The Industrial District is... Well it's dreary. The day is a cool, overcast, and perfectly autumnal. For people - or faeries - looking for the Storm Drain which described in those LOST DOG posters, it's not that hard: it lies in a a grimy underpass midway between The Ambassador apartments at The Union bar. The Storm Drain is about as wide to let two people walk hand-in-hand down the middle, and almost as tall; it's circular shape zig-zagging down into the dark below.
Up here on the surface, it's semi-blocked by a rusting metal grate that squeaks open on metal hinges. There's evidence that it was once locked, although the chain that kept it shut has long been broken. Man. The City really needs to work on refurbishing its infrastructure...
Because who just leaves a Storm Drain access tunnel open like this?! Now anybody can get inside -- or any dog, for that matter.
Levi stands by with one of the flyers in hand. She's in baggy old jeans and a ratty tank top, heeding the cool weather not at all. She squints at the storm drain and taps her foot a few times, waffling about going in. There's a certain wariness to her, as if she's not entirely sure this isn't some sort of trap.
Ziv hasn't yet ventured down into the storm drain, probably due to being preoccupied with other things - or wanting to be properly prepared. But after the word of barking frequently heard about the area, she's gravitated back, wearing a pair of hemmed jeans and an oversized hoodie, herself. No shoes tonight - because shoes suck. Or something like that.
She has a small rucksack with her, large enough to put a small dog in, along with a leash curled around one hand - and presumably a plan. There are also a pair of owl feathers tucked behind her pointed ears. Spotting Levi, she lets out an abrupt chirrup and admits, "Oh, I'm glad to see you here."
Haruki's here, dressed for the occassion, which is to say in galoshes, not looking fashionable at all, and a plastic mac, and his hair properly covered, and gloves.. Of course he has gloves. He's with a similarly attired Nathania. He's well equipped, what with a flashlight that attaches around his head, and a bag of dog treats of various sorts including the inevitable squeaky toy. He's shoved in a few tools as well, just in case, and he has the whole thing slung over his bag in a backpack with handles sticking out. You never know when boltcutters are going to come in handy after all, or a first aid kit. Mostly, all his gear's weighing him down. "I think I forgot something." He spots Ziv and Levi and smiles to greet them. "We're here to help. Finding the poor dog?"
Nathania waves as she and Haruki wander up. She's got a backpack similar to Ziv's and she nods around at them. "Good to see... familiar faces. I'm glad I know we can... work together already." She smiles at them all.
The breeze blows gently, and the gate to the Storm Drain squeaks ominously. Inside? Nothing is changing -- it's just a dreary tunnel that zig-zags off into the darkness. Nothing to worry about... Unless someone is afraid of inclosed spaces, filth, darkness, the unknown, or being underground.
The Elemental gives Ziv a little smile- small, but sincere- and waves a touch as she's greeted. "I was worried I'd be the only one doing this. It's better to have-" And Haruki and Nathania arrive! Levi gives the dolly a bit of a wave, and Haruki... well, he gets a puzzled look. She doesn't know him. That's worrisome, but Nat seems to, but Nat's weird, but but but. She tries to stifle her worries, and glances between the others. "... everyone's so well prepared," she murmurs lamely, and moves to push open the gate and head inwards, slowing down as she does. "... I... should have brought a flashlight."
"I don't have an extra, sorry..." says Ziv, as she moves towards the grating. Her wings partially reach out for it, and then she seems to reconsider. Her wings partially curl under, looking rather fragile by comparison to the hands of even a human. A turn of her head, and she looks at the others, particularly Levi. "Can someone else get this open?"
Nathania digs in her backpack and offers Levi a cheap red plastic flashlight. "Keep it, if you'd... like," she offers, her own flashlight the kind that wraps around her head. Then she looks at the grate and considers. "I don't think.... I can get it open." Rag dollies are not strong.
Levi takes the flashlight and offers Nat a thankful smile, tucking it into the belly pocket of the hoodie she's wearing. Watching everyone else's hesitation, she holds up a hand to get them to wait a moment, and steps in to grapple with the metal monster. She grits her teeth and wrenches a bit, and it creaks open- noisily, but it's open! She holds position and tips her head towards the entrance- time to head in!
When the Storm Drain grating is pulled open, it's accompanied by a long, low metallic creeeeeeking sound. It triggers a pair of pigeons to freak out; flapping around maddeningly as they scramble to get off the ground and flutter out of the Storm Drain and into the grim grey skies of the Industrial District.
Anyone scared of birds? No? Good.
They may want to be careful as they head into the darkened tunnels though -- the various flashlights show a slick of, ahem, pigeon droppings on the ground, which is /already/ rather damp and sludgy looking. Further down the tunnel, about 20 yards or so, the lights... Well the flashlights don't show much. There must be a bend -- the tunnels certainly go down, down, down...
Really, Ziv might be regretting that she didn't wear shoes - but she doesn't own any hedgespun items (yet), and really claws hold on better than most shoe soles. Besides, feet can be washed. Taking a breath, she ducks down to slip through the hole that Levi made - probably needlessly - using the claws on her toes to help grasp and not slip. The rucksack is readjusted as she goes.
Nathania gives a little startle at the birds taking flight, but isn't scared. Just, you know, sudden movement out of the corner of an eye. She follows Ziv in after giving Levi a soft 'thank you' as she passes. Her flsahlight is resettled on her head briefly, shining into the darkness.
Haruki's here with the others, perhaps a bit distracted as he looks around, taking in everything, sticking close to Nathania. He grimaces at the creeping sound. Pigeons do send him startled backwards hands going up to protect his face from the flapping wings. But it's not going to put him off this heroic mission. He is wearing gloves. He is most certainly dressed best to combat all this muck. He does his best not to think about it.
Levi flinches from the birds, but more from the physical proximity than the distraction. She grits her teeth, then shrugs in under the grate, letting it slam behind her as she moves to follow the others. Her nose wrinkles, distinctly displeased, and quietly happy she hadn't been made into something like a dog, or... some other... smell... creature.
The intrepid explorers trudge deeper into the tunnel, some things become evident... One, it's a bit colder in here than outside - what was a light breeze outside has turned into a colder wind that is whipping through the tunnel, bringing with it some Questionable Smells. Nothing... Nothing too extreme, but it's definitely dank and ripe, shall we say. Mildew and rot. The second evidence is squelching through Ziv's toes and under everybody else's footwear; these tunnels for sure dip downwards, and take with it the trash and gutterdroppings from the Industrial District above.
Careful, it's a bit slippery!
But as the light from the grey skies of the Industrial District fade away, and the group is plunged into darkness illuminated by flashlights -- or BatSenses -- they come across... An intersection.
Everyone -- well, everyone who is not a Magician -- will sense that the air-flow is coming from the left hand tunnels. But on the right hand tunnels? There is a gnawed up tennis ball, half buried in the muck.
What do Magicians see? They see FILTH. Everything down here is so grimy. Look at those spiderwebs up above -- yuck!
It's so gross around here. Ewww.. Ewww. Haruki doesn't want to even think about what he's stepping in never mind he's wearing galoshes. Never mind he has gloves on and he's wrapped up specifically to avoid any sort of contamination. It's horrible. Why did he agree to this? But there's a poor dog in need of rescuing from clowns and he can't let Nathania deal with this alone. He's not going to smell anything. He's rubbed menthol under his nose to combat the stink. He is so prepared for all of this. He has a backpack of preparedness. Surefooted he does his best to follow along. He sees nothing.
"Huh," says Ziv, catching sight of the neon yellow (also known as eyeburn) partially buried in the muck. Stepping forward, she hesitates, but then balances and lifts up the ball in some of her foot claws, awkwardly twisting to give it a look. Then it's released, giving a short toss down to Nathania and Levi and Haruki.
Afterwards, Ziv lifts up her wings around her face and whistles out, calling into the darkness, "Here boy! Here boy!"
Nathania follows Ziv, catching the ball in her gloves. "Huh." She tosses it to Haruki and Levi, before turning toward the left tunnel and echoing Ziv: "Here... boy! C'mon Crumpets! Here!" Her voice echoes into the velvet blackness.
Levi watches the tennis ball sail towards her and into the much at her feet. Catch that? Nope. Nobody else seemed to want to hold onto it, it can't be THAT important. She looks to Haruki, much of the same mind as he is, then starts padding after the other two, staying quiet. Surely the sweet smaller voices would work better.
Ewww! Ewww! Is Ziv really barefoot walking in the muck. Haruki does his best not to recoil away and grimace. There's worse. He's friends with Robbie. It's not that gross. Is it? As Nathania throws the ball at him he dodges out of the way, no way he's catching it or even wants to be touched by it. Nope, nope nope. "Which way we go?" he asks. "Are there any footprints? Er pawprints I mean, or anything?"
Does Crumpets reply? No. No, there is no barks from the deep -- there is only the soft trickle of grime down the walls of the tunnel, the hissing of wind around the bend, and the squelching of feet as people move amongst the space. Seems like the group will have to travel further into the tunnels if anything is to be found. Which way, though? Left or right, left or right? Might be hard to tell, but the gnawed up tennis ball bounces wildly as it soars from Ziv's to Nathania; then on again, missing Levi. Boing! It rolls to the right, off into the dark.
Well, there is no sound of anyone or anything else in the tunnels, as Ziv's ears might pick up currently. They keep turning, to and fro, pricking this way and that - but it only seems to be the little group currently inhabiting the space. And there's nothing for her to wipe her feet off on. After some consideration of the tunnels, she starts to head off to the right, with the click and scrape of claws in addition to the squelch.
"If you want to hide, you... find an enclosed space," she says, thoughtfully. "A close one, for most animals. If you want food, or to find home, or to escape... you look for air currents."
"There's your answer," murmurs Levi, as Ziv takes point and leads the way. She starts to pace after her, shining the cheap flashlight about here and there.
Nathania frowns softly, but looks to Haruki. "I'll... take the rear," she says, gesturing the mortal ahead of her.
Haruki moves in front of Nathania, nodding. He gazes around, he's not much help though, other than shining light everywhere.
The spelunking explorers walk to the right: the tunnel continues on, and on, and on -- going lower under ground, twisting to and fro, with water occasionally dripping from the walls and grim collecting in little piles. It's fascinating, really; there are animals down here, but mostly they're of the insect variety: centipedes, spiders, beetles which scuttle out of the light.
Eventually, the group comes across an impasse: thank goodness the flashlights pick it up first -- the ground of the path drops suddenly on either side of a thin stone arch, which connects to the other side of the tunnel. It's like a narrow footbridge -- only it completely lacks any railings, and only one person can pass safely at a time. On either side? Well, there's water rushing below, and the sludge of the tunnel seeps off into it.
A little dog would have no problem scuttling over it, though.
Of course, what would happen if a person fell into that water? Would they be sucked under, or does it only -look- deep? So hard to tell... Better be careful, if they decide to cross the bridge.
Nathania looks to the footbridge, casts a Contract, and feels the Wyrd lift her slightly off the ground. "Haruki," she says thoughtfully to her friend. "Would... you like me... to carry you.... across the bridge?" She smiles at the slight Asian man then, tilting her head. "I feel... quite steady."
Levi doesn't even hesitate. This is her bread and butter. The Elemental marches right across the narrow bridge without a second thought, following Ziv as she makes her way across, poised to snag the little bat if she slips or falls.
Haruki's skin is crawling and he's paying no heed to any animals or insects. "No thanks, I'm good." He smiles at Nathania. There's no showing off when it comes to the bridge, and his shoes aren't ideal for feats of athleticism, but he makes his way across nonetheless, with surprising grace perhaps. He's not looking down, not letting fears get ahold of him, nope.
Once she's on the other side, managing not to slip and fall, Ziv takes a moment to find a mostly dry spot and clean her claws off. This largely involves finding an edge to scrape them along, poking out her pink tongue in a look of vague disgust.
Nathania nods and follows Haruki, drifting more than walking across the bridge. She hesitates briefly on the other side, and looks around. Then, with a shrug, she waits for Ziv. Her own feet have already ...well, dripped-dry, as much as they will for the moment. She'll continue floating, thanks.
Once on the other side, the group's various flashlights -- at BatSense -- show the following: the ground is much more dry here, even if the air is still humid. Seems like the 'storm drain' cut off is whatever trickles down into the little inlet of water they just walked over via the footbridge. This side of the bridge is perhaps a little elevated, and the air is quite cool -- ripe with dust and mildew, but clean enough.
Light bounces off of dull, dusky brickwork of the tunnel chamber -- up ahead there are three doorways in the walls; two on either side of the room, and one dead-set in front. The doorway towards the left has a bunch of rubble half-blocking it, but it seems like it could be climbed over if a person was interested. The other two? All cobwebby -- with dust over most of the surfaces. Of course... Is that a paw print? Could just be a smudge! So hard to tell without further investigation.
Levi pads down the tunnel chamber, pausing as she spots the doorways. The one on the left catches her attention, and she murmurs, "Think I could get over that pretty easy..." Then it's a look to Ziv and the others. "Guys? Any idea where Crumpets went?"
Ziv flicks an ear at Nathania and Haruki, looking them both over as if to make sure they're alright - which they are - before turning to bound after Levi the Elemental. She slows down as she reaches the doorways nearby to Levi, beginning to look around the area. Though it doesn't appear she's necessarily spotted anything yet.
"Here Crumpets," she calls in a sweet voice, adding on some whistling afterwards.
Nathania bites her lip and shakes her head. "And I refuse... to let us... split the party. That's a bad... damn idea," she says, staring at the doors. "We could... all go through them, one at... a time..." She sounds unconvinced, though. She lets Ziv take care of calling the dog, this time.
Haruki nods in agreement with Nathania. "Yes, no splitting up." Wait what's that smudge? He goes over to investigate what may or may not be a pawprint, shining his light upon it. Dog or rat? How do you even tell?
"I think this is a dogprint," Haruki says. "Oh and there's one there. And there." Dogs like to go everywhere it seems and Haruki's attempts to track it aren't useful at all.
"Yeah. Think you're right. Ah- paw prints wandering... that way?" Levi gestures towards the left and squints at the top of the rubble. "I see... something back there. Dunno what..."
"Something glinting?" Nathania asks Levi. "I... see it, too." She hesitates. "One of us... should go, and the rest wait here. In case," she says.
Haruki's going to wait here with Nathania. Yes. That makes the most sense. Stick with the dolly. Unless the dolly is going too.
"Hm..." Ziv fumbles with her rucksack in order to take it off. It's tossed up through the hole, before she goes scrabbling up higher along the rubble. It's possible that Levi could tear it down, though, and she's pretty quick about getting up - this isn't really a burden, and she's good at squeezing through small places!
Levi scrambles up and over herself, making rapid and easy progress up the stones and swinging through the empty space at the top without an issue. She pauses just past, though, scooting to the side and looking back through to Nat and Haruki, offering a hand to help the pair through if they're coming. "I heard what you said, Nathania, but you also said we shouldn't split up- much less go alone. Come on up."
Climbing over that rubble is bit of a trek -- it's lose under foot, and a little bit sharp. Ow! Sorry barefoot bat-girls... But once over to the other side? The room isn't very big, maybe 8'x16', and a lot of that is filled with rubble... But over in the corner, there is a dug out bit of earth, from which there seems to be some kind of a crumbling apple crate? Something inside of that glitters -- maybe a few things, but it will require inspection.
It may be hard to focus on, though, because there is graffiti on the wall down here -- not only is that strange, as it suggests someone has -been- here, but? It's reflective; glowing dimly in the light when the flashlights hit it - not just glowing a single colour, mind, but a swirling ever-shifting red-to-gold-to-black /glow/, like embers alight.
Only it's not alight... It's... It's some kind of Wyrd ink?
It doesn't say anything, not in English anyway. It's a series of crude markings, and some picograms going from top to bottom: a big eye, a droplet, and crossed stems of roses with thorns.
...Right.
Haruki'll go first, climbing over the rocks, letting Nathania take up the rear. He's fairly small too and adept at squeezing through places, but he is weighed down with his backpack of stuff he probably won't need.
Nathania waits for Haruki to go first, and then clambers inelegantly up and over the rocks, using Levi's hand as necessary. Her backpack weighs her down a bit, too.
"Ow," hisses Ziv a bit, after jarring her foot on something. She drops down in order to stop and take stock of the situation - as well as lean against part of the room near her rucksack, and check her poor, gooey foot.
Levi gently helps Nathania over the worst of the stones, and winces when she hears Ziv hurt herself. After boosting Nat over the top, she peers over at Ziv. "If you need carried out, I can take you, Ziv. Don't think it'd be smart to walk through that again with your foot cut."
Haruki eyes the ink and then wanders off towards the crates to check what's inside them. "Um, what's this?" he asks the others. "There's weird stuff in here I think? Oh I have a first aid kit if you want? Bandages and antiseptic and stuff."
Nathania is too busy looking at the ink on the wall. "Goblin... ink, or a ... gewgaw did that," she murmurs. "Not... a contract." She studies it for a moment. "Can't make... heads or tails, though." Then she goes to inspect where Haruki was speaking of, careful not to reach in.
Ziv inspects her foot, which has a small amount of blood oozing out of a little cut on it - the perils of going barefoot. And no longer being what she once was in Arcadia, really. Her claws are given a flex, and then she sighs and nods at Haruki, saying, "You'd... maybe better take a look at it, I think. It's not -bad-, but..."
"Take a seat on the crate?" Haruki suggests to Ziv. "Um, can anyone else do medical stuff?" He digs out the first aid kit, and a bottle of water from his bag, careful not to let anything touch the muck.
While the exact meaning of the crude markings and symbols on the walls may be lost to group, they still glimmer and glow whenever the light passes on against them -- that big eye unblinking, watching the group as they go about their activities down below.
The crumbling apple crate holds some things -- what looks like chewed up newspaper that's faded and yellowing and breaking apart, mixed with straw that holds... Huh... Well that's interesting: there is a little tube about the size of a miniature golf pencil, with two orbs of different sized enamel on either end - oh, it's a brooch! There's also what looks like a dull carved hobo nickel -- too dim to see what's carved on it's face though... If they keep digging, they'll also find what looks like a egg sized piece of faceted crystal... And? And a pair of black bone dice.
Huh. How odd.
The unblinking eye, droplet and crossed rose stems above them glimmers in the light.
Weren't they looking for something else, down here -- besides trash and trinkets?
Ziv finds a place to sit, as instructed, whether that's on rubble or the crate or whatever happens to be handy. She leans back some, lifting her foot up towards whoever looks like they're about to poke at it. Thankfully, her claws appear to be fairly dull from walking on them all the time, so they're less dangerous than might otherwise be - not that they're too much of an issue for Levi!
One ear perks towards Nathania, kind of nervously, while Ziv focuses over there instead, "Anything cool?"
"Thanks." Levi speaks softly as she takes the first aid kit and the water from Haruki and sets to work on Ziv's foot. The water, she splashes on and carefully rubs off the grime and muck, then does her best to clean, apply antiseptic, and pop a bandaid onto the cut, small though it is. She grimaces, though. "You wanna watch that. It's gross down here. You do -not- want sepsis. If that starts to hurt, turn red, swell, -anything.- See a doctor."
Nathania nods. "A few... interesting.... trinkets." She doesn't reach in after anything, but lists off the contents, identifying the brooch as an etui brooch, used to hold needles and thread for emergency sewing needs. "Otherwise, just.. junk."
Levi chips in. "Maybe it's like the "take a trinket, leave a trinket" box at Cat-22?"
Haruki shivers as the eye watches them. He stares back at it, as if it can see. Now he can see it seeing them. "It's watching in case we steal their treasures. Or is it recording? Remembering." He shivers. "I want them." He shakes his head. Wantwantwantwantwant. Nevermind common sense, he's wearing gloves and he has a bag for gathering stuff in his backpack, and so he'll make to stuff all the trinkets into it. Wantwantwant! He's taking all and leaving nothing.
Ziv hisses some and her ears go back when Levi works on her foot, allowing it to be wrapped and tended to without much other fuss. However, at the recommendation she go to a doctor, there's a surprisingly snappish response of, "It'll be fine." When Levi's done, she draws her foot back to herself.
Then, her attention turns onto Haruki and Nathania, perhaps to get away from -that- topic at hand. She blinks a few times as Haruki goes for the trinkets, and says, "Uh, I probably wouldn't do that, if I were you..." But she does flick her ears there, certainly interested in the goods. That egg crystal is shiny!
'It's watching in case we steal the treasures.'
'Remembering.'
'I want them.'
Alarm bells go off in Levi's head as Ziv takes her foot back with uncharacteristic grumpitude. Earmark that for later- right now, the only non-fairy in the group is acting weird about stuff right under fairy ink. Levi wants NONE of that trouble. In an absolutely STARTLING rush of movement, glamour spills from Levi's mouth as she exhales and coerces that wind to aid her. It responds in magnificent fashion and wraps the shabbily dressed Elemental in a supportive gale, driving her leap towards Haruki. She doesn't just tackle him- she grabs him, whips him off his feet, and rolls midair to keep him atop her, rather than grind him into the debris below, kept- firmly, but safely- wrapped in her arms.
"Please don't steal those. You said we're being watched."
"Uuuuh, guys..." says Ziv, as Levi goes flying at Haruki to keep him from getting all grabby with things. She does narrow her dark eyes at the young Japanese man though, flicking her ears to and fro a few times and then saying, "I think that the... markings might be a bluff... Instead of... y'know, actually anything..." She sort of trails off, her voice possibly lost in the kerfuffle that's now going down.
Shiny sewer crystal is Haruki's now! His! All of the things are his. Hishishishishis! Precious! It worked out so well for Bilbo when he found junk lying around and stuffed it in his pocket after all. It'll work out great for Haruki. And then Haruki's danger senses flare as Levi tackles him to the ground and he fails to dodge, and it's sheer terror now that consumes him.
Nathania kneels to speak to Haruki. "It's okay," she soothes. "There's something... wrong. You said... we were being.... watched. Then you took... things. It's not fair... to take... things that... aren't... yours," she tells the Asian man gently, trying to get through to him.
So! One moment Haruki's being tackled to the ground, in the dark, his torch gets knocked off as he falls, crashing down onto that filthy floor. Down... down down. And the next there's nothing. No Haruki there, where he should be beneath Lev. Gone.
Wow. So that escalated quickly.
Where in the world did Haruki go?!
Up above in the little antechamber that Ziv, Levi and Nathania find themselves in, the goblin ink markings on the wall just glimmer and flicker and watch and... Nothing else happens.
Wait...
...Wait.
Is that whimpering in the distance? Canine whimpering? It sounds like it's coming from back out there, out in the other chamber somewhere...
...Unless the person listening happens to be a Batgirl. Then? They know... /EXACTLY/ what and where that sound is coming from. They may as well be straight up echo-locating what is most /definitely/ a cute little lost dog crying out in the dark.
Ziv's ears twitch, and she looks doubtfully at the others for a moment... but then straightens to toss her pack through the hole, and scrabble back through it off into the dark. She's going to hunt herself down a dog! ...and leave poor Levi and Nathania to figure out Haruki's latest disappearing act. Good job, Houdini.
Nathania gasps and trembles. "Itsuki... is going... to kill... me," she mutters to herself, lip trembling as a fluffy not-tear falls from her face to the floor beside Levi. "I... I...." She is struggling so hard not to cry. It fails. "I'm so sorryyyyyy," she wails, her voice echoing after Ziv's departure.
Levi blinks. She's still on the ground, still on her back, but suddenly- there's just no Haruki in her arms. She sits up, distinctly startled, looking at Nathania as she starts to cry. Levi's breath starts to quicken. "... I don't understand. Where did he go? Was it because he took the trinkets?"
Nathania sniffles. "I don't know. But maybe... he's still... with us. I want... to try... calling his... cell phone... in a second." She stands, carefully, and offers Levi a hand up. She wipes her face with her free hand and squares her shoulders. "If he's... not Gone Over There... he's getting... such... a goddamn... earful... from me."
Levi stands, still looking seriously disturbed, and reaches out to rest a hand on dollyshoulder. "Okay. Let's do that. Maybe- maybe he's fine." She sounds seriously unsure of that, on account of being pretty sure he was a human, and human's can't vanish like that, but she's not about to squash Nat's hopes. "Do you want me to carry you out? So you don't have to cross the bridge or get any messier?"
Nathania shakes her head. "I'll... be ... okay," she whispers, moving to squeeze the hand on her shoulder gently. "I appreciate.... it." And she turns to head topside, making sure her backpack is firmly on her shoulders.
Four entered the Storm Drain tunnels together -- but only two walked back out again. The trek back there, for Nathania and Levi was totally uneventful -- just that little pathway, the sewer stream, the squelching grime, the winding tunnels that go up, up, up, and eventually the light at the end.
No more cobwebs, no more dreary air, no more shadows and...
...no more Haruki?! Where on earth did that little Magician go!?
The group will have to figure that out some other time. With Ziv still in the tunnels -- or perhaps having left already with Crumpets -- and that's left now is to step out into the dreary grey light of the Industrial district and... Damn. Go find a warm place to take a shower, change clothes, and try to get Haruki on the phone?! That is, presuming he can even be -reached- on the phone...
Man. Who'd of thought going into the deep dark dreary dank dreadful tunnels under Fort Brunsett could be so unexpectedly dangerous.
Everything has its consequence.
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