Bendy and Boris in The Inky Mystery

Cars and Newspapers

Notes:

Hello, lovelies~
It's so good to be writing normally again.
And by that, I mean I am so glad I had one normal week before everything hits the fan again and my schedule is destroyed once more! ;3
Still life is beautiful right now. Enjoy the chapter.

~~~

"What do you mean, they're in Toon Town!" Ringtail roared into the phone. Joan's head snapped up. "You're sure of that?" Ringtail demanded. "No, sir." Joan strained to hear the other side of the conversation. "No, of course not, sir," she growled. "We'll be there by tomorrow morning." She slammed the phone on the receiver and rubbed her eyes with a frustrated groan.

"So, how's the office?" Joan asked in a mockingly light and cheery tone.

"Bendy and Boris are in Toon Town," Rachel said, refusing to acknowledge Joan's joking tone.

"I figured as much," the crow said.

"Let's go get our stuff and head out." Ringtail swung her tail in impatience as she started grabbing papers off her borrowed desk.

"What about the case here? We still don't have all the facts straight, especially those from the Warners," Featherworth said, not standing up or moving from her spot.

"We can leave all that mess to the local authorities. They seem to be competent enough. Besides, our job is to catch them and they have wandered onto our home turf. They won't stand a chance!" Rachel exclaimed with an excited glint in her eyes.

"But what about the street performers we haven't found yet? What about the organized criminal activates we have just started unraveling? What about the other members that we are tracking?" Joan asked, watching her partner's ear twitch along with her eye. "If we leave, we run the risk of all this going cold."

"But if we don't move, we could lose those two," Rachel shot back. "You're the one that's sure they are the target of devious individuals. If it's the mob, then we won't lose our trail, just go at it in a different direction."

"But this is important to our case too. If we don't get to the bottom of all this, then we will have no case to present and they all walk anyway," Joan argued.

"You said they're innocent!" Ringtail said.

"But we have to prove it!" Joan shouted back.

Both women glared at each other for a silent moment before Rachel smirked. "Why are you arguing anyway? You know you're going to go anyway."

"I just want both of us to be aware of our position at all times. There is too much going on for us to be careless," Joan said, standing up.

"Of course we won't!" Rachel waved a dismissive hand. "But you can imagine what the boys back home are saying about us right now?"

Joan frowned at the thought. "If they're smart, they're keeping their traps shut."

"But you know, they're not," Rachel said with that same condescending smirk. Joan had to bite back a growl at the continued thought. She and her partner had fought so hard for their positions and every scrap of respect. It would be just like the macho office and news outlets to jump on the smallest mistake and upend years of perfect case work and crime fighting. Sure, the chief wouldn't be swayed. He had worked with Joan and Rachel too long to have any question of their character or results. There were the mayor and the commissioner, though and they worked in politics. Rumors, money, and public opinions were the focus of their circle, it seemed. She could see her reputation and resources slipping between her feathered fingers as easily as water.