Phrenology: E-Lunar (3) Route A (MANUSCRIPT)

Chapter 2: Turn 4

     "I've always wanted to know..." The Inquisitor took his hat off one Thursday night. "... Apricot-Enderbite, what is your real name?"

     "Well, my last name is Ahlstrom. And I'm the older brother to one Kevin Ahlstrom, obviously. That's all you need to know. You can figure out the rest, I'm sure!" The frosty-haired boy found a door, opened it, and walked outside into the windy night. 

     "So... what is this organization to do? What is our objective? How can I rectify the tragedies in my life, Inquisitor?" Marissa began to speak with the Inquisitor, again, as she held her phone close to her bosom. 

      She'd been here, like this, for a while. 

      Marian had had the bright idea for Marissa to go under-cover, as a sort of 'faux captive'... and having the ability to ask all the 'right' questions.

      Yet despite the apparent success of infiltration, Marissa couldn't shake the creaky floorboards, dark oak, and dusty ceiling- In fact, it seemed as though she'd lost track of night and day, for not an ounce of sunlight made it into this cold, dilapidated home.  

     "Our goal? Hmph, that's simple. To fight this... modern coliseum with our own archaic pandemonium! City-driven man clings too tightly to his cars. Tell me, how did you stumble upon this organization, little girl?" 

     "Well... I just had a hunch. I just... followed my intuition, and I was here." 

     So, the dumb bitch got lost, is it? Apricot-Enderbite raised his brow. 

     He looked down at his fingernails, then creaked open a yellow, paint-chipped door. 

     "Ha, quite so. A woman's intuition can be the most frustratingly correct thing, that it is!"

     "Y- Yup." Marissa nodded, clutching her phone tighter, her legs shaking as she sat by a corner in -- what was once -- the livingroom. "Where's a... restroom... in this place?" 

     "Over there." The Inquisitor smiled and pointed a bony finger to a room with a dark-red door. 

     "Thank you." 

     And with that, Marissa slowly brought her phone down to her waist. 

     She then proceeded to text Marian all that she had learned from stumbling upon the dark organization while she merely stood in the restroom, hiding from the Inquisitor. 

     "Marian... it's true! This creepy, fucked-up organization, which people theorize has been responsible for the illegalization of driving in Little Japan- It's all true!" The blonde beauty was so excited that she couldn't text a proper sentence, her fingers bouncing this way and that. 

     Outside of the dim bathroom, the girl could hear the muffled voice of the deep-voiced, hat-wearing man as he spoke with someone. The words were hard to make out, but the tones were always an energy that could never be misunderstood. Never in all the years of anybody's misadventures with eavesdropping, had they misinterpreted a tone. Then again, saying never can be deadly.

      "Ah, Cyan-Diorite. I want to congratulate you again on bringing... Cuprite... to his end."

      "No problem, Inquisitor." The muffled voice of a masculine-toned, yet calm, man responded. "I do believe I'll have to dye my hair at some point, again, though. The light blue seems to be fading." 

      "Perhaps, and... even Rouge-Adakite had to go. How sad! What's even sadder... is that before you got to him... Cuprite managed to kill Scarlet-Andesite. So, I hope you made Cuprite's death long and painful. Scarlet-Andesite was a close, close ally to me. She knew how to work with computers and... hunt... for information." 

     "Is that so? I haven't heard much word on that. Then again, the only person I'm ever really in contact with, besides you, is Apricot-Enderbite. He's my de-facto partner for missions, after all. Although, apparently, I just met with him and he said he's going on a solo mission to visit his family." 

      "Quite so! And... it appears that Cuprite seems to have... pushed Scarlet off of a building. Disgusting traitor!"

      "Oh? Oh! Actually, I do believe I saw a woman lying on the road a number of days ago- The mainstrip through Little Japan. She was in a very uncomfortable position, but... it didn't look like Scarlet-Andesite. It didn't even look all that... human." 

      There was a tapping on the wall just then. "What do you mean?" 

      "Well, Scarlet has -- and very famously so -- chocolate-brown hair. The body of this woman- Well... she seemed skinnier as well, but she also had this blueish complexion. Scarlet -- remember from the pictures you've shown me of her -- has a brown complexion. A brunette with a lovemole- She's Hispanic, it would seem. This lady was- Well, she was -- in a matter of speaking -- very white, Inquisitor." 

      "So... do you expect me to believe that... Scarlet is still alive? But, Cyan-Diorite, why hasn't she returned?" The Inquisitor's voice got louder as the tapping on the wall turned into vicious banging. 

     "I- I can't answer that, sir. I don't know. Do you- Do you want me... to find out? I'll find-" 

     "WHY HASN'T SCARLET-ANDESITE RETURNED IF SHE IS STILL ALIVE? DON'T TELL ME... THAT WE HAVE A THIRD TRAITOR IN OUR MIDST! IF THAT'S THE CASE... I'LL SKIN THAT CUNT ALIVE!" 

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