heartbreak proof.

if only that man hadn't tried to steal her bag - the money she was carrying was negligible, but that phone was her only connection to her job and the few ties she had on the island - ! she might have overreacted, it seemed.

" It'd take a lot of power to turn something from 'fantasy' into reality.....and considering how this place works, it isn't too impossible. "

there's a sharp, resounding 'dafou!' from the small creature on her shoulder.

"i don't think you are drunk." or, at least, she was of the opinion that the girl did not sound drunk.

❝ ... INTERESTING. ❞ he remarks upon the scene, noting in particular a man collapsed in a battered heap on the pavement, ❝ I WAS UNDER THE IMPRESSION THAT HUMANS WEREN'T CAPABLE OF SUCH VIOLENCE. ❞

there is an underlying note of sarcasm in his tone; he knows perfectly well the atrocities that humans are capable of. what he did not expect, however, is the speed and strength at which she dispensed that violence.

if only that man hadn't tried to steal her bag - the money she was carrying was negligible, but that phone was her only connection to her job and the few ties she had on the island - ! she might have overreacted, it seemed.

His return to GANGS✩TAR must have come as a surprise to everyone working there. He had made no mention of coming in today, nor did he even make a hint of it in prior correspondence. Surprise would give way to warm greetings and the usual assortment of pleasantries. And while Django was most certainly appreciative of it all, what stood out the most to him was just how normal it all felt.

I suppose there could be life for him outside of the criminal underworld.

Stepping off the elevator and into his office, a familiar voice calls out to the man. His ears would perk up at the sound of her greeting. And as he turns around to face her, Yor would find Django smiling quite warmly at her.

plus this meant she had a job again!

'oh! it's good to see you too, boss.'

● "Ugh. Don't give me that attitude, I don't care!" Archer wasn't exactly very receptive to kindness, both giving or receiving it. So she wasn't overreacting to this woman thanking her for offering her... her shoes. The stranger had ended up in a rather deep puddle and Baobhan had stripped away her own heels to give her something drier.

The stranger was evidently worried about her own feet without her heels on.

'i - are you certain?' she had been petrified in place by her runaway train of thought, but now she takes the shoes gingerly, as if they might bite. 'thank you!'

Yor confirmed her wellbeing in her usual polite tone, then her following words froze the world around him. Rather, he began to astutely examine the environment. Her clothes lacked pink hair strands and clumps of white fur. The air was absent of the grating of their daughter's voice on his ears raving about spies and peanuts. Before he could open his mouth to investigate the unusual scene, Yor unveiled the larger problem.

Operation Strix was in danger. Our fake daughter was missing!

Loid felt his stomach lurch, his head pulsated in excruciating pain. He needed to deduce her whereabouts immediately or hope Franky proved to be a stout babysitter once more. "S-she's not with you?" he smiled calmly, masking the terror that assailed his heart. "T-then..."

The police cannot be involved otherwise they will doubt my skills as a father and ultimately unraveling my cover. I would not only put Anya but Yor in danger of being punished. This cannot happen. She must be he-- wait.

more importantly - this meant anya was with neither of them. that makes her want to panic, but instead yor tries to mirror loid's expression. it isn't working well.

'i've been stuck here for months, loid.' wait, does that mean he didn't notice she was gone? that stings more than she'd like it to. unless they replaced her with a body double? that sounds crazy, but certainly she's been party to stranger things. 'did... did you not notice?'

'i don't know exactly what this place is. it's an island... but it isn't any island i've ever heard about.' geography had never been one of her strong points - nor had most other school subjects - but a remote island this strange would have dredged up some memory, she likes to think. 'anya was here too, but then she vanished - without a trace.'

she doesn't add how long she searched for her. somehow it just makes the situation all that more bleak.

But sometimes that boldness is something everyone needed to finally take that step forward.

"I can help with that dear." Without a second thought she slipped on through to the dressing room, noticing the zipper just out of arms reach and helping herself to pull it all the way up.

'oh!' she's distracted by the sight of herself in the mirror. the red is decidedly flattering - it is a gorgeous, form-fitting dress with little ornamentation that cuts off halfway down the calf. she likes it more than she'd thought she could - thorn princess should never stand out so, but maybe yor forger can do it here.

It was worth his time to indulge in it until he grew bored.

“It’s not just him,” he began again, tone cryptic, as he stared into the unconscious face at his feet, his eyes peeling back the mortal layers. The man groaned in his sleep. “People like this don’t exist in a vacuum. Perhaps you intend to reform this man, but it won’t be enough.”

but this? this is different. she doesn't know why, or maybe she's just not ready to confront the why and how just yet. she does know that she won't let evil people run rampant in the streets, not right in front of her very eyes, even if it isn't her responsibility to do so here.

'my duty is...' she falters in her speech, looking sidelong at the unconscious man upon the ground. 'my duty is to my family.'

'if someone like this could hurt my family, then yes, i will take care of them, but...' the words are just out of reach to put a voice with her thoughts. 'i can't chase down every single threat to my family, let alone to everyone here. they can come to me first. i'm not... i'm not a vigilante. people will do whatever they want, whether i am there to stop them or not.'