Chapter Ten: Setback
Disclaimer! I do not own Bungou Stray Dogs. The characters are owned by Kafka Asagiri and illustrated by Sango Harukawa. The only things I own are my storyline and OC's. I am not making money off of this story, nor do I plan to.
This story takes place sometime after season 3 of the anime. This can be seen as canon divergence as I do not follow the manga nor the light novels.
*posts this chapter and disappears back into the void*
*thank you to my new beta reader Slapphappi! She also beta-reads my other story, "The Witching Hour"!*
…...
"So, Charlene?" Chuuya asked out of the blue as they pulled up to the morgue. Charlie cringed, her nose scrunching up.
"Don't call me that. Only my mother calls me that." She said and got out of the car, adjusting the clothes that had been supplied to her at the hospital. Chuuya had been kind enough to pick up clothes from the morgue for her to change into, so she wore a button-down shirt and some trousers. He had also moved all their notes back to the morgue after collecting them from his office.
She heard Chuuya snicker behind her,
"It makes you sound like you're an old woman." He said, and Charlie grimaced,
"Hence why I go by Charlie." She said and heard Chuuya hum in response. The morgue was cold when they entered the building. Marley likely hadn't touched the heater since she had been in the hospital. She shivered as she flipped on lights and walked down the halls towards her office. She heard Chuuya following behind her as she entered the empty autopsy suite that held all their notes.
Or had held all their notes.
The entire room had been ransacked, papers torn apart and shredded into tiny pieces. The lights flickered wildly, some of them having been shattered. The smell of gasoline was strong, scorch marks around the trash can showing the culprit had burned some of the papers.
All their work. Gone.
Chuuya let out a string of curses and ran into the room, trying to see what could be salvaged as Charlie looked on in shock.
Who had done this? Rudyard?
No, he may have been angry, but he wouldn't have destroyed her work. He would've come after her again if he had more issues to sort out. But she had a sneaking suspicion Bones, Diedrich, and Katrina kept him far away from her.
She entered the room, almost in a daze. Everything had been destroyed or damaged beyond repair. Heck, even the autopsy table had been overturned, and the board used to pin their notes had been shredded by what looked like a sword.
"Washington Irving?" She mumbled, and Chuuya looked back from where he was collecting papers from the garbage can,
"Hah?"
"I think Washington Irving did this. Look at how the board is shredded. It looks like a sword did this. And who do we know uses a sword? Irving." She explained, and he stilled, taking in what she said before nodding.
"We have to find this guy before anything else happens. Like if he goes for one of us." He said determinedly, and she nodded.
As soon as they finished cleaning up the room, Marie phoned Marley and let him know there had been a break-in. Then she called the police and reported the same thing. Less than half an hour later, she was giving a statement to the police, and they told her there would be extra patrols around her building that night to ensure she was safe.
"I caution you to stay at your apartment tonight, Charlie," Minoura said as he finished writing down her report. "It's not safe to stay here tonight." He ruffled her hair before leaving, leaving Chuuya and Charlie all alone in the empty morgue.
"What are you going to do now?" Chuuya asked as Charlie walked back towards the supply closet she called her bedroom and office.
"Go back to my apartment; obviously, I can't stay here tonight." She replied and opened the door, taking a moment just to take in the mess. It looked like this room had been ransacked as well. Clothes were thrown everywhere, and her filing cabinet was completely knocked over, papers strewn about. Chuuya peeked over her shoulder and let out another curse. Charlie just sighed and waded through the documents to where her satchel was. It had been ripped open; the contents were thrown about the room. Her voice recorder was gone, her white suit shredded.
Charlie took off her glasses and rubbed her eyes before sliding them back on again and picking up the satchel, stuffing her clothes inside and a few papers she knew she would need. Then, swinging the broken handle over her shoulder, she turned back to Chuuya and shrugged,
"I better get going." She said and brushed past him. He caught her wrist, and she turned back, raising an eyebrow.
"What?" She asked, and he started pulling her down the hall and towards the main entrance.
"You aren't seriously going to try and walk to your apartment, are you? That's just plain stupid when Irving could go after you at any given moment." He said as they made it to the doors. He held the door open for her and ushered her to the Mafia-issued car that had been parked outside.
The duo got into the car, and Charlie told the driver the address. Fifteen minutes of awkward silence later, they were at their destination.
Her apartment building was small, only two floors, and more of a building with four apartments than anything. It was also worn down, cracks spiderwebbing the concrete walls, and the windows were clouded with muck. But it was home. Her humble abode. Her supposed place of rest. Sure she could afford better, but people with fancy apartments drew attention, and that was the last thing she wanted. Opening her front door, she allowed Chuuya to go in first before following him inside.
Inside was pristine, if not a bit dusty. Charlie hadn't been here in weeks. She coughed as she set her bag down, and a cloud of dust exploded in her face. Her throat was still sore, and Charlie rubbed at it absentmindedly. She simply watched as Chuuya went over every inch of her apartment, presumably looking for bugs or traps.
Her apartment itself was nothing to write home about at—it was a simple one-bedroom apartment with a bathroom that had a sink, toilet, and stand-up shower. Her kitchenette was rather sad, with a microwave and a dinky little fridge being the only appliances in it. Her sitting room was also nothing special. It had two chairs and a coffee table with a radio and an antique box television set. Heck, even her bedroom only had a single twin-size bed and a nightstand. Charlie hadn't even unpacked the clothes from the suitcase under her bed, and she had been in Japan for years at this point.
"You have a problem." Came Chuuya's voice from the kitchenette, and she meandered over. He was holding a fisheye lens in the palm of his hand.
"Your apartment's been bugged, likely by Irving. It's not safe here." He said and crushed the bug in his fist. Charlie gestured around her,
"Where am I supposed to stay then? This apartment is the only place I've got, and I'm not staying with my mother." She argued, and Chuuya was silent for a moment, thinking it over. Then, finally, Charlie went to the cupboard and pulled out a glass to fill with water from the sink.
"You could stay at my place. I know it hasn't been bugged, and it's near Port Mafia HQ. It would be safe there." He said suddenly, and she choked and sneezed water out from her nose in surprise. She heard his exclamation of surprise as she started coughing. Charlie leaned over the sink as she tried to catch her breath. Finally, she was able to speak,
"You'd seriously let me stay at your place? Wouldn't that be weird?" She asked, and Chuuya looked at her, confused.
"Why would that be weird? We're both adults. I'm just offering you a place to stay the night until we can get this figured out." He replied, and she rubbed at her forehead, adjusting her glasses as she went. Of course, it would be fine. They were both adults like he said.
Everything would be fine. Right?
…
FairyTailWzard's OC's (these are mine! Do not steal them!):
Charlene "Charlie" Dickens: Sleep-deprived 23-year-old medical examiner works to solve homicides and perform for the police, Port Mafia, and the Armed Detective Agency. Ability: The Haunted Man and the Ghost's Bargain; allows her to see and interact with the spirits of the dead.
Rudyard Kipling: Deceased Englishman in his 30s, unknown background. Ability: The Jungle Book; he can manifest his tattoos into real animals. He has the tattoos of a python, a Bengal tiger, and a giant bear.
Jacob Marley: He is Charlie's assistant in the morgue and during autopsies. He lives with his nephew Tim Cratchit and businessman Ebenezer Scrooge.
"Bones": Port Mafia member found dead
Katrina Van Tassel: Port Mafia member found dead
Ichabod Crane: Port Mafia member found dead. The only one not to come back as a ghost.
Diedrich Knickerbocker: Port Mafia member found dead. Ability: Storyteller-Basically whatever he reads/writes becomes a reality.
Dickens Family: Mother, father, eight children. Charlie's family.
Washington Irving: Suspected serial killer still on the loose.