Case 1.02

Gino's car dangled in midair. Two huge black snakes lifted the front end, while two similar in built white snakes held the rear end in the air. All four wheels rotated pointlessly.

The sisters wore frocks and sandals which matched their hair color.

"Gino! Look here," The white haired girl called aloud. Even though her sweet voice reached his ears, he didn't respond to her. His dejected face rested on the steering wheel.

[Go straight 40 meters and take a Right onto route 7]

"Shut up," Gino turned off the navigation and the upbeat music.

"What did you do, Lix?," Glaring suspiciously, the black haired girl asked Lix, "I thought you understood what it meant by—no sexual activity during a case."

Lix glared back at the girl with black hair and then to her sister. Looking straight towards her car, she replied in her normal way, "I did no such thing. He is just having a wrong impression that I would."

Her answer didn't satisfy either of the sisters. They know that the last time Lix met him was a week ago, and there was no way she would not do anything, especially in a secluded spot like this.

Gino wasn't replying to their 'get down' calls. He was shut inside the car, hesitating to step down. Every time he looked to his right at Lix, she wore a smug grin. Feeling defeated even after winning, and definitely frightened by what could have happened, Gino wanted to make up his mind on how to face her.

"Did you kiss him?"

"On the lips? No" Lix answered honestly, "Frankly, he would not have escaped if that were the case."

This statement by Lix was believable to the sisters, because they could relate to this emotion of hers.

To and fro, the car swung as the sisters tried to force him out. Gino looked like he was at his limit already.

"So you were testing him? Did he pass?" The white hair girl asked after turning the car 90 degree right.

"Yes and No... Even though he covered his escape plan with unnecessary actions, I was able to spot out what he was about to do." Lix justified., "I don't think he is still ready."

The white-haired girl sighed, "Your boundaries are set too high for him, and also why do you think we are tagging along with him. It's our duty to make sure he is out of harm's way. I don't know about you, but I got his back and front both."

"But still..."

"And also we get to spend time with him, we just have to knock you out and wake you in two days after the case is done. Simple." The black haired girl interrupted Lix.

Turning her head towards the black-haired girl, Lix simply smiled, but in each and every way it looked like she was challenging her to do it.

"That's it, Stop!,"Gino ordered after lowering his window. The sudden burst of fresh air, relieving his nausea, he couldn't wait to get out of the car.

The sisters placed the car back on the ground and jogged towards the door where Gino greeted them.,"Hello again Fairy, Tale."

Their snake hands reverted to normal soft hands, and their eyes glimmered brightly even in the dim light of the basement. Standing in front of him, with a bright smile, they held each shoulder of Gino and pulled him gently out of the car.

Gino felt light-headed after the car came down to rest. Using the support of the sisters, he stood up and thanked them for it.

But, Lix was standing there in the same place and watched Gino as he constantly averted his eye from her., "You should massage his neck region a bit, he will soon feel better."

"Umm.. Okay." A normal-size snake came out from the back of both the sisters, and they intermingled, forming a black and white stool.

"I feel better now, let's just start with this case."

"Massage first." Lix declared, but she wasn't moving from her place. Gino looked at her suspiciously. She encouraged the sisters to give him a massage instead of doing it herself, which was highly unusual for her character, until she was onto something.

Nevertheless, Gino sat down on the stool, which was oddly comfier than a bar stool.

"Tale, can you get my case folder, it's on the front seat." The girl with white hair pulled Gino's jacket while her sister went to fetch his folder.

"Let's start with a warm-up, gently rub the base of his neck." Lix instructed Fairy with folded arms and a mischievous smile.

Fairy started to rub the base of his neck and shifted to the sides. He flinched as her fingers touched the hickey Lix gave him. It was at this moment that Gino realized what was Lix onto all this long.

"Lix!" Gino cried, making perfect eye contact with her. As he tried to stand up, white snakes latched onto his torso and fixed him to the stool. "Fairy, let's not do it now."

"What, What?" Tale returned with his folder and looked at where Fairy's finger rubbed.

"Nooo! I wanted to be the first." Tale dropped the folder and stood beside her sister, stretching his t-shirt. Now, small black snakes crawled onto his legs and tightened him to the stool. Lix was no longer within his sight, she stood against the other side of the car, leaving him alone with the irked sisters.

"Wait. If you really wanted, then why didn't you do it this morning?"

"It's because you wanted to look neat on your first day."

"And we respect your wishes." Fairy bent his neck, stretching his neck.

"Looks like this tall bitch got you first."

"I will just have to overwrite it."

"No, wait. It will hurt. Not there..."

.

A tall woman with black and red hair stood against her car with an unlit cigarette in her mouth. Every few moments, a young man's shrieks reached her ears, making her smile and annoyed at the same time.

"Well..., that was brutal." A woman's voice reached Lix's ears.

"He started it."

"Good Morning, Lix." A woman in a pale-blue shirt and jeans appeared from the darkness.

"Good Morning, Captain." Even though they exchanged greetings, they both sounded sarcastic, standing a safe distance away from each other.

"Is that you captain? Captain! Please save me."

"Just give me a minute, sweet-pie," She answered him in a sweet and caring tone, but it turned normal when she talked with Lix., "Did you find anything?"

"Not even a hair strand."

"Dammit!," The captain punched the pillar to her side.,"Just what the hell is she?"

"..."

"And what about the others?"

"They are still in hiding... We should have just killed them when we had the time." Lix said in a composed manner.

"He got a whiff yet?"

"No."

"Take a break now, someone else will take over."

"..." Lix dropped her unlit cigarette and stomped on it until it disintegrated into tiny bits.

Another yell from Gino struck their ears.

"Sweet-pie~ I am coming to save you." The Captain jumped in to save him, and Lix followed her.

.

"Thank You for saving me, Captain, I would have been more grateful if you were a bit earlier." An exhausted Gino stood between the sisters, who were chatting with each other. The elastic of his t-shirt reached its breaking point, making it unevenly sag until his lower chest and shoulders. Stinging fresh, reddish purple and blue bite marks spread all over his neck and shoulders. One spot in particular turned very dark and blue, which told a painful story in itself.

"A few officers came running to me complaining that a wild dog was let loose in this parking lot. And when I saw Lix here, I realized that they were talking about her." The captain mocked with her arms folded.

Completely ignoring the mockery directed towards her, Lix stretched her arm to touch that dark spot, but Gino swatted her hand like a fly.

"Does it hurt?"

"No, not at all" Gino replied sarcastically.,"Can we at least start now?".

The Captain came forward, opening the folder., "Hiris City Annual Science Exhibition, I guess you are heading there first."

"Yes, Captain." She handed the folder back to Gino.

"Well... Good Luck, Sweet-Pie~, I will be waiting for good news" she kissed him goodbye and turned her back towards the entrance.

"You forgot something, here, catch." Lix threw a golden badge towards the captain, which she caught and hid behind her back.

Even when tossed in the air, Gino realized that it was his 'REFFIE' police badge which was in his jacket pocket the last time he saw it.

"Hey! That's mine. Why did you take it?"

"Shall I tell him, or will you?"

The captain hesitated a bit but finally told the truth, "Actually, you see sweet-pie... I was a bit worried about you, so I bugged this badge with a GPS so that I can come to rescue you when you are in a pinch."

Gino wasn't as offended as he expected to be by her actions because he thought she had a point. She was just looking over him like you would on your loved ones. Even though he had Lix and the sisters by his side, it doesn't mean he won't get cornered, so, now he can always count on her when he is in a pinch.

"Please don't feel guilty, instead I want to thank you for that. Now, I can always count on you for back up."

"Huh? Then why would you throw ours?"

"Even we want to know your safe being." The sisters asked bitterly, tugging on his jacket sleeves.

"Yours... They were stabbing me."

"Liar" they said in unison with a pouted face.

Lix smirked, and this caught everyone's attention.,"Is that it, Captain?"

"Yes, that's it."

"You see, when I examined it a bit closer, I found two small holes. One on the eye of the bird and the other was at the back of the badge."

"... Oh! There is an emergency. I have got to go back." The captain fled along with his badge.

"Captain! My badge!." As Gino yelled after the fleeing captain, Lix slipped something into his pockets from behind.

He took it out and found it to be a police badge with the letters inscribed 'GINO' in it.

"It has my name. Is it legit?"

"Yup." She handed Gino the folder, which was dropped on the floor.,"You need no backup as long as I am with you."

"The same with me, too." The sisters pulled his sleeves, almost tearing them apart.

"Okay, Okay I get it. Now let's get inside." He steered them towards the car and sat beside Lix without wearing his seat belt this time. He gave her a "Not falling again to your cheap tricks look" when she told him to wear his seat belt.

The sisters were already sleeping soundlessly on top of each other behind them. Lix wore her sunglasses and gave Gino a matching new pair, "You actually look in these."

"Thanks."

As the car sped up towards Police Station's exit, something lay on the track stopping them abruptly.

It was a short-haired gray cat trying to break away from the metal chain that tied it together. There was an unusual red eye mark on it's forehead.