Neon District: Redux

Chapter Three: Cat and Mouse

       The Neon Market used to be an abandoned warehouse where many citizens went to do private dealings, but it later bloomed into a popular public space for those with privately owned businesses. 

       Dusty brick walls wrapped around the entirety of the old warehouse and a scrap metal ceiling with vacant patches. Sheets of the scrap metal fell from the rafters after years of being subjected to the cruel rain and blistering hot sun. Inside the warehouse, there were many empty crates littered about with some stacked all the way up to the high ceiling, but that was just a cover to the real wonders of the Market.

       Not far from the warehouse's gaping entrance, if you were to walk closer to the side of the building, there was a wide set of worn stone stairs going down towards neon lights. Glowing hues of purples, greens and yellows illuminated the trash ridden stairwell. As well as, concert posters tacked up to the walls gave the once boring stairwell character with decades old concert dates announcing tours.

       Yuka herself had never been to the Neon Market, but she had heard about the wonders and trinkets that you may find if you searched the vast corridors with shops littered about for long enough.

       Once they stepped through the entry way, they were immediately met with both the scents of oils, cooked food, and the sights of the Watch. Except only the Watch didn't seem to heed them any attention as they waltzed on through.

       "Where is this Manzo Ogawa guy we are looking for?" Yuka asked to Sam as she glanced around the packed restaurants and shops as people searched for a special treasure or meal.

       "Oh... I don't know exactly as he tends to find a job at one of these places, gets fired, and then moves on to the next shop in here," he replied, stuffing his wallet deeper into the pocket of his pants.  "But with the pattern he seems to take; I would assume he will currently be working at some bar or something."

       They took a hard right that led them down another corridor where most of the shops down this way were either bars or liquor stores. Yuka became more focused as this Ogawa guy might be in one of these bars either sober or hammered based off the information Sam provided her on the bus ride here.

       Their ride over was otherwise silent.

       "How do you know this guy, anyway?" she questioned, watching a drunken man try to pick up a chick and get rejected as they passed by a crowded bar. 

       "When I first started coming here Manzo was legit the only person that seemed interested in what I ordered at a restaurant- out of all things. Mind you, he wasn't drunk and he wouldn't stop following me afterward, so I just started chatting with him hoping he would go away," he explained, stopping in front of a packed bar with different coloured strobe lights flashing across the walls.

        "That's stupid and idiotic," Yuka replied as she halted and peered into the bar.

       "It is, but damn this dude has quite the stories to tell," he ended off, pointing towards a messy gray haired man behind the bar- clearly wasted.

       The older looking man seemed to have taken notice of Sam right away and called out his name over the blaring music that played inside. Sam cringed and motioned for him to quiet down and come over, which the man complied and came outside where his breath reeked of alcohol.

       "Sam, my boy! Haven't seen you here since.... when was it...?" Manzo greeted before trailing off; trying to remember when he last saw Sam.

       "It was yesterday and I came back because I want what I gave you back. I even have the money to give back to you," Sam explained, pulling out his thin wallet. Manzo stood there a moment as if processing what Sam just explained to him before replying: