15 – I have what you seek

'How long have I known Rufus, Lyris?' Aiden inquires nervously staring at the lady who glares daggers directly into his eyes daring him to make trouble.

[Two years in Azeroth]

Answers Lyris, suddenly interrupting his train of thought.

'Two goddamn years?! What the hell was my alternative version doing here at the time?!' Aiden exclaims in his thoughts.

Rufus notices a change in his demeanor and continues shouting saying, "Don't play dumb with me jerk! We're done playing games together! If you think you got balls showing up here trying to act tough, you have to tell me why you came knocking on my damn doorstep!"

'Does she have a name that only both of us know?' Aiden questions wondering how much time will pass before she realizes she's talking to Aiden with little recollection of the major events that led to their current situation.

[She goes by the name of Rufus which is her codename. Her real identity is Risa Lan. She's been working undercover in this city for over two years now, but her history before arriving in Draenor isn't clear]

As much as Aiden wanted to deny saying hello after all the yells he got from her, he knew it wouldn't help matters.

Besides, he didn't want trouble brewing unnecessarily. So, he decided to play along pretending ignorance. Looking directly into the eyes belonging to the lady standing in front of him, he smiles politely, greeting her warmly. "It's been a while, Risa. How are you?"

Her brows furrow slightly in suspicion as she studies him closely trying to place him in context. Finally deciding he carried no ill intentions, Rufus relaxes allowing some tension to dissipate, letting go of the pointy ends of the wood shafts still pointed firmly at his chest.

"That still doesn't justify why you showed up now of all times," Rufus scoffs, shaking her head disapprovingly. "Why did you bother stopping by?"

"Well… I was hoping I could ask for your assistance." Aiden replies honestly, feeling awkward about asking for anything considering a possible past relationship that might have hurt the friendship between them in one way or another.

Risa looks away for a moment thinking hard before turning back toward Aiden and asking bluntly, "you know what happened last time we met, right? What makes you think things would be different this time around? You're not getting any younger and neither am I!"

Aiden nods silently agreeing with everything she said then continues speaking calmly explaining the situation without mentioning the names of anyone involved including himself. He explains how the guild had sent him on a week-long assignment to investigate rumors of an ancient dragon being sighted flying high above the clouds somewhere in the north, spreading a plague across the land.

The mission required gathering information on where to find such a dangerous dragon so they can capture it alive using magic to study its anatomy, behavior patterns, etcetera, to better understand the species' habits when it comes to interacting with other races living within their territory. But, the only information they were able to gather so far is its possible location.

Using the information he had gotten from Lyris, Aiden hopes Risa will help him locate someone who knows more than he does regarding dragons since she has been working here longer than he's been aware of her existence.

"I'm sorry if my visit seems sudden, but there's no easy way of contacting you unless I see you first," says Aiden apologetically looking down at his feet while shuffling his weight uncomfortably as though expecting punishment for his actions. "This is a bit weird, am I right?"

Rufus nods her head slowly, saying, "yeah… pretty much." She pauses for a moment staring into space as memories resurface causing a frown to form upon her face, which quickly disappears once again replaced by anger directed towards herself instead of Aiden present in this conversation.

She turns away muttering under her breath something unintelligible before facing back toward him and asking curtly, "what do you want me to tell them? They'll probably send another team to search for me after you're gone."

'She knows the dragon information is just a cover story?' thinks Aiden as he stares blankly.

"I need a gold coin engraved with the image of the dragon flying through the air above two crossed swords." He blurts out excitedly hoping she might be willing to assist in some manner or form considering she was already familiar enough with dragons to know what they look like based on what she told him earlier today.

He also hoped she would be interested in helping because she seemed nice, friendly, and helpful, judging from the new flash of memory of the last time they had met, even offering him food when they were both hungry during their journey together.

Aiden notices Rufus eyeing him suspiciously wondering how long it took her to realize he wasn't lying when claiming he needed her help finding someone who knew more than himself regarding dragons. After all, he did say he came here seeking assistance not knowing who else could help besides her since he didn't have any other leads.

"I'll help you find someone who can give you more information than I can," says Risa, finally breaking the silence and speaking softly while still keeping a glare aimed at Aiden's direction as though daring him to make trouble for herself again if he so desired.

"But I won't go anywhere near that damn place again!" She continues glaring at him as though trying to intimidate him into leaving without further delay. "You don't want anything to do with those people! Trust me, there are better ways of getting your answers." She pauses briefly before adding, "and there will always be a price when it comes to offering my help."

'So it finally got to this point, huh?' Aiden wonders silently, feeling his heart rate increase slightly in response to the uncertainty of what could be requested by this lady standing before him.

"I have what you seek, and I can readily provide the coin in abundance regularly and the details necessary to locate the person you need to complete your mission successfully… but only after you agree to my condition first." Risa says with a smirk, "It is non-negotiable and must be agreed upon the moment I reveal what it is or we're done talking right now."

Her eyes narrow menacingly causing a feeling of dread to creep up inside Aiden's chest making him feel uneasy about agreeing or disagreeing with whatever she has planned next.

Aiden begins to realize that this must be the reason their friendship ended years ago, there must have been a condition given that he couldn't remember.

He decides it would probably be best not to argue against it until he hears it, considering she is willing to help out despite their history.

Aiden looks around for something to use as leverage should she decide to take advantage of him. He doesn't see much except for the wooden table in the center surrounded by chairs for sitting.

Left with no option, he questions her intentions saying, "what does this condition involve?"

Risa has a proud smirk on her face as though expecting him to accept her terms without question which makes him wonder if her request will be reasonable enough.

She sways her hips side to side slowly while having a seductive gaze fixated on him, hinting at her intentions. She places a hand on his shoulder, leans over, and asks with an airy tone, "are you willing to hear me out?"