Remi, on the other end of the hall, smells something... off. It's familiar and leaves her uncomfortable and anxious to get off. But the submarine's next trip to the surface wasn't for a little while longer, and she knew she'd have to wait.

But now with this new sense of wrongness choking the already thin air, she feels a sense of urgency.

There is a very strong force preventing her from looking down the forbidden hallway, and she almost escapes without knowing what had happened-- but a shadow in her peripheral and curiosity drags her down with the ship.

"Oh for fucks--"

The woman's expression pinches and her shoulders sag. She spots a figure hovering over another, and only one of them appears to be moving. All at once, the smell hits her: blood. She shakes her head, glances over her shoulder to see if anyone else has noticed her standing there. She has half a mind to just turn around and walk away, but guilt and obligation and dare she say a conscience leaves her trapped.

"Did you--?"

Remi gestures, loudly announcing both her position and her accusation, looking and feeling exasperated.

"Sure ya did, kid. That's what they all say when they're caught red-handed. What'd he do? Gimme a good reason and I'll help you hide the body."

mission: danse macabre

@xavier

☉

For some reason, she doesn't quite buy it.

After all, he was the only one around, the body seemed to be still actively bleeding - which probably meant it had just happened - and he was actively denying it was him.

All of it was incredibly suspicious, but honestly not that out of character for a boat filled with criminals and mafia-type members of a corrupt organization known as Team Rocket. This sort of thing felt incredibly... normal.

"I mean.. sure. I'll buy it. I frankly don't really care."

The kid proceeds to explain the situation and his hypothesis and Remi frowns down at the body. He asks her if she'd seen anything on her way over, and frankly she isn't sure. There had probably been a few people she'd passed on the way, none of whom she recognized or paid any attention to.

"Probably, but nothing that can help pin anything down. if it was a Pokemon, it's probably leaving a blood trail."

mission: danse macabre

@xavier

☉

"You're right, I don't. I've half a mind to leave you here to clean this shit up on your own."

She sighs loudly through her nose.

"Whatever it is, it's hunting with no intent to eat."

She purses her lips, tilting her chin down to follow the path of blood left behind.

"You ready for our own hunt?"

But just as she says this, she's interrupted his own request for her to help him. She has to scoff, though, at the prospect of earning any respect at all in this place. She shakes her head but shrugs her shoulders.

"I've got nothin' better to do. I call dibs on whatever it is, though. Bet it'd fetch a pretty penny on the market."

mission: danse macabre

@xavier

☉

"We all have skeletons in our closet."

That would be the only answer she'd give him. Rocket was full of scumbags and lowlifes just as much as it was full of rich pricks and powerful council heads. They harbored all kinds, here.

For this operation, however, or investigation, Remi releases her Mandibuzz. The bird croaks, immediately crazed with the smell of blood.

"Find our little murderer, would you?"

The haggard bird flies down the hallway.

mission: danse macabre

@xavier

☉

Remi takes light, silent steps down the hallway. She steadies her breath and works to slow down the slightly nervous beat of her heart. Out in the open, it was easy to see where the predator was coming from. Down here, in the dark, with hallways as wide as her arms were, doubled.. well. Let's just say it wasn't ideal.

And, for whatever reason, the lights this far down in the submarine were flickering like mad. Maybe this was the back-end of the sub, not really used and siphoned for everything it had. Who knows, she certainly didn't.

Whatever the case, it gave her the heeby jeebies. And, in the end, Remi comes up empty-handed. The blood trail eventually ends and her Mandibuzz comes back with nothing to show for it. The predator in the hallway gets off without a hitch, but the chances of it being at all a concern were likely slim. Rocket kept plenty of secrets, and there were many closed doors and laboratory situations kept secret.

Remi chalks it up to an experiment gone wrong and moves on with her day.

mission: danse macabre

Remi Cassel

☉