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Post by Zuyuri on Sept 8, 2017 4:28:46 GMT
The hunt for the magical stone room had drained the energy out of most of the cops. Shadow had been out tracking a lead based on some of the magic wards used by Thrax to imprison Weiss, while Sunshine was still waiting for an email from some miners. Her green eyes were showing bags and her head was bobbing like a dashboard accessory. Even her fingers were being lazy, typing blurbed words in the report. She fought a yawn and reached for the bag of kale chips she had started eating...only to be horrified that her bag was empty.
Damn.
She needed food. Her stomach was becoming a pit. The last time she felt this hungry and alone had been her days in high school having study nights with her...friends she had fallen out with. Shadow and Yang were her closest friends now, and well, they weren't here. She flumped on the back of her chair when she heard a knock.
"Um...home cooked delivery?"
Standing in the door, with her hands carrying a salad bowl, was Elsa. Whatever she was carrying was NOT a salad, though. As she set it down, Sunshine's mouth watered Beautifully seared chicken breasts rested on a bed of browned butter rice, decorated with halves tomatoes. A growl echoed from the cop's stomach, and the lawyer smiled wistfully.
"I wanted to drop it off. I figured you guys would be getting tired of takeout and pizza."
"Yeah, Tony's is good, but I'm getting tired of eating three Hawaiian slices a night," Sunshine agreed, collecting a serving and setting it onto a paper towel at her desk.
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Post by skyeknight on Sept 8, 2017 15:23:57 GMT
Aqua scrubbed a hand over her face. She had just gotten back in from taking Namine home. The little blonde had been working just as hard as the officers - trying to pin down faces of people who sold the magic stone. But even she had her limits. The faery had to fly her home because the little blonde had fallen asleep at her desk, slumped over inky pictures of shady people. Aqua barely stopped to change her clothes. There wasn't anything in the fridge, simply because she hadn't had time to run to the grocery, not with everything going on. Everyone had been pulling double shifts to try and find Weiss before she felt the need to give into Thrax.
She was exhausted. They all were. But she was physically and emotionally drained from everything. From Riku. From Terra. From Omar. From Weiss. She was being yanked a million directions at once and she didn't know how much more she could take before she just burned out. She barely had the energy to fly back to the department let alone leave her home. But she walked back in, only to find Elsa and Sunshine together. She tried to smile, though it felt more like a grimace so she gave it up pretty quickly.
"Hey Elsa. Hey Sunshine." she greeted wearily.
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Post by Zuyuri on Sept 10, 2017 5:33:59 GMT
"Hey, Aqua," both the cop and the lawyer chorused. Compared to the two of them, Aqua looked worse. Baggy eyes and a messy blonde braid were nothing compared to sleeping on wet wink. Elsa made ready to step out, but something about the two cops looking exhausted stopped her. She was supposed to help them during difficult times. Yes, this was not a legal matter, but she wanted to keep them on good terms with her. She wanted to be more than just the go-to shield who looked at people coldly in interrogation rooms when a cop was called for misconduct because of a faulty gun. She stepped aside, murmuring something about getting plates and forks before leaving the bowl.
Sunshine watched Elsa leave. Something seemed...different. Elsa wasn't her usual aloof self. She was more...well...radiant. Ice had thawed in her heart and the artsy cop wanted to know why. But that didn't mean she had to leave Weiss' kidnapping unattended. But right now, she needed caffeine or she'd end up looking like Aqua. The electric dispensers were about to run dry, but luckily Sunshine had been from the family who brewed coffee and tea on a regular basis. She opened the tea one, knowing her cop friend's preference, and checked the water level. Well, it'd do for a while. The red button was pressed and it hummed to life.
"Okay," she opened the drawer pawing through the loose packets of tea littered in the bottom. "We've got english breakfast, mint, chamomile lavender...ugh, not good for late nights...and...uh...I think it's Orange Pekoe but it doesn't say."
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Post by angelofmusic1992 on Sept 10, 2017 15:10:36 GMT
Everyone was working hard to figure out where Thrax was hiding, and Yang was no exception. This was pretty big for her first case, but she knew complaining about it wouldn't change. She could feel her friends' eyes on her every so often though, and she wondered if she thought she might crack or go postal or something. After all, finding Thrax wasn't just part of her job. It was personal. Yang felt like she wasn't about to go on a one-man hunt for him though, like so many cops did in movies when they were going after a criminal that had personally wronged them. She knew that would be stupid. The idea of facing Thrax again gave her complex emotions though. On the one hand, she almost wanted to show him how strong she'd become, that he hadn't beaten her. But at the same time, some of those old fears stirred in her sub-conscious. She'd only gotten this far because she'd refused to let her fears consume her, but that hadn't meant they'd gone away entirely. She just had to remember to take one day at a time and not worry about the "what ifs." Her thoughts were interrupted though when she noticed Elsa leave one of the offices in a hurry. Was she here to provide moral support or something? She glanced inside and saw Sunshine and Aqua, who looked as tired as she felt. Maybe a short break would be good right now. After all, if they were going to be conducting any research or finding any clues, they needed to be in as best shape as possible. Otherwise, they weren't going to be doing anyone any good. "Are we having a gathering here or what?" she asked jokingly as she stepped inside.
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Post by skyeknight on Sept 11, 2017 2:24:01 GMT
"I think we're being held hostage for a non-take out dinner," Aqua told Yang. "Best to do as they say before someone starts wielding tongs at you."
She had to hazard a guess since she had come in after Elsa had, but considering there was a big bowl with something that smelled too good to be real and Elsa had said she needed cups, plates and silverware before she rushed out, it was dinner. When it came to Sunshine and Elsa, she found it was probably best to go along with what they said. They could be stubborn when they wanted to be. She took a seat at her desk, not far from Sunshine or Yang, but began clearing off her desk, in case they needed to spread out. Best not to ruin important documents when eating.
"Hmmm... I think we need something heavy with caffeine if we're going to survive this shift." Aqua said to Sunshine.
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Post by Zuyuri on Sept 11, 2017 5:23:52 GMT
"Now, Aqua!" Elsa scolded, folding her arms and pouting playfully, "make comments like that and I'll have to suffice in given you frozen meals, that only I can thaw." She made a fake over-the-top evil laugh. "Help yourself, Yang. After I find where the heck you guys keep your..."
"Kitchen to the left, top shelf," Sunshine reported. She was hunting for teas with the highest caffeine content like Aqua suggested. She was the kind who'd drink it straight up. Were her friends the ame way? It was funny calling this small band of women her friends. Before this she had been part of a small group of school misfits who all went their separate ways. Best not to think about them, though, They had a case to get through. Just as she counted five bags of highly caffeinated black tea. The minute she popped them in and started the heater, she leaned back as Elsa returned with plates.
"The boys may or may not be missing out," she sighed.
"Yeah. Shadow went off to check in on a lead. He may come in by the time we're passed out," Sunshine replied. "Not sure about the rest of the guys, though. Dimitri and Jim are probably back at their place test running some demon traps for when we do find Thrax's hideout."
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Post by angelofmusic1992 on Sept 11, 2017 14:25:37 GMT
Yang gave a little laugh. "Free food is always good," she said. That mentality had become a big part of her while living on the streets, and it hadn't really left. It looked like it was going to be a girls' night, as most of the boys were MIA. Maybe Pitch had his Nightmares out patrolling again. Would they be able to sniff out where Thrax was hiding? She had no idea exactly how they worked, only that they were big, menacing, and Pitch could control several of them at once. She filled her plate with as much as it could hold before digging in. She wasn't sure if she'd call this stress eating, but it felt good to have something hot after plowing away at this case for a while, not to mention being around the unspoken tension that surrounded it. For many people, this case was probably personal, either because they were close with Weiss or had a grudge against Thrax. Either connection made this case even more high-stakes, and it was a bit daunting to deal with.
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Post by Zuyuri on Sept 11, 2017 16:15:29 GMT
"I figured everyone needed something other than takeout," Elsa shrugged, "plus the Blue Apron orders that Jenna and I wouldn't eat would've gone to waste. Although I apologize for any...um.." she cringed while pulling out a piece that was almost pink all the way through. Cooking had been a challenge for her. Unlike Sunshine and maybe Yang, heat was something she couldn't necessarily control. All she hoped was that no one was going to get food poisoning. Otherwise she would have to sue herself.
Sunshine swallowed her bite. Despite the slight squishing, the undercooking wasn't too noticeable. "It's not like you have a five star reputation to keep. Thanks all the way."
Elsa let out a visible sigh of relief. "That, and I wanted to put in some input for this..." she ducked her blue eyes down. The case was on someone she wanted to protect. Weiss' kidnapping was making headlines, her face and name appeared on Amber alerts. The guilt for not protecting Weiss was chilling her inwardly. "I should have been there," she whispered quietly.
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Post by skyeknight on Sept 11, 2017 17:06:54 GMT
"I'll be good!" Aqua piped up for the sake of playing Elsa's game.
Elsa likely wouldn't do that to her, but it was also not a good idea to test her smart mouth against the woman since she was probably equally tired. No one would exactly fault the lawyer if she did. Though, it was a good sign if everyone was still able to laugh and smile despite what was going on, or at least it was in Aqua's opinion. Though, that might have been the lack of sleep making her think everything was funny. She wasn't about to look the 'gift' in the mouth however.
"Hey, Sunshine, I've got some strong tea if that's what you're looking for..." she said. "It's called black pearl. It's supposed to taste like coffee."
It had been sitting in her desk drawer for quite some time but it was still good. She had gotten it as a gift to give to Terra since the man all but needed an IV drip of coffee in the morning. She pulled out the tin of tea and took off the old ribbon she had tied around it. She wouldn't drink it, because of the coffee-like taste, but it was better than keeping it stashed away for no reason. The ribbon went to the trash and she popped open the tin. It even smelled like coffee.
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Post by angelofmusic1992 on Sept 11, 2017 17:35:23 GMT
The atmosphere got heavy once again as Elsa mentioned Weiss. Or, at least, alluded to her. Yang remembered Adrien mentioning that the two of them were friends. She wasn't sure how much a lawyer could do when the case was at this stage though. She wouldn't be able to do much until Thrax was caught and she could use all her resources to make sure he ended up in jail forever. It was probably frustrating for her, not being able to do anything right now. Yang wasn't sure what to say. It wasn't like she knew Weiss well. The two of them had stuff to heal from after Mardi Gras. Contacting each other hadn't exactly been the first thing on their minds. "You couldn't have known what would happen," Yang finally said to her. "We sure as hell didn't see it coming." To see Thrax do a total 180 and go after Weiss instead of Adeline had been a surprise. Sure, they had known that Thrax wasn't so fond of Adeline anymore, but to try and do the same to Weiss? Thrax must have been truly desperate to make his plan work, even if it involved doing incredibly risky moves.
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Post by Zuyuri on Sept 12, 2017 5:00:12 GMT
"The worst part is I should have seen it coming." Elsa shook her head. As she walked away from Yang, a thin path of ice was crystalizing on the ground. The rookie meant well in trying to console her, but it ended up opening the lawyer to the stress she had been keeping bottled up inside the whole time. Waiting for a criminal to be brought to her ranks, the justice system, was the most painful part of these types of cases. She already had plans for what to do with him when he did get caught. The judge would want imprisonment, but Elsa would stand firm to ensure that a repeat escape and a street riot wouldn't happen again; at least, not one led by him. She pressed her hands to her temple, trying to get her mind off of cold fearful thoughts.
Sunshine was leaning over Aqua's desk to survey the black pearl she had suggested. Tea with high caffeine would have to do. Plus, she didn't want to go down to the kiosk, break in, restart the metal monster that was the coffee machine, and wait until one cup was painfully squeezed out. A frosty feeling hit the side of her bare foot - she had taken off her shoes while working at her desk - and she jumped back, looking down at the spiraling ice. "Um...Elsa?" she chirped.
"What would Ralph do?" Elsa murmured out loud, talking to herself. Just saying his name out loud was calming her down. So much so that the minute he left her lips, the ice just stopped spreading. A triangle of blue ice had formed in the offices. It'd melt eventually.
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Post by skyeknight on Sept 12, 2017 17:48:55 GMT
"Well, we could always ask Ralph to take a look?" Aqua offered. "If his case load isn't too intense. I mean, a fresh pair of eyes might do us some good."
Odd that Elsa brought up Ralph, but perhaps it was because she knew he was a private detective. But no... She wouldn't just mention him like that. None of the cases Ralph took were this high profile. He more or less focused on the poor souls that occasionally slipped through the fingers of the police force in general. As much as the BPD strove to save everyone, the task force was simply too small to manage the multitude of cases thrown at it. They had to choose. It was sometimes the hardest part about the job. Minus giving families bad news about their loved ones. She only hoped this would not be one of those cases, because this would destroy Riku.
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Post by angelofmusic1992 on Sept 12, 2017 21:32:12 GMT
Yang could feel the ice creeping into the room before she saw it and she looked back at Elsa. She had never seen the lawyer so frazzled. She was usually calm, cool, and collected. Of course, people like that usually had a breaking point where they started acting anxious, and it looked like Weiss getting kidnapped was it. Sunshine seemed almost as worried, although the ice seemed to settle down almost as soon as it had started. Aqua jumped on the subject of Ralph when Elsa mentioned his name, saying he might be able to help. Yang nodded in agreement. "Yeah, that could be good," she said. Ralph was a pretty capable guy, and a decent fighter too. Her training sessions with him and Shadow had proved that much. Maybe he could find some info that the others couldn't. It was worth a shot.
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Post by Zuyuri on Sept 14, 2017 15:45:26 GMT
"This is more about the case, isn't it?" Sunshine was both serious and teasing. Ralph's insight as a PI would give them clues they couldn't access because of loopholes. Yet if Elsa asked him nicely, and she had been watching the way the lawyer and the Giant exchanged nervous glances.
Elsa turned bright pink. She folded her hands, and tried hard not to think of the way Ralph kissed her at La Ratatouille. "Um..uh...what are..."
Sunshine pointed at the lawyer. "Aha! I knew it! You like him!"
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Post by skyeknight on Sept 16, 2017 3:19:43 GMT
Aqua found herself smiling when Sunshine called Elsa out on her feelings for Ralph. The blush and the clasped hands were a dead giveaway of how uncomfortable that Elsa was with being put on the spot. But Sunshine was also happily dating Riku. Or at least as happily as Aqua knew. She hadn't spoken to Riku in some time. She sighed and sat down at her desk, already feeling the fatigue settling in now that she had stopped moving around the office like a harpy who's wings had been plucked.
"As long as she's happy," Aqua told Sunshine.
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