Games of 'telephone' are strange occurrences. You can start off with a clearly understood sentence such as 'I went to the shops' and end up with gibberish such as 'IT is pork chops'. A similar theme could happen with actual telephones. Maybe that was how the message Akiza had passed to Leo of 'can you ask Musume if she thinks Phantom would like to talk to me about her situation this evening' had morphed into Musume telling Phantom to 'get ya shit, Akiza wants to shrink you' before dragging the confounded body down two flights of stairs and into the elevator.
It had been, as the still startled patient explained, certainly an irrefutable way of getting people to therapy.
"Anyway," Whilst she could argue the finger points of tact with her offspring at a later time, Akiza did note that Phantom had still willingly made the journey. Still, she had told Musume to wait downstairs while the pair sat at the kitchen table. "How have you been?"
As well as can be expected. That was an area that she nearly wished Musume could be of use in – Phantom's avoidances of even the most basic questions. Despite making idle chatter for twenty minutes, she still had yet to actually say anything. How goes your work with Dr Din?
"About the same as ever." Screaming insults, demands for books, some of the most intellectual conversation since Socrates, some of the worst smells since the bubonic plague. Vella was nice though. "I hear that Patty is staying with you." There was no response. From the autistic point of view, it was a statement of fact that required no response. "Care to tell me why you're so keen on avoiding her?"
Ms Ortiz has endured... a great deal. Involving her in the current situation would be... unfair. Hoshi was depressingly absent and Phantom was dealing with her discomfort by interlinking both hands and tapping both thumbs together in tiny movements.
"That's very generous of you." Once she had heard what Luna's childhood friend had been through, Akiza had mentally penned out a plan to offer her similar sessions to the ones she was giving Phantom. Trying to give, if her patient would more fully engage. "Musume tells me that you've chosen to hide on the roof instead of using the pool during lunch." Sensing that a response was necessary this time, the head nodded once. "Why not use one of the other apartments? I'd think some of them have running water."
Not as many as you would expect. An eyebrow raised across the table in one of the few facial expressions she could read. I was... curious how far the previous owner progressed in renovations. The water was not turned back on in other apartments save for... toilet facilities.
"You mentioned before that... 'hearing' everything that happens mid-afternoon causes you intense pain." Akiza couldn't imagine it. She'd had migraines from studying too much and hangovers from celebrating the results of her migraines but those were self-inflicted. Phantom had no control over the cause of her pain. "Wouldn't it be easier to just come and use the bath here?"
… There are... some problems with your suggestion. More than she knew where to begin with.
"Really? I don't see any." It was simple. Phantom needed running water, they had running water.
While it is a... kind offer, How to rank the reasons; relatable or important first? Would you honestly prefer me to leave... Leo and Musume... unsupervised? Remember, One gloved finger cut off an objection. Luna is caring for her friend, and Jaden is... They didn't need to go over Jaden. He would be every bit as enthusiastic as Leo and mad as Musume. Besides, considering travel and occupying the only bathroom here, I feel it is unnecessary.
"What's this about the bathroom?" Stomping from the hallway to the bedrooms, a bedraggled figure lurched into view with a sour expression.
"Hey, Crow." Sparing a moment from the session, Akiza half-heartedly wiggled a few fingers in greeting. "Didn't know you were here." Nobody had responded when she returned from work.
"I was taking a nap." Glancing across the table, he looked away in irritation. "Still doing this then?"
"My job?" That was a point he knew better to contest. Even while her qualifications were in question, Akiza was still a psychiatrist. Counselling was what she had trained for years to do. "Yes, we're making progress." Glacial slow progress beyond finding Phantom to be mentally competent. She was still refusing to open up on any of her deeper problems.
"I'll let you get back to it. My Runner needs a tune-up." More out of something to do than regular maintenance. With reporters swarming every street beyond Poppo Time, the three inhabitants were restricted in their public movements.
"Musume's downstairs. Have fun." At least the two of them could bond over mechanical problems. The duo at the table was making little headway with mental ones.
Mr Hogan. Nodding politely, Phantom was prevented from bowing by the table before her.
"Don't speak to me." Later on, the good doctor would wonder if maybe it had been the peculiarities of her patient which had caused the words to be slow in registering. Having to deal with so many that bypassed her ears could have caused her to start overlooking the ones that didn't.
By the time she had noticed, Crow was already downstairs. "Did he really," Rhetorically asking for confirmation would have resulted in a genuine answer and she managed to stop herself in time. "Wait here a moment." Standing up, she was confused by the sudden change in Crow's attitude. The last time he had been like this, at least he had a broken arm as an excuse. "Hey, Crow!" Striding to the stairs, she was fully prepared to throw him on the pyre of rage that was Musume.
A hand caught her elbow before she could make it past the first step. "Yeah?" Sounding from below, his voice was aggressively defensive.
Frau Doktor. Emotionless German had never sounded as icy as it did in that soundless tone. Ein wort, bitte.
"Never mind." Letting go of her anger was a difficult process that she had trained hard to achieve. Doing it in a hurry was still difficult. "I got it." The freezing touch released her arm as she walked them back to the kitchen. Seating herself across from the orange outfit, she reevaluated the situation. "Du sprichst Deutsch?" Although she no longer believed Obake and Phantom could be the same person, Akiza couldn't shake the intuition that there was some connection between the two. That they both knew German was simply more evidence in her favour.
Nein. After a brief moment, an ironic smile crested. At least, not much. A few words. Enough to ask for a quiet word and then deny she spoke the language.
"Hmm. That explains the mistake." Baiting a patient was generally frowned upon. However, Akiza had found herself making little headway without traditional approaches. Besides, this was far from a 'traditional' patient.
What mistake? Trying to administer therapy to a reluctant patient was like whittling away at a wall. Chip away a little at a time for steady progress. Every time she forced Phantom to interact, she gained a little more insight. Slow, but steady.
"You used 'Frau' instead of 'Fräulein'." 'Mrs' instead of 'Miss'. Easy to mistake for such a complicated language. Those eyes flickered in amusement. The other difficulty with trying to therapise a reluctant patient, Akiza mused, was that they would try anything to divert the course of conversation. "What did you want to talk about?"
I... think that Crow... needs some space. Folding her arms at the wrists, she absently began tapping her right ring finger against thumb. I... believe that he has been through... a lot recently.
"What makes you think that?" It was true that the bitter redhead had been through a few ordeals. Swallowed into the Netherworld in America, kidnapped in France, watching his brother taken in chains for a farce trial. Except for his recent outburst, he had been coping with only a few surly bouts.
Eyes died away to leave a blank void. I have my ways. Phantom was clearly opting to pass on further details. On this point, Akiza was willing to give her a pass.
"Although you might be right," One iris bloomed in surprise before it was quashed away. "The way he spoke to you was unacceptable." Chip, chip, chip.
Would you... have been this defensive if it had been... Musume or Jack? Her whittling stopped at the counter.
Mulling over the possibility too long undercut any defence Akiza could have given. She probably wouldn't have reacted as harshly if it had been one of the others. They probably would have answered with profanity of their own. Actually, Musume would probably have reached for the nearest sharp object. "No. They both have... unique relationships with Crow." Bitter rivals who would put their lives on the line for each other and the daughter he literally never had. "However, that doesn't mean that it's alright for him to talk to you like he did."
What about what happened in Paris? Once again, a very pointed question pulled her up short.
"How much do you know?" Whatever 'ways' she had of getting information, only Yliaster and their victims knew what had happened in the City of Love. Musume had been understandably reluctant to share details (except that she was irritated Himeru had refused to give her even the slightest warning about the imminent kidnapping) and Crow had been open about the details of his new arrangement with the factions aligned against them but otherwise sparse on irrelevant details. Only a few reddened ears when Jack mentioned a certain Frenchwoman had coerced additional information.
Enough. It appeared that everyone was keen to avoid talking directly about the incident. Leaning back in her chair, Akiza stared into the void opposite her until a flicker of light conceded. Crow departed for France alone. Musume... returned different. Reports of a 'flying red woman' occurred between. There was obviously... a situation.
Admittedly, Phantom did know 'enough'. Broad enough strokes to get the whole picture without needing to recognise the details. And there was no way that Akiza could fill them in without betraying her friend on the floor below. Normally, she had to actively deny all existence of anything abnormal. Being able to talk semi-openly was refreshing. Depressing topic, but refreshing honesty. "You're a lot more forgiving than I would be in your position." After all, Musume had to get that temper of hers from somewhere.
I doubt that. They both reflected on the incident at the docks. Leave was still cancelled for remaining police officers but they were nearly back to enough staff that double-shifts would no longer be mandatory.
"Still, I'll have a talk with Crow, when we have the time." Not as a therapist but as a friend. Whatever help he needed, it was personal, not professional. "Now, how about we get back to the reason you're here?"
"Hey." Sticking her head around the corner of the stairs, Musume's face presented a strange sight adjacent to the floor. "You done poking around inside her head?" Appearing at an angle behind her upper ear, the grip of the Tender Hands was slowly edging into view.
"How many times have I told you about that thing?" Righteous fury in defence of innocent victims was usually an impressive spectacle. It would have been better had Phantom not started laughing at the sight. Giving a despairing sigh, she turned to face her evasive patient. "You're not helping my case." Stretching up from the table, she glanced outside to where night was already setting in. "It's getting pretty late. Why don't you stay here tonight?"
For a moment, the face by the floor screwed up in quandary before her regular scowl returned. "Can't." Pulling the sword back out of sight, she finally mounted the stairs properly. "Got an errand to run."
It would appear, that is all we have time for. Gently pulling back her own chair, Phantom rose into a low bow. A pleasure as always, Doctor Izinski.
"You know, you could always stay a bit longer." Although she followed Musume around like a lost puppy, Akiza knew that there was capacity for greater social interaction inside the vantablack armour. Mostly for cats, but maybe enough miscellaneous to stay for a longer session.
"Not a chance." Gleaming metal replaced the wrapped handle. "I want her where I can keep an eye on her." Oaky, less 'lost puppy' and more 'hostage-slave'.
While I appreciate your offer, Smiling slightly, she was privately relieved the session was over. Trying to balance her need for secrecy against the subtle drive for questions was mentally exhausting. I believe tradition demands I go with whoever has the biggest sword.
"Freud would be so proud." Muttered the duplicitous psychiatrist as the autist walked past, leaving her in the uncomfortable position of having to explain her shiver to the aforementioned owner of the biggest sword.
It was a little past midnight and all through the penthouse, the only creature to stir was a damned sight bigger than a mouse. In fact, far closer to a rat. Carefully edging down the stairs, solid construction prevented even the most minor of squeaks as dark feet crossed the carpet. On the day that Luna had returned with her reluctant childhood friend in tow, her brother and his big-breasted leech had been making a fuss over retrieving an ostentatious statue from the bottom of the pool outside. Of course, everything in the penthouse was of quality make but most items were either too bulky or too integrated to move.
Reaching out, cracked nails fastened around the sort of item that few people would look at twice and slipped it into a bag. Darting across the room with shoes in hand, the outline was out of the penthouse and was inside the elevator in less than a minute. By the time it had arrived, the thief was ready to slip away into the night unseen.
"Going out?" Shit. Patty had been planning on slipping out before anyone could catch her. Luna, Leo, and their old-man-young guest were too nice to be much of a threat. The tattooed lady holding an adjustable wrench in the shadows was a far tougher barrier to bypass. "Bit late for a stroll."
"You going to stop me?" Slipping the bag from one shoulder, she shifted her weight towards the balls of her feet.
"Not at all. Night air does wonders for the health." That grimy metal weight squeaked slightly as she adjusted the size. Probably for a wheel nut, since she was opening it so far. "Meeting some friends, swapping stories? Girls night out?" She had that taunting, sarcastic smile that people did to needle others.
"What do you want?" Taking a step backwards was disguised as she shifted her weight from one foot to the other.
"See, here's the thing." Swinging the wrench in her stride, Musume held that joyless smile tight. "Those twins upstairs, they barely know me. More like friends of a friend, if you catch my drift." It was impossible for Patty to figure out what she meant and she wouldn't have believed Musume if she told her directly. "And they're stupidly good people. Like, proper idiot levels of good." There was barely an inch of difference yet her presence dwarfed Patty.
"Yeah, I get it." She'd met enough bullies on the streets to hold her own. "That's why I'm getting out before they get caught up in my mess."
"No, you don't get it." She tapped one collarbone with the freezing metal. The shadows seemed to grow and there was something curling about her ankle but Patty dared not look down. "They'll stay involved as long as it takes to make you safe again. How much do you owe?" That certainly came from out of nowhere.
"What d'you" Another tap silenced her before the lies could get out. "Enough. What does it matter?" It was clear she had figured out enough of Patty's situation. Withdrawing her tool, Musume grudgingly held up a torn scrap of paper. "What's this?" A set of numbers were messily scribbled on the paper.
"Account details. Take as much as you need." Her winnings from the Pegasus Trinidad were formidable enough by normal tournament standards. It had been designed to pull in anyone with the barest fragment of talent and banked on the reality that substantial prize money would do the rest. "I've put enough in there to settle whatever debts you have with enough left over to soothe any wounded prides. Say that you rescued a rich guys dog or something."
Worst case; she was being lied to, there was nothing in the account and Patty was right back where she was anyway. Taking the banking information, she folded it inside her jacket. "Why would you do that for me?" She still didn't dare look down at what was now sliding up her spine. It felt cold, a soul-chilling touch not felt by the skin.
"Because keeping the idiots upstairs happy means a lot more to me than your life does." It might have been the dim lights playing tricks but Patty could swear those eyes were starting to glow from within. "So, you don't get to come near them if it means it'll put them in danger. Get your shit straightened out first." It was the bad lighting and the angle of that smile. That was how the last flicker of stable thoughts was trying to explain the incisors that were clearly larger than any normal human teeth. "Leave the statue. It has sentimental value."
"Sure." Anything to get out of the increasingly terrifying situation. Spell broken, she looked down at her bag to fumble for the artwork. By the time she looked back up, there was nothing to see beyond a tempestuous scowl. That cold feeling was gone from her back, those eyes were only a strange colour and tattoos didn't glow. Normal. "I didn't want to steal it, you know?" Sliding her bag back over both shoulders, she knew that her friendship with Luna had been over even as she had slipped the metal monstrosity into her bag. "Figured that it had to be worth something to be in Fudo's party pad. Maybe enough to clear my ledger." At the mention of Luna's friend, that hand tightened about the wrench.
"I had a little chat with the guard at the entrance." If it had been as intimidating as this 'chat', Patty wouldn't be surprised to see the parking lines with a fresh coat of yellow. "They'll turn a blind eye to your leaving. If you want to get back in, just ask the guy at the front to call up." Lifting the wrench, she turned back to the elevator. "And pick up some coffee on the way back. We're nearly out."
There was a small knife tucked into the small of her back. She could have gone for a stabbing when that cold metal first touched her neck had fear not frozen her in place. Watching the mooch saunter off, she wondered if it would have even worked. No, she shook her head from the cobwebs, of course it would have worked. Nothing weird had happened. It was all mind games and a trick of the light. And, with that justification, Patty fled as though she could outrun the creeping doubts in her mind.
Upstairs, Musume was returning to a similar scene to the one just staged. Waiting in the shadows was her own shadow. Did you get back... the statue? Normal people weren't awake at these times. Musume wasn't normal and she didn't count Phantom as a person.
"Here's your dumb piece of art." Tossing the distorted lump, she was darkly gratified to see the catcher stagger under the throw.
You are far kinder than I would have been. Returning the intricately crafted piece of art to its home on the dresser, she was pleased by the return. At the very least, her afternoons would be less excruciating.
"... I heard some stories about Patty." With her Luna trapped in the Spirit World, she'd been unable to keep in touch with old friends. The only stories she had to tell had painted Patty in a very different light. "She's not what I expected." History had diverged and she couldn't be certain that events had unravelled this way from her interference. At the very least, Patty had remained kind enough to slip away to spare her friends the pain of her second departure.
May I ask how you knew to be waiting? It was too convenient for her to feel anything except suspicion.
"Yesterday, when Regulus was having his little fight with Yubel, she was already dressed." Glossing over the way both Spirits would have objected to their raw brawl being referred to as 'a little fight', Musume highlighted the most damning evidence. If she had honestly been taking advantage of the hospitality, there'd be no reason to be wearing one of her few sets of clothes. "After that, she couldn't risk that Luna wouldn't have another early call. The next opportunity would be tonight." While the pair were so conveniently – and explicitly – out for the evening.
Understanding people was a talent Phantom had little grasp of. Analysing and predicting were stunningly easy but trying to fathom their reasoning was impossible. However, she had a reasonable certainty that Musume was feeling down about the situation. A subtle clue would be the emergency bottle of booze she had kept hidden being down in under a minute as she crashed onto the sofa.
I think, She was careful to stay out of reach. With that sword and the grim situation, there was every chance that lucky stab seventy-eight could prove fatal. That you should sleep upstairs tonight.
"The fuck does it matter?" Rubbing tired eyes, she was barely able to stay awake after waiting so long in the garage.
Because seeing you here and finding... her friend gone may cause Luna to reach incorrect conclusions. In the face of unassailable logic, there was no reasonable retort but for acceptance and understanding. In the face of extreme boredom and tiredness, an acceptable response is to fall asleep clutching a bottle of booze.
Officially, the Hell's End portion of Satellite Island was the unofficial harbour for all criminals. Unofficially, a lot of criminals also ran official businesses on the mainland areas of the city. While a lot of merchandise still ended up passing through the remote district in one way or another, the figure that owned the debt of one Patty Ortiz worked only a couple of hours walk from the comfortable bed and beloved friend she had just abandoned. (She would have felt less dreadful about leaving had she known that there had been an invisible, eight-foot lion curled up at the end of the bed at the behest of her beloved friend.)
Operating out of a dingy office complex on the outer-outskirts of the business district, her fence/creditor had a small office that usually kept night hours for a variety of reasons. For one, the heating from the other offices let him skip that bill as they gradually heated the cramped room over the course of the day. For another, it made it less conspicuous when people who had no legitimate business being in the building came to conduct less-than-legitimate business. 'The people out there may hate the look of you but it brings a smile to my face to see you walk through that door' was a phrase he plied all his workers with. True to that idiom, he did get genuinely cheerful to see a good haul and was known as 'Jolly'.
Shuffling along the decrepit corridor, Patty was less intimated to see a pair of burly suits approaching from the far end after her ambush at the garage. Adjusting the bag on her back, she carefully reached for the knife at the same time. Holding out a hand behind them, the first pile of muscle indicated the other to fall in behind and left enough room for her to wordlessly squeeze past. Knocking on Jolly's office, she hoped to get out of the building as soon as she could. The good soup kitchens lost seats fast.
"It's, er, open?" For a man with such a jubilant alias, Patty's broker sounded unnaturally shaky on the other side of the door. Instinct compelled her to run only for the hallway to suddenly be filled with the behemoths that had let her pass in the first place. Turning on the spot, the other end of the corridor was similarly occupied. "Ortiz? Is that you?"
"Miss." Reaching past her, the single syllable said that she should walk through the open portal if she expected to make it out of this intact.
Inside was about as bad as she had expected. Six more giants were crammed into the space, her obese contact shoved impossibly close to his desk. Over one shoulder, an even more imposing woman had both arms folded and appeared perfectly at ease, as if reality was waiting for her approval. "So, er, I've been talking with your, ah, these, ah, good people." Pale and sweaty, nearly every other word was a stuttering correction. "It seems that I, er, made a mistake. Yes, a mistake. In your interest rates." A tiny shift from behind him creaked a floorboard in a winding pitch. "And the value of the stuff you bought me!" The squeal died away as his grew. "Forgot to account for your, er, commission before they sold. And, er, y'know, shipping fees?"
"Uh-huh." Reading the room would have been easy even if she were blind, deaf, and drunk. "How much do I still owe?" As he stumbled his way through some bullshit about fees, percentages, evaluations (they had been done as a favour and he was so sorry that he forgot to adjust for that), she already knew the answer. The terrifying figures crowding the room, and waiting in the hallway outside, had 'persuaded' Jolly to overlook her remaining debt.
"But, I can always, like, keep an ear open for anything you need." Either one hand had taken up tap dancing or it was shaking so violently from fear that his falling from the chair wouldn't be a surprise. "And, I mean, we had a good thing. Nothing you weren't comfortable with!" Watching a shaking digit raise, Patty calmly wondered if the stocky bodies would call an ambulance if he had a heart attack. Or was there a nondescript van parked nearby with enough room for a pair of bodies? "Others in my position might have tried forcing you to do, ah, shady, that is, unpleasant jobs, but not good ol' Jolly!" Yeah, he hadn't forced her to work as an 'escort' or star in his porn films. Those were his genuinely legitimate ventures, the source of his name, and needed her to be documented on his payroll. She was the homeless thief he could swear to have never met.
"Maybe we could talk with Miss Ortiz about a business opportunity." Whenever she had previously mentioned even the slightest hint of profit, Patty had seen Jolly ignore his weight and leap at the chance. When the woman behind him mentioned one, he visibly huddled into his chair. "In private." Confusion spread itself through the fear already on his face.
"This is, ah, my office so I, ah, will make sure nobody interrupts!" No sooner had that creak begun than his tone instantly changed. Pulling his bulk out from behind the desk, he frantically edged around the tiny space with terrified care not to touch any of the other people in the room. The last that Patty saw of him, he glanced at her with terror in his eyes before fleeing the room, leaving the door swinging in his wake. Reaching in from the corridor, a meaty palm gently pulled it shut.
Alone in the office filled with silent watchers, Patty silently acknowledged Jolly's involvement in her life. She couldn't thank or forgive him but he had certainly been the least worst of all possible people who might have preyed on her in her darkest hours. And, at the end, he had been terrified for her. For what was about to happen. Maybe he would reach out to some of his less friendly associates to get revenge for being treated like he had. At least these people might get suffer for what was about to happen.
As the woman in the corner took a half-step forward, Patty realised that she didn't care she was about to die. She only hoped that the tattooed freak would pass her apology to Luna. She certainly cared about their mutual friend enough to try and remove the threat of Patty by paying out her debt.
Nodding curtly, ice-blue eyes stabbed at her face. "Take a seat." Few who offer a seat while remaining standing are ever good people. Cops, supervisors, waiters. Anyone who could wear a suit. Especially a suited so well-tailored.
"I'm fine standing." Glancing at the surrounding guards, Patty disguised her reaching towards her knife in a careless shrug. "Hope that's okay."
"It's quite alright." Raising a hand, the icy calm halted a guard closing in from Patty's left. "Let her keep her it."
"Ma'am, I" Twitching her hand around by the barest degree, she silenced any objection. "Ma'am." Returning to place, the veritable mammoth fell back to silence. Busted, Patty let her hand drop away from the concealed weapon.
"Tomorrow morning, news broadcasts will report that Ortiz Shipping has been bought by new owners." Her voice had the same steady tones Miss Bartlett had used to teach history lessons when Patty had been in Duel Academy. It was a calm recital of events that were immutable facts. "Unfortunately, your father listed the majority of his assets as company property to avoid paying taxes himself. By tomorrow evening, he will be in a similar position to where you are now – homeless and shunned."
"Nice story." Reaching for her cigarettes, Patty settled one between her jaded grin. "And then everyone gets cake and Santa'll give me a blowjob, I bet." Blowing out the smoke as she put the pack away, slender fingers wriggled into a knuckleduster she kept beside it. Knives were unwieldy in crowded spaces, a reinforced punch was usually a lot easier.
"Ma'am." A mirroring guard noticed the movement this time but was also waved down.
"Let me guess. You've got a lot of money invested in his company and need some collateral to threaten my father into not selling." There was a nagging familiarity to the icy face opposite her. Probably from one of the boring meetings or events she'd been dragged along to as a child where her father had been trying to impress those more powerful with his seemingly perfect work-life balance. "Sorry to break it to you – I'm not a runaway. Daddy dearest has a problem with the gay agenda. Guess you're about to lose a lot of money." Blowing out the smoke, she enjoyed the slight rush of nicotine. A kidnapping was going to happen no matter what she said.
"True." Stepping out from behind the desk, Patty watched the guards tense slightly as their charge approached the clear and present threat. "But I will be getting a shipping company in exchange." Plucking the death stick, she dropped it to the floor and ground it beneath her pointed heel. "And all your father's assets will belong to you. Consider it a signing bonus." Mr Ortiz had multiple accounts measuring in multiples of millions and substantially more in physical assets. Literal fortunes were being offered to her.
Looking over the second woman to get aggressively close that evening, Patty silently admitted that this one was a lot more persuasive. Both had plenty of power but Luna's friend lacked the wicked control and icy attractiveness exuded before her. "What's the job?" Money like this would sway anyone. Offering them to someone living on the streets could buy nearly anything. Doing so in such a fashion would guarantee agreement.
"Simply keep your distance from Luna and her family until I've finished my business with Fudo. Your presence could interfere with some delicate plans I'm currently overseeing" Huh. So it was about Yusei then. Fine, she could keep away from Luna for a while. It wasn't as if that was a big change to her lifestyle.
"And the rest?" No matter how good the pay, she wasn't about to leap before looking. Surviving on the streets was doable enough but there was no getting out of some things once a person was in.
"For one, no more smoking." Snatching the packet from her pocket before Patty could stop her, the ice queen tossed them into the bin over one shoulder. "Now then," Walking to the door, the crowding guards gave her latest acquisition but to follow along. "Let's talk about the Signers."
And there we have it, my final chapter for 2021!
Here's hoping we all have a better year ahead of us than behind!