"No." Orchid said before looking away and taking a bite out of her sandwich. She then looked into the basket for what to eat next, but was interrupted as the male spoke again.

"Ms Lambdason. We really won’t take much of your time, we simply need to discuss some things about your brother. We were going to speak to him, but he has rather suddenly left on an important mission? Is that correct?"

Orchids’ eyes narrowed and stood up. Her 7ft figure, while not as wide as Apollo, was still quite menacing, especially when her eyes screamed her desire to kill. "Choose your next words carefully or I will pull out your hearts and eat them."

Malone took a step back, ready to defend himself, but Thorne kept his gaze with the woman.

"O-Orchid. People... Scene." Janine tried to tug on her friend’s hand, but nothing. That was until,

"Sterling Thorne, my my. I haven’t seen you in forty years when you were just a little fart. How is the family? Oh, wait. You are the one that... Ah, hello dear, how have you been?" Valerica suddenly stood up and announced herself.

Dean’s eyes went wide again seeing another red headed beauty in the black and white, but composed himself better than with Kathrine the other day. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Sterling however narrowed his eyes at Valerica being here. "Valerica Hyllus... I should have suspected you would be here. Did your daughter call ahead? Is that why the lead I am currently trailing has ’gone on an expedition’ hmm?"

"My daughter?" Valerica tilted her head to the side, glancing at Orchid for a second before realisation dawned on her. "Oh Kathrine! Right. Why? What has that troublemaker done now? I swear if she has thrown another suck fest and I have to pay for the damages I will- Oh right, never mind, she is going to be marrying my son and has cleaned up her act, sorry. I forget that part sometimes. He should be with M- So, what has she done?"

Sterling breathed through the urge to slap this bully of a woman before speaking calmly. "Your daughter has done nothing we can prove, but we are investigating the recent murder of Axel Belnevis."

"Never heard of him." Valerica stated as a fact.

Malone then spoke up. "Really? Because the man tried to have your daughter assassinated. Wouldn’t that be something you might talk about?"

Valerica simply scoffed. "Please. We are Hyllus’ If we remembered the name of every wanna be upstart that tried to assassinate us, our minds would be filled to the brim with nonsense and the names of dead men. So what? How did he die? Did Kathrine kill him?"

"You don’t watch the news anymore, guardian?" Thorne sneered. "Axel was killed by the sanguine butcher."

"Hey! Watch your attitude, sonny. I am still more than happy to kick you into the dirt like I did during your pre-basic. Now, why would you be investigating my daughter when you know who the killer is? She isn’t the butcher... I think. No, definitely not, I recall the last time the killings occurred she was whoring around at the time. I caught her in the act with two women wearing strap-ons about twenty minutes later and that killing was on a middle world... Ugh, that room still reeks of cum sometimes I swear... Honestly, what does my precious boy see in that woman?

...

Oh, you are still here Sorry, what were we talking about? I’m old, my mind wanders."

Thorne and Malone looked at each other before the latter pressed the issue. "Lady Hyllus, to be candid, we came here today following one of our only leads. Axel attempted to kill your daughter and then the Sanguine butcher killed him when she has been cold for so many years. We are just following the pieces we can put together."

Valerica hummed "I see. Give me a moment. Orchid, sweetheart. Can I talk to you over there for a second?"

Orchid frowned, she didn’t like being called sweetheart by anyone but Apollo, but she understood the mother figure was just being nice so she walked to the side.

Thorne and Malone watched intensely, trying to figure out with lip reading what the two were saying to one another, but they got nothing.

A few moments later, Orchid walked back and folded her arms. Her eyes narrowed. "You have three questions. Ask them. You ask more than three; I break your arms."

"Whoa! Hang on a moment, lady." Malone said, putting his hand out. "You cannot threaten us like that. Do you know if we were less considerate, we have the jurisdiction to arrest you for such a threat?"

Orchid shook her head. "No, I did not. I also know I would rather kill you than let that happen. Two questions left."

Malone then proceeded to get swatted on the chest by Thorne and was given a look that translated to ’Nice going, you anus.’ he then got right into the question. He decided to be direct and to the point, the woman felt off to him and he didn’t like knowing why not.

"Ms. Lambdason. Is it possible that your brother could have connections to the orchestration of Axel Belnevis’ death?"

Orchids looked around. "We are standing on a moon that hones breaking reality with Psionics. Anything is possible, as slim as it could be. One left."

"But you didn’t answer my question-"

"-One. Left."

Thorne sighed. He knew this was going nowhere so he just followed up. "Alright, I get it. I do, you care for your brother, I’d go as far to wager that if someone tried to hurt him. You would seek vengeance. Now, do you think it’s possible that if Apollo heard about his partner having an attempt on her life, he might be inclined to retaliate?"

Orchid stepped forward until she was looking directly down at Thorne and brandished her teeth in front of him before speaking slowly. "Apollo is the most perfect creature in all of existence. His capacity for love leaves this one without the ability to breathe constantly. So in honour of his spirit and my love for him, I will warn you before you try and accuse him of anything further. Leave. Do not come back and cease this investigation. If I find out either of you comes for him or his loved ones again. I will hunt your entire family down personally and make what the butcher does look like play."

She then looked the man in the face and grimaced. "Disgusting." Before walking away in the direction of home.

Janine then got up and yelled. "Orchid! Wait up!"

Valerica then walked over to Thorne and smiled. "Well, gentlemen I am afraid that is all you will get out of that woman. I traded some pretty expensive items to her in order not to murder you... Hypothetically speaking. So, unless you fine gents are willing to go into an active warzone to ask your questions, as Apollo is on Lleon T1 right now, not just ’On an important mission’ that is the best you are getting."

She then turned to Thorne. "And Sterling." She proceeded to reach forward in the blink of an eye and swat the man around the back of the head, knocking his hat off "

"Call your mother! Goodness, the woman pushed you out of her vagina and she cannot even get a phone call out of you! Have some respect." She then began mumbling as she walked away.

"Why does our entire generation have such shitty children? We were never like this... Must be something in the water on Euc 1. My darling Apollo is nothing like that. So good to his mama hehe~"

"You good Thorne?" Malone asked as his partner picked up his hat. Thorne did not respond right away. He placed his hat on his head before reaching into his pocket and retrieving a cig and lit it, the orange illuminating his face.

"I will be as soon as I am no longer on a landmass with that woman... She used to give me nightmares." Thorne said and let out a large exhale after the well needed drag.

"Lady Hyllus? Shit, she was nothing compared to that Orchid lady. Did you see the look in her eyes? It was like she was looking at a pair of xenos with the disgust in her eyes... Brrrr! So, what now?"

"What do you mean?" Thorne asked Malone, confused. "We still follow the trail. We now have the location of this Apollo. We have clearance, so until the butcher strikes, we follow what we can. Though I did notice something odd about what Orchid said, come. I’ll explain on the ship."

...

Althea, Mindy and Evanthe and Mithra were now sat on the picnic blanket having watched the entire thing. As the light returned to the surroundings once the detectives left, Mindy spoke up.

"Well that was... Something."

"I know right! That was like something I have read in one of my comics! ’The detectives come for Apollo, their main lead in a top secret investigation. Only to find him absent, his scary sister the one in his place. She is tough, but accidentally lets something slip through the cracks the detective clock onto later.’ Ah! This is going to be such an awesome inspo for my comic! I have to have a detective scene in the story now for sure!"

Althea turned to Evanthe hearing that. "You are writing a comic? Can I read it? I don’t remember the last time I read something for entertainment."

"Same, I’ve only been reading Psionic manuals and science books for years, I could do with reading something more fantastical." Mithra chimed in.

Evanthe began to blush hearing that. "Oh, I uh... I don’t know... it’s a little graphic. I’ve added..." She then whispered. "Naughty stuff."

Mindy then pulled Evanthe head into her lap and kissed her forehead. Her snake-like eyes gazing deeply into her friend’s vibrant greens. "Oh? Is it the same comic I saw when I entered your room the other day perchance? The one where the main character looks practically identical to Apollo? All naked and oiled with those big bulging muscles and-"

"-MINDY!" Evanthe screamed before her face turned fully red. But Mindy continued her attack as she began to slowly draw her hand across Evanthe’s arm.

"You know~ I have seen Apollo’s dick before. I even touched it. Grinded against it. It’s burned into my brain forever~ I could give you some... Pointers on how to draw it better, as you did not do it justice in that work in progress scene I saw."

"-Awawawah!" Evanthe short circuited for a moment. "But I drew it comically large, it can’t-" she panicky, but then Mithra blushed and looked away.

"I-I’ve seen it too. It’s..." She couldn’t finish her thoughts before her cheeks puffed out in embarrassment while her face also turned red.

"-Come on, let’s go back to yours. I’ll tell you all about it. Mindy said, pulling Evanthe. "Althea, Mithra. Are you coming?"

The two left on the picnic blanket looked between one another before standing up and running after them.

Out of curiosity, nothing more...