Ain't No God in Mexico[Natasha, Violet[

Natasha didn't consider herself the type to snoop around unless a situation concerned her. Thus, the matter of her niece entering the City of Lights was a curious one. That lousy sister of hers sent her off without giving her any time to prepare, and she hadn't heard from her ever since. Where was her niece? Did she truly reside in the City of Lights, or had she run off on her way here? Left with nothing else but questions, she set out to look for answers, clues that would draw her closer to the woman who had yet to visit.

Of course, her first source was asking those around the airport in the City of Lights. Since she was a member of the Vandenreich, she framed the questions under a light that allowed her to receive what might otherwise be classified information. Much was her surprise to discover that Violet had indeed entered this city.

They had informed her that she had taken a flight to enjoy a vacation in Mexico, though she had yet to return. There was no information concerning a return flight at all, in fact. Motherly worry clearly won the day, and Natasha booked her own flight to Tijuana to get to the bottom of this. Man, it'd been a mighty long while since she engaged in detective work. Part of her was excited to flex her mission chops, but another was wholly invested in finding her niece.

And so, she set foot into the streets of Tijuana, observing any indiviual that seemed suspect, in relative silence. There was a method to this. She wasn't particularly proud of it, but she wore a rather revealing outfit and played the rol of the dumb, directionless blonde to elicit some attention from would-be culprits.

It was time to find her niece.

In certain parts of this city, it was beautiful and a great attraction for tourists, but every city had a dark side. It wasn't hard to find out about young female tourists being kidnapped and trafficked. If it wasn't that, she could have been the victim of violent crime. There were no real reports on a young woman fitting Violet's description, so the police were little to no help. Checking with the airport, Natasha would find that those who previously traveled with Violet already made their way back to the City of Lights without her. They did file a missing person's report.

When receiving the report, Natasha would find out the area that Violet initially was lost in and be able to head that direction. It was a lower-end neighborhood of bars, strip clubs, drugs, alcohol, and other criminal and disgusting activities. The bar they had visited was called "Starlite Bar," a bar dedicated to women's fun...

Once Natasha showed a picture of Violet, the bartender explained that she left early because the other women she was with were getting too drunk before the sun even went down. The only thing the bartender knew was that Violet went to a small candy shop down the street. Otherwise, she hasn't been seen in the bar since.

Natasha found leads during her travels, but no real meat to sink her fangs into. They were, at most, clues. Puh. Lousy crumbs. What were her friends even thinking wandering around as far as they went in places like these? Receiving her current lead from the bartender, Natasha sighed softly as she shook her head, maintaining that same ditzy aura and disposition about herself as she traversed these streets, making her way to the candy store to ask the next person where he or she might have seen her go to next.

"Hm~ Hm~ Hm~"

The candy store wasn’t far, but as Natasha approached, she noticed it was being boarded up after a window had clearly been smashed in. A group of four men stood at the corner watching the old candyshop owner board up. As they noticed Natasha approaching, they began their cat calling. Smirks and waves went her way. “Hey chica. ¿Por qué no traes esas piernas sexys aquí?” one man said and laughed as he nodded toward one of his friends. “Sí. Nos encantaría ver a qué hora abren."

Hearing the men talk, the shop owner looked over to them and then to Natasha. The man rolled his eyes in irritation and just kept boarding up his window. He picked up a hammer and set a nail in place… Bang, bang, bang…

"Aw shucks, cut it out boys~!"

Playing her role of the blonde bimbo who was significantly out of her element, Natasha simply played hard to get as she offered a playful wave of the hand to let them think their poor attempts at catcalling were acknowledged. In the meantime, the shop owner proved the more interesting individual of choice as she entered the candy shop to speak with him, her mood changing, her aura serious. Slowly but surely she placed a picture of Violet before him, requesting his undivided attention while she grabbed a handful of bubblegum.

"Ya seen this gal before, sugar? She's a friend of mine, and her family's been worried sick about her."

The shop owner happily brought Natasha inside to talk. The men waved Natasha off when they realized she was more interested in candy than them and began to talk amongst themselves. As the shop owner dusted his hands off, he raised an eyebrow at the shift in personality Natasha demonstrated. Unsure what to make of it, the man just looked down to the picture and quickly recognized the one in it.

“Sí. La he visto. Un hueco la perseguía por la calle. Ella salió corriendo cuando una chica de pelo azul- Ah, yes. Hollow chase her. Shinigami save, but she still run.” The man lead Natasha back outside and pointed down the street. He specifically pointed toward an alleyway that looked like it had been half-destroyed. “Over there. Sí, Sí. There.” Once Natasha walked off, the man went back inside.

In the alleyway, Natasha would find the remnants of a struggle and even dried blood pooled in a specific area. Scratch marks in the earth and on buildings would show the battle didn’t stay here, but led off down the street. However, before she got to leave, a police officer approached her, “Ma’am. I’m sorry, but I need to ask what you’re doing here. This is a crime scene and still under investigation.”

"I'm lookin' for a friend of mine, officer. I know yer' a defender of the law, but she's like family to me, and I need to know that she's alright. Everyone's been worried sick about her."

Natasha replied solemnly, though she hardly lessened the unassuming air about her as she turned to the police officer. Based on the clues she received from the shop owner, Violet experienced more than a simple scuffle with a group of ruffians. According to the owner, she was attacked by a hollow. A Shinigami rescued her, but she ran away, and now she was at what appeared to be a crime scene.

The dried clump of blood brought her no small degree of worry, but she maintained her composure, deftly presenting him with two items. A picture of Violet and a badge revealing her true identity as a member of the Vandenreich. It was a bold attempt, but she didn't need these men complicating her mission.

"I'd like to investigate here as well, officer. This woman is a civilian of the City of Lights, and I've been lookin' for her ever since. I'd like if we could be humble about this and work together."

Of course, that was predicated on whether or not this was even the same crime scene. Tch. What manner of mess had Violet gotten herself into? Better yet, why hadn't her friends done a better job of maintaining a watchful eye on the girl? Aye, Dios Mios...

The officer was ready to send his normal pitch about civilians at a crime scene when Natasha handed over her picture and badge. He took a look at both and looked around. The other two offices securing the scene were busy talking about twenty feet away. He gestured for Natasha to follow him out of their sights.

“I recognize the girl by description only and a few security cameras that have her running toward the warehouse district. Unfortunately, most of that area is owned by the cartel, so it’s difficult to get any real information. From what we could tell, though, the girl hasn't actually left the area. We're unsure where she is.”

The officer pulled out a notepad and wrote something down. He ripped the paper off the pad and handed it to Natasha. "Here's the address, if you would like to take a look. They don't plan on sending anyone to investigate for a couple of days. If she is still there, you could check in through he north entrance. There is a change of the watch at five thirty, so you have thirty minutes to catch that window."

"Much obliged, officer."

Receiving the crucial information with a polite smile, Natasha walked away from the crime scene. Renewed purpose in her stride, she traversed the city by jogging to the next location. Steigen would have certainly allowed her to reach her destination in the blink of an eye, but she had to continue playing a role here until she struck gold with the lead that would bring her a little closer toward finding Violet. Following the map on her watch, she slowly navigated clumsily toward the address, assuming her unassuming role of the sloppy blonde bombshell who had zero sense of direction.

As the officer said, Natasha could get in through the north entrance at the correct time: 5:30. It was right before dinner time and the door was a free point of access for a short time. By the time Natasha got inside, the officers would once again be posted at a lookout spot, but likely just miss her. Inside the warehouse, boxes are piled high on large wooden crates, creating somewhat of a maze. Deeper in, Natasha could hear a few voices, two men and one woman, conversing.

Man #1: "Llevan tres días ahí dentro. ¿No se mueren de hambre?"

Man #2: "El hombre necesita aprender a cerrar la boca. Que se mueran de hambre."

Woman: "Si pasan hambre, morirán. ¿Quieres hacer enojar al jefe?"

Man #2: "No. Consígales algo de comida."

The woman breaks away from the group and heads in Natasha's direction. She's stuck a pistol in the back of her jeans and covered it with the black hoodie she is wearing. She seems to be heading toward a small room near the entrance Natasha came in. It's likely an office with a few supplies inside.