If Crossbill has someone in mind, who are you to step in her way? That’s not best friend behavior. You don’t block your partner’s smooth moves.

“Go ahead and call this dude, bestie.” You’ll let her figure this out. You gotta clean some dishes!

“Right! Uff, it’s been a while since we talked.” Crossbill stretches as she pulls out her phone. You wonder if she has his number memorized...

“Who are you calling exactly?” Vortexia wants to know more.

“A kid named Rodney, he used to cause trouble because he thought he was smarter than everyone else. The type who brings chaos thinking it’s just because, but carries a lot of baggage. They dragged his rear to do community service, and one week under my wing is all it took for him to change paths. He’s always boasting about being street smart, so if he has no idea, at least I can tease him about this.” Crossbill sounds fond of the guy. That’s Kangaroo Man’s name…

“Sounds a little like you.” You cough.

“You caught onto that, didn’t ya?” Crossbill doesn’t deny it. “The big difference is that I always knew who to blame. Not all kids get to that, and end up hating everyone around ‘em.”

“...You’re right.” Vortexia feels identified with this tale too. You’re a bunch of angry people, huh?

“I’m calling the kid!” Crossbill is putting the speaker on. “Hey, Roonie! It’s me! How is it going?”

“Summers? You’re out of jail?” That’s Rodney’s voice! He’s the one you were thinking about.

“Got bored and left. Can’t say it was *that* easy.” Crossbill grins.

“I-It’s 5:30 in the morning. D-Did you just escape...? Do you need a ride?” Rodney is going through a sea of emotions.

“What I need is info. You kept tabs on the mafia, right?” Crossbill gets directly to the point.

“They’re the Youhao Clan now. And yes, even after the party collapsed, I kept an eye on them.” Rodney sounds relieved now as it doesn’t sound like his buddy is in trouble.

“Tell me about the Top Brass. I need to know about the number 1 Titan, I’m planning a hit to send a message.” Crossbill says.