Vanessa watched the conference with feigned disinterest, huffing every so often, but in truth, she listened a little too closely to every word. She was disappointed by the complete lack of helpful information given to assist with her impromptu investigation (which she had just decided to start, whether she actually stuck with it was up for debate). Lilian's family seemed to be in a bit of a state. Understandable, though the awful bit of Vanessa was a little grated by all of the crying. They were doing interviews and taking tips now - which was great, but also indicated that they hadn't really gotten anywhere with the investigation so far.

She was very surprised about the fair. Nothing quite like continuing your potentially dead daughter's event while you struggled to find her. Vanessa could only hope that despite everything that had happened, the atmosphere of the fair wouldn't be too dampened. They were all sad, but they could still enjoy themselves. Lily would probably want it, but Vanessa also wanted it a good deal.

She perked up at the questions section, mentally taking note of the alleged item of clothing that had been found. Opal Lake, the forest near it. That could come in handy for later. However, it was soon cut short before she could ask anything of her own. She didn't catch the exact reason, too lost in her own thoughts to pay enough attention. As everyone began to leave, she stood up too, a little disappointed. Then, she was approached by some old man. She recognised him as the one that had been with Elizabeth earlier, though she didn't know who he was herself.

"University?" Vanessa said, confused. "Oh- oh, right. Absolutely not. I do not go there. Don't plan to either." She watched as he began to walk off, considering his offer. Screw it, she might as well. "Thanks," she muttered, taking one of the business cards with the hotline number as they left. "What's the point of this, anyway? I might look like Lily, but I don't know anything about where she is. What, do you?"

@Kitty
"Mhmmm." Jeremy replied simply. "And you do realize that bad people can go to your theater too, right? We are living in a town with a kidnapper and/or murderer. No telling who they are, or where they go, or whether or not they're movie buffs."

He started rubbing his chin, deep in thought, as a small, tired grin grew on his face.

"Still, it's a little surprising." He whispered to himself. "To think that I'd keep running into mysteries even after Hannah... Looks like it might be time for Detective Dogman to come out of retirement."

No sooner had he said this that he heard the shouting. A fire at the mayors house, huh?

"And that's our cue, I guess..."

He turned back to Pepper, an almost nostalgic feeling coming over him as he realised what he might be about to get himself involved in.

"Hey Pep, this is gonna sound crazy, but do you wanna he-"

She wasn't there. What? When did she leave? He could swear she was right there just a second ago, but now she wasn't. It was like she'd just vanished into thin air! He shivered, as a second, more unnerving feeling of nostalgia washed over him, before realising he was wasting time. He'd probably run into her and the others at some point anyway.

It wasn't long before he reached the scene of the fire, slowing down as he saw that, while by no means small, it at least looked like the firefighters were managing to contain it. As he drove over, watching them work, he noticed a young woman leaning against a nice looking motorbike, smoking and drinking and seeming genuinely relaxed as she watched the blaze. He almost considered asking her for if she'd consider lending him one of her cigarettes, before remembering that he was trying to quit. That being said, it didn't stop him from stopping his scooter not far from where she was, joining her in watching the fire.

"Don't suppose you've got anything left in that bottle, huh?" He asked, sitting against the scooter. "I've only been here two days, and everything's already gone to shit. 's like the all that crazy's followed me here."

Sitting in the crowd, with his terrible disguise on, Damon clenched his teeth, trying to hold his tongue. What was the news now? Absolutely nothing. And he couldn't help but revisit a dark place in his mind. This wouldn't be the first time he waited for answers and solutions. Honestly, the main reason he loved Lily so much was because of...




Damon brought his forlorn stare to Lily's mother and grimaced, realizing how useless this meeting was turning out to be. No leads? Are they fucking serious? Article clothing... Opal lake... fire... mayor's house... fire.... mayor's house... FIRE! Damon was close enough to catch the whispering and jolted up in his position. Talking loud enough so he could be heard while everyone was rushing, he spat, "This was a waste of everyone's time."

His eyes widened when he thought of the one thing that was most definitely in that house, that Lily cherished. Instinctively, he started booking it, running right through Elizabeth and Elliot, pushing their shoulders. "Shit, sorry!" He barely paid any attention to the boy with the glasses, who wasn't too far behind them (Kei). DDay's gold-plated Walkman (which has an endless amount of music on it, including songs of his in the works) fell to the ground, which he didn't notice. The music player had his initials on it: D.A.D.

Running outside, passing the entrance where Ollivander and Vanessa were chatting, even stopping for a second to do a double take as he noticed how much the girl looked like his beloved friend, he eventually found his ride and yelled, "CREED. LILY'S." The manager heavily sighed. He knew things would only be made worse if he refused. He just hoped this wasn't a mistake.

While Damon was in the car, he threw off his glasses, teared off the wig, and took out his contacts which would surely dry up in the heat. After unbuttoning his plaid shirt and tying it around his mouth (in hopes that would prevent him from getting too much smoke damage), he revealed his white tank.

"What... are you planning to do?" Something dumb most likely. Hopefully the paramedics were there.

"If Angel is still alive, I do not want her to find out that Pearl has gone to kitty heaven!" The rational thing to do was to drive away from the blazing house, so his client didn't get himself killed. However, Creed knew Damon had enough guilt and regret in his life and maybe, just maybe this would be good for publicity. He wouldn't be far behind if Damon took too long. Sighing once more, Creed decided it was for the best to enable the reckless behavior as they pulled in front of the house.

"Just... come back, alive."

After giving a cheesy grin and a thumbs up, DDay threw the door open. There were a lot of people on the scene, although that wouldn't stop him. He knew parkour! He didn't see Mirai drinking across the street, or the Turners arriving moments after him. The dark-haired celebrity was focused on one thing and one thing only, so he charged forward abandoning all his fears and inhibitions. Firefighters and the police tried to stop the manic boy, but he swiftly dodged them. Too fast! Like he did earlier, he broke a window, but this time kicking it until he could get through it.

"What are you DOING?" A firefighter tried to grab his arm and pull him by force, which was only rewarded with Damian pushing the shit out of the service member, out of his way.

"Back the fuck off! PEARL IS IN THERE."

"Who is Pearl?!" Another man yelled, frustrated at the stupidity being displayed.

Without answering, the idol climbed into the window and disappeared within the smoking building that was caught ablaze. Perhaps, Damon had a hero complex and didn't know he did - he just needed to save this cat. He had lost enough already.

Pulling up by the Turners' vehicle, Creed exited the car with furrowed eyebrows. "I hope you know that idiot loves your daughter."

As most of those attending the assembly rose, so did Kei. An orderly procession, though, soon turned into a scurry as news of the fire spread among the crowd. Kei was surprised at how quickly the report moved. Would it be so quick for the community to learn that D-Day was a suspect? It might not take too long either once the fire investigators and detectives saw the camera footage, grainy and far away but fully showing the musician's shirt on camera, and as they discovered the bit of it that was snagged on a Turner property tree. D-Day would be the prime suspect of the arson, and perhaps, also, Lily's disappearance.

"Sorry!"

Kei was pulled out of his stupor by a man with a bad wig and...he soon realized, as the stranger passed between Elliot and Ellie, that it was the very one currently in his thoughts: D-Day. He was in a hurry, which bothered Kei...where was he headed? Kei quickly followed, so quickly that he stepped on a protrusion that almost made him trip. Looking down, Kei saw something so gaudy that he knew it could belong only to Damon—a gold-plated Walkman.

His mind raced—should he pick it up? The old Kei, meaning the one from mere hours ago, would have returned it to Damon, even though he despised the man. But this new creature, one seemingly forged in the flames of the Turner's burning home, could only think this: What a perfect opportunity to implicate this imbecile even further.

Kei looked up to see D-Day literally running out the door. Instinctively, he knew where the celebrity was headed. The presence of that shirt in Lily’s closet meant that Damon had some sort of special relationship with her, just as Kei did. And like Kei, he must have spent time in Lily's room. Blood rose to the high schooler's head as he imagined the worst, that he was not special, like Lily said, that he was one of a line of boys that shared Lily's bed.

Breathe, Kei told himself. You knew Lily...you KNOW Lily. She is the person you think she is.

Kei glanced at the Walkman at his foot—he knew it wasn't needed to implicate Damon further, but more than that, a rush of regret spilled over him. The guilt of what he'd done, what he was still doing, was overwhelming Kei. As much as he hated Damon, Kei realized that the tables had turned: Kei was the one doing wrong, the one who had perpetrated an evil. And as such, he wondered, Was Lily’s assessment of me wrong after all?

He would think about that later, about his complicated feelings and the things he'd done, but first, he had to do something else. Kei walked away from the Walkman, leaving it to be found by someone else, and walked in a direction opposite of the whole town, it seemed. While they walked toward the blaze he had set, Kei ran home.



There were only two people that had ever known Kei for who he really was. The town saw him as some great hope, as one who was both an "intruder" but also a model of what a newcomer could be, someone popular, diligent, intelligent, who would eventually leave to an Ivy League institution, to which he would indeed be headed after graduation. But Lily knew him for who we really was, for all the complications and complexities within.

The other person who knew that Kei was far from perfect, though, was someone he met even before Lily—but only minutes before.

Up until his sophomore year in high school, Kei attended school, conducted his club activities, and went home, where he studied for hours and hours each night. He hated that life, for he hated his home—a suffocating mother and a raging father who took out all his frustration from work, all his frustrations in life, out physically on his mom, and verbally on him. So to stay away from home, Kei began to go to the ice cream parlor, to study there, but it was a distracting placed, sticky and filled with loud families. So one day—he remembered it well, an autumn day, October 30th, the day before Halloween—Kei grabbed his books and walked over to the Cosy Bear Cafe for the first time.

It was moderately busy that afternoon, but Kei found a small table to himself. He sat and worked through his studies as he drank down caramel frap after caramel frap. Even when studying, Kei always made sure to look the part of the conscientious young man, the type who carried groceries for old ladies while still being admired by guys and loved by girls. But that day, only for half a minute, he failed to keep up the phony face. Kei's mom and dad had a particularly vicious fight earlier—she yelled back at him that morning, which she never did, and never did again after how it turned out. He felt sorry for his mom, but only for a moment, because if truth be told, he hated her more than he did his dad.

And so a sorrowful expression washed over Kei's face for just a bit, not one of sadness for his mom, but for himself, which was when a beautiful young woman—still older than him, and apparently a waitress—sat in the empty chair next to his.

“You alright, sweetie?” Elizabeth gently smiled as she slid into the seat across from the dark-haired boy who had been brooding at table 9 for some time. “You haven’t ordered anything besides those coffee drinks… what can I get you to eat? On the house.” She winked at him playfully, her smile turning into a smirk.

Maybe Elizabeth was just analyzing things too closely, as she typically did, but she had a gut feeling that all was not right in this young man’s life. Although he kept himself busy, she felt that something was off; Lily would often call her an “empath” for picking up on various peoples’ “vibes” or energy this way. Or, perhaps it was just whatever homework he was currently keeping himself occupied with… Either way, it did no harm to the business to offer a free meal here and there. Hopefully she could help him in some way, even if she was reading too far into her own assumptions about a complete stranger.

Elizabeth was right of course—he was not alright. Kei, on the other hand, had no idea how to read the young lady. Truth be told, he was just taken aback at how well she seemed to read him. Maybe she had some special ability, or maybe this was just what it was to be mature?

“Uh, I uh, well…” he stammered.

No, he thought—she’s not typical. This woman is quite sharp. Of all the places to study, he picked an establishment with a waitress that was far smarter than he.

Kei laughed and cleared his throat. “Yes to the second question—your croissants have been calling me all afternoon. And no to the first. I...don’t usually share, and maybe this is more than you want to know, but home life has been hard. It’s really bad actually. I can’t wait to get away...and today, I feel like I would be willing to do so by any means.

But yeah, this is so strange of me to share so much! What I would normally say is, ‘I really like this cafe! And my name,’” he continued, holding out his hand, “‘Is Kei.’”

Elizabeth chuckled, “Don’t worry, you don’t have to pretend here. I don’t mind. It’s really nice to meet you, Kei.” She shook his hand, remaining unphased by how he had just opened up to her. Since she began working at the restaurant, Elizabeth had quickly learned that waitresses and bartenders typically became the public's part-time therapist (especially the bartenders). “You can call me Ellie.” She stood from her chair, deciding not to address the issue right then. “Croissant, coming right up. Sit tight!”

A few moments later she reappeared from the kitchen, a plate full of croissants in hand. “Here you go. It’s still not real food… buuuuut… I suppose it’ll do for now.” She set the plate down in front of him and took her seat back at the table. “I’m sorry about your home life…” She averted her gaze from his, looking at the papers he had been studying. “Mine hasn’t been the best either, so I get it… But hey, life goes on right? C’est la vie!” She met his gaze again, “You just have to try and stay positive… things will work out in the end. They always do.”

“You know…” She paused, considering what she was about to say. “We do have an opening here at the cafe… if you need any excuse to leave home, or have a distraction… I’d gladly hire you as one of our busboys, if you want.”

As Ellie spoke, Kei gently tore a piece from one of the croissants and considered her words. Things will work out in the end. But how could she know that? Rationally, Kei knew that couldn’t be true, not always. Wasn’t a phrase like that just empty semantics, a platitude that you say to someone when you just don’t know what else to say?

But looking at Elizabeth, Kei knew that she meant what she said, and more than that, her own experiences must have bore them out to be true. Logic out the window, Kei felt that a story was just beginning, some sort of journey, a way out of his broken household not built upon what his parents willed, but a new way that he could not yet see, on a path that was still overgrown and filled with people he was just now meeting, like Ellie, and others, perhaps, he didn’t yet know.

And so when the offer came from her lips, Kei paused only for a second, for he knew this was just right. He knew he could trust this woman, despite meeting her just five minutes prior, that this meeting was serendipitous, the beginning of something great as it started with something small—a basket of croissants and a job bussing tables.

“Ellie...thank you. I accept.”

"Yay! I'm so glad. Interviewing can be such a pain. I have a good feeling about you, Kei." She grinned, ignoring the nagging voice in her head telling her that she would have to explain the sudden hire to her father. He would understand… eventually.

"I know it might be strange to say, but… if the cafe isn't open for some reason and you need somewhere to go, I want you to know that my family's home is always open for you." This would be harder to explain to her father, if Kei ever utilized it, but Elizabeth couldn't stop herself. She had a soft spot for situations like this. When her mom had passed away she had felt so alone and lost. If she could help another person who was feeling the same way, it would mean the world to her.

"There is one person I have to get approval from before you start, though…" She giggled before swiveling in her seat to look across the room. "Lil!" An ebony haired woman looked up from the chocolate milkshake she had been stirring around, lighting up with a smile upon seeing Elizabeth. "C'mere! I've got someone for you to meet."



Kei was drowning in tears as he reached his door—the memories of that day, of first meeting Ellie, who would become his confidante, and of Lily. Oh, Lily…

She wasn’t there, of course, but in a sense she was. Kei thought of Lily as always being with him, though they didn’t see each other daily, sometimes not even weekly. It even terrified him sometimes to know how much passion he felt toward Lily, the only person he loved—the only person, Kei occasionally thought, he had ever loved.

But that thought wasn’t accurate. Kei loved his parents deeply, once, when he was young. Even when they did wrong, Kei blamed himself, for after all, in a young man’s thinking, his parents couldn’t be wrong. But when he became an adolescent, Kei realized what his parents really were, and he lost his love for them, replacing it with rage and hate, feelings that could have overtaken him if not for Lily, if not for that someone he came to love fiercely.

What Kei didn’t realize was that in just mere days, the hole within him that a missing Lily left was being consumed again by bitterness. When you depend fully on someone else, if that person leaves, you’re left with what you had before—and what Kei had was emptiness and fire. It was no wonder that his body reacted as it did at the Turners’ residence, setting the house aflame. It was merely what was within his heart spilling over.

Kei wiped his face, violently pushing away sweat and tears, and entered the home. He witnessed the usual—his father at the table, on his day off, reading a newspaper, and his mother cooking.

"What you do here," Kei's mom asked. "No school?"

"Today's the assembly," Kei said, almost in a whisper, as he walked toward her in the kitchen, near the utensil drawers.

"Hmm," replied his father, all-knowing as usual.

"Ah, crazy day," his mother went on. "They's also fire today. Mayor house all burn down!"

"Yeah," Kei responded, building up his courage through the lump in his throat. He opened the drawer while looking at his parents, and felt around—forks, spoons, and knives.

"That's why I'm here."

Kei's parents both looked up.

He took another breath and looked to the sky, as if he could see someone there. In fact, he could. In the short time that Lily had been missing, Kei had been having visions of her. They were hard to explain: It wasn’t while he slept, and he knew they weren’t real. Kei felt that he was making them up somehow, these visions of Lily all in white. She would speak to him with different phrases and words, but mostly this one over and over: “You can do it, Kei. You are strong enough to do it.”
And so it was this time as well.

His hand caressed a knife, the one he’d always sharpened at his father’s command. He held it for a second as he looked his parents in the eyes.

He took one more deep breath—and then the decision was made.



The walk was long and hot as Kei carried all that he now had left in the world—clothes and few other possessions in two Adidas bags. It was a suffocating walk as he dealt with his injuries. He vomited twice, but refused to stop walking because he was already late, having texted Ellie who told him where she was, and that he should come as well.

As he neared the destination, Kei touched a slightly swollen eye. His dad had rarely disciplined his son physically, and had never hit him in anger. But today was different, and Kei had been ready for it. He had been strong, as Lily told him to be. Strength, in that moment, meant to not give in to some temptation or ridiculous notion as he did earlier in the day. No, he would not do something from which there was no return.

Kei had let go of the knife and pulled his hand out of the kitchen drawer, and told his parents the truth: "This morning, I broke into Mayor Turner's house because I wanted to visit his daughter's room. She and I have been having an affair. And I was so upset… that I burned the mayor's house down."

There he waited for his father’s response. His admission to arson was the worst thing possible, not because of his son's damaged character, but because of the shame it would bring their family. Kei's father, a man with fists like steel, soon responded to the shocking admission: he hit his son over and over and over again—at first in the face, but then with the knowledge that Kei would be questioned about a bloody face, into his body. The pain was overwhelming, but it was the price Kei would willingly pay for what would come next. Kei would be strong because this assault was the cutting of the string that would set him free.

"You no longer my son! You leave this house! Never come back!"

The words of freedom had rung through the air—Kei's father was telling him to leave. He would not have to be part of this family any longer; he had been tossed out of it. And while Kei knew that his father would hide this moment and not tell anyone that he disowned his son, the ties had been effectively cut.

And now, he was free.

His face swollen and a bit blue, with a lip cut but no longer bleeding, Kei didn't look as bad as he felt. Most of the damage was underneath his shirt. Everything hurt—he could barely hold onto the bags slung over his shoulders, but it was fine because Kei had made it there, outside the pizzeria where Ellie said she was headed. It was fine because he remembered that conversation in October with Ellie, where she sweetly and genuinely told him she would take him in. A chapter that started that autumn day in the café was now almost complete.

Through beaten lips, Kei smiled, and for the second time today, wiped his tears and put his hand on a door.

“Son, can I speak with you a minute?”

Kei turned around and with a gulp of surprise, saw the one person he did not want to see.

Sheriff Spade continued, “There's been a fire." He looked behind and then back at Kei. "And I have a few questions I need to ask."

---

Mentions:@BeastofDestiny@TootsiePop Interaction:@Allycat@Jun

“We’ll get through this my dear, a day at a time. You know where to find me if you need me, take care now.”

Elizabeth forced a smile as Ollivander took his leave. His words were what most people said when they didn't know what else to say; she remembered hearing similar things when her mother died. It was time for another round, it seemed. Nonetheless, she knew that everyone meant well when they said them and she had been just as guilty at saying these cliche things. It didn't necessarily help, but everyone had to find a way to move on... somehow.

"Thank you, Mr. Clarke... I'll see you around."

"Kiddo," Her fathers gruff voice came from behind, a hand lightly grasping her shoulder in a reassuring way. Elizabeth turned to face him, fighting the urge to cry at the tired sight of him. "I'm gonna get the boys home... I don't want them running off to the fire, you know how they are..." Johnathon's dark eyes moved to Elliot, a boy he trusted to take care of his daughter. He met eyes with the younger boy, giving him a knowing look.

Elizbeth nodded, "I'll see you at home a little later." She glanced over at Elliot, who she could tell her father was putting responsibility on without even saying the words; they had all known each other long enough to read facial expressions. She didn't want this for Elliot, or anyone. No one should have to take care of her or worry over her. She was supposed to be the one taking care of other people. "Get it together..."

"Come on, there can't be many places open today. I don't want to wait forever, I think my stomach might end up shrinking."

She smiled at his comment, but did not reciprocate his light laugh. She just couldn't bring herself to do it. "I can drive u-" Shoved to the side, the red head stumbled forward, glaring green eyes darting up to see who had just pushed her and her last remaining best friend out of the way. "Hey!"

"Shit, sorry!"

Clattering to the ground, a gold plated walkman fell out of the man's pocket and bounced a couple times off the floor. She looked down, noticing the initials plastered for all to see. D.A.D. "Damon?" She looked back up, watching the man move anyone out of the way who was between him and the exit. The celebrity was clearly disguised in some awful outfit which barely accomplished anything. Her mind sent her back to the last night she had seen Lily. One of the last things Lily had said to her was that she was going to Damon's house... A shiver ran through her body, eyes staring forward as if into an empty void while the memory flashed images through her minds eye. Throughout these brief flashbacks, Elizabeth completely missed Kei making an exit from the community center.

Heart racing once again, Elizabeth dragged herself out from the memory. She blinked a few times before stepping away from Elliot, quickly scooping up the Walkman and holding it close to her chest. She would return this to Damon... at some point. She had not talked to him since Lillian went missing. Did he have something to do with this? What did he know? What did Lily say? Where did she go afterwards? She hadn't reached out to him previously because she had been too afraid of what might have been said when Lily went to visit him in the middle of the night, worked up from an argument.

Shoving the Walkman into her orange hoodie's front pocket, Elizabeth turned back to Elliot. "I was saying - I'll drive. Let's get some pizza."





Elizabeth wasn't exactly sure what to say to Elliot on their drive over, which took a little longer than expected due to traffic coming out of the community center. The roads were not prepared for that sort of influx confined in one area. Most of the media crews trying to hurry their way out to the "big fire" had not made anything any easier. Still, Elliot's presence was appreciated and even comforting. They didn't have to say things just to fill the empty air and that was nice.

When they had first entered the restaurant her phone had buzzed to indicate an incoming text message.

Kei Aiba
"Can we hangout?"

She didn't find it odd that he wanted to be around other people, just like her. It helped to numb the pain of Lily's absence a little bit. She knew that he had been friends with Lillian as well, hanging out from time to time. She quickly wrote back, "Of course. Elliot and I are at Mario's Pizzeria. About to order, want me to get you something?"

While standing in line to order, Elizabeth turned to Elliot, "I invited Kei to come meet us, I hope you don't mind." She gestured to her phone, "He just texted me." She knew that Elliot probably wouldn't mind, he was always such a sweetheart.

Ten minutes later, orders made, the pair sat down at a booth fit for four people. Elizabeth sat opposite of Elliot and quietly awaited their small pizza orders to be brought to the table. Settling back into her chair, she searched her mind for a topic and glued her eyes to the stained ceiling tiles of the restaurant. Something in her mind told her to make small talk, avoid the elephant in the room, keep things light and happy. However, the thought of making small talk made her skin crawl. She had to address it, and who better to talk about it with than Elliot? She could trust him.

"When was the last time you talked to Lil?" She met her eyes with Elliot again, surprising herself that she had asked without hesitation.

Distracted by the sound of rattling bells attached to the pizzeria door, Elizabeth looked towards the entrance. At first she smiled, realizing that Kei had already made it to the pizzeria. Then she noticed the way his face looked even from afar, along with the sheriff moving quickly to catch up with him.

"Kei?" His name escaped her mouth as she began to slide out of the booth, giving Elliot a worried look. Hurriedly, she walked out of the pizzeria and held the door open, locking eyes with the sheriff. "Is everything okay?" Her eyes moved back and forth between sheriff Spade and Kei, lingering on Kei's face. "Kei, what happened?" She went to touch his cheek in a motherly way before stopping herself, not wanting to press too hard and hurt him in the process.

"Afternoon, Ms. Baker." The sheriff looked over Kei, just now seeing that the boy looked a little beaten and blue in the face. "Kei's bike, which was registered with us, was found near the Turner's house. I just need to know why it was left there. Are you okay, son?"

Elizabeth's face was ridden with confusion. She looked to Kei again, "Did someone hurt you, Kei? While you were there?"

"Ms. Baker, please go back inside. This will only take a few moments. He is not under arrest." His voice was stern as he looked at Elizabeth, no longer wanting her to possibly influence the words that Kei would have answered.

Elizabeth paused, staring down the sheriff. The anger simmering deep within her over Lillian threatened to boil over, even though this was not the time or the place. She bit the inside of her lower lip, as if to physically stop herself from saying anything stupid. Why did she feel so much more impulsive than usual? Sheriff Spade did have this towns best interest... didn't he?

After what seemed like a good five minute stare down, fire in her eyes, Elizabeth took a step back into the restaurant, "Fine." She removed her angry gaze from the sheriff and looked to Kei. "I'll see you inside, okay?" Finally, she re-entered the restaurant and slowly made her way back to the table.

---

It was a cold morning, the sun was high and the air was still and all that could be seen, stretching beyond the horizon was a thick layer of white from freshly fallen snow, marred by a patchy brown line cutting through it all. It was calm, quiet, the only sound to be heard was the gentle brushing of wind as it lifted snow off the ground like the Saharan sands. Soon though, that cool and calming wind was accompanied by a breezy melody, its source coming from a weathered acoustic guitar, played by a young man. Kiyoshi’s fingers strummed smoothly across the strings, an appreciative bovine audience having found his music soothing, accompanying him. He sat atop the three foot high fence, the separation between the cows and civilization as he played, feet dangling over the edge. Christmas was just around the corner, with the New Year following not too far behind. Family on his Aunt’s side had decided to come for the holidays this year, and while everyone was back at home enjoying the warmth of the fire and festivities, Kiyo had taken it upon himself to wander the countryside and play his guitar. Despite his Aunt’s objections, she knew that once he was set on something, he did it, she only encouraged him to at least wear something warm and while he did wear a dark blue hoodie, she probably would have scolded him for his brisk legwear; at least he was wearing long socks to cover up a little. His hands continued to play the endless tune mindlessly as his head wandered through the melody, lost to the tune of each note. Then...tragedy struck.

His song was cut abruptly short as tires screeched across the ground, ending in a resounding metallic thump and wooden crunch. His audience, clearly startled by the sudden predicament, scattered back into the fields from whence they came, Kiyo’s eyes furiously blinking as he tried to make heads or tails of what happened. Hands resting on his instrument, he slowly turned his head to the sound of an engine revving and tires free spinning, kicking up dirt and snow behind it...someone crashed their car, a relatively nice one as well. The young man’s brows furrowed as he processed the situation, “Geez...you think someone would’ve gotten their winter tires already?” Who the hell drives out into the countryside in a nice car like that after fresh snow, and doesn’t expect to get into an accident..? Sighing rather dejectedly, Kiyo started slinging his guitar across his back, “Well...there goes my Thursday…” Despite the sudden annoyance he couldn’t just leave anyone to their fate, especially since he was the only individual around for a couple of miles, he was pretty much obligated to help out.

Swinging his legs over the side of the fence, he hopped back down to the ground with a deadened thump as his feet plummeted into the snow. Trudging on over to the other side of the road, he leaned down and peered into the window to a rather flustered, if not distressed individual, then again, who wouldn’t be in this kind of situation? With a deadpan stare he rapped his knuckles on the driver side window to get the person’s attention, before waving his hand in greeting and motioning for them to roll down their window. With their attention grasped and window rolled down, he gave them a once over to make sure they were fine, which they certainly seemed fine physically, though also familiar. Dark raven hair, pale skin, wide blue eyes… the Mayor’s daughter? What was she doing out here? Kiyo’s expression was rather puzzled by this enlightenment, he’d never known the girl personally, she was ahead of him a year in school so he’d seen her often enough in and out of class. That being said, like everyone else in this town it wasn’t hard to know who was who unless you tried to make it so; Kiyo was one of those people who was particularly good at not being seen.

“Oh my gosh! My guardian angel!” Lillian turner quickly rolled down the window of her 2014 Mercedes CLA 250; a lovely hand-me-down from her father which stuck out like a sore thumb in the outskirts of the city. “I’m so glad you’re here.” She gave the man at her window a sheepish grin, feeling rather embarrassed about her current situation. “There was black ice and I lost control…” She frowned, glancing back at where she had first felt her tires sliding across the ice.

Slowly, she opened up the driver door and stepped out with her Timberland boots crunching into the snow beneath. Leaving the door open, there was a clear view into the backseat which was practically filled to the brim with wrapped christmas presents. “I almost made it to his house, too…” She sighed as she muttered to herself, walking around the car to view the damage. Luckily it was nothing major, only a cracked right mirror from hitting a tree branch and a few scuffs on the right side from going down into the small ditch.

“Do you happen to have anything that could pull my car out of here?” She turned towards the stranger who came to check on her, grateful that she wasn’t left to figure this out by herself.

The young man cocked his head to the side as the girl droned on. First she mentioned the black ice, “Well yea, it might be a dirt road, but people don’t expect luxury cars out here.” Then there was the mention of ‘his’ house, “Maybe some family member’s place? Nah probably her boyfriend’s or something.” As she inspected the damage, he did one of his own with a light kick to the tire, as though he were some offshore mechanic confirming that, ‘yep, she’s busted alright’; insert chew tobacco spit take. He took a brief interest in the contents of her vehicle, some rather sizable plethora of brightly colored gifts, it certainly gave the impression she was going all out, though it probably wasn’t for something charitable; like orphan children and puppy levels of charitable. As she came back around to ask him if he had a way to help her get out, his head levelled back up as he blinked his eyes to the question. What exactly was she expecting him to do? Hulk out and lift the thing out of this ditch? ...probably not, that’d be too boring anyway.

Rather than giving an obvious answer, Kiyo reached into his hoodie pocket and pulled out his phone to scroll through it. At first glance it probably looked like he was going to call someone, but here in the outskirts, a cell signal was hard to come by. Instead he was looking through his playlist for something he could listen to while travelling, the homestead of Oakley Ranch was probably a half mile or so up the road, they’d probably have a truck with a tow and it’d be a few minutes of walking to get to it. Satisfied with his choice he turned and started walking the direction the car was going in. About eight steps in he realized there was still another person with him and so he gestured for her to follow, inverting the headphones around his neck to act as a mini speaker as he walked. Hands stretched up, clasped around the back of his head, his bare legs bracing the cold as his shorts rustled in the wind; it really was a nice day out.

Lillian raised a brow as the man began to look at his phone without saying a word to her. She waited patiently, wondering if he planned on calling a tow truck service. “I could have done that…” She thought, eyeing him quietly.

As he began to walk away, still no words spoken, Lillian sighed. She’d have to figure this out for herself after all. It wasn’t his problem and she couldn’t really blame him. But didn’t he want to help a damsel in distress?! She groaned, taking one last glance at him just in time to catch him gesturing for her to follow. She grinned, hope was restored! “Oh! Me?” She hurried around to the drivers side door and shoved it closed, making sure to grab her keys and lock it.

As fast as she could without slipping, she ran to catch up with him. Perhaps leaving behind a Mercedes full of gifts and walking off into the countryside with a stranger wasn’t the best idea… but she believed most people to be good. “Maybe he doesn’t want to talk to me…” She pondered, walking quietly beside him as his music played in the background. “Peculiar…” She looked over his headphones before raising her eyes to his. “I’m Lily, by the way. What’s your name?”

He turned his gaze slightly as he eyed her up and down, “Lily, eh…?” He pondered this for a moment, yea he could see that, though he would’ve preferred keeping things impersonal, ‘Mayor’s Daughter’ had a better ring to it. Though since she was taking the effort to introduce herself, he might as well do the same. His hands began to rifle through his shorts and hoodie pockets, he knew there was one in there… ah!

Producing a small business card he stretched his hand out to give it to her, the text on it simply reading, My name is Kiyoshi Itsugaya, I am mute, apologies for the inconvenience. He used to bring a text to speech device with him wherever he went, but ever since the dredges of the outside world started touring Emerald City, plus an inconveniently, unfortunate encounter with a Wild Karen went south, he decided business cards were a more economic investment to introductions. To emphasize his point to her he pointed to his mouth as he opened and closed it, no sound coming out, ending the exchange with a brief shrug as he kept on walking.

Lily took the card and read it, suddenly feeling a bit selfish for thinking it was just her that he didn’t want to talk to. She put the card into her jacket and looked up at him, smiling. “It’s nice to meet you, Kiyoshi.” She looked forward, trying to figure out where he was taking her. “Thank you for doing this… you’re such an angel, seriously.” She stuck her hands in her pockets to hide them from the chill, twirling the business card around in her hand. To be honest, she wasn’t sure what to do when someone couldn’t respond directly to her. She felt the urge to keep talking to fill the silence, but in the back of her mind she knew that no one enjoyed aimless chatter. Typically, people were constantly talking to her, telling her things, asking her things and looking for answers. With that in mind, she decided to stop trying to fill the air with nonsense. The silence was actually nice and the music that Kiyoshi had chosen was charming.

---

A few days had passed since the misadventures with Lily ‘The Mayor’s Daughter’ Turner. After their introduction the two passed their walk in a comfortable silence, a mutual understanding between them. When they did make it to the farm they explained the situation to the ranch owner and hence hopped in his truck to pull her vehicle out of the ditch. Once everything was settled the two said their goodbyes and Kiyo, having had enough outdoor entertainment made his way back home to food and family. “Which of course, brings us to now…” As mildly entertaining as a dramatic monologue with comic book heroic undertones was, nothing was quite as amusing as live music and an audience to accompany it. He was back at the same fence post, playing the same guitar, to the same group of cows. Behind him was where a car had planted itself earlier in the week, the skid marks covered in a fresh layer of snow, but the damage to a small tree and another part of the fence was still prevalent. He briefly wondered if something like that would happen twice in the same week, though he was fairly doubtful.

“Ah-ha! Found him!” Lillian thought, pulling off into the shoulder of the road with the same Mercedes that she had gone into a ditch with earlier in the week. She had suspected that Kiyoshi had a daily routine and that she would find him near the same location that she had met him. Lucky for her, she was correct. Before getting out of the car, Lily grabbed the gift she had brought for him; a card accompanied with a medium sized square box wrapped in reindeer wrapping paper.

Excitedly she exited the car and called out, “Kiyo!” Careful with her steps, she crossed the ditch and made her way to the fence where he was sitting. “I brought you something.” She stretched out her arms, presenting the box and the card laying on top to him. “It’s not much but… it’s the least I could do. You’re my guardian angel, after all, and you deserve a reward.” She giggled as he took the gifts from her. “It’s a.. Merry Christmas and thank you gift. I hope you like it.”

Lily? While not exactly as spectacular an opening as earlier in the week, seeing her so soon was unexpected. Curious as to why she was back here again, “Maybe to see her boyfriend again?”, he was surprised when in her hands was a wrapped present and card and that she was offering it to him. Curiouser and curiouser, Kiyo swung his legs around and hopped down the fence again, guitar slung across his chest as he accepted the mysterious packaged, a perplexed look on his face as he stared at her. Clearly she wanted him to open the gift as swiftly as possible, her giddy expression clearly a want for him to see what was inside the box. Gently placing the enveloped card in his mouth he carefully unwrapped the paper, and what revealed inside was… “Holy shit…”

His mouth suddenly gaped open, the card dropping on top of the box, quick to remove it, lest his eyes were playing some kind of illusion on him, he stared in awe at the package. A set of Blue Series, studio quality ’Ella’ Headphones, these things were like $800, how in the hell did she even manage to… Kiyo looked back up to Lily, then back down to the box...this was unreal. They’d only just met and here she was gifting him something like this? Was this… a bribe? No, what the hell he didn’t exactly have much to offer in return and she seemed far too nice for something like that. Confused he looked her in the eyes, trying to find some sinister trace to them, some ulterior motive...but there was nothing, nothing but pure joy that she got him something that his face clearly showed he liked. He couldn’t possibly accept this and yet he was sure she’d insist upon it...he didn’t even have anything for her...what about something that was already on him? His own headphones? No that would just seem like he was giving a hand-me-down. His hoodie? Girls liked those...no he hadn’t washed them in a week, this was literally the same hoodie he met her in. What about… he looked down at his guitar, it was something he bought with his own money, slightly worn, but well loved, something personal. Looking back to her, he wasn’t sure if she’d like it but...what the hell. Placing his new gift gently into the snow, he straightened back up and unslung the guitar from his shoulder, offering it to the young woman, much in a way a blacksmith offered a sword to another. He looked expectantly, hoping that she would take it, cause otherwise, he’d feel like a right jerk that he hadn’t thought of gifting her something in return.

"No, no, no, no!" Lily shook her hands in front of her and then gently pushed the guitar back toward Kiyo's chest. She laughed, "It's a gift, silly. Not a trade!" She gestured to the card, "Plus, you still need to open your card. I love giving gifts, I promise I don't expect anything from it." She moved in closer and quickly planted a kiss on his cheek. "I just wanted to say thank you and I really appreciate your help the other day."

He began to move in protest, his cheeks slightly puffing outward, communication really was a problem for him. Before he had the chance though, her light peck caught him off guard, and he stood frozen in place as his eyes widened, staring in bewilderment. His brain felt like a muddled cog, “Tch- I- dehg… wuh-CRASH

---

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Jostled from his sleep, Kiyoshi took in his surroundings. It was dark, he was in motion or rather on something in motion...a bus...right. Sitting up slightly he looked outside, it was dark, the only visible source of light was the moon, a stark contrast from the fluorescent street lamps that dotted the city scape he had come from. How long had he been out for? How long had been travelling? Pulling out his phone he checked the time...3 am… sighing he slumped back into his seat, “What a joke…” Crossing his arms, he turned to look back out the window reflecting on what happened, a divet in the road most likely the cause of his sudden awakening, but more importantly he had that dream again.

Kiyo had been planning on going away for a few weeks, meeting up with his parents as they toured across the states. The travel would have been somewhat hectic, but not unfamiliar, plus he was just happy to see them. It was supposed to be fun, carefree and yet within a week of travelling he heard the news; Lily Turner was missing. It had only been a couple of months since they met and introduced themselves, yet based on their frequent schedule the two had been seeing each other usually every other day...nothing romantic of course, just two ships passing in the night. Even with the brief interlude into their daily routine, it had formed into a kind of constant familiarity that Kiyo had grown accustomed to. To find out that this constant had suddenly gone missing, it hit a certain note in Kiyo’s heart, like the dulcet tones of a sullened melody, an arrow in his chest. Some would mistake this as a romantic inclination, Lily wasn’t that, she was something akin to family and that familiarity is what made the potential reality hit hard and at home. With this in mind, despite his parents concerns, he felt the need to come back home, back to Emerald City, much to the chagrin of his early am bus driver. Kiyo preferred this form of travel though, preferred the quiet, solidarity, and with that his eyes had drifted back, fading away into those dulcet tones.
...
“Hey, wake up.” Kiyo’s eyes slowly shifted open, once again taking in his surroundings, Kiyo was back on the bus...only it was light out...really light out. “C’mon kid, look I know the other guy let you sleep in, but I got a schedule to keep, get up and move it out.” Looking up, this was indeed a different driver, and so begrudgingly Kiyoshi grabbed his bag and exited the bus, his eyes squinting at the exceedingly bright sunshine. Checking his phone again it was… 1:30? Jesus, how long had they been back in town? His surroundings were once again familiar and yet somehow felt different. Maybe it was the undertones involved with the disappearance? His aunt had mentioned something about a meeting that was supposed to be taking place? Perhaps it had something to do with that...or perhaps it had something to do with those plumes of black smoke off in the distance...

---

---

Levi's blue eyes suddenly snapped open at the sound of rattling dishes from the down the hall. He sat up in bed, hair a complete mess and wearing only boxers, listening quietly for more movement outside his bedroom door. Was it a dream that woke him? Another nightmare?

Clink
"Mmm-mm... hmm...."

"Someone is in my kitchen!" His heart raced as he threw himself out of bed and reached for his handgun which was locked in a small safe under his bed. Carefully, trying to take deep and calming breaths, he punched in the pin number to unlock the safe. "Those fuckers want to come back after all these years? They won't get away this time."

Beretta 92 in one hand, Levi quietly opened up his bedroom door. Raising the handgun up to eye level, he slowly rounded the corner. His eyes darted back and forth, searching for any sort of movement. Lightly, he walked down the hall and listened to the stranger rummage through his kitchen drawers, humming a melodic tune to themselves. Odd, but this was no time to be questioning the antics of a criminal.

"HANDS UP!" He quickly came from around the corner and into the kitchen, gun raised and ready to fire if provoked.

"AHHHH!"

"Oh Jesus Christ, MIMI!" Levi stopped aiming his gun at the blonde woman in his kitchen, whom he had clearly scared half to death. When he had yelled, she had screamed in surprise and dropped a whisk onto the floor as she spun around to see the source of the sudden disturbance.

"Levi!" She exclaimed, a hand on her chest as if to calm her pounding heart. "What is wrong with you?! You scared me! And here I am, being such a sweetheart and making you breakfast. That wasn't funny!" Mimi pouted as she bent down to pick up the whisk she had dropped, dressed in only a thin night gown and a cardigan sweater.

"I didn't-... what are you doing here?!"

"Making you breakfast, I just said!" With the whisk she gestured to the kitchen counter top. Pancake mix, eggs, milk, and various other items scattered all across his once clean kitchen. She eyed him up and down, glaring at him for a brief moment before her facial expression softened and she grinned at him in delight. "Oh, baby... do you not remember last night?" She looked up, searching her mind for an image of the previous night. "I guess you were pretty drunk." She giggled, setting down the whisk and moving closer to him. "I can help you remember if y-"

"No, I remember. I-..." He watched her move closer, but he was in no mood for cuddling up. "I expected you would be, uh... gone... by now. Ya know?" He gave her a sheepish smile, knowing this would rile her up but it was the truth. He hadn't intended for them to pretend like they were some normal couple in the morning. Mia Porter, or "Mimi", was his on-again-off-again girlfriend. Though they had been "off" for quite some time now. Nonetheless, when a man is weak and a panther sees her prey....

Mimi pouted again, puffing her cheeks as she glared at him once more. "You said I could stay!" She turned away from him in a huff, going back to her cooking. "Besides, it's almost done and... here." She grabbed the coffee pot and poured him a drink.

Levi watched her, setting his handgun down onto the kitchen table and taking a seat as he reflected on his actions. "I said she could stay? Now I really don't remember that...." He looked over at his gun on the table, feeling a tinge of guilt. Ever since his mothers home invasion, he'd never been the same and was quick to jump to conclusions. "Idiot..."

"Aren't I an angel?"

She set down a cup of coffee in front of him before going back to making pancakes, clearly pleased with herself. He observed quietly, nearly laughing out loud at the thought of her being an angel. She appeared sweet on the outside, but she could be downright evil if she wanted to be. In truth, it was probably the thing that he liked about her. She was exciting. His mother use to joke that he was a magnet for crazy and Mimi would have proved her theory. He smiled to himself, taking his coffee cup and wondering where his ex-girlfriend had gotten the nightgown from. Did she bring an overnight bag? He hadn't noticed when she had first arrived...

"Mimi, I really can't. I have to go and... you... you have to go too." He cringed at his own wording, but he was never one to beat around the bush. She was use to that by now.

"Just eat and be happy that I made you this lovely breakfast!"

Hearing his phone text notification go off from the bedroom, Levi took that as an exit from this argument and headed into the bedroom to put away his handgun and check his phone.

Fire at the Turners. Get here. - T.S.

Yes! An actual excuse to give his ex that wasn't a lie! Pity about the fire, but...

"Mimi! Let's go, I have to work!"

---

@Rabidporcupine@Kitty@TootsiePop

After having dropped off Mimi at her own home, with her overnight bag, Levi pulled up to the Turner household to find it half engulfed in flames. "Who the hell did this?" He thought, parking across the street where police had sectioned off an area of authorized personnel only. Exiting his car, he found Thomas Spade standing with the Turners who watched in helpless horror. Sad what had been happening to this family... He truly felt for them. He was on the case, and genuinely trying his best to find out what had happened to miss Lily Turner.

Aside from that group, he noticed a smaller group off to the side of the house simply watching the chaos go down. "Innocent bystanders or the culprits hiding in plain sight?" He looked them over briefly from across the street. One female, drinking something and leaning against a motorcycle and one male, large in stature and sitting on a scooter. The woman looked familiar.

"Excuse me," He made his way across the street, approaching them for questioning. "Hi. I'm detective Brooks. Can I ask you both some questions?" He smiled charmingly, looking to both the male and female. Upon closer inspection, he had recognized the female as Mirai Ito - an ex gang member who the mayor himself had made sure was on the police stations radar once he learned of her arrival. "Just want to know if either of you saw anything be-"

"Back the fuck off! PEARL IS IN THERE."

Levi looked up just in time to see a young man climb through an open window and into the burning house. "Oh hell...." Without a second thought Levi turned and sprinted after the kid, throwing his peacoat off onto the lawn as he climbed through the window.

"Hey kid!" He called, eyes squinting as he tried to see through the smoke. "You're going to get yourself killed in here!" The irony wasn't lost on Levi; he could get himself killed trying to save someone too. Perhaps him and this stranger weren't so different.

Levi covered his face with his shirt as he tried to find his way through this mansion of a house. On the way to the kitchen he spotted some footsteps in the soot and decided to follow them, even though the feeling of impending doom was beginning to settle in as he started to cough. The smoke was getting to him already. Maybe running in here hadn't been a great idea...

"Hey! Where are you?!"

He frantically ran down a hallway looking in every room he could, trying to spot the kid through all the smoke. He didn't hear anything aside from the flames and the creaking of the house, which furthered the feeling of doom in the pit of his stomach. "Kid! We gotta get-" Upon entering the living room he found the boy, passed out with a white cat in his arms who was also passed out. "For a cat?!" He thought, running over to the kid and shaking his shoulders. "Fuck." He cursed as he realized that the kid was completely out. "Here we go..."

Levi wasn't exactly the most athletic guy, but he did go to the gym to lift weights and for once it was going to come in handy. He scooped up the dark haired stranger and his furry friend, carrying them both bridal style and began to back track his way through the house. Once he reached the front door he was relieved to find that someone had already opened it, waiting for the two of them to return. Levi rushed outside, setting the kid and his cat down onto the lawn.

"Someone help this cat! It needs air." He pointed to the cat, looking around at the firefighters and EMT's standing by. Without waiting, Levi rolled up his sleeves and began chest compressions on the male. This wasn't exactly who he had envisioned giving CPR to when he took the certification class, but... it had to be done.