Of little things

Chapter 14 - Intelligence.

Stepping out of a very sleek looking dark black sports car on a partially dead end street, Nagira stopped to look around himself, then up to the heavens, as the afternoon sun was trying to peek through the dingy cloud plastered skies above, as the fluffy gray streaks seemed to be readying for a rain shower or two.

The tall, wavy haired man slammed his car door and settled his coat around his shoulders as he paused. Glancing around at the seedy looking street, he seemed to be unfazed with the dilapidation of this mostly forgotten part of the city. He looked at a building that was across from where he had parked and snuffed.

Nagira lit himself a smoke and the began to make a beeline towards a nearby building with a very prominent flashing green neon sign that read ‘Pachinko Palace Place’ overtop of extremely large double doors that was the entrance to the seedy looking structure. He seemed to not pause or even hesitate, as he crossed the street.

Without any hesitation, the tall lawyer made his way to enter the building, ignoring the few street people that were congregated on the street in front, other than giving them a sideways glance. They seemed not to even see the man as he passed by, as they were engrossed in doing their dark business.

The gaming place was jam packed with people at all the different machines, as the sounds of the metal balls being loaded and played by these games was literally deafening. He made his way through the place with a sense of purpose in his stride, weaving through the rows of the machines and the throng of players, heading towards the very back of the large space. The thin man’s coal black eyes were constantly moving and peering, scanning each faces he passed along the way.

At the farthest corner, he took a seat at one of the machines that was just hidden from the main gaming area by a small barrier wall. He flicked his cigarette ash in one of the ashtrays that were on the side of the game, as he cooly looked over his shoulder. He noticed someone had followed him to this secluded corner, but instead of being worried, he actually cracked a knowing smile for himself.

A rather nondescript man wearing a dirty cloth cap and sporting a dull blue striped muffler wound around his neck took the seat at the machine right beside Nagira. The man glanced over at the waiting lawyer, and give a very slight bob of his head.

Nagira did not flash a smile, but he turned his head ever so slightly to look at the man that joined him.
“ Did you wrestle up any information for me?” Nagira asked straight out, putting his smoke back in between his thin lips.

The man nodded and stealthily looked over at the man. He leaned over a little, his voice hushed when he did speak.
“ I got wind that one of my fellow informants have been seen with a man fitting the description you gave me just today.” The man said in a low voice, making no eye contact at first. “ He seems to be wanting a shit load of information pertaining some very wealthy and dangerous people. These people have been rumored to be fiscally backing some very dangerous technology.”

Amon nodded, already half surmising as much, without having any clear idea who they were.
“ Where was this informant been meeting this person?” Queried Nagira, the information peaking his interest.
“ Just outside of a place called Sadou Park, just east of the city center area.” The capped man said back. “ Seems to be a very regular thing too, as he meets him almost daily, by some of the dirt I heard.”
“ Do you know this other informant well?” Nagira posed his thoughts, not mincing his questions.

The man looked around for a second, as if making sure of no one was eavesdropping on them, then turned back to the wavy haired gentleman on his right.
“ Yeah... His names Koshi...Just Koshi... His reputation out here is that he is one of the best in the information gathering biz.” The man informed bluntly. “ He’s that damned good, I gotta tell ya.”
“ That good, hu?” Said Nagira.
“ I already said that he was. “ Said the man, nodding to agree with what he had restated.

The lawyer man just paused for a moment to take a deep drag from his smoke, seemingly picking his next question to ask. He snapped over to look at the man, his mind seemingly knowing the next move he needed to make.
“ Can you persuade this informant to cough up the name of this man he was seen giving information to?” Asked the thinly built lawyer.
“ I might be able to...” The man said, after a long process of thinking it over. “ He owes me a favor or two from years gone by, but I will need more than just a simple favor repayment to get him to totally spill his stuff to me.”

Nagira handed the man an small brown envelope and turned to look at the man. Staring at the informant with a very serious snarl on his face, it was all too apparent that he was getting a little more than frustrated with this little game all informants seem to play.
“ Get me the name of this man the informant meets with, and see if he also know where this secret benefactor might be.” The lawyer layed with absolute certainty. “ Do you think you can deliver that to this Koshi, and convince him to meet with me?”

The man seemed to be quite unnerved with the intense, snarling gentleman who was pumping him for the information. He looked in to Nagira’s face, knowing that the man was not at all fooling around at this point.
“ Giving you that sort of information when it is payed for by another person, might cost you a hefty little sum to get him to spill that piece of info, even for me.” The man said, adding with a snuff. “ I could possibly get him to meet you, and you can drill him for that information.”

Nagira nodded his head, taking the last drag off his smoke. The wheels of his mind seemingly at work.
“ Do that then...” He said with a sharp tone, settling in on his plan. “ Get this informant to meet me behind the new Mega Sanyo store downtown this evening... lets say eight o’clock sharp.”
“ Can I tell him you’ll will be making it worth his while if he does meet with you?” Inquired the shady man, looking at Nagira. “ That would at least get him to be interested in at least meeting with you.”
“ Tell him I definitely will make it very lucrative for his time, and you can tell him that.” Nagira agreed with a grin. “ You do that, and I get the information I need, I promise you will be more than fairly payed for your services.”

The informant’s eyebrows went up, a gleam was held in his eyes. It seemed that the shady looking man’s interest had been seriously peaked with Nagira’s offering.
“ How much are we talking about here for my time and effort, and for Koshi’s also, Mr. Syunji?” Said the man, his greed coloring his question. A thousand Yen? Three?”
“ Shall we say a round figure of ... let’s say... fifty thousand Yen?” Nagira cooly suggested , knowing the man needed a big incentive to be persuaded to cooperate. “ For the both of you separably?”

The Raggedly clad man nodded and stood up with a large smile of greediness showing on his face. The number Nagira had offered up seemed to have been the magical mark for the informant to agree.
“ I will pass that along to him quickly.” The cloth capped man said, flashing a large grin of anticipation. “ So....We will be talking again, Mr. Syunji.”
“ With the amount of money I am offering to shell out, I am pretty much assured of you phoning me up.” Snorted Nagira, as he knew that the greed of this man would go a long way for him.

In a flash, the cloth capped man scurried off straight into a large throng of people mulling around the various machines. Just like an elusive ghost on a stormy night, he had disappeared as quick as he had shown himself.

Feeling sort of satisfied, Nagira took a deep breath, feeling like he was now getting somewhere with all of this. All he could do for now was simply wait, hoping that his patients would be rewarded.

Pausing while he lit another smoke, he made a mental note of some questions to bring up, knowing the sum he had offered would at least, get this other informant to meet with him. He knew, his brother had many such information gathering people he had used in his work with the STN, and knew for the right price, anyone of these people would possibly give up their secrets to him.

With a quickened step, Nagira hurried himself out of the game palace, knowing to stay at one meeting point too long, was not a good idea when having to search for information in this way. Things should fit together better with his feelers out like this, once he has some more info to go over. He was hopeful at least, that it would end up working out that way in the end. These people were unpredictable, but right now, necessary.

Once back out on the street, he headed back to where he had parked. His eyes scanning the street for any sign of people who might be watching him. In his line of work, that was not uncommon, when you had very seedy clientele, and the danger that came with it was all to real to pass off.

He cracked a small smirk, as even the drug dealing street riffraff had seemed to have melted into the urban background. He double checked one last time, assuring himself that no one was following him.

Ignoring the sprinkles of water that was starting to fall from the sky, he hurried over to his car. He was needing to get back to the office and to simply wait for his informant to call him up again. It was all he could do for now.