The balcony fell silent as Delphina's expression turned from triumphant to confused. She patted her pocket again, feeling for the key... but it wasn't there.

  "D-Damn..." she muttered, her cocky demeanor faltering for a moment. "Where the hell did that key go? I could swear it was in my pocket just a moment ago…”

  Rachel, noticing Delphina's confusion, let out a sarcastic smirk. "Looks like your precious key just did the disappearing act. Guess karma's having its fun with you now, huh?"

  Delphina snarled, her irritation evident as she fumbled in her pockets frantically. "Shut up! I had it in my pocket, I swear! Where the hell did it go?!”

  Rachel snickered at Delphina's panic, clearly finding some sick amusement in the situation. "Oh, this is just too good. You lose the key and now you're all rattled. Gotta say, it's a nice change from your cocky attitude a minute ago."

  Meanwhile, Alice still lay sprawled on the ground, trying to come back to her senses as she shook her head. Rachel spared her a worried glance before turning her attention back to Delphina.

  Delphina, still searching her pockets frantically, growled in frustration. "Shut up! The key's gotta be here somewhere! And when I find it, I'm outta here! I'll leave you idiots in the dust!"

  Just then, Alice chimed in, rubbing her head with one hand. Her words sounded slurred, the effects of the blow still clear.

  "Um...guys? What...what's going on...?" she mumbled weakly, her eyes barely open.

  Rachel, slightly startled by Alice's groggy question, turned to her. "Al, you're awake! You okay?"

  Alice winced, her hazy gaze flickering between Rachel and Delphina. "Uh... my head hurts..." she muttered, her words still slurred. "What did I miss?"

  Rachel, taking a step towards Alice, tried to assess her condition. "You got decked pretty hard by Delphina's tail. You were out cold for a minute there.”

  Alice's eyes widened in recollection, the memory of the tail-strike now slowly coming back to her. "Right...yeah, that happened."

  Rachel, still standing over Alice, shot a glare back at Delphina. "And now this cocky shark lady here has lost the key she stole, and is throwing a fit over it."

  Delphina scowled, still rummaging through her pockets, her irritation evident. "I had that damn thing in my pocket! I swear it was right here just a minute ago!”

  Then, out of the corner of her eye, Delphina saw someone holding the key, shaking it in the air tauntingly before jumping off of the balcony.

  Rachel, noticing Delphina's wide-eyed expression, turned to follow her gaze. Sure enough, a small silhouette was visible in the distance, running away with the glowing, shimmering object.

  "Wait, is that..." Rachel squinted, trying to make out the figure in the distance.

  Delphina, her expression hardening, gritted her teeth. "That's the key dammit! And whoever that is, they snatched it right out of my pocket like it was nothing!”

  Rachel, realization dawning on her, let out a low swear. "Damn, you got pickpocketed! I gotta admit, that's kinda embarrassing."

  Delphina shot Rachel a burning glare, her pride wounded. "Shut up! How the hell was I supposed to know some stealthy pickpocket would swipe the key right out of my pocket? Who even is that anyway?!”

  Rachel, still amused by the turn of events, couldn't help but smirk. "Looks like you weren't as vigilant as you thought, shark lady. That pickpocket just pulled off a pretty slick move."

  Delphina's face contorted into a scowl, her pride clearly battered. "I'll admit, I didn't see that coming. But I'll be damned if I let them get away with that key…”

  Rachel, her smirk growing, decided to rub salt in the wound. "Oh, I don't know, Delphina. That person's pretty far ahead, and they've got a good head start. You might just be too late to chase them down."

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  Delphina, her eyes narrowing, clenched her fists in frustration. "I'm not gonna let that stop me. I'll chase them down, and I'll get that key back. No matter what it takes..."

  Delphina jumped off of the balcony, chasing after the mysterious figure.

  Rachel let out a low whistle, her eyes following Delphina's departing figure. "Girl's got determination, I'll give her that..."

  Alice, her head slowly clearing, pushed herself up into a sitting position, her voice still slightly slurred. "So... Delphina's gone after the key, huh? What do we do now?"

  Rachel, her gaze still fixed on Delphina's retreating figure, shrugged. "Well, we need to get that key for Venera, so we have no choice but to chase after her and risk getting in her way.”

  Alice, rubbing her head, groaned softly. "Great...just what we needed. A wild chase after a stolen key, with a super angry shark lady as the cherry on top."

  Just then, Zalgo, who had been silently observing the whole exchange from the sidelines, broke her silence. "You two seem pretty calm for people who just got put in their place by a shark tail. Not to mention, that was a pretty good display from Delphina, I must admit.”

  Rachel shot a dry look at Zalgo. "Well, thanks for the compliment, but it's not like we're exactly thrilled about the whole situation, you know. And trust me, getting hit by that damn tail was no picnic."

  Alice grumbled in agreement, gingerly touching the bruise on her face. "No kidding. That hurt like hell. We should uhh...chase after those two though, we don't want that key getting too far away.”

  Zalgo chuckled at their pain, clearly finding amusement in it. "Yeah, that sounds like a smart call. But I gotta say, you two have got quite a stubborn streak. Going after Delphina after she just whacked you into oblivion is...well, ballsy to say the least."

  Rachel rolled her eyes, her annoyance at Zalgo's mockery clear as day. "Yeah, well, we're not exactly known for backing down. Come on, Al, let's go before we lose them both entirely.”

  Alice nodded, pushing herself to her feet with a groan. She wobbled unsteadily for a moment, still slightly dizzy from the tail-strike.

  Rachel quickly steadied her, giving her a concerned look. "You good? Sure you're up for this?"

  Alice nodded, determined despite her disorientation. "I'll be okay, I just need a moment. Let's go while we can still catch up.”

  Zalgo, watching with amused interest, chimed in again. "That's the spirit. You two sure are something, fighting the odds even after getting whooped. Good luck, we'll need it with Delphina chasing that damn key."

  With a final nod, Rachel turned to face the direction Delphina had chased after the pickpocket, Alice following suit despite her dizziness. They took a deep breath, summoning their remaining strength, and started jogging after Delphina.

  The girls found themselves dashing through a forest, getting closer and closer to Delphina. At some point, Alice noticed that the mysterious figure was accompanied by three more individuals.

  Rachel noticed the newcomers too, her brow furrowing in confusion. "Wait...who the hell are those others?"

  Alice squinted, trying to make out the newcomers in the distance. "Beats me, but it seems like Delphina's not alone anymore."

  Rachel nodded, increasing her pace. "Let's pick up the pace then. We can't afford to fall too far behind, especially if those new folks turn out to be just as feisty as Delphina.”

  They pressed on, their breaths coming in heavy gasps as they ran. The distance between the girls and Delphina's group slowly closing, Rachel and Alice could hear snippets of their conversation. The three newcomers were arguing intensely with Delphina, their voices growing louder as they drew closer.

  Rachel's curiosity was piqued, and she motioned for Alice to slow down, indicating for them to hide behind a tree to listen in on the conversation.

  Hiding behind the tree, Rachel and Alice strained their ears to hear the exchange between Delphina and what seemed to be four men, each one donning a backpack.

  "Gee, for such a tall gal, you sure are a slowpoke!" one of the men barked.

  Delphina's voice came through, her tone sharp. "Who the fuck are you people anyways! I need that key!"

  One of the men stroked his chin as he replied: "You can call us...the Traveler Bros.”

  "Traveler Bros?" Rachel whispered, turning to Alice. "What kind of a name is that?"

  Alice shrugged, just as confused. "Beats me. But they're giving off a serious bro-vibe."

  Rachel rolled her eyes, barely containing a laugh. "More like a douche-vibe if you ask me."

  The tallest man, who appeared to be the ringleader, continued: "And you, my dear, seem to be rather desperate for that key. What do you need it so badly for?”

  Delphina, clearly irritated by their questions, snapped back. "That's none of your damn business, buddy!"

  The shortest of the Traveler Bros, a stocky man with a sly grin, chimed in. "Oh, come on now, no need to get so defensive. We're just making conversation!"

  Delphina scowled, her patience clearly wearing thin. "Well, I'm not in the mood for chit-chat. Just hand over the key so I can get outta here.”

  The tallest man smirked smugly, clearly taking pleasure in teasing Delphina. "...Ya willing to fight us for it, Miss?”

  Delphina bristled, her eyes narrowing at the man. "You bet your ass I am! That key is mine...and I'll beat you and your little posse if I have to!"

  The stocky man snickered. "Big talk for a sharky girl, eh?”

  Delphina's eyes narrowed into slits, her temper flaring. "I've dealt with smartasses like you before. I can take whatever you dish out and then some."

  The tallest man chuckled, his smirk growing even cockier. "Oh, I'd like to see you try, sweetheart.”

  Delphina's tail flicked irritably behind her, her patience wearing thin. "You'll see soon enough, smartass!"

  The stocky man gave a smug grin, clearly not intimidated by her. "You think your little shark tail scares us? We've never lost a fight yet, honey.”

  Delphina bristled, her tail thrashing even more fiercely in response. "My tail has taken down bigger and meaner things than you four. Don't underestimate me."

  The tallest man chuckled arrogantly. "Big talk, but can you back it up?"

  Delphina clenched her fists, her temper reaching its boiling point. "You bet your ass I can. Try me.”