[IC] The Midnight Train to Nowhere

[Kimchi]

Relieved to hear Harper agreeing with her investigation proposal she listened eagerly as he spouted a couple more research ideas on Siren Lake. He seemed so pumped and determined all of a sudden, his aura taking a whole new outlook and Jasper was glad that her simple suggestion had fired him up. Seeming to appear out of Nowhere, Jasper and Harper had been so intense and focused on search out plans that they hadn't realized that Serenade had approached then from behind. After Harper recovered from his surprise, the bunch listened in on the outlined events of the day and each other's group partners. Glancing at Harper and Ace, she was rather confident about the pairings, but the new found self esteem slightly diminished as Serenade announced that their designated guides will probably be leaving them on their own to handle some other business. Calling out their particular areas to snoop in, she then jabbed a finger towards her direction. She shook a bit, startled and wide eyed as Serenade continued to speak, assigning her as group leader.

About ready to protest, Ace jumped a little, acting like a revving engine ready to zoom away at the release of the brakes as she said rather enthusiastically, "Well what're we waiting for? Let's go, there's no time to waste!" 

Taking a nervous gulp, her palms started to feel clammy, but was pleased to have Ace there who would mostly likely be acting as the group leader even though she had been the one assigned.

"Ok, no funny business.. Let's go" she mumbled as she beckoned her two groupies towards the town. She planned to ask citizens first before heading for the lake. Then pausing for a moment she turned swiftly to her partners, "Wait, where would you guys like to start first?" She didn't want to be making all the decisions and just bossing both her buddies around to follow her on where she decided they were headed. Their opinion was important in this too.

[GreenGoat]

"Huh...This is not exactly what I had in mind for investigation." The gentleman sat on a conveniently placed tree stump. "Too many people always attract undue attention, and those who might have some good information may be scared off."

"By the way," Ace , one of the newest member of their group, added on. "I know it might not be a physical item exactly, but maybe it's some old time-y music box. Because I don't think tech here is like where we live. And that is one way to look for music after all."

"...its not a music box.." Mado spoke in a low voice, more to herself than to the others with some words inaudible, and thus hard to make out. "...the throat of the sirens...cage them, and make them sing....rip out their vocal cords if they refuse..."

New people... More of the new people... Which of the two will survive, if at all? What fate will her burden bring upon them? Most probably a watery one considering the proximity and size of the lake, plus a demented yodeler somewhere in the water. Mado had not bothered to even memorize their name. Worthless information should they only last a few hours.

"...make them scream... sooner or later the song will come...."

[Headphones]

Once the announcement was over, the humans began separating into their appointed groups and heading out towards their scheduled areas. Hakuren was quite pleased when he was informed about being given the position of group leader. His team consisted of Leon, Leila and Mado.
'The newbie, the snail and the unstable murderer-wanna-be..Well, it's not necessarily a loss.' he thought.

The areas Group Two was meant to investigate were the south side of the town of Yonder and the caves, located within a close distance of the village. As the appointed head of their merry band, the young man in the midnight green coat quickly measured and weighed the possibilities.
Albeit there was no additional information given to them, other than their location, the caves sounded promising at first thought. If any indecent procedure had to be carried out at some point of time, a secluded space would be splendid. A place where no one could hear, where no one could thoroughly search. Perhaps they were frightening enough to repulse previous investigators, if such had ever existed in the first place. Yet the black hare did mention a local detective, thus leading to the conclusion that there must have been some research done before their arrival. Once more, a fact had been hidden from the humans and not a single person had questioned if work had ever been done on the case in the past. It was no surprise to Hakuren that something had been left unsaid, after all, they were all still very young chess pieces in the game. Skipping pages would never provide you with the full flavor of the book, in fact, it only dulls out its taste and dims the sense of the story told. Thus allow yourself to be tricked and deceived by the play of words. The ending is all the same, what differs is the experience.
In any case, the caves had to be put on hold. If they resembled the geographical structures on Earth with the same name, the ground that would have to be covered inside them was far greater than the one in town. Not to mention there was a great risk of traps and accidents involving sound. Considering the magical activity in the area, a simple echo could likely bring them to their demise. Additionally, there was always something peculiar in "the south side". Regardless of the cluster, be it a bustling city or a small village, there was always something fishy stirring in the pot in the south side and it wasn't the mayor's family.

Allowing his gaze to flow freely from one face to another, the green-blue-eyed lad examined his group with a light smile on his face.
The new arrival, Leon, was still a simple sketch. Whether he had the potential to bloom in the full glory of colour was yet uncertain. However, he appeared relatively sane and held a placid disposition, which mean he would likely take the role of the right-hand man.
Leila, on the other hand, was still as silent as ever, carrying her shell without the slightest thought of bothering to speak up or display her viewpoint. However, it was notable that she had, for the first time since their meeting, cracked a smile. It had been when the lass replied to the youngster's question and, although it had been a simple one syllable, still held some worth, for she had shown emotion. A cultivated flower, no, a cultivated snail. What kind of creature that could be and why on earth would someone shelter it from the world were irrelevant questions. The title simply fitted her well.
And, of course, the last, but not the least, was Mado. A troublesome girl, who knew Japanese, she had caused plenty of mayhem for both guides and ordinary residents of Nowhere. With a murderous killing intent, she dreamt of wiping the kaonashi from the face of every world or at least that was what could be deducted from her usual murmuring. This dotting child would most likely bring about most of the misfortune in their search for clues or simply be the irritating torn in their side. Still, she had her uses and even a torn could become a vital weapon in the long run.
You would have to be both blind and deaf to not realize how disastrous this lovely compilation of individuals could be. Having the "stabby girl", as Cello had put it, as a member was a clear indicator of unfortunate events. Yet, towards whom that misfortune would be directed was another matter and the leader intended to have it work in his favor.

"Alright, we'll be heading for the south part of Yonder. Best take care of the small fries first." Hakuren sighed, once both Serenade and Jasper's group had departed. "The plan is simple. We'll go through the streets by trying to keep a low profile. Not that humans can really lay low in Nowhere, but we can still sneak around the back alleys. What we have to do is check the houses. The empty ones we'll raid if we find needed. If there's no hint of them offering a clue, we'll just leave them be. When it comes to the inhabited ones, we'll knock on their doors and ask for clues. However, there's no point in doing that if we just freak the residents out. Once we notice someone is living inside a house, two of us will go and knock on the front door, seeing as more numbers is usually depicted as frightening. Don't tell them what we're really after. Just say we've been sent by the Queen to do a survey on the living conditions. They'll unconsciously drop something at some point." he told his team-mates his plan. Leon probably handled conversations well, whilst Leila could come in as back-up if necessary. Mado was the big question mark in the equation. "Leon" he addressed the greenest of them, smiling as always. "We'll be the sweet-talkers. Don't slip up or we might lose a vital piece." He then turned to the pale girl "Leila, you'll be expected to keep track of all the information while the conversation's flowing. Look of any signs, verbal and movement-wise." It was always handy to have another pair of eyes on the look-out and with the lass having an existence almost as thin as air, she would attract less attention. "Mado-chan, kiite." it was time for the final role to be set "You'll be our hawk. While a pair is talking, you'll be scanning the next house. Don't break in until we're certain it's worth the bother." There was no way for him to be certain that they would listen, at least not for the unstable girl. Yet they all had one thing in common. They all wanted this nonsense of a case to be over for their own reasons. Getting the job done was the easiest route to the exit. "If all goes well, we'll be done before lunch. I wonder if they serve sushi here...or vocal cords." he was referencing Mado's earlier suggestion, which he had heard, but pretended not to. "So, any objections?" was his last question before giving the microphone to the rest of his group.

[Oblivion]

Being placed with Hakuren, Leila and Mado wasn’t something Leon had a problem with; in fact, his team seemed to be far easier to get along with, seeing as how he didn’t have to walk on eggshells around them. That likely would’ve been the case around Harper and Jasper, their quieter and more docile natures bringing out a softer and more nervous side of him that Leon didn’t particularly appreciate. Hakuren seemed like a promising leader, Leila gave him a knowledgeable vibe and Mado… slightly off but alright to him. He certainly hoped she wasn’t as homicidal as his gut was hinting at.

The caves sounded like the perfect place to hide something; if at any point of time someone had decided to hide an object – or even a song in Yonder, the dark depths of a cave sounded like a rewarding location, obscure and deserted enough to ensure no wayward tourist would go traipsing around and accidentally uncovered something they weren’t meant to.

As the first group departed in search of clues, Leon offered them a parting smile and a small wave, wishing them luck. Certainly, if the other group had some luck first, that would mean less work for them. As much as he’d have liked to deny it, Leon wasn’t one to appreciate energy-consuming activities and work. The less the better, his lazy mind agreed with the notion.

The sound of Hakuren’s voice brought his attention back to the dark-haired teen. Leon’s bright eyes watched the male silently. As Hakuren distributed their roles, a wide smile made its way on Leon’s face. "We'll be the sweet-talkers. Don't slip up or we might lose a vital piece."

“You have nothing to worry about. This is where fifteen years of playing the loveable, welcoming host comes in.” Leon didn’t even bother hiding the amusement in his voice, startled at the fact that his people-skills were coming in handy in a serious situation, for once. Sure, his sneaky smooth-talking had gotten him out of countless tight spots but now, finding this song was their key to the human world. Having never been through the rest’s ordeal and having spent two weeks in a merry tour of Nowhere, Leon wasn’t in all that hurry to leave yet though a nagging feeling deep inside told him that opinion would probably change soon, and radically.

The finer points of the plan were quickly running though his mind and being processed before Leon offered feedback, his tone slow and calculating. “Don’t you think they’ll start asking questions about that ‘survey’ of ours, especially if the rest of the village isn’t included?” It was a small concern but a concern nonetheless, something Leon felt needed to be addressed in order to eliminate any excessive risk. Nevertheless, Leon felt a bit of impatience set in and he bounced on his feet lightly, eager to get going.

After the discussion was over, Leon absently smiled to his group and, shoving his hands deep into his pockets, he started off at a slow pace towards the southern part of the village, minding his pace and not going too fast. What kind of question were supposed to be the most effective? About living condition, all the more? Thousands of possible conversation topics and openers went through his mind at a hundred miles an hour, some immediately being dismissed and some being put away as possible. Though he’d had nearly two decades of training in socializing, this was an entirely new situation. Apprehension butted its way up to the front of his mind, flashing all sorts of unwanted scenarios and situations from his mind until Leon shoved them back down, but not before garnering useful information – what to avoid.

The apprehension still lingered but he assured himself things would be alright, his usual confidence surfacing until an easy, relaxed smile took over. Socializing was something he was immensely comfortable with – now, only to utilize it.

[John]

"Leila, you'll be expected to keep track of all the information while the conversation's flowing. Look of any signs, verbal and movement-wise."

Those were the commands given.

Leila had always found Hakuren to be one of those who had the characteristics of a leader - confident and certain, and the right mix between knowing what he was doing and admitting he had no idea what he was doing. Some would say Hakuren had a questionable attitude towards certain things, perhaps, but it seemed that Leila was rather unconscious of that.

She was given the task of collecting information. She was not sure how to feel about it. Collecting information was what she had been doing for as long as she could remember: piecing fragments of data, trying to find patterns and rules to explain and predict. One should think she was, as well, rather good at it.

Yet the task this time involved one specific type of information. “signs, verbal and movement-wise”. The kind she felt the most uneasy with - the ones that involved ‘meanings’, that involved complex isomorphisms between numerous systems. A word can mean this and that and everything only makes sense within context, which is only then comprehensible through some meta-context which is the entire environment, and the events preceding and not yet arrived. She admired those who mastered the art of conversation because she believed they were those who had the window that provided a clear view of the human soul. There might be a few in their lot, but Leila did not consider herself one of them. Hakuren himself, perhaps? Or the newcomer, Leon? “This is where fifteen years of playing the lovable, welcoming host”, the boy said.

The weirdest thing about reading people is the fact that you need to be able to read people to know whether they’re doing it themselves.

Sigh.

Collecting information being a task also meant requirement of concentration. No attention floating away, thoughts wondering, train of thinking going off rails. She had to focus on one type of information and to force herself to become indifferent of the others.

An absolute pain, she considered that.

Yet she decided to aid the investigation. Not that much of an urge to solve a mystery, nor a craving for knowledge - as some would imagine. Unlike Harper, she didn’t particularly mind going on stuck in this place, however nice home would be as well (Speaking of harper, Leila gave a halfhearted attempt at waving the other group goodbye as they departed). Instead she felt like she was doing this for another reason - however weird it is to think she would do anything for any reason at all - and she even felt somewhat ...obligated to do so?

A cultivated snail with an awareness of responsibility would, of course, be an anomaly.

To collect information. “I’ll try.” She spoke, in response of the instructions of the leader of their little group.

Leila walked along the unpaved path, behind the other members of the group, southwards, as she continued to think about the topic of conversations, signs, and meaning.

A few quicker steps ahead she caught up with the others - Hakuren, Mado, and Leon. All of the three seemed to be going about their own business at the moment as well. And then, it occurred to Leila one simple-minded, yet the most absurd little piece of reasoning.

Perhaps some things are better, or, even, can only be, understood through practice.

How exactly do you tell someone you’re talking to them if they aren’t expecting an answer, again? Just start speaking? Poke them? Pull the cat ears, like Mado just did?

Of course, none of the three people in front of them had cat ears.

It wasn’t exactly a poke either - it was a physical notification akin to a pat on the shoulder, yet the simplest and least significant form such a notification could take: a scrape on the shoulder, possibly only the on the slightest level noticeable through the layers of clothing that boy was wearing.

Leila proceeded to poke Hakuren.

The most trivial form of practice, of course, was mimicry.

“What...” she started, “do you think the Siren’s song might actually be?”

[Fox of Spades]

Group One - Jasper, Ace, and Harper

"By the way, I know it might not be a physical item exactly, but maybe it's some old time-y music box."

That was a good idea. Harper straightened up and stared at the chirpy girl, a smile tugging on the corner's of his lips. "You know, that might work...in fact, that makes a lot of sense." He smiled, "nowhere is a weird place. Last time they told us to find a star and we wound up facing a kraken didn't we, Jasper? So now that they want us to find a song...it could be something simple." His brows furrowed in concentration before he gave them a nod. Without Hakuren or Mado on the group, he didn't feel as nervous. Jasper was nice and soft-spoken and Ace seemed like a very friendly person as well.

"Well what're we waiting for? Let's go, there's no time to waste!" Ace exclaimed.

Harper looked to Jasper then to Ace as he gave them a slight smile and an eager nod of the head. "Alright, but let's not split up, okay?" As soon as he had said that he followed after both girl and gave the guides and the members of group two a wave.

"Ok, no funny business.. Let's go. Wait, where would you guys like to start first?"

Harper stared at the houses in the distance. "I think asking the villages would be a good idea," he didn't want to head back to the lake, not yet. "B-But, if you guys want to search the lake." The determined gleam reappeared in his eyes. "We can go there." The trio walked along and Harper pushed himself to be more friendly. In this world of nonsensical physics and crazy characters, the humans had to stick together because they only had each other now.

"Ace," he sounded uncertain but found his voice. "Before Cello brought you here, did you and Leon live at the castle?" If that was the case, he'd get to be friendly and ask the girl about the queen. "It's really interesting there, isn't it...and I'm, um, sorry about how blunt Hakuren was." He wasn't good at all this talking stuff.

Group Two - Hakuren, Leila, Mado, and Leon

"...the throat of the sirens...cage them, and make them sing....rip out their vocal cords if they refuse...make them scream... sooner or later the song will come...."

Serenade feared the worst. Mado wasn't exactly the most stable person and back on the Shakespearean, she had nearly killed Viola and a few others. Still, Hakuren was taking the lead and his planning sounded good, smart even. She liked the sound of it and decided that maybe he wasn't so bad when things got serious. However, Leon addressed one of the flaws in his plans and Serenade nodded before she called out to them.

"You could tell them another group was sent to the north side." She pointed at the retreating figures of group one then gave Hakuren, Leon, Leila and Mado a smile. "Good idea, Haku, keep it up." The she pulled him aside for a moment and spoke in a low whisper. "Please keep Mado out of trouble. I'll be trusting you to keep everyone safe." She gave him a tap on the shoulder then sent him back towards the others. "Give Leon a warm welcome and stay safe, okay? I'll be looking through the records with the other guides...we'll meet back at the cabin before nightfall."

[Kimchi]

"I think asking the villages would be a good idea, b-but, if you guys want to search the lake, we can go there", suggested the only male in Group One, Harper.

Jasper nodded her head lightly, eager to begin gathering some clues to this nightmarish mystery. "Okay. So, village first... then the lake." She wasn't too pleased to return to the lake either. It was a destination the held many hauntingly fresh memories and she wasn't too sure that she could face it just yet. At least Harper shared the same outlook as her and Ace has yet to understand the fear and hesitance that many in the older bunch shared.

"Ace, before Cello brought you here, did you and Leon live at the castle? It's really interesting there, isn't it...and I'm, um, sorry about how blunt Hakuren was."

Ah, the castle. The images flashing through her mind ranged from the revolting beanstalk elevator ride, to her first dress up session with Martini. Night after night of partying and desserts, her mouth watered at the thought of the sweet-tooth satisfying delicacies made available to the human guests. Though they had been at the palace only weeks ago, she felt as if a lengthy period of time had already passed since then. An imagery of the Living List weaved its way into her thoughts and she let out a sigh as she realized that they only overcame one; loosing so many during that single quest.

Walking one step ahead of the two who chatted about the newbies time before they had arrived, the village started to come more and more into their view. It looked rather somber and barely a soul wandered it's ghostly streets. There was a very good reason they weren't, but she couldn't help thinking that there was more to their cowering.

Pausing in her steps she wondered which building to approach first. Looking at the structures, some resembling the rickety structure of their cabin, a sign that read, 'Siren's Town Hall' caught her full attention. Based off of investigation movies she's seen in the past, many have found "puzzle pieces" in such a place. Its an office that definitely holds a file of the incident; no matter how long ago it had taken place. Tugging on Ace's arm, she points a finger at the sign overhead and gives them a quizzical look.

"Do you think we'll find anything in there?"

[AkiBlue]

Ace waited with her small group, keeping pace with them instead of going ahead. She didn't want to get lost all of a sudden. Just as they started off, Leila stopped them again. Little by little, her excitement died down to a more...contained excitement. The girl wasn't bounding forward or attempting to run off.

"Where would you like to go?"

Harper said to the homes and Leila's path was directed towards the town too. Ace was catching a little trend there and it wasn't like she cared much which way they went first. "Let's try for the houses then. I mean, I don't mind either. But towns sound much more interesting than a lake." She shrugged after giving her opinion and followed where the other two were going.

They still knew much more than she, and she had much more to learn- or truly experience before she could lead anything. But Ace was always happy to give a little push forward. Hearing her name, she looked over at Harper.

"Did I go to the castle?"

With a smile, she ran fingers through her hair before shaking her head. "No, sorry. For the time I wasn't with Cello, I was with another guide. His name was Froggy and he was adorable." She laughed a little and continued. "We explore some of Nowhere...although we did get lost quite a lot. Sorry, I've never been to the castle." Oh, but she really wanted to go. Froggy told them stories about it while they were adventuring, but they never stayed. It sounded like fun, but too bad Ace didn't get to go.

Her attention turned to the empty streets. "I'm guessing they don't come out much... Because of Haruken's story. I guess it makes sense." From the town, her eyes went over to Jasper.

"Do you think we'll find anything in there?"

Ace gave a playful grin and held Jasper's hand to pull her along. "Well we won't know until we get there. So, let's check it out." She led the way, pulling Jasper along with her. "And~ town halls are important places in towns. Might even have important information. Come on Harper."

As long as they stuck together nothing would bad would've happened- at least nothing too bad. Even still, that didn't stop from bounding down to the town hall with Jasper being pulled along.

[GreenGoat]

"...ah...wakarimashita.."

Scout out the area while those other two conduct a survey around. Easy enough, but still.... Why were they conducting a survey on orders of the Queen? At least she wasn't the one doing asking all the questions.

"So, we're to be the eyes of this operation." Again, the gentleman puffed out a large cloud of smoke around her. "Easy enough, though rather.... slow... . Shall we get moving?"

"..I'm going first.."

Mado started to run towards the southern part of the village, but slowed to a jog when she realized running full speed with a knife in her hand was probably a bad idea.

***

Again, she had scrambled into a pot on one side of the street. There was just a slight problem of the pot being filled to the brim with water, and that she was probably sitting in someone's drinking water. At least it had a lid on it, though she did wish that bucket beside her would stop bumping into her. The gentleman had said he'd hold on to he medicines and other things that would spoil in the water, so all she had now was her knife, and that old wooden handle in her pocket.

Suddenly she closed the lid, as she saw two 'men', a tunic wearing beaver and an aardvark wearing a tabard. Probably makes sense since aardvarks have their own armor.

"So whats this bout them rumors about people movin up in that old cabin out in those woods?" she heard one of them say. Pushing the lid slightly open, she concluded it was the aardvark's voice.

"Daft, the lot of them." The beaver moved closer to the pot. "I think we need only one bucket of water this time."

"For what?"

"Your stinking pot of soup that what. You always-"

*SPLASH clunk*

Both of them turned to the pot, which now has a bucket of water sitting outside of it. Mado had taken out the bucket filled with water and left it outside, making sure their backs was turned before she did it.

"Kad? I think your pot heard you, and left that bucket there."

"Nonsense, probably one of those pot monsters living in there." The beaver picked up the bucket and walked away, the aardvark following it closely. "Come along, our meal won't cook itself."

"What? A pot monster in this here parts?"

"They're migrating I think."

As their voices trailed away, she peeked out from under the lid cautiously, and then put out her head completely when she was sure the streets were empty. While that was a bit entertaining, eavesdropping on people, she found an empty house just across the street from the pot. Mado did recall she was supposed to break into empty houses like that Haku person said. But was she supposed to do it alone?

Unsure on how to proceed, she stood there on the street, her wet clothes dripping and clinging to her skin.

[Fox of Spades]

Ace told them a little bit about her stay in Nowhere and the found out that she had never been to the castle. She didn't know about the list either, which meant she probably didn't know about Emily or the others. She and Leon were lucky, ignorance was bliss after all. "The castle is an interesting place, and the queen was really nice to us." He gave the girl a smile. "Maybe when this is all over, we'll stop by there for another one of her crazy parties." He chuckled at the memories. They weren't what he'd call happy, he spent most of his nights there worrying about his family and stuffing himself with sugared drinks to chase away the fear, but those quiet conversations with Iro and the silly games he had to participate in made him feel closer to the others.

"Do you think we'll find anything in there?" He was snapped out of his thoughts by Jasper.

Harper's eyes flitted to the town hall and suddenly a sense of dread washed over him. They were going to snoop around and take important documents...this had to be a crime and they'd pay for it if the mayor or anyone found out, wouldn't they? But desperate times called for desperate measures, and the guides would help them, wouldn't they? They'd explain the living list to the authorities and talk about how it was the queen who sent them to find the song. If they did that, it would turn out fine...well, he hoped it would, but Harper couldn't shake off the fear that was rendering him speechless. They had to do this...there was no other way!

"Well we won't know until we get there. So, let's check it out." Ace ran towards the town hall with Jasper in tow then called out to him to follow.

"Okay!" He took in a deep breath. "Let's find out the truth and get to the bottom of this." Harper steadied himself then followed after both Ace and Jasper.

Just as they skidded to a stop in front of the town hall, the door swung open and out walked the Mayor with a finely dressed gentleman and a flamboyantly clothed lady. The man appeared to be a turtle in a tux and the woman a bird in a ball gown. The Mayor walked ahead of them, head raised, and he chattered on and on cheerily about plans for what seemed to be a new resort. The humans seemed invisible and he put all his concentration into wooing the rich couple with his words. They would be fine patrons and if he made friends with the right people then he'd move up a notch on the social ladder...maybe they'd even mention him to the queen! The trio disappeared down the dirt road, leaving the town hall's doors wide open.

"Gosh..." Harper stared at the disappearing figures then smiled at both Ace and Jasper. "This, this is so weird...but good for us, I guess." He peered inside only to see bunny soldiers marching down the halls in pairs. Some of them held celery batons while others kept their carrot rifles strapped to their chests. "If we walk in their calmly, do you think they'll ignore us? Or, um, should we distract them then sneak in and find the files?" He winced as soon as the question left his mouth. He was actually planning a heist...haha. If anyone had told him a month ago that he'd be robbing town halls by 2014, he would have laughed, but it was actually happening!

"This is crazy," he finally sputtered before eyeing the doors once more. "Do we walk in or trick the rabbits...we'll need bait though." He winced, if they chose the latter he would need to volunteer for the role of bait. It would be the kind thing to do...plus, he didn't want any of his teammates getting hurt. "If...if you pick the second plan, I'll volunteer."

[Headphones]

With a final warning and encouragement from Serenade, the black hare, the group set out on foot. Hakuren did not consider what had been pointed out by Leon as a flaw in his plan. Considering the location, size and state of the town, the young man figured that the locals did not have a liking for outsiders, let alone being inquired by them, thus whoever had the bad fortune of becoming their target would rather answer questions than ask them. However, he did not bother replying either. The bunny girl's answer was satisfactory. The faster things were done, the better.

Passing through the grove of dead trees, the lifeless shells of leaves rustling on the dry mud ground, the quartet made its way into Yonder. There was always something peculiar about the "south side". Be it city, town, village or ghetto, it lurked and swam through those warm waters of the dust-ridden air, watching, listening and waiting. At and for what, well, no one could say for certain. Differing and yet the same, this bizarre essence engulfed the surroundings. Standing tall and full of miniature holes, the cabins within these parts were closer to each other. Gradually, the neighborhood formed and the streets became smaller and smaller. Strolling away from what appeared to have been or currently was the main road, the band went through several alleys and up a couple of stairs. Unsurprisingly, the landscape was not entirely flat or at least the founders had not allowed it to remain as such. The area was situated atop hills, albeit the shift from one level to another was not all that sudden. This was intentionally created, in order for the town to not become submerged by water, if the lake should ever rise. The stone steps were cracked and spotted with a variety of moss and moist-loving flora, the colour of which ranged from blue to ginger. On those sides of the buildings directed towards the lake one could ofttimes spot wondrous plants clinging onto the walls, as if they were sticking out on purpose, from their stems hanging long rope-like braids, at the end of which were colourful bells. It was notable to remark that the mentioned walls did, in fact, have windows, but most had been sealed long ago with whatever the dwellers inside could find. The reason for this was all too clear.
On their journey through the village, the humans did not spot a single pedestrian, even when they hit the shady streets and purposely went in a slower pace under the cover of the darkness of objects. The homes they passed were abandoned, not a sign of life left on their property. Only the structures remained as a reminder of what this place had been and what tragic fate countless of lives had faced. Windows broken and letting in the wind, which lightly blew the torn curtains and made some doors creak and bang against their frames. The sound of the six feet currently walking together were perhaps a sound the area had not heard in a long while. The number of limbs was such, due to the fact that Mado, apparently the most eager of them all, had run off ahead, knife in hand, like a warrior heading into battle. Fortunately, she had slowed down and come around, being more like the side-line wolf in a pack, a scout listening and ready for action not too far away from the core. Leila had taken to the back of the now assembled trio, whilst Leon was walking close to Hakuren, both boys smiling lightly, thinking about their very own topics, which, in fact, were not miles apart. It was slightly amusing to observe how similar they were as they waltzed through the streets. Hands in their pockets, wearing relaxed expressions, with an easy-going atmosphere around them, it was as if they were two palls out on a stroll to meet their girls at the corner. The only difference was that, whilst the younger was preparing his lines for the upcoming play, the older was busily scanning the houses they passed with his eyes. From time to time, they came to a stop to "window-shop", yet continued nonetheless. Nothing seemed worth the while to barge in and mug, yet they were just entering the tighter parts of "the south", so there would be plenty of opportunities ahead of them.



As he walked forward, the black-blue-haired lad felt something poke him. Turning only his head at first, he noticed it was actually Leila, which was odd, if we were to consider how distant she preferred to be. A sweet loveable puppy she was in Dissonance's eyes, one which did not whine, nor complain about a thing. And now it looked up at him, with its big eyes searching for answers, but a snail was still a snail, thus she lacked most of the emotion a little pup would have. The lass spoke her question aloud:
“What...” she began, “do you think the Siren’s song might actually be?”
Now holding to a stop, Hakuren turned a bit towards her. The answer was lengthy, he would have liked to debate on it verbally all day, but their current schedule did not allow such distractions. This being said, he knew he would have to cut it short as much as possible.
"There are many ways to answer that question. It all depends on the type of book you wish to read. During his interrogation, the mayor mentioned that our objective is not of a physical kind, meaning that it's not an object. If we were to follow the whimsical tales of happy endings, obtaining the siren's song would mean that we should convince the siren at the bottom of the lake to stop her misdeeds and sing her story to us. Or punish those who accused her of being a witch and find the true cause of the ill rumor. Maybe even turn her back into a human." he told her with his everlasting smile. "However, if we were to look at another genre, "The Siren's Song" might as well be the truth behind a serial killer or an experiment of a mad scientist. It could be a message, a promise or even a ghost. Although we still can't be sure what we're looking for, the way to find it should be clear. Think of it as this: You are told to find the person with 'cold feet' in a room of people. You wouldn't go touching everybody's feet now, would you, especially if everybody's wearing shoes? Because having 'cold feet' means to be scared or nervous." Turning his attention away for a moment, he noticed some sort of movement in a house nearby and a quiet echoing of voices. Inhabitants. "Well, it's not wise to try making conclusions just yet." he sighed "Lets see what we can dig up from this place and then head for the caves." The young man walked forward and stopped at the corner before looking back at Leila and Leon "Leon, me and Leila will be hitting the first house with locals across the street. I'm sure Mado should be nearby, so go and find her, will you? She's easy to spot, don't worry. Just listen for sounds of terror and watch out for panties being waived in the wind. We're no longer in the periphery of town, so there are plenty of prospective houses. I trust you know what to look for."

[AkiBlue]

Ace watched as three seemingly prestigious creatures walked past the two. She watched them walk away and then rocked on her toes. The more Harper spoke of sneaking in, the more...easy it felt. "It's nothing complicated. I'm sure we can easily walk in, as long as we don't draw attention to ourselves... Of course there might be questioning..." Ace pondered over the idea.

"We'll need bait though... I'll volunteer."

"Wait, wait. I'll volunteer for that." It was something she knew how to do. After all, living with a gang made it a hobby. "No offense, but I think I'll do a little better at distracting than you. Besides...I have the experience." She quickly added on, "And I'm sure you two are smarter and know what you should be looking for. And I don't wanna shift through papers." Ace shrugged and watched the bunny soldiers.

As Harper and Jasper talked it through and before there could be protests, Ace wandered in. She looked pretty casual and like a tourist. She turned her hat forward and walked past a pair of bunny soldiers. With a professional like ease, she took one of the carrot rifles. "Oh, excuse me~ Soldier Bunnies?" She leaned against a wall, aiming the odd weapon. "How do these things work?" She caught their attention and they immediately turned to her.

The rabbits flailed trying to get her to stop. None made a sound, but they all rushed to try and stop her. But she didn't allow it.

Ace examined the weapon and aimed it at one of the soldiers. "Don't you guys eat these? How does this work?" Fiddling with the carrot rifle, it fired at the ground causing more of the bunny soldiers to rush to the incident. Of course, this distracted them long enough for Harper and Jasper to sneak in.

It was no problem at all. All Ace had to do now was give the rabbits their gun back, and sneak off. It was child's play.

[Kimchi]

"Well we won't know until we get there. So, let's check it out."

"Okay! Let's find out the truth and get to the bottom of this."

Completely shocked that such a simple question could set Ace into hyper mode so easily, she could do nothing but squeak an inaudible protest as she was dragged to the Town Hall's entrance, but before the trio could enter, the Mayor along with a classy looking couple, strolled out of the building, all the while, the Mayor had a nervously eager expression plastered to his yammering fish head. Shuddering a bit as Ace had grabbed her hand, she detested physical contact, but didn't want to be rude to the newcomer so she planned to deal with the shared bacteria later.

"If we walk in their calmly, do you think they'll ignore us? Or, um, should we distract them then sneak in and find the files? This is crazy. Do we walk in or trick the rabbits...we'll need bait though. If...if you pick the second plan, I'll volunteer."

She gagged and felt her breakfast rise to the top of her throat, but she swallowed it down. Her simple question not only fired them up, but it sent them thinking that they would be breaking in! How ridiculous. All she planned to do was go in there, ask for an authority figure, inquire about the documents and possibly see them if they were allowed. But these two, oh my cream cheese bagel, were actually thinking of stealing the information!

"Ah! Bu-but-", she began, but was quickly cut off.

"Wait, wait. I'll volunteer for that. No offense, but I think I'll do a little better at distracting than you. Besides...I have the experience. And I'm sure you two are smarter and know what you should be looking for. And I don't wanna shift through papers."

Her breathing began to quicken as she cupped her ears, seeing Ace playfully grab one of the bunny soldier's carrot rifles. 'No, no. What a huge mistake. This is not what I meant at all!' Turning to Harper, her eyes alarmingly wide and wild, she grabbed him by the collar; almost choking him. "Are you two out of your mind? We'll get caught!", her clasp around his shirt released itself and she repeated in a terrified whisper, "We'll get caught." She brought a shaking hand to cover her mouth. There had to be another way to get them. Not like this. Not like thieves! Grabbing Harper, she yanked him into a closet as a bunch of bunny soldiers hurried to the scene where Ace was bullying another of their kind.

BAM! Realization hit. They would've never let them see the papers in the first place. This town had been hiding it. The Mayor keeping quiet, not telling them anything. That wealthy duo from earlier, he's trying so desperately to pull his town out of the gutter. Soon enough he would need those documents destroyed! Incarcerated, Burned. Forever lost.

Jasper slapped herself across the face and looked straight into Harper's eyes. "Let's get em'", she opened the closet door a crack and checked to see if the hallway was clear. Grabbing her male partner by the collar, now becoming her go to place to get a hold of him, she tugged him out of their hiding enclosure and towards the end of a dark corridor with multiple doors. Letting go of Harper she stared dumbfounded at the many possibilities. "Which one?!", she whispered hurriedly. Almost a hundred percent sure he wouldn't know where to start either, she noticed that the rooms had labels.

[Fox of Spades]

"Wait! It could be dangerous--oh." Before he could protest Ace had dashed off into the town hall. Wait, did the girl say she had experience with this kind of stuff. Harper stared blankly at the door as he wondered about her life in the human realm. She didn't look much older than him, so how on earth was she used to stuff like his. He let out a sigh. "Just...be careful," but by the time he had spoken the words, Ace was already inside. He watched worriedly as she yanked one of the rabbit's rifles away and began teasing the animal.

"Jasper, let's go--ah!" He was getting yanked around a lot lately. Jasper grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and yanked him forward. Harper coughed and sputtered until she finally loosened her grip. "What?" He asked in a frantic yell, his head turning right and left. Why had she grabbed him? Was the mayor coming back? No! They had to get Ace out of there quickly. "W-What's wrong?" He continued, appearing more frantic as the seconds ticked past.

"Are you two out of your mind? We'll get caught!"

Oh. She had a point...Ace wasn't exactly the stealthiest person. She teased the rabbit soldiers rather playfully and loudly and to be honest it was just a matter of time before they were found out, but this was their only chance and they couldn't waste it. Harper was about to reassure his friend, but before he could he was once again yanked and this time it was into a cramped and dusty closet. He felt his nose itch and struggled hard to hold back a sneeze. THIS was absurd, they couldn't stay here or Ace would get caught, they'd be found and in the end they wouldn't get any new information on the drowning deaths or the sirens. He was about to say something, anything to calm Jasper down but the girl slapped herself across the face and he winced in response. "Are you...okay? You can stay here...and wait for me?" He really didn't want to go alone but Jasper was being fidgety and tense.

Instead of responding, Jasper opened the closet and jumped out with him in tow. They ran down the dark hallway, Ace's voice growing fainter as they got farther away from the scene. Both teens skidded to a stop in front of several doors and Jasper asked him which one they should enter first. There was the closet, the washroom, a random door without a label, then the mayor's office. The last one seemed like the logical choice, right? "Let's go there!" He turned the knob and it was open! They made their way into the room and as soon as they were in Harper locked the door and frantically pushed one of the tables in front of it. That would buy them time, then they could get out through the window--there was no window...

"Let's look in the drawers and cabinets." He stated in a hushed yet frantic voice. The boy began yanking drawers open, sifting through papers and reading headlines as fast as he could. There were news articles, documents, magazines and food recipes? The mayor didn't seem very organized at all. He pulled open a cabinet and out came an avalanche of papers, there were so many papers and in a matter of seconds the teens were up to their knees in old news articles. Just how old was the town of Yonder anyways? The boy let out an exasperated sigh, beads of sweat forming on his forehead...if they didn't move fast enough there was a possibility the mayor would return! If he found them meddling around in his office, what would he do to them? The thought made him go pale. Shakily, he dug through the papers eventually picking up something that looked useful.

His eyes landed on the headlines and a chill ran up his spine. Something terrible had happened here and the mayor didn't want anyone to know about it. His hands shook as he raised the paper above his head. "Jasper, I think you should read these." He held them out to her with a frown.

The Newspapers

News

Harper looked at the ground and hesitated before finally speaking. "I think we should take these with us...show them to Serenade and the others." He waded through the papers and continued looking for more articles, though a part of him didn't want to know anything else about Siren lake or the woman. Some secrets were better off buried, but the problem was they needed to uncover this one if they ever wanted to find the second item and go home. "Did you find anything?"

~x~x~x~x~x~

Outside the office

The leader of the bunny guard platoon would have no more of this disrespect for the town hall! This girl was infuriating and rude and he'd make sure she paid. She had made fun of his men and of him. Also, it was their duty to keep people out of the town hall, the mayor had said so himself!

He turned his steely black eyes to his comrades. Several of them flailed around, uniforms crumpled and expressions distraught. The girl was a giant! She held the rifle in the air before shooting at the ground! That gun was loaded with super pointy carrots, she could blind someone! What was she doing? He pulled his whistle to his lips and blew as hard as his little rabbit lungs could blow. A shrill sound filled the hall followed by the ringing of a siren? It sounded more like a cellphone alarm.

Bzzzt! Bzzt! The sound rang throughout the town hall and before Ace knew it she was surrounded by rabbit soldiers with their rifles drawn. They jabbed the rifles in her direction angrily before the leader snapped his fingers. As he did so six of his men tackled the girl and wrenched the carrot rifle from her arms. They held her down before the leader of the bunny guard platoon waved a stick of celery angrily at her face. He didn't say a word, none of them did. It seemed they were all mute. He took out a pair of gummy worm handcuffs and restrained Ace.

When her hands were bound he snapped his fingers and the bunny guards got off her, stood with perfect posture and gave their commanding officer a salute. They tried to look menacing, but they were far from that and the gummy bear handcuffs weren't durable...they were edible though. Despite that, the bunny guards felt confident that it would keep the girl out of trouble. The lead bunny pressed a button and not long after a young looking lad in a weird outfit ran down the hall with a stick in hand.

The nobody nearly crashed into a nearby lamp table.

Nobody with a Stick

"CRAP! How the hell did you get in here, lady?" He held the stick in front of him like it was some super dangerous weapon. "No trespassers allowed...didn't ya read the sign or can you not read?" He narrowed his beady yellow eyes at her. He looked human if one ignored his eyes, his pointy ears, and leopard tail that flicked back and forth behind him. He looked very irritated, he had been enjoying a nice nap when the rabbit soldiers rang the alarm. "That fish-face will get me fired if he finds out about this."

There was a thud from the office followed by what sounded like a waterfall of papers.

"Are you a burglar or sumthin?" He strode towards her lazily a scowl stuck on his face. The bunny soldiers pristine uniforms were crumpled and they looked worse for wear. "I see you've been givin' them trouble, huh." He didn't like the silent bunnies, they were all rules and no fun, so seeing them frantic and annoyed was amusing and a smirk lit up his face. "Haha, you're not half bad at causin' a ruckus, so tell me what the hell are you doing in the town hall?" He tapped her on the forehead with his stick before grinning from ear to ear like a child. His ears twitched. "And tell me, who exactly is here with you? They're not exactly silent and my hearing is pretty good."

The young man motioned for the bunny soldiers to check out the office and four of them saluted before heading to the door. However, they couldn't get it open...it was locked, so they did what they knew how and began ramming the door with their tiny rifles.

The young man was chuckling as he twirled the stick in his hand. "Oh, you guys are so busted~!"

~x~x~x~x~x~

In the Office

The doorknob turned back and forth, back and forth.

Harper stood stiff, his heart hammering in his chest. He felt sick to his stomach and staggered back, nearly crashing into a cabinet. "Jasper!" He called out frantically. "T-They're at the door." And as soon as he had said those words the rabbits on the other side began pounding on the door like mad.

[AkiBlue]

Ace's fun was short lived when she was surrounded by the cute bunnies. When she finally did give them her attention, she looked genuinely surprised. "You guys look really upset. Did you want the carrot back?" If she was putting on a facade, she was pretty good at it! But, too bad she wasn't. Ace thought of it as a simple game, and she really did want to know how the rifles worked. The girl didn't think the bunnies would get so upset. Even still, she laughed lightly and started to hand the rifle back to them. That is, until she was tackled.

"Hey, hey! Haha, your fur tickles! Hey, watch it! I'm in a skirt." She immediately sat up, shaking off the bunnies before sitting with her legs crossed. "Perverted rabbits..." When Ace sat up, she didn't bother to move. In fact, she even complied when the handcuffs were put on her. Her head tilted when she looked at them. "You know these are... Nevermind."

Her eyes met someone- that wasn't a bunny and he started questioning her. 'Well if I lie, he might catch on. Might as well tell the truth~'' Ace gave a playful smile before answering every question. "What are you talking about silly? The door was wide open?" Her expression changed to one more confused. "Sign? What sign? I'm sorry, I didn't see one."

Ace remembered seeing a "fish-face" before she scampered in. "That was the mayor? Oh, you shouldn't worry then. Hehe, I'm almost positive he saw me come in. He was leaving as I went in." So far, everything she said was pretty much true. Ace even sounded so sincere, as if she didn't know what she was doing was bad.

"Burglar?" Ace giggled. "Is there something worth stealing here? Because if so, I could've been much stealthier than just now. I already told the rabbits. I just wanted to know how their little weapons worked- but they're the ones who got all upset." Towards the next question, she decided to be playful again. "What do you mean who's with me? I'm the only human around here, wait-" Ace even took the time to scoot in a circle to see. "Yep. I'm the only one in here. I came in by myself." Though, the other two came in right after her. She would be perfect for lie detector tests...

While she waited, Ace calmly bit through her handcuffs and released herself. She decided to eat the remainder of the handcuffs as she stood. "Tell me something," Ace said as she stood. Before the soldiers could get hostile or anything she put her hands up in surrender. "Don't worry, I'm not going to run off. Now tell me non-bunny creature. Why is it so bad to come in here? I thought you could like...get help from these kinds of places, or you know learn stuff." She shrugged. "I honestly don't know. I've been wrong about stuff like that before." She crossed her arms and waited for an answer.

As she waited, she thought of a plan to escape... It couldn't be too hard. The only problem she saw was the human like creature with the stick. Well, unless they took the "normal" approach and just asked to leave... With these situations, when she had been caught, Ace always went with the flow and surprisingly it worked for her.

Though, those poor others were probably freaking out right now... They really should just calm down, hide the papers on them and act casual. 'You could always say you were looking for a bathroom...

[Kimchi]

Observing as Harper glanced at each door in an alarming fashion, he pointed at the Mayor's office and the pair rushed in. Quickly locking the door, he even rolled Mayor Spicy Tuna's desk over there to aid in more cautionary blockage in case anyone ever tried to enter while they were still in there. Turning to face her, Jasper was beyond nervously chewing her nearly bleeding nails as he advised the search of cabinets for the evidence. She could feel food bubbling up her throat again as Harper began flinging drawers open, papers and sheets of all sorts drifting across the room in an untidy manner; not that they had been nicely arranged in the first place. Staring at him a dazed panic for a good minute or two, she snapped out of it and joined him in fishing through the piles of newspapers and files. They continued for five minutes, though it felt longer, until Harper caught her attention with a document. Just taking a quick glance at the thick black headings, she knew that they had what they needed.

"I think we should take these with us...show them to Serenade and the others. Did you find anything?"

Hastily nodding in agreement and following that with a sideways shake to confirm she found nothing else, she carefully placed the clues into her teddy backpack and began shoving papers back into cabinets and drawers. "Come on'! Hurry!", she urged as she mushed and crumpled handfuls of documents into their prior place. The room was beginning to look less hurricaned when all of a sudden, a high pitched alarm went of along with continuous buzzing noises afterward.
Jasper dropped the load she was carrying out of surprise and shocked horror. "Oh no, no, no! They know we're here!", she continued to dump the remaining envelopes into the filers and slammed them shut.

Grabbing Harper by the hand this time, she was about to ram the desk out of the way to make a mad dash out the door, but before they could make their get away, the knob began turning in frustration from beings on the other side, followed by the sound of loud, assaulting thuds in attempt to enter.

"Jasper! T-They're at the door."

Thumping her fist to her forehead, she struggled to think of a plan, but her brain was like a lifeline that was on straight. And before she could let out a terrified yelp, the desk slid from the door and the little bunnies stormed in. Of course Jasper didn't see this because her light bulb flicked and her lips were on Harper's before the wheels of the table began to turn. She'd seen it in movies before. Using making out as a get away. Trying to make the kissing as believable as possible, she knew she would regret it after her conscience came back as to what she had actually done.

[Oblivion]

The journey was ever slow and boring, the three humans strolling through the abandoned and strangely quiet streets while their fourth group member, Mado, ran off with a knife in her hand. The girl made Leon smile to himself, finding her antics amusing enough to not be entirely fearful of the possibility of the knife ending up in between his eyes.

However, a different train of thought was festering in his mind, something he didn’t want to deal with right at that moment. He’d ignored it ever since he’d first heard about the casualties on the ship but now it was almost impossible to stifle, leading Leon to settle into one of his actual expressions: a complete and utter blank. No smile, no frown, nothing. The residents’ hastily abandoned houses had a touch of dread to them, further accentuating the emptiness radiating off them. Despair was everywhere, nearly throwing Leon into despair himself. It was mind-blowing how serious this was and it finally hit home: this was a matter of life and death and, judging by the large number of empty houses, many had succumbed to death by mysterious circumstances.

Leila’s question gravitated Leon’s attention slightly towards her, half-listening to Hakuren’s answer while he took in his surroundings and absorbed in random, insignificant details. This type of multitasking was something Leon was already used to but it still only allowed him to hear bits and pieces of Hakuren’s answer. He readily lost interest in the conversation midway through and turned his head slowly in several directions, eyes scanning the premise for Mado. Where had the girl gone?

"Leon, me and Leila will be hitting the first house with locals across the street. I'm sure Mado should be nearby, so go and find her, will you? She's easy to spot, don't worry. Just listen for sounds of terror and watch out for panties being waived in the wind. We're no longer in the periphery of town, so there are plenty of prospective houses. I trust you know what to look for."

Tearing his eyes away from a bizarre plant bearing cat-shaped fruits, Leon turned to face Hakuren. For a brief moment, his empty expression remained unchanged as he subconsciously searched for an appropriate reaction. With a mock salute and a light, crooked smile to acknowledge Hakuren’s words, Leon angled himself at a direction diagonal to the blue-green-eyed boy and Leila. In a few minutes, he was well away from the duo and continued on a rather shabby path, the stone uneven and tufts of grass growing in-between the wide cracks.

Mado proved nearly impossible to find. Five minutes later, Leon was still circling the general area looking for the girl, the girl who along with Hakuren, hailed from Japan just as he did. Eventually he did find her, standing next to a pot of sorts and, following her line of vision, staring at an empty house. ’Looks like she found our first target,’ The girl was dripping wet and standing in the street like it was nothing unusual; but considering this was Nowhere, a Nobody wouldn’t even have batted an eye at the sight. But Mado wasn’t a Nobody. She was human, a human Leon quickly deduced was suffered from some sort of mental dilemma. What exactly, he didn’t know and couldn’t come even close to guessing.

Sighing, he walked up to the girl and gave her a once-over, taking in her soaked form. ’What to do…’ Leon wasn’t a particularly generous person, but he never could help aiding a kind, generous person. However, Mado didn’t seem kind or particularly generous. She seemed mad. Nevertheless, as he shrugged off his blazer, leaving him in a crisp white button-down shirt, and offered the piece of clothing to Mado, he gave her a rather lost look, as if he didn’t know exactly why he was offering his expensive blazer to a soaking stranger. “Looks like you need this. Have it.” He spoke, his voice trailing off to a slightly off tone.

He turned back towards the house, shoving his hands deep in his pockets. The fingers on his left hand played with the circular objects he found there; withdrawing one, a brief glance told him it was a ring he’d somehow brought along with him to Nowhere. They weren’t of much significance to him but they were pretty, leading him to put it back along with the eight or so other rings he’d somehow, sometime stashed in his pocket. His eyes drifted back up to the house, taking it its rather shabby exterior and probably equivalent interior. It didn’t seem like it could hold anything of value to them, let alone a clue leading to the mysterious Siren’s song.

Nevertheless, he turned back to Mado, his voice once again taking on a slightly off tone. “That house is our first target,” Leon started, a long finger pointing towards the building. “It doesn’t seem like there’s anyone inside but I’ll still knock anyway, just in case. If there’s someone inside, we obviously can’t raid it but if there is, let me do the talking.” He placed a bit of emphasis on the last few words, unsure whether Mado understood him or not. He was already talking slightly slower than usual in the hope that the girl understood and remembered his words. If she didn’t, Leon wasn’t entirely sure he could talk them out of trouble. “If there isn’t anyone there, we can raid the place. Just stick with me, please, and don’t go running off. I can’t always keep an eye on you.” Despite the fact that running after Mado would be tiring, Leon did find the girl amusing. At least he wasn’t stuck with a hideously boring person, or he might’ve become one himself.

He started towards the house and in a few strides he was at the front door, his pale hand coming to knock on the wooden door. His knocking dislodged several splinters off of the door, digging them deeper in and the ends protruding, giving Leon the sign that the wood was already rotting and anymore knocking would dislodge the entire door. He settled for waiting outside, patiently, listening for any signs of inhabitance. There was none and he brought out his other hand from his pocket to gently push the door open. However, as it wouldn’t budge, Leon felt his patience escaping him and he brought his leg up to kick the door open. It made surprisingly little sound as the door flew open.

Inside, the furniture was mostly in its place. Some seemed to have been disturbed, a chair lying overturned beside the coffee table and broken china littering the floor. “Watch your step, “ He warned, giving Mado a sharp look telling her to be careful. He decided to explore the living room and dining room, taking care not to disturb the thick layer of dust too much. The dust got onto his clothes and showed up most noticeably on his pants, much to his displeasure as he brushed away at the dust. Feeling his irritation surge slightly at the condition of his clothes, Leon quickly scoured the rooms for anything out of the ordinary, dislodging jammed drawers and cupboards with some effort. So far, he’d found nothing and, venturing back into the living room, he looked around for Mado. “Oi, Mado-san. Did you find anything?”

[Fox of Spades]

She didn't look like a criminal at all. Perhaps she hadn't seen the sign and that was it. "Hmm, whatever, just get out of here before ol' fish-face comes back." He gave the girl a glare before his eyes went wide. "What the hell...lady, are you human?" They never got humans to visit yonder and throughout the ages only one or two batches had ever been sent to their town. What was a human doing here...were the other people in the room human too. Gah, it didn't matter, human or not, he had a job to keep.

Ace tried to explain herself out of the situation, but it didn't seem to work. "Don't mess with them, they're a single minded bunch that don't know how to have any fun." He made a sour face before tugging on one of the rabbit's ears it frowned before giving him a useless kick to the shin. The young nobody simple chuckled at the bunny guard's futile attempt. "See, they're sticks in the sand. It gets pretty boring stayin' with them all day." The rabbits managed to push the door to the mayor's office open and the nobody grinned. "Only human my bum, we'll see who's hiding on the other side of that door." He chuckled, "I need a challenge, kickin' you all out will most likely be the highlight of this boring day. Come on girlie, let's go get your accomplices, shall we--what the celery." The mayor's office looked normal aside from the two humans kissing inside.

"Geez," He banged his stick on the door then cleared his through awkwardly. The young nobody's eyebrows furrowed in irritation. "Go get a room or something." He turned to Ace then to both Harper and Jasper. "GET OUT."

The poor boy didn't know what to do. At one moment he was running around in circles, shoving papers back into their drawers, and at the next moment the door was pushed open and Jasper pretty much pulled him into a kiss. The moment her lips brushed against his, a tingly feeling shot throughout him and he froze, nearly staggering back into the wall. WHAT WAS HAPPENING? Harper tried to be logical, but his brain died and before he knew it he was being yelled at and the world was spinning and he didn't understand ANYTHING.

Harper was as red as an apple and muttering incoherent apologies for things he hadn't even done. "Y-Yessir, we were just...we-we, are so sorry." He grabbed onto Jasper with hands that were as cold as ice and pretty much bolted out of the room like a bullet. "WE'LL LEAVE NOW." He screamed, grabbing Ace by the hand and tugging both girls behind him as they ran for the door. Harper just ran and ran till they were back outside and far, far away from the town hall. He heard the door shut behind them followed by cursing coming from the young nobody, but he didn't really care, he just wanted to disappear. Eventually, he skidded to a stop huffing and puffing and still as red as a tomato. What was he supposed to say or do. He fumbled with his pockets, pulling out the newspapers he had found.

"A-Ace, we found some articles." He handed over the papers, his eyes locked onto the ground.

[Anonymous]

Oops accidental post.

[Kimchi]

"Geez, go get a room or something. GET OUT."

"Y-Yessir, we were just...we-we, are so sorry. WE'LL LEAVE NOW."

Jasper didn't stop him. She was just as dazed as he was and all she could do was wobble along as he gathered the group and the three of them scurried out of the Town Hall. Not exactly sure why they were walking so fast, almost at a jog, she was relieved when Harper finally halted near the bank of the lake to present Ace with what they risked themselves for. Withdrawing the the rest of the documents from her teddy backpack, she glanced up at Harper and she realized his face was completely blanketed in a dark red hue. She contemplated if it was because he got tired from running. That's when the horror struck. Her plan had worked. Oh lordy, lord! It worked so well. Wait, what "worked" so well? The kiss worked so well. The churning of bodily fluids no longer held back as she shoved the papers into Ace's arms and dashed for the edge of the lake.

She threw up.

Reuniting with the two once again, she wiped the puke residue with the under side of her sleeve, her face paler than even her albinistic skin appeared to be. "Sorry.. Adrenaline." She definitely planned to speak with Harper in private about what she did back there, but she didn't want to put Ace in a an awkward situation, so for the sake of her own good, Jasper would try her best to survive the next few hours without acting unnatural.

After Ace got a good look at the articles, she placed them back into her bag and she lead the crew to scan the lakeside for anymore clues to the Siren Lake mystery.

First kiss gone. Not too sure how she felt. Didn't mind sharing germs with him. Is that weird?