As the pair of women continued their walk down the city block, Harlow came to a stop, turning on her heels as she did to face a brick building. On the building was an artfully constructed bronze sign that had the same wording upon Taite and Harlow's on shirts, "Bellrung Antiques". Taite took in a deep breath, her fists clenched in anticipation, and her green eyes flickered with the burning flames of determination in its purest form. Harlow canted her head to the side, glancing down towards the smaller woman. She'd place a heavy hand upon Taite's shoulder, a sly smirk creeping its way upon her lips. "Seems like you're ready to take on the world, concentrate any harder and you may pop a blood vessel or two." Harlow mocked, nudging Taite closer to the building and using her free hand to push open the door.
The wooden door of the establishment swung open, the top corner of its frame colliding against a bell that was attached above the door-frame. As it did so, a delightful jingle rang throughout the rustic antique shop, and two beings turned to face the source of the sound. One of them was a woman that stood at the same height as Harlow. She had black hair that was held-up in a neat bun, her skin color was that of light-caramel, and brown freckles dotted her cheeks similarly to Taite's. Despite looking humanoid in physique, she had other defining features that told of a different story. There was a large, clouded, grey-colored eye that took the place of where two eyes should be. She also had elongated ears that stuck out on the sides of her head, and a long tail that wiggled to and fro behind her.
Her arms folded over her white buttoned-up shirt, her brow furrowing, while the other being eyed Taite. The other was a man with darkened skin. His physique was large and muscular while he stood at a valiant 6'3". His tan pea-coat that covered his torso also made him appear much larger to others. He had on black slacks, matching dress shoes, and a police badge that gave off a radiant sheen was pinned onto his coat. He placed his right hand behind his head, his digits coursing through his dark-brown hair that was trimmed short.
"Dad!..." Taite shouted gleefully, "wait why are you here?" She inquired, her right brow arching while she looked between the both of them. The man's dark-blue eyes averted their gaze from her while he motioned towards the woman in the buttoned-up shirt. "Mrs. Grace and I were having a discussion about a crime I've been assigned. A better question would be why am I here before you." He retorted, the woman beside him nodding along. "I agree with Detective Forsythe, Taite, from the top if you'd please; no excuses either." She spoke, almost commanding so while Taite was now the center of attention.
Taite began to prod her two index-fingers against each other, her green eyes averting their gaze from everyone else, staring into the ground as she did. "W-well, you see, uhm..." she began, taking a step backwards before colliding into Harlow, and looking up towards Detective Forsythe and Mrs. Grace. But, when she did so, the detective had stamped his right foot against the brown floorboards of the shop. He raised his right arm, pointing towards her with his index finger, and closing his left eye. He stared into her trembling emerald eyes, and a magical circle began to form beneath his feet.
The fantastical, radiant entity had the appearance of a chrysanthemum flower with petals dyed a brilliant white. "With my miracle, I demand you to look me straight into my eye, and tell me the truth!" His voice roared, his words resounding intensely with the ceramic antiques, and within Taite's mind. Her eyes that were once brimming with life, now turned vacant and dull. Mrs. Grace was taken aback by this maneuver being made by the detective, meanwhile Harlow had taken cover just behind the brick wall on the other side of the door.
Taite's mouth began to open, the words seamlessly pouring out of it as if her consciousness was traded out for her subconscious mind. "I stayed up late working on robotic modifications for my yo-yo...and when I had fallen asleep, it was already four in the morning. I knew that I had to get some sleep rather than staying up all night and surviving off on coffee. I'm sorry, I'll try better next time, Pitaya." Taite finished speaking, and once she had, the magic that Detective Forsythe had called upon also vanished. Her green-eyes returned to their usual vibrancy, as she was quick to realize what she had been put through. "Hey!! That's not fair, I would've spilled the beans one way or another, old man!" She protested, shaking a clenched fist towards the man while she scanned the room for something to throw at him.
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It was then that Harlow stepped back into the building, throwing an arm around Taite's smaller frame. She held the irritated woman who was ready to enter a frenzy close to her body in attempts to stop her from attacking the detective. "Easy there champ, I'm sure he was just trying to spook ya is all, but even so..." Harlow's words trailed on, her red eyes falling upon the man who remained where he was. He slipped his hands into the pockets of his pea-coat, his posture easing up in its valiant and powerful demeanor it had.
"Rather than unraveling the truth in the story she was about to tell, I figured I would save us ten minutes of our time. But, I do apologize Taite, didn't think it'd rattle you as much it did." He explained, ending his statement with an apologetic tone to his words. He then turned towards Mrs. Grace, his blue eyes affixing themselves onto her face. "Well, I thank you for your time, Pitaya, as well as the information you have provided. I must be off, and don't chastise Taite too badly." He remarked jokingly, making his way towards the front entrance of the shop. "Oh, don't fret over her, I'll be sure to give her plenty to do to make up for lost time." Pitaya replied, her tail brushing against nearby tables and chairs before the woman found a suitable seat, and sat herself upon it. Her hands folded neatly over her lap that was clothed with black slacks beneath an apron skirt.
Taite's father had stopped before her, placing a large and heavy hand upon her head. The faintest of smiles was seen tugging at the corners of his mouth, "You're an ace, Taite. Show me those modifications when I'm off for the day, I enjoy seeing what you can come up with." With those parting words, he excused himself from the three women, and exited the building. Taite pried herself off of Harlow's grasp, watching her father make his way down the sidewalk. Harlow closed the door behind her, rubbing the nape of her neck, thinking of how to speak her mind. "So...that was your dad? Can't really see the semblance between you two." Harlow spoke, seeing Taite taking in a deep breath before turning to face her.
"Baron Forysthe, though I call him my dad, he's just my adoptive parent. I mean...I'm surprised you didn't pick up the fact that my surname is Edith." Taite remarked, her words sounding more melancholic while she began to step towards Pitaya. "What exactly did he want to ask you about?" She inquired as the Pitaya simply shrugged, her tail coiled itself around her legs whilst she gestured towards the supply closet in the back of the shop. "I'll tell you all about it while you work, it is all really intriguing, but I know what I can and can't say. Confidentiality and all that." Pitaya remarked, urging Taite to begin working if she wanted to know what Baron had come for initially. "Fine, but you better not be trying to trick me...!" She stated with a tinge of suspicion in her words, making her way towards the supply closet as she did so.
- - -
Baron continued his trek down the sidewalk, that was until he came across an alleyway that was two buildings away from the shop Pitaya was managing. He entered the dark and dank alleyway, careful to not touch any grimy surfaces in order to preserve the cleanliness of his garb. "So, did you find anything in particular, Dip?" Baron called out to what was nobody in particular, but then a dog began its approach. It was unmistakably a beagle, patches of fur that were colored brown, black, and white covered its body. And it even came equipped with a Kevlar vest of its own, and a small, beige flat-cap that rested upon its head. However, it didn't bark, it instead spoke to Baron. "Indeed, there was no evidence or things of interest in the surrounding area." Dip replied, their voice sounding distinguished and gentleman-like, despite having the pitch of a younger being.
"I see, I'm sure something will turn up soon, now that we know where her husband happens to be working, and what streets he frequents. If he's not the perp, then I can quell my worries." Baron pondered, turning on his heels to begin exiting the alleyway. "Come on, let's go find Yves Grace, apparently he's running a newspaper stand here on Ding Dong Street, I pray he doesn't have anything damning on him that suggests he's the Newspaper Inquisitor." Dip made his way towards Baron, walking to the right of him as he gave a slight nod of his head, his brown eyes analyzing the alleyway once more before leaving. "I do agree, it would be a shame to tear apart a family, but we do what we must to safeguard the safety of our city, Baron." Dip spoke in attempts to reassure Baron who was already making his way down the sidewalk.
"I know, which is why I am not afraid to convict him either."