"who is she?" dan inquired as the two neared a shitty, run-down liquor store, their clouded breath fading into the wintry january air that consisted of chattering teeth and the sludgy aftermath of a snowy london night. "an old friend, she's been organizing the street crime industry for years," phil replied, opening the door and being slammed with the all-too-familiar stench of cheep beer and 2 a.m depression episodes. "crime lord? mercenary?" dan questioned, earning a grim chuckle from the dark-haired man beside him. "no, she's not some hired assassin. she controls information, which ranks her much higher," he said with a hint of a smirk across his lips.

"blue coconut or cherry?" the brunette inquired with a satire-laced smirk as he walked towards the vodka aisles. "one ice triple black and a cranberry," phil answered, causing dan to raise his eyebrows at him. "and how often are you buying this girl drinks for criminalistic information?" he dimly chuckled, wrapping his fingers around the two bottles and handing them to phil.

"i stop by every so often," the jet black-haired man stated absentmindedly, chewing on his bottom lip as he pondered. "boy, we might be here a long time," dan scoffed sarcastically as phil stood waiting in a non-existent line. "oh," he mouthed, handing the bottles to the tipsy, stubbled cashier who looked as if he hadn't slept in weeks. he mumbled the price absentmindedly, tiredly slopping the money in the cashier and slumping his face against his fist. "if i steal some whiskey, do you think he'll notice?" dan chuckled, earning a hitched scoff from phil.

"you know what?" the raven-haired man chuckled abruptly, "i don't know anything about you." the brunette's gaze altered from his profile to the road in front of them as he exhaled. "and that's how it'll stay," he remarked, pulling a cigarette from the pocket of his jeans. "mind if i?" he questioned as he held his lighter to the nicotine, causing phil to roll his eyes. "go ahead, ruin our lungs," he breathed, shoving his hands in his pockets. "can i ask you something?" he added, earning a scoff from dan. "no." phil chuckled breathily, "how did you get into crime?"

the brunette sent him a glare. "that's need-to-know," he stated, exhaling and letting the hazy smoke leak out from between his chapped lips. phil looked at him pleadingly, causing him to roll his eyes as he blew a ring of smoke at the dark-haired man's face. "shitty parents," he sighed reluctantly. phil scoffed, "daddy issues made you into a killer?" dan groaned, "why do you care so much?"

phil shrugged. "until curare is dead we'll be together, might as well," he stated, holding out his hand in the direction the brunette. dan glared at him, hesitantly handing him his cigarette. phil brought the nicotine to his lips, feeling the hazy euphoria reach the corners of his mouth and then slowly breathe it out. "thanks," he nodded, returning it to dan's hungry grasp. "this it?" the chocolate-haired man inquired with an eyebrow quirked as the two neared a shitty, run-down apartment building that appeared as if it hadn't been housing anyone besides the homeless in years

"who're you?" a blonde boy slurred as he drunkenly rose to his feet, looking at them expectantly. "we need to talk to sugg, tell her it's phil lester," phil said, but it didn't take more than two seconds for the ebony-haired man's statement to process in the poor excuse of a guard's mind, causing a loud laugh to erupt from his throat.

"fucking-fucking-idiots!" he slurred in nearly-incomprehensible speech through his intoxicated laughter. dan and phil exchanged a look laced with confusion, annoyance, and disappointment. "w-what's so funny?" phil nervously chuckled, furrowing his eyebrows at the boy. suddenly the blonde's laughter fits ceased as his expression dropped to disbelief. "you're serious?" he scoffed, "zoe's dead, you fuckers."

phil's eyes widened as his demeanor fidgeted between disbelief and shock. "w-what?" he stammered, "when?" the boy shrugged as he slumped back into his cracked lawn chair. "ehh, about two months ago, heroin overdose or some shit, found dead with a needle in her arm," he shrugged, and phil could've sworn he heard dan's breath hitch in his throat. but before he had a second to think anything of it, his mind was drowned out with yet another inquiry. "who's in charge now?"

"jesus christ, how much have you... have you missed?" the boy slurred through hiccups, leaning in towards them and gesturing for them to do the same. "y-you know what?" he started, before glancing to both sides to assure their security. "i think sugg was murdered, and i think it was joseph. i mean, i-i mean, he was here immediately after she died, it was, it was.." he trailed off, leaning his head back into his chair and passing out.

"well then," dan cleared his throat, starting to turn around before being held back by phil's grasp. "zoe didn't do heroin," he muttered under his breath, just barely comprehensible to the brunette, who hesitated to respond. "people change," he exhaled reluctantly. "let's meet him," phil said, earning an eye roll from the groaning man beside him. "oh, jesus christ," he spat, opening the barely-hinged door and being visibly blurred by the smoke that seemed to replace the lack of oxygen in the drywall-leaking building. their hazy vision was then replaced with a multitude of homeless teenagers flocked around cheep beer downing thirsty throats and needles plunging into forearms, leading upstairs to the white powder lining paper and intoxicated moans and cigarette smoke that bled out from underneath the door.

"hey," phil said, grasping the shoulder of an unconscious teen and shaking him a bit. "hey, do you know where can we find tyler joseph?" he repeated to another boy, who looked them both up and down, his bloodshot eyes filled with distrust. "depends, why do you want to see him?" he responded hesitantly, returning a cigarette to between his slightly-chattering teeth. "we just want to ask him a few questions," phil stated, pursing his lips. the boy took a prolonged draw of his fidgeting nicotine before nodding.

"okay, follow me."