5613/TGSBP - Interrogation

TGSBP - Interrogation
Date of Scene:	24 December 2017
Location:	The Tapestry
Synopsis:	Pending. Submitting logs because nobody has been.
Cast of Characters:	1133, John Rizzo, Reiji Arisu, 707

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Dapper Avenger (1133) has posed:
At an OFF-WORLD HOLDING CENTER, there is an interrogation room. This is where Vladimir Edda, the local priest of Yggdrasil in Hvergel, sits at a table with a cup of coffee, across from two chairs. Both he and Bjorn Hardhaft, Hvergel banker, have been taken into protective custody after a tip came in from John Rizzo that they were in danger. Neither were too enthused about going into protective custody, but both accepted.

Currently, Vladimir Edda waits for the investigators, who may have questions for him. The priest hasn't touched at his coffee, and has been sitting quietly staring at a clock on the wall for several minutes. If you have any questions for him, the time's to ask. If not, Bjorn Hardhaft is also in waiting to be questioned afterwards.

John Rizzo has posed:
In the decades he's been undead, Rizzo has learned the value of subtlety. If and when Reiji enters the interrogation room proper, he'll notice that the vampire isn't there. The moment he enters in, however, he'll get a psychic image of the one-way mirror, Rizzo's way of telling him that he's here and ready to assist.

     In the darkness of the observation room, only the soft glow of the computers illuminates the vampire's face. Staring down at Edda, he focuses on the priest's psychic presence, his mind tuning out the gentle hum of the room's recording equipment or the quiet clacking of the technician's keyboards. Once he's found it, Rizzo starts doing some probing for memories of Sturluson. Specifically, he's looking for memories of celebrations in town.

     Avenger had mentioned that an upcoming celebration would be the time he'd come after Hardhaft, Edda, and possibly the 'prince,' so having a timeframe to track down the third guy will be helpful, if he can find it.

Reiji Arisu has posed:
Reiji Arisu has questions to ask of Vladimir Edda.

The exorcist enters into the interrogation chamber with a quiet click of a door handle. "Father Edda," the exorcist says with the exact kind of deadpan that he wears all too often. "I'm glad you and Mister Hardhaft decided to join us. The streets aren't safe, I'm afraid. I hope you might help us make things just a little safer around here."

He pulls up a chair across from the priest and settles into it, resting his hands on the table. "How about we start from the top? A dirty cop was the first victim, Vermond being the second one-- and, I believe, yourself and mister Hardhaft were to be the third and the fourth. Hopefully we've adequately protected the two of you. Is there anything you could tell us about any of these people? Yourself, the others, why someone might want to silence you?"

His eyes do not glance towards the one-way mirror. He doesn't need to see the vampire there to know he is present, not once he gives that little supernatural signal.

"I believe that there might be a fifth as well. A 'prince.' Is there anything you'd like to tell me about that?"

Xiaomu (707) has posed:
Reiji's not alone in the interrogation room; a certain fox is with him.

Or rather, a certain foxgirl.

Xiaomu is apparently foregoing her staff for the moment, but her usual light-heartedness doesn't seem to be terribly evident as she gives Vladimir Edda a slow, searching look, as if she can see into the depths of his soul. Rather than taking the other seat on Reiji's side of the table right away, she walks around the inside of the interrogation room, her gaze remaining steady on poor Vlad, her ears perked as though to catch even the slightest sound, her footsteps almost silent, her gaze unwavering.

She's pretty well conscious of Rizzo's observing presence as well, but her attention remains fixed on the priest even as she finishes circling, draws her chair out with the faintest noise of its feet against the floor, and settles into it with all the lazy grace of a predator settling in to watch her next meal.

Or maybe she's nursing a grudge about missing this week's episode of her favorite TV show for this.

Actually, given Xiaomu? That might well be more accurate than that she's just trying to play the predator/bad cop against Reiji's more rationally-based approach.

Dapper Avenger (1133) has posed:
Vladimir Edda is not, it seems, an easy nut to crack. As the two enter the chamber, the priest looks up at them, scans his eyes over them, and then finally takes a sip of his coffee. "Mm. I'd been hoping that things had died down, but if my life is in danger, there is no real alternative, is there?" The priest avoids looking at Xiaomu. Avoid being bothered by not staring at person who is playing bad cop. "I can tell you a few things, but while I can think of an immediate connection, I cannot think of a motive. Frederik Sturluson was a regular at my church, while Bjorn Hardhaft and I are old friends. Vermond died at my church. I never spoke to Vermond, so I can say nothing about him, but about the others...Sturluson never came across as what he was. He was faithful to the church, and loyal to the community in every way that we could see. Always at fundraisers or public events, always friendly and willing to talk." Edda's eyes twitch, but otherwise, he stays calm.

"Bjorn and I met at one of these events several years ago. We hit it off, similar interests - we're both opera fans. We've been friends for years since. He's been in the banking industry for several years, and has a shrewd mind for deals, though I would not know if he knew Sturluson. If he did, he never told me." Another brief twitch. "Why they'd want to kill me, or Bjorn, I don't know. Perhaps they're aiming for public figures in the town. Perhaps they think we're 'dirty' as well and are on some weird vigilante streak. I cannot say." Edda takes another sip of his coffee.

On the subject of a prince, Edda tilts his head, as if considering. "There's a few possibilities, but I'm not sure. The royal family has few princes, none in line for the throne. Perhaps a foreign prince? Quite a few stay in the Regal District." Another slight twice of his eyes.

Rizzo, meanwhile, sees some old events in his mind. An old feast at the church. A fundraiser at city hall. The mayor's wedding. A foreign ambassador attended the wedding. The ambassador mentioned his prince in conversation. This would lead him to the answer he seeks - the most likely upcoming event.

John Rizzo has posed:
The dim lighting of the observation room illuminates a concerned frown upon Rizzo's already-troubled face. Reiji and Xiaomu receive a series of images that communicates what he's learned:

     A wedding in the Church of Yggdrasil. Outside, scores of policemen, police riflemen posted at the top of buildings using their slightly outmoded 19th century firearms. The noise is a dull roar of clamoring citizens, a barricade erected to keep both the public and the unauthorized press from entering. Jump-cut to inside the church.

     A Prince Charming type, complete with sash, saber, and crown, his face obscured. He takes the hand of his bride, whose face is also obscured. Fear explodes into the air as Avenger materializes before the altar, striking the Prince down with a sword stroke. The audience in the pews erupts into panicked screams, a sudden surge of bodies attempting to exit en masse. The vision ends with the prince's crown, silver, falls to the floor with a dull ring. As it rolls into view, the emblem upon it can be seen: a three-pronged silver arrow.

(Image: https://imgur.com/a/2LL7u )

     In plain English, there's a wedding coming up for which the Prince will be the groom, and that's when Avenger is going to attack.

     With those messages sent, it's time to fact check what Edda is saying. The twitch seems to be a tell of some sort. Reiji and Xiaomu have done this song and dance before, so he figures they'll probably catch wise to that before too long. Still, just in case, he sends them both images of the priest's possible tell, with a triangular 'caution' symbol superimposed over it.

Reiji Arisu has posed:
It's rare for Xiaomu to play bad cop. Reiji tends to do the job almost without prompting. Still, it's a welcome change of pace.

Now. The witness. What an interesting twitch he has. A tell, maybe? The priest does not seem to have the best poker face in the world, did he?

"You know, I've been wondering about Sturluson. All this rumbling about him being a dirty cop, you know. It's never quite sat right with me. From what I've heard, the news took pretty much everyone who knew him by surprise. Yourself included, it seems?" Reiji steeples his hands and rests them on the tabletop. "It seems strange to me that someone who was so open and friendly to everyone could have kept everyone else in the dark."

"After all, dirty cops, you know. They need to be on someone's take. That's sort of the definition, isn't it? It seems very strange that nobody would know. Stranger still, it seems to me that whoever was Sturluson's other man, if one did in fact exist, then they'd need to be very wealthy indeed. That way, he wouldn't need to talk to many people about it, word wouldn't get out. That's just what I think, anyway."

Reiji shrugs, then.

"It's interesting that you mention someone weird vigilante streak. I've been doing some reading, you see. Sounds kind of like Gjollr to me, to be honest."

Xiaomu (707) has posed:
"The church seems like a bit of a tenuous link," Xiaomu comments idly, "especially in a city like yours. You sure there's nothing else that comes to mind?"

She doesn't really want to trample on whatever angle Reiji's working with Vladimir, but the 'gap' in reasoning is a bit too big not to notice. And to leave it 'unnoticed' would pass up a possible line of inquiry.

Dapper Avenger (1133) has posed:
Edda takes another sip of his coffee, eyes narrowing at Reiji. "I'm not sure what you want me to say. I didn't know the depths of Sturluson's crimes. I don't know who he was working with, if anyone." There's another twitch in the eyes, which is almost definitely a tell, but besides it, Edda's statement is firm. He moves on to the next subject. "I can see where you might think so. Several of my parishioners have come with the theory that it was someone following Gjollr as well. But if it was, they don't know our religion very well." Edda takes his hands and brings them to his chest. "Both murders were secretive. That goes against Gjollr's stories. If they're meant to mimic Gjollr, then, while I'm not a detective, I'd have to say they were as a distraction, not actually a zealot. A zealot would not make that mistake."

To Xiaomu, Edda shrugs. "I apologize. There's not much more I know."

John Rizzo has posed:
There's that tell again. The firmness, the defensiveness, and the twitch? Well, you don't have to be Rizzo's age to smell something rotten. Reiji and Xiaomu are cops--which means they have their hands tied with regards to some things. If this place's justice system is anything like his, mind reading probably won't hold up in court, but there's always the good old fashioned approach of playing two suspects against each other.

     Rizzo reaches out for Hardhafts presence, next, and once he finds it, he starts looking through his memories. But what should he look for? Avenger put together that little scrapbook to show not Sturluson's crimes, but Edda's, Hardhaft's, the prince's, or possibly all three.

     There's got to be something one or both men would want hidden from the public, right? At first, it doesn't seem to make any sense. Then, it hits him. Princes are loaded, bankers know how to move money, priests marry people, and marriage comes with certain benefits, especially when one or more parties are loaded--like our Prince of Mercedes. There's got to be some intersect there.

     Rizzo searches the banker's mind for any memories wherein he interacted with Sturluson, Edda, the Prince, or all three men at once, be it in person or through secret correspondence. If it takes him all night, he's gonna find /something./ Something he can use to help Reiji and Xiaomu, and to save lives--even if they're rotten.

Reiji Arisu has posed:
Indeed. Therein lies the problem. Reiji's hands are, ultimately, tied when it comes to extracting the information he needs. Besides which, extortion and coercion don't tend to lead to anything concrete. Grilling someone until they give you what they want doesn't mean what you want is the truth.

"It's the similarity that I'm worried about. You see, it's the kind of mistake someone who only has a passing knowledge of the old legends would make. You see, Edda, I'll be frank. We think that the killer is among your flock. Someone who would be in exactly the sort of position to know about certain indiscretions."

Reiji... draws an envelope out from a briefcase that has definitely been here the whole time and slides it across the table.

It contains... A very familiar shirt. Or rather, a shirt Edda would be terribly familiar with.

"Help us understand, Father Edda," Reiji says after a moment. "What connection are we missing?"

Xiaomu (707) has posed:
Indeed, grilling somebody until they give you what you (seem to) want tends to make a rather unfulfilling meal. And the sage fox does *NOT* know that by personal experience, she's never been THAT hungry.

As for being a cop? Xiaomu's expertise lies more in dealing with youkai than mortal humans - beings who care little for the spirit or letter of human laws, and less for the details delineating what can be done to or for them. Xiaomu herself doesn't usually worry about details of the law so long as the spirit of it is upheld in the long run; she's not about to pin a tanuki's ears to the wall over unpaid taxes or the like, although she tries to drive home that 'giving back to the community' takes more abstract forms, sometimes more numeric, than simply doing good things for the people around you.

If Edda were a youkai, the shirt would likely be incredibly damning in some way, shape, or form. In this case? .... well, we'll see if it puts a suitable crack in Edda's staid demeanor.

Dapper Avenger (1133) has posed:
This is the strangest way to indicate a suspect. It is also a surprisingly effective one, because it gives Edda time from confusion to dawning to staring at Reiji. "...I don't understand. You think Marco's the killer? That's...not possible." And despite those words, Edda's face clearly has him not only visualizing it, but weighing it over. It seems that he may actually believe it, even as he denies it. Edda rubs his hands again the back of his neck, but he looks away. He's still hiding something, even as he moves to speak.

"Well...I assume it's /possible/, even if I can't see the boy doing it. Both murders were at night, when he was alone, and Marco is at the church...but I don't know why he would do it. He never interacted with Sturluson to my knowledge outside church functions." Edda's eyes twitch when he says 'I don't know why he would do it', but even then, whatever Edda is lying about, he still seems uncertain about. Almost as if whatever is damning, he doesn't think Marco could know.

Rizzo's poking finds him memories, though it takes a bit to get anything useful. They're damning. Very damning. And they might just explain quite a bit.

John Rizzo has posed:
At some point during the interrogation, Xiaomu's cell phone vibrates with a text message.

     "Hardhaft just spilled the beans. Guess he knows the ride's over and he's trying to protect himself. Said he and Edda found some dirt on the crown from Sturluson. They were gonna use it to get Prince Raoul II to give them 1/2"

     "cushy seats in Hvergel's government. 2/2"

     Of course, Rizzo and Hardhaft hadn't spoken yet, or even met--but if Xiaomu believes that they have, it'll make it all the more convincing if and when she uses that against Edda. Especially since she's speaking up, which sort of changes the 'rhythm' of the interrogation. That should tip things notably in favor of the authorities here, and no one has to know Hardhaft hasn't sold anyone out. But the vampire's work isn't done yet.

     If Avenger is going after people he thinks is corrupt, then that means Raoul's on the chopping block, too. Reiji and Xiaomu both get a mental image from Rizzo. A series of thoughts, really. Inside the church, during the wedding of the Prince of Mercedes, there is suddenly a feeling of burning, intense hatred. They are witnessing a potential outcome, from the point of view of Avenger. His sword lashes out, striking a fleeing Hardhaft, then impaling the Priest, Edda. The prince in the silver crown--the prince of Mercedes, attempts to stop him, but is cast aside harmlessly. This isn't his target.

     Avenger searches the fleeing persons in the crowd, his anger bubbling over. The two Paladins can feel the emotion as if it were their own. Finally, he finds who he's looking for--another faceless figure, but dressed in the same royal finery as the Prince of Mercedes. He wears an out-of-place nametag, a deliberate decision on Rizzo's part to draw the mind towards this detail. HELLO, it reads, MY NAME IS RAOUL II. In other words, /that's/ the 'Prince' Avenger is after. Given the text Xiaomu receives, it should also fit nicely with his 'anti-corruption' M.O.

Xiaomu (707) has posed:
Xiaomu allows an annoyed look to flicker across her face as she fishes her cell phone out of her vest pocket, annoyance giving way to a narrow-eyed frown as she reads the text messages.

"It actually sounds quite possible, to judge by the rest of what you just said," the sage fox states as Edda trails off. "If I'm hearing you right, Marco spent nights at the church, which seems to me like it places him right at the scene of the crime. Interacting with somebody during church functions is plenty of opportunity to learn a lot about somebody, directly or indirectly. Maybe he just happened to overhear enough about people to decide that, while mortal authorities of the law couldn't put a stop to something, maybe he figured he had to keep his involvement quiet because he didn't trust those same mortal authorities to exonerate him for doing the right thing, even if in so doing he broke the law ..."

Her gaze shifts from the phone back to Edda himself, slipping her phone back into her pocket.

"Maybe he overheard scheming between a couple of people and a future monarch. Something that, given his position, nobody would ever believe *his* word over *theirs* - so he had no choice but to take matters into his own hands, and if his role in the deaths were to be revealed, then to accept the consequences as they fall. Not that he *wants* to be found guilty of murders, even for the best of reasons ... but again: who would believe *him* over the voices that would be raised up on behalf of the victims?"

Oh so casually, Xiaomu leans forward, her arms folded on the edge of the table, her face creeping towards Edda's. There's still the distance of the table itself between them - but how much will that slow down Xiaomu if she decides to seriously shake Edda down for details?

Reiji Arisu has posed:
Images flash in Reiji's mind even as Xiaomu grills their would-be canary. Fascinating. So it /wasn't/ the prince to be married. Not directly. Raoul the Second, is it? The exorcist frowns and nods along as his partner does the dirty work of playing the tell-tale 'CORNERED' bgm and full volume.

"Marco is a good-hearted young man," Reiji lies in ways he does not even fully comprehend yet. "For someone who has taken so strongly to the old faith, is it at all a surprise that he would be so quick to emulate the deeds of the old heroes? Conviction is a virtue as much as redemption, after all."

"So," Reiji shrugs, then. "A dirty cop is killed. The killer, disillusioned in the ability of the law to prosecute the misdeeds he has become aware of, takes matters into his own hands. Seems plausible to me."

"The only question now is what we can do to make sure justice is done," he says, crossing his arms over his chest. "Is there anything you'd like to tell us, Father Edda?"

Dapper Avenger (1133) has posed:
Xiaomu's got Edda hook line and sinker, even if he's not going to verbally admit it. The moment she mentions 'a future monarch', he slides his palm down his face, shaking his head. There's a brief mutter, along the lines of "I /know/ he couldn't have heard anything, how?". Despite the fact he knows he's been caught and the group knows he knows, he doesn't expound on it. Instead, Edda simply replies to Rizzo, voice cracking. "If...if /somehow/ it is Marco, then...he's clever. He's been my assistant for quite some time now, and for a man who can't be older than eighteen, he has the sharpest mind I've ever seen. He picks up things far too fast. If you have me in custody, and not him...I wouldn't be surprised if he knows, if he /is/ guilty." Edda considers something, briefly. He could continue playing it cool. But the man's not sure if that'll get him anywhere, and asking for a lawyer will only damn him more.

"Have you spoken to Bjorn? Did he /say anything/?" Edda puts his hands together. The least he can do is not say anything more than has already been said.

John Rizzo has posed:
Rizzo nods, as the audio is piped in from the interrogation room. Good, this is going exactly the way it needs to go, and these two aren't exactly greenhorns. They can handle it from here. "Thanks for the help, pal," he says to the technician in the room. The vampire exits the observation room, and when the door closes behind him, the burner phone in his pocket is crushed with supernatural strength, including the SIM card within it. Best not to leave any loose ends, there.

     Slipping into Obfuscate, he makes his exit, walking right past Hardhaft in the waiting room without giving the banker so much as a glance. There's only so many hours in the evening, and only so much time to make this as neat as possible for the boys in blue... and olive, or whatever shade the Paladins like.

Xiaomu (707) has posed:
Xiaomu sits back casually; if she were Reiji she might be fishing out a cigarette. (She's not Reiji, she hates cigarettes, and she's not going to even touch one of those stinking carcinogenic death-sticks for anything except interrupting Reiji smoking one of the things. But the body language is there.) "He mentioned something about you finding some dirt on the crown from Mr. Sturluson. And a plan to blackmail Prince Raoul the Second, seems you two thought that'd be enough to get a couple of nice comfortable government positions where you wouldn't have to worry about running out of money or anything ..."

She cocks an eyebrow at Edda. "Blackmailing royalty. Y'know, if I had a heart as strongly and starkly inclined to justice as our murderer, that'd sure put crosshairs on a few people. Especially royalty who were willing to go along with it."

Reiji Arisu has posed:
Hey, in Reiji's defense, the Multiverse has /probably/ invented non-carcinogenic cigarettes specifically so hardboiled detective types could better project that wonderful noir atmosphere. Not that the smell is much better. And they probably have all kinds of nasty side-effects, like artificial sweeteners!

"The game's pretty much up, I'm afraid," Reiji says over his steepled fingers. "As my partner here says, your friend was quite talkative. Now then, if you are ready to give a statement, I'd be glad to read you your rights."

Dapper Avenger (1133) has posed:
Edda collapses into his hands, sighing. "Bastard sold me out. Hhhh. Alright. Yes, it's true. Marco wasn't aware, though. He couldn't have been. He wasn't around when we started planning it, and I never allowed him to find out. I was /careful/. How could he know?" Edda's having trouble with this, clearly, as he just sets his hands on the table.

"I will tell you, though. If you want to get the prince, either to protect him or arrest him, he's supposed to be exchanging the documents during the wedding reception. That's likely when the killer...Marco plans to strike. Yggdrasil, it really was him, wasn't it?"