Cadenza: Veritas
Chapter 9: Butterfly Bellyaches
You tell Carlos about the CCTV feed outside the club's door. You describe Grace's appearance and how he spoke to a camera, before the feed was replaced with static. You recount the audible scream, and the unsettling voice that said, 'It is done.'
"That's the same thing I heard from the ChouChou call, he said the same thing!"
"How convenient. It must be the same person," Tanja adds.
Tanja turns her head around to face you. "Say, do you know the man from the closed-circuit feed?"
You tell Tanja that you know Grace, but do not expound on details. She seems contented with your answer.
You observe the buildings and establishments that the car is passing by, through the window. The street you're passing by appears to be part of an eerily quiet commercial district, lined by noodle shops and clothing stores. Dazzling neon signs and bright lighting from the stores illuminate an otherwise dark and worn road. Up ahead, you see skyscrapers and a wide bridge with a steep slope. You hold on tightly to the headrest of Tanja's seat as the car makes its ascent through the bridge.
You fall asleep after a few moments, at a time when it seems as though the car is passing by a flat stretch of road. By the time you awake, you feel Tanja nudging you gently.
"We're here. Welcome to the heart of Lower Ziara."
Carlos opens your door, and escorts you up and out of the car.
"That's the same thing I heard from the ChouChou call, he said the same thing!"
"How convenient. It must be the same person," Tanja adds.
Tanja turns her head around to face you. "Say, do you know the man from the closed-circuit feed?"
You tell Tanja that you know Grace, but do not expound on details. She seems contented with your answer.
You observe the buildings and establishments that the car is passing by, through the window. The street you're passing by appears to be part of an eerily quiet commercial district, lined by noodle shops and clothing stores. Dazzling neon signs and bright lighting from the stores illuminate an otherwise dark and worn road. Up ahead, you see skyscrapers and a wide bridge with a steep slope. You hold on tightly to the headrest of Tanja's seat as the car makes its ascent through the bridge.
You fall asleep after a few moments, at a time when it seems as though the car is passing by a flat stretch of road. By the time you awake, you feel Tanja nudging you gently.
"We're here. Welcome to the heart of Lower Ziara."
Carlos opens your door, and escorts you up and out of the car.
"I hope you don't mind walking, because that's the only way we can get to ChouChou from here." Carlos' words seem to be an overstatement, as you immediately see a neon signage for ChouChou.
You pass by an alleyway, which is blocked by a stray hospital bed. Though it's strange, you don't pay it much attention. A white van is parked in front of ChouChou, and from the driver's side, you spot a few more muddy footprints. A coincidence, perhaps? They truncate just before a muddied doormat. Carlos and Tanja try to head straight into the club, when a bouncer denies them access.
"We're from Neutral Force--"
"Get out. You're not welcome here." The bouncer sneers at the three of you, and shoves your two companions away, one hand pushing each person's chest.
"We'll escalate if you don't let us in."
The muscular man by the door hastily opens the door. Tanja takes you by the hand and pulls you inside, presumably so that the bouncer can't stop you from entering ChouChou.
"We're from Neutral Force--"
"Get out. You're not welcome here." The bouncer sneers at the three of you, and shoves your two companions away, one hand pushing each person's chest.
"We'll escalate if you don't let us in."
The muscular man by the door hastily opens the door. Tanja takes you by the hand and pulls you inside, presumably so that the bouncer can't stop you from entering ChouChou.
A giant mirror ball is suspended over neon lights bent into the shape of curves, vaguely forming fragments of a circular outline. There is a mini-bar at the back of the dance floor. Instead of drinks, the counter has multiple bottles with orange butterflies lined up on it. The barkeep hands each of you a bottle, instructing you to release it as soon as the DJ announces, "unleash your chouchou."
Carlos leans close to the barkeep, asking, "Were you the person who called the emergency helpline earlier?" The barkeep nods wordlessly.
"Okay, where did you see the suspicious person go?"
The barkeep points to an elevator and instructs all three of you to go to the fourth floor, which he states is surrounded with glass walls. He points at something to the direction of the mirror ball, but due to the amount of glaring lights, you can't quite make it out.
Tanja thanks the barkeep, and leads you to the elevator. You press the button, and the elevator doors slide open to reveal a young man.
Carlos leans close to the barkeep, asking, "Were you the person who called the emergency helpline earlier?" The barkeep nods wordlessly.
"Okay, where did you see the suspicious person go?"
The barkeep points to an elevator and instructs all three of you to go to the fourth floor, which he states is surrounded with glass walls. He points at something to the direction of the mirror ball, but due to the amount of glaring lights, you can't quite make it out.
Tanja thanks the barkeep, and leads you to the elevator. You press the button, and the elevator doors slide open to reveal a young man.
"The barkeep did a good job, huh? I told him to make the distress call on my behalf."
"E, is that you?" Tanja appears to be shocked.
"Yeah." The man Tanja just called E looks at you. "You a friend of Grace and Bella?"
"E, is that you?" Tanja appears to be shocked.
"Yeah." The man Tanja just called E looks at you. "You a friend of Grace and Bella?"
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