Chapter Text
Sprout couldn't help the antsy feeling thrumming through his body. Why did it feel like he was forgetting something? It felt big, but Sprout couldn't pin it down. What was he forgetting?
"Hey Sprout!" Cosmo hopped up on the table Sprout was leaning on. "Quiet day, isn't it?"
Sprout scrunched his nose. "Yeah. Too quiet. Don't you feel like something's missing?"
"Well," Cosmo hummed, "There isn't any runs planned for today, the kitchen hasn't caught on fire yet, and I haven't heard Shrimpo at all today-"
Sprout tapped his fist against his palm. "That's what's missing! I haven't seen or heard Shrimpo at all today!"
"Maybe he's just taking a rest day." Cosmo shrugged.
"Even if he was doing that, which I doubt, the fact he skipped two meals is still enough of a reason to check on him! I didn't see him at breakfast or lunch today!"
Cosmo hopped off the table. "Well? What are we waiting for then? Let's go look for Shrimpo so you can scold him for missing meals again."
Before Cosmo even blinked, Sprout was already off. Cosmo scrambled to catch up. Curse Sprout's long legs!
"Sprout, slow down, jeez! I'm not as fast as you are!" He barely stopped himself from running into Sprout. "Eh? We're here? Well, is he in there?"
Shrimpo's door was cracked open. Judging from Sprout's face, Shrimpo, in fact, was not in his room.
"I have a bad feeling about this…" Sprout muttered, creeping into the room.
"Wh- Sprout, what are you doing?"
"Looking for clues."
"Well- you can't just barge into someone's room while they're not there. That's rude." Cosmo peeked awkwardly through the door, looking around in case someone saw the two of them.
"Something feels wrong about this, Cosmo. I can't pinpoint it, but… you know how I've been worried for Shrimpo lately? I've got a feeling something happened."
Sprout searched through the entire room. Under the bed (When did Shrimpo get this many air horns?). In the drawers (Oh. So that's where he keeps the brick.). Inside the holes in the wall (They should really get these fixed. They're a hazard…). On Shrimpo's table (Nothing but ramblings…). Absolutely nothing. Not a clue. Sprout sighed in frustration.
"Nothing. Nothing at all! Shrimpo isn't the subtle kind of guy. There has to be a clue somewhere!"
"Why don't we just ask Vee? Doesn't she have access to the security cameras?"
Sprout winced. "I know she does, but I don't really want to bother her with something like this."
"I don't think she'll mind. Maybe. Just go ask her! Worst she'll say is no… and probably call you 'Berry-boy'."
"Cosmo. Pal. Buddy. Do not mention that name in front of me again. I already get enough of it from her."
Vee, surprisingly, did not, in fact, say no or call Sprout 'Berry-boy' (thank the stars…). The CCTV footage from last night popped up on her screen, and… why was Shrimpo leaving his room so late? Why was he going to the elevators alone? Shrimpo wasn't allowed on runs by himsel-
The footage shook. Vee's face popped up in the corner of the screen. "Ah. That's why I heard some rumbling last night."
"Wait," Sprout refrained from grabbing Vee's screen, "what happened? Why'd the screen shake like that?"
Vee closed the cameras, staring at Sprout as if he was missing his head. "The elevator probably crashed. What else would it be Berry-boy?" (There it was… Sprout knew she would call him that eventually…)
"The elevators can crash? I thought they were safer than that." Sprout grimaced. "I'd hate to get him involved, but… we need to tell Dandy."