#phaethonblue

"...Belle, are you the one who rearranged my photo album?" He asks as if anyone else would have done it. Well, they had the Bangboos running around, but he was pretty sure they wouldn't touch it.

"Cherry..." Viviana trailed after the little Bangboo as it wandered off. They'd been stopping at a shop to schedule some maintenance on it when something caught its eye, and down the street they both went.

Little pink arm pointed right at the video store. "What, you think what we have at home isn't enough?"

"Eh nah."

"Fifteen. This makes fifteen people have wanted to date you since we moved to Sixth Street, Wise. I don't even know what kind of leaps of logic your brain had to make to completely miss the love letter addressed directly to you in our mailbox." She's so tired, Wise. Please, give your sister some peace of mind and make this the only relationship you'll ever have. She can't go through this again.

"There's no way you're not exaggerating. Not counting the clients and agents who haven't seen me in person, I don't even know fifteen people..."

As for that letter...

It's 10 PM and Belle is scrolling through her phone on the couch while Wise works, which naturally means it's time for his sister's intrusive thoughts to bubble up to the surface. She pauses her scrolling for a moment, before craning her head backwards atop the back of the couch, and asks him the most important question of their lifetime...

"...Do you think Ethereals still have to use the toilet?"

He was used to her random questions to the point where it didn’t even phase him that she just spoke up after a long stretch of silence.

"Hey Wise... You know that issue Eros has been having with the Mercurio Familia? I might have an idea on how to help with that." Belle pulls out her phone and begins scrolling, not through the Inter-Knot or social media, but through a news article, until she finds the spot she wanted to show him - a report on a recently busted smuggling operation, believed to have been run by said mafia gang. The goods in question? Some lost tech belonging to a military manufacturing firm still in business for the government. "I did some digging, and they're some real nasty types. Extortion, robbery, money laundering, the works. But they also have a stranglehold on a niche section of the black market - Old Capital artifacts, especially ones that have survived Ether corruption inside Hollows. That'd explain why they're so interested in working with Belobog, given their construction zone runs so close to it. The news about what happened with that old monument had to have piqued their interest. Whether or not the items still technically belong to someone doesn't matter to them; they go hunting, and sell them to collectors throughout New Eridu."

He turned to look at the article when she offered it to him, his eyes scanning the screen. They wouldn't be the first group they'd encountered who were even shadier than the usual Hollow raiders. But Eros didn't have that experience, and he also didn't have the cover of just being regular, helpful citizens when someone like the Mercurio Familia came sniffing around.

"I'm not surprised that it's caught the attention of someone like them," he said. "Especially with Koleda and Grace working to clear her father's name. People now know that the tech he'd been working on exists somewhere in there. And we saw what it could do. All of that would fetch a lot of Dennies..." Even if it wasn't specifically Kors's tech, there was a lot around there to salvage. But now Belobog and PubSec were swarming around there. You'd need an in to get close- or a threat.

"Good morning, manager." As usual, Zhu Yuan was keeping an eye on her surroundings, but she did have her attention directly on Belle as well. Woe be to someone who tried to sneak up on them.

Send Smash or Pass + a name

  ❝ WHAT ? ! The manager ? I mean , it's definitely admirable how skillful they are at being a Proxy ! But what the hell kinda question is this ? !

  ain't you supposed to like , date and stuff before you smash parts together ? !

  'sides , I'm too much of a work addict , Manager deserves someone that'll give her proper attention as a partner . . . so for that alone I gotta say pass . ❞

  Koleda returns her focus back to the site , a heavy day's work ahead of her as per usual ; trying not to think too had about the question she was just asked .

  ❝ Belle ? She's definitely a bright personality , always seems so confident in her work and how she carries herself ! It's really commendable , truly . . . however , I don't how I'd feel about answering this question as currently framed .

  I wouldn't mind perhaps a date at the very least . . . does that count for anything ? ❞

  there's a commotion to the side , Qingyi whispering in her ear but only for a moment , ❝ Apparently that's not how the game works . . . and as someone who takes the regulations of games to the utmost seriousness ? ❞

  There's a sigh , ❝ Smash . ❞ .

Her smile only seemed to become more devious as eyes locked, small tail wagging away behind her with growing excitement.