Episode 3: An Act of Kindness

Ban waited at the edge of town with the mallet gang tied, gaged, and bounded, awaiting the arrival of the Bounty Hunters Capture Unit. The BHCU was a transport unit that picked up wanted bounties when captured by a bounty hunter and then paid the respective bounty to the bounty hunter. Ban had been through this procedure several times and managed to get the BHCU to arrive exactly the next morning. As he waited, several townspeople approached him to ask him to stay, become the local sheriff for lack of better terms, or just give him general thanks. Ban had no intention of sticking around and was planning to go after the next bounty that he could get his hands on. As he received his pay, he picked up his belongings and proceeded to head out of town when someone tugged on his shirt.

"Excuse me, I just have a question I would like to ask you, if you don't mind," asked the girl from before.

"Hm," thought Ban as he turned around to answer her.

"I'm looking for someone, the man in this picture. Do you know where I can find him, or someone that might know where he could be?" Ban took the picture, looked at it at several different angles, lifted it up to the sun, slide his finger across it, and handed it back.

"No clue," he responded.

"Oh...OK, well, thank for your help..." she responded, with a face of disappointment. She began to walk away, trying to figure out what she should do next when she felt someones hand on her shoulder.

"You didn't give me a chance to answer your second question. Have you ever heard of an Information Broker?" asked Ban.

"An Information Broker?"

"They're people who collect information, and give it to others for a price. Selling wanted information, and if you offer a good price they'll do whatever it takes to find what is you want know."

"Oh, I didn't know that. I can't pay anyone though, I don't have any money. Thanks for your help though, I'll continue to ask around town and hopefully, someone can tell me where to go" she responded, giving Ban a respectful bow and then proceeded to walk away. Ban watched her walk away and couldn't help but wonder why she was so intent on finding out about the man in the picture despite her unfavorable circumstance. He also couldn't help but wonder about the glow in her eyes, as if there was something more about her that shouldn't be ignored.

"Hey, wait a minute, what's your name?" he shouted to her.

"Me?" she stated looking confused.

"Who else?"

"Um...I...I don't know,"

"Really now, a case of amnesia,"

"I'm sorry..."

"Well that's just pathetic. You were seriously going to continue wandering around, homeless, and hungry, asking people who really don't care much about you, about this man you have know nothing about," began Ban. As Ban spoke, the girl became more and more discouraged at her situation and even at herself when...

"...when it's pretty obvious that I'm the best lead you have. Really, you should be a little more persistent, when you have something you really need come at you like this. Now don't be humble about it, I'll do for free and get you in contact with a friend of mine, how about it?" The girl, only stood there in disbelief. Here was this strong bounty hunter, offering to help her, a nobody, and for free, with no gain for him at all.

"I...I don't...no one has...but" she stuttered.

"Stop it," interrupted Ban. "Considering you have amnesia, means you probably remember something but need someway to jog your memory. Any bit of info we can get should help."

"Oh, OK,"

"You'll also need a name, how about, Amni for the time being, short for Amnesia. It's better than calling you nothing."

"Thank...thank you...so much sir,"

"You can call me Ban, I'm not that old to be called sir,"

"OK...Ban...thank you." Ban looked at her, despite being homeless and poor, she seemed like a real good girl, but the glow in her eyes, the same glow as the EC's he kept in his pouch, only made him wonder if she was even human or if she was something else and he was going to find out one way or another.