Chapter Text
Tommy's morning passed relatively calmly, just like any other normal day. He woke up peacefully in his soft bed from the bright rays of the sun shining from the window directly on his face. After shivering and lying in bed for a while, the boy got up and sleepily rubbed his eyes. His second action, after waking up, was to go to the bathroom to clean himself up.
Tommy took a half-used tube of toothpaste and applied it to the fluffed toothbrush. He lazily started cleaning his mouth and glanced at the mirror weighing in front of him. His soft blond hair was disheveled like some kind of bird's nest, and there was pure drowsiness in his blue eyes.
After a few minutes of brushing his teeth, he spat out the paste, rinsed his mouth and the brush itself from the remaining paste. Tommy, yawning, put all the items in their places and, taking a small handful of water from the tap in his hands, sprayed it into his face, in order to get rid of the desire to sleep. It kind of helped, because he felt more awake now than when he only got up.
Tommy, deciding that he was not dirty enough to take a shower yet, went to the bottom of the stairs of the house to the kitchen. There he took out of the refrigerator some blueberry yogurt left for him and, opening it, took a spoon and sat down on one of the chairs at the table.He scooped up a handful of yogurt and put it in his mouth, slowly chewing and enjoying its taste.
It was quiet at home, basically like any other morning, except on weekends.
Tommy has been living with his aunt Puffy for two years now and has long since settled in here, ceasing to feel uncomfortable, like as if he was visiting her for a few days.
Puffy was sweet and always tried to make him feel at home here, ever since he came from his forever. Well, at least when she had her free time.
She always left early and got up in the evening, but a little earlier than Tommy, who was coming back after school. That means that they didn't have too much contact with each other on working days and he didn't blame her for that, not at all.
Puffy worked in law enforcement and, as far as he knows, was responsible for the department in which detectives such as Philza worked.
But, at least on weekends, they could devote all the time to games, movies and everything else, spending time exclusively with each other, which absolutely pleased them both.
Tommy finally finished his breakfast, which Puffy also bought him last night, and went upstairs to his room again to change into his school uniform and pack everything he needed in a backpack. Basically, he always wore the same thing when it came to school, as he preferred it. He also recently began to cling to his face with multicolored bandages, really bright and poisonous colors, although he did it not just for nothing.
After a couple of hours spent watching TV while waiting for school, which usually starts not very early in the morning, it was finally time to get ready and go out. Outside, the changeable weather became warmer again, but he did not dare to risk freezing on the way back, so he quickly threw on his blue jacket, not bothering to fasten it, grabbed his backpack and ran out the door, passing by the portraits standing on the shelf at the entrance.
He once asked Puffy a question about them. Or rather, about why almost everywhere some person was cut or scratched out, most often being next to Puffy herself. She only smiled sadly and briefly, answering that it was once a dear person for her with whom she later stopped keeping in touch at the will of this person. This man also ruined all the portraits, crossing himself out, for a reason still unknown to anyone.
Tommy, already on the street, quickly locked the door with a key and put it in his backpack before running towards the school, even if he was not late yet.
***
As always, the school was crowded, because the students were already gathering in groups, looking for their acquaintances and friends, and also going to their classes, so as not to run there headlong when the lesson time comes.
There were many different personalities present, dressed as they pleased (Although, of course, the choice of clothes was limited to formal in order to preserve the formality of the school). Somewhere he caught a glimpse of familiar people whom he often met in the corridor or those with whom he managed to talk once.
Passing by a bunch of students, Tommy heard their short dialogues, mostly gossip. The words of one of the guys who was surrounded by other students also reached his ears. He was talking about the day the detective came to their school or something like that. It was also possible to hear from many how quickly the rumor about the two students involved in the whole thing was spreading.
The fact is that they mostly tried not to shine among others during their interrogation. Rather, they did not try to hide or show off their new advantages, but rather simply performed the task they received that day. In the end, they did not say anything to those who were interrogated that they were forbidden to spread information about it, so this outcome of events was quite obvious.
At the moment, Tommy decided to find Techno, without having a any real reason.
They still haven't exchanged numbers since their communication, although Tommy had a feeling that he would have to force Techno to do. In general, he considered it a success that he made Techno friends with him. At least to communicate with him.
Tommy, distracted by his thoughts, did not notice the person walking right in front of him. The collision happened instantly and caused a fleeting sense of deja vu.
Yeah, he's seen it before somewhere.
This time, at least, the collision was not as strong as the first time, mainly because he was not running, but walking at a brisk pace. Tommy managed to keep his balance, but immediately a lot of different papers began to fly in front of his eyes from a huge stack flying straight to the floor, ready to collide with the ground and scatter all over the hall.
The boy ran, not feeling that he was in control of himself and stretched out his hands in order to catch the papers. He barely made it before everything flew apart, but the fall was inevitable and Tommy, grabbing the stack, hit the floor with a bang with his eyes closed. A couple of seconds later, quick footsteps were heard somewhere nearby and Tommy, opening his eyes, saw a worried face of some guy in front of him.
The eyebrows of this very guy were raised in surprise, and dark brown, with some strange shade of red, eyes looked at him with concern, as if asking if everything was all right.
On the face of the guy, who looked about seventeen, like Techno, hung brown curly hair on which a dark gray hat was visible. The guy himself was wearing a black sweater over a pure white shirt, wich collar and end, as well as a little bit of the edges of the sleeves, could be seen sticking out. His black jeans with some silver chains were supported by a black leather belt. Also on the guy you could see dark shoes with laces and reaching just above the beginning of his jeans.
,,Are you okay, child?"the stranger tilted his head slightly to the side and now raised only one eyebrow, looking down at Tommy questioningly. After a couple of seconds of hesitation, the guy squatted down looking straight into the boy's eyes.
,, Mmm, yes, I'm fine," Tommy replied, although at the same time he felt like his whole body was hurting from hitting the floor, and there was also a feeling of a fresh bruise forming somewhere on his body. He even ignored the word "Child" that escaped from the lips of a stranger, which in itself was a reason to worry.
,, Mmm, yes, of course" the guy sounded completely unconvinced before looking around and jumping up sharply, leaving Tommy lying on the floor with his arms outstretched. There were papers scattered all over the hall that Tommy, no matter how hard he tried, could not catch.
Tommy, feeling that probably no one would help him get up, slowly got up himself, continuing to hold the papers. Now he just watched the оlder's quick movements in an attempt to collect all the scattered papers, standing awkwardly in the middle with a stack of slightly crumpled papers.
Finally, after a short period of time, the guy collected about the same stack of papers as Tommy's, but a little more, and looking around, his gaze fell on the boy watching him. He almost immediately approached Tommy and stood in front of him, towering about a head taller, perhaps a little lower than Techno, who was already damn tall.
,,Oh, I'm sorry I didn't help, I just really need to be in class soon and all that" the guy shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other, apparently feeling a little awkward. Tommy just shrugged.
,,No problem, dude." The boy looked into the tall guy's eyes before looking at two really big stacks of papers ,,So, are you in a hurry? You know, this stack looked heavy and you'll be able to carry it yourself without dropping it again. I mean, I can help you if you want. Do you want to?"
The guy blinked, continuing to look at Tommy for a long time before nodding and, without saying a word, turned towards his classroom, wherever it was, leaving Tommy to catch up with him. The boy ran up to the guy, trying not to drop the papers and began to walk next to him.In the end, they both started a quite ordinary and pleasant dialogue. The coolest thing was that the guy listened to him very carefully (even too much for his taste, but he didn't mind) and always tried to give an answer to any question Tommy was interested in. As a result, they almost didn't notice how they got to guy's classroom , although they still had to stop and bring their conversation to an end.
,,Well, I think I should go. Can you please put the papers you're holding on top of mine so I can carry them myself?"the guy asked and Tommy, nodding, immediately did what he was asked. After that, the older one was going to open his mouth to say goodbye and leave, but the boy did not let him do it.
,, Mmm, listeeeen, you're a cool guy and all that. Maybe you want to talk about something else today at other breaks?"Tommy fiddled with the end of his own shirt sticking out from under his vest, asking the surprised guy.
,,Really? Yes, that would be a good idea, but when do you propose to meet?" The older one raised an eyebrow, peeking out from behind a stack of papers.
,,Oh, we can meet near the hall in which we bumped into each other! At the next break. I will also probably introduce you to my other friend if I find him in the vastness of the school."Tommy literally lit up with joy when he heard that the guy agreed.
,,So, what, I'll have to mess with a couple of kids, huh?" The older one grinned at his words and Tommy's angry look ,, But, okay, I'll try to come."
Tommy smiled at this, but immediately looked questioningly at the guy, who frowned slightly, lost in thought, and looked like he was thinking about something. Then he raised his eyebrows and fixed his gaze on Tommy.
,,By the way, thank you for your help. Help in catching the papers and bringing them to the right place, I think?" The guy said in an uncertain tone, more asking a question than anything else. Then he turned to the side and whispered something that Tommy could hear even from a distance ,,Damn,i need to chat with others more often than with a dog. It's certainly a good conversationalist, but still. Oh"
,,What?" Tommy raised his eyebrows in surprise and even a grin in part, forcing the guy to turn his head sharply again and look at Tommy. A slight blush appeared on his face from embarrassment and the fact that he was heard.
,, Nothing! So, if we have agreed, it's time for me, like you, to go, because the lesson will begin soon." The guy hurriedly spoke, making a funny face and smiled. Tommy blinked at him and then grinned.
But when the guy was about to turn around and leave again, the boy abruptly grabbed him by the sleeve of his sweater, almost forcing him to drop the papers. The guy quickly turned his head to the boy and fixed his gaze directly on him. His face darkened a little, his gaze became cold and unnerving, and for a second he began to seem taller than he was, before it all disappeared as quickly as it came and he just raised one eyebrow, looked at Tommy questioningly and as if nothing had happened, mostly didn't notice the rapid changes in the guy's face.
,, Mmmm, you just like me haven't told me your name yet, so let's get acquainted. My name is Tommy, and you?" The boy smiled, while the guy continued to look at him questioningly for a while before answering.
,, Wilbur. Nice to meet you," the guy smiled, closing his eyes.
***
He walked out of a classroom full of noisy teenagers trying to leave the classroom as soon as possible and hang out with their friends at break. Several students noticed him and began to observe him closely, whispering and sincerely thinking that he did not hear them.
Wilbur was famous at school, that's right. He is not quite sure for what reasons they judge a person and decide who they will exalt above the rest. In their eyes, he had to look like the most ordinary teenager going to theater and music clubs. That's what his peers usually do, isn't it? So why do they, not daring to come up and talk, decide that staying behind his back is the best option. Well, there were probably some other signs distinguishing him.
Wilbur was also well aware that he was not the only one here who was often the center of attention of the students. He often heard these rumors going around about another guy, about how cold, cool and intimidating he was. Wilbur also had a rough idea of what this guy, whose name seems to be Technoblade, looks like, if you follow the rumors. They say he usually wears formal clothes, more often a simple shirt and trousers. They say that his unusual pink hair is really very long, and his blood-red eyes will frighten any bravest person in the world at a glance.
Well, he couldn't say for sure, because he mostly didn't cross paths with him, only once seeing him for a second. At least that's how it was up to this point.
As soon as Wilbur managed to leave the classroom and move a few steps away from him, he saw the familiar blond hair of the boy he had just met. The boy, or whatever his name was, Tommy jumped up to them, smiling broadly with all his teeth. He explained his arrival by saying that he did not want to wait for him for a long time at their appointed meeting place and decided to come to him immediately. That was nice. He guess.
The boy also said that on the way he met his friend, with whom he wanted to introduce him, and told him to wait for them in the hall, so apparently a new wave of acquaintances will fall on him right now, as well as probably another child of some kind.
Usually people prefer to make friends of their own age, judging by Wilbur's observations. He himself was not very knowledgeable, because he was not joking about the dog. The only person he really contacted and communicated with before Tommy (not counting the fans. He could exchange a few words with them, but it's still not the same) was here somewhere now. Probably busy, not worth distracting.
In the end, that's how he found himself following the boy, who was holding him by the end of his sweater and pulling him somewhere, which was probably the corridor in which this friend of Tommy's was waiting for them.
Wilbur's papers had been put away in the classroom. They belonged to...Dream, Mr. Dream. Sapnap, their chemistry teacher, as well as the deputy school principal, promised with a smile to hand over all these papers to Mr. Dream and Wilbur was happy to get rid of the unnecessary burden. Many people knew that Sapnap was close to Dream, although it was not often possible to meet them together, at least recently.
Sapnap himself was quite young, but he still looked a little older than Mr. Dream. He had really dark black hair cut in a square, and around his forehead could been seen a strange white ribbon tied behind. Mr. Sapnap had unusual and strange, but still funny bright orange eyes, like some kind of flame. Basically, he could be seen in a black turtleneck, under a white T-shirt with a fire pattern on it. On top of all this was a long white unbuttoned robe and a pair of gray gloves. On his legs he had ordinary black jeans with a belt and dirty shoes of dark gray color with locks on the sides.
Coming back to the present, Wilbur noticed that some people in the hall were staring at them strangely with raised eyebrows, whispering together in heaps, and probably already had their theories about who this boy might be for him. Tommy, completely oblivious to the extreme attention of others, walked merrily, almost ran and dragged Wilbur through various hallways, trying to come to the right one.
Soon, they finally found themselves where they had been going all this time. The hall was filled with people, at least much more than at the moment of his meeting with Tommy. Wilbur looked around for someone who was at least about Tommy's age. But to his surprise, there really wasn't a single child in the hall, mostly there were people from 15 to 17 or something like that.
Wilbur, after looking around, returned his gaze to Tommy and raised an eyebrow questioningly, looking at the boy, carefully looking for someone, probably a friend, among the crowd.
Suddenly Tommy smiled broadly and looked somewhere as if he had found someone, which was probably true. The brown-haired man blinked and followed the gaze of the boy, who began to wave his arm vigorously and jump slightly on the spot.
Wilbur squinted his eyes, trying to make out something through the crowd or in it, and surprisingly managed to. In the distance, among all the students passing by, one could see a silhouette sitting on the windowsill at the very end of the hall. He was going to look even more closely at the silhouette, but Tommy unceremoniously grabbed his sleeve again and dragged him with all his strength, almost running.
Tommy moved through the crowd with full determination and carelessly pushed people away, irritating them with this. They were instantly at the other end of the hall and Wilbur, whom the boy finally released, put his hands on his knees in an attempt to catch his breath. Although curiosity was a little more than the need for even breathing, so almost immediately he raised his head and looked at the person whom Tommy called a friend.
And it was at this moment that he realized that he needed in catching his breath after running more than in looking at the person.
,,Oh, who do we have here?"still sitting on the windowsill, none other than the Technoblade looked down at him majestically from above. His eyes were intently watching his movements, and a sinister shadow appeared on his face. Wilbur suddenly felt much smaller than usual. Well, now he could confirm at least part of the rumors about the Technoblade.
Wilbur did not answer the pink-haired's question, simply because he fell into a small stupor from the sight of the Technoblade. The awkward silence began to drag on, although only a few seconds had passed, but fortunately Tommy ran closer to them and stood next to them, not at all distracting the attention of the intimidating guy from Wilbur, but at least forcing him to listen. Hmm, Wilbur saw them standing side by side for the first time, but he already saw obvious contrasts.
,,Hello again, Techno! I brought a new friend here to introduce him to you. I think he would be very glad to meet you! His name is Wilbur," Tommy smiled all over his mouth, finally forcing the Technoblade to look at the boy for a second before returning it to Wilbur again.
,, Hmm, Wilbur, huh? You're Tommy, just a magnet for influential people, as I see it," Technoblade only raised an eyebrow, maintaining an indifferent expression on his face. The boy stopped moving vigorously and looked in surprise at Wilbur, who was standing awkwardly next to him.
,,Eh? So are you popular or something like that?" Tommy asked, keeping surprise even in his voice. Oh, it looks like the boy doesn't pay attention to school politics at all. So that's why he was so calmly communicating with the Technoblade? Maybe. Well, Wilbur was about to answer, but was instantly interrupted ,,Oh, I see it now! But we're still friends with you and you still don't have a choice, soooo"
,,Yeah, there's no choice - that's right," Techno muttered, causing Tommy to glare into his eyes, probably angry at the tone used by the pink-haired one. Then Techno began to stare intently at Wilbur's face again, although his gaze became less intimidating. Suddenly, he furrowed his brows and narrowed his eyes, "Hmm, so you were on the bench yesterday, weren't you?"
Wilbur widened his eyes in surprise, staring intently at Techno. Yesterday he was too busy playing guitar, coaching new chords. In nature, in a quiet time of the day, it was always nice to just sit, think through every detail of the song, notes, rhythm, and so on. Although, if he recalled, he saw two people nearby yesterday, which probably were both of them.
,,Oh, so it was you?" Wilbur asked, to which he received a short nod. That's all fine, of course, but why was Tommy with him. Wouldn't it be wise to go out at night with some guy who doesn't have the brightest reputation. Maybe they are brothers? It sounds quite logical.
Returning to the present moment, Techno continued to look at Wilbur, although not as gloomy as before, but still quite intimidating. Wilbur blinked and also looked into Techno's eyes, feeling the awkwardness of the situation, and Tommy just stood in the middle, a little further away from them and smiled, putting his hands on his sides, looking from one to the other. Then Techno squinted his eyes again and sighed, turned to Tommy, came a little closer and leaned towards him.
,,Tommy, you know you can't talk to everyone you meet like that. You and I are involed into big things right now, and your tongue is too talkative and will probably tell every detail of a classified case," the Techno whispered so that Wilbur, who was standing a little further away from them and looking with a questioning face, could not hear him. Tommy blinked and looked in surprise at the pink-haired man, who made a threatening face ,,We don't need what I paid a large sum for to turn into a collapse, do we?"
Tommy watched the older one for another second, who had to bend down to tell the boy what he said. Then the boy smiled broadly and with a quick movement poked his finger at the nose of the older one, from which he in turn recoiled and instantly straightened up, barely wrinkling his nose and looking at Tommy with displeasure.
,, Don't worry so much, big man! I won't say anything, although he will probably understand everything perfectly soon. After all, rumors are a fast thing and they have already begun to spread. They say that two students have started investigating a murder, so it's not far before everyone finds out who these students are," Tommy shrugged, cheerfully explaining his point of view. Techno narrowed his eyes for a second and looked closely at the boy's face before nodding slightly and making his usual expression.
Tommy immediately went to his new acquaintance closer and started a two-minute dialogue about something that Techno didn't care about. Wilbur sat down on the floor, which was a strange decision, closer to the wall and corner, and Tommy squatted down next to him, continuing to chat and accompanying his speech with energetic and movements. Techno, on the other hand, leaned against the nearest wall and wondered why Tommy had dragged him here if he could introduce him to Wilbur at the big break.
After just a few minutes, the bell rang and Wilbur and Tommy immediately jumped out of their seats and ran at full speed to their classrooms. At the same time, the boy also managed to say goodbye to Techno, who, watching them run, pushed off from the wall and walked to his classroom with a quick but calm step.
***
As expected, Techno and Tommy met at their place on the bench. Everything was as usual. Tommy was chatting merrily about something and making energetic movements, and Techno was just sitting on a bench and eating his lunch.
The changeable weather became a little warmer, but a cool breeze continued to blow from time to time. The grass rustled softly, matching the movements of trees and bushes, and the sky was dotted with fluffy clouds.
Although, after meeting a new person, one should expect that he would appear again. As they say, once you shake hands with someone, you will meet him more than once. Which, in fact, happened right now. The figure that had recently become familiar was approaching their place on the bench.
Not only Techno managed to notice Wilbur, but also Tommy, which was not surprising at all. The boy stopped his chatter and waved his hand high above his head. The brown-haired man, seemingly convinced that at least one of them was showing at least some signs of attention to his arrival, increased his pace in steps and soon found himself next to the bench and those sitting on it.
,,Hey, hello!" smiled Tommy, greeting. Wilbur grinned and sat down next to Tommy's side right on the ground. At least it was the farthest place from Techno, where the pink-haired man's cold glances in his direction were least visible.
"We've already met, child," Wilbur replied with a slight sneer in his voice. Techno from time to time called Tommy a child or words close to it, but although he was not happy, he still most often continued to conduct his conversation. But when Wilbur said this, Tommy literally boiled over and made a disgruntled face, slapped the brown-haired man on the arm. Judging by the expression on his face, he absolutely understood what he was doing, calling Tommy a child.
,, I'm not a child!" Tommy shouted loudly and angrily, which made Wilbur grin even more.
,,Yes, yes, whatever you say, child," he replied, for which he received another slap.
Techno watched their arguments, as if watching a TV program on TV, quietly eating. He had several plans and actions that required careful analysis, so he needed to discuss it with someone who, like him, is involved in the investigation of the case. And since he didn't have the detective's phone number, there was always another person at hand, namely the one who constantly walks with him.
That's why he interrupted Wilbur and Tommy's mini-battle for a few seconds, and informed the boy about the gathering in the library without any other. Previously, he cast an intimidating glance over the boy's shoulder directly at Wilbur, which did not escape him at all.
***
At the moment, all Techno lessons are over, and it's starting to get dark again on the street. However, he was comfortably ensconced on one of the soft sofas in the library, standing close to the shelves with books and reading tables. He took out one of the many books containing Greek mythology and sat waiting for the arrival of Tommy, who just appeared in the doorway, looking for Techno with his eyes.
Finding him, the boy went straight to him and sat down on the same soft sofa, only to hear the book slam shut.
,,Okay, before you ask the question of why we're here, I'll ask where you left your Wilbur?"Techno turned his head to the boy and raised one eyebrow.
,,Oh! He's gone to his lessons. We haven't run into each other since, but I think he's already gone home. And why do you need it? I thought you didn't like him?" Tommy looked at Techno in surprise in response and slightly tilted his head in confusion.
,,That's right," Techno simply replied before turning his attention to his backpack. He opened it and started looking for something. Tommy continued to look at the older one in surprise, slightly swinging his legs hanging from the sofa in different directions. Techno stopped his movements, took his phone out of his backpack and turned his attention back to Tommy ,,Look, we will have a lot of contact in the future, as a consequence of our portnership, right? So it will be with Detective Phil too. In order to know who is where, to contact each other at a distance and to call in case of an emergency, we should exchange numbers."
Techno pointed to the phone he was holding in his hand. Tommy, having processed the information said by Techno, nodded and with a quick movement opened the bags and took out his phone from there. Unlike a simple black Techno phone with a transparent case, Tommy had a bright red stand-out case with some small stickers. Apparently, the boy was just crazy about these stickers.
,,It's good that you have it with you. This greatly simplifies the exchange process," Techno nodded, looking at Tommy's phone, ,,Now just give me your number, and then I'll tell you mine. Later, when the detective comes, I'll give him my and your numbers."
Tommy nodded in understanding and thought for a second, trying to remember his number, dictated it to Techno. The pink-haired quickly typed the number and without much hesitation immediately gave his phone number to the boy. After these short-lived machinations, Techno put his phone somewhere in the bottom of his backpack, as did Tommy, who did the same.
Silence fell between them.
,,So, what are you doing tonight?"stretching out the words a few seconds later, Tommy broke the silence. Techno glanced at him before he started looking for something in his backpack again.
,, You want to sit late at night in the park again, huh? But actually I was doing something and I need you in this something, so come on, be happy, we'll spend time together again"Techno did not add "unfortunately" otherwise the child would have made a lot of noise, and they are still in the library after all. Happy stars appeared in Tommy's eyes and he literally began to jump with happiness.
The pink-haired grimaced slightly because of such energy, but continued his search in his backpack and after a short time took out a stack of some papers from there. He put them on the nearest table and put away his backpack, turning his attention to Tommy, who was looking with interest at these papers from afar.
Techno raised one eyebrow for a second before frowning slightly and reaching out to Tommy's face. The pink-haired slightly poked the boy in the nose at the place where he had a bright bandage, thereby exceeding the boy's attention.
,,So, did that guy manage to hurt you?" The guy asked in a voice barely expressing any interest. Tommy blinked as his head flew back slightly from a light blow.
,,Ah, that's..." the boy automatically touched his nose with a bright bandage before looking up at the older one ,,Nothing special. It doesn't really matter, I just love things like that."
Techno continued to stare at him for a few more seconds before turning to the stack of papers without saying a word. They had a lot to do before the library closed, which would happen in a couple of hours, so it wasn't worth dwelling on things that didn't matter at all.
The older one grabbed the first paper he saw and handed it to Tommy, who was looking curiously over his shoulder. The boy surprisingly took the piece of paper quite carefully, trying not to crumple it, and look at the familiar and unknown faces of the employees of their school with incomprehension.
,,So, as you remember, we recently interviewed Mrs. Adler and could use her information to find the killer, but the fact is that she didn't tell us anything particularly useful that could help. It would be much easier if there were cameras in the place where the murder took place, but either by luck or by design, there were no cameras there and no witnesses either. So the only way available to us so far is to poke at random," Techno paused, looking at Tommy, and allowing him to digest a new stream of information. The boy slightly furrowed his eyebrows, continuing to carefully examine the contents of the paper before nodding.
,,So, I take it that you want us to carefully check all the employees and find out which one of them was at the crime scene at that time?" The blond asked, to which he received an approving nod.
,,That's right, it is, but we are not going to go to all the employees yet, but simply, based on banal data, we will try to roughly determine everything ourselves," Techno clarified. Tommy, after looking at the paper for a few seconds, raised a puzzled look at the older one.
,, Okay, I understand you, but I have a question," Techno nodded, without taking his eyes off another paper that he took a little earlier ,, Don't take me wrong, I'm glad that you wanted to let me in on this and that you decided to spend time together, but... mmm...why didn't you wait for the detective to come? Wouldn't it have been easier to discuss all this with a more experienced and knowledgeable person? But hey! Since you've already started sharing this information with me, go ahead, I'm listening!"
Techno sighed and looked at Tommy.
,,The thing is, I could have waited for the detective to arrive, but it's too long to wait until then. In addition, it would be much more profitable today to exclude all unnecessary people who do not fall under suspicion, and then discuss possible suspects. This saves much-needed time and speeds up the process of catching the murder," explained the pink-haired, to which Tommy nodded vigorously, without asking any more questions.
In general, the rest of the evening was surprisingly cozy and even comfortable in some way. Only the two of them were sitting in a quiet room, surrounded by many shelves with various books. A lamp standing on a small table next to them softly illuminated their books with a gentle orange light. They were sitting on a soft sofa, rustling snow-white papers, looking at information and excluding people they didn't need. Techno and Tommy exchanged their thoughts from time to time, pointed to some information on this or that sheet.
This atmospheric evening will last for several more hours.
***
It was almost past midnight. On the dark street, lit only by dim lanterns, rare passers-by passed, and then only in order to hurry back to their home and not freeze in the cold night wind. At such a time, you can hear how to knock your shoes, how the candy wrapper throwen by someone restles under them, how the wind blows, refreshing the coolness of the night, how the gun is loaded...
He was walking, approaching his destination, the place where his boss had directed him. After walking forward a little, he stopped near an inconspicuous dark door. If someone else had given him this address, he would have thought that someone had made a mistake, but the boss gave the address, and the boss is never wrong. The boss always acts according to a drawn plan and probably that's why he always gets away with it. Probably it is.
After looking around a little and making sure that no one was following him, he went straight to the door and unceremoniously and abruptly pulled the handle, so that it seemed that it was about to fall off, no matter how well it was glued. His sudden movement was immediately reacted to. A man slightly taller and older than him opened the door, looking at him with displeasure.
,,Who are you?"the man asked in a rough voice, a gloomy tone.
The guy who just came in raised one eyebrow and curled his lips into a sharp grin. He crossed his arms over his chest and snorted, all his appearance showing complete disrespect for his interlocutor.
,,Oh, so the boss didn't tell you about my appearance? Apparently I'm so beautiful that even words can't betray it?" He sighed dramatically and straightened his brown hair. The man twisted his eye irritably.
,,Don't waste my time and just tell me who you are before I punch you in your face." The man approached threateningly. The guy sighed again and grinned even more, showing his teeth.
,,Ah, so this is how you talk to your leader" he clicked his tongue"the boss will not be happy if his dear mercenaries screw up without their leader or if the leader has a black eye."
The man looked skeptically at this self-satisfied individual. Then he irritably squeezed the edge of the door and the guy could notice for a second how his eye twitched.
,,Stop fooling around, I don't have that much time for you. If you really are the leader our employer told us about, then prove it. There are a lot of us and you can just play us." The man looked at the guy ,,And you look like a real jerk"
The guy sighed indignantly, feeling incredibly offended by such a rude comment. However, despite this, he still has to somehow find a common language with him for a few hours if he wants to successfully complete the boss's task. So he reported the code of the words that his boss had so kindly drummed into his head. The man, satisfied with the answer, opened the door wide and let the guy go ahead, closing the door after that.
The man did not change his tone or attitude towards the guy, but still showed him the way to the living room. Several guys and a girl were already sitting there, holding their weapons or doing other things, occasionally exchanging words with each other. The guy made a slight grimace. All these people are just a bunch of dirt who want to earn some money for simple things. Was it too hard to look for a real job? Or maybe there was no way to find a suitable one? He could still understand the second option, but the first one made him feel deep disgust and dislike. Maybe they just liked it? If so, then he has nothing to answer. These are just their problems.
Immediately he came up to them, noticing out of the corner of his eye that the man remained in the doorway. Everyone turned their attention to him, leaving their business for a while. They looked at him skeptically from afar and the guy began to wonder if this was a common greeting among people. Although not so long ago, the people he met didn't look st him like that. But it's not like he talked to a lot of people, so...
,,Who is this?" Someone from the crowd asked. Are they some kind of parrots, or what?
,,Our leader," the man still standing in the doorway muttered. People shifted their gaze to the guy, then to the man, then back to the guy. Most just shrugged their shoulders and started to continue doing what they had been doing before. And the guy didn't mind. There was some time before their assignment started and they could do whatever they wanted for now. But the campaign did not all agree that he was the leader.
,,Are you kidding?"some guy with light brown hair asked rudely, with a grin on his lips. He jumped up from his seat on the sofa and approached the grinning leader ,,Is he, seriously? This guy probably goes to kindergarten and sits on a potty."
He chuckled at his own words. The guy just narrowed his eyes and broke into a strained smile, but said nothing. The man from the doorway, feeling the growing tension, clapped his hands several times, thereby attracting the attention of the others. He announced the beginning of their mission and, instead of the leader (who was not at all against it), began to initiate the others into the course of affairs. The man who so wilfully expressed his opinion to the leader pushed the guy in the side with his elbow and grinned when he bent over from an unexpected blow.
,,What, they don't respect you so much that he commands instead of you, huh?" He grinned, but to be honest, this man sucks at insulting others. Even too much. However, the leader could not allow that during the mission this person did something wayward, so he did what he thought was right. He grabbed the guy by the arm in one quick movement, clinging to it tightly and knocked him to the floor, almost twisting his arm and pinning the man tightly to the floor with his back up. The man let out a loud exclamation, distracting the others. They looked at this scene, but did not dare to intervene.
,,Let's make a deal" the guy turned to the others, still pinning the guy to the floor and holding his hand painfully, "you won't behave wilfully and do what you're not supposed to do if you want everything to go smoothly enough, okay?"
The others, without saying a word, nodded and began to listen to the plan further. The man did not comment on anything else and only rubbed his injured hand.
In the end, they all accomplished their mission. They broke into a bar whose owner owed the boss, killed everyone without exception, took the money and divided part among themselves, as agreed. The leader guy even managed to have a nice chat with the bartender behind the counter. He was so attentive to everything the guy told him about. Probably, it was because with a bullet in the head, you can't do anything but listen, but who knows. Maybe he's just a good conversationalist.
Well, now the boss got his money and was satisfied.