Tōnan Gyakuten

---

It was a somewhat dreary afternoon. It wasn't raining, but the weather hadn't been predicted to be particularly pleasant. It didn't take some trained professional to be able to tell that there was going to be rain today. The dark clouds, the heavy air, even that strange smell that permeated the atmosphere, it all spoke of a storm.

Toshiko lit a cigarette, and inhaled. The smoke rushed in, and she took the cigarette from her mouth and blew it out. She raised an eyebrow at the paper before her. She'd received the phone call, and then a fax. The family seemed quite desperate to retrieve what had been taken...

To say nothing of what had been stolen, the circumstances were curious. The room wasn't so much a room as a heavily-protected vault, yet nothing had been destroyed. The walls were intact, so was the door... and it was tightly locked. The spells in place to protect the item were still intact, or at least that's what the family believed. There was no sign of... well, anything, really, as far as the family had been able to tell. The only difference in the entire house was that the stolen item was missing. Toshiko took another drag on her cigarette, and blew the smoke out. This... this was, to begin with, an undeniably supernatural case. And the family was quite willing to pay very well...

To be honest, Toshiko currently found herself utterly without any spending money. A well-paying case, a curious case like this...

Her employees would be downstairs by now, or at least on their way to the agency. It was time to speak to them about this case. Getting to her feet, Toshiko walked through her dimly-lit office, passing stacks of paper and the single old television. She walked to the door and pulled it open, before beginning to head downstairs.

It was time to solve a theft.

Lock. Key. Isolation. Alone. Heaven. Spirits.

Over and over, Amjad inscribed small words of similar meanings in Germanic, French and Latin into the tanned surface of the clay jar he held, slowly carving and chiselling away. About half of it was covered already, and the way in which the words crossed over with one another made it appear to be some sort of Celtic art. It looked impressive but excessively tedious in its execution. It certainly was painfully slow, yes, but Amjad had been doing similar things for most of his life; he was more than used to it by now. This one would take a few more days, if he had the time.

That was one of the good things about Apprentice work, it was only work intensive when they got a case otherwise he would be left to his own devices...or tidy up given how cluttered it could get in the Agency. He could not understand how Ms. Ando functioned with such mess, sometimes. Amjad pulled his knees closer to his body, shuffling a little on the wooden chair. He stuck the tip of his tongue out from his mouth, blank crimson eyes looking over the small jar of his design. It was missing something that would complete it...

The sound of feet descending the stairs drew his eyes from his work.

"It was a gray, miserable day. The kind of day that leaves the possibility of rain hanging over your head like a piñata filled with cold disappointment...or black licorice. It had been quiet around the agency for a long time now, and our money had dribbled out and dried up just like a rusty old kitchen sink. I couldn't afford anything better than discount bento for the last two days, and the presence of sweets and ice cream at the supermarket and snacks from vending machines had begun to haunt me like cruel and alluring sirens, threatening to drive me mad each time we passed by them to go buy less expensive, tasteless fare. My mood was becoming as bleak as the skies above."

The speaker of this odd monologue was one Iwajima Jun, currently sitting slumped over in a chair that was usually reserved for guests or important clients and talking to himself despite the apprentice working nearby. Instead he was staring at the ceiling with a look of absolute despair on his face, seemingly entranced by his own monologue. Despite being indoors he was wearing a heavy trenchcoat. Even closer inspection would reveal that he had a lollipop in his mouth that he occasionally fiddled with while he spoke, perhaps in imitation of his legal guardian's smoking habit. He perked up and focused on Toshiko as she walked down the stairs, nevertheless continuing his pretend narration.

"Suddenly, my boss walked down the stairs and into my office! She was a cruel woman, always forbidding me from watching the one tiny TV in her office and filling our living space with the kind of cigarette smoke that clung to her like cheap perfume. But from the look on her face it was easy enough to tell that she might finally have another well-paying job, and right now money means hope!"

Jun hopped off of the chair and ran over to Toshiko and despite his tough-guy monologuing, was practically hopping from one foot to the other in sheer excitement. Or at least relief from boredom.

"Toshiko-nee! Toshiko-nee! What's the job this time! Are we gonna have to find a statue with a hidden message inside? capture some mage's lost familiar before it goes berserk? Ooh ooh! We have to track down a murderer before he uses the souls of his victims to make some kind of magical super-weapon, right? Tell me tell me tell me!"

"I'm baaack~ " Cheerful male voice announced just as door to agency opened up."Haaaa you wouldn't believe how rough does the weather look outside~" The voice belonged to Sokichi Tachibana, former police officer and currently agency's worker. Already trying to peel up the orange he dug out from his white plastic shopping bag. " Oh Toshiko-chan, a job?" He asked when he saw Toshiko at stairs eager Jun already sending a barrage of questions at her. small amount of orange's citrus smell in the air after getting part of skin peeled off.

Clack...Clack.....Clack

Another bullet shined and cleaned before being placed softly on the floor in rows of three; Relaxing in the corner of the room with eyes closed and rag in hand, used to shine the bullets pulled from one of his pouches. Sitting there in his usual black cloak that covered his body that nicely hid what his gloved hands did underneath. The covering and lack of restriction like that of a coat or jacket as the top of the cloak acted like a scarf over the lower part of his face.

Only the closed eyes that were often cold; lacking of the normal emotions as tufts of his dark purplish hair hovered over them. other then the light shuffling of his cloak, no other movement came from him until he placed down another finished bullet, whether doing so to simply pass the time or because it had become a habit of his to clean them before using, was still unsure to the others of the agency.

Boredom could of been another factor since the agency had been slow lately with lacking in such supernatural cases, though it didn't bother Nex too much. It gave him time to think and to study the other members for he had been taught to know who he was working with. Betrayal could happen at any moment and one in his profession must always be prepared for the unexpected, which worked quite well since it a trait most detectives were known for.

Deeply inhaling to smell the faint scent of rain that threatened to follow with a storm; mostly drowned out by the stench of cigarette smoke that filled and lingered in almost every room. Evident of course from Toshiko; leader of the agency who was a bit of a heavy smoker at times, hardly a hindrance, but annoying with his trained senses able to pick up the smell easier than most. Eyes opened to reveal two light violet eyes, to gaze at the others within the room with his cold gaze.

Each of them seemed to grow tired or bored of this endless lacking of cases with Amjad carving away on some clay jar; one he had hardly spoken with. Then his eyes fell briefly on the youngest member of the Agency who seemed deep in thought and fidgety; clear signs that boredom was hitting him the hardest, though to be expected from a kid full of energy and life. Still, he found it strange that this Toshiko would allow someone so young to join, well not like he could say anything being so young himself. Until the faint click of the door opening and hearing Sokichi announce himself in that cheerful manner on such a bleak, dull, dreary day like this and soon picked up the fresh citrus scent that at least partially drowned out the smell of ashy smoke.

Setting down another bullet before peering over to the window with the sight of the grim, greyish skies as the wind seemed to gradually grow stronger, yet, still his ears were able to hear the barely noticeable creak of footsteps coming from the stairs. Toshiko soon entered the room only to be hounded by Jun with hopeful questions for a case.

So enthralled in his excitement that he failed to notice the look in her eyes that answered his question.

It seems a big storm lies in store for this agency; another soft clack of a clean bullet set in place among the others.

It wasn't a very nice day to be taking a relaxing walk downtown. If the weather report was correct it was supposed to storm today, but even then, the distinctive, pungent odor indicative of an approaching shower filled the atmosphere and dark clouds covered the sky. It hardly took a psychic to know that it wasn't going to be a very sunny day. He hadn't packed an umbrella, though that wasn't really a concern considering he'd definitely be inside before the first drops started to fall. Turning the street corner, the young man had finally reached his destination.

"Good afternoon everyone," the young man greeted as he opened the door to the Fu Sonzai no Genso detective agency. The air inside the agency smelled of smoke as usual. It was a smell he'd gotten accustomed to, but he couldn't say he approved of it. Smoking kills and all that. He glanced around the central space everyone was gathered around. There was Amjad-san, Iwajima-kun, Tachibana-san... He was pretty sure Eika was around here somewhere, if she hadn't followed him on his little exercise in travel. Akihiko turned to look behind himself, just incase his white-haired familiar was standing imposingly behind himself. Nothing for now, just a closed door. He also registered Ando-sama at the stairs, getting practically interrogated by Iwajima-kun. Was there to be a new case? The agency did seem to be low on funds, and she had that look in her eye...

But he could let Ando-sama provide the information herself. No need to bother her when there was a hyperactive preteen at her heels already.

As Toshiko proceeded down the stairs, her eyes(and ears) fell upon the small form of the boy, one of two children in her care. She raised an eyebrow, inclining her head to the side as she listened to his very external monologue. She couldn't help but find it rather amusing. Cruel woman? She supposed that was true, to some people. And she couldn't argue the cigarette point. It wasn't as if her smoking habit had particularly dropped off. Still, they were useful for more then satisfying cravings. Holding her cigarette to the side, angled away from Jun, she replied to him.

"Unfortunately, you're going to have to wait until everyone's here to learn about the case," she replied, to the boy's question. To be fair, his guesses weren't exactly outlandish. In fact, she'd experienced some stranger situations prior to founding Fu Sonzai no Gensō. So the enthusiastic suggestions from the child weren't actually out of the realm of possibility. However, the case Toshiko had received was both more mundane and more outlandish, just in different aspects. "I will tell you that it's going to be a surprise for you, given that none of your guesses were the right one."

Her eyes drifted away from the child and upwards, towards the older boy. He was a kind of... magical craftsman, she supposed, was the best way to describe it. His work was undeniably of a useful variety, to say the least. The scent of citrus filled her nose, and she heard the cheerful voice of one of her other employees. Sokichi... he was quite the useful type as well, really. She folded her arms. '-chan'? How... familiar. Toshiko wasn't entirely sure how to take being referred to as such, given that she was his boss. She decided to let it slide. "Yes, yes, a job, Sokichi-kun. After what seems like ages, the drought has finally ended."

Toshiko's gaze drifted over the other employees present. The bow with the bullets, the teen theurge... oh, he was rather lucky he wasn't educated in the Tower. Theurgy, to say the least, was not looked upon with kindness in any Mage Circle. But London's Tower... well, their standards for magical talent were quite high. Rituals were perfectly acceptable, but relying on theurgy to perform any magic... well, Toshiko didn't care so much. As long as it got the job done it was fine with her. "Good afternoon to you as well, Tomoe-kun. Now where was I... Ah, yes, you're all going to have to wait for the others until I get into the matter of our new case."

"...Hum..."

There she was, dilligent as ever. With her arms crossed, the white-haired Familiar was but a step behing Akihiko as he entered in himself. Whether she'd been heard or not was no really big deal. All that came of it was her eventually plopping herself down on a chair next to him and rubbing the back of her neck as she attempted to relax to the extent of her capabilities. Ah, guess she had to be courteous and try to give out those nice little pleasantries and all of that. With a rub of her temples, Eika would mutter a small "morning" to the rest in the room before her bloody gaze would turn to Akihiko's.

"You forgot breakfast."

And with that, a granola bar would be produced from the pocket of her jacket before being tossed up to her Master as a result of concern over his well-being. Hopefully, it'd be good enough to snack on and provide a bit of energy for. As his bonded stalker Familiar, it was the least she could do to provide him with some comfort. Well, it wasn't that she was exactly an employee here...Just registered under the list thanks to the shenanigans that her Master liked to involve him with when it pertained to this group. Ah well. Couldn't help the inevitable.

“All right, thanks man,” said a concerned Jeffrey to a younger-looking adult behind a counter full of patrons. “Remember, just ask Katsura-san for help if you need it, ok?” He slid a strong, lean hand through his well-cropped bad boy hair style, which amusingly contrasted his calm and gentle expression. The eyes of the lady customers around him were captivated by his sculptured physique, his charmingly rugged face, and cloudy gray eyes; in addition, his bartender uniform enhanced his overall debonair flair: a dark, sleeveless blazer, white, long-sleeved polo shirt with a bow tie in the middle, black slacks, and well-polished brown shoes. He turned, waved behind him in a silent wish of luck, and threw his silky onyx coat from a chair onto his shoulders. A graying, middle-aged man in a green dress shirt and brown pants called out to Jeffrey out of a room right next to the wine racks. His thick, layered neck, protruding stomach, and handlebar mustache marked him apart from the other gentlemen inside. “I just wanted to thank you for coming in for at least an hour showing Hiiro the ropes,” he said with much gratitude. “I know you got a second job and all, and I really appreciate it. I got a stack of paperwork to do for inventory, and I can’t just leave it alone, you know?” The man wiped around his neck and underneath his folds with a checkered handkerchief, despite the air conditioned room. Jeffrey simply smiled and shook his head, warding off his extended gratefulness. “It’s nothing at all, boss. I had time to spare,” was all he said, and he quickly clicked his heels around and turned for the door in a laid-back yet confident swagger.

The young man then quickly broke into a jog upon a quick glance at the sky, which reflected the silvered hue of his eyes. He tossed his arms into his jacket to protect himself from the humid chilliness, and began making his way down the pedestrians’ lane, opposite the traffic and the crowd. Thoughts of the detective agency swirled in his mind: when he came into the office, it was the first time he ever experienced the valid reality of magic and the supernatural; when he closed his eyes, he could still imagine the encounter vividly: Toshiko wriggled about her cigarette in strange, captivating motions, and then… Fire. It just appeared out of nowhere, and it startled him. He was skeptical at first, thinking it was a simple sleight of hand, a cleverly disguised magic trick. When she demonstrated her powers through more FLASHY means, he fell silent and did not question it a third time; her rising temper was enough for that first meeting. Thankfully, however, she was patient enough to answer his questions about the extraordinary: how magic is used, the heredity of magic, the creatures that live in the world of the supernatural, and many others. It didn’t hurt that she was a fine looking woman too. I think I’ll get some grub for us; everyone else must be pretty hungry.. he thought to himself, remembering the phone call from Fu Sonzai no Gensō requesting his, and most likely the other detectives’, presence. Breaking into a sprint, Jeffrey rushed himself into the nearest sushi shop and bought two trays for everyone to eat. The owner offered a helping hand, but he refused, stating that he was in a hurry, and scurried off to the agency with the rolls sitting comfortably in brown paper bags, leaving on a rather mysterious but intriguing note.

Placing the bags onto the doorsteps of the office, he rapped his knuckles three times against the wooden door rapidly. To be honest with himself, he was quite excited to actually see and meet his fellow detectives, but at the same time, he was dreadfully careful to observe their abilities, personalities, limits, and potentials. Gotta know my enemies and friends fast if I wanna succeed , he thought with a rather devilish smile. The door suddenly opened for him, and his expression changed to that of pleasant surprise. “Hey Toshiko-san, hey everyone. Sorry I’m a little late.. I decided I wanted to bring some refreshments, in case anyone was feeling famished,” Jeffrey said with a somewhat shy, charming grin.

Names! He was absolutely terrible with names. Amjad took headcount from his chair, nodding at each individual as he tried to recall those present. Iwajima-san was the smallest one, that was easy. He wasn't absolutely sure what his role was in the picture of things - when Amjad was ten he wasn't all that entirely useful or intelligent, so he had a hard time placing Jun within the group. Did he even get paid? What does he need with that money? Amjad squinted, his imagination entering overdrive and creating several rather absurd scenarios. Taking into account Jun's impressive vocabulary (for a nine year old), the Artisan selected the most likely story for the day - man in the body of a child seeking to return to his prime. Amjad blinked at Jun, his face contorting in a way which was hard to read. Suspicious. Amjad put that aside for now and looked to the next person, racking his memory for a name.

Tachibana-senpai; the joker of the group. Amjad hates jokes, they never make sense to him. Many ask the question 'why did the chicken cross the road?' with the obvious answer of 'to get to the other side.' Apparently that is funny to some degree. Amjad initially saw the meaning of the joke as 'the other side' being the afterlife and the implication being the chicken was hit by a car and then died. 'No,' he was told, it just crossed the road. Amjad hates jokes. After that tangent, the Artificer had forgotten what he was initially thinking about - oh, yes. Names.

This one, the one polishing ammunition, was a quiet sort and that was something Amjad could relate to - can't be said for everything else though. Amjad acknowledged his condition, something which was arguably of his own making, but he did not attempt to be 'cold' in any sense of the word. He came across that way sometimes, yes, but that was unfortunately part of the package of excessive Severing. There was definitely a harsh air about that boy though, a maintained one. If Amjad had to describe it in a word then 'Darwinian' would be the first thing to come to mind - emotions had been forced from him as a means to an end, rather than a side-effect. Akiza-san was his name. Dangerous.

Tomoe-san. Nice family name, easy to remember. Helped that he had qualities in him which Amjad respected, made him far more memorable as far as people go. The familiar helped as well. The white haired youth turned his gaze to the familiar with a squint in his crimson eyes, bushy brows furrowed. As part of his education Amjad had been taught that the likes of familiars were tools hand-crafted by people like himself to fulfil an end. 'They are not people,' he was told 'but they can replicate people very well.' This one was very person-like, but like all things created for a reason you could discern some hint to its purpose through its design, and as a designer Amjad was unsure if he liked what he saw. Dangerous, suspicious. Eika was its name.

New guy. Did it matter what Amjad really thought? He had food and he was not one to turn down grub. A-okay guy, ten out of ten. Oh, right. Conversation was happening.

"Good afternoon, everyone." He spoke flatly, reaching down to place the clay jar on the floor next to the chair.

"When there's a drought we usually make sure to use water only when it's necessary..." He directed at his boss with a tilt of the head. He understood the comparison between the absence of work (also money) and a drought, but Amjad knew a thing or two about making your way through one relatively comfortably. You didn't drink all the water in the first few nights, for starters.

Amusing, the only word he could think when thinking of how long a drought the agency had been through and was desperately in need of a case. Not just for money, but for the members as well. The lack of work made one grow weary and any honed skills slacken, though he made sure to keep up with his daily training to avoid such happenings.

It wasn't the fact that they were struggling, more that he actually did have money from...prior work; unfortunately having promised to only use said money for extreme emergencies, otherwise to only use the money earned from the agency. Still, Nex wasn't known for big spendings anyway and normally only bought the bare necessities and simple food or supplies. The one thing he missed was his gun for he preferred keeping one on his person; a part of him as well a way to ensure his safe, but the city was extremely strict on guns to the point that even *they* couldn't get him one and so had to settle with a specially made nail gun.

At least he had that rather than nothing at all as it was belted to his lower left back, ready at all times for in case of a job coming up.

Picking up a bullet to peer over its clean, smooth surface, while Toshiko tried to calm Jun down then mention how she wouldn't tell of the case till everyone was here. The woman seemed to have a certain air about her that seemed to gain the respect from those around her. She seemed like a good leader, albeit the short temper and smoking, though everyone had their own..quirks.

Not long before three more arrived, two other members and the third a familiar, though Nex did not see her as a member himself. The one who kept himself nicely groomed and proud of his looks had a slight snobbish feel; yet the fact he brought food showed he didn't let it get to his head completely. He started picking up the bullets and placing them back in the pouch since they would be told about the case and to set out shortly afterwards.

"... And when you find water you're liable to drink, right?" Toshiko raised an eyebrow. It wasn't her fault that the tomes had been on sale for those prices. She really just couldn't help herself... even if only one of them turned out to actually be genuine. She would have... words with the mage who had sold her the tomes at some point. But for now, that wasn't the focus. She nodded her head to Jeffery. "And feel free to put them out, I'm certain that someone will enjoy them."

Oh, the familiar was here... Toshiko's opinion on them varied. After all, they could quite literally be nothing more then tools, a means to an end... or fully intelligent mostly-autonomous people. She had seen both sorts by this point.

And now, well... it seemed as if most of her employees were there. Any late arrivals could be quickly filled in on the situation.

"To start with, if anyone shows up late, I would like it if you filled them in on what I'm about to tell you," she began, addressing the room at large, "Now..."

Pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose and taking the cigarette out of her mouth, Toshiko started her explanation of the case. "About a day ago, the Daidouji mage family was alerted to a presence in their home. When Daidouji Kenji, and his wife, Daidouji Tomoko went to investigate, they found nothing amiss. Nothing was different, there was no sign of an intruder, nothing was changed. Not the slightest thing had been altered. That was, until they checked the room their most precious item, a family heirloom, was held. It was gone entirely. But there was no sign anyone had been to the room. Even the spells cast on the room to keep it secure hadn't been disturbed."

Another drag on her cigarette. Toshiko held the beginnings of the case report out, for her employees to take a look.

"They want us to track down the perpetrators and get their precious family heirloom back. Now, I'm sure some of you are aware of the... history of the Daidouji family, but I'll give a quick rundown for those who aren't. The Daidouji Mage family has splintered into many, many branches. Every single last one of these branches hates the other. And when I say hates, I mean backstabbing and murder aren't out of the realm of possibility when it comes to one branch to another. Our suspect may be the member of another branch."

" Haaa.. if there was no clues tracking said object will be tough, so? Any Idea what this Family heirloom was?" Sokichi asked, eating another piece of orange.

"Interfamily is the likely case..."

Amjad appeared almost sleepy as he stared at the report, scanning over it multiple times. He was no professional investigator, but he had his moments of brilliance. A few questions came to mind, hoping their answers would offer some clarity on who exactly they were dealing with.

"They might have hired someone, you know - or received something from somewhere which let them do this." The middle-eastern mage paused before continuing, eyes not leaving the case report, almost robotic in his analysis and delivery.

"If it was interfamily, then I think a new element was introduced, be it something or someone. If they could have done this all along, why didn't they do it earlier?" The moved to bite down on his thumb, thinking. "Maybe it was ghosts." He adds. If he was kidding or not, no one knows. His line of thought allowed for some narrowing down; if someone was hired, they could possibly find out who it was and work from there. If it was something which allowed them to pull off the robbery, then Amjad himself could probably work towards narrowing down what allows for an individual to pull off what could be considered a 'clean' robbery. If it was a form of magic, rather than an item, the others could probably discern it together.

Standing up off the floor as Toshiko explained about the case, which had to do with some family heirloom being stolen; nothing odd about that. What was strange was that it was taken without a trace or tampering of breaking in, something only a professional thief or one with a special type of ability could pull off. This case already seemed troublesome; only to get worse after hearing that this family had been broken up into many branches, which if it truly was done by one of said branches, made it all the harder to find the suspects.

Gaining information would be key to this case as well as finding out if it was an inside job or hired hand, but trying to process and eliminate the suspect from all the various branches was by no means a small feat. Thankfully the agency had multiple members to split up; two questions that came to mind regarding the family heirloom.

Stepping closer to the others then looked at Toshiko.'Are any of the family branches relationships worst than others? and...have any of them strongly desired the heirloom?'He asked these two questions thinking they might help to weed out any branches that are less likely to be involved in this case.

"Ohohohohoho~ A stolen heirloom huh? And with this family huh? Sounds like a soap opera just waiting to happen." Enoch had appeared without making a sound, not even leaving a clue where he made his entrance from as usual. He sat down at his desk and propped his feet on the desk in a relaxed manner. Beneath his calm, laid back exterior the ex-con was trying to find the kinks in this case and think of leads that can help them with their case. With his gloved finger, he scratched his chin in wonder as he weighed out what they should do.

His sharp eyes glanced around the room as he listened in on everyone's questions and suggestions. The possibilities of how they perpetrated the act and who did it was endless though there are ways of eliminating some of these possibilities. "If we're looking for a thief then leave that part to me. I would't mind swinging by the more...unsavory places to get some information. If that is okay with you boss." What he meant is that would go to the criminal underworld and use connections he has from his former career to aid their case.

"By the way, just how many branches are we talking about here? Five? Ten? Fifty?"

Akihiko's hands fumbled a bit with Eika's sudden granola bar toss. He didn't really expect - or need - his familiar to give him food, but it was the thought that counted, right? He undid the wrapper and began to quietly eat the snack. "Thanks Eika!" he said with a nod and a smile. While the familiar could be seen as rather clingy, Akihiko didn't much mind. At least her heart was in the right place and he could always depend on her.

Just then, Jeffery-san (Fajardo-san?) entered the building, carrying foodstuffs for everyone else. Akihiko waved. He had to admit he felt a little bit guilty that he wasn't doing anything much in the financial sense for the agency. Perhaps he could go white-hat or take up some kind of part-time job to help out around the place. Though hopefully this case would bring in enough capital to last them all through to the next one, and he wouldn't have to go looking through the classifieds. Speaking of which, Ando-sama had decided to quit waiting for any others to arrive and decided to brief them on the operation they were to take part in. It looked like there was some kind of supernatural robbery, likely either hired by a branch family or committed by them themselves. Details didn't much change, it was still their fault either way.

Akihiko put his hand to his chin as he read over the case report. Akiza-san posed a question regarding specific thoughts as to who in the families might want the disappeared relic. After a moment or two of thought, a thought occurred to him. What if it was just someone taking advantage of the interfamilial turmoil to take it for themselves? Akihiko shook his head slightly. 'That's probably not the answer... Just keeping an open-mind is good, shouldn't let myself lose focus though,' he thought.

Akihiko mildly jumped in his seat at the very sudden appearance of their resident cat burglar. Roswell-san was like a ninja, silent and deadly. Definitely the former, probably the latter too.

"What if.. ah... What if it's just some outsider who, ah, took advantage of the situation? ...So to speak" he piped up, though his voice was a teensy bit quiet. He was still a bit unsure of his whole guess at large, but hopefully the answer would put his concerns to rest, "Has there been any recent... conflicts within the family? Like, something bigger than the usual back and forth?"

Jeffrey nodded in response to Toshiko’s command, and laid the trays atop a table in the center of the room, opening the roll trays in an invitation to the others. He listened to the explanation of the case, absorbed the input while taking what plastic cups remained in the office, and filling then up from the sink with water. The Daidouji family huh? Always thought they were just typical rich snobs, but there’s always more to people than their exteriors.. He reminded himself quietly as he turned on the drinking faucet and filled the container to the brim. His coworkers hurled out several questions towards Toshiko, mainly with the goal of narrowing down the identity of the potential thief: what branches were in most heated conflict with victim family, who would potentially want the heirloom the most, the possibility of an insider job, a hired thief, and so many other possibilities. What Jeffrey mainly concerned himself with was how the culprit managed to bypass all security measures without leaving a single trace.

After he finished filling up all the cups with water and setting them down on the tray, he picked it up and slowly walked towards the developing circle of inquirers surrounding Toshiko. He seemed to walk in slow motion though, as he thought deeply about the potential methods used by the thief. Finally, stopping before the group, without offering the cups to anyone, he asked his boss, “Is there, by any chance, an affinity that lets a user fade in and out of existence for a brief moment, or alter the states of matter? Or, maybe, an affinity that allows one to control the movements of another?” He questioned as he started handing out thirst quenchers. “It’s very difficult to gauge anything from just the information you’ve presented, as it is very shallow; I suggest that we take a trip to the actual mansion and see the crime scene for ourselves. I think that will do us better than standing here and throwing out mere possibilities; at least there, some of our questions can be answered.” He offered a cup to Toshiko, flashing her his most charming slight smile, before continuing, “Right, Toshiko-san?”

"Ooh! Rich mansion families all squabbling for power and influence and willing to do whatever it takes to get ahead of each other, and in the middle of it all a theft that seems impossible even to magic users! This is so so so so exciting!"

Jun continued hopping from foot to foot irrepressibly as he babbled over the details of the case.He wanted to go immediately or at least as quickly as possible. Not quite everyone seemed to have arrived though and taking off too quickly would be meaningless since he neither had a reliable method of transportation nor knew the address for the Daidouji family's mansion. But importantly rich clients meant a big pay-day which might even mean decent food and snacks or...even a new TV!

The young boy's own family had been fairly well-known at one point, though as far as he could remember they weren't rich like their prospective clients seemed to be. Besides that, most of his time with his family had been focused around his training as an Onmyouji and Yokai Hunter and even when it hadn't, his family had been pretty strictly traditional and ignored most of the modern amenities he'd learned about through living with Toshiko.

Thus, the idea of a big paycheck had him barely restrained from exploding with glee.

...Ah. The rest of the humans had come. Red eyes turned to each and every one of them as they spoke, a specific care lacking as she closed those wandering optics shortly after examining those who were here and tilting her head back to listen in turn. The smallest "Welcome" was mumbled at her Master's thanks, fists slowly curling up and plopping down on either side of the back of her claimed seat whilst she listened. Internal affairs of bickering family, et cetera, et cetera...boring topics. In all her time being around humans, she'd come to be apathetic towards the concept that two people could start a damned war over a missing pudding cup and a whole lot of miscommunication. Thus, whilst the other people spoke in tones both nonchalant and overbearingly hyperactive, she'd wait until everything else was said and done in order to address Toshiko -- one of the only two humans here that she even supposed she could have something close to an actual conversation here with.

"...Boss Lady. Can I just go to the site and start sniffing around to see if it's anything demonic while everyone else is sitting here and questioning what it could or couldn't be? It'd certainly be more useful than remaining in this seat, I'd think. Correct?"
Her gaze turned over to Grey for a moment, merely checking to see if he would be against the idea of her taking her leave a bit earlier than the rest. Not too terribly comfortable, was the Familiar as it was. Some fresh air might be...nice and all that. Red optics turned back to their original target, body turned as the white-haired Eika awaited a response from the woman they'd all come to see as the person in "charge" when it came to the company's involvement and interactions. Please say yes.