(Author’s POV)
Hearing the knock, Nerissa got up in a flash. She straightened her back and fixed the wrinkle ford between her brows. After taking a deep breath, she walked towards the door. Then she waited for another two seconds, and finally opened the door, her voice honeyed, "Yes~ ...."
"Ms. Marino," Chris said, standing outside her room. His hands were on his back, his voice polite.
"Ohhh~ ... Shadow," Nerissa batted her eyelashes. Her deanor did a complete one-eighty as she added, "What are you standing there for? Co in, let’s talk inside." She didn’t ask anything about why he was late. She didn’t want to give an opening or raise suspicion.
After a mont’s hesitation, Chris walked. Though outwardly he presented himself utterly calm, inwardly he was in turmoil. The past hour, he had called, visited the guilds he had hired, and just like before, ~ .... none of them was able to find a single clue related to gold blood. So, in the end, defeated, he ca to Nerissa’s doorstep.
Nerissa gestured for him to settle on the couch as she walked towards the counter.
Chris looked unfazed, but he was observing Nerissa quite closely. Her movents, her intention, he wanted to know more about her before he could start on the topic.
Carrying two glasses, in one it was water, and in the other red wine, she strolled back, her hips swaying rhythmically. She casually settled beside him, handing him the plain water glass.
Chris took it but did not drink; instead, he started, "Ms. Marino~ ...."
"Call Nerissa~ ... or better Neri~ ... everyone here does. Ms. Marino~ ... *tch* that gives horoom teacher vibes," Nerissa interrupted, taking a sip of her wine. Her face held that undeniably charming smile as she looked into Chris’s eyes.
"Ms. Nerissa~ ... are you a human?" he questioned straightforwardly.
"Hmmm~ ... you tell , what do you think?" Nerissa muttered, her brow arched, her face tilted.
"You are not," he was straightforward, again. His expression unreadable. "No human can survive a place like this. Especially, soone with an S-Level rank guild mber."
"Ummhmm~ .... you are quite observant. I must say. But~ ... how did you know I am an S-Level ranked guild mber?" she feigned confusion, her eyebrows furrowed now.
"Your card," he said and then fired another question her way, "Then~... what are you exactly, Ms. Nerissa?"
"Take a guess?" she said, her voice close to seductive.
Chris imdiately scooted away, creating so distance between them, "I don’t know. That’s why I am asking."
Nerissa stared at him for a good two seconds, tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear, resting her head on the headrest leisurely, and said, "Does it matter what I am? I guess you need my help~ ... quite desperately so. Whether I am human, an animal, a fish or a bird, will change?"
"It might," Chris was honest.
"Ohkiez~ ... if that is so important for you, then. As my na suggests, I am a rmaid~ ...." She told him straightaway.
Listening to her words, Chris’s mouth agape, his eyes ready to pop out of his socket. "rmaids aren’t real."
Nerissa chuckled at his reaction, comnting, "Hehe~ ... either you don’t believe my words, or you are just too shocked."
"Ms. Marino, you don’t have to pull my legs. It’s okay if you don’t want to reveal your identity. I will be taking my leave then," he got up and started taking decisive steps.
Nerissa panicked a little, but quickly composed herself and chuckled once again, "Shadow~ ... I didn’t know you were that sensitive. Ok, I won’t be joking then. I belong to the Dolphin pod."
Chris paused, turned around and asked, "Dolphin Pod, I have heard of it. But~ .... How can you~ ...."
"How can I survive and live outside water? Is that what you are curious about?" she completed his words. "What is this~ .... Nineteen seventies? Science has evolved, humans have evolved, so do we."
Anyways~ ... I answered your question, now~ .... Shall we discuss about why you contacted , umm?"
The people belonging to the Dolphin Pods were said to be loyal and trustworthy. They were very good at jobs like information gathering and trading, plus keeping their mouths shut. ’So, that’s why she is an S-Level,’ he thought.
He then fired a bunch of questions, "Which guild are you working for? For how many years? Why did you co to the land? Why are you living at a place like Gouldland?"
"Woah, woah, woah. Why does this sound like a job interview, huhh," Nerissa comnted, but answered anyway, "Firstly~ ... I don’t do guilds. I work solo. For approx. fifteen years. As for why I co to the land or chose this place~ .... That’s kind of a personal matter, so I refrain from saying anything about it," at the end, her tone shifted serious, dead serious.
She crossed her legs, looked him in the eye and said, "Shadow~ ... are you trying to investigate? That’s not fun. You ca here to for help. I didn’t ask you to. So, what are you trying to accomplish by testing the waters? If you have trust issues, my door is open. You can leave."
Chris’s eyes flickered. He stood there, dumbfounded. Then after contemplating sothing~ .... He said, "Ms. Marino~ .... Ms. Nerissa, I apologize for my rudeness. It’s just~ ..." He hesitated, "It’s just an occupational habit."
He returned to the couch, settled beside Nerissa and finally said, "I need you to find sothing for . You can na any price; money is not a problem. But I want two things. First, our conversation stays just between us, no leaks, not even to your own shadow. And second, and the most important, I want the task to be done in two days." He laid out his demands.
"First one is easy peasy," Nerissa claid. "But~ ... a deadline of two days~ .... that’s very~ ... ummm~ .... Anyways, I will try my best. But tell , what do you want to find for you?"
"Have you~ .... Have you heard of sothing like~ ...." He paused and finally said it. "Gold Blood? I want you to find that for ."
To Be Continued . . . . . . . . .
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