"...is this the Severin Detective Agency?" the tall blonde asked while her gaze repeatedly darted between the man behind the desk and the smartphone in her hand.
"Yeah, you have the right place," the young detective replied with a curt nod.
"Oh thank God..."

Her tense shoulders drooped down as she breathed a sigh of relief.

"Are you Mr. Severin's partner, then?" she asked, slightly less tense than before. "Do you know when he'll be back in?"
"......"

He lowered the brim of his hat over his eyes.

"Sorry to tell you this, but he passed away last year."
"Wha!?" she gasped. "He-"
"Yeah, last April."
"Oh no no no no..."

The young detective took note of the way the woman started to pace around in a little circle while mumbling to herself.

Did she know him? It's definitely possible, I mean he was only forty when he died. Maybe she's a former client... or maybe an ex-girlfriend?

His gaze shifted from the panicking woman to the little girl who was standing motionless behind her.

Dear God, please don't tell me that she showed up hoping to have him take responsibility for a secret lovechild...

...though a second look at the girl's face mostly shook that thought from his mind.

Yeah, she's too pale to be mixed. Probably.

But instead of continuing with this idle speculation, his instincts of a professional deemed that he get back to business.

"But even though I'll never be able to fill his shoes," he said, lifting the brim of his hat, "I'm still carrying on this detective agency in his memory."
"..."

The woman finally stopped pacing and turned to face him.

"The name's Neil Schneider," he said. "Is there something you needed help with?"
"Er... yes," she nodded. "Yes there is."

She looked back at the girl, who promptly took her hand and gave it a little squeeze of encouragement.

"My name is Deborah Barnes," she said, "and this is my daughter Audrey.  We're trying to get away from my abusive hu-"
"One thing before you continue."
"Eh!?" she flinched at the young man's sudden interruption.
"When it comes to clients, I have one rule that absolutely needs to be followed. No exceptions."
"...yes?"
"Total, 100% honesty," he continued.

And then he looked her dead in the eyes.

"I'm sure you can understand that my line of business can get pretty dangerous, right?" he asked.
"Y- yes, of course!" she squeaked out.
"Well I'm not so nice a guy as to stick my neck out for someone who isn't telling me the truth. Or someone who's withholding important details that I really ought to know about their situation."

The fact that he maintained full eye contact without so much as a single blink as he spoke only served to further amplify the already-present tension within the office.

".........I understand," the woman said, admitting defeat.
"So long as you do," he nodded.
"My real name is Lorraine Rochefort. And this is my sister, Denise."
"Wha!?"

The smaller girl pulled her hand free from her sister's grip.

"Why would you-"
"If he gets even the slightest hint that we're being dishonest, he'll throw us out on the streets," Lorraine said, shaking her head. "And then we'll be completely screwed."
"Damn it..."

While her sister clenched her little hands into little fists and gritted her teeth in frustration, Lorraine resumed her introductions.

"My sister and I have caught the attention of some dangerous people," she said, "and we're seriously fearful for our lives."
"And that's what brought you here," Neil replied with a nod of understanding.
"That's right."
"Mind telling me what exactly you did to attract this attention?" he asked.
"........."

The two sisters turned to each other with the same pained look on their faces.

"Lorrie..."
"My coperation is dependent on your answer," Neil said. "I might be in the business of helping people, but I'm not about to get involved with anything without fully understanding the situation first."
"Don't be a sucka for a pretty face!"
"!?"

The sudden outburst of the parrot perched atop the headrest of Neil's chair pulled the girls' attention in an instant.

"...oh yeah," Neil smirked, "I forgot to introduce him."
"...a parrot?" Denise mumbled.
"This is Ankh, my right hand."
"Hello, Ankh," Lorraine said, unable to keep from smiling at the headbobbing bird.
"But back to the matter at hand..." he cleared his throat.
"Y- yes, of course."

Unfortunately, there's only so much that a single bird can do to lighten the mood when things appear to be this serious.

"Our situation..." Lorraine took a few moments to gather her confidence. "...it wasn't caused by anything that either one of us did."
"Is that right?" Neil raised an eyebrow.
"......"

Lorraine's eyes clouded with anger as she bit her lower lip.

"...it's because of what we are," she growled.

And then she returned the same piercing gaze that he'd been intimidating her with just moments ago.

"Branch holders, just like you."