The bartender was all smiles now, despite the incident. She approached the freshly cleaned bar and shook her head at the bottle he offered to her, smiling politely.

“Not preferential to a drink at the moment, are you?” Ryo grinned and gulped another glass of the bar’s finest rice whisky.

“Not every occasion calls for liquor, Ryo. Besides, a man just died…”

“A man who nearly shot you!” the bartender exclaimed, eyes wide. “I saw it myself—my job isn’t all drinks and tabs, you know: I watch these people. Gotta keep a sharp lookout! Normally they’re a solid bunch, I’m sure you’re aware, but that man came in nice an’ quiet after his friends and I got a rotten feeling about him from the start! Well, he saw you, Remi, put a fast beating on that one gentleman and there, subtle as a snake, he pulls a pistol from his cloak and trains it right at you! Before he knew what was good for ‘im, Okasan appears from the shadows and runs him through his back with her sword! He was out in an instant, that he was.”

“Ah! What a tale!” Ryo’s eyes glinted. “A truly riveting story. One of many for the ladies in your life, eh?”

“What? We-ell…” His eyes flashed to Remi and he blushed. “I suppose so…”

“Suppose nothing!” Ryo smiled playfully. “Any lady would be lucky to have you.” Remi was stubbornly quiet, so he pushed deeper. “Take this one here, for instance: nothing too exciting in her life, the days pass dully with the plotting and the scheming and the house cleaning. Such a mundane existence requires the thrill of a passionate drama. Too much work, not enough play!”

“Yes, but,” the boy gasped, “Miss Remi is certainly not wanting for practice! Mere stories would bore her. She needs… She…”

Ryo grinned. The boy stuttered and coughed. Remi eyed them both heavily before saying in a dull, flat voice: “I’m going to finish my dinner now.” She turned her back to the two and walked away, visibly annoyed. “I am surrounded by idiots,” she muttered.

Ryo called after her. “Mind tagging in Shinji? I still need to talk to that brother of yours.”

“No need!” A familiar voice hailed from two stools down the bar. Ryo nearly spat out his drink when Shinji shrugged off an unassuming cloak and revealed his charming smile. “So now, about that job…”

“Shinji! How long have you been sitting there?”

“Oh, about five minutes, I suppose.” He grinned. “Your skirmish was delightfully dramatic. Well, up until the rule breaker involved himself…” Shinji leaned dangerously far back on his stool and looked to the ceiling with a merry smile on his face. “I was glad to see Remi work off some steam. I would hope it helps her present mood.”

“Hmph, I doubt it. That sister of yours has the strength of a dozen men and the heart of a child. She can’t handle another soul’s blood.”

“She’ll learn, Ryo. But I didn’t come down here to talk about my kin.” Shinji stood and exchanged seats with the patron next to Ryo. “The job. Infiltrate and destroy. My contacts have given me word to send another man. Are you up for it?”

Ryo poured himself one last drink. The look in his eye shone with excitement. “Always, Shinji. I’m always ready.”