Deus Ex Human Revolution: Shadow's Showdown

Chapter 4: The Fly Girl

The Jackdaw

Laura probably wouldn't have known this lovely place if Faridah hadn't brought her here. The tavern was decorated in a pirate style with wooden tables, chairs, and benches. Fishing nets were hanging from the ceiling, the pirate flag was also noticed by Laura. Even waiters took care of the right atmosphere. Faridah led her friend to one of the tables at the back, near the wall, where the menu cards were already prepared and waiting for customers. Laura put her backpack on the floor, took off the wet hoodie, and hung it on the backrest of the chair. She fixed the sleeves of a long-sleeved dark grey top and then sat down.

"I recommend you Tortuga Soup. It is delicious and warms you up well." she suggested seeing Laura shivered from the cold several times.

"This is what I need, thank you." It's strange, but she had the impression that she would find a common ground with Faridah and despite the rules which she set earlier, Laura wanted to have a friend in her. It was a simple desire to avoid sitting alone in an empty apartment.

They didn't wait too long for orders. The soup was indeed delicious and warded off bad moods.

"What did you want to talk about?" Laura asked carefully. While waiting for an answer, she continued to eat her portion of soup.

"About Adam." As Faridah spoke the name, Laura felt her throat tightens. It took her some time to swallow that knot with Jensen's name written on it. Why him? Out of a million different topics, she had to choose the one that boosts her anger.

"What about him?" she asked evasively, hoping that she could redirect the conversation to something more pleasant. "Wait a minute, maybe she thinks that he and I... For all the plagues of the world: IMPOSSIBLE!" she thought with an explicit disgust.

"I know you've been here for a short time and I really don't care where you worked before. It's not my concern. Just don't start your career by making enemies." Faridah said this quite harshly, almost like a warning, but it was hard to find any ill will in it. She just cared for Laura in a manner of an older sister.

"But I..." she tried to squeeze out a reply while looking at Faridah with her eyes wide open.

"Adam is doing his job, that's what he is paid for. He is firm and cold because he has to be like that, so don't throw obstacles under his feet. Remember for the future: I can be a far worse enemy than he is." she finished without letting Laura get a word out. Great, now instead of a friend, she has another problem.

Laura lowered her gaze to gather thoughts and sighed heavily. On the one hand, she was supposed to be a cold bitch who wants to achieve her goal by playing hardball, and on the other hand, she wasn't heartless to just hurt anyone without hesitation. Faridah emitted such a calm aura of trust, that a moment more and Laura would tell her whole life story with every spicy detail. "So that was the point." she thought. Everyone except Frank treats Adam like a god or something. Who is he, in fact, that he deserves it?!

"If this is so, why did he mock me? Why did he make a fool of me?!" Laura spoke reproachfully, and her eyes burnt with anger. She promised to keep it for herself and only for herself, but she needed to confide in someone. Apparently, the easiest way is to talk with a stranger.

"Because you resisted, you tried to play games with him instead of cooperating. That's why you got what you asked for." she explained, helping Laura to understand the whole situation at least a little. "But believe me or not, he doesn't enjoy it at all."