Chapter 9: Odd Compa-lications

Blank. Where there should have been eyes, a mouth and a nose, was completely blank. Joker's face looked like someone had wiped it off with some photo-editing software. All that remained were her eyebrows. Her short, red hair was a unkempt and hung down to her shoulders. Two silver hair clips managed to keep the hair on the top of her head in place.

"I'm gonna have trouble sleeping now", B-Sha whined.

IF scanned the unmasked girl before crossing her arms and closing her eyes. "Nope. I definitely don't recognize you at all", IF said, "You not having a face doesn't really help."

Joker placed her mask back onto her face and shoved her hands back into her skirt pockets. She tilted her head for a moment, then she raised it up and nodded. She took her hands out of her pocket and reached behind her back and pulled out a mask of a young brunette with short hair with a leafy green hair bow. She switched it with her butterfly mask, and placed a hand over one eye.

"With the powers of demons and the heavens themselves, I will send evil back to hell!", Joker began, changing her tone of voice.

IF uncrossed her arms and had a curious look on her face. Her eyes widened as she realized what mask Joker was wearing and the recognized the oh so familiar dialogue.

Joker continued, "I invoke the power sealed within my right hand! Come forth, La Del-"

"S-STOP! I remember now!", IF said in a panicked voice.

"Huh? What was she gonna say?", B-Sha asked.

"That sounded like something an anime character would say, but…", CC2 shrugged.

"I remember Iffy talking like that during our duel", K-Sha chuckled.

Nisa put her hands on her hips and leaned forward towards Joker. "Wait a minute, that mask kind of looks like IF!"

"I agree. It even has the same look on her face", Lid noted.

"N-no it doesn't!", IF stuttered, with the same look on her face. Her attention snapped back to Joker. "Take that thing off already!"

Joker took off the mask of the young brunette. For the moment she had her mask off, her cheeks seemed to rise. She fit the butterfly mask back onto her face and raised her head up to look at the group. IF sighed in relief.

"My name, or rather, my true name, is Persona", the girl announced.

"Eh, I remember calling you 'Sona'", IF shrugged, "Way easier to say."

"Why'd you say it was 'Joker' before?", CC2 asked.

"It's an alias I use to conceal my true self", the masked schoolgirl replied. She scratched the back of her head and looked away. "...Sorry for deceiving you."

"Don't worry about it! I'm just glad you're fine!", CC2 smiled.

K-Sha placed a hand on her forehead. "Oh, that reminds me! I still have to free all of the other people", she spoke up.

IF turned around to face K-Sha. "You don't have to worry about the ones in that abandoned factory Sona and I were in. The Planeptune and Lastation guilds already sent agents to free everyone there."

"I wasn't talking about those", K-Sha said. She raised her hand up in front of her so everyone could see her deck.

"Wait. We should probably let them out after we get back to town. That would be way easier than parading them all back", C-Sha said.

"Can we go home now? My jaw hurts…", B-Sha spoke up.

"Indeed! If there is nothing else to be done here, then we should leave and alert the guild of this location!", Nisa said.

"You're going to turn me in?", K-Sha said in a stern tone.

"They'll take you in for questioning, yes", Nisa nodded.

"I have some connections. You'll be fine", Lid smiled. "Besides. This is the Organization's fault. Not yours."

K-Sha looked towards Lid and nodded. "Thank you, everyone! I need to make this up to you all. I think I know just how, too!" She started walking for the exit of the room. "Follow me!"

Planeptune Guild, Planeptune...

Out of the Guild's sliding doors emerged a hooded girl with clammy skin and green hair, sighing exhaustingly. She walked down the steps and began walking through the ever-so vibrant streets.

"I can't believe they freaking kept me all night to ask me questions!", the girl complained. She took out her phone protected by worn out gray casing. Despite this, the screen was cracked anyway. She logged into her bank account and closed her eyes before taking a peek at her balance. "...At least I have enough cash for a freaking cheeseburger."

She shoved her phone into her pocket and turned around a corner, continuing to walk for a few more blocks before pausing before an alleyway. A large crate sat on the ground with nobody around in sight. A glint shined in the girl's eye and a grin grew on her face. "Heh. Finders keepers."

Several minutes later, the clerk of the weapon shop emerged from one of the buildings and entered the alleyway, whistling a tune to himself. The whistling promptly stopped as he looked around the otherwise empty alleyway, the crate nowhere to be seen. "Eh, I doubt anyone would notice anyway."

Planeptune City Outskirts

One of the areas outside Planeptune is a park well-known for it's gorgeous cherry blossom trees and peaceful ponds. One could (usually) come here without a worry of having to deal with any monsters. Even so, these monsters don't usually go too far from their territory.

However, a certain herd of dogoos, led by a giant one with a stylish pompadour, was ready to set out and seek revenge on the girls who beat them into jelly. The laughably small army of dogoos followed their leader, who hopped valiantly towards Planeptune, causing tremors beneath them as they marched forth.

The tremors, however, were actually being caused by the giant robot that was now running through the gooey invaders. The top of the robot had a relatively flat surface, which is where IF's party was seated.

"This robot's cool and all", B-Sha shouted from atop the robot, "But I still prefer smaller ones like Bandam!"

"Eh, I think they're both pretty neat", IF shouted back. She knelt down on one knee and glanced ahead at their path.

"I'm just surprised this robot was already repaired", Lid commented.

"That's Generia for you!", B-Sha smiled as she gave Lid a thumbs up.

Persona's gaze was towards the side of the robot, taking in the view of the park. "You know, after spending a bunch of time in a cell, I think I should take the time to appreciate life's grandeur".

"Whoa, that's pretty deep", C-Sha responded.

Persona continued, "...For it matters not who you are- death awaits you."

"Aaand now it's depressing", B-Sha sighed.

"Still doing poetry, huh?", IF smirked.

The masked girl turned to IF. "It soothes the soul. You should try it sometime."

"I think I'll pass on that", IF said.

"Hey, I wanna try!", B-Sha jumped up. She cleared her throat and stood up straight. "Roses are red, cherry blossoms are pink-"

"That's not how it goes!", CC2 interrupted.

B-Sha placed her hands on her hips and pouted. "I know what I said, let me think!" She paused for a moment and her eyes lit up. "Hey, I did it!"

"I don't think rhyming things is all it takes to make a poem", IF butted in.

"Oh yeah? Why don't you try it then, Iffy?", B-Sha replied.

IF raised her eyebrows. "Me? Eh, why not." IF closed her eyes for a second before she started. "A wind, flows through the land, dancing through heaven and hell. Hearts flying across the land. Winged like a hawk, through and through. The wind will guide the hearts to land."

"What", B-Sha said with a blank look on her face.

"She's probably using metaphors or something", C-Sha replied.

"I see. Poems are the reflections of the heart, you know", Persona answered.

"So if we can figure out what IF's poem means, we get to know what she's thinking?", CC2 asked.

Persona shrugged. "Sure, why not."

"Does that mean you want to fly, Iffy?", B-Sha asked.

IF crossed her arms. "Don't take it so seriously. I just said some random words off the top of my head."

"Wouldn't that mean it's true, then?", C-Sha smirked.

Nisa turned around and walked over from the front of the robot. "You should be more honest about your feelings, IF!", Nisa said.

"I just said they were random", IF sighed. "How about you give it a try, then?"

Nisa smiled. "With Pleasure!", she replied. She raised her right hand in front of her lackluster chest and curled it into the fist. "Love, Bravery and Justice! For the people you care for! To inspire the weak! To vanquish all evil, within our nation! To deliver the world from devasta-"

"That's not a poem! That's a Saturday morning intro speech!", B-Sha interrupted.

Nisa gave her a thumbs up. "As long as it demonstrates the Justice that burns within my heart, I'll accept that as a compliment!" The two girls began to go back and forth about what heroic poetry actually sounds like.

"So energetic… are they always like this?", Lid asked.

IF uncrossed her arms and shrugged. "As far as I've seen? Yeah." She turned her gaze to CC2. It took the blonde thief a few moments to realize IF was looking at her and was startled into biting her tongue. She covered her mouth and turned away.

"...My condolences", Lid replied.

"It's not all bad. There's never really a dull moment around Nisa, at least", IF smiled.

"Good thing you're around to be the voice of reason then, huh?", C-Sha said.

"Sometimes I wonder who's training who…", IF sighed. She turned her attention to Persona. "What have you been up to after all these years?"

Persona turned towards IF. "I've been living the life of a normal school girl, of course...That is, until fate intervened, of course."

"Fate?", C-Sha repeated.

The masked girl nodded. "Yes. It was a day like any other. Then suddenly, demons appeared and-"

"O-on second thought, maybe you could tell me another time!", IF smiled nervously.

C-Sha turned her attention towards IF. "Why'd you stop her? That sounded like it was gonna be pretty cool."

IF looked back at C-Sha with a surprised look on her face. "You thought… that was cool?"

CC2 walked back, wiping her mouth. "Of course that sounds cool!", she smiled. She turned her attention towards Persona. IF looked at C-Sha and CC2 in disbelief, then sighed in relief.

"So, what happened next? You beat up those demons, right?", CC2 asked.

Persona shook her head. "I talked them into leaving us alone."

"What? Is that really all it took?", C-Sha asked.

"Yes. Then I took a nap", Joker continued.

IF crossed her arms. "Wait. You just convinced some demons to stop attacking your school, then the first thing you did next was take a nap?"

"Of course. Don't you feel much more alive after taking a nap?", Joker replied.

IF shrugged. "I just drink coffee whenever I feel tired."

"I totally get what you mean! Though I'd just fall asleep because I'd get bored, hehe…", CC2 grinned.

Persona cleared her throat. "Anyway, when I fell asleep, I had a dream, and an outlandish man gave me the powers to reach my destiny." She pulled out her big blue book and showed it to the three girls listening to her.

C-Sha raised an eyebrow. "A book?"

"She used some cards from that book to cast spells earlier", CC2 said. "I guess that's one way to fight!"

IF crossed her arms. "A schoolgirl with magic cards, huh? Why does that sound familiar?" IF looked down towards the cockpit towards the front of the robot.

"That does sound a lot like K-Sha", C-Sha commented.

"Oh, yeah!", CC2 said, "Maybe you two could hang out sometime!"

Joker put her book away and shrugged.

Suddenly, the robot shook and caused everyone to stumble and crouch down to maintain their footing. The cockpit in the front opened up and K-Sha climbed out. "We're here!"

B-Sha pushed herself up and patted down her dress. "Give us a warning before you do that, will you?!"

K-Sha brought the tips of her fingers together in front of her chest. "Sorry!", she replied. "Watch your step on the way down!"

One by one, everyone started climbing down the robot, some leaping down as soon as they were halfway done. After making sure everyone was down, the robot dissolved into holographic cubes.

"If we're ready now, we should bring Persona and K-Sha back to the Basilicom", Nisa announced.

IF gave K-Sha a stern look. "You better not forget to let all those people out."

K-Sha gave IF a peaceful look. "Don't worry. I have no reason to keep them anymore."

"If that's settled, let's get over there. This is some pretty serious stuff, so we should get the Guild to investigate it ASAP", C-Sha said in a commanding tone. After a unanimous agreement, the group continued into the city on foot. Their brief journey to the guild building was uneventful, save for Nisa and B-Sha continuing their discussion along with Persona in the back of the group until they finally arrived before the steps of the guild.

"K-Sha and Sona have to go in, right?", CC2 said.

C-Sha stepped forth ahead of the group. "Me too. After all, I was guarding that place."

Nisa nodded. "I should go too. I noticed some things were off about you during our fight, so I think that info would be pretty useful", she said.

"Wow, that actually sounds like a good idea", IF smirked.

"Do not confuse enthusiasm for foolishness!", Nisa replied, "Even hot headed shonen protagonists can get it together when they have to!"

B-Sha yawned, then held her jaw. "I think I'll hang around inside for a bit, too. I need a nap after all that laughing…"

CC2 grinned. "That leaves me time to grab something to eat!"

Lid placed two fingers onto one of her ears and nodded a few times. "Understood. I'll be back by the time you're all done being questioned", she announced to the group.

IF looked around the group with a worried look on her face. "Wait a minute. Are we all splitting up now?"

"Hm? Yeah, looks like it", C-Sha responded.

Nisa turned to look at IF. "This was a long day, so just go ahead and take some time for yourself, IF!"

IF closed her eyes for a moment. "Time for myself, eh? I don't see why not. Just give me a call whenever you're ready to meet up again."

Nisa nodded at her partner before everyone began going their separate ways. IF walked towards her bike and climbed onto it, revving it up a few times before shooting off. As IF left, a shadowy figure with gray eyes looked on as the brunette rode away...

The evening rush was in full swing, complete with people, traffic, and people angry at the traffic. Drivers looked on in envy at the pedestrians walking around freely, enjoying the rest of their day as the beautiful sounds of horns and shouting filled the air. It was almost as if the traffic wasn't moving at all. IF didn't notice how long she had been there until her stomach grumbled and her phone's battery died, prompting her to look up from her device and rub her neck.

"This is ridiculous! Was there some big accident or something?", IF thought to herself. She looked behind her and backed up between the cars, stopping to turn around a corner and riding off another through another route.

Up ahead at the front of the traffic, several cars were dogpiled onto each other. The fire department and several ambulances were on the scene, helping people out and assisting the mildly inconvenienced drivers who were stuck. "Mildly inconvenienced", as they seemed to be just fine with lining up for a ride in an ambulance. One such driver was being questioned by a pair of... energetic... young girls.

"Sir, could you please describe how this all happened?", the blonde girl asked. She held out a notepad with a pen at the ready, carrying a rather square teddy bear under her arm.

The orange haired girl nudged the blonde aside. "This is my scoop, Dengekiko!", she grumbled. She then turned to the man again with her own notepad and pen in her comically gloved grasp. "Now sir, would you please explain the situation to me?"

The blonde nudged the other girl back. "I got here first, Famitsu!", she grumbled back. The two girls grit their teeth as they glared at each other. The man scratched his head and shrugged.

"Well, er… there was this girl crossing the street, right? She's wearing this really cute nurse outfit, and it was really tight… so you got to see how huge her knockers were!", the guy grinned and chuckled to himself. He seemed to gaze at nothing, completely lost in his own dreamland. The two reporters looked at each other with a look of disbelief.

"I got this idea, see… if she's a nurse, then maybe if I got hurt, she'd take care of me in the hospital! I think some other guys got the same idea, and well…", the man looked over at the piled up cars.

Dengekiko had an annoyed look on her face. "Wow. There are so many problems with that plan."

The man looked at them both in surprise. "Hey, you'd get it too if you had just seen here! As a matter of fact, I managed to snag a hot pic of her, too!" The man took his phone out and showed the two girls the photo. Their eyes lit up in awe.

"T-that angle!", Dengekiko commented, "It's so close to seeing up her legs, without being too risque!"

"And the pose! It's so innocent, yet still sexy!", Famitsu added.

"This is the perfect story!", the two girls said together. They instantly snapped their attention back to one another and glared.

"Wait a minute, you're reporters, aren't you?!" the man said, "No way I'm gonna give you this pic! If you do that, everyone else is gonna try to get to her, too!" The two girls looked at the man again.

"Well, I guess we could just run the story without it", Dengekiko said with a pout.

"I can see it now: "Man Causes Gridlock in Planeptune to Take Picture of Nurse"!", Famitsu smirked.

"W-wait a sec! You can't do that!", the man said with a worried expression on his face, "If people found out I caused all this traffic, it'd be a nightmare!"

"Well, we don't have a choice. We have to report what happened, and without any more material, this is the only way we could report this", Dengekiko shrugged, putting her notepad away.

The man sighed. "Damn it… fine, you can have the pic! Just make sure you don't use my name!"

After sending the image to their phones, the man sighed and gleefully entered one of the ambulances. The two journalists nodded in approval at the image they had received.

"Everyone's going to love my article! This is just the icing on the cake!", Famitsu declared with a confident look on her face, closing her eyes as she smiled gleefully. "Sorry to leave so suddenly Dengekiko, but I have an article to…" She opened her eyes, only to find that Dengekiko was already running away. "Hey, no fair!"

IF took a seat in a food court in a wireless charging area. It was, by all means, no different from the rest of the food court, other than most of the people sitting in this area being robots. With a smile on her face, IF dialed a number and waited a few moments before finally being greeted with a cute "Heya, Iffy!"

IF leaned back in her seat and smiled. "Hey, Compa! I've got some free time right now, wanna get something to eat?"

"Oh, I'd love to! But I can't right now… There was a big accident, so I had to back and help out at the hospital!", Compa responded.

IF sighed and her face fell to a more neutral expression. "I figured something like that happened. I was stuck in traffic for a while earlier. I had to go some other way because it wouldn't move at all." The brunette looked around the food court and scanned the available restaurants. Her stomach grumbled as if it could see the restaurants itself.

There was a pause on the other end of the line. "Iffy… you're not forgetting to eat again, are you? You can't forget to eat your food if you want to grow big and healthy!"

"I don't think I'll be growing much more than this, Compa", IF replied.

"Well, it worked for me! Maybe you're just a late bloomer?", Compa said.

IF tilted her head for a second, then shrugged. "Eh, I guess it doesn't matter now."

An angry, muffled voice could be heard in the background on Compa's end. Compa's voice sounded further away for a moment, replying to the other voice. "Oh, sorry Iffy! The mean head nurse lady says I need to quit fooling around and get back to work. We'll talk later, okay?"

"Yeah, okay! See you… later." The call ended and IF sighed. Her stomach roared at her once more and she clenched it. She checked the charge on her phone before getting up and walking towards one of the restaurants to get a quick bite.

Over at the guild, things seemed to be slowing down as the sun set. Some adventurers called it quits for the day and left, while more persistent ones stayed behind to get another quest or two done. On one of the tables sat B-Sha, who was resting her head on it for a nap. Next to her was CC2 reading a comic- or rather, manga- and on the opposite side was Nisa, reading through the news online on a holographic display projected by the table.

A new article showed up in Nisa's feed. She selected it and was greeted with the headline: "Local Nurse Causes Planeptune Gridlock (Exclusive Photos Within!)". She opened it up and was greeted with a rather risky shot of the nurse in said article. The author was credited was uncredited.

"Should they really be posting this? This seems like a bit much…", Nisa muttered. She looked at the source name of the image. "Sir, eh? I think I'll have to pay Mr. Sir a visit and teach him a thing or two about a maiden's privacy!"

CC2 looked up from what she was reading. "Hm? What are you talking about?"

Nisa touched the hologram and it flipped around so CC2 could see it. The blonde thief put her book down and read through the article.

"So, let me get this straight. A cute nurse crossed the street, then all these people crashed on purpose for a chance to see her in the hospital?", CC2 muttered.

Nisa nodded.

CC2 looked at the article again, then looked at the picture of the nurse. "Couldn't they just ask her out for dinner or something instead?"

"Perhaps they're the same people who complain online about being friendzoned, despite never having asked a girl out at all!", Nisa said with a confident tone.

"If you say so...", CC2 yawned and stretched her arms out. She looked around the guild, seeing that it was emptying out as the day was closing out. "Shouldn't they be done by now?"

Nisa shrugged. "Perhaps we should wait for them to contact us when they're finished, then. I think we've done all we can for today!"

CC2 nodded, then gave B-Sha a few head pats to wake her up. "Mmm… get back here... Cha...", she grumbled before she suddenly lifted her head up. She looked around the room, now wide awake. "What's going on? Bad guys? I'll get Presto Mask!", she said quickly.

Nisa smiled at B-Sha. "That won't be necessary! We're just going to head out for the day, since it doesn't seem like they'll be finished questioning anytime soon."

B-Sha pouted. "I could've just gone home and built new figures! Oh well, I guess I still have time for that today if I hurry home now."

CC2 and B-Sha got up from their seats and started walking for the exit. "We'll see you around, Nisa!", CC2 grinned. As they left, CC2 looked to B-Sha. "Keep your phone on, alright? C-Sha's gonna try to call you when they get out!"

"Thank you for all the help!" Nisa stood up and smiled at the pair of blondes as they exited through the guild's sliding doors. She turned around and took one last look at the article on the holographic display hovering over the table before swiping it away. Nisa took off her backpack and pulled out her phone, dialing IF's number.

IF answered after only one ring. "Hey, Nisa. Are they done yet?"

"They haven't! We're splitting up for now and will come back once they contact us", Nisa replied.

IF sighed. "I figured as much. Hey, did you hear about this big traffic jam?"

"I did! Apparently there was a big accident caused by some people who were… er, distracted, by a girl in a nurse's outfit!", Nisa explained.

"Wait, what?", IF blurted out.

"Do you know anything about that?", Nisa asked.

"Well, I was stuck in the traffic earlier, and my friend Compa's a nurse." IF muttered.

"Do you think there's a connection?", Nisa replied.

"Connection? Oh come on, Compa's not the only nurse in the city!", IF coughed out.

"Well, we could at least narrow it down! Would you say your friend Compa is cute enough to be distracting?", Nisa asked.

"W-well, she's… I mean, I guess so…", IF replied nervously.

"You guess?", Nisa said confused.

"Well, she's… bigger than I am. She was always pretty popular with guys, but she's way too oblivious to all of it", IF said. Her eyes widened in realization right after saying that. "Nisa, I'm going to the hospital."

"On your bike? There's no way you'll make it through the traffic!", Nisa commented.

"I'll just run over on foot then!", IF answered quickly.

"I'll be right behind you, IF!", Nisa shouted.

A cry of pain could be heard on IF's side. "I can hear you JUST FINE when you're not screaming, you know."

"Hehe, sorry", Nisa chuckled before the call ended. She put her phone back into her backpack and swung it onto her back before running out the guild. As Nisa ran onto the streets and away from the guild, a pair of gray eyes followed her from within some brushes...

IF quickly pounded the pavement through the street-light illuminated nightlife, evading pedestrians as if passing through an obstacle course as she rushed over to the hospital. She dialed Compa's number on her way there, but it went straight to voicemail. She sucked her teeth and turned a corner.

Her mind wandered as her body seemed to move on its own towards her destination. A memory played back in her head of a time when she was visiting Compa during one of her breaks in the hospital. She remembered waiting in the lobby outside of the head nurse's office as she heard Compa geting chewed out. "One more "ouchy" and you're done! We're losing more money than we're making with you here!"

IF frowned as she hit a stop light. She stood halfway down the block and looked down the street for when the light ahead turned red, then bolted out as soon as it did. The cars that weren't ready to stop yet skid as they were forced to hit their breaks at IF's sudden appearance. IF slid over one of the car's hoods and landed onto the other sidewalk.

She continued to run, the sounds of honking horns and angry drivers becoming muffled by the distance she was making between them. Her mind wandered once more and she grit her teeth. Another memory resurfaced, this time of just IF and Compa at a shopping center.

She remembered telling Compa about her meeting with Nisa and how she was going to be her "mentor" now. She remembered the tired smile on Compa's face. The tired smile she was still able to give after several extended shifts. A tired smile of genuine happiness. A tired smile she had to protect.

The brunette was brought back to her senses when they were assaulted by the sounds of blaring sirens and the sight of disorienting red and blue lights. She looked up, and before her was the towering main hospital building. IF couldn't help but imagine rain and a bolt of lightning striking the top before running inside.

Meanwhile, Nisa was also dashing through the city towards the hospital. However, on her way there, she spotted someone shady and couldn't help but see what they were up to. The heroine dove into a bush and jumped from bush to bush as she followed the hooded person into an alleyway.

"Stop right there!", Nisa called out.

The hooded person turned around to reveal a girl with purple-gray skin, green hair and red eyes. She sized up Nisa with an annoyed look on her face. "Who the heck are you?"

Nisa took a moment to size the other girl up herself. "Why, I'm Nisa! Gamindustri's very own Keeper of Justice!"

"You've gotta be friggin' kidding me…", Underling muttered.

Nisa scanned the alleyway around the girl. When Nisa turned her head to look behind herself, the hooded girl took the chance to kick a box behind a dumpster. Nisa heard the noise and snapped her attention back to her.

Nisa squinted. "What was that?"

"Wh-what was what? I didn't hear anything!", Underling stuttered.

Nisa raised an eyebrow, unconvinced by the hooligan's deflection. Underling gulped, then knocked over the dumpster before making a run for it. Nisa immediately gave chase to the hooligan, skipping onto the dumpster and diving onto the girl before she could get far. Underling struggled to push the energetic girl off of her by trying to elbow the girl on top of herself and wiggle free.

"G-get off of me! I didn't do nothin'!", Underling complained.

"You seem awfully nervous for someone who didn't do anything!", Nisa replied, trying to keep the girl beneath her under control. She winced as she was hit a few times by her elbows.

The hooded girl groaned and gave up trying to get away. "Damn it, I have rights! I'm just trying to make a living here!"

Nisa loosened her grip a bit, and re-positioned herself so that she had one knee on the girl's back, and held one of her arms behind her back. "And how were you doing that?"

Underling paused for a moment before answering. "I found this crate of weapons, okay? It was just lying there! I really needed some cash to pay rent this month, so I thought I could make a quick buck if I sold them on the down low!"

"To who?", Nisa asked.

Underling groaned. "Why the hell would I tell you that?!"

"Good point. I'll have to bring you in for questioning, then!", Nisa replied.

Underling's eyes widened. "W-wait! I'll talk!", she blurted out.

Before Nisa pressed her further, the sounds of people shouting caught their attention. They looked up towards the end of the alleyway and saw a crowd of people marching down the streets with an assortment of weapons in hand. Underling stretched her free arm out to try to reach for something.

One girl in the crowd shouted into a megaphone, "What do we want?!" The person was promptly answered by the crowd. "Purple Heart!"

Megaphone girl continued, "When do we want her?!"

"NOW!"

Nisa was then struck square in the face. She let go of the thuggish girl to grasp her own face, only to find herself flying through the air and hitting the ground a moment later. Groaning, she leaned forward and was able to see Underling run off with a pipe in her hand, disappearing into the crowd before her vision began to blur. The sound of footsteps clacking filled her ears before she finally blacked out…

CHAPTER 9… Odd Compa-lications... END.