About half an hour later, my companions and I headed down to the common room to enjoy an early lunch. Anna and I earned a few looks from Cally since the two of us spent the past half hour… slaking Anna's thirst.

Well, mine too. I couldn't entirely blame her for our rigorous activities. In truth, my appetite matched hers. I was just less forward about it.

As Marcio promised earlier, he prepared three Southside Surprises for Anna, Leroy, and myself. It was a dish consisting of several different kinds of fish and shellfish, along with a myriad of spices that I never had before, all arranged to look like a red flower.

It was rather delicious.

While I couldn't name the spices, or even some of the seafood that went into the dish, that didn't stop me from enjoying it. Eating the Southside Surprise was a delight for my taste buds.

As expected, it had a rather strong flavor. Several of them, in fact. They all blended together into a harmonious whole. However, to my surprise, it wasn't spicy. When I heard that the locals of Eastwatch enjoyed a lot of spices, I expected their food to be hot, like some First Murim dishes. That wasn't the case. Strong? Yes. Spicy? No.

As for Cally, she enjoyed a toned down version of the Southside Surprise. At least, that's what I gathered from the expression on her face, and the noises she made. Afterwards, we praised the food. We laid it on thick, since we were all pretending to be minor nobles on vacation, but we didn't exaggerate all that much. The food really was that good.

I even insisted on meeting the cook, Marcio's wife, to compliment her in person. She was a middle-aged woman named Fidela, with plain features and a plump body. Despite this, she exuded a kind and cheerful air. So much so that the world around her seemed brighter. I could see why Marcio married her. Like her husband and nephew, she wasn't an Awakened.

Afterwards, my companions and I headed out to meet with Crawford's people. We had a mission to do, and we didn't want to waste any more time. We asked around for a bit and learned that the address that Crawford gave us wasn't that far from the Southside Inn. Rather than call a carriage, we decided to walk there on foot. This also gave us a chance to get a better feel for Eastwatch.

After a while, I realized that the city could be divided into two halves. This wasn't a physical distinction. Rather, it was a difference in feeling and atmosphere.

One half, the one that most tourists saw, was vibrant and lively. There was music everywhere, the smell of cooking food filled the air, and the locals all wore cheerful expressions on their faces. However, it all felt… forced. False. As if I were looking at a performance.

Not only that, but the locals did their best to part tourists from their coins. Souvenir vendors hawked their wares, artists offered to paint portraits, and musicians busked.

In short, it was a tourist trap.

The other half was quieter. While it was still vibrant and lively, it didn't feel forced. I still heard a lot of music, still smelled delicious food, and the locals still seemed cheerful. However, it seemed more natural and down to earth. Not only that, but I saw a few locals get into fights and arguments with each other. I never saw any of that in the other half of the city.

My intuition told me that this was the real Eastwatch. The other one was a mask, a performance that the locals put on for the tourists. At the end of the day, no matter how bright a place looked, it had its own rough edges.

And that wasn't even taking the disappearances into consideration. Darkness lurked beneath the surface of Eastwatch. The question was, what kind of darkness? Were demons and demon worshipers kidnapping people for some diabolic scheme? Or was it a more human kind of darkness, such as slavers kidnapping and selling people?

No matter. Crawford asked us to look into it, so we would. Hell, even if he hadn't asked, I might have gotten involved anyway. While I couldn't solve all the problems in the world, I could solve this one.

The address that Crawford gave us led to a small clothing shop that catered to tourists, one that sold Eastwatch-style clothing. It was a single-story stone building with a yellow tiled roof and large glass windows along the front. Mannequins stood on the other side of the windows, displaying some of the store's wares.

One, in particular, caught my eye. The mannequin wore an outfit that consisted of a white skirt embroidered with red and yellow flowers, a white top also embroidered with red and yellow flowers, and a red and yellow head wrap. The top left the mannequin's abdomen and arms bare.

The reason why this caught my attention was because I couldn't help but imagine Anna wearing this outfit. I stood there in a bit of a daze, lost in my thoughts.

"What's wrong?" Anna asked.

Her words snapped me out of my daze.

"Nothing," I said. "It's just…"

I trailed off. Anna followed my eyes and studied the mannequin, before grinning at me.

"Ah, I see," she said. "Well, I'm more than willing to play dress up, as long as you're willing to do the same."

She gestured to the mannequin next to the one I had been staring at. This one displayed an outfit that consisted of a white shirt, a blue vest trimmed with yellow, and a pair of loose black trousers.

"Deal," I said without hesitation.

Anna laughed.

"Are you two going to be like this the entire time?" Cally demanded. "It's nauseating."

I glanced at Leroy.

"We aren't that bad, are we?" I asked him.

Leroy nodded with a grimace.

"It's a bit much, my lor-cousin," he said, correcting himself in time.

I sighed.

"Fine," I said. "We'll tone it down."

Anna snorted.

"You two are just jealous that you're still single," she said.

Our two companions answered at the same time.

"No," Cally said with a sneer.

"Yes," Leroy said with a helpless expression on his face.

They looked at each other, before looking away, rolling their eyes at one another.

"Don't forget why we came here," Cally said, giving us a serious look.

That sobered me up. Right. As much as I enjoyed Eastwatch's atmosphere, I couldn't let that distract me from our true purpose.

The four of us entered the clothing shop. It had a square front room filled with clothing racks. They were divided into two sections, one for men and one for women. A wooden counter stood in the far left counter. In the far right corner was a door that led deeper into the store.

There were a few tourists in the shop, browsing through the clothing. Many of them wore conflicted expressions on their faces. They looked intrigued by Eastwatch's fashion, but were wary of showing so much skin. Those in groups whispered to their friends, daring each other to try the clothing.

The shop had two employees, both locals. One was helping out the other customers, while the other stood behind a wooden counter. I wondered if they were Crawford's people. Possible, but I wasn't sure. Neither was Awakened. If they were, then they were doing a good job of hiding it.

To avoid attracting unnecessary attention, my companions and I browsed through the store first. I found several pieces that I liked, as well as some that I thought would look good on Anna, and made a mental note to buy them before we left.

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A few minutes later, Anna and I walked up to the counter. Leroy and Cally followed right behind us.

"Greetings," the woman said in a local accent. She wore a customer service smile on her face; polite and inoffensive, but lacking warmth. "My name is Mireya. How may I help you?"

I frowned while looking around the store.

"I hope so," I said. "I like your selection, but I want a vest that's as black as a crow's feather. Do you have any more in storage, or is this it?"

That was the phrase that Crawford gave us. I thought it was cheesy, but to each their own. Besides, it was true. None of the vests for sale were black.

"I see," Mireya said, showing no visible reaction. "In that case, would you like to take a look in the back? Perhaps you'll find something that's more to your tastes." She looked me up and down. "Something as silver as the moon's light."

I relaxed. That was the counter-phrase that Crawford taught us. It let us know who his people were, so we wouldn't be fooled by impostors.

"Very well," I said, gesturing to Mireya. "Lead the way."

She nodded, before looking towards the other employee.

"Maria," Mireya called out. "I'm taking these four to the back. Keep an eye on the front while I'm gone."

The other employee, Maria, nodded before turning back to the other customers. With that, Mireya led the four of us through the door leading to the back. It led to a short hall with three other doors. She took us through one, which led to a storage room filled with crates.

Mireya walked over to a wall and pressed a hidden button. A mechanical click rang out, before a hidden trapdoor sprang open and revealed a small staircase. Mireya gestured for us to go through first. My companions and I glanced at one another, before heading down. Mireya followed right behind us, closing the trap door behind her.

The staircase led to a small underground chamber. It was cool and dry down here, a relief from the heat and humidity up above. Glowstone lamps illuminated the space, filling it with warm yellow light. Wooden shelves lined two of the walls, filled with all kinds of books and papers. A long wooden table occupied the center of the room with a map of Eastwatch spread across it. Several wooden chairs flanked the table.

"We can talk freely here," Mireya said, dropping her customer service persona. "Several runic circles keep this room hidden from prying eyes and ears." She walked past us, before turning around and looking in our direction again. "As I said earlier, my name is Mireya. I'm the head of this branch of the Crows." She looked us up and down. "So, you're the ones that the Boss brought in to avenge Jackson's death."

I nodded.

"That's the idea," I said. "My name's Ernest Rowe." I gestured to my companions. "This is my wife, Gina, and our cousins, Colson and Gwen."

My companions all nodded in greeting. Mireya snorted.

"Are those your real names?" she asked. "Or fakes that the Boss came up with?" She shook her head. "It doesn't matter. As long as the Boss vouches for you, that's all I care about."

Fair enough.

"What can you tell us about the situation?" I asked. "Crawford gave us a brief overview, but he didn't get into the specifics. He just said that people in the city are disappearing, and that Jackson died while looking into it."

Mireya sighed, before walking over to stand next to the table. My companions and I followed her, stopping on the opposite side.

"There isn't much more to tell," Mireya said, her frustration evident. "We've looked into the situation as best we could, but there was only so much we could do without compromising our positions. That's why the Boss sent Jackson our way."

"Then just tell us what you can," I said. "Even the smallest tidbit can help."

Mireya nodded, before gesturing to the map of Eastwatch.

"So far, we haven't been able to discern much of a pattern to the disappearances," she said. "Time and place doesn't seem to matter. Some people have disappeared from a busy street in the middle of the day, while others disappeared from their beds in the middle of the night. The victims all differ in who they are, where they come from, what their status is. None of that seems to matter. The only ones who are safe are House scions, as far as we can tell. Everyone else is free game." She held up a single finger. "The one thing that all the victims had in common was that they were all attractive young adults."

I frowned while staring at the map. Mireya was right. That wasn't much to go on.

"Crawford mentioned that House Sandstrike is suppressing news of these disappearances," Cally said. "Can you tell us more about that?"

Mireya gave me a questioning look. Ah, right. Cally looked like a regular fourteen year-old. Having her as part of our group must've looked odd to those not in the know. I gestured for Mireya to answer her.

"Yes, they are," she said, looking at Cally. "So far, they're doing a good job of it. Most people don't know about the disappearances, including the locals."

"How?" Cally asked. "The people who disappeared must've had loved ones, people who looked for them."

Mireya grimaced.

"Yes," she said. "House Sandstrike made sure to silence them. Mostly with threats, but sometimes with violence." She paused. "There were a few deaths as well."

My companions and I glanced at one another. It appeared that House Sandstrike was more involved in this matter than any of us expected.

"That's suspicious," I said. "At this point, I'd be more surprised if House Sandstrike wasn't involved with the disappearances."

Mireya nodded.

"That's what we suspect as well," she said.

"Wait a moment," Cally said, giving Mireya a skeptical look. "If House Sandstrike is suppressing news of the disappearances, then how did you find out about them?"

Mireya smirked.

"My husband is a low ranking retainer of House Sandstrike," she said. "It's thanks to him that we found out about the disappearances in the first place. Otherwise, we would've been left in the dark about it."

I raised an eyebrow at that. So, Crawford managed to get one of his people into House Sandstrike as a retainer. Impressive. While most retainers belonged to a House's collateral and vassal families, some were outsiders recruited for their skills. However, the Houses had strict requirements when it came to recruiting retainers. Not only did the potential retainers need to be skilled, but they also needed to demonstrate their loyalty. It was difficult for a spy to become a retainer, even a low ranking one.

Following that train of thought, I wondered if Crawford managed to get one of his people into House Sturm. It was possible, likely even. The man was an informant who wanted Kaylee. In his shoes, I'd want to keep a close eye on my sister's movements.

I made a mental note to send a message to Kaylee and warn her against this possibility, assuming she hadn't considered it already.

"Did your husband find out why House Sandstrike wants to suppress the news of these disappearances?" Anna asked, frowning. "Or if they've tried to look into them? While unlikely, it's possible that House Sandstrike isn't involved in the disappearances beyond covering them up."

Mireya shook her head.

"To answer both your questions is the same: no. My husband doesn't know why House Sandstrike is suppressing the news of these disappearances. However, he knows that they haven't investigated them at all."

Well, even if House Sandstrike wasn't involved with the disappearances, this certainly wasn't a good look for them. When this matter came to light, and it would, their reputation would suffer. The Houses enjoyed a lot of privileges, but those privileges came with responsibilities. One of those responsibilities was protecting and managing their territories.

"What about Jackson?" I asked. "How did he die?"

Mireya's expression turned somber.

"He killed himself," she said in a quiet voice. "Poison. It's something that each of us have, just in case we're captured."

That was… Thorough, if a bit bleak. Still, it was better to be prepared than not. Spying was a dangerous line of work.

"After Jackson arrived," Mireya continued. "He spent a week looking into the disappearances with little success. However, one day, he mentioned that he found a potential lead and left to follow up on it. We offered to go with him, but he said no. That was the last time I saw him alive. The next day, the city guard found his body in an alleyway." She sighed. "I suspect that whoever is behind the disappearances cornered him and he took the poison to avoid getting captured."

"Our enemies must be more dangerous than we thought if Jackson decided to poison himself rather than let them capture him," I said.

While this didn't tell us much, after hearing about how Jackson died, I leaned more towards demons and demon worshipers than humans. Humans could be cruel and sadistic, yes, but demons were far worse. For example, I'd rather die than let a mind eater consume my mind and leave me an empty husk.

"What was the lead that Jackson tried to follow up on?" I asked.

Mireya gave me a self-deprecating smile.

"I don't know," she said. "He never told me or the others."

"Is there anything you do know?" Cally snapped.

I gave her a sharp look.

"Gwen," I said, a warning in my tone.

"What?" she said. "These people are supposed to be spies and informants. It's their job."

I opened my mouth to respond, but Mireya held up a hand to forestall me.

"As much as it shames me to admit it, she's right," Mireya said. "Our lack of knowledge regarding this matter is a colossal failure on our part."

"Don't say that," I said. "You're the reason why we even know about the disappearances in the first place. They might've gone undiscovered for much longer if it weren't for you."

Mireya gave me a grateful look.

"Thank you for saying that," she said. "And thank you for coming here. My colleagues and I will do everything in our power to help you." Her expression softened. "We've come to love this city and its people. It's our home now, and we want to protect it. If there is anything you need, please let us know."

I nodded.

"Information about the city," I said. "The more we know about Eastwatch in general, the more prepared we'll be to handle the disappearances."

While my companions and I had done some research into Eastwatch, that was different from learning from someone who had lived in the city for a while now.

Mireya gestured to the bookshelves.

"These contain all the notes and observations we've made over the years," she said. "Feel free to browse through them." She walked over to the staircase and pressed a button. The trapdoor sprang open again. "I have to return to the shop now. Just press this button when you want to leave."

My companions and I nodded. With that, Mireya left. Afterwards, the four of us settled down to look through all the notes.

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