Ace had planned to travel all the way to Archport before waiting for Vladius to show himself. Halfway to Windsor, however, he was handed a note by the porter and now he sat staring out the window of a little no-name cafe in Windsor. Rain drizzled from the gray sky, filling the air with a chill. He sighed and looked at the note for the dozenth time.
"Wait for me in the cafe in Windsor. If the coast is clear, I'll find you and we can discuss plans for our mission.
VK"
If he hadn't seen the man's file himself, he would swear that Vladius was a newbie agent on his first assignment with minimal training. A cryptic note? Meeting in secret in a cafe? He sighed again and crumpled the note. It was times like this that reminded him why he preferred working alone.
The waitress came over and refilled his coffee and he nodded his thanks. He stirred it absently while he continued to stare out the window.
"Dreary day, isn't it?"
Ace didn't move, except for his eyes as he glanced over at the new occupant of a nearby table. The man sitting there wore a long rain-slicker that dribbled water on the floor beneath his chair. He had his chin down in his collar and the wide brimmed hat pulled down over his eyes.
"Indeed," Ace replied.
The 'mysterious' man shifted. "A day such as this calls for warm visits from friends."
Ace continued to act disinterested. "True enough."
Silence stretched between them for several minutes. Ace sipped his coffee, hiding his smile.
"Meeting anyone?" the man asked.
Ace shook his head, not even looking over. "Nope. Just passing through."
"On a business trip?" A note of anxiety crept into the man's voice.
"Not really," Ace said, keeping his tone bored. "Vacation, of a sort."
"Oh, where are you heading?"
Ace shrugged, then stood up to stretch. "Don't know. Wherever the wind takes me, I suppose." He dropped some coins on the table. "Take it easy."
He left the cafe and headed to the train station. If Vladius wanted to play like that, he'd have to try just a bit harder. He bought a ticket for the first train out of town, and then sat on a bench by the tracks to wait for it. Vladius had followed him at a short distance and now stood a little further down on the platform, waiting.
Ace pretended to doze for a while, until the shrill shriek of the train whistle sounded and he started. He shook his head as though he had just been awakened and stood up as the train pulled in to the station. It screeched, coming to a stop. The porter hopped out, holding a mailbag, and handed it off to the station clerk.
"All aboard for Mint!" he called.
Ace strolled over, ignoring Vladius who was still standing by the wall. He wandered down the half empty car, and sat in the corner, facing forward. Vladius had followed him and sat at the other end, facing him. A few minutes later, the whistle shrilled and the train lurched. Windsor slowly fell out of sight behind them as the train picked up speed.
Ace pulled a book out of his bag. Vladius would make another move when he decided. For now, he was going to relax and enjoy the long trip to Mint.
Two hours had gone by when Vladius finally came and flopped down in the seat across from him. Ace glanced up, an innocent and uninterested look on his face. Vladius stared at him hard for a moment from under his hat brim.
