Corporate Espionage: Wings In The Night!

[Kami-Gaz]

Night in the city of water was a beautiful time. The lights from all the buildings and streetlamps reflected off of the watery roads and painted wonderful shimmering images on the streets and buildings. Now that the pathways had quietened down and the hustle and bustle of the city had calmed a new atmosphere swallowed everything. A soft one.

This night was different for a few reasons. Firstly tonight was the premier of a new Pipsi-Man Theatrical release, “Pipsi-Man Infinite Carbonation”, it was the finale, the end to a great saga. This led into the second reason why tonight was slightly different. Annika Stratinovski was NOT. THERE. And this was grinding her gears. She has never missed a single Pipsi-Man Theatrical Universe release, but today she was. Why? Well because of the release to such a great work every single employee of Pipsi-co was in attendance, this left their main offices perfectly empty for the third reason.

Simon Rickshaw of Rickshaw & Murphy, P.I… with the help of Anarchy Blue were breaking into the Pipsi-co office. This was the first major case for Simon in his new business, one that he had worked tooth and nail to get. There were so many small cases he and Miguel had worked on until now, so many missing cats, lost items and a few cheating spouses… This though, this was the big leagues.

“You ready P.I Richshaw?” Annika asked, the short woman had donned a face mask and left her hood up to reveal her aquatic blue hair. In the dim light of night her swirling tribal tattoos had a pale glow to them. They were at the south end of the Pipsi-Co headquarters, they had snuck over the wall and past the skeleton crew guard that was posted. “I’ll zip us up to the top floor and we can work our way down, okay?” She asked in a caring tone before raising a hand up into the air, a hook materialised in her palm before shooting up. It landed on the roof and caught on the lip. With a tug Annika found it was sturdy enough to use.

“Excited?” She asked, wanting to know how he felt doing something potentially really good for the island. PIpsi-Co did make a good drink but if they were actively sabotaging the competition then they needed punishment.

The young woman wrapped an arm around the lanky man and with a smile they shot into the air, going quickly as the line between herself and the hook she shot was reeled in. “I love this part!” She giggled.

---

Post: 1

Annika: acd1fc

[Bobbie]

Standing right by Annika’s side at the south end of the Pipsi-Co headquarters, was a young man, looking dapper in an expensive suit, paid for by the very generous Oleg Stratonovski - the big boss behind all operations. The young man’s chocolate brown hair, looking darker in the night, was brushed forward to have strands fall in front of his sunglasses. Perhaps the most notable feature in this man's appearance was not the fact that he was wearing sunglasses at night, however, but the smile that he wore with dimples burrowed deep into his cheeks as, despite being nervous about his first huge case, he seemed to have a unique talent of smiling through everything. Smiling Simon, as Miguel would call him, when that chipper attitude of his got on the grumpier man’s last nerve.

“I’m ready, Anni- Anarchy Blue. Darn it, almost...” Simon whispered with a subtle frown that promptly disappeared as she mentioned zipping both of them up to the top floor and he turned his head to look up toward the roof and was replaced with a look of sheer horror. It was no secret that Simon was not very brave - at least, not intentionally so.

“The top floor?” he cleared his throat and looked at her for a moment. “That’s… I mean, there are a lot of floors, are you sure you want to start from the very top?”

Turning his head once more to count the number of floors and get an estimate of how high the top floor would actually be, he let out a soft sigh. “I’m excited, yes! Very excited! But the top floor…” he began again, his voice seeming to rise in pitch ever so slightly. “Why don’t we start from the bottom and-”

As the girl wrapped an arm around his skinny frame, his words were cut off, and within seconds, he found himself flying through the air at what the young man would call… ‘insane speeds’.

“Anarchy Blue, no! No, no, no, NO, NO!” The words seem to just come out of Simon’s mouth without him thinking. He had no chance to stop them as he felt that his very soul was being left behind on the ground as he sped through the air toward the dreaded rooftop, past not three, not four, but at least five entire floors. It must have been over fifty feet above the ground.

As his life flashed before his eyes, he briefly began to question all his life choices, except for just one… befriending this bold Annika Stratonovski.

---

Simon: #d2ce2f

[sakurin]

Darkest night, the depths of the city. A predator was on the prowl. Teeth gleamed in the street light, a large figure lumbered through the city streets. A terrifying sight indeed...if not for the girl's barely-concealed excitement, making her shiver.

"Man, I have only been in this town for like a week, and I already got a lead! I knew hanging around bars would pay off!"

The young fishwoman, one Rosa B. Stortebeker, had left home to follow a dream, a dream of freedom, of revolution, of striving to the example set by her great hero! And like him, it would be those who exploit others who would have to fall! Her lead would bring her right to this place called Pipsi-Co. While she was not the smartest, she did know that she would find beverages there, and she was already imagining finding the water runoff and swimming right in to raise hell. Being a *total* novice, her plan had not gone further beyond "try not to die", but she figured one learns best by doing! So, she approached the HQ, sticking to shadows and trying to find that runoff she had imagined in her mind. If there was none, well, there was always the roof!

---

Rosa: 286320

[Vio]

^{Bryony #1 — Quincy #1}

---

“Hmm… Remind me again why we’re investigating a soft drinks company, Lady Whitaker?” asked Belmont Quincy. A towering figure of a man at nearly twelve feet tall, his dark aesthetic blended seamlessly with the dead of night which, even he had to admit, was quite the beautiful place. Curious canals and cascades glistened coolly in the warm amber lights of Water 7’s street lamps, but the lean man’s focus was upon their destination—a multiple storey building branded with the rather well-known ‘Pipsi-Co’ logo—as he paced himself alongside his entourage: A young brunette less than half his height.

“Another investigative cell found evidence of Pipsi-Co officials sending undercover threats to rival companies,” the bubbly brunette responded with a smile. Whitaker Bryony was quite the physical contrast to her companion. Where he stood exceptionally tall and lean thanks to combined Long-Limb Tribe ancestries, she was a much shorter, regular human being with a slim but pronounced pear-shape physique. Where he was an almost ghastly shade of pale, dressed in a dark and partially patchwork suit, she was well-bronzed and dressed in a rather colourful casual dress of flowery top and ripped jeans.

“And we already know Pipsi-Co’s higher-ups are in good with the World Government! If we can find proof of which of their officials are responsible for it, we can oust them and get the rest of them on our side, y’know?” The presence of a rather simple and contradictory cowl of brown over her shoulders and head was far from the greatest disguise, but it was enough. The streets were quiet and, even amidst the joviality of her natural tone, her associate could discern something she was hiding. In a moment of silence as they reached an opportune backstreet, he gazed down at her with dark brown eyes and a raised eyebrow.

^{“W– What’s wrong, Quincy…?”}

^{“I know you well, Lady Whitaker,” Mister Belmont answered:
“You really wanted to see tonight’s premiere, am I right?”}

^{“I did! I was here for the original’s premiere years ago, y’know?”}

“Sadly, our duty calls,” the lean shadow nodded, limbering himself up a little as he assessed the building’s side. “Worry not. I’m sure you’ll get a chance to see it another time. For now, I suggest you climb on and hold on tight, because I’m certain there’s no rear entrance,” he commented, aware of the nuances of the younger lady as he squatted down and presented his back and shoulders for her to latch onto. Nervous eyes of hazel and green looked up into the night beyond the rooftops, the girl steeling her nerves as best she could before arranging herself into a piggyback position.

The benefits of being half-blooded… Making sure his charge had a firm grip around his shoulders and waist before doing anything drastic, Mister Belmont reached for window ledges and sills in the brickwork of Pipsi-Co headquarters, making ample use of long and multiple jointed arms and his own spindly legs to find the best holds. Like some sort of demonic spider, unseen by the eyes of the few guards that still roamed the grounds, he scaled storey after storey with trouble, all the way until he reached the top and gave the roof a cursory sweep before climbing over the lip and allowing Brie to dislodge herself… with some coaxing.

“H– H– H– Hate heights,” she whimpered breathlessly as she rolled flat onto her back, her soul practically floating from her mouth as the moment of existential dread passed. Quincy himself remained squat, his height actively working against him if they made too much of a commotion, and so actively appeared much shorter than he was.

^{“Oh, come now,” he smiled calmly:
“Didn’t you climb the Drum Rockies once…?”}

^{“Y– Yeah… ‘Climb’… Uuurgh…”}

“…? You’d best come to your senses, Lady Whitaker,” her self-appointed butler commented, quietly and yet sharply as his stance shifted to view another portion of the roof where he’d heard some mild commotion. “We have company…”

---

SPOILER: Click to show

{Post Synposis:—}
<sub>Under the veil of night, Bryony and her butler Quincy scale the rear wall of Pipsi-Co HQ to begin their mission!

Notes:— You may have to highlight Quincy’s text if you are using a darker theme, sorry!</sub>

---

Whitaker Bryony | #ace1af
Belmont Quincy | #1b1b1b

[Kami-Gaz]

With her soft giggles Annika laughed the entire ascent up the side of the Pipsi-co building, all as Simon was starting to make his hatred of the ascension known. The man was adamant about going from the bottom up, but that is what people would expect, it is where most of the guards and security would be! So entering from the top was the best way, it just had to be.

The pair were going so fast that they overshot the roof, Annika had stopped the reeling in of the wire to the hook and let it get away as they rose above. At the right angle she started to reel it in again. This brought the pair over the roof quite handily. Her feet touched the floor and with bent knees she skidded to a halt and let her hook dissolve with the line that attached it to her.

“That was fun!” She spoke before looking over at Simon who seemed to be having a panic attack over it all. “Are you okay?” She asked, letting her eyes scan him in his entirety before a faint sound caught her attention.

Like a primal animal her head whipped around, and her eyes looked deep into the darkness on two shapes that were on the other side of the roof. That sense of mirth and the smile that was on her face vanished to be replaced by a icy cold glare and an aura of pure chill that froze any sense that Annika was here for fun.

---

Post: 2

Annika: acd1fc

[Bobbie]

As he and Annika were reeled in and missed their mark, flying right past the roof and going even higher - as if the rooftop wasn’t high enough as it was - Simon had to clench his jaw and shut his eyes. If he didn’t, there was the chance an even louder scream would come out of his mouth, so the less he saw, the better it would be. He had enough trust in Annika to know that her icy blue eyes were enough for the both of them!

However, that meant that as she landed, he wasn’t prepared for the collision with the rooftop. Just as hers did, his feet touched solid surface first, his knees bending to prevent any painful breaks or strains, but his skid was a lot less controlled as he fell onto his side and rolled a few times. Thankfully, the protective suit that he wore underneath his clothing did an excellent job of not only absorbing the impact, but also flinging him back up onto his feet in a surprisingly graceful and fluid manner as the dials embedded into the palms of his gloves released a burst of energy.

Now standing upright, Simon began patting himself down, checking that he was in fact still in one piece with no body parts missing. As he sighed with relief, he turned to Annika and laughed, nervously. “I’m okay…” he paused to lean forward and patted his chest over his racing heart, “I hope we never have to do that-”

As Annika’s head whipped around, Simon looked in the same direction and he straightened up. He quickly moved to close some of the distance that there was between Annika and himself, picking up his sunglasses on the way.

Simon did not have any impeccable eyesight superior to anybody else’s, but as his eyes did adjust to the darkness, even he could see the silhouettes on the rooftop with them. That is, until he put his sunglasses back on - but now that they were on, he felt silly taking them back off again, so he remained as he was, watching the same location his eyes were previously fixed on before the tinted shades made everything darker while he waited for his eyes to adjust again.

“I don’t think we’re alone…” he whispered to Annika, as he felt a chill run down his spine caused by the cold aura emanating from his partner.

---

Simon: #d2ce2f

[sakurin]

Well, either she was blind, or the people of this company hid their water run off really well, but the fishwoman found no watery way in. Crap, that, would take out her main idea of just swimming up the water way, tearing apart any slaver she finds, and then freeing everyone! But her name wouldn't be Rose B. Stortebeker if she let this stop her, no siree. If she cannot get in by water, she will do it like a salmon, and *climb*! From the roof, it would be much easier to find a way in! Ah, a drainpipe, she can climb up here and get access to the rooftops without being *too* visible from afar!

She suppressed a snicker as she climbed, her hands almost crushing the drainpipe as she did. It creaked under her weight, but held up valiantly. A few more steps, and she would be on the to-
...
Well this wasn't in any of her plans, there were people up here already! She couldn't make out many details, but she could tell these people did not wear any Pipsi-Co attire! Who the heck could they be?
"Aw heck, I thought I had this idea first..."

[Vio]

^{Bryony #2 — Quincy #2}

---

“Huh?” Miss Whitaker exhaled, sitting herself up at Quincy’s mention of company. Come to her senses she did, and handy ones they were, for her eyes were able to make out far more than her partner’s were. “They… don’t look like guards, Quincy,” she commented quietly, realising that the eyes of the strangers were upon them as well. A much shorter woman with aqua hair and tribal tattoos, but masked to conceal much of her distinguishing facial features, and a lanky and snazzily suited fellow who donned dark glasses to hide his eyes. Truth be told, the two groups were almost a parody of one another.

“Appearances can be deceiving, Miss Whitaker,” the spindly servitor uttered, his elongated form perhaps more than unsettling as he folded his limbs into a more defensive stance. His incredible height still subdued by the half-squatting position he held, one could easily have mistaken him for some sort of urban legend or campfire scary story monster in the way he postured. “Another one…?” Ears picking up on the far less subtle sound of the building’s gutters rattling as something hoisted itself up, his eyes soon spied a much more unique figure. Tall, but not as absurdly as he would have been had he stood full height, a well-built Gyojin of dark blue skin with the odd break of muted yellow and stark white locks upon her head.

^{“Aw, heck,” the Fishwoman mumbled:
“I thought I had this idea first…”}

“Ahem!” Mister Belmont cleared his throat, abandoning his awkward if outright horrifically hunched stance and shifting forwards into a more casual, cross-legged position—not to be underestimated in a pinch. “Judging by my charge’s assessment, and your reaction,” he commented with a nod to the unknown Gyojin, “I think it would be prudent of the five of us to dispose of any ill intentions here and now. After all, I severely doubt the skeleton staff still occupying the building are going to turn a blind eye to the sounds of combat occurring on their roof, hm?” A hand gestured in a calm circle, as if to coax an exchange of words from the throats of those present.

^{“I’m Bryony!” the young one said, now standing:
“And this is Quincy! We’re here on an investigation!”}

^{“…You’re not supposed to tell them that…”}

“Does it matter? If we’re all here for the same kind of reason, it’s better if we all work together, y’know?” Miss Whitaker added, stepping past the still cross-legged creepshow and presenting herself a bit more openly to both additional sides. Unlike everyone else, her eyes weren’t too concerned with the darkness, so there was little chance of any hostilities using that as a veil against her. Beyond that, she simply trusted her gut. “We’re here to investigate Pipsi-Co HQ’s officials for corrupt practises, y’know? What about you…?”

---

SPOILER: Click to show

{Post Synposis:—}
<sub>Atop the roof, Bryony assesses that the others might not be a direct threat and reveals her reasons for being present, while Quincy warns that hostilities may draw unwanted attention.

Notes:— You may have to highlight Quincy’s text if you are using a darker theme, sorry!</sub>

---

Whitaker Bryony | #ace1af
Belmont Quincy | #1b1b1b
Rosa B. Stortebeker | #286320

[Kami-Gaz]

Annika’s posture shifted into a defensive one as a third party joined the two groups on the roof, one that was unusual but not a sight she had not seen before. Odie had a Fish-woman nanny a few years ago… and there were the occasional gyojin that roamed the city. Some even worked for her father, hell Palchie Falcone had adopted a lost mermaid as a daughter, or so he claimed. So, the race of this newcomer was not a shock to the Vigilante.

“We got ourselves an Alabastan Standoff.” She spoke, her words came out so cold and sharp that if they were physical, they could slice through steel. It was the lanky man that made the first move to defuse the situation, he was eloquently spoken and too proper to be a mere cannon fodder guard for a big corporation. When the pear-shaped girl beside him spoke, she seemed much more chipper, to the point it was disarming to Annika. It was a Dauntaun drawl, she was from the fashion capitol of the south blue!

With the revelation that they were there for basically the exact same reason that they were Annika dropped her posture and a cool smile came to rest on her blue lips. The soft glow of her tattoos shifted in the dim light as she straightened up and flicked her hair back. “Well, we are here for the same thing, Rickshaw P.I has been hired to look into a case of corporate espionage. I came along to help a friend in need.” The young woman explained as she began to casually walk closer.

“I’m heartbroken to miss the new Pipsi-man release, but it was the best time to come and get this done with.” She spoke, breaking character of the bright and confident vigilante to pout about missing a one in a lifetime main event. Following showings would just not contain the same hype as the opening night. “We were originally going to go to investigate the corrupt police chief but this job came in and like I said, this was the best time for it.”

Then she looked over to the final arrival and raised an eyebrow below her mask. “What’s brought you here?” She asked the warms lingering in her voice as her mind still partly rested on the lost Pipsi-man theatrical experience.

---

Post: 3

Annika: acd1fc

[Bobbie]

Simon’s attention shifted between the two unexpected additional parties to this operation, his eyes wide behind his sunglasses. While these were well concealed, his eyebrows would have revealed his shock, had they not been hidden beneath his brown fringe, brushed forward into the easiest hairstyle possible.

Two of those figures were particularly striking, now that his eyes had the time to adjust to the darkness through his lenses once more. He had never actually spoken to a fishwoman before, although he had seen a few walking about in the building where he worked. After meeting Fleur, a woman with fox ears and a fox tail, he never thought to question anything within the walls of the Stratonovski Estate. Then there was the man with ridiculously long limbs, and that was something he had never seen before. As he stared, he had to actively stop his mind from wandering into the terrifying corner of imagining what the man looked like once he stood upright.

“Uh… yes, you’re right about that.” He replied to Quincy’s suggestion, preferring not to fight at all if it could be helped. The hope was for this to be a quiet mission, during which they get in, snoop around, and get back out before anything could escalate into anything dangerous.

As Annika spoke, Simon nodded along, his teeth glistening in the moonlight as he offered a wide, friendly grin.

“Simon,” He blurted out in a warm and welcoming tone, his smiling shining ever so brightly on his face and his dimples accentuated in the light of the moon overhead as he gave a little wave to everybody he shared the roof with. When his companion expressed her disappointment to be missing the opening of her favourite show, Simon’s smile shifted into something of a frown, his lips pressed together empathetically, though he himself did not share Annika’s interest on as deep a level. The joy of Pipsi-Man was spending time with Annika and occasionally dragging Miguel along too, but he could survive without the show itself.

Then he turned his attention to the other person who hadn’t yet identified herself, his smile returning once more.

---

Simon: #d2ce2f

[sakurin]

Rosa did feel rather miffed that her cool idea was so obvious that at least 4 more people had it, too. And what people they were! Her eyes darted from one to the next! Humans, long-limbed people, you name it! She hadn't seen such weirdness since the way she left her parents' business! She pulled herself onto the roof properly, standing a bit awkwardly.

"Uh, hi. I see you, uh, had the same ideas as me climbing up here! But I am not here to steal anything! I just wanna free some slaves, maybe beat up some evil doers!"
The flaring sincerity in her voice put aside any doubt that she was lying, as did the simple-minded undertone.
"I heard there were..."
She slammed her fist into her palm and pointed at Bryony.
"Yes, corrupt practices, and corruption is never good! I wanna be a hero who frees slaves, and beating up corrupt folks is a good start!"

A bit of an awkward silence as everyone looked at her, or smiled. Then she cleared her throat.
"Um, yeah, that's it. I'm Rose, by the way."
She hadn't planned further than getting in. Having so many people around just added so many new variables that she didn't know what to do with! She hoped these people could help her with her goal! If not? Well, then she'll have to beat them up too!

[Vio]

^{Bryony #3 — Quincy #3}

---

“I’m heartbroken to miss the new Pipsi-Man release,” the tattooed stranger huffed, explaining her and her partner’s purpose for being present. However, most of that seemed to be cast aside by Miss Whitaker in a moment of mutual agreement.

^{“I know, right?!” she whined:
“I really wanted to see the show…”}

^“…”

“So, we have Simon, Rose, and,” Mister Belmont gestured, extending a multi-jointed arm to the masked maiden who seemed to have relaxed a fair deal. Maybe it was an inkling of paranoia, a desire to protect the one he believed himself indebted to, but the long-limbed hybrid was somewhat suspect of the masked one. “Would you like to introduce yourself in some capacity, miss? Everyone’s name seems to have been mentioned, but yours,” he uttered, maintaining a tone of professionalism to mask his caution. After all, he didn’t want to sound rude for the sake of doing so.

“Hey! It’s all good, y’know?” Bryony chirped anew, finally seeming to have forgotten the fact she was several stories up from the streets of Water 7 and focusing on the people. “If we’re all here for the same sort of reason, then what do you all say to helping each other out? I don’t know the specifics of… Er– Rickshaw P.I.’s mission; or if you have any idea of what’s going on under the surface, Rose? But I’m sure we can figure it all out, y’know?” The question lingered for just a moment, the brunette curious as to whether or not the Gyojin had deeper knowledge, a basic understanding of the situation, or was simply making a whole heap of conveniently accurate assumptions.

“Mm.” Quincy nodded, though he remained seated as he watched Miss Whitaker step forward. If she was this confident in these strangers’ words, then he saw no reason to remain poised. No. If she was this confident, despite the ominous situation, then he knew that she was prepared to step into danger’s jaws. “Many hands make light work, so the saying goes,” he added with a small smile, reinforcing his charge’s gesture of goodwill and cooperation…

---

SPOILER: Click to show

{Post Synposis:—}
<sub>Bryony extends the prospect of cooperation to the others as Quincy remains somewhat suspicious of the yet unnamed masked girl!

Notes:— You may have to highlight Quincy’s text if you are using a darker theme, sorry!</sub>

---

Whitaker Bryony | #ace1af
Belmont Quincy | #1b1b1b
Masked Vigilante (Annika) | #acd1fc
Rosa B. Stortebeker | #286320

[Kami-Gaz]

The blue haired tattooed young woman was about to open her mouth to respond to the question of the lanky fellow, who had pointed out that she was yet to give her name. Then Bryony spoke up, saying that it was fine and they should be working together. That brought a nod from Annika as she stepped up to this young woman and thrust out her hand to shake hers, her other one was thrust towards the fish woman.

“Anarchy Blue, I’m the hero that watches over this town. The Smiling man helps me out on a lot of my adventures.” She said with a smile that broke her cold façade. Keeping this smile, she looked around and saw the door that would lead them inside of the building. Once hands were shaken, she nodded and used one of her hands to adjust her mask for just a moment.

“A fellow member of the Carbonation, Bryony?” She asked with a certainty to her tone that felt just right. Meeting a fan of Pipsi-Man in the wild was always great, it was a great sign that this young woman would be a trustworthy ally and potential great friend in the future. She would be the Lime flavouring to Annika’s cool original.

Without much haste she turned and began to walk towards the roof entrance, the stairwell that would take this small rag tag group of justice seekers into the depths of this headquarters where they could search for the evidence they sought. “Simon, Rose, Quincy. Let’s go. We don’t have all night; we should do this quick!” She announced with that same energy and excitement Simon had rarely seen before.

---

Post: 4

Annika: acd1fc

[Bobbie]

As Bryony referred to him as ‘Rickshaw P.I.’, it made Simon chuckle. It still felt foreign and unusual to be called by his newest title, but he did quite like it. Nevertheless, he was far too humble to demand it, but before he could repeat that just ‘Simon’ would be fine, Annika spoke up and his attention was redirected toward her. That was when another title was thrown into the air - The Smiling Man.

It took him back to his days at the station, where people would call him Smiling Simon. Staying eerily true to that name, Simon offered a big grin and nodded in response to Anarchy Blue’s introduction. He could quite get used to this.

It seemed things were kicking off very well, as they all seemed to be in agreement that they would best work together. Everybody was amicable about it as well, which caused a bit of excitement in the man’s heart, though it was nowhere near the level in Annika’s. No, in such a situation, Simon would always be partly preoccupied with the health and safety of people involved, including his own. He generally did not like to engage in dangerous activity, and the whole point of what they were doing was to stop others from doing so as well… while Annika rarely seemed to let this hold her back, it did prompt Simon to put up a lot more resistance on many occasions when given the chance to.

As Anarchy Blue urged everyone to get moving, Simon looked at Rose, Quincy, and Bryony, waiting to see who would make the first move, then he glanced at Annika. Finally, he walked to the door that accessed a staircase that would take them into the building and, to his surprise, it was unlocked. Holding it open, he peered inside to make sure it was clear, then he courteously stood aside for everyone else.

“After you!” he offered, addressing everyone, but after a quick sweep, his gaze lingered on only one of the four other people on this rooftop. While he didn’t mean to stare at the man with terrifyingly long limbs that stood out like a sore thumb, even while seated, he couldn’t help it.

Simon’s mouth felt dry as he envisioned the man rising in order to pass through the open door that he now regretted offering to hold and as the corner of his smile twitched, the trained detective gulped air.

---

Simon: #d2ce2f

[sakurin]

Rose was quite relieved. These people seemed to all have goals similar to her own! She had no idea what Pipsi-Man was, but clearly, these people wanted to do good!
And...they seemed to know more than her, phew! She did kind of go into this blind!
"Me? Oh, uh, well, I got hearsay, I got rumours, I got some tidbits I got from a pirate I shook for like 5 minutes until he spoke up..."
She scratched her head and gave an awkward, pointy smile towards Bryony.
When Simon opened the roof door, though, Rose perked up again. Finally, things were starting!
"Alright, let's do some good! Onward!"
She dashed forward in an excited romp, and squeezed herself through the door first!