Harry chuckled dryly, savoring the remnants of the stick between his teeth. A cigar would be ideal right now.
"As observant as always, eh? It was just an unpleasant encounter. It's all fine and dandy."
Marline shook her head, her probing grey eyes uncomfortably piercing through his sunglasses. "You only say 'it's all fine and dandy' when you're getting angry. As long as the information you're withholding doesn't pose a potential threat to your colleagues, you can keep it to yourself until you're ready to share. But if it does..."
Harry shrugged, smiling frivolously. "Well, it doesn't. Satisfied?"
She nodded. "Good." Turning to Patricia, who had been squirming uncomfortably since the beginning.
"What do you think?"
Patricia turned to the smiling Harry, his eyes obscured by the sunglasses, which took an even deeper shade in the dimly lit hallway.
She shivered. "H-he can keep it to hims-"
"No. Not that, I meant the case-file."
"O-oh... I think he has a point, Sis Marline. Paul Lachlan could have been convinced to attack this Sarah Tindermann."
Marline turned around and resumed walking, Patricia too, with Harry trailing behind silently this time.
"Go on."
"He could have been threatened with his daughter's life too. But he was known to be a non-supernatural until last week."
"Don't forget he could have been under a form of mental influence. Always make sure to list all possibilities during an investigation."
"Yes, Sis Marline. But there's something confusing. Isn't a week too short to become a supernatural?"
"Good question. His corpse was dissected by Blu, and guess what?"
Harry cut in. "His insides were shriveled."
Patricia's eyes widened in realization. "H-he used his Life Force."
Marline nodded, briefly glancing at Harry. "Though a crude method, it's known to be fast and easy to learn."
"B-but..."
"He had cancer, Pat. Who knows, he may have even been planning suicide. Rather than being threatened with his daughter's life, he could have been given hope."
Or it could have been both. Carrot and stick.
Harry walked forward, adjusting the sunglasses. "Either way, I genuinely think what we should be investigating is the Hive Corp's purpose for appearing in Opal City."
"What about this Sarah? If they failed to kill her this time, what's stopping them from doing it again?" Patricia asked.
Marline sighed. "I'm not the Captain here. It'll all be decided when he arrives."
Patricia seemed to remember something. "Oh, what about our request for an Inspector V replacement?"
She shrugged. "It's been a month since we sent the application to the Office and yet no reply. It's probably being intentionally delayed."
The previous Inspector V was a son of a higher-up posted to the Opal City SCD six months ago. To put it bluntly, he got in through the back door. It was obvious Opal City was chosen just so he could laze around.
He was snobbish, bull-headed, and very uncooperative, and all these cost him his life in an operation a month-and-a-half ago. An Auditor had been sent from the Office and with the presented evidence and subsequent investigation, he confirmed that there was no foul play and it was nothing but one of the many occasions where an Inspector dies in their line of work.
Of course, Inspectors die on a daily basis, only the 'important' ones need Auditors to confirm their deaths.
Even with all this, it was inevitable that their application for a new one would be held back by whoever was the parent of the dead Inspector.
"We probably won't need one since Opal has always been peaceful, right?"
"You just set a flag, Sis Marline."
"Oh."
---
Ding-!
The elevator opened up on the first floor, revealing a spacious lobby. Seraphina and Sopatra stepped out, with Seraphina leading the way. Her expression, a mix of curiosity and unease, was evident in the slight crinkle of her eyebrows. She turned to Sopatra with a hint of reservation.
"Can we take the stairs next time?"
Sopatra, puzzled by the request, nodded after a brief moment of thought. His apartment was only on the second floor, and the change seemed inconsequential.
"You won't ask why?"
Sopatra would usually respond with a nonchalant answer, but he had come to notice that Seraphina behaved this way when she had something to share but was reluctant to initiate the conversation. So, he inquired.
"Why?"
Her response held a certain satisfaction that he had picked up on her cues. "I'm only telling you because you asked. I feel really uncomfortable in such an enclosed space. It's somewhat suffocating."
Raising an eyebrow, Sopatra found himself surprised. He never thought the fearsome Demon Queen harbored a mild case of claustrophobia.
As his thoughts wandered, Seraphina took hold of his arm and pulled him forward. She burst out of the building with barely concealed excitement. After all, this would be her first true view of this foreign world.
The cityscape was impressive, with towering skyscrapers reflecting a kaleidoscope of colors in the sunlight. Commercials played on billboards, contributing to the lively atmosphere.
Seraphina skipped forward, her eyes sparkling with curiosity. Since it was the weekend, there were few people outside, but those present couldn't help but turn their attention toward her.
Whether it was a couple jogging past, elderly individuals practicing tai chi under the shades, or college students heading to the bus stop, all eyes seemed to naturally gravitate toward her.
Even in a casual grey sweatshirt and sweatpants, she exuded a regal, alluring aura, fitting of the position she left behind in Elysia. People admired her, but only a few dared to meet her captivating green eyes, which held an otherworldly light, framed by sharp, cat-like features and well-defined eyebrows.
She gave no visible reaction to the attention; she was accustomed to it and even secretly enjoyed it.
"Come on!" she turned to Sopatra and held his arm. "Aren't we supposed to hail a cab next?"
Sopatra shook his head, a tinge of helplessness surfacing on his stoic visage. "It saves more time if we just take a bus. This way."
He quickened his pace, trailing behind the college students.
"You mean a Greyhound?" She asked.
"Not necessarily, Seraphina. I wouldn't be too dependent on those memories if I were you."
"Hey! It was just a guess."
He shrugged. "I didn't argue otherwise."
They reached the bus stop and lined up. Seraphina, looking out of place, observed her surroundings like a child experiencing the outside world for the first time.
They boarded the bus, and after some time, arrived at the mall. Surprisingly, it was filled with people, even on the weekend.
Sopatra's brows wrinkled the moment he stepped down. "Was there an event?"
He never did well with crowds.