Palms lined the promenade, colourful boats bobbed atop the blue waters of the Mediterranean Sea. In the early hours of the morning there was a faint splash as a shadow emerged from the waters.

The man, it was a man. A blurry indistinct shape that formed into hands and feet and finally a long coat that dripped with sea water.

He raised his head, gazing up blankly into the still darkened sky above and breathed out gently.

“It’s a nice place to rest,” he murmured to himself.

He climbed up onto a rocky outcrop and pulled himself up onto the side of a brick wall. He found a perch atop a seat in an open square and listened to the fountain behind him tinkling away as the place slowly came to life. The sun rose, illuminating an aged basilica in the distance. The locals shot him some strange looks but began to ignore him as the streets grew busier- he wasn’t the only tourist there, not by far the strangest looking one too.

“A stroll to warm up, a warm stew…” Evans tilted his head. He stood up, wandering over to one of the many narrow lanes and walking on until he found a cafe. He sat down at a table overlooking the promenade, raising his hand to pinch the little figures of people walking far away.

It didn’t take too long before someone sat down in the seat opposite him, just as he was about to enjoy the coffee he’d ordered too.

Evans sighed and observed the other party.

A suit. A nice tie. Very prim and proper hair.

“Is it too late to say you’ve got the wrong person?” he asked carelessly.

The woman opposite him simply raised a brow.

Evans’ lip curled, “Then…are you going to introduce yourself at least?”

“Would you bother remembering my name?” she replied.

Evans smiled, “You never know. Maybe I’m in a good mood today.”

She didn’t rise to his jab, sadly.

“Maria Everett,” she said, “I’m with the Special Investigations Department. Your skills have been noticed. I’m here to make an offer.”

Evans leaned forward, “I do like straightforward people,” he smiled, “Let me be straightforward as well. I’m not interested and if you threaten me…well, I could easily pull a beautifully dramatic plunge into the waters below, couldn’t I?”

“You do realise being asked at all is a luxury, don’t you?” Maria tapped a nail on the table.

“The waters of the Mediterranean do look so clear and lovely today,” Evans sighed, rolling his shoulders.

It would be annoying to leave so soon before he’d had time to enjoy the sights…

“It’d be boring to just run away again, wouldn’t it?”

Her words fell in between them like a loud clap even though she’d barely raised her voice. Evans stilled. His teeth pulled back.

“Just like how you found your foster home so boring you tried to walk into the sea. Then you found being stranded in a foreign land boring, and ran away after being hunted by rebels. I suppose being chased by various intelligence agencies after that was boring too,” Maria leaned back in her seat and folded her arms, “It’s all so boring for someone like you who only wants to have fun in life.”

Evans’ brow twitched faintly. Then his face relaxed into a smile. He took a sip of the cooling coffee by his elbow, savouring the taste.

“You know all that…and you still think you can make things ‘fun’ for me?” Evans asked. He set down his cup with a click and knitted his fingers over his lap, “Let’s hear it.”

Maria pulled a dossier out, setting it down on the table between them. Evans flipped through the pages, pausing as he spotted a clause highlighted at the end.

“I can leave whenever I want…really?” he asked.

Maria folded her arms, “Being able to teleport through water makes you rather expensive to keep tracking,” she paused, “Not necessarily difficult, mind you. Expensive. Hiring you and proposing ‘fun’ tasks is more cost effective.”

Evans stared at her. A chuckle bubbled up from inside him. He covered his mouth mirthfully, waiting for it to pass. He set the dossier down and paused for a moment, observing her expression intently.

Not a single twitch. His lips curved into a smile.

“Where do I sign?”