The documents and official seal in Eleanor's hands were genuine, and she passed through several security checks with ease.
At the final checkpoint, however, the inspector frowned.
"The paperwork is fine... but why did they send someone from a branch office?"
The "colleague" beside her... who was actually Vanessa, quietly began gathering spirituality in her eyes.
They were already very close to The Thinker. If worse came to worst, they could take out this guard and rush inside.
Eleanor pursed her lips, a trace of complaint in her voice. "I'd like to know that too. Why don't you go up and report it so I can go back? I don't want to waste my time here either!"
The guard narrowed his eyes slightly. He felt it would be more appropriate to go and ask, but he was deep underground, and going there and back meant climbing a great many stairs...
The underground machine room had no telephone, only an alarm system.
He looked hesitantly at Vanessa beside her.
Vanessa had already changed her appearance. Feeling the guard's gaze, she steeled herself and spoke. "Our department is short-staffed, so the Detective Inspector had her come with me. You know how it is, we have to come down in pairs now, ever since... um, that..."
"Ever since the last incident with The Thinker," Eleanor smoothly finished for her.
That explanation was perfectly reasonable.
Yet the guard still instinctively felt something was wrong. Everyone stationed here was a Supernatural person, and his spirituality seemed to be faintly afraid of something.
Supernatural people always trusted their own spirituality.
Though puzzled, after a moment's hesitation, the guard decided to report it anyway. He took the documents from their hands. "Sorry for the trouble, but please come upstairs with me."
Eleanor's eyelid twitched. She looked at