Tired Days [Open]

Marcus Stone found himself wandering about the streets of London, his boredom getting the better of him after a few days with no job opportunities arising from his network of contacts in the "contractor community." It was easier to collect his head with a little caffeine, he'd determined, and having found a small coffee shop out of the way of much of the typical hustle and bustle of the city, he decided he'd go in and take a load off his mind. Purchasing a large cappuccino at the counter, he took the beverage outside onto the patio, standing and sipping at it with a relatively calm expression on his face as he watched the occasional vehicle or person walk by. There was a girl sitting there as well, but he paid her little mind, believing her to be one of the multitude of civilians that was about the place anyway. After a few moments, he removed his cell phone from his pocket, waking it up for a brief moment to see if any new messages had arrived for him with another sip of his coffee, but there was little luck on that front as well. Peace could be such a bore....

Marcus watched the girl out of the corner of his eye, taking another sip of his coffee and letting her get a headstart down the street before slowly turning to go after her. Something seemed off about her, or maybe it was his professional instincts going overboard. He kept about thirty feet behind her, sipping slowly at his coffee and doing his best to blend into the surroundings a bit- following her wouldn't hurt to serve his curiosity, and if there wasn't much about her after a few minutes of casual observation, he'd dismiss her as "weird" and his boredom would continue.

"...Stone, you pick the -weirdest- ways to entertain yourself," he muttered to himself before taking another sip of his cappuccino.

Marcus slipped the cell phone he'd been carrying out of the pocket of his leather jacket, looking for a message again. Still nothing. The girl ahead appeared to be checking her phone; nothing terribly suspicious apart from her having trouble deciding whether to keep a glove on... and then she turned her head a bit, seemingly away from her phone.

"Whoa now... who are you talking to, girlie?" he whispered to himself. Perhaps this was enough reason to keep on this girl's trail for the moment; if she had something important enough on her, it could give him a lead to something bigger and better to occupy his time. Maybe she'd even be a potential client. Either way, his persistence and casual recon was starting to pay off.

Given the amount of time that had passed, this girl seemed to be wandering a bit aimlessly through London at the moment. The fact that she had baggage with her meant she had been trying to find a place to stay, or wasn't able to. The phone? That could have been anything, and nothing to go on. Nevertheless, Marcus found himself in a prime spot to figure something out- he picked up his pace for a moment, holding his coffee in the air as if to flag the girl down.

"Hey, you up there!"

The American's accent would seem peculiar here, so if anything that would draw a little more attention- hopefully not the wrong kind. He did his best to at least -seem- somewhat polite as he kept his free hand in his pocket by his phone, catching up to her.

"You seem like you might be in need of a place to crash- you need any suggestions?"

The friendly act would have to suffice for now; Marcus knew he wasn't the most convincing with it, but at the least it would help him get a chance to figure out exactly what made this girl seem so different.

Marcus raised an eyebrow. The girl was making little sense if any at the moment, and if anything it seemed more like she might potentially be hiding something. But the look on her face showed fatigue- she'd been traveling longer than would be prudent, perhaps.

"You know where you're going, but you can't go there? Wonderful way to travel."

The American's tone was that of dry amusement, but he needed more information.

"I don't suppose the place you're headed expects you to arrive well-rested, do they? I've been on my own share of misadventures around the world, and they're hardly any fun when you're running on empty."

He pulled his hand from his pocket, producing his wallet, and while cradling the remnant of his cup of coffee in the crook of his arm, produced £500 in folding money from it and handed it over to her.

"Maybe that might help you out."

Marcus shrugged, putting the bills back in his wallet reluctantly.

"Honestly it isn't a matter of garnering favors or something like that, but suit yourself. The offer remains on the table."

He took a last sip at the remainder of his coffee before throwing the empty cup into a nearby trashcan.

"The fact remains that you're still dog-tired, wandering about in the middle of the city, and still have little idea on whether or not you're going somewhere. Seems rather indecisive...."

In the back of his head Marcus was a bit disappointed; the girl seemed anything other than unusual at the moment, and nothing seemed to point to any gainful leads for work coming from her. Maybe the boredom really -was- getting to him....

Marcus smirked. Either this girl was an amateur at best, or she was just really that tired.

"Not completely telling? You act like you have something to hide."

He knew if he pushed a little he might be able to get something out of her, but not much further than that. But whether it'd be worth anything would be the real kicker....

"Now, I know this might be odd coming from me, but these are strange enough times lately that hiding something might make one seem a little too suspicious. Might even seem like someone might have something to do with weird goings-on of that nature when they walk down the street talking to nothing."

He got a calm, almost dismissive look on his face. It was no secret that her attention had been divided; he'd been watching her long enough to gather that much. However, he didn't skip a beat as he continued.

"Or... you might just take the kindness of a stranger, and call it a night at the nearest hotel, and get after... well, whatever the hell you're up to... in the morning."

He kept his hand on his wallet in his pocket, in case the girl changed her mind... but either way, things just got curious for him, and minimal information was better to work with than none.

"Plays out a little smarter with what's behind curtain number two, doesn't it? At least, it keeps you from having to deal with too many questions."