memearium | after vivarium

after vivarium

after vivarium!

It may have been weeks, months, or even years, but finally, everyone makes it out of the warehouse just fine. The authorities have broken in and let everyone out, or maybe the characters managed to escape on their own. Either way, Zero and Calhoun vanish without a trace and they still haven't been caught to this day. It's infuriating, but the important part is that they're now free. What exactly entrails after that ending though?

How to Play:
✖ Make a top-level comment, either blank or filled with some info/prose.
✖ Tag others, whether it's shortly after the escape or much later.
✖ Action, text, video, whatever, it's all good.
✖ Have multiple threads?
✖ Done!

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"Of course not! What do you take me for, a truant?" The truant said, returning the hug with a warm smile. "Here, let me help you with your... well, bag, I don't know how you travel so lightly."

He pulled back, still smiling. It was good to see Heiji, texting ridiculous nonsense and letters weren't always the same. "How on earth did you hear about this anyway? It's like you have some six sense for mystery and intrigue."

He grinned. "I check in with a bunch of newspapers, y'know. And since I got a friend or two in London, I kinda keep an eye out for news like this. So whattaya say? You got a place I can leave my stuff? We can get somethin' to eat and catch up a bit, too!"

That was Heiji... even curious about potential murder abroad...

"Fair enough- speaking of friends in London maybe you can help me with Clive while you're here, he's been bloody mental about his work lately. He needs a break." Cluck cluck cluck. Hershel started walking, the school was pretty close by and so was all the things they needed to start this adventure. He was game. "We can stop by my dorm and drop your things off, I doubt Clark would mind you staying for a bit. The professor's office is on the way, we might be able to get in and look around-"

Clearly someone is more all about this than he wanted to admit.

Heiji hid a smile behind his hand. "Yeah, sounds great! If he's in your room, maybe I could finally meet this Clark Triton fella."

He followed Hershel along, already thinking about the case, but... "Yeah, Clive's really consumed by the whole Zero thing, huh? I'm on the lookout for new evidence and so on, but at some point you gotta live your life, y'know? Can't let one bad thing take over everything."

"You'll like him, he's rather eccentric. Like you." Was that a compliment, it's hard to tell...

London streets were pretty busy this time of day, so Hershel tried to be quick as he kept close. People bumping into you didn't make for the best serious conversation atmosphere but what could you do. "I agree, I understand dedicating time to it but he's rather obsessed, at least from what I can tell. I so rarely get to see him it's hard to say." He sighed. "Seeing you will do him good, I think."

He whistled low. "Check out all these people millin' around, it's like during the Gion Festival!" No one would ever convince Heiji that cities should have this many people, no one.

"We should kidnap Clive and make him take a break, then! He's so bad about replyin' to texts, but I do still keep him up on developments when I hear about 'em. Anyway, tell me about this disappeared professor! I heard he did it just before he was about to go on a trip out to the field..."

You live in Japan, Heiji, aren't cities just people central all day long. "Ah yes, it's around this time people usually take a break for tea or the like. The streets tend to get a little crowded."

"Well, he might be interested in something like this, even he can't deny a good mystery." Bribing Clive out of his overworking with puzzles and mysteries? Absolutely. He would stoop to that. Also cue the 'explaining the mystery so far' Layton music. "His name's Dr. Schrader, he's a rather eccentric addition to the faculty. He spends quite a bit of time studying things of folklore and myth, I suppose you could call it a pet project of his."

He frowned. "He was supposed to sponsor a dig soon out in the Mediterranean, but no one's seen or heard from him in almost four days now. The Yard was even poking around." He glanced to Heiji with a serious expression. "The strange thing about it though is his office. That's where he was last seen, and it was completely locked from the inside, both the window and a bolt on the door. No one can figure out how he managed to get out."

There are levels of crowdedness in cities, okay!!

Heiji listened to Hershel's story with interest. "And I'm assumin' he didn't let anyone in on any plans to skip out on this trip, huh? You know where his office is? Has it been closed off as a crime scene? I'd say you're right that this is something Clive'd be interested in."

Heiji you country bumpkin....

"Not that I'm aware of. It's all been pretty hush hush since the beginning, I've asked around but mostly I've only heard idle gossip." And he glanced to the side. Then up. Then to Heiji. "Ah, well, I mean there's no crimescene tape the last time I've seen it, so I think it wouldn't really be out of the question for us to assume it isn't a crimescene." Look at this. Look at this. What's become of him. He's becoming an actual adventurer this is terrible. "I can show you, his office isn't hard to find."

Wow. Wow. Was it his fault he came from a smaller city? No, because London was a terrible smog-filled hole in the ground filled with kidnappings and robots.

A smile lit up Heiji's face, and he got that same old glint in his eye -- the one he always got when faced with a puzzle back at the warehouse. "Then I'm sure no one'd mind if we took a look around. Maybe swept up the place a bit. I mean, professors are busy; they don't have a lot of time to fuss around and clean up their papers."

Look the robots aren't all the time, just... sometimes. Like once a month maybe.

Hershel had to glance away so not to give away his amusement at seeing that expression again. Just like old times. "Absolutely. It's not as though the offices aren't public during school hours." He answered, further ruining himself forever. "Just a quick peek certainly wouldn't hurt."

"Right?" asked Heiji, god there was so much mischief in that smile. He followed right along with Hershel, strolling through the campus like he was a student there in his own right. They bluffed their way right on through to the hallway with the professor's office, it must have been because Hershel had such a trustworthy face and soulful, beady eyes.

Heiji nonchalantly slid over to the door with Dr. Schrader's name on it and tried the doorknob. It didn't open. "Hmm, it's locked. But I don't see any bolt from the inside, so -- "

"Can I help you gentlemen?" asked a voice from behind them. It was a bespectacled woman, neatly dressed and looking rather cross.

Or maybe because Heiji managed to seem like he belonged there through sheer willpower alone. What a team.

"They had to break it to get in, it's possible that they had the whole thing removed." Hershel mused, jumping a little when they were caught. He turned, trying not to look nervous. Confrontation and lies, not his strong suit.

"Ah, hello, our apologies." He started, unsure of how to approach this. He didn't really want to lie, so he rubbed the side of his neck. "I'm a student here in the archeology program, this is Dr. Schrader's office, isn't it?" No lie there are least??

"Hi there, ma'am, maybe you can help us," said Heiji, flashing her a brilliant smile. "We're both students, actually, and we're really worried about Dr. Schrader! He hasn't been coming to class and the other professors we ask seem worried about him, too."

He lowered his voice conspiratorially. "I heard they even broke his door down. D'you think he's in some kind of... trouble?"

At the mention of one of the university's most eminent archaeology professors being tied up in some sort of trouble, the woman looked mildly horrified. Good gracious, even a whiff of scandal would be just untoward.

"I assure you that is not the case, young man! They did not break the door down, they broke it in... er, because they were a bit concerned, that's all. Why, if they'd suspected anything unsavory, they would have blocked off the corridor, wouldn't they?" She produced a key and swiftly unlocked the door, opening it a bit so the inside was visible. "You see? Nothing out of place."

Heiji swept in uninvited the instant the door was unlocked, even more cheerful than before. "Hey, you're right! It's just like the professor left it! Although it looks like they broke the latch when they busted in, of course."

He glanced over at the wall beside the door, where several pictures were hanging on the wall. They depicted photos of Schrader on different field expeditions.

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