DiscoDude: ---BEGIN SESSION---
DiscoDude: Session logging commenced
DetectiveCaillou: The sun is high in the sky when you reach the underpass. Vending machines, gatcha lotteries, and coin lockers line the sloped walls within the Deep Shade Under the Overpass, each caked with more grime and rust than you'd think, considering that Lowtide as a colony should be less than two decades old. The few gaps in these machines play host to the odd homeless person.
Jejunumiper: Norwick makes his way towards one of the lockers, a locker that Haffner himself said belonged to him. Trying to ignore some of the unsavory people around and just get straight to business.
AthensTG: "So what exactly is supposed to be in this locker, again?"
Jejunumiper: "Supposedly who hired Haffner to do the dirty work." Norwick says, shrugging, "In letter format."
Ryusui: Harry keeps a lookout for any unsavory types nearby. Considering the state of the truck, and the fact that they chose someone as thick as Heff to do their dirty work, it's entirely possible the mastermind is an idiot and this will go smoothly. But there's always that 1% chance.
AthensTG: "Ahh," she says, crossing her arms and looking over Nor's shoulder at the lockers.
DetectiveCaillou: You find the locker just fine. On the front is a sticky-note that reads: "Leave a note that says what job you want done, and contact info so I can discuss payment; The Heffa for Hire (how u open this is non-a my business)"
Ryusui: Harry squints at the post-it note.
Ryusui: "So this is how that idiot does business," he mutters in disgust.
AthensTG: "How inconspicuous."
Ryusui: He's familiar with the concept of dead drop communication; he and his brother contacted a prospective buyer once or twice that way, when the merch was too hot for any other means of contact to be viable without someone getting caught. But even when he was young and dumb, he'd never consider marking a dead drop with a neon yellow notice written in his own handwriting.
Jejunumiper: "Well, I guess it's time to open the locker, huh?" Norwick says, first attempting to open it regularly, maybe it was already unlocked.
DetectiveCaillou: (There's a reason he's making it obvious, not that it matters very much. XD)
Nope; it's locked.
(Let's see... who would be the most aware person among you?)
Ryusui: (me)
AthensTG: (Definitely not Andie)
Ryusui: (if you wanna go by numbers my Careful is +3 and my Clever is +2)
Ryusui: (so i would say my perception is through the roof)
Ryusui: (and remember Nor didn't realize he'd found where the limo had been launched into the ocean XD)
DetectiveCaillou: (Alright, roll CLEVER vs. Fair (+2) opposition to see if you notice this guy trying to approach.)
Ryusui: !f 2 (Clever)
DiscoDude: <@137462772643528704> rolled 4dF+2 for -2 [4dF = [-][-][-][-]]
Ryusui: (hot damn.)
Jejunumiper: ( OOF )
DetectiveCaillou: (OH SHEET!)
Ryusui: (negative eclipse so i'll let it stand)
DetectiveCaillou: (So I guess you guys don't notice this guy. (Is it kosher to have one character rolling for the group when it's not an active action?))
Ryusui: (i ain't got a problem, so long as this guy isn't going to tommygun us all to death for my failure)
DetectiveCaillou: So this guy walks under the underpass, notices police already at the coin locker, and skedaddles without anyone noticing.
(Don't worry; this was just an optional encounter I made up to (potentially) explain the obvious note. Not even remotely mandatory to solve the case.)
DetectiveCaillou: So, <@!481723837453434881>, will it be you who tries to bypass the locker's... lock?
Ryusui: (kosher to me; something tells me whoever hired Heff is probably smarter or at least more perceptive then Heff, which isn't hard)
Jejunumiper: ( I mean, it'd probably be careful, right? )
Jejunumiper: ( I'd say Harry to jimmy the lock, he's got +3 careful )
DetectiveCaillou: (Does Norwick suggest this?)
Jejunumiper: (...Probably not, so I guess I'll roll then.)
Jejunumiper: !f 2
DiscoDude: <@481723837453434881> rolled 4dF+2 for 1 [4dF = [-][+][-][ ]]
Jejunumiper: ( :x )
DetectiveCaillou: (That won't do it. Straight failure... or a success at a cost? >:3)
Jejunumiper: (...fuck it, success at a cost XD )
AthensTG: (yeet)
Ryusui: "You got that lock open yet, kid?" Harry missed the mystery man, but his eyes continue scanning.
DetectiveCaillou: And with a *click, the locker pops open. Inside is an envelope - crisp, but nondescript.
Jejunumiper: Norwick grabs the envelope and hands it to Harry, "All that's in here is this, we should probably get going."
DetectiveCaillou: "Hey."
DetectiveCaillou: One of the homeless get up.
Ryusui: Harry takes the envelope, but snaps to attention at the voice.
DetectiveCaillou: "I knew you was police, but I wanted to think that maybe you weren't so above askin' for help." The man is what people around Lowtide call a 'stone-skin.' His cloak drops to reveal a tie-dye shirt two sizes too small, stretched over jagged muscle that looks literally carved from granite (if the sculptor was a hack). "But this clinches it; you know you're supposed to leave a message, not take one out of there, a'ight?"
Ryusui: "We're investigating the man behind this dead drop. And the man who hired him for a hit." He maintains contact with the man as he attempts to open the envelope and read its contents.
DetectiveCaillou: He throws up his dukes. "An' I'm here to stop exactly that kind'a nonsense. Been warning the Heffa that this'd happen sooner or later if he was this blatant about his advertisin'."
Ryusui: Harry sighs. He hands the envelope back to Nor; he takes off his trenchcoat and hands it to Andie. "Throwing in your lot with an idiot like Haffner Heffa is a mistake. You'll live a lot longer and a lot happier if you stay far away from that man. All he's going to do is drag you down into a well of violence and mediocrity."
Jejunumiper: Norwick looks over at Andie and whispers, "Taser?"
Ryusui: "We have him in lockup right now and it's likely he's going down for at least one murder. If you'd like to join him, be my guest. Or you could walk away, and let us finish our investigation in peace. It's your choice."
Ryusui: He approaches the man, as if ready to throw down the moment it's clear violence is the only response he'll respect.
AthensTG: She hugs the coat and takes half a step backwards before whispering back, "Would it even work on this guy?"
DetectiveCaillou: (Throwing the first metaphorical punch, perhaps? I'd be down to have this conflict start as mental rather than physical. XD)
DetectiveCaillou: (Harry trying to talk down the man could easily be a Mental Attack.)
Ryusui: (i mean, sure)
Ryusui: (+2 Forceful okay?)
DetectiveCaillou: (Yeah.)
DetectiveCaillou: (Roll it!)
Ryusui: !f 2
DiscoDude: <@137462772643528704> rolled 4dF+2 for 3 [4dF = [ ][+][+][-]]
DetectiveCaillou: !f 2 (STAYING CHILL)
DiscoDude: <@193827431315013632> rolled 4dF+2 for 0 [4dF = [-][-][ ][ ]]
DetectiveCaillou: (I'll be spending a point on... lessee... Man, improvising an NPC from scratch is funner than I thought. How about The Implacable Stone-Man for a reroll. XD)
Ryusui: (CRUNCH)
DetectiveCaillou: !f 2 (REROLL)
DiscoDude: <@193827431315013632> rolled 4dF+2 for -1 [4dF = [ ][-][-][-]]
DetectiveCaillou: (*head-desk)
Ryusui: (-16-bit Kefka noises-)
DetectiveCaillou: (Okay, so. I'm thinking the most I can justify for this guy is two boxes and a Mild Consequence. A (metaphorical) stiff breeze will take him out. XD)
Ryusui: (i'll spent a FATE Point on "Grizzled Veteran Cop" for the win if need be~)
DetectiveCaillou: (This scene might be short enough as it is. XD)
DetectiveCaillou: (Are you doing that or not?)
Ryusui: (yes)
Ryusui: (can i have just a moment to flavor it btw~)
DetectiveCaillou: (Then I'll invoke... Eh, I'm thinking his other aspect has more to do with his job/fighting prowess. I'll allow it.)
Ryusui: Something about Harry's demeanor shifts as his would-be opponent looks on. Maybe it's a trick of the light, or simply posture, but for a moment, it's not a 50-year-old washed-up cop in front of him - it's something ancient, to be sure, transplanted from a faraway land, a journey of lightyears and decades landing him at this moment. Something that could crush him through sheer force of will without lifting a finger. A blink, and the illusion breaks. But the image stays with him.
DetectiveCaillou: "... Eh, maybe you're right." The stone-skin shrugs, and drops his hands. "S'long as I don't have to hear that ass's nonsense no more." He turns and walks off. "I saw nothin.'"
Ryusui: ( <@!481723837453434881>, <@!272524850508333059>, you can have a moment to react XD)
Jejunumiper: Norwick blinks and looks at Andie, "You uh, felt that menacing aura about Harry?"
AthensTG: Andie blinks with her mouth hanging open. They hadn't even swung a single punch! "I mean, this is the guy who took on Heffa back the bar so," she tried to reason, despite definitely feeling that same aura herself.
DetectiveCaillou: "Issat so?" The man looks back. "... Eh, maybe later, in a way that it ain't a crime to fight..."
Jejunumiper: Norwick looks at Harry, then back at the envelope and takes a peak at the contents of it
DetectiveCaillou: The first thing you see is half of a photo. It's of Jonah Wheeler. The caption written in marker is "kill me <3" with an arrow pointing under/outside the bounds of the photo.
Ryusui: "Coat, please," Harry says, reaching out in Andie's direction.
AthensTG: Andie hands it back with a reverent nod.
Jejunumiper: Norwick shuffles through the contents of the envelope more, handing Harry the photo of Jonah Wheeler so he could look at the rest of the items.
DetectiveCaillou: That's it; the envelope has nothing else inside it.
Harry, you see the same thing; a half-torn photo of Jonah in bed, the caption, the arrow pointing outward (or is that "around?")
Ryusui: looks at the back of the photo, in the vain hope there's some clue as to whoever put Heff up to this there.
DetectiveCaillou: There's a comms number written on the back.
Ryusui: "Andie, can you get a trace on this?" He shows her the number.
Ryusui: (to be clear, is the arrow pointing to the missing half of the photo?)
Ryusui: (oh, OH)
Ryusui: (never mind, it's an instruction to flip the photo around XD)
Ryusui: He adds to Nor: "Kind of a funny photo to have, huh? What do you wanna bet the missing half of this photo shows one of our Mr. Wheeler's romantic entanglements?"
Ryusui: "Considering how dense Heff is, it might just have been torn off to make sure he didn't kill the wrong person, but all the same...whoever is in the missing half of this picture is definitely suspicious."
DetectiveCaillou: (Okay, at the mention of that, I'm gonna go ahead and say that Harry rolls CLEVER here to see if he notices something. XD)
Ryusui: !f 2
DiscoDude: <@137462772643528704> rolled 4dF+2 for 1 [4dF = [ ][-][-][+]]
Ryusui: (good enough?)
DetectiveCaillou: (Not quite; this is one you might wanna boost for.)
DetectiveCaillou: (Anything that involves having a good memory/eye for detail?)
Ryusui: (just the veteran cop one, if that's kosher)
DetectiveCaillou: (Alrighty. That succeeds.)
Ryusui: (so what do i notice?)
DetectiveCaillou: A thought occurs to you; Jonah's face, the crumple of the bedsheets... It's all oddly familiar. You instinctively take out the image of one of Jonah's photos on your phone; this half-photo is a perfect match for one featuring Jonah and Akaia Maishiki together in bed.
Ryusui: "I knew it!" He shows the match to the others.
DetectiveCaillou: Contact Photo
Used to Hire for Assassination | Torn From an Intimate Photo of Jonah and Akaia [!]
Ryusui: "So that narrows the suspect pool down to the Maikishis, Cola and Akaia. Thoughts?"
Jejunumiper: Norwick looks over and nods, "Do you think that Soda fellow set this up from the beginning?" He pauses, "Right, Cola."
Jejunumiper: "It's definitely Cola, although we haven't see Akaia at all to ask her any questions."
Ryusui: "Cola seems like the more obvious culprit - murder the guy who's schtupping his sister - but that doesn't explain how he would've gotten the photo. I don't imagine either Jonah or Akaia would've willingly shared a picture of them in flagrante delicto with him."
DetectiveCaillou: (Are we about ready to wrap up the scene?)
Ryusui: (yes)
AthensTG: "Yeah, and I'm thinking back to the crime of the crime, myself. Jonah himself ordered the limo, right? It would have easy for her get him out there under the guise of a date and get the jump on him that way. Especially since we don't have any evidence to suggest he was taken there against his will up to that point..."
AthensTG: (same)
Jejunumiper: "You think Akaia was the one who orchestrated this, then?"
AthensTG: "Possibly, yeah."
Ryusui: "The evidence and motives we have don't add up. They point to the Maishikis but there's still something critical we're missing here." An uncharacteristically mischievous look crosses his face. "We could bring them both in. Interrogate them. See what shakes out of their 'he said, she said' games. Or put them in the same box with us and watch their alibis tear each other apart."
AthensTG: She looks to Norwick to see what he thinks.
Ryusui: ( <@!481723837453434881>? )
DetectiveCaillou: (I think we're approaching last lines.)
Jejunumiper: "Yeah, seems like a good idea." Norwick says, shrugging, "Although, we should interrogate them separately first before putting the two together." He says, looking at his team, "Get their alibies before hand, see if they switch em up."
Ryusui: "Just what I was thinking, kid. Just what I was thinking." He gives Nor a conspiratorial grin.
Ryusui: (and i'm good~)
AthensTG: "Sounds like a plan."
AthensTG: (same here)
Ryusui: ( <@!481723837453434881>? )
Jejunumiper: ( I'm good )
DetectiveCaillou: (Then let us...)
DetectiveCaillou: !end
