"Girls... Please... I'm here on business."
"Master is here on business?"
"Business, Master has business here."
Eren walked around the streets, as the girls seemed to be unwilling to part from him. He tried to lose them through the hustle of the streets, but the pair were really like the dogs their ears made them out to be, sniffing him out whenever he got too far.
A sigh of defeat, Eren relented and accepted that the tomboys weren't going to let go. Although, if they were to stay, they would at least be of use.
"Girls, do you know anyone by the name of Dae-jung?" The white-haired man asked. Looking down at the twins. They were dressed to show off their figures, athletic and toned; yet with an air of femininity that could draw anyone's eye.
"Yeah. He used to work at 'Lily's den' a human establishment. I think it's just down the road. We can show you, Master." Tsuki explained. Leading them down into the alleyways, and side roads.
'Lily's den.'
An adobe structure that was one of many brothels in the area. Built in an Egyptian style; yet some things never changed. It had a large neon sign, lighting up the street in a purple glow.
Quieter compared to all the other establishments. It was a human brothel. A place for humans to find love with other human workers.
Eren walked towards the entrance. The twins following close behind, almost pressing into the back of the man.
"Welcome to Lily's den." Greeted an androgynous voice. From behind the count, reading a ledger stood a tall, lanky humanoid. Skin white as snow. Long black hair that cascaded like a waterfall. Black, beady eyes. A goblin? No... a doppelganger.
"Hello... We are looking for Dae-jung."
"Why?" A blunt reply, the tone harsh and curt. The Doppelganger didn't seem too pleased with the question, nor having to talk to them.
"I used to be a client of his and-"
"No. You were never a client of his. You don't match his criteria for a client. So, I ask you again, and this will be the final time... Why are you looking for Dae-Jung." The voice became deeper, harsher, more intimidating.
"He owes him 500,000 yen." Hana added. Smiling, she spoke in a light, playful, even innocent manner.
"Yeah, master lost it in cards." Tsuki finished. Clever dogs, without needing a single word they had covered Eren. Giving a plausible reason to the doppelganger as to why someone like Eren would look for a whore such as Dae-jung.
"Hmmmm... He quit. Left over a month ago, if you owe him money, I suggest you thank whichever god you follow that the debt will not need repaying."
A sigh. That was going to be the easy way of finding the young man.
"We've been walking for over an hour...
"Yeah, let's grab a drink and some food." Tsuki suggested. Pulling at Eren's arm. Trying to tempt the man to spend some time with her and Hana. They both wanted to get into bed with the white-haired man, and were pulling out all the stops.
"Hmm... I guess we could take a break."
"Yes, Master~"
The next room over in Lily's den, was a boutique bar, near empty. The one's seated were too focused on empty glasses and a world they wish to forget.
"Rock...
"Paper...
"Scissors...
Hana threw paper; Tsuki chose scissors. The blue-haired tomboy sighed. Again, she lost the game. Tsuki grinned in victory.
"Fine, I'll buy the first round. Master, what drink do you want?" Hana asked, standing up to head to the bar.
"Something sweet, no alcohol."
"Arghhh fine. What's the point in coming to a bar if you don't drink?" Hana groaned; still she skipped off towards the bar.
Eren took a seat in the fitted booth, Tsuki took a seat on Eren's lap. Looking down at the young woman, she gave an innocent smile, a look of sweet curiosity.
*Sniff* *Sniff*
She sniffed at the air around the Reaper. A deep inhale, savouring the scent of the man.
"The person at the front... Mentioned something about a criterion for clients. What did it mean?" Eren asked the young woman. His eyes focused on the entrance of the den.
"Hmm... You don't know master? Do you know nothing about the pleasure palace?" She questioned. The wolf girl was confused, how can anyone know so little about such a well-known place.
"Not really, why don't you explain it to me?" He said with an aloof attitude.
"Okay. So, the palace is a place where you come to have sex with anyone of any species. Well as soon as you enter, you get scanned by special crystals that determine your sexual compatibility. Then an order is sent out to those who match with your criteria. The one's who like the client select them; with this."
She pulled out a phone like device. Eren's photo appeared on screen. It was of the man walking around the pleasure palace, a surveillance photo.
'That explains why these two look like my preference all in one. Jun too with those bigger women... Fair enough.' Internally smirking at his apprentices' desires.
"So... you choose who you sleep with?" Very different from earth's brothels and the like. Although the word brothel is not quite right for this place. A place where a prostitute can choose who they sleep with, based on who can afford them and what matches their tastes.
'I guess it's better than being forced to sleep with people.' The idea that these workers would not need to have sex with anyone unless they wanted to, was certainly a relief to Eren. He hated this sort of place, but at least here people weren't forced to lay with the worst of the worst.
"Dare I ask why you two picked me?"
"Cause you look like our dad." She said with upmost convection and confidence.
"..."
This kids, is what we call red flags, red flags, red flags. It was a good thing that Eren was already dating another woman. Because by golly these girls had some stuff they needed to work on. Eren would not be tempted; not his style.
"Here." The sweet voice of Hana spoke, placing three drinks on the table. One small pink cocktail, and two large beers; bigger than the faces of Hana and Tsuki.
Hana passed the pink cocktail to Eren. He picked up and took a sip of the drink.
"Thanks..."
"Cheers!" The girls yelled, clinking the glass mugs together in a toast. They chugged them down, a steady river of golden lager into the mouths of the tomboys.
Nothing left in their glass mugs. Both let out a satisfied sigh.
"Another?"
"Yeah!" Hana left for another jug each.
'Dam they sure can drink.' A little impressed by the girls, they could out drink most men.
"Master. Master." Tsuki tried her hardest to grab the man's attention. She waved her hands, in an energetic way.
"What is it?" He asked. The young man seemed distracted, trying to piece together what happened to Dae-jung.
"Do you want to come play with us? We know the perfect place for a big, strong guy like yourself." Tsuki asked. Looking up at the white-haired Reaper with a big, toothy grin. A smile that said 'I've got an idea.'
"I'm not really in the mood." He replied, taking a long gulp of the pink liquid.
"Pleaseeeeeeee." A soft whimper from her throat, her lip even quivering a little. Eyes glistened, a puppy dog stare that tugged at the heart strings.
"...Fine. Why don't you take your sister and get set up. I'll be there in a few." He relented. A look of defeat on the face of the young man, no longer able to ignore the pair. Perhaps spending a few hours keeping his mind off the missing people would do some good.
So long as they kept it platonic, Eren didn't see much problem with it.
"YES!" She cheered, jumping from Eren's lap. "Wait here, we'll come back in a little bit." She rushed over to the bar, grabbing Hana by the arm and dragging her outside.
"Wait! Tsuki! I haven't got the beer yet!!"
A moments peace. Those girls were certainly a handful, energetic and always bouncing around. It was exhausting just watching them.
His peace was soon disturbed however, his instincts alerting him to the presence of someone. Sitting directly behind him.
"Dae-jung; young human, popular and handsome in the eyes of many species." The voice of broken Japanese spoken. A voice belonging to a woman. The voice itself was deep, almost husky.
"Come too 'The Maiden wolf.' If you want answers. Room 212."
Before Eren could even glimpse the figure, she was gone. Although Eren's shadows kept a watch on the hooded figure as she left.
"Master... She is moving with haste down the street." Saku spoke from the shadows.
"Keep her in sight."
Dae-Jung was a tricky bastard to find. Not just a missing person, Eren had the feeling that this was far bigger than some people going missing.
***
'The Maiden wolf.'
Far larger than the previous adobe buildings. It was a massive pagoda, a tower of white, red, and black. A large, golden wolf statue, sat beside a massive red archway entrance. People were packed into the structure. All species, all types, all sexualities; a myriad of people, all looking for fun.
Walking through the hallway of the entrance, the receptionist, eerily similar to the one at lily's deep, stood behind the desk.
'Another doppelganger?'
A bad feeling from these things came to Eren. Avoiding the receptionist would be in everyone's best interest.
*Hup* *Hup*
Sneakily, Eren climbed the exterior walls. A few leaps, a few jumps, and some acrobatics. He was at the second level of the pagoda; interrupting a couple in the midst of love-making.
"Sorry... Wrong room." Eren said awkwardly, quickly exiting the room and into the balcony of level 2.
'212...212...' He mumbled, searching for the correct door. The sounds of pleasure bellowing from each of the doors. It was a constant bombardment to the ears, a symphonic crescendo of sex and moaning.
Eventually, the white-haired man found the correct room, number 212.
*Knock* *Knock* *Knock*
No answer.
*Rattle* *Rattle* *Whack*
A quick strike from the hand of the Reaper. The lock broke, letting Eren open the door without any further interruption.
Opening the door; a large bed, a room that was filled with gilded furniture, and red, velvet curtains. It had an air of opulence, of decadence, of a life not fit for Eren.
Kept pristine; no one had used this room in some time, not even the smell of sex that wafted through the entire complex permeated the room. No one had been in this room, not even since it had last been cleaned.
*Fwoosh*
From the shadows two wolves came forth.
"Find anything of value." He commanded; the two black, furred creatures began to sniff the ground. They split, searching the room for something of value. Something, a scrap, a clue, a crumb. Anything that might give them the upper hand in the situation.
"Master... Is there anything we can do to accelerate this investigation?" Saku asked, appearing from the shadows.
"Not unless you have access to a magical tracking device." Eren sighed.
"I'm afraid I am not of that level yet. However, the woman from before may answer some questions. She is outside the door."
"Good. Let her enter."
A figure stepped through the door. The same as before. Dressed in a thick cloak and a hood. A snout of a dog her only visible feature.
"Human... You wish to find Dae-Jung?" The voice of a woman, with a broken grasp of Japanese.
"Correct, I am looking for him. Who are you, and what do you know?" Eren asked, crossing his arms, suspicious of the wolf woman.
"I am... Kira of the Wolf clan, Alpha of the northern territories... You don't need to trust me. Only listen." She spoke. Pulling back her hood, she revealed a furred, white wolf's face. Her eyes were an icy blue.
"What's an alpha like you doing in a place like this?" He questioned, a tone of curiosity in the voice. He was genuinely intrigued. At least, a little.
"When one has no clan, one must survive by any means." She growled low.
Eren's eyes narrowed. "What do you know about Dae-Jung? And why do you wish to help?"
She let out a deep, exasperated breath, sitting on the edge of the bed, she took a moment to collect herself. A look of exhaustion on her face.
"I was his friend. Kind, even when he had no reason to be. He gave me hope, even when I had none left for myself... I am the one who saw him last."
"And what happened?"
"Sometimes, workers go missing. Explained away as 'quitting' but I knew Dae-Jung... He would not leave without telling me. Nor would he leave without some spectacle." The wolf girl began to explain.
"Rumours, that they are sold off to clients who take a liking to the workers." She added.
"And Dae-Jung was a victim of such a fate."
"I... don't know. But please be careful if you decide to continue this path. Many before have tried and failed. Madame Jingfei, she is a spider and all around is her web." A warning, Kira clutched at a wound beneath her cloak.
"Don't worry about me, I can handle myself. But why trust me? What if I'm one of Madame Jingfei's people, trying to find a leak in the information." He said, testing to see just how much this wolf could be trusted.
"You are the first person to come asking for Dae-Jung. Madame Jingfei hid all information about the missing people." Her ears dropped. Sadness filled the Icey eyes. It was hard for her to trust Eren, but she was the last person looking for her friend. And that was enough to trust the human.
"Fair enough. I'll keep the-
*Grrrrrr*
The wolves took notice of something behind the door, Eren did to.
*Pitter* *Patter* *Pitter* *Patter*
Soft hurried footsteps quickly retreated as Eren opened the door.
"Wait. He means you no harm." Kira called out to the soft footsteps that wasn't attached to anything.
"Who?" Eren asked, looking down at the wolf girl. She seemed to know whoever was hiding behind the walls.
"Two little fox girls...They have been watching you the entire time... Please. Don't harm them. They belong to the kitsune, a group that has no affiliation with Jingfei."
"Hana and Tsuki?"
"No. Different."
"Would they know anything?" He questioned. They were clearly following Eren around for a while.
"Possibly... But they are timid and will not talk without trust. Trust, they have given me after 8 months." Kira explained, a sad look in her eye. Disappointment at the lack of information she could provide.
"Where can I find them..."
"A bathhouse. 'Golden fawn.' Please, be careful mister. They are especially distrustful of human males." She added. Giving another bow; for the man to not harm them.
"Alright... I'll go look. You should get some rest." Eren walked towards the door. His shadows dismissed, quietly he left unnoticed by most people.
'Madam Jingfei probably knows I'm snooping around now.' Kira knew of his investigation through her own means. So, chances are the web was already shaking.'
'I need to tread carefully now.'