Dash down that dark alleyway!

It is the closer option. Plus, if the crashing of the trashcan was any indication, someone was trying to get away in a hurry. Anne didn't really think about the curiosity that someone would be absconding with an old CYOA book they found on the street as if they stole a wallet; she just turns and starts to run down the alley herself.

"Hey! Stop!" She calls out, not even seeing who she's calling out to. Whoever it was is still too far away, quickly climbing over abandoned couches and dodging old mattresses that had been left in this alley between buildings. Anne tries to match the path, doing her best to ignore how it felt to run in this new, womanly body. The bra she mysteriously knew how to put on is not exactly keeping the new assets on her chest from bouncing.

Was this alley always so long? Surely she should have made it to the other side of the building by now. Before she can think too much about that, the mysterious figure ducks into a door on the opposite building. As Anne makes it there, she doesn't hesitate, but immediately opens the door and rushes inside.

The redhead bursts in yelling, "Hold it right... there...?" The demanding yell tapers off as she sees the scene in front of her. She didn't know what to expect when she went into this backdoor—a hallway, maybe, or maybe some service stairs. Instead, what she sees in front of her defies all expectation.

It's a pub. Why is there a pub entrance in the alley beside her apartment building? That seems like the type of thing she or Kacie would know about. She walks further inside. No one really seems to be paying her much mind, even after her little outburst upon entering, but that also means that the culprit she was chasing is blending into this casual crowd quite cunningly.

Welcome to Nowhere, says a sign posted on a ceiling beam visible from the entryway.

You watch as the new girl scans the people, and you can sense her suspicions. Frankly, you share them. There is something... off... about this place. At first glance, it looks like a bar, but... it feels like one of those images where just a small shift shows a completely different picture. Only you can't quite shift the image enough to see what is up.

Anne feels it too; you know this because you are privy to her thoughts once again: There's something weird going on here, she thinks out-right, but I can't quite put my finger on what...

"You gonna order something?," comes a voice beside her, startling her a bit. She turns to see a gruff looking man standing behind the bar. He has a thick mustache, is wearing a bar apron over his work clothes, and is currently cleaning a mug out with a cloth. It's like the guy is trying to win the stereotype award for bartender.

"Did you see who came in right before me?" Anne asks, quietly, hoping for a clue to help her find the mystery person she was chasing.

The barkeep huffs a bit and answers, "Didn't notice no one just now 'cept the lady who came in yellin' like a maniac." Anne realizes quickly that he means her. "Yer here, so I 'sume you want something to drink," he continued.

"Um..." Anne really doesn't want a confrontation, nor does she want to leave. This whole thing is weird, which means it's probably a lead. So she has to think quickly: Should she act casual and order something, or should she continue her more conspicuous search of the patrons?

You definitely know which choice you think she should pick: