Start small and work your way up they always said. However if he was just going to start small maybe a less tedious job should have been taken. He was not exactly a tracker and the description of the person he was looking for felt vague at best. Sure theoretically with three people working on this with him there was a chance that locating a single needle in a haystack might not be all that difficult. Though to be completely honest, anyone could tell you that was nothing more than wishful thinking. Maybe he should have waited for them a little bit longer before taking off on his own? Was it really that big a deal? Faster they moved the better off they would be right? With a quick shrug, Vincent took off down the road with little regard for his companions who he probably should have been working together with.

150/1000

Well, this was the kind of job he was hoping for at the start but everybody's gotta start somewhere, right? Apparently, this was a simple task. Find a con man, squeeze some money he scammed out of the client and be on his way. Easy. Now, the problem was, Uchida was the only one at the location he was suppose to meet his companions. He assumed he was the first to arrive here and decided to pass the time by going to a stand for a quick meal. Maybe a burger and some fries sorta deal, he knew he was on the job but who knows how long it would take for them to arrive to start. uchida went to a local stand and order himself a stander burger, fries and drink sorta thing. After waiting for a few minutes, he decided to sit at the spot he was suppose to be waiting for his teammates and chow down for a bit. He decided to eat his meal quickly just in case the others had shown up and didn't want to here complaining. After he he was done, he had thrown out his trash and sat there, now mildly irritated and thinking to himself. "Where the fuck are these guy!?!" Letting out an irritated sigh, he continued to wait in hopes somebody would show up sooner or later so they can get this show on the road. He didn't wanna be stuck doing grunt work forever.

402/1000

Finn had already been with Vincent when they begun the quest, though Uchida wasn't anywhere to be found yet. They had supposed to be together thus far- That much he figured was straight forward. It seemed that their friend didn't get the memo though. Hell, he might have gotten the message from the start if truth be told. Uchida seemed to quite the strong willed individual, not necessarily one to go along with the agreed upon plan if it differed too much from his intent. That wasn't necessarily a bad thing! The world grew from those who pressed the boundaries and thought out of the box. Still, he'd likely find himself overwhelmed if he tried shouldering everything on his own. That was what Finn had learned the hard way. People had to be willing to expand who they were and embrace the help of their companions. The growth one could gain on their own was minimal compared to what others could help bring out of you.

Finn was jarred from his own mind as Vincent began running. Without too much hesitation, Finn took off running as well. The one who gave them the quest, Batra, had pointed them in the right direction at the very least. Apparently this conman always hung out around the streets that surrounded the bar. There were no easier target than drunkards, apparently. Finn rarely drank, having done so only on select few occasions when Jake surprised him with the bitter tasting liquid that was Ale. He did not indulge himself too much, but rather sipped at it to try to keep up with his older brother. He was put off by the taste and the aroma from the amber liquid, stopping himself as his mind began to haze. What sort of warrior would willingly fog up their perception of the world?

The distance between Vincent and Finn shrank to almost nil within moments, the young adventurer being able to quickly close the gap and then match his companions pace. Okay really where is Uchida? The thought was back in his head once more, their missing companion creating a noticeable absence. They may have been a new team, but this seemed almost like a pathetic lack of teamwork. Each of them were strong willed, powered by their own ambitions. It seemed that it only made sense that they'd need time to integrate with one another.

As the two turned another corner, Finn looked and saw two things. About half way down the street was the conman. Nudging Vincent, Finn would point. "That's him. His image fits the picture that Batra showed."

You know one of these days being lost in his own personal world is going to get him killed. Well probably not something that serious, but he really should o something about him spacing out. When Finn appeared behind him all his self preservation instincts kicked in. The next two second felt far longer than they probably had been as in that short span of time he went from on edge, to confirming there was no threat and subsequently calming down.

If someone could read minds they could swear the young man was schizophrenic or at least some veteran suffering from PTSD. His eyes widened with surprise then slowly narrowed as he began to assess the problem, his hair stood up on the back of his neck. All the muscles in his body tensed up for just a moment, and it was all followed by the signs of relief almost immediately when it registered who it was. "Maybe I spent too much time wandering around." It could have been anything causing him to react like that honestly. Most likely it was paranoia about being found by the church but for now he was going to chalk it up to instincts gained from living on the road for so long.

A single deep breathe was used to relax his body and hopefully hide how tense he was. With a smile that probably appeared to be hiding some form of malicious thought behind it he focused in on his new companion just long enough to hear him as about Uchida. Uchida? which one was that supposed to be again. A quick hand went up to his chin as he tried to recall who that was. If he was being honest with himself the momentary panic is probably the only reason why he as able to recall who Finn was at this moment. He knew who Noah was wherever he was supposed to be at the moment. But the name rang a bell as someone who was supposed to be here, that person could have walked up at this very moment and Vincent would be none the wiser. With a nonchalant shrug to indicate he had no idea Vince went on a quick ramble, probably to get his blood to settle just a little bit. "Not a single clue, and if I'm being honest with you I'm not too keen on waiting for him. He knows what we are supposed to be doing and where to find us, if he doesn't show up then so be it." At first the intention was to use that moment, to size up Finn and take note of some of his more recognizable features. At the very least something to sear who this was in the back of his mind. However his sentence was too short, and if he kept staring now he would just look like he was checking him out or something.

Luckily for him and the quickly developing awkward moment, the next corner they would turn would move things along on it's own. Finger extended Finn would point out the person they were searching for. The man looked like he was still stuck in some distance past. Though Vincent was from another country so maybe here it wasn't as strange as he had though to see styles like that. Still something about his hair was getting under his skin, it was like this guy's hairstyle was "Hi my name is Batra and I'm an asshole". Not a funny asshole either, not one who was amusing just the punch able one who probably should have been left on the delivery room floor. Quickly before Finn was seen pointing, Vincent reached out and somewhat forcefully smacked down his hand. While he did it he tried to look apologetic but to be honest that was never his forte so it was probably clear bullshit. "Don't point at the man unless you want to chase him around the city, obviously he has to know people might be looking for him what do you think will happen if he notices he's being picked out of the crowd. We're standing probably exactly where he's focused on." Scanning the surrounding area one more time, Vincent focused his gaze far to the left while slowly backing towards the right. While still close enough that he wouldn't have to yell too Finn, he shared his plan with his partner. "You just circle around from the left and I'll go from the right. He'll probably notice one of us coming straight for him and run right into the arms of the other."

Without even waiting for confirmation the young man turned around and began walking towards the target attempting to look as natural as possible. He was trying to test Finn though, what kind of temperament was he? There were many people that would be screaming at him right now, or just in straight defiance take off running towards Batra. He could use his reaction here to learn a little bit about this guy, asking questions wasn't fun and rarely yielded genuine results.

876 words

An intense burning sensation had began to fill young Uchida's chest. He was a bit fed up with waiting and was on the verge of going crazy. He was suppose to meet his teammates at this location but it seems like nobody bothered to show up. Now that he thought back on it, a lot of his group members seem like they would be the type to go alone except maybe Finn seeing as he's traveling with a talking dog. Well, that's fine with him. The time for talking and waiting is over. With that, he stood up and decided he would tackle this task himself. He already knew what he had to do but he doesn't remember what the target in question looks like. He honestly wasn't paying that much attention to the briefing but decided he would remember what the man looks like if he happened to bump into him. With that, he chose the direction the con artist was last spotted in and decided to check there to see if he would find out his whereabouts.

436/800

Finn having his hand slapped was something that he didn't necessarily register as a slap. The were, after all, running. Their bodies were in constant motion, up and down, as they continued on their path. Instead, Finn heard what the man said and nodded. He had a point, something that the adventurer didn't exactly process. He wasn't use to tricking people, even if it was only in body language and action. So rather than argue a mute point about a topic that he was not entirely sure of, he chose to take Vincent's advice.

Finn shot off now at full speed down a side street. To Vincent, the sudden increase would possibly catch him off guard. Such speed from such a small and young man wasn't exactly what one would consider normal under most circumstance. As he sped through the side street, Finn would come up from the alley near the conman. Now on the other side of the man, though he likely took the directions a bit too literal, he'd be reaching the conman at the same time that Vincent had been.

It seems for the time being his partner either agreed or could not be bothered to argue with the logic that he put forth. With a quick burst of speed he launched himself down the street towards the general direction that Vincent had suggested. You could say that the speed he went off at was all that surprising but to be completely honest it wasn't what stood out to Vincent. It was the fact that the whole thing about them not being noticed went entirely ignored or sailed clean over this guy's head. Either way a blank and somewhat annoyed stare followed Finn for a bit longer than was optimal before he went down his own path. In the end it really didn't matter though, they arrived at their destination at the same exact time. To make things even better the conman was probably too hyper focused on finding a new target that he didn't notice the two circle him until it was too late. When trying to recall what happens next Vincent's memory is pretty hazy, it just felt so insignificant. However the main points were that after some nervous rambling and staring at at-least one highly un- amused individual for some time, the conman handed over the money they needed without much of a fight. It felt suspicious, but who was to argue with the work being easy to complete. With the money in his hand Vincent would turn and head back to the bar to reclaim his prize.

Asking around the area, Uchida eventually got the location of the con man by somebody else that was swindled by him it seems. Although it took a short while, nobody seemed to really enjoy the scumbag around the city and was happy somebody was finally going to bring him to justice, or so they thought. It wasn't like Uchida was some divine avenger, he was paid to get his client's money back one way or the other. Maybe if there was a decent bounty on the man's head, he could be persuaded to bring him in but there wasn't anything of the sort. Treading through the streets of Crocus, eventually he came across the man in question standing a few feet away from him. He was already in the process of trying to swindle a young couple into whatever it is he sold or make them invest in. "So that's him, huh? Figured as much. Seems swindling is the only way to make a living given his size and frame. Doesn't look like he has much combat experience either. This should be easy." Uchida thought to himself.  Sighing, Uchida stepped forward to the con man, placing his hands into his pockets and stepping out into view where he could talk to the short man with the funny haircut. When the man spotted him, he seemed to tense up a bit but didn't make any rash actions. Uchida made a sall note of this and decided to go with a different approach. "Are you Kyle? heard you can get me things even i won't find in Crocus." Uchida said hoping to calm his nerves. It didn't seem to have much affect.

Something spooked the man recently but he wasn't sure what. Maybe, his comrades had already shook him down. After a second, the con man had retorted with a defensive "Whose asking?" Now, Uchida wasn't sure how to respond to this and decided to try and lie his way out this. "I'm from Phantom Lord and i heard you can get what i need. Can you or can you not help? If you can't help me i'll-" Before he could finish his statement, con man Kyle had already bolted towards the exit of the Crocus. Guess he must have said the wrong guild or maybe he should have stated he was guild less as a whole. Oh well, too late now. Uchida had charged after him now, debating on if he should start flinging magic at him or not. They were running through the streets of Crocus in broad daylight so not only would it look bad, somebody could be severely hurt. Deciding to play it safe, Uchida managed to snatch an apple from a fruit stand while sprinting after the man. He didn't have much time to aim, despite them running in a straight line as he chucked the apple into the back of the man's skull, disorienting him and making him fall over into an incoming wall. Now that their magical journey came to an end, Uchida had decided to mount the man's chest with his arms tucked along his sides to restrain him. ""Now, we can do this the easy way or the hard way. The choice is yours. You gonna give me the money you stole from Batra or should i ask you which testicle you favor? Come now, make your choice, i don't have all day. Time is revenue as you should very well know." The man looks nervous now but before Uchida could cave his face in, he started to yell "I'm already all paid up! Some guys earlier came and i gave them the money already! You're too late!" Kyle was now frantic and screaming and Uchida quickly placed his hand over Kyle's mouth.

If anybody had approached now, it would look like he was violently shaking Kyle down even though that's the obvious truth. Now, back in Uchida's birth island, there was always frauds and swindlers trying to make a living as well and he wasn't thoroughly convinced that this man had paid up. He decided to call for another bluff, despite the first one failing horribly. "You're a con man. Knowing my teammates that sought you out before, they probably cornered you, shook you down and got the money easy from you. No injuries, no scratch, nothing. How is it that you, a con artist so to say, would willingly pay them off so easily parting with the hard earned money you conned out of them just like that? And how is it, that i was sent back to find you after you paid them. Don't you think something is wrong with the picture. We know what you did. Now for the last time, we can do this the easy way, or, the hard way. I am not in the mood for this shit." Uchida had threateningly said. As a compliment to the bluffing threat, Uchida had slammed his elbow into the nose of con man Kyle for good measure. Loud squealing erupted from the man as he fidgets and squirms underneath Uchida to get free. When it seemed like he couldn't get free he exclaimed, "ALRIGHT!!! ALRIGHT!!! I'LL PAY UP FOR REAL!!!! FOR REAL!!!! JUST DON'T HURT ME ANYMORE!!!!" Jackpot. Uchida had gotten up off the man and recieved the jewels he was sent to retrieve from him. Uchida sneered and pockets the money he had just received.

Whether or not the money he had previously given the others or not had been real or fake, he didn't care. If it was real, that means he had a little extra spending money for himself. If it was fake, he could make it seem like he was the only competent one for doing this mission. Either way, he was done here but before he left Uchida decided to add for a statement for more good measure. "If i find out this money you gave me is fake, you better become a mage yourself and learn a vanishing spell or else... You don't want to know what happens when you cross me." A low squeal had came from behind Uchida and he continued to sneer as he walked back towards the client's bar. After arriving at the bar, he had met up with his "teammates". After giving a condescending look towards them, he had determined the money they received was fake and gave the bartender the real jewels that was owed. With a sneer, he had turned and left the bar a little annoyed they left him behind and managed to botch a simple job.

[Exit]

Uchida must have taken a round about way to find them. It made sense that he would have arrived. They were, after all, meant to do this quest together. Still- Uchida had been late. Drastically late. It made sense that they had started without him, but now that he was there Finn was able to see how he handled himself in a request. The fact of the matter was that he handled himself much different than it seemed that Finn or even Vincent would have been handling it. That was not a bad thing, rather it seemed to be working better than their original plan.

It seemed that things had begun to go wrong when the conman tried to make a run for it, but in the end Uchida was able to handle even that. He was impressed. He hadn't expected Uchida to be so efficient, especially considering his attitude. Maybe it was due to the type of job they were on, but Uchida was the one who ended up doing most of the work. With the job done, they'd collect their reward and aim to move on to the next job.

[exit]

Well in the end the missing member showed up and pretty much handled everything. No complaints on that end from Vincent. With the money paid up each of them could receive their share and head on their merry way home. Maybe this could work out after all, hell maybe they could even take some better jobs in the future. Something that paid a little bit more and took some more work too accomplish. That way he could obtain more money and be on his way to the next country a bit faster this time. Staying in one place was never too much of a good idea in his position
(Exit)