"And if you ever need help understanding any of the points or information in the document, you're free to contact me until five PM," Lucinda said as she stood up from the wooden chair. "You don't have to worry about calling me on a day-off as well. The trial is in seven days, and all of those are my work days. As long as you call before five, I'll answer."

The old woman in front of her smiled and nodded. "Thank you once again for helping us, iha."

Nex to her, her lawyer's hands reached for Lucinda's own, her own smile widening. "Thank you as well, Miss Saffirus. We're quite certain you don't have to worry about anything else; this is all the evidence we need. But thank you once again."

She shook the lawyer's hands. "Of course. We'll be on our way now. Chuchu, let's go."

Greyson gave a small bow at the old woman and lawyer before following her behind. As soon as she stepped outside of the carinderia, the smell of food immediately faded away. Instead, the smell of smoke made her nose scrunch up. Next to her, Greyson sneezed, and he wiped his nose with his jacket's sleeve.

Her ears perked up, and she flicked her eyes at the corners without moving her head. The sound of the street was louder now that her ears were up. There were only two other people outside, but both were too focused on what they were doing to pay her any attention.

"So." She grabbed Greyson's hand as they started walking. "Did you learn anything from that?"

"Grown up stuff is scary." His ears flopped down, and he averted his gaze. "And boring."

She chuckled, ruffling his hair. "Right now, it might feel boring for you. But when you're older, you'll have to deliver files to your clients as well. And you'll need to explain it to them, answer their questions, and if it's needed, you might have to attend trials as well. And if you're in the courtroom, you—" A sigh left her lips, but she still showed him a smile. "You're not understanding anything, are you?"

He shook his head. "I'm hungry."

She grabbed her phone and flipped it open. Eleven thirty. "Well, it's time for lunch, anyway. How do you say we go to the bay and eat our lunch there?"

That seemed to lift his spirits. His ears perked up, and he showed her a smile. "Can we go to the mall afterwards?"

"No." When she booped his nose, his expressions and ears fell, though it only made her chuckle. "We still have work to do. We'll only be there to eat, okay?"

"Okay."

She opened her phone once again and booked a taxi. Not long afterwards, their ride arrived. Greyson, unsurprisingly, fell asleep during the entire ride. She placed his head on his lap and held his back, while her other hand remained on the car's door. And when they reached the mall, she shook him awake.

There were a lot of people walking since it was lunch time. Some went to the bay, but most went to the mall. It didn't take long for her to find a seat for them. The tree nearby provided a shade, making the seat not too hot. Once she sat down, she took a deep breath, letting the smell of the ocean relax her chest and loosen her shoulders. Going here was a good idea; the weight in her chest finally disappeared, and she slumped her back on the chair.

She sighed once again as she brought both of their lunch boxes out. It was her day off yesterday, and Poseidon didn't give her a mission. So not only was she able to rest her wielding, she was able to spend more time with Greyson. And earlier, she was able to wake up without feeling drained and managed to prepare a special breakfast for them.

Greyson's ears flipped up and down as he grabbed a spoonful of his rice and curry. "Can we get some drinks?"

"I packed water for you," she replied. "You can drink that."

"But I want juice. I don't like water."

"No." She poked his nose again. "You haven't been drinking a lot of water lately. If you finish your water bottle for the next three days, I'll buy you a drink that you want. Alright?"

He pushed his lower lip out, but he still nodded. "Promise?"

"I promise."

"What happens to promise breakers?"

"They don't get cake. And you know I love cake." She laughed, and he joined. "Now let's eat."

Lucinda hummed as she started eating her lunch. Beef curry was one of Greyson's favorites, and he had been asking her to cook it for the past few days. Eating something spicy again after eating mostly sweets and desserts for the past nights was also comforting.

Unfortunately, not even the curry's spice was a good enough distraction from what had been plaguing her mind for almost ten days now.

She hated to admit it, but Nyx's words did put her on edge. And she hated it even more, but Poseidon was right about one thing—they had never faced a Fury before. And not only had they never faced a Fury before, Nyx was the one who came to her instead of them finding a way to lure her in.

Maybe that was why Poseidon didn't give her a new mission. Out of everyone, she was the most worried.

But it made sense if Nyx chose to come instead. To her, this was just a game of hide and seek. And whatever rules she had, those were the rules they were playing.

She grabbed another spoonful of her food. If she was frowning earlier, then a small smile formed on her face as she hummed.

If that's how you're going to play, then I'll gladly follow along.

Just as she opened her mouth to talk to Greyson, the sound of her phone's notification made her grab it. And when she flipped it open, she checked the Investigation Squad's group chat.

Viktor and The Less Cool Ones

Viktor Supremacy
@LucyLuce @Azul B.
any of u near sagip

Azul B.
Not exactly
I think it's a two or three hour drive for me

LucyLuce
Greyson and I are close, but we're on lunch break
Do we need to rush?

Viktor Supremacy
no need to rush bt get there as soon as u can
i got new info for a person im lookin for was last seen there
id head there myself but theres a head meting rn and sedah said. i cant slip this time
and doc anthea cant come vause shes in a srgyer i think
dw ill join if the meating ends tealy
warly
iDly
Early

Azul B.
Are you having a stroke or are you typing with your eyes closed

Viktor Supremacy
Shut

LucyLuce
I'll head there as soon as I can
Don't kill Director Simeon without me

Viktor Supremacy
no promises

After that, the chatbox, like always, went back to Viktor and Azul bickering about simple things. She would have played along, but unfortunately work called. It would have been funny to poke Azul, but the poor nineteen year old already had his older superior pushing his buttons.

Sagip River... It would take them at least an hour and thirty to get there by bus. She could book a taxi again, but a bus would be cheaper. She checked the station's schedule and—ah, there it was.

"Chuchu, let's hurry up eating," she said as she closed her phone. "Don't rush too much, but let's eat quicker. We're heading to Sagip River, and the bus leaves in thirty minutes."

Greyson nodded. "Okay."

Fortunately, they were both able to finish their lunch without too much rush. As soon as they finished packing, she grabbed his hand and quickened her pace. Viktor sent her another text, followed by an email that detailed the missing person's information and a security camera footage. Once she found a seat, she opened the texts and emails.

Angelica Bascongada; a twenty-five year old woman who worked for the local museum. Her boyfriend, Martin Zoso, reported her missing three days ago when she didn't come home or came to work the next day.

She couldn't help but hum at the info. Before she could reminisce, she scrolled down to look at the rest of the details.

"I managed to find her trail that led to Sagip River," Viktor's notes at the bottom said. "I asked for security footage from the day she went missing, and there was a woman that matched her image. She entered the alleyway between the abandoned school and warehouse next to it, but there wasn't any footage of her leaving."

Lucinda closed her phone and sat straighter. Everyday, she was thankful that Viktor made sure to proofread his reports and not send them with typos.

Next to her, she placed her hand on Greyson's head, who was distracting himself with his tablet. Hopefully, Bascongada was alive. She didn't want him to look at another corpse within the span of two months.

An hour and thirty passed by quicker than she expected. Once it stopped, she grabbed his hand and led the both of them out.

"Chuchu." She bent down to his height and placed her hands on his shoulders. "We're going to be investigating something. What are the rules you need to remember again?"

"Rule number one," he began, "don't force myself to do work I can't do. Rule number two, cover my eyes if you tell me to cover my eyes. Rule number three, never leave your side. And if someone tries to take me, scream as loud as I can until you kil"—he scanned the passersby before looking at her again—"stop the bad guys. If I break the rules, I don't get cake."

"Alright. Hold my hand."

As they started walking, Greyson's grip on her gloves tightened with every second. She had to let go of him for a while just so she could hold him properly again.

Like before, she kept her ears perked up and watched every corner of her vision. It didn't seem like anyone was following them. Not nearby, not afar. The only time she felt tense was when they passed by the local museum, but she released the breath that she was holding once they were past her former workplace.

It was unlikely that all of her old coworkers were still there or if they remembered her. But if anyone saw her, she wasn't sure if she would ever be ready for their questions.

After more walking, they finally reached the area near Viktor's report. She looked up, looking at every busted and barricaded window to the rotten and scorched-looking walls.

"So this is why they never found any footage of her leaving," she said as she continued walking. "It's a miracle they found something in the first place."

Next to her, Greyson tilted his head. "What's this place?"

"An abandoned part of Sagip River. Everyone left this place after a fire years ago, so I'm surprised there's still security cameras around here when they didn't bother fixing the place."

Their shoes clicking or tapping against the ground were the only noises throughout the entire block. She kept her ears perked up, but the only other thing she could hear were the vehicles in the distance. Even Greyson was quieter. He tightened his hold on her again, and his other hand reached for her arm. Only this time, she didn't stop him from doing so.

It felt like an eternity passed once they reached the area from the cameras. Chain-linked fences protected the school, while the warehouse didn't have any doors or windows on the alleyway's end. The only thing here were the stray cats sitting on top of the garbage bins and staring at them.

Greyson's ears perked up. "Cat!"

She placed a finger in front of his lips. "Shh. Stay quiet. There might be someone here that could hurt us."

He nodded, and his question came in a whisper. "Can I pet the cats?"

"Not now. We're on a mission, okay?"

At first, his ears flopped down. But the word 'mission' seemed to make his eyes light up and ears perk up even more. He nodded and mimicked a salute. "Got it."

She stood taller again and cupped her chin. It didn't seem like there was a way for Bascongada to go to the school or warehouse from what they saw. She headed to the alleyway, scanning the area around her, but it only confirmed her thoughts. The warehouse was impossible, but she could have climbed the fence and—

Lucinda's eyes widened as she held her breath. She pushed Greyson behind her and raised her head, scanning the school's windows. Not all of them were barricaded. If anything, most of them were open, letting her have a minimal view of the classrooms.

So if someone was there, she could still see them.

Her heart raced faster in her chest as a single sweat trickled down her temples. Was that... no, that couldn't be. Why would—

"Found you."

She reached for Greyson once again before facing the source of the voice. At the other end of the alley, Nyx stood in front of her, head raised as if she was looking down on Lucinda. There was no expression on her face, though her empty stare from her cold eyes was mocking. Almost as if she was relishing in the fact that she was so close to the two of them.

"You're bad at hiding, Saffirus," she said as she stepped forward.

If Greyson wasn't with her, Lucinda would have stayed in place. But with him looking at her in confusion, as if he was waiting for her to introduce them to each other, she took a step back.

"Maybe you're just good at seeking, then," Lucinda replied. "You were the one that found me the first time, after all."

"I don't think you're good at this game. How about we switch things up instead, then?"

She snapped his fingers. In an instance, the blue smoke of her illusions made Lucinda narrow her eyes. Nyx no longer stood in front of her. Instead, she stood above the warehouse's roof, looking down.

And when the smoke unfurled, six people around Lucinda appeared.

Abov her, Nyx continued, "How many members of the Underworld does it take before a butterfly's wings get clipped?"

Lucinda gritted her teeth, and she returned Nyx's empty stare. She had several questions, but right now, none of them mattered. She had to make sure she and Greyson would be okay.

"Don't worry," Nyx said as she narrowed her eyes. "I'll let you go first." 

Word Count: 2433
Total: 19344

This world that I made up made me check Google Maps and check distances in real life Portia just so I would know how long it would take my fictional characters in this fictional city to get from fictional point a to fictional point b 

At this point I'm 99% sure that the only reason why the DUO isn't in the real world is cause of legal reasons