Forum Thread

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Narcisse Michon

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Narcisse massaged his forehead. "Please," he sighed. "For my sanity. Everyone get out. The Buivis girl started to stand up- "...except for you. And him."

He jerked his head in Walton's direction.

"Everyone else... just go. If I remember, we can discuss your punishment later." He rubbed a spot between his eyes. "...if I remember."

Ah, how the paperwork grew ever higher. Even now it was giving him a whole new kind of headsche.

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Aleksandr backed out of the room, grabbing Abryn by the sleeve.

"Yep, leaving, exiting the room, bye!"

Aleksandr pulled Abryn along, laughing sheepishly.

"Alright, let's go, let's go."

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♟️Laurence Walton's POV📖

"Very well, then. Do you understand you will not be let back in the agency? Regardless of your intentions, your actions today show that you have no interest in acting responsibly in a work environment. I could not in good conscience allow you to return here- or recommend you to any other field in law enforcement. You would be expelled from the Clockwork Detective Agency with a black mark on your record."

The words rung in his ears. A million clocks chimed twelve, all at once, pendulums swinging back and forth and back and forth, he wandered through a maze of mirrors frantically and at once they all shattered, he would try to scream and scream and scream for help and no one heard, as the nausea overwhelmed him, as the snakes and vines furled around his neck and he tried to speak, to sputter, to stutter, a single word, and no sound came out--

Do you understand you will not be let back in the agency?

Not... Be let back in the agency?

Expelled. No interest in acting responsibly in a work environment. Not allowed to return. Not recommended in any field in law enforcement. Expelled. Expelled. Expelled. Black mark on your record. Black mark on your record. Black mark on your record.

His entire future crumpled before him in an instant. He tried to speak, to utter some sort of reply, but he couldn't. His parents would never forgive him. He would never amount to anything. All his hard work, every effort that he had put forth... Wasted. Because of one stupid mistake.

Laurence tried to utter some kind of response, but nothing could come out. Nothing could come out.

"No charges of assault will be laid against you. I will ensure it."

...it didn't matter. It didn't matter. Because if this happened, he was nothing. He would be nothing.

"Wait, sir. But- he's kinda right. I mean, I was trying to provoke him. Or whatever. I just don't think he needs to be kicked out, if it's about me, you know? It was a fight, it wasn't like he was beating me up or something."

Andreja... Standing up for him? What was he even hearing?

"Are you offering up your place in the Agency to young Walton?"

"...Andreja, no. You shouldn't put yourself in jeopardy like that. The... Head Detective is right. I had no excuse to act the way I did, and, if... I'm going to cause such... Catastrophic acts, I shouldn't even be here. I know it was wrong. Utterly unacceptable, incivility in its worst possible form. Downright criminal, animalistic behavior. Truly unlike me, and not something that I would ever want to do. And the fact that I have done it, on my very first day, nonetheless, just shows I don't deserve the opportunities I was offered here. I'm not even worthy of calling myself an intern. I'm even less than that."

He stared down at the floor. "You shouldn't be punished for my lack of common sense and civility. Getting to learn from this agency may have been one of the things that I wanted more than anything else, but that doesn't matter if I'm unable to act the way I should. So I..." He swallowed and sighed, doing his best to fight back the tears. "If I'm to be expelled for it... I guess that's the way it should be."

I just wanted to make you proud. To make something of myself. To be able to hold my head high at all I had been able to accomplish. But... I'm not even worthy of being here. Of being given this chance.

🥽Suzume Fujimori's POV🧪

"Huh, that's funny," Suzume muttered to herself. "I almost thought I heard something. Something like a sad song on the world's smallest violin."

🧣Eloi Torres's POV🌧️

Oh, gosh, wow. This was JUST like a scene from the comics!

"Maybe!" he whispered back to Niwa. "Do you think maybe we should split up? There might be multiple ways they could have gone... At least, I think so..."

He didn't like the idea of splitting up with his new friend. It was comforting to have him near, to know that, even if neither of them were something particularly special, like super strong or super smart or both or actually having superpowers or something, at least they'd have each other's backs. There was safety in numbers...

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Abryn Soelare

"Is it Valentine's Day perhaps, or is today simply dedicated to pissing off one's seniority?"

"If you're not pissing off your boss, are you really doing your job right?" He jokingly retorted, a challenge rising up in his voice. Y'know, considering he was the oldest here, you'd think Abryn would have some maturity and know not to do dumb stuff like this. Sadly, his personality was that of a 90s school bully with a heart.

"Don't you have somewhere else to be, Soelare?"

He cocked his head to the side, pouring sarcasm into his demeanor before he spoke. "Let's see... Done with my job for today, I'm being told to screw off, there totally wasn't just a random gunshot a few moments ago... Ah! You mean going home, drinking my sorrows away, then come back to work tomorrow with a hangover? Man, unfortunately for you, the good stuff's all outta stock, what a shame right?"

God he was such an idiot.

Before anything else could be said, he felt his sleeve being tugged by Aleksandr with a somewhat urgent tone following suit. Alright alright fine..." He grumbled, saluting a goodbye to Michon with two fingers and a dumb grin as he left.

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Narcisse Michon

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Note to self- fire whoever keeps letting these idiots into my office.

"Stop putting words in my mouth." Buivis cut Walton off with a haughty laugh. "I'm not putting myself in any kind of... whatever. You're an idiot if you think otherwise."

"Respect..." Narcisse warned.

"Yeah... okay. Not an idiot."

Narcisse levelled her with his usual unimpressed look and was pleased to see her squirm. "And you're...?"

"Sorry. Yeah. I'm sorry." She sighed, scruffing a hand through her hair. "Look, this guy's having some sort of mental breakdown over here. Can't you... I dunno, like split the punishment or something? He and I both gotta do stuff."

"And work it out. Together."

"Yeah. Yeah that's good." She smiled, and he got the sense that pairing her up with Walton was more a punishment for the boy than the girl. "So...?"

"Both of you will arrive at 0500 hours. That is when the janitors arrive and open up for the day. You will be working with them."

Her mouth opened and closed. Narcisse barely restrained a laugh. "Uhhh...?" Buivis tried.

"I assume that's an acceptable punishment, Walton?" He turned his gaze on the boy. "Janitor duty for a month. Rather light in comparison... and you'll be able to go back to regular internee work afterwards."

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♟️Laurence Walton's POV📖

Stop putting words in my mouth. I'm not putting myself in anything. You're an idiot if you think otherwise."

He narrowly suppressed a scowl in response to her jeers. Ah. Maybe I HAVEN'T misjudged her after all.

"Respect..."

The coldness in the Head Detective's voice made Laurence noticeably stiffen, mentally reminding himself he was already screwed, and he was lucky it wasn't worse.

"Yeah... okay. Not an idiot."

Given how she said it, he highly doubted that she meant it, but said nothing on the matter.

"And you're...?"

"Sorry. Yeah. I'm sorry. Look, this guy's having some sort of mental breakdown over here. Can't you... I dunno, like split the punishment or something? He and I both gotta do stuff."

What? What was she…

"And work it out. Together."

If Laurence Walton had been drinking coffee, or any other substance in the form of liquid for that matter, he would have spat it out in shock. And… utter relief. Mixed with… worry and despair.

"Yeah. Yeah that's good. So...?"

…

"Both of you will arrive at 0500 hours. That is when the janitors arrive and open up for the day. You will be working with them."

Janitor duty?... Ugh. Of course.

"Uhhh...?"

…with… her. His eye was twitching. Still… it was miles above being forced out of the program. Forever. Being reduced to nothing with no future in sight…

"I assume that's an acceptable punishment, Walton? Janitor duty for a month. Rather light in comparison... and you'll be able to go back to regular internee work afterwards."

Laurence took a deep breath, and steadied himself. He nodded. “Yes, I suppose that’ll be alright. Thank you, sir. Thank you very much, sir. I won’t ever let something like this happen again. I swear on my life.”

But… why had Andreja… stood up for him like that? Oh. Wait. No, it probably wasn’t out of any sort of… altruism, was it?

He’d seen the guilt and unhappiness on her face. But then it occurred to him. That was, yes, of course, probably all faked. The real reason… was probably that this was her plan all along. She just wanted another in to torment him.

And, I owe her now. Grand.

He gave both Andreja Buivis and the Head Detective a grateful, stiff, tight-lipped smile, one which was full of gratitude and, of course, at the same time, full of a shaken dread.

Janitor duty. For a MONTH. With HER. Of all PEOPLE.

This was going to be a long month.

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M***......... POV

Macy felt her chest convulse as an iridescent light shone from her body. Then she fucking exploded and Majikaruman Doseiai-shadearimasu appeared in her place. He has flaming red-orange hair and white eyes and is the definition of a twink.

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Narcisse Michon

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"Great, now we're all the best of friends. Was that so hard?" He narrowed his eyes. "Get out."

Buivis jumped to her feet and dragged Walton out after her. The door slammed shut behind the two teenagers. With a sigh, Narcisse leaned back in his chair.

Finally.

It was exhausting. First internships, then Mawer, then... this whole thing. It was a miracle he hadn't checked himself into the Trydanfaid Institute for the Mentally Deranged.

He closed his eyes- then they shot open as his phone began buzzing.

Notifications? Oh, lord, he was receiving texts. When did that happen? Who the hell even had his number? The list of messages went on and on and made Narcisse's head spin. Had he been trying to reach Narcisse all evening?

The most recent text...

We think she found your USB.

Narcisse barely recognised when he knocked the chair over. He just stood above his desk, staring down at the phone lying on it.

We can't find her.

Are you okay?

Call me back as soon as you can.

He tried to lick his lips, but his tongue was like lead in his mouth. With an effort, he brought up his phone and typed up a response. Coming. Don't worry about me.

As an afterthought, he added- If you find her, cut off her head. Find the gasoline out back and light up a bonfure. That's the only way to kill her.

He'd failed before. He wouldn't this time.

Narcisse slipped the phone back into his pocket and ignored it as it buzzed against his hip, signalling another notification. He had to think. He had to figure a way out.

He left the office, without checking his phone.

A fool's mistake. After all, some messages were important. Some messages might save the life of a certain Head Detective of the Clockwork Detective Agency.

Chika's coming for you first, Narcisse.

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And it wasn't as if the android who sent that text was going to try and save him in any capacity. No, he thought; smiling at the text wall. Narcisse's icon scowled back. Ever pouty. The darling really had no idea how to have fun.

Maybe it was the grandfather, hey? Bad influences and all that.

The android gave Louis Michon's body one last kick. It folded like wet cardboard and the robot laughed at the comparison. Oh how the mighty had fallen.

"You lose."

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Andreja Buivis

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"Ha! What a sucker." Andreja swung her arms from side to side as she walked, humming delightedly under her breath. Kickass! Head Detective guy was just another pawn after all. Super fun and easy. "We totally won that. Free from weird coffee orders for a whole month! I'm winning at life, baby!"

She laughed, dancing around intern guy and came to a stop in front of him, blocking his path. "Hey, why aren't you laughing? Didn't we do so good? We escaped!"

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♟️Laurence Walton's POV📖

Best of friends? Not at all. But Laurence was grateful to escape with his future (somewhat) intact, despite his dignity being (absolutely) obliterated. He was then startled by Andreja freaking dragging him out the office door.

Now, he faced his first obstacle of what would be the torture he called his life now for an entire month. Forcing himself not to go berserk on the absurd moronic mongrel that was Andreja Buivis.

"Escaped? Escaped from what?" he huffed, rubbing his palms over his face, up and down and up and down again, in an increasingly stressed out fashion. "I narrowly escaped from my entire future being completely ruined. From a fate arguably worse than death. Shockingly, getting both into, and out of the situation was because of you. That's... The one thing I can't understand. You seem like you despise me, and yet... You stood up for me there. In a way, almost."

Can't quite call it that.

"Thanks to that, I might still have a chance to make something of myself in this place. But... You could have easily just let me be removed from the program. You're under enough fire as it is. I just don't understand it."

I don't understand how I could possibly have done something so incredibly stupid, and gotten stuck with YOU of all people for an entire month.

"Well. I guess we better get started."

🌹Cadence Laurier's POV🎯

Cadence wasn't sure of it, but she could have sworn she heard the sound of poetic justice somewhere. Excellent, just excellent. As she attended to her work, she noticed that the irritating noise had finally quieted down.

She guessed that Michon had probably attended to it. After all... Mawer was an incompetent eldritch abomination combined with an utter lack of professionalism, idiocy, and chaos. Well, not entirely incompetent, but Michon could calm conflicts far better than she could.

But the Head Detective felt like something was amiss in the building. Like all was not quite as it should have been. Something had changed...

She must get to the bottom of it.

🍓Cali Mabey's POV💟

Cali sighed mournfully as he sorted through the papers on his desk. Everything was just boring him. If only something exciting would happen. He just wished he had someone to talk to.

That was possibly the worst thing at this agency. The complete and utter loneliness you felt...

📚Sawyer Laurens's POV🍭

Sawyer had accidentally fallen asleep on their desk upon completely forgetting what they were doing. Clearly, they were good at this job.

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Andreja Buivis

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"Dontcha know why I beat you up, Walt?" She laughed. This dork. Everything about him, down to the disgruntled look on his face made her want to burst out into giggles.

She grinned at him, and a fresh drop of blood ran down from her split lip.

"I didn't need you punished. I just wanted you off your high horse, that's all. Now we're even."

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♟️Laurence Walton's POV📖

"Dontcha know why I beat you up, Walt?"

Laurence crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes, looking both irritated and bewildered at the same time, in his scornful stare and furrowed brows. "No? Care to elaborate?"

"I didn't need you punished. I just wanted you off your high horse, that's all. Now we're even."

He didn't even know how to respond to that. That... Didn't match up with his impressions of her. So it hadn't been her intention to get him punished?

This girl is absolutely insane.

"You are absolutely insane," he told her. Then he decided to change the subject, not wanting to dwell on her possibly not matching up with his initial impression of her. "Good grief, you're still bleeding. We should probably get that cleaned up. The first aid supplies should probably be kept inside supply closets here... Although... They might have another place for those. I suppose that should be taken care of before we get to work."

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Jing Yu glanced at his mobile watch (the most expensive recent purchase he made with his paycheck) lazily. The gunshot case was being handled by the on field officers. There wasn't any need for him to get involved in such petty cases like that unless he was assigned.

While on the other hand, the little ones are probably getting an earful from Narcisse from causing whatever trouble they made up. Jing Yu chuckled, this reminded him of the good old times, when he was just a intern like them with barely any experience on his belt except brute recklessness that he and Mawer shared. This not only caused both Narcisse (who was much more hot-headed back then) and the higher ups headaches, but also gave Jing Yu quite a reputation.

Of course that was just the past now.

Now. He is a experienced detective whom has solved multitude of cases, and has connections all over the industry. Despite his youthful and sunny personality, he is quite reliable in times of need. (at least he thinks so.)

Now looking at the time, he should still make it to the nearest restaurant for dinner Jing yu mused. A bright brain can't work without food in the stomach afterall!

It wasn't long before he saw the colorful sign of the restaurant in front of him. But in the corner of his eye, he saw a familiar presence.

"Yoo Old Mawer! Over here!"

Jing Yu's voice echo'ed across the neighborhood, passerbys looked at him as if he were crazy, but he paid no mind. Afterall, the only person he cared about was right infront of his eyes.

His partner in crime, Narcisse would sometimes dub then.

And he agreed.

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Jace Mawer (Nora)

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Oh dear. What unfortunate timing. Oh well, she could finish up with her little target later.

"Yu-Yu!" she called out cheerfully. "What a coincidence! I don't suppose you're following little ol' me?" She laughed. "Oh who am I kidding, of course you are~ How are you, bestie? Doing good? Pissing off The Man?"

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Andreja Buivis

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"Ah ah! Careful there, Walty. Be too nice, and people might start thinking you like Angie. You might claim to hate me, but... well. That intense commitment to healing my pretty face... Really makes a girl feel wanted, you know? Your love of my gorgeous unmarred lips is shining through."

Her lip seriously did hurt though. She could probably fix it at home. After all, she couldn't give the intern any ideas about her oweing him or anything. This was her problem- she didn't need his nose in her business.

"Riiight Walter?"

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Oh my, was he interrupting something? Surely she could bother that later, right? Unless.. it was something important? Oh well, it was none of his business anyways.

Jing Yu narrowed his eyes in suspicion for a moment, before motioned her over, and tsking.

"As if I could do that on an empty stomach!" He tilted his head to the restaurant infront of them, grinning. "Wanna catch a bite with me?"

Whatever business Mawer have could wait, afterall, the night is still young!

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Jace Mawer (Nora)

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"Oh?" Nora cocked their head playfully. "Well, in that case... of course! I'm always glad to catch up with an old friend."

They noted grimly that their target had once again escaped into the crowd. A little bit irritating. They cursed themself for taking their eyes off him. Foolish... Everyone knew that Louis Michon was a slippery one. But still, the thought itched at them...

What was he doing at the party? she wondered. Here to see Narsissy? But why? Lord knows the almighty Head Detective would sooner die than bring his personal life into the Agency. But- ah.

Jolting out of her thoughts, she shot "Yu-Yu" a smile. "Food sounds great! You're paying, right?"

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Jing Yu stared at Nora Mawer with a smile, but his eyes were calculative. Just as the other hand their troubling things going around their head, so did Jing Yu.

Some questions almost escaped his lips, but Jing Yu kept it in. He flashed a cheeky smile and a credit card as he opened the restaurant door.

"Yeppp! Since I am the one inviting you this time, and I'm feelin generous~"

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Jace Mawer (Nora)

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Nora giggled, but her eyes were elsewhere, scanning the crowds. When no Louis Michon appeared to her, she relented and smiled at Jing Yu. "Holding the door for me~ what a charmer."

She slipped inside and was immediately enveloped in the smell of fancy restaurant bullsh*t. Everything was upholstered, from the walls to the legs of the chairs. The lights were almost too dim, so that she had to squint to make out the cheesy art on the walls. She admired the terrible overdoneness of it all. What a theme- "ugly aesthetic that relies on the embarrassingly awkward and blind-to-gaudy-sh*t courtships of young college students."

"Welcome to 18th Century Blues." The woman behind the desk smiled at them. "Table for two, I presume?"

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"Oh shock, oh shock, oh flipping shock, I'm late, I'm late!"

A short boy- barely over 5'4, looking like he was under 16, was running through the streets, one hand on his scarf, the other steadying the camera bag at his side.

He stopped right in front fo the Detective Agency, completely and utterly out of breath.

"I think this is the place- oh, gosh, I'm so late! Oh, geez! Oh, I can't afford to lose this internship..."

He was muttering frantically to himself, his blonde hair messy and windswept from the fact that he'd run the full way here.

He took a deep breath, and rushed into the building, huffing as he ran.

"Oh, gosh, oh gosh, I must be in so much trouble!"

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Once Jing Yu entered the restaurant, his face visually contorts. Without a beat, he whips out his phone and types a few things on the search bar disregarding the waitress for a moment.

Ain't no way..

Jing Yu cusses under his breath, clearly just found out some new information he wasn't aware of. Nowadays restaurant refurnishing barely takes a day compared to back in the days where it would take months. He didn't know that his usual go-to place suddenly ditched him and completely swapped genres.

What was even more unfortunate was that this was the only restaurant near walking distance!

Jing Yu's shoulder slumped, but he still politely smiled at the hostess as she walked them to their seat. He inwardly grimaced at the over-doing of it all. It was trying to look elegant, but if anything, it felt like counterfeit goods to the real deal.

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Jace Mawer (Nora)

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"Aww, something wrong?" Nora teased him as they walked along. "It's a nice restaurant! I'm so very flattered that you thought to bring old Mawer along."

He'd looked at something on his phone just then. For some reason, it had spiked her curiosity. Maybe it was just because of her own "personal" case... but she couldn't help but wonder if it had anything to do with Louis Michon's random appearance at the Agency.

The two were seated at the table and the waitress gave them their menus. Between skimming the options (even she had to admit they were all terribly romantic), she kept taking peeks at him, trying to read his face.

Why had he invited her out like this? Did he have something he wanted to discuss? Some information he wanted out of her?

Her eyes narrowed. Was he trying to distract me from whatever the old man was doing?

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