Chapter Text
“Our first location is a two bedroom house located in the One Star district, just five minutes away from public transport and shopping facilities. Highly recommended for first home buyers such as yourself. Take a look around and see what you think.”
Nonon strolled through the kitchen, running a hand over the marble benchtop. Stainless steel pans and utensils hung from a series of hooks above her, covered with scratches and scuffs from frequent use. Magnets and post-it notes covered the fridge door, framing a calendar which this month was depicting a golden retriever puppy in a field of grass. The notes scrawled in by the previous inhabitants varied from doctor’s appointments to soccer practice, which appeared to be on Tuesday afternoons.
“If you’ll follow me down the hallway you will see the laundry and bathroom facilities. The previous owners had the shower renovated just before they left so it’s all very modern. No need to worry about running out of hot water in the mornings!”
“Oh? What a shame.” Nonon examined the bathroom mirror, fixing a tuft of hair that had fallen out of place while she was there. She giggled. “I was hoping for an excuse for my girlfriend and I to shower together.”
The tour continued on down the hall, leading to the master bedroom. It was a four poster bed, just like her old one. She flopped down onto the neat blankets, resting her left arm on the mass of pillows at her head.
“I love it! But… are you sure it’s within our price range?”
“I’m sure we can work something out. What is it that you do for a living, Miss Jakuzure?”
“What? You’ve never heard of me?” She tutted under her breath. “I’ll forgive you, but just this once. Nonon Jakuzure, musical prodigy! The finest conductor Japan has ever seen. No autographs, I insist. Oh, what’s that? I suppose I could make a little exception…”
Nonon hopped to her feet and waltzed over to the wardrobe door. There was definitely movement inside. Was it? Yes, the soft ‘pomf’ of cloth against cloth. Her tipoff was correct.
With her bare heel, Nonon kicked in the wood just above the doorknob. A screech came from the darkness within, followed by wild flapping. Nonon drew her blade and pressed herself against the wall beside the door.
The COVER swooped out of the wardrobe, knocking the door the rest of the way off its hinges. It flew right past her, and she used the opportunity to sever the thread coming from its back. The fabric menace collapsed in an unruly pile. A routine kill.
Now came the moment of truth. Nonon flicked on the light switch, illuminating the dresses and button-downs that lined the walls. A red bundle of thread sat in a pitiful coil at the end. Nonon ran her hands over the floor, looking for a trap door or secret entrance. But it appeared there was nothing.
She sighed. It was doing bad things for her health, getting her hopes up every time. She was powering through at least twenty houses a week, all with the same result. The fact that she’d started talking to herself and playing make-believe on missions was testament to that. Maybe the others back at Nudist Beach headquarters were right. Maybe she was losing it.
But right now wasn’t the time for selfishness. Somewhere in this city the person that meant more to her than anything else was being held captive and it was up to her to find her. After all, nobody else seemed to care enough to do what she was doing. Lady Satsuki’s life was in her hands, and if she had to give up her sanity to save her then so be it.
“Thank you for your time, but we’ll keep looking.” She bowed to the imaginary real estate agent. “The place I’m looking for is out there somewhere. I just know it.”