Forum Thread

Aleksandr walked through the halls, humming a quiet tune, hands in his pockets, relaxed as one could possibly be. He sipped from a paper cup of water, making his way down a flight of stairs, dodging the blonde, blue-eyed kid that was running up the stairs. Probably an intern.

Poor schmuck, late on the first day.

He chuckled to himself, walking down the stairs.

He glanced back at Abryn.

"So. How's your day?"

As if he hadn't just gotten into a verbal spat with the- well, one of the- head detectives.

---

Jing Yu shooked his head, sighing. "No, no nothing is wrong.. Except everything is going wrong with me today!" he exclaimed, dramatically.

"You see this restaurant has been my go-to for the past couple of weeks, but now they suddenly changed owners without me knowing.. sniff sniff"

Jing Yu pouted sullenly like a wet puppy as he flipped through the menu, unaware of the piercing gaze drilling into him. Truly it was a pity, not only did it not fit his taste in terms of fashion, but isn't the atmosphere abit too ambiguous for a pair of friends like them?!

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♟️Laurence Walton's POV📖

"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."

His face reddened. "What?! The very suggestion is absurd!" he retorted. "We just-- can't have anyone seeing you maimed like that. It might also interfere with your ability to work. You might wind up too focused on the pain and unable to focus."

He pffted at the suggestion. Gorgeous, unmarred lips. Walty. There was no way he'd ever see this... Maniac in a romantic light. She wasn't even THAT pretty! Not that he was going to tell her that, though.

Laurence only just noticed he had made no mention of his own injuries. Well, that didn't matter. He'd just push through the pain. Although... He couldn't let his parents see. They'd ask too many questions...

"Riiight Walter?"

"It's. Walton. Laurence. Walton," he hissed through clenched teeth. "Let's just finish up what we have to do here and. Go. Home."

And this month has only just begun. Lovely.

---

"Oh, shock! Oh, shock, oh shock, oh shock! Where the flip am I?"

The boy slid to a stop, glancing around. God, all these hallways looked the same! How did anyone find anything around here?

He rummaged through the pockets of his coat.

"I'm pretty sure there was some sort of message in my-"

he paused, staring down at his coat.

"Flip! Flipping shock! Did I forget my phone?! Oh gosh flipping darn it!"

He let out a shaky sigh, crouching down, and resting his head against the wall. His camera bag hit the floor with a click.

He sighed.

"Well, gosh, this is going just flipping swimmingly, isn't it? Great job, Iliya, you're the biggest shocking moron."

---

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Niwa Atsushi

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

"Multiple ways?" Going into the alley would be a solid way to get himself killed, then. The man in there would stab first, ask questions later. Eloi would probably get the jump on him after...

Maybe we could swap? Eloi goes in, gets attacked, and I-

He banished the thought. What ridiculousness. He was the hero. He wouldn't let anyone sacrifice themself for him. Niwa would be noble, heroic... and he'd...

"I really think he's in the alley. Please."

Coward! he cursed himself out. What're you doing?

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Jace Mawer (Nora)

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"Aww." Nora grinned at him, resting an elbow on the table and propping up her chin with her palm. "Come on, isn't there something a little kitsch 'bout this place? Silly goofy, in all the right ways."

She laughed, but inside she was curious.

Why is he so determined to impress me? It's not like this is the first time we've gone out to dinner together.

Her fingers drummed thoughtfully on the cloth upholstery. With new eyes, she studied those around them. College students on those terrible first dates, old couples... Someone was even getting proposed to in that corner there.

This place was...

So expensive! His taste really has changed, huh?

---

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Andreja Buivis

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"It's. Walton. Laurence. Walton."

"It's a skill issue, Wart." She smirked. "Sure, run along home. You're stuck with me tomorrow, though... and the day after... and the day after that day, and-"

"The doors will automatically lock in ten circa minutes," mumbled an unknown male voice from the speakers. "Any remaining employees, please make your way to the nearest exit."

Foiled again! Drat. Fiddlesticks. Go to hell, disembodied speaker man!

---

♟Laurence Walton’s POV📖

Now Playing: Top of My School - Katherine Lynn-Rose

"It's a skill issue, Wart. Sure, run along home. You're stuck with me tomorrow, though... and the day after... and the day after that day, and-"

WART?! What the hell? How was she somehow making it even worse? Laurence’s eyes twitched and he had to bite his lip repeatedly to muffle himself, so as not to scream at her. His trembling hands curled their way into fists.

"The doors will automatically lock in ten circa minutes. Any remaining employees, please make your way to the nearest exit."

Thank God. Or rather, the robot overlords. He shuddered.

“Skill issue sounds ridiculously informal,” he sniffed. “What, are you addicted to those ancient ‘video games’? Stuck with you… every day. That sounds lovely. Good night, Miss Buivis.”

The boy pulled his trenchcoat on and walked a little faster than usual, though he did not run. Anything to get away from that… maniac.

🧣Eloi Torres’s POV🌧

Now Playing: Lost Girl, Deltarune - Orchestral Cover

"Multiple ways?"

“Yeah… um… not just the alley. It’s a possibility.”

"I really think he's in the alley. Please."

Upon seeing the pleading look in his friend’s eyes, Eloi nodded. “Okay… let’s check the alley!” Still holding on tightly to Niwa’s hand, he gathered himself and headed there…

He was kind of relieved, to be honest. He didn’t want to split up from Niwa. It felt… safer to have him here. He felt less… lost. With Niwa here, he’d be okay.

🌹Cadence Laurier’s POV🎯

Now Playing: Are You Satisfied? - MARINA

Ah, yes. The work day had ended once again. Cadence Laurier put her various finished, perfectly organized papers away, finishing up filing away her many efforts. She wondered if she should check on Michon… she had the feeling something was amiss with him…
She wasn’t exactly sure why. Something just seemed to be off. Cadence knocked on the door of his office.

“Michon?... You there? I thought it appropriate to ask you about something.”

It would be… embarrassing if he was alright. But he was another one of the Head Detectives, and she had to make sure that everything was in order.

🍓Cali Mabey’s POV💟

Now Playing: Waiting For A Sign - Lilypichu

Another lonely day was over. Cali sighed longingly. What he would give for some company… this job was so… empty sometimes. He got into the business to help people, and yet he barely even got to talk to anyone.

But, it’s okay. Maybe tomorrow will be better!

Tomorrow was another day. He gathered up his things and left.

🥽Suzume Fujimori’s POV🧪

Now Playing: Little Rock Star - Lucinda Williams

Oh, another day was over. What a shame. The work didn't end here, though. When she got home, Suzume was hardly going to be getting any sleep. Because she was going to be doing so much... research.

Yes, that was why. There was no other reason that she'd struggle to sleep at night. Certainly not. She was perfectly alright.

She packed up for the night, and made her way to the exit.

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Abryn Soelare

Abryn was somewhat lost in thought the entire time, just going along with whatever the guy dragging him was doing. Hell, he almost didn't notice the frantic intern who almost rammed straight into the two until he heard a small chuckle from Aleksandr.

"So. How's your day?"

"Hm?"

He turned his head to face theirs, eyebrows raised as if he didn't catch what Aleksandr said. He did, of course, guess he was just caught a little off guard by the question is all. Out of the blue, completely casual, as if nothing had happened only moments before.

"Oh! Well, same old same old, y'know? Nothin' like going to work every morning, doin' the same ol' mundane task all day, having a dreaded orientation canceled by some idiotic kids picking a fight, and getting caught up in it by yet another idiot provoking a higher-up, right?" Abryn let out a small laugh before a sigh, straightening out his expression as he did so. "Eh, guess you could say it's alright. So, what about you?"

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Iyla Mischnow

"Awww! Come onnn, the night is early! Have another drink!" Crooned Iyla. "You were telling me about your ex-wife, right? You mentioned something about her...safe? The one that contains all those oh so important documents?"

I really shouldn't....I have to drive home as well-

"Don't be a party pooper, Higgits!! Everyone is having fun!" Iyla batted her eyelashes. "She was a dreadful woman, wasn't she, your wife? Oh, to be as rich as her though...." She sighed dramatically.

Rich? She had dirty money, made her 'wealth' through crime, you know? Her brother was part of a huge drug cartel, so they say..

Iyla's eyebrows raised. Now she was interested. "Was her brother...successful?"

Successful? Of course he was bloody successful, you've seen the family's mansion, haven't you? Makes my house look like a garden shed!

Iyla nodded sadly. "It's a shame really...with the information you have, you could ruin her. Socially and economically. No one wants to associate with a criminal, do they? At least, that's what they tell themselves. I know many millionaires who'd love nothing more than to keep quiet about how they earnt their money. But that's a story for another day, right? Do drink up."

The man downed another glass. His eyes looked glassy.

Iyla....you're so......nice. You understand me better....than...my ex-wife.

"Awww, I know. You didn't deserve her, did you? Now tell me, if you want your sweet sweet revenge on your ex-wife, tell me. Where is that precious safe of hers?"

I shouldn't....

"Oh noooo, don't say that! We're doing this for you, 'kay?"

How will you....get into....her house?

Iyla flashed a grin. "I know a guy, 'kay? He'll do the job, quick and easy. Then I'll get you those documents, and you can do whatever the hell you want with them! You can make your ex-wife wish she never left you."

.......2nd floor. Master bedroom. There's a loose floorboard.

"Now that sounds more like it." Iyla stood up. "Goodbye, Higgits. Good luck....with everything."

You'll get me those files right? Right?

Iyla just blew him a kiss.

Iyla?

But she was already out of the door, sprinting down an alleyway.

She stopped next to a large bin, and squatted down next to it.

"Where is it, dammit."

Iyla pulled out a large duffel bag from behind it.

"Aha."

She opened it, revealing an array of wigs and makeup.

She sighed, pulling off her black wig to reveal a mass of messy brown hair.

Iyla chucked the large red dress she was wearing and changed into dark cargos and a black hoodie.

"Iyla." She scoffed. "Worst name ever."

She wiped her face clean of layers of makeup and fake eyelashes.

"Still, fake eyelashes do look cute on me."

She stooped down and pulled out a large read notebook.

On a page, was the name: Iyla Mischnow.

She crossed it out.


Iyla Mischnow

"There we go." The voice had lost its accent, going back to its thick, southern tones. "I'm me again."

Keiki Meyumi
The Oracle

Keiki grinned. "Poor Higgits. Really think I'm gonna steal those documents for you? Hell nah, I'm gonna see what kinda loser would pay a hefty amount of money for some papers like those. An esteemed lady like her would go for a lotta money. Blackmail is expensive.

They cracked their knuckles.

Picking up the large duffel bag, they walked down the alleyway.

---

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Niwa Atsushi

---

Niwa nearly breathed out a sigh of relief as Eloi's hand found his. Together, they crept into the alleyway. As far as he could tell, the figure was gone... but that didn't mean it hadn't left something behind.

And- there! On the ground, right by the dumpster. Some little thing he knew Eloi couldn't have seen... or anyone, really.

He held up a finger as if to say- hold on -and kneeled next to it, picking up the thing. He curiously turned it in his hand, trying to discern what it was. It was almost familiar...

A little keychain with a sheep charm. He could make out the details on the wool and the creature's blank, blank eyes.

There was even a little insignia on it. He opened his mouth to read it aloud-

And then something bashed into the side of his head.

Niwa hit the ground and a second later he saw Eloi, right next to him. A boot came down by his head and a gloved hand snatched up the keychain that had clattered onto the concrete when he came down.

A high pitched voice cursed. Niwa remained where he was, pretending to be unconscious, curiously listening to her voice and trying to pinpoint it.

Then the boot vanished and he heard the sounds of footsteps quickly breaking into a run.

He waited a moment, then sat up and rubbed at his head. Okay. Well... that was interesting. He'd have to dissect the whole interaction later. For now, onto Eloi.

He turned his attention on his companion.

---

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Third Person POV

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Andreja's mocking laugh followed him out the door. "See you later, darling~ hoping you're looking forward to this new month as much as I am!"

The doors opened easily, and the two split up, heading their seperate ways.

But even as they took their respective transports, there seemed to be a strange number of eyes on them. Almost as if everyone on the street were watching them... from an old woman in a red dress standing under a streetlamp, to a wild teenager running down the street...

There was never a pair of eyes not locked on them.

---

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With Cadence Laurier...

---

There was no response. Narcisse's door was locked, presumably for the night. Ever the punctual one. No sound came from his office.

It was really time for her to be heading home. She had the key, of course, if the doors did end up locking her in... but despite what the propaganda claimed, no city such as theirs could ever be safe at night. It wasn't worth the risk.

---

“Oh, you know, the crushing weight of existence pushes down on me ever harder. Sleep, my only respite, is oft taken away. But can I really complain?”

Aleksandr chuckled. He paused, hearing the string of censored curses from the hallway just up the stairs.

“One moment, Abryn. Think there’s someone there.”

he turned on his heel, walking back up the stairs,s eeing the blonde boy, slumped over on the ground.

“Oi, kid, it’s time to leave. You good?”

Aleksandr crossed his arms, looking down at the kid, who raised his head, his blue eyes meeting Aleksandr’s.

“…Alexander?”

The young boy muttered.

“Alexander Volkov?”

Aleks froze.

---

Keiki Meyumi
Keiki froze.

...voices?

They heard some sort of a commotion, a voice, a cry of pain. What on earth was going on?

Had they been caught? Had Higgits seen though Keiki's disguise. "Ugh. I knew Iyla was the wrong persona for this." Keiki muttered.

They creeped down the alleyway quietly, large duffel bag clenched tightly between two pale hands.

A glint of light caught Keiki's eye. A figure? If it was...the side of their face...shone. Like glass.

Keiki frowned.

Strange.

Another bit of info, perhaps? Who was this mystery glass figure?

Keiki grinned. Another hunt, perhaps? To track down the fleeing mystery man?

They carried down the alleyway and frowned again.

There was a person on the floor.

Were they dead?

Keiki squatted down next to the body. "Hellooo-oooo? Ma'am? Sir? You okay?" Keiki gave the body a poke.

They groaned and turned around to see-

"....you've got to be kidding me."

Purple hair.

Goofy-looking as always.

"....niwa."

🧣Eloi Torres's POV🌧️

*Roblox death sound effect* Oof! Cuphead announcer: "KNOCKOUT!"

Everything faded to black as Eloi was knocked unconscious. Well, that was probably comforting for Niwa. Totally comforting.

♟️Laurence Walton's POV📖

"See you later, darling~ hoping you're looking forward to this new month as much as I am!"

Laurence grimaced, and did a reverse peace sign with his hand at her, before quickly tucking it into his pockets. Hell, no, he wasn't. Darling? Jesus Christ.

Hmph. If there was a god out there, he really DID make mistakes.

He made HER.

But as Laurence left the building, he got the strange feeling he was being watched. By... Everyone. This worried him as he frantically tried to cover up his wounds... Word might get out to his family about what happened with Andreja Buivis, and then he'd be in... Big trouble.

However... He couldn't help but worry worse trouble might be on the horizon.

At least she's not following me home. Small mercy.

🌹Cadence Laurier's POV🎯

Cadence frowned. She still felt like something was wrong, something was... Off. It couldn't hurt to check, though. Just for a minute. Then she could just rush out, hopefully...

She scorned the fact that her roleplayer was an idiot passing her the Idiot Ball, and attempted to open the door.

---

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Niwa Atsushi

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Niwa's whole body froze as fight or flight instinct raged inside him. The person who was touching Eloi... who was talking to them...

He found his mouth moving before he could stop it. "...Keiki? Is that really you?"

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Abryn Soelare

The man let out a painfully honest laugh at Aleksandr's bleak and pessimistic comment, finding it very much relatable. "Can ya complain, huh..." Abryn was immediately shushed by the noise as well, perking up and turning in the direction of the curses and watching as the one beside him walked back up the way they came. He decided to follow, briefly adjusting his bangs before stuffing his hands back into his pockets and stepped forward with a hesitant curiosity.

The kid that had passed them earlier was hunched over, a wave of confusion and concern came upon Abryn as he stopped at the top, not too far behind Aleksandr and Iliya.

A moment passed since the one hunched over called out Aleksandr's name, and the latter had yet to move. He seemed to freeze on the spot, only adding to Abryn's concern.

"Hey, everythin' alright?"

---

---

Keiki Meyumi.

They grimaced.

"Noo. I'm just a random person who looks exactly like your ex." They spat. "Anyways, I'm not here for you. Your little old pal here seems hurt. I saw that funny lookin' fella run off, the one with the shiny face."

Keiki stared into the distance.

"Made me curious, y'know? I've got some...work to do, which hopefully will pay well. Then I'll see if anyone knows anythin' on our mystery fella." They muttered.

"...how are you, anyways? Work going well?"

“I’m right, aren’t I-“

“-It’s Aleksandr Konstantin. Not volkov. Sorry, kid.”

Aleks laughed slightly, rubbing the back of his head, grinning sheepishly.

“I think you got the wrong person. No ‘volkov’s here.”

The boy’s face visibly fell, as he looked down.

“Oh… It’s just… You look like my brother. I’ve been… uh, looking for him for a few years.”

Poor boy looked so disappointed.

---

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Abryn Soelare

Wait, Volkov? He didn't catch that before, but wasn't that what this kid called him? Volkov... Huh. Weird.

He looked nervous.

There had to be something going on here. Kid mentioned a brother, who coincidentally shared a first name and seemingly a face.

Oh well, wasn't his place to poke and prod. Not his business unless someone made it his business. He leaned against the rail and crossed his arms as they spoke, feeling a little bad for the one struck with such disappointment.

Few years, huh?

"Alright, well-" He began to walk away, back down the stairs and towards the exit, "Good night you two, I'll be on my way."

---

---

“Yeah, bye, man.”

Aleksandr gave a small wave to Abryn, hsi eyes locked on the boy.

“Kid, it’s time to go. Don’t tell me you were this late.”

Aleksandr held out a ahnd to to the boy.

“What’s your name?”

“You know my name.”

“I don’t.”

“Iliya Orlov Volkov.”

Aleksandr sighed.

“Well, Iliya. Get up, let’s walk.”

Aleksandr lead the teen down the stairs, hands in hsi pockets.

“So. Iliya. Tell em about your brother.”

“Alex-“

“No. No, that’s not me. Tell me about him. I’ll tell you if he still exists."

---

Stella stood on the other side of the alleyway, waiting for the two to reconvene with her "accidentally". The former Oracle mistrusts dark alleyways at night - at least outside of work - so she took the more scenic route around, avoiding any unlit areas. When she noticed the other end of the alley being empty though, her alarm senses were tingling. Not enough to go inside and look, that would be foolish of her. Instead, she simply waits out... worst case, she could bump into them and say "what a coincidence".

She kind of expected a stranger to dash out of there, what she did not expect to see is to be blinded by their complexion. Like looking directly into a flashlight, or in their case rather a crystal ball. Still wary, she hides behind the wall this time and tries listening. She was an Oracle, but noe of older caliber. There were... voices. One familiar, the other less so.

Come on... I just need two voices that work with me.

---

“Big brother. please. You disappeared for 10 years.”

Iliya stopped him.

“Please. Tell me what happened.”

Aleksandr sighed, looking back at Iliya.

“...I’m not your big brother anymore, lil’ dude. I’m sorry that I had to leave you in that place, but…”

He sighed, brushing Iliya’s hand off.

“Alexander Volkov is gone, bud. I have nothing to do with, and don't want anything to do with the family, kid."

He looked away, walking down the steps.

"...I need to go home. Or somethin'. Be on time tomorrow. Alright?"

"...Alright."

Iliya watched, quietly, as Aleksandr walked away, fingers tapping nervously against his computer bag.

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