Corporate Espionage: Wings In The Night!

[Vio]

^{Bryony #4 — Quincy #4}

---

Anarchy Blue, it is… Mister Belmont made a mental note of the name given, though there was no denying it—that was an alias. The woman perhaps believed herself to be some sort of superhero, perhaps dishing out vigilante justice to those who by all rights deserved it. After all, why else would she be investigating a large corporation when it seemed she would much rather have been enjoying a show? His eyes lingered on her for a moment, processing the name and matching it to the features he could discern.

^{“A fellow member…?”}

^{“I sure am!” Bryony answered chirpily:
“I was here for the original’s premiere~!”}

^{“Let’s go!”}

“After you,” the Smiling Man gestured, the door held for the newly formed party. Rose, perhaps out of hubris, was quick to dive in. With a bit of a spring in her step and a thankful nod to Simon, Miss Whitaker soon followed thereafter in Anarchy Blue’s wake, entering the dim stairwell that plunged its way deeper into the heart of HQ. Pipsi Co itself was a moderately sized building, though by Water 7 standards it was quite large—taller than it was wide. Oddly enough, despite being the central nexus of their product, much of the original soda production line was basically relegated to being a museum piece.

“Allow me,” Quincy commented quietly, having quietly closed the distance to the doorway as the rest had entered and—using one long arm—allowed a hand to hold the door in Simon’s stead as he gestured for him to enter. Sure enough, his movements were unusual, though he had actually taken the opportunity to simply stand to full height and walk over rather normally after being confident none would notice under cover of night. He towered over Simon, sure, but gave him a small smile all the same.

“I am greatly indebted to Miss Whitaker,” the Long-Limb told him, “so I choose to willingly extend my assistance to any friend or ally she makes.” Perhaps it was a token gesture, but the Smiling Man had done the same. Besides that, he seemed anxious about something, and anxieties could become problematic to such covert operations if not kept in check.

“If I’m remembering right, most of the equipment here is just for show, y’know?” the brunette whispered, sharing what knowledge she had as she stepped carefully down the stone stairs. “They still produce Pipsi, but it’s styled like the original bottled brand from their founding, y’know? So that means the rest is just the offices,” she explained, imparting what she could recall. The darkness of the building barely seemed to bother her, finding her footing without even having to check where she was treading as they reached the first door into the building proper…

---

SPOILER: Click to show

{Post Synposis:—}
<sub>As Rose leads the way, Bryony follows Anarchy Blue down the stairs and recounts some knowledge! Quincy takes the door for Simon.

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

---

Whitaker Bryony | #ace1af
Belmont Quincy | #1b1b1b
Anarchy Blue (Annika) | #acd1fc
Simon Rickshaw | #d2ce2f
Rosa B. Stortebeker | #286320

[Kami-Gaz]

As she lead the group down into the dark offices and museum piece production machinery of the Pipsi-Co headquarters Annika could not help but to smile as she had found another young woman like herself. Someone who loved to help the little guy, to be the hero that was needed in this corrupt world… and more importantly loved Pipsi-Man.

With Bryony’s little factoid the tattooed vigilante turned her head to peer back at the new companion and nodded. “Yeap! If I remember right from when I took a tour here the main offices are here on the top floors with the bottom still being dedicated to making ‘Pipsi Old School’. I am pretty sure there is a safe down in the basement with the secret formula to the drink” Annika replied, rattling off what knowledge she had. When she was younger her father had managed to get her a tour of the building, one that most Pipsi fans would kill to get. That tour went nearly everywhere, so as long as the overall layout of the building hadn’t been altered since then Annika could navigate this place with her eyes closed.

She stopped by the first door and looked over the group in the darkness. “Right, I don’t think we have much time, so we’ll need to be quick. I think we should split into two teams! Boys, Quincy and Simon. You two get this office and the girls will go into the next office. If we are going to find anything damning, we are going to find it here.” The vigilante explained as she looked over the group, the soft glow of her bioluminescent tattoos reflecting off of her pale skin. “Rose, Bryony! This way!” She said walking away from the smaller Vice Presidents office to the President of the company’s large office across the hall.

The ornate black stained wood door was locked, the frame of the door was ornate and had stained glass around it allowing people to peer in and see that this was not just an office but a large apartment that took up most of the floor they were on. “Locked… I’ll start picking it.” She spoke with a slightly annoyed growl, her hands dipping into a pouch on her waist to pull out a pristine lockpicking kit.

---

Post: 5

Annika: acd1fc

[Bobbie]

One by one, Simon watched everyone pass him to go through the door that he held open. Everyone but one person… the Long-Limb. He tried his very best to hold his smile steady and unwavering, but the tall man towered over him, causing the detective’s heart to start racing as he looked up at Quincy.

“Ah…” as the weight of the door was taken off Simon’s hands, his mouth agape, a soft breath left him as his voice was reduced to nothing more than a whisper. All of a sudden, it was as if the temperature dropped by more than 10 degrees as the young man trembled, a sharp shiver running down his spine.

“Thank you, yes, uh…” reaching up to his sunglasses, he nervously laughed and adjusted them on his face, perhaps to make sure that they hadn’t fallen off with the way the terrified man’s frame shook. “Okay,” Simon took a step backward into the dark stairwell while the door was now held by Quincy, upon whom his eyes were now fixed. “I mean, yes. Of course, like-” his words were interrupted as the fumbling man’s heel reached the edge of the first step and just went over it, causing him to lose his balance. As his arms flailed, he quickly moved his other foot to catch himself two steps lower.

“Likewise.” Simon cleared his throat, now with his two feet confidently on the ground and his body leaning against the wall, he offered a more genuine smile. “Let’s hurry up before we lose them…” he added, before swiftly turning to give Quincy his back, and faster than he has ever descended steps in his life, Simon rushed down them to catch up to the others. No part of him wanted to be left alone with this intimidating figure longer than necessary.

It was difficult to see on the rooftop in the moonlight with his sunglasses; now within this closed space, that challenge doubled, and he wasn’t nearly as careful as he should have been going down those stairs for a man as prone to accidents as Simon. However, he somehow made it to the others with no injuries, just in time to stop by the door and act like he had been there right behind them the entire time.

Annika’s plan was sound. She was right, they didn’t have a lot of time, as there was no telling when this place would be swarmed with people, whether they were regular workers or actual guards. Nodding along, he was in agreement, until she gave the group distributions and the man froze.

ANNIKA, WHY!?

Simon’s face grew pale. Had there been any lights on in this place, he’d have looked like he just saw a ghost… instead, he turned round to look at Quincy, who seemed to have a similar effect.

In spite of all this, however, he didn’t wish to offend anyone. The terrifying nature of this man was not his own fault, it was simply the body that he was born with, and he was very polite and courteous up on the room. Baring his pearly whites, Simon gave a bright smile to the taller man and nodded.

“Great plan!” He spoke through his teeth, displaying a level of control over his pitch that surpassed even his own expectations.

As he turned around again, Annika - his rock of emotional and mental stability - was already gone. Swallowing nervously, he moved up to the door and turned the knob of the door to the Vice President’s office. Gripping it tightly in his sweaty hand, he repeatedly tried to push the door that needed to be pulled in order to open, before turning to Quincy once more. “Looks like it won’t open. M-Maybe we should stick together with the others instead, what do you think?”

---

Simon: #d2ce2f

[sakurin]

Rose had taken the lead, but as she listened in to the words of the companions, her vanguard role slowly melted. Secret formula? Why did they care about that? Secret formulas don't feel slaves! Fisher Tiger never used any secret formulas! Still, she tried to nod and show understanding. "Always listen to people, even if their words mean little to you. They usually mean the world to -them-", is what her mum would have said.
"Ah, uh, is that so? I don't think I ever had much of that stuff, we usually just sold it to the pirates that stayed..."
Aaaand her attention was drawn once again by the splitting of their party. What, splitting up, really? She was starting to wonder what she had gotten herself into. Scratching her head, she followed Annika's lead to the boss' office, using the higher vantage point to remain at the back and look out for guards. She was getting quite nervous, and the Click of the opened lock just made her flinch. Well, she's in too deep now to leave, may as well face whatever is coming!

[Vio]

^{Bryony #5 — Quincy #5}

---

“Right,” Anarchy Blue suggested, “I think we should split into two teams!” Quincy raised an eyebrow at such a suggestion. Even in the proper interior of the building, where doors and halls had been adjusted to make room for those of taller stature, he still found himself hunched in a position most would have found to be very uncomfortable. Still, he had no issues with the divide and conquer strategy, he just needed to be wary of his company. “If we are going to find anything damning, we are going to find it here,” she affirmed, splitting off down the hall towards a more ornate door.

^{“Alright,” Miss Whitaker chirped quietly:
“Let us know if you find anything!”}

^{“Of course.”}

“Looks like it won’t open,” the Smiling Man said, after a few attempts that softly rattled the door to the office. That drew the Long-Limb’s dark eyes away from a state of cautious overwatch of his charge, and down to the gentleman he had been assigned to operate with for the time being. “What do you think?” To that, the man sighed softly, squatting himself down to observe the door’s lock as a long hand reached into the inside of his jacket, producing a couple of silvery slivers in the form of what appeared to be large sewing needles. Slender enough to enter the locking mechanism but long enough to reach where the average instance would not.

“Lockpicking isn’t exactly my strongest suit,” Mister Belmont uttered, using two fingers to bend the end of one of the needles enough to act as a catch—a deed he wasn’t exactly very pleased at doing—before inserting the two tools into the keyhole. “But I can give it a shot,” he affirmed, putting into practice what little knowledge of the act had been provided to him in the past. It was most definitely a skill he needed to invest more time and effort into learning.

^Clack…

“Strange,” he muttered, withdrawing the needles and trying to bend the makeshift catch back into place, but quickly giving up and pocketing it somewhere else upon his person. It wasn’t a big deal. He had more. “It appears the Vice President doesn’t value security too much—or is the type to leave without his keys,” he mused passively as he, too, tried to push the door to no avail. A moment of realisation later and he instead pulled it, showing clear disgruntlement upon his gaunt visage.

“Tch! Who in their right mind has a door open into a hallway? …No matter.” Quincy shook his head, shifting out of the way and gesturing again to Simon. “After you, sir,” the butler offered…

^{—— MEANWHILE ——}

The same deed seemed to have been accomplished by Anarchy Blue, the sound of the lock’s tumbler moving and catch sliding back seeming a few decibels too loud to those engrossed in concentration. Better suited to the darkness, Bryony kept her eyes peeled for signs of activity, acting as an admittedly shorter but perhaps more effective second set of eyes for Rose, and occasionally glancing down the corridor to check on Quincy and Simon’s progress.

“Huh! This is a whole penthouse…,” she exhaled with concern as the ornate door opened and revealed what was within. At first, it gave way to an office of ostentatious design, emblazoned with the heritage of Pipsi Co.’s founders and achievements throughout the years on every wall, with a large dark oak desk whose edges had been inlaid with excessively intricate silver filigree. This was a wealthy man’s office, but it seemed to lead further into an entire apartment with sliding wooden doors that revealed what seemed to be a lounge area and indicative of an en suite bathroom. Not only that, but the ceiling itself was plenty tall enough for even Quincy to have been able to stand straight.

“I’m guessing all the ‘official’ stuff is going to be in the desk and filing cabinets,” the brunette confirmed, already having had suspicions about how things would have been handled to keep the company’s legitimate records squeaky clean. “Wall safes or secret drawers: Check for anything suspicious, y’know?” Brie commented, scanning the office’s overly decorated walls for signs of scuff marks or anything suggestive of hidden compartments…

---

SPOILER: Click to show

{Post Synposis:—}
<sub>The group splits up, with Bryony, Rose, and Anarchy Blue entering the President’s office, while Simon and Quincy meet their nemesis in the form of a badly designed door.

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

---

Whitaker Bryony | #ace1af
Belmont Quincy | #1b1b1b
Anarchy Blue (Annika) | #acd1fc
Simon Rickshaw | #d2ce2f
Rosa B. Stortebeker | #286320

[Kami-Gaz]

It was good to see Simon making friends! He and Quincy should do just fine in their own investigation, he is a good judge of character so he could also sus out if the man was a good guy or not. Annika was going to do that with Rose and Byronny… But that seemed less needed for a fellow Pipsi-Man Fan!

The lock picking was rather quick, a catch of the latch and a few fumbles with the tumblers and it all clicked into place rather easily, almost too easily. With a confident smirk she opened the door and pushed it to reveal quite the penthouse. She entered after replacing the tools that she had used to get the door open back into her pouch, following Bryonny and Rose.

“Good shout Bryonny. If you spot anything locked let me take a crack at it. That way we can leave as much intact as possible. If there’s been dodgy dealings, we’ll sniff it out.” She spoke, moving swiftly on almost too quiet feet through the fine office apartment combo. First port of call? The bookshelves for any hidden safes or doors… maybe even books with hidden compartments.

“So, Rose.” She started, finally regaining some of her cool air. “You said that Pipsi Co was in the slave trade? How confident are you in that?” She asked, wanting to gauge the information gathering skill of the Fish Woman that was with them. If she was confident and sure what she had was reliable then this was going to run far deeper than what Annika and Simon believed. “Me and Simon came because we believe they have ties to bribing officers of the law to overlook certain crimes that are committed, and potentially control some of the local media.”

---

Post: 6

Annika: acd1fc

[Bobbie]

While Quincy was quick to try and get the door open through other means, Simon made sure to stay out of the way, taking a little step away from the door as if standing too close would somehow inhibit the man’s success at picking the lock. He nodded, however, as the tall man admitted it was not his strength.

“That’s alright, your shot is bound to be better than mine.” The ex-officer tried to console him, his eyes occasionally drifting away from Quincy’s hands that worked the makeshift tools in the door's keyhole and travelled up along his long limbs instead.

He must be nearly a full two metres taller than me… looks exhausting, having to hunch over inside buildings. Distracted from their task, much of his attention was now on the figure beside him, but a sudden clack brought his speculative thoughts to an end and his eyes darted to the door once more.

It was quite a surprise when he found that despite his efforts, the door wouldn’t open for Quincy either, even more so when it was implied that it hadn’t even been locked in the first place.

Then, in a genius act of unexpected inspiration, the door was pulled instead of pushed.

With absolutely no resistance whatsoever, it gently swung on its hinges, and opened for the pair to enter. A grin immediately grew on Simon’s face as he started laughing before he replied.

“Who would have thought, huh?”

Feeling absolutely no shame, Simon was quick to agree with Quincy’s statement and take this as a learning opportunity. “Always check doors both ways… how’s that for a detective life tip?”

The sunglasses-wearer quickly sobered up when his plan to casually follow Quincy inside the room was ruined. Of course, the butler was once again kind and courteous, insisting he enters first. Simon cleared his throat and gingerly moved closer. His back pressed against the door frame in as inconspicuous a manner that he could manage in order to be as far away from Quincy as possible in such a narrow space, he slipped into the more open area of the Vice President’s office.

Once inside, Simon took a quick look around, removing his sunglasses so he could see more clearly. He went straight to the desk and started opening all the drawers. Now that their investigation was really kicking off, he tried to be more focussed on the task. “Alright, so… do we know what we’re looking for?” He hung the sunglasses on the collar of his shirt so they would be out of the way while he rummaged through the drawers for anything of interest.

He brought out some interesting miniature ornaments, many on little keychains and some fancier than others, and a couple of folded papers with a few crumpled receipts.

---

Simon: #d2ce2f

[sakurin]

Rose was quite taken aback by the opulence before her eyes as the door opened. Her hand covered her mouth to muffle her "Oooooooh!" as she looked about. This Pipsi Co. boss sure had a sense of good taste! Her other hand ran along the polished wood, as she tried to take it all in.
"Oh, you hear a lot of things whispered in the taverns., she said to Annika without taking her eyes off the paintings, and my parents run a thoroughfare for ships out on the ocean, they hear a lot of things, too. It's the kind of rumour you just gotta investigate, even if its wrong, it's too risky to just ignore!"
Sure, she had nothing concrete like Annika, but if she just dismissed such claims, what kind of slave liberator would she be!
Wall safes and drawers, huh? As Rose's eyes were already on the paintings, she began to gently lift them to look behind them. Things hidden behind paintings was a classic, no one could resist that! If not a safe, then maybe some form of combination!

[Vio]

^{Bryony #6 — Quincy #6}

---

Putting his disgruntlement with the architect’s door placement aside, Belmont Quincy soon slipped inside and pulled the door to, leaving it just slightly ajar before focusing on the office itself. Mildly decorated, perhaps the most prominent aspect of the room was its feeling of emptiness, suggestive of a Vice President who cared very little for décor and instead focused on being completely practical. That was at least until the Smiling Man started rummaging and finding ornamental oddments in desk drawers.

^{“Alright, so…,” Simon said:
“Do we know what we’re looking for?”}

“Possibly incriminating documentation for a start,” the spindly sir stated, finding himself with a bit more leeway for movement in the office. A higher clearance meant that he did not have to remain completely hunched over, but it still wasn’t quite tall enough to accommodate his full height, leaving him slightly bent at the waist to avoid cracking his head open on the ceiling. Fortunately, there wasn’t much need for him to look at or touch anything around his usual eye level.

“Anything that could suggest untoward business dealings, bribery, misconduct and mistreatment of employees, to name a few possibilities,” he spoke, shuffling over to the filing cabinets on the opposite side of the desk and instinctively checking for hidden surveillance equipment behind them. Not a snail shell in sight. “I’m sure they wouldn’t openly advertise involvement with slavery, but if I know anything about shady business practises, it’s that they can’t help but try and make things look legitimate on the off-chance they get discovered,” Quincy quipped as he eased open a cabinet drawer and flicked through the folders within. One thing had to be said for the Vice President’s organisational skills—they were flawless.

“A question, if I may, Simon?” Mister Belmont posed, breaking the stifling boredom of silence as they searched and scoured for anything of interest. One could only take so much interest in quarterly tax records, after all. “What prompted your involvement in this operation? Unlawful entry and espionage against massive corporations isn’t exactly within the purview of the average investigative agency—do correct me if I’m wrong—so I’m very curious as to what got you into this…”

^{—— MEANWHILE ——}

He’s even got dedicated planters to rare specimens in his office…? Horticultural knowledge sadly lacking, it still didn’t take a genius to recognise foreign flora when one laid their eyes upon it, and Miss Whitaker was versed enough in the ways of greenery to recognise the two pygmy baobabs in large terracotta planters at the back of the office. Their rarity only added to the audacity of the office, but they weren’t exactly incriminating evidence in any respect—a testament to the president’s wealth and budgeting ability at most.

Slavery, bribes, and media control…? I guess this backs up our investigation, Bryony noted silently as she searched, listening to what ‘Anarchy Blue’ had to ask of Rose, and what the Gyojin would say in response. All the while, the brunette scoured one portion of the office, eventually testing the lock on an equally ostentatious cabinet door. Sealed tight, but no visible keyhole or combination lock, just a slot into which she assumed something like a key had to be pushed into which she tried to peer. She scratched her head, puzzled by the mechanism—or lack thereof—and wondering if an exertion of strength was necessary or not. That thought quickly passed. Visible damage was the last thing she wanted to leave behind.

“Hey! Have either of you ever seen a lock like this?” she asked, turning to the others and gesturing to the strange mechanism. “It looks like something has to be pushed inside, y’know? I can see ridges inside, but it’s definitely not a normal lock. I figure whatever’s in here must be really important if they’re using something sophisticated like this, y’know…?”

---

SPOILER: Click to show

{Post Synposis:—}
<sub>As they explore the Vice President’s office, Quincy asks Simon’s reason to be on this case, while Bryony encounters an unusual locking mechanism to a cabinet in the President’s office.

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

---

Whitaker Bryony | #ace1af
Belmont Quincy | #1b1b1b
Anarchy Blue (Annika) | #acd1fc
Simon Rickshaw | #d2ce2f
Rosa B. Stortebeker | #286320

[Kami-Gaz]

Annika

---

So Rose was here on a rumour hunt too, no evidence just the hearsay of pirates, merchants, and other travellers… That was fair, it was a good proof of character to the fish woman though. It showed she was someone that acted on the best interests of those who were more downtrodden but could potentially be easily lead.

Then Bryony spoke up to note the findings of her searching, and it seemed promising. Her deduction of the potential value of the contents was solid too! A fan of the Pipsi-Man Theatrical Universe and a tip top investigator! This girl was a dream! With a half concealed smile the vigilante glided over to the that side of the room on quiet footsteps to look over the mechanism, then she let her hands trace the cabinet, probing for any hidden reliefs or buttons that could be used to trigger the mechanism. “Good find Bry!” She said, the cool air in her tone melted away somewhat.

“This thing screams secret compartment.” Annika said as her fingertip rubbed over an oddly rougher patch of metal. Her time as a seamstress and costume designer for the Pipsi-Man plays was screaming at her that his ribbed section was in a pattern. She moved her other hand to the exact opposite side of the cabinet and surely enough there it was. “I might have it…” She spoke before pressing in both sections and sliding them forward. The cabinet door that was now pressed against her chest clicked.

A cool smile was on her face as she backed away and the cabinet door gently swayed open. “I’m good.” She said under her breath as a celebration before looking inside to see an actual safe door. “Crap!” Annika hissed, her smile vanishing and an icy look donning her features.

---

Post: 6

Annika: acd1fc

[Bobbie]

As Quincy joined Simon in the search, the sound of shuffling paper filled the quiet space of the office. This went on for several uncomfortable minutes until Quincy broke the silence with his request to ask a question.

With a gentle hum, Simon glanced up toward Quincy, once more reminded of his towering height as he did so. It was a good question to ask and fair to be wondering it… truth be told, if not for Annika’s fascination with Pipsi, he probably wouldn’t be on this case at all. Then again, if not for her, he wouldn’t have a job.

“Well…” he flipped through the pages of an appointments journal as he stood at the desk, his gaze falling on that once more in the dimness of the room. Flawless organisational skills was certainly an accurate description of the Vice President’s capabilities, which was reflected in his note-taking and listing of appointments, deadlines, and to-do lists included in the journal, all in neat handwriting and perfect formatting.

“As you know, Annika is quite fond of Pipsiman and anything PipsiCo related, so keeping out of this investigation was definitely not an option.” Simon began to explain, trying to choose his words carefully. “The truth is… there was another case we worked on that involved a black market sale of a stolen animal, which shed light on very bad implications for this corporation, and one thing led to another…” With a sigh, the man paused as he reached the end of the journal and closed it. He wanted to say more, but while he felt Annika herself might not have a problem with him sharing those details, he could already hear Miguel’s voice telling him off for it.

“My aim was not to find something incriminating, it was actually the opposite,” the private eye chuckled rather sadly as he knew that it must be very painful for Annika to have her perception of an organisation she adored shattered. “I was hoping to prove their innocence.”

Simon shrugged and put the journal down on the desk, before lowering himself to sit on the executive chair that had been previously pushed aside for easier access to the drawers. “Maybe if we-”

Perhaps the universe had its way of punishing the ex-police officer for taking advantage of such a comfy looking chair or for being lazy; or perhaps it was simply too dark to calculate distances, if one had to give an excuse for Simon’s clumsy nature. For one reason or another, he sat too far to the edge of the seat, causing his body to slide right off the cushion and fall onto the floor and send the chair reeling across the room at full speed on its wheels.

As he hit the office floor with a thud, he winced and groaned, staring up at the ceiling as he lay flat on his back. The chair, meanwhile, slammed into a radiator that appeared to be secured to the wall at first glance until the moment it was struck and it fell right over like it was made of cardboard. Behind it was an opening in the wall.

“Wow, I’ve become a lot stronger than I used to be…” the lad of a scrawny frame uttered as he sat up from his position, then grimaced, having never seen a heavy radiator get knocked over like that. “Do you think it’s broken?”

---

Simon: #d2ce2f

[Vio]

^{Bryony #7 — Quincy #7}

---

“This thing screams secret compartment,” Anarchy Blue noted, approaching Bryony’s find and immediately beginning a thorough investigation of what seemed to be an otherwise mundane cabinet. A very soft, audible click revealed the truth, the door gently easing itself open as the former stepped back. “Crap.” An immediately dejected look washed itself over the once confident visage as the cabinet doors revealed an entire safe, forged of solid steel and bearing a rather complicated-looking combination lock, presented itself.

“Hehe… Well, I guess we should’ve expected that, y’know?” Not immediately allowing this revelation to dampen her mood, Miss Whitaker eased her way into position in front of the safe and stared at the locking mechanisms for a few moments. Truth be told, breaking locks was far from her forte, but she’d be damned if she didn’t give it a try. “Looks like a… six digit code? Maybe a date?” A few possible thoughts crossed her mind. The president’s birthday could well have been a decent shout, not that she knew it, or perhaps even the date of the founding of Pipsi-Co, though she had a feeling that would have been too obvious…

^{—— MEANWHILE ——}

File after file and Mister Belmont found nothing of note nor interest within the cabinets of the Vice President’s office, save for a few records of exorbitant expenditures on acquiring Pygmy Baobabs. The lengths the rich and powerful would go to to flaunt their wealth. What did intrigue him, however, as Simon’s answer to his previous question.

“Prove their innocence, you say? That’s certainly an interesting take,” the long-limb uttered, pausing for a moment to turn and look in Mister Rickshaw’s direction. Certainly, this seemingly mundane man had piqued Quincy’s interest, for it was not often that one would go to such lengths to try and establish a clean slate. People of an investigative nature were often incited to act on the prospect of discovering incriminating evidence, not trawling through for the lack thereof, but perhaps that was good enough a read on this man’s convictions. To find proof of corruption was actually an easy task in comparison, for all you needed was one or two pieces of evidence to point you in the right direction: To prove innocence absolutely required far, far more.

^{“Maybe if we–”
Thud– Roll… Bamp!}

Quincy’s stance sharpened, ears pricking up almost immediately as he strained his senses to seek out signs of potential discovery. A noise like that may have drawn unwanted attention. If it had, there were no signs that that was the case. No sounds of footsteps coming up the stairs. No exchanges of mutterings or shouts. Fortunate. With a state of alert passing rather swiftly, he shuffled over, making sure to close the drawer he was investigating with one arm as he checked on his company.

^{“Are you alright?”
“Do you think it’s broken?”}

“Hm? …Well,” Quincy uttered, eyeing the odd radiator that now lay flat on the floor and the opening in the wall behind where it once stood. “It doesn’t seem as if it was connected to any plumbing system, at least,” he noted, taking a hold of the surprisingly lightweight object with just one hand and resting it against the wall beside the hole. “It looks much heavier than it is. Peculiar. What’s that?” The opening behind where the radiator had stood was mostly dark thanks to poor lighting angles, but the unmistakable shape of some kind of case could be seen inside…

---

SPOILER: Click to show

{Post Synposis:—}
<sub>In the Vice President’s office, Quincy and Simon accidentally uncover some possible evidence, while Bryony and Annika uncover a sophisticated safe.

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

---

Whitaker Bryony | #ace1af
Belmont Quincy | #1b1b1b
Anarchy Blue (Annika) | #acd1fc
Simon Rickshaw | #d2ce2f
Rosa B. Stortebeker | #286320

[Kami-Gaz]

Annika

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Annika let her eyes gaze over the safe and tilted her head, six-digit code… “Dates?” She asked, repeating the word, racking her mind for important dates that the current CEO would use. Then expanding her mental list to previous CEOs and the companies larger list of achievements. That smile returned to her face as she moved to stand directly looking at the safe as if she was the CEO. Her eyes scanned around looking to see if there were any clues that would help narrow her ever expanding list of numbers down.

“Say, Bry?” She asked casually as she raised her hand higher up into the air and shot a grappling hook with enough force to pierce the ceiling tiles, making some dust sprinkle around her. As the hook found purchase she started to reel in to gain just that bit more height to be on the mans level.

“You and your friend do this often?” She asked, trying to shake a nasty gut feeling she had… those kind of feelings that you get when you are sure something is horribly wrong, and its just a matter of time until you figure out what it was.

Her eyes found something, a small series of notches that could only be seen by a tall man. And that is the code. With a wicked grin she let her hook vanish as she dropped to the floor with a heavy thud. “The code is the release date for the first Pipsi-man theatrical performance!” Annika spoke excitedly

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Post: 7

Annika: acd1fc