Once he finished the rest of his work, Richard and Kelly headed over to a place called The Gullible Pegasus. The building had a sign filled with neon lights and a rug leading to the entrance. Loud, muffled noises came from the other side. Having a bad feeling about this, Richard ordered Fawn to stay put and wait for him outside until further notice. She reluctantly agreed as the two stepped inside the place.

Richard and Kelly entered the location, which was revealed to be a tavern. Covered in mahogany wallpapers, wooden floorboards, and sturdy tables, the place had an unsettling aura. All around them were many people doing various activities, such as arm wrestling on tables, talking about their lives while drinking, making jokes, and laughing near the countertops at the bar, etc.

With the edgy vibe he got, Richard didn’t know how to feel about the place. With a sinking feeling in his gut, he proceeded with caution, staying close to Kelly. The woman looked more relaxed and felt right at home here, if interacting with some of her longtime friends was any sign. The two approached the long counter in the back and sat on the stools.

Richard tied his brown coat around his waist and got himself comfortable. It didn’t take long for all the loud noises all around to pound at his head. He massaged the side of his temples and groaned. He had to remember why he came here and get through this. Kelly mentioned she liked using the surrounding sounds to block out thoughts inside her head.

“Are you ok?” Richard glanced at her and inquired.

“Yeah, for the most part,” Kelly replied as she pulled over and stared at the bottom of an empty glass.

“Um, do you mind if I ask, what is your relationship between you and Ken?”

“Well, I’m not sure if it’ll last. We keep getting into fights.”

“What about?”

“One problem I have is bad habits. Ken hates that I come here sometimes. He wants me to stop doing this.”

“But, he shouldn’t force you to. He can’t control your life.”

“I know!” Kelly hissed. She grew somber and quiet. “That’s what I thought, but I think he has a point. Even though it’s bringing me out of my saddened state, it’s unhealthy for me. I feel like it’s affecting the people I care about.” Kelly winced, trying to hold back tears. “I don’t want to lose everything precious to me, but I can’t help it, though I wish...” She sighed, unable to finish her sentence.

Richard placed his hand on her shoulder. He wanted to be there for her, but couldn’t think of anything to tell her besides, “I’m sorry.”

She smiled at him and turned away. “It’s ok. I’ll be fine, thanks.”

“It’s not a problem.” Richard bit his lip. “I also have someone important to me.” He uttered out of nowhere.

“You do? Not sure where that came from, but I’m curious...”

“Sorry, the conversation reminded me of her, that's all. There’s this woman...”

“Ooh, girlfriend?” Kelly teased.

Richard nearly fell off his seat as he held his hands up in response. “No, ew, not like that!” He cleared his throat and spoke with a low tone. “Her name’s Emily, she was like a mother figure to me, even though I’m pretty sure I had a mom beforehand, but I don’t remember her at all. Emily was the closest thing I had to an actual family.”

“I’m sorry for your loss.”

“No, she’s not dead. To be honest, though, I don’t know where she is. But one thing’s certain, I can never go back.”

“What? Why?”

Richard lowered his arms on the table and sighed. “Long story short, I messed up, and I’m afraid she’d never forgive me for my actions.”

It was Kelly’s turn to comfort and reassure the other with a heartfelt smile and brief speech. “I’m sure things will work out if you just...”

“You don’t know her like I do. I appreciate the courtesy, though. Thank you.”

“Hey, you did the same for me, after all.”

“Oh, yeah, right."

.-.-.-.

Instead of waiting outside the bar, Fawn floated over to different locations to further investigate and search for clues regarding the source of her potential killer. She got tired of waiting around for her partner to finish his business with people he didn’t know well. She had to take matters into her own hands while she still had the chance. Anything to avenge herself and her parents and make their killer pay.

Fawn overheard a conversation from one of the buildings and phased through the walls to see what the fuss was about. There, a police chief had a discussion with a device which other officers. In the back of the room, a device accessed a hologram depicting Mayor Max on the screen.

“You numbskull! Do you realize what you did?” Max thundered.

“No way, sir!” The chief insisted.

“Yeah, there’s no way he could’ve survived,” James added.

“Oh, please!” Max scoffed. “My assistants checked over and did some research, and they found that he’s still alive.”

“What?” The chief looked over at James. “I thought you took care of the blue blob!”

“Yeah, we did.” James cocked his head. “At least, that’s what Greg told us.” He muttered that part to himself.

“You checked his body beforehand, right?”

“Well, no. But we saw him fall into the ocean—”

“Fools!” The mayor interrupted. “You didn’t check the body? That man’s still out there, and you’re just standing here doing nothing?!”

“D-Don’t worry, we’ll bring him to justice!” The officers exclaimed and saluted. The chief glared at James as Rick bit his nails and looked away.

“You better.'' Max threatened. “I already told the citizens we’d have the situation under control.” He sighed and calmed down a bit. “If the people here get word of this, they’ll panic. And if they panic, they’ll act reckless and stupid. And if that happens, there’ll be mayhem in the city, more so than there is now. Biostance would be filled with unrest, fear, and despair. People will either leave or die.” His voice rose again. “It’ll be bad for the city, business, and my reputation!”

“We won’t do that again!”

The mayor signed off; the hologram shut down as the other officers recuperated.

“Rick, Jim, you’re on the case!” The chief ordered. “James, we need to have a talk.”

Fawn escaped the walls; the two cops hurried in their cars, getting ready to drive to various locations in the city.

Uh oh, this isn’t good. She thought. We’re not going to have as much time to investigate tonight. Tonight? Oh, shoot! Should I regroup with Richard or stop these cars from reaching their destination? I got to do something and fast!

She had little time to think. Fawn heard the radio from one of the walkie-talkies inside their car.

“Guys, there are reports that the blob is in The Gullible Pegasus.” It remarked. “You need to get there as soon as possible!”

“Wait, are you serious?” Rick questioned.

“Guess we better get going,” Jim mentioned. He glanced at Rick, hanging his head low and twiddling his fingers. “Aw, come on buddy, I’m sure James won’t get into too much trouble.” He patted him on the shoulder. “We can’t worry about him now, we need to get going.”

“Yeah, you’re right.” Rick nodded.

With that, the cars drove off, and Fawn tailgated the police car, heading toward the bar. I hope you’re doing ok over there.