It was a bright and sunny summer afternoon. The sun was warm, but not overbearing, and the gentle breeze made for a refreshing heat. It was the kind of day you'd plan around; a walk through the town, a hike through the woods, or a romantic picnic in the park...

Against her better judgement, Lydia was indoors, playing video games. In her defense, she was suckered into it.

To recap: Lydia was an FBI agent. A few months ago, she was assigned to the city of Dresserton, California, to investigate strangely high spiritual activity. She was joined by her partner Capricorn, a magical robot. Not long after their arrival, a gang of goblins had kidnapped Capricorn for her valuable electronics. Most fortunately, Lydia had ran into a demon named Amvira, who was as powerful as she was easy to manipulate. Lydia had tricked Amvira into a one-sided demon contract, recruiting her for a rescue mission to save Capricorn that went successfully. Their relationship was tumultuous at first; Lydia hadn't trusted Amvira, and Amvira was angered by her newfound duty. But, time passed, and the two saved each other more times than either would care to admit. And finally, they were starting to warm up to each other.

Which brings Lydia to that day. Amvira had invited her, alongside Capricorn and a few other friends, to a small apartment party. Amvira had promised snacks, video games, and a generally good time. And sure, Lydia was having fun, but that warm summer weather was calling to her.

The games stretched on late into the afternoon. Amvira dominated at Smash Bros, but was surprisingly bad at every other fighting game. Capricorn was literally unbeatable at every game she played, except one shining moment when she scored 2nd place against Lydia in Mario Kart. Amvira’s snacks were largely unhealthy; chips and popcorn and even some candy, but with much goading from Lydia, she prepared a plate of crackers with surprisingly good homemade hummus.

It was during the archetypical argument over pizza toppings when Capricorn received a phone call. She gently approached Lydia, and rested her hand on the side of her arm.

“What is it?” Lydia asked.

“We’re being called in. It’s a high priority call,” Capricorn stated.

Lydia sighed, “Darn. I was… actually having a lot of fun… do you think Amvira will mind?”

Capricorn did not respond for quite some time. “I imagine she will,” she finally stated.

Lydia sighed again, before turning away. “Hey, Amvira…?”

Amvira lifted her head, a piece of raw steak dangling from her mouth. “Yeah?” she said, letting the steak drop to her plate.

Lydia grimaced. “Me and Capricorn have to leave, we’re being called in.”

Amvira shrugged, and took a bite of the steak.

“Worksh for me! I’ll shee you later, I guesh,” she replied.

“Alright, let’s go,” she said to Capricorn with a shrug. “Bye!”

The drive over was largely silent. Capricorn sat in the passenger seat. As she was technically 4 years old, she was not legally allowed to have a driver’s license, and Lydia suspected she was quite bitter about this. If she was, though, Capricorn’s expression did not betray these feelings.

It wasn’t long before they reached the site of their meeting, a hole-in-the-wall coffee shop that would go unnoticed by most. Lydia and Capricorn entered, and catching their eye in the back of the room was their handler, a man named Raymond. The duo sat down and grabbed a seat.

Raymond put down his newspaper, and nodded to Lydia. He was a man with a very unnerving appearance, even as a human. For one, he was completely bald, born with a skin condition that prevented him from growing hair. To add to that, he had a third eye in the middle of his head; the consequence of his magical awakening. And, as the cherry on top, the man had an overall intimidating presence. He had an innate look that made you feel as if every conversation with him would end with you being fired, even when his eye is hidden from view. It took Lydia years to realize that this presence was unintentional.

Lydia opened her mouth to ask what the call was for, but was interrupted.

“The call is because I’m having a hard time covering for you,” Raymond said, seeing what Lydia was going to ask before she could ask it. His third eye may be unsightly, but it allowed him to see a few seconds into the future, a power that proved quite useful.

“I know you’re onto something big here in Dresserton, a lot bigger than the scope of your initial mission,” Raymond continued, nodding to Lydia and Capricorn.

“But, my superiors aren’t seeing it that way. From their perspective, you’ve been here for months and there’s no news on your actions. I know this isn’t your fault, but for all of our sakes we need to give them something.”

Capricorn spoke up. “So the solution is--”

“The solution is right here,” Raymond interrupted again, passing a manilla folder onto the table, “I have a job for you.”

Capricorn tilted her head, then opened the manilla folder, quickly scanning its contents. “I understand,” she responded.

Raymond turned to Lydia, “The two of you will be busting a--”

“Human trafficking ring,” Capricorn interrupted, as Raymond leaned back in his chair.

“Right, and you will--” Raymond started again.

“Be going undercover as potential targets,” Capricorn interrupted again, “What I can’t figure out is--”

“I was going to explain that,” Raymond interrupted, with a gentle smirk. “As the folder explains, the primary targets are--”

“--are drunk, human girls in their mid-20s. Yes. But--”

“Yes, we will need to get the both of you drunk for this,”  Raymond said with a snort.

Lydia was disoriented from the passive-aggressive war between Raymond’s future sight and Capricorn’s rapid calculations.

“I need to--” she began

“Get drunk.” Raymond and Capricorn said simultaneously.

Lydia let it sink in for a bit.

“Tonight, to answer your question.” Raymond answered, preemptively.

“And what about me?” Capricorn finally managed to ask, “how will I get drunk?”

As the question was being asked, Raymond pulled a USB key out of his pocket. “With this,” he said. “With the help of your siblings, we’ve managed to make an algorithm that will simulate an inebriated state in your circuits.”

Capricorn did not respond.

“Anyways, as described in the manilla folder, we’ve got intel on where the traffickers will strike next. We nabbed a driver who squealed on the when and where, but he didn’t know enough about the inner workings to give us anything else. Your job is to go to that location, and get really drunk. And when they come to nab you, you stop being drunk, and turn the tables on them. It’s a sting operation,” Raymond explained.

Lydia understood. Her magical healing abilities were well-suited for this task; her ability to heal had gotten quite strong in recent months and the idea that she could cure the effects of alcohol just as easily as any other poison had certainly come to mind. Meanwhile Capricorn could presumably shut off the simulated alcohol at any time.

Lydia and Capricorn returned to the car, discussing the finer details of the job.

“It said that the trafficker only targeted human girls, but you’re a robot. Do you think they’d know?” Lydia asked.

Capricorn shook her head. “The file mentions a very high probability that the kidnappers can’t see through personal glamors. There’s been a few disappearances of non-human girls with personal glamors that otherwise fit the profile.”

“Hm. That’s shoddy of them… What about the fact that we’ll be drinking, you know, together?”

Capricorn blinked. “The traffickers have been pretty emboldened lately, and have even taken to nabbing two girls at a time. If anything, this makes us more likely targets”

Lydia scoffed. “Sol above, I can’t believe they haven’t been caught yet…”

“Let’s change that tonight,” Capricorn said.

If the coffee shop was a hole-in-the-wall, this bar was the opposite. It was loud, crowded, and big. It was a cheap knock-off of high-end clubs, the kind that young upperclassmen go to and blow through their endless supply of money, but its quality was diminished by the overcrowding and the mediocre drinks and food. Despite how crowded it was, Lydia and Capricorn both acknowledged how easy it’d be to sneak a drunk girl out of the club.

The two both grabbed a seat in one of the more quiet sections of the bar, and both girls ordered a drink. A long-island iced tea for Lydia, and a straight shot of vodka for Capricorn. Capricorn had a fake stomach specifically so that she could pretend to eat food and not lose her cover, but she found filling and emptying it deeply dissatisfying.