[prp] find what cannot be found [Melany/shun]

[Blade Kuroda]

Pax was dying. Something was probably wrong with one of the principals. Liam had gone missing. And now Melany was MIA as well. All on top of the fact that the cage was still in place and that the cycles could very well continue to happen.

Melany was different in this world. At one point she had been a part of a dancing company but may have been fired, or is on the verge of being so. That might have to do with being gone for two months.

Two people she had possibly been in contact with recently were Shiloh and maybe Ezra.

It was his day off and here he was doing Detective work. It was all off the record anyway. He made his promise and he planned on following through with it. There just was a lot going on.

He was in a coffee shop, sorting through his thoughts. With her being gone for so long, it was hard to say where she might be now. If she was dead, as Minerva feared, that would also complicate things further.

Maybe he should try looking in the otherworld too.. Somewhere.

Shibrogane

 

[shibrogane]

Melany was small, but even without that odd asymmetrical beauty to her face she was recognizable as she entered the coffee shop. She looked... human. She looked boring, and normal, and completely unaware that anyone was worried about her or looking for her at all.

She got her black coffee and a hazelnut croissant and she took a spot in the window, looked outside as if there was absolutely nothing going on.

Blade Kuroda

 

[Blade Kuroda]

And that was when she walked in.

Shun just kind of stared for a moment, not entirely certain what to make of the situation. But while she looked different than the fearsome Spinel Lady, that was almost most certainly her who had just stepped into the coffee shop.

There was no way this case could be solved so easily.

Taking his cup of tea, he got on up and made his way over to her table.

"Melany Dubhslaine?"

Shibrogane

 

[shibrogane]

"I don't do interviews," said Melany, and her voice was different, too, less resonant. Her gray eyes were somehow shallower and warmer, less the chips of ice they had been in the Court. "Or autographs."

She looked up from her phone. "Who're you?"

Blade Kuroda

 

[Blade Kuroda]

Shun raised his brow at her reaction. Either she was a pretty big deal as a dancer or she wished she was.

"Detective Lieutenant Shun Kuroda. I had received a call from someone by the name of Minerva Mercer, claiming that you had gone missing. She was rather concerned for your health."

Shibrogane

 

[shibrogane]

Minerva Mercer. The moment that name fell out of Shun's mouth, Melany's eyelids flickered. Something went slack in her face. Her grip went limp and her phone fell to the table with a clatter. Her eyes shone: glassy-pale, unfocused.

Then it passed. She looked down at her phone as if she were surprised to find it out of her hand. Melany picked it up and took a sip of her cup of coffee, as if Shun weren't even there.

Blade Kuroda

 

[Blade Kuroda]

Shun saw that reaction, but he really didn't know what to make of it. What the hell just happened to her? That had been incredibly peculiar.

"...Are you okay?" he asked slowly.

Shibrogane

 

[shibrogane]

Melany looked up at him. "Uh, yes? Sorry, why are you talking to me? Do I know you?"

Blade Kuroda

 

[Blade Kuroda]

Okay. Weird things were definitely afoot.

"Detective Lieutenant Shun Kuroda. I received a call earlier this week stating that you had gone missing. The one who called it in was rather worried about you."

Shibrogane

 

[shibrogane]

"Oh," said Melany. "Um. I'm obviously not, though. Who called it in? 'Cause I've been talking to almost everyone," as she held up her phone. She was, indeed, actively messaging someone.

Blade Kuroda

 

[Blade Kuroda]

"Minerva Mercer."

Shibrogane

 

[shibrogane]

It happened again. Her eyelids fluttered, her expression died, and she dropped her phone, this time right into her hazelnut croissant. Melany was no longer there. Leave a message and I'll get back to you!

Just like before, it ended, and she picked up her phone.

Like he wasn't even there. Like there wasn't chocolate creme and chopped hazelnut smeared along the side of her iPhone.

Blade Kuroda

 

[Blade Kuroda]

And there it happened again. Shun just sort of stared. For some reason, the name Minerva Mercer caused her to completely blank out and forget. Something had happened to this girl to cause the name to trigger this reaction.

That made things a bit tricky.

He took in a deep breath.

"Melany, right? I am Detective Shun Kuroda. I had received word from the Boston City Ballet that you had gone missing. Do you know anyone with the surname of Mercer?"

Hopefully just the last name wouldn't cause the same trigger.

Shibrogane

 

[shibrogane]

Melany looked up at him, then down at her phone. She blinked, slowly, and she said, "I? I don't think so. Isn't that the police chief's name?"

She didn't object to being missing. She picked up her napkin and started to wipe her phone clean. "Jeremiah Mercer," she said. "Yes, that's... that's right, isn't it?" Her stare was still opaque, glassy. Like she was only half-there.

Blade Kuroda

 

[Blade Kuroda]

"Not him. The voice was female," Shun replied. He had a feeling she wouldn't know of Minerva. Or at least be allowed to know of her. He had to be careful with his wording, in case anything too much caused her to reset again. Too many of those in a short time couldn't be good for someone.

Shibrogane