Sarah sat on the roof of her house, the sounds of the cleanup crew's power tools echoing faintly in the background. This spot overlooking the water was her favorite, a place of solace and reflection. She had texted Topper to meet her there, hoping to make up for the joke she had pulled earlier that day.

Topper climbed out of the window carefully, making his way over to where Sarah sat. His expression was a mix of curiosity and concern as he approached her.

"You're looking a little unstable there," Sarah teased as Topper settled down beside her on the roof.

"Alright. It's worth it for this view right here," Topper replied, glancing out at the scenery with a playful grin.

"Oh, you mean that?" Sarah quipped, a playful glint in her eye.

"You too. No, you too," Topper chuckled, smiling warmly at her. They shared a laugh together, enjoying the moment of levity.

Sarah couldn't help but appreciate how sweet Topper was to her in moments like these. She wished he would show that side of himself to everyone else as well.

"Oh man," he breathes happily, but then he gets serious, "Hey um, I heard you had a Pogue kinda sneaking around here this morning."

Sarah listened as Topper's tone shifted, from lightheartedness to seriousness. His words about a Pogue sneaking around made her curious and wary at the same time.

"Who told you that?" she asked, trying to figure out how much Topper knew.

"Oh, it doesn't matter," Topper replied vaguely. "Um, yeah, it's just… you gotta be careful. These Pogues are all just lowlives, I mean," he continued cautiously, careful not to reveal Wheezie's involvement.

Sarah felt a surge of frustration at Topper's snobbish tone. "Don't say that, Topper. You don't know them," she rebuked him firmly. How could he judge people he didn't even know?

As she reflected, Sarah admitted to herself that the Pogues seemed alright, albeit a bit rough around the edges. JJ's actions with the gun had left her feeling uncertain, but she wasn't ready to condemn her outright.

Topper's response only added to her irritation. "Oh, okay, I'm sorry. I'm sorry that, uh... I'm sorry that they put a gun to my head," he replied, his tone lacking sincerity. His comment might have been fair if Sarah hadn't been aware of what Topper had done.

"Do you know what that feels like?" he chuckled bitterly, devoid of humor.

"No, I don't, but to be fair Topper—" Sarah began, wanting to make her point clear.

"They're dangerous," Topper cut in firmly, but Sarah refused to let him dictate the conversation.

"To be fair, you threw the first punch," she stated bluntly, wanting him to acknowledge his own role in the conflict.

"Oh. That's my bad. That's my— I deserved that," Topper replied, completely misinterpreting her words.

"I didn't say that," Sarah argued, frustrated by the misunderstanding.

"Shit," Topper mumbled, frustration evident in his voice. "You realize I'm just trying to protect you?"

"I know, and I appreciate that," Sarah replied calmly. "I get it."

"I don't think you're getting it," Topper argued, a hint of jealousy creeping into his tone. "You're just gonna go hang out with them now?"

Sarah was taken aback. 'What the hell is he on about?' she thought to herself. "Topper, John B works here," she said plainly. "What do you want me to do?"

"John B. Yeah," Topper repeated, his annoyance apparent.

"What do you expect from me? Hand signals?" Sarah asked irritably, baffled by Topper's sudden outburst.

"I don't know. I'm sorry that I just... just care about you," Topper stressed, his frustration palpable. He seemed to be arguing for something she couldn't quite grasp, and his jealousy seemed unwarranted to Sarah. She regretted inviting him up here now.

Standing up, Sarah made her way towards the window, her patience worn thin. She didn't want to argue anymore.

"Yeah, just, you're just gonna walk away," Topper bit out at her turned back, his frustration evident.

"Yeah, I am. I can't deal with this," Sarah shot back sharply, not bothering to look back.

She climbed through the window and stormed off, needing to find somewhere to cool off. As she walked, Sarah reflected on her relationship with Topper. Sometimes, a lot of times if she was honest with herself, she wasn't sure why she was with him. He could be sweet, but his attitude towards people with less money really bothered her. It was a recurring issue that she couldn't ignore.

Shaking her head to clear thoughts of her complicated relationship with Topper, Sarah decided to focus on something more immediate. She realized she could use a snack, so she headed to the kitchen. As she walked, the events of the day still lingered in her mind, but for now, a snack seemed like the best way to distract herself and regain some composure.

Meanwhile, the Pogues had loaded into the Twinkie, their trusty vehicle, and were making their way toward... well, John B hadn't actually said where they were heading.

John B drove with Pope in the passenger seat, the two of them studying the compass intently. In the back, Kie and JJ sat quietly, taking a moment to collect themselves amidst what had already been a long and eventful day.

"I mean, it's obvious, right?" John B mused aloud, breaking the silence. "A family heirloom. What better place to hide a message? He had to know it was gonna get back to me, right?"

Pope nodded thoughtfully, considering John B's words. The compass, with its mysterious origins and potential clues, seemed to hold more significance than they initially realized.

JJ stared at the back of John B's head in disbelief, unsure of how to respond to his theory.

"Yeah, it's possible," Kie agreed cautiously, but JJ could tell they were both thinking along the same lines.

Pope, ever the pragmatic one, voiced what they were all thinking. "It could also be possible that you're concocting wild theories to, you know, deal with your sad feels," he said bluntly.

"Pope?" John B started, clearly offended by Pope's assessment of his theories.

JJ attempted to ease the tension caused by Pope's comment by interjecting with a joke. "You know how I process sad feels? Dank bugs and the stickiest of icky," she quipped. "That's how I do it."

However, John B wasn't swayed. "I'm not concocting anything, okay?" he snapped at Pope, clearly offended. "My dad's trying to give me a message."

The seriousness in John B's tone silenced the car momentarily. It was clear to JJ and the others that John B was deeply invested in uncovering the truth behind the compass and his father's intentions.

"If it helps you believe, John B," Kie attempted to back up Pope's point gently.

"Look, I-I don't need a therapy session, okay? I'm not trippin' out," John B insisted stubbornly, his tone defensive.

JJ felt a pang of worry for him. "It's okay to trip, bro," she said softly, concerned about his denial. She avoided looking in the mirror where she knew John B was likely staring back at her, hurt.

She couldn't shake the feeling that John B's refusal to consider alternative perspectives wasn't healthy. She didn't know if she should feed into it anymore. However, she also understood that pushing him too hard might not help either.

"Look, my dad is missing, okay," John B said firmly, his voice shaking with emotion. "Missing. You don't know what it's like to have the person closest to you vanish. And then have no idea what happened. Just wake up every morning wondering."

JJ flinched inwardly, the mention of loss hitting close to home with thoughts of her mother. She knew John B was speaking from a place of hurt and frustration. She stayed silent, regretting her momentary lapse in support. She should have backed him up, even if just to help him find closure in seeking the truth for himself. It had been a taxing day, and she felt emotionally drained.

"It's been almost a year," Kie said softly, breaking JJ out of her thoughts. JJ wasn't about to make the same mistake again.

"Hey, he could've been kidnapped. That's definitely a possibility," JJ said, looking directly at John B through the rearview mirror. She conveyed her apology silently with her eyes, and John B seemed to silently forgive her in return.

Kie, however, glared at JJ's retreat back to John B's side. She should know by now that JJ would always choose John B's side. As she settled in next to John B, JJ silently vowed to herself that she would support him wholeheartedly, no matter what challenges they faced in their search for answers.

"Yeah, could be in a Soviet sub getting interrogated by the KGB somewhere," Pope mused, his tone unclear whether he was serious or sarcastic. JJ decided to play along.

"Absolutely. Uh... or Atlantis," she added, injecting a bit of humor into the tense atmosphere.

"JJ," Kie said exasperatedly, then turned back to John B. "Look, what do you think the message is?"

"Redfield," John B answered definitively. "Redfield Lighthouse. That's my dad's favorite place."

They fell silent for the rest of the drive, each lost in their thoughts as they contemplated this new piece of potentially crucial information.