Azure Bubbles

Intriguingly's

I know it’s me you’re waiting on!

Pokemon: Valkyrie league!

I’ll probably be a Fairy type specialist. Because that’s my thing.

Pokemon: Valkyrie league!

I’m interested!

Pokemon: Professor's Academy

A Poison-type specialist? Really? I see how it is… :P



Quote: “If you underestimate a Pokémon because it looks cute, that’s not the Pokémon’s problem. That’s yours.”

Full Name:
Callum Hazelwood

Age:
24

Year at the Institute:
Second Year

Favorite Color:
Pink

Thesis Subject:
“More Than Adorable: The Evolutionary, Social, and Behavioral Functions of Cuteness in Pokémon.”

Callum’s research focuses on how perceived cuteness affects Pokémon survival, human bonding, trainer behavior, adoption rates, socialization, threat reduction, and battle underestimation. He wants to challenge the idea that cute Pokémon are just ornamental, beginner-friendly, or less serious than stronger-looking Pokémon. In his eyes, cuteness can be a real adaptive advantage.

Appearance:

Callum has a soft, put together look that makes him seem a little more delicate than he actually is. He is around average height with a slender build, neat features, and the kind of carefully crafted appearance that makes it obvious he spent time getting ready, even if he insists he “just threw something on.” His hair is always styled, usually a bit too neatly for someone who claims not to care that much.

His clothes tend to lean soft and pastel, with a lot of blush pink, cream, powder blue, and lavender. He usually wears things like cardigans, pressed shirts, nice trousers, and small accessories that are cute without being too over-the-top. He likes embroidered details, enamel pins, and anything that makes an outfit feel coordinated. His research bag is usually stuffed with notebooks, field journals, Pokémon treats, sticky notes, and at least one fancy pen he absolutely did not need but bought anyway. He looks like someone who belongs at a Contest Hall and a research library at the same time, which is basically the point.

Personality:

Callum is sweet, polite, and usually very put together, though he is not quite as harmless as he looks. He has a soft way of speaking and tends to come across as gentle at first, but he can get surprisingly sharp when someone dismisses him or his research. He is used to people hearing the words “cute Pokémon” and assuming he must not be doing anything serious, so he has developed a bit of a quiet competitive streak.

He genuinely loves cute things, pretty things, and soft aesthetics, which probably does not help his case when he is trying to convince people that his work is serious. Still, he refuses to pretend he is less interested in those things just to seem more academic. Callum can be fussy, a little vain, and very particular about his notes and supplies, but he is also thoughtful and observant. He tends to notice when people or Pokémon are uncomfortable, even when they are trying to hide it.

Around friends, he is warmer and a little more dramatic. He fusses over people, gives unsolicited advice, and acts like he is above being emotionally attached to his research team despite being very obviously attached to all of them. He likes being right, which is not always his best quality, but he usually means well.

Callum has a special fondness for Fairy-type Pokémon, though his research is not limited to them.

Bio:

Callum grew up in Hearthome City, so Contests were a big part of his life from a young age. His family had connections to the Contest scene, and for a while it seemed obvious that he would become a Coordinator. He liked the costumes, the performances, the dramatic appeals, and the way a well-trained Pokémon could completely hold an audience’s attention. He still likes all of that, honestly. He just realized over time that he was more interested in studying the reactions than chasing ribbons himself.

The thing that really caught his attention was how differently people treated cute Pokémon. Trainers were often more patient with them. Strangers were more likely to approach them. People were quicker to help a small, cutesy Pokémon than one that looked intimidating. Even in battle, some trainers would hesitate or get careless against a Pokémon that looked harmless. Callum started wondering if cuteness could actually serve a purpose beyond just being appealing.

When he first tried to explain that he wanted to study cuteness seriously, a lot of people did not really take it seriously. Some thought it was funny. Some acted like it was basically Contest commentary dressed up as research. Callum took that personally, even if he would never admit that. He started keeping field notes, observing Pokémon in Contest halls, Pokémon Centers, parks, shelters, and beginner trainer programs. Eventually, one of his papers on how people respond to cute and baby-like Pokémon got enough attention that a mentor encouraged him to apply to the Laventon Institute.

Now Callum is in his second year at the Institute, where his thesis has gone from “oddly specific” to “surprisingly legitimate.” He has already done fieldwork in Sinnoh and Hoenn, but because of that travel, he missed a required Ecology 101 credit. That is why he is currently stuck in Professor Birch’s class with a bunch of first-years. He is trying very hard to be mature about it. He is only somewhat succeeding.

Pokémon:

Callum’s Research Team

Aria the Jigglypuff
Aria is Callum’s main partner and probably the closest thing his thesis has to a mascot. She is round, adorable, and fully aware that people think she is cute. Callum uses her in a lot of his research involving attention-seeking behavior, and how people respond to cute Pokémon. Unfortunately, Aria does not enjoy being ignored for too long, and her solution is usually to start singing until everyone in the room is asleep. Callum insists this is useful data. Everyone else would like him to stop calling it that.

Trinket the Skitty
Trinket is a mischievous little kitty with a cute face. She helps with Callum’s observations of affection-seeking behavior, social bonding, and how quickly people forgive a cute Pokémon for being an absolute menace. She likes stealing shiny things, batting at loose papers, and making Callum apologize to people on her behalf. Callum claims her behavior is spontaneous field data. Most people would call it “Skitty being Skitty.”

Buttons the Stufful
Buttons is part of Callum’s research into what he calls “dangerous cuteness.” He looks soft, cuddly, and harmless, which is exactly why people tend to make bad decisions around him. Callum is especially interested in how often people ignore obvious warning signs just because a Pokémon looks huggable. Buttons has proven the point several times by looking precious right before knocking someone over.

Patch the Mimikyu
Patch is probably the most emotionally complicated member of Callum’s team. Callum is fascinated by Mimikyu because its cuteness is something it has copied and constructed for itself, rather than something people naturally assigned to it. He treats Patch’s disguise as communication, not deception, and is very careful not to make it feel like a research subject first and a partner second. Patch has made Callum’s thesis a lot messier, but also a lot more meaningful.

Pollen the Ribombee
Pollen is Callum’s neatest and most reliable assistant, which is why he jokingly calls her his “one competent colleague.” She helps with field research, pollen collection, and observing how Pokémon respond to different emotional states. Her ability to sense moods makes her especially useful for Callum’s work, though he also appreciates that she is the least likely member of the team to knock over his notes, steal his pens, or put an entire room to sleep.

Quirks:

* Uses pastel-colored sticky notes for different categories of research and gets quietly distressed when someone uses the wrong color.
* Can identify several small Pokémon species from clues such as their pawprints, vocalizations, shed fur, or common behavioral patterns
* Keeps saying “this is not about aesthetics” while wearing an outfit that is absolutely about aesthetics.

Guardians Of Earth (A Superhero RP)

I’m interested!

Worlds Collide: A Merged Universe Superhero Roleplay

If someone is playing James Bond, can I be Barbie? :P



This is a joke.

Worlds Collide: A Merged Universe Superhero Roleplay

Ok

I still have to write a thing for Zach

Tales From the Spider-Verse // Book One: Spidroin

Pink Spider

All right, let’s take it from the top, one more time…

What’s your name?
Daniel Dean Davis. My family really likes alliteration apparently. Just call me Danny.

How old are you?
18

What do you look like?



I have blue eyes, blond hair, a pretty boyish face, and a lean build that used to read more “skinny science club kid” than anything athletic. Though that changed after getting powers… I’m still not exactly intimidating, which is probably for the best. I don’t think I could pull off intimidating without looking like I was about to apologize for it.

I usually dress comfortably: hoodies, graphic tees, jeans, sneakers, that kind of thing. I like pink and purple, so those show up in my clothes a lot. I know some people think that’s weird for a guy, but I’m trying to care less about that. Emphasis on trying. I would call my style cute but practical. Science pins, cartoon keychains, pastel colors, comfortable layers. I’m not really the edgy type…



As for a costume… I don’t have anything official yet. It would have to be something flexible, protective, easy to move in, and probably pink and purple. I have to represent my favorite colors. Maybe white lenses, wrist-mounted web shooters, and a spider emblem that doesn’t look too scary. I know spiders creep people out, I’d rather look approachable than scary. I want people to know I’m there to help.

I wear glasses. I used to be near-sighted, but the incident fixed that. Spider powers come with vision correction I guess… I wear fake ones though because I just feel naked without them.

What did you do before the Recluse incident?

Before the Recluse Incident, I was mostly just trying to survive freshman year at Empire State University.

I was born and raised in New York with my twin sister, Caty. Our parents wanted kids for a long time before they had us, so when we finally came along, we were very loved. Maybe a little too loved sometimes, but in a good way. They supported us in basically everything we were interested in.

For Caty and me, that usually meant science. We were the kind of kids who did experiments for fun, read ahead in class, and got way too excited about lab equipment. Totally normal childhood behavior. Obviously.

Outside of that, though, I wasn’t exactly what people expected a boy to be. I liked pink. I liked cute things. I played with Barbie dolls when most boys were playing with Hot Wheels. I liked comics, cartoons, video games, and anything that let me escape for a while. None of that should have been a big deal, but kids can be awful…

From where I stood, Caty always seemed better at people than I was. She was the popular twin. Cheerleading, friends, confidence, all of it. I was more the science club nerd trying to get through the day without becoming someone’s punchline. I’m not bitter about that. Really. Caty’s amazing. I just… sometimes what I bring to the table.

High school was worse. There was this guy named Skyler. Jock, bully, professional asshole. I had a crush on him, because apparently I have the best taste in guys… My mom encouraged me to be honest about my feelings, so I told him.

He laughed at me. Then he beat me up, shoved me into a locker, and outed me to the whole school. So yeah. High school was kind of hell.

There were a few people who made it less awful. Caty, obviously. And MJ.

Matthew James Watson. Everyone calls him MJ. He was… kind of the opposite of me. Popular, loud, stylish, always getting invited to parties, always acting like life was a party, and he was the main event. He still kind of acts like that, honestly.

I never really understood why he started talking to me. Maybe he was bored. Maybe he liked having someone around who didn’t want anything from him. Maybe he just has terrible taste in friends. But he never made me feel weird for being me. Not for liking pink, not for liking cute things, not for being gay, not for being awkward. He teased me, sure, but never like the others did.

We weren’t dating in high school. I had a crush on him, but after Skyler, I wasn’t exactly eager to confess feelings to another popular guy. MJ was different, though. He made me feel… like being me wasn’t something that needed to be fixed. That means a lot.

Despite everything, I got through high school. I graduated with a 5.0 GPA, did well on my SATs and ACTs, and Caty and I both earned scholarships. We decided to stay in New York and go to Empire State University. We also got involved with a student internship program at a science lab, which was basically a dream come true.

For a little while, it felt like things were finally starting to go right.

Then the Recluse Incident happened.

What happened after the incident?

Super Strength: 20
Agility: 20
Durability: 20
Regeneration: 20
Spider-Sense: 20
Mutation(s): 0

I woke up different.

Stronger. Faster. My reflexes were amazing, my senses were sharper, and I could stick to walls. Which is cool once you stop panicking about it.

I got the basic spider stuff: strength, agility, durability, faster healing, wall-crawling, and this weird danger sense I still don’t completely understand. Very helpful, and also extremely unsettling.

I didn’t get any extra mutations like some of the others did, but that’s okay. I make up for it with science!

Caty and I started working on our own artificial spider silk. It’s a tough, flexible fiber with adhesive qualities, strong enough to support our weight and useful for swinging, binding, grabbing, or cushioning falls. We use wrist-mounted web shooters to fire it. The webbing dissolves into powder after about two hours of air exposure, because I refuse to leave web residue all over New York.

My normal webs are pink, obviously, but I can make them in different colors. Including rainbow webbing for Pride. That part is extremely important science.

Also… My dad died in the Incident. He wasn’t even supposed to be there. He was just coming to visit us. I don’t really want to talk about that yet. Next question!

Do you believe in aliens?

Absolutely. The universe is way too big for Earth to be the only planet with life on it. Also, could you imagine what we could learn from civilizations outside our own planet?

Assuming they don’t immediately try to take over, or kill us. That would be less educational.

What are your goals for the future?

I’m going to college to study science. I want to be a scientist someday. Dr. Daniel Davis has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it?

I’m not sure what field I want to specialize in yet. Biology, chemistry, maybe something interdisciplinary. There’s a lot I want to learn.

And now I guess I’m also trying out the superhero thing with Caty. I’m still nervous about that. Very nervous, actually. I don’t know if I’m brave enough or strong enough or… just plain enough.

You lived in New York for a while now, right? What do you think of the city?

I love New York. I was born and raised here. It’s loud, crowded, messy, expensive, overwhelming, and sometimes smells like seventeen different crimes at once. But it’s home, and I just can’t really imagine living anywhere else.

How much technology do you use on a daily basis?

A lot. Phone, tablet, computer, lab equipment, research databases, all of it. I’m on some kind of device pretty much every day.

I also intern at a science lab, so technology is a big part of my life. Which is great, because I like understanding how things work. Machines usually make more sense than people.

What do you like?

Science, cute things, comic books, video games, cartoons, sweets, my family, learning languages, and… hot guys.

Um… Ignore that last one… Or at least… Don’t make it weird…

What do you dislike?

Bullies. Homophobia. Sports. People who are mean just because they can be. People who act stupid on purpose and then make it everyone else’s problem.

I also don’t like feeling useless. That’s not really a dislike, I guess. More of a fear. Caty is amazing, and MJ is confident, and I’m surrounded by people who seem like they know exactly who they are. Sometimes I look at them and wonder what I bring to the table.

Do you think true evil exists?

Yes.

I wish I had a more complicated answer, but yes. I’ve seen people hurt others just because they could. I’ve seen people laugh while making someone feel insignificant. I’ve seen people be cruel and treat it like a joke.

Maybe there are bigger, scarier evils out there now. I don’t know. But I know the small ones are real. They were in my school hallways every day.

What’s your favorite color?

No hesitation. Pink

Favorite song?
Born This Way by Lady Gaga. It’s not the most original choice, but it makes me feel like maybe there isn’t anything wrong with me just because other people decided there was.

Anything else to add?

I speak Spanish, French, and Italian.

I’m gay.

I like pink.

I like science.

I am trying very hard not to completely freak out about the fact that I can climb walls now.

That’s probably enough miscellaneous information for one answer.

What are your thoughts on these people?

Caty Davis

She’s my twin and I love her to bits. I’ll be honest though I sometimes do feel a little inadequate next to her. I don’t hold it against her. I just wish I could keep up.

Matthew James “MJ” Watson

MJ is my friend. Maybe more than my friend. It’s complicated.

We’ve known each other since high school. He was popular, stylish, dramatic, and always surrounded by people, so naturally I assumed he would never want anything to do with me. Somehow, I was wrong.

He saw me before any of this happened. Before powers, before webs, before the Incident. He saw me when I was just the awkward science kid in pink trying to survive high school.

MJ still likes parties, attention, flirting, selfies, and being the most dramatic person in the room. But that isn’t all he is. He notices things. He notices people. He noticed me. I don’t know what I’d do without him.

David Davis

He was the most supportive dad I could ever ask for. I’m was lucky to have him, and now he was ripped away from us. RIP

Denise Davis:

I love my mom. I always knew she was amazing, she’s a strong woman for holding it together so well after losing our dad.

Scott Yi

He seems... oddly familiar to me. I don’t know why. Either way, he’s handsome and seems nice.

Tales From the Spider-Verse // Book One: Spidroin

All right, let’s take it from the top, one more time…

What’s your name?
Daniel Dean Davis. My family really likes alliteration apparently. Just call me Danny.

How old are you?
18

What do you look like?



I have blue eyes, blond hair, a pretty boyish face, and a lean build that used to read more “skinny science club kid” than anything athletic. Though that changed after getting powers… I’m still not exactly intimidating, which is probably for the best. I don’t think I could pull off intimidating without looking like I was about to apologize for it.

I usually dress comfortably: hoodies, graphic tees, jeans, sneakers, that kind of thing. I like pink and purple, so those show up in my clothes a lot. I know some people think that’s weird for a guy, but I’m trying to care less about that. Emphasis on trying. I would call my style cute but practical. Science pins, cartoon keychains, pastel colors, comfortable layers. I’m not really the edgy type…



As for a costume… I don’t have anything official yet. It would have to be something flexible, protective, easy to move in, and probably pink and purple. I have to represent my favorite colors. Maybe white lenses, wrist-mounted web shooters, and a spider emblem that doesn’t look too scary. I know spiders creep people out, I’d rather look approachable than scary. I want people to know I’m there to help.

I wear glasses. I used to be near-sighted, but the incident fixed that. Spider powers come with vision correction I guess… I wear fake ones though because I just feel naked without them.

What did you do before the Recluse incident?

Before the Recluse Incident, I was mostly just trying to survive freshman year at Empire State University.

I was born and raised in New York with my twin sister, Caty. Our parents wanted kids for a long time before they had us, so when we finally came along, we were very loved. Maybe a little too loved sometimes, but in a good way. They supported us in basically everything we were interested in.

For Caty and me, that usually meant science. We were the kind of kids who did experiments for fun, read ahead in class, and got way too excited about lab equipment. Totally normal childhood behavior. Obviously.

Outside of that, though, I wasn’t exactly what people expected a boy to be. I liked pink. I liked cute things. I played with Barbie dolls when most boys were playing with Hot Wheels. I liked comics, cartoons, video games, and anything that let me escape for a while. None of that should have been a big deal, but kids can be awful…

From where I stood, Caty always seemed better at people than I was. She was the popular twin. Cheerleading, friends, confidence, all of it. I was more the science club nerd trying to get through the day without becoming someone’s punchline. I’m not bitter about that. Really. Caty’s amazing. I just… sometimes what I bring to the table.

High school was worse. There was this guy named Skyler. Jock, bully, professional asshole. I had a crush on him, because apparently I have the best taste in guys… My mom encouraged me to be honest about my feelings, so I told him.

He laughed at me. Then he beat me up, shoved me into a locker, and outed me to the whole school. So yeah. High school was kind of hell.

There were a few people who made it less awful. Caty, obviously. And MJ.

Matthew James Watson. Everyone calls him MJ. He was… kind of the opposite of me. Popular, loud, stylish, always getting invited to parties, always acting like life was a party, and he was the main event. He still kind of acts like that, honestly.

I never really understood why he started talking to me. Maybe he was bored. Maybe he liked having someone around who didn’t want anything from him. Maybe he just has terrible taste in friends. But he never made me feel weird for being me. Not for liking pink, not for liking cute things, not for being gay, not for being awkward. He teased me, sure, but never like the others did.

We weren’t dating in high school. I had a crush on him, but after Skyler, I wasn’t exactly eager to confess feelings to another popular guy. MJ was different, though. He made me feel… like being me wasn’t something that needed to be fixed. That means a lot.

Despite everything, I got through high school. I graduated with a 5.0 GPA, did well on my SATs and ACTs, and Caty and I both earned scholarships. We decided to stay in New York and go to Empire State University. We also got involved with a student internship program at a science lab, which was basically a dream come true.

For a little while, it felt like things were finally starting to go right.

Then the Recluse Incident happened.

What happened after the incident?

Super Strength: 20
Agility: 20
Durability: 20
Regeneration: 20
Spider-Sense: 20
Mutation(s): 0

I woke up different.

Stronger. Faster. My reflexes were amazing, my senses were sharper, and I could stick to walls. Which is cool once you stop panicking about it.

I got the basic spider stuff: strength, agility, durability, faster healing, wall-crawling, and this weird danger sense I still don’t completely understand. Very helpful, and also extremely unsettling.

I didn’t get any extra mutations like some of the others did, but that’s okay. I make up for it with science!

Caty and I started working on our own artificial spider silk. It’s a tough, flexible fiber with adhesive qualities, strong enough to support our weight and useful for swinging, binding, grabbing, or cushioning falls. We use wrist-mounted web shooters to fire it. The webbing dissolves into powder after about two hours of air exposure, because I refuse to leave web residue all over New York.

My normal webs are pink, obviously, but I can make them in different colors. Including rainbow webbing for Pride. That part is extremely important science.

Also… My dad died in the Incident. He wasn’t even supposed to be there. He was just coming to visit us. I don’t really want to talk about that yet. Next question!

Do you believe in aliens?

Absolutely. The universe is way too big for Earth to be the only planet with life on it. Also, could you imagine what we could learn from civilizations outside our own planet?

Assuming they don’t immediately try to take over, or kill us. That would be less educational.

What are your goals for the future?

I’m going to college to study science. I want to be a scientist someday. Dr. Daniel Davis has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it?

I’m not sure what field I want to specialize in yet. Biology, chemistry, maybe something interdisciplinary. There’s a lot I want to learn.

And now I guess I’m also trying out the superhero thing with Caty. I’m still nervous about that. Very nervous, actually. I don’t know if I’m brave enough or strong enough or… just plain enough.

You lived in New York for a while now, right? What do you think of the city?

I love New York. I was born and raised here. It’s loud, crowded, messy, expensive, overwhelming, and sometimes smells like seventeen different crimes at once. But it’s home, and I just can’t really imagine living anywhere else.

How much technology do you use on a daily basis?

A lot. Phone, tablet, computer, lab equipment, research databases, all of it. I’m on some kind of device pretty much every day.

I also intern at a science lab, so technology is a big part of my life. Which is great, because I like understanding how things work. Machines usually make more sense than people.

What do you like?

Science, cute things, comic books, video games, cartoons, sweets, my family, learning languages, and… hot guys.

Um… Ignore that last one… Or at least… Don’t make it weird…

What do you dislike?

Bullies. Homophobia. Sports. People who are mean just because they can be. People who act stupid on purpose and then make it everyone else’s problem.

I also don’t like feeling useless. That’s not really a dislike, I guess. More of a fear. Caty is amazing, and MJ is confident, and I’m surrounded by people who seem like they know exactly who they are. Sometimes I look at them and wonder what I bring to the table.

Do you think true evil exists?

Yes.

I wish I had a more complicated answer, but yes. I’ve seen people hurt others just because they could. I’ve seen people laugh while making someone feel insignificant. I’ve seen people be cruel and treat it like a joke.

Maybe there are bigger, scarier evils out there now. I don’t know. But I know the small ones are real. They were in my school hallways every day.

What’s your favorite color?

No hesitation. Pink

Favorite song?
Born This Way by Lady Gaga. It’s not the most original choice, but it makes me feel like maybe there isn’t anything wrong with me just because other people decided there was.

Anything else to add?

I speak Spanish, French, and Italian.

I’m gay.

I like pink.

I like science.

I am trying very hard not to completely freak out about the fact that I can climb walls now.

That’s probably enough miscellaneous information for one answer.

What are your thoughts on these people?

Caty Davis

She’s my twin and I love her to bits. I’ll be honest though I sometimes do feel a little inadequate next to her. I don’t hold it against her. I just wish I could keep up.

Matthew James “MJ” Watson

MJ is my friend. Maybe more than my friend. It’s complicated.

We’ve known each other since high school. He was popular, stylish, dramatic, and always surrounded by people, so naturally I assumed he would never want anything to do with me. Somehow, I was wrong.

He saw me before any of this happened. Before powers, before webs, before the Incident. He saw me when I was just the awkward science kid in pink trying to survive high school.

MJ still likes parties, attention, flirting, selfies, and being the most dramatic person in the room. But that isn’t all he is. He notices things. He notices people. He noticed me. I don’t know what I’d do without him.

David Davis

He was the most supportive dad I could ever ask for. I’m was lucky to have him, and now he was ripped away from us. RIP

Denise Davis:

I love my mom. I always knew she was amazing, she’s a strong woman for holding it together so well after losing our dad.

Scott Yi

He seems... oddly familiar to me. I don’t know why. Either way, he’s handsome and seems nice.

Intriguingly's

Dante looked up when Mr. Imp spoke to him. For a second, he just blinked at him, a little thrown off by the fact that the guy had apparently noticed exactly where he was looking. Then his eyes looked toward the hall, then back again. “The restroom?” he repeated. “No. I’m good.” He put the lighter back down and gave a small shrug, trying to play it off. “Just looking.”

Then the crash from across the shop pulled his attention away.

Dante turned at the sound. Something had hit the floor hard enough to make him flinch, and apparently Mr. Imp’s attention had gone with it, because the man was already fussing over whatever happened and not looking at him anymore. “Okay,” he muttered under his breath. “Weird.”

His eyes drifted back toward the hall. That’s when he heard it. It was faint. Easy enough that he almost missed it under everything else going on in the shop… but it was definitely a voice. He couldn’t make out what it was saying, if it was even saying anything at all, but it was there. Coming from the direction of the hall.

Dante frowned. For a second he just stood there listening, phone still in one hand, as the rest of the shop was moving along doing whatever it was doing. And under all of it, that voice. His gripped his phone tighter “Nope,” he murmured to himself. “We’re not doing this…”

Then he glanced toward the front of the shop, back toward the hallway, and immediately got annoyed because curiosity was already winning.

“No seas tonto,” he muttered. Still, curiosity won out. He slowly stepped in that direction. Enough to hear better. That was all. Maybe he imagined it, and there would be nothing. Dante hesitated, then called out, not too loud, like he already regretted it, “Uh… hello? Is someone back there?”