Hotel Zafiro Lobby

"Nice to meet you, Volare," Shaunie smiled at Volare and then grinned at the orange tabby cat.

"Why, hello there, Eques!" He tentatively held a hand out to pet the cat, sliding Haruka a wink. How cool was this? Dude just walked around with a cat.

"Oh, uh," What was a Grand Opening? "A Grand Opening, you know. The first day a business is accepting customers, or letting anyone through the door that doesn't work there. This hotel is pretty state of the art. There's another Grand Opening of a Club that happened across Starwind Plaza. Club 47. Pretty hip spot," Shaunie said to Volare.

"Hey, you see the Clu-?" He turned to ask Haruka - and noticed Jack. What... where did this guy come from? Did he just...did he just glitch? Ok, that was odd.

Volare felt elated that Shaunie had greeted Eques as well, as Eques was like family to him. Eques possessed a unique psychological ability that consistently helped Volare maintain a sense of calm. Additionally, she had the power to send him messages telepathically, if she desired. Volare had always wanted to know if Eques' abilities also work on other people, and he believed that Shaunie could be the perfect person for the test. He decided that once they got to know each other better, he would reveal more about Eques and ask Shaunie to explore her unique abilities.

After Shaunie explained the grand opening, Volare gestured towards him and the others, inquiring, "So, are all of you here for the grand opening?" It was then that Volare's attention was drawn to a newcomer named Jack, who seemed to have just arrived. Volare couldn't help but be intrigued by Jack's appearance, as he appeared to be cloaked in darkness, making him stand out amidst the crowd.

As she began to calm down she had felt some sense of embarrassment. Had she acted ungraceful around people? The fact she had just vented at an Aschen official of some sort without fear was also not lost to her. She nervously fidgeted before straightening herself up.

"Ah?" Haruka uttered in response to Volare comparing her to the tabby. It wasn't lost to her it was intended to be a compliment, and she felt that there was more than fur she shared in common with the feline, but she felt somewhat bashful to be described in such a manner too. It was better to be compared to a cat than to a rat. She ran a finger through her hair and nervously chuckled and bowed. "I ah... thank you? Pleased to meet you all, I'm a-ah Haruka... and... huh, that certainly is a smart look in her eyes."

No way that is possible, right? Maybe her senses were all shaken up from the whole ordeal. What had she come here for in the first place? It was then she turned to notice Jack in clear disarray and guilt once again hit her.

"Oh, Jack, are you...!? Oh, I'm so sorry, this is all my fault," she said, her voice quivering with remorse as she gazed at him. She no longer felt angry, just... bad.

Shaunie's grin turned to a frown as Haruka was clearly perplexed.

"Yeah," He responded to Volare, he was here for the grand opening, "I'm with the ah, the press."
Then, to Haruka, "All good?"

He glanced after Jack, a pit forming again in his gut. Did this have to do with the Aschen?

Jack stops for a moment, gathering himself, before turning back around and walking back.
"Hey, uh, sorry. Feel kind of ill. Op-mandated stimulants always kind of did that to me, real sorry for the, uh, yeah. We still investigating this thing? Looks like security's on it, but, uh, I'm up for it still."
His face is visibly pale, and he looks ill, so he pulls down his glasses to cover most of his face. "Yeah, uh, it's like smelling salts but weird, nothing you did. Turned off the visor, y'know," he reaches up and taps it, "TOC didn't like that."
He pauses for a moment before continuing. "Yeah, uh, I'm going to go throw up before the worst hits, hopefully they didn't roid rage me or anything. I'll see you 'round, be right back, yeah, yeah."
He glances over at Shaunie, then at Volare, and is about to leave, then momentarily pauses, looking at Eques. "Uh, can I, uh... may I pet your cat?" He asks, looking mildly nervous.

Volare glanced at Haruka and noticed that she was blushing. "Oh no, can she read my mind, just like Eques?" Volare thought, feeling a bit embarrassed.

Volare stammered, his cheeks turning a shade of pink. "Sorry, Haruka," he began, " I didn't mean to make it awkward. I just think you're really cool, and, I like you" Volare felt a wave of embarrassment wash over him as he admitted, "I like you," to a stranger.

Volare was taken aback when Jack asked to pet Eques. Subconsciously, he held the cat tighter against his chest and took a cautious half step back. "No," Volare replied defensively, his eyes darting between Jack and Eques. He could see a hurt expression on Jack's face, which made him feel a pang of regret for his reaction.

After a moment of hesitation, Volare turned to Eques and asked the cat telepathically, "What do you think, Eques?" Eques, in response, gently licked Volare's hand as a way of calming him down and conveyed telepathically, "Jack is fine. He's not harmful; he just likes me."

Taking a deep breath and feeling somewhat reassured by Eques' message, Volare turned back to Jack, slowly inching closer, though he couldn't completely shake his nervousness.

Haruka, getting Volare's genuine and friendly disposition, responded with a warm and slightly bashful smile. Her initial apprehension had given way to a sense of relief.

"Oh, don't worry about it," she replied, her voice carrying a hint of gratitude, she shifted rubbing the back of her neck. "It's... um, nice to meet you too, Volare. And thanks for the compliment, that's really kind of you."

She glanced briefly at Eques, acknowledging the cat with a gentle nod. The peculiar encounter with Volare and his feline companion had taken an unexpected turn, but it was starting to feel more like a welcome diversion from the intense events of the day. She shifted a glance between Volare and Jack.

"Oh, hah, there's no need to be afraid of Jack, plus, I think he kinda just needs this, y'know?" she said giving a gentle smile.

After a moment of calming her nerves, settling into a less stressful atmosphere a thought occurred to her: she came here for her brother. At this point she could feel him, and this gave her substantial relief, though he seemed considerably stressed. Understandable, somebody had been murdered. It gave her some hope that he hasn't been too corrupted by her father's heartless philosophy. She looked to Shaunie.

"Yeaaah, I'm feeling better now, sorry about earlier, " she said with a bit of embarrassment. She could say she wasn't herself then, but she wasn't sure if that'd be honest. She really felt hatred for Carmen, despite not knowing all the details that lead her to kill somebody, and to that, there was a slight sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. Guilt?

Do humans feel the same way in these situations? It... really wouldn't be so bad to be normal, she thought.

Bolea Nuurk spotted Shaunie across the lobby and immediately wibbled on over. The blue jelly creature was quaking with excitement!

Not really the good kind, but also the good kind.

"Shau! Shau!" She called to him, seeming oblivious to everyone around him, "Get the camera! There's been a murder!"

Shaunie Macadden winced at the word "murder", his face melting into a sheepish smile aimed at Volare, Haruka, and Jack.

"Sorry, er," Shaunie said to his new company, then turned to look at Bolea. Did she have to say it like that?

"Sure, ah," OK, so it was time to work, again, already. He sighed and said, "'Scuse me, um," and then receded back into the crowd towards the Gallery. This most certainly probably had something to do with the Aschen guy, didn't it.

Bolea Nuurk wobbled as she shoo'd Shaunie to get the camera so they could start rolling. The people Shaunie had just been talking to seemed an interesting lot, and hey! That weasel-girl did look like someone that was here earlier, speaking with Diego, didn't she?

"My apologies," Bola said to the three. It wasn't too usual of her to forget all of her manners, but this was big news! Not as big as the mass disappearance from Gambit's Bar, but. A murder!

Jack looks slightly alarmed, his eyebrows raising over the rims of his glasses as he raises both hands up in a surrendering gesture. "Oh, uh, I'm really sorry." When the cat is held out to him, though, he cautiously reaches a hand out to it, palm up, and scratches under the chin of Eques. He slowly withdraws it when he's done, and lightly coughs, covering his mouth with his hand before speaking. "Yeah, uh, I hope y'all don't mind if you excuse me for a moment," he says, before nodding his acknowledgement to Bola and turning to walk towards the bathroom.
Damn, I've really given this whole thing to hell. I guess I can still take a look at the murder, though, see if I can help out.

What did I do to scare that Volare fellow? I guess I'm just a scary guy.
Damn. That sucks.
He feels slightly dejected, but does his best to just stay focused. Sooner or later I'll be able to get a drink or something. Damn.

As Jack was gentle with Eques, Volare's expression softened, and he quickly changed his attitude toward Jack. "Jack, you can be friends with Eques." He smiled at Jack. But then, he heard someone shout, "Murder?"

Surprised by the word, Volare asked Bola, "What's happening?"

A strong headache started to bother Volare as he struggled to deal with everything happening today. "There's just too much going on," he thought, helding Eques closely to his chest.

Haruka's smile persisted, and as she said before, Jack could benefit from this moment, a sentiment not entirely untrue. However, beyond Jack's need for a brief respite in the midst of the day's chaos, Haruka found herself recognizing her own yearning for a pause in the whirlwind of emotions that had enveloped her. Tensions had wound her tight, and the weight of emotions, some not even her own, bore down on her shoulders. The serenity of this moment became a salve for her restless spirit. With a quiet internal struggle against the urge to express her appreciation more tangibly, she couldn't help but be tempted to envelop each of them in a grateful hug, captivated by the sheer adorableness of the small moment. Wow, that might be awkward.

This was broken, however, left vulnerable and psyche left unshielded in a moment of calm, the sudden reminder of the grim reality as the blue blob, the reporter, announced the suspicion she already had: somebody was murdered. That's right. That's what happened. She held her chest and started to breathe a bit more shallow, a renewed shock to her system she had to get a grip on, a flood of emotions in the room overwhelming her, she had to get a grip else it'd turn into nausea, and then Jack wouldn't be the only one losing his lunch.

"Do- Don't worry," she managed to utter, trying to regain some control of the environment, taking a bottle from her purse and downing a couple caplets. Essentially just simple ibuprofen, a necessity for the empath and stressed alike. "The murderer is... is already long gone."

She then looked over at Volare, and intuitively held out the bottle to him. "Seems like- you could use some too..?"

Volare smiled at Haruka when she asked him to take a sip of water from her bottle. It had been a long time since someone had taken care of him. His heart softened, and he felt more at ease. But then, rationality returned.Well, it seems like a lot is happening today. Someone has been murdered, and we don't know if the killer will strike again. That's quite risky for us," Volare said after a brief pause. Making his decision, he added, "I think I'd like to investigate the scene. Do you guys want to join me?

Volare smiled at Haruka when she asked him to take a sip of water from her bottle. It had been a long time since someone had taken care of him. His heart softened, and he felt more at ease. But then, rationality returned.Well, it seems like a lot is happening today. Someone has been murdered, and we don't know if the killer will strike again. That's quite risky for us," Volare said after a brief pause. Making his decision, he added, "I think I'd like to investigate the scene. Do you guys want to join me?"

Haruka's smiled briefly, an empath goes beyond mere perception of thoughts and feelings—it involved sharing in them, weaving a connection with others. Her essence seemed entwined with the inherent desire to provide comfort, as if altruism were ingrained in her very nature.

Yet, the fleeting moment of solace was abruptly disrupted by the stark reality that a murder had unfolded, along with the immenent reunion with her brother. The anticipation of encountering a lifeless body, regardless of its species, made her shudder. The knowledge of the emotions swirling behind that act of violence sent shivers down her spine, a chilling reminder of the darker facets of sentience.

Despite the fear and reluctance, she had to go, compelled by the need to witness the aftermath, to confront the unsettling truth, and most importantly, to meet her twin—the missing piece of her soul that awaited her just a few floors above.

"Yes, I'm coming I... kinda have to," she said honestly, if not a bit cryptically, hesitating slightly as her eyes wandered off. She had wished this fated reunion were under a happier occasion. "Jack, are you, ah, how are you feeling?"

"Alright, folks. Let's go!" Volare's voice echoed louder than usual, not only to rally his buddies but also to bolster his own courage. Though fear and worry gnawed at him, he realized that confronting it head-on was the only way to overcome it. And he wasn't alone anymore. Eques stood faithfully by his side, and he now had new friends who shared the same purpose.

"I will overcome my fears," he whispered to himself, determined. "And I can protect my friends." With a deep breath, Volare forged ahead, stepping into the crowd, ready to face whatever awaited him, including the lifeless body that lay ahead.

Haruka cast a wary glance around the surroundings before cautiously trailing behind Volare, her steps hesitant and laced with nervous energy. The prospect of encountering a corpse was not one she felt prepared for, yet the pull to find her brother above prevailed over her unease. As her eyes shifted between the looming unknown and the visibly anxious Volare, a unique sense of responsibility overcame her own fear. Despite the chilling uncertainty, she couldn't shake the conviction that, somehow, she needed to be there for Volare in this disconcerting moment. She also looked over at Jack, then down at Eques and tilted her head.

"I've never before met a feline esper before," she projected the thought directly to Eques, but wasn't quite sure if that'd even work. She was testing on a hunch more than anything. She hasn't even really had much experience outside of her aunt who's teachings are clearly more about feeling it out than any concrete lessons. "Or... maybe I'm mistaken and staring awkwardly at a cat like a crazy person..?"