"To think that one day you would come to me for a favor." Simon spoke with a smirk. "After everything that happened..."
"Cut the crap, Simon." Sara heaved a sigh. "We don't have the time for this."
Sparks started flying the moment the three girls entered the nightclub. There was still quite some time before it opened so no one was around besides the brown man and the bartender. Simon dismissed his followers as soon as the press conference ended, not wanting them to cause any trouble while he talked to his past lover.
"Ingrid! Ingrid! This looks just like that place in the Summer Soldier!"
"Yeah... this is bordering on copyright infringement."
The tense atmosphere was shattered by the two girls standing behind the reporter. The shabby old bar seemed to draw their interest as evidenced by the cheerfulness with which they discussed the interior.
"You think anyone would bother with copyrights nowadays?" Antony shook his head with a grin. "The owners are probably dead by now."
The bartender couldn't hide his joy. He went through a lot of effort to model the bar after the one that appeared in a favorite movie of his. Few recognize it at first sight, but those who do never fail to bring him joy.
The girls walked over to the counter and sat down.
"Old man! I'll have Margarita!" The short one said.
"Tequila for me!" The taller one added cheerfully.
"I need to see some IDs first." Antony grinned. "I don't think you're old enough to drink."
"What do you mean not old enough!?" The short one retorted. "I'm twenty one, you know?"
"And an ID would prove that."
In the end, the two had to settle for some cola. Meanwhile, Sara sat beside Simon and asked the important question. The brown man wasn't in a hurry to talk. He took the cigarette out of his mouth and puffed the smoke in the air, letting it slowly fade out of sight. He was going to take another puff, but before he could the reporter grabbed the cigarette out of his hand.
"Haa... we already know who took your damn phone," he said, sounding quite annoyed.
Unamused by the comedic scene, Simon brought his brows together in a frown.
"If you don't have any cash then what's the point in helping you?"
"Oh, that's very simple." Lowering her large sunglasses, the short one gazed at him with her purple eyes. "You help us and we won't tell the big guy about your little mafia game."
A shiver runs down Simon's spine. The irises staring at him were inhuman, and it wasn't just the color. He couldn't tell what made him think that, but the feeling was too strong to be ignored. He glanced at Antony as if to ask for confirmation and saw that he was doing the same.
As the horror began to settle in, they turned to their reporter friend next, silently asking what kind of mess she dragged them into.
"I'll explain another time." Sara could only sigh. "Let's get the phone back first."
"The hell you mean you'll explain later!!?"
The brown man practically jumped out of his seat and quickly put some distance between them. The bartender did the same, his eyes looking like they were about to fall out of their sockets.
"Now that's a bit harsh." Said Ingrid, her voice completely calm. She then slipped the straw under her mask and sipped from the cola she was served.
"Y-you brought those things here!?" Simon pointed a trembling finger at the two girls. "W-w-what were you thinking!!?"
"Hey now, I get that they made you believe we were robots on this side, but can you not call us 'things'?" Ingrid spoke with a frown. "We have feelings, you know."
"We came in peace!" Juni added, making a peace sign with each hand. "Peace. Peace!"
Antony disappeared into the back room leaving the four on their own. Though she knew it would come to this at some point, Sara couldn't help feeling exasperated. Unable to take it anymore, she took out a cigarette and lit it up.
"The new Head General knows about this." She said after exhaling a cloud of smoke. "They were told to not use their powers here."
Before the conversation could proceed, Antony barged in carrying a camera and some light equipment.
"I will give you that Margarita." He said, sweat beading his forehead. "Just let me take some pics!"