Lunaria’s lack of traffic and the absence of any tourist traps on the path westward made for a surprisingly calm stroll. Jun took the opportunity to indulge in the faces around them, the snippets of lives passing by, all while going unnoticed. What a shame that they were on the clock. Such a nice day made it hard to track someone down.

A scream from behind pierced through the peace. Jun had no time to react to it before a weight bounced off of their jacket to the tune of clattering and stuttered apologies.

“Fear not, I’ve got you!”

They turned around to see Roxie hauling Angelo up by the waist, spinning him around, and setting him back on the ground.

She patted him on the head. “You are safe now.”

“Th-Thank you…” His voice trailed off in a trembling whisper. Reaching out yet not daring to crouch, he tried to pick up his glasses from the ground. He came so close; his arms just needed to be about three feet longer.

So Jun did it for him. “Here you go.”

“S-Sorry for bumping into you.”

“Why’d you get heel skates if you can’t walk in ‘em?” Aiden called from far behind the group.

“Emil–I-I mean Roxie didn’t know until after she’d bought them.”

“Ha! So that’s why he wanted me to take the credit, to take the fall for his folly. I would never buy you platform wheelies. Roxie Safety Tip: When wearing these, don’t.”

“I knew some dudes who tried those out. You gotta walk on your toes.” advised Jun.

“Th-Thanks,” Angelo shuffled fast enough to nearly start a fire on the sidewalk, “but I don’t want to go t-too slow.” He checked his brother’s phone just as he had every few minutes, with both hands clutching it as if it were the last memento he had to remember Leon by.

“My hand is free if you’re in need of stabilization!” Roxie extended a hand.

His eyes took it in with curiosity. He reached out his hand, hesitantly at first, then slowly inching it toward hers. Roxie cut to the chase and grabbed it. A small smile crossed his face. It grew a little wider once she started swinging their hands. Few were immune to Roxie’s cuteness.

“You know,” Jun began, “it’s only been like what, three weeks-ish? And yet, in the past couple of days, you’ve really felt like one of the gang. Dunno why I felt this way, but I couldn’t wrap my head around you being a permanent addition until now.”

“We haven’t even been gone for three months.” A deep voice cut off the reply that should have come from Angelo. “It’s not like he had that much catchin’ up to do.”

“I guess that’s true. By the way, Leon seems like he’s been in a good mood. Even better than on his birthday. Did something happen?”

“You ask like he isn’t always smiling.” Aiden answered again. How interesting.

“Huh. I dunno, he seemed a little down lately to me.” Jun stretched. “Maybe it’s just my imagination.”

“Hmmm~ Now that I think about it, he was a little less Leon-y last week.” Like the angel she was, Roxie answered Jun’s prayers and saved this conversation. “But maybe finding Muffinhead cheered him up!” And just like that, she let it die.

“Maybe. You know anything, Angelo?”

“No?”

“Well, it’s a good thing he’s happy.”

In the mirror of a parked bus, Jun swore they caught Aiden smirking.

What a bother. Couldn’t they snoop around in peace? Not with him around, apparently. Though he must’ve been real proud of himself for getting in the way, he still managed to all but confirm the fears growing within Jun:

Fear #1: Leon never told the captain about Angelo’s age, meaning Angelo wasn’t going home.

Fear #2: Aiden’s sudden good mood had a reason behind it.

Fear #3: The other two fears were connected.

The lack of a why really bothered them. They picked over every word and pondered every glance during their talk with Leon only to find nothing but absolute certainty that he wanted to tell the truth that day.

Did Aiden convince him not to? It sure seemed like it, but the way he stormed into the kitchen mad at them only cemented their belief that Leon made up his mind. He wouldn’t hope Jun was right unless he’d given up convincing Leon otherwise.

“I owe that redhead one. For a second there, I worried Galhardo might take the hit and babysit me himself.” Aiden got more talkative during the time Jun spent in thought.

“Waaah, my plans, ruined!” Roxie whined. “I always wanted to have a girls’ day out with her, but she never had the time.”

“Aw. There’s always tonight.” reassured Jun. “Wonder what made Mia speak up. She seemed, like, kinda panicked. The good news is that me and you get to hang. Though I’m also kinda bummed that me and Angelo didn’t get to team up.”

“You are?” Angelo made his confusion known.

“You seem like a chill guy.” Jun gave him a glance over their shoulder. “I feel like we haven’t gotten to talk much.” That, and talking to him more meant a chance to get to the bottom of why Leon hadn’t said anything yet.

“Seein’ how Roxie’s over here planning a ‘girls’ day out’ and Emil was dead set on takin’ Rookie around town, is anybody other than Galhardo taking this mission seriously, or are we all on the same page?” Aiden shifted the conversation yet again.

“A girls’ day out can include the thrill of the chase.” Roxie clarified. “As can a girl and they’s outing.”

Jun tilted their head back. “Yeah, I’m in it for the mystery factor.”

“That’s worse.” he scoffed. “You went from being hired stalkers to stalking for fun. What’s the point, anyway? It’s not like she did anything. Let her chill.”

“I dunno what the IF wants, but I’ve got my own reasons, and she has hers.”

“Whatever. Count me outta this charade.”

“You’re, like, free to do what you want and all, but what about your buddy?” Their thumb pointed back in Angelo’s general direction. “If one of you slacks off, both of you get in trouble. You’re not that heartless, are you?”

“Please don’t t-tell the captain what he said!” This time, Angelo spoke instead of Aiden.

“Nah, it’s cool. I’m not in the habit of ratting people out unless I have a reason.”

“You won’t get in trouble.” Aiden assured him. “Not if you’re smart about it.” Surprisingly, he had no comebacks to what Jun said. Nice to know he still trusted them on that, at least somewhat.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

A sign above the upcoming crosswalk made Jun slow down. “Rockwell Street.” One glance at their tablet confirmed what they thought. “This is where we split.” While Roxie let go of a reluctant Angelo’s hand, they turned to Aiden. “See ya. Stay out of trouble, ‘kay?”

Air exhaled out of his nose. “Have fun playin’ detective or whatever. Not sure you’ll find much where you’re goin’, though.” He began to part ways, followed by Angelo. “Catch you later.”

Roxie waved after the two. “Bye-bye~ Stay safe! And make sure to walk on your tiptoes!”

Angelo gave a timid wave and a nod. Even Aiden acknowledged her, as he should.

“C’mon, Rox, let’s go.” Jun proceeded north.

“What did he mean that we won’t find much where we’re going?”

“Nightclubs and bars aren’t historically busy during the day. If they’re even open.”

“Oh, right. True, true.” Roxie nodded sagely.

“I guess that means we gotta ask around at whichever ones are open.” Jun opened their tablet to refresh themselves on Ranger Hook’s appearance. “The real question is, how are we gonna do that discreetly? Let’s say we do find someone who knows her. If they’re, like, close, they might pass on that we’re looking for her.”

“And she’ll figure out she’s being followed.”

“That or she’ll be really creeped out.”

Roxie craned over their shoulder. “Yvette’s a cute name. Too bad she’s probably under an alias.”

“Wha?”

“If she’s a spacepunk, then she probably has a spacepunk name. Oooh, we should have spacepunk names, too! To be authentic.” She pulled out her phone. “I shall consult the group chat about it.”

“Good idea.” Jun answered, though their head was elsewhere. “So that means she could look, like, totally different than in the picture.”

“Yep.” Roxie continued typing. “Her hair, her makeup, her height if she’s wearing platform shoes or not. What do you want your spacepunk name to be?”

“I dunno. You seem like the expert here.”

“It could be anything, really. Sure, spacy names are most popular, but it can be an object, an animal, or even some other normal-sounding name. I’ll tell the group chat, too.”

“I always kinda found it funny that when you abbreviate you abbreviate my last name, it looks like ‘Junk.’”

“You are not junk, you are friend.” Roxie hugged them, shattering their heart and maybe a rib or two. “But that’s a really good name! I’m going as Astronamelia~”

“Nice. That’s like your middle name sorta.” Jun sifted through the information about Ranger Hook to find any identifiable features that could be used to find her. “Geez, they gave us her hometown? Sounds like overkill. Wait a sec.”

“I wait.”

“She’s from Georgia. I gave a speech there once. Fun accents over there.” They turned to Roxie. “This is, like, the biggest shot in the dark, but what if she has one? People would remember an accent like that.”

Roxie tilted her head. “But people come here from all around the world, there’s probably a lot of people that have similar accents.”

“Not as many as you might think. Remember, tickets here are way pricey. That puts people off of taking road trips or planes to get to the spaceport unless they’re loaded or saving up for a major trip. I’d bet most tourists are from Cali or somewhere nearby.”

“Ohoho! Excellent deduction.”

“I say our plan is, we pop into whichever bars are open, pretend like we’re in a conversation about accents, ask where the best nightclub is, and ask if the bartender ever heard anyone with a southern accent here. If they haven’t, we leave, then do the same thing at the next one until we get a lead.” Jun raised their hands. “Not my best, but it’s what we got.”

“So it’s like bar hopping, but getting intoxicated on information instead of alcohol.”

“I wouldn’t do it any other way.” The last time led to a series of events as embarrassing as they were life-changing. Not even Roxie knew the reason behind their sobriety, and they planned to keep it that way.

“Operation Bar Hop, commence!”

The two enacted their plan, hitting up any bar that opened its doors. Staged conversations came awkwardly at first, growing more natural with each visit. If only a lead came as easily. Few bartenders met anyone with a southern accent, and if they did, described someone much different from Ranger Hook. At least Roxie got to hear about some new clubs.

Jun left the latest bar with Roxie in tow. “Another bust.” Suddenly, they remembered something. “Shoot, Rox, did you let the captain know we made it yet?”

“I let the group chat know of our location and plan. Whether it’s been passed onto the captain is beyond my knowledge.”

“He’s not in the group chat?”

“Nope.”

“Huh.” Jun understood why someone like him might be protective over his phone number. It still seemed a little inconvenient, though. “Do you see, like, any other bars? I’m starting to think we ran through our options.”

“What about that one?” Roxie pointed.

Jun didn’t see it at first, but on the upcoming block, squished between two nondescript buildings, an open sign flashed in the window. “Good eye. Are you sure that’s even a bar, though?”

“We shall see.” Roxie marched forward with confidence, dramatically clearing her throat as she approached the building with the sign. “While technically everyone has an accent,” she entered the door Jun opened for her, “I come from a place with the kinds of accent newscasters dream of. So there’s not much character there.”

“Bummer.” Jun entered the door and their role. “I thought that was true for Cali too, but like, people have told me they notice my accent even when I’m not playing it up.”

“Not to butt in, but you do have that breezy Californian vibe to the way you talk.” A bartender with heavy eyeshadow and ears full of piercings wiped the counter.

“Nah, you’re chill, feel free to butt in.” Jun ad-libbed. “What’s your favorite accent? I went to Georgia once, and I really liked how they talked there.”

“That’s a good one. We recently hired a girl, dunno where in the South she’s from, but I love how she talks. Me? I always saw myself as the type-a gal who should have a New York or Jersey accent.” She tried to imitate both. “But where’s my manners? Welcome to The Crater. How can I help ya?”

“We’re on the hunt for night clubs.” answered Roxie.

“There’s one about a couple doors down.” The bartender pointed. “Heard their drinks are expensive, though. That’s why people come here.” She snickered.

“I will keep note of that. Thank you and have a nice day!”

“Woah, hold up. We got a couple hours to kill. There’s no harm stopping for a drink or two.” Jun moved over to the bar stools.

“I am kinda thirsty.”

“Well, I’m happy to provide.” The bartender perked up. “Can I open up a tab for ya?”

“Yeah, sure thing.” Jun took a seat and gave her their credit card. Roxie did the same.

“Great, can I have your IDs?”

That posed a problem to Jun staying undercover. “Oh, I was just gonna stick to nonalcoholic drinks for now.”

“Right, right.” Roxie caught on, though she still handed over her driver’s license. Smart. Jun would rather no one know either of them were with the IF. “We don’t want to get too silly before the night’s even started.”

“Do you still need to card for that, or…?”

“No, it’s cool.” The bartender handed back Roxie’s ID. “If you do order alcohol, I will have to card you, though. Names?”

“I’m Junk.” Saying it outloud embarrassed Jun more than they thought. “Sorry, I just started going by it. I haven’t gotten used to it.”

“No problem, it took me awhile to get used to Krow.”

“Krow’s such a cool name! It really suits you~” Roxie propped her face on her hands.

“Thanks, I like to think I’ve grown into it.” Krow adjusted her tie with pride. “And what’s yours?”

“Astronamelia!” Roxie spoke her spacepunk name with a flourish.

“Cool name. I’m gonna need a spelling for that.”

While those two handled that, Jun took in the scenery. Neither daylight nor neon signs could cut through the dim atmosphere. A shelf behind Krow showed off a colorful array of liquid-filled bottles. Electronic music played over the speakers, providing background noise along with a courtroom show playing on the TV above.

The place felt cozy now, but even ten more customers would crowd the place. Its well-worn fixtures struggled to keep up with the sleek appearance the other bars strived for. It didn’t even have those little green lights that flashed in so many Lunarian business’ doorways. People passed by the window. None came in.

Yeah, this easily made Jun’s top three spots for a stakeout. “Nice place. I could see myself hanging around for a while.”

“Be my guest.” Krow offered. “I’m usually dying of boredom around this time. Now what’ll it be for you two?”

“Do you guys have a Starlet Special? Virgin, of course.” Roxie tacked on.

“What kinda bar would we be if we didn’t serve that classic?”

Jun studied the faded overhead menu. “Uhh, can I get a club soda and lime?”

“Heh, no sweat.”

“Well, I hope there isn’t sweat in it.”

Krow snickered. “Okay, wise guy. Comin’ right up.”

As soon as she turned her back, Jun opened up their tablet, scrolling down the group chat’s messages until they reached where Roxie explained the plan.

‘might have a lead.’ they texted.

‘We do?? 0.o’ texted Roxie.

‘sorry for stringing you along but yeah. i plan on staying until the other girl shows up. she might be the one. we’ll keep you updated.’ They then closed out of the group chat in order to look at Ranger Hook’s photo again. The new hire Krow mentioned came closest to matching her.

Mostly, that just meant she was a woman with a Southern accent. The fact that she just started working here also caught Jun’s interest. She’d need some income after defecting from the IF, and fast. Lunarian rent was no joke. Just yesterday, Jun and Roxie ended their lease to avoid shelling out their yearly salaries for an apartment they wouldn’t use until they came back.

“Here’s your club soda and lime.” Krow startled Jun from their thoughts.

“Woah, that was quick.” They quickly closed the image.

“And here’s your starlet.” She handed a fruity red drink to Roxie, then stepped back. “Enjoy.”

“Thankies~”

“Yeah, thanks.” Jun took a sip out of their own drink. Not bad for fizzed up salt water with a little squeeze of lime. “This is great.”

“Pleasure’s all mine.” Krow crossed her sleeveless arms.

With a stool to sit on and a refreshing drink in hand, all that’s left to do was to play the waiting game.