Her Tempestuous Villain

Chapter 72 - Collecting Information (1)

Sunye woke up next morning, feeling a little uneasy. SD had dropped her off after dinner and left a very cryptic message.

"Dress down tomorrow," was all he said. What did he mean? She wondered.  Letting out a loud yawn, she got off of her bed and walked towards the bathroom to freshen up. After a while, she stepped out of the shower, wrapping a towel around her. Wiping her wet hair with another towel, she checked the clock. It was 9 AM. SD promised that he would come to fetch her up at 10 AM.

What does he wear during his missions anyway? She thought. He had promised that they would merely be observing and collecting information the traditional way but he did not elaborate on what that method was. She took a dep breath and opened her closet.

Choosing a simple white top with a dark pair of jeans, she got dressed. She chose to keep her hair tied up in a bun and wore comfortable sneakers. It was nearly 10 AM so she skipped breakfast and went straight downstairs to wait for him.

She stood outside her building, scanning the area for the familiar figure. The street was fairly busy sine it was a weekend. People were out shopping or casually strolling with friends and families. There was a couple right across the street who were indulged in PDA. The other people did not glance at them, walking past them. There were large banners and posters pasted on a grocery store diagonal to Sunye's building, which announced a large discount on all items. Cars sped by and pedestrians walked or talked on the phone, busy in their own lives.

Thankfully, it was not too sunny. The sky was a little cloudy but it did not seem that rain would take place that day. A gentle breeze touched her warm skin. Shivering slightly, Sunye took out a couple of pills and popped them into her mouth before swallowing them with the water from her bottle. She put the bottle away, still scanning the place for SD.

Where was he?

A homeless beggar was holding out his hand to her in the hopes of some alms. Sunye took out a few cents and handed it to him before continuing her wait for SD. Minutes passed by and there was still no sign of him.

Did he forget about our appointment? She wondered. But that was unlike SD. He would always keep their appointments. Then where was he?

"S'cuse meh."

She turned to see that it was the same beggar whom she had given alms a while ago. He was wearing a shabby brown coat which stank of gutter and sewage. His hat was hiding his shaggy curls and his face was blackened with dirt and soot. His back was hunched and he was stopping low.

"Yes?" Sunye asked politely, trying not to wince at the smell.

"Wha's the time, laddie?" the beggar sputtered in a heavy street accent. Sunye checked her watch.

"It's 10:15," she replied.

"Ahh…" he realized. "In that case, I'm late I guess. Sorry."

Sunye gaped in shock.

"SD?" she hissed. The beggar raised his face and his cracked lips curled into the familiar smile which had annoyed her for years. If it was not for that evil smile, she would have never recognized him! He even wore contact lenses to hide his eye color.

"Hi sexy lawyer," he greeted. "Like my disguise? Don't I look authentic?"

"This is your method?" Sunye realized.

"Yep!" he chirped. "And now, you gotta get into your disguise. Follow me."

He led her to a deserted alley where his new Impala was parked. "Your clothes are inside the car," he stated. "I'll stand guard while you change."

"What am I going to change into?" she asked, feeling apprehensive.

"Same as me," he shrugged. Sunye was hesitant upon hearing those words. She would have to don those dirty clothes and she was not wholly comfortable with the idea. But she was very curious about how SD worked and it was clashing with her disgust.

As if reading her mind, he said, "You'll never be able to clean up criminals if you can't get your hands dirty. And people have done much worse. All you have to do is, wear foul smelling clothes."

"It's my first time doing this!" she shot back. "Let me prepare myself mentally."

"Having second thoughts, Ms. Lawyer?"

She shot him a cold look. Even if the process disgusted her, she had made a promise to him and she intended to keep it. Smell or not, she must fulfill her end of the bargain.

"Never," she gritted and got into the backseat of the car, slamming it behind her. SD smirked and turned away while she changed into the disguise he chose for her. After a while, she emerged from the car, wearing a torn rag dress and a foul smelling brown wig.

"Your face is still too bright," he noted. Sunye rolled her eyes and stooped down to scoop up some dirt. She rubbed it all over her face to hide her porcelain like skin with soot. Once her face was dirty enough, SD nodded.

"Perfect," he said. "Can you fake a street accent?"

"Uhh…I can try something."

She cleared her throat and said, "Whatcha waitin' around fer yeh bent runt? Where're the loot from th' trash?"

She tried to imitate a criminal she had once interrogated. The man spoke with a rough accent and added a lot of insults in his sentences. Sunye remembered that he called her the B-word a lot.

"It'll do," he agreed. "Tone down the urban language and add as many slangs as possible. Whatever, happens, don't break character even when you're talking to me."

"Alright yeh punk pig!"

"You wanted to do that, didn't you?" SD groaned.

"Yah, yeh  dipshit!" Sunye exclaimed, secretly enjoying this mission. Insulting SD had a lot of merits and she was getting the hang of the accent as well.

"Le's go yeh useless hoe!" he roared, getting back to his street form. "We'v gotta job teh do!"

"If yer hunch slows us then I'll shove spikes up yer-"

They pretended to bicker like a couple of beggars all throughout their stroll in the street. While doing their exchange of insults, SD was walking towards a posh Italian restaurant which was located a few meters away right across the road.

"Yeh'll follo' me till the trash," he said gruffly.

"I follow no man!" Sunye yelled back. "Yer useless husk can' even get it up! My back hurts fro' all the work I gotta do! Can' you even collec' the trash properly?"

Good, she's in character, he thought. Or rather is pleased to get a chance to insult me.

Meanwhile, Sunye was observing her surroundings. SD was going to collect information on someone important. He led her towards a trashcan which was located right opposite the Italian restaurant. He took her around the trashcan and sat on the ground. Sunye sat next to him. Once she settled next to him, he turned around and muttered, "Pretend to be angry and insult me but keep your eyes on that white suited man in the restaurant."

"Yeh piece of shit!" she shrieked and to SD's surprise, grabbed his ear and twisted it hard. He yelped in pain as Sunye let out a swirl of slangs directed at him.

"WHAT DI YEH MEAN BY YOU SOL' MAH BEADS?" she yelled at him. But her eyes were watching the white suited man through the restaurant's glass window. He was chatting with another man who was wearing a t-shirt and jeans. She noted that the man wearing casual wear was donning a Mickey Mouse t-shirt. Why would someone wear that in what seemed like an official meeting?

The white suited man was in his forties with a pot belly and balding head. He was engaged in what seemed like a very serious conversation with the guy in Mickey Mouse shirt. All this while, she kept on hurling slangs at SD, sometimes even beating him to keep up the act. He shot back with some slangs of his own.

"YEH CRAZY BITCH!" he yelled. "STOP HITTING MEH KEISTER!"

He added in a low tone, "I'm secretly enjoying this beating and would let you whoop my ass anyd-"

This was followed by a real beating by Sunye's hands. From the corner of her eye, she noticed that the men were leaving the restaurant and were walking away.

"Le's go to another' street!" SD growled. "I'll get yeh yer bloody beads back!"

"Yeh better get mah beads back yeh piece of shit!" Sunye snapped, still not breaking character. They were  now tailing the two men all the while pretending to look around the street for trash and paper like a couple of homeless couple. They blended in with the other beggars of the streets, not attracting attention. Other than occasional exchange of slangs, mainly by Sunye towards SD, they kept their focus on the men. They kept a distance while following them, pausing every now and then to pretend picking up trash.

After a while, the two men entered a shady alley. SD paused and held up a hand for Sunye to stop as well. They watched from afar as the two men knocked on a door. There was a pink signboard on it.

A gruff looking woman came out of it. The white suited man handed her some cash and they entered the place.

"Where are they going?" Sunye whispered, finally abandoning her character.

"Exactly where I thought they'd go," he muttered. "It's time for us to change disguises again."

"Where are we gonna change here?" Sunye hissed.

"Follow me," he winked and led her towards another alley. Sunye shook her head and followed him, secretly excited about what was going to happen next.