Forum Thread

Stella simply remains at her desk, sipping on her coffee she brought from home. Her eyes dart around the room like rubber balls, constantly picking up information. She looks around, giving everyone a split-second stare, taking in as many details as she could. Only when her hand was touching the cup long enough for her hands to feel hot did she stop "analyzing" her environment and the people around her.

One of the few benefits of being a detective. She could actually take a little time to focus. And until the meeting... she'd just read the dossiers in front of her and occasionally look around to pick up on some gossip.

---

Maji

Maji sighed as he started the next hallway. This would be the last for the early morning, and he'd be able to get his next Diet Coke fix. And a bit of down time. His cart bumped up against a hardwood door. The humble plaque on it read "Conference Room". He debated knocking to see if they wanted anything. Maybe after he finished cleaning.

---

Buraddo

They stared down at the paper for a second. "A red, huh? Yeah, I can handle it."

---

Megami

Ever the earlier riser Megami was, but god was she the bitchiest in the morning. This particular morning, after being up way too late for nothing, she had to dual-wield her sugar supply (Cocoa) in one mug and her caffeine (Tea) in another. Nothing had come in to analyse yet, but she knew better than to get adjusted.

♟Laurence Walton’s POV📖

"I'm eighteen, babe. How about you? Lemme guess. You're 35, coming back to this Agency after you flunked outta your philosophy course at Big Shot University."

Eighteen? Only eighteen, and she was an investigative assistant here? Laurence scoffed.

“Would you quit it already with your persistent… flirting? Are you trying to mock me?” He crossed his arms. “And, no. I’m seventeen, for your information. I’m a high school student, hopefully not for much longer.” He sighed. “And where are you from? Did you crawl your way out of hell? Or a mental institution, perhaps?”

"Yeah I've worked here a while. Been here too long, if you know what I mean. Did you ever read about Kubo Atsushi? Founder of the institute. All that stuff? It's on him."

He felt himself quivering. A while?? Too long? And she had the GALL to do the things she did?

“Honestly… it’s really quite shameful of you. You must have a gift if you’ve had the honor of working here for as long as you have been! Why do you waste it, the way you do? Getting all riled up and hassling young interns, God knows what else you’ve done. From what I hear, it’s your last straw! You have potential that people would KILL for! You…”

He paused and looked at the wall. “Yes… I have. But, that’s not important. We don’t have TIME for that right now. Let’s just get started before we get in trouble. Maybe YOU can afford to waste your time, maybe YOU can afford to mess around and do whatever you want, but I can’t. Come on.”

---

Iliya tried to ignore the way his phone was vibrating in his pocket.

Unknown number.

His father.

He turned the phone off, blocking the number.

Iliya's father kept trying to contact him- it was honestly annoying, and Iliya never got annoyed.

"Father's showing some sort of care now that I'm gone, huh...?"

He muttered quietly, pocketing his phone once more, as he walked through the halls of the detective agency, his camera bag swinging ever so slightly.

---

---

---

Andreja Buivis

---

"Yeah, yeah, sure old man. Whatever you want." She rolled her eyes. "Thought you'd be interested, that's all. You know that detective guy? The one who's always jumping and whimpering every time Michon walks by? He's ol' Atsushi's grandson. Nepotism at its finest."

She grinned. "Hassling young interns? What a way to put it. I was just giving my new friend Walty a little lesson 'bout loosening up a bit, you know? Looks like he didn't take it to heart after all."

Potential? She took in a deep breath, letting the irritation ebb away. This was fun. She was having fun.

"Ugh, if you must." She rolled her eyes. "You're such a stick in the mud. You'll get the credits either way, and you'll be outta here in a year. Calm down already.”

But she followed after him, grumbling some kind of nonsense- she wasn't sure exactly what- under her breath. Her eyes drifted about the walls, looking for something to fixate on. A month of janitor's work? A month stuck with this guy?

---

---

Narcisse Michon

---

"Glad to hear it. Any thoughts on the rest?" He nodded to the last three cases. Two blue and that second red.

---

---

Niwa Atsushi

---

"Oh god!" He panicked. "I'm late! I'm late! I'm late!"

Niwa raced through the hallways, desperately darting down them at random, searching for his little station. Where was it??? How was he lost already???? He'd been here years! So what if he'd been transferred, normal humans should be able to find-

BANG!

He ran face first into someone, barely spotting a camera flying through the air before he landed on his rump. "A-Ah!"

---

IN the only display of athletic prowess Iliya had shown in years, he managed to catch the camera as he fell.

He fell to the ground, which knocked the wind out of him, coughing slightly.

"Ow..."

He muttered under his breath quietly, still holding his camera close to his chest.

Then, he noticed Niwa.

His eyes widened slightly, as panic mode kicked in.

"E-excuse me sir, are you alright? I'm so so sorry, I didn't mean t-"

---

---

---

Niwa Atsushi

---

"No, no it was my fault. Is your..." he faltered. "Is your camera okay? I didn't mean to run into you, I promise."

Was this... one of the interns? Niwa couldn't place the face which was strange. He could place every face. Perhaps... he studied the lines and curviture of the internee's features. The way he moved... that jawline... the shape of his nose...

"Are you a Volkov?" he asked, then ducked his head."Wait! Sorry! Maybe that was a weird question. Really really sorry."

---

"A.. Volkov. Yeah. My Father is... Alexei Volkov."

he used the word father bitterly.

"I-is it that noticeable?"

Iliya sighed, rubbing his camera carefully. He turned it on, examining it.

"And my camera is fine! I-it would've been bad if it got damaged..."

---

---

---

Niwa Atsushi

---

"Oh no!" Niwa waved his hands frantically. "Not at all! I was just best friends with a Volkov... yeah." He nodded confidentally to himself. "And you look just like him."

Niwa attempted a smile. Oh geez... this was awkward.

"I'm glad it's okay. I would've had to buy you a new one if it broke- and I'm well- I'm also kinda broke. Or my wallet is, haha."

God, it was hot in here. Because he was feeling guilty, he had himself avoid eye contact. Yeah... yeah this was good.

---

"Best friends with a... Volkov...?"

He stared at Niwa for a few moments, trying to figure out who he was talking about.

"...None of us are really close..."

He muttered quietly.

"Everyone leaves the family. I don't think I know who you're talking about."

Iliya rubbed his thumb over the camera.

---

---

---

Niwa Atsushi

---

"Oh uh... yeah. I don't think I know who I was talking about either, to be fully honest." Niwa offered an apologetic smile and a half-hearted wince. "...Anyway. Are you new to the agency? I'm Detective Atsushi. And not the one on the wall, in case you're wondering."

He giggled a little and prayed the boy would start laughing with him.

---

Iliya laughed slightly, getting up, dusting himself off.

"I'm, uh, Iliya Volkov. It's nice to meet you, sir."

Iliya bowed slightly. He seemed nervous. And anxious.

"Would you happen to know where i can find Aleksandr V- Konstantin?"

He almost slipped up there.

---

♟Laurence Walton's POV📖

"Yeah, yeah, sure old man. Whatever you want. Thought you'd be interested, that's all. You know that detective guy? The one who's always jumping and whimpering every time Michon walks by? He's ol' Atsushi's grandson. Nepotism at its finest."

"'Old man', huh? Did no one ever teach you to respect your elders?" His irritated expression was immediately replaced with one of confusion. Why was he... joking about it? "Huh. Makes sense, that he'd find himself working here. Probably trying to live up to his family legacy, I suppose."

"Hassling young interns? What a way to put it. I was just giving my new friend Walty a little lesson 'bout loosening up a bit, you know? Looks like he didn't take it to heart after all."

Friend? It looked as though there was almost this softening upon his face, if only for a moment. "You... consider me-" He immediately shook his head, as if to shake the thoughts away. "Andreja Buivis, with all due respect, which is none, you were making fun of my fellow intern and beating me into the ground!"

Friends. With THIS maniac. What a ridiculous thought...

"Ugh, if you must. You're such a stick in the mud. You'll get the credits either way, and you'll be outta here in a year. Calm down already.”

He took a deep breath. "You're right. I'm sorry. Let's just..." He brushed at his sleeve, as though there was something to wipe off of it. "Get to work. We can talk later."

...wait. What had he just said? "--or you can just get to... whatever it is you do when you're not destroying this facility." He coughed. No, I did NOT just imply we would talk later. I did not. What was I thinking?

🥽Suzume Fujimori's POV🧪

...

Oh, great. Nothing had been sent in to analyze yet. Suzume tapped her foot almost impatiently. There was this awkward silence, as she attempted to do equations in her head regarding physics theories to keep herself occupied.

But it was hard to focus on that. There was this absolutely beautiful beyond extraordinary young woman also inside the room with her, who had no doubt also arrived before any of their work came in. She had the sudden urge to talk to her for... shipping character interaction reasons.

"Greetings. It's... Megami. Megami, right? That's your... name. Here. Right? Isn't it?" Wow. Great job starting conversation. Bravo, 11/10. You deserve a medal. "This sure is... desolate, isn't it? But, I'm sure they'll send in some material for us to analyze, soon enough. I'm... Suzume Fujimori. In case you forgot."

Wait- would that- make her feel like Suzume thought she wasn't capable of remembering that? Ah, great. This was going wonderfully. WONDERFULLY.

🧣Eloi Torres's POV🌧

"N-Niwa! There you are! I-" He spotted someone else near him and slowly backed away. "Oh... I... um... sorry. Was I- interrupting something? I can leave... if- if you need me to. Sorry."

---

Maji

Now done with his morning cleaning, Maji poked open the walnut door. "I'm going on break, anyone..." He quickly realised just how weird this was. "Anyone need drinks?"

---

Buraddo

"Hmm... The murder's a bit of an oddball. Aside from that it all seems pretty standard. Nothing too much to handle."

They turned their upper body to face the intruder. "Just a black coffee if it's not too much trouble, thank you!"

---

Megami

"Hey, Suzume. Pretty boring here, but hey, I'll take the break while we can. And yeah, name's Megami."

🥽Suzume Fujimori's POV🧪

"Hey, Suzume. Pretty boring here, but hey, I'll take the break while we can. And yeah, name's Megami."

"Yeah... guess so. Megami... that's a nice name. It suits you." Wow. This was awkward. Extremely awkward. Take the break while they could? What was she even talking about? "I don't know if I could imagine doing anything else at this place. Isn't it so fascinating, everything that we get to analyze here? All the marks that people make on crime scenes... completely unknowingly. That act as evidence to put them away for their crimes. Truly remarkable..."

There was a starry look in her eyes as she spoke about it, just recalling all those past cases... thinking about all the future ones... it was what made life worth living.

But was it... all that she wanted to do with her life?

"Ahem. Sorry. Didn't mean to start rambling about that. What do you... like to do? When you're not working?"

What was that like...?

🌹Cadence Laurier's POV🎯

[Cadence was magically teleported to the same room as Narcisse Michon and Buraddo Jemu through the power of being supposed to be there, my bad. Let us just pretend she was there the entire time.]

"No, thank you." She dismissed Maji with a wave of her hand. She started to look over at the papers, before deciding to ask about it first. "Hmm. May I see? Perhaps I can be of some assistance."

---

Megami

"I like to do a lot of things. Honestly, pretty much everything but this work. I like basically anything artistic and cryptology, among a lot of stuff. I like science and forensics but... not really as a job, I guess."

Being given a choice probably would've helped.

🥽Suzume Fujimori's POV🧪

"I like to do a lot of things. Honestly, pretty much everything but this work. I like basically anything artistic and cryptology, among a lot of stuff. I like science and forensics but... not really as a job, I guess."

"Oh, I see. Sorry to... hear that." That was what she was supposed to say, right? "Studying code, huh... that's pretty interesting. What kinds of code?"

---

---

---

Andreja Buivis

---

"'Old man', huh? Did no one ever teach you to respect your elders?" Laurence paused briefly. Some strange emotions seemed to be fighting for control over his face. It was such a weird thing to look at that what he'd just said took a moment to sink in.

Was that a joke? Walty has a sense of humour after all?! And a half decent one too?!

Andreja decided nope and put that thought on the backburner for later. Just remember the Buivis family motto. "Sweep it under the rug, it's probably fine."

"Huh. Makes sense, that he'd find himself working here. Probably trying to live up to his family legacy, I suppose."

"Family legacy?" She broke out into giggles, then cut off abruptly. Staring him down, she enunciated very carefully, very clearly, "Sweetheart, there ain't any legacy left for anyone here. This place is the end of the road. For all of us."

Then she twisted her expression back to her usual cheerful grin. "Best you can hope for is amazing friends like me! Your experience so far has been pretty sweet, I'd say!"

"You... consider me-" Hm? She tilted her head to the side. Laurence shook his head at her and she pouted in return. "Andreja Buivis, with all due respect, which is none, you were making fun of my fellow intern and beating me into the ground!"

"Beating you into the ground?" she teased. "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."

She reached out and patted him on the head. "Come on, smile for me!" She poked his cheek, then brought her hand back to her side. "Or just be like that. Sour-puss."

Or... yeah! Work worked!

"Let's go!" she cheered. Snatching up his hat, she took off down the hall. "Can't catch me, suckah!"

---

---

Niwa Atsushi

---

Oh, good! Laughs! He was making progress.

"I'm, uh, Iliya Volkov. It's nice to meet you, sir."

Iliya bowed slightly. The way his face moved... Niwa took a moment to admire the nervous twists and turns of his features. He must be nervous. That was what people did when they were nervous. Iliya must want to impress his senior... or something.

Wow, that's a first. Maybe he still thinks I'm competent. He'll learn soon enough.

"Would you happen to know where i can find Aleksandr V- Konstantin?"

"Detective Konstantin?" He echoed. "Oh- oh yeah. Probably in his office. Which is just down from my new one which is..." He spun on his heel. "Uh... right next to us." Despite the way I was running down this hallway like a maniac. "Want me to introduce you two?"

"N-Niwa! There you are! I-" Oh! Eloi! Niwa turned around to face him.

"Oh... I... um... sorry. Was I- interrupting something? I can leave... if- if you need me to. Sorry."

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

---

---

Narcisse Michon

---

The door creaked open once more. Was everyone determined to invade his personal space today?

Narcisse turned around, ready to give a young intern a tongue lashing, but then he saw- he recognised-

He inhaled sharply.

Why did he recognise him? Who was this?

"I'm going on break, anyone... Anyone need drinks?"

The redhead seemed totally oblivious to Narcisse's intense stare. He wasn't young- probably around Narcisse's age, if he had to guess, so definitely not an intern. A janitor? He studied the man's uniform and came to the conclusion that yes, this must be one of the new custodian hires.

"I- I suppose if you're offering..." Narcisse murmured. "Tea, perhaps?"

He'd already had his black tea this morning, but with the way his brain seemed to be wading through mollasses today, he suspected October 7th might be a hard one for him. More caffeine would definitely be welcome.

"Hmm... The murder's a bit of an oddball. Aside from that it all seems pretty standard. Nothing too much to handle."

"The younger detectives, then." He nodded his thanks and pushed the blue folders off to the side, where he'd assign them later.

"Hmm. May I see? Perhaps I can be of some assistance."

"Of course."

He passed the red case file down her way. "I'm afraid it's a little... gory."

---

Maji

Maji nodded and bowed out of the door, shutting it softly behind him.

A black coffee and tea, got it.

He found the station and filled a few cheap foam cups. He left one filled with Diet Coke on the corner of the table and went back go the conference room, setting down two more cups next to their respective drinkers.

He pivoted on the heel of his boot, starting for an opposite door with two more cups.

---

---

Narcisse Michon

---

"Custodian!" he called. "Wait."

He paused a moment, sorting out everything in his head. Who was this man? Why was he so familiar? Why was every bone in Narcisse's body telling him not to let him go?

"Thank you," he said finally. "It is... appreciated."

There was something else... something- "Could you post these, please?" He gestured towards the assignments. "Just down in the investigative department."

---