[img]http://i.imgur.com/TRdyGgP.png[/img]

This field trip to Randgriz just kept getting better and better. One day Ezekiel had a blast around the city with the busty girl, who'd gotten to know as Eris, the old guy who he'd known as Evan and the flat-chested girl that was Linda, and the next he was tasked to see to his own Black Ops mission. Well... "his own" wouldn't be the correct choice of words, since the whole squad had to partake in it and Ezekiel certainly wasn't the leader of said squad. Cpl. Hunt had everyone partner up and meet up with this dude in a shady tavern, and at first, Ezekiel was between partnering with the lancer girl that showed up earlier, or trying to take a chance with Eris. Thankfully, Eris managed to seek out Ezekiel before he could reach the painstaking decision and, being the lifesaver that she [i]was[/i]...

[color=hotpink]"Would you mind if an old lady like me made you company?"[/color] well, Ezekiel would never have considered Eris "old" per se, [color=hotpink]"We still have a bit of time and I know a great ice cream parlor that's right in the way between here and our rendezvous point."[/color]

[color=f7941d]"Ice-cream?!"[/color] Ezekiel piped up for a second, but the smile vanished from his face within the second it appeared as he bit his lip and inhaled, [color=f7941d]"Ooooh, and now I wish I didn't need those goddamned shoes, ugh. [i]Immediate[/i] regret."[/color]

He shook his head as this reminded him of his less-than-stellar experience with the shoe store. While the two girls were [i]still[/i] trying out new clothes, Ezekiel had already paid for [i]his[/i] and was already on his way to that shoe store that Eris had recommended earlier... except he couldn't find any pair of shoes that were cheap enough, and had to resort to a painfully lengthy haggle with the woman at the teller [i]just[/i] so he could ultimately afford what he wanted. And even that drained most of what was left, leaving only about 200 Ducats for this day in particular. Ezekiel hadn't the slightest recollection of how much ice-cream normally costed, and he'd feel bad if he had to haggle for [i]ice-cream[/i] of all things. He could only hope that those oh-so-expensive shoes were worth the price...

[color=f7941d]"Maybe it'd be best if we skip the ice-cream and just head straight to this bar,"[/color] Ezekiel decided.

...

Sure enough, Eris and Ezekiel had made it to the tavern, and in due time as well. Ezekiel had definitely thought about asking the barkeeper for a drink and seeing what he'd get in return, if anything. The [i]last[/i] time he did this, he'd gotten a glass of orange juice... which the owner of the orphanage had to pay for, much to her disapproval with the boy. In any case, he stayed with the rest of the squad for the moment, and learnt more about this Black Ops mission from the guy they were supposed to meet. Apparently the squad was to raid a house that a sextet of spies had been stashing documents integral to the Gallian Army's Intelligence Division, and retrieve those documents as well as the spies if they were able. Photos were laid out for the squad to identify what the spies looked like, but they looked to be taken from an abnormal angle. Ezekiel had the perfect question for this "Christian Dahl", and it was right on the tip of his tongue.

[color=f7941d]"So have you guys at Intel found anything about where these people are [i]from[/i], exactly? Are they... Imperials? Federation? Rouge Gallians, possibly?"[/color] Ezekiel shrugged his soldiers at this last one; it was hard to imagine a country who an inhabitant would turn his or her back on right when it needed all the able-bodied fighters it could get, but he didn't deny the possibility that someone would be that cruel, [color=f7941d]"And if they come from all over Europa, are you able... and willing, mind you, to tell us who's from where?"[/color]