Just Some Stuff
Hippomenes closed the drawer. "Sorry," he said with a frown, "apparently it wasn't this one, either. I know the 'renegade scientist' file is around her somewhere..."
"Touya," Ulla muttered unhappily, keeping an eye on Hippomenes to be sure he didn't overhear, "why are we trusting this blond twit to help us? Can't we find this Cerberus guy on our own?"
"Quiet," Touya snapped. "I don't wanna hear it! Not even Ben knows where he is, so we have to get an exact location - and get to him quick."
"Whatever," Ulla grumbled, "but I still think we're just wasting our time."
Oblivious to the conversation going on, Hippomenes kept digging. If only he hadn't lost his index the week before - he had so many files that it was nearly impossible to keep track of every single one all by himself. He opened the next drawer.
"Ahh!" he announced proudly, getting the group's attention. "At last I've found it. And you wanted a 'Cerberus' person, you said?" He flipped through the thick file quickly. "Yes, I have a John Cerberus Maxwell right here. Ooh, interesting history, this one. What did you want to know exactly?"
Touya sighed, clearly exasperated. Wisely, Benvolio stepped in. "Current location, please."
"Ahh." Hippomenes held a sheet of paper up in triumph. "Well... Ooh, looks like he's moved around a lot. Right now, it looks like he has a small residence about forty miles outside the capital city. Not part of any town - he pays to have anything he needs delivered to him."
"That's not helpful at all," Touya said angrily. "Forty miles? Which direction? You want us to make some sort of big circle around the city?"
"No," Hippomenes said, annoyed by Touya's haste and resulting ignorance. "I can, of course, give you more exact coordinates. Though I do expect you to be a little more polite if you really want them."
"Oh no," Ulla said quickly, stepping forward. "I am not staying here while all of you go off to get whatever bizarre thing he asks for this time. We'll do what Touya said and make a giant circle."
"Actually," Hippomenes said with a grin, "I have an entirely different request. I'll give you the information and you're all free to leave and pursue it. However..." He fingered the paper absent-mindedly. "If you really want to know this man's location, then I'm afraid..." He grinned, his handsome face suddenly round. He looked to Ulla. "This beautiful young angel has to kiss me."