Thirty Minutes or Less (C-Class MIssion, Invite)

"Train is fine by me.  You want to pick up some sickness bags on the way?  Barf don't bother me none, as long as it doesn't get on me."  Jaeger had been forced to sleep near some heavy-duty grossness in the past, being such a dirty vagrant, so he wasn't really squeamish about sights or smells or anything like that, but as soon as something nasty got on his skin or - gods forbid - in his hair, it was game fucking over, the user wins.

When they arrived at the train station, Jaeger went to the counter and purchased two tickets, round trip, to Hosenka Town.  He didn't mind covering their train fare.  He didn't pay rent anywhere after all, and Rialle could pay him back in egg rolls later if she really felt the need to make it up to him.  They had about twenty minutes before the train to Hosenka left, so Jaeger sat on a nearby bench to take a load off while they waited.

"So what do you think made the delivery staff disappear?  I don't think they just left town.  Could be something...mysterious."

Jaeger sat across from Rialle as she settled into her window seat.  He trusted that she wouldn't spew all over him if it came down to it, so he wasn't worried about sitting in the danger zone like this.  Poogie curled up at his feet and fell asleep as if he'd never been awake to begin with, and with a loud horn and an uncomfortable lurch, the train started on its way to Hosenka Town.

"Not long now.  No sir."

And it wasn't long at all.  Trains were a big deal for a reason, and it was surprising how soon the train came to a slow halt in the gloriously flashy town of Hosenka.  The doors slid open, and people spilled out of the metallic monstrosity, heading towards the Super Express and its spa, or just looking forward to a lovely walk through the town on a beautiful afternoon.

"Looks like we just need to talk to the manager at Super Express.  Whenever you're ready, of course.  No rush."

"Jaeger, my friend!" a loud cry came from the door to the kitchen as a large man came out from the swinging doors.  "I knew I could count on you to come help us when we're in a bind."

"Good to see you again, Mac," Jaeger said.  Mac - or Big Mac, as Jaeger referred to him behind his big back - was the head manager of Super Express, and while he was very enthusiastic and loved his repeat customers, the man was a little bit of a scumbag.  Jaeger figured it came with the territory of being the head manager of a restaurant in a major tourist locale, but apparently he wasn't so nice to his employees behind closed doors.  As a result, Jaeger was only cordial with the man out of a sense of manners and the fact that he didn't want to get banned from his favorite restaurant in the whole world.

"And I see you finally brought a girl with you, how nice for you both.  She's quite a catch, Jaeger!"

"She's just a friend, and I'm sure Traci told you we're not here for the Loveboat Supreme," Jaeger explained.  He'd had the Loveboat Supreme once.  He'd shared it with Poogie.  It was the most romantic night of either of their lives.  Just magical.

"Ah, yes, right.  Well, we have six deliveries to be made.  I hope you brought that loudass motorcycle of yours because the clock is ticking!"

Mac placed six large takeout bags, each of them with a receipt and an address stapled to them.  Jaeger examined each address and grimaced.

"These are all in completely opposite sides of town..."

"And they all have the thirty minute guarantee!  Delivery in thirty minute or the customer gets their money back - and that money will come out of your pocket, Jaeger.  Now, chop chop, get it done quickly enough and I'll throw in some eggs rolls when you get back."

With that, Big Mac waddled back into the kitchens, where anyone with good enough hearing could hear him harassing the kitchen staff.  Jaeger shook his head and looked at Rialle.

"If we're gonna make this in time we'll have to split up.  I'm assuming you know your way around town, so you take these three," he handed her three of the bags, "They're for the East End of town.  I'll take the West End.  If you run into trouble...good luck?  Man, we need some kind of signal flare for situations like this..."

Jaeger shook his head slightly as he stepped off the sidewalk and into the street.  The goons formed a circle around him, and while some cracked their knuckles, other played with knives or baseball bats.  Jaeger smirked.  So this was what happened to the delivery staff - not some monster, or a rival business.  Just a bunch of hoodlums with good taste in food.

"You hungry?"  Jaeger looked at the bags in his hands.  He wouldn't need them with the locust's power.  "Come get some."

And with the grace and speed of a giant locust, Jaeger leapt towards one of the thugs at random, driving his knee into the asshole's face and knocking him out cold.  As he fell, Jaeger used his body as a platform to vault over to his next target, delivering a flying spin kick that sent him soaring into another two thugs.  If any of them were still awake, they were pretending not to be.  Another hoodlum came at him with a knife, but was quickly dispatched with a series of rapid kicks to the face.

The fight continued on like this until the one who had spoken - the last one standing - began to clap his hands.  

"Bravo, delivery boy, bravo," the hoodlum said.  A pair of gauntlets materialized on his hands.  Requip magic.  "This is gonna work up a good appetite."
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"Jaeger?  Sounds like a bitch name to me," said the thug, and he jumped at Jaeger with a flying punch.  Jaeger tossed the bags up into the air, hard, as the gauntlet-clad fist barreled into his chest.

"Heh," he said, a little bit of blood trickling out from the corners of his mouth.  That had been...a pretty hard punch.  "Then it's gonna sound real sad when you tell your friends who kicked you so hard that you can't pronounce the letter 'T' anymore."

With that, Jaeger jumped, up and spun in the air.  His right leg surged with green and yellow energy, and he drove his foot directly into the thug's temple, heel first.

"SAVAAAAAGE KIIIIIIIIICK!"

The thug went soaring down the road, only coming to a stop as he hit (and demolished) a mailbox with his face.  Jaeger landed on his feet, then caught the bags of food with style and grace.  Wiping the blood from his mouth, he turned back to his route and took off like a rocket, heading to the second house.  He had food to deliver.
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Jaeger listened to Rialle as he crammed egg rolls into his disgusting vagrant face.  He really couldn't help it, they were just spectacular.  Besides, table manners weren't required if you weren't at a table.  He wasn't surprised to hear that she got jumped, either.

"Got jumped," he said through a mouthful of deliciousness, "Didn't find out anything interesting.  May have put a guy in the hospital.  Either way he'll be lucky to remember his own name when he wakes up."

He crunch, crunch, crunched his egg rolls, then swallowed.  He passed another roll to Poogie, who made a happy "Rrnk!" and scarfed it down like it was the last thing he'd do.

"You want to get a table?  Egg rolls are great but I'm actually really damn hungry.  And you can tell me all about it.  Come on, I'm buying."

Jaeger turned and headed into Super Express.  Traci smiled and waved, and as she grabbed a pair of menus Jaeger nodded.  Maybe he'd order the Loveboat Supreme just to throw her and Big Mac off their game.  Who knows.
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