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[hider=Three weeks ago.]

[i]
[indent]
Robin knew better than to take shady phonecalls in the middle of the night, asking to meet up at an equally shady place's back alley dumpster outside town like in some hackney phrased Noir movie. Fairly enough, the light drizzle and ambient sound of distant cars and sirens go well with the situation. A pair of inebriated couple wobbled out of the back door where she closely stood, which paved a sudden wave of cheery resonance inside the Irish pub.
	
Her cigarette was down to half, inhaling the smoke in and out through her nose, while her other hand fiddled on the metal lighter, back leaned to the wall, foot tapping in a rhythm. She had been waiting for quite a long while now. However, patience,  more or less becomes an acquired virtue if you take on long enough in this type of employment. Every circumstance requires a good amount of it, may it be from good old fashioned stalking or connecting dots, all of which concludes into two contrasting  endings. Either accomplish or end up rotting in a murky ditch somewhere. Speaking in theory here.

The tapping came to a halt when a black Sedan parked just at the side of the alley. In a moment of intrigue, she stood upright, door swung open and was caught by surprise at the sight of the person who supposedly made the phone call.

It was the first time she came face to face with Silvervale's beloved Mayor Emilia, suffice to say this is quite unexpected. The mayor proceeded to greet the other woman in her usual genial flair [color=f7941d]"Thank you for coming on such short notice."[/color] 
	
Robin eyed her with blunt scrutiny [color=violet]" I was expecting someone with--less status and more tinfoil."[/color] she noted sarcastically, which despite all the Mayor's confident demeanour, was strong enough to strike through the surface. 

[color=f7941d]"Very funny."[/color] she wryly smiled, taking a few steps closer towards her direction, just close enough for the back alley lights to make out the sharp creases from her face, around her mouth and eyes. They say politicians have the tendency to show their age faster, something to do with the stress of hauling the nation like a pack mule. Could be the telltale sign of somebody doing a good job too.

[color=f7941d]"I don't plan on staying for idle chat so if we could just make this easy for both of us."[/color] The mayor immediately handed her an ambiguous brown envelope.

[color=f7941d]"I believe you know to take everything in discretion, I don't want to cause any ruckus for my residents. This is simply protocol and I'm confident there isn't much you'd find but it's better to be safe."[/color] her voice almost a whisper.[color=f7941d] "All the details are there, do keep in touch. I will contact you again should anything else come up, I trust you'd do the same?"[/color] 

Robin took the files, and glanced through the pages. She looked over her under her brows for a moment, before she could decide to hold onto her words, Robin eventually spoke [color=violet]" I was hoping for a more coherent lead here. So far everything we talked about resembles the ramblings of a classic madman."[/color] she closed the file, clutching it in one hand. 

[color=f7941d]"Wouldn't have hired you if the details weren't murky, I've learned you do your job well so I figured even this could help. Am I wrong?"[/color] Her eyebrows arched ever so slightly as she crossed her arms. 

Robin took that statement into account. She wouldn't be questioning the matter in hand if it wasn't so, far fetched as it were. But then again, this isnt the weirdest case she had ever taken. [color=violet]"I don't think 'murky' is the only right word here. "[/color] she said [color=violet]"However, I'm not saying you won't be getting your money's worth."[/color] 

[color=f7941d]"That's good to know."[/color] As if on instinct, the mayor flashed a quick smile signalling a dismissal as she turned her back on Robin. Her proud figure walked back to the sedan seamless and smooth, as if the situation wasn't at all shady. Robin watched as the car drove into the darkness, letting out a short sigh before she walked towards the opposite direction, envelope in hand, drizzle slowly ceasing.
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[/i] 
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	The moment she opened her eyes, Robin first made out the image of the ceiling fan, shortly followed by a homey twinge of a good hangover. Such moments were a familiar pattern to her, some days vary depending on what type of company she had the night before. She turned her head to the side only to capture the face of a beautiful man lying beside her, half naked, and deep in slumber. Nothing weird there, just another night of standard enjoyment, she thought. While sitting upright her left hand felt on somebody's tender arm, looking at her left this time, is a woman in her bra. Embraced by another one.  

Now at this point Robin had to pause, and naturally came into a point of vague recollection that ultimately failed to get a clear sense of her current situation. As she tries to get out in the middle her foot kicked at something soft and warm, pulling out the sheets to see the local bum passed out on his belly, buck naked with nothing else on but his poodle printed socks, sun visor and a pair of purple shutter shades.

[color=violet]"Jesus,"[/color] Confusion turned to some slight regret, and only fully realising that she's probably in one of these stranger's cramped abode. The interest to know how she got her was now lost to her. But of course that wasn't really enough to put her off in her habits, it takes a lot more than that. [color=violet]"[i] I've done worse, I suppose.[/i]"[/color] she simply thought.

After putting the glass bong out of her way, and hovered over the guy, Robin stood up from the edge of the bed to get herself in order. She very well knows the drill from here. Grabbing her jacket by the lampshade, she smoothly and lithely got the hell out of there. 

[hr]
Walking through the streets that noon, Robin thought she'd stop by at the local diner. She got her food to go, to bring to the office where she'll be staying for the rest of the afternoon. The streets were starting to teem with decorations, and for a moment Robin wondered why. Not until one of the men perched up a sign that she realized it's Silvervale's annual festival. That almost come as a slight shock, realising how time flies so fast for the perpetually occupied.

But despite the celebrations, there's indeed no rest for the wicked. Since the last years, cases of missing people have been all too common in Silvervale and Robin was sometimes hired to work on figuring out these strange occurrences. So far there's some progress yet no real leads, and the mayor was progressively getting ansty and paranoid.  Though that's saying a lot compared to the local police. Unlike them, she diverges from protocol to actually get shit done despite fucking over a few legal barriers. Also meaning that if you hire her, there'd be less suspicions and judgement on the client's part since she works under the radar. It would cause quite a scandal if the people have any sort of idea what their mayor is up to. It doesn't bode well on record, given her position. 

Climbing up the stairs on her fourth floor office, Robin was met by a woman who had been sitting outside, waiting for her arrival. 

[color=gray]"Oh thank God you're here."[/color] Mrs Saunders is one of Robin's clients, a well off woman, mother of two, insists her husband is a cheater.

[color=gray]"Have you had any news?"[/color] Robin slipped through Mrs Saunders who was blocking her way to unlock the office door. [color=gray]"You know I couldn't rest easy day after day--heavens it's probably been weeks now! I really, [i]really[/i] need to know if my suspicions are true. I just couldn't wait another day longer."[/color]

[color=violet]"Alright calm down. "[/color]  she responds indifferently, in a manner that tells this kind of meeting happens more than it would normally.

Robin led Mrs Saunders inside her[url=https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DmdfDHbU8AAWktF.jpg] dingy office room. [/url] It was rather dark, and mostly empty, giving off a sort of spacious illusion. She opened the blinds, casting a ray of sunshine which just perfectly illuminated the room. 

Mrs Saunders sat herself down, [color=gray]"Now, give it to me straight."[/color] she tensely slapped her palms on the table. Robin sat down on her own chair, her back leaned against it's worn out cushions. People have the tendency to obsess over things, but ironically has a hard time to understanding, accepting the bits of truth easily be concluded with simple common sense. And if you're stubborn enough to keep on looking, you might instead hit something worse than you initially asked for. It's a pattern she's all too familiar with, it gets too old and predictable as the days go.

 After a few moments, Robin leaned in closer, elbows on her desk and eyes ever so cold and sombre. [color=violet]"Mrs. Saunders your husband is cheating on you with his secretary."[/color] Despite all the signs , Mrs Saunders was still as shocked. Robin handed her a folder, inside were various photos she took of her husband while on his extramarital escapades, she took it and scanned each photograp [color=violet]" Not only that, for the past months he had sexual encounters with a waitess in Portland. Last January he met up with an old highschool sweetheart, checked in a motel here in Silvervale at around 10 pm, left by 6. Two weeks ago, the supposed work overtime was actually a late night rendezvous with your daughter's piano teacher. Further inquiries led me to the possibility of her youngest son, actually being your husbands--"[/color]

[color=gray]"P-please, that's quite enough."[/color] Mrs Saunders abruptly set aside the pictures like she had been burned by it, and sat there in a daze. A few moments she was already in tears. Robin conventionally handed her over a box of tissues, leaning back on her seat waiting for the woman to come back to her senses. After a long muffled sob, she finally spoke out[color=gray]"I, I don't know what to say."[/color] Robin just remained quiet. 

[color=gray]"I need a lot of time to process this."[/color] With that Mrs Saunders stood up and walked towards the door, but halfway through she stopped and turned back, [color=gray]"Oh. Here, take this."[/color] she handed her a white envelope, inside were some amount of cash. 

[color=violet]"But you already paid me."[/color] Robin responds, a bit confused. 

[color=gray]"It just so happens, I wouldn't be in need of it anymore. Instead, take it as a bonus."[/color] she said, and smiled gloomily. [color=gray]"Have a good day, Ms. St. Michel."[/color] And with that she exited to the door.

Robin is left alone in the quiet dingy office once more. It's one of the more peaceful and sought after stages that concluded the job. When the client's hysterics came to pass, more or less after some undesirable news, leaving her with a mental picture that adds to her opinions on people. Truth be told, she really couldn't care less by all that drama. 

People are blindly self absorbed. What they get is likely the result of their own poor and selfish judgment. Yet despite her general distaste, she still holds her job closer than anything in this world. It gets tiring overtime, and most proposed jobs are way above her paygrade. Though she naturally does it for the money, sometimes it doesn't feel like enough of a reason.

She let out a sigh, and was about to reach out for a bottle of bourbon which she kept in stock only to realize it's empty and just sat there irritated for a couple of moments. Then again it doesn't seem like anybody was about to come in, with people too distracted with the festival preparations. 

[color=violet]"And I could really use a drink."[/color]