~~~~~~~~~Third Person POV~~~~~~~~~

The moon shined over the town that night, it was brighter than usual, without many clouds. At the moment, Ivangelys was in her room getting ready. Sure, they were only gonna do an in-and-out, but a place like that wouldn't let you in unless you had the proper attire.

Even if she had called the owner beforehand.

"You really think he's actually gonna help you?" Alyse asked as she sat on the bed, worry noticeable in her eyes. "He's not exactly the most trustworthy person out there."

"Believe me, I know that." She put the lipstick away, letting out a sigh. "But if he's got information about the situation, we need to get it."

"What makes you think he'll talk? Or talk honestly?"

"Well, he's definitely not doing it for us."  Walking over to her drawer, she picked up a small black bag. "But he'd definitely do it for Cynthia, and for Aiden."

Alyse pressed a finger against her chin in thought. "I always forget Aiden and him used to be friends. But if they stopped, why do you think he still cares?"

"Friends don't normally stop forever, even if they don't talk, I know he doesn't want anything bad happening to Aiden."

"Sounds a lot like you and Noah."

Iv turned around with a sharp glare, though Alyse simply shrugged in reply. "You said it yourself, friends don't stop forever."

There was a few seconds of silence, until a buzz was heard from her phone, seeing a notification.

"Hey doll, we're outside your place!" -Lola💜

Texting back a quick reply, she walked to the door. "You know the rules, always be by Mom or Dad's side."

"I know. I'll cover for you." Alyse hopped off the bed and headed to her parents' room, letting Iv know there was no one downstairs to catch her, and managed to go outside fast.

A car waited there, same car they'd normally drive. Victor was one of the very few in the group that had a car so he'd usually be the one to drive them around. Beside him was Lola, who as usual was waving over, and Noah was in the left back seat staring the trees.

His eyes then landed on her as she walked over to the car, eyes widening a little as his cheeks became red.

Lola gave a smile. "Wow, looking good!"

"Thanks, not too bad yourselves." She replied as she sat in the back right seat, closing the door. "I just sent you the address, Vic."

"You sure this'll work?"

"Worth a try."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A whistle escaped Lola as she stared at the building in amazement. "Fancy!"

It wasn't that talk of a building, probably only three floors, and you could hear the music from inside. Three of them stepped out of the car, though they turned back when they noticed Victor hadn't left the car.

Iv raised an eyebrow. "Aren't you coming?"

"Places like those tend to have a lot of smoke." He gave a shrug. "This one's on you guys, I'll stay here."

Nodding in reply, she led the other two into the building. As expected, there were a lot of people trying to dance and drink their pains away. Parties and clubs had basically been band from this town, anything that involved too many strangers in one place wasn't allowed.

But as usual, people wouldn't listen, and would simply hide away from the police. And in a town of magic, that was much easier done.

Noah looked around a bit, shoulders tense at the large crowd in the room. "So.. who exactly are we looking for?"

"Just look for a redhead in a leather jacket, green eyes with a scar through the right one." Iv explained before the three of them headed deeper into the crowd.

About five minutes passed by with them searching around, until she noticed the familiar looking man leaning against the wall on the second floor of the club. He noticed her as well, and the next second he headed into an elevator, the doors closing that same instant.

So that's where he stays at.

She didn't tell the others about it, heading to the elevator and letting it take her up to the third floor. Unlike the other two, this one was an actual home, and the walls were all made to keep the sound from downstairs away, so it was really quiet, not to mention dark.

That is, until a blade was suddenly stabbed right next to her neck.

She didn't flinch though, not an inch, standing her ground as a tall shadow hid at the other side of the room. With a scoff, she pulled the dagger out of the wall. "You've been getting sloppy with your attacks, huh, Riverton?"

"I have to scare intruders away." His voice was deep yet smooth, an accent from England which only made him sound more exotic.

It didn't surprise her, she already knew him, he was her brother's closest friend as kids. She never knew why they stopped hanging out.

Taking a step forward, he was finally revealed with the moonlight. Snake-like green eyes, red hair, and an aura that could scare anyone away. It only took one look at her face to know why she wanted to talk. "... this is about those missing people, isn't it?"

"Sharp as ever."

"Am I a suspect?"

"Not at all." She threw the dagger back over, the man catching it with ease. "I know you're more of a 'I'll leave my stamp here' kinda guy. The fact that the culprit's unknown already eliminates you as a suspect. You would've gladly shown your face."

"Fair point." He pulled out a lighter, covering it as he lit a small fire at the end of his cigarette, then putting it back. "What favor do you wish for then?"

"Information. I know you and your sister were never close, but if there's anything you know about the situation, I have to know."

He stared at her for a while, then let out a chuckle. "I see, you've chosen to play detective. But where's the fun in simply telling you what I've seen?"

"So you have seen something?"

"Maybe I have."

"Ryan." She took a few steps forward, her expression serious. "I'm sure you're away who one of the victims is, someone who I know for a fact you still care a lot for."

His expression fell a little, slightly gripping the cigarette in his hands. "Aiden.."

"I doubt you want him to be missing for much longer, so please, if there's anything you've seen that can help us, I need to know.."

He thought for a while, staying silent during that time, until he let out a small sigh and walked out to his balcony. "Sorry, Ivangelys, but I'm afraid I haven't seen anything regarding Aiden nor Cynthia."

"... oh.. thanks for your time then.." A feeling of defeat had already set in as she began to walk back to the elevator doors.

...

"But I did see your mint haired friend last week."

Her eyes widened at his words, quickly turning back around. "You saw Lidia?!"

"I was in the forest when it happened, she was by herself, using a gemstone for light. I looked away for a second, and she was already gone."

"Where was that?"

"Near the decaying tree in the middle of the forest."

She knew where that was, the tree had been the very same for so many years. A spark of hope quickly lit up in her chest, smiling a bit. "Perfect, thanks, Riverton."

She ran back to the elevator, waiting for the doors to open.

"... Iv?"

"Yeah?"

He turned to face her, expression serious. "Do find them.."

She let out a small sigh, entering the elevator. "That's the plan."

Thanks for reading!!! 'Till next time!!!

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