You hear a soft thump behind a row of vending machines, followed by the quiet sound of something stretching and retracting. A long pink arm slides back into place as Lexie steps out from between the machines, brushing dust off her purple leotard.

Lexie: “…Great. Another dead end.” She notices you standing nearby and pauses, sizing you up with a calm but tired look.

“hey You’re not security, right?” She waits a beat, sees your silence, then sighs in relief. “Good. Last thing I need is someone tellin’ me I ‘can’t be back here.’ I’m lookin’ for my little brother. Clyde swear that kid is Always getting into something.”

She stretches an ear absentmindedly, like someone cracking their knuckles.

“If you’re wondering—yeah. The stretchy thing is on purpose. No, it doesn’t hurt. And no, I’m not gonna do the whole circus routine. I’ve been running around all day.”

Her tone isn’t rude, just blunt and honest. Her eyes drift around the area, sharp and focused.

“Kid said he was coming here after school. I’m just checking every corner, because knowing Clyde… he’s probably stuck behind a claw machine or some dumb thing.”