[center][img]https://txt-dynamic.static.1001fonts.net/txt/dHRmLjYwLmMzYWM2NS5LeUJEZVhKMWN5QXJJRXRoYzNOaGJtUnlZU0FyLjAAAAAAAAAA/sirinstencil.regular.png[/img] [sub]The Last Stop | [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0eieyeViS0]City of Commerce[/url] | Duncaster | Collaboration with: [@Xandrya][/sub][/center] [color=#cd7f32][b]“Cy, what’re we gonna go now?”[/b][/color] The silence blanketing Cyrus’ mind shifted, making way for the fleeting voice to come to the front. The sensation itself was odd at first, his body only capable of hearing the organic life around him, but he’d grown accustomed to it; so much so that it became less of a force he needed to keep ‘turned on’ and more of a feeling that came and went effortlessly whenever his attention focused on his surroundings. [color=#cd7f32][b]“They aren’t here. A-And I looked...and you looked...and Mana looked too. Why are we still here?”[/b][/color] This time, Cyrus glanced down at the smaller boy, steel eyes wandering around the other’s crestfallen face. The elder decided it was time to take a break from all the mindless walking so the the two were currently standing next to the side of a concrete building huddled up under the former’s sleek black umbrella; it was truly the safest place for both of them to be. Straightening from his leaned back posture before sliding down to Kaleo’s level, Cyrus brushed his bruised hand against the former’s cherubic face, eventually moving to his messy hair before leaving it there. [color=#b589d1][b]“I know you’re tired, but there’s still a few more things I want to check out before we move on.”[/b][/color] Cyrus sighed quietly, knowing how selfish he sounded for dragging his little brother all over the city for what could potentially be no reason at all. It was obvious that Kaleo wasn’t taking his words too kindly either despite how tolerant he wanted to look, his bottom split lip quivering ever so slightly but enough for Cyrus to want to make it up to him, even if it was just a little. [color=#b589d1][b]“Hey, one more place for tonight. Then we can head in for the day, okay? It shouldn’t take long, but I’ll carry you…?”[/b][/color] With his last statement coming out more as a plea for the little boy’s patience than a statement, Cyrus was taken aback when the later leaned into him, wrapping his shorter arms around his neck. A familiar warmth spread across the deaf teen’s chest. No words were needed. With minimal effort, Cyrus stood with Kaleo tucked into his arm, while his other hand gripped his umbrella tightly, and he continued to what he promised to be their final location for the day… --- [i]"You have a good night, Kassandra. Take care and see you around."[/I] "Yeah, you too. Have a good night." After shaking hands, the detective pointed to the visitor badge clipped to Kassandra's collar. She looked down, wondering what was going on before she realized she needed to turn that in as well. "Sorry, here you go," she smiled nervously as she handed him the badge. After that, she headed towards the door leading outside. It was already dark out, the only source of light available were those of streetlamps and external lights from other buildings. As she exited through the front door, Kassandra reached for her phone. She noticed she had a missed call and some text messages, nothing of much importance except for Desmond's message. She proceeded to call him to let him know she was done. Earlier that day, he'd offered to pick her up once she could go. Kassandra walked forward, mindlessly messing with her phone as the line continued ringing without answer. She wondered whether he was anywhere near his device, or even asleep. This didn't anger her at all, thought she did want to see him that night as it was arranged. But just as she was starting to hang up, Kassandra collided with something, immediately taking a reactionary step back. Right away, the young woman noticed that she had ran into a boy carrying an even younger person on him. The older one didn't quite look to be of age yet, and she automatically assumed he was a juvenile on his way out of the station as well. "Sorry, didn't see you there," she simply said, pocketing her phone. Whilst Kassandra took a step back, Cyrus barely moved, the recoil from the collision doing very little to distract the intense gaze he had on the station in front of him. The mere thought of going back into a building with so much...authority made the hairs on the back of his neck stand. He thought he’d be over such a dumb insecurity, but there was too much at stake. Thankfully, however, there was someone up in Heaven who decided to make his life less of a living hell than it already was. Cyrus slowly pulled his attention away from the station and over to who exactly bumped into him. Despite looking on the frailer side compared to other women he’s seen walking around Duncaster at night, her voice provoked the opposite; a sense of maturity and capability mingling with his brother’s deep and even puffs of breath on the crook of his neck. Judging by how she walked into him, she had to have come from that station… [color=#b589d1][b]"Do you work there?”[/b][/color] Disregarding the apology and getting straight to the point, the steel eyed boy jutted his head towards the building, while his less occupied hand twirled the umbrella idly with his fingers. [color=#b589d1][b]“Policewoman? Detective? Private Investigator?”[/b][/color] he practically growled out, already growing impatient with his inquiries. The only reason he seemed to stop and take a breath was when Kaleo stirred in his grasp, a deeper frown tugging at his lips as he kept still. "No, I don't..." [color=#b589d1][b]“...I need help finding someone. Three people. But I don’t...I don’t know how it works...and I don’t have any money either…”[/b][/color] He sounded so dumb and pathetic, but what else could he do? Every other lead he had immediately led to a dead end, and this was the only place where he could reliably find people to help him out. Unfortunately, given his circumstances, the station was one of the last options he had. "I can't necessarily help you in that regard, but I know someone who may." Kassandra figured the boy wasn't messing around given his demeanor. The encounter itself was a bit weird, but even so, she imagined he had a good reason for making such request. Although it was a bit late, and the only thing she felt like doing was visiting Desmond, taking a relaxing bath, and then going to bed afterward. "Don't worry about the money, I'm sure my friend will give you an IOU," she smirked, anticipating Desmond's reaction if she were to bring the boy down to his place. At the very least, he would have a "talk" with her after the fact. "So what do you say, are you down for the walk?" Cyrus stared at the woman in front of him as if she suddenly grew an extra head. This was far too good to be true, and honestly a little bit sketchy. She just so happened to know someone that could actually help him out? No payment needed from the get go? And not to mention the smirk that played on her lips. It honestly felt like more trouble than he could bother getting into… ...but this might just be the lead he needs. Who knows, if worse comes to worse, he could get them out of the situation with the flick of his umbrella. [i][color=#b589d1]Sorry, Leo, looks like I won’t be able to keep my promise. I’ll make it up for sure.[/color][/i] [color=#b589d1][b]“Sure, just don’t try anything funny…”[/b][/color] He eventually responded once his mind caught up with the current events. "You admitted to having no money, trust me kid, you're fine. My name's Kassandra, by the way," she introduced herself, but refrained from shaking the boy's hand and instead kept both of hers in her pockets. [color=#b589d1][b]“Cyrus.”[/b][/color] He mumbled afterwards, trying to ignore the implications she was making if he did have a penny to his name. "His place is this way," she motioned over her shoulder so the boy could follow her. She knew Desmond could work his magic on his computer and get the boy the information he wanted, if such information was available anyway. --- She knocked a few times, waiting silently before Desmond finally came to the door. "Guess who," she smiled. "Listen, we need a favor from you, if that's alright." Kassandra looked at the Cyrus to let him explain what needed to be done. The teen was a little startled when Kassandra got straight to the point. H shifted under his weight, umbrella sheathed long ago and his free arm wrapped protectively around his little brother’s back. Steel eyes shared a glance with the woman before they lowered to the ground to stare at his worn down shoes. [color=#b589d1][b]“I’m looking for some people. Three. Two male, one female. They...don’t exactly have names, I mean they do but…”[/b][/color] Cyrus’ frown deepened as he trailed off. [color=#b589d1][b]“They look exactly like me, save for some color differences. And I just need a lead on where I could start looking for them.”[/b][/color] Unable to keep himself from mumbling towards the end, Cyrus brought a hand up to rub his tired eyes. Desmond stared at Kassandra as if she had two heads, but she dismissed him, knowing his attitude. [i]"Little man, listen... a name would be much more helpful in this situation. If you can provide me with that, then this shouldn't take longer than a few minutes."[/i] Left eye twitching a bit out of annoyance, Cyrus furrowed his brows in an attempt to remain calm. [color=#b589d1][b]“I g-get that, but…”[/b][/color] Unsure of how to explain himself, Cyrus’ expression morphed into a more thoughtful one. [i][color=#b589d1]...it wouldn’t help if I tried to explain this anyways…[/color][/i] With that said, Desmond took out his phone and snapped a photo of Cyrus without warning. Name or no name, he'd run a [i]FACES[/i] check to determine what information he could get from the system. [I]"Don't be startled, I just need an image to use for comparison. Come on in, I need to get to my computer,"[/I] he motioned, leaving the door open long enough for Kassandra and Cyrus to make their way inside. Cyrus looked like a deer caught in headlights as his slit like pupils dilated, clearly caught off guard by the sudden flash blinding him for a moment. He couldn’t hear anything prior to the flash so of course he was a little spooked out by the action. Wide eyes shifted wearily to Kassandra, the little bit of trust he originally had in her starting to wane already. This guy, Desmond or whatever, wanted him to come into his house? Who knew what kind of shit he had in there?! Paranoia creeped up Cyrus’ spine before he quickly willed it away. Now wasn’t the time to get freaked out...yeah, Desmond was an adult, him and Kassandra both were, but if they were really trying to help him out with this, then he had to go for it, no matter how much he wanted to run away. Giving Kassandra one more look of uncertainty, the purple haired teen tightened his grip on Kaleo before entering, his frown never seizing to fade. She knew he was nervous, being in a stranger's home and easily outnumbered was something she wouldn't necessarily take lightly, but Cyrus was the one who requested help, and he got it. Kassandra gave him a reassuring smile and followed him into the house, watching as Desmond headed straight to his computer a few rooms down. He was one to not exhibit his hardware for people to see, though his excessive need for privacy wasn't without reason. [I]"Let me upload this real quick..."[/I] he trailed off as Kassandra caught up and stood behind him. She looked down at Desmond clicking away at his keyboard; the rest of the dimly-lit room silent. On the screen, she noticed he had started up a program. Cyrus' surprised face appeared on one side, and opposite of that a number of faces blinking in and out of existence as the system did its best to find what Desmond was looking for. After a few moments, however, the words "No Match" appeared in the center of the screen. Desmond turned on his chair to face his visitors, allowing them both to see the results. [i]"I'm sorry big guy, I've got no one matching your looks in this town. And just so you know, this information is being pulled directly from a government database."[/i] Shoulders now slumped at the sight of yet another dead end, Cyrus nodded slightly in understanding. [color=#b589d1][b]“The government, huh…how are you able to even able do something like that? Do you work for them or something? Can’t you check somewhere else?”[/b][/color] If this man had access to government information, he might have access to what he really needed. However, blurting out something so personal would only lead to the awkward questions that always followed afterwards. [I]"That's too many questions, now get,"[/I] Desmond waved the boy to the door, his annoyed state obvious to Kassandra and Cyrus. [I]"If they aren't on the database, then I don't know what to tell you."[/I] "Come on, Cyrus, I'll walk you out," Kassandra motioned for him to join her, walking towards the front door through the small house. "As you can tell he's a very private person, but he did try to help. Sorry nothing came up... maybe you'll actually have to go to the station to get some answers." Much like how Desmond made his annoyance obvious to the teen, Cyrus reciprocated the feeling, sucking his teeth loud enough to make a noise. Much like his reaction to when Kassandra bumped into him earlier, he made no attempt at showing his gratitude for even trying to look for him; but in all honesty, had he known the man was going to search through a government database, he probably would’ve saved more time telling him not to worry about it. He followed Kassandra out regardless, finding no reason to stay, especially if he wasn’t going to get any answers. [color=#b589d1][b]“I guess I do…”[/b][/color] he trailed off, the thought of where they were going to sleep for the night crossing his mind soon after; yet another thing he needed to worry about. Pushing the thought away for a moment as they made their way back out to the gloomy outdoors, Cyrus eyed Kassandra once more. “Were...were you looking for someone too? At the station?” His question came out very small compared to his normal tone of voice and habitual mumbling. Almost like he was looking for some sort of relatability...some sort of hope that he wasn’t the only one struggling. "Not necessarily, no...I just had to take care of some stuff." Kassandra smiled a little to mask her thoughts. The kid sure liked to ask questions, and she did not enjoy the fact that she wasn't sure was his motives were. In hindsight, she should have handled his earlier request in a different matter, something she was sure Desmond would emphasize over and over again. "But anyway, I have to be off now. Good luck in the station, okay?" Cyrus stiled for a moment before eventually nodding. Turning slightly on his heel, the purple haired teen’s nod would be the best Kasandra would get in terms of a farewell as he carried one towards one of the back alleyways. He might as well keep his promise and wait until morning.