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What was the last time Annika wore something formal? Not even herself knew for certain. The sniper garment was, for her, almost like a second skin. That dress she was wearing right now, no matter how elegant and beautiful it was, felt strange on her. Too restrictive, not allowing her to move comfortably, it was everything [I]but[/I] practical. Despite her protests, Garsin had insisted that they absolutely needed to wear those fancy clothes. His arguments were that they were going somewhere sophisticated and they wouldn't want to attract unnecessary attention. As they walked towards the meeting place, Annika's dissatisfaction, which would pass unnoticed for most people, was incredibly apparent for Garsin, who was already accustomed enough with her to know what she was thinking.

Entering the extremely luxurious establishment they were sent to, they immediately went to the VIP lounge, where they were said they would meet their 'contact' to talk more about said job. Getting there though, they were greeted by a... strange figure to say the least. The man who began speaking with them, upon closer inspection, wasn't neither from the military nor a Raelin official at all. According to his own words, he was representing the sultan of Ayntayikk, despite having clear Frinian features. According to his own words, his friend, the senator couldn't attend the meeting and he was sent in his stead. Annika's eyes carefully analyzed the man as he greeted them. His sweet words were met only with silence and a discreet nod.

The second he put a big, heavy bag of gil on the table and explained the situation, it was undeniable that he indeed knew what was happening. The bag in question was full with Ayntayikk coins. The senator, having made an 'agreement' with the Ayntayikk Sultan, had a simple, yet complicated request. His daughter was kidnapped. The senator wanted simply his daughter to return safely and the death of whoever was responsible for contracting the kidnappers. If they knew exactly who was the responsible, it would be way easier, but in that situation they would not only have to rescue the senator's daughter, but capture the kidnappers [I]alive[/I] (which was already something inconvenient for Annika), but also play detectives... If they were lucky, the kidnappers would let out who the contractor was or at least some hints about who they were...

To make things even worse, the ransom was that very night in the Hinds District, near a broken aqueduct. They wouldn't have much time to prepare themselves, which would make everything even more complicated. Their job was something that required precision and careful planning. Something that was simply not possible in such a short amount of time. Still, she couldn't help but to think that there was something wrong on all that. Not only the senator didn't show up to the meeting regarding something as important as his own daughter's safety, but the man who was talking to them was also strange... A man who said that was representing the Ayntayikk Sultan but looked much more like a Frinian than someone from Ayntayikk... Her thoughts were interrupted when the man suggested them to visit the palace to search for some clues regarding the culprit. The moment he said so, Annika rolled her eyes. She knew that Garsin wouldn't let her off that easy. He had said that they might need to visit somewhere important when he was convincing her to put on the dress but she dismissed that as just an excuse.

[color=6ecff6]"Please don't..."[/color] Annika whispered to Garsin the second the man sent them away. She knew so well that he simply would have to say 'I told you so'.

Standing up, Annika gave a slight bow to the Ayntayikk man before moving to the door, purposely letting the heavy gil bag for Garsin to carry.

[color=6ecff6]"Strange... That man was clearly Frinian..."[/color] Annika said, low enough so only Garsin could hear.

[color=6ecff6]"There's also the fact that the senator didn't care to show up even though it's regarding to his own daughter..."[/color]

[color=6ecff6]"We should go to the..."[/color] Annika started saying, but hesitated for a second, sighing. She knew exactly what Garsin would say about that and she didn't want to admit he was right about the whole dress thing.

[color=6ecff6]"To the palace..."[/color] she finished, looking down  and blushing a bit.

[color=6ecff6]"After that... to the broken aqueduct... It would be better to capture the kidnappers and not kill them..."[/color] Annika said, trying to change the topic even though she knew it wouldn't work. That was the hardest part. Capturing someone alive was, ironically way harder than just killing them.