View source for 5510/TGSBP: The Fires of Justice

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2017/10/07
|Location=The Tapestry
|Synopsis=The Elites investigating the Hvergel murders go to the local police to look at the evidence on Frederik Sturluson's death. Part of The Guilty Shall Be Punished mini-plot.
|Cast of Characters=1133, 1011, 705, 1134, 707, 1132
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:1133|Dapper Avenger (1133)}} has posed:'''<br>It's midday in the city of Hvergel, autumn already starting to manifest in the trees throughout the 19th century city, the sun covered in a small layer of clouds. The destination for the investigators is the Hvergel Central Police Station, smackdab in the middle of the city.<br><br>The building is about two floors tall, with a chimney stack and several windows. Upon arriving, the investigators would be ushered up to the second floor, to a meeting room. An older man in his 50s, as well as a younger man in his 30s, wait inside with several boxes and bags on the table, dressed in suit coats. Upon entering, the detective will be the one to greet them. "Florentine Mahrk, it's a pleasure." He outstretches his hand to shake, as the Chief of Police, Wilhelm, presents the boxes. "Here's the evidence. We have a copy of the journal that was released," the Chief points gruffly to a stack of papers in a box, "as well as photos from the crime scene, the autopsy report, and the victim's possessions on the day of the crime."<br><br>Florentine looks over the group, carefully. "So, I haven't been doing this long, and it's great to meet such talented and experienced people! Do you really think this is connected to the church killing?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1011|John Rizzo (1011)}} has posed:'''<br> "Maybe, maybe not," says what for all intents and purposes appears to be a mummy. Or the Invisible Man? Whoever or whatever he is, he's clearly groggy and perhaps a little cranky about it. He shifts from one foot to the other, occasionally 'spacing out' and only catching the gist of conversation rather than the fine details. His actions are further marked by an odd aversion to sources of sunlight, stepping out of the way of the beams that filter through the windows. <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; His attention is drawn to the evidence on the table. "Any of this belong to Sturluson?" The man gestures with a heavily bandaged thumb towards the box of evidence. Should he receive an answer in the affirmative, he'll try and use Auspex to get any lasting emotions or memories attached to the object. Given the length of time since the murder, the psychic impressions upon said objects may have already worn off, but he feels it's best to get this angle out of the way first.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:705|Reiji Arisu (705)}} has posed:'''<br>There's nothing fun about this kind of thing. Investigating murders is always unpleasant business. Reiji gives the detective's hand a firm shake as the detective approaches. "Reiji Arisu. I've got a pretty strong feeling. There are too many coincidences for me to be comfortable writing it off."<br><br>"I'd like to start with that journal," Reiji says, then, digging through the evidence pile to fish up that stack of papers. "And a few questions, if you don't mind. Did either of you know the victim to be particularly religious?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1134|Mei Hatsume (1134)}} has posed:'''<br> "It's too early to say, but it's the best lead we have so far." Mei replies, clearly having trouble restraining herself to just start digging into the evidence presented to the group of Elite investigators. Or... Elites that happen to be investigating, even. The hero-in-training can't quite tell just who's actually trained to do this sort of thing and who's just here like herself. <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "Mister Mahrk? I am Mei Hatsume! We'll be counting on both of your support today, even if we're not all experts yet!" She smiles confidently, then turns to the box with a firmer step. There's work to be done, and there'll be time to showboat later! Maybe. She heads for the box of the victim's possessions, tightening her gloves before picking up and examining what's identified as the VICTIM'S POSSESSIONS.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1133|Dapper Avenger (1133)}} has posed:'''<br>Rizzo gets a nod, as the box of evidence is opened and presented to him and Mei. There's a pocket watch, a pack of tobacco snuff, shoes and socks, a coat, a small slip of paper that looks almost too faded and small print to read, and what might resemble a cross: on a chain, there's a stylized tree, twisting branches reaching out in all directions, with only a small bushle of leaves on the top.<br><br>It's also only the holy symbol that'll provide any information, none of the rest really having the emotional resonance. Due to the time since the murder, there's not much, but Rizzo will get quite a bit from the emotional strength of the item. An alleyway, and a man suddenly appearing, dressed finely, with a twisted expression and gilded eyes. A fine hat and coat with a tie, the tie and coat made out of twisting black flames, which wisp around the aggressor, as the flames lash out, burning into the victim. A single world echoes out multiple times.<br><br>'Traitor'.<br><br>They are not the victim's words, but the killer's.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:707|Xiaomu (707)}} has posed:'''<br>So whatever's going on in Hvergel, a private eye from outside the city - outside the *world*, for that matter - has been murdered under circumstances which, however much they might look like suicide, *don't* seem to have been arranged by the victim. Particularly the lack of a ladder, unless the late Mr. Vermond had some kind of ability to fly or use telekinesis ... and the latter seems unlikely as hell.<br><br>Still, the sage fox is all business, with a professionally polite smile on her face, as she shakes hands with Mr. Mahrk and (if he has a hand to spare) Chief Wilhelm. "Xiaomu, Reiji's partner," she introduces herself. "And it's a little too early to say, maybe, but we gotta review what we know and put it together with what we can find."<br><br>She's basically following Reiji's lead here, although his question about 'was the victim religious' makes her look pensive. "I'm coming on board behind the curve, but ... what are the major tenets of the local religions - particularly of *that* church's religion, denomination, or whatever? Is there a chance that the killing was religiously motivated somehow, whether in line with dogma or kind of heretical?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1011|John Rizzo (1011)}} has posed:'''<br> Rizzo goes stiff as a board when his bare fingers touch upon Sturluson's holy symbol. It figures that this'd be the most important of his possessions. <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "He caught me in the alley," mutters the vampire, lost in a momentary trance as Sturluson's emotions and memories play out in his mind. <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "Face hidden under a hat, but I see his rictus grin... and his eyes. Like two lanterns. He hates me, thinks it's funny he's cornered me." John's hands squeeze the twisting branches of the symbol. "He wears black fire like a scarf. It reaches out, burns me. The flames wash over me, I feel his hate... I hear him mock me. Traitor, he says." <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Rizzo nearly drops the symbol, breath catching in his throat despite the lack of any need on his part to breathe. Setting the idol down, he takes a minute to compose himself, leaning on a table for support and giving Mei a sidelong glance. Wrapping his hand back up, Rizzo nods. "Definitely a connection," he says for anyone who didn't hear his fevered muttering. <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "Sturluson was hocking evidence on the side. Guessing the killer saw that as a lack of conviction on his part."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1133|Dapper Avenger (1133)}} has posed:'''<br>Florentine nods to everyone as he shakes, though the Chief doesn't outstretch his hand unless one is outstretched to him. Mei gets a smile in return from the younger detective, as the chief begins to take the journal out of the bag to hand to Reiji. The detective, meanwhile, responds to their questions. "Sturluson was one of the most devout fellows I knew. Went to sermons at the Church of Yggdrasil frequently, his religion was an open book. Always had that holy branch on him." A point to the holy symbol Rizzo's investigating, as Florentine considers Xiaomu's question. "Hmm, there's quite a few religions, and I'm not well-versed in them all, but my mother was a Yggdrasil. Honesty, conviction, and redemption are the big three ones. Murder's a sin, absolutely." The detective nods, before looking thoughtful..and frowning as he thinks of something. The chief glances at him, moving his hand to urge the other man to speak.<br><br>"Though, some of the Heroes of Yggdrasil were pretty hardcore, to be honest. If someone was looking to them for inspiration..." The Chief just groans, slapping his hand on the table. "What, you think this is some sort of religious nutjob? Just because one victim was religious and the other was at a church? I'd put more odds in them /not/ being connected. This is a big city, you know." Seems he doesn't want to /believe/ it's connected, at minimum.<br><br>The journal is pretty long, and dated. It has daily living (chores, dinner, work), but the work sections are the most interesting, because they also mention the victim's /illicit/ activities. Taking bribes, selling evidence, lying to other officers to sneak it out or excuse why it's gone, Sturluson was as dirty as they get. Though, none of the crimes seem like something someone would /kill over/. The handwriting is the victim's - they have a sample nearby if asked. Part of the journal /does/ feel odd, though, like something's...missing? Some of the entries have odd separations between them, though none of the dates look too far apart at a glance.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1134|Mei Hatsume (1134)}} has posed:'''<br> A bunch of loose stuff, his clothes, a note, and a cross. Mei squints slightly as she takes a moment to figure out what might actually be useful, looking over at Rizzo when he starts to mutter. "A hat...? What are you...?" She starts, then stops to simply listen to the mummy detective and his... Hallucination? Vision? Whatever it is, it certainly sounds like he's found something! <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "If there was fire involved, then..." Mei starts, then stops again to look over the clothes and note. She doesn't spend much time with the clothing aside from checking for burn marks, but the real bulk of her focus goes towards the note itself. She handles it carefully, relying mostly on her eye's ZOOM IN power to try and make out the small print. "Sirs. Do people around here normally wear fire like a fashion statement? Have you ever seen it happen?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:705|Reiji Arisu (705)}} has posed:'''<br>Reiji's brow furrows slightly, especially as Rizzo starts... Going into another fit. Traitor. Traitor? That's a harsh word. Traitor to whom, to what? To the faith? "That's strange. 'Heretic' or 'Heathen' maybe, but Traitor is a very strong word. Very personal. I wonder if he knew the perpetrator."<br><br>Reiji's musing is interrupted when he notices something... Something /odd/ about the journal. As if something was missing? That's... "Sorry, do you happen to have the original journal? It looks like something might have happened during the photocopy. There's... It's incoherent. Are you sure there weren't any pages missing?"<br><br>There's a beat, then. A long moment passes.<br><br>"Are you sure this is really a journal?" Reiji glances up, then. "And not a... Message, to someone? Why would a cop, even a dirty cop, keep a ledger that would implicate him? You see these passages--" He flicks between pages, pointing out lines that refer back to events that were never actually mentioned in the previous entries. But... "'As I wrote the other day.' Wrote where, though? Mentioned where? It's very strange. Almost like it's incomplete."<br><br>"Do you have his scriptures on hand anywhere?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1132|Kyoko Takada (1132)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Hibiki," an East Asian woman in a casually-worn suit, has been here all along. Really. She's looking at the possessions, running a high-level search for similar objects caught in unlinked photography in the area. She's not liable to get much, with items that common. Nothing unique, and this world probably doesn't have the kind of heavy surveillance that makes that technique of hers frightening.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Mind if I have a look through that journal? I can at least map out his time and see if there's a pattern in what he didn't mention." That is, she'll use a quick scan to construct a calendar for the deceased and then see if there were particular times of day or week or following particular events that the curiously detailed logger failed to log things.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:705|Reiji Arisu (705)}} has posed:'''<br>Reiji nodded, offering the journal over for Kyoko's examination. "Go ahead. Rizzo might be able to pull something from its signature, too. It'd be worth seeing, anyway."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1011|John Rizzo (1011)}} has posed:'''<br> Rizzo nods. "Sure thing," he says. Facing Hibiki, "Go ahead and take a look. I can just touch it while you're working." Admittedly, he is curious, as Reiji brings up a good point. It's awfully detailed for a supposedly crooked cop. Why leave something behind that could potentially implicate you? <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; While Hibiki examines it, he unravels a bit of gauze from a finger and simply taps the spine of the journal. Did it even belong to Sturluson? What was going through his mind when he sat down and wrote all these entries--if it was indeed him doing the writing?<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:707|Xiaomu (707)}} has posed:'''<br>Rizzo's reverie draws enough of Xiaomu's attention for the sage fox to keep an ear perked, listening to what she can even as she pays attention to the answer Florentine provides. "Religion's one of the oldest motivations for murder," she points out to the local cops, "particularly when the killer thinks he's serving the will of his deity. Sometimes it's on a big enough scale to get classified as 'war,' sometimes it stays on the individual level. "And if the Yggdrasil church puts an emphasis on honesty, then a corrupt cop *would* set off all kinds of flags for a convicted devotee ..."<br><br>The talk about 'wearing fire' makes the fox frown. "Okay, I don't know what you all burn, but *black* fire isn't a natural thing, or remotely good. If the killer was 'wearing' actual black flame, then magic was definitely involved - and I'll bet my tails it ain't *good* magic. Not unless you've got a death god who's considered benevolent and not terrifying, or something like that."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1133|Dapper Avenger (1133)}} has posed:'''<br>The detective shakes his head to Reiji regarding the original journal. "We /never/ had it, I'm afraid. Copies were sent to the press, and also found on street corners all over the city. Ours is a copy of a newspaper's. If a page is missing...it must have been before it was leaked." The detective shrugs about why he would have a ledger, as he shakes his head again. "I'm sorry, there were none with his belongings."<br><br>The jacket is burned in several places, with holes, charred spots, and burn marks all over it. The pockets are empty, obviously already checked. The note, though, that's more interesting, as the Chief just stares at Mei. "What?" After a moment, he groans out a dismissal. "No, never heard of such a thing. People don't set themselves on fire, atleast not the sane." The note reads to be an appointment slip, for one 'Ozark and Hardhaft'. It seems to be dated for the day of the murder, in the afternoon.<br><br>Rizzo doesn't get a connection off the copy, sadly, and it's old enough to not really have /any/ connection to it at all. Some guy putting it in a photocopier. Hibiki, meanwhile, finds a single photo - the victim's outfit matching to a shot of a couple on a street, walking down it in the background. The calendar, meanwhile, provides some information...and some more oddities. All of the dates seem pretty closely connected - he wrote an entry almost every day, with very few exceptions. The exceptions /start/ about two weeks before the murder, and they tie most clearly with the oddities in the writing, but there's no interesting events or really interesting times of the day or the week. Comparing the dates of the 'exceptions' to the ones after them...the handwriting of the date almost seems smudged on everything after an exception for quite some time.<br><br>"None associated with fire, no." Florentine responds to Xiaomu, while looking thoughtful again. "Magic's not thought to be a thing of the present age. There's no verified sightings since the time of the Heroes of Yggdrasil."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:705|Reiji Arisu (705)}} has posed:'''<br>So even the cops don't have the original copy? Then who the hell does? It's been distributed to the press, copies have been left on the street, it's...<br><br>...It's almost as if... The perpetrator is responsible for spreading specifically the information he wanted to see spread.<br><br>"...I'm beginning to understand why our PI friend was so interested in this case," Reiji says with a quiet murmur. "This matches his handwriting, sure. But I'm not so sure how reliable /any/ of this information really is, anymore."<br><br>"You've said that there's no magic around here anymore," Reiji glances over towards Florentine, "But where I come from, hardly anyone knows magic is real. But it is. It's just that there are people very good at hiding it. So either we might have a conspiracy here, or the perp is a sign of magic's sudden and abrupt return, /OR/ he's a multiversal, and all assumptions go out the window."<br><br>"Now, you guys don't have the original journal. Do you have any idea who might? I'm sure you've done some digging, especially considering how much of this implicates your cop."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1011|John Rizzo (1011)}} has posed:'''<br> "Bupkis on the book," Rizzo says, re-bandaging his finger. An employee at a photocopier or a few scant impressions from Hibiki and Reiji? Hardly a smoking gun in either case. "It's gotta be the Real McCoy." Malkav is apparently a stickler for details. <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "And the Real McCoy's in short supply." Which means he'll need to follow the paper trail on the journal... literally. He nods in agreement with Reiji. "A would-be whistleblower with all the subtlety of fireworks in a hospital zone. I don't like it, either." <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; He's tired--and his manners are a little lacking. "Have somebody bring one of the local rags up here--any one'll do. Matter of fact, bring up a few." Between the various newspapers in town, someone's bound to have seen this mystery informant.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1134|Mei Hatsume (1134)}} has posed:'''<br> "Religion, romance, reputation... Hmm. What if our killer was...?" Mei's grin grows a little wider as she starts to consider THE POSSIBILITIES, but quickly snaps out of it when Xiaomu mentions the unnaturalness of the whole thing. "Maybe not black fire, but one of the more well-known Heroes back home really does wear fire." The inventor gestures at where a moustache and beard would be, then at her chest and shoulders, then her feet. <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "... But it doesn't sound like that's a natural occurrence here, no." Taking the hint from the Chief, Mei's attention soon turns back to the victim's belongings again. The coat looks about as expected, but the note still monopolizes her attention. Pulling out a notebook, she starts jotting something down. <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "Ozark and Hardhaft... Hmm. Strange. There's an appointment slip for whoever those are for the afternoon. Same day he was murdered, even." Florentine and the Chief both get curious looks as Mei pushes her goggles back up onto her forehead. "Are Ozark and Hardhaft somewhere nearby?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1132|Kyoko Takada (1132)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Kyoko works her magic. "And... I have something, but not what I expected." In front of her, several holographic panes scroll. One shows a series of photographs, one shows calendar entries, and a third, linked column shows the actual entries from the journal in photographic form, lined up against the crisp, fixed-font calendar. There's not much limit to her own software, but whatever resolution the photo had, that's it. There's a limit to how much detail can be reliably inferred. She checks the metadata, trying to find a date and match up the place the photo was taken.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Meanwhile, "I don't have anything definite on the journal. Except that the 'missing' portions only go back two weeks before his death. And... are these dates smudged? I'm not an expert in handwriting, but my AI's saying it's a noticeable pattern linked to the missing portions."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:707|Xiaomu (707)}} has posed:'''<br>"So, not even the church which shares their name has that kind of 'miracles' on tap?" Xiaomu says. "Huh. And how long ago was the Heroes' era? Centuries, millennia? Unknown aeons?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1133|Dapper Avenger (1133)}} has posed:'''<br>Bjorn Hardhaft was one of the persons of interest, if anyone checks the evidence they found at the previous crime scene - mentioned in Vermond's notes. When Reiji asks who it could have been, the detective and the chief look at each other for a moment, the chief looking kind of angry and the detective embarassed, doing the replying. "...No, we don't have any suspects. We looked. We mapped out criminals connected to the evidence, and found nothing. He lived alone, and his social life was only really at the church, where we had no real suspects. No reason to kill him." He doesn't seem to be lying or withholding anything. The detective takes this time to shout for someone to grab some of the newspapers, as the Chief responds to Mei. "Ozark and Hardhaft? It's a banking firm. Daniel Ozark and Bjorn Hardhaft. It's near the edge of town. Not far from the crime scene, actually." The older man considers it, still seemingly frustrated by this entire case. The street in the photo, meanwhile, if checked on any GPS, seems to be not far from the firm - and not difficult to get to from the church, either.<br><br>"Millennia. Thousands and thousands of years ago, not known exactly when. Honestly, if magic is back, that's concerning. It's always been known to have existed, but nothing has been made to deal with it existing /now/." Florentine responds to Xiaomu, as someone brings in a stack of newspapers and hands them to Rizzo.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:707|Xiaomu (707)}} has posed:'''<br>"Well, you had at least one corrupt cop in your department, and that drove somebody to kill him," Xiaomu says matter-of-factly to the Chief. "Wouldn't surprise me if he's somehow one of the Church's few adherents to be 'blessed' with magic of some kind ... or he might've picked this up off-world, you've been Unified how long?"<br><br>Veracity of the journal notwithstanding, this is still about investigating a murder. If it weren't for the involvement of a church ....<br><br>Waaaaaait a second.<br><br>"Come to think of it. If the Yggdrasil church acknowledges that magic used to be a thing ... where are they about living beings who are inherently magical or supernatural in some way? If I walked into the cathedral and was Very Clearly Not Human," she gestures at her ears and hairtails, "would they try to burn me at the stake as an affront to their deity, or what?"<br><br>It's possible that she's getting distracted by a tangent. Or maybe this will lead to something relevant to the investigation. Worst-case scenario, she can help rule out a possibility. Hopefully.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1132|Kyoko Takada (1132)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"That... 'Hardhaft' would have to be the next point of interest, then. Though it's possible that we won't find anything there that tells us 'why him,' or 'why then.' This photo puts someone dressed like the victim near that location, but we already knew that. All I can think about the smudged dates is that someone doctored the copies sent out to the papers, but we should have guessed that from the missing entries, too. Or could the whole thing have been faked? Maybe he wasn't feeling all that guilty, but the murderer thought he should be." Kyoko pushes a few things on her screens around, but isn't making much more headway.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1134|Mei Hatsume (1134)}} has posed:'''<br> "So there's that connection... Hardhaft was one of the people that Vermond was looking into." Mei lets out a thoughtful hum as she sets the note back with the rest of the belongings, then starts to pace around slowly with her eye returning to its normal vision range. "I don't know about this Ozark, but if the victims in both cases had a conenction through Hardhaft..." <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The inventor grunts lightly, looking troubled suddenly. "... No, it couldn't be that simple. It might be worth checking out that firm later, though, if only to find out what or who else our POI might be involved with." She stops her pacing to turn towards Florentine as he speaks with Xiaomu on the topic of magic and... <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "The 'Heroes' Era'... Hmm. Were these Heroes all magical, or were there different sorts that relied on different things to get the job done?" Something's starting to turn in the inventor's head, but she doesn't focus on that too long before turning to Kyoko. "Wouldn't doctored copies just make things needlessly complicated? If the murderer could just set things on fire, it'd be easier to just burn everything that might be a clue."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1132|Kyoko Takada (1132)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Kyoko blinks, and then shakes her head to Mei. "Maybe they did burn the parts they didn't want known, but if they burned it all they wouldn't be able to spread proof of the victim's wrongdoing. They just wanted the account altered a little. Maybe they ripped out certain days, and then changed the dates to make it look like nothing was missing. Just not quite well enough."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:705|Reiji Arisu (705)}} has posed:'''<br>"No, that would be too simple," Reiji says, suddenly. "Consider this. What would the perpetrator stand to gain by distorting the evidence? He's omitted pages from the journal, smudged the dates to make it harder to determine where he made those omissions. But you're right, if he wanted to eliminate the evidence completely, he would have just burnt the book. So he had something to gain by releasing it instead. Now, either there's something on those pages that he wants to hide, which would be strange considering that the perp is likely the one who leaked the copies to begin with, or he's made the parts he has changed obvious in order to hide the parts that aren't so obvious. Nobody would suspect a more subtle edit when an obvious one presents itself."<br><br>"So then," Reiji posits. "What is the perpetrator trying to do? What kind of story is he trying to tell? Was he just trying to reveal this man to be a dirty cop, or... Is there something else? Are we sure that the dates and missing pages are the only things that have been changed, or has he been editing other parts of the journal more subtly than one could tell at first glance, or even after a thorough investigation? If he's capable of magic, then could we even tell that he had made changes after the fact?"<br><br>"So. Either Kyoko is right, and this perp wanted to make it obvious how guilty our victim is, and the missing pages contain information that's inconvenient for him-- maybe because it reveals his identity, or suggests to it. Or he might be trying to cover something up, to point the finger in such a way that would utterly ruin a man's memory even after his death while simultaneously pointing away from /him./"<br><br>"Or," Reiji shrugs, "Our victim was legitimately guilty of all that was written down, but the bits in the missing pages would make him seem /less/ so, and our killer is just spiteful."<br><br>"There are a lot of possibilities here, and it might be impossible to narrow down right this minute."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1011|John Rizzo (1011)}} has posed:'''<br> "Thanks, pal," says Rizzo to the gofer. He then begins flipping through the stack of newspapers. His interest isn't on the story itself, but rather, the authors thereof. Taking out his notepad, the vampire begins scrawling down the names of the newspapers, and of the writers who put together each paper's respective piece on the journal. There are three possibilities here: either the whistleblower made a visit personally to one of them, had a taskrabbit do it, or just made a dead drop. Any one of those could lead to pay dirt. <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; With a few newspapers to investigate, he pauses. There's still too much that's unknown here. Maybe his dark gifts could once again shed light on the information. Tapping into the Malkavian discipline of Dementation, he allows the madness that plagues him to take center stage, hoping for an alternative perspective. <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; That perspective comes when he more closely examines the space between the letters on the printed newspapers. White tracks, beset on either side by black columns of ink, like shadows menacing a road at night. Occasionally one of those columns smudges into the road, defacing it, but never completely. Never so much that the road can't be traveled. He follows the road, turning page after page, his pace gradually increasing until he reaches his third newspaper. <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; (continued from page 2A) -sin <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Of course. Why didn't he see it before? They're all being lead down a path of sin. Not with the aim of getting them to sin, of course--but showing them someone else's. All of this is deliberate. For several minutes, Rizzo has remained silent, only to speak up suddenly and without regard to other conversation in the room. <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "He wants us to follow him," says the vampire matter of factly. "He's counting on it. The journal's a breadcrumb. So is the religious scripture."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:705|Reiji Arisu (705)}} has posed:'''<br>Reiji stares at John for a long moment before shrugging. "That's just as likely as anything else. But then, why does he want us to chase him? Is it just for the thrill, or does the perp have a reason for it?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1011|John Rizzo (1011)}} has posed:'''<br> "The journal's missing pages start two weeks before he was knocked off. The handwriting's sketchy in spots, and it's suspicious besides. I'd say he wants us to keep chasing leads and find out what Sturluson did in those two weeks. He's... testing us, maybe? Testing our conviction?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:705|Reiji Arisu (705)}} has posed:'''<br>"That's a hell of a way to test us. But our dead dick found him too, and we know how that turned out." There's a beat. Reiji furrows his brow. "What was our dirty cop working on before his unforunate demise?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1132|Kyoko Takada (1132)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"The idea checks out." Kyoko nods. "We have a lead, and look at that, the journal doesn't mention anything /about/ that lead. Like it's a hole in the story we're meant to go fill in. If it were the final straw, the thing he did bad enough to get him killed, wouldn't it be in the account sent to the papers, front and center? Though it's still speculation at this point."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1133|Dapper Avenger (1133)}} has posed:'''<br>"It depends. Some could see the future. Some had the powers of the elements. Some were just the world's greatest warriors. I can get some details on the Heroes of Yggdrasil, if it's that relevant." The detective responds, as he blinks at the chief for a moment during the investigation. As the group hashes out what they're going to do next, he starts putting away the evidence they're done with. "I hope this was useful. We're looking to cooperate fully with your investigation, due to the strange circumstances." He shakes his head to Xiaomu, though. "At most, they'd find you odd. We've been integrated long enough that 'strange' people can be spotted on the streets, and have immigrated. The religion, to my knowledge, has nothing against it?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1011|John Rizzo (1011)}} has posed:'''<br> "Real useful," says Rizzo with a nod towards the detective. His balance shifts, and he's quick with a hand to steady himself. "Oof." <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "I'm gonna find someplace dark and cool, lie low. Come sundown..." He taps the notepad on which the names of several newspapers and authors are written. "Gonna see if I can't get my hands on someone who eyeballed the informant, or a copy of the journal to do my Thing."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1132|Kyoko Takada (1132)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Just one more thing, as it occurs to me," Kyoko says. "If the killer is leading us down a particular path, and the last detective to follow after the killer was ambushed and hung in public, we might want to expect the same thing to be in store for us. I admit I'm a little apprehensive of that chance, even moving in a group."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:705|Reiji Arisu (705)}} has posed:'''<br>"There's one more thing here, too," Reiji says with a curious murmuring sound. "Do you guys have anyone watching the church? If you could share any information you have on the priest there, and the kid living there, that might really help."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1133|Dapper Avenger (1133)}} has posed:'''<br>"We'll get it to you." The detective replies to Reiji, before putting away the last of the evidence. "Don't worry."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:707|Xiaomu (707)}} has posed:'''<br>"That's surprisingly enlightened and open-minded of a long-established church," Xiaomu remarks, although the nod she gives is rather approving. "So if I need to walk into the cathedral and start asking questions, the only nasty looks I'll get are because of the *questions*. Good to know."<br> <br>
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