Operation May

3: Where did you get that?

What followed for the next few minutes was uncontemplated silence. Jay and I did not speak to each other for the duration of the trip back home. That is, until he stopped the car at his place instead of mine. 

While I live in a strictly residential part of the city, Jay's domicile was a stone's throw from the hospital where he was taking his residency. As had been routine, he alighted from the car after turning off the engine, and opened the passenger door for me.

Confused as to what our business could be in his apartment, I remained next to his car as he walked to the front door. As he dug into his suit pocket for the keys, he turned around to face me, directing me to follow him.

"Why aren't you moving?" He was still searching for his keys, albeit to no avail.

"What are we doing here, anyway?"

"We're going to talk." I heard a faint jangle. He pulled a set of keys from a pocket in his pants, and unlocked the door. We both entered the apartment, when Jay pointed at a pair of slippers resting against one side of the sofa. I took my shoes off, and wore his guest slippers.

The living room had more decor than it did during my last visit. The ambiance given off by the arrangement was aristocratic, with flourishes embellishing otherwise simple cabinets. Paintings depicting life back in Eidhu adorned once-bare walls. A collection of bells from different parts of Ordale lined up a display case. Jay wandered off into the pantry, presumably to prepare tea. 

I sat on the sofa, crossing one leg over the other, as my eyes wandered from one corner of the room to another. I picked up what seemed to be a book, its cover waterlogged and dog-eared. Flipping through its contents, I recognised playful shapes and scrawls. It looked like a child's handwriting. In the corner of my eye, I saw Jay re-emerge from the dimmed pantry. He held a teapot in one hand, and had 2 cups on the other. He set them on the table, and sat down beside me.

"That diary belongs to the child we're looking for." I was startled, for some odd reason. As I was skimming one of the entries, I heard the trickling of liquid as it filled teacups. Jay offered me some tea, which I refused for the time being.

"Why are you so interested in this kid, anyway? Seems like a mentally challenged six-year old, judging from these entries." I unceremoniously tossed the diary on the table, almost knocking over Jay's cup of tea.

"Such searches often involve a monetary reward. Think of what I can do with that money." He took the diary into his hands. "Groceries, utilities..." Of course he was thinking about money again. It would be too difficult for me to believe that he'd look for a kid he's not related to, out of the goodness of his heart.

"It's not like there's much for me to do while the rest of the city's busy with the Masque. Might as well spend the time doing something." Knowing Jay, he's likely to give me a cut of whatever we receive. I was not expecting anything, since there was nothing about a reward on the crude note. I looked at him. "What about you?"

"I'm not on call right now, but of course I'll have to put this on the backburner should I be needed in the hospital." He tried to scratch one of his pointed ears. Sometimes, I forgot he wasn't human. Even for a pragmatic person like Jay, he had too much motivation to find this child. It's almost like he had more reasons than he's let me on.

"Since this seems very important to you, I can fill in for you when you're working." I don't know why I even said that. I have been deprived of a normal sleep schedule for most of the year. The Discovery Masquerade is one of those few pockets of sanity that the year can afford me. It'd keep me busy for the time I'm awake, but there's no way I'm letting it take my precious sleep away.