The Multiblood Alchemist

A Needle in a Haystack

"Ugh, why are there so many people?" I shout over people chattering. Mason shrugs, and we push through the sea of residents.
"Where could she have gone?" I yell, as we continue to shove past large sweaty people. I continue complaining about the crowd, and Mason attempts to silence me. I keep ranting, and he punches me in the arm.
"Hey! What was that for?" I whine, rubbing my sore arm.
"I asked you to shut your mouth multiple times," he scolds.
"What did you want?" I ask, still whining.
"Look, it's your mutt," he snarls, pointing ahead. Assassin (it's pretty hard to miss a giant, furry, black mass digging through the garbage) sees us, and pads over to us.
"Assassin, you were supposed to stay with us!" I yell, trying to punish the Chimera.
"Technically speaking, I was forgotten in the CARGO CART!" he yells, clearly holding a grudge.
"Oh........" I mutter, realizing my mistake. I guess I couldn't yell at him for my own mistake.
"Okay, have you caught Naomi's scent?" I ask, and then realize that he hadn't heard about Naomi.
"Um..... no? Why?" He asks clueless. I explain how she was attacked, hospitalized, and then went missing.
"Odd...... I could try, but I don't want to act like a regular dog," Assassin says. I roll my eyes.
"Look, she's missing, and she's our only chance of getting information about my mother," I explain.
"Fine, do you have anything that I could use to track her scent?" he asks, clearly wanting to help.
"Actually........ no, but we could use her sheets that she used in the hospital," I answer.
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"What do you mean her stuff is gone?" I screech.
"We washed her sheets when she......... dismissed herself," the doctor explains. I huff, and turn away.
"Lets go Mason, maybe she left a blood trail," I say, starting to leave. Mason follows me, and we storm out onto the streets.
"I can't believe that they washed her sheets! She just left!" I complain hysterically.
"Maybe they were thinking logically and planned ahead for the next patient," Mason suggests coolly.
"Hey Cassandra," Assassin pipes up.
"Yeah?" I respond.
"I got her scent," he says, and quickly picks up the pace.
"Awesome! See Mason, having a Chi- I mean, dog, is useful!" I say excitedly, hopping after Assassin. We weave through people, and stop at a bar. Assassin waltzes into the wooden doors and we follow, as chaos unravels before us.

"Uh oh," I whisper to Mason, and Assassin sits next to my side. His head comes up to my waist, and he looks up at me, his muzzle reaching my shoulder. We watch as Naomi smashes a man into a glass counter. Her cuts from the lion are opened, and her dark hair plasters to her face. She looks crazed, but I then realize that she's very very very drunk.

"Cassandra, Mason! See what happens when people insult my Alchemy. Look at these idiots!!" she yells a little too enthusiastically. The bartender slowly and timidly rises from the counter.
"Ma.... Ma'am, I-I have to asks you to leave i-" he's cut off as a knife flies towards him. He screams and takes cover once again. The last man charges at her, and she roundhouse kicks him in the groin. He moans as he falls over. I see Mason wince as the man squirms on the ground in pain. We advance towards our drunken teacher, not knowing that we were walking towards a deathtrap.

"Hey! You come to join the party?" Naomi says and then hiccups with a giggle.
"You're going to get in even more trouble with the military if you keep this up," I say standing the grown woman up.
"I don't give a crap about the military," she says, and then projectile vomits across the room. I look at the mess, and then at Mason. He starts gagging, and turns white.
"Deep breaths, and keep swallowing," I tell him, a remedy mother once told us to keep us from vomiting. He nods quickly, sweat forming on his brow. Assassin gingerly picks Naomi's feet up from the ground, and we carry her out, apologizing repeatedly to the bartender for the poor behavior our twenty-something-year-old teacher had pulled off.

"Excuse us, drunken woman coming through!" Mason announces, and people clear a path, not wanting to get vomited on.
"I'm flying! Cassandra, am I in Heaven?" She asks, her words starting to slur.
"No, Miss Naomi, you're just very drunk," I say grunting, her weight making my weak knees tremble. She then continues to attempt to flap her arms, and makes bird noises. People give us strange looks, and we briefly explain that she had a few too many drinks, and we apologized for any inconvenience that we caused. I could see the hospital come into view as we pushed through the last few people, and trudge up the steps.
"What's this?" the receptionist asks, confused.
"Your wayward patient," I explain wearily. The doctor shows us to a hospital room, and we struggle to set Naomi in the bed.
"Well that was a chore," I puff.
"It was like trying to find a needle in a haystack," Mason wearily says. I nod, and collapse into a chair.