Chapter CDIV: Secret Beast ~Dakota

The window slid quietly upward, and the curtains fluttered inward as the wind drifted in from outside. A moment later a pair of brown loafers and brown pants appeared, quickly followed by a light yellow shirt.

Thump

"Ow." Dakota pushed himself up after his less than graceful entrance through the window. "I definitely prefer doors."

He checked on the camera bag that was slung over his shoulder before regaining his feet. The window slid shut just as quietly.

Looked around, Dakota was happy to see he had picked an empty room. A carefully made bed was against one wall, with a dresser and mirror against the other. The man glanced in the mirror, running his fingers through his light orange hair and straightening his tie before moving over to the doorway. He heard a pair of feet run down the hallway past the room, and Dakota opened the door and peeked around in time to see a green Yoshi disappear around the corner. He stepped out of the room.

"I thought I heard something upstairs fall,” he heard a voice say. “I'll go check." There was the sound of footsteps ascending the stairs. "Brian, are you okay?"

An orange Yoshi appeared at the top of the stairs. Of course Dakota recognized him immediately as Dyluck Thanatos Yoshi von Kippo.

"Hello there," Dakota nodded with a friendly smile.

"Hello, did you happen to hear a thump just now?" Dyluck asked.

Dyluck's assumption was probably that he was just a guest staying at the inn. Of course Dakota quickly disproved that assumption as put on his glasses and pulled a small notebook and pen from the side of the camera bag, "Excuse me Syoro von Kippo. You claim that a demon and a robotic creature took the Sword. Did you have any associations with them before this incident?"

Dyluck looked Dakota up and down, "You're a reporter. How did you get in here?"

"That's not important. What is important–"

"Please leave. I've already given all the comments I wish to give. I locked the door for a reason."

"I heard the comments you gave outside, and we both know you didn't leave them with a very good impression of yourself, or your involvement with the disappearance of the Mana Sword."

"Once again, I request that you leave."

Dakota could see the Yoshi's hands clenched tightly. "You're leaving the media with barely any information, and you know as well as I do that if they don't find out the facts from you, they're going to go digging and making up their own versions of the truth from whatever they happen to uncover." He didn't leave any time for Dyluck to get a word in edgewise and continued, "Wouldn't you much rather have someone a bit less pestering than those jokers outside following you around in order to get the real story? I don't have a pre-conceived notion of your guilt, Syoro von Kippo. I am willing to spend the time to gather the facts so that I may let the people of this country know what really happened. I believe they have the right to know the truth about the disappearance of the Mana Sword; now what do you say?" He tried his best to give off a less threatening presence than the crowd that had been pestering Dyluck outside.

"What you heard outside is all I have to tell, and that's it."

The reporter sighed. He hadn't really expected the holder of the Cyan Arc to just simply spill his guts, though he'd been slightly hopeful. Dakota was going to have to push slightly to get the information he needed, but there was no need to force out the facts; the truth always floated to the surface if given enough time.

"Now, who are you anyway?" the Yoshi asked.

"Hatin Dakota, but you can call me Dakota. Just a friendly member of the press."

Dyluck muttered something under his breath. "Fine, if you're not going to leave just go downstairs. I have something I need to attend to."

"Where you go, I go."

Dyluck rolled his eyes and moved off down the hall. Dakota put away his pad and pen, and quickly followed.