The choppy waters of Snowchester glimmered like dark blue-black gemstones with white cracks in the moonlight. A figure bathed in shadow glided down from the rocky cliffside, practically flying over the dark oceans. The figure didn't stop as they approached the large iron fence that surrounded a brightly lit mansion in the distance. In fact, the figure pushed off the stone top of the fence to push herself higher, gaining a few more feet of height. She slowly descended towards one of the larger windows of the mansion, not deterred by the lack of interior lighting. She stopped when her feet touched onto the windowsill. She patted her hands around the edges before finding the latch. She tugged it to the side, pushing the window inwards. She dropped down onto the ground of the office she had snuck into, closing the window behind her.

"Hey," A voice in the room burped. Her nose wrinkled when the unfettered scent of alcohol burned her nostrils. She pressed a finger to her nose, almost sure that she would find her skin alight with fire. When her finger came back without burn marks or soot, she turned around to see a dark brown haired man idly sitting in a cushioned chair with an open bottle hanging loosely in one of his hands. He smiled at her, and she shuddered in response. She hated that smile as much as she hated the man wearing it. "Glad you could make it tonight."

"We scheduled a meeting for tonight. I brought the paperwork," She replied, pulling a folder from the satchel that was slung around her shoulder. She dropped the folder on the grand wooden desk that separated her from the man in the cushioned seat. The desk didn't provide much protection as he drunkenly stumbled to his feet, nearly tripping over the rug on the floor as he approached the desk. He fiddled with the knob on the lamp resting on the desk. Several seconds later, the lightbulb sparked with illumination. The man picked up the folder, downing the remaining drops of whiskey in his dark orange-brown bottle. He dropped the bottle onto the desk, letting it roll across the surface before dropping onto the floor at her feet. She lifted her foot up to keep the bottle from touching her.

"Is this everything?" The man asked as he weeded through the papers. She wasn't even sure he could read them with how drunk he looked. She could see a few more bottles lying around the chair he had been sitting in when she entered, and the smell in the air was thick enough that she knew he had drunk more than a couple. No one could drink that much and still be sober enough to read.

"I've been working for three days. I might be the best informant in all of Essempei, but it still takes me time to work. I can get you more information. This is all I have for now, though," She responded. A week ago, she had been found by the number two hero's people. Apparently, he needed someone who was agile, intelligent, and proficient in fighting to track down and tail an important client. She had disagreed at first, but the paycheck that came with risking her life to follow the number one hero was more than she could ever hope for. After this gig, she would be set for life. She wouldn't have to risk her life ever again. She could have a nice house on the beach without any worries.

"You're right. It has only been three days. You're doing much better than I thought you would. Dream is extremely careful. I thought you would have been caught within a day," Her employer said with a sickening laugh paired with his demeaning words.

"You might want to reassess your claims. Dream may be careful in most circumstances, but he's also fairly reckless. I know that it isn't a trap, though, because he has a specific type of recklessness. I've met people who intentionally slip up in order to give me false information. Dream isn't one of those people. He's someone who is used to having people watching his back. Without his sidekicks, he's at his weakest. He may be powerful, but he has no idea how to act alone. That's why he's dead set on getting a new sidekick," She explained, grabbing the folder from his hands. He made an offended noise, but she didn't pay that any attention as she grabbed a few pages from the back of the folder that were color coded with a red sticker. She showed them to her employer.

He leaned down to look at them, his eyes squinting as he read through the lines. The scent of alcohol was beginning to thin in the room, and she noticed that he's posture was somehow steadier. Before she could ask about it, the man looked up at her. "What is this?"

"This is everything I've gathered on the new sidekick that Dream's getting. His name is Eryn Cyberonix. He's seventeen, born on July 29th. His mother is a demon from the Nether, and his father was an explorer from Las Nevadas. His parents were killed by an extremist group that opposed hybrids. He was relocated from the Nether to Las Nevadas to live with his father's parents. His power involves secreting this blood-like plasma that he has complete control over. I haven't been able to determine how much he can produce or the exact qualities of the plasma. He frequents hero sites on the internet under the username 'KillerBoi69', and I've gathered that he is a fan of the heroes Halo, Dream, the Captain, and Reverie. He's a big fan of the former hero group, the Paladins. He's a violent fighter who prioritizes his fists. Not big on defense, but he has a high pain tolerance and quick healing factor. Not superhuman but definitely better than natural. It's part of his half-demon physiology," She explained. There were a lot more pointless details written across the page, but she highlighted the important things to note about him. "As far as I can tell, this is the only sidekick Dream is getting. He isn't getting a second one. I still have found no traces of Fantasy."

"You do exceptional work. You're worth every dollar I've spent. How about the other things I asked for?" The man asked, standing up straighter than someone who was drunk should be able to do. She couldn't prove it, but she was certain that some part of his power made him able to control how sober he was after drinking like a sailor.

"Blaze is currently lying low in L'Manberg. He doesn't seem to be planning anything. He hasn't been messaging Nemesis, either. The two of them seem to have officially gone their separate ways," She explained. For a bonus, her employer asked her to find out some extra details about random people around the city. It wasn't anything difficult, and it wasn't as time consuming as tailing Dream. "Like Dream, Corpse is getting a sidekick. Her real name is Tina Kitten. She's a cat hybrid, but I haven't been able to ascertain her powers. Two new heroes have appeared. They haven't found a district yet, but they continue to work as a pair. Their names are Spark, also known as Jordan Sparklez, and Lilka, also known as Shubble Berry. Spark is a Starborne hybrid like the Major. They both have similar powers because of that. Spark has a power unique to him, though. He can balance things out. With physical objects, he merely straightens them. With more abstract things, he invokes the forces of karma to act against bad people and work for good people. He attests the power to his faith in Ianite, a goddess from an ancient religion that isn't believed here in Essempei. Lilka is a Fae hybrid like Cait Sith and Rose. She has the ability to produce mushrooms of varying sizes and effects. She can also create golems using the mushrooms to bring a basic kind of life to stone. It's definitely strange."

"Will they prove an issue for me?" He asked, glaring down at the image of the happy people that she had collected. It was rather difficult to find a moment when Spark and Lilka weren't smiling. They seemed genuinely happy to be helping people. They didn't just fight villains; they performed inconsequential tasks for the common people. Because of their kindness and work ethic, they were rising up the hero ranking system. They had already beat out heroes that had been around for years. It was something that most heroes should be aware of, if not wary, of.

"Probably not for you. Even if they are rising the ranks, they aren't at a rate where they'll catch up with you soon. Plus, they'd have to do something really important for them to cross into top ten territory. I'd keep tabs on them, but I wouldn't try to sabotage them just yet. They're doing good work. If they take care of the small things, you can take care of the big things," She shrugged. She said this for multiple reasons, none of which being that she wanted to make him feel better. She wanted to make sure that he didn't go after them. From all her research, she knew them to be genuinely good people. Spark was a little bit of a coward, but he had a big heart and a plan-making brain. Lilka was naive and unaware of her own strength, but she was positive and didn't discriminate. They were decent people that should be allowed to fight for justice without worrying about the number two hero going all evil queen on them out of jealousy. Also, if he did worry about them, he would hire her to investigate them. She would be getting more money while guaranteeing that the duo's weaknesses weren't spread along the grapevine.

"If you say so. Good work, Avian. The money is in the drawer on the left. Take it and go back to tailing Dream. I want to know everything about him. The folder better be twice as thick the next time we meet. Three days from now, same place," The man reminded her, wandering back over to his chair. He grabbed another bottle as he went.

She sighed as she collected the money from the drawer, stowing it away in her satchel. "About the other thing you asked me for... HoneyBee is fine. He continues to hang out with his friend, Deviate. He mainly uses his screen time to message Reverie, but he also plays games with who I can only assume is the elusive Integrity. He seems to be doing alright. He seems happy, at least."

She left out how she was highly aware of HoneyBee's plans to free his friend from exile, buy Integrity from Croupier, and overthrow his father to become the district leader of Snowchester with Croupier's help. The second ranked hero simply didn't ask about his son, so why should she tell him any of that?

"I'm glad he's happy. At least someone in this house is," The hero replied with a forlorn look on his face as he pressed the rim of his next bottle against his lips. He looked over at her with a dark look crossing his face. "Keep... better tabs on Spark. I don't give a damn about Lilka, so don't worry about her. I need to know what Spark is up to."

"Sure. It'll cost you, though," She replied, crossing her arms. She had the nagging feeling that she should ask more. She wanted to know why he talked about Spark with that look on his face. She wanted to know why Spark was important but Lilka wasn't. She wanted to know why it seemed like his thoughts on keeping watch over Spark stemmed from their conversation about HoneyBee. Something was off here, and she could feel it. Unfortunately, she didn't have the power, courage, or audacity to ask such a loaded question that would certainly set off a landmine.

"I'll pay for good information," He said like he knew she would hide certain things from him for Spark's sake. She nodded towards him, unlatching the window. She jumped out the window, her wings shooting out to help her glide towards the fence. Now, she needed to return to Tommy and the others to tell them everything she had learned and enjoy a good night's sleep in her new bedroom.