Sight-seeing has never before been this depressing [DaVON & MELODY]

Friday May 19th, 12:30, overcast
The streets of Erast
@Davon

Melody knew that she went semi-blind into this, as they had barely had any classes about Erast. Only their basic training had involved knowledge about this part of the city and then after she was placed in Sector 45, it had no longer been relevant to learn about. The Royal Guards had no reason to roam around Erast.
Well. Until now.
So Melody knew to not have any expectations when entering the slum of the city for the first time. Due to that, she had tried to be prepared for whatever sight she might stumble on to. And she really thought that she was prepared for anything.

But wow, she was not prepared for the smell.
It wasn't like a constant smell, just suffocating the citizens, living in the area. It was just a quick whiff that suddenly would hit her nostrils every now and then without warning. It would disappear as soon as it had arrived, but every time Melody almost gagged by the awful scent it stabbed her with. Since no one around her seemed any bit affected by it, she tried to play it off as if it didn't bother her as well. But when it hit her for the fifth time, yet again with no explanation for where it came from, she had to grimace, disgusted.
"There it is again," she exclaimed to Davon, whilst still trying to keep her voice low as to not bring any attention towards them, "What does it even smell of? Sewer? Rotten food?" She stepped closer to Davon, her voice equal parts repulsed and joking, while dramatically whispering: "Death?"

Of course, the smell wasn’t that bad, Melody just had a flair for the dramatic, but she truly couldn’t understand how the people of Erast could just go about their day without even noticing it. Maybe they had gotten used to it by now, somehow.
Other than that, Erast had been kind of… well, boring. It had been exciting for the first ten minutes, where Melody felt like they could get jumped any minute or suddenly walk into a crime scene. But none of that happened and by now walking around in the slum wasn’t anything else but kind of dirty. The streets hadn’t been cleaned forever, that was for sure, and all though most of the people that lived there didn’t seem like street rats or thugs, there still were quite a few homeless people and drunks, just sitting here and there.
Right now they were just walking down one of the main streets with some sad-looking apartment buildings on one side and a few small shops – most of them seemingly closed or broken into – on the other side. A few people were out on the street, some on their way to or from somewhere, some just standing and chatting and some going into the one shop that seemed to still be open. Melody eyed two women, both with grocery bags, that just seemed to be chatting about their kids.

“Maybe we’re not really in Erast,” she suggested to Davon, “Like the real Erast. Maybe this is just the front, and we need to find the backstreets to find the gems. The criminal gems, that is.”
Because for now, there hadn’t been anything criminal to discover. It had all just been kind of sad, which disappointed Melody a great deal. This was supposed to be a fun adventure, not a depressing sight-seeing of poor people. Where they of course made sure not to stare too much at people. They didn’t want to raise any suspicion towards themselves. They weren’t wearing their uniforms either, since they were off-duty and since two Godia Warriors walking down the streets of Erast would quickly cause chaos and not the kind of chaos Melody wished for. Instead, Melody was wearing jeans, a black tight tank-top and a navy blue bomber jacket, hoping that that was casual enough wear for no one to think of her as an outsider.

Davon honestly wasn’t sure what he had expected. An active warzone, with shootings and bank robberies around every corner, perhaps? A criminal's paradise? It certainly wasn’t anything this bleak. There was no drama to be found either. There was something so mundane about the miserable state of this region that Davon almost laughed. To him, Ilomar City was a beautiful place. That certainly wasn’t the case here. It was one thing reading about the slums and the criminal activity harbored within it, it was another thing to witness it.

The stench alone almost gave him a headache – try as he might, manipulating the air around him did nothing to guide it away. He scrunched up his nose. “I have no clue,” he said, disgusted when Melody asked him what it smelled off, letting out a small chuckle at her dramatic whisper. “Who knows? Maybe hope wasn’t the only thing that came to die here,” he joked, half-way actually meaning it. Who in their right mind would choose to live in a place like this? One would have had to completely give up to settle down here. A decent job would at least afford these people an upgrade to Leeside. Lest one was hiding from the law. He eyed the two women chatting, suspiciously. Then afterwards, felt ridiculous for doing so.

Then Melody suggested that this was not, in fact, the real Erast. Davon did his best to avoid making eye contact with a homeless man who was staring at him, intensely. He certainly didn’t feel safe here. Despite his best effort to look casual and not-worth robbing, he now realized that his white hoodie was too clean and too obviously from a quality design brand. The same went for the casual sneakers and jeans, both of which he rarely ever wore. Most people they passed looked as if they were wearing something the second hand store had bought second hand from another second hand store.

“Who knows,” he said, placing his hands in his pockets to appear more casual – failing, as his posture was still too stiff, too obviously a proud warrior. “The real drama probably happens at night time.” Here around noon, it was too light out. Even if the sun was hidden behind a depressing gray blanket, no one would probably dare doing their dirty business whilst everyone else were out and about.

“We need to think like them,” he then said. “If you were being harbored by criminals, where would you be hidden?”

Melody snickered at Davon's respond to the smell with a small nod that said 'right?', even though it probably wasn't something to laugh about. It was kind of depressing actually. Erast really seemed like the place of no hope. Still, some people managed to leave and get better lives out of this part of the city - Professor Chapman for example - so there had to be some hope to hold on to. Melody just couldn't figure out what that might be right now, as the smell lingered repugnantly around her nostrils.

She noticed Davon eyeing the two women chatting, and her smile grew teasingly. She was about to comment on his amplified suspicion, but then again, she shouldn't be the one to tease about such thing. Everyone could be a potential criminal in this place - even two ladies who were having a chat with groceries. Melody wasn't one to discriminate; Women with kids could be criminals too.
She could, however, comment on his appearance, and that she did, light-hearted leaning towards him while saying: "Or who knows. Maybe all the criminals hid away when they saw your hoodie." As she was leaning, she could look up at him through her eyelashes, a teasing gleam in her dark eyes. "You know, as it reflected the light from miles away."

She straightened her back a bit again - though still in a relaxed position - as they continued walking through the main streets. She nodded to Davon's point about thinking like them. That was a good point actually. They were used to thinking like Godia Warrios and not just that, they were used to thinking like guards. That was far from how criminals think. Or so Melody would guess. She didn't have much experience in that field.
"Hmm," she said, her eyes scanning the streets, a contemplative smile rested on her lips, "If I were hiding with a bunch of criminals, I'd probably hang out with them in some abandoned warehouse... or a hidden underground hideout." She looked at Davon again, her smile turning intrigued. "Something straight out of a spy movie." She leaned closer to him again. "But like, the fun ones. Not like the one you made me watch last week.”

Davon’s cheeks heated up in embarrassment at Melody’s comment about his hoodie. She had a point, though, he really did stick out like a sore thumb in these slums. Which wasn’t a bad thing, he’d be even more embarrassed if he looked like he belonged in such a place as this. “Hardly my fault that no one here has a sense of style.” His nose scrunched up as they passed by a particularly foul smelling drunk sitting on a doorstep. The stench of old cigarettes and liquor was noticeable even from a distance. “Or a washing machine,” he added, voice lowered so that no one passing by would hear his obvious disdain.

He rolled her eyes at Melody’s comment about spy movies, although still a slight smile on his lips. It was an uphill battle trying to make her as interested in high culture as he was, but that was just part of their dynamic at this point. Sometimes Melody would pick out one of those ridiculous action movies for movie night and Davon would pretend not to be entertained. And sometimes Davon would pick out something critically acclaimed and Melody would pretend to be paying attention. “I doubt there’s many secret elaborate underground hideouts in this place,” he commented, before adding jokingly. “Unless you mean the sewers. Which you are free to check out on your own.”

Up ahead was a diner, a sign out front reading ‘Greasy Jim’s’. The place looked as if it had been abandoned in a previous century and now stood in some weird liminal state of timelessness. Though it was noon and neither had had lunch yet, Davon didn’t find the kitsch place looking too appetizing. Of course, this being Erast, Davon probably wouldn’t trust any sort of place serving food. Most of it was probably just some sort of front for money laundering or hidden criminal activity. Which might make it worth checking out? “How bad do you think the food poisoning would be?”

Melody simply giggled over Davon's initial flustered reaction to her teasing, the giggling turning into laughter with his response. She quickly covered her mouth with her hand but her laughter could still be seen in her glimmering eyes.

Melody wasn't sure about Davon's point on the possible lack of secret elaborate underground hideouts. Wasn't that kind of what they were looking for right now? The EFA had been able to hide in Erast for several years now, so they must have some sort of secret hideout and it being underground wasn't the most unrealistic theory. Though, if Melody had to be sensible - and sometimes she unfortunately had to - it probably had more to do with Sector 35 - Law enforcement, the policing sector in the Ilowa region - staying out of Erast and letting the lowest class citizens deal with their own business and using the sector's limited resources elsewhere. Apparently, it was an unusual sight to see a Godia Warrior walking around in uniform in this part of the city, the part of the city that needed policing the most.
So dumb, Melody thought to herself, and then she snickered at Davon's joke, shaking her head. "I'll pass. If the smell is this foul overground, I don't even wanna think about how bad it is down there."

Davon commented on the same diner that Melody had just noticed. 'Greasy Jim's', what a name. Very suiting, as the grime on the old outer bricks might as well be grease. "Oh, another thing I don't even wanna think about," Melody said, but still walked towards the diner, her curiosity getting the better on her. She looked through the darkened window, trying to read the menu on the upper end of the wall inside.
"I mean, it sounds kinda good," she said before turning back towards Davon again. "But definitely not worth how it's going to leave my body again," she joked. She giggled over her own joke, but then she stopped. Her eyes that had just been on Davon were now focused on something further behind him. They narrowed slightly, her smile fading away.
"Hey," she said, now without a hint of joking and almost as a whisper. She stepped away from the diner and closer to Davon. With her hand close to her body, she pointed her index finger towards what she was seeing. "What about those two? They seem suspect, don't you think?"

The two, she was referring to, were a man and a woman, the woman in a hauler uniform and the man standing with a notepad. They were standing near an alleyway, leaning close to each other, seemingly discussing something that was not supposed to be overheard. The man's eyes kept on darting towards passerbys and kept on telling the woman to keep her voice low with his hand making a sinking gesture.
Melody's heart beat faster with anticipation and excitement. They were hiding something, for sure. But were they hiding what Davon and she was looking for? Time to find out.

He peered into the nearly empty diner. Nearly devoid of guests, he noted, glancing at a man who was sitting alone with what appeared to be two meals. A sad sight, but this was Erast, so he wouldn’t judge people too hard about their odd eating habits. But nothing illegal or interesting was seemingly going on, so as Melody looked at him and joked about how the menu, he took a step back with a chuckle. Then, her attention seemed to focus elsewhere and he turned his head to follow the direction she was pointing in. His brows furrowed. That was very suspicious, indeed. He gave a decisive nod and snuck closer, gesturing for Melody to follow. At a safe distance, hidden behind some trash cans and other rubbish. The breeze shifted ever so slightly at the will of Davon’s powers and with it, the conversation carried to where Melody and Davon were standing. The hushed whispers of a man sounded clear as day, oblivious to change in the air around him.

“—So as you understand, anonymity is of utmost importance for my client. Now, about the mattresses,” the man instructed, as he leaned in conspiratorially and the woman nodded. “When can they expect the delivery? It’s urgent.”

“Gosh,” the woman spoke, scratching her chin and staring down at her clipboard. “I dunno on such short notice, Dave. We have two on stock, the other two, I can get my hands on some but it ain’t gonna come cheap. So for the current price your client’s offering–”

“I thought we had already agreed on a price?”

“Well, that was then and this is now. ‘Is hard times for all of us, ya know? With everything going on. We’ve all been takin’ risks out here.'' The woman shrugged and sniffled, before placing her hands in the pockets of her uniform. “Tell ya what, because it’s you I’ll sell ya four for three grand, but then you owe me one. How’d that sound?”

“That’s still not the price we agreed on.”

“Ah, that stings. Here I thought your mystery client was desperate,” she shrugged. “Ah well, we’ll sell ‘em elsewhere.”

“Fine! Fine. Whatever. It’s a deal,” Dave sighed in annoyance, placing his hand on his hip. “Now, when can I expect it?”

“Perfect. Just what I hoped you’d say.” The woman smiled, satisfied. “You can pick ‘em up by the market Thursday next week. Ask for Lorraine at the booth. Bring the money at pick-up. Cash.”

“Gotcha,” the man nodded, jotting something down on his clipboard.

The pair said their goodbyes and dispersed, seemingly oblivious to the fact that they’re business dealing had been overheard. Davon turned to look at Melody, eyebrow raised in a silent question as if to ask what she made of the strange conversation they had just overheard. Maybe coming to Erast hadn’t been a total waste after all?
“Well, that certainly didn’t sound legal.”

She followed Davon to their improvised eavesdropping spot behind some overloaded trash cans and other indefinable rubbish. She had to cover her nose and mouth with the sleeve of her jacket to endure the smell that surrounded them, cursing herself for not being better with wind manipulation, so she could use her powers to filter out the stench from the air, she breathed in.

Luckily, one of Davon’s more refined affinities was wind, and he used that to draw it towards them, carrying the whispered conversation with it. If not for that, they would never have been able to listen in on the talk, their hiding spot being too far from the two conspiring people. Now, their words reached Davon and Melody almost as if the two were standing right next to them. Melody took in every word, holding her breath, not only due to the stench. The fine hairs on her arms stood up while she listened to the secret plan being shared between the two. This had to be it – or at least something.

When the conversation was over and the two suspects had left, Melody looked at Davon, her eyes wide as if asking him if he thought the same as she did. His raised eyebrow answered that question, and when he spoke, Melody instantly nodded, not being able to hide her excitement. She removed her arm from her mouth to reveal a thrilled smile.
“Why would anyone have to buy mattresses in secret?” This was a rhetorical question and Melody answered it herself the next second: “It must be because the people using them are in hiding.” She took a step closer to Davon, not being able to contain her eagerness. “What if it’s Auden?” she asked. She knew the chance was slim but still – what if it was? What if Davon and her were about to solve a case?
This was possibly the most excited Melody had felt her whole Godia Warrior career. Much more exciting that standing guard in a castle all day. She had even forgotten all about the smell from the trash around them.

When Melody smiled, he would have to admit, the enthusiasm was infectious. He nodded along as she pointed out it had to be because the people using them were in hiding – and who they were hiding from, well, that was no mystery. Who could it be, other than the authorities? It could very well be Auden, as Melody pointed out. Human smugglers and trafficking were also a possibility, they existed within Erast as well and who didn’t want to put a stop to something as terrible as that? Or it could even be the nefarious EFA, even though that seemed like a stretch – with almost every sector of the GW on the lookout, no way Melody and Davon would find them this easily. No, they had to be in better hiding. Davon stopped himself, before his imagination ran too wild.

No matter who it was, though, it wasn’t legal and it could be an essential piece to the entire puzzle of this case. Or some other case. No matter what they would find at the end of this, it was likely to attract attention from the superiors. This could greatly boost their careers. He could already feel the praise the two would get. Maybe they’d even get promoted to a sector responsible for solving mysteries and investigations like these, such as the prestigious sector 12? The thought made him giddy.

He smiled as well then, confident twinkle in his eye as he nodded. “Exactly,” he agreed. “And whatever this is about, they’re meeting Thursday, at the ‘market’.”

Rumors of a black market within Erast had been rampant for many years, to the point of it being more of a commonly known secret than a mystery. Surely the Godia sector responsible for policing in Erast had the exact location on file somewhere, but had yet to do a larger crackdown of it. Likely because of reasons like this: it was easier to find criminals when it’s known where they gather. The notion of showing up at such a place – a rush of both excitement and slight fear ran through him. He tried no to be carried away with the way his heart beated in his chest and tried to think if his next suggestion was smart. Should they tell a superior what they had witnessed today? No, they would be reprimanded for going into Erast alone and searching for Auden without permission. Especially without solid proof of anything. The black market was risky, he couldn’t imagine that such a crowd would be friendly towards any GW. But they’d be undercover. And Davon would definitely find better rags before then, somehow. Maybe he could persuade Jordan to lend him some clothes? And Melody was one of the smartest people he knew, together they were an unstoppable pair. They could do this, they were more than competent enough. He nodded decisively.

“We should find this place and show up,” he stated. “Get to the bottom of this.”

Melody’s dark brown eyes lit up, when Davon put emphasis on ‘the market’. Not just by the thrilling realization that they were going to the infamous black market of Erast – which were crazy in and of itself – but by the way he said it as well. The confident twinkle in his eyes, the cool enthusiasm in his tone. This was the best moments between the two, Melody thought. When they explored and achieved together. Clearly, there was no limits to what the two of them could figure out. It was almost a crime that they had been put in sector 45. If only they had been put in sector 11 or 12 or even sector 28, then they could have been unstoppable together. Just imagine the adventures they could experience.

Well, now they had this adventure, and Melody could bare contain her excitement, her body slightly shaking out of anticipation. When Davon nodded decisively, she nodded too, eagerly instead. When Davon made a decision, he was sure to pull through. And he was sure that he could do it. Melody was sure too, but she wasn’t quite as calculated as Davon and was a bit more unrealistic about what she could and couldn’t manage. So, Davon being in on the adventure let her free from any need to consider, she could simply experience.

“Totally. We have to do this,” she said, trying to sound serious and professional, but her smile was wide as a child waiting impatiently to open their presents, “We’re totally getting to the bottom of this.”

Her mind was racing with strategies, plans, preparations, but nothing she could grab onto right now. They had to get back to the GW residence and plan it properly. Melody had a night shift at the castle, but she was sure they could jot down most of the plan before she had to go.

“Now, come on,” she said, waving her hand both to gesture away from their hiding place and to waft away the stench she briefly had forgotten in her excitement, “Let’s get out of here, before my nose falls off.”

She giggled and waved again, this time with her whole arm, before she moved towards the main street again, a dancing skip in her steps.