A Tale Of Two Wings: Fired To Greater Heights

[Kami-Gaz]

As Simon was voicing his thoughts on this not being fair, she seethed inside, her heart of ice had melted for Simon and his kind heart and now he was being attacked for it. Her friend punished to get at her and her family. She didn’t let this anger bubble to the surface though, Simon needed a calm corner stone and she was going to be it.

He was challenging her to a race? A cold smile appeared on her lips; she knew where Miguel would have gone as well, right back to the basketball court. If her friend in need wanted a race she would oblige, loosing on purpose would hurt his pride and scaling herself back would have the same effect. She also wanted to show off how her powers worked now after her training.

“Deal!” She spoke after pulling an eye mask out of her pocket and pulling her gloves off to replace it there. Ice cream was a great prize, one that she was happy Simon could afford at the moment considering his recent firing. “Don’t take too long slow poke.” Her tattooed had was raised into the air and a hook materialised, without hesitation it shot out like a bullet high into the sky and latched on to a building a little aways.

“If you take too long, I’ll get Fonzie to train you!” She spoke before she was pulled away towards the hook at an incredible speed. At the apex of her arc, she shot another hook out with her other hand and let the original vanish. To Simon she was gone in a flash. This process repeated for a few seconds before she touched down in an alleyway leading towards the basketball court. Here she quickly took the eye mask off and redonned her gloves.

Moments later she walked out to see the court and let out a soft sigh. “Are you doing okay Miguel?” She asked cautiously, walking over to sit down near by and watch Simon arrive.

---

Post: 16

Annika: acd1fc

Captain Baltimore: 14ca04

[Bobbie]

Simon chuckled and nodded, walking backwards a bit faster now. “I won’t take too long! I’m already ahead-” before he could even finish that sentence, Annika was off! His jaw dropped as the girl wanted to show off her new skills, and show off she did! Simon was instantly left in awe as he watched her dart through the air toward the end of the hook and swing so effortlessly.

It took him a moment to get his feet started again, but he soon broke into a sprint in desperate attempt to keep up, “H-Hey wait! That’s cheating!” he shouted, but a smile was nevertheless on his face as he began laughing as he ran.

His legs quickly beginning to ache as they carried him through the streets, his feet skidding as he rounded corners, he nearly bumped into several people along the way. “How do you know where to go!?” he called out, though it would be quite unlikely that she would hear him, so he just likely looked like a crazy person, shouting into the air as he raced the clock.

---

At the court, Miguel was actually alone, as most of the other players had already left, and those who hadn’t decided to steer clear of the angry man as soon as they spotted him, leaving the ball and the entire court for him to use in fear of falling subject to his fury. Miguel was a bit disappointed by that, preferring to have somebody to push around in an environment where it was safe to do so, but it seemed the people usually in the area had already learnt their lesson and were wiser for it.

Standing toward the centre of the court, the man wiped sweat off his upper lip, before throwing the ball with a spin on its axis, allowing it to go through the hoop and hit the ground with enough impact to bounce back in his direction due to the direction of its spin. His technique was a bit off, however, and he had to run to the side to catch the ball before it would bounce again. It was at this moment, ball in hand, that he heard and then saw Annika. With a deep frown, he spat at the ground before turning and slamming the ball so hard that it bounced with a loud bang, almost as high as the net. While it was still in the air, Miguel left the court to approach Annika and sit down, sweeping his hoodie up from the floor on his way.

“Sure.” He grabbed the collar of his vest, fanning himself as scent went everywhere, his hoodie held in his lap. If his tone was not enough to confirm this, the scowl that he wore made it clear that his response was not honest. Miguel, however, did not need further probing. “This is bullsh*t! Can you believe Captain Butt-more? Whether Simon deserved this or not, whatever, how did I have anything to do with this mess?! Being his supervisor doesn't given inhuman capabilities to see the future and prevent accidents from happening!” he snapped and leaned back, turning his head as he watched Simon enter the scene. "Speak of the devil..." He wasn’t even angry at Simon anymore… he quite felt sorry for him, in fact. He’d always picked on him for it, but Simon was always so happy to be in this line of work.

“Annika!” the racer called, barely able to catch his breath. “That… was very unfair!” he laughed, finally reaching them and he leaned forward, the balls of his palms pressed on his knees. “Annika and I had a race to find you here,” he explained, eliciting a nod from Miguel who had already put the pieces together. “She won, obviously.”

“You don't say... You don't seem very torn up about that…”

“What?” with another deep breath, Simon laughed, “Well, you should have seen her! It was really amazing. She was swinging through the streets!” He nodded, taking another pause to catch his breath and straighten up. “So I owe everybody ice cream. What flavours do you two want?”

---

Simon: #d2ce2f
Miguel: #ffdfb2

[Kami-Gaz]

The young woman saw Miguel’s expression and made sure to stay away from any swung sweaty clothing, he was lying that was clear it didn’t take a genius to see that. However, it didn’t take long for him to cool off and start to open up. Yeah this was total BS, he was unjustly punished for the actions of Simon… whose actions in themselves were not deserving of punishment. At the mention of Simon arriving the young woman looked up and offered a smile to him.

“I wanted to show off.” Annika muttered coolly, then cracking a small smile to her friend that extended over to Miguel as well. This incident was going to warm the pair up to each other, if she was going to make sure he had work because he was fired over her then she was going to make sure he at least could tolerate her… the same went both ways.

“Blueberry, with a chocolate flake please!” Annika chirped surprisingly bright for her; it was a childish outburst that rarely appeared. Once she realised what she had done red rushed into fill her porcelain cheeks and that hood of hers came up to try and hide her face. “And sprinkles…” She added in a quieter squeak, a single finger raised to keep attention on her until it fell away as the feeling of wanting to vanish overcame her.

“You can count this as a business expense!” Annika stated after the fact, more to remind Simon to get a receipt for this so Annika could give it to the accountant and get the change back for Simon… money might be tight until he gets his new pay cheque.

---

Post: 17

Annika: acd1fc

Captain Baltimore: 14ca04

[Bobbie]

“You wanted to show off, so, naturally, you do so in a race against somebody who never stood a chance?” Miguel chimed in, followed by a laugh from Simon, “Hey! Come on, I stood a chance!” he exclaimed, despite being very well aware that he really didn’t. He did not mind though, Simon was anything but a sore loser. "I wasn't expecting her to know where you were and come here straight away, I was hoping to buy time. I've been telling you this, you are too predictable."

As Annika made her ice cream order, however, the two men both fell silent, each of them staring at her in surprise. One of them had a smile still embedded into his features, while the other a frown and a set of sceptical eyes.

Crickets chirped louder than Annika.

It took a matter of seconds until Miguel couldn’t contain his laughter anymore and he let it all out from the back of his throat as his head dropped. “Blueberry with a chocolate flake and sprinkles?” he repeated after her, throwing his head back and nearly falling off the edge of the step they were sitting on, though even he had to admit that it was the most adorable manner in which he had ever seen Annika behave since meeting her. Perhaps that was what made it all so funny.

“Okay, three blueberry ice creams with a chocolate flake each and sprinkles!” Simon joined in with a big grin, his motive contrastingly different to Miguel’s. Unlike the basketball player, Simon offered support, and for laughing at her, Miguel gets to suffer the fate of having to walk around with such an ice cream, thus making him no better than the girl who made this request.

“What? No, I don’t even like-” it was astonishing how quickly Miguel’s laughing fit was brought to an end, as was his sentence when he saw Simon already walking away. “Simon!” with a huff, he rolled his hoodie into a ball and threw it at him to get his attention; however, as was typical of the Smiling Man’s luck, he happened to crouch down to tie his shoe laces at that exact moment, causing the hoodie to fly overhead without the ex-police officer even noticing it. Standing up straight again, he turned to look at both of them and gave a thumb’s up in response to Annika's offer. Then he simply continued on his way.

With an aggravated groan, Miguel rolled his eyes and leaned back, his elbows on the high step behind them, leaving his hoodie where it landed.

“So, even a girl with an icy facade as cold as yours has a soft spot, and the way to bring it out is through ice cream? Really…” he shook his head, still grumpy, but his tone bore no malice in it. Then a genuine smile came to his face as a memory occurred to him. "Trusting Simon with ice cream is dangerous, you know..."

---

Simon: #d2ce2f
Miguel: ffdfb2

[Kami-Gaz]

Annika in her embarrassment turned away from the scene. Miguel was looking to tease her, and she knew it was coming, it was deserved after that outburst. That however was cut off when Simon took his opening tease as his ice cream request. The stammering he did brought a cold smile to Annika’s face, trust Simon in his own way to again save the day.

As Simon left the cold smile turned into something warm as that groan Miguel gave off was enough to bring her back into the mood. “I’ve soft spots for my friends, and sweets…“ She spoke before swivelling her gaze around to settle on the man, he seemed to have calmed down now.

“Why is trusting him with ice cream dangerous?” She asked dubiously, worried that she had unleashed some sort of monster with this treat run that Simon was now embarking on. Her mind raced with images of the man coming back with small ice cream towers, or gigantic floats that would make even her stomach wonder if that amount of sugar was a good idea. Annika in all her life had never had a stomach-ache from over indulgence in sweets… but it was always a worry she had in the deep recesses of her mind.

A lollipop materialised from her belt pouch, was unwrapped and between her thin lips in moments. The sweet taste of the raspberry flavoured sweet seemed to sooth the worry and a smile came back to her. “He’ll be fine, I trust him quite a bit. You should too.” Annika spoke, wanting to reassure the man… he had to option of accepting Annika’s offer and working with Simon as a true partner in this new private detective business… if not he was going to survive on basketball in the back street until he became homeless.

---

Post: 18

Annika: acd1fc

Captain Baltimore: 14ca04

[Bobbie]

Miguel didn’t look at Annika right away as she spoke, his gentle smile soon twisting into a smirk as he listened to her words, though he only offered a nod in response to her comment. He wasn’t presumptuous enough to assume he fell into the category of ‘friends’ to Annika, but he had to admit that it was very evident that she had a very special place for Simon in her heart, and it was nice to see somebody connect with him like that.

Her question, on the other hand, prompted the man to laugh again as he finally looked at her to meet her gaze, “Are you seriously asking me that? It’s Simon, have you seen him? The guy’s a walking disaster! It was a colleague’s birthday during one of the summer months, and, since it was pretty hot, he brought a full tray of ice cream instead of cake.” he began to explain, a frown forming in his brow. “I think it was Lieutenant Leissvelt’s… or Brickman’s, I don’t remember. Anyway, when Simon finally got his hands on one, getting the little ice cream scoop to fill his cone…” Miguel’s narration was complete with hand gestures and everything, until he waved a hand dismissively. “Whatever, it was a nice ice cream cone. One that he never actually got to taste since it got flung into the air only three steps away from the table. He tripped in something, sent his own ice cream flying across the precinct, then proceeded to flip the entire tray over when he leaned back on the table to try and regain his balance. It was raining ice cream that day in the office, it was brilliant… So many of us needed to change our uniforms that the chief had to send us home in batches to ensure the precinct still had some officers present…”

---

As Simon left the pair behind, he strolled through the streets in search of an ice cream stand that would sell blueberry ice cream that was all inclusive of sprinkles and chocolate flakes. It didn’t take him very long to spot one and went up to it, staring at all the different flavours for a moment. He knew what he was getting, but his eyes were fixed on the price tags of each flavour per scoop.

The reality threatened to creep into his mind once more - he no longer had an income. Not yet, anyway… whatever salary he’d be getting next, it would never be from the job that he loved so much again. No matter how hard he tried to tell himself that this wasn’t the end of the world and that things will work out with the Stratonovski’s, however, nothing seemed to convince him that things really were going to be okay, and he grew more and more desperate for some kind of closure with each passing second that his mind was left idle.

“Hey! Helloooo~?” the woman running the stand sang to Simon, laughing. “I asked, what do you want?”

Simon looked up at her, blinking away his despair and put on a kind, apologetic smile. “Sorry, I’ll have…” his words trailed off as a showcase of a clothes shop in the background behind the woman and her stand caught his eye. “Erm… nothing, yet. Sorry. I’ll come back!” his smile grew wider as if he had some great epiphany and he sped away from the queue of people who were now insulting Simon for keeping them waiting for nothing.

Running across the street, he soon burst into the clothes shop, a big grin on his face like a child on Christmas morning, and boy was he going to buy himself some presents! He no longer needed a uniform, which meant he needed other outfits - different outfits - for the days of the week! They needed to be presentable, ones that said professional but not stingy. Observant, but not judgemental. One that said… private eye. Of course, if he was buying for himself, he needed to buy for Miguel, something that would really convince him to give his all at this opportunity. Something with matching accessories, he always did like his badges… What about Annika? She seemed to be very much into hoods now, but she was so picky with clothing, buying anything for her would be a risk.

As he walked around the shop, he fished out one item after another, some more recklessly than others, sizes guessed for the most part, without a care in the world for all the money he was spending.

What did it matter? Everything was going to be okay… he’d get a new salary, one that was from a more honest source and not the corrupt figurehead of law enforcement in Water 7! One that actually strived to do good, even when the law was against it.

---

“So I’m sure you can forgive me for not being extremely confident in Simon’s ice-cream transportation skills.” Miguel sighed, shaking his head.

“On his very first day here, I left the rookie manual with him, do you know how he returned it? Unbound, pages scrambled and dirty, with actual footprints on some of the documents! He clearly managed to scatter them in the road somewhere, step on them, and put them back together in the wrong order.”

Although it was a headache to deal with at the time, these were the fond memories of working with Simon… and always with a bright smile on his face.

“He’s taking a while…”

---

Simon: #d2ce2f
Ice Cream stand lady: #cb19e6
Miguel: #ffdfb2

[Kami-Gaz]

The cold-eyed girl shifted her gaze to watch Miguel more intently as he told his tale of Simon and the ice cream incident that he had at work. It was one that shifted her the smile she was harbouring from cold to something full of mirth, one that lit her face up like a perfect ice sculpture that was about to win first prize in a competition. Simon was clumsy and had a knack for getting into situations… but this one was almost outlandish, yet somewhat believable for Simon.

The addition of the rookie manual was relatable, she had handed him a leaflet for one of the plays the pair had watched in the many months of her training and his forced leave. He had somehow flung it into the air, where it was caught by a spotlight and burst into flames that scattered over the crowd. Luckily no one was hurt but Annika wanted to keep that as a souvenir.

“He has been gone a while.” She spoke, leaning back to rest her hands on her seat and prop herself up a bit more to look into the cloudless late afternoon sky that was starting to redden with the suns lowering. “Maybe he nipped to another shop to get something, I am absolutely sure he is fine. Even he can’t forget to get ice cream with all the distractions in the city.” Annika added with a confident air before looking over to Miguel again and holding a hand out to shake his.

“Hey… if we are going to make the best of this situation and have you and Simon start a detective agency, I think me, and you should make up and start again.” Annika spoke, her smile fading but not entirely… this interaction proved he could be amicable to her, if not a friendly acquaintance… He wasn’t Simon but he was a decent man when it came to looking out for his companions. Her first assessment of him was wildly wrong.

---

Post: 19

Annika: acd1fc

Captain Baltimore: 14ca04

[Bobbie]

Miguel’s grin softened from one of amusement to one of a little admiration, perhaps, as his gaze was fixed on Annika. It was rare that he really got to see such a genuine smile that wasn’t frozen behind an icy façade. It was really quite charming as the ex-officer found himself getting lost in it for a moment, only to be snatched out of his daze by her words once more.

Clearing his throat in an attempt to disspell a redness that grew on his cheeks while she leaned back, her hands pressed on the seat to keep herself more or less upright with her head tilted back, the man nodded and then let out a sigh. “Yeah…” he muttered in response, his gaze falling forward on the empty basketball hoop rather than the sky, though his tone was anything but confident. Unfortunately, he couldn’t be as sure as Annika was that Simon was fine… he was Simon. Simon was incredibly lucky in his own misfortunes, but could Miguel really say that he was ‘fine’ withstanding everything? Certainly not right now.

Then the blue-haired girl addressed him again. With an eyebrow raised, he turned to her, his eyes fixed on her, scanning her features, and then dropping to her hand. “That depends… are you going to grill me for my outfit not being up to your impossible standard again?” he asked, though before she could answer, he grabbed her hand with a snicker and shook it. “I can be civil if you are, Annika. As far as I’m concerned, your family is no longer black-listed. The Captain can sort it out himself after he figures out how to deal with half of his department for insubordination, lying and cheating the system behind his back.” As he grumbled, it felt good to throw in one more jab at Captain Baltimore, although in reality, he doubted that all of it was behind his back… surely he was involved in some of it. This was the greatest advantage to having been involved in some of that corruption - he knew the ins and outs fairly well, and that included a list of names.

“If you tell him this, there will be no hope for our relationship, but I’m worried about him…” he muttered, soberly. “I’m worried that the reality hasn’t hit him yet that he’s going to be doing something very different now. He’s always so… chipper all the time, that I don’t think he knows how to deal with something of this magnitude. I'm just waiting for him to do something incredibly reckless or just plain stupid.”

Another long pause later, Miguel’s frown grew, “And he’s taking really long…”

---

At the clothes shop, Simon continued to pick out items, hoodies, stylish jumpsuits, leggings, and punk t-shirts for Annika, and a number of suits and shirts for himself and Miguel, fancy belts, ties and cufflinks. He had attracted quite a lot of attention to himself as the salespersons inside the shop followed him either to pick up items that were dropped or to take advantage of a wealthy customer and sell as much as possible. Simon was not a wealthy man, but he was a simple one - this usually meant that his personal expenses were kept to a minimum apart from rent and necessities, and that was what allowed him to save up enough for this shopping spree he was currently on.

Being so angry at Captain Baltimore, despite not showing it in any conventional way, Simon wanted to have nothing to do with him or his former job. That included the money earned from such a place… such a place with corrupt roots that he insisted on having no part in. As far as Simon was concerned, it was all blood money, and he wanted to get rid of it.

As he left the shop and its very satisfied workers, he was about to head back to the ice cream stand when he suddenly stopped. “Shoes!” He shook his head and moved further down the street to find another shop to set foot into… this continued for a vast number of different stores, but Simon was quick and efficient, especially because he didn’t put too much thought into his purchases. His only consideration was, “Would Annika wear something like this?” or “Would Miguel throw this in the trash?”

Eventually, Simon would return to the ice cream stand, just as its owner was about to pack up, the last customer having just been served.

“Oh, you’re back! And… wow, your hands are pretty full, how are you going to carry any ice cream?” the woman asked with a slightly concerned frown despite Simon being no more than a stranger to her with cash. Yet it somehow didn’t feel right to go on with business as usual.

Simon’s arms were packed with bags hanging off them, and a couple of boxes held under them to his chest and sides. “That’s okay, I promised ice cream to my friends, so…” he muttered and smiled, widely, his dimples seeming to burrow deeper into his cheeks as he felt proud of himself for ridding himself of money that was earned in more unlawful ways than he’d have liked. “I’ll have uh…” for a moment, he blanked, and panic washed over him. Trying to help, the woman smiled gently and gestured toward what she had on offer, “Vanilla, chocolate, pistacchio, blueberry, strawberry swirl?”

“Blueberry! Three blueberry ice creams with a chocolate flake each and sprinkles!” He recited Annika’s order exactly as it was and the proud grin returned to his face. While she prepared those in cups instead of cones, he put some bags down to take his wallet out and offered her money that was double the amount that she charged.

“Oh, no, sir that’s not-”

“Please, take it. You were very helpful and I’m lucky that you’re still here! You were clearly about to pack up, but you waited…” his insisting made it clear that he wouldn’t be taking no for an answer, so the woman graciously accepted, then proceeded to help him get all the bags and boxes back into his grasp. The three ice cream cups were stored in a little cardboard box and stacked on top of the other boxes as she anxiously saw him off. “Be careful!” she called out as he made his way down the street, barely able to see where he was going but he somehow managed.

---

Miguel stood up, “Okay, I’m going to go and look for him, he might have tripped into a ditch or-” the scruffily dressed man froze as he spotted his old partner come into view and a heavy frown appeared on his face. “What the…?” For a moment, he simply couldn’t move, “What the bleeding heck did he do?!” he glanced at Annika with pure worry on his face.

While Simon's face was barely visible, the clumsy gait was definitely his own, his arms wrapped around a stack of wobbling boxes that had the stability of a jenga tower after 30 minutes of playing.

He suddenly stopped.

Miguel cringed, expecting the cardboard construction to collapse any second.

A face with a brand new pair of expensive sunglasses popped out from the side with a silly grin on it. Lifting only three fingers from their grasp on the boxes, he attempted a wave, just as Miguel rushed over toward Simon. “This is not ice cream! What is all this stuff? No wonder you took an age! You are aware what kind of salary you’ve been receiving the past couple of years, right? It was plain and simple beri, not pure gold!”

---

Simon: #d2ce2f
Nice Ice Cream Lady: #cb19e6
Miguel: #ffdfb2

[Kami-Gaz]

The basketballer stood up with the declaration that he was going to find their wayward companion, the heartfelt speech with minor jab at their old boss seemed to cheer him up. It was good to see Miguel cheer up. His announcement was cut short, however.

The blue haired woman was standing up just as her friend noticed Simon approaching, a smile came to her face as she jogged forward to catch up only to stop with her eyes going wide and her jaw dropping in shock. HOW MUCH DID HE SPEND?! Her mind raced as she noticed brands on the boxes and shop names on some of the bags. Even if he barely spent anything on frivolous things this must have been at least a years’ worth of his wage! “What did you do!?” She asked, running over as a hook formed on her right-hand palm.

She managed to skid to a half a step away from Simon and she lazily tossed the hook over the side of the leaning stack and caught it on the other side. With a quick motion she looped it at the base then pulled it tight to secure the stack. Once it was secure, she lifted it from the man with ease and gently set it down. It was as tall as she was!

“Simon?” She asked coldly, letting her hook dematerialise as she spun to face him. The air felt chill as her entire focus was put on the man. Miguel was right, Simon was disconnected and wasn’t feeling the real weight of the situation… Or he did, but his reaction was wildly rash. “What is all of this? You said you were going to get ice cream, not an entire designer wardrobe for yourself.” The fashionista said as her eyes shifted to look at some of the last bags that he still carried… If this taught her one thing at least, it was that Simon was the best person to take on when completing the one trip challenge.

Where even was the ice cream? No, that is a question for later. First, she had to make sure her friend was okay and in his right mind. “Are you okay?” She asked, dispelling the cold gaze and doing her best to show how much she cared for his wellbeing. “Simon if you want to talk, I will always be here for you. Miguel too. We’re friends now.”

---

Post: 19

Annika: acd1fc

Captain Baltimore: 14ca04

[Bobbie]

Upon returning with all his gifts, Simon was met with quite an unpleasant surprise as before he could even explain anything, it seemed that he was being scolded by both of them.

With a sigh, Simon rolled his eyes in response to Miguel’s aggressive comments first, “Yes, I am aware of that, Miguel. Do you think I could have bought all these things with money I don’t have?” he asked, sarcastically, before he chuckled, “I had it all saved up, and now I don’t - that’s how money works, you save it until you spend it.” While Miguel was left dumbfounded by his friend’s logic, the shopper then turned to Annika as the boxes were lifted out of his hands. The cold look in her eyes sent a chill down his spine but he waited for her to finish what she had to say, his smile wavering but once.

“Annika… I’m fine.” He paused and offered a more solid smile as he laughed too, “In fact, I’ve never felt better!” It was true. Getting rid of that corruption money that had been sitting in his account felt like a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He knew he could never be a police officer again, upholding the law whether in traffic or otherwise in the eyes of the government, but his desire to do good and help people still burnt strongly within him. The question that was nagging at him was how could he stay true to those values while living on money that was acquired through illegal channels? Not by him, personally, but they were passed down through very dirty hands, and that put a stain on his own fingertips that he didn’t want.

Never mind the money… the tunnel-vision induced by the trauma of losing his job didn’t allow his mind to linger long enough to realise what he had actually done…

“I did get ice cream, as I said I would.” His grin grew brighter as he turned to the stack of boxes and he picked up the top one, holding it out to them and opening it to reveal three blueberry ice creams in wafer cups with rainbow sprinkles and a chocolate flake in each. “Ta-dah! Oh, I also got a few other things…”

“You don’t say…” Miguel chimed in, still staring at his friend incredulously.

“We’re starting new jobs, and I can’t wear my uniform, for obvious reasons, and Miguel can’t wear… a dirty hoodie, an old vest, and loose… whatever those are.” Miguel shot a glare at him - so if the criticism didn’t come from Annika, it would come from Simon, it seemed. “Come on… so I bought us both some cool professional looking outfits, but you’ll have to dig through the bags for them because they’re kind of all over the place…” Setting the box down, he took his ice cream and began to eat it and enjoy it with a proud smile on his face. “There are some nice things in there for you too, Annika! I wasn’t sure if you’d like them…” It was only at this point that a hint of worry crept over Simon’s young face.

“So which part of our new job as detectives requires us to cook rice?” Miguel, sceptical, annoyed, and concerned, lightly kicked a box with an image of a large pot with several dials built into it to create some sort of rice cooker.

“Okay, that one’s a little extra, but who doesn’t like rice? It’s not for you, anyway, so relax.”

Miguel was anything but relaxed as his eye twitched, infuriated by how Simon was handling the situation, but he didn’t have the patience or finesse to tackle it. Instead, he decided to snatch one of the bags and started looking through what he bought, hoping Annika could fill that role while he couldn't.

Stuffing another spoonful of his ice cream in his mouth without a care in the world, Simon grabbed one of the smaller bags that contained a series of studs and jewellery and makeup that followed an ocean theme with all shades of blue. Holding it out to Annika, he had a beaming smile on his face, “I thought you’d like these and they’d go well with your new look.”

---

Simon: #d2ce2f
Miguel: #ffdfb2

[Kami-Gaz]

Hearing how Simon was responding and his explanations for what he had done in this shopping spree did help to put her mind at ease, it was still quite an extreme thing to do though. Simon had spent what seemed to be every penny he had ever saved whilst working for the police force. As he handed her an ice cream, she took it and gave him a soft smile, he didn’t catch on to the fact that Annika had just announced that she and Miguel had made friends over this whole situation.

“Oh… New uniforms…” Annika said, here eyes staring into the distance as she had already prepared something for Simon at home, just in case this happened. If anything, she was planning for the worst and hoping for the best. In a moment she shook her head and licked at the blue frozen treat. “Eeee~!” She hummed at the taste of pure sugary dairy blessed her.

“Simon, for the uniforms, extras and the rice cooker I will get you some expenses forms. The company provides uniforms so you won’t be out of pocket for long.” Annika spoke with a smile. This way he could get paid back and it would be using what he should consider clean money, untainted by the corruption of the chief and his shadowy cabal of backers.

When a bag of jewellery and makeup was presented to the young woman, she raised one of her brows in curiosity. How long had it been since some one had gone and gotten her a gift that wasn’t something she had asked for or hinted at wanting? Too long, she must have been nine or ten years old when it happened, and her spoiled ass threw it to the side.

With a single hand she took the bag, the other was carefully holding the ice cream close to her mouth so she could get at it with her tongue that was now turning as blue as the lipstick she was wearing. She moved to sit on the benches back where she had talked with Miguel and as she did placed the bag on her knees, that one hand now gingerly delving in to see what it is.

Blue eye shadow, lipstick a pair of aquamarine gemmed stud piercings…. Purple hair dye? It might look good as a highlight colour in the least. With a determined look on her face she began to vacuum the ice cream, she had to thank and scold the man who gave her this, he must have thought she was a fish woman.

---

Post: 20

Annika: acd1fc

Captain Baltimore: 14ca04

[Bobbie]

Simon felt quite pleased with himself. It was like an odd form of cleansing and a new beginning, which he got to share with two very important people to him. Clearly, he didn’t want to think about the repercussions of his actions, or how to move forward with this - all that mattered was the here and now, and right here and now, things were pretty good. Miguel could glare a bit less, but Simon had learnt to subconsciously flip that frown upside down, which always made him smile more. Annika on the other hand looked happy.

When she offered to get him some expenses forms so that he could at least get some money back - different money, cleaner money - he shrugged and was about to politely refuse. Seeing that look on his face, Miguel quickly snapped, a red felt box in his hand, “Simon, just take it! You’re going to end up homeless.” Of course, he knew there was no way either of them would allow this to happen, but it didn’t sound too farfetched. Opening the box, he found a silver watch that shimmered in the sun, polished to perfection with every little detail in place. It was a nice watch, Miguel certainly thought so as he looked at Simon with softer features, a mixture of gratitude, guilt, and worry. “How much did this cost?” he asked, cautiously, but his friend’s smile only widened, happy to see that Miguel liked the gift so much. “Don’t worry about it! Here.” With one hand, Simon took the man’s ice cream to hold it out to him for him to take and dig in before it melts and with the other snatched up another bag that he knew had some stuff for Miguel in it. Taking one in each hand, Miguel went to the bench where Annika was and sat down with a sigh, eating a bit of his ice cream. “He’s lost it. I don’t have the kind of money to pay him back for half of these things, unless your father gives him 30% of my salary for the first three months.”

The items that came out of Miguel’s bag included a lot of sportswear - a pair of wristbands, a headband, an embarrassing pair of underwear which the man quickly pushed back down to the bottom of the bag, a couple of shorts, and several vests, the cutest one with the picture of a fish beneath a basketball and words that read ‘Let’s play BASS GET BALL’.

The bringer of all these gifts soon made it to the bench, the bags and boxes that were left now diminishing in number and were mostly made up of clothes and shoes. With a tired sigh, he sat down on the bench too and finished whatever was left of his ice cream, enjoying his new pair of sunglasses while his two friends could finish their exploratory dig into the fine goody-bags. Though he was starting to grow quiet, he didn’t regret any of what he’d just done.

“So you two are friends now?” his delayed response to Annika’s previous comment broke his silence. “Wait, this isn’t… you two, you're not...?” Simon looked at Annika, a bit of horror in his facial expression as he recalled the way she looked at Miguel upon first meeting him here at the court. He was trying to be subtle, but failing, eliciting a very confused look from Miguel.

---

Simon: #d2ce2f
Miguel: #ffdfb2

[Kami-Gaz]

Annika finished inhaling her ice cream and looked at Simon with a singular raised brow, her icy blue eye staring at him with a gaze that was like a cold wind that pieced through the skin and bone to the soul. He thought she and Miguel were an item now?! A cold rage brewed in her stomach and a hook formed in the hand that was now free of ice cream. “No.” She said simply, the word it self being dipped in a cold venom that could freeze the very air if it were possible.

The look remained but a deceptive and chill smile came to her face as she wandered over to her best friend, the hook vanishing as quick as it appeared. Her hand pressed against his back and tapped a few times. “He’s too old for me.” She said plainly before looking down at the pile of gifts and boxes with a tinge of disappointment.

“Thanks, really. It means a lot to me that you would go shopping and get us gifts-” She paused as the hand carrying the makeup and jewellery was brought up to her own eye level. “But can you tell me why you got me make up designed for a fishwoman? Research man! If you are going to be a world famous detective funded by the Stratonovski family you have to do Research! Find the clues that will crack your cases! Sleuth out the info that will make you look like a genius. Have the common sense to get your best friend none fishwoman branded makeup!” She jibed, that cold smile shifting into one of the rare warm ones to show she wasn’t being mean for the sake of it, she was playing with him.

“Come on, we’ve already got a job for you in your office.”

---

Post: 21

Annika: acd1fc

Captain Baltimore: 14ca04

[Bobbie]

As Annika approached him, Simon glanced over her shoulder to look at Miguel, who seemed to be experiencing such a wide range of emotions - confusion, guilt, gratitude, and frustration - that it was nearly impossible for him to read the man’s mood. He turned back to Annika, feeling the chill of her gaze cut right through him and his smile was reduced to a twitching corner of his lips. Slowly, he took a step back, until she reached him and answered his question, prompting him to stop.

“Yes, he kind of is…” he muttered, partly relieved, but her happiness was more important to him than that. While he hoped Miguel would not be her love interest, if that did happen to be the case, then Simon would be there to support her through it, and most likely point out several character flaws in the man.

Then she started to thank him for the gifts and he instantly smiled again and nodded to her. His lips parted, his teeth shining brightly, as he was about to respond, but she added more to what she had to say. His smile gradually faded and his gaze shifted to the bag that she held up to her eye level. His sunglasses concealed his eyes, but his knotted brow was enough to display real genuine disappointment for the moment. He bought her a gift and he messed it up. “I didn't…” he started to apologise, his shoulders slouching forward slightly, until he saw that her smile had taken a turn of its own, such a warm one to grace her lips which was nothing short of infectious. Simon found himself grinning once more and his shoulders straightened right up once more as he chuckled.

“Right, research and avoid the fishwoman brands, got it!” He replied, lightheartedly, as his mood was lifted, just like that.

“Also, what’s with the basketball puns?” Miguel joined in, which only made Simon laugh even more, “What do you mean? That vest is adorable! If you won’t wear it, save it until you have kids or something and give it to them. A mini basketball champion!”

Miguel rolled his eyes and dropped the subject before Annika announced that she already had a job for them. “My office?” Simon blurted out first, while Miguel stood there, brow raised. “Let’s get moving then! Private Eye Rickshaw and Assistant Inquiry Officer Murphy have mysteries to solve!” The excitement in Simon’s tone was impossible to miss as he packed up whatever was left in the bags and boxes so they would all only have one bag each with all their things stuffed inside.

“No, no, no, why am I the ‘assistant’, first of all? Secondly, that’s not an official title, so don’t even try to make that a thing…”

“The Detective Duo, Rickshaw and Murphy!”

“How about just partner detectives?”

"Investigative Services, P.I. Rickshaw and Meddling Murphy!"

"Not a chance."

The exchange between the pair consisted of Simon coming up with one tag after another, each more ridiculous than the last, while Miguel repeatedly shooting them down until they reached the Stratonovski Estate.

---

Simon: #d2ce2f
Miguel: #ffdfb2

[Kami-Gaz]

Annika swooped by to pick up a few boxes to lighten Simon’s load and watched as the pair genuinely interacted. Simon seeming much better now that the discussion was had. The fact that the man just bounced back from nearly anything, even losing his job and finding out it is the most corrupt system in the city was astounding. Simon showed a strength of character Annika doubted many men in the world even possessed, even she was sure she would have caved with something that world shattering… well caved or gone out on a trip for revenge.

The young woman led the way, not saying much but just enjoying the conversation that the pair was having behind, a soft smile on her face, something anyone that had any passing knowledge of her would have seen and thought something was wrong. Annika Stratonovski, infamous brat and fashionista happy? IN PUBLIC?! It was unheard of and would make waves. That was fine, she was more than happy to start making waves now, this city needed a change, and she was finally going to bring it about.

It was not long before she led them past the security on the front entrance and uttered the phrase. “They haven’t got a staff pass yet.” To which the guards nodded and let them through with no hassle. From there it was only a simply jaunt past the Spa, up the stairs and along a corridor to the blank door of their new office. A nearly empty room with two mahogany desks, a green leather spinning chair each and empty filing cabinets along the walls with cork boards above them. On the right desk, a folder labelled ‘Pipsi Co.’

“Well boys. Welcome to your office.” Annika said proudly as she placed the boxes she had down on the floor.

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Post: 22

Annika: acd1fc

Captain Baltimore: 14ca04