Garnet Pentagon

Chapter 8: The Return

"I swear I didn't steal anything.." For someone surrounded with nowhere to run, Raquel hardly sounded concerned.

Jin hardly flinched out of surprise of her agreeance to their need to use force or for her believing they would listen to her protests or reasoning. He remained the pistol firmly aimed at her. "Not what I was suggesting, but if you were, it is none of our concern."

Raquel raised an eyebrow, almost tempted to laugh. "Well look at you," she taunted. "You mustn't be some sort of police force or guard if you're willing to let something like theft slide."

What seemed as overflowing confidence soon began to drip away once it came to her attention she was surrounded by those who remained of Jin's company. After quickly glancing at each of them individually, she hesitantly started to move her arms to down to her side. "You don't mind do you?... My arm kind of hurts..."

The wound Illarion had caused to Raquel's left arm consisting of grazes and scratches had begun to bleed and drip down her arm. However, Jin gave no indication of whether it should have medical attention, yet still allowed her to lower her arms.

Instead of boldly jumping from the library window, Eri and Gaius took the longer way around the building to confront Raquel, only to realise that Jin had completely taken control of the situation. He reached into his coat and removed a couple of firearms for Gaius and Eri to keep an eye on their captive while he called The Director for assistance using his watch.

"Hey Jin I was wondering," Eri spoke to him while uncomfortably holding the unfamiliar weapon with the edges of her fingers. "How come you didn't use this much security with Larry?"

Before Jin was given the chance to answer, Eri quickly turned in fright at the safety switch of Illarion's gun being removed. "Did you just call me Larry?!" Of all things the three had done to him, Eri was surprised that Illarion didn't take to affectionate names, in which made him more furious than she had anticipated.

"I think it's cute," She replied with a smile. "Larry."

"I will shoot you."

Jin disabled his watch and lowered his arm. "The Director has informed me that all we are required to do is take the Butterfly train to Vienna where he will be awaiting our return." He explained as he collected the firearms from the dangerous hands of Illarion and Eri before leading the way to the Rio train station.

The others followed, including Raquel being dragged along by Illarion, while Eri tried to calculate the exact location of The Director's secret hideout. "Vienna huh?" She asked Jin for reconfirmation. "I thought we were nowhere near Vienna."

"We aren't." Jin replied simply. "That is where we are meeting him."

Eri groaned in frustration, not wanting to accept that mysterious explanation but eventually did.

Without their knowledge, Jin had train tickets to Vienna inside an envelope his coat, clearly prepared and expectant of the outcome of recruiting Raquel, or rather, ordering her to follow uninformed. They boarded the train with ease and as expected, had it to themselves.

Eri found herself sitting opposite Gaius who was trying to clean Raquel's cuts with Jin's first aid kid. Illarion laid dangerously on the floor at the back of the carriage asleep, how he wasn't skidding with the movement of the car baffled her, but didn't bother disturbing him. Jin however, had separated from the group and sat on his own. Eri watched him curiously. He sat on his own in a silent and still manner, as if he were meditating or in a trance, and didn't make any sort of interactions with anyone. All she could guess was either he didn't like trains very much, for he just wanted his own space away from the others, which in Eri's opinion was fair enough.

"All done, I think." Gaius exclaimed as he put away the first aid kit. Raquel mumbled a 'thank you' and looked at the bandage that had been wrapped around her thin arm. This was the first time Eri got to look at her properly. Her short brown hair barely reaching her shoulders, along with her olive skin and green eyes matched perfectly with the photo Jin had in his possession. But however, it surprised Eri to see her dressed in denim jeans and a jacket despite the sweltering heat of that particular day in Rio. In fact, everything about her seemed strange.

"How can one be both siren and mage?" Eri asked her abruptly after a moment's silence.

"What do you mean how, it shouldn't confuse you." She spoke in a civil tone in comparison to Eri. "One of my parents was a siren and the other was a mage, I don't know which one though." 

Eri raised an eyebrow. "You don't know? Aren't they your parents?"

Raquel lost eye contact with her as she turned herself around to look more clearly out the window to the unfavourable view of the inside of an underground concrete tunnel as the train travelled past at high speed. "You see, I grew up in an orphanage. I don't know much more about my parents than that I'm afraid." She explained, in a quiet tone in which Eri was unsure if it was emotionally distressing for her or not. Regardless, she decided not to further inquire.

However, Gaius spoke to fill the silence. "I guess we all come from different family backgrounds."

Eri thought about it more carefully. He was right, Raquel came from an orphanage, Illarion only spoke of a father, Jin avoided the subject all together but nothing from her observations suggested anything tragic, not to mention her own situation was unique. However....

"Do you even have a family Gaius?" Eri asked curiously to the man who claimed he fell from the sky. As expected, his only response was a ridiculously big grin on his face followed by the words, "Not telling."

She sighed in defeat. "I give up with you weirdos."

~

  Once the group arrived in Vienna, it was quite obvious to them that this was not the location of the 'secret hideout' described by Jin and Eri. In comparison to Tomsk, Vienna had many more guards in which their presence was much more heavily felt. On this basis alone, they assumed this couldn't be near the location of their hideout.

Raquel and Eri, who hardly ever travelled, were in awe of their beautiful new location. Gaius, apparently well-travelled himself, had never visited Vienna and made a couple of notable comments of the scenery before losing interest. Illarion and Jin however, had no interest whatsoever.   

 Jin's eyes focused only on his watch to determine the exact location of The Director, before ordering the group to follow him. He lead the group down the main street, stained with the amber sunlight of the setting sun towards it's approach to night time.  A crowd of people had begun flood the streets for the city's night life as the group tried to push their way through to reach a narrow lane way off the main road only lit by lamps adorned by the walls of the buildings fencing it. Jin lead them past two doors before stopping at the third. The sign above the door didn't match the building, suggesting it was new, perhaps originally written in German before the law passed that everything had to be written in English. However, the ornate lettering of the sign rendered it impossible for the group to read in such low lighting.

Jin opened the heavy door before peering inside. He closed the door and looked back at the group. "Wait here. I will collect him."

 "Wait!" Illarion shouted in attempt to stop him. Jin ignored his call and walked inside, closing the door behind him.   

Illarion made his way down to sit on the ground, leaning against the building wall. "Damn it..." he growled. "I had a lot to say to this Director guy for dragging me here.."

The others promptly sat down against the wall similarly. "I assume we'll meet him in no time Mr Werewolf." Gaius called past Eri and Raquel to reach him, using the two girls as protection against any sort of crazy behaviour directed to him on Illarion's behalf.

Illarion picked up a small stone from the ground and tossed it across the path. "We better."

Hello Everyone, it's author.

This chapter was intended to be longer but I figured it's been a while since I updated so I thought you guys might want something now rather than waiting longer. Thanks to those continuing to read.