Gathering

The scent of drinks being poured mixed with the stench of sweats, confiscating a strong odor within the small space . The dim lighting created a cozy and intimate vibe, harmonizing with the sound of laughter and small conversations that filled the air while soft music played in the background, further setting a suitable mood for drinking.

Yoldes’ palm was as rowdy as any other night with the usual loud chatters and laughter. The local pub reeked of beer and alcohol as men and women indulged in high spirit. Some binge drunk while others just sat alone and drank away their thoughts. Relief being found in the bottle, and grief taken in slowly –reminisced and rid of at every sip. The ambience of the place was slightly gloomy for a moonless night.

A slightly aged man, seemingly in his late forties, with a wrinkled forehead and a slightly toned skin stood behind the bar counter. His thoughts just as deep as his eyes as he cleaned the glasses with which he served his customers, using a towel. A distinct feature of his being his long cranky nose.

The man was dressed in a black shirt- whose sleeves he rolled up, and black jean pants that complimented his tatted arms. He was of average height and slightly buffed.

" José!" A drunk fellow called out as he raised an empty glass towards the bartender and asked in a loud bellow " Can I get a free glass tonight?"

" Not in your wildest dreams!" José Solomon, the middle-aged bar tender at Yoldes' palm responded without missing a spot on the glass he was cleaning.

" Oh for fuck's sake!" The drunk man whined and fell back on his table as everyone laughed at his pitiful state. The worst thing about being at a pub is being unable to drink. Then, you'd have to face your sorrows sober.

' I hope those boys made it out of town alive' José thought with a stern expression on his thinly outlined face, conveying his worry.

Even though he seemed oblivious to his surrounding, he was still very vigilant and aware.

Creak!

The door to the pub was pushed open and a stout man stepped in. The man seemed to look over his shoulder every other minute, as if in trouble.

A short stout middle-aged man with a rough countenance stepped into the pub, his face hidden beneath a grey hoodie that he constantly pulled at as he checked behind his shoulder.

This middle aged man stopped to look around the place for a second, then gaited at an unsteady pace towards the bar counter right after his gaze befell the bartender- José.

As he approached the table, José gently placed down the glass he was cleaning while observing the strange man who had just entered the pub. The man didn't seem like a regular at the pub nor someone from around town, considering the unfamiliar state he got from everyone around.

' A hunter perhaps?' José speculated with the intent to find out first before making a decision. He casually nodded in greeting when the man sat by the bar.

" What are you feeling like ton-"

" I need a safe haven"

José was cut off by the man before he could make his usual attempt at his bartending job. He looked the man up and down as he shifted his position to lean in closer, placing an arm on the countertop.

" Where is it?" José asked, looking past the man, although he still showed signs of suspicion.

The man reached over to pull back his hood a little, slightly revealing his crudely outlined face with thin features and full beards.

If Jason were to be in the pub, he'd pounce on this man the moment he sees his face and kill him. Afterall, this stout man was the gamma who had betrayed him and tried to usurp his position as the Wolfblood pack alpha- Alphonse Mercer.

Alphonse after escaping his fight with Jason with his life in his throat fled to the city of Portico, the one place he knew Jason wouldn't attempt to barge into without caution. Alphonse was riddled with wounds, and had only survived until now out of sheer luck.

Knowing Jason, he knew the ruthless Alpha would come after him anytime soon. Thus, he decided to find a safe place in the city to heal and prepare to fight against Jason when the time came.

Luckily, he was able to find help in rogues who roamed the city. They patched his wound up and directed him to Yoldes' palm, a secret safe haven for Werewolves in the city that fronts as a local pub.

' Definitely not from around here!' José confirmed seeing his face and made a mental note to deal with this man cautiously.

Alphonse looked over his shoulder before placing a palm on the table. He looked towards José who gave him an affirmative nod before looking down at the palm that he had placed on the table once again.

He knew exactly what to do...

José did the same and observed Alphonse's hand. He watched as Alphonse's ordinary nails grew long and haphazardly sharp like that of a wild animal before retracting back to normal almost instantly.

José, no matter how many times he's seen this phenomenon was still shocked. Although, he tried as much as to not show this.

' Only 'they' have this essential trait. He's one...' José confirmed as he nodded his head at the man.

" Go up the stairs and take a right till the last door. Tell 'em José verified." He instructed as he passed him a paper slip.

" Thank you..." Alphonse nodded and headed towards the vacant staircase. No one in the pub approached the stairs except for a few.

Nobody really asked questions pertaining what was up the stairs, nor were they interested, it seemed as though it was an unspoken law of the place.

José nevertheless returned to his duty after the man had left for the stairs. He picked another glass and started cleaning, his mind instantly drifting towards the previous thought that had him worried.

He had begged Yoldes, the owner of the place to take in the two brothers, Jake and Erik, who were close friends of his. They got caught up in a hunt and were severely injured. Worse was, they were being pursued by the same hunter who had injured Jake.

Naturally, Yoldes wouldn't let them in the safe haven since they were being tailed. However, José had been successful in begging Yoldes to take them in.

However, he only gave them the grace of being treated and must leave once they were treated. The boys had only left the place tonight, and José was worried for their safety.

Slam!

José was stirred out of his thought from the sound of the door slamming behind two men dressed in casual clothing who walked into the pub.

One of them was of average height, slightly built, and had sharp facial features while the other was more robust under his hat.

They calmly observed the place as they headed towards José.

' Not from around here either...' José became vigilant at the thought that perhaps, Alphonse was a decoy. However, he held his horses and didn't act rashly, although he reached underneath the bar counter in preparation.

Court and Jamie caught glimpse of a few hostile stares directed at them but they did not give mind to this. They just headed straight towards the counter top walking side by side.

" Talking about work over a bottle of beer isn't bad, I might just like this guy from the loony ranger squad. Dude got some good taste" Court stated with a small smile and a satisfied nod of his head at the choice of place of meeting with the agent from the Hunter's association.

" ..." Jamie just shook his head sideways at his colleague's words, having nothing to say.

" What? It's true" Court shrugged when he noticed his colleague's dismissive action. Soon enough, they arrived the bar counter.

" Heyya, what ya feeling like having tonight?" José asked as both officers each sat by the bar.

" Something light" Jamie urged before Court could speak. He knew his partner well enough to make the worst decision if he allowed it.

" Hah! You heard the boss" Court pointed with a thumb.

" Coming right up" José nodded and went off to grab a bottle and two glasses.

' They're not taking action directly, I could as well observe first...' José decided as he returned swiftly and started pouring the glasses.

He silently listened in on the conversation between the two men before him without showing much that he was.

" Court, I have a bad feeling about the job. Do you think any of this is real and worth investigating." Jamie voiced out his frustration first as they awaited the agent who had suggested they spoke about the job at hand here at Yoldes' palm.

Jamie didn't seem to believe that the bureau would be interested in such a fallacious case while they had a lot on their table to solve already. He believed these were mere he say, she say of unsound people who's lost it or were probably on drugs- hallucinating.

It befuddled him even more that they were assigned to such an absurd case. To him, this was more like a waste of time, and a distraction from the 'real' criminal cases that were out there waiting to be solved.