[ honestly, yuwon tended perform best when there was a clear plan instated. hence, he's probably been spending more time awkwardly considering the possibilities than actually moving his feet to meet her. that said, he actually did think he saw her, albeit from a clear distance away.
as if to make sure, he texts her back right away. ] What are you wearing? [ 🧍♂️ ]
[ oh, right. they can't take selfies with their oculars. sadge... ]
Blue dress. And my hair's in this weird hairdo?
[ it's not so hard to spot ishmael in the crowd in that aforementioned blue dress of hers, but her bright orange hair that's done up in a simple hair bow like this one does set her apart from the rest - more so than usual, anyway. tfw i keep linking refs, sorry bijou.
even from a distance, she's clearly frowning as she sends him another text, her eyes lighting up while doing so. ]
Come on, let's get this over with. I feel weird just being here by myself...
[ he wants to point out that "weird hairdo" isn't really a description for anything, but dw i am also going to link a ref and pray no one realizes it's from a bl. well, maybe it works out that the second outfit he has uploaded (or that he had to buy since he failed his first attempt at weaseling his way into this establishment) is also blue. he isn't much of a guy for colors, but he can't help but think it worked out today.
when he sees her, he texts back: ] Since you're the main character today, you should have showed up later. [ he says while he appears in front of her. per usual, he just seems to hold his hand out to her, as if it were natural to. ]
ishmael blinks at the text, then at yuwon who had seemingly materialized in front of her with his hand already extended towards her. ]
I have no idea what you're talking about.
[ she says, almost deadpan, before taking his hand like she usually does. little does she know that this isn't the first time yuwon has to view her as his wife, but tbh the less she knows about that the better. ]
Okay, just to make sure we're on the same page - you already know our roles, yes?
she really doesn't give him a break, huh? instead, he gives a small exhale as his lips quirk slightly, but he brushes it off as with anything. instead, he focuses on the details of their mission. unlike before, he decides sticking to their cover would be imperative to their objective, and so he gives a firm nod and a light squeeze of her fingers as he holds her hand. ] You're my wife. [ he says this casually and without real pause. ]
It's not so hard. [ says yuwon who had already failed once. ] Right?
[ saying that with so much finality in his voice, adding the part where it's not so hard... ishmael can't help but think if he's done this before. not just with any other people, but with her in particular. she can never risk telling anyone about mirror worlds without risking her NDA but there's a possibility that yuwon might know these aus and is using them to his advantage?
or maybe he's just really passionate about redheads. or ishmael in particular. who knows. ]
...Right. [ why are her dates tonight so fucking weird ] With that out of the way, let's go.
[ and so they do, hand in hand. the bouncer asks for their names, and ishmael provides details before the bouncer relents, letting them inside. ]
[ sometimes ignorance is truly bliss. considering that yuwon is doing his due diligence in keeping his previous blunders in check— he does his best not to arouse suspicion. ... except, apparently he's not doing such a great job. or that's what his intuition is telling him. hence, he's also relieved when she says they should go.
his expression seems to relax a bit at that. honestly, this is the least amount of talking required on his end. wtf, was it supposed to be that easy. he almost wants to say this, but instead, he keeps it to their roles. sort of. ] Don't you think the bouncer gave in too easily? [ ...
but, he doesn't want to think about that either. almost as if correcting his words, he adds: ] Well, I guess it's only natural since we really are that close. [ looks up... it's half a joke (this is why he's really not funny) but, he seems to be saying this precisely because there seems to be eyes everywhere. ]
[ ishmael's lips part as if to counter him, but she promptly drops it. he's right, somewhat. they are pretty close, and holding hands with yuwon is practically second nature to her now. she feels... comfy, with him, and it's a very strange thing to admit. nothing is comfy where she's from, after all.
regardless, they walk further into the establishment. ]
Do you... think so? [ a small smile graces her lips. ] I guess we achieved the easy part of this mission. Now for the hard part.
[ just going to pull up the map with her oculars. let's see... ]
The hybrids are backstage. Do you want to check them now or do you want to wait till the auction?
[ the aftermath of the wife debacle somehow makes him feel more sensitive to her emotions. the small smile she displays, gets a small pause from him. mostly, he's surprised. ishmael's honesty always had a way of catching him off-guard. people in the tower tended to hide their emotions or put on fronts, and considering that the city she hailed from didn't seem any less severe...
it's kind of a marvel she manages to be so genuine somehow. though, he thought of this when she saved him as well. though, the thought doesn't last long as he also pulls back the mission debrief. he puts a hum of consideration before: ]
It might be good to see what we're working with first. [ he looks around, making sure no one is in close enough proximity to them. he then sends her a message. ] Wife, we may not be able to see the final product until the actual auction, but maybe we could see where they keep the others. [ ... and with that, he tilts his head to an opening where they could through.
it had the least amount of bodies, too. less people to finesse, the better.
[ she's going to point that out too, lmao. she's always spoken her mind even before the revelations at the great lake back home, but now she doesn't have the patience to hide her true feelings on the current matter anymore. everyone has no choice but to put up with it now.
although, what she can't wrap her feelings around is how yuwon's been treating her lately. he was so affectionate last month, attending to her beck and call, and now he's doing the same thing here. is he also taking advantage of their roles to get closer? they can't be any closer than they already are.
but regardless, she gives him a nod and follows him backstage to peek around a corner. there are mooks guarding a hall full of doors - no doubt hiding the hybrids behind them. ]
[ there's obviously a disconnect somewhere. in his head, that is. but, he purposely tries to move past that with a small: ] ... You really don't let anything go, do you? [ which isn't an actual answer. he's sure they both realize then, and yet he clearly commits to the response anyway.
that said, the less she thinks of it, the easier it was for him to simply skate on by, too. which is entirely his intention here as he then focuses back on their mission. he looks back at her and gives a small shrug. ] I could, or I could do this. [ with that, he activates the crystal in his glove and for a moment, he just disappears. it's not like he's entirely gone, but he's definitely harder to detect.
with little additional prompting, he moves ahead. he makes quick work of knocking out the guards; appearing behind them and striking the back of their heads. though, he may have put more strength than needed. at least they won't be getting up anytime soon. with that taken care of, he sends another: ]
[ just saying that she has a name, is all....... but she's going to drop that for now. lives of hybrid kaiju are at stake here, and the faster they wrap up this mission, the sooner they can get back to the base and free themselves from this weird act they're forced to put on. ]
--Huh?
[ yuwon suddenly disappears from view, and ishmael turns around to find that the guards manning the door are being knocked out one by one with yuwon dipping in and out of her sight until everyone else has collapsed on the floor.
blinkblink. she half-runs down the hall, holding up her skirt of her dress until she meets up with him once more. hold on, let her catch her breath. ]
...Wow. Good job. Looks like I might not even need this after all.
[ she hikes her skirt further up to reveal a gun strapped to her thigh, which she takes out of her holster anyway. ]
[ he supposes it's fortunate no one here seems to have the ability to read through stealth skills. or at least, none of the guards did. when ishmael catches up to his position, he looks at her legs, before turning his gaze slightly. ] If I didn't know you, I'd think that was sarcasm. [ he knows it's not, but he responds with it all the same, as if that were easier for him to brush off than to acknowledge it as being genuine praise.
but, it's good she came prepared. when she takes it out of the holster, he seems to give a curt nod. as if agreeing that there could be more issues behind the doors. just that, he opens the closest door, which he opens and it just lead into another lounge room, albeit emptied. he closes it, before trying the next. ]
[ maybe he's bad at taking compliments too? because he's not the only one. even ishmael had to be strongarmed into adapting to it.
anyway! she'll drop that for now and inspect the doors that yuwon hasn't reached yet. it's almost comical seeing these two check out door after door only to find them a dead end -- except the last door at the very end of the hall, which is locked behind a card key. ]
Hold on, I've got this. [ she stoops down to the nearest K.O'd guard and frisk through his clothing until she fishes out a single card key from his pocket. there we go. ] Cover me.
[ she swipes the card key through the door lock and turns the knob. they hit the jackpot - the room is full of various hybrids in cages, some behind bars, and some inside aquariums. ishmael quickly walks in and of course zooms in towards the aquatic mutants in particular. ]
[ that actually isn't inaccurate. good will, regardless of the form it takes, isn't something yuwon was accustomed to receiving. in the same vein, maybe that's also why he had a difficult time coming to terms with the fact that ishmael herself had helped him on a number of occasions...
hence, he's glad to simply let the topic die down. especially, as she asks him to cover her back. he keeps a steady gaze over their surroundings as he hears the door click. just like that, it seems all their searching is finally done with.
it's kind of impressive how they've somehow classed and sorted through all these creatures. his eyes scan over the cages and later down the line what appears to be fortified glass. he turns towards what appears to be a colony of penguins the size of ones fingernail next to what appears to be a large tortoise with wings. ] Are people really buying these... [ a pause, before he speaks. ] Keep your distance in case.
They could have strange abilities. [ ... and who knows how they've kept them in check. ]
[ and she'll know when to defend herself if the going gets tough from here. hopefully there wouldn't be any need to suppress any of these creatures with how safe and secure they are in the cages so far. ]
Some of these even look like Abnormalities if you squint...
[ sorry, she's mumbling now. she blinks rapidly, taking one picture after another with her oculars as she hums thoughtfully from cage to cage until she ends up at yuwon's side again. she looks up at him. ]
What do we do now? Do we notify LILITH that we've found them, or do we crash the party ourselves? [ it's yuwon's call from here. they'd worked hard and well as a team, but who knows if their assistance is still needed now that they've successfully infiltrated the right room. ] Either way, it looks like we won't have to fake our relationship any longer than this. So much for being your wife for tonight...
Do they? [ he asks cautiously, his eyes peering from creature to creature. it's clear they're fairly close to reaching as much of a conclusion as they can for the night. he doesn't look up at her instantly when she speaks. almost as if he were deliberating on their next step, his eyes instead settling on the unique creatures on the other side of the glass. ]
What do you say to both? [ to notify them, but also take the appropriate steps to crash. he figures that way LILITH could deal with the pesky aftermath. from his own conjectures, he presumes they were prepared to do that much when they assigned them this mission, though... at the wife part, he does give the tiniest hint of a smile. ]
You say that as if you weren't waiting for it to end. [ naturally, it's his own version at attempting to derail the fact from his actual thoughts. but, to be honest, he didn't exactly dislike the present bond they shared. as fellow outsiders. yuwon had never took an affiliation seriously, or rather, he was against them on principle...
but, if there were people who could shift his view on them... ]
Both? [ she mulls it over, then shakes her head. ] No time. Besides, we aren't the only ones infiltrating this place. May as well pass the baton onto them.
[ she's sure that the others are good at crashing the party on their own. their job is more or less over here if she allows it, and honestly, the sooner she gets out of here the better. it's... bringing back certain memories. ]
And frankly, I can't wait to get out of this get-up. [ she heaves a sigh. ] I'm... not used to dressing up like this. It's hard to take down mooks with heels, you know.
[ no time. well, that's not entirely wrong. it'd be a lot easier if they were simply razing the entire establishment to the ground, but he comprehends that's probably not the way they wanted this done. retrieving the hybrids probably came first and foremost. ] Fine. I have to admit, it feels weird leaving it like this.
[ he was so accustomed to handling mattes himself that he genuinely seems perplexed at the idea of leaving it to the other outsiders. though, logically, it made complete sense. he also gets the sense that the heels were probably a very real problem.
he looks towards her before bending down momentarily. ] I can carry you. [ he does look to the heels and gives a curt nod, the idea of them obviously not clicking to anything in particular in his head. ] Or I can break them.
I'd rather not take on any more unnecessary work. Let's just leave this to the rest.
[ she's already pinged other LILITH staff to start raiding the area, so it's only a matter of time before the place gets stormed. they'd better get out of here and fast, and to do that--
well. she blinks at yuwon bending down, as if ready to lift and carry her out of here until she hears that other choice. um. ]
Y-You don't have to break them, trust me. [ here, she's taking off her heels and... hmmm. ] So how do you want to go about this? I don't like being carried like a sack of potatoes, but if you don't have much of a choice...
[ the word "unnecessary" isn't exactly incorrect. it's true their mission didn't dictate seeing every single facet or unraveling every single thread. that said, it's a matter that's already been closed as far as he can tell from her. besides, there was no use pushing through when you're not necessarily in your best physical condition, either.
it's true that a lot went into their appearance for this assignment. ]
No? [ he tilts his head as if considering their options, and with that it looks like it was decided then. sad this is the end of feet i guess. ] If not like that, [ he moves his forearm under her and lifts her up with one arm, motioning with his chin as if telling her to hold onto his shoulder. at least this way he could use his weapon if needed, and she could also probably aim her gun if needed. ] what about this?
[ you wanted her feet??? damn, maybe next time. for now he will have an ishmael in his arms, looking pretty stunned at being picked up in one go. she blinks, before holding onto his shoulder and letting her heeled feet dangle on their own. ]
...I guess it'll have to do for now.
[ he's not the romantic type at all, is he. he just does whatever he wants, but that too is a nice quality to have. reminds him of a certain taciturn sinner back home. ]
Come on, let's get out of here and wrap this up.
[ so that i can wrap him in ribbon bondage next time ]
[ now that i have this in writing. ✍️ he seems to pause, almost as if assessing if she had any complaints to the arrangement. ... though, he supposed if that was the case, she likely would have said so. hence, even before her response, he's already moving onwards.
fortunately for them, there does seem to be a back access to get out of the building. mission complete. now it's 🎀 time i guess. ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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as if to make sure, he texts her back right away. ] What are you wearing? [ 🧍♂️ ]
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Blue dress. And my hair's in this weird hairdo?
[ it's not so hard to spot ishmael in the crowd in that aforementioned blue dress of hers, but her bright orange hair that's done up in a simple hair bow like this one does set her apart from the rest - more so than usual, anyway. tfw i keep linking refs, sorry bijou.
even from a distance, she's clearly frowning as she sends him another text, her eyes lighting up while doing so. ]
Come on, let's get this over with. I feel weird just being here by myself...
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when he sees her, he texts back: ] Since you're the main character today, you should have showed up later. [ he says while he appears in front of her. per usual, he just seems to hold his hand out to her, as if it were natural to. ]
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ishmael blinks at the text, then at yuwon who had seemingly materialized in front of her with his hand already extended towards her. ]
I have no idea what you're talking about.
[ she says, almost deadpan, before taking his hand like she usually does. little does she know that this isn't the first time yuwon has to view her as his wife, but tbh the less she knows about that the better. ]
Okay, just to make sure we're on the same page - you already know our roles, yes?
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she really doesn't give him a break, huh? instead, he gives a small exhale as his lips quirk slightly, but he brushes it off as with anything. instead, he focuses on the details of their mission. unlike before, he decides sticking to their cover would be imperative to their objective, and so he gives a firm nod and a light squeeze of her fingers as he holds her hand. ] You're my wife. [ he says this casually and without real pause. ]
It's not so hard. [ says yuwon who had already failed once. ] Right?
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or maybe he's just really passionate about redheads. or ishmael in particular. who knows. ]
...Right. [ why are her dates tonight so fucking weird ] With that out of the way, let's go.
[ and so they do, hand in hand. the bouncer asks for their names, and ishmael provides details before the bouncer relents, letting them inside. ]
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his expression seems to relax a bit at that. honestly, this is the least amount of talking required on his end. wtf, was it supposed to be that easy. he almost wants to say this, but instead, he keeps it to their roles. sort of. ] Don't you think the bouncer gave in too easily? [ ...
but, he doesn't want to think about that either. almost as if correcting his words, he adds: ] Well, I guess it's only natural since we really are that close. [ looks up... it's half a joke (this is why he's really not funny) but, he seems to be saying this precisely because there seems to be eyes everywhere. ]
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regardless, they walk further into the establishment. ]
Do you... think so? [ a small smile graces her lips. ] I guess we achieved the easy part of this mission. Now for the hard part.
[ just going to pull up the map with her oculars. let's see... ]
The hybrids are backstage. Do you want to check them now or do you want to wait till the auction?
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it's kind of a marvel she manages to be so genuine somehow. though, he thought of this when she saved him as well. though, the thought doesn't last long as he also pulls back the mission debrief. he puts a hum of consideration before: ]
It might be good to see what we're working with first. [ he looks around, making sure no one is in close enough proximity to them. he then sends her a message. ] Wife, we may not be able to see the final product until the actual auction, but maybe we could see where they keep the others. [ ... and with that, he tilts his head to an opening where they could through.
it had the least amount of bodies, too. less people to finesse, the better.
also why did he text wife... damn. ]
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[ she's going to point that out too, lmao. she's always spoken her mind even before the revelations at the great lake back home, but now she doesn't have the patience to hide her true feelings on the current matter anymore. everyone has no choice but to put up with it now.
although, what she can't wrap her feelings around is how yuwon's been treating her lately. he was so affectionate last month, attending to her beck and call, and now he's doing the same thing here. is he also taking advantage of their roles to get closer? they can't be any closer than they already are.
but regardless, she gives him a nod and follows him backstage to peek around a corner. there are mooks guarding a hall full of doors - no doubt hiding the hybrids behind them. ]
Can you knock them out from here?
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that said, the less she thinks of it, the easier it was for him to simply skate on by, too. which is entirely his intention here as he then focuses back on their mission. he looks back at her and gives a small shrug. ] I could, or I could do this. [ with that, he activates the crystal in his glove and for a moment, he just disappears. it's not like he's entirely gone, but he's definitely harder to detect.
with little additional prompting, he moves ahead. he makes quick work of knocking out the guards; appearing behind them and striking the back of their heads. though, he may have put more strength than needed. at least they won't be getting up anytime soon. with that taken care of, he sends another: ]
Clear.
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--Huh?
[ yuwon suddenly disappears from view, and ishmael turns around to find that the guards manning the door are being knocked out one by one with yuwon dipping in and out of her sight until everyone else has collapsed on the floor.
blinkblink. she half-runs down the hall, holding up her skirt of her dress until she meets up with him once more. hold on, let her catch her breath. ]
...Wow. Good job. Looks like I might not even need this after all.
[ she hikes her skirt further up to reveal a gun strapped to her thigh, which she takes out of her holster anyway. ]
Come on, we need to check the doors out.
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but, it's good she came prepared. when she takes it out of the holster, he seems to give a curt nod. as if agreeing that there could be more issues behind the doors. just that, he opens the closest door, which he opens and it just lead into another lounge room, albeit emptied. he closes it, before trying the next. ]
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[ maybe he's bad at taking compliments too? because he's not the only one. even ishmael had to be strongarmed into adapting to it.
anyway! she'll drop that for now and inspect the doors that yuwon hasn't reached yet. it's almost comical seeing these two check out door after door only to find them a dead end -- except the last door at the very end of the hall, which is locked behind a card key. ]
Hold on, I've got this. [ she stoops down to the nearest K.O'd guard and frisk through his clothing until she fishes out a single card key from his pocket. there we go. ] Cover me.
[ she swipes the card key through the door lock and turns the knob. they hit the jackpot - the room is full of various hybrids in cages, some behind bars, and some inside aquariums. ishmael quickly walks in and of course zooms in towards the aquatic mutants in particular. ]
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hence, he's glad to simply let the topic die down. especially, as she asks him to cover her back. he keeps a steady gaze over their surroundings as he hears the door click. just like that, it seems all their searching is finally done with.
it's kind of impressive how they've somehow classed and sorted through all these creatures. his eyes scan over the cages and later down the line what appears to be fortified glass. he turns towards what appears to be a colony of penguins the size of ones fingernail next to what appears to be a large tortoise with wings. ] Are people really buying these... [ a pause, before he speaks. ] Keep your distance in case.
They could have strange abilities. [ ... and who knows how they've kept them in check. ]
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[ and she'll know when to defend herself if the going gets tough from here. hopefully there wouldn't be any need to suppress any of these creatures with how safe and secure they are in the cages so far. ]
Some of these even look like Abnormalities if you squint...
[ sorry, she's mumbling now. she blinks rapidly, taking one picture after another with her oculars as she hums thoughtfully from cage to cage until she ends up at yuwon's side again. she looks up at him. ]
What do we do now? Do we notify LILITH that we've found them, or do we crash the party ourselves? [ it's yuwon's call from here. they'd worked hard and well as a team, but who knows if their assistance is still needed now that they've successfully infiltrated the right room. ] Either way, it looks like we won't have to fake our relationship any longer than this. So much for being your wife for tonight...
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What do you say to both? [ to notify them, but also take the appropriate steps to crash. he figures that way LILITH could deal with the pesky aftermath. from his own conjectures, he presumes they were prepared to do that much when they assigned them this mission, though... at the wife part, he does give the tiniest hint of a smile. ]
You say that as if you weren't waiting for it to end. [ naturally, it's his own version at attempting to derail the fact from his actual thoughts. but, to be honest, he didn't exactly dislike the present bond they shared. as fellow outsiders. yuwon had never took an affiliation seriously, or rather, he was against them on principle...
but, if there were people who could shift his view on them... ]
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[ she's sure that the others are good at crashing the party on their own. their job is more or less over here if she allows it, and honestly, the sooner she gets out of here the better. it's... bringing back certain memories. ]
And frankly, I can't wait to get out of this get-up. [ she heaves a sigh. ] I'm... not used to dressing up like this. It's hard to take down mooks with heels, you know.
[ her feet hurt 😭 ]
weasels feet in here before it's too late
[ he was so accustomed to handling mattes himself that he genuinely seems perplexed at the idea of leaving it to the other outsiders. though, logically, it made complete sense. he also gets the sense that the heels were probably a very real problem.
he looks towards her before bending down momentarily. ] I can carry you. [ he does look to the heels and gives a curt nod, the idea of them obviously not clicking to anything in particular in his head. ] Or I can break them.
[ is that how it works. ]
🏃♀️💨
[ she's already pinged other LILITH staff to start raiding the area, so it's only a matter of time before the place gets stormed. they'd better get out of here and fast, and to do that--
well. she blinks at yuwon bending down, as if ready to lift and carry her out of here until she hears that other choice. um. ]
Y-You don't have to break them, trust me. [ here, she's taking off her heels and... hmmm. ] So how do you want to go about this? I don't like being carried like a sack of potatoes, but if you don't have much of a choice...
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it's true that a lot went into their appearance for this assignment. ]
No? [ he tilts his head as if considering their options, and with that it looks like it was decided then. sad this is the end of feet i guess. ] If not like that, [ he moves his forearm under her and lifts her up with one arm, motioning with his chin as if telling her to hold onto his shoulder. at least this way he could use his weapon if needed, and she could also probably aim her gun if needed. ] what about this?
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...I guess it'll have to do for now.
[ he's not the romantic type at all, is he. he just does whatever he wants, but that too is a nice quality to have. reminds him of a certain taciturn sinner back home. ]
Come on, let's get out of here and wrap this up.
[ so that i can wrap him in ribbon bondage next time ]
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fortunately for them, there does seem to be a back access to get out of the building. mission complete. now it's 🎀 time i guess. ]