Chapter Text
It had been a blazing hot summer, unusually so, making the rains from last night a welcome surprise. Even still, it was painfully humid, and the air held a tension to it. Lynne could feel it the moment she woke up. Perhaps that contributed to her sudden spike in anxiety and the feeling that something has gone awry.
She went through the usual motions of her day off, minus the snoozing through her alarm because she honestly couldn’t fall back asleep. Pajamas still on, hair up in a ponytail, eggs and toast for breakfast with freshly brewed coffee. But as Lynne sat at the table, nibbling on the toast and waiting for the caffeine to kick in, she noticed her hands were shaking.
Lynne furrowed her eyebrows as she watched her hands. It wasn’t a slight, unsteady waver, this was a full tremor, so bad the coffee in her mug rippled whenever she lifted it to her lips. Did she have a nightmare she couldn’t remember? It was certainly possible, Lynne never seemed to remember her dreams, and nightmares were just vague, fuzzy blurs of bad vibes. But try as she might, nothing surfaced in her mind. It almost seemed like she was feeling the aftershock of something that never happened.
“You’re thinking real hard this morning, Detective.”
Lynne yelped, jolting out of her chair and nearly knocking over the small table. She looked around wildly before spotting the source of the now very familiar voice. A little black cat with a red bandana, looking up at her with bright yellow eyes filled with concern and slight amusement.
“Dammit, Sissel! You scared me half to death!”
“Glad to know my presence is scary enough to kill you,” Sissel jumped on the table, casually tucking his tail around his paws, “I can’t believe you didn’t notice me come in, I said good morning to you and everything.” Lynne glanced at the cat flap she had installed in her door, and sure enough, it was still rocking back and forth ever so slightly. She sat back in her seat and let out a shaky sigh, “Yeah, yeah sorry, I was lost in thought.”
“I noticed. You alright?”
He nodded down at her shaking hands. Lynne clenched her fists tightly, “I’m fine, I think. I’m just…having a weird morning.”
“Weird, eh? That must be why you didn’t realize you spilled your coffee.”
Lynne blinked at him before looking down at the table. Sure enough, her mug tipped when she jumped, spilling the rest of the coffee and creating a small pool off the edge and on the floor. She cursed and scrambled out of her chair, quickly grabbing paper towels to mop up the mess. Sissel watched quietly as she worked, eyes trained on her hands. They were still trembling. Lynne gathered the coffee soaked paper towels, wadding them up before tossing them in the garbage. “Sorry about that,” she said, sitting back down at the table, “I’m normally not this unobservant.”
“It’s ok. I do wanna know what’s going on.”
Lynne folded her arms across the table and rested her head on them.
“I don’t know, I just can’t shake this feeling.”
“A bad feeling?”
She didn’t respond, instead just furrowing her eyebrows. She wanted this to be nothing, to just be an off day. Sissel laid down on the table to get on eye level with her and tucked his paws under himself, “Jowd was feeling the same way before I left.”
Lynne lifted her head. Dammit, that made her more anxious! If Jowd was feeling this way, too, then something was bound to happen! The two had a habit of sharing strong feelings when something was about to go down, calling it their ‘detective sense’. Cabanela just thought they were crazy. She wished she was just crazy. Sissel continued.
“The funny thing is, though, I feel it too. My fur has been on end all night.”
“You sure it’s not just from the storm? Don’t cats have a thing where they can sense storms and stuff?”
“Why would my fur still be standing, then?”
Lynne just shrugged, “Humidity?”
Sissel narrowed his eyes at her, and she met his gaze, worried and grasping for any kind of explanation. Tension was settling around them inside the apartment now, causing Sissel’s flank to twitch. The silence in the room was dotted by the quiet ticking of the wall clock.
BRRRRRRING
Lynne jumped again, hitting her knee against the table and sending the coffee mug over the edge, shattering to the ground. She barely glanced at the mess and rushed to the telephone that sat by the door. Sissel wasted no time jumping to the phone to listen in.
“Hello?” She tried her best to sound calm and collected.
“Lynne, I need a favor.” On the other side of the line was Jowd, standing in his office at the station.
Her heart rate accelerated. Why was he calling her now? Did something already happen? “D- Detective Jowd! Is everything alright?!” So much for keeping her voice even.
“Is Sissel there with you?”
Lynne looked to the side, seeing the little black cat resting on the table with his eyes closed, confirming to her that he was possessing the phone. She nodded to herself before responding out loud, “Yes- yes we’re both listening.”
“Perfect. Hate to ask you this on your day off, but I need you to go to Temsik Park.”
Lynne gripped the receiver until her knuckles turned white, mouth going dry as she uttered back the words, “Temsik Park..? Why? What’s going on?”
“You trust me, right Lynne?”
All she could do was hum in agreement.
“Call it a feeling. I don’t know why, but-”
“-Something is going to happen today,” She finished the thought for him. Jowd let out a small, nervous chuckle, “I guess our detective senses are acting up again. Be safe, alright? If anything happens, Alma will be home with Kamila all day,” he paused for a moment before adding, “Call me later this evening,” before hanging up.
With trembling hands, Lynne lowered the receiver back to its base and hung her head, letting out several shaky breaths.
“Temsik Park…why is it still not done with us…?”
She shut her eyes tight for a moment before turning to look at Sissel, who was back in his body and sitting by the desk.
“Will you come with me?” She asked, eyes pleading. Sissel rubbed his body against her legs, “Like I’d leave you alone, now.” Lynne crouched down to scratch him under the chin and behind the ears. She grabbed her keys and her umbrella.
“Lynne.”
“Hm?”
“You’re still wearing your pajamas.”
“...Oh.”
Humidity hung in the air, thick and heavy and wet, clinging to Lynne’s skin and making her feel sticky. It was cool at least, she’d give it that, but it almost didn’t matter. Sissel had taken it upon himself to perch on her shoulders, wrapping his body and tail snugly around her neck like a scarf, ‘to keep his paws dry’ he said.
“You have a human form, Sissel.”
“Yeah, I do, but this is more discrete. What if I need to sneak around? Hey did you know your heartrate is elevated?”
Lynne groaned. The phone call with Jowd left her feeling even worse than when she woke up. That mixed with the caffeine, if her heart beats any faster she’ll definitely pass out.
Temsik Park was empty, and the fog that hung low to the ground obscured most of the shrubs and playground equipment, making the park feel bigger than it actually was. The moment they entered the park, Lynne could feel Sissel bristle against her. She didn’t blame him. There was something off about the area. Something had changed. She winced as the little cat dug his claws into her shoulder.
“Sissel?”
“Something is wrong,” his voice was low, ears pinned back. He bunched up his haunches and leapt off her shoulder, shifting into his human form and taking off, his red scarf immediately disappearing into the haze. Lynne staggered back, caught off guard, “Sissel, wait!!” She raced after him, breaking apart the fog and splashing up mud, trying not to slip while also trying to keep up her pace. It didn’t take too long to spot him again, crouched down by the crater. Lynne fought to catch her breath as she approached him, “Why did you just take off like that? I could’ve lost track of you.”
Sissel didn’t respond. He had his arm stretched over the crater, hand reaching out. The color had drained from him, his sunglasses slid slightly down to reveal yellow eyes transfixed on something.
At the bottom of the crater, knelt in the grass by a patch of dirt, was the park guardian, crumpled to his knees, sobbing quietly. Lynne carefully slid down the side of the crater, stumbling a little when her feet met the flat ground. Sensing her presence, the park guardian looked up at her, “M- Miss Detective,” he heaved a breath, voice shaky as he tried to keep it steady, “it’s gone. The rock of the gods, the heart of the park,” his face contorted with sorrow, “it’s GONE!!!” He buried his head in his hands and wailed, sobs wracking his body.
The crater where the Temsik meteorite landed was now overgrown with grass and wildflowers, nature’s way of patching a wound. But sure enough, there was a mound of dirt piled up by a sizable hole in the ground. A scab torn open. Lynne felt a pit form in her stomach. Sissel balled up his fists and jumped down into the crater with them, each footstep heavy.
“When did you notice it was gone?” He was trying his best to sound neutral, but Lynne could feel the anger and fear radiating off of him. The park guardian just shook his head and gripped his hair, face buried into his arms as he sank lower to the ground. Sissel furrowed his brows in frustration then took a deep breath, sitting down in the grass and shaking the park guardian’s shoulder lightly, “Hey, park man, I wanna help. I know this is tough, but I need to know what you know.”
The park guardian sniffled and lifted his head, sitting up and wiping his face on his mud stained shirt, “E- Early this morning, I went to do my daily prayers, but something felt so horrible wrong,” he voice cracked and he choked back another sob, “So I h- had to go check on the rock of the gods- a- and i- it was…” he screwed his eyes shut tight and groaned, “Oh…oh my heart and soul…my gods…I’m so sorry…” he broke again. Lynne crouched down next to him, putting a hand on his back comfortingly.
“Is this what you and Detective Jowd meant?” Sissel asked her, “When you said something was going to happen today?” She didn’t answer. She didn’t have an answer. This very well could be it, but something still just felt so wrong, even more so now that the Temsik meteorite was gone. The park guardian hiccuped and inhaled deeply, his tears finally spent. He took a moment to take several deep breaths and wrapped his arms around himself.
“I just don’t understand. Why would someone take the Rock of the Gods? What would they have to gain…?” His voice was quiet and heavy with sorrow. Sissel and Lynne just looked at each other, sharing the same thought. She knew why, of course. They both did. But it had been such a long time since it had happened, she’d almost forgotten about it. A horrible thought then dawned on her.
“You…You don’t think Yomiel-”
“Don’t,” Sissel glared at her, “Don’t even suggest that. He wouldn’t, not after everything.”
Lynne lowered her eyes and looked away, guilt gnawing at her. She didn’t want to suspect him, but how could she not after what happened in that other timeline. It might not exist anymore, but it did still happen.
“Then who would?”
She met his eyes again, through the sunglasses. They were hard, thinking, searching for an answer, for someone to blame.
“U- Um…excuse me?” The park guardian spoke up, snapping the two out of the tension.
“Yes, Mr…”
“D-Dabira.”
“Yes, Mr. Dabira?”
“There is something odd that I remember, or, more accurately, something I don’t remember.”
Lynne titled her head, “Something you don’t remember?” He nodded, “A gap in my memory. It had just hit 12, the clock was chiming in the background. I was doing one last lap around my sanctuary when I saw a very suspicious man.” Dabira shifted to sit cross legged as he continued, “It was hard to see him in the darkness, so I went to get a closer look, and suddenly I woke up in my tent.”
Lynne furrowed her brows, mulling over these details, “That’s…very odd.” She glanced at Sissel. He was staring at the ground, gripping his knees, his breaths deliberate, like he was forcing himself not to panic. “This man,” he spoke slowly, “what did he look like?”
“Oh, I um, I’m not sure-”
“Dabira, please remember. You have to remember. What did he look like?” His words were punctuated as he looked up at the man, sunglasses sliding down and yellow eyes piercing into him. Dabira shrunk back a little and searched the ground, wracking his brain.
“He…was wearing red…” he put his hand on his chin, “...yes, a red suit, all buttoned up and fancy…”
A breath caught in Lynne’s throat.
“...and he had blond spiked-up hair, and a white shirt with a black tie,” Dabira narrowed his eyes and winced slightly, as if remembering this was painful, “and he turned to me with such a smile. I remember it being odd. Who would wear sunglasses in the middle of the night? And he handed me something…”
Slowly, with unsure movements, Dabira reached into his satchel and pulled out a notecard, handing it to Lynne. Her heart beating in her throat, she looked down at 2 words written in pristine, familiar handwriting.
‘Junkyard, 12pm’
Adrenaline pumped through her veins. This was all far, far too familiar. All words dried up in her throat as she looked back up at Dabira. His eyes were glazed over and half-lidded, his head bobbing forward like he was about to fall over. Lynne grasped his shoulders and shook him, “Dabira, Mr. Dabira!!”
He gasped, eyes rolling back for a moment before his head snapped forward, “NO!!!” he screamed and scrambled backwards, pushing himself to the far end of the crater, “The gods!! The gods have forsaken me!! They did not wish me to remember!”
Lynne stood up and took a step towards him, holding a hand out, “Mr. Dabria, please, take a deep breath and-”
“No!! No, you stay away from me!!” His breathing was rapid and he curled in on himself, “The gods are angry with me, leave now before you anger them, too!”
Sissel put a hand on Lynne’s shoulder, “Come on. Let’s leave him be for now.”
She began to turn away as Sissel climbed out of the crater, but paused and turned one last time to the distressed man, “I’m going to find the Rock of the Gods. I promise.” It was unclear if he heard her or not as Sissel helped her up.
The clouds had parted a little as the two walked back along the path towards the phone. Lynne held the notecard tightly in her fist. She had to call Jowd. She had to tell him what had happened.
“Lynne.”
She stopped as Sissel put a hand on her shoulder, turning her around.
“The notecard. What does it say?”
Wordlessly, she opened her fist and let him take it. He smoothed out the crumpled paper and scanned it, looked on the back briefly, then scanned it again. “Shit…” he whispered.
“Sissel…that wasn’t-” her voice caught in her throat. She swallowed and tried again, “That wasn’t actually Yomiel, was it?”
“Oh so now you don’t think he did it?!”
Lynne flinched a little in surprise and Sissel immediately apologized, “I- I’m sorry. I’m sorry, I didn’t…I didn’t mean to do that,” he rubbed a hand over his face, “Gods, that was shitty of me.”
“It’s ok. I’m not sure I actually thought he did, but…” she took a deep breath, “Sissel, if what Dabira said was true…”
“I know. It doesn’t look good.”
He looked at the notecard again. The handwriting did look like Yomiel’s, when he was actually trying to write neatly, that is, but something about it just wasn’t quite right. All of this just didn’t feel quite right. “Are you going to go to the junkyard?” he asked.
Lynne placed a hand on the phone box, “I don’t know. I need to call Detective Jowd first. This just feels like one giant trap, you know?”
“Why don’t I go instead.”
“W-What?! Are you crazy?!”
“Call it an apology for me snapping at you.”
“There’s no way I can let you go on your own!”
“Lynne, if this is a trap, then you're dead. It won't exactly matter if I get shot.” She looked at him with concern. So many things could go wrong. Sure, he couldn’t get hurt, but the extent of his invincibility was still unknown. Sissel continued, “If I can be the one to take a hit instead of you, you know I’ll always take that chance.”
A deep sadness built up in her chest, “You’re still trying to make up for that?” He didn’t respond. Lynne looked at the clock tower. It was 11:30. She sighed, “Alright. Just…be safe, ok? And come to Jowd and Alma’s house when you’re done.”
“I will. I promise.”
He pocketed the notecard and shifted into a cat, giving her one last rub against the leg before darting off in the direction of the junkyard. Lynne began to dial up the station’s number. She thought that maybe this feeling would’ve faded at the park. But now? She felt worse than ever before.