Heritage

Sariska came back out with a full luggage suitcase in one hand and a guitar case in the other. She was warmly dressed this time in slack jeans and a warm green turtleneck, a leather jacket wrapped around her shoulders with the front zipper left open. She saw Aurora standing outside and encouraged the girl to follow, leaving no indication she knew Kaufmann was just there. She went to her sister's car, a shiny red Prius and opened up the back to put all her stuff in. The car was already running by the time she and Aurora got in, the heater on full blast to melt away the chilly air.

"My driving is a little rusty," Sariska said as she put the thing into gear. "Hope you don't mind." She wouldn't need a GPS to get to Lunaveil studios. She was watching carefully where Mishka was going when he was taking her there. Plus it was the same neighborhood she grew up in and subsequently moved out of after high school.

"After our parents died, Chloe and I had to rent out an apartment with what little inheritance we had." She wasn't sure why she was talking about this, but the car was too quiet for her, and she didn't really want to think of this without saying anything. "We didn't live anywhere near Lunaveil Studios, but I remember going to the theater a lot with my parents and little sister. I remember seeing young girls put out their best on the stage - it was inspiring. My father saw how much I liked theater and bought me that guitar, had it custom-made specifically for me. He knew if I wanted to go into acting, I should back up my career with other talents. While I was practicing to be an actor, I was also playing the guitar in my spare time, as well as singing, playing the piano and drums, sound mixing, dancing, and so much more. I had a lot of energy back then.

"After they died, I started training my body. To be an actor, you have to be at peak bodily performance levels. A strict diet, constant workouts, yoga stretches, the whole bit. I even took karate for a couple years. When I finally started taking acting roles, I was a stunt double. Eventually some people noticed I was actually better than their own actresses, so I subsequently started moving up. I'm one of the best actors in the city and hardly a single person knows it. I know Sixela is popular, but I've always thought this strange." Sariska stopped before she talked Aurora's ears off. She wasn't even sure what she was saying herself.

Daniel saw that the door to Ambrose's office was left open, so he gulped and gave a knock as he went in. Caleb greeted him in the same manner that he had back in Xacshire Park, and Daniel was still no less frightened of the man than when he first met him. "Excuse me, Mister Ambrose." Daniel began as he stepped into the office, his voice shaking a bit. He cleared his throat and continued, "Before Shoemaker left, he had the QA department processing the last quarter's TPS reports. I was wondering if you still wanted us doing that, or if there was something else you needed us doing instead now that you're the boss." He couldn't really get over how Caleb was staring at Daniel unwaveringly, as if there was something inside his head that could be seen from the inside out. It was a bit creepy, but Daniel liked having a job and making money, so he made no comment. Besides, who knew what Caleb could do if just touching him caused Daniel a world of pain?

{Daniel}

As Daniel was explaining to Caleb what his responsibilities were prior to the company's acquisition, Caleb's fingers began searching through the folders to retrieve the previous reports that Daniel had filed in. After giving it a quick skim, Caleb smiled in amusement and tossed the papers into an automatic shredder. "That is all you're concerned about?" Caleb asked. "I see you weren't given the disc that was assigned to all former Glotech employees. Not to worry, I have a copy right here." He slid a CD case over to Daniel and rested his face against his hand as he continued to watch Daniel.

"That disc shall contain the assignments you are responsible for from now on," he informed Daniel. "When you boot it up, a black screen will appear and tell you to press a key on your keyboard. This could be any key - it is always random. When you comply and press the corresponding key the program wishes for you to press, it will respond by telling you to press another key. This key will also be random. It could be the 'tab' key. Or perhaps the 'tilde' key. How exciting! You are to do this until the end of the day when it is time for you to clock out. After that, you are free to go home. When you return tomorrow, you will do the same thing again. Please be sure not to press an incorrect key, or the consequences may prove fatal! Ah ha ha ha! Only kidding, the machine will simply tell you of your mistake and insist you press the correct key. Now if that is all, you may take your leave."

---

{Sariska}

Music: A Breath of Nostalgia

Spoiler:

Aurora sat in the passenger seat, placing her bag on her lap and gazed out the window when the vehicle began to move. "It's okay," she assured when Sariska made the remark about her driving. "I'm sure you'll get us there in one piece." To break the silence of the ride, Sariska started to tell part of her life story, while Aurora halfheartedly paid attention; distracted by lingering anxiety of encountering Kaufmann.

"Your father sounds like he was a good man," Aurora commented, looking down at her hands which were fidgeting with the the strap of her handbag. "I wish I could have known my mother better before I came to this country. I don't think I will ever have the chance." Soon the car would arrive at Lunaveil, with muffled sound effects going off from inside the studio to indicate filming in progress. "Do you think fame and notoriety is all worth it?" Aurora asked as they neared the entrance to the building. "I don't think I could handle the idea of everyone knowing my name and who I am - especially the ones I don't know."

"Is it worth it?" Sariska pondered that for a moment. The reason she wanted to go into acting was because it looked fun, at first. The fame was just a nice side-benefit. Unlike most people, she never got stage fright once in her life. She always felt as though she was born for the big stage. "I think the most important part is having fun. I've never felt more at ease than when I'm up on the stage, performing in front of thousands of people, the burning white spotlight shining down on me. The fame is just a side-benefit to me."

Sariska parked the car in the lot and went to the back to open up the trunk. With her two suitcases in hand she and Aurora went into the studio. She wasn't sure which floor they were filming on, but she knew of one room that would be empty. She would start setting up there, opening her trunk to hand up a dress she brought along and piece together the custom guitar.

"You know how to work a camera? I have a lot of outfits to use and a lot of pieces of this song to record." Sariska checked to make sure the drum set and piano were in working order The sound mixer had to be checked as well, and the microphones, and the stage had to be stable...

Daniel watched as Caleb skimmed through the reports he had filed for Shoemaker. Before he could even protest, though, his new boss simply shredded them without a care in the world. "Hey, what are you doing?!" Caleb slid a blank CD case towards Daniel that he had produced from within his desk. "I had worked so hard on those..." Caleb then explained to Daniel that his new responsibilities solely consisted of following the randomly generated keystrokes that the program produced. What the hell? How does Duple Corp have the money to just give free wages to their employees? Something's not right about this... but honestly, how bad could this be?

Caleb looked rather annoyed that Daniel had come in here, or perhaps it was just his imagination. His mind drifted back to the email that he had received, but there wasn't really anything too bad about this other than that Caleb was his new boss. Daniel picked up the CD that was offered to him and gave it a skeptic look. As much as he wanted to just take the free money being offered to him, in the back of his mind, he couldn't deny that something was very, very off about all of this. But what was he to do as an entry-level employee? He'd be making his pay for very much less effort, and he also couldn't deny that was pretty sweet.

With a small sigh, he started towards the door of Caleb's new office. "Alright, sir, if you insist... Thank you for your time." With a nod, Daniel turned and walked out of the office, disc in hand. What little protest that he had was now going silent the further he got away from Caleb. It only took a minute or two before he was back in the safety of his cubicle. Forlornly, he scanned the reports that just a few days ago he had been slaving overtime for. With a sigh, he piled them all towards one end and out of the way of his workstation. It wasn't as if he needed to do real work any time soon.

He opened his computer's disc drive and popped in the CD that Caleb gave him. Just like Caleb had described, the screen became black, and a solitary letter 'F' appeared in the center. Pressing the key, a new key shown, '9'. On and on it seemed to go, really not actually giving Daniel a sense of progression. This was literally a timekiller. He had half a mind to text Sam and see if he was doing the same bullshit that Daniel was, but the thought left his mind as quickly as it had come. He could be content just doing this for the remainder of the day. It gave him an opportunity to think about what he needed to get at the store on the way home, and he may even have enough time to hit the Cat's Eye later that night as well.

If only there wasn't the strange feeling of regret that lingered in the back of his head, as well as the anxiety in his gut, this may very well have been one of the happier days that Daniel had.

{Daniel}

Daniel would spend the rest of the work day laboring through what might possibly be the most challenging assignment he'd have ever faced. He thought he would sit comfortably pressing the "A" key and then the easy "S" key that was prompted subsequently, but the "M" key came at him like a curveball. Fortunately, Daniel was able to catch on and hit the correct key, and avoid the dreadful "incorrect input" message that would pop up if he pressed anything else.

The end of the shift would come and Daniel was permitted to clock out for the day, his walk out of the corporate building interrupted momentarily by an e-mail notification from his phone.


{To: Daniel Reisa
From: -Withheld-
Subject: GOODBYE

"IT LOOKS LIKE YOU'VE MADE YOUR CHOICE. THIS WILL BE THE LAST YOU HEAR FROM ME."

-X}

Outside the office, people were converging into the pedestrian traffic and filling in the lines of the train station. Meanwhile, a familiar figure would pass by Daniel, carrying a bag of groceries and wearing a denim jacket over a white tank top.

"Oh it's you, the guy that works at 'Schmuck Inc.' or whatever."

It was Gabriela Kaylfri of the Winddrift Police, and judging by the fact that she wasn't in uniform, she was most likely off-duty. Somehow, she seemed more approachable.

"What's up? You just gettin' off from work?"
---

{Sariska}

"So if someone wasn't enjoying what they were doing, then they should probably stop... even if they were good at it," Aurora mumbled, contemplating Sariska's perspective. The two would pass through the corridors and right by the filming set. Charger was already up and about for the morning, sitting in his chair and directing his current film while still in his bathrobe and sipping from his mug of coffee. Nobody seemed to mind. When Sariska and Aurora went by, he quirked an eyebrow, positively certain that he told Sariska he would call her tomorrow to resume the film she was in - but he shrugged and went back to his work.

Sariska found the room labeled "Recording Studio" and let herself in; Aurora following right behind. "I should be fine with a camera," Aurora said, retrieving a tripod and camcorder from the storage closet. She hooked up the camcorder to the mixing station's computer and adjusted the picture as Sariska tuned the instruments. "Mr. Rivelotto showed me how to work the filming equipment should I ever have to fill in for one of the cameramen." When the picture was steady and focused on Sariska, Aurora would look over at her.

"I'm awaiting your next instruction."

Sariska checked her guitar one more time. She kept her face straight, focused on her task. She brought a small platform into the center of the room and hung the microphone close by. As soon as she stepped up on the platform her whole demeanor changed. The muscles in her face relaxed and she could smile again, showing off her set of perfect teeth for the camera. "Lets get this show on the road!" Sariska cried, striking her guitar.

She pressed her lips close to the microphone and sang. It was a different song than the one she sang before. But like the one before, she poured everything she had into her voice and her guitar. She smiled for the camera and danced to the sounds she made. Every note hit its mark, every word perfectly articulated. The stage transformed her, and seeing the transformation in person would induce awe in those who watched and listened to her.

The recording for the guitar took less than five minutes. It was clear which was her favorite instrument. She moved onto the drum set next and sang with those as well, though it took a little longer than the guitar piece due to a missed cymbal clash or hitting the wrong drum. She had to do another recording with the guitar in a different style. The whole recording took less than an hour.

Once all the sound was recorded Sariska moved on to the sound mixer to combine the separate recordings. She didn't say a whole lot during this, instead choosing to focus on the task. All in all, the recording and mixing took over four hours. She was starting to feel a little hungry, and there was still the matter of combining the sound with the video, but that would take long and that was done within another thirty minutes.

"Finished," Sariska said, finally feeling the rush of euphoria that came whenever she completed a piece. "It's a little different from what I had you listen to before, but man do I feel so much better about it. All I have to do now is download it to my flash drive..." Sariska clicked the button with her drive inserted. "And bam, it's ready for release. Lets give the whole thing a listen, yeah?"

Music: Act the Part

Somehow, Daniel slogged through the rest of his shift just pressing buttons at random. Boring as it was, he finally clocked out and waved at the receptionist when he exited the building. As he did, his phone buzzed and he pulled it out, seeing another email notification. Frowning at the subject line, Daniel opened the email. "The last you'll hear of me." The feeling of regret flared for a moment in the back of his mind, but he was greeted by a familiar voice. Startled, he looked towards the sound until he found Gabriela seemingly not as domineering as when he had first met her. She even looked human.

"Sergeant, what a pleasant surprise." Daniel pocketed his phone and put his hands on his hips, shifting into a more comfortable position. "Yeah, I still work at Glotech, shift just ended. Change in management today, went by pretty smoothly, though." Daniel's eyes shifted towards the bag of groceries in Gabriela's hand. "I was just about to head to the store myself. How has your day been?" Something actually normal was a welcome change of pace for Daniel, given that literally everything else that day had just been plain wrong, though being able to talk to Gabriela without feeling two inches tall was not an ordinary occasion in and of itself.

{Daniel}

Music: Off The Beat

Spoiler:

The off-duty policewoman rolled her eyes as Daniel referred to her by her title. "Y'know, you can call me Gabriela when I'm not on the beat," she shrugged. "After all, you were the one that asked for my name first, so you might as well use it, right?" Daniel did in fact ask for her name first in their previous encounter. "Look, I know a lot of us at the WCPD gets a bad rap, but I am the way I am on the clock because I have to give a hundred and ten percent to keep my boys in line. When I'm wearin' the black and the badge, I'm a stone-cold bitch - I know that, but I was raised from a military family and we did not fuck around. That doesn't mean I wouldn't grab a beer with you when I'm off work, though. See this?" Gabriela set down her bags and pinched the front of her jacket to emphasize her current attire. "This is 'Casual Gabriela.' I'm just like everyone else. You don't need to be afraid of Casual Gabriela. If you see me in the badge and uniform, then that's Sergeant Kaylfri. It's important that you know the difference. Casual Gabriela likes to party hard on her free weekends and watch the WGC. Sergeant Kaylfri's the kind of gal that'll snap you in ways that'll make you useless to a woman if you step out of line. Now you know."

Gabriela looked around and curled her lips in annoyance. "Goddammit, where's Chrys?" she groaned. "Damn girl borrowed my cruiser over an hour ago, and now she's late. Oh... here she comes now." A police car pulled up and stopped by the sidewalk in front of Gabriela; the window rolled down to reveal a woman with short blonde hair, and a leather lace crop top. "Hope you haven't been waiting long, Sergeant."

"Ugh, how many times do I have to tell you people not to call me that when I'm off the clock? You don't hear me calling you detective when you're off-duty, do you?" Gabriela japed, popping open the trunk and setting her groceries. "Just what took you, anyway?"

"Sorry, force of habit. Anyway, you know how rush hour traffic gets; just be glad I arrived with everything still intact," the other woman responded.

"Yeah, yeah. Just scooch over, I'm driving us the rest of the way," Gabriela said, opening the driver's door for the other woman. "Oh right, Daniel. Chrys, this is Daniel, he works at Glotech."

"Hi," she waved at him, before quickly turned back to Gabriela. "He your boyfriend?"

"PFFFFFT AH HA HA HA HA HA-OLY SHIT!" Gabriela guffawed, a tear rolling past her cheek. "Oh man, that's a good one. Anyway. Daniel, this comedian of a woman is Chrys Wyrick. She's one of Winddrift's own top detectives."

"Speaking of which, the case we're looking at tonight is another slasher one. Not quite sure if it's the same M.O., but the bodies were found near the last site."

"Man, don't kill my mood by talking about work. Let's just go." Gabriel gave one last look at Daniel before sliding into her car. "You ever need anything, I'll be around. See ya later, Office Kid."

-Chrys' social profile has been added
-Gabriela's social profile has been updated

---

{Sariska}

The two would review Sariska's finished product and begin putting up the equipment when the door handle of the room turned. A young woman in a green coat with pitch black hair flowing down to her back entered the studio, bass guitar in hand, and looking confused when she spotted Aurora and Sariska.

"Uh... what the hell?" she fretted, grabbing a clipboard that was lying by the mixing station. "Of course. You two didn't even bother scheduling a time slot before coming in here. Did you even ask Charger if you could use the equipment in here first, or did you just help yourself?"

"Time... slot?" Aurora repeated, not sure exactly how to respond to the girl.

"Yeah, duh! You can't just come in here whenever you want and rub your mitts all over the equipment! You need to schedule a time slot! See?" The girl held the clipboard forward, showing a sheet of names and written schedules for the recording studio usage. "Grr... at this rate I won't be able to finish my demo tracks in time." Aurora narrowed her eyes and looked over the names. "I apologize, Miss... Jhurk Wodd-"

"No, you idiot! My name's Alicia Chen! It's the name below it! Just who are you two, anyway?!"

"Pardon, Miss Chen, but I am Aurora Emblyne and this is my boss, Miss Sariska Eternal. I apologize for not following the proper protocol, but we are at least finished here," Aurora apologized, still unsure what to make of this Alicia girl.

Alicia sighed, and sat her bass guitar against the wall. "It's okay, you didn't know. Sorry, it's just... my old band of assholes just replaced me for another bassist yesterday, and I need to get my demo tracks out there and get picked up by a new one. Battle of the Bands is in two days and I need to get scouted out, fast. So I've been stressing out, and I haven't even gotten anything to eat this morning."

"What's so important about this competition?" Aurora asked, browsing through Exanet on her tablet to find more information. "Are you kidding? It's being hosted by Sixela's agency. The Sixela. Top band wins ten grand and gets to meet her before she plays at Winddrift Stadium and Juke's Box. So chyea, it's kind of a big deal."

Sariska glanced back when she heard the door open. A young thing with simple black hair walked in holding a bass guitar in hand. She seemed displeased and didn't hesitate to confirm that, so Sariska held back and waited for her rant to be done. Sariska had to choke back laughter after Aurora called her "Jhurk Wodd." She was about to intervene, but after a few more words everyone seemed to have calmed down.

"Hold on there, tiger," Sariska said. "You want to enter the Battle of the Bands, which starts in two days, without having a band to be a part of?" Naturally she knew about the battle. No matter how much she may have wanted to, she couldn't enter. Using prerecorded songs was a big no-no on the stage. Ten thousand dollars would put a big safety net in her account though, even if it had to be split up several ways.

But this girl wanted to be a part of it, and was willing to put in with a fresh band with hardly any time to practice. That meant she had to either be picked up by a band without a bassist or outperform other bassists.... or start a new band entirely. Tomorrow Sariska had obligations for acting here in the studio, which means if she wanted to find members for a band, she had to do it today. Aurora could sing, but stage fright isn't something you can get rid of in one day and Sariska could already sing and play the guitar.

Sariska smiled. "I think I have an idea, Miss Alice Chen. How would you like to be a part of my team? I'll admit I don't have any other friends to play with us, but I think starting a new band is exactly what you and I both need to enter this contest." Meeting Sixela would also be an honor. Probably. "Of course, I'd need to hear you play first, and I'd assume you'd want to hear me play as well. Let me resolve any doubts you might have about my skill and then we'll see where this goes, hmm? Aurora, be a dear and turn on the recording for 'Crusade.' I want this room to sing." Sariska tossed the flash drive to Aurora and stepped over to the platform she had set up. She was going to have fun with this one, reception be damned.

Music: Crusade

When the song ended, Sariska hopped back off her platform and gave Alice a grin. "While most of it is prerecorded, I played every instrument in that recording by ear and then mixed them together."

Daniel eased up a bit when Gabriela told him that he could address her by her name when she wasn't on duty. He certainly liked "Casual Gabriela" quite more versus Sergeant Kaylfri. "Yeah, I get you, Gabriela. I'm sure you need to keep up a tough demeanor to make your guys fall in line." Daniel chuckled and nodded as Gabriela emphasized how normal she was with her attire. Though Gabriela told him that he didn't need to be afraid of her, he had been conditioned to feel otherwise. It was nice, though, to not have to be completely on edge with her off-duty.

Eventually, Gabriela huffed about her ride being late. Daniel looked around for this Chrys person. He expected someone as nondescript as Eric had been, but to his surprise, when a police cruiser drove up and the window rolled down, he was greeted by quite a sight. Blonde hair an a flattering figure, with the top she wore leaving little to the imagination. His eyebrows shot up as he looked towards Gabriela for an explanation. He listened to the two women bicker for a moment before Chrys turned to him and waved. Daniel nodded at her, managing a "Nice to meet you, Chrys." before the sound of Gabriela guffawing had completely shut him down.

Nails were driven through his limbs as Gabriela adamantly denied being involved with Daniel. He wasn't sure if the dismay he felt was showing on his face. As much as she said she wasn't meant to be threatening as a casual civilian, it didn't do much for his self-esteem. Before Gabriela left, though, she assured Daniel that she'd be there if he needed anything. "Thanks, Gabriela. I hope I meet you before Sergeant Kaylfri next time!" Daniel waved the women off as they drove away, leaving him on the crowded floor alone. Making his way towards the grocery in Corporate Plaza, he decided to browse Exanet again to see if anything had happened while he was at work.

>Browse Exanet

{Daniel}

The Winddrift Gazette had not posted any new reports since Daniel clocked in for work, however there were always the boards on Exanet Daniel could browse and post in.

Exaboards (Random Section)

Has anyone noticed...:

Ivory Palace:

JUDGEMENT DAY IS COMING:

>Post Thread
>Leave Exanet

---

{Sariska}

"Yeah, yeah, this is good," Alicia nodded, stroking her chin in contemplation. "Cool, if we can form a band, then this saves me the trouble of making demo tapes. We're still short a member, aren't we? Wait, what instrument do you play?" She pointed at Aurora, who looked up from her tablet. "Woodwind and brass instruments, mainly," Aurora responded. "I don't think those will quite fit in the band. I can handle booking and scheduling responsibilities, however."

"You can be the manager then," Alicia said. "And I'm pretty sure err... Sariska was it? I'm sure she can handle lead guitar and vocals - not that hard to do both. With me on bass, we're left without a drummer. That's all we need left, really."

"I do believe Miss Star said that she requires to hear you play first before we decide on letting you join us," Aurora reminded her.

"Miss Star?"

"Miss Sariska prefers to be referred to as 'Star.'"

"Well okay. I mean I play bass, it's literally only four strings. But if you need a demonstration of what I can do, then check out these sweet licks!"

Alicia hopped over to the synthesizer and had it play a backing drum beat, while plugging her bass guitar into an amp before she performed for Sariska and Aurora.

Music: These Sweet Licks

Spoiler:

When her demo was finished, Alicia unplugged the amp and stowed her bass onto her back.
"So... we good?"

-Alicia's social profile added

"Mmm," Sariska had closed her eyes to listen. She found herself nodding her head and woke herself up. It wasn't nearly as good as Amber's playing, but Alice was no simple talent. She could work with this. "I'd actually like to find us a keyboard player as well," Sariska said. "That can wait until after though, it'll be hard enough to practice for the stage with so little time... This does mean that I accept you, of course. Oh, and my friends did call me Star more than Sariska. I was the star of the band I last had, and because we called ourselves The Little Stars, I took up the nickname 'Star.' It grew on me after a while. Unfortunately I can't call on any of them, since Kenneth and Paige disappeared, Tammy moved cities, and Amber went to college."

With that half of the problem settled, they had to find a drummer. Sariska supposed she could just post an ad on the Exanet forums, but even with that it seemed unlikely she would get any attention. Chloe could play the drums, though she wasn't all that great at it - nowhere near good enough for a stage either. Where would one find a talented drummer?

"Hey, do either of you know a good nightclub?" Sariska asked. "I would ask my sister, but she's likely too preoccupied to answer. I have a feeling we might find freelance talent there."

Daniel turned his nose up at the shitposting that was the random section of the Exaboards. Were these the people he inhabited the city with? Something managed to catch his eye, though: the Ivory Palace. Hmm, Mia worked there, if memory served right. A twin sister? He had never seen anyone but Mia live across from him, though if Mia had a twin, how could he tell the difference?

>Leave Exanet.

He pocketed his phone and shopped for groceries, namely a gallon of milk and some cereal. He had enough money to just survive on bar snacks tonight, so he'd deal with something more tomorrow, perhaps.

Groceries in hand, he made his way towards the train station where some people were still lining up for spots. On a whim, he decided to see if Sam had to deal with what he went through at work today. Surely it was just him that was suddenly not having to do anything at work. Pulling out his phone, he shot Sam a text: Hey, how was work today? There wasn't much else that he could do aside from wait for Sam to respond and get a spot on a train home, so wait he did.

{Daniel}

(Deducted 5$ for milk and cereal)

Daniel would send a message to Sam while waiting for the train, and within a few seconds, Sam would respond:

"I got fired lol"

Too bad for Sam, and he was such a hard worker too, an exemplary employee of his class. The conductor would grab Daniel's attention from his phone, waving for him to come aboard the train. Daniel would find a seat, and the conversations of fellow passengers could be heard.

"So did you hear about the murders?"
"The ones in Hastel? Yeah."
"Someone leaked photos of some of the crime scenes. Shit was gruesome. Like something straight outta a slasher flick."
"It's pretty scary, yeah. Not sure I can sleep at night."
"Police can't seem to get a lead."
"Tch, if Glastondale's in charge, he's probably spending his time trying to bust people for no reason."
"Yeah... I wouldn't really talk about him out loud. Don't know what his problem is. Apparently, I parked in his usual parking spot one day at the store, and he had it towed! First of all, the parking spot isn't reserved or anything, and second of all, I was only in the store for like five minutes! On top of that, the price to get it out of the impound costs more than the car itself did!"
"So that's why you take the train now, huh?"
"Yeah..."

~

"How's it going, man?"
"Just getting off work. My company was bought out by Duple Corp today."
"Oh yeah? Mine too. How is it under them?"
"They just had us all do a drug test and let us get back to work. We're still doing the same shit."
"Same here. I think it's weird. Like, there's no real reason why Duple needed to buy out all these other companies when they have virtually no competition in the market to warrant it."
"I got a raise and I'm still putting in the same amount of effort, so I don't care."
"Lucky you. My new boss is real anal about when we get off our breaks to the exact second. Guy's a fucking psycho."

~

As usual, the train stopped at Blue Avalon and opened its doors for the passengers to depart. The first floor of Blue Avalon's sixth building was already lit up, making it easier to navigate while the sun was setting. Mia was seen just leaving her apartment in a black vest over a white dress shirt; the outfit made complete with a pencil skirt and stockings. It looks like she was heading to work already.

---

{Sariska}

"All I know is the Cat's Eye Lounge in the Hastel District," Aurora said. "It seems to be the most popular one in Winddrift. I never liked nightclubs, though. Too many people, and a lot of them intoxicated." Alicia raised a hand. "There's the Ghost Floor in Yisten. It's on the top floor of the Dream Star Casino. Lot of rich people there, though, and I'm not really dressed for it. Yisten also has the Ocean's Pearl, and the sushi there is amazing. I don't think it's gonna be easy to find a drummer though, even if there was an open mic. Nobody wants to hear only a lone drummer, after all. And if they aren't alone, then they already have a band anyway. Up to you how we go about this, Star."

"Well, we have a couple more options." I suppose, Sariska thought. There was no helping it if Aurora didn't like nightclubs - she'd have to dismiss the girl. At the very least to keep her out of harm's way, the nightclubs tend to get a bit rowdy, especially for young girls. And for that they'd have to go back to the apartment to fetch Aurora's scooter. "It's Tuesday, right? Open mic night. I've heard a few good drummers come in but you're right - they're always with a band."

Sariska's phone buzzed in her pocket, distracting her. "Sorry, this might be important." She pulled the phone out and took a quick look. All it was was a text message from Chloe, but seeing it made her sigh.

"Bad End inc. 20 minutes, tops. Yisten. Ocean's Pearl."

"I'm really sorry," Sariska said. "But my sister is in trouble, I have to go fetch her." Go rescue her again. This was the third time this month she had to fetch Chloe from a bad end, definitely more than normal. One of those times she needed to get the police on her side. "It's in the Ocean's Pearl, which is convenient for us, but my sister comes before the band, understand? Dressed well or not, I have to go. You're all free to come with me, my car is out back. We only have twenty minutes and I should have left two minutes ago. Aurora, help me carry my cases please. And hurry."

Sariska hurried with her guitar, careful not to break it while she dialed a number in the other hand. It went straight to voicemail. "Eric, Chloe's at the Ocean's Pearl in Yisten. If you get this message in the next twenty minutes, I might need your help. Bad end." Eric was the officer that helped them before. He might not be able to help them this time. No time to waste.

Daniel received a text on the train ride home. Wow, apparently Sam had gotten fired; though, considering Sam, he could hardly be surprised. It was only a matter of time with his terrible work ethic and all. He sent a reply that he didn't expect to see a response in light of everything. Damn, dude, that sucks. I'm sorry to hear that. Closing his phone, he eavesdropped on a couple of conversations that went on nearby. Someone mentioned a slasher case that seemed similar to the one that Chrys had described back in Corporate Plaza. He wasn't terribly interested in that. What did pique his interest was that his while he knew his company wasn't the only one that was repossessed by Duple Corp, apparently his company was the only one to just completely cease normal production. He considered approaching the person about it, but ultimately decided against it since he was close to his stop.

Eventually, Daniel had come to the stop at Blue Avalon, groceries still in hand. On his way towards his apartment, he noticed that Mia was dressed up in a rather service-oriented outfit. Recalling their breakfast from yesterday as well as the Exaboards post, he thought about visiting the Ivory Palace rather than the Cat's Eye. With a glint in his eye, he approached Mia. "Hey there, Mia. Heading to work?" It was obvious that she was, but the ice needed to be softened before it broke, otherwise it would lead to nasty fractures that weren't good to look at.

{Daniel}

Music: Mia's Theme

Spoiler:

Mia stood by her car, in the middle of lighting up a cigarette. She looked up as Daniel was approaching, and was quick to put it out. "Still don't like being around smokers, I'm guessing?" she asked, stuffing the carton into her vest pocket. "Yep, 'bout to head over to the Ivory Palace. Oh look, you got groceries! Good on you for remembering to feed yourself." Her attention turned to her phone when she received a text, and she snickered to herself as she went back and forth with whoever she was talking to.

Daniel would really have to say something worthwhile to grab her attention back before she went to work, if he really wanted the conversation to continue.

---

{Sariska}

Music: The Pursuit

Spoiler:

"Ooh, an adventure! Count me in!" Alicia cheered, following along Sariska and Aurora. Aurora grabbed Sariska's belongings and helped stowed them in the back of the trunk. "If this is an urgent matter, I won't mind coming along as well," Aurora said, opening the car door for Sariska. As the car sped through the night, Sariska would get a response from Eric. "I got your message, and I'll meet you there in two shakes of a lamb's tail," Eric replied. The band-sans-one-drummer would make it to Yisten, arriving in front of the Ocean's Pearl, an extravagant restaurant and nightclub that was painted and decorated in the front to look like a giant seashell.

A police cruiser pulled in from behind, turning sharply to the point where the tires squealed, before it managed to park unscathed. Eric and another officer exited the vehicle and ran up to Sariska. "I'm here," Eric said. "And this is my assigned partner, Lawrence." Eric's partner, a lanky fellow with blonde hair seemed all shaken up. "The hell's wrong with you, Lanfield?" Lawrence wheezed. "You coulda gotten us killed! You drive like an absolute lunatic!" Eric only laughed. "Yeah, that's what Sarge tells me all the time." He then turned back to Sariska. "So your sister's in another pinch? Guess we better mosey on in and get this over with."

The group would be stopped by the bouncer of the club - a short and shrimpy man who looked as though he had no business being a bouncer. "Thirty dollars to get in," the bouncer informed, holding his hand out for the entrance fee. Eric and Lawrence pulled out their badges. "We've got a little matter on our hands," Eric stated. "Police business, please stand aside."

"No money, no entry," the bouncer retorted.

"Look, all I got is twenty on me right now," Eric admitted. "You don't wanna stand in the way of police business."

"No money, no entry," the bouncer repeated. Eric pinched the bridge of his nose and began to assess the situation. "Well... I didn't want it to have to come to this," Eric said, cracking his knuckles. "You'll forgive me for this one day, but today ain't that day." The rookie policeman swung at the bouncer, who deftly stepped to the side and twisted Eric's arm into a lock. As he was gritting his teeth in pain, a metal trash can was hurled through the air and smashed into the bouncer's temple, knocking him out cold. Everyone then turned to Aurora.

"I panicked," she deadpanned, her eyes shifting to the side. "No time to feel bad now," Eric groaned, rubbing his shoulder. "Let's get a move on." Eric opened the door of the club for the girls, as Lawrence followed in last. "Heh... got your ass kicked by a midget..." Lawrence teased. "You tell the guys back at the station, and I'll string you up," Eric threatened back.

The inside walls of the club were painted black, with a prismatic sphere in the ceiling that refracted a rainbow of lights onto them. Behind a glass barrier was an outside patio that overlooked the Yisten Bay. Next to the patio was an infinity edge pool, which was vacant due to the colder weather. The guests were on the dancefloor and at the bar, laughing, talking, and taking their fill.

"You see your sister anywhere, Star?" Eric asked, trying to navigate through the crowd.

Daniel noticed that Mia was just about ready to head out. "I don't mind it too much, honestly, it's just the smell..." He tilted his head when Mia put the cigarette she had lit out, and he sighed. His stomach was knotting up with anxiety. This was a bad idea. "Yeah, somehow I managed to remember heading to the store before I came home today. I was just coming home to put stuff away before I headed out for the night." Mia then mentioned the Ivory Palace. She also looked pretty preoccupied, like he was just bothering her. "Ah, I gotcha. I'll let you head out then. Drive safe."

Daniel turned from Mia and tried to walk as fast as he could manage without making a fool of himself. Red creeped up into his face as his sheer awkwardness dawned on him. Stupid, stupid, stupid! You know that's not how you talk to people! He fumbled with his keys as he tried to get out of sight of the world, if even for a moment. Wrenching the handle open, Daniel moved inside and shut the door, sinking to the floor in shame. Besides, there's no way in hell that you're good enough for her. What were you thinking? He shook his head and stood up, moving to put the milk in the fridge and leaving the cereal on the kitchen counter.

The adrenaline that had built up in his system was not going away, so he couldn't just call it quits. After he waited what he thought was a little while to avoid seeing Mia depart, he headed back outside and just started walking. He wasn't too sure where yet, but he was disappointed with himself and slightly regretful. Why did he always make a fool of himself?

"Oh Eric, honey..." Sariska put her face in her hand and shook her head. She snapped her neck back up when she heard the crash of something metal. Oh Aurora...when did she learn to throw like that? Whatever, they had their way in now, and she didn't want to be kept waiting by her own feet.

"No," Sariska answered. It worried her that she couldn't see her sister on the floor. She was supposed to stay on the floor and not leave until it was time to leave. "Wait, I think that's her the-oh...oh no." Past the initial crowd and on the dance floor. Sariska had met the client before, but the man dancing with her sister was not that man. He was an older man, balding and wearing a full suit of pure white and a red tie. Sariska felt her breath stop short in her lungs. She couldn't hear them, but she didn't need to hear them to know. All it took was for the elderly man to take a glance towards the door and he would notice her.

He stopped dancing with Chloe and dragged her by the cuff of her neck towards Sariska and the others. "Make yourselves scarce, everyone," Sariska said before the man could reach them. When he stood in front of her they could really see how big he really was. A monster of the man, head and shoulders above everyone in the room and four times as thick as Sariska. His muscles bulged so much they even showed through the fit sleeves of his white suit.

"Grandfather," Sariska said in terse greeting.

"I find myself in the city," Sariska's grandfather spoke, his voice deep and raspy. "To give my two granddaughters a visit and I find one of them in such a poor establishment. Tell me, when did the Eternal family stoop to such lowborn status?"

"Oh please," Sariska's hands shook, "tell me how much of a disappointment I am, grandfather. Tell me so all the world can know how I'm suddenly the failure in the family. The fortune you're looking for is gone grandfather. You have no more purpose here."

"Clearly I do have another purpose here. My failure of a son will not be the legacy that I leave behind, and you are shaping up to be as much of one as he was."

"Don't you dare talk about my father that way!"

"Raising your voice is no way for a lady to behave."

"Oh? Where were these lessons ten years ago, Ulysses?" The look on the man's face turned to anger as she said his name. "Weren't you off, oh I don't know, not associating with my father or his children!? You're not a part of my family and you will never have authority over me or Chloe again. I am the head of the household now."

"Were there a house with the family name on it!" Ulysses roared, his lion's mane bristling. "It seems I have to take you by force and raise you the way you should have been."

"And where is Charles, Ulysses? What happened to my brother that you got killed?! Mother cried for months. He'd be twenty-one today if you had just stayed out of his life so start doing us all a favor and STAY OUT OF MINE!"

Her voice rung through the hall, as everything seemed to stop and surround them. There was a stage set for her and her grandfather but this was not a stage Sariska ever wanted to step on. Her grandfather, Ulysses, fell silent with a flattened face. When he next spoke, it was in a deadpan voice.

"You will one day see that your father was a fool, and I will not be there to correct you."

"You will never see who the real fool is," Sariska retorted. Ulysses went silent again, then fixed his hat and left the building without another word. As soon as he was gone, Chloe collapsed to her knees. Sariska was by her side in an instant. "You alright? He didn't hurt you?"

"I'll be fine, sis," Chloe said. "Thank you for coming. I know you never wanted to see him again but I-"

"Hush. I'll protect you from him wherever and whenever you need me to."

{Daniel}

"Hmm? Alright then," Mia said, unlocking her car. "See ya when I see ya, I guess." She could be heard driving away as Daniel slinked away to feel sorry for himself. Deciding to go where the night would take him, Daniel would leave Blue Avalon and converge with the crowd of the night. Nameless to each other, but each with their own story, they would walk aimlessly through the streets.

Commute Road winded around the entire city of Winddrift, and perhaps in this never-ending commute would Daniel find his destiny...

"FRESH BARBECUE! COME EAT AT ALONZO'S BARBECUE PIT!" a familiar voice shouted. When Daniel would look over to see the source of the loud advertisement, he would find that it belonged to Mishka, the Beastfolke he met at the Cat's Eye Lounge. Mishka spotted Daniel and waved him down. "OI! DANIEL! HOW ARE YOU DOING, TOVARICH? WOULD YOU LIKE COUPON FOR ALONZO'S BARBECUE? VERY DELICIOUS! YOU MUST EAT!"

---

{Sariska}

"Whoaaaa, that was puh-ret-ty intense," Alicia commented, walking to Sariska while picking off of a plate of seared tuna sushi in her hand. The rest of Sariska's entourage would then follow as well. Eric scratched his head as he watched the whole exchange go down.

"Y'all alright there, girls?" Eric asked, offering his hand over to the sisters. "I haven't seen drama like that since my ma left me to record her soap opera marathon for her." Sariska's shouting during her conversation with her grandfather had made many of the guests uncomfortable, and by now the Ocean's Pearl had been nearly emptied out.

"Hey uh... Lanfield?" Lawrence said, looking around nervously.

"What is it?" Eric asked.

"You ever get that feeling... like, something scary is coming? Kinda like we're about to get hunted by some kind of giant creature with razor sharp teeth?"

"Now that you mention it," Eric added. "Yeah, I'm gettin' the creeps off of something. I don't know it's like-"

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?!" a red-headed policewoman shouted after kicking open the door to the club.

"There it is," Eric sighed.

"Lanfield! Lawrence! Front and center!" the woman yelled. Eric and Lawrence lined up with their backs straight as the infuriated woman walked towards them with a menacing glare. "What is going on here? Why did you two leave your stations without notice? And why is there an unconscious man outside?"

"I-It was Lanfield's idea, ma'am," Lawrence whimpered.

"I had no choice, the man came at me with a knife!" Eric lied.

Aurora took one of Alicia's sushi and watched the woman chew out the two trainee police officers. "I've seen this in a movie before," she said. "You two are loose cannons."

"YOU TWO ARE LOOSE CANNONS!"

"I'm sick of making excuses for the both of you."

"I'M SICK OF MAKING EXCUSES FOR THE BOTH OF YOU!"

"My ass is on the line here."

"MY ASS IS ON THE LINE HERE!"

"I just got off the phone with the mayor."

"I JUST GOT OFF THE PHONE WITH THE MAY- wait what, the mayor? WILL YOU STOP THAT?!"

"I was just trying to help."

"We came here because we got a call," Eric explained. "The little lady here got into some trouble with a guy, and we thought we'd help her out. That's the honest truth Gabby-" The woman clenched her fist and looked as though she had murderous intent in her eyes. "-riela."

"Gabby-riela, huh?" the woman crossed her arms. "You're cuttin' it reeeal close there, Lanfield. You two nimrods wanna play knights? Fine, but do it on your own time! When you're on the clock, your time belongs to the force, and where you're assigned to be. You two go AWOL again, and I will personally hunt you down and slit your throats with the edge of my badge, YOU GOT THAT?" Eric and Lawrence gulped and nodded.

"Yes ma'am," they both acknowledged. The officers' superior scoffed as she took one last look of them and left. Lawrence began wiping off the sweat that was forming on his face while Eric let out a sigh of relief. "I think we got off easy this time, Lawrence," Eric said. "Sarge must be in a good mood tonight."

"I am totally not in the mood for flirting anymore," Chloe said as Sariska helped her up. "He scared away the boy I was dancing with - nearly broke his spine. I don't think Jeremy will be calling for me anymore."

"He still might," Sariska said "Give him a call later tonight, see how he feels. We can't let Ulysses have any control over us anymore."

"Yeah, I know. More importantly, you called Eric here. It's bad luck to see the man before the date, you know."

"Oh shut it." Sariska didn't get to say much else when another cop burst through the door and started shouting. Aurora wasn't mocking her, but Chloe and Sariska couldn't help but snicker behind their hands at the cracking whip. Still, Sariska felt a little guilty so as soon as Gabby left she slipped past Chloe and up to Eric. She fumbled with her hands.

"That, uh, was my fault. Sorry for dragging you both into this." They ought to leave now though, since Chloe was alright. "I won't call on you again unless I know what's going wrong. I shouldn't have called you this time, but I, uh, was really worried and I - oh gosh Chloe will you stop that?"

Chloe was singing in a low whisper behind Sariska but burst into a fit of giggles when she got caught. Sariska made a disgusted noise and turned back to Eric. "Are we...still on for Saturday or...?"

"Yeah Eric," Chloe said and wiggled her eyebrows. "You two still gonna get it on Saturday?"

"Chloe!" Sariska snapped at her sister, who merely bounded away in another giggle fit.

Daniel walked on Commute Road with no direction in mind, just going until something caught his eye. He didn't take constitutionals like these very often anymore since he had graduated college. Between work and, well, work, he just didn't have time to give to himself. Perhaps now that Caleb had changed how Glotech operated, if he chose to stay with it, he would be able to appreciate the more simple things in life. Maybe this was all just a blessing in disguise... Maybe... this wasn't all so bad after all.

Of course, his reverie was cut short by the shouting of a familiar voice. He turned towards the source, hoping it wouldn't be who he thought it was. He would be disappointed, though, as usual. "Mishka? What are you doing over here?" His stomach growled at the mention of barbecue, and the smoky smells of pulled pork started to fill his nostrils. Damn, it's as if he knew what I was looking for. He approached Mishka and shifted to a more comfortable position. "I've been okay. Where's Freya, though? She just not want to come see me tonight?" Another disappointment, but Daniel adopted a sarcastic tone, trying to make a funny. He wasn't generally a funny person, though, so it'd probably flop.

Daniel's stomach growled louder in protest. "Mmm, I'm starving... Barbecue sounds kinda good right now."

{Daniel}

The Beastfolke laughed heartily, handing Daniel a coupon for the restaurant. "Mishka has many job. Is very good. Meet lots of people," he explained. "Little Freya is out with friends tonight. Is what normal boys and girls her age do, yes? Where are friends of Daniel?" A beat. A moment of silence before Mishka's laughter became nervous. "Come! Come in for delicious barbecue!" he perked up suddenly, quick to revert the subject. "First time customer eat free! Says so on coupon!" The eager Mishka hurried Daniel into the restaurant, where the establishment was packed full of customers, and the interior was decorated in a western theme.

Music: Alonzo's Barbecue Pit

Spoiler:

The smell coming off the grill diffused into the air, with displays of beef, ribs, sausage, and rotisserie chicken set up behind a glass screen. The man behind the counter gave a smile as Mishka guided Daniel into the building. "The name's Alonzo Lanfield, and welcome to my fine establishment," he welcomed with a country drawl. He was middle-aged, with swept-back brown hair, and a finely trimmed beard. "I see my friend there has given you a coupon. That there'll getcha one free meal, so saddle on up. Tell me whatcher stomach's in the mood fer."

---

{Sariska}

"It'd be awful rude of me to disappoint a pretty lady," Eric chuckled. "So I'll pick you up at 6:30, just like we said. I'll be sure to let the Sarge know ahead of time so I don't get another earful... or worse. See ya then, Star." He leaned in for a hug and then left with Lawrence to the parking lot. Aurora and Alicia exchanged looks before Alicia brought up a reminder.

"So uh... we still need a drummer for our band right?" she asked. "Doesn't look like we'll find one here since everyone kinda cleared out from the scene."

"I actually took the time to go searching," Aurora interposed, holding up her tablet. "When Miss Star told us to separate, a rather intoxicated older man began hitting on me, so I pretended to busy myself with my tablet. I used that time to search on some of Exanet's collegiate boards for anyone that might be interested. A girl named Sicily Ambrose responded to my advert. I looked up her public social profile. It says she's attended Winddrift Highlands Academy, and I've watched her demo videos. She's rather talented. We can meet her tonight if you wish, Miss Star, but the fact that she currently resides in the Hastel District somewhat concerns me."

-Lawrence's social profile added.

"Huh?" Sariska snapped out of her trance when she heard her name. "Hastel District, got it. Not a problem, I think. What was- Sicily? I kind of like that name, it reminds me of something, though I'm not sure what. Oh, but should I go there dressed like this? Wait I'm not dressed up. Oh gosh."

"Star's in loooooooove," Chloe sang.

"Shut up, Chloe!" Sariska huffed and refocused. She brushed off her jeans and turned to Aurora and Alice. "I'll have to take Chloe back to the apartment and then we can go to Hastel District to meet this Sicily. Do we have an address to meet her at or are we meeting somewhere?"

"I'll come with you," Chloe said. "You could use some extra hands, I'm sure."

"If we get dragged into some fight on the streets, you won't be doing a whole lot of help, Chloe."

"I guess so. But I'm coming anyway."