Flexible Thinking for a Modern Life: Chapter 25

Summary: A commission series for Alfalfa. Iris Fleurs, the stretchy daughter of a slime mother and a human father, tries to live her best life and feel comfortable in her own skin. Teenage rebellion ensues.

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Flexible Thinking for a Modern Life

CHAPTER 25

"Ah, sheesh... you take your eyes off her for one second and she's already gone."

Sarah and Miguel had spent another thirty minutes frantically searching for Iris after their impromptu chase sequence. They searched high and low; they asked anyone within reach if they'd seen her. But there was nothing for it. She had more or less vanished like a ghost. Her two friends reconvened near the construction site, with weary looks on their faces.

"You'd think someone would've spotted a ropey-limbed girl swinging off to who-knows where..." Miguel rubbed his forehead.

"...Something weird is going on." Sarah muttered, folding her arms. "Iris isn't the sort to go and commit petty crime."

"You say that, but... we saw her, clear as day." Miguel turned to Sarah. "Why's she getting up in larceny all of a sudden?"

"Dunno. Maybe it's practice for a bank heist?" Sarah grimaced. "That's generally how these things go. You go from stealing ring candy from the grocery, and graduate to the royal jewels."

"That... you're thinking of gateway drugs." Miguel corrected her.

"Either way. Something's up." Sarah turned to Miguel. "Let's think. The last time we saw her was..."

"Hey!! Um, Miguel? Sarah?"

A familiar voice cried out, the pittering of small, hurried footsteps along the sidewalk alerted Sarah and Miquel to a newcomer. They recognized her rather quickly: it was Debbie.

"Hey, Debbie!" Miguel waved to her. "What's shakin'?"

"Were you looking for us?" Sarah blinked, with a quizzical tilt of her head.

"I saw you guys out in the open." Debbie slowed to a halt in front of them. "I wasn't following you guys or anything..."

"Nah, we get it." Miguel shrugged. "Lotta students out and about today. Weekend's almost over..."

"Have either of you seen Iris?" Debbie asked, a pair of worried eyes glancing between them. "I haven't seen her at school, or around the neighbourhood..."

Miguel and Sarah exchanged glances with one another. A pained expression on their faces told Debbie everything she needed to hear.

"...Just missed her, actually." Miguel folded his arms.

"What!? Really??" Debbie leaned forward. "Wh-Where'd she go!?"

"That's what we'd like to know." Sarah's eyebrows furrowed in consternation. "We caught her robbing a convenience store, and chased her around the block. But she got the slip on us."

"Man... what's possessing that girl lately!?" Miguel exclaimed, running a hand through his hair in exasperation. "Why's she ghosting us like this? We're supposed to be best buds, right?"

"...I thought so, at least." Sarah's stoic expression turned sour.

"Wait, she robbed a store?" Debbie blinked. "But... she's a hero. She saves people... I was there when she saved that man from the fire!"

"...Wait. Waaaaait a sec." Miguel raised his finger. "That was after school. Were you guys together?"

"...ah, yes." Debbie's hands crossed in front of her, tensing up like she was about to be interrogated. "I-Is that strange?"

"Well... the last time we saw Iris was just before morning classes." Sarah explained. "She... she was acting strange that morning."

"Strange's an understatement..." Miguel shook his head. "She put Sherry in a damn stranglehold for everyone to see."

"It's probably why she was called to the office later." Sarah lowered her head. "I figured they sent her home, but her mom was at the office today. She doesn't know anything either."

"...I-I didn't realize it was that desperate." Debbie blinked, flashing a pained grimace. "She just swung by my bakery after school. Sh-she caught me in the middle of a shift, and volunteered to help me with a big order. She didn't have to do any of that, but... she really wanted to lend a hand, a-and I was the only one in the kitchen."

"...That's interesting." Sarah rubbed her chin.

"No kiddin'. Don't you need a license or something to work in a bakery like that?" Miguel rubbed the back of his head.

"No no, just... Debbie might've been the last person to see Iris." Sarah turned back to her. "And you were there when she was all over the news, right?"

"Y-Yeah, but I tried to stay out of her way then." Debbie hugged herself. "She was still helping me with the delivery, but she bailed when we approached the school."

Debbie paused, and then amended her testimony quickly. "I-I forgot to mention, the delivery was for the school we go to."

"...Probably avoiding her dad." Sarah realized. "He was supposed to pick her up, right?"

"So she's been avoiding going home for a while..." Miguel wondered. "But where's she been going all this time?"

"...Um..." Debbie grimaced, her eyes drifting between the two.

"...I have one idea. There's this... strange warehouse. I've seen Iris going in and out of it." Debbie raised her head, a look of realization reflecting in her eyes as she recalled.

"A warehouse?" Sarah blinked.

"That's it! That could be just what we're looking for!" Miguel beamed. He leaned forward, looking directly into Debbie's eyes; the skittish girl had to back up a step.

"You gotta take us there, Debbie! You remember where it is, right?" Miguel begged her.

"O-Of course, I didn't forget!" Debbie glanced between the two. "You guys think she's hiding there?"

"We didn't even know she was hiding out in a warehouse to begin with." Sarah explained. "Please, we have to see for ourselves. She might've slipped back when we lost sight of her."

"...O-Okay. I understand." Debbie nodded. "It's not too far from here, actually..."

Debbie motioned for them to follow her. They had to keep to the alleyways, weaving between buildings. True to Debbie's work, it was only a fifteen minute walk from the construction site to the warehouse.

"...It looks secure." Sarah noted. She glanced to Debbie; she was looking around anxiously, staying close to the other two.

"Debbie? Is something wrong?" Sarah tilted her head.

"N-Nothing, nothing." Debbie stuttered with a curt shake of her head. "It's just... a man tried to... p-put the moves on me, I think. I-Is that what they say? I'm not used to it."

"Figures there'd be creeps in a place like this. You guys think Iris could set up shop in a place like this?" Miguel looked over the dilapidated building. "We oughta get a good look ourselves!"

"There's a giant padlock on the front door." Sarah noted. "And all the windows are barred..."

"Sheesh, is this a warehouse, or a prison...?" Miguel rubbed the back of his head. "How's anyone supposed to get in?"

"Um... I-Iris was using the, the ventilation systems." Debbie pointed out one of the grates hovering above the shutter door.

"...That tiny thing? She can fit?" Miguel blurted out.

The other two girls glanced over to Miguel with a look of befuddled astonishment. Miguel staggered back.

"...Actually, yeah... of course she'd be able to." Miguel admitted with a sight. "So what do we do from here? Even if we gave Sarah a boost, I couldn't fit in there... none of us could."

"Th-This looks like the kind of place where a gang would hang out too..." Debbie muttered quietly. "W-We shouldn't go barging in, w-we might get in trouble."

"Alright. Go tell the police about this." Sarah hunkered down behind some trash cans. "I'm staging a lookout."

"What?? Seriously??" Miguel's eyes widened, staring bug-eyed at Sarah. "But what if you get spotted??"

"I'm gonna sit right here. If anyone goes in or comes out, I know. And if it puts me face to face, with Iris, well..." Sarah's eyes narrowed towards the warehouse. "I think she kinda deserves what's coming to her, at this rate."

Miguel stared at Sarah's quietly-burning fury, borne of a desire to protect her friend. He grianced, and plopped right down next to her.

"Sheesh... when you get talking like that, I get paranoid you're about to do something dicey." Miguel shook his head. "Might as well stay right here and make sure you don't get waaaaaaay in over your head."

"...Thanks buddy." Sarah smiled slightly, before turning to Debbie. "We'll be fine. We're not planning to do anything dangerous. Just get in touch with the police, alright?"

"...Not a lot of people plan on doing dangerous things..." Debbie frowned. Her concern was palpable. "Just be safe, okay you two?"

"We'll manage." Sarah nodded.

"Just stick to the main roads, okay? These alleyways are real leery." Miguel glanced around.

With an agreement, Debbie was on her way, and the stakeout began in earnest.

"...How long do you reckon we'll be here?" Miguel wondered.

"'Til nightfall, at least. They probably won't do any crazy shit in broad daylight." Sarah replied, her eyes unmoving from the warehouse.

"...My ass is gonna hurt by then..." Miguel grimaced.

"I know." Sarah replied, her voice monotone and decidedly uninterested.

---

"Alright, boys and girls! Gather round, it's time I elocute you on the intricacies of my delightfully devilish plan!~"

Kamika stood at the forefront, hollering for everyone's attention. Double Double stood at attention like the perfect little teacher's pet he was; Toil and Trouble gave each other knowing glances.

"'Boys and girls'?" Trouble wondered aloud. "We're all guys, except for the one girl."

"Yeaaaaah, strikes me as a bit patronizing." Toil muttered.

"This is our moment of triumph," Double Double turned to them. "I bequeath that you pay attention, this seminar could make or break our operation."

"Exactly!" Kamika pointed to Double Double. "This is why Double Double earns the big bucks and the rest of you get stuck with entry level contracts!"

"...What? Does that mean we get paid?" Trouble's eyes lit up.

"This seems like we got screwed." Trouble's eyes narrowed. "I want an arbitrator..."

"Shut up, indentured servants, we got a prep talk to do." Kamika leered. "Iris! You're paying attention, right!?"

"...Yeah." Iris muttered, leaning off a wall to the side. She didn't look all too enthused about this mission.

"...Tch. You could at least pretend to be excited." Kamika muttered under her breath. "Double! What'd you find out!? Report!"

Double Double bowed, stepping to the front.

"The Mistress sent me to investigate the central water treatment facility of Agnes. It's the heart of the city's plumbing infrastructure, and it pumps water to residential, commercial, and industrial districts alike. On my reconnaissance mission, I searched for any vulnerabilities in the facility. Naturally, the facility employs an experienced security firm for overnight watch."

Double Double drew a set of building blueprints, unfurling them as if reading from a scroll.

"I marked their patrol routes, the optimal points of access, where security cameras are located, as well as their blindspots. I even tracked down a car we could use to penetrate their parking complex and access the facility from within, but..."

Double's mouth flattened, and he tilted his head forward.

"...There's actually a much easier route scaling the building from the outside. Because we have wings, so we can just... fly up." Double sighed, tossing the blueprints aside.

"Well. Capital investigative work, Double." Kamika's eyebrow perked up. "Your hard work will not be wasted."

"I dunno, it sounds like he already wasted a ton of time and effort." Toil smirked.

"Yeah! I can't believe he's dumber than us! And we're pretty dumb!" Trouble guffawed.

"ANYWAY! The gargoyles are gonna work together to haul the barrel up the side of the building." Kamika leered over the small creatures. "I'm sure the three of you will carry yourselves, and the barrel, with dignity, yes??"

"..." Double glanced towards the other two with trepidation, and then back to Kamika. "...I-I'll try my best, Mistress."

"See? We're the best, so of course, we get the most important job." Toil puffed his chest out.

"Can't believe I have to work with you again." Trouble glanced aside. "You're gonna find new and exciting ways to mess everything up, I bet."

"Ohhhhh, for your sake, I hope you don't." Kamika hissed, leaning forward. Her tail wagged back and forth with quiet fury. "If so much of a drop of those pheromones hits the pavement, I'm gonna run each and every one of you through the fiiiiiine mesh that filters the water's impurities, capiche??"

The gargoyles stood at attention, their faces growing pale. Kamika smirked, satisfied that her grisly message had set in properly.

"...I'm glad we understand each other." Kamika backed off. "So the gargoyles will deliver the payload. Now, according to Double Double, the top of the filtration building is our best way in. It's about six storeys tall, but there's an opening at the very top. The only security from there is a nasty padlock..."

"A padlock?" Iris tilted her head up. "I guess you want me to deal with that, but... is that it?"

"It is no ordinary lock," Double Double clarified. "It's a heavy-duty lock, able to withstand over three tons of force. It can't be overpowered... only circumvented."

"...So you want me to pick it." Iris rubbed her shoulder. "...Alright. At least I don't have to punch any guards out..."

"Don't stress your little heart out. It'll be a breeze for a seasoned pro like you~" Kamika sauntered over, patting Iris enthusiastically on the shoulder. Iris cringed slightly with the physical contact, but couldn't muster the strength to say anything in response.

"Now get ready! When we're done tonight, the whole of Agnes will be like putty in my hands!"

---

Debbie hurried out onto the main roads, hurrying as quickly as her legs could take her. She glanced around the alleyways, eyeing the shadows with an anxious look. She feared that something could jump out at her from the shadows at any time.

But nothing came. This was unlike her earlier experience stumbling into the warehouse. Perhaps there was a more sinister force at work; Debbie's heart skipped a beat, her worry for Iris spiking all at once.

Debbie frantically searched up and down the roads. She never had a need to contact the police before. She didn't even know where the nearest station was. She ended up having to hit up some pedestrians to point her in the right direction; Debbie was putting even more pressure on herself to get help in a timely manner, when everyone else was potentially putting themselves in danger.

Eventually, she found her way to a station proper. The place was buzzing; there were officers running all over the place. Debbie stopped to take a look around, trying to figure out where to start.

There was an officer running the reception. Debbie zeroed in on them and hurried forward.

"Hi, hi, hello!" Debbie nearly flipped over the countertop, the way she ran into it. She clasped the sides, breathlessly trying to muster the right words. "I-I need to report something! Iris Fleurs?? I know where she is!!"

"Whoa, easy girl, slow down!" The weary looking man behind the counter addressed her. "You wanna file a police report? Did you bring ID?"

"I-I just need to talk to someone! She's missing, and it's urgent!"

"I'm gonna need you to calm down, miss." The police officer fished around for a blank form, sliding it across the desk. "Take a seat over there, fill it out real quick, take some deeeeeeep breaths, and bring it back. I'll grab an officer to see you when you're done with this, okay?"

"...I... okay." Debbie deflated slightly. She thought she had impressed the urgency of the situation, but the police officer was calm. Cool to a fault, even. Clutching the form against her chest, Debbie slunked off to the nearest seats.

"...E-Excuse me. You know where Iris is...?"

Debbie raised her head. She understood she was being addressed, but...

"Ah!"

Debbie jumped slightly at the strange visage of Celes' purple skin. Her husband sat next to her, a hand resting in her lap as if to ease her worry. The longer Debbie stared, the more she saw Celes' features stand out. She really wore an expression of dread and despair... not far removed from Debbie.

The girl grimaced. She raised a hand to adjust her glasses, and nodded.

"...She visited my parent's bakery. She was helping me with a delivery and... and I-I was there when she... saved that man, from a burning building."

"..." Celes looked to Sier silently, and then back to Debbie. A weak smile crept across her lips.

"She can't help herself from helping others..." Celes replied. There was some relief in her voice.

"I-If you have any idea where she is now, we... we need to find her." Sier leaned forward. "She hasn't been home in days. The last I saw her was at..."

"The greenhouse." Celes interrupted him. "She... she was taking something important to her father. My husband, Sier." Celes reached over to take his hand. "...And I'm her mother. Celes."

"Aah... I'm Debbie." Debbie kept the introductions brief. "Iris and I, we're... friends. I'd say. I'm here to make a police report. There's a warehouse downtown, near Casino Street, I've seen Iris going in and out of there."

"A warehouse??" Celes' eyes widened. She clutched Sier's car. "Th-Then we need to go get her! Right now!"

"W-Wait, honey, no, we should talk to the police first. They could send an officer and make sure she's okay. You know how it gets in that part of town."

"B-But... that's even more reason we need to make sure she's okay. A-and there's all this damn red tape here..."

Celes was on the verge of tears. Sier had to do everything to help her nerves. He leaned over, holding her close as she pet her back.

"Shshsh... it's okay honey. They'll see us soon, they promised."

Sier turned to Debbie, who had been listening to their doting interactions for some time now.

"You seem like a sweet young lady." Sier smiled. "I wish we got to meet under... better circumstances."

"I don't know what's coming over that girl." Celes frowned. "She always spoke her mind, but she never acted out like this. B-But no one at school would talk straight with me, nobody saw her leave the school! Did anything change...?"

Celes hugged herself, trembling. "If the police can't help... I don't know what to do."

Debbie frowned. She wanted to help this grieving couple however they could. They were the ones worried the most for Iris' wellbeing.

Debbie wondered. Sier's undirected question got her thinking. Did something happen at school?

"...Actually... she was really close to this new substitute teacher." Debbie recollected. Now she had the parents' attention.

"...A substitute teacher?" Sier queried. "Who?"

"Miss Monroe. C-Cassandra Monroe, I think..." Debbie tried to recall. "S-She was insistent on being called Cassie. She was the sex-ed teacher, and... I-I think she flirted with half of the men working at the school. A-and a bunch of the women too..."

"...Miss Monroe..." Celes parrotted. "Miss Monroe... oh goddess. Oh goddess."

Celes' head jerked up, her eyes wide with a nasty realization. She leaned forward, her hair tendrils flailing anxiously.

"Are you sure that's right? A sex-ed teacher named Miss Monroe??" Celes grabbed Debbie's shoulder, bringing her close.

Debbie stirred under Celes' tight grip. Debbie was trembling, and she wasn't sure why; perhaps Celes' concern was infectious.

"Yes, I'm... I'm sure of it. Do... do you know her?" Debbie blinked.

Celes backed off, relaxing her grip. She stared forward, trying to process everything.

"This... this changes everything. Our baby girl. Sier." Celes was mumbling anxious to herself, clutching her head.

"Celes!? What'd you figure out? Please, take deep breaths!" Sier leaned over again, trying to comfort his hyperventilating wife.

"Sier, it's... it's Kamika." Celes raised her head. "She... she's got our baby girl!"

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