Girasol continued their search for anyone who knew anything about the bus-bomber, but found little. They found someone who lived nearby and had seen the perp around the neighbourhood, but never spoke to him and didn't even know his name. Baldassare was getting irritated at not finding anything, and was almost convinced that there was a coup within Girasol's ranks.
Meanwhile, the police were at a loss as well. With Girasol coming up with nothing, they lost their only lead. Two men in masks stopped and deliberately bombed a H.E.L.L.S.I.N.G. bus directly outside of the freshly erected Town Welfare Building set up by the organization. That was not an accident. Not at any angle. It was the task of the police to keep the city's citizens safe, but for now, they were stumped.
They asked around, interrogated those who were acting "suspiciously", but in the end had nothing to show for it. Officers took to their bikes and patrolled the small urban town, watching out for people in masks like the ones from before. Nothing. They would have to wait for another attack in order to find more clues, it seemed.
Tegwen was one of the ones who didn't want to resort to that, however. She would roam around even while supposed to be off-duty in order to find something, both in and out of uniform. Her travels took her all over town, and she found a few leads, but none of them seemed to go anywhere. Sighing, she pedaled her bike in search of something. It was getting late and the sun was starting to set.
"No dice…" she muttered to herself as she stopped to catch her breath. She was getting tired. It was almost time to go home. Taking off her hat for a moment to wipe the sweat from her forehead, she almost dreaded having to bike herself back home in block C when she was all the way in block H. Maybe if she found a bench somewhere, she would take a break. Her moment of quiet, however, was short-lived, as she was startled by an American accent.
"Officer Sybil!" called the voice, prompting Tegwen to turn her head. Walking up to her was a recognizable face—one that wore black lipstick. The elf froze for a moment as it registered that she was being approached by the Girasol general from a few days prior. A blush gathered in her cheeks before she shook her head, placing her hat back on top of it once she regained her composure.
"Uhm, yes?" Tegwen questioned, a bit confused as to how the other girl knew her name. "How can I help you?"
"Oh, I just figured I'd say 'hello'." Answered the vampire as she stopped in front of the other. "It is 'Sybil', right? I recognised you from the other day. I think I saw you at the unveiling of the police department, too."
"Yeah. Officer Tegwen Sybil." the elf replied. "You're one of Girasol's generals, aren't you? Sorry, I didn't catch your name."
"Kyung-Soon." Stated the Girasol general. "Just Kyung-Soon. Some people call me 'Sue', though, because apparently, my actual name's too hard for 'em."
"Not really." Nervously chuckled Tegwen. "Oh! I think I saw you at the church, too! You were leaning on the seat in front of you and kicking some bloke. I waved at you, I think."
"Yup, that's me~! Gotta keep them idiots in line, y'know?"
"'Fraid not. The only thing I kick regularly is the vending machine at the station when it eats my money."
"Pfft, seriously?"
"Yeah. Kick it in just the right spot, and it'll give you your food."
"Well, as soon as they make machines that dispense blood packets, I'll test that out." Said Kyung-Soon, causing the other girl to immediately regret saying what she did. She had completely forgotten that vampires do not eat what she does.
"Sorry…" Tegwen bashfully said, reaching up to rub the back of her neck. She quickly shoved her hand back down to her sides as she became hyperaware of gestures toward her neck. Noticing this, the vampire simply laughed.
"It's fine! I'm not offended or anything." The other girl said, stepping closer. Tegwen's eyebrows raised as she noticed Kyung-Soon's eyes. An anxious feeling caused her stomach to sink at the realization that they were red. Among supernaturals, it wasn't uncommon knowledge that if a vampire's eyes weren't any colour other than red, it was an indication that they have completely drained a human being of blood, either through happening upon a corpse, or through the most obvious means; murder. Before Tegwen could get another word in, cool air hit the top of her head as the vampire plucked her hat from her head and placed it on her own, turning it sideways.
"Hey!" exclaimed the elf, swiping at Kyung-Soon and almost losing balance and falling off of her bicycle. The other girl simply leaned back, dodging Tegwen's flailing with a laugh and a grin.
"Just seein' if you're still payin' attention." Kyung-Soon said. "It's not wise to look a vampire in the eye like that, you know, especially a general."
"I didn't mean to…" answered the elf. "Can I have my hat back?"
"Only if you say 'pretty please'."
"Just give it back."
"'Pretty please with sugar on top.'"
"No."
"Then no hat."
With a huff, Tegwen's shoulders slumped and her eyes rolled. "Can I have my hat back 'pretty please'?" She asked, holding out her hand. The American smirked and shook her head, knowing that's the best that she's probably going to get. Taking off the hat, she didn't hand it to the elf, and instead, put it on the girl's head for her, but backwards.
"See? Was that so hard?" asked the American.
"You do know I'm a cop, right?" Tegwen answered with an inquiry of her own, furrowing her brow.
"You do know that I don't care, right?" Kyung-Soon retorted. She reached out again, causing the elf to hold her hat to her head defensively, only to be taken by surprise then the vampire began twirling her braid around her finger.
"Girls in uniform are cute, anyways." Stated Kyung-Soon, her eyes widening as the other girl choked on her own spit and entered a coughing fit. She took her hand away as Tegwen reached up to cover her mouth, turning her head so that she wasn't coughing at the vampire. Said vampire, however, laughed.
"Very cute." She said again. "I like that braid of yours."
"Did you just call out to me to make fun of me?" asked the elf as her coughing calmed down and she regained some of her composure. "Is this what 'bullying' is like?"
"Nah, if I wanted to bully you, I'd do much worse." Replied the Girasol member. "I just wanted to say 'hi', is all. Can you arrest me for that, little miss police girl?"
"Unfortunately, no…" the officer mumbled. "Anyways, I need to get back. I've got a long ride home."
"Really? How far?"
"Block C…"
"Yikes… If I had a car, I'd help you out. I could probably call a buddy of mine and ask for a favour."
"That won't be necessary." Tegwen stated. "I can handle it. Besides, I need to get as used to riding this thing as possible for work, so it's all good."
"If you say so…" answered Kyung-Soon. "Guess I'll be seein' you around, then." She said as she turned around. Waving at the other girl, she smiled. "Ciao~!"
The police officer was at a loss for what to do with all of that. She couldn't figure out if the coven member had come over to bully her, flirt with her, or something else entirely. Tegwen would have to reflect on it later, however, as she really did need to get started on her trip home.
Pedaling, the elf made her way through various blocks and down the streets that still had no names. They should really get on that. Perhaps she would send a suggestion to the Welfare Center sometime. Thinking of popular locations, she passed by the Gehenna Workshop, where artisans of all kinds liked to fabricate things. Really, it was several buildings placed close enough together and refurbished to work as one. Even Tegwen has made a thing or two there. She still had the ukulele she constructed back at home.
Nearby was the house with the strange presence dwelling inside of it. The elf knew now that it was home to a very peculiar H.E.L.L.S.I.N.G. agent, as the man worked often with the police department, despite the fact that he couldn't help them come up with any leads. Every time Tegwen passed by that house, she got a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. She got that same feeling every time the Omid gentleman showed up at meetings as well. Some of the other elves did, too. Their sixth sense did not like the vibe from that man.
Many others thought he was peculiar in his mannerisms and way of speaking as well. He never seemed to be completely present in mind despite the fact that physically speaking, he was in attendance. He always spoke passively and never seemed to quite empathise with certain situations, although he was quiet about it. Preston Omid was a mystery, despite the fact that he was supposedly a long-time friend of the Lion and Watchdog's. They claimed that he had undergone many trials that most ordinary humans didn't have the strength to bounce back from. Really, they weren't sure if he would either, but he was functioning, to a degree.
His house oversaw the street, so he was able to see the officer bike past. Golden eyes watched from his desk as the elf traveled home, his thoughts a jumbled mess once again. This police force was a nuisance to him. He couldn't stand how they always hounded him for leads, when he had none to give them.
Eventually, he was pulled away from his thought processes with the ringing of a phone. Lazily looking over, he sat for a moment before deciding to get up to answer it. Picking up the device, he pushed sat back down on a nearby couch before acknowledging the person on the other end.
"Hello?" he asked, already knowing who it was.
"Mister Omid," said the voice on the other end. It belonged to a man, and was much deeper than Preston's own. "It's Doctor Hobbs, from the research department…"
"I figured." Preston replied. "What can I do for you? Did you get the sample I sent?"
"Yes, that's what I'd like to talk about, actually." The other man stated. "The chip of armour you sent has been most beneficial and has given us some pretty interesting results. They're different than the previous ones."
"'Different'?"
"Yes, the makeup is slightly different from our previous samples." Informed the doctor. "Previously, we've discovered that the armour of the 'annies' is slightly different than the bone structure of a demon. It's weaker. Less dense. Yours used to match this. However, the basic structure has changed."
"Really?" asked the Omid. "So what does that mean for me?"
"You're mutating." The other man said. "It's a remarkable mutation of the original. It began as bone marrow from demons, and now it is something else entirely derived from the same branch. We have no idea what this means as of yet, however. I'd love to run more tests on the dangers of the substance, but ethics and protocol will not allow that."
"Shame." Replied Preston. "You could come up with all sorts of things, Doctor Hobbs. Could be an unconventional cure for modern diseases, if you mix it right."
"In many cases, that could be true for quite a few of the samples we have." Hobbs said. "Immortality, invulnerability, and freedom from all sickness… We could never use them, however. Human experiments aren't ethical."
To this, Preston grimaced. If they weren't "ethical", then what was he? "I see." He said. "I doubt that's a major obstacle. There's probably all kinds of loopholes."
"I haven't found them, yet." The doctor said. "It's sad, but I don't think I could do it on my own."
"Shame. If only you had an assistant."
"A lab, some materials, and some DNA is all I need." Hobbs replied. "Genetic material that most scientists could only dream of, and we're not allowed to actually study it. It's like a science fiction movie. So close, yet so far. H.E.L.L.S.I.N.G. is too strict."
"I know the feeling…" Preston said. "It's almost as though they don't really have 'the greater good' at heart at all."
