[Megalopolis Classic] Dr. Lowell's Office & Apartment

[Pineapple]

Alyssa started to feel better, listening to the rain beating down. She started to feel a little more relaxed. A little… less depressed. The air felt a little… tense. “Thank you for cleaning that up; Roxanne.” Alyssa rolled her head around her arm, waiting for Adeline to get back with the box; it didn’t take her too long. Adeline returned the box and placed it in front of her. “Thank you.” Alyssa pulled out a keychain from around her neck and flipped through until she found the right key by feeling the teeth.


She felt the box for the key hole and put the key inside of it, and then with a quick twist of her wrist, she heard the familiar clicking noise. Alyssa pried the lid open, and started feeling around inside the box, to make sure everything was still there, and intact. Hmm… one… two… three… four… five… six… all of the notes and papers she has kept over time were still there, so she lifted those up, and placed them on top of her hands as she continued into it. Next was a mass of photos, she counted through them carefully. Twenty-Seven. They were all there and accounted for. Aside from those, she could feel a ring, quite a valuable ring; it was given to Alyssa by her mother; it was a family heirloom.


She continued deeper into the box, and found a stiff card. It was a valentine, given to her many years ago, ah yes, she remembered it. It was back after she lost her sight. But she was getting distracted; she wanted to make sure everything was there. Onto the next layer, she could find an old book, yes, her journal from those many, many years ago. Beyond that was a framed picture. Mom and Dad’s wedding photo… She was starting to feel restricted with all these items lying on her hands, so she carefully compiled them, trying to make sure she couldn’t feel any photo paper before taking it all out and putting it down to her right. Perhaps if she was paying closer attention she would have heard the ring falling out of the stack and to the ground, hitting the carpet.


Alyssa was much more interested in her box though, and was right back to digging through it. Ah yes, she could see that her favourite stuffed animal was there, a small kitten she had as a child. How it seemed so much bigger back then… Beside that was a snow globe. She could feel the slick glass of it. “I think everything is here.” As she reached around a little more, she felt nothing else and reached over, picking up the other items, and placed them back inside. “Wait, no, no there is something missing! My locket! Where is the locket!”

 

[Monsterous]

Detective Gremon.

The Cartel Case.

Morning.



How long had it been? Three hours at most. No sign of her. It looked like more waiting inside the car would have to be the way of things. Surveillence wasn't one of Detective Gremon's favourate moments of the job he had, but it gave him time to think of upcoming interrogations. Questions, answers, explanations, theories - everything had to be taken into consideration to ensure what the Detective needed to hear.


He adjusted the mirror slightly to get a better look at himself. Not exactly his finest display, but civilian clothes are used when they were needed. Besides, trenchcoats and fedoras wern't exactly inconspicuous. He also noticed a smudge of coffee around his upper lip - which he wiped away immediately, only for it to return as he drank his the last drips of coffee that were by now cold. He considered brewing up another one from the electric kettle he had in the backseat of his car, before he noticed the person he was looking for. Alyssa Heart. Oddly enough, she was coming to the apartment, not away. He assumed she was just an afternoon person, but maybe he had missed her as she walked out the apartment?


He shook his head in disbelief. Clearly she left the day before. He had been watching the whole morning. He was slightly annoyed though at her company - but whatever the case, he was prepared. He took out a mobile phone and pretended to talk into it casually, as if to a friend - all whilst keeping the trio in his peripheral vision, and his head forward. Looking at them was a rookie mistake, and would easily tip them off.


They went inside, and he waited a minute or two to let them enter the apartment - and so they wouldn't know he would be coming. He put back on his trenchcoat, feeling the weight of his revolver as it hit him. He put back his favoured fedora hat and proceeded to leave. He exitted the vehicle, closing the door carefully. He personally got a little anxious before cruicial interrogations, but that quickly washed away when he was in the middle of it. He took a look at the house again. Bricks had been ground down into dust in places - moss and vines covered the top. Some windows were broken and some boarded up. Not exactly a nice neighbourhood. He walked up the cracked steps, water splashing downwards onto the pavement, and stopped the overly rusted door from shutting, entering the building. He gave himself a shake like a dog to get rid of some of the rain that poured onto him.


He mumbled to himself about the whereabouts of her apartment. He was sure it was on the fifth floor. Or was it the fourth? He couldn't decide which - and so followed the path of dripped water - up the stairs and to the door of Alyssa Heart. It was the fifth floor.


He gave a quick mental rejog of all the details of the investigation. The case, the suspects, the evidence. He had to know if she had the locket, and whether she was in a relationship with Joseph Cartel - those were the fundamentals. The answers to those would surely link her to the case. Confident and reaffirmed, he went to the door and knocked, and put a hand in his trenchcoat pocket ready to pull out his detective badge and his usual introductories. The same words played out in his head. "Good Morning. I'm Private Detective Gremon, and I've been tasked to assess the happenings of the murder of Erin Brunt, the suicide of Joseph Cartel and your involvement within the affair."

 

[Pineapple]

As he finished wondering about the locket, and where it had gone to, there was a knock on her apartments door. "Good Morning. I'm Private Detective Gremon, and I've been tasked to assess the happenings of the murder of Erin Brunt, the suicide of Joseph Cartel and your involvement within the affair." Alyssa was stunned. For some reason, her past, this whole locket, just caught up to her. The voice, it was very masculine; deep and strong. He also carried an air of confidence in his speech.





She stood up from her seat, gently pushing the chair away from herself. She took a few steps towards the door before speaking back. “I don’t know what you are taking about? Who are you anyway?” Alyssa was clearly lying, it was written all over her voice, and nearly anyone would have been able to tell. She followed it up by finishing her walk towards the door and slowly opened it, revealing her apartment to this man, and allowing easier communication.

 

[Monsterous]

Detective Gremon.

The Cartel Case.

Morning.



A brief pause occured after his introductions. Shock? Disbelief? Impossible to decide right now, but the awry voice afterwards certainly added evidence to that. The door opened slightly, allowing Detective Gremon to show his badge, flashing silver in the shape of a shield. Three stars circled the bottom whilst the words "Private Detective" going across the top and middle, etched into the silver.


"Please Mrs.Heart, there's no need to deny your involvement with the affair at all." spoke Detective Gremon, pausing slightly to continue on, "I'm sure it's a fairly... traumatic experience you don't wish to bring up, but I've only come to have a chat - to get some facts."


The Detective could just see the woman behind the door. From the details he had acquired, she was blinded by the suspect Jill Valentine along with others permanently. It made Mr.Gremon somewhat ill inside to suddenly come out of nowhere and ask her to relive the entirety of it all. Some might think she had suffered enough if she caused all of this, but she had yet to be seen in the eyes of the law.


"Mrs.Heart, may I come in?" questioned Detective Gremon, straightening his posture, despite his trenchcoat covering most of his stature.

 

[Pineapple]

]

As Alyssa stood there, arm on the door knob, she listened to the man. Traumatic? Most definitely; she still remembered everything quite clearly. However, she still didn’t feel like talking about it, nor to a detective. Why is he here anyway? What can I know or say about this all? Alyssa bit her lip slightly as she spoke.


"Mrs.Heart, may I come in?"





Was she to let him in? “Well, I don’t think…” She paused right then for a few seconds, thinking. She could easily turn him away right now, but that would probably look bad… like there was something to hide. Perhaps the right course of action was to let him in? but then, Adeline and that Roxanne girl will want to know what this is about, how she was involved in the case. It’s questions he didn’t really want to answer, questions that were nearly impossible to answer with the full truth.


Oh, see, I hypnotized him, like, magically, and then he went CRAZY? Yeah, about that… Alyssa shook her head, as if to toss some thoughts away. “I meant to say, sure, please come in, have a seat.” Alyssa moved aside, and allowed him to enter the apartment. “Would you like a coffee? Adeline, could you make some coffee while I talk to this… gentleman.”

 

[Monsterous]

Detective Gremon.

The Cartel Case:

Interrogation

Morning.

The door was now fully opened, revealing the short girl, her head slightly angled as if looking behind Detective Gremon. She bit her lip, as if somewhat anxious. “Well, I don’t think…” before pausing for a few seconds, cogs spinning inside her head. Detective Gremon couldn't decide if this was simply a case of her not wanting to talk about the traumatic experience of the affair, or her simply hiding something. A very real possibility to consider. She shook her head, and allowed the Detective to come in, offering a cup of coffee, quickly picking up the name of one of her guests. He didn't really want another cup of coffee, but he felt inclined to atleast accept this - and would make him seem less aggressive. Intimidation was not the answer for this case.


"Half a spoon of sugar, not too much milk please Miss."


As the two walked towards the living room, he noticed the girl's Dog. It lowered its body, tail raised, as if protecting the girl from the Detective, although it had an adorable look on its face. Throwing that odd remark aside, he focused at the task at hand and assessed the surroundings. The first thing he notices was the amount of paper, stacked end on end. The question was why she kept them, she couldn't read them. Perhaps she saved them for someone who could? Trash and items littered the floor in nearly every room, it was a wonder how the girl got around the place. Halfway towards the living room, the Detective spotted a glinting object in the kitchen above a counter. It had a gold chain around it, but he couldn't tell visually from the sunlight reflecting at him, although he figured that was the locket.


The two sat down on what was likely the only two furniture in the living room - they were torn up quite badly, yellow foam clearly visible in some areas. The girl didn't look comfortable with the situation, but Detective Gremon had an investigation to start. He started soft, reassuring the girl, making himself appear friendly.


"Mrs.Heart, please take your time when answering me. There's no rush."


He paused briefly, allowing the words to sink in. He pulled out his notepad and a pen, ready to take notes and look at previous details. He asked his first question at a slow and calm pace, remaining non-aggressive.


"Let's get the basics down. At the time of the affair, you had just met Joseph Cartel. For whatever reason, he became enraged, and murdered Erin Brunt. He committed suicide shortly after. Is that correct?"

 

[Celosia]

Rose looked around shadily, She never liked cops. Particularly ones she had never met before. She leaned against a wall with her hands in her pockets, looking down and avoiding eye contact, just listening to the interrogation. She probably looked suspicious, but she didn't care. When didn't she look suspicious? and when did she care? That made her snicker a bit, in her corner. She seemed to shut up when confronted by new people, That much should be obvious. But why would she want to go blabbing? She knew nobody cared what she had to say. She also didn't want to incriminate herself. Her name was in the system, it always had been. Why would she get involved with this cop? She didn't smell like weed anymore, and she had no more on her... Even though she was craving some. She could hold, She'd done it before. She waited anxiously for the interrogation to continue, for the man to leave, for her to be confronted, something. to everyone else, the atmosphere probably felt relaxed, but to Roxanne, the tension was thick enough to cut with the knife in her back pocket.

 

[Miz]

The knocking on the door came just as Adeline got enticed with Alyssa's possessions as they were removed from the locked box. With every item, Adeline glazed over its features and began to take in whatever emotion Alyssa felt when she remembered the item. From happiness to disappointment, Adeline became absorbed with the emotions radiating out of Alyssa, to the point that she didn't even notice the detective's presence approaching, hear Alyssa's asking for the locket, or the knocking at the door. It wasn't until Alyssa opened the door, and the presences of the man's voice began to clarify that Adeline snapped out of her trance.


"Mrs.Heart, may I come in?" was what the man said at the door. Almost immediately Alyssa began to hesitate. This sensation of panic was picked up by Adeline, recognizing it with the feeling associated with the locket from earlier. Alyssa seemed to be debating what to say in her head, and shook it as if to stop her mind from spinning.


After calming down - perhaps that rain trick did work, Adeline thought - Adeline turned her attention to the Detective as Alyssa called out (as if a desperate cry for help) to get him some coffee. Nodding, she kept her eyes on the man as he tried to navigate himself through all the papers and trash to an appropriate seat.


Opening up the cupboards, Adeline did find a caster of Coffee beans, and began pouring the scoops into the pot to be heated by the machine. Half a spoon of sugar, not too much milk, was the order she repeated in her head, trying to keep focused on her environment and not get too absorbed in the emotional situation again. It was difficult though, as the man's conversation even brought out Roxanne's nervousness. The overwhelming emotions were almost too much, but taking a break, the coffee machine light turned on and it was ready to be processed.


Adeline knew that Alyssa seemed to have enjoyed the way she made the Tea at the apartment, and not knowing how to make her a proper cup of coffee. She played it safe and prepared Alyssa's cup the same way, but specifically did not make her's or Roxanne's the same. After all, Adeline couldn't stand that Tea from this morning, but if Alyssa liked it. She carried the two cups to the two of them. "Here... Maybe this will help you think Alyssa." she said, as she motioned for her to take the cup.

 

[Pineapple]

Alyssa followed the detective to the table, and sat down across from her. She wasn’t very comfortable with this whole ordeal. As they sat down, she could hear the ruffling of papers and the scratch of a pencil. The detective seemed to be taking notes about everything. "Let's get the basics down. At the time of the affair, you had just met Joseph Cartel. For whatever reason, he became enraged, and murdered Erin Brunt. He committed suicide shortly after. Is that correct?" that question seemed silly to Alyssa, after all, that was obviously true. Anyone with internet access could learn that.


That was… unless this was some sort of clever test? A trick question? Alyssa analysed the words, breaking them down, trying to find out what it might be, and that’s when she found it. “No, actually, that’s not correct. I had met Joseph Cartel on a number of occasions previously, he was dating my friend after all. The rest is correct.” Alyssa smirked a little, as she felt like she just beat his question. At the same time, Adeline came back with the coffees in hand.


"Here... Maybe this will help you think Alyssa." Alyssa reached out and tapped the cup with her fingernails, trying to judge its location before grabbing it. She brought it in front of her, so she could smell it. It smelled normal, so she took a sip of it. A little hot, but at the same time, she really didn’t find the taste to be good. Actually, it was quite bad.


“Thank you, Adeline, it’s… grand.” Adeline placed the coffee down to the table, and didn’t make much effort to have any more.

 

[Monsterous]

Detective Gremon.

The Cartel Case:

Interrogation

Morning.



There was a brief pause before the answer came. Usually on a preliminary question such as this, it was best to look at the eyes of the person whilst the person was thinking, as well as other characteristics of their face and body. Usually nothing came up, but it was a good guideline for what the person would be doing when thinking of the correct facts. It didn't help as much here considering the girl was blind, but he looked elsewhere around her face.


The answer she gave though, was unexpected. “No, actually, that’s not correct. I had met Joseph Cartel on a number of occasions previously, he was dating my friend after all. The rest is correct.” The other witnesses he interviewed didn't speak much of the relationship between Joseph and Alyssa, but his theory with that answer grew more likely, although he held onto the other possible ways the event could have played out. What puzzled him slightly was the smirk on her face. Was she lying in some form? Happy that she had found a good loophole? It made no sense in a question like this... He made a note down in his notepad to ask her of these occasions, and then was about to ask his next question, before he was interrupted by the lady that was making coffee. Alyssa tried hers, and it was somewhat clear the coffee was horrible to Detective Gremon. He tried his, and somewhat regretted Alyssa asked her to make coffee. Far too milky, not enough sugar. But he had had worse. He finished his sip of coffee, and put it down - most likely to never touch it again.


Letting the aftertaste go, and making sure Alyssa was done with her coffee for the time being, Detective Gremon proceeded with his next question in the same soft manner.


"Mrs.Heart, how were you related with Erin Brunt at the time of the incident?"

 

[Tempest]

Yui opened her eyes. Rolling over in bed, she looked at the time on her phone. Nine Twenty-Three. Eh, at least it wasn't Eleven or something ridiculous... mental note to not spend so much time wandering the streets. As she tried to get up, Yui only managed to roll out of bed with a loud thud.


Oh, I hope that doesn't disturb Alyssa... After having lived about a week in this run-down place, she really didn't feel like disrupting the only other tenant of this building. That woman was creepy enough...


Shuffling her feet to her living room, Yui made sure to steer clear of the coffee. She couldn't make it good, even if she tried. Instead, she went to heaven's gift to an urchin- chocolate milk. Add in a new loaf of bread gotten with the last few photos, and breakfast was ready! As she ate, her thoughts wandered to what would be next to draw, to photoshoot...


And that's when she heard the voices coming down the hall. Mentally, she sighed. Physically, she got dressed.

 

[Miz]

OOC - A shorty but it will help things move a long.


Detective Gremon - You heard Ms. Heart begin to stutter as if to doubt her own answer. You assumed this to just be nervousness, but then you felt a motion of vibration throughout your body. You massaged your forehead wondering if the bitter coffee was too strong, until the entire apartment began to shake. It was another Earthquake, just like the one from yesturday, except this time it was much worse. Furniture turned, and you felt your foot break through the wooden panels of the floorboards. Standing up and running over the doorframe, you swung open the front door, to use the doorpanel as a support. You warned the others to grab on to something.


Yui - As you clipped together your belt buckle, the entire room began to vibrate. At first you believe this is your doing but you quickly remember the Earthquake from yesturday. As you notice holes in the floor appearing, you begin to run out of your apartment and run towards the stairwell that was nearby Alyssa's Apartment.

 

[Tempest]

Feeling the shuddering of the building, Yui was quick to grab her camera and run. Forget about her neighbor! Forget the artworks! Forget... maybe not forget the chocola-


She had been so busy getting out of there, that she didn't notice the door.


With a loud and resounding thud, Yui managed to faceplant straight into the opened door of Alyssa's apartment. With a startled Detective Gremon on the other side, telling people to get out, and startled voices in the apartment. And with a building collapsing around her ears.


Honestly, this day was really starting to suck.

 

[Celosia]

When she had heard the cop yell to get out, she booked it. She hauled ass out of the door, jumping over a pile of wrecked brick that had fallen onto the floor. In the doorway, she yanked Yui up by her back, pulling on her shoulder, and the shirt she was wearing. "We need to get out of here!" There was little she wanted more, she was nervous, starved, and now terrified at the quake. It was a bit of an adrenaline thing, and she didn't think to find a fire escape, or emergency exit, but she ran straight for the stairs, despite their rickety composure. She kept looking back to see if the others were behind her

 

[Pineapple]

“How was I related to him? Well, I-” Alyssa was cut short as everything started to vibrate, and soon, yet another earthquake occurred. She reached down to find lucky quite close and held onto him, as she herself dropped to the floor and hugged him. She was muttering something to herself, but it was too loud to hear what she was saying. She heard the thud of the detective, and the floorboards underneath him snapping. It was long until she could hear a commotion outside her door, and then, shortly after, there was a loud noise outside, collapsing brick and wood.


Half of the apartment fell to the ground in rubble and ruin, but luckily Alyssa’s half of the apartment (The front half) remained relatively sturdy. Then, a few moments more, and the ground settled, the earth quake stopped. “What’s going on?!”

<>------------------<>------------------<>

​

“I’m sorry detective, but with the recent events, I don’t think I can finish your… interview today.” Alyssa spoke, sitting on a chair at her table, a little shaken by what just happened. It was strange, there shouldn’t be this many earthquakes in Megalopolis. Unfortunately for her, Adeline confirmed that half the apartment collapsed. However, Adeline also suggested that Alyssa pack up her belongings and get out of the apartment; which was clearly ruined now.


Adeline was even now going through Alyssa’s clothes and belongings, packing up everything. Alyssa could hear boxes being opened, and packing tap ripping behind her. All the boxes were the same ones she moved in with, she never did get around to getting rid of them. Though, she wasn’t sure where she would go next.

 

[Miz]

Adeline had grabbed onto the counter for sheer life as the Earthquake. The tremor lasted for more than twenty seconds but the banging of metal and plates was not the only sound echoing in the apartment. Another sound filled the building. It was similar to fingers scratching on a chalkboard, as the sound of metal bending and wood snapping shocked those in this part of the apartment. Cement blocks were becoming undone on the other side of the hallways, where the mysterious girl that the Detective ran into had appeared from. When it was all said and done and the disastrous events had ceased entirely, the other half of the building had partially collapsed, the other portion, seemingly next. Only the half they stood on of the large apartment complex remained.


"No wonder the building was marked for demolition." Adeline said aloud accidentally, only to realize Alyssa standing next to her overheard her remark. As emotions overflew Alyssa, Adeline did not attempt to use her powers, figuring that now would be an improper use of her energy. They were in danger, helping Alyssa pack her important valuables back into her box, along with going into her closet and taking some of her clothes and stuffing them into a dusty suitcase that laid idle on the closet's floor. Adeline rushed, as Roxanne was already darting out the door and down the stairs it seemed. The Detective, she wasn't sure about, but she assumed he would be on his way as well. "We won't be able to take much Alyssa, the place is about to fall a part, so tell me what is absolutely necessary." she commanded Alyssa as she looked around the tiny apartment. After a few minutes they had boxes opened and belongings being put in. Even with that, they couldn't carry much, at least on foot, so minimalism was still necessary.

 

[Tempest]

Just as Yui was being dragged by the new crazy, probably a nice good friend of Alyssa, out the door of the apartment complex (yeah, that person managed to drag Yui all the way down the stairs, fun experience that was), the earthquake stopped. Digging her feet into the ground, Yui managed to get the other to stop.


"Ok, seriously, how the heck did you get me from 5 flights of stairs down here? Am I really that light? And who the heck are you?" As she stared at the new girl, Yui couldn't help but sigh. "Ah well, doesn't really matter. I'm Yui, an up-and-coming photographer." She then glanced back at the-


Where did the apartment complex go? Wasn't there a whole building there?


Stupid earthquake. It had knocked out half of the place, with the other half looking like it was ready to go. And sadly, her room was in the demolished half. Just when she had made the perfect picture...


Yui looked back at the woman who "saved her life" (even if she wasn't actually in danger of dying...), and couldn't help but... be torn between giggling and gagging. The person looked stoned, bloodshot, dirty, messed up, and adrenaline pumped as if the police were on her.


Seemed like a fun person. Yui extended her right hand, and brushed back her unique white hair with her left hand. "So um... as I said, I'm Yui."

 

[Celosia]

"I'm Roxanne." She said to the kid in front of her after taking her hand and giving it a good shake, For some reason, she got this strange vibe about her that made her self-aware once more, a feeling that had disappeared the night before. She started to pick and nip at her person, sorting out herself, wiping off her shirt, pulling the wrinkles straight, etc. She snapped back into the real world. "I... Uh... Sorry for grabbing you like that. I kinda panicked..." She looked back up at the building, and could see Adeline, Alyssa, and Gremon. She wasn't sure what she had though about them now. She could run, but that'd look suspicious. And she had a new acquaintance she could stay with. "Er... Uh, What now?... I figure I oughta help 'em... Nah. The last thing they need up there is me."

 

[Tempest]

Well at least one thing in her day was going right... stupid earthquake. As Roxanne looked up at the window, Yui decided to look up as well. "Eh, we should help, just because. So, Roxanne, got a nickname?" As she said this, Yui picked up her notebook that had fallen in her stopping of the other. Picking it up caused the old, beaten black journal to spill some of its contents, ranging in look from this to that in content.


Scrambling, the youngster couldn't save them all from being seen. She almost seemed to be ashamed or shy about the pictures as she cleaned them up and put them back in the journal. Lightly she laughed and said "Sorry bout that... new artwork of mine."


She then looked back to the complex, and sighed, remembering that her apartment was among those decimated, and looked back at a now somewhat-cleaned Roxanne. She couldn't really decide whether or not to go help with the packing, or take up Roxanne's offer to just scram...


Either way, it was gonna be fun.

 

[Kid Maelstrom]

[correct me If I get this wrong]


Louis heard a huge commotion coming from the building and decided to check it out He saw a young looking girl and a slightly older looking girl. "Whats going on? I heard a large bang and came to check it out." He looked up to see the crumbling building. He had been going for a jog when he saw this building start collapsing. "You all should get out of here before you get hurt. The other half of that building looks like its about to go."

 

[Celosia]

Roxanne was immediately enthralled with Yui, and she didn't know why... Perhaps it was her mysterious quality of being a street-dweller like her, the stories they could share. No matter what, she had taken a dive into a friendship she'd had no intention of getting into, but now seemed to want to stay, even though she hardly even knew this girls name. Her drawings also deeply intrigued her, Roxanne always loved the arts, whether it was music or sketching, or anything. "Oh wow... Those drawings... Theyre... magnificent! I've never seen anything like them!" She seemed to be sucked into them, their detail and all. Without her knowing it, she mimiced Yui: "...got a nickname?" Roxanne said, Copying Yui's voice. "Yeah, some people call me Rose."


Just then, an unknown figure approached then. a jogging man, whom she had never seen the likes of. "There was another quake, we got out but a few friends of mine are still inside. we're just waiting for them." She replied.

 

[Kid Maelstrom]

"Oh well they should hurry up." He looked at the structure of the building. "The rest looks like it could fall any second now." He looked the girl up and down...kinda. "Did either of you live here?" He felt the need to introduce himself. "How rude of me. I'm Louis." He held out his hand for a handshake.

 

[Monsterous]

Detective Gremon.

The Cartel Case.

Morning.



The shock had worn off. He could only remember the bare details as the building started to collapse. He told everyone to get down, he saw the girls take cover in fear, grabbing onto whatever they could. Today of all days...



The girls by now were talking amongst themselves, the person who made the cup of coffee helping Alyssa with her belongings. He nodded to Alyssa, understanding she couldn't do the interview today. He ignored what everyone else was saying and followed them. The shock wasn't out really after all.



By the time his senses had finally came to him, he looked to see two new people had arrived. One a female, the other male, he didn't bother to remember their looks - just the basics, such as hair and skin colour. He offered to help move some of the boxes the coffee girl had collected. Now was a good time to be helpful, to show friendship. It would also help get the detective closer to Alyssa, and thus the truth.



As he approached the coffee girl, he finally looked around himself. The sheer scale of destruction in such a short time frame was quite unreal to him. The floor was cracked, wood splintered and gone in some areas. The furniture had been wrecked, and paper and various letters collected over Alyssa's life had been scattered around the room like a post office had been gunned down. The walls dried and chipped paint now looked even more crumbled, and the ceiling matched that. This girl just couldn't catch a break. His other mind would probably have quipped something just to insult her place in the world. Just like it always does to everyone down on their luck. He hadn't heard its voice for a while, which was a good thing really - it was quite the annoyance...



He erased the thought away, focussing on helping Alyssa's current predicament.

 

[Pineapple]

The three of them were getting all of Alyssa stuff together very quickly, to get her out of this apartment before it collapsed on all of them. It only took a few minutes for all of her stuff to get put into boxes. Well, it was a very fast packing job; they mainly just tossed everything into boxes with no organization involved.


Alyssa picked up the nearest boxes and brought it down to the front door, with the assumption that the detective and Adeline would grab the other ones. The entire while, Lucky was at her side, leading her down towards the front doors. She waited for the other two to catch up before speaking; well, she assumed it was Adeline. Though, it’s impossible for her to be sure. (The sound of foot steps isn’t all that unique). “Are you sure it’s ok for me to stay at your place, Adeline? I don’t wish to intrude.”

 

[Miz]

"Nonsense" Adeline replied to Alyssa as she strolled down the steps that descended from the front door. The concrete cracked within them, and as Adeline stepped on the edge of one of the stairs, it cracked off a large portion creating a pothole in the entryway. Almost tripping, she acted fast to prevent herself from falling, and while she looked like a clumsy stage clown, she successfully managed to avoid injury. Breathing heavy a bit after her fall, she panted out "It would be irresponsible and awfully cruel as a friend to force you to leave on the street. Besides I have plenty of room at my place." she insisted, "Though I don't know so much about that detective".


Setting down one of the two heavy suitcases she carried, she looked back up to see Roxanne beyond the metal chain-link that bordered the apartment complex, but she was talking with two other people she had never seen before. Wondering who they were, she tried to beckon Roxanne closer and as they were chatting out on the sidewalk, Adeline waved and yelled "Hey Roxanne, we need your help!"