Backbone II: Scourge

SCARS

CHAPTER II - SCARS

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THE FOLLOWING MORNING...

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A crisp sunkissed morning graced the fifteenth floor of the Caresworth Hospice, in which lay a raccoon who had recently fought a battle between life and death rather romantically staring out of the window. He gazed upon the picturesque landscape greeting his eyes curiously, soaking in the distant sights of rippling waves alongside fishing boats that were destined for a destination unknown all whilst civilization sat below him.

Ironically, Howard had become rather comfortable with the view alongside the silence. Oddly enough, in spite of the bandages as well as the eerily clean room he was sitting inside of, the isolation from the outside world reminded him of home. He graciously took a sip of his favourite lemon-infused tea with two sugars as he felt the sweetness grip his tongue. To him, it felt nice to taste again, let alone live once more after seeing his life flash before his eyes considering the case he was working on which led him into this predicament had flashed by like his photography days.

He awoke on a Saturday, not expecting visitors. Renee may have vowed to visit him sometime early this morning, yet she was already behind schedule by an hour. She promised to visit by 9 AM at the latest. On the contrary, the time was already 10:10 AM and rapidly advanced forward as Howard continued his sightseeing adventure. Wielding nothing but a royal blue robe around his person and accompanied by the thick layer of bandages and gauze that lined his shoulders as he watched several geezers fly by which were carrying mail for the Vancouver Airborne Mail Service.

Howard continued to immerse himself within the scenery as he shut his eyes whilst gently opening the window in front of him. As of late, he had been practising meditation and he seemingly hadn't gotten enough of it. He was able to see his childhood in a more philosophically enlightening sense for the first time whilst being able to grasp some basic understanding regarding why events transpired the way that they did.

One thing that shook his mind was the sudden courage which filled his veins as he felt himself wash up on the shores of a distant island filled with rich sand, low-hanging palm trees as well as a forest directly behind him which had yet to be explored and was filled with endless potential. Howard imagined himself gazing up to the sun with sunglasses wrapped around his eyes, shielding him from the elements as the warm summer day washed over him.

For someone who had endured an endless torrent of negativity, he was surprised that he was able to have such a positive outlook on life considering nothing was exactly the past. Everything affecting him still persevered to this day, especially the division that had drawn him here to the first place on a wild geezer chase in the name of solving a particularly captivating case. Howard found himself falling into a wellspring of endless thought with the enchanting prospect of the street wanderers possessing a bottomless pit's worth of knowledge falling into his crosshairs as he let off a dry laugh.

"Hah, I can kind of understand why those streeties wield so much wisdom. Perhaps, I've strayed a little too far away from death in my lifetime and have been blinded by ignorance this whole time. Part of me feels enlightened, as if I've awoken to a part of me that I never saw inside of myself before. I've lived so concerned with the cases and troubles of others that I never truly looked in towards myself," Unbeknownst to Howard, he had an especially intrigued vixen standing behind him by the name of Renee, who innocently listened to his conversation about himself. "I am the waves that move the pebbles of the shorelines and that dampen the grains of sand. I am the wind that moves the palm trees, I am the fury which rains down upon the city; the lightning bolts which embody my rage. I am the magma that moves beneath this earth, I am the nature that sprouted from the eruptions and I am the bricks laid by the labour of others. I am the detective that spent much too long focusing on the cases of others without finding the time for myself. I am a mere animal, I have flaws and I am not perfect... But that makes me who I am. Howard, the one who learns from mistakes, perhaps makes a little too many and- pah, I'm losing my point. If I'm not wielding scars of idiocy that can be seen mentally, I'm sure going to have scars thanks to my naive nature tainting my back and my shoulders. Heck, some people might find the appeal to the scars... Gah, now I've actually lost my point, it's a shame because I had something going there."

"You sure did, then again; I am surprised to see such intellectual poetry emerge from the mouth of one who seemed to have a drier way with words-"

"GAH!" Howard gently shook in place before quietly turning himself around, wielding a maplewood walking stick as he turned towards Renee. "Well, looks like my favourite stalker has arrived. I really don't want to know how much of that you heard," If he had the movement to, Howard would've facepalmed as opposed to merely standing in place before Renee. "Also, I've gotta ask... Do you ever wear anything else except forest green outfits?"

"Once you find one style, you find that unfamiliarity suits you less. If you build consistency with your sense of self, you'll discover peace and confidence within what you do; regardless of how outlandish it may seem in your own eyes. I see that you're recovering well, especially mentally... Were you meditating before I arrived?" Renee's intrigued immediately caught Howard's eye as he guiltily nodded. "Well, there's certainly room for the extraordinary after dodging death by mere minutes, seconds at best. I apologise for the inconvenience and failing to meet my assigned meeting deadline by an hour, I had some trouble at the bank this morning when attempting to withdraw some loons. It appears many people are trying to withdraw money and pile it up somewhere, whilst others are turning to the old gold standard to secure their investments... I wish I could look into it more intricately but you're my priority as of right now," Renee rather bluntly announced, prompting Howard's heart to excitedly flutter as he did his best to freeze his face before she noticed his blush.

"That's rather kind of you, considering a lot of people step over me to tend to themselves before concerning themselves with the likes of me, but now that we're on the topic... Why am I your priority as opposed to looking into this? This seems like quite a major case to throw down onto the table, especially if people are struggling to withdraw money. That's something to do with the failing economy, right?" Oh, Howard, curious as always as he did his best to hobble his way back over to his bed. "I assume you weren't expecting that for an answer, haha!"

"Did almost dying give you some sort of Shepherdly insight into the future?" Renee furled her brow whilst reaching for a nearby chair, hoping to take a seat next to Howard after he'd gotten himself comfortable. "You didn't catch my eye as one for economics."

"Books house more content than the blurb, Renee. I thought you knew this best as a writer... Ahem, apologies, Caresworth gave me something to help with the pain and it has put my moods out of whack," Howard took a moment to acknowledge his error before doing his best to sit back in his half-raised bed. "You'd be surprised how much shit they'd throw at you in university for being a raccoon. I don't think it's gonna shock you for me to reveal that I've dealt with my fair share of racist encounters... I'm sure you have, too. If there was something that I was compared to a lot, it was a fox. I don't really see it that way, though. You're independent, you're proud of yourself, you also know how to work whilst retaining that instinct of stalking out your prey... If your prey happens to be a raccoon that collapsed in a dirty puddle after being punched up by a bunch of gopniks," Howard sarcastically remarked as he scratched his left ear, the only ear that he had intact considering he had lost most of his right ear shortly after exiting university in an altercation he prefers to keep private.

"Eh, I wouldn't exactly say I'm too proud of myself, nor is my independence or work ethic necessarily a good thing. I'm not one to get too over my head when discussing my past but I used to date this guy named Lukas whilst I was studying rigorously for journalism and literacy. He was big into being a help out to my life, a little too big into that idea, actually. From the very beginning I met him, he seemed like quite the partner in crime. However, time soon revealed to me that he wanted to strip me of whatever independence that I had and it slowly broke me down one task at a time. You see, I am one for generosity, but rumours soon started spreading that he had appealed to the senior minister before I had even joined the Granville Literacy Institute... He had essentially made me feel like shit about my own independence every single time we fought with one another whilst also turning me into his little puppet," Renee felt her later teenhood years and early twenties flashing by, all the while Howard listened on with his ears raised to their best ability. "I don't know how to put this into words but... He was basically a 'nice guy'. What I mean by that is the fact that he would play the role of being my knight in shining armour when I clearly didn't want it before blaming me for having emotions when I took up initiative. After two years, I got sick of his games. An ugly fight broke out, I screamed at him, telling him that I didn't want him in my life anymore and that from now on; I was a solo ride considering he had sucked away what little confidence I had in myself. He went from someone who was kind-hearted and sympathetic to an asshole in the span of twenty four hours. As it turns out, he was having an affair with a vixen behind my back the entire time and I never graduated from the Granville Literacy Institute because he was that much of a... That much of a douchebag that he decided to get me expelled the following year!" By this point, Renee was hyperventilating as Howard reached out his arm, placing it around her shoulder with an understanding smile as well as a gaze of acknowledgement lighting up his face.

"I think... I think the most humiliating part of that is the fact that he once convinced me to marry him. At the time, our relationship was stable so I went with it; we got engaged, we got married at a private venue... Two months later, I shit you not, he begins asking if our marriage was truly worth it because I supposedly valued my work above him. There was a gigantic fight, a fight about everything. All of the supposed memories of the past were burned in a blaze of betrayal that night. I learned about everything. The affair, the manipulative intentions, how he had gotten me into one of the most prestigious universities because he saw me on the application board and talked to his rich father considering I looked like a mate to him," Renee had finally lost it and felt her temper snap right in front of her trusted partner, right there and then. "MY ENTIRE FUCKING CAREER IS A LIE! THIS ASSHOLE, HE GOT ME INTRIGUED IN JOURNALISM WHEN I WAS ALWAYS A DESCRIPTIVE WRITER WITH SOME STRONG AMBITIONS! HE STUFFED ME WITH IDEAS, HE USED ME FOR YEARS FOR HIS OWN ASSIGNMENTS, HE REPAID HIS SELFISH ACTS WITH KINDNESS ONLY TO REVEAL THAT I WAS USELESS TO HIM BECAUSE HE HAD TAUGHT ME A PASSION THAT I CARED MORE ABOUT RATHER THAN HAVING A DYSFUNCTIONAL MARRIAGE WITH SOME GUY WHO DIDN'T GIVE A FLYING FUCK ABOUT WHAT I WANTED... HE ONLY GRAVITATED TOWARDS HIMSELF! NOBODY ELSE MATTERED IN THE END, HE JUST CHARMED EVERYONE WITH HIS KINDNESS! Fucker..." The agitated vixen took a deep breath, opening her mouth to prepare the avenue for an apology all before Howard reached forward to offer his condolences and sympathy.

"I'm truly sorry you had to go through all of that, Renee. You never deserved to have your life ruled by a selfish asshole who never valued you or your independence. I'm just impressed that you took initiative and well... Chose to be independent. It's truly admirable," Renee could sense that there was some melancholy lingering in Howard's eyes, especially when he averted his gaze soon thereafter to look upon the distant window. "Especially when you were inches away from becoming part of his scheme. For what? I have no clue. Some people just like being womanisers nowadays, some trend that's been popularised by the apes ever since they gained a foothold on society. I'm just glad that, for the most part, you're looking towards the future and just learning from the past. I'm proud of you and, yet again, I'm truly sorry you had to endure that."

"I appreciate your sympathy. However, what's with the thousand-yard stare? Did you always desire independence like me or was it forced upon you?" Howard found himself uncomfortably turning his head towards Renee's jade eyes as he took a gulp thanks to nervousness, no true amount of meditation nor thinking about his childhood could prepare him for answering such a question honestly. "It's okay if you don't wish to talk about it. Everybody deserves their privacy-"

"I... Actually I wouldn't mind talking about it a little bit. I trust you enough to know that you won't tell anyone else, nor would you be ashamed of me for feeling emotions. Wow, such a topical subject in today's society, actually being able to feel things without being looked down upon by those mugs in their mansions forged from blood stained quartz! Anyways, I'm getting off on a tangent; gosh, where the fuck do I begin? Everything in my childhood and what led me to this moment was so twisted to the point where it's hard to really pinpoint an origin point," Howard did his best to ponder his past the best he could, eventually landing on when he was thirteen and spent his first few days in high school. "High school. All of my primary friends had left me to go to superior institutions as I was left to deal with the scraps. Nobody ever wished to work with me, especially when the cat was out of the bag regarding my autism. They saw me as a freak because I was a troubled raccoon who thought differently... Everybody thinks differently, Renee. Yet, I was antagonised for it and well- in short terms, it dealt its damage. I learned to rely on myself for pretty much everything because nobody truthfully cared about what I wanted, just about how I would benefit them. I had a few dates here and there, one girl- Pianetty- I still fondly remember but she got herself into trouble too much and ended up landing herself a life sentence after killing someone in a bar fight. My life has honestly just been a carefully orchestrated string of fuck-ups that led to me becoming independent, I did discover that I had a knack for solving mysteries that others could not thanks to my out-of-box method of thinking but it's hard to tell if I developed that myself or if my condition led to that happening," Howard took a massive breath of freshly welcomed air as he made direct eye contact with Renee for the first time since the previous evening, a huge symbol of trust in Renee's eyes considering she had extensively studied Howard's conditioned and had a slight hunch about it ever since they had met.

"You became a cruel victim of discrimination for something many people couldn't even see. I am aware life isn't perfect for anyone but that's truly fucked up. And I assume I'm just scratching the surface?" Renee's question was answered by a pitiful nod as the room fell uncomfortably silent for a few seconds. "Well... If there's one thing I must make a comment on, it's the fact that for someone with autism, you certainly make it look good. I've personally got nothing fancy under my belt regarding medical conditions except anxiety, which I am pretty sure a good seventy percent of the population has in this ever-crowded city. There's obviously more to that story and unfortunately, anxiety isn't the only thing but I wish not to talk about it," Contrary to Renee's rather casual attitude, Howard squeezed out a sudden yet short cackle as he slyly smirked.

"You? Anxiety? No way... It's not like you tried your hardest to avoid going on stakeouts with me or to lend a helping hand when I needed it most. You never struck me as a people person, I guess that makes two of us... And perhaps makes us even better partners. If I'm going to be honest with you, you're the first person I've ever trusted with my life and I thoroughly mean that. Then again, I feel a little bad thanks to suspecting the cause of your anxiety to be your previous marriage," Howard's tone remained relatively flat which was a mild complication of his condition. "Sorry, that probably doesn't sound too sincere and a little rude at the end there. Yeah, that's what I mean by it's hard to notice but it's definitely there. Imagine being told that you're going to be fine by a raccoon with a deadpan expression, you wouldn't believe me!"

"I'd personally get quite the rousing laugh out of it if you ask me. If I was in your position and you unmasked yourself before saying 'Oh, you're in safe hands' whilst completely deadpanning, I'd appreciate the sincerity and perhaps find myself laughing mentally as I fade away thanks to tiredness," Renee realised she had taken quite the tangent, especially when she had met Howard not only to speak to him casually but to also address something important. "I apologise for steering the conversation my way but the nature of my visit isn't as innocent as you'd think."

"Why am I not surprised?" The sharp-witted raccoon remarked as he made himself comfortable, leaning back and kicking up his feet. "Alright, Renee, reveal your true intentions to me... Why are you really here, hm? You've never struck me as the type for small tak, I can tell you're here for something more than company. I may have been able to sense your presence almost every day I was stuck inside of this hellhole but now that I'm awake, I'm sure you're more keen on getting things done instead of asking what I thought of during my coma."

"Trying to interrogate me now, Howie? You should know that I can be quite the tough nut to crack! - Plus, I wouldn't mind gathering some insight alluding to what you thought of during your time in a coma... You did mention that I was in your head a lot back when we first started talking so that's something one could explore if we're searching for conversational topics," She fired back with her wit contesting Howard's own, scheming as she stroked the underside of her chin with her sharp nails.

"I can tell considering you fell into the trap of small talk, especially when it involves the possibility of being one with my head," Howard nonchalantly winked back, rather carelessly acknowledging his slightly flirtatious move before choosing not to do anything. "You've got news for me other than your own company, spill like I did in that alleyway that fateful night," He furthered his conversation, leaving Renee awestruck as she brought her black faux-leather briefcase up from her side as she cracked it open. She flicked it open on her lap as she took out a whiteboard alongside its respective pen before closing the briefcase, choosing to rest it against the side of her dark blue chair.

"As much as you have righteously earned your rest, I do bear news of a potential case in the making. You see, you don't have to do much other than offer me some insight. However, I am building a case against this particularly nefarious group of apes known as the High Investment Society. I believe in one way or another, they are at the forefront of this mysterious inflation, especially when they are beginning to run out of really expensive alongside utterly useless art to invest into," Howard's curiosity was piqued at that moment as he listened in with intrigue. "I have firm reasons to suspect that these apes are at the forefront of the current economic stagnation, pulling strings with economists as well as the storefronts that they hold considering prices have gone up and the only real reason for triggering that happens to be the relatively unfavourable harvest... Have you got any sort of insight as to what their motivations could be?"

"Honestly, it's hard to put my finger on an actual origin point. I mean these fuckers eat people, Renee. Of course they're going to try and maximise the amount of suffering that takes place. The more people that end up at places like The Bite and the more Monkeybutt gets pushed onto the streets as people see their lives hitting the shitter, the chances of them attempting to manipulate the population or meandering in one way or another and actually getting away with it go up as everyone's high out of their minds," Howard's insight proved to be insanely helpful for Renee's case, who noted it down on her whiteboard whilst also illustrating some of her own thoughts. "As for the High Investment Society... Don't they usually help old apes who are destined to die prepare for the next generation by guiding them into investing into the good shit, I.E the markets that they have a monopoly out of? They're literally investing in themselves, printing money and also raising the value of it for others, subsequently making it harder for people to breach the walls of high society," Renee wrote down the majority of Howard's thoughts rapidly, attempting to build her case with an even larger foundation as she peered into her briefcase littered with hastily written notes about the morning.

"So you think they're trying to fortify their iron borders against those trying to slip their way into the good life?" Renee further interrogated Howard as she silently went over theories within her head. "Do you think they're trying to centralise high society to just the apes themselves? As if they're deserving of that place higher up on the totem pole?"

"It's hard to tell without actually being awake the past week to witness it... Hm. What sort of inflation are we talking about, Renee? Is it the sudden type or has it been creeping up on us and have I just been numb to it?" Howard keenly observed Renee's posture as she adjusted her seating, going from a rather effortless posture to one which saw her sitting perfectly straight.

"It was kind of creeping up on us, even before we met one another; yet soon after your disappearance... Everything just skyrocketed in price. I actually have a newspaper here for you to read that I picked up from a local news stand this morning alongside an adult magazine if you get bored of being locked up in here. The newspaper talks little about failed harvests or government experiments yet is praising the neighbourhood heroic rabbit for saving an old lady from certain demise," Renee handed Howard a freshly printed newspaper as well as a Stagegirl magazine.

"I don't think I'm gonna need the mag when you're here but I'll keep that around. Anyways..." Howard slipped the magazine into a nearby bedside drawer before pointing his crosshairs at the recent headlines. "Apes announce end of Granville & Docks trust after fifteen years of service... Renee, it's at the bottom, where everyone can read it after being flattered by positivity," The vixen to his left did her best to maintain her composure after Howard nonchalantly let slip his last comment regarding the magazine. "They're no longer funding development projects. Granville, the Docks, West End, the Labor District. Valetown, the Village... Even Gastown? Looks like their motives are clear cut. They're no longer investing as they see no point in it. They've already turned in amongst themselves, huh. That's odd..."

"What is?" Renee asked, to which she was answered by Howard pointing towards a line in the newspaper. "High society ministers are now contemplating printing their own currency or declaring their own state following the disastrous second-quarterly figures presented to them, which were in stark contrast to their economic forecast... They're bleeding money, but from where?"

"Didn't Science City receive some sort of investment from the apes themselves shortly after the incident with The Artifact? I was reading an old copy that someone left in here whilst they probably kept an eye on me. Are the apes now investing in science instead of material wealth?" He pondered as he closed the newspaper, deep in thought. "Or maybe they're seeing this as their way of breaking beyond the wall, to perhaps create their own domain. They did say they were thinking about printing their own currency. What a bunch of assholes. Claim they're helping the rest of society with their investment funds only to disintegrate that same fund when their investments net no profit. I'm pretty sure around half of Vancouver's investment funds were stored with this agency that claimed to keep good care of it just because they got rich... Seems less like inflation brought on by the bad harvest and more like artificial inflation that uses the shitty harvest as an excuse," Renee's imaginative mind saw a lightbulb flash above her head alongside Howard's as she scrambled to write down what her partner had commented on before she pulled out a small notepad to recap the case. To her, writing things down twice was a guarantee that no information would be lost so long as she kept track of it or burned her archives often.

"Bastards! They're trying to widen the lower class or put more people on the streets! But... Why? What's the point of ruining the care of the people you rule over? Why would you try and ruin your reputation as rulers if you're supposedly the figurehead and the symbol of hope?" Howard gave everything a further thought within the expanses of his mind whilst stroking his chin as Renee awaited Howard's epiphany. "BECAUSE THERE'S PRESSURE AMONGST THEIR RANKS!"

"That's... Not the answer I was expecting. Elaborate, partner?" Renee felt as if her thought process had been thrown off centre yet she was curious as to what answer Howard had ready to bestow upon her.

"Alright, hear me out, Renee. This is so far fetched that you might as well play fetch with the idea I am about to throw out there into the world but the apes are more or less a collective of wealthy dynasties that decided to ally with one another to rebuild this forsaken city following the war, right?" Renee nodded as Howard continued explaining his idea. "There's a chance that there's infighting about the treatment of the lower classes. One side of the upper class, those who aren't apes essentially, who want to invest in the lower class and improve their situation whilst the apes themselves want to lower the living standards as some of them consider the poor a delicacy... But not all of them. There's a very small likelihood that the majority of ape society wants to ally against those who managed to invest their way into higher class society considering they no longer feel as exclusive. What they're most likely going to try and do is raise inflation to bottleneck the level at which one can slip into high society whilst pinning the blame on those who essentially slipped their way into the VIP seats via investments. If their investments aren't worth anything then they will end up going poor whilst a majority of the apes wield material wealth, the currency that everyone uses to pay for things that's issued by the government will become useless, people will go hungry and the apes will project that fault onto greedy investors; renewing the cycle of war which is combat over the uglier sections of life," After Howard finished explaining his theory, he closed his newspaper and closed his eyes to drink in the humid summer air.

"That... That makes total sense! Their ranks have been thinning out as more people exploit their way to the high life by stepping on the necks of others whilst forming connections with the naive dynasties. They most likely want to solidify their control completely whilst establishing a complete dictatorship where they're the sole managers of wealth, order as well as hope. You either comply with the apes or you end up as flesh on their plates," Renee excitedly whipped out her notepad once more to write down some ideas. "So... I'm not a P.I but I want to know how to think and how to look out for things... How do you wing it, usually?"

"I know you're not a people person but people are your best friend. Act as if you're in a predicament, ask about the place you're in, make sure to scout your objective before you get there and be mindful of authority. Stay in the shadows, treat everything like a puzzle that's assembled in your mind whilst collecting pictures of the evidence to assemble a case and leave no trace of your existence behind. My biggest regret was stealing as much as I did. I am hoping that most of the things that I stole were put back in their place by Clarissa considering she had a connection with many of those wretched apes. - Hold on, I know I have it here somewhere..." Howard rummaged through his maplewood drawers on the left side, eventually pulling out a camera loaded with film as well as charged up with power. "Here, it's my old Leica. Consider this a symbol of trust as well as passing the torch, at least for now. I know what you're up to, Renee... You're going to build a case on these people. Whatever you do, please make sure you stick to stalking those who are important and eavesdropping instead of sneaking into any buildings; leave that shit for the professionals," Howard slung the camera alongside the sling itself that would keep the camera around Renee's neck before inspecting her forest green outfit proudly.

"Oh? So you're saying you've got to be extra sneaky to get into a building? I'll be fine, Howard. I have a quiet step anyways, I just need to swap my boots for the rubber-tipped bases instead-"

"As much as I wish I could cheer for you, please try and focus on gathering information on them by getting pictures of these people in compromising locations; build a case based on evidence of suspect destinations whilst doing your best to find out the locations of businessmen and women. Work yourself up the chain and try not to push yourself too hard. I'm sure you know all too well what pushing myself resulted in. Take it easy," Howard strongly advised as Renee prepared to lift herself up from her chair before tilting her head, her ears twitching as her tail tensed up curiously.

"Who am I building a case on exactly? Have we got any targets that could be related to high society?"

"Anyone you spot out on your daily errands that looks somewhat suspicious, try not to look like you're taking a direct picture of them; act like an enthusiastic tourist or something. You should also try and hang out in the higher end parts of the city, yet I'm guessing that's somewhat obvious. If you need any advice, find a payphone and call to Room 16C in the Caresworth Medical Facility once you reach the reception. You can find the number for this place in the reception on a snazzy looking business card," Howard let off a yawn, stretching his legs as well as his arms to the best of his ability before laying back. "Now, I'm tired and instead of powering through that, I am going to get some rest. Wishing 'ya the best, Renee. I know you've got it in you as a detective in training! I'll catch up with you in a few hours or something," Howard nonchalantly shut his eyes before slipping a smile onto his black and white muzzle.

"Well... Renee. Look what you've walked yourself into. Your first real P.I case and you're not even a P.I! You're an investigative journalist who has a serious people problem, what on earth are you doing? Okay, okay. I can do this, I swallowed my anxiety when rescuing Howard as well as handing him my business card that fateful day. I can power through my slight distaste for people and build this case," Renee pep-talked herself to the best of her ability as she picked up her briefcase, tucked her notepad back into the pocket of her sophisticated suit before turning towards the door. "Rest easy, Howard. I'll get to the bottom of this iceberg, even if we're just scratching the surface..." Renee advanced through the singular door leading to the outside world, only to be cut off by Clarissa alongside her smug grin as she sat in a red waiting chair.

"Ah, Renee. My favourite partner. I trust that you've finished catching up with Howard?" Clarissa asked, attempting to seem genuine as her eyes shot into Renee's. "What's with the sour attitude?" She responded to Renee's seemingly stoic attitude as she snapped her fingers and continued talking. "It's enlightening that our friend is awake but I trust that you've talked about case details, too?"

"Well, I'm not exactly the most chipper woman alive right now. Sure, it's a miracle that Howard is alive but the fact I have to work with you is somewhat disheartening. Also, how the fuck do you know about my intentions?" Renee was awestruck as Clarissa let off a snobby chuckle. "What's so funny to you? For your information, we did also discuss the beginning of a case. We've been looking at the recent rise in inflation and are going to poke around various banks and investment firms, see if we can spot anyone who looks out of the ordinary and I may dare question them about their intentions."

"That's it? A little case regarding inflation? I can give you the answer to that, the apes are bleeding themselves dry because they want to invest in material possessions and their own security," Clarissa quipped arrogantly, leaving Renee feeling foolish underneath her gaze once more. "Oh, darling, you're going to need a lot more information if you want to leave these walls for a meaningful reason as opposed to sitting next to your boy toy!" Her grin looked down upon Renee as if he were a mere peasant for her anger was nothing compared to Clarissa's power, not the gratitude that she truthfully owed her for saving Howard.

"I'm guessing an evil genius such as yourself has intel on where I should start, hm? Usually, I would figure it out by myself but I don't want to be going on a wild geezer chase," Renee sarcastically remarked, not expecting a legitimate answer.

"Conveniently for you, I happen to have a little checklist that you can tick off as you go. There's a guy named Baxter Colby. Start with him. He's a nervous wreck who managed to snake his way into high society. You can also start with my informant, Lee Aleksi. He's always been a little nervous on the inside, constantly on his high horse about everything yet confides everything to his overly loyal wife. I want to know if he's hiding anything from me that I should know about regarding ape society. Now, let's just pretend that I dropped this key that leads into his apartment and you can use that camera Howard donated to your case to track Baxter. He's a golden retriever, it shouldn't be hard for you to pick him out on the high streets," Clarissa nonchalantly dropped a silver key on the ground, to which Renee bent down to pick up as she stuffed it inside her pockets. "I trust Howard gave you the rundown on how to work as a P.I? Remember, you both work for me, now. No funny stuff, it always gets back to me. Good luck," Clarissa was extremely forthcoming alongside direct, leaving no room for Renee to run through her thoughts as she merely sighed whilst looking towards Howard's patient room door.

"I hope I'm making the right choice by working with Clarissa. I promise not to disappoint you, Howard. Your work won't go to waste, I refuse to let that reality fall upon us both," With footsteps destined for the exit, Renee soon found herself snaking throughout the corridors of the hospital before making a break for the exit, eventually hailing a cab and heading for her first destination... The Tops.

...