He doesn't seem to like it, but he doesn't complain about it either.

Angel doesn’t look like he knows what he thinks. He nods eventually and then turns to face Scarlet as she rests. You figure he’s going to talk to her once she’s awake. Unfortunately, you can only hope to be there when she wakes up.

Angel turns back around so quickly you’re surprised. “I’m going with you tomorrow to the job site,” he says. “Scarlet can be taken care of by the older girls. I assure you she’s stabilized!”

In the corner of your eye, you see Angelica and Alice watching wearily at the side. You lean into your knees and nod. “Who are the next guys?”

“Same outfit,” he smiles. “Just a different team.”

Suddenly, you wish you had spent less time talking about life with Scarlet and more about Scarlet’s last skirmish instead. A small weight plummets down in your stomach as you consider the possibility of a warning being sent to the rest of the clients that Angel is dealing with. Angel seems suspicious of you; there’s no reason to blame him.

A lot of things need to be said, but honestly, you don’t have the energy, and despite Angel’s suspicion, he’s much more interested in taking care of Scarlet. He waves you off and wishes you a good rest of the night.

You don’t sleep well, and when you wake up in the morning, you find Scarlet barely conscious. You try to talk to her, but she’s unable to. After breakfast, Angel drags you off to the outside, dressed for the weather, and sets off for the next place.

The weather has gotten considerably warmer, but you can clearly see a blood trail in some spots in the snow. You thought Angel was going to say something about it, but he’s silent on the matter.

You start descending the same path, but Angel breaks the trail and leads you through the thick brush. You’re weary enough of your situation to have your mind set on drawing your sidearm if necessary. You hike for around 2 hours before taking a break. There’s small talk over a snack that consists of peanuts and blemished chocolate. Angel’s stare at you is one you’re familiar with. Unfortunately, that doesn’t mean it’s one you like. He looks hungry, and the fact that he’s eating with that expression does little to comfort you. Now that you’re chatting, however, you discover he’s a closed book. He dodges direct questions and weasels around the subject of your contract while making everything about you. Above all else, though, he refuses any relation with the ARS, even though he’s working closely with Amara.

The banter dries up after you finish the chocolate. He stands up, says something under his breath, and then tells you to follow him. You don’t protest. Instead, you do as you’re told and follow him like you’re trailing Scarlet; granted, it’s with more caution, and you’re much more focused on him rather than the surrounding area.

Eventually, around noon, you’re at an open field that has close to nothing. The only remarkable thing here is a shack. Angel becomes giddy. “Alright, Warren. Now, let’s see what these guys have heard. I’d hate to have my connections bent and destroyed out here.”

You adjust the straps of your pack, looking around at the overly bright surroundings. “What’s up with all of these guys being out here anyway?”

“Well,” he chuckles hard. “That’s a matter better saved for another time. Perhaps when we’re out of the cold and back inside, we can have our creature comforts. Don’t you agree?”

You hardly shiver. “This is as comfortable as I’d need for a conversation, but you’re the boss. So, I won’t complain about getting the task over with.”

Angel shoots you a wink before he proceeds to the shack. He opens it, but inside are two men, oddly enough– dead. You hear Angel hum to himself. “That is interesting.”

You point, somewhat lazily forward, counting yourself a little lucky for their misfortune. “Shot,” you gesture at the bullet wounds. “You got a shadow too, Angel? Or what’s going on?”

He taps his foot against a hatch. This whole place looks like the same thing you saw when you first linked up with Amara’s crew. You and Angel take a few steps back as you wait for a response from the people below. It takes a moment, but you hear something on the other end starting to twist open. A few seconds later, the hatch is available with a slit, and a gun barrel is pointed out.

Angel yelps. “Hey! Hey! It’s your employer out here, so don’t do anything foolish!”

The barrel retracts back in, and then a pair of eyes are seen through the slits. It’s another man. “What’s your name?”

“Angel,” Angel rolls his eyes.

“Are you alone?”

“I have a handsome contractor with me,” he laughs slightly. “But I’m afraid he’s all mine if you’re looking for something for yourself.”

There’s a grumbling noise that you hear but nothing else. The hatch opens wide, and a young blonde man pokes his head out. He has a black uniform on that looks like what you were wearing while you were staying at Tiny’s Tavern. He sees you and narrows his eyes, “I think I’ve seen you before.”

“Should I be worried?” You ask.

“No,” he says unconvincingly. “You were at Tiny’s, weren’t you? I thought you were independent.”

“I was,” you reply. “When did you see me?”

“Late Summer,” he says quickly enough. “You were with that bar-tender girl. Whats-her-face.”

Delilah. You thought about it but didn’t mention her directly. “Yeah, that’s when the contracts were still easy to come by, and I didn’t have life-changing offers falling on my lap.”

He laughs a little hard. “I’m Oldfield,” he says. “But, you might know me better as Oiler.”

Neither of his provided names means anything to you, and he can see that it makes no difference, so he shrugs. “Ah, whatever. Amara hired me with that Japanese guy. Genji?”

Kenji, you thought again.

“Not sure if this is what they intended me to do, but–”

“This is all wonderful and all,” Angel complains. “But we really should continue this inside, right?”

Oldfield blinks at Angel, just now remembering that Angel was there. “Yes. Right. That’s my bad, guys. Come on down. It’s just me and three others. We had a mishap last night, as you can see. Didn’t mean much to me anyway, but let’s get you out of the cold.”

Once you’re underground, you find the place to be well-organized. There are three others, but they don’t look like bounty hunters at best, but they are not very well taken care of. There’s a girl here with half her read shaved and a bloody bandage over an eye. Using her one eye, she narrows her gaze. “I know Angel, but who’s that?”

Oldfield points at you. “One from my outfit, I guess. ARS guy.”

“Can we trust him after last night’s shitshow?” She gets up.

“He came with Angel, didn’t he?” Oldfield seems annoyed by this sudden behavior.