"Excuse me..." The small, nagging voice behind the bartender went unnoticed. The barroom was still empty, though evening was only a few hours off. There were dozens of bottles left to inventory and restock, glasses to finish washing, there'd be food to prepare, and... "Excuse me," Laele piped up again, her hands clasped together before her, as she rose up on her toe-tips. Bars stood high, and she was a bit on the short side – Maybe he just didn't see her?

Long seconds crawled by, with no reaction. The Alchemist set her jaw, clenched her fists, and leaned forward. "EXCUSE me!" She half-shouted, her eyes lit with a fury that would have been intimidating on anyone else, but on a girl so dainty and small of stature, looked almost endearing. The bartender turned slowly, curious as to the apparent child who nagged for his attention. "Can I help you?" He drawled out, his words slow, but his tone impatient. Immediately, the expression on Laele's face had shifted to something more favorable. "Oh, yes," she said cheerfully, whatever anger she'd tried to display moments ago seeming to have dissipated completely. "At least, I hope you can. I'm looking for somebody. I haven't got terribly much to go on, but I was directed this way. Do you think you can help me?" "An awful lot of somebodies come through here, I'm afraid, miss." The bartender practically grumbled, as he set his pencil and inventory list aside. "You'll have to be a bit more specific than that." "Oh, right, I'm sorry about that." The Alchemist smiled as she hefted herself up onto a barstool. "His name is Arrios. He's about this much taller than me," she paused, and raised a hand over her head, "and usually his clothes are kinda tattered and dusty. He's an adventurer, see, a treasure hunter, so he gets into all kinds of scrapes and scuffles. He's got dark hair and blue eyes, and he's pretty tanned, 'cause he's from this area. Have you seen him?" The bartender shook his head. "I'm afraid it's not ringing any bells, miss. And if you're looking for a treasure hunter, the desert is the wrong place to be." His tone had shifted, growing sour. "In case you haven't noticed, the entire city is in ruins. There's not a scrap of wealth left here, there's no treasure left to hunt!"

Laele's smile faded. "...Right." She breathed. She straightened her posture, and rested her hands against the edge of the bar. "...Okay, so, that's not exactly the truth. The last I heard from him was nearly a year ago. He was a business partner of mine. We came to Oasis on business, and we were surprised to find that the city had been demolished. When our business was finished, I said we should continue on to the Archer Village. He said he'd taken a job, and he would catch up with me." She hesitated, and took a moment to study the bartender's face, before she continued. "I saw him once in the Archer Village. He said he was working to find some missing children, and that he'd be coming back to Oasis for more information. That was the last I heard from him, and I'd like to know why. As I said, I was told to ask here, so I was hoping you would know where to send me next." The bartender eyed her thoughtfully, for what felt like a much longer time than it was. "I'm afraid I haven't seen him. I'm sorry, miss, but you won't find anything here." A deep sigh escaped her lips. "I see." Laele's eyes fell to her hands, still resting against the bar. She was still for a moment, and then slid from the bar stool. "Thank you, anyway." She murmured, head down as she made her way back to the door. The bartender shrugged, and picked up his list again. "Of course. Good luck, miss... Laele, you said it was?"

Laele stiffened. Her hand twitched at her side, and in a flash, she was back across the room, halfway on top of the bar. One hand curled in the barkeeper's shirt, and the other wrapped around a sickly green bottle she'd produced from the bag at her side. "Where is he?!" She shouted, a new fire in her eyes. "Wh- Hey, now, calm down!" The bartender protested. "Shut up!" Laele snapped, shaking the bottle at him. "I'll have you know that I'm quite the skilled Alchemist, and the acid contained in this bottle is so potent that it'll dissolve even the best armor that can be forged by the hands of mankind. What do you think it'd do to your face if I happened to spill it?!" The bartender froze, his eyes wide. He stared at the bottle in her hand, fine beads of sweat breaking out across his brow.

"Now, I didn't tell you what my name was. I didn't even whisper it. The only way you would know who I was, was if Arrios told you! So where is he? Tell me, or I'll smash this bottle right across your forehead!!" She jerked the bottle toward his face, delighted at the way he flinched. "I don't know!" He gasped, desperately. "I have no idea wh-augh!" He shrank away from her threatening bottle. "The assassins! They come in here, every night they come in, they go into a room in the back! They have me carry in food and drinks, I only know what I hear from them!" Laele rolled her eyes. "So tell me what you do know!" She lifted the bottle, and closed her teeth on the cork. "Y-you! They talk about you- The- The alchemist with the green hair, they've been looking for you! Th-they said something about security, and something about your friend, and- and- I don't know a-anything else, I swear! P-Please, put that down!" The bartender stammered. "How do I find the assassins?" She demanded, shaking the bottle at him again. "S-s-south! South to the coast, and then carry on east!" "Thank you!" Laele smirked as she slid back to the floor, released the bartender's shirt and dropped the bottle from her hand. He yelped and shrank back as the bottle clunked to the counter top. It rolled in a harmless circle, as its owner disappeared through the front door.

The bartender swallowed thickly, lifting one trembling hand to pick up the concoction that had threatened his life, as an expression of disbelief settled upon his face. There, in his hand, was a harmless green potion.