A/N: Warning, this fic contains; mature language, crimes of a sexual nature, sexual references, and Giriko (nuff said)
Maka Albarn, twenty years old and infinitely fed up with the situation at hand pelted down a row of philosophy books at a speed only achievable by four years of high school track. Her breaths came even (if hard) and her arms pumped by her sides. She could tell her target was tiring. She'd chased him from the bottom level of the library up two flights of stairs, through numerous crowds of patrons jostling each other for a good study spot and through endless shelves of books and archive rooms. She could maintain this pace for a while yet, but her target wasn't nearly as fit as her. His gait wavered at the start of the social sciences section and he stumbled while passing the re-stacking cart. Maka increased her pace, gaining on the short man. This was as good an opportunity as ever to end what was, despite her skill, becoming a rather tedious affair. He turned to glance back over his shoulder and his eyes widened at the sight of her red faced and messy haired person determinedly in pursuit. Maka grinned. The rush of committing a crime had left his eyes, only desperation and exhaustion remained. The man turned to round the next corner and for a moment Maka feared she'd lose him in oncoming crowd. She needn't have worried. Her target squealed like a pig and toppled over limbs flailing. She rounded the corner after him and finally stopped running. Instead of losing himself in the crowd, her target had lost his footing crashing into a person.
"You should probably watch where you're going, it's not cool to run into people like that."
Maka's target took one look at the man holding him in place and blanched.
"I had him, Soul." Maka huffed between deep breaths, tightening her ponytail.
"And now I have him."
Soul Evans, twenty-three and gifted with annoyingly perfect timing, held their target firmly in place as if it took no effort.
"Do you enjoy letting me do all the hard work and then swooping in at the last minute to take all the credit?"
Soul cocked a pale eyebrow at her and slowly rolled his eyes. Three months of harmless teasing and growing familiarity in their partnership lay behind that expression. Point made, Soul bowed his head respectfully and thanked his partner as he always did when she took on more of the leg work.
"Well Maka, as always, thank you for an easy arrest." he smirked at her.
Maka tried not to smile back. If she was being honest with herself she should have given up on trying months ago. She couldn't stop the corners of her mouth from twitching upwards anymore than Soul could stop appearing exactly when he was needed most. Soul returned her gesture, smirk transforming into a small, but genuine, smile. They nodded briefly at each other before returning their attention back to their target. Maka's smile was replaced by a steel glare as she turned to face the small man.
"Peter Gopher, we're placing you under arrest and escorting you back to the security hub."
"Arrest?" Gopher exclaimed. "You're not even real cops!"
Maka crossed her arms and pushed herself up on her toes just far enough to glare down at him.
"No. We're campus security."
"And stealing laptops is against university policy." Soul gripped Gopher's arm a little tighter than necessary and grinned wickedly.
Both Maka and Soul were incredibly satisfied with the stifled wail Gopher let out.
Back in the security hub locker room, Maka shut her locker with a resounding clunk and sat down on the bench across from it to towel off her dark blonde hair and slide into her shoes.
"I hate library rotations," she stated, investigating her feet for blisters.
"Then stop being so damn good at them." Soul's locker opened as he rounded the corner in nothing but jeans and flip flops with his almost unbelievably white-blonde hair dripping water down his shoulders and across the line of the angry scar that bisected his chest. Maka knew the scar all too well. It had happened months ago, when they were only a few weeks into the partnership, but she still found it hard to see.
Not looking up from her feet, Maka sighed tiredly.
"I can't help but be good at them Soul. If I want to keep my scholarship I have to be the best. Besides, what would Mama think?"
Soul snorted as he opened his locker and started rifling through the mess inside.
"That's your problem bookworm. You care too much about college."
Maka bristled and dropped her foot to glare at him.
"So I should become a drop out like you, working easy security jobs to get by?"
Soul shrugged and glanced at her over his shoulder, unabashedly rolling deodorant under his arms.
Even someone as unaffected by the opposite sex as Maka couldn't help but notice how his shoulders bunched rather pleasantly with the gesture. She huffed and turned away from him, pulling her towel up from around her shoulders to dry her hair. The fact that it would hide any traitorous blush did not factor into her decision to do so.
"Well if you hate it so much, just ask the boss for a transfer."
The eye roll was so implied in Soul's tone that Maka threw her towel at him.
"Hey!"
He turned around to pout at her. Pouting was really the worst look she ever got from him anymore-unless they got into a proper fight, the kind that had one or both of them calling in sick to work to avoid seeing each other.
"You think I haven't thought of that? I've been putting in requests for weeks, but it's always the same. They need us on library duty. We're the best. I just wish we could do something more meaningful. Library duty is just so tedious. I think I might actually hit the next person who ignores the no food sign."
Soul snorted just as Maka's phone buzzed and she pulled it out.
"Can you not." Soul whined, towelling his hair half-heartedly before pulling a T-shirt over his head.
Maka ignored him and flicked through her messages. "If it were you texting you'd be annoyed that I didn't get it straight away. Even when it's so early in the morning that I'm not even awake yet."
If Soul had the decency to look embarrassed, Maka didn't notice. She frowned at her phone. There were a lot of messages. She never had this many, especially when all her friends knew she was working and wouldn't get them for a few hours anyways.
"But I'm right here so can you not do that while we're having a conversation."
Soul leaned over her to take the phone. Maka shrieked and turned away. Soul kept leaning over her trying to take it, their arms getting jumbled and her head hitting his chest uncomfortably before she managed to read enough of the message to cut the play fight short.
"Stop!" she shoved him. "It's serious."
Within the three months they'd been partners, Soul had learned the differences between Maka's tones and the consequences for ignoring them so he waited expectantly.
She read the message twice more to be sure she wasn't misinterpreting it.
"It's from my RA."
"Your hot water going to be down again? You can come stay again if you want." Soul towelled at his hair some more as if to make a point.
Maka shook her head. If only it were that trivial.
"Someone's been filming girls in the showers."
Maka flicked through the rest of her messages, frown deepening with each one. All of them held the same news. Stony faced, Soul offered Maka his hand. Glancing up when he cleared his throat, she took it and let him pull her up.
"I'll walk you back."
She nodded, squeezing his hand once before letting go. She could almost hear her mother's voice in the back of her head. Be careful what you wish for.
When Maka and Soul came into view of Maka's dorm Shibusen Hall everything appeared normal, but for the police squad car parked outside. They shared a worried look before entering through the front office into chaos. It seemed as though all the girls from the dorm were standing in the small reception area, demanding answers. A few pieces of paper were being passed around the crowd, a trail of outraged cries and whimpers following in its wake. In the middle of it all was their boss, head of campus security Sid Barrett. Maka took Soul's hand and started elbowing them a passage towards their boss.
"Mr Barrett! Sir!" Maka called out over the girls around her.
"Maka?" he turned and looked almost relieved to see her. "You aware of what's going on here?"
"We've heard." Soul answered.
Around them a group of at least five girls propelled themselves through the masses after one of the mysterious pieces of paper. Soul scowled and dropped Maka's hand when he was buffeted by another three.
"I want the case."
Sid started to shake his head, but Maka didn't give him a chance to get further than that.
"You've been saying for weeks that I'm the best. There isn't any rule breaker you've set me after that I haven't caught. And Sir, this is my home. I know the buildings, I know the girls. I'm the best person for this."
"Maka I know that, and if it were just a university matter you'd have the case, but this is a police matter. We're just here for back up now."
"Well who's been put in charge then?"
Sid grimaced and had the decency to look a little embarrassed. Maka's stomach sunk. There was only one person who could elicit that reaction from her usually unflappable boss. A distinctly male, if irritatingly baby toned voice suddenly rose above all the noise of girls and staff.
"It's alright ladies. There's enough of me to go around. Don't worry I'm quite happy to interview each of you on that list personally and anyone else for that matter!"
Maka leaned around Sid hoping against all evidence not to see a mop of bright red hair. There was never any point arguing with the evidence. Next to her Soul bristled.
"Maka isn't that your-"
Maka's hands curled into fists at her sides.
"Yeah, it's him."
Spirit Albarn, thirty-eight, notorious womaniser, Death City police office and Maka's father, stood haphazardly on a chair, only occasionally sneaking a peak down someone's shirt.
Maka tried to duck back behind Sid before her father could spot her but ever since she was a little girl he seemed to have a sixth sense dedicated solely to locating and embarrassing her.
"Maka! Is that my Maka! Maka no need to fear! Papa's here to find the nasty pervert terrorising your dorm! No man will get away with seeing my Maka naked!"
Face bright red, Maka shoved her way through her temporarily shocked dorm-mates to reach her father.
"Would you get down from there if you're just going to be useless."
"No Maka! Papa's not being useless! He's gathering, uh, evidence from all these lovely ladies you live with!"
"That's not all he's gathering." Soul muttered.
It was like a switch had been flipped in Spirit Albarn. Gone were the dewy eyes of a father in love. In their place was the narrow eyed suspicion of a father on guard.
"What was that you little punk? What are you still doing lurking around my daughter like that anyways? Are you trying to pull a move on her or what?"
Soul scoffed.
"She's my partner idiot. We work together."
"Papa, you've met Soul before." Maka sighed, frown settling in to stay.
"Well aren't you a man? Who wouldn't want to lurk around my precious Maka. Just look how cute and gorgeous she is! Smart and talented too, best in her class all through school. What's wrong with her? Nothing! What kind of man are you not making a move!"
"Papa stop!" Maka ordered.
Spirit took a moment more to scowl at Soul and mouth what were probably threats before returning his attention to his daughter.
"Don't you worry Maka. Papa is on the-"
"I want the case."
"Maka, sweetie. I know you're scared but-"
"I'm not scared Papa. I just want to be involved and know what's happening."
Spirit didn't look convinced. Scrambling for leverage, Maka put on her best pouty face.
"And you'll want someone here to keep the police informed won't you?"
Spirit's expression wavered. Maka bit her bottom lip and tried not to curse herself too much for what she was about to say.
"And it would mean that I'd be visiting the station more."
Spirit melted on the spot reduced to a doting, excited mess at the prospect of seeing his daughter more regularly. Maka sidestepped his oncoming hug and Soul barely skipped out of the way in time to avoid collision.
"Um Papa about the case, I'll need to know the details."
Maka shot Soul a 'save me' look, but apparently the sight of her father in uniform hugging her around the knees was too hilarious to interrupt. Soul shook his head at her with a smirk.
"Yes, yes of course. Whatever my Maka needs. Sid has a copy of everything of course and you can always call me-"
"Thanks Papa."
Maka managed to step out of his embrace and melt back into the crowd. Soul snickered behind her and she elbowed him lightly.
"It's not funny Soul. I'm actually going to have to talk to him regularly again."
"Hey I don't like him either but doesn't he pay for you to go here?"
Maka huffed and turned her nose up indignantly.
"Well it's the least he can do after everything he did to Mama and me."
Soul held his hands up in surrender before shoving them in his pockets just in time to be knocked off balance by the blur of tall, dark and busty that was Maka's resident advisor Blair.
"Oh kitten isn't it terrible! Have you checked the list, are you on it? What are we going to do?" she squealed and pulled Maka to her chest.
Maka squirmed in the older woman's grasp, gasping for air when she was finally let go.
"It's going to be okay Blair. I'm on it, official Campus Security business." she offered a reassuring smile.
"Oh kitten you are too precious!"
Maka leaned slightly towards Soul, subtly edging away from the excited RA.
"What list does Maka need to check?" Soul asked warily.
"Oh! And campus cop boy is here too! Well we've got nothing to worry about then." Blair's smile spiralled to sneakily seductive and she batted her eyelids for effect.
"The list." Soul repeated.
Blair conceded, muttering something that sounded suspiciously like no wonder you two get along so well.
"The list has the name of every girl who was filmed. Well it has all the names that we've identified. Sometimes it was just a back-shot and those aren't so easy."
Maka gulped.
"Can I get a copy?"
Blair glanced around cautiously before pulling a folded piece of paper from her bra and handing it to Maka.
"Technically I'm not meant to keep a copy, but if you could return it when you're done; Eruka wants to publish the list in the newsletter so anyone who isn't here can check."
Maka nodded and her eyes quickly scanned the list. There were a few names she didn't recognise, but many that she did. Her veins burned with frozen heat when she saw both her roommate and her best friend's names.
"You're not there."
Soul's voice was loud right by her ear and she jumped slightly. She hadn't even noticed how close he was standing to her to read over her shoulder. She turned her attention back to the list, scanning faster, trying to make it less personal. He was right. Her name was not on the list.
"They might just not have identified me yet."
"With your dad on the case, they would have identified you first." he countered, strangely reassuring despite reminding her of the possibility of her father seeing her naked.
"I just don't see how I can't be on the list. Almost everyone else on my floor is."
"Look at the time stamps by each name. Where were you on those days?"
Maka studied them for a moment, comparing them with the calendar on her phone.
"I should have been here, they were all filmed Friday through Monday three weeks ago." she frowned. "Maybe they just didn't think I was worth filming?"
Soul scoffed.
"What was that for! I seem to remember you making certain comments like that."
"Idiot. Sure, back when we first met, to be a jerk. But honestly, considering how much you complained about the hot water being screwed I'd think you'd remember escaping cold showers by staying at my place for a few days, you know, three weeks ago."
He tapped her head lightly as if to make a point. She shrugged him off.
"Well now that we know you're okay, we should go find Sid to get the full story, like how they have a list of girls filmed for one. That means they have the footage and they had to get that somewhere..."
"We?" Maka raised an eyebrow.
Soul rolled his eyes.
"Well I'm not going to leave you to investigate this alone. You are my partner."
"Soul I am perfectly capable of handling this, you don't need to spend your free time on it."
"You really are an idiot. Of course I'm going to spend my free time on this. No creep is gonna get a free pass at you or anyone else here like that. We're gonna catch him. Together."
Maka turned on her heel.
"Well come on then. We need to find Sid and get more information."
Soul smiled, shoving his hands into his pockets to follow her. If she thought that spinning so fast would hide her blush, she was wrong.
Soul was beginning to realise that he may never get used to the determination that was so characteristic of his partner. They'd spent the day working a seven hour library shift, which had ended in a chase and now she wanted to elongate the day further by starting her own interviews of the girls who had been filmed. It was remarkable really, how much the damn woman gave of herself to others. And he tagged along, trailing after her as if he was as good a person as she. So long as she didn't mind, he didn't really see a problem with it. It was amazing the effect that verdant green eyes and a bright smile could make to the average working day.
"So who are we seeing next?" he asked, following her down another corridor and up half a flight of stairs.
"You know you don't have to stay, it's almost dinner time and isn't your brother coming back into town?"
"He'll survive. Who's next?"
"Tsubaki. We should have seen her first, she's the earliest time stamp, but she's got late classes so..."
"Your roommate's sister's roommate?"
Maka turned and looked at him with an expression somewhere between surprised and impressed. Soul scowled. He thought she had a little more faith in him than that.
"Well hurry up, I'm starving."
Maka shook her head slightly and continued to lead the way. They walked in a companionable silence. Though Soul had been here before, it was only ever to pick Maka up and take her somewhere. Whether it was because the hot water was gone or because there were people being loud the night before she had an exam and needed a quiet place to sleep. He'd never paid much attention to the building. His mind had always been elsewhere. It was kind of dingy. To be fair dingy was a lot better than what he remembered of his dorms, but still it was hard to picture neat perfectionist Maka Albarn living somewhere that always smelt slightly of damp and human bodies.
They passed a door with a small outline of a female shape on it and Soul stopped.
"Hey, is this the one?"
Maka slowed and nodded.
"One of them."
"Should we take a look?"
Maka nodded and opened the door ahead of him checking to make sure it was empty before waving him in. Soul whistled, impressed.
"They haven't gotten to all of the bathrooms, but this building has mostly been renovated."
The main door lead to a row of sinks and shelf space before branching off to four more doors.
"There's a toilet, shower and sink in each of them. A lot more civilised than they used to be." Maka wandered into one of the rooms.
Soul followed her, taking in the room. There were still a few holes in the ceiling from misplaced wiring points. He fiddled with the doorknob for a moment to check that it worked.
"These doors lock from the inside only?"
Maka glanced down.
"I hadn't thought about it, but yes they do."
"Then how could someone film girls in these showers?"
Maka's eyes flitted around the room, finally settling on the window. She crossed to it, opened it and glanced out.
"We're meant to leave these open so we don't set off the fire alarms with the shower steam. If someone was standing on the stairs there that connect the buildings they could easily see into the shower."
Soul peered over her shoulder, the faintest scent of strawberries were wafting up from her hair threatening to distract him. He ignored it and stepped back.
"So it has to be someone who knows the dorm well."
Maka's lips drew together in a thin line.
"Let's go see Tsubaki."
Tsubaki's side of the room was neat, simple and understated. Soul hovered awkwardly in the doorway while Maka explained what they were doing and hugged her friend.
"Please come in, take a seat." Tsubaki smiled welcomingly before sitting on the side of her bed.
Maka took a seat next to her and Soul perched on the edge of Tsubaki's desk chair.
"Tsubaki I know that no one's actually seen whoever it is that's filming girls, but if there's anything you can think of that might help we'd really appreciate it." Maka took her friends hand.
Tsubaki smiled weakly before slumping slightly.
"I really wish I could tell you something Maka. I know I was one of the first, but really I haven't seen anyone filming."
Soul sighed and rested his head in his hands. None of the girls so far knew anything. They were all just shocked that it had happened without their knowledge. This whole interview process was beginning to feel like a waste of time, procedure for the sake of procedure. It was reminding him of why he'd dropped out of college in the first place.
"Tsubaki..."
Apparently Maka had picked up on something Soul hadn't. Her tone had become firm and Soul sat up straight. Tsubaki's hands were clasped in her lap and she looked down at them quietly.
"Tsubaki what do you mean you haven't seen anyone filming? Have you seen someone doing something else?"
Tsubaki crumpled under Maka's even green gaze.
"It didn't mean anything. He was just being an idiot. I mean, it can't be him."
"Who?" Soul asked.
Maka shot him a 'stay out of it' look, but Tsubaki didn't seem to mind.
"Well it was a few weeks ago and I didn't realise the window was open. It didn't take me long to realise he was there and he wasn't filming! He never filmed me. I mean, it was just Black*Star, he's harmless."
Maka caught Soul's eye over Tsubaki's shoulder.
"Black*Star, as in Blake Barrett, our boss' kid?"
Tsubaki nodded.
"He wasn't being a creep!"
"Tsubaki!" Maka chastised.
Tsubaki just shook her head and whispered something to her. Soul wanted to lean forward so he could hear too, but Tsubaki was obviously whispering for a reason. Besides, if it was useful to the case Maka would tell him later anyways. Maka frowned, but nodded.
"You aren't going to tell the police are you?"
Maka gnawed the inside of her cheek thoughtfully.
"I'll talk to him and then decide."
Tsubaki looked like she wanted to say something more, but stopped herself and nodded, resigned.
"I just didn't want to say anything in case he got in trouble. I mean, he only did it to me and, well, you know..."
Maka nodded.
"I know. Hey I'll come by later and we'll watch a movie or something." she smiled.
Tsubaki smiled back and walked them to the door.
"So what was all that about?" Soul asked.
Maka sighed. "Tsubaki just has really strange taste in guys. C'mon. We have to talk to Black Star."
Soul followed her, resigned to the most likely truth, that Black Star, Maka's childhood friend and one of his few friends was the pervert.
This time, Soul knew where they were going. He had been to Black*Star's dorm room before, knew his roommates, smuggled in beer and played video games late at night. If Maka was surprised she didn't show it. She'd seen him talking to Black*Star at the security hub and had probably put two and two together. Soul raised his hand to knock on the door but Maka stopped him, gripping his wrist lightly. He looked down at her.
"I don't want it to be him either, but we have to approach this objectively."
"I know that."
Soul took her hand from his wrist gently and rapped loudly on the door. It was opened by one of Black*Star's two roommates, Killik.
"Hey Soul, weren't expecting you till tomorrow night."
"Yeah, I know. Is Black*Star here?"
Killik opened the door wider and gestured for them to come inside. He nodded at Maka who tilted her head in his direction before stalking through the room to where Black*Star sat playing Call of Duty.
"Can you give us a minute." It wasn't so much of a question as a statement but Killik grabbed his phone and keys and left with a nod.
"Black Star, we need to talk to you." She positioned herself between him and the TV.
"Yeah nerd we're gonna have to do this later. I'm showing these dorks in China what a god I am!" He cackled easily as he shot someone through the head.
Maka didn't waste anymore time. She blocked the TV completely, leaned over it and pulled the plug.
"Hey! Good minions don't do that to their gods!"
Soul put a hand on his friend's shoulder and shook his head, silently conveying that now was not the time.
"Well it's bound to be good if you interrupted me."
"Black Star do you know what happened in the dorms today?"
"Other than me being awesome?"
"She's serious Star." Soul said.
"Well I guess it's no wonder Tsubaki didn't tell you considering..." Maka trailed off artfully.
Soul sent her a warning look. Objective or not, Black*Star was their friend and now wasn't the time to be testing out her interrogation methods. Black*Star leapt from his chair.
"What happened to Tsubaki! Is she alright? What aren't you telling me?"
He grabbed Maka around the shoulders and she shook him off.
"Tsubaki's fine, sort of. Look, we know you've been peeping on her in the showers."
"Ain't a crime... Not between me and Tsu." Black Star muttered.
"Actually it is, but that's not the point right now. Someone's been filming girls in the showers and so far you're our only suspect."
Black*Star looked strangely wounded.
"Maka, you think I could do that? Soul?"
Soul interjected before Maka could.
"No we don't think you could do that, but it doesn't look good and it wont be long before the cops catch up to us and find you too. So what's the deal with Tsubaki?"
If Soul wasn't seeing it with his own eyes he might not believe it, but Blake Barrett, Black*Star was actually blushing a little.
"S'between her and me. Thats why I said it ain't a crime."
They stood there awkwardly for a moment and Maka looked slightly green for some reason. Soul couldn't help but wonder what Tsubaki had told her without revealing it was Black*Star she was talking about.
"You should talk to Tsubaki." Maka said. "She's kind of shaken up."
Black*Star nodded. "Are we done here?"
"Yeah, but we probably shouldn't bother the police with this. It's personal." Maka offered him a peace offering in the form of a smile.
"You agree?" Black*Star asked Soul.
"None of our business." He agreed.
"See you tomorrow then." Black*Star reached out and shook his hand.
"And remember, you can always come to your god for help."
Neither Soul, nor Maka doubted that they could.
Back in the hallway on their way to Maka's room to collect Soul's backpack, Soul screwed up enough courage to ask Maka what she was going to do next.
"Well I suppose I'll talk to the girls and see what they want to do."
"I meant about where you're gonna shower." To his credit he managed to say it without his voice wavering or breaking.
Maka pinked and hit him in the arm.
"Don't be such a pervert."
"Hey I'm just looking out for you. I don't want some creep filming my g-partner na-. Yeah." He shoved his hands in his pockets and slouched slightly. Fuck. So not cool.
Maka narrowed her eyes at him.
"I'll be fine. We'll just make sure all the windows are closed or covered. I guess we could always shower on the boys floor or on one of the co-ed floors."
Soul didn't like that idea much more than her first, but before he could press the issue further she derailed it.
"Well we've missed dinner hour here. Do you want to go out, your brother could come?"
"No."
"Oh well, okay-"
"Idiot. I just meant that he can't come. Where do you want to go?"
"Are you sure he won't mind?"
"I'm sure."
Maka nodded. "I'll just get a jacket."
Soul tapped out a quick text to his brother to tell him not to wait up, they'd have breakfast together tomorrow. It wasn't that Soul didn't want to see his brother, it was just he'd rather have dinner with Maka. It wasn't until she reappeared, her leather jacket and his bag in tow and his phone buzzed with a text that read 'hot date? ;)' that he realised the desire for that to be the situation probably should have worried him.
Maka was home by nine with a stomach full of real world food and a brain full of information she wasn't sure what to do with. She let herself into her room quietly. Her roommate Patti would still be awake, but it was a habit from the days of her parents' separation that she couldn't seem to kick.
"Hi Patti." Maka put her wallet on the dresser and shrugged out of her jacket, pausing with it halfway down her arms. "Hi...everyone."
Somehow about twenty girls seemed to have crammed themselves into her and Patti's small dorm room.
"Bit late for you, isn't it Maka." Liz, Patti's older sister and Tsubaki's roommate waved at her from an office chair.
Maka shrugged. "What's going on."
"We're gonna catch the shower creep. You want in?"
"Of course I do. What've you got in mind?"
Maka looked for a seat, but there was only floor space left. Instead she settled for leaning against the dresser.
"Well we were looking through this list they were passing around and every timestamp was between eight and nine a.m. So we figure that tomorrow we act as if we don't know anything, have people in the halls and catch the guy when he tries to leave."
Maka smiled.
"I think that could work."
Liz smiled back.
"If he shows, we'll get him. Now does anyone know where we can get some floor plans?"
The one thing they all seemed to forget; all the floor plans in the world won't make a difference if your perp doesn't show.
They set up posts around the girl's floors at six in the morning and rotated people through until eleven. When Maka turned up to work library duty an hour late, Soul didn't need to ask if something was wrong. Her face said it all, open like the books she loved to read and hated to monitor. Disappointment, rage and fuelling them both determination. It was a dangerous look on Maka Albarn. Later she'd explain that after five hours of surveillance and no sign of strange man or camera in any of the buildings, everyone involved in the sting operation was torn between disappointment and optimism. That many of the girls had even gone so far as to suggest this was the end of it. Maka hadn't been so convinced. Nothing this serious was ever that easy.
