Still Doll

A Lonely Songwriter

"Sir?" A call and a soft knock on his office's door disrupted Kurapika while re-rereading an email on his laptop. His brows knitted slightly in mild annoyance, but he responded anyway.

"Come in," he minimized the active, incognito tab containing an email about a potential lead to a pair of Kuruta eyes, complete with its current owner and location. It took him a bit of time and money to get this information so he wanted to examine it more thoroughly, but duty called.

He had memorized the details of the owner's location, though; the person was presently residing in a far, secluded island in the province of Akharin. Kurapika was unfamiliar with the place and was worried that if he chose to pursue this lead, he might have to leave the headquarters for a long time, which wasn't a good idea at the moment, because it had been just two months since they established the company. He couldn't just go into a trip to somewhere faraway, even if being allowed to go after a lead to Kuruta eyes was included in the deal he agreed with Nostrad, unless he accepted an actual bodyguard job. It irked him that he might need to put this pair on hold, all the while thinking of extending the clue to Kuroro so he could pay it a visit in his stead.

In that grueling two months of founding their security details agency, Kurapika and Linssen had to combine forces to process all the necessary documentations and licenses to operate, recruiting and screening bodyguard applicants, and introducing the company to the market. Despite this, Kurapika kept his word and oftentimes contacted Kuroro for updates. The man seemed to understand and had been behaving so far as he hadn't raised nor insisted on the subject of meeting up and only had given timid replies, but Kurapika knew better. He should set the next session soon, before Kuroro got 'antsy' again. He figured this could be a good chance to do so.

"Pardon the intrusion, sir. But there's a walk-in client waiting at the lounge," a newbie recruit with a huge built and tattoos covering his arms stepped inside the office.

"Where's Linssen?" Linssen was in charge of accounts and therefore was stationed at the receiving counter in the lounge. He was suited for attending clients, anyway.

"He's on a coffee break and has yet to return," the guy responded. "I've thought of asking the client if he can wait for a while, but I hesitated because he's quite old so..."

"Alright," Kurapika got on his feet. "I'll be there in a moment. You go ahead," he said as he put his laptop to sleep.

Grabbing a clipboard and a pen from the counter on his way to the lounge, he walked to the couch where a man holding a cane sat. Kurapika estimated that he must be around his seventies, with graying hair, wrinkled eyes and slouched posture.

"Good day, sir. I apologize for the wait," Kurapika sat across the man who greeted him back with a small smile. Strangely, he could perceive the forlorn look behind his spectacled, brown eyes. "I'm Kurapika. How may I help you today?"

"It's alright," the man easily dismissed the apology in a hoarse voice. "I'm Linos Escheria. I'd like to hire a bodyguard to accompany me to my trip to Akharin for two days." Kurapika's heart leapt in anticipation at the mention of the man's destination. What an eerie coincidence.

"I see," Kurapika wrote the stated information on the request form clipped on the board. "How old are you and what do you do for a living?"

"Seventy-one. I'm a retired songwriter."

"Are you going alone on this trip, sir?" By the looks of it, the man went on his own to the agency instead of sending a representative or just giving them a call.

"Yes."

"Okay. How many guards would you like to hire?"

"Only one. I want a male guard, a quiet type if possible."