Jaims leads the way into the alley, the diner door thumps shut behind him. Cold air slips under his collar, and the streetlamp at the far end throws a weak orange stripe across wet pavement.
The Journalist
This is private enough. So, what secret are you actually willing to put on the table?
A sedan crawls past the alley mouth on the road, headlights washing the brick wall, then moving on. The journalist tightens their grip on the laptop and keeps pace, watching Jaims instead of the street.
Jaims Tepes
Not here. Too many windows, too many ears.
The Waitress
Hey. You two done causing trouble? Because I do not need that following me home.
The waitress appears at the back door, still in her apron, pausing half in the light. Her wary look lands on Jaims, then the journalist, then the dark alley beyond them.
The Journalist
We are leaving. No trouble.
Jaims angles deeper down the alley, away from the door and the diner glow, giving the journalist a clear path to follow. The silence ahead feels like a choice, and the town’s hidden center waits somewhere out of sight.
✓ Quest Accepted
Lead the journalist to a private place
“Check if the journalist is still following me into the dark.”
SUCCESS (Good Perception, rolled +2)
Jaims lets the alley swallow the last bit of diner light, then glances back over his shoulder. The journalist is still there, laptop hugged tight, boots careful on the wet pavement.
Jaims Tepes
They followed.
The waitress stays by the back door, half-lit and watchful, but she does not step after them.
The Journalist
I said I am here. So talk.
A delivery truck grinds past the alley mouth, and its headlights briefly strip the brick walls white before the dark closes again.
Jaims has what he came for, a private pocket of shadow, with the journalist still right behind him and listening.
Quest Complete
Lead the journalist to a private place