy on her shoulders, and she was struggling to carry it alone.
"Our old guild bar, I still come here when I'm having a rough day." Kim reminisced. Alcohol stained into the wooden beams, memories of a lifetime ago.
"How are you anyway?" Akiko questioned him, trying to shift the focus off her troubles. But he saw right through her, seeing the sadness that clouded her eyes.
"Living the life of a gate clearer. Pretty boring if I'm honest." He admitted with a slight chuckle.
"But enough about me. You look like you could use a drink." He waved down the bartender, ordering them two whiskeys. The liquid sloshed gently in the glass, the scent of the aged liquor wafted through the air, enticing the senses. This was the first drink she had in months; she was a lightweight at the best of times. However, if she was to drown her sorrows, she might as well do it right.
"Any luck with your report?" Kim asked tentatively, knowing full well the answer.
Akiko sighed, "No. We have nothing... Without the Reaper we have nothing." Her voice trailed off, as she took a long sip of her drink, savouring the taste of the oak-aged whiskey.
"And this Reaper. Must be some fella to get you so worked up." Kim smiled; his eyes glinted with amusement. The Reaper was still a myth to those outside the ward, social media, and all.
"He's more than that. He is a ghost, a shadow. He haunts the streets, taking life after life. He leaves no trace, no evidence. Just blood. I hate him." She growled, the thought of the man made her blood boil. Twirling her the ends of her messy blonde hair.
"Akiko did you ever wonder why you were always first out of the knight's poker tournaments?"
"Everyday. Why?"
"You have the worst tell I have ever seen. You twirl your hair when you've got something else on your mind. You don't hate him; you hate the idea of him."
"Am I that easy to read?" A sheepish smile.
"Oh yeah." He took a deep breath of the oak scented liquid. Sipping a small amount of it into his mouth.
"Someone like him; choosing who lives and who dies, above the law. I hate it, you know? And yet, we always three steps behind him; picking up the pieces of the people he murdered..."
"Sounds like a but is coming."
"All those bodies are criminal scum. They would spend years in jail. If we could prove what they did, but we can't. So, he does our job for us."
"I see... you hate him not because he is a killer. It's because deep down you don't think it's wrong."
"I really am a bad liar. I guess so. The law is the law, it keeps us all in line... But maybe sometimes. Just sometimes." She took a sip of her drink.
"What would our old Guildmaster say. 'Justice is like the office coffee. Poorly made, taste like ass and everyone hates it. But it's the only coffee we got and it keeps us all sane.'" The man mimicked his former master's voice. An old crone, with a voice that could peel the paint off walls. It caused Akiko to laugh an ugly snort.
"She would have waited in the dark every night. Waiting for the reaper. And if he didn't come, she probably would have pulled him out of the shadows by the hairs."
"God, I miss her."
"Me too."
Kim laughed with his friend. Memories of happier times, a simpler world. No Reaper, no inept justice system, just a bunch of young knights clearing gates.
"Can I ask why you are here? Every time you want something; you bring me alcohol to make it easier to say yes to something stupid."
Kim's smile grew wide. He knew his friend could read him well, and his plan was going just as he hoped. "Akiko, would you like some help?"
"Help? With what?"
"The Reaper of course."
"Why would I need your help? And why would you be offering?" Akiko inquired. The idea was absurd. A man who was not even a citizen of the ward, nor affiliated with the police force.
"Because you are my friend. And friends help each other out." He gave a coy smile.
"Kimmy..." He was hiding something; she could see right through his innocent facade.
"The golden tigers want in on this."
Handing a poster.
---
'Silvermane recruitment cup'
'All positions open - apply now.'
'3 rounds, 1 winner. Everyone is welcome to participate.'
---
"So, you only want in on the Silvermane. I though you said-"
"If we can get in; I'll find anything I can on the Reaper. I'll be your source of information from the inside." Kim smiled, knowing full well she could not refuse the offer. She had nothing but dead ends, no leads.
"His links to the guild will be found out. And the RCU will be there to take him in." He outreached a hand to her. "Deal?"
"I'm sorry Kim, officially we can't accept help from outside parties, especially guilds." Her voice was stern, the rules of the RCU were clear. No outside assistance, even from friends.
"Fair enough." Taking a final sip of his whiskey and setting the glass down on the table with a clink.
"Good luck Aki. I mean it sincerely." Leaving Akiko alone in her booth, papers still piled high.
'Wait. I never mentioned anything about the Reapers links to the guild.' She sat up. But he was already gone.
Something was amiss with her friend. He seemed to know more than what he let on. 'Maybe... It is just the drink. That must be it.' She was a lightweight after all, maybe a few glasses were enough to make her paranoid.
'No point thinking about it. Back to work.' She sighed, reaching for the next stack of documents.