Only Poet Bucky reviewed, as I.K.A. Valian said he was busy. I kind of expected this, as most people should be going back to school now, and schedules are getting increasingly busy (and so is mine).
There will be a cocktail of factors in play here: Gil does more investigation and gets even crazier inspiration for clues, Colloyd will try to resolve itself, the Heart of Balacruf is auctioned a second time, and Genis' belly button makes another interesting appearance. Get ready for this wild ride!
Namco owns Tales of Symphonia. Hong Kong TVB owns To Catch the Uncatchable.
Men and women in uniform buzzed around Sheena's room like bees, hovering near the turned-over cart and the bed, documenting all the items of interest. Thanks to Sheena's quick action, a paramedic also arrived to check on Zelos, as they threw a light-coloured bathrobe over his body and whisked him down to the waiting ambulance. While waiting for her friend to return, Sheena gave her testimony to police.
"So you were pretty much asleep during the entire time, and didn't really see any attacker until Mr. Wilder jumped into the room and blocked the wine bottle from hitting your head. Is that correct?" the officer asked. He was a young man with dark, frizzy hair and a nervous expression, which Sheena guessed was because he was a relative newbie.
"Yes, that's exactly what happened," Sheena confirmed, taking a sip of water. Her nerves were actually calmer with more people around, as their presence gave her a sense of security that protected her from any potential attacks. But still, her free hand wrung slightly with worry, wondering how Zelos, her so-called saviour, was doing with the wine bottle shattering his cast. "So I guess it could be the same guy from the last case, right?"
The officer's eyebrows scrunched up, looking more stressed out than Sheena. "It isn't really my call. From the last case, the wine bottle was used to bludgeon the victim to death, so assuming the same was about to happen to you, it's possible," he replied, trying to cap his pen and frantically flipping through his notes.
Sheena looked glum, trying to be patient to the rookie officer while hoping he could reveal any new information. Her glare outshined any lights in the hall, honing in on him like a spotlight and making him more uncomfortable. And just as they were in the heat of things, a familiar voice called, "Sheena, don't you know it's bad for the public to put that much pressure on young officers? Your taxes paid for his training, you know."
Sheena looked down the hall and a big smile stretched across her face. Clopping his way towards them was the former undercover police officer from Iselia, Gil Irving. "I must say, you sure pick the perfect time to get clobbered," Gil observed sarcastically, his eyes wandering as he scanned the room like a photocopy machine, "A few days ago, you were accused of smacking Masako, now the same happens to you. Ironic, no?"
Sheena followed Gil as the goateed man leaned like a runner crossing the finish line, his torso just grazing the police tape. His eyes were scanned every object and detail of the room, absorbing everything with photographic efficiency and noting anything unusual. When he dropped Sheena off the day the room was returned, he already felt there was something wrong, but he respected his friends' privacies to rifle through the room just to pinpoint it. "There isn't supposed to be that extra bump on the air conditioner," Gil muttered. Turning to Sheena, he asked, "Did you request an upgrade?"
Before Sheena could answer, another familiar voice interrupted her. This time, it was one she didn't want to hear. "Mr. Irving, can I help you?" Gil and Sheena turned just in time to catch that familiar figure in a dark suit and tie: hotel manager Nick Childress.
"Mr. Childress, how nice to see you," Gil greeted, cynicism dripping with every syllable, "But I must say you're quite late. Most of the time, when something is brewing in the hotel, you show up within thirty seconds. This time, you didn't come until thirty minutes later, and you missed another assault on one of your guests. What happened to that slogan 'guaranteeing safety and comfort' that you brandished earlier?" he sneered.
Childress pursed his lips. Gil tilted his head to get a better view at the manager's eyes, which now found the carpeted floor to be very fascinating. "What happened to both Mr. Wilder and Miss Fujibyashi was regrettable, and I take full responsibility for not having better security here. That's why I've come to cooperate with the police and help them out in any way possible," he insisted, his head resembling an anvil.
"Good, then maybe you can explain why you delivered a bottle of wine and some snacks to the two even when they told everyone they didn't order it. Are you giving free stuff away behind our backs? I'm going to file a complaint against you for giving these two special treatments, even though I pay more for my room," Gil chuckled, nudging the hotel manager. Even Sheena, who was nervous earlier, cracked a smile.
Just then, the police spotted Childress and flagged him down for an interview. As the hotel manager marched off, stiff as a nutcracker, Gil told Sheena that he would head back to his room. "Tell Zelos to leave a testimony for police, just in case he's suspected of a crime again," he reminded Sheena, who simply nodded in a deathly serious mood.
Gil hobbled back to the elevator, still mulling over details of the latest attack. "Both involved a wine bottle, delivered via a food cart, and Childress did the honours himself. One involved a shady businessman with several so-called love interests, while the other involved the businessman's high school friend, who isn't really a love interest. What do they have in common?" he mulled openly as he entered the open elevator.
Gil's train of thought rumbled through the dark tunnel known as his room, so much so that he barely got a moment of sleep. Even as sunlight seeped through the closed blinds, Gil could not get the possibilities out of his head. Maybe a rinse will do me some good, he thought as he grabbed his crutches. He struggled to the bathroom as discretely as possible, not wanting to wake the still snoring Lloyd.
Gil merely sat in the bathtub in a shower chair, stretching out his casted leg and letting the water run all over him. Being under this waterfall actually comforted him, as the water's rhythm eased the random thoughts doing battle inside his head for a while. "I know Sheena was accused of beating Masako with a wine bottle, and later on she was hit in the same way. Both times Childress delivered the cart, and both times he had access to the room. But Childress claimed not to have seen anything either time," he murmured.
After a few more minutes, Gil reached up to the tap with difficulty and turned off the water. He wrapped a towel around his body and inched out of the tub, sliding into a white short-sleeved T-shirt and beige cargo shorts while balancing on the edge like a trapeze artist. "But there's also no evidence to show Childress entered the rooms at those times, right? And how would the intruder know when to enter? Unless there's a secret camera, so is there one in Sheena's room by the air conditioner? So maybe there's one Masako's room as well, just to keep an eye on him?" Gil mulled as he pulled out his toothbrush.
By the time Gil finished brushing his teeth, Lloyd already stirred and sat upright on his bed, his eyes still heavy and his already messy hair even shaggier. "You're up early," he muttered to his father, unleashing a yawn and stretching out his arms. He even tilted his neck back and forth, loosening his muscles like a cat.
Gil was about to reply when Genis burst into the room through the connecting side door. "Can I shower in your bathroom?" he asked desperately, "Grandma beat me to it this morning, and Raine called it second. I don't want to make her mad this early in the morning, and I know both will take forever, so can I go here, please?" he begged, his face scrunched up and his hand squeezing his new change of underwear like an orange.
"No way, this is our bathroom to begin with. You stay out and wait while I go first," Lloyd protested, leaping out of bed like a hurdler. He raced Genis to the bathroom, both jockeying for position just outside of the doorframe as they waited for Gil to exit.
Gil stared out from the bathroom and saw the two boys arguing with each other, and suddenly a thought hit him. There was supposedly an argument between Sheena and Masako, where Sheena objected to Masako's advancing to her, and only when Masako refused to back down did Sheena swing the bottle at him. But there was no argument in the second case. In fact, Sheena and Zelos had stories that complemented each other, meaning whoever that attacked them was anticipating a fight that never precipitated, and most likely took action into their own hands.
Grabbing his crutches, Gil hobbled to the door and again, the two boys nudged and checked each other. Gil's attention turned to their undergarments this time, as the two had on very different styles of underwear. While Lloyd wore white boxer briefs, Genis preferred baggy blue boxer shorts, clicking another gear in Gil's mind. In a hotel room, there was bound to be clothing around, but nobody ever bothered to analyze the clothes, at least not yet. What if crucial evidence was present on them, but was passed over? "Lloyd, can I ask you something?" he requested, staggering towards his son.
Lloyd looked up for just a moment, which gave Genis the chance to bolt into the bathroom. Free from Lloyd's hold, the young half-elf sprinted in and locked the door, much to the spiky-haired teen's dismay. "Hey, Genis!" he yelled, gripping the doorknob.
"Sorry, bathroom is occupied," the silver-haired boy's muffled voice could be heard, "If there's any complaint say it into my belly button. It's against the door right now." Genis pushed out his abdomen and pressed the crater-like object onto the wood. "None? Then too bad!" He laughed, stripping off his boxers and turning the shower on.
Lloyd turned to his father with exasperated eyes. "Why did you have to call me at that moment? I could have been in there by now," he groaned, a hand shading his face.
"I was wondering if you and Colette could do me a favour tonight," Gil asked, "As you know, I wanted to attend the auction as an observer, but now something else came up and I want to deal with it later on tonight. I doubt I'll be in the room, so I was wondering if you can help me grab some stuff…"
"You interrupted me just for that?" Lloyd demanded, going on a rant about how he lost the bathroom because of a stupid request. Meanwhile, Gil tried to ignore his son as he turned on his laptop and searched for the evidence list he compiled when Frank dug through the trash for him. "Are you even listening here?" Lloyd shouted.
"I can hear you just fine, Lloyd," Gil mumbled. And I can see just fine as well, he thought, that there's something fishy with the wardrobe list, if memory serves me right. He continued scanning down the list, looking for the appropriate items. He realized that later on, he might have to call Arnold just to sort this increasingly complex case out.
And while father and son continued their odd exchange, Genis hummed the dance tunes he heard at the dance studio in the shower, waving his body around and letting the water splash him. "Now's the fun part," he announced to an imaginary audience. He let water soak the deep, round depression on his gut while sticking his finger in and wiggling the hole side to side. "I can clean my belly button and dance with it too. Isn't that cool?"
After another strange attack at the hotel, Arnold decided not to take any chances, like they did last time when staff was stretched and important pieces of evidence were missed out on in the collection stage. So later that morning, he assembled his unit in the conference room, wanting to have the crucial pieces listed off one by one and their corresponding significance stated. "Let's go over the evidence. Field team is first."
The team leader, a man in his thirties with flat top hair cleared his throat. "From the victim's room, we found the usual items of a traveler, and there isn't anything in there that particularly strikes as unusual or relating to the crime. The only items of suspicion are, of course, the food cart and its items, as delivered by Nick Childress, hotel manager, at around nine o'clock last night, consistent with everyone's witness accounts," he stated.
Arnold nodded, scribbling down all the information. "And from the cart, is there anything analyzed yet? What are the results, if available?" he asked, fretfully looking on.
"Other than the set of prints belonging to Sheena Fujibyashi, there was another set of prints on the bottle. I'm guessing that it might be the bar staff, or even Childress, who delivered the cart," the team leader replied apprehensively, "Apparently, nobody asked them to give us their fingerprints, so it's hard to do a match right now."
Arnold tapped his chin, thinking what methods they could use to get around that. "Childress has been to both crime scenes, although we don't know what he did at each one other than deliver food. We could just ask him to voluntarily give us a print, just for cooperation's sake," he mulled openly. Making more notes on the page, he decided on his next move. "Go back to the hotel later today and see if Childress will do that. Otherwise, we'll have to find some evidence to get a warrant for his fingerprints," he instructed.
Turning to the forensics team, he asked for their status update. "I analyzed the tapes of the security cameras last night and found that Childress was in Masako Hirano's room for fifteen minutes before coming out. We figured that he may have tampered with the body, be it resuscitation or that he was the killer. We were also asked by Gil Irving to check the deceased's clothing for clues. What do we have from there?" he demanded.
It was Dr. Austin, the head coroner, who reported on the body. "I've re-examined the body and the cause of death is consistent with our initial reports. It was blunt force trauma, where several blows to the head led to the death. There isn't enough from the ribs or sternum to tell whether resuscitation had occurred, but it's possible that he had been sat or pressed on with a moderate amount of force," he explained concisely.
"And the clothing the deceased wore did have some fibres on them that didn't belong to any of the clothing we collected, meaning another person was in the room and made contact with his body when he was clubbed to death," the forensics team lead, a woman with shoulder-length hair described, "That would dent the theory that Sheena Fujibyashi is the killer should her story ring true. There might be a third person present there that night, one that we didn't know about, and that's probably our killer."
From the end of the table, Arnold scribbled the information furiously onto his page like stitching them permanently onto the paper. "And how about other pieces of clothing, especially underwear," he continued his query, "Gil did mention there are two pairs of underwear in those garbage bags. What's the deal with that?"
"Not just two pairs, but two different types," the woman corrected her superior, "A pair of boxer shorts was found, and DNA evidence from it links it to the deceased, so he most likely owns the shorts. But there's also a pair of briefs, with epithelial DNA from there matching no one. The only thing we know is that they belong to a male and it's not a relative to the deceased in any way, given that the deceased isn't married."
Arnold tapped his pencil on his chin. "The deceased moved here two weeks ago, with no known family member or relative in Altamira or any of its surrounding areas, but a male's underwear is found in the room along with the deceased's own underwear. So where does that lead us?" he asked his team rhetorically.
When there was no answer, Arnold figured that he was at a dead end. At this time, there was only one choice for the police lieutenant. "I'm going to give our former mole a call," he decided, putting his notes away, "You guys just finish what you started so far."
"Well, that's a bummer," Frank muttered as they stood outside the large building. The group thought that it would be a good day to visit the one place they hadn't been to yet, the casino. Knowing that it had quite a history as Tethe'alla's oldest, largest, and most extravagant, they decided to drop by. But the casino had a rule of not allowing any group with members under the age of eighteen, meaning three members, Lloyd, Colette, and Genis, must sit out, forcing them to miss a supposedly spectacular sight.
But it was the usually most cynical person in the group who offered an optimistic view. "I think there are other places around the casino that we can visit," Gil suggested, the map covering the lower half of his face, "From the directions here, I can see a horse jumping venue just behind it. From what I hear, this venue is also quite renowned, having been host to several horse jumping competitions in years past. Should we take a look?"
Seeing how their options were limited, the group decided to split up. Those old enough to enter would visit the casino first, while Gil brought the underage threesome to tour the surrounding buildings. They would meet later on in the horse jumping facility, where they hoped to catch a glimpse of some riders training for their next competition. As Lloyd, Colette and Genis bounded around the corner, Gil was still absorbed in his map, and trying to figure out what direction they were headed. "So what's this one right in front of us?" he murmured, slowly shifting his weight, "Some conference hall?"
Gil delicately balanced on his crutches while looking forward. He could see Lloyd and Colette still separate from each other, uneasiness between them as they curiously stared through the glass doors while dropping an occasional line to each other. Gil heard from Lloyd that the two planned to go out by themselves this evening, to possibly sort out some of their problems, and even restart their relationship by hanging out the way they used to when they were younger. "You got to start somewhere, I'll say," Gil muttered.
Just then, a throng of reporters pushed the doors open, brushing Lloyd and Colette aside as they herded out in a circle, lights flashing at the figure they surrounded. The two teens could only look on as a middle-aged, bespectacled man wearing a dark suit jacket and bright bowtie strode out confidently and proudly, his two assistants keeping the press a short distance away just to make room for him. Although Gil couldn't see it from his angle, he figured it was another one of those fats cats showing off his pride again.
"I said it inside and I'll say it again," the wealthy-looking man spoke in a clear and somewhat egotistical tone, "The only announcement I'll make here is that I will be at the auction for the Heart of Balacruf tonight. Any other information will be revealed to you once the auction is over. Now if you excuse me, I have a casino to run."
"Mr. Perry, will you plan on making any bids for the necklace?" one reporter demanded, sticking his recorder into the man's face. Perry snapped his head back just in time, causing the recorder to graze the lapel of his shirt, nearly striking his bowtie.
One assistant's hand shot out and pushed the recorder back. Perry calmly reached up and readjusted the tie before staring at the young man's eyes. "I've already said I'll attend the auction out of interest. I'll take a look at the jewel, and decide from there."
"Mr. Perry, there has been rumours surrounding some extravagant gift you're planning to give to your wife for your wedding anniversary. Since you'll have the ball tonight, could the Heart be your target?" a female reporter asked as she was continually pushed backwards by the assistants and other journalists jockeying for position.
Again, the fat cat remained emotionless as he marched forward, the halo of journalists following his every step. "My wife has been the most priceless thing in my life, so I can only give her a priceless gift tonight," he replied, perplexing them more.
Some murmurs of amazement could be heard resonating in low-pitch chatter from the journalists as they neared the corner. Gil pressed himself closer to the wall to avoid being hit as they passed by. From the corner of his eye, Lloyd and Colette drew near as they followed the throng from a distance, and Genis was now beside them as well. "So if the necklace will be your target, what will your bidding price be?" another person asked.
And as expected, another ambiguous answer came from the middle-aged man. Gil could only sneer at the arrogance puffed out from Perry as he moved by, rolling his eyes and slapping his map shut in disgust. By the time Lloyd, Colette and Genis moved up to the former mole, the group of people already moved away. "What was that all about?" Lloyd asked, "Is he like the owner of the casino or something like that?"
Gil nodded, his eyes trailing the moving crowd. "Not only that, he's also going to the auction tonight, which will make things really interesting," Gil stated, "Guys like him probably think they own the world, and can cover all the sleaze that they accumulated over the years with their riches. Nonetheless, I'll keep an eye on him at the hotel tonight."
Just then, Gil's cell phone shrieked through the air, prompting the former mole to be excuses from the group. As his three younger companions trotted off, Gil answered the call, and got a truckload of information blasted into his ears like water cannons. "Hold on for a moment, Lieutenant Arnold," he requested, "Let me get some of this straightened out first. So outside of the three ladies and Sheena, there is another possible suspect in the room, and it happens to be a man? This just turned the whole case around!" Gil exclaimed.
"Not only that, but since there are prints and fabrics on the deceased's clothes, we can say there's been contact with this other mysterious person. Childress had access to all the tapes, so he's bound to have something. And that's what we're going to find out today when we go back," Arnold announced, confidence brimming with his every word.
"I doubt Childress will cooperate completely. That's why I have a better plan, and it involves some undercover work…" Gil explained, dropping his tone significantly as he looked around to ensure there was nobody nearby, before elaborating on his scheme.
Meanwhile, back at the hotel, Sheena and Zelos decided to switch out of their rooms, in fear that another attack might be prominent. As they sat in the lobby waiting for the front desk to check for availability, Childress had to show up to reassure their safety again, which only irritated the already stressed out twosome even more. "We'll feel much better if you just let us off the hook!" Zelos snapped, clutching his forehead. His left hand still stung from having his cast smashed last night, and he was already agitated from the feel of the new one. Now, with Childress chirping away, it only added to his misery.
Beside him, Sheena merely closed her eyes, trying to clear her mind of anything by Childress. She already had a sleepless night, and things weren't getting any better with the persistent hotel manager buzzing around her like a large fly. She lifted one eyelid with great difficulty, trying to peek at the front desk to see if they were ready. She figured that the sooner they left the lobby the better, as it would mean getting rid of Childress, at least for the moment. "Come on, hurry up," Sheena murmured.
Finally, a secretary at the desk came up to them. "I'm sorry, but no luxury suite has been prepared for use at the moment. I'm afraid that you're stuck in your rooms until further notice," she stated apologetically, albeit with a smile on her face.
"I'm sure there are openings for you later on," Childress chimed in, the sickening smile enough to make the two lose any appetite they might have left, "When the room is available, I'll make sure they're all prepared for you. So just relax and enjoy your day."
"How can we with you buzzing around?" Zelos retorted, glaring exasperatedly. Zelos and Sheena could only look on in disgust as Childress strutted off. After a few minutes of silent contemplation on their next move, Zelos picked up his cell phone and called Gil. "Maybe he's having better luck than us," he muttered, the keypad's beeping resembling screams of pain as Zelos unleashed his anger through his fingers.
Just then, Gil picked up from the other side. "Hey Gil, Zelos here," the redhead greeted his friend, "I already left my interrogation information with police, so I was just wondering if they found anything on the attack of last night yet."
"I just got a call from Lieutenant Arnold, actually, and he said there are indeed new leads. They say they'll be sending a group to the hotel right now, and they'll have to interview Mr. Childress," Gil explained, the sounds of their friends gathering behind him could be heard in muffled chatter, "I assume he's on your case again, isn't he?"
Zelos sighed, looking helplessly at Sheena, who just about fell asleep on her armchair. "We were trying to get a room switch because we didn't feel safe with the latest attack, but there's nothing available for us right now and Childress decided to come cheer us up," Zelos responded wearily, "Looks like it'll be a long day for us."
"Wait, don't switch," Gil interrupted Zelos from the other side. His tone grew deathly serious, making Zelos shoot up in his posture. The change wasn't unnoticed by Sheena, who lifted her head slightly and inched forward anxiously. "There might be a fifth person visiting Masako outside of the three ladies and Sheena, and I personally think this person had their eyes on you. If you move, it'll just be more unsafe," he warned, right now, "I have a plan for this situation. All I have to do is to attend the auction at the ballroom tonight, then make a few rearrangements. After that, all will be fine."
The mention of the auction sucked any excitement away from Zelos like a vacuum. He still had reservations about the auction group's move, feeling a sense of anger at their disregard for a life. But now that Gil told him he would be attending, what did the Iselia native have in mind? "Why are you going tonight?" Zelos asked.
"There are a bunch of rich snobs thinking of getting their hands on that necklace, and hearing from the press conference today that there's still apprehension over it, I think an observation would be warranted here," Gil explained, the sounds of his group slowly disappearing. Zelos guessed they probably wanted to tour another building and Gil was left behind to finish the call. "Besides, Raine told me some unusual information from her visit to the auction group, and I'm set on finding out about that."
Upon hearing that, Zelos' eyes grew wide. So that meant the investigation wasn't over, even as police deemed it an accident. With Candy's supposed killer still at large, did Gil imply that he wanted to use the auction to flush this suspect out? Determined to help, Zelos offered his services. "What do you want Sheena and me to do?"
But Gil calmly and respectfully refused their help, citing safety and stress. "You and Sheena already went through a lot, so it's best that you guys relax. Besides, you two already have targets on your backs, so it's dangerous to get into more investigations with no police protection," he explained, "Just take the night off and enjoy it with each other. Come to the casino, we're touring it right now and it's fantastic."
Before Zelos could say another word, Gil bid him farewell. Looking like the phone just zapped him, Zelos slowly closed it and slipped it back into his pocket. Turning to Sheena, he said with a weak smile, "So, you want to go tour the casino tonight? Gil said it's worth a look, so what do you say?" he suggested.
VIP's and other wealthy folks buzzed around the lobby of the hotel, waiting to be called into the ballroom for the auction. Many members of the local and regional press were also present as they interviewed each bidder for the Heart of Balacruf, and each got a boastful response on their expectations for the jewel. As each fat cat took their turn at the cameras, a man on crutches and two teenagers stood to the side and tilted their eyes left and right. "Nothing sparks a feeding frenzy like the smell of a precious jewel among rich snobs. It's beautiful to see high class folks turn into beasts, isn't it?" Gil stated.
Lloyd and Colette remained silent, too shocked to see their premises turned into dust right before their eyes. Forget about idealism, forget about making the world a better place to live, forget about the education and life experience each wealthy group had. With the Heart of Balacruf on the auction block, it was every man for himself. The high-end folks threw themselves at the cameras and bragged about how they'll spend ridiculous amounts on it, and then showing it off with their wives or lovers. It hit the two teens like a champion boxer, stunning them so much that they didn't know what to think.
But Gil's attention soon shifted from the marauding fat cats to the front desk, where Childress, surprisingly, wasn't available. Knowing that they had a big event like this, hotel management had to make the necessary preparations. Gil figured that Childress was busy snooping around the ballroom, and wouldn't be there to entertain any questions from guests. Which is just perfect for me, Gil thought. Turning to Lloyd and Colette, he instructed them to enter the auction. "Tell them you're there as spectators, and grab a seat away from the centre but still close enough to see everybody," he ordered, "I just have to make a quick visit to the front desk. Lloyd, we didn't miss anything in my bag, yes?"
Lloyd shook his head. "We packed it together, and I checked to make sure all the items you wanted were in there," he replied, "Dad, don't do anything crazy, okay?"
Gil nodded and signalled at the ballroom, telling Lloyd go early and avoid the throng of rich people strutting to their seats. As his son and girlfriend strode off, Gil took a glance at the surroundings, and noticed Childress busy speaking with auction staff. The perfect distraction, he thought as he hobbled to the front desk. With the ever attentive hotel manager focused on the auction, Gil could do whatever he pleased with the staff.
"We will accommodate for the press conference with the winner. We have another room ready on the second floor," Childress assured the auction manager Hunter, who was a picky man about details as well. The balding man grilled Childress for the last fifteen minutes, making sure each demand was satisfied to his liking. As the auction head continued mulling the response, Childress took out a hanky and wiped some sweat off his face. Hunter was one of few people who could strike that much worry into Childress. The past event with Candy being shoved off the stairs was still in Hunter's mind, and he wasn't likely to forget what he deemed as the hotel's incompetent security.
After a few more minutes, Hunter finally let the issue slide. "I wasn't satisfied with the last show, even though police ruled the death an accident. I don't want a repeat, yes?" he demanded, his eyes aiming darts into Childress, who only managed a weak nod.
Fuming at Hunter as he entered the ballroom, Childress quickly spun on his heel and stepped out of the crowd. His eyes lifted to the front desk, and a look of horror spread across his face. Quickening his pace and dodging potential bidders like a steeplechase, he hurried to his target, which now slipped a card key into his pocket. "You're getting the better end of the deal, because I'm still paying penthouse price for a downgrade," he informed the front desk with a slightly cynical tone, "But for my purposes, I'm willing to go for it."
"Mr. Irving," Childress called, finally reaching the former mole. Trying to hide his rush and insecurity, the man in a dark suit and tie tried catching his breath as quietly as possible, and recomposed himself to look more formal, "What are you doing?"
"Ah, Mr. Childress, how nice of you to visit me again," Gil replied, snaring the hotel manager into the predicament, "But there won't be any need for you to help me. I already talked to your staff and they said they're willing to change rooms for me. For tonight, I'll be in a luxury suite instead of my penthouse. What's more, it's Masako Hirano's former suite, which is still surprisingly vacant. What a coincidence, yes?"
Childress stuttered, his eyes staring at Gil's pants pocket. The goateed man was more unpredictable by the minute, and Childress had no idea what Gil wanted with this last move. As shock, confusion, and helplessness all flashed through the hotel manager's face, Gil enjoyed every bit of it. "And by the way, this time you're only five minutes late, so you improved on your timing of getting to me, but nowhere near your usual mark of thirty seconds," Gil taunted him with a grin, "If you excuse me, I plan to move."
Childress continued standing there as Gil clopped past him, pressing the up button and waited patiently for an elevator. By the time Childress had collected his thoughts, the doors had opened. "Mr. Irving," he shouted again, catching Gil midway between entering the elevator, "May I ask why you requested a move? Is the penthouse uncomfortable?"
Gil looked back, a mischievous twinkle glistening from his eye. "No, I just want some peace and quiet to work on my novel tonight," he replied, "I already said that you never quite know what two lovesick teens might do. And in cases like this, something crazy is bound to happen." He emphasized the word crazy, wiggling his eyebrows again.
Again, more shivers buzzed up Childress' spine, causing slight tremors from the man's body. As Gil entered the elevator, Childress called, "Perhaps I can prepare the room for you again, since it hasn't been used in days. If you want to do some writing, certainly you'll like a comfortable environment, no?" he asked desperately.
"Why, thank you for that offer. I'll gladly take it," Gil responded with a sickening sweet tone, almost like caramel on his tongue, "I'll just grab some stuff from my room and wait until you're done. Will you be ready in twenty minutes?" he asked as he disappeared from sight, the elevator doors closing and still showing his exaggerated smile.
Childress again trembled, realizing that he was in quite a pickle. He couldn't back down from Gil's request without arousing suspicion. Sighing, he trotted to the security office to prepare, knowing there was no way out from the irritatingly insane Iselia native.
"This looks like a good spot," Colette pointed at a section near the back and to the side, but not completely isolated in a corner. As Gil confronted the front desk, Lloyd and Colette did they were told and found some seats for the three of them. The blond girl's attention was not on the auction, however. She was more concerned about this outing tonight, and what her boyfriend had in mind for them. Knowing that their relationship was on the rocks, she almost felt awkward on going on a supposed date with Lloyd.
But Lloyd remained extremely gentlemanly despite being believed to still hold significant anger inside. Remaining in the aisle, he waved his hand to allow Colette in first, before he finally eased in. There was a side aisle to the far left of the row, hidden from the lack of bright lighting. The two teens could see an intensely lit stage with a long table in the middle. Stage hands lugged a covered container like handling a fragile artefact in Frank's lab, which led Colette to believe that it was the Heart of Balacruf.
Colette tried hard to focus on the mysterious container, but to no avail, as her eyes kept taking side stares at the boy sitting on her right. Dressed in his board shorts, a loose, semi-buttoned up shirt, and his sneakers, Lloyd crossed his arms and stared daggers onto the stage, making Colette wonder if Lloyd fumed at her or the auction crew. Realizing she had to break the ice, Colette gently cleared her throat. "Lloyd?" she called meekly.
The spiky-haired teen turned his head slowly towards her, almost like a creaky door opening with great difficulty. His eyes were blank and his face expressionless, striking even more uncertainty into Colette. With shivers going up and down her spine, the blonde swallowed hard, gently moistened her lips and spoke in a soft tone. "I know you specifically called for this, but I just want to know why it has to be tonight and with us alone. I know what I did was wrong, and I'm really sorry…"
But Lloyd raised a hand to stop her. "Colette, I really don't want to hear any more apologies. What you did was wrong, but I don't want that to be the main and sole focus on the date," Lloyd dismissed her question emphatically, "I was really upset, but now that I had time and thought it over, I felt that we should both move on from this event."
Colette stared into Lloyd's eyes, curious and afraid at the same time. What did Lloyd mean by moving on? Was he planning to step away from their relationship? "I'll do anything to make things right, I promise you! But please, we can't just drop it like this, not when we've come so far! Ten years of friendship and saving the world together, along with you curing me, all those mean something, right?" Colette pleaded.
Lloyd nodded, with his face still stoic. "They do, and that's why we have to move on and start new. I want us to keep working, but I don't want to leave you behind. That's why I want tonight to be a new first date for us, like a fresh start to our relationship," he explained. A sincere look replaced the glum one, bringing warmth to Colette in this dark and chilly corner. "Colette, I really care about you, and I don't want to see you hurt. That's why I decided on this move, because this is the only way we can move forward again. If I did it any other way, it'll look like I'm trying to humiliate you in public."
Colette gasped, her hand covering her mouth in shock. So that's what Lloyd was trying to do? He never intended to separate, but to start anew and give them both another chance. Colette was truly touched by the gesture, as even with her immature act of being distracted by a dog and embarrassing Lloyd in public, Lloyd still refused to retaliate; rather, he continued to be sincere and genuine, showing care and respect for her. Deeply moved, Colette held Lloyd's hands and weakly smiled. "Yes, Lloyd, I'll do everything I can to make it work again," she replied, sniffling and holding back tears, "From now on, I'll never put you on the spot in public. If there's a problem, we'll solve it together, just like how we cut that seed to the Aurion Tree together," she promised.
Lloyd wriggled one hand out of the grasp and brushed her cheek, a warm smile lined across his face. "And I'll be a responsible person, and will always listen to you. Even when we disagree, I'll do everything I can to accommodate your requests," he pledged with determination, "I'll concede some points every now and then, and I will apologize for my overreaction that day. But if it means being with you, I'll do anything."
The two stared longingly into each other's eyes, grateful for the second chance and unwavering in their resolve to not let it slip away. As their faces grew nearer, the people around were nothing but a blur, their voices nothing but static as the two teens focused solely on each other. It was like their first kiss on that military plane, when Lloyd exposed his feelings to Colette while she was in monster form. Colette confronted Lloyd about it after being healed, bringing him aside on the plane and telling him that she felt the same way. And with the current situation where Gil asked them to help solve a case, it was almost déjà vu. Their lips parted slightly as their noses almost nuzzled, each person feeling the other's breathing on their cheeks as they were about to kiss.
"Attention to all bidders: the auction will begin in ten minutes! Please file into the ballroom as quickly as possible!" the loud intercom voice blared through the air. Lloyd and Colette jolted up, releasing each other and eyed the doors. Within minutes of the announcement, many of the fat cats they saw from the outside marched in, an air of arrogance replacing their romantic atmosphere as they took their seats.
Lloyd pulled his phone out of his pocket. "I have to check if my dad's ready," he stated, getting up to step out, "Can you keep an eye on things here for me?"
"Wow, now that's an unusual way of getting what you want, and it seems almost counter to the usual demands of guests too," Lloyd commented as he helped Gil into the ballroom. They made it just in time as the doors closed, the security staff refusing any more visitors into the auction. With all the VIP's seated almost front and centre, Gil took the back route to their row, insisting on getting in from the side rather than the main aisle.
"Well, it's hard to argue against the police, especially when I told them I would have police search Masako's room if they ever found out about it being empty even as their boss told police it'll be used," Gil replied, hobbling to the side. Lloyd followed closely, making sure his father can manoeuvre around the darkness. "Besides, Childress can't do anything for now. The police just arrived to further their investigation on the death, and they're asking him some pretty sensitive questions right now."
Gil sat to Colette's left, curling his legs while Lloyd climbed over his injured father and back to his seat to Colette's right. They got comfortable just in time to hear Hunter announce the item. "This is the Heart of Balacruf, our only item up for bid. The base price is four million, with bidding increments increasing at a quarter of a million each time." Giving way to the auctioneer, Hunter called out, "The bidding begins!"
Within seconds, several people called out prices, making the auctioneer juggle among many directions. Lloyd, Colette, and Gil tried hard to achieve their goal of tracking each bidder, their heads and eyes twitching and rolling around like on a spinning ride at the amusement park. It was increasingly difficult to keep track of all the fat cats thirsting for that necklace, and Gil's eyes couldn't help but stop every time they crossed the stage, where Leonard Yancey sat at the end of the long table, his face stoic before his laptop.
Suddenly, the man they ran into at the casino raised his hand. In a tone similar to the one Forcystus used on Gil when he was still undercover, Perry spoke up. "I bid seven and a half million," he announced, showing the surrounding bidders his arrogant smirk.
Not to be outdone, a bespectacled man one row back raised his hand as well. "I bid eight million," he retorted, staring down the casino owner. From Gil's position, it was clear that the price range had reached a stage where only a few bidders could afford it, no small feat considering the net worth of the people seated in this room.
"Is there any higher than eight million?" the auctioneer asked, his eyes scanning the crowd. The lighting from the stage cast strange shadows around the seats, making it look like the rival bidders were framed into a large but scattered spotlight. "Eight million dollars, going once, going twice…" the auctioneer counted, his hand gripping the gavel.
But Perry interjected just before the hammer slammed down. "Nine million," he called, his eyes glued to the necklace. From the back, Lloyd and Colette zoned in on the bidder, their hearts pounding and their hands sweaty. They held their breaths, anticipating any higher bids as the room fell into a dead silence. Among the crowd there were already murmurs as each bidder contemplated whether to continue.
"Nine million, going once…" the auctioneer stated. The bidders' looks ranged from confusion, frustration, and downright defeat. "…going twice…" All bidders at the front eyed Perry, who smirked haughtily as he prepared to take possession of the Heart of Balacruf. "…three times, and sold!" With that, the gavel dropped onto the block, the loud bang signalling the end. "Congratulations, Mr. Gordon Perry!" the auctioneer proclaimed as the crowd clapped politely, many shaking Perry's hand as the press huddled near him.
But Gil was more interested at a certain jewellery expert on stage, who slapped the laptop shut and glared at the casino owner basking in the glory like he had just scored a game-winning goal. Gil gently nudged Lloyd and Colette, signalling their attention onto the stage. Indeed, three sets of eyes saw Leonard's aggravated expression, and suspicion instantly perked up inside them, wondering what was going through Leonard's mind right now.
That's a good way to end it here, I'll show you more next time. I'll try to update once every two weeks, although no guarantees right now. See you soon!