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It took a while, but eventually, we managed to find Irene loitering around in a random corridor somewhere in the other end of the building. With her, fidgeting uncomfortably in place, was the sound director, looking as if she'd rather be literally anywhere else in the world than standing right there.

By the time we got within earshot, questions had already been asked, and answers had already been given. Little missus, laptop clutched tight, scampered hurriedly away in the opposite direction, and judging by the slight frown on the detective's face, I'm guessing chasing after her did not prove a worthwhile venture in the long run.

"What'd she say?" I asked, slowing myself down to a standstill.

Irene had her hands to her hips, breathing out a weary sigh, staring away at her shrinking figure in the distance. "Nothing relevant, no."

"But she did say something."

"If I had been working an actual case here, this'd be the best haul I had all month. Apparently, embezzling is actually a team effort around here."

Oh wow, corruption runs deep, doesn't it? She didn't look like the leeching type, but I guess it does explain her shifty little glances towards us when we first arrived.

"Did she name anybody else?" I asked.

"She did?"

"Who?"

"Not important," Irene's eyes spun around to face me. "We're looking for a Magus, not a fraud ring, so focus. We find this person, or the book, we can finally end this nightmare. That takes priority over busting some crooked developers."

Trust me, Irene - you wouldn't find someone more eager than I to finally rid ourselves of this gooey, rotting conundrum here. Don't have to explain it to me… so if you could kindly stop staring at me like I was playing the fool here that'd be just swell, cause I'm most certainly taking this as seriously as you are.

'Course I'd rather drop dead than voice my annoyance out loud to her, the scorn of a succubus was not something you'd find me wanting for, so I simply kept my shut and nodded my head in full, non-complaining compliance.

Ash appeared to my side, her expression sharing an uncanny resemblance to Irene's no-nonsense demeanor. "Have we any people of interest to begin delving into?"

Irene shook her head. "None looked particularly suspicious, and our only lead ended up being a bumbling fraud and a felon."

"I have counted eight individuals in total from what we have seen so far," Ash said.

"Eight people. We can cross out two. Six more to go."

"That's our gameplan then?" I asked, wanting to join in the discussion as well. "Just whittle down that list till we strike gold?"

"Not only that," Irene said. "It's better to know how deep our mystery man got his hand into this cookie-jar. Maybe Howard isn't the only puppet this person's making dance."

"Trial and error it is then," I proclaimed with a clap. "But… say we do question all six - there's still the chance that nobody here is actually our guy."

Irene nodded. "True."

"What do we do then?"

"It's a short list," Irene said, seamlessly slipping her slender frame through the gap of space between Ash and me. "We'll find out soon enough if that's the case… in which case, maybe it's a nine instead of eight."

Irene wasted no time retracing our steps through the many twist and turns. Playing follow the leader had us winding along the hallways with even greater strides than usual to the point that we may as well be running with how fast Irene was going.

"Keep an eye out for that book too," She barked from faraway. "Plenty of transparent glass and open rooms, try not to overlook anything."

Even that, I didn't need any telling. From left to right, my eyes were in search-mode for any objects of interest. So intense and focus was my scouring that there existed plenty of occasions where I nearly found myself kissing the whites of the walls with my face.

Hadn't it been for Ash's warnings, I think a concussion or two and maybe a bloody nose wouldn't have been a matter of 'if' but of 'when', one point I even bumped into a vase atop a standing table, and without even batting an eye away from her own scouring, Ash caught the vase and placed it back proper as she whizzed on by.

Look, I swear I'm not clumsy… it's the uhh… it's the magic deficiency, yeah I'm still reeling from it. Recovery takes time, alright? In fact, it's already impressive enough in itself that I was back up on my feet in record time, so lay off me a bit, alright? I'm trying.

Going by the constantly shifting route Irene was taking, I suppose the main office space was prime on the list of pitstops to be taking considering everyone was already huddled up in that location to begin with.

Everyone except - 

"How about Jay?" I yelled from far behind.

Around a corner turn, I heard a shout back in return. "Didn't see him."

Didn't see him?

"That doesn't scream suspicious to you?"

I rounded that very same corner, only to see a fleeting view of a leg slipping past another corner. Ash, trailing closely behind me, heaved a breath. Guess I wasn't the only one struggling to keep up. 

Though, I think Ash could have easily caught up to her if she wanted to, guess her little slowdown in momentum was out of consideration for me. That's nice.

"Everything screams suspicious to me," Irene's voice echoed out again. "The walls do, the floors do, everything's equally suspicious, but finding one particular person in this maze of a studio is going to take more time than it should. I rather cross out the easiest leads first before considering going after the harder ones."

Makes sense.

"Is splitting up a good idea?" I asked from two corridors away. "Kill two birds with one stone?

Irene from three corridors away now, replied back very faint-sounding. "Does it sound like a good idea?"

Never thought an echo could ever sound so rhetoric, but Irene finds a way. Alright, got the message. Splitting is a bad idea, understood. But still…

"If Jay's it, we're just giving him a window to go bye-bye."

"He would have done it by now." Her voice was harder to hear now. "Or a long time ago. He's not going anywhere. I get that you wanna look for him, but it's not as if he's gonna suddenly come running right around the corn - "

What wasn't hard to hear at all, however, was the resounding thud that abruptly cut her little spiel short, what followed up in its place instead was a drawled pained groan - and then, from out of nowhere, frantic unintelligible noises that sounded far from the moaning of an aching succubus. 

Ash and I looked at each other before spurring ourselves the rest of the way, It took a little spurt down the last two corner turns, before we found ourselves staring at a bizarre scene that had far too many things going on for a simple look-see.

We found Irene sprawled out on the blackened carpet, slowly pulling herself back up to her feet, her expression was a painful one, yet also a frightening one, even when doubling over in pain, she still managed to form a blood-curdling scowl… her piercing eyes staring forward to the red-handed perpetrator of her stumble.

Hands in a panicked fumble, teeth-gritting, eyes-widening, Jay stood in place conflicted as to whether or not reach out and help her, or stand still and continue incessantly apologizing over and over like a broken record. 

Apparently, he reached a compromise, and decided to do both halfway - extending forward and pulling his hand away as if fearing Irene might chomp it off while also stumbling over his apologies like he was stricken with a bad case of Tourettes. 

"Didn't mean - sorry - didn't see - you so fast, I - Not blaming you, not blaming you! Sorry, sorry! My fault, my fault! Don't arrest me!"

"On account of what - assault?" Irene hissed, placing a hand on her throbbing forehead. "No worries, hardly felt a thing."

"R-really?"

Irene's scowl only intensified.

Jay shrank away - far, far away. "Sorry."

Well, well, well, speak of the devil… our missing suspect turned up present, pretty sure usually it's supposed to go the other way around. Not that I'm complaining though.

"What are you doing out here, Jay?" I asked, taking a step forward towards them.

Hearing my voice had Jay flinching briefly - guess he didn't see us coming, just like he didn't see Irene coming. The sight of me seemed to have calmed him down a bit.

"Funny question, that," He said, readjusting his crooked glasses. "I work here, 'course I'll be out here."

"Why here, particularly?" Irene asked, standing upright again with arms crossed and eyes sharp.

In regards to the recently assaulted detective, Jay at once straightened himself out to relay serious answers only. 

"Yeah, about that," He cleared his throat. "I came looking for you guys."

"And why's that?" I asked.

"Well… curiosity is a hell of a thing, you see. I heard you interrogating Mr. Philips."

"I distinctly remembered telling you to leave, didn't I?" Irene said rather dangerously.

"His office, not THE office," Jay quickly defended himself. "So what? I eavesdrop, who wouldn't?"

"Non-busybodies for the most part," She sniped back.

"Well, you should be glad that I did," He said, looking quite full of himself for some reason. 

I have a feeling I knew what that reason might be. Ash also seemed to have a surmised as much. 

"Do you know of what we seek?" She asked more polite in tone than the rest of us. "The book." 

"Know?" He gave a small sheepish smile. "I've been interning for two years. Fetch stuff in places the other guys are too lazy to get for themselves. I can do more than just know. I can show you where it is."