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"Look, I'm telling you, we'll need more people over here, send everyone you can spare"
"We've already got 30 agents assigned to the ceremony."
"The ceremony doesn't matter, if you don't get more people down here there won't be a ceremony!"
"I'll see what I can do, Kojiro, we're a large nation. We have much more responsibility than just standing guard outside of hotel rooms. Besides, as long as you do your job things should work out fine. Good evening."
James heard a click on the phone receiver and grit his teeth as he slammed it into the cradle. He sighed and stood up. He needed some fresh air.
He stepped out of his hotel room and proceeded down the long hall towards the elevator, passing several agents that were positioned outside of Prime Minister Bergeron's room.
No one bothered to acknowledge his presence and James didn't bother to look up as he walked by.
Down on the ground level of the hotel things were pretty normal for a Sunday night. The adjoining restaurant was full of diners, and travelers were preparing to leave.
James walked out onto the sidewalk and up the street. Small shops crowded together, and lamps illuminated the cement every hundred feet or so.
Girls on the corners greeted him with their usual, "hey baby, need a date?"
James didn't respond, he just thought about the day that had preceded.
He wondered about the girl that they were chasing.. Obviously she was one of the assassins, but would there be more? They'd killed the young man that was with her back in Vector. The records they'd checked out ID'd him as a faceless University of Veridian student named Allister Carroll, with no records of anything that would point to his involvement with a clan of ninja.
Was the girl alone now? Or were there going to be more coming after them now.. James cursed himself for not having captured Allister alive.. He knew the only way they could have stopped him back in that hallway though was to shoot him.. He just wished Jennifer hadn't aimed so well.
The scenery around James slowly changed as he continued. Antique shops and sidewalk cafes were replaced with liquor stores and bar rooms..
He looked up as feminine voices beckoned to him from seedy strip clubs, but it was a sign up ahead caught his eye.. "The Oasis."
James had noticed a small pack of matches on director Foster's desk bearing the same logo.. He'd thought it a little strange at the time, being there was no ashtray or hint of tabacco in Foster's office.
James brushed past the outstretched hands of the many young women standing outside a club named "The Boom Boom Room".. he felt sorry for them..
The Oasis was a dark building with a few neon beer signs hanging on the walls and a backlit sign that bore the picture of a small desert oasis with a palm tree on it.. The double doors were glass that was painted over black on the inside to keep things private.
He walked in an saw the atmosphere seemed pretty typical... low lighting, dusty tables scattered around, and tobacco smoke.. James wretched at the smell and was turning around to leave when something caught his eye..
She was sitting alone at an end of the bar, a floodlight shown above and past her, leaving her in relative shadow.
Coswell didn't move as James approached and sat down on a barstool next to her. She stared down at an empty glass sitting in front of her.
He didn't say anything to her at first, he just sat and looked at her in the smoky glow shining off the mirror that covered the wall behind the bar.
"What are you doing here.."
James jumped as he turned his head back towards her, his gaze had started to wander around the bar as it seemed she wasn't at all awake.
"Oh, I was just out for a walk.."
Coswell looked up.
"You just happened to walk in here? right.."
James figured she must have been there for awhile already.. Her speech was slurred, and she poked james hard on the chest as she added her second sentence.
"Well, I was walking down the street, and I noticed this place.. I'd seen it's name earlier.. so I thought I'd stop in.."
"Were you following me?"
James laughed a little and smiled, "No, of course I wasn't following you."
Coswell just looked at his smile for a moment then she slumped down to rest on top of the bar and shook her head.
James just looked at her sitting there..
"Bring me another one.."
As she looked back up and slapped her hand on the bar he could see she had started crying while she was slumped over.
The bartender quietly placed another glass of light brown liquid in front of her and picked up the old glass.
James put his hand on top of it as she reached for it.
"Come on, Coswell, you've had enough."
She slapped his hand away and quickly brought the contents of the glass to her lips, drinking it in one gulp.
He sighed and stood up.
"Come on, lets get out of here.. we've got a lot of hard work to do tomorrow.."
"You get out of here, stop trying to tell me what to do"
James felt a little embarrassed.. he wasn't trying to tell her what to do. She was obviously very drunk, and she talked loudly, almost yelling.
He put a hand on her shoulder and leaned close to whisper to her.
"Come on, Coswell.. I'm just trying to help you out, now come on, I'll walk you back to the hotel."
James was caught off guard as unexpectedly slapped his hand off her shoulder and punched him on the side of his face. He leaned against the bar in front of her for a moment in shock, and raised his hands in front of himself preparing for another attack, but instead she leaned on him and began crying.
He wasn't sure what to make of it. James looked over at the bartender, who was motioning with his head towards the door.
"Come on.." was all he said as he put an arm around Coswell's back and laid a twenty dollar bill on the counter. She got up and walked unsteadily with him towards the door without anymore event.. she just cried on his shoulder the whole way.
The sobbing didn't stop when they exited the Oasis either. James held her up as she seemed barely able to maintain her own balance.
After about a block she finally stopped crying, James thought maybe she was losing consciousness: he seemed to be practically carrying her anyway..
Then a chill ran down his spine as he felt her breath on his ear.
"Are you involved?"
"With what?"
James felt a little uneasy..
"Are you married?"
"No.."
James thought about Jessie, but they weren't actually married..
"Stop for a minute.. I need to rest.."
He stopped and let her lean on the wall of "The Bowl," a cigar shop they happened to be walking in front of.
"Thanks.."
James nodded and leaned back on the wall next to her. She leaned over against his side.
"It's so hot out tonight.."
Truth was James felt quite comfortable in his suit. It was dark out, and still early in the year, but Coswell began to unbutton the black jacket she was wearing anyway. after she'd unbuttoned a few of them and pulled her jacket slightly open James noticed that she wasn't wearing a shirt underneath it, just a bra.
"Whoa, lets just keep that on for now, ok, Coswell? Lets get going again, we don't want to be late." James said as he put his arm around her, holding her jacket closed with his hand as she continued to unbutton it.
"Call me Jen.."
James pulled her back onto the sidewalk and started walking again, as she tried to pull off her jacket, not seeming to realize that James was grasping the front closed with the hand he had wrapped around from behind her.
James sighed as he pulled her along.. She was falling all over herself drunk.
"Stop James, I need to rest.. let me lean on that light pole.."
They'd only stopped about 2 blocks back, and James felt like it would take forever to get back to the hotel like this, but he stopped anyway..
As soon as he let her lean against it her jacket once again fell open, revealing her beautiful figure.. James tried to secure one of the buttons, but she grabbed him, wrapping her hands around his chest.
James' hands came up to try to push her away as she brought her head towards his own. She was trying to kiss him, and his hands came to rest on her almost bare chest as he ws trying to keep her away. He felt extremely self conscious and tried to step back away from her, but ended up stumbling down to his back, her landing on top of him.
"What are you doing?!" James blurted out as she finally seemed to stop trying to kiss him
'The people driving by must really be wondering what's going on..' James thought to himself.
Coswell just laid her head on his chest (her arms still around his back) and started crying again.
"Jen.. what's wrong?"
"You hate me!"
James sighed as he sat up, she was still huddled against him.
"I don't hate you.."
"Then why wouldn't you let me kiss you?"
"Come on, Jen.. lets get up, we need to get back to the hotel."
"Am I ugly?"
"No, you're not ugly."
"Then please kiss me.."
James was silent for a moment, then said, "there's someone else.."
Coswell became quiet for a moment as they sat there, but at least she wasn't crying anymore.
"Is she pretty?"
James smiled as he thought about Jessie..
"Yes.. she's very beautiful.."
Coswell sighed, but still didn't look up as she continued.
"Am I pretty?"
James hesitated for a moment. He wasn't sure what he should say, but he decided honesty is always best..
"Yes, you're a very beautiful woman.."
Coswell stopped for a moment again, then continued cautiously.
"Is she prettier than me?"
"You're both very beautiful.."
"Do you love her?"
"Yeah.. I do.."
They just sat there for what seemed to be hours in silence, with only the occasional car breaking the stillness.
"Come on.. it's getting late, we really need to get back."
Coswell didn't object, and James helped her to stand up and balance herself.
The two walked the rest of the way back to the hotel in silence.. He wondered what she'd do in the morning when she was back to her 'normal' self..
When they finally entered the sliding glass doors of the lobby Coswell closed her eyes from the bright light and crowded against him. James was still holding her jacket closed with the hand he had wrapped around her waist, and the agent on duty watching the entrance stared at them as they walked in. James just glared back.
In the short ride up the elevator Coswell broke the silence.
"I'm really sorry.."
"It's ok.." was all James said. Her eyes were still fixed on the ground in front of her.
Thankfully, Coswell's room was slightly separated from the others.. hers was before the hallway veered to the left, leading to the Prime Minister's room. James really didn't want to have to carry her drunk past all the agents that would be posted outside the room..
All of the doors in the hotel were activated by magnetic key cards, and James didn't have one to Coswell's room..
"Jen, we're here..."
Coswell ineffectively fumbled her hand around by her hip, trying to get her hand into her right pocket. After awhile James reached in and pulled it out himself.. He could a slight smile form on her face as he did and he sighed to himself.
The door popped open as he inserted the card, and he drug Coswell's languid figure to the bed, laying her down on her back.
James was very tired after the events of the day and evening himself, so he sat down next to her holding his tired head in his hands..
"James?"
James' head jerked up towards the doorway, which was still open, and a smile lit up his tired face.
"Jessie!"
James got up to go to her, but she put her hand out to keep him away.
"What's wrong?"
"The guy downstairs told me I'd find you up here with a half naked woman.. but I hardly believed him.."
James turned his attention to Jennifer, who was awake again, and had sat up on the edge of the bed, her jacket was now missing and only her bra kept her decent...
"Oh, this is Jen, she's my-"
James turned back to Jessie as he spoke, and was laid out by a wickedly hard punch to the face.
As James shook his head and sat up regaining his bearings in the world, he looked towards the doorway, Jessie was gone and Jennifer was kneeling over him.
James quickly sat up.
"Where'd Jessie go?"
"The girl with red hair?"
"Yes, the girl with red hair, where'd she go?"
"She left a minute ago."
"A minute ago?"
"You fell pretty hard.. you were unconscious for a few seconds.."
"Where'd she go?"
"She just started crying and said 'you can have him' then ran out of here.."
James felt a sting run through his whole body as she said this, and he sighed, leaning his head back on the ground as he closed his eyes.. He didn't want to cry in front of her..
He could feel her body press against his as he lay there. He kept his eyes and mouth tightly shut, but he could feel her try to kiss him.
"I swear I can love you more than she can.."
James couldn't help it any longer, he felt a tear on his cheek, and he sat up, carrying Jen up with him.. He turned away from her.
"I'm sorry Jen.. we need rest.. it's been a tiring day.."
James stood up, and slowly walked out of the room without looking back..