Luisa couldn't respond immediately. Dig's conviction surprised her. It almost made her re-evaluate her impression of Winter Russel. Almost.
"Well, regardless of what you believe, that's not what's happening. I can show you the footage."
"Nevermind then." Dig looked away from Luisa and out over the city. He scooted back until his chair pressed against the desk.
"What would you have done, Luisa?"
"If my father tried to make me the heir of the most influential company in the city?"
"Would you have asked Team Four to handle it or tell them to secure the area and wait for Team Three?"
"I would have gone myself," Luisa's answer was direct.
"..." Dig just looked at her.
She shrugged.
"That's another reason why I shouldn't be the boss. I prefer doing to thinking."
"Alright. Where's Arker? I want to know what he thinks about this."
"He said he was going to look for the big man."
Dig sighed.
"Can you get in contact with him?"
"I can try." Although that's what she said, Luisa was in no rush. She was fully content just watching the city by Dig's side.
"Today, maybe?"
"Right." Luisa stood up with a start and left the office, leaving Dig to brood in the silence.
After some time, there was a heavy knock at the door to break the silence.
Before Dig could tell whoever was on the other side to come in, the door opened and a bear of a man stepped through.
"Heya. What's up with the elevator? Why did I have to take the stairs…" Mogdo Dal's voice trailed off as the chair spun around to reveal Dig's tiny, pale frame instead of the Winter Russel that Mogdo Dal had expected.
"You are…" He squinted. "The boss's kid?" He said, the question being what he was doing in Winter's chair.
"Yes. Dig Russel. There's no use keeping it a secret any further, especially not from someone my father trusts as much as you, Sir. But my father is missing. He disappeared late last night and has been confirmed to be unreachable."
"So, you're taking over?" Mogdo Dal asked, skeptically.
Dig nodded.
"I was told that if I didn't, a fight would break out."
"By Luisa?"
Dig nodded again.
Mogdo Dal's beard rustled as he tilted his head to the side.
"She's not wrong, but there's no guarantee a fight won't break out even if you try to seize power. Well, it would have been worse if you had any siblings," He mused. Then, he turned toward the elevator shaft.
"The elevator, huh." His eyes narrowed. "A Curse?" He asked before scanning the building with eyes that seemed a little too small for the size of his head. But it could have been the mass of hair, beard, and eyebrows that made them difficult to see.
"That is what we think."
"It'll be a while until we see him again—if he ever comes back, that is." After all, a Curse that could break through the defenses in the office was bound to be impressive. If Winter were alive, he would be far away or in a very secure place that wouldn't be easy to leave.
Dig knew some of the details regarding his dad's disappearance, so he understood what Mogdo Dal was getting at. However, Mogdo Dal had just learned that Winter was missing, but a few glances here and there had let him figure out the situation.
"..."
'Was there anything in the files about this guy being sharper than a razor?'
"You finished the Cob quickly. Did it go well?" He asked, changing the subject.
"It was your call to send my team?"
Dig nodded. He was starting to feel like he didn't have to nod to these questions since it seemed like Mogdo Dal already knew the answers, but he still did it.
"It was a good call in this situation. The Cob was volatile. If it had been a Curse, a sneeze would have set it off."
"You're saying it's a Boon?"
In response, Mogdo Dal tossed a stuffed moose onto the desk. It spun on its behind once until it face Dig, after which it straightened up and looked at him. It froze in that position and looked just like a stuffed toy.
"Yup. An Artifact. Whoever claims it gets a sick ride."
Dig looked at the moose for a few moments before raising his gaze back to Mogdo Dal.
"What's the regular procedure for who gets to claim it?" He asked.
"The team who handles it has first dibs, but I don't want it, and I don't want any of the kids to take it either. Animal types are always a pain."
"But don't you have a bear type?"
"No." Mogdo Dal looked at Dig like he couldn't understand where he had gotten that notion from.
"So, what happens if the Team doesn't want it? Straight to the Vault?" He changed the subject.
"Then it's up to the boss. If he wants it, he takes it. If he wants to put it in storage, he puts it in storage. If he thinks there's value in it, he will auction it off."
"..." Dig's gaze returned to the Boon.
"Do you have your first Boon?" Mogdo Dal asked, only half-interested.
"I do. Claimed it yesterday."
"The twenty-third anniversary," Mogdo Dal remarked in a low voice before giving Dig a second look.
"What is it?" He asked, curious about Dig's Boon.
Dig shrugged.
"I don't know. I haven't had time to check it out."
"Do it now. I'll help you out. Consider it a welcome present or something."
Dig was a little hesitant, but he nodded and placed his hand over his heart.
"What are you doing…?" Mogdo Dal asked after a while without success.
"..." Dig couldn't exactly say that this was how he had done it with the sheathe he claimed in his dream.
"Isn't this how it's done?"
"Only if it works." Mogdo Dal gave Dig a meaningful look. It wasn't working. It clearly wasn't how it was done.
"Then…?" Dig looked toward Mogdo Dal hopefully.
"Catch." Before he finished uttering that short word, flames appeared in Mogdo Dal's hand, which he immediately proceeded to throw at Dig.