#henry 01

"Good to see you again, buddy! How've you been? That a friend of yours?" he'd wave to Ellie with the same enthusiasm, before turning to his old friend again. "I, uh," cybernetics stood out immediately; Charles didn't know what exactly to say, beyond an awkward smile. "Man, I missed out on a lot since I've been gone, huh?"

At least he seems to be okay, even if he's stuck in Spirale just like him.

Christian had become absorbed in his work...yet again. Lilianna, Thomas, and Rafael tried their hardest to keep him sane these days more often than not, but Christian couldn’t help the way his mind constantly worked around the mystery of his sister’s disappearance. Disappearance and not death, because he absolutely refused to think of the finality of the latter. Seated in one of the local libraries in Brooklyn, not too far from Christian’s own apartment, with the light from an old brass lamp filtering across the study space before him, Christian uncapped his fountain pen and scrawled down some notes from one of the texts open before him. 

Books were spread out around him on the table, and his laptop open to a series of news articles for reference. The detective was certain one of the mafias had to be behind his sister’s disappearance--perhaps as a way to get back at him for his career spent as a detective dedicated to dismantling their franchises--and would not rest until he’d uncovered the truth of what had happened to Emmaline.

“Come on, come on--please,” Christian murmured, almost to himself out of desperation as he flipped a page in one of the books before him; it was a rough history of the Italian American mafia’s influence in America. He didn’t have any concrete proof that the Italians were behind it, but he was going through all of the mobs habits, traits, and organizational structures before he eliminated anyone as a suspect.

... Perhaps it was because the cafe was one of the few places the denizens of Spirale could come and experience a bit of familiar, social culture. Perhaps it was because it seemed like a safe haven among the dreary landscape of devastation. But as of late, it seems that the city was quickly filling up with all sorts of colorful characters, of which today’s appeared before the shallow steps to said cafe. 

“Hey.”

Sandalphon piped up, ceasing his sweeping as he glanced down at the one crouched amongst a large flock of crows, unamused, at best.

“You’re encouraging those dreadfully loud birds to stick around by feeding them. Cease such nonsense at once. And if you don’t intend on buying anything while loitering here you may as well just leave.”

Yeah! They are bad guys but hey, I bet if we show it to them, they might have a change of heart! Nya ha ha!

  “ Well, if it isn’t Junior!      Yet another shepherd enters the fray.     How long have you been breathing the same bitter air as I in this overblown city? ”