I see a little silhouetto of a man,
Scaramouch, Scaramouch, will you do the Fandango?

The boathouse by the river was lively as patrons came and went from the tavern. In Jayou, the city didn't sleep until the night dragged on past the midnight hour. Here the streets were brightly lit and the shops were open late until the nightlife died down. It was here where nobody batted an eye if a man visited three pleasure barges in one evening or if a group of women stayed at a card table well past dusk. This was Jayou, the city of pleasures that made profit. Even if she didn't care for the place, it was relatively close to home. And recently, young people had been reported missing. The issue wasn't a group of runaways indulging too deep in the wild pleasures of life, but young men and women who had a good head on their shoulders not returning home for more than a few days at a time until they stopped coming home altogether. It wasn't a big deal, at least until an imports merchant of a five-generation storefront posted a reward for the whereabouts of her niece. There was a vague description of a young man close to her niece's age listed as well and mention of an additional reward if he was captured. The lady was sure that her late sister's daughter had been seduced by some lowlife and convinced the girl to elope with him. The reward money and additional bonus was significant, but no one had picked it up due to the low likelihood of success. The girl had been missing for two weeks now. The trail, if there was one, was cold. 

But before that there was a waitress of a café by the riverside, a student who was spending a few weeks off from studying abroad, and a busboy from one of the cheaper gambling houses. They had no family to ask for them and so inquiries fizzled out within a week or so. They were all ordinary people you could find anywhere, people nobody would miss. People like her children. 

A waitress walked over to the barkeep with another order as she eyed the masked figure sitting quietly in the farthest table from the door. "Hey, it's been five days already. Should we ask the bouncers to have a talk to them or something?" She motioned discreetly. The barkeep sighed and handed two glasses of mixed liquor with syrup. "Forget about it. Nobody seems to notice them and customers haven't stopped coming. Nobody sits at that table anyways." As long as their business wasn't affected, it didn't bother him. In fact, business went on as normal.

Shiloh continued to sit in her seat without saying a word as she watched people come and go. Sooner or later, maybe that person might show up. As long as someone who nobody would miss appeared, the disappearance would happen again–she was sure of it.

He had been to many active towns and cities before, but never one as energetic as Jayou.  The antlers and the face made Evanis a clear standout from the throng that mingled throughout the streets.  He had several curious and suspicious stares sent his way, and he even turned down a young woman who wanted to draw him somewhere isolated for some "private time".  Evanis had no interest in the joys and pleasures of Jayou, but he was rather here because of a bounty he was hunting.  The target was taken from a bounty board a couple days ago, and the expert drawing consisted of a portrait of a man with wide cheeks which led Evanis to assume that he was more on the weighty side.  The bounty's name was Codillius Tree, and his list of crimes were kidnapping, murder, and cannibalism.

There was a hefty price to be rewarded if Codillius was brought in alive, but the coin to be earned was also decent if he was dead.  It was mentioned in the bounty that he was an avid enjoyer of the nightlife but was usually an introverted person.  As Evanis walked through the streets, he caught sight of a notice for someone's niece that had gone missing on a storefront.  There was also information regarding a man that was with the missing lady.  He considered swiping the notice for an extra bounty and reward, but Evanis decided to focus on the bigger fish that was Codillius.  Second thoughts crossed his mind though on the other bounty and decided that if he should come across the man, then he would try to turn him in to the merchant alive if he could.

Evanis entered a tavern where he could feel the eyes of patrons who were unfamiliar with beastmen being cast on him, but he ignored it.  His throat was feeling a tad dry, and he was in the mood for a simple water.  As he looked around the tavern, Evanis caught sight of a strange, masked figure sitting alone at a table in an isolated corner of the room.  They no doubt did not fit the setting, but Evanis considered that they might be some sort of traveler with special skills and figured that they might be helpful to him.  He wanted to ask if they knew about Codillius, but he figured that the time at the moment would not be right.  Instead, he chose small talk as the better option.

He walked over to the table and asked the odd figure, "Is this your first time in a city as lively as this?  It sure is mine."

Spend enough time in Jayou and you'd learn to spot who was a traveler and who were the locals. Without a doubt the same standards were being applied to her too. The featureless clay mask that covered her entire face moved towards the stag as he attempted to start a conversation with her. "There are some places you never get used to no matter how many times you visit, but in the end they're all the same." Her attention returned to watching people come and go from the tavern, not wanting to miss another chance at finding the next potential disappearance in the works. 

Her eyes scanned the room for people who kept to themselves, came alone, or were easy to miss in a sea of faces. Those who fit the bill were either a possible victim or a perpetrator. Even swindlers wouldn't stay in the same place for too long, so unless the culprit had a means to disguise themselves or accomplices, typically there wouldn't be this many incidents so close together in less than a month. If this had happened in Adeluna City or Arri, there would be more tension in the air and people would be on guard. But things were lax here and money was the law of the land, so unless it severely disturbed the peace, things like these were brushed off as everyday misfortunes. 

Five days of waiting and her patience was wearing thin. Normally another disappearance case would be in progress by now, so not seeing any signs made her uneasy. Did the culprit catch wind of people searching for them or was their latest victim still alive? Was she searching in the wrong place? As her thoughts ran wild, her nails began to scrape against the tabletop back and forth, giving away her underlying frustration. This wasn't working. Maybe she needed to become the bait herself. She stood up abruptly and went to the barkeep, pushing a small sum of coins across the counter. "Do you know any places here to get away from the crowds, somewhere with a view?" 

The man kept a professional attitude as he didn't touch the money being presented as he answered. "There's a small part of the riviera past the piers with a large public gazebo. There's willow trees nearby and it used to be a popular rendezvous spot for couples until other places were built. There's a small field of calla lilies growing around the gazebo giving the area a more private feel even during the daytime." 

Seeing that he didn't take the silver, Shiloh withdrew all but three coins before leaving. "Thanks. I'll keep that in mind." She passed by the place where the missing persons notice for a lady's niece was posted and paused for a few moments, then moved on. 

His casual question received a brisk answer, which was of no surprise to Evanis.  The figure then watched the patrons entering and exiting the bar.  Evanis figured that the lone person was doing something important, and so as not to act like a deep splinter said, "Is that so?  I suppose I've lived in the forests for too long then."

Evanis's ears perked up at a close scratching sound and realized that the figure was dragging their fingers across the table.  That was the point that Evanis knew that something was definitely up and backed away to make them believe that he was going to leave them be.  Just before he turned around to add to the ruse, he caught sight of the person rising from their table and going over to the barkeep where she offered up some money.  He drew just close enough to overhear that she intended to go somewhere private, and when she exited the tavern, he followed, but stopped at the doorway to watch her go.

He saw her stop and study the notice regarding the missing niece, which made him wonder if Codillius might be involved.  Evanis glanced in the direction of the mountain range, knowing that it would be a good place for a cannibal like him to lay low after a bout in town.  When the figure began to move again, he followed, but made sure to keep at a far enough distance so that he could keep her in sight, but also lessen the likelihood of him being spotted by her and have her figure out that he was tailing her.  His antlers would no doubt make him stick out like a sore thumb should she turn around at any moment.  Fortunately, there was a group of lavishly dressed women wearing tall, fancy hats that would better conceal him from detection.

The women discussed business and their spouses with little attention spared for their surroundings, so Evanis strode behind them and peeked out from behind the hats from time to time to keep track of the person he was following. 

So the gazebo did exist after all. Shiloh found the place exactly as the barkeep described. It was a nice hideaway from the afternoon sun in the Ignius months and a quiet retreat during the other times of the day. Since most of the traffic was drawn to the busier main streets, this place hardly received many visitors based on the pristine patches of grass around the perimeter and beneath the willow trees. She had been prepared to fully investigate the area whsn a sound caught her attention from the trees. A ball made of tightly wound layers of coarse colored cloth fell onto the ground, and a young boy climbed down from a low-hanging branch to retrieve it. The child was ordinary in every way, but she sensed some strange traces of residual magical energy on him that wasn't coming from anywhere else. The unusual aura on him wasn't consistent, like when a person had a hint of smoke on their clothes when they passed by a place that had been making charcoal from wood. 

She approached the boy and spoke up so he could hear through her mask. "Hey kid, have you seen anyone–" As soon as the boy saw her he gripped his ball tightly and backed away quickly, the distrust in his eyes as clear as day. "Go away! Leave me alone!" She figured she'd get this sort of reaction, with her mask and all. Changing her tone of voice she tried to calm him down. "I just want to ask a few questions." She held up her hands to display she meant no harm but the boy wasn't buying it. "If you don't leave right now, I'll scream!" 

Seeing how defensive he was, she decided to back off. "Alright, alright." She turned to leave under the vigilant gaze of the child, but as soon as she got far away enough for him to think she was gone, she slipped into the shadow of a tree that had a view of the gazebo and disappeared from sight. Some time passed and the kid resumed playing by himself until another person came from a different direction–a young man with a wheat colored complexion, dark hair, and reddish brown eyes. However, at the sight of him the boy's eyes lit up and he ran to greet him in sharp contrast to how guarded he was towards Shiloh earlier. In the stillness of the area, bits and pieces of their conversation could be heard. 

"Sorry for being late, I brought some of that honey nougat you like. Did you wait long?" The man asked. The boy shook his head with a smile. "Nope. But a weird person tried to talk to me before you got here. They had a creepy mask and was covered up from head to toe, but I scared them away." 

The man raised an eyebrow. "Really? You should be more careful. Even though it's daytime it's dangerous to be alone by yourself." The boy kicked the ground and tucked his ball under his arm. "I'm not scared. Besides, if somebody tried anything you'd protect me." 

The two continued to chat as they went under the gazebo, however Shiloh could sense the same aura she had detected on the boy emanating strongly from the man whom he was treating like an old friend. Her instincts weren't always right, but when they were–that meant there was something very wrong.

So far so good, the figure that Evanis tailed did not look back.  Unfortunately, his mobile cover did not last long as the women all turned and entered into a small gambling hall.  He found another piece of cover to be a horse-drawn cart containing supplies that were stacked just high enough to hide almost his entire form save for the top of his antlers.  The cart was moving slower than the woman, and she was already gaining a considerable distance from him, so when the opportunity presented itself, Evanis made a short dash from the cart to a small group of people that were walking at a quicker pace.

Evanis was able to keep the figure in his sights all the way up to the gazebo.  The willow trees would offer a good number of hiding spots for him when the time was right to close in and talk to her.  He spotted a little boy going after a ball and saw the figure approach him.  This caused Evanis to grow concerned as he crept closer and took cover behind the tree that was furthest from the gazebo.  He only caught the boy's warning that he would shout for help if the person did not leave him be, and when he saw her leaving in his direction, he ducked behind the tree, taking a position that would hide as much as possible.

He figured that now would probably be a good time to advise her that talking to kids dressed like an assassin was not a good idea, but the rational part of his mind told him that doing so might very well be ill-advised.  Soon, a man who he assumed was the boy's father arrived and the two conversed with each other.  Evanis took out the poster of Codillius and looked it over.  The man with the boy looked nothing like him, and he was not interested in causing a scene unless something happened between the two parties that would constitute an active threat.  For now, the deerman lie in wait, his hand running along the frame of his bow for a scenario that he hoped would not happen.

As Shiloh and Evanis watched the the two under the gazebo, the conversation turned in a different direction. The boy had an empty paper nougat wrapper in his hands and his ball was resting on the bench beside him as he looked out at the calla lilies in the riverbank. "Jin, you're Miss Saya's friend right? Do you know when she's coming back?" The man called 'Jin' paused before answering the boy, putting on a smile to ease his worries. "I'm sorry, but she didn't tell me before she left. It was so sudden too. Even if she had disagreements with her aunt, I didn't think she would run off without telling anyone." 

The young woman who had been reported missing was named Saya, there was no mistaking it. From the rumors Shiloh had heard in the past five days, Saya's aunt had been desperately trying to find anything on her whereabouts only to come up with nothing. Despite being raised in a wealthy home after her parents passed, Saya was well-liked among the community. She got along well with people from all walks of life, sometimes a little too well.That led to arguments with her aunt who was her legal guardian and wasn't as keen on letting a young unmarried girl mingle with strangers. Saya was a bit headstrong in some aspects and like all people her age, she had a rebellious streak which manifested in a desire to work outside of the family business. Apparently Saya knew this boy and this man named Jin, but were they already acquaintances or did they happen to know each other because of her? 

The rest of the conversation returned to small talk and soon Jin bid the boy goodbye, leaving as dusk was beginning to set in. The boy took his ball and started heading home. After he passed the shadow of the tree Shiloh was hiding in by several paces, she silently re-emerged and watched Jin's form in the distance. Using the fingers of both her hands, she made the shape of a box and held it up to her eyes as if spying at the man through a hole. She muttered something under her breath before returning to the tavern she had left to inquire for more information. It was clear there was something on her mind, like she might have found something important. As to what, only time would tell. 

This entire time she was aware that she had been followed by Evanis from the tavern, but did nothing about it. As long as he didn't interfere with her observations, what he knew or saw didn't matter. But if he caused a change in her plans or alerted the culprit, then she'd have to do something to keep him quiet until the job was done.

When the figure began to head back the way she came, Evanis maneuvered himself around the tree to avoid detection.  Once she was far enough away, he followed, using the throngs as moving hiding spots, though he had to perform a quick juke to avoid knocking over a stack of pots that a stout man was carrying.  He trailed her until, to his surprise she reentered the tavern they had exited.  Evanis looked at the notice again before he stepped back into the tavern.

It was quick for him to locate her, and she was talking to the bartender.  He needed to tend to his thirst, so he walked up to the bar and requested, "I'd like a glass of water please."

As his drink was being received, Evanis looked to the figure and produced the rolled up poster of Codillius.  He held it below the counter so that no one else would see it, and if the figure was looking at him, he would mouth to her in silence, "I know you're seeking someone.  As am I."

When he got his water, Evanis handed the barkeep the silver and rolled up the poster before he made his way to an empty table at a far corner of the room with his drink.  As he took swigs from his water, he unfurled the poster and mulled over it.  The Zujiuchu Mountains would be a good place for someone like Codillius to hide after he struck.  Perhaps that was also where the niece had been spirited away to by whoever was responsible.  He doubted that Codillius and the niece's disappearance were connected, but there was always that lingering possibility that it was.  Evanis put the poster away and finished off his drink, satisfied that his throat no longer felt dry.  Now all there was for him to do was wait and see if an alliance would form between him and the figure that had been his point of interest for a while now.

As sunset crept over the riverbound city, the bright lights of the night scene came alive. Outside the tavern that Shiloh and Evanis met, the magical lights of Jayou’s nocturnal establishments flickered to life. The gambling halls switched out for their night shifts, and the more eccentric residents of vice city came out to play. New entertainment had arrived in the tavern as well, but its normal presenter was nowhere to be seen.

Every third day of the week, the tavern brought in a pianist to play tunes for its guests: something to ease the flow of liquor and distract from the watered down drinks. Normally, it was a duet: a husband playing the piano and his wife singing along. But the wife had recently gone missing and the man, now beside himself with worry, had taken to drinking away his sorrows at the same bar that Shiloh and Evanis sat.

Desperate for someone to fill in for the act, the bartender had approached me to fill in. He saw me playing in another venue, and though his offer left much to be desired I used it as an amusing side-gig. Shiloh’s return to the tavern marked the beginning of my shift that night, and I started with one of my personal favorites from back home: a song unknown to Revaliir called The Entertainer.

There was a new performer today in the tavern, but Shiloh had learned by now that places like these had a rotation of sorts to keep the atmosphere from getting stale. The music was lighthearted and carefree in stark contrast to how she was feeling at the moment. She had gotten some information out of the barkeep on the kid she saw and Miss Saya when the stag who had been following her around took a seat next to her. Aside from her looking suspicious, Shiloh couldn't guess what he wanted until he showed her another bounty poster under the counter. She had seen it before but ignored it because it looked relatively easy to handle. A trip to a diviner with something the cannibal had come in contact with recently would be enough to find his whereabouts. From her body language it would be clear to Evanis that his target didn't catch her interest. "Thanks for the offer, but right now I'm tracking bolder prey that grazes more than once in the same field in a short period of time." 

She had to be a bit more pushy with suggestion, but before she was interrupted Shiloh managed to wring out the identity of the kid at the gazebo. He lived on a nearby street with his mother, who worked all day in the kitchen of a small bed and breakfast. Because of that the boy was usually on his own until his mother returned in the evening after the last customers were served. His father wasn't around but this was a common sight in cities like this. It was easier to guess the reasons why than to ask and broach the subject. Unfortunately the barkeep didn't have anything on Saya that she hadn't heard before, but he didn't know the man named Jin she had seen at the gazebo. Shiloh assumed either Jin had recently arrived in Jayou, or that he had never visited this tavern or this side of Jayou before.

Based on her observations of typical human social interaction, it took more than three instances of direct contact over the course of at least two weeks to establish acquaintanceship. Greater frequency of contact or prolonged exposure under favorable conditions would increase the level of trust between two individuals to where they would actively share personal details. Based on these assumptions, one could guess that Jin and the boy were acquainted with each other for a minimum of two weeks, which coincided with the time when Saya was first reported missing. While normally it would take a certain amount of time to reach an intimate level of trust, that time could be drastically reduced through additional factors: such as sharing a mutual acquaintance. Right now Shiloh was trying to establish a coherent timeline of the relationships between three individuals in hopes of estimating the possibility of Saya still being alive.

She ordered a drink at last, but her convoluted instructions produced extremely watered-down, lukewarm tea. She took her tepid tea leaf water to the corner table she had been at for the past five days, and settled in. Tonight things would be peaceful; tomorrow evening was when she would need to stake out the gazebo.