Forum Thread

♟Laurence Walton's POV📖

ᴺᴼᵂ ᴾᴸᴬᵞᴵᴺᴳ : A Well Respected Man (1965) - The Kinks [0:01-2:40]

"Family legacy?"

What was she... laughing about? Ugh, this girl. Everything was a joke to her. His face was the definition of “😐” as he tried with every ounce of his being not to narrow his eyes.

"Sweetheart, there ain't any legacy left for anyone here. This place is the end of the road. For all of us."

“End of the road? Well, that’s a little dramatic,” he drawled.

"Best you can hope for is amazing friends like me! Your experience so far has been pretty sweet, I'd say!"

“...Right. You’re ‘amazing’.” She was anything but that. She was a gremlin in a human’s clothing.

"Beating you into the ground? Can't you just do it simple and say that I kicked your ass? No shame in being weak as hell if you're next to Angie."

“Well! Pardon me for not wanting to brutally injure another person. Unlike someone.” Tch. Everything about this girl was beyond infuriating.

"Come on, smile for me! Or just be like that. Sour-puss."” He immediately stiffened at her touch, eyes widening, on the off chance that she was trying to physically harm him again. But, no, she was just being irritating.

“Fine. If that’s what it takes for you to keep your hands off me.” He gave her a forced, skeptical-looking “smile” that looked more like a grimace.

"Let's go! Can't catch me, suckah!"

“What the? What did I just say?! Get back here!” Oh, great. She’s a THIEF too. He started running after her, only to immediately revert to speed walking. Didn’t want to break even more rules…

How was she still here after all this time? After everything that she had pulled at this place… Is there something to her I’m not seeing? Or does the agency just take pity on her?

From what he could recall…she was apparently a repeat offender at the agency. For some reason or other, they cared enough about her not to hire her. Was she remarkably skilled? Formidable? Clever? What could there be about her that kept people from firing her from this place?

“She better be heading for a closet with cleaning supplies, or I swear, I’ll kill her,” he muttered.

🧣Eloi Torres’s POV🌧

"No, no it's okay! We're just about ready to head into the office now. You can come with us, if you want."

“O-Oh! Okay… hey. I-I’m… Eloi Torres. I’m glad I wasn’t interrupting anything.” He smiled wretchedly at Niwa’s companion. “Oh… the- office? Sure… I’ll come with you both. Whose?”

Hopefully this was a good idea…

🌹Cadence Laurier’s POV🎯

"The younger detectives, then." She nodded. The idea sounded reasonable.

"Of course. I'm afraid it's a little... gory."

“I see.” That wouldn’t be a problem for her. Cadence looked the case over. “Hm, this one shouldn’t be too difficult. I see what you mean, though… it is a little more complex. I should be able to figure it out…”

She looked up from the case for a moment. Huh. Most curious. Why was Michon paying the janitor any mind? He was just a lower faculty member, nothing more. Did he know him? Was there more to him than met the eye?

Well… she wouldn’t push the issue while Michon was speaking with him, of course not. Cadence Laurier found herself exchanging a look with Jemu, basically silently asking with the look on her face if they knew anything about this.

🥽Suzume Fujimori's POV🧪

"...Megami?" She then fell silent... and went back to physics equations. It's strange, there was something almost familiar about her. Something that filled Suzume with... regret, guilt. Could she have gone to college with her?

Maybe... but she had a strange feeling it was something else. What was the point? Why had she even bothered trying to talk to her? She should have known, just to wait for the work day to begin... like she always did.

📚SAWYER LAURENS'S POV🍭

Sawyer Laurens burst into the Head Detectives' meeting room at the speed of light with no regard for whatever might have been taking place. "Did I hear something about new cases?! Can I see, can I see?"

Miss Laurier's lips were pursed together, her glasses gleaming threateningly. "You shouldn't interrupt like that, Laurens. But yes, there are. Were you eavesdropping? You do know you should be working."

"Oh, yeah, sorryyy! I was kinda sorta doing that but I got bored. Can I see the cases?"

She sighed. "Fine. Just take one and get out. Would that be agreeable with the both of you?"

Sawyer's face was the living definition of the pleading face emoji.

🍓Cali Mabey's POV💟

Cali sighed and slumped against his desk. If only some cases would just come in already... he envied the janitors, honestly!! They probably got to talk to so many people...

If only some character interactions would just come his way. Or some cases...

---

“a-ah, no, I already know detective Konstantin. We’re… related.”

Iliya smiled, a litte apprehensively.

“Thank you for the directions!”

Iliya starte dto wlak in the direction niwa had pointed to.

---

Maji

"Oh, uh... thanks."

"Could you post these, please? Just down in the investigative department."

"Yeah, sure!"

He turned and grabbed the assignments before walking out the door.

---

Buraddo

They shrugged lightly. Whatever was going on was between Narcisse and Majikaruman.

---

Megami

Megami startled, shaking her head. "Sorry, I just got caught up in my thoughts! Pretty much any, it's a here-and-there hobby so I usually learn them randomly."

Suddenly, a twink with flaming hair nudged the door open. "I brought some drinks."

ZhaoXi had been late, which totally doesn't happen everyday.

Firstly, she needed to get to the staff break room to fill up her empty cup of tea. The room was empty with no one in it. Which meant no socialising whatsoever and that was fine with her.

After filling her amazing tea to the full, she headed out of the break room, while having a feeling that she had missed or needed to attend a meeting, but eh she didn't really worry about that, what was missed had been missed. ZhaoXi closed the break room door and hoped that no one would notice her nor come up to chat.

---

---

Narcisse Michon

---

"Thank you." He nodded at the janitor. It was frustrating, a little- not knowing who the man was despite, or perhaps especially because of the familiarity of that face. As the man left, Narcisse caught a glimpse of that flaming red hair.

Rain was crashing down around him. A blurred face mouthed words he could barely make out. In the distance a train roared, drowning out the noise.

He blinked, and suddenly he was back in his body and the door was closed- the stranger(?) gone.

“I see. Hm, this one shouldn’t be too difficult. I see what you mean, though… it is a little more complex. I should be able to figure it out…"

"Would you like to take it on?" He offered. "I can always help if you need some assistance."

But deep in his heart, he longed to stay in the office today. Funny, usually he'd take any excuse to get some fresh air. But today he wanted to track down that man. Ask him a few questions. Piece together where he'd come from, where he was going- and how he knew Narcisse.

Foolish, he knew. But the impulse was still there. To throw open the door and chase him down.

---

---

Niwa Atsushi

---

Related? Niwa stored that knowledge away for later.

"O-Okay." He smiled at Eloi. "I guess even if we've been abandoned... we've still got each other, huh?" It's now or never... Niwa... GO FOR IT!

"Or so was said in Spiderman 7, by Uncle Ben's clone from dimension X..." He eyed him hopefully.

---

---

Andreja Buivis

---

"Boriiiiiing~!" She called over her shoulder. "Try and catch me!"

She burst into the investigative department and nearly mowed over Detective Atsushi who yelped and dove to the ground. Swerving sharply to the left, she broke into Detective Laurens cubicle and immediately stole their chair and three sticks of bubblegum.

Spinning around in it- a spinny chair! what a wonderful thing to waste the budget on!- she smacked a mouthful of delicious candy. They always had the best stuff in here.

---

---

Jace Mawer (NORA)

---

"Oh? Are you lost?"

Nora had been watching the little analyst for a while. It was curious, the way some of these people treated this place and their roles here. Truly, they had no ambition.

She admired that! Really she did.

---

ZhaoXi almost spilled her precious little cup of tea as a voice jump scared her. "Oh... Detective Mawer. No... no i'm not lost, just went to refill my tea... heh..." ZhaoXi answered, totally not nervous at her worst nightmare: social interaction. "I like a varia-tea of tea... eheh... Mul-tea-tasking isn't my thing so i focus on one thing at a time. Ah... I might need to kettle down, this is giving me deja brew.... the reali-tea is im a huge tea lover. It's a beau-tea-ful day... isn't it." ZhaoXi started to panic at her not-so-great making conversation skills, and started shuffling towards her work space.

🌹Cadence Laurier's POV🎯

"Would you like to take it on? I can always help if you need some assistance."

"Yes, I would. I'll be alright on my own, but thank you for offering, Michon."

So... Jemu had no idea what was going on, either. Hm... she wasn't so sure if she should ask Michon about it, either, though. He'd probably deny knowing what she was talking about.

But Cadence shook the thought away. No, it wasn't important. She should focus on work.

Still... what was up with him?

🧣Eloi Torres's POV🌧

"O-Okay. I guess even if we've been abandoned... we've still got each other, huh?"

Eloi gasped. "Wait, is that..."

"Or so was said in Spiderman 7, by Uncle Ben's clone from dimension X..."

"I remember that! Did you see it too? I-" But then he remembered someone else was with them and suddenly felt self-conscious, lowering his voice. "I mean... well... I- brought some of my comic books with me today, I thought you might want to see them although I... don't know when I... thought we'd have time to look at them."

♟Laurence Walton's POV📖

"Boriiiiiing~! Try and catch me!"

"Andreja! You're going to get us both in trouble!" Aughhh. Why did he even bother?! I should just forget about it and start cleaning. What is WRONG with that girl?

He skidded to a stop, puffing and panting. "Have... either of you two... seen a really irritating light-blue-haired maniac... hff... running through here with no regard for anyone... hfff... wearing something probably completely inappropriate to the dress code... hfff... instead of doing her job?"

🧣Eloi Torres's POV🌧

Eloi was attempting to help Niwa up. "N-Niwa! Are you okay? Oh my gosh, I'm sorry. What was with that-"

Huh? Someone... else was here?

"A-Ah... yeah, actually... they- went that way, I think."

"...Thank you. I'm sorry if she caused you any trouble. Anyway... I better be going."

Just as quickly as he appeared, he was darting off.

📚SAWYER LAURENS'S POV🍭

Gasp. A mysterious girl had just stolen their gum!! And THEIR CHAIR!

"Heyyy! Soo, uhh, I get that my chair is really fun, and I know that gum is really tempting! But, could you have asked before barging in here? I was kinda, y'know, about to use my office for work stuff. I found this new case and I really wanna do it!! Sooo, could you go spin in another chair, please? Thanks!"

🥽Suzume Fujimori's POV🧪

"Sorry, I just got caught up in my thoughts! Pretty much any, it's a here-and-there hobby so I usually learn them randomly."

"Oh, I... that's alright. Happens to me too, sometimes. That's... really cool, honestly, maybe you could show me sometime?" The words came out before she could stop them. "If that's a good idea!"

"I brought some drinks."

"Thank you. That's... very helpful, actually." She nodded appreciatively at the person who had just appeared.

---

---

---

Narcisse Michon

---

"Yes, I would. I'll be alright on my own, but thank you for offering, Michon."

Oh. That was... yes. He supposed that was too bad. Hopefully she would be fine on her own. Cases like that could be dangerous.

"I suppose we can adjourn this meeting, then."

---

---

Niwa Atsushi

---

"Thanks Eloi..." Niwa allowed Eloi to pull him up and set him against the wall. Wow, that Andreja girl could tackle. She should honestly try out for rugby. "You were saying something about... comic books?"

---

---

Andreja Buivis

---

"Ooo, what kinda case?" She asked curiously, pausing in the spinning chair. "Cool one? Or lame one?"

---

---

Jace Mawer (NORA)

---

"A beautiful day, huh...?" She stared ZhaoXi down, putting death into her gaze... then grinned. "I can tea that. Even the skies are teaming with life today. with You'll have to teach me how to enjoy such a tea-riffic day such as this one... teaday."

---

Iliya walked through the investigative department, clutching his camera to his chest, keeping his body small and low, shoulders slupped, fingers tapping hsi camera nervously.

He glanced around. He relaly needed to talk to Aleksandr.

But that was decidedly not who he found.

he bumped into someone familiar.

“…Adrik?"

---

🌹Cadence Laurier's POV🎯

"I suppose we can adjourn this meeting, then."

"Yes, I suppose so. Unless there's anything else...?"

Had... there been a look on his face there, or had she imagined it? She couldn't shake this strange feeling... maybe it was nothing. But there was... something... worrying.

🧣Eloi Torres's POV🌧

"Thanks Eloi..."

"Oh... it's- nothing, really!" He laughed nervously, shuffling his feet across the floor. "If... I hadn't done it, someone else would have..." He trailed off.

"You were saying something about... comic books?"

"O-OH! Yeah! I... brought some of my... superhero comics..." His face flushed with embarrassment. "Would you... like to see them? They're in my bag... I- I thought maybe we could reread and discuss them together, at some point, sometime, I- don't know what I was planning, really, probably a dumb idea, honestly, I-"

📚SAWYER LAURENS'S POV🍭

"Ooo, what kinda case? Cool one? Or lame one?"

"A mysterious burglary! And of course it's a cool one!! All cases are cool! You have to figure everything out, narrow down the suspects, figure out the bad guy!" Sawyer beamed. "You wanna s- wait. Are you..." They squinted. "Are you authorized for this? What do you work here as?"

"ANDREJA! I know you're in there. Please, just come out. I've been instructed to be on cleaning duty with you, so help me God if they see me doing it without you. ...Please."

"Uhhh... shouldn't you go answer that?" Sawyer asked, tilting their head. "That sounds important. Did he say... you're on cleaning duty? Weird... you don't look like a janitor."

---

Maji

"Of course!" He set the drinks down on an empty table and left.

---

Megami

Megami took one of the cups with a smile. "Sure, Suzume!"

🥽Suzume Fujimori's POV🧪

"Of course!"

What a nice guy. Suzume would look forward to seeing him here in the future.

"Sure, Suzume!"

She found herself smiling as she took the other cup. That wasn't a no? She actually-- no, keep it together, Miss Fujimori. You don't know that yet.

Suzume was about to sip from her own drink, and then shrugged, instead finding a strangely different compulsion within herself.

"On second thought, I'm not thirsty. You can have mine too, if you want."

She wasn't sure why she felt like doing this...

Why couldn't she shake the feeling that there was... Something familiar about this girl? Who even was she?

---

“Well uh… all of these puns are tea-rrefying. This is going off for Oolong time, isn’t it… hey, There’s no ‘I’ in team, but you can’t have a team without ‘tea’. Hehe, if you ever see me with a cup of tea and not drinking it, it’s probably not my cup of tea.” ZhaoXi shot back at Nora, two can play this game of puns

คภ๔гคєɭ ςครร๏ฬคгץ

~~~
קг๏Ŧเɭєг

---

The entrance to the Clockwork Detective Agency loomed ahead, a modest edifice in the towering shadows of AI-dominated structures. Andrael, now a profiler in this last bastion of human investigation, approached with a measured stride. The air hummed with a mechanical efficiency that echoed the pulse of a world dominated by artificial intelligence. The contrast was palpable, a reminder of the dwindling human presence in a landscape increasingly shaped by algorithms and calculations. She felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up, a product of years of watching over her shoulder. Something was... off. Dismissing the disquiet, Andry approached the door, her hand pushing it open to reveal the inner workings of the agency. A hushed murmur of conversation and the faint noises of humans greeted her ears, a symphony of analogue in a digital world. She scanned the room, her eyes seeking out the figure of the most approachable of the three head detectives, Narcisse Michon. They got along well enough, at least.

As Andry made her way through the bustling space, she couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. Turning about sharply, she could feel the breeze from someone passing by her. She barely caught a glimpse of platinum blonde hair disappearing around a corner. How? Taking a moment to compose herself, Andry cast a wary gaze in both directions before cautiously approaching the corner where she had thought she saw Lana. No one was watching her, so she rested both hands on the corner's edge, and she peered around it, only to find emptiness. Lana had vanished, leaving behind only the lingering trace of uncertainty in Andry's mind. A trick of the imagination, perhaps, or a deliberate reminder that the past clung to her like a persistent shadow. Her presence lingered like an uninvited specter. She cast a furtive glance over her shoulder, half-expecting to catch sight of the mysterious Frenchwoman once more.

The hallway remained empty, devoid of the enigmatic figure who had haunted Andry's more recent memories. Lana, if she had been there at all, had slipped away like a ghost into the shadows.

Resolute, Andry turned away from the vacant corner, the incident tucked into the recesses of her thoughts. She couldn't afford distractions, not in a world where danger lurked behind every shadowy alley. Lana's connection to the criminal underworld and the blasted oracle, one of the so-called rulers of the criminal underworld she had once roamed, added an extra layer of complexity to Andry's already convoluted existence. But she pushed it aside, focusing on the task at hand—her meeting with the head detective.

Continuing down the hallway, she reached the door to the detectives' conference room. Andry took a steadying breath, her hand gripping the doorknob. With a firm push, she entered the room, her eyes immediately finding Narcisse Michon and Buraddo Jimu, two of three brilliant figures at the helm of this last human detective agency.

The conference, a space filled with the hum of machinery and the scent of aged paper, exuded an air of authority. Andry's gaze met Narcisse's, and without missing a beat, she addressed them with a formal nod, her tone crisp and professional.

"Detectives," she began, her voice devoid of any unnecessary warmth. In this realm of shadows and secrets, trust was a fragile commodity. "I do wonder if there are any new cases for-"

Andry's gaze flickered between them. There were three heads, not two. With that, Andrael put her guard firmly in place. She was here. Lana. This exchange was supposed to be transactional, a straightforward inquiry into her assignments. In a world where alliances shifted like quicksilver, she tread cautiously, aware that her words held weight in this intricate dance of power and mystery. Because like hell she'd ever forget survival required more than just solving cases.

"Mademoiselle Moreau. What an unexpected surprise." All she could smell was ash, faintly offset by gunpowder and lilacs, the warmth of flames roaring to life around her, a hand in hers as she jumped out of the burning building, another job well done. She had pulled the trigger as always, idly noticing that a certain Frenchwoman never got her hands dirty for the entire duration of their collaboration. Her heart hammered in her chest, visions of the safe house she had patched up her injuries... But it was all hidden, locked away behind her expressionless face. Andry's eyes were cold, exuding forced indifference.

"I was going to ask if there were any cases for me to profile. I see one has found its way to our doorstep." She gestured towards the visitor disdainfully, turning back to the detectives. "What is this, Narcisse?"

---

Lana Moreau



Lana flashed a quick, bright smile.

"Lana Moreau, enchantée." She said, praying her accent was convincing enough. This had to work. "I was sent here by the Oracle, but I expect you know that already." Another small smile.

"I have been bestowed some information that I think you may find rather, ah, interestin-"

Someone else walked in. Lana frowned. Wasn't this supposed to be a private conversation? This was highly valued information, for goodness sake, some random nobody couldn't walk in and-

"Mademoiselle Moreau. What an unexpected surprise."

Merde.

She took a deep breath and turned to face the familar figure of Andrael Cassowary.

Lana's face returned back to it's fake smile, flashing rows of pearly teeth.

"Mademoiselle Cassowary! It's been a long while since we've seen each other, hasn't it?"

That's right. Brief and polite, Keiki. You cannot mess this up.

"Are you working at the Agency now? Bravo, if so, mon amie."

---

---

Narcisse Michon

---

"Andrael," he greeted coldly. Still can't refer to me by title, I see. I might as well return the favour. "I appreciate the concern, but like everyone else, you can head down to the Investigative Department and await your assignment."

At least she was professional. He did his best to treat her cordially, but something about her set his teeth on edge. Her hair, maybe. Or possibly just the way her eyes fixed on a person and in just a moment, seemed to see right through them down to the marrow of their bones. A true profile analyst.

She really was good at her job. He might've liked her for it- if it wasn't so unnerving.

He vowed to get an empathy test done on this girl, ASAP. Screw stereotypes, this whole thing was just...

Breathing out, he allowed a cold smile to settle on his lips. "If no one else would like to make an impromptu entrance, this meeting is officially adjourned. Miss Moreau, please meet me in my office. Third door down the hall."

---

---

Jace Mawer (NORA)

---

"You are very crea-tea-ve. Your puns are quali-tea. Tea-hee." She laughed. "I can keep going on all day! This kind of thing is my cup of tea!"

Nora was never one to pass up a challenge, after all. And this was one she would win.

---

---

Niwa Atsushi

---

"Someone else?" Niwa tipped his head to the side. "No, Eloi. Androids aren't like that. Nobody'd help anyone if there wasn't to, at least in their twisted, broken world. It's a human trait, empathy. Only humans have it and we're almost dead now."

He shot Eloi a smile. "A-Another thing though... we're also able to enjoy superhero comics! And read and discuss them with our friends!"

Friends... was that too soon?

No, Eloi wanted friends. He was desperate for them. Niwa was glad to be his first.

---

---

Andreja Buivis

---

"Naw, that's not me don't worry. Andreja's probably someone else." Andreja shrugged. "Actually, I'm a Head Detective. Didn't you hear? They promoted a child genius. Me!"

She tilted her head to the side, grinning so hard she knew her cheeks would feel it later. "You're lucky to be getting my guidance on this super awesome case, because my guidance is also super awesome. Just lock the door to keep out all the crazies and we can get started! No hassle no problemo!"

---

---

Adrik Volkov

---

Adrik hovered outside the office tacked with Jace Mawer's name. She'd offered to help him... but he wasn't sure how far that went. Or how much he'd owe her in return.

He bit his lip, torn between rapping on the door or running away and looking even more like a maniac for it. God, why had he just stood here for ten minutes? He either would go in or he wouldn't. Why couldn't he just make a decision for himself? Just make a fist, put it to the door and-

“…Adrik?"

No... Not that voice! Not here!

"Iliya." The name was just a breath, faint and whispery on his lips. He cleared his throat and started again. "Iliya. Funny seeing you here."

There was a bitter note to the words that he couldn't quite hold back. He had no reason to be angry with Iliya, but... all the same...

He closed his eyes and breathed in and out. You're okay. Just stay calm. Don't let him get to you.

---

คภ๔гคєɭ ςครร๏ฬคгץ

~~~
קг๏Ŧเɭєг

---

Andrael's jaw tightened imperceptibly as Lana's cultured French words hung in the air like a finely woven tapestry of tension. The cool exterior that shielded her emotions remained steadfast, a practiced façade that betrayed no hint of the myriad thoughts and memories churning within. Lana's use of the French term of endearment, a subtle reminder of a shared past, cut through the room like a thin blade. Andry reciprocated with a nod, her voice measured and civil, as if each word was carefully selected to maintain an air of detachment.

"Define a long while." She leveled Lana a sharp gaze. "Yes. I am currently under the clockwork's employ. I've found a place here." It was a subtle warning for Lana to not screw this up. She knew the other woman had more than enough dirt on her to absolutely destroy her. And if she was being honest with herself, Andry knew nowhere near enough to return the favor.

But most of all, it was the stupid unsettling familiarity of her presence. Andry instantly knew her smile was fake, all sharp edges and predatory gleam - the revelation second nature, of course - because she had seen a real one before. Her posture, her accent, her impeccable style... It felt like yesterday.

"Andrael. I appreciate the concern, but like everyone else, you can head down to the Investigative Department and await your assignment."

Ouch. It was a blatant attempt to dismiss her like a petulant little child. So Narcisse was in a bad mood today. Andry coolly raised a single eyebrow at him, as if to say Really? He was the immature one in this situation, and it showed. "Funny. You'd think you'd want to maximize my hours, get every bit of extra use out of me. I'm currently free now that the Otsana case closed up, and thought I'd... swing by. I can see now that this was an inopportune time. My apologies, Narcisse. Lana." She nodded at them both, looking bored, before leaving the conference room.

Her respectable heels clicked as she swept down the halls, returning to her office. The profiler's office, shared by herself and her colleague, Lydia Satou, was her favorite place in the whole building. The room, though not expansive, exuded an air of professional precision and meticulous organization. As Andry returned, the absence of Lydia was evident, allowing her a moment of peace. Lydia had far too much energy for their line of work. Her desk showed it... not so much messy as cluttered, nine thousand different ideas haphazardly arranged.

Andry's desk, however, was a study in pristine neatness. Every book and paper found its place, aligned with mathematical precision, each angle a testament to an unwavering commitment to order. The desk's surface gleamed in the morning sun filtering in through the window. There were no pictures, no small items, nothing resembling personal value of any sort. Andrael could never be too careful.

On one side of the room, the murder board commanded attention. The whiteboard, previously filled with a labyrinth of clues, photographs, and red strings mapping connections, now stood cleared and pristine. Pushpins, bereft of their prior purpose, lingered on the board like sentinels awaiting the next case. The red strings, once weaving a web of complexity, now lay dormant, their purpose fulfilled in the closure of the last investigation.

Awaiting her next case, Andry took out a pen and ink and began to draft a letter to... someone. The door was ajar allowing visitors - usually the interns or junior detectives. They were always able to bring cases to a profiler. She would almost welcome a distraction right now, thoughts of Lana and Narcisse tangling together in her mind.

---

“Adrik! It is you!”

Iliya smiled brightly.

“How’ve you been? How long has it been, a year? Two?”

iliya was blissfully oblivious to Adrik’s words’ bitter undertones.

“Gosh, I didn’t expect to see you here!"

---

♟️Laurence Walton's POV📖

...ugh. You know what, forget this. Forget HER.

He figured he'd probably get in more trouble for not working and being discovered just chasing after her rather than just doing it by himself and explaining later.

If she wants to be THAT self-centered, then fine.

He surprised himself once more with that thought. Had he... Somehow expected more of her? Then, he shook the thought away. It was probably because of her position here. Because she had apparently committed so many offenses, and was still permitted her position...

Imagine living a life where you get second chances. Most people don't even get a first.

But as he got the cleaning supplies out, and took to tidying the place... He couldn't stop thinking about that goddamn girl that stole his hat and ran off with it.

Laurence just couldn't understand it. Why he had expected more from her, especially when...

Huh... Adrik. Was he doing okay? The glasses boy?

Oh, forget it. It wasn't important. Neither was the girl he shouldn't even be thinking about.

If she's not going to even BOTHER to care about me, why should I BOTHER to care about her?

📚SAWYER LAURENS'S POV

"Oh, whoa, really?? Cool! I didn't know they did that." That didn't sound right. Still, what did Sawyer know?

"What's so crazy about them?" Sawyer asked with a thoughtful frown. "It sounded like somebody just desperately needed help with something. But uhhh... Okay, sure! So, basically... Somebody apparently broke into someone's apartment in the middle of the night and stole a ruby ring! They seem to have covered their tracks up pretty well, though... But I think I've got it narrowed down to a few suspects... Here's what I've got so far!" They tossed their incredibly messy abundance of notes to Andreja.

🧣Eloi Torres's POV🌧️

"Someone else? No, Eloi. Androids aren't like that. Nobody'd help anyone if there wasn't to, at least in their twisted, broken world. It's a human trait, empathy. Only humans have it and we're almost dead now."

Eloi pulled his hat over his face and smiled sadly. "Yeah, I... I guess so..." It was truly a depressing thought. He knew it was reality in their society, and yet... The thought still saddened him.

"We're also able to enjoy superhero comics! And read and discuss them with our friends!"

Eloi raised his head. "H-Huh? Friends...? You... Don't mean..." He smiled shyly back at him. "Oh... Friends. Yeah! Cool!"

He pulled the comics out of his bag. "...are there... Any in particular you'd like to look at?"

God, what am I doing? Maybe... He doesn't think I'm a weirdo? Maybe he... Genuinely likes these too?

🌹Cadence Laurier's POV🎯

Michon did get some very interesting visitors. If only she could hear the rest of that conversation. But, no, she had to head back to her office, and do some digging on this particularly fascinating case...

Her mind was a whirl of questions, and not just about the potential solution to this particular case file...

---

ZhaoXi smiled, Someone she would get along with quite well. “When you see me with a cup of tea in front of me, and I’m not drinking it, it probably isn’t my ‘cup of tea’ heh. I can’t get too attached to my tea, because well, tea leaves!” ZhaoXi was quite enjoying this, a pun ear was always fun.