The Heritage of Sephtis: The Returning

13: Fries

Jaden cast a wary glance around to make sure there was no one watching before they left. Any suspicion aroused by their leaving could shut down their quest immediately, so stealth was of the utmost importance. The farther they removed themselves into a crowd the better.

"Any one hungry?" Finn announced rather than asked.

"What?" Jaden looked briefly at Finn, then back at the road.

"There's a little dinner up the street according to the map, our best bet is to go in, lay low for a bit and get out the moment I get a name on those plates. Speaking of which, " Finn reached over and pulled Jaden's phone out of his coat pocket, to Jaden's protest, "I need to get those plate's numbers quickly, so we can't be tracked for very long. Unless of course you've left it on all this time." Finn glared.

"Sorry, I forgot."

"This is why I grabbed the kid. He's a lot better than you are."

"That's not giving him a lot of credit…" Jack mumbled.

"Shut up."

    The three walked into the restaurant and shuffled to the back corner, past the “please seat yourself” sign, with Finn leading the pack. Finn shoved himself into the corner, and leaned his chair back against the wall. He pulled out his phone and waved at a waiter trying to get their attention.

    “I can be with you in just a moment, sir.” The waiter walked past their table and into the back. Jack looked around the diner, noting the distinct smell of cooking oil, and started playing with the flower print tablecloth. The waiter returned with a notepad, and looked at the three. “What can I get for ya?”

    “Iced tea. And while we’re at it add an order of fries.” Finn propped his feet on the chair beside him and scrolled through his phone. The waiter breathed in sharply, and turned to Jack.

    “I would like a water.”

    “Are you ready to order your food too?” The waiter gently tapped his pen on the notepad.

    “Ah, yes, sorry. I want a cheeseburger with extra tomatoes please.”

    “Extra tomatoes?” The waiter eyed him.

    “Yes sir.” Jack smiled. The waiter sighed.

    “And you sir?”

    “Well, I guess I-”

    “Your accent is so amazing! I love it! Where are you from?”

    “I’m from California.”

    “No I mean-”

    “Can you please keep it down?” Finn complained, holding his phone to his ear. “I’m trying to make a call here.”

    “Sorry?” The waiter looked at Finn, and then back at Jaden, lowering his voice slightly. “What would you like? I recommend the enchiladas here, if you want my opinion, they’re really good.”

    Jaden looked at him, feeling a bit annoyed. “No thank you, I’m not exactly hungry. I’ll just have a water.” The waiter nodded and walked back around the corner into the back.

    “Hey, Greg!” Finn smiled into the phone. “Look I need you to run some plates for me and see what you can find.” Finn sighed and looked around the room. Marshal was scolding him as expected. He looked down at his watch, and back around the room growing restless. “Yes, I realize I left at a bad time.” The waiter walked up with the drinks, and set them down. “Yes, Greg, I get it.” Finn was getting visibly upset. He reached across the table and grabbed a sugar packet, then dumped it in his tea and started stirring. Jack sipped his water, and stared at Finn, entranced by the train wreck that was happening. “Greg, could you stop complaining for half a second? Sure I got shot at, but I promise it wasn’t anything for you to worry about. I’m fine! And think on the bright side. You know who was being shot at at least!” The woman at the table beside them glanced at Finn, who immediately glared back at her. She quickly turned back to her meal, and he continued talking. “Yes, I get it. But I simply can not divulge the details of the case at the moment, as it is still an open case. What do you mean that isn’t how it works? You tell me that all the time! Anyways, maybe if you ran my plates for me I might tell you a bit more about what happened?” Finn rolled his eyes, but it was soon clear he had gotten his way. Jaden cleared his throat, and took a drink of water, looking around anxiously. Finn made eye contact with Jack, who immediately looked away uncomfortably. “What does it matter to me if you look into the kid? It’s like I’ve done anything. Don’t worry about it, just give me my plates. I’ll send you the license.” Finn hung up, and grabbed his fries from the waiter as he walked up. The waiter took another sharp deep breath as he set down Jack’s plate.