[quote=@Haeo]
"Thank you for your diligence, and your concern, Shizuka.  But... I'm afraid that there isn't really anything particularly unusual about my troubles."  Vern took a breath and set down his briefcase on the floor by the counter. "The simple fact is that there are more challenges than I originally anticipated when I bought this business.  Some with the building, some with other personnel.  And, a few unfortunate personal coincidences as well.  Perhaps I wasn't quite as prepared as I thought I was.  But, I'll be alright."
[/quote]
[color=a187be]"Well, just because your troubles are not unusual, doesn't make them any less legitimate,"[/color] Shizuka replied, knowing that too often, society dismisses someone's problems by bringing up examples of those who 'have it way worse'.  Shizuka was a bit afraid that she may come off as condescending or presumptuous instead of concerned, but added, [color=a187be]"You can't take care of other people unless you take care of yourself."[/color]  She figured him for someone who prioritized the needs of others, but maybe she was wrong.  [color=a187be]"Life is a marathon, not a sprint, so don't overwork yourself, and slow down when you need to."[/color] Hmm, that last one might have been a bit much, Shizuka wondered if she sounded like a grandma.  At this point it was pretty obvious that Vern was about to head out, so Shizuka let him go on his way.

Some time later, towards the end of Shizuka's shift, the manager, who had come in soon after lunch, approached Shizuka, notifying her that Mr. Smith had accidentally left his briefcase behind, and asked her if she could bring it to him since her shift was ending.  Shizuka asked the manager for Vern's address before taking his briefcase.  She saw that he lived in roughly the same part of town as where Ink Sparks was located, and wasn't too much of a detour as the Academy was in a different, nicer part of town.  Shizuka got on her bike, put the briefcase in her basket and rode off.

As she rode, some clouds that had been looming on the horizon earlier in the day had made their way overhead, causing a light drizzle.  It made sense, Shizuka thought to herself; the day had been pretty muggy, so something like this should be expected.  But what she didn't expect was that the rain hadn't yet stopped by the time she arrived at Vern's...house?  Looking at it, she could see that it was a three-story house but with apartment rooms built on top.  She looked at the address the manager had given her and confirmed that Vern did in fact live in one of the rickety-looking apartments at top.  Rather than ask for directions and disturb whoever lived in the house, Shizuka wandered around the property a bit until she found an alley with stairs leading up, which she took.  On her way up the three flights of steps to reach Vern's apartment, she almost slipped a few times since the stairs did not have a roof and the steps were wet and slippery.  At the top of the stairs was a wooden landing that thankfully had an awning that protected her from the rain.  Shizuka rang the doorbell and waited.  She looked around, noticing that the rain was getting stronger, though she assured herself that it was probably just a localized and sudden downpour, and would probably be over soon.  She rang the doorbell again, hoping that she didn't come off as rude.  Now she was beginning to wonder if he wasn't at home.  She couldn't remember if he drove, or what his car looked like, nor could she remember what cars she had seen on the gorund level and if she could deduce if any of those cars might be his.  She stood there, a little dumbstruck at what she should do, surrounded by the rain.  She didn't want to bike back in this weather, but she couldn't think of anything besides just standing there.