Fluorescent lights lit up the broad room, its radiance illuminating the air. The low hum of the ACs echo through the many narrow hallways, its walls separated into distinct office cubes. Light footsteps tread from many directions, each heading to its own destination. Along came whispers and mutters, conversations and banters between one person to another, all melding into the sounds of machinery that ran in the background.
At the far corner of the office room lay a door which led to another room. Its interior and size are much different than the rest, built only for the use of one person, who was sitting firmly in their chair.
Bronya Zaychik.
Her eyes focused on her monitor, pupils darting repeatedly from side to side. Her hands laid fully on her keyboard as her fingers glided through each key, their respective letters appearing onto the screen. Moving her palm to the mouse, she clicked onto one of the results that came up, her gaze unblinking.
Next to her table, a clock began to click rhythmically, its handle passing through each node engraved onto its surface. Soon, the hour handle turns, marking the passing of an hour. It was then that the endless clicking noises stopped.
Bronya's hands remained still, its fingers floating just above the keyboard. She slowly slumped them to the table as her body began to drift backwards. Leaning onto her armchair, her head pointed upwards as she looked onto the ceiling in silence.
She then lets out a long sigh before throwing her head back down. Turning her eyes to a nearby notepad, Bronya reaches into her shirt pocket, pulling out a blue point pen. She began to scribble onto the empty note sheet before ripping it off, holding it up to her eyes.
On it were words and numbers, all orderly laid out in a line. Bronya mumbled to herself that address, making sure that it was correct before putting it away into her pocket.
"I'll head over there today to see for myself." She muttered, gaze fixated onto a newspaper scattered on her desk. It's front page imprinted with red colored words:
Kiana Kaslana's Mysterious Disappearance
"What are you staring at?"
"WAH-!"
Bronya yelps, her body jerks to the side of her chair as she snaps her eyes towards the voice. Next to her stood a tall woman, purple adorned their stature as it stretched all the way down to their waist. Her eyes gaze curiously at Bronya, her glasses tilting downwards as she does so.
Bronya breathes a sigh, her shoulders slumped as she remarks to her friend.
"Didn't I tell you to knock last time, Mei!"
"I did though?" Mei gave a befuddled look. "But I guess you didn't hear it with how deep in thought you seemed."
"And so you let yourself in just casually like that?"
"Naturally." Mei responds, a confident smile on her face. That only made Bronya sigh again however.
Mei turned her gaze to the desk, before reaching her hand to grab one of the newspapers laying around. Her eyes glaze through the front page of the paper, tilting her head slightly as she mutters.
"How curious, is reading up old news a new hobby for you?"
"Uuhh, yeah, I guess so."
"You guess so?"
"I only really look at the interesting ones," Bronya waved her hand in front of her mouth from side to side as she spoke. "The rest are too boring to waste my time on."
"Is that so?" Mei hummed before putting the newspaper down. "Well, make sure you don't indulge in this so openly like that. You could get in trouble for slacking off."
"Don't worry about it, I always make sure my door is always locked…except for you who for some reason decided to go and make a copy of the key to it."
"If I didn't, you would never let anyone enter here," Mei sat on the desk as she faced Bronya. "I'm just making sure you don't lock yourself away from everyone."
"How caring of you.." Bronya sneered. "What about you? Been getting enough sleep after the last time?"
"Hmm…" She contemplated for a moment, before turning to Bronya with a smile. "Why yes, I have, actually. It's quite refreshing."
"Hoooooh?" Bronya hummed in surprise, leaning her head onto the palm of her hand as she stared at her friend. "Don't tell me you found a new buddy to hang around with now? I would be truly saddened if so."
"It's not like that."
"Oh dear me, my precious, overly responsible and booooring friend has finally found someone else to play with her and left this poor Bronya behind in the dump. I feel so heartbroken and betrayed by this."
Bronya sang out, an arm raising dramatically up to her face as she covered it with her palm. She then tilts her head further down, purposely exaggerating her motion. This got Mei to look at her dumbfounded as she broke out a sigh.
"I would never do that to you Bronya…and what do you mean by me being boring and overly responsible?"
"I meant exactly what I said~" Bronya hums, closing her eyes shut as held her dramatic position.
"Jeez, you're such a child sometimes.." Mei remarks exhaustedly, yet her smile only grew. "I simply just had a good night's rest, that's all."
"That's all?"
"That's all."
"Hmmmmmm…" Bronya hum for an unnaturally long time, before she spoke with an equally unnaturally childish voice. "Bronya will believe you then."
"That's good to hear." Mei replied, turning her head away.
The two stayed silent for a few seconds, before inevitably they both broke into a fit of laughter at their own theatrics. Bronya laid her head fully onto her desk, grinning to herself. As for Mei, she simply held a hand to her mouth as she chuckled.
"Well then, I suppose I should get going now," Mei then spoke, pushing herself off the desk as she began to make her way towards the door. "Though do try not slack off too much okay?"
"And don't you go pushing yourself working to death, you hear?" Bronya waves her hand to Mei.
"Hai hai, I'll see you later then."
"See ya."
With that final exchange, Mei promptly exits out of the room. Once she was sure her friend was gone, Bronya sat herself back up, her smile dissipating as she glanced over to the newspaper.
"Sorry Mei.." She mutters. "But I would rather not get you involved with this."
Her hand flickers onto the monitor as she presses a button at the corner, turning her monitor back on. On the screen were multiple websites containing interviews, discussion and in-depth retellings. All of them revolve around the same person.
Bronya pats her chest lightly, feeling the note paper pressing against her. She gives a long tired sigh, before turning her eyes back to the screen.
"Guess our movie night is gonna have to wait a bit longer."
Outside the girl's room, behind the closed door to her office, Mei stood in silence, her back face to the door frame. Her head lowered, expression completely unreadable. A few people passed by her, sneaking a glance over as they wondered before hurrying along, and yet she still stood.
It stayed like that for a few minutes, before finally Mei lifted her head. With a neutral expression, she began to walk away from the door.
Beep beep beep beep beep bee-Click!
The beeping ceased with an audible thud, an outstretched hand lay firmly on the alarm clock. Laying still there for a few seconds, the arm then slipped limply down to the bedside. The body of whose arm was attached began to shift, rocking the bed lightly.
Their head was planted down onto the sheets, laying there unmoving. Before slowly the person began to turn their head upwards, letting their bare face be touched by the cold air around them.
Long bangs of hair fell down to their face, covering it slightly. Slowly their eyes began to open, revealing deep blue irises hidden behind a dark vacant hole. Those pupils stared at nothing, as their nose slowly breathed in and out.
The person laid there for a short while, unflinching in their stillness. That is until their arm, which has been laying limply down to the side began to move up towards the bed. Planting their palms down to the sheet, they then lift themselves off slowly.
Now sat on the bed, the person took their time to adjust. Taking in deep and slow breaths, letting their chest raise and lower, they slowly but surely nudge their legs to the side. Letting their limbs drop onto the floor, pressing their toes against the hard cold surface, they then stood.
Turning their head slightly to the side, their legs began to move in that direction. Reaching a door, their arms tiredly stretch forward, loosely holding onto the handle before twisting it open. Walking into the room, their glazed eyes turn to the nearby sink inside, turning the faucet on as water begins to pour out from the tap.
Cupping their hands under the source, they then take a long deep breath, before exhaling it slowly. Once all the air had left their lungs, their hands flung up to their face, a violent splash of water colliding onto their features.
They then repeat this over and over, each time just as violent as the last. Finally, they turn off the tap with a tight twist, droplets of water dripping onto their hand. Their eyes traveled up to the mirror on top of the sink, behind the messy hair that was now dripping in water, they found deep sinking eyes staring back at them.
Blinking once, their arm reached over beside them, grabbing a towel hanging onto the door. Placing the dry towel onto their face, they then press hard onto it, dragging it around their face and their hair. Once all the water was clear, they then started back up to the mirror.
Their hair now only messy, behind it were blue irises glancing back at them. They stood in silence for a bit, before turning away and back out into the bedroom. Holding the towel, they began to walk over to the nearby closet, opening it up.
Inside of it were filled with clothes hung in orderly fashion, each one lined up according to their respective color palette. Looking from one end to another, they reach forward, picking one up from the hanger as they bring it forth.
A bleached out shirt, overlaid with a dark blue overcoat along with a long black skirt.
Closing the closet, they head over to their bed, placing the clothes down as they slowly strip. Taking off their nightgowns, leaving only their undergarments on, they began to put on each piece of clothing.
Wrapping the shirt around them, their arms travel up to the button to clip them on. Yet they found their fingers to tremble somewhat, unable to properly hold the buttons together. Their eyes narrow, before shifting their arms ever so slightly. And just like that, the trembling stops as they button their shirt.
Putting on the overcoat, they then loop their legs over the skirt, tugging it on properly. The woman then walked towards the bedside, a large mirror sat neatly to it. Staring at her image, she reaches over to her hair, fixing it up until it was properly kept.
Finding her eyes staring back at her, the woman's lips twitch, before twisting upwards, making a smile. That expression immediately fell as soon as it appeared, the woman closing her eyes. A deep inhale she took, raising her chest before letting it fall. Then she gazes back to her reflection.
"Time to wake the kids up."
Seele Vollerei spoke to her mirror, before turning towards the doorway.
Knock knock knock
Tapping her knuckles against the wooden door, Seele waited. Rapid footsteps echo through the floor as a voice rang out from inside the room.
"In a bit! I'm almost done!"
"Take your time, breakfast is still an hour away." Seele softly spoke, her voice monotone.
"I know!"
The erratic footsteps continued soon after their response as Seele began walking along the hallway. As she passed through many different doors, giving each one the same rhythmic knock and response, her mind and body fell into a state of autopilot.
Arriving at a turn, Seele steered to the side, arriving at another hallway. This one however was much shorter in length, only a few meters long. The only thing present here were two rooms lying opposite of one another.
Seele walks over to one of the doors, raising her hand to the wooden surface. Uttering the same three knocks, she felt the frame shift, her gaze shifting downwards to notice the door was left open.
Seele stood in silence, staring intently at the handle for a moment, before gently pushing it forward. The door opened wider until the room was now visible to her, lifting her eyes to see.
It was a rather compact room, the light pink-painted walls plastered with posters of dozens of bands, posing and carrying musical instruments like they were performing in front of an audience. Some looked newer than others, retaining its luster and shine on its surface.
The bed was left in a messy state, its pillows were left scattered while the sheets seemed hastily folded. Seele's eyes hazily scan the room for any presence yet found none, until she laid eyes onto something near the door.
A short drawer was situated next to Seele, on it were several picture frames. Some pressed against the wall, others were pushed to the edge, but the one that her gaze solely focused on was the single picture in front, its image encased in a clear glass frame.
Seele held an unbroken gaze at the picture, her arms pressing tightly to her sides. Her lips thin as she lifts up one of her arms to grab the picture frame. Gripping the sides as she looks down onto the image, her eyes narrowing as she bit down her lips.
It was a picture taken years ago, the memory of that time imprinted firmly onto it and in Seele's mind. She was together with Rozaliya and Liliya, the three smiling joyfully as they held their own poses. Next to Seele was Bronya, part of her face covered with smears of cake icing, yet a smile can still be seen on her expression.
Seele's mouth quivers, her hands trembling ever so slightly. Her shoulders shaking, Seele shut her eyes as she began to take in deep and slow breaths. She then exhales before repeating the process over and over until the shaking stops, letting one last long breath that turns into a sigh.
Placing the picture down to the drawer, Seele reopened her eyes again, their gaze shifting towards the door outside. The door sitting opposite of where she was in, a small sign hanging on the frame.
She stared at it for a long minute, before turning her head away as she began walking out from the room, closing it shut. Without another glance, Seele exits out from the hallway as she returns back to her work.
Children sat next to one another, mouths chattering as they ate their food. Each individual voice meld together creating a symphony of sounds, echoing throughout the small cafeteria.
One of the children suddenly stood up from their chair, a small metal tray in hand as they began walking towards the back of the room. Their eyes darting from corner to corner until they land onto the figure of a woman near the very back, their pace quickening in response.
They soon arrive at the spot, a smile on their face as they spoke to her.
"Good morning to you Vollerei-senpai!"
Their voice caught the woman's attention, her body turning to meet the child. She returns his smile with her own before speaking.
"Morning to you too. Place your tray over here and I'll check your name off the list so you can go."
The kid nods before moving to the nearby counter. Seele quickly pulls out a small notepad, her pen in hand as she checks off the name of the kid. Giving him an approving smile, they then happily skipped away towards the exit, entering the hallway as they met up with their other friends.
Seele gaze at them, her smile dropping entirely. She sighs, looking over to the stash of dirty trays.
"Tired?"
Another voice suddenly called out to Seele, prompting her to turn back to face them. Seeing a familiar face standing not too far from them, Seele tilts her head as she smiles again.
"Morning Rozaliya."
"Morning."
Rozaliya replied, turning her head to the side. Her clothes were disheveled and messy, covered by a long white apron that was just barely shy from touching the floor. Her hair tied into a ponytail, its end swinging from side to side as the girl makes her way to the counter.
"I'll take care of this. You can focus on the kids."
"You already finished your duty with the other children though? It's alright, I can do this by myself." Seele remarks, a smile ever present on her face.
Rozaliya didn't answer her, giving only a short glance at Seele before turning back to the dirty trays. Placing them into the sink, she turns the faucet, letting the stream pour down violently, the water smacking against the sink with loud audible thuds.
Her back turns entirely against her, Seele's smile drops. Without another word, the woman turned back to the cafeteria, waiting for the next kid to finish their breakfast.
"Well, I'm here already so might as well."
Rozaliya retorts before walking over to the sink. Seele didn't reply, instead keeping herself silent as she returned to the counter. At the corner of her eye she could already see more kids were walking towards her with their finished trays.
As the last child leaves the cafeteria, Seele marks off their name. She then shoves the notepad back into her pocket, turning her gaze behind her. There she spots Rozaliya, who was already cleaning the floor with a wet mop. Though the girl's gaze was instead focused on her, only turning away once she noticed her staring. Seele followed her action, picking up another mop nearby as she began to clean.
Minutes pass by with neither speaking a word, the only noise accompanying them were the occasional wet splash echo onto the white-tiled floor. Seele glances over to Rozaliya, her lips thinning slightly before she finally parts them open.
"How's your school been going?"
The question prompts Rozaliya to stop briefly before resuming, her eyes still staring on the floor.
"I have been on break from school for weeks now." She responds curtly.
"Ah…right," Seele replied, her head turning awkwardly to the side. "I'm sorry."
"Where did you go last weekend?"
"Huh? Oh.."
She looks at Rozaliya, the girl still not looking back at her. Seele stood in silence as she grip onto the mop a little more tightly.
"So?" Rozaliya asks again, her eyes finally lifting off the ground and staring straight at Seele.
"...I was going out to meet with someone. The bartender from that one place," Seele replies, finding herself unable to look Rozaliya in the eyes. "I forgot something at that place so I called them to let me come take it. That's all."
"...I see."
Rozaliya mutters before breaking her gaze from Seele, her arms resuming their flow as she begins to move further away from the woman. That is until she pauses for a moment, her head turning slightly towards Seele, her face unviewable from the angle.
"I really thought you were looking for help for her."
"..."
With that, Rozaliya walked away.
Seele stood frozen in place, head tilted downwards. Her hands squeeze around the handle until her nails begin to dig deep into her palm. Her face is shrouded by the bang of hair falling onto her features, her teeth grinding against each other.
A quiet shriek echo across the cold floor as the door slowly opens. Faint light enters the room as a figure steps into the room, before gently closing the door behind them.
Seele stood in silence, her arms carrying a small bowl. She began to take gentle steps, her eyes only focused on a small figure of a person at the end of the room.
There, leaning onto the side of a window was Liliya. Her blue hair flowing faintly down to the floor, its luster all but gone. She sat with her legs dangling to the side, arms limp as her head permanently gaze out the small open window frame, letting a gentle breeze enter as it blows the curtain along its torrent.
Seele placed the small bowl onto the table, eyes still fixated onto the girl. With great hesitance, she parted her lips.
"I brought you something Liliya. You should eat it while it's warm." Her voice was low and soft, almost sounding more like a whisper than anything.
And yet the girl did not answer, her mind still only paying attention to the window beside her. The wind then abruptly stops, the curtain which has been covering up the girl's face falls as her expression can be made out in better clarity. It was an expression that left Seele's mouth agape.
Liliya's face looked like a corpse. Her lips dry to the point the skin was beginning to tear from it. Her cheeks devoid of any color, almost sunken in its darkness. Up to her face, dark bags that seemed more like holes dig deep under the girl's eyes, whose irises could barely be seen with how narrow her eyelids had become.
Liliya looked so frail.
Seele stared at the young girl for an indefinite time, her expression frozen. Her body then suddenly drops to the floor, her limbs moving closer to the girl. With great reluctance, her arm reached upwards, caressing the girl's hair.
"Maybe we should take a shower together before eating, it's been such a long time after all…" Seele utter to Liliya, a far too wide smile etched into her very skin. Her tone was so overtly cheerful that it became unnatural, her eyes squinted shut as she waited for the girl's response.
Yet Liliya never answered.
"..."
….
Even as Seele held her hair ever so gently, Liliya stayed the same, her eyes still gazing outside towards nothing. Seele's smile fell, her face reverting back to an unreadable expression, yet her eyes still remained shut.
The wind began to pick up again, causing the curtain to blow pass Liliya's face, while also covering Seeles.
"I asked Bronya to help find her." Seele suddenly spoke, her voice audible through the curtain.
"..."
"She's going to find Kiana for us. But she needs help she can get." All fluctuation in her tone was gone, replaced with a complete sense of stillness and ridgidness.
Liliya's lips shifted, her mouth ever so moved from where it stood.
"She needs to know everything that happened. From you Liliya. You are the only one that can tell her that."
The girl's shoulders shifted, her neck turning ever so slowly. Her pupils lagged behind as it dragged itself with her movement.
"But you can't do that in this condition, you have to get better."
The wind dissipates once more, the curtain falling away as Liliya finally lays her eyes upon Seele. As she gazes upon her older sister, her pupils widen.
"Rozaliya wants you to get better. I want you to get better. So please….." Seele's voice trails off at the end, the composure it once had suddenly lost.
"S-Se-Ser-lee…?"
Seele's eyes widened, her head snapped upwards upon hearing that voice. Liliya stares back at her, a faint glint now present in her irises.
"Oh Liliya!"
Seele yelled out in utter relief, pushing herself off the floor as she flew into the girl. Wrapping her arms around her, the woman cries out in joy and sadness.
Liliya stayed silent, feeling the warm tears staining onto her shoulder. She turned to look at Seele, the edge of her lips began to drop down slightly. She then closes her eyes as she slowly wraps her frail arms around the woman, digging her mouth onto Seele's shoulder, lips parting ever so slightly as she whispers.
"...I-I'm…sorry…"
The office was beginning to be shroud in darkness as the last few beads of light remained from the setting sun. Sounds of machine and human voices that once echo through the place have been long since silenced, leaving the large room in utter stillness.
And yet at the corner of the room laid a door, bright white light still beaming underneath its crack. Then the door suddenly opens, the small light now bursts through the frame, illuminating a small area around it.
A figure steps out from the door, their back facing outside as they look inside the room. With an audible click, the light vanishes, showering the whole office back into darkness.
Putting on a large coat, they then stretch out their limbs for a bit before heading towards the exit door. Closing the door, they then reach into their pocket, pulling out a key as they lock the door.
"I'm surprised."
"Wah-!" Startled by another voice, they snap their head behind them, finding a woman leaning onto the wall as she stares at them.
After realizing who it was, the figure, Bronya, sighs, slumping her shoulders cartoonishly to her side.
"God Mei, can you stop acting like a horror movie slasher? I'm going to get a heart attack one day."
"I didn't mean to frighten you, besides.." Mei folded her arms. "It's you who is shocking me. You never stay around here this late. What's going on?"
"Don't worry about it. I was just too invested in this new game I discovered so I didn't realize the time until it was pitch dark." Bronya replied, shrugging her shoulders as she began to walk. Mei follows closely behind.
"Really…didn't I tell you to not slack off just this morning?" Mei says with a defeated sigh.
"I wasn't slacking off. I was just participating in self-pleasure, that's all."
"Here I am worrying about your job, and you almost treat it as not a big deal at all."
"Awh, thanks for caring about Bronya so much~"
"I'm beginning to regret that I do."
With that, the two stay in silence as they walk. Reaching the staircase, Bronya casually steps down, not noticing her friend had stopped moving.
"Bronya."
"Hmm?"
"Are you sure you aren't doing anything dangerous?"
The question prompts Bronya to pause, her back facing Mei. Her mouth agape as she held her tongue, before closing it. Instead, she turned to face her friend, a gentle smile spread across her lips.
Mei's eyes widened slightly at Bronya, surprised by the sudden expression. But overtime, she could only respond with a sigh, before giving her own smile.
"This is so unlike you, you know that?" She remarks, a light chuckle escapes her throat as she walks down the stairs.
"Perhaps." Bronya replied, a soft smile still present on her as she turned her head. That is until she suddenly flicks it back, eyes fixated on something.
"...Hmm."
"What is it?" Mei asked her, arriving at the same level as her friend.
"Since when did you switch out to wearing a short skirt?"
"What kind of question is that?" Mei tilts her head in slight confusion. Bronya instead of saying anything simply points dowards, making her follow the girl's finger. It led straight down to her hips, where she noticed her skirt had been pulled up unknowingly high enough that her leggings could be seen all the way up to her thigh.
"...Oh."
"Mmmhmm."
"Are you going home now, Bronya?"
Mei's voice echoed through the empty parking lot, her question directed towards her friend in front of her. The woman turned her head slightly, one eye glancing back at her.
"Not exactly, there's something I want to find before that." Bronya spoke, her arm lifted upwards with her keys in hand. Pressing her thumb down onto a small pad attached to it, causing a loud beep to echo through the parking lot.
"Is that so? Are you sure you can't leave it till tomorrow?"
"Don't worry about it. I can take care of myself."
"Even so..try not to go anywhere shady or devoid of people okay?"
"Now you just sound like an over-concerned mother."
"I am just concerned for you."
"Awh, I'm glad you do~" Bronya remarks cheekily as she reaches her vehicle. Passing an arm around to the other side, she inserts the key into the ignition.
"Try not to push yourself at least."
"Oh no, I think it's you who need to hear that," Bronya quickly waves her hand in front of her as she speaks. "You're the one who keeps overworking yourself to death."
"Well, I suppose you're not wrong." Mei relents, puffing a short sigh. Bronya stares at her for a moment before reaching out, tapping onto her shoulder.
"Hey, I'll be fine."
"If you say so…"
Bronya smiles at her before turning back onto her vehicle. Putting on the helmet, she then turns the ignition keys, resulting in the engine bursting into life as it roars reverberating through the empty lot.
Bronya turns towards the handle, gripping onto them tightly. With a quick twisting motion, the engine soars even louder, before settling on a rhythmic beat. Lights flicker rapidly throughout the vehicle as they resume their natural order.
Mei looked at the vehicle, shaking her head slightly.
"Your obsession with motorcycles truly hasn't changed. If I recall correctly, this one is called-"
"Project Bunny."
Bronya spoke through her helmet, a large grin hidden behind that mask. And with that, she turned the handle, causing the wheels to turn rapidly as she began to speed off out of the parking lot, leaving Mei behind.
Watching her friend's figure disappear through a corner, Mei stood in silence, letting the cold air of the night glaze through her skin. For a moment, her eyes reflected nothing, dull purple orbs gazing at the darkness. When the wind stopped however, her eyes lit up once more.
A smile spread through her lips.
The woman slowly turned and walked. An ever present smile bore onto her face as her eyes stared off to the dark.
As the sun began to set fully into the horizon, so too did the noises that once permeated through the streets began to subside. The road that once was swarmed with cars was left barren. The sidewalks were not much different, only a few passersby could be seen.
The street lights shuddered awake, an orange tinge illuminating the road for those who would walk the path. Buildings lined together, neon signs decorated their sides as people could be seen standing inside, staring out to the now quiet neighborhood. For a time, the only sounds were the light footsteps of pedestrians, and the ever light hum exuding from the countless lights
That is until a motorcycle passed through a corner and drifted onto this road, its engine roared loudly through the air. Those that got lost in the atmospheric trance were immediately caught off guard by the vehicle's presence, their eyes widened as they snapped their stare towards it. Some held curious looks, others shook their heads disapprovingly before walking away or back into their store.
The vehicle shrieked to a stop at the sidewalk, its weight leaning to the side as the rider planted their foot down for balance. They then took off their helmet, letting their long silver hair flow freely down to their back. Shooting their head from side to side, the woman then let out a long tired sigh.
Those that were still paying attention to her became confused when she started banging her head against her helmet repeatedly. One of the onlookers was nearby, so he quickly ran out from his store to the woman.
"Um…are you alright there missy?" The man asked, causing the woman to freeze. He felt his sweat run down his cheek as he stared at the motionless woman, before she suddenly burst into life, snapping her head towards him.
"Do you have a map for this district by any chance?"
Bronya asked him, a tired yet desperate tone instilled in her voice. The man was surprised by her sudden question, but quickly responded back.
"Oh uh, I do have one laying somewhere, do you want me to go ge-"
"Yes please!"
"R-right then! Hang on!"
He then trudged off with a sprint, leaving Bronya to wait. She immediately gave another sigh, pressing the back of her palm to her head.
This has been a total disaster…
She had been trying to get to the last known location where Kiana and Liliya's last talked, which was somewhere around Nagazora District. Using the address she had written down, she had planned to follow the signs and eventually she would arrive at where she needed.
She was so, so wrong.
Each passing street, she became more entangled in the web that was Nagazora District. Each alleyway seemingly connected to every other alley, and each road all looped back to one another. It was like a maze that only got more convoluted the deeper you traverse in it, and Bronya was neck deep in that very maze.
Finding herself in such a predicament, Bronya could only puff another long sigh, leaning forward as she pressed her chest onto the front.
"Agh!"
A groan escapes her throat, her legs wobble as she desperately endure the painful numbness that threatens to topple her over if her legs give out. She had been sitting in the same position for too long.
Just when it was becoming more bearable, a sudden vibration in her pants pocket caused her body to instinctively react, her legs twitching in response. In doing so, the balance was lost as the motorcycle began to topple over.
Bronya frantically scrambled her arms to the handles, holding it tight as the weight of the motorcycle leaned way too far to the side. Before it could, however, her legs slam down onto the concrete floor with a loud thud, just barely able to prevent the vehicle from landing to its sides along with her.
Her heart beating loudly, Bronya exhaled with relief, but that relief quickly turned into anger as she dug her hand into her pocket. Pulling out her still vibrating phone, seeing a call from an unknown number, she pressed the answer as she put it straight to her ear.
"Who the hell is this?!" She grumbled to the caller.
[ B-Bronya?.. ] The caller yelped back in response, taken aback by the outburst. Realizing who it was, Bronya pauses for a moment before knocking herself on the head.
"Why are you calling me Seele?" She says, suppressing her anger down until her voice sounded calmer.
[ Um, I..found out about something and I think it was crucial to tell you as soon as possible. But…is this maybe a bad time to call you? ]
"Depends on your answer," Bronya glances over to see the previous man running over to her, a sheet of paper in hand. "I'm currently in the middle of something myself."
[ Alright, then I'll try to keep this brief! It's not much, but it might be of use somehow for you. ]
"Out with it." She extends her arm to the man, grabbing the map from him as she waits for Seele.
[ Liliya remembered something else back in that day. ]
Bronya immediately paused.
"What?"
Bronya parks her vehicle next to a nearby road, making sure to lock it properly before she steps off the motor.
Map in hand, she took another glance at it. A circular mark was scribbled onto the map, the street being the one that Bronya was standing in.
This was where she was at now after spending half an hour learning the layout of the district. Bronya turned to a corner, spotting a small alleyway that left little room for any vehicles to pass through.
She looked around the area for any signs of people, before noticing someone sitting outside of their bright lit house. As she walked towards them, their appearance became more discernible to her.
It was a rather old man, his full white hair and short beard at least tells her that much. He sat alone on a small wooden chair, his posture bent over as he held his body weight up with a short cane. No clear emotion was present on his face, his eyes seeming glazed over almost.
Bronya pauses in her tracks, a bit reluctant to ask him of all people. But seeing as nobody else was outside their house, she relented, walking towards him until she was only a few steps away.
"Hello," She calls him. "Do you mind if I talk to you for a bit?"
"…Talk?" The told man mutters, not turning his face to meet hers at all. Bronya promptly kneels down as she looks at him at equal eye level.
"Yes, though I just want to ask you a few questions about what happened here not too long ago."
"Hmmm…" The old man hummed for a moment. "Questions eh. You want to ask this old man right here questions? In other words, talking to me?"
"Well, yes…"
The old man then grew silent, his eyes closed. Then, he smirks, before bursting into a joyful laugh, catching Bronya completely off guard.
"Sure you can! Just ask away lil missy! I'll gladly answer anything you wanna hear!" He spoke cheerfully, a completely different kind of energy now radiates from him.
"R-right…" Bronya mumbled, already regretting her decision. But nevertheless, she began to ask away.
"Was there some kind of construction that happened here recently?"
"Construction? Hmmmmm…oh yeah, there was something like that."
"Really?"
"Well, nothing was really built in the end."
"What do you mean?"
"Well," He mutters, placing a hand over his chin as he gently strokes his beard. "Someone came and placed a sign at the entrance of this neighborhood, then said that a crew will be coming to work on something. Everyone here talked about what was being built, but after a whole day, nobody came."
"Are you sure about that?"
"Of course! My memory is quite sharp for an old goon! If ya want proof, the sign is still somewhere here."
"Then can I see it?" Bronya asked, to which the old man nodded with a wide smile.
"Sure sure, I remember it being buried somewhere under those bushes over-"
"It was moved there before we found out it was all just a prank and decided to throw it all away."
Another voice interjects, making both Bronya and the old man turn their heads to the side.
A woman seemingly in her mid twenties was leaning onto the door, her arms folded across her chest. Her eyes that were closed slowly open, an intense aura began to radiate from it. Blood red irises glared at Bronya, sending a chill down her spine. Then that glare turns to the old man.
"What did I say about staying late outside again? We have windows." She spoke, her voice commanding and equally intense.
"Hmph! Can't an old man enjoy a little night breeze?" The old man simply retorts, unafraid of her presence.
"Right. Of course you would enjoy scaring off kids late at night and ogling other people."
"Haaaahh? Now that's just bullcrap! I didn't scare any kids, they scare themselves!"
"Oh? Then what about the latter part?"
"I'm merely looking out for the young folks around these parks after all. A little looksie here and there can't hurt."
"You goddamn pervert!"
The woman now full on yelling at the old man, whose face was bending upwards to meet her glare. The two argued for minutes on end, neither one refusing to let the other one slide.
Completely forgetting that Bronya was still standing there, dumbfounded by the situation she was now stuck in.
Another minute passed as the two didn't seem to relent on their insults, Bronya began to slowly step away from the two. Turning her head to the side, she was about to walk away before the woman's voice stopped her dead in her tracks.
"Hey."
"Uhh..Hi there." Bronya mutters to the woman, whose crimson eyes now staring deep into her soul.
"Who the hell are you?"
"The name's Bronya. I just wanted to ask-"
"The construction? Yeah, I heard. Like I said, we threw all the signs away when we found out it was a sick prank."
"A prank?" Bronya asked, to which the woman only tilted her head in response. Her gaze boring into her, she then asked.
"You aren't from around here are you?"
"Oho? No wonder I found her to be so pretty. The girls from other districts truly are beauties!" The old man remarks, his voice loud enough to echo through the silent street.
"Shut up!" The woman yells back, kicking her leg backwards to the man's knee. He then reeled back in pain as she rubbed her head.
"Anyways, I'm guessing you heard about this on the news."
"Well, you're not wrong.."
"Then I'll have to ask. Why do you want to know? What do you even get from learning about another's tragedy?"
Bronya stares at the woman, her mouth slightly widened. She pushed her voice, and yet nothing came out, only silence as she stood still.
She had an answer. And yet, she felt as if saying it was wrong. That ultimately, it wasn't the true answer the woman was looking for. Or perhaps, what she was looking for.
But what is it? Why couldn't Bronya figure it out? A reason for the days where she spent scurrying through every possible source of information just for this very case alone. A reason for her unyielding focus on this very task. As if she was betting everything on the line for this.
What is it?
The wind began to pick up as it blew over her. Feeling the breeze touch upon her skin, Bronya's eyes widen slightly, before closing shut.
She didn't feel the unending cold of the late night wind, nor the sting that would come with its gust . But rather, she could only sense a gentle warmth from each torrent. An embrace that envelops her very soul, reminding her of what she once felt, once had, and once lost.
And the singular memory of a smile that faded all too quickly. Like a gentle gust of the wind.
"…I'm going to find them." Bronya finally spoke, the woman simply staring at her.
"If they are still out there, if there is a chance that they can still be alive. I will find them, and bring them back home. No matter what, I will bring them back."
"So that all those that knew them could be put at ease."
So that I will never repeat the same mistake again.
"...Hoooh?"
The woman hummed, walking ever so closer to Bronya. She continued to approach the girl until they were only inches apart from one another, feeling each other's warm breath glaze across their skin.
Before Bronya could say anything, the red-eyed woman promptly backed away slightly as she raised her arm towards her.
"Got a map here?" She asked.
"I do."
"Give it to me."
Bronya looked at her for a moment, a sense of nervousness still very much there. Regardless, she still took out her map and handed it over to the woman.
"Hey, throw me your pen." She then called the old man behind her, who had long since recovered from the knee kick he received.
Without a word, he reached down into his pocket shirt, pulling out a small blue point pen as he then threw it to the woman, who caught it without looking.
"What are you doing?" Bronya asked upon seeing her beginning to scribble on the map.
"There's a sign placed at just about every neighborhood around this district."
"What?"
"This district is quite tiny compared to others, so everyone knows everyone. So when this happened, it became the talk of the day. Everyone went wild wanting to know what those signs mean."
"Did any of them spot someone?"
"They did, most of them saw a figure placing the sign at least. They couldn't see anything underneath all that clothing. Though when asked about the signs, that person simply handed them some kind of paper before walking off."
"Could it be a fake authorization letter?"
"Beats me. Here," The woman hands the map back to Bronya. "I marked down every place where the signs were placed. It's all random, and a lot of it ended up messing with people's business, so a lot of them got pissed and threw the signs away calling it a prank."
"..." Bronya stayed silent, eyes glued to the map.
"See anything?"
"It's definitely not a prank?"
"Oh?" The woman tilted her head, gazing curiously at Bronya.
"There's too many of them. Enough to cover almost the entire district. Did they really buy or make this many signs, just to place them down to trick people into believing it? Not to mention, it feels too elaborate."
"And why is that?"
"The location and positions of them. They are all placed right at the entrance of each neighborhood, and considering how much each one is connected through single pathways, it effectively cuts off multiple alleys one can go into. There is too much sense to its placements."
"I see."
"But I don't understand. Why would they do that?"
Why would the kidnapper do this? What purpose would doing this serve? Unless…
Bronya locks her gaze onto a specific location on the map. One that she memorized the address and even wrote it down just in case, the place where the two girls were separated.
There, Bronya saw it. And for a moment, her irises widened, before a grin began to crept up onto her face.
Found it.
"What's so funny?" The woman whispered, her voice extremely close to Bronya's ear. The girl jumped back in response, an audible gasp of shock rang out from her.
"When did you get so close?!"
"When you weren't looking. Figured it out yet?"
"Well…It's just an estimate," Brony mutters, yet the grin on her face portrays an air of confidence. "But I think I might just have found the answer to it all."
"Is that so?"
"Yeah, but I need to head there now to check for sure." Bronya says, turning to the old man as she smiles.
"Thanks for the help, uuh-"
"Just call me gramps hah!" The old man simply grinned back. Bronya nodded to him, before shifting her gaze back to the woman.
"Than-"
"No need. Go do what you gotta do." The woman remarks, closing her eyes as she folds her arms in front. Bronya could only chuckle awkwardly at her, before walking away.
"Goodbye then."
"...Veliona."
"Huh?" Bronya pauses, looking towards the woman.
"My name, Veliona. Don't forget it."
"Uuh..right! I won't!" Bronya replied before quickly speeding back to her motorcycle, her hand holding tightly onto the map.
Veliona stood in silence as she watched the girl leave, an unreadable look on her face. Suddenly, the air was filled with chuckles.
"You seem quite enamored there. Something piqued your interest?" He remarks to his daughter, a grin on his face.
"...Shut up." She responds curtly, turning back to him as she delivers another kick to his knee.
"Agh!"
As the man reel back in pain once more, Veliona glances back behind her, no longer spotting the silver-haired woman.
"Bronya huh…" She whispers, before dragging her old man back into the house.
Bronya took a long careful look at her map, occasionally lifting her eyes to stare at the scene in front of her.
"This is the right place alright…" She mutters to herself. "It should be, there's no other path that this would lead to. So…"
She lifted her gaze upwards, a confused look plastered all over her face.
"What the hell happened?"
The entire road was overrun by heaps of people, all practically merging together as they stood next to one another. Their eyes only fixated in front of them, with some even standing on their tip toes trying to get a better view in front.
At the very far end of that crowd, Bronya could spot distinct blinking lights of red and blue. It didn't take her long to figure out where they were coming from.
Police cars.
Feeling anxious of what that might imply, she began heading towards the crowd, leaving her motorcycle behind. As she got near the rear, the sheer amount of people gathered here only seemed to dawn on her as she tried to push through the torrent of people.
One of them turned their head to her, a slightly annoyed face on him.
"Hey, what's the rush?"
"What happened here?" She replied to the man with her own question, to which he shrugs.
"I don't know. Everyone started coming out of their homes when they heard commotions, and I went along to see. The cops were already here when I did."
"Then you didn't see anything?"
"Nope, but from what I heard from the others in front, it sounds like someone just died."
Bronya's eyes widened as she heard the man's words. Without another second, she began to push herself through the crowd even more vigorously this time.
Nudging through each person slowly, she could begin to make out the road in front of her. And with it, the sigh of police officers standing in front of yellow tapes as they waved their hands to the people who got too close.
Bronya stood still for a moment, the nagging feeling inside her only grew as she observed the scene. She couldn't help but think of the worst.
Nearby, a surge of officers began to leave a small convenient store, and behind them were people clad in white coats. Their arms held onto a crane, someone already on it. The person was covered by a large white sheet however.
This caused the crowd around her to shift as people began to lean further in to see. Some even took sudden steps forward to get a better look, one of them accidentally pushing a little too far into Bronya, causing her body to lose its balance as she fell face first to the ground
"AGH-"
Bronya instinctively raises her arms forward, bracing herself for the impact. But none came, as her eyes blinked in confusion. Instead, she was levitating from the ground, or rather she was being lifted by somebody's grip. She raises her head, spotting the face of the one that caught her fall.
"Are you alright?"
It was a woman's voice that called out to her, their clear blue eyes staring back at her. Long golden hair adorned her head, along with a small hat, police symbol etched onto it.
"I-I'm alright, thanks." Bronya blurted, quickly propping her feet back onto the ground. She then pushes herself up, her arms still being held by the woman.
"You can let go of me now.."
"Oh, apologies." The police woman gently spoke, lowering her arms as she stood perfectly straight.
"It's…okay." Bronya's voice trailed off as she stared at the woman. For some reason, she found her face to be incredibly familiar, though her mind couldn't quite place why.
"Is something the matter?" The woman noted her strange gaze, tilting her head slightly to the side. But before the two could talk any longer, another voice echoed from behind.
"Hey, Kaslana! Get over here and help us ya?!" Another police man yelled out to her, to which the woman responded with a nod, before turning to face Bronya again.
"I need to go now, pardon me."
"Yeah, it's alright…" Bronya muttered, watching as the woman began to head away. Somehow, the word Kaslana rings a bell.
"...Huh?"
Bronya jumps towards the yellow tapes, leaning herself forward as she yells towards the woman.
"Hey, wait up!" Bronya yelled, catching the police's attention.
"Your name! Tell me your name!"
That face. I have seen it before. In newspapers, it was on every single news article.
Alongside Liliya, the article news had also shown pictures of some of the family members of Kiana. One of them contained a single image of a woman with golden hair, her face half obscured with her turning away from the camera.
As the officer turned her body to face Bronya, she lifted her arms to the tip of her hat, nudging it forward as she answered.
"Durandal Kaslana of Nagazora Police Force, Division 5."
AN: Quite a long three months it has been, hasn't it? Well, at least for me it felt that way. Finals tests be killing me from the inside out.
Anyhow, this chapter is a bit more chunkier than the last few, so I hope that makes up for the very short read the last few has been. I like to think this is one of my best chapters I have written yet, but we'll see heh.
From here on the story can honestly be going anywhere, but I will try my hardest to make sure it will be an entertaining one at least. Until then, would love to hear what you all think about this one and the new additions to the cast :)
Welp, see yall in the next chapter!
P.S: Been watching Eminence in Shadow lately. That show tickles my childish 12 year old self just right, having too much of a blast with it.