Scene #7016: Dance Dance Revacholution

Owner	Pose
Raphael Cousteau	( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kYopo2YtI1U ) WELCOME TO REVACHOL In the non-racist sense. This part of Martinaise is still firmly gripped in winter. Some of you are new here, so we'll give you a general rundown. AREA ONE: The Harbour The warpgate opens up to a traffic-locked roundabout. There's a statue of--what was once a man on a horse, which is now a statue of 'a man on a horse statue, in the midst of being exploded by a bomb'. There's a complex use of thin metal piping to create the effect. It's a whole avant garde thing. The good news is, the trucks who've been waiting here have seen resupply. They've sold goods to the Multiverse, received some from outside--but the fact of the matter is, at this juncture, noone wants to move. Noone wants to be the first person to give up. The truck drivers stay here because many of them have forgotten there was another option, over this long month. There's a group of four dockworker-looking types standing on the harbour wall now, next to a tattooed man. A lankier man with a red beret continues to stand by the rickety metal stairs up alongside it. The scabs--people brought in to work while the Union strikes, are at least well fed now. Someone's had food brought in for them. Still, it's cold outside, and they've been counter-striking for a while now. Evrart Claire, the current leader of the Dockworker's Union, has asked that a 'Staren Wiremu' meet him in his office. This will turn out to be within one of the many, many cargo containers of the harbour, now stacked up and painted like a makeshift fortress. It's easy enough to find. AREA TWO: THE WHIRLING-IN-RAGS Just next to the harbour is the hostel where one Inspector Raphael Ambrosius Cousteau and Kim Kitsuragi have been staying. There has been a massive display of graffiti painted in the nearby parking lot, in a mixture of heavy fuel and blood, each letter as tall as a man. UN JOUR JE SERAI DE RETOUR PRES DE TOI (One day I will return to your side). It appears to have been set on fire and allowed to burn out, as well, and two cops are looking at it. Not the usual, however. One appears to be a man with long, bedraggled blonde hair and sunglasses, and the other, a brown-haired woman who looks somewhat sad. "Fuckin shitkid," The blonde cop is overheard saying. "This is some shitkid stuff." AREA THREE: THE BOARDWALK Noone's gone here yet. There was, once, a thriving commercial sector here. It's the standard 'wood-and abandoned building' affair you expect. There was probably going to be more. The failed Communist revolution ended all of that. Inspector Raphael Ambrosius Cousteau and Kim Kitsuragi are here, alongside a man and his child, having an excited conversation about the history of computers. We are lead to believe that 'Ruby', our prime suspect for the actual murder, is hidden somewhere around here. AREA FOUR: THE ISLAND This is an island that, from a distance, has an abandoned Communist bunker on it that nobody has bothered with in decades. It is, however, one of the available places the shot COULD have come from. Maybe you just want to see the sights? Maybe find a weird bug? Who knows? AREA FIVE, I GUESS: A CAR there is a car still half-stuck in the ice, having clearly fallen in in an ill-fated attempt to drive over the canal and be super cool some time ago. this is here because it was last week.
Abigail Barton	After hearing of Revachol's murder mystery several times now, Abigail's taken it upon herself to lend a hand with the investigation. Her assistance isn't completely motivated by a desire to see how someone could leave such a mess and still evade capture, but... Well. It certainly helps. She's not arriving in any sort of finery or anything of that nature, at least, instead opting for a more casual look with a simple black hoodie pulled over her head, a white sweater underneath to ward off the cold, and beige cargo pants for (mostly) functional movement without being too flashy or fashionable. Aside from looking clean, she might blend in fairly well. She even keeps to larger groups and taller individuals to hide her presence, not showing herself to Inspector Coustaeu and Kitsuragi until after 'Ruby' is mentioned. "Aside from this name, do you have any other information on the suspect? An appearance, an M.O., a..." She pauses, tapping a hand on her chin and nudging her glasses up. "... Past incidents?"
Staren	Staren steps out of the warpgate and finds people who... want to take him to their leader? A leader who SEEMS to view his intentions positively, but it's had not to be cynical these days. Still... of course he'll go! He steps into the container with a smile, somewhat forced, and extends a hand to shake. "Pleased to meet you! I'm Staren Wiremu, what is this about?"
Inga Freyjasdottir	Turns out, whatever she'd needed to do tonight fell through and she was able to come to this new to her world to help this Cousteau do some investigating. There is a murder to solve, and perhaps she can also help him find the gun he mentioned he was looking for while she's at it. Upon her arrival, she decided it might be prudent to change into her more modern wardrobe, and so shows up in a long grey skirt and a cream sweater with a pink color-work yoke. She wears a belt around her waist from which hangs a small knife, a leather pouch, and several bone charms. With her long braided hair and walking stick, she still manages to look old fashioned. She limps into view, heading toward the small group. "Greetings, I take it you are Cousteau?" she inquires, only because it's polite. She's pretty sure she knows. "I'm Inga Freyjasdottir. Could you tell me a bit more about the murder and suspe--" she cuts off abruptly, her eyes widening slightly as she seems to freeze, a vision unfolding in her mind's eye. After a long moment, it passes and Inga shakes her head to clear it, blinking rapidly as she comes back. "Ah....I may have just glimpsed the suspect. I saw a woman hiding near here I believe...I smelled fish. A market I think. There's a box on her back with a red and blue flashing light..a siren, and she has a gun...?" she reports, looking to the others. She still doesn't know much about what is happening, but that should be easily remedied.
Raphael Cousteau	Kim Kitsuragi is a man with markedly Asian features, thick glasses, and an orange bomber jacket. As Abigail walks up, he offers a raised eyebrow. It takes him a moment to register what exactly is going on, as he writes something down in his notebook. "I see. You must also be one of the 'Elites' on this case. I am Kim Kitsuragi of the Revachol Citizens Militia." Raphael is busy, apparently, learning about some sort of fledgling computer company that used to occupy the building nearby, from a man and his child. Apparently they were planning on using revolutionary 'tape'-based memory storage, before the old Communist Revolution ruined all of that. "We are lead to understand that Ruby has red hair. She does not have a 'modus operandi'. During our--" He points to himself and Raphael, "Interim investigations, we determined that the most likely scenario is that the plan to fake the shooting as a hanging was -Ruby's- idea. It would be markedly difficult for her to have taken the shot from the boardwalk, and impossible for it to have been from the island, but there is a theory she could have suspended herself from a nearby winch to take the shot." There is the slightest of smirks. Does he believe this theory, even? "The detective is of the firm believe that she is inside this building, despite a complete lack of evidence. It is one of his 'hunches'. We are lead to believe she has some sort of 'radio weapon', whatever that means." Raphael breaks off his conversation as Inga shows up, giving her the same grin he has on his face, all of the time, forever. "Well, you see, the--" Inga has a vision, directly in front of him. This does not seem to bother him the slightest. "Oh. Well, Kim, I'm not saying we shouldn't go check after Ruby, but I'm also thinking maybe I should have a gun for it. I'll be back!" He tilts his head to Inga. "I know where that fish market is. Let's go!" The Inspector heads off, possibly with witch in tow. Kim adjusts his glasses. "...If you like, Miss...?" He indicates he does not know Abigail's name. "...It is possible that the... officer's side-investigation will take some time. I am willing to investigate this building with you to remove it from our potential list, in the interim."
Pazkar	As much as Pazkar wants to be helping Raphael, the armored knight is currently at the Whirling-in-Rags. Or more specifically, outside of it, staring at melted graffiti. As soon as he realizes the man and woman are Cops, he approaches them, removing his Paladins badge from his inventory to show it off. I am the unbreakable Pazkar, assisting the Citizen's Militia with solving crimes. What has happened here, beyond the melting?
Raphael Cousteau	MEANWHILE, at EVRART'S OFFICE.. Staren presumably flies over. It's helpful that he can do that. The harbour's various containers--seemingly mostly chemical tanks, are being repainted, and rearranged. This man is clearly up to something, as problematic as it is. Still, one is open, and Staren walks in to find it's..an office, that's for sure. Evrart himself is a fat man in a sizable leather office chair. There's a tacky taxidermied swordfish clock on the wall. Evrart adjusts his tiny glasses, and practically drips of grease and Bad Guy. "Good afternoon, Mister Wiremu. Please, sit down." He directs the cat scientist to a chair. It is a metal chair. It is slightly too small for him. The edges almost look sharp. This is not going to be a comfortable chair. "You'll understand, I need to look eye-to-eye with people whom I negotiate with, and my health problems preclude my getting up."
Staren	Staren sits in the chair. It's not /comfortable/, but any sharpness is dulled by his labcoat, which is more resilient than it appears. He nods at Evrart's explanation. "Perhaps we could fix those." He looks Evrart in the eyes. "So. You've seen me now. What did you want to talk about?" He shifts a bit in the uncomfortabl chair.
Raphael Cousteau	It's a good thing Staren's wearing that labcoat. He gets the distinct feeling that this chair would actually -physically hurt- to sit in, otherwise. Evrart adjusts his glasses. "Well. You already know, but to make things clear, Mister Wiremu, I am Evrart Claire, foreman of the Dockworker's Union. And as you have heard, the Union is the de facto law enforcement in this town. The Revachol Citizen's Militia is, while made up of upstanding individuals like Mister Du Bois," He says, in the most pleasing way one can mean the exact inverse of 'upstanding', "Not -officially- in charge of Martinaise. I want to make very, very sure that any changes you intend on bringing to my beloved part of Revachol are..in line with our collective vision as workers, you see." "I hear you've had some..uncomfortable negotiations in other parts of this wider 'Multiverse'? Somewhat of a running theme, I'm told?"
Tohru Adachi	Adachi was pretty sure he was suppose to be doing something here. Something about helping out a big armored guy with a drug bust or- Oh right. Well shoot. Well, surely the guy will understand. He's just a simple civilian and he's a big bad cop man. You can't count on civilians for anything in your line of work. That's what he should have been taught anyway. They're fine. Totally /fine/. Especially if he just avoids the man. But that's boring, so the ex-cop seeks out the gear knight, putting an arm against the metal giant as he uses him as a wall to lean against, as well as butting into the conversation. "Hey there, the ever lovable Tohru Adachi, former cop and ace detective. How can we help ya?" He gives a smile. It's a very insincere smile, but he's not going to bother hiding the fact he's insincere. From the looks of the place, it seems like most people are used to that.
Abigail Barton	"That's right. Cynthia Jensen." Abigail lies effortlessly as she offers Kitsuragi a brief nod/bow of her head, glancing over at Cousteau and that riveting technology discussion for a moment. "Red hair, no clear motive... Hm. Was the victim related to her in any way?" The theory about Ruby's murder method has Abigail stroking herchin again. "It's certainly a convoluted way of shooting someone, but..." She looks around for the winch in question. "It'd also be much harder to notice someone doing that. People don't look up often, and depending on distance, it'd be easy enough to handwave as a large bird." Inga's vision, though has Abigail raising an eyebrow at the mystic while Raphael breaks off to head towards a... Fish market. Shrugging once, Abigail turns back to Kim with a short nod. "Yes, let's. It's entirely possible Ruby might have left this area, too, but we might still be able to find traces of her here if she was ever here to begin with." It's not clues she's specifically going to be looking for once they head inside, though, but for traps. More specifically, deathtraps. Buildings are full of weird corners and questionably propped or suspended objects perfect for killing people, after all, and she's exactly the kind of person to keep an eye out for that sort of thing. As Abigail walks, she leaves wet and barely-orange footprints behind. She doesn't know if she'll need her Stand around, but it can't hurt to keep it ready in case things go bad.
Raphael Cousteau	The disguised cop--that wig is absolutely a wig, looks at Pazkar. "...Oh, -no-. You're the..who now?" He sounds incredibly aggravated with this man already. "...For real? He tells us to fuck off, that we're cramping his style, and now this shit happens. That's what's happening here." The woman next to him shakes her head. "Don't. They're trying to help." Adachi does not help matters. The blonde man with the sunglasses looks right at him, sneering a bit. "Oh, fuck off, are you kidding me? He's called in offworld cops for this?" The woman sighs. "...We're..just evaluating a police case. I'm sorry, my partner's been under a lot of stress lately. Listen. Have you seen H--have you seen a man with..." The man in the sunglasses raises his hand. "Oh, have you seen a superstar cop? The kind who does things that like 'set graffiti on fire'? We're 'evaluating' his progress. You look like you're an ace detective, I'm sure you've got this on lock." Adachi gets a look. He may have run into the one cop more done with everyone's shit than he himself.
Staren	Staren nods. "Well. I want to help people. What IS this collective vision? The workers clearly are unsatisfied, but some idiot has convinced them being on the board would fix all the city's problems. So what ARE the problems, anyway?" Staren squirms in the seat. "Honestly? People don't trust that I really want to help them. They expect strings attached. But it's a mix of compassion and enlightened self-interest. I help people," squirm, "and in the process I'll occasionally unearth useful powers to use to help people even better in the future!" He smiles and stands up. "Excuse me a moment." He shoves the chair away with his foot, then deploys a basic metal folding chair from his matter manipulator, and sits down there. "Better. You really need new chairs. Are your workers all sitting in these? Maybe that's part of the problem?" He smiles at his joke.
Pazkar	As Adachi joins him, Pazkar nods towards him, and starts to remove his armor to be more polite to the group, because clearly he's bothering the man. He is wearing trackpants and has fluffy blonde hair. He does not look like a cop, but that badge is Genuine. Please do not be too mad at Inspector Cousteau. His supranatural powers work in mysterious ways. A pause. Why are you wearing a wig? Maybe Adachi should ask the questions.
Raphael Cousteau	Kim Kitsuragi's brow raises slightly, and he writes something in his notebook. "Miss Jensen. Very well. As for the motive--" He pauses. "I am lead to understand that she had feelings for Miss Klaasje, who was...in coitus with the victim at the time." He explains. "I apologize. There is a lot to unpack in this case. I liked it better when it was a dockworker hanging, and not a woman dangling from a crane outside a hostel in a thirteen minute break during a Union meeting. To clarify, this is not the murder scene. This is where --detective Cousteau believes she has fled to." He flips a few pages, confirming something in his book, before closing it and putting it away. "..Follow me. We believe there's an entrance over this way." 'Ms. Jensen' is lead to a set of steel doors just underneath the boardwalk, which make an excruciating amount of noise when they open, and leading to something even worse--a set of tunnels, bored out of the basement of a building. This room, at least, contains...what look like prototypes. Prototypes for modern computers, broken and rotted with time, and then..this mine, just sticking out of the side. Yes, this would be -exactly- where you would hide out, ready to ambush anyone who comes after you. How you traverse through these tunnels, going in Loud or Quietly, miss Jensen, will decide a lot."
Inga Freyjasdottir	Aaaand they are moving again. This part of things, she was never too big of a fan of. "Ah, alright off we go then," she says, following. He's going to have to /not/ run if he wants her to keep up. Inga doesn't do run. "Are we looking for the woman, or the gun, to clarify? In either case, do you have any material evidence? The closer the tie to what we are looking for the better--a bullet from the gun for instance, or a hair from our suspect...?" she inquires, moving about as quickly as if physically possible for her.
Raphael Cousteau	Evrart Claire takes the 'some idiot' line with a snort. "'Some idiot'," He says. "Is that so? We're all pals here, Mister Wiremu. There's no need for language like that." He..it's hard to read him. It'd be hard for someone adept in the arts of reading people to read him, but everything he says comes off slimy and corrupt. One feels dirty just hearing him talk. He could save a kitten from a tree and make it sound like it was nefarious. "Well, I'm glad we have that out of the way, at any rate. Yes. That is what I put in the negotiations, Mister Wiremu. It's clear you don't understand a lot about politics, and that's fine. You're an inventor, not a politician! There's a world to save, right? With your labor-saving creations and robots and automation!" He offers a wide, predatory grin, pressing a button underneath his desk. The four dockworkers besides Measurehead outside leave the wall, walking inward. "It's just, you have to understand. Progress has to be made at a steady, stable pace. Dolores Dei said that, you know. She's practically a saint of our World. Pushed us ahead centuries in mere decades, but even she understood, these things have to take time." The scabs outside notice the declining manpower on the walls. Something bristles.
Raphael Cousteau	Inga discovers that Raphael loves run. God, does Raphael love run. He has to keep stopping for her, but he barely moves at not a jog. "...Woman? Oh. Well. I assume the woman has the gun," Raphael explains, as he eventually leads her to the abandoned fish market on the boardwalk, before a human-sized lump arises from beneath a vendor stall. A woman with a metal backpack on her back, and a giant red and blue set of lamps on top. One hand starts turning a crank. The police siren is earsplitting. It's even faintly audible from the Whirling In Rags. The woman looks...broken. Withered away. Malformed. Her hands tremble, and she draws a pistol with her other hand. "SHOW ME YOUR HANDS! THIS IS THE PIGS! SHOW ME YOUR HANDS RIGHT NOW! SHOW ME YOUR HANDS RIGHT NOW!" She is not a sane woman. Raphael may be about to speak, and it's possible that he is going to say a lot of weird, wrong things, and Inga may want to leap in first. It's up to her.
Staren	Staren tilts his head. "...Right. It's actually pretty clever misdirection, but the workers are kind of idiots for not thinking it through. Then again, maybe they don't get any time to do research." He takes the man's words as what they seem on their face, and nods. "Of course. I don't just hand out immortality to every city for a reason. What would it DO to society? We've got to find a solution that works with your society." He agrees innocently.
Inga Freyjasdottir	Inga is used to it. Adventurers love to bloody run everywhere. People will either wait for her or do without her help. That's just how it is. When the woman rises from beneath the stall, Inga winces at the siren, repressing the urge to knock this woman out just to stop that horrible wracket. She raises one hand, as the other is on her walking stick, which she appears to actually need. "Come, there is no need for that. Stop that terrible noise and we can have a discussion!" she shouts. They can, right? She's flying relatively blind here. Is this the murder suspect? She has a great deal of questions. If she can just get closer to this woman, trigger her Sight perhaps she might just get some answers. The...pigs? Really?
Raphael Cousteau	This is almost, guaranteed, not the murder suspect. For instance, the murder suspect successfully shot someone from either a boardwalk a city block away, an empty island, or dangling dramatically from a rooftop. This woman's hand is shaking heavily. It's possible she couldn't even successfully shoot Inga or Raphael from the ten feet away they're at right now. The woman sounds more panicked as Inga speaks. "Failure to comply. Suspect is displaying aggression! OFFICER UNDER DURESS! OFFICER UNDER DURESS!" She screams, clearly terrified out of her wits. Raphael slowly nods towards her. "It's alright, ma'am. Calm down." "I am the police! Don't move! DON'T MOVE! Hands on your head! Suspect is NOT COMPLYING!" There is a veritable pile of police gear on her back. Moving towards her might cause her to set things off, but..well, she might miss anyway. "You know," Raphael says, "I'm...about /70/ sure I leave bullets in my gun. That is definitely my gun she's holding, by the way." He offers helpfully. God, he's still grinning like that.
Abigail Barton	"Just a little." After the understatement, Abigail does take a moment to unpack all of that. "we can't rule out a shot from the boardwalk, of course, but depending on where that meeting was, your winch theory really might be more likely." She speaks with a similar monotone, but with a hint of irritation. "Shooting someone and disguising it as a hanging, though... That's just asking to be found. If you're going to hide the killing blow, then there should be multiple red herrings and not just the one. Multiple possibilities means multiple ways to throw off the trail." It's definitely not because she's done anything like that before. If nothing else, at least 'Jensen' is willing to help Kim get that door open. She takes her time traversing the tunnel, though, keeping her eyes peeled and a hand in her pocket clicking away at a pen. Or several pens. It's hard to tell with the sound, really, but it's not exactly subtle. "Loud, then. Stay out of sight, would you?" Abigail warns Kim as she points towards a spot further down the tunnel and around a corner, pulling a pen out of her pocket after a moment. It's coated in orange goop, and some of that same jelly appears on her forehead. "This is going to suck." Backing off a fair bit away from the mine itself, Abigail ducks down as she takes aim with her goo-coated pen. She tosses it at the mine, detonates the pen on the mine, and promptly takes a dive where she's already crouching. With any luck? She won't get /too/ injured from redirecting the damage from the mine and her explosive pen to the classic wrestling blading area, but just enough that all the blood will look like she did. If all goes, then she just needs to wait for someone to take the bait.
Tohru Adachi	When Pazkar starts removing his armor, Adachi stops leaning against the knight. He also doesn't go back to it once the man's finished, mostly because that's not nearly as intimidating. Or cool looking. And he definitely is a man who cares about his self image in the eyes of others. Instead he just fiddles with his tie, tightening and loosening it as the two cops air their grievances, before they mention something about a 'superstar cop'. Normally those kind of people are dime a dozen in the force. But between the atmosphere of this overall place, the exasperation of one of the cops, and the fact that this man did something so outlandish as 'burning graffiti' there's only really one person it could be. Pazkar just all but confirms it, which causes Adachi to smile. "Oh. Raphael Cousteau. Yeah, I know him. We're /great/ friends. Honest! When you all aren't so busy with your case load, I'll tell you all about the fifty voices in his head and that time he ran around a village in nothing but his underwear and screamed about the end times. They were good times." He chuckles a bit at his own sentence to give the impression that he actually does have fond memories, though it's just an act. Honestly, he can't stand the guy, but this is a chance to dig up some dirt. What kind of dirt, he's not sure, but that's part of the fun he supposes. "Anyway. What you wanna know? You tell us, we tell you. Scratch each other's backs, maybe we get a few drinks after."
Raphael Cousteau	Evrart steeples his fingers. Staren's weird chair still bothers him. "Come now. Workers are the people. You can't call them idiots like that. That's unnecessarily unkind." He grins widely again. "I don't really like your tone, Mister Wiremu. We're friends here. Act like it. And as for the rest of your questions.." "I don't think Revachol is ready for immortality, no. I think Martinaise is, in many ways, fine the way it is, even as a blasted-out monument to the follies of attempted revolution. And that's what I called you here for, in many ways. I've received a small communication that you intend to bring change to Martinaise. Change that may impact the livelihoods of our workers and their salaries. And there's a certain saying, and I hope you'll forgive me, about what undue curiosity did to a cat?" His fingers weave and steeple again. There is, distantly, the clomp of boots on the top of cargo containers outside. Someone--or at least a few, is coming.
Inga Freyjasdottir	Ah, so it was the gun they were tracking after all. Inga sighs when she begins yelling at her. There is clearly no reasoning with her. She's a madwoman. A dangerous one perhaps, so she will try to use the least amount of force possible. Inga starts moving toward the woman slowly. "Don't worry," she says to Raphael--does he /always/ grin like that?--as she continues forward. A soft, cold word is uttered and the temperature drops, ice forming suddenly on the hand that holds the gun, creeping up the arm. "Kindly restrain her," she suggests to Raphael.
Raphael Cousteau	"'Raphael Cousteau'?" There is a strain to the wigged cop's voice. "Raphael fucking Cousteau? What the ---" There's a quiet swallow from the woman. "We did hear he had a 'medical episode', maybe he--" "BULLSHIT!" The Man In The Sunglasses says. "He fuckin' got himself drunk enough he forgot everything, and--why the fuck is he calling himself 'Raphael Cousteau'? I've had it up to here with your bullshit, Harry--" He's clenching both fists now at his sides, looking off in the distance. "This...fuck. So, do we just get him on disability pension, do you think?" He looks to the woman. "What do we even fucking do? He's giving fake names and running around in his underwear. This is going way too far." There's a headshake, as the woman looks to Pazkar. "Hold on. Hold on, here." She says, in a quiet smile. "You seem...fonder of him," There's a smile. "...Tell me, what do you think of Officer Du Bois? My friend here...knew him better before this..incident that has apparently caused him some amnesia."
Pazkar	Well, that's interesting. His name isn't Raphael Cousteau? It's Harry...du Bois? Pazkar files this into memory to talk to him about later. For now... he's asked to defend him. And defend him he will, because he has positive affinity. The inspector is a good man. He wants to solve this case. He wants to help people. He wants to fight the void, I believe both literally and in men's hearts. His deductive capability is high. His ability to see things others cannot is astounding. You are likely considering to report him for dismissal, based off your tone. Pazkar says, his face frowning at that. But I believe he can do so much better. He just needs help remembering who he was, and how to be a good cop. I can help him with that.
Staren	Evrart thinks Staren's going to put his dockworkers out of work. The idea that Staren would back a plan that reduces people's QoL doesn't even occur to Staren, so the bit about 'impacting the livelihoods of our workers and their salaries' instead comes across as Evrart saying 'If their lives improve I can't keep them under my boot'. The boots outside don't help. Staren sighs. "That Satisfaction brought it back." He stands, a forcefield appearing around him as he pulls potions out of his bag and drinks them. Then it drops so that he can, in one swift move, draw a beam sword and cut the desk between them in half, and then steps forward to grab Evrart's collar with superhuman strength. "And I WILL have satisfaction." "So. You admit to what ends you'll go to keep the people of Revachol under your boot." Barring something unexpected happening, he drags Evrart to the door. "Remember: I CAN bring you back to life, so if you make this hard, I can just take a PIECE of you and bring you back later." "So, where's the police station? This is what, attempted murder? I don't HAVE to do what they say but I'm willing to take them under advisement. Or is this one of those 'the whole SYSTEM is corrupt' type deals and I should just do whatever I want with you?" If guards will still rush him despite the beam sword, he does his best to hack off and cauterize limbs rather than directly kill. Those potions have made him much stronger and tougher than he looks.
Raphael Cousteau	Kim Kitsuragi shakes his head. "...I believe, were it not for the man in the 'power armor', we may never have noticed the bullet. The wound lined up almost precisely with the belt, and the body was a week old when we took it down." Still, he writes something down, following along. 'Jensen' finds her gambit works. Someone is, audibly, coming down the mine. The footsteps go 'ba-ba-tunk', though, as if she's having difficulty carrying some piece of equipment. It's when the noises get just around the corner, however, that they stop. There is a quiet tick-tick of something metallic unfolding, and then suddenly... static. No, wait. Not static. Radio frequencies. A lot of them. A thousand radio frequencies, playing at once, almost warping the colors around with their intensity. It is incredibly painful to hear, though it seems to be undamaging in nature. Just incredibly painful, and difficult to think through. The only thing audible is one more voice added to the horrendous choir. A woman's voice, as a red-haired woman steps out. "...Alright, you're not who I expected," She says, holding a pistol. "...But I'm going to need you to stay still. This is going to hurt a lot more if you try to move while it's going."
Raphael Cousteau	Inga finds the old woman is, er, a weak, crazy old woman. She drops the gun as soon as it suddenly gets cold, dropping to her knees and gripping her arm in her other one. "OFFICER DOWN! OFFICER DOWN! SEND IN BACKUP!" Raphael, for his part, swoops in to grab the gun for himself, looking the woman over as he aims the gun up into the air, and fires. Click. "..Oh. There were no bullets in it after all. I was hoping for a whole grab attention thing," He says. "...Still, I don't know if we should arrest her? She bought the gun...semi-legally. She hasn't really committed a crime here." The old woman is mostly just crying in a heap, mumbling 'officer down' to herself and rocking back and forth.
Abigail Barton	It's almost as planned! Except the part where Ruby comes with that strange radio weapon.. It draws a drawn out, silentscream from Abigail as she writhes on the ground getting that blood all over hte place while she tries to fight the noise out somehow. "Kkh... H-hard to do that while you're doing that!" She snaps, although she complies well enough to not actually get up. Thanks to the chunks of her stand being blown up by the mine, though, she still has one more gambit up her sleeve! Provided Rubt doesn't notice the translucent orange goo that's been thrown around on the walls, anyway. It moves slowly along the walls, the ceiling, waiting for the ideal moment to just leap onto her and... Do nothing. Not yet. "Wh... Who are you, lady? What do you want?" She's putting on the tone of a scared teenager rather than an investigator, and to be fair? She /is/ bleeding rather badly from her forehead. It's kind of hard to see her face.
Inga Freyjasdottir	Inga sighs quietly as the woman falls down crying. Raphael has his gun, empty of bullets. "If she bought the gun legally she should be compensated...and helped," she says, drawing her knife. Wait, what? But she only uses is to cut into her own hand. The blood rises in a mist flicked toward the woman to heal her of the pain caused by the ice magic. Sadly, it cannot heal her mind. "Is there somewhere she can be taken? Where she can get proper help? She's clearly in mental distress," she says, looking back to Raphael. It isn't the name she wants to call him. It isn't right somehow.
Tohru Adachi	"Huh. Amnesia is it? Harry Du Bois is his real name. I see, I see. Well, I guess that makes sense. Maybe he actually does know his name is Harry and he just wants the exotic name to add to the whole Superstar mystique." Adachi muses out loud like an idiot. An act, to be sure, but one he's pretty good at. "Anyway. Less you're interested in his complete lack of a solid grasp on any real views, weird obsession with drugs and booze, or his inability to keep his nose out of other people's private lives, I'm fraid I got nothing." The ex-cop sniffles a bit before rubbing his nose.
Raphael Cousteau	Evrart Claire is literally a fat, weak old man. This is probably overkill. Still, as Staren grabs onto his collar, he keeps his cool. This may not even have the first time it's happened to him. "...Listen. New plan. You leave my office, you don't come back, I don't press charges. I won't even ask you to repay me for the desk! It's an incredibly generous officer. If I were to die here, then the people of Martinaise would know that the Elites of the Multiverse will kill anyone who stands in their political path to controlling Revachol." He points out, with a greedy, weaselly smile. "...Now calm down, and get out of my office." Staren proceeds to explain, over radio, that he's here to solve a murder. "And get back to solving your 'murder', instead of..whatever this is."
Raphael Cousteau	Raphael bites his lip. "I...wouldn't really suggest arresting her. Revachol isn't exactly known for what you guys in the Multiverse seem to call, uh..." [.][::] "..you called it..reha..something, care? She's probably going to jail, if we arrest her. That might be worse." He looks around a little. "...I get it, though. I completely understand."
Staren	All this and noone clears up the misunderstanding. Overkill, yes, but Staren couldn't take the chance that the guy had actually read up on elites and prepared. It's happened before. Staren considers this for tense moments. "Whatever. I've got this whole exchange on video... if people will still follow you after that, that's on them." He lets Evrart go, but before he leaves, he sprays a can of something at the desk. "Prop it up back in place, it'll repair itself." He exits, and wanders off to... well, he's not really sure where to go next.
Raphael Cousteau	The woman with Adachi rubs her eyes. She's going to ignore the radio conversation. It Wouldn't Help Either. "Okay. Well, he's clearly trying to solve the case. He's on task. And apparently he's still very good at his job, despite everything. I think that should count." The cop in the wig looks at Adachi. His face is flat. "Yeah. He's been doing -that shit- since his wife left him. We know. We fucking know, alright? This was going to be it. The do or die. And now...this clusterfuck." He points to the graffiti. "Now, what was a simple, open and shut murder case, just to prove he still knows what he's doing, has become this month-long bullshit where there's a guy with a robot arm, a guy in white trying to bring COMMUNISM back, a near civil war in the streets over there...this whole thing's completely fucked and I KNOW it's that shitkid's fault." Deep breath. "Alright. Fuck it. I don't care. That's gonna be it, isn't it. The solution to 'who polices Martinaise' is officially 'whoever the fuck feels like it', I guess! Guys with cybernetic arms who talk in fucking boxes! Whatever you're supposed to be!" He says, waving an arm at Adachi. "Fuck it. I don't care. Just solve the goddamn murder. Come on. We're going back to fucking Jamrock, and I'm going to try to explain any of this to our superiors." He starts storming off, the woman hurriedly following after him.
Inga Freyjasdottir	Inga looks surprised. "Arrest her? I wasn't suggesting she be arrested! I was hoping to find a hospital. Goodness," she shakes her head. "At the least, a hotel where she might be able to rest and get a good meal," she responds. Inga turns from the woman to Raphael, accidentally bumping his arm--which is enough to trigger another vision. It's a vision-heavy sort of day. Her pupils widen and she freezes again, her mind transported backward along a strand of his wyrd. The visions are not like watching a movie from far away. It's an experience, like she is there in that room, and its always incredibly disorienting. A name sticks in her head, and she stumbles. The Seer shakes her head again, taking a few deep breaths. "...sorry," she says quietly. Now her hands are shaking a little too.
Raphael Cousteau	Ruby is, for many reasonable reasons, paying attention to the cop and the bleeding teenager. She seems to have a wince of sympathy for them, turning the radio down a bit. It hurts less, now, at the very least. "...Yeah, I get it. Look. This trap wasn't for you, it was for that..human can opener guy. You know, the big Superstar Detective Son Of Lung guy working for that mob boss." She explains, keeping her gun firmly trained. "I don't know what he's really here for, but I'm not letting him get me. Still, you guys just stay still, alright? I don't really know what you're all about. Why are you down here?" She's completely unaware of the orange goo dripping on her. There is a lot to focus on here.
Tohru Adachi	"His wife? Huh. Must have been because of the drugs. Or his face. Honestly wouldn't surprised if she thought she could do a lot better...Damn disloyal bitches." The last line is basically muttered to the point of being barely audible, though the look on Adachi's face when he says it is extremely sinister. Just as quickly though he bounces back to his jovial self. "Anyway. Yeah. Yeah. A friend of Raphael is a friend of good ol' Adachi's. I'm totally on this case!" As if to emphasize that he is totally 100% onboard, he slaps Pazkar on the back. And only the back. It's a buddy pat, not a football asspat.
Pazkar	As the two cops leave, Pazkar looks at his cybernetic arm, looks back, and then puts his armor back on because he has an idea, completely ignoring Adachi's outburst and thumbs-uping when he indicates they're on the case. Let's look for more clues. Do you want to investigate a car in a frozen lake that somebody did something dumb with? Assuming Adachi says yes (or going alone if he doesn't), Pazkar approaches the lake, carefully walking on the ice, and moves to check the car. He's trying to see if it's possible to safely unstuck it with superhuman strength so that they can access the interior without getting soaked wet.
Raphael Cousteau	Evrart dusts himself off as Staren leaves. "...Well. That girl was right, at the very least. He's incredibly dangerous." One of the dockworkers helps brush off the foreman. "...Yeah, this might end up being a big problem, but at least these know-it-all Elite fucks are keeping Wild Pines busy too." A rugged-looking man says. "Come on. Let's..just use this spray shit or whatever and fix your desk. Angus, help me lift it."
Raphael Cousteau	Pazkar and Adachi, presumably, head off to the frozen riverside car. It is vertically embedded. In fact, without superhuman strength, it would be near impossible. Now that the Gearknight is closer, though, he may recall that the car is similar to the car that those last two cops were using. And the car that Kim Kitsuragi has been seen in from time to time. He is, in fact, retrieving a police model vehicle that was, at some point, driven into the ocean here, presumably by someone paying very little attention to the rules of the road.
Staren	Eventually, Staren's wanderings take him to the seaside, and he sees the island. He looked, from afar, with very good cameras, at the place the shot COULD have been taken from, and found nothing... But who knows. What's the island's DEAL, is it a park? Those buildings don't look like they see a lot of use... and if it's not frequently travelled... then perhaps evidence might last a bit longer. Signs of someone taking a trip there... Sure. He'll fly over on a broom. Looking for any docks to investigate, and failing that, he'll start at the potential shooter location.
Abigail Barton	Abigail stops thrashing as the pain becomes less crippling-pain and more awful-pain. "G... Gee, thanks. What kind of thing is that even?" She mutters with an irritated wince and clutching her forehead. "Is it bad?" She's getting blood everywhere. it certainly looks bad, and who knows? Maybe Ruby might feel a bit of empathy upon seeing it. That, or just her arms getting heavier as Abigail's jelly-like Stand works its magic! Not only does it start weakening both Abigail's and Ruby's arns, but it even mirrors some of the pain from that radio device back at its wielder. Not too fast though. Abigail needs some answers first, and she can't let her trick go full tilt just yet. "I don't know, sorry. I saw a creepy tunnel, so I came in. Didn't think I'd run into a... Can opener mob boss trap? Can you give me the short version?"
Raphael Cousteau	Raphael seems understanding as Inga stares off into the distance. After all, he does things like this all the time. "...Uhh.. we could try, but the only hotel I know about is the Whirling-In-Rags, and..that's full." He somehow manages to look sad and empathetic without changing more than his brows, slightly. Even with that goofy-ass grin on his face. "...look, she's safe where she is. Ish. Let's just leave her. She's liable to hurt someone if we try to take her with us. Possibly even herself."
Pazkar	As he moves on the ice, Pazkar removes a winch from his armor, and attaches it to the car. He uses his superhuman physique to remove it from the ice, though it's not fast - he's not strong enough to just casually lift or throw a car, and it strains his effort and energy considerably to do so. Once the car is out of the ice, Pazkar nods to Adachi if he joined him, and moves to start rifling through the front seat. Find identifiers, belongings, anything important, though if Adachi has an angle of attack, he lets him lead it.
Tohru Adachi	Pazkar and Adachi arrive to the scene. The first thing that catches his interest are the tire tracks in the parking lot. One heading into a fence, and one moving away from it. It's safe to say it's the same car, obviously. Seems like despite the accident they were in a hurry to leave. Or just needed a quick way in. He follows Pazkar. And the tracks still follow. Off a slope, over a canal, some sick ass skid marks. And straight into the pond. It's a bit odd, to say the least. Adachi bends over by the pond, poking a finger into it before motioning towards Pazkar. "Well, what are ya waiting for? I'm just a scrawny guy, you're the muscles of the group!"
Inga Freyjasdottir	Inga heaves another sigh. She obviously hates leaving someone distressed like this. She reaches into her pouch and pulls out a wrapped sandwich. It looks quite fresh, for having been in bag. She'd leave it nearby at least, in case the woman wanted it. "Very well Mr. Cousteau," she sighs. She thinks she'll stick with the name he gave her. "Now about this murder...have you any evidence? Something I may be able to get a read on?" she asks, turning to start walking away. "I missed doing this kind of work I think," she comments. "There are others working on this case, ja? Perhaps we should meet up with them."
Raphael Cousteau	Ruby looks at 'Cynthia', sighing. There's an empathetic tone in her face. "...Yeah, I know what you're going through. Listen, that's a..pale compressor you're experiencing right now. It's a..." She pauses. "..It's the same thing they use on aerostatics to 'compress' the pale to safely travel through it. It's a very strong set of radio frequencies, and you're probably not having the best time right now." She taps her headset. "It's apparently strong enough I'm feeling it through these babies, and I can't even hear what you're hearing. ..Alright, let me turn that down a little more, then. I'm not trying to kill you here." She reaches over, turning down the device further. It's..at least tolerable, now. Abigail's gambit seems to be working. Ruby's gun keeps defaulting to 'pointed at the floor'. "Yeah, there's this cop in town. Uh, lamb chops, stupid grin, complete lunatic. I'm pretty sure he's working for a mob boss." Kim Kitsuragi has..mostly managed to stand up now, at least. "I...I think she is referring..to 'detective Cousteau'," He helpfully manages to get out. "...though I don't think he's working for a mob boss..."
Raphael Cousteau	Here's the deal with the island, Staren. It is abandoned. The docks are rotting, the building looks like it was shelled to hell and back long ago, and there is--a single bunker, in fact, that's pointed towards the city. There's a slit in it, designed for aiming guns through. You'd have to be an absolute madman to pull off the shot. A single, lone figure, trundles away from that bunker. He's limping, weakly finally making his way near ....a doused campfire. He sits on a log. If Staren sends camera drones to check... this is an old man. Barely standing. He's got a gun, but he's using it as a walking stick, wearing clothes that look he's he's been wearing them forty years ago.
Staren	The Multiverse has madmen, Down there is a potential witness... or culprit. Staren flies down to him. "Hey there!" He shouts and waves as he approaches. "Did you see anyone else on this island, about <time> ago?"
Raphael Cousteau	Raphael looks to Inga, thoughtfully. He nods approvingly as she is left a sandwich. "Sometimes, the answer isn't always police work, you know. Sometimes you just have to show a little kindness." It's encouraging. He's absolutely down with giving poor old ladies sandwiches. He starts walking--legitimately walking this time, back down towards where Kim and 'Cynthia' was, pausing. "...Hm. Well, I can't imagine they'd have left without us for something as important as 'the likely killer'. They're probably back at the Whirling-in-Rags. Come on." Their path is about to intersect with an unrelated, but equally interesting, investigation...
Raphael Cousteau	Pazkar successfully hoists the car out. It's definitely not going to drive again without some sincere work probably vastly exceeding the cost of the car, but it's there. There's a single bag in the backseat that -didn't- fall into the water. One might make an assumption that either Adachi or Pazkar is interested in opening the bag. Within are the following contents, for whatever they might want: 1: A handful of change. 2: A single plastic badge, measuring six by eight centimeters. It has a picture of a man who looks like Raphael/Harry, except twenty years younger. He still has the same goofy-ass expression. It absolutely reads Harry du Bois on it, instead of Raphael Ambrosius Cousteau. This man is a 'lieutenant double-yefreitor' by rank. 3: A small box of ammunition, for a pistol. 4: a long, long empty, very large bottle of tequila. Can the ACE DETECTIVE and Gearknight uncover the mystery of this vehicle?! If they can't, there's Inga and Raphael coming. Oh, hey!
Inga Freyjasdottir	"Yes, that is often true. Sadly, there are many that only respond to violence," she replies, glad that he's decided to /walk/ this time. She's only got two speeds, sort of slow and pretty darn slow. Soon enough they come upon the scene of a car being hauled out of the water, apparently by hand, by a very strong man in armor. She blinks in mild surprise. "That's...probably not something one sees every day," she comments. "Are those associates of yours?" she asks Raphael.
Abigail Barton	"Cool name. Don't know what the rest of it means, but I'll take your word for it." 'Cynthia' puts on a show of sitting up slowly, still wincing and badly stemming the blood flow with her sleeve. Noticing the reduced pain, she leaves the pain reflection at the same level as before to keep suspicions down for the time being. "But what if? It could be an act. Like those serials with the oaf detective and the assistant that keeps blowing stuff up and... Something good happens occasionally once in a while!" She's way too used to playing this act. It's actually kind of depressing. "But yeah, like. What about the can opener you mentioned? Is that.. Like. A codeword for something cool?" A beat, and then Abigail takes her hand off her head. it's dried now. "... What do you have down here that needs so much stuff, anyway? Is it cool stuff, or just money or whatever?"
Raphael Cousteau	Ruby seems incredibly thrown off. "The...the pale? You know, the--" She takes a breath. "You're not from...Revachol." That seems to sink in slowly. "No. By 'human can opener', I mean that that superstar asshole cop knows how to get information out of people. Anything he wants. And I couldn't afford to have him come after me. I've... made too many of the wrong enemies." "This is just where I was hiding out waiting for...something. I don't know. I was hoping he'd just go away, but it's been a month now, and I'm running out of options." Kim Kitsuragi coughs, at least settling onto just kneeling on one leg so he can stay upright better. He doesn't have the sort of intense focus of a Jojo character. "Be careful. Remember, she is our main suspect in the murder." Ruby whips her head around. "What?! I didn't kill that guy! Klaasje told me she needed my help with the body!" Kim coughs. "That is in direct contradiction with...Klaasje's...testimony." Something is wrong here. Something is very wrong.
Raphael Cousteau	The old man looks over at Staren. Who has just flown down to him. "...No. I'm the only one on this island. Only man there has been since Revachol was GREAT, you capitalist pigdog." He does not look much better up close. He has a scraggly beard. He looks malnourished, and yet...oddly energetic. More than he should be. He takes out a set of pills, popping one into his mouth. "...Is that what the bourgeoisie have gotten themselves now? Flying devices so extravagant, a single man can use one? I hope you crash into the sea, the lot of you." He's leaning on the gun for support. It's a long rifle. It is the exact sort of rifle, in fact, that could be used to shoot a bullet a remarkably long distance.
Tohru Adachi	The car is hoisted out by Pazkar the MIGHTY GEAR KNIGHT (not to be confused with a children's playing card), and it's contents removed. Once the badge is found, Adachi can't help but laugh. It really isn't a nice laugh, it's a laugh someone makes when they're mocking someone. "God. Out of all the possible conclusions to this little mystery, I honestly didn't see this one coming. Guess when you hit rock bottom you really hit it hard, huh? So much for our superstar."
Pazkar	Indeed. I feel pity for him. Pazkar replies to Adachi, as he turns to grab the badge. As Inga and Raphael approach, Pazkar approaches the inspector, and nods to him. We found your badge, as well as much of your past. As painful as this will be, I must tell it to you in order to help you become a better dreamer. This is going to hurt Raphael, probably, and he can tell just by the fact that Pazkar hesitates to say it. But say it he does. Your name is Officer Harry du Bois. You are an officer, as you suspected, of the RCM. You are a very good cop, if eccentric. These strange incidents related to you, your medical incident, and everything connected is likely related to the fact that your wife left you. I am sorry. But I will support you.
Abigail Barton	"No. I just heard this place had some fun stuff going on. Creepy tunnels, hanging bodies, that sort of thing." It wouldn't have been so bad if that wasn't a lie. When /was/ the last time she went somewhere for fun? "But if he hasn't found you by now, is he even looking? I mean..." She gestures at herself and Kim, raising an eyebrow slowly when Ruby starts dropping some important inconsistencies. Time to drop the act a little. "Look. Why don't you come with us and help sort out what happened? It's already too obvious that he got shot, and you're a prime suspect, but we can clear your name if you help us out." There's a genuine sadness in her tone, and some of that fake youth fades. "He gets closer to knowing who did what, I might learn new... Stuff for my stories." Not a complete lie. "And it'll look better than if you got brought in by force. What do you say?" If Ruby doesn't comply or raises her weapons, JAM Project finally turns itself on completely to disable Abigail's and Ruby's limbs. Abigail's already sitting with her arms loose at her sides, so it'll look like she isn't doing anything.
Staren	Staren blinks. "Look, I'm not from Revachol. I'm from a post-apocalyptic world, I haven't got the... history your people have with the struggle between communism and... capitalism. I just want to help people." He eyes the gun. "Look, this might be a strange question, but did you shoot someone <time> ago? In a window, right over there." He point at it exactly, because there's a navpoint indicator on his HUD. It can't be that easy, but maybe the man's reaction will lead to another clue.
Raphael Cousteau	Raphael walks alongside Inga, at least until they arrive at the scene of the other 'crime'. At least the car's out of the ocean. He looks at it, and then looks at Adachi. And then at Pazkar. And then a lot of information is dropped on him at once. A lot. Your name is Officer Harry du Bois. 1 MORALE CONCEPTUALIZATION: What? That name is shit! VOLITION: I..hate to say it, but that's probably right. That feels right. INLAND EMPIRE: The corpse told us that our name was probably Harry. Words. Words. Words. They almost matter. They almost percolate through. your wife left you -1 MORALE VOLITION: (Failure) She..she did. I'm sorry, she... your wife left you He hits the ground on one knee, hand on his head. your wife left you -1 MORALE CRITICAL Things..start to grow dark. He grips his head. "Fuck it. It's not...it's not...worth..." ELECTROCHEMISTRY: (SUCCESS) Hey everybody, my name is Electrochemistry and I am here to fix this jam. Take your fucking magnesium before you have a breakdown. HAND/EYE COORDINATION: I'm on it! His free hand shakes. He slowly, carefully, somehow still barely manages to retrieve a single--vitamin supplement of some kind, barely pushing it into his mouth. There's a moment. He slowly, agonizingly rises. +1 MORALE He's shaking. He wipes a tear from his eye, and he nods once, firmly. "..yeah. Yeah, that sounds..faintly familiar. Yeah. You know what, though? Fuck it. I'm not taking that name. 'Harry du Bois' was an asshole who died in a hotel room after drinking for three days straight. 'Harry du Bois' didn't want to be a cop anymore. 'Harry du fucking Bois' is dead." He straightens up. "I'm Inspector Raphael Ambrosius Cousteau, and I'm a fucking superstar!"
Inga Freyjasdottir	Inga stands besides 'Raphael' and looks toward Pazkar. She blinks. She throws her hands up. "Another one!?" SIGH. "What did he say?" she asks either Raph or Tohru. She then witnesses one hell of an emotional episode, even if she is currently not privy to WHY! She gets it vaguely, anyway. She's reaching out to put a comforting hand on his shoulder when he straightens up once more. "Well...alright. I'd rather call you that anyway if it's all the same to you," she sighs. Inga glances to Pazkar and Tohru, eyes slightly wide. They read 'is he alright, you think?'
Raphael Cousteau	"...Well, if..hanging bodies are your idea of fun," Ruby says, clearly disconcerted. She isn't sure what to do. Her arms are feeling heavy, and everything about this is wrong. "...I can't get arrested. Not here. I---" She moves to raise her weapon, but not at Kim or Cynthia. She's pointing at herself. She's pointing to blow her own head off--and that's when the Stand kicks in. She can't lift her arms. The gun dangles, pointing down at the ground. "...Shit, shit..." She doesn't get what's going on, but it's too late. She knows that much. She's petrified.
Pazkar	Raphael starts to break down. Pazkar feels guilty. But...to build himself up, Raphael needs the bandaid ripped off. And in the end... He takes his magnesium and does it. He decides who he wants to be. Raphael, then. You are a good man. You are a SUPERSTAR. Harry du Bois is dead. Long live Harry du Bois. He removes his helmet, revealing a softly smiling face. It's meant to be an encouraging expression. But the past can no longer chain you down. You will create your own story. You will find your dream. And you will fulfill it, no matter what it takes.
Raphael Cousteau	The old man does not seem much impressed with Staren's pronouncement. "Post-apocalyptic? THIS world's post-apocalyptic. Everything good is gone! Crushed under the heel of capitalist /dogs/, as they feed on the wreckage of what could have been!" He sneers. "...'Did I shoot someone'?" He asks, "From over there. You're not very confident, are you? You're a -boy-, in a man's body. Here. Take my gun. It's out of bullets. Do with it what you want." He tosses the gun aside, waiting to see if Staren bends down to pick it up. "'did i shoot someone'. I am Iosef Lilianovich Dros, Political Commissar of the 114th Anti-Aircraft Divison of the 4th Army of the Commune of Revachol, boy." Still, he doesn't get off his log. "I'm the last of what was worthwhile, in this world. Who do you think you are?"
Abigail Barton	"It's not an arrest. It's just for questioning. Right?" Abigail goes back to her more poker-faced/professional-ish demeanor as she shoots Kim a pointed look, her arms still dangling uselessly at her sides while JAM Porject keeps herself and Ruby in check. Her tone suggests that she's expecting Kim to agree wholeheartedly. 'Cynthia' gets back up with only minimal difficulty and moderate arm-dangle-swinging, then approaches Ruby slowly with a subdued, yet still strangely genuine smile. "Afterwards, I'll speak with you again. I'll introduce you to someone that helped me out of a rough patch. How's that sound?"
Inga Freyjasdottir	Although she is still lost on what exactly was said... Inga reaches out that hand and freezes again. "Oh not again!" she says quickly before she's pulled into yet another vision. It's short and painful, like a knife wound. When she's back again, there's sympathy in her eyes. Ah, so that's what it was. Well, it seems he'd decided to live a new life. Create a persona. Reinvent. It was one way of dealing with a loss like that she supposed, and one that is probably better than his original response considering the evidence. Inga clears her throat. "Ah...does that conclude investigations for today...?"
Raphael Cousteau	Kim Kitsuragi is...reluctant. "...She is still--" He stops. "Yes. ...There is, I suppose, reason to compromise on this matter." He is not wholehearted, but he absolutely will take it. Ruby looks away. "Look. I end up in that police system, 'questioning' or no, the corrupt fuckin' assholes--whether or not he's one of them," She says, indicating Kim with a nod, "Are going to have me vanish. I've pissed off the wrong mob boss once or twice, and most of these cops are bought out. You dig?" Kim lets out a breath. "..It is true that there are cops who...have been known to take alternative income streams. I am not one of them." That, at least, comes off as very genuine. Kim Kitsuragi is a Good Person.
Raphael Cousteau	Raphael Ambrosius Cousteau dusts off his legs a moment. Thought Acquired: Detective Cousteau There's a moment while he pops another magnesium. You know, for safety purposes, and he looks to Pazkar. "..Yeah. Yeah, I guess I will. Huh. ..Anyway, yeah. It's been a long day, it's not like Ruby's going anywhere. Maybe we should just head out for now, yeah. Bit late to be doing any more investigation. Can I..have my badge anyway, though?" He asks Pazkar. He'd ask Adachi, but why the fuck would he ask Adachi?
Staren	"Anti-aircraft division. So you /could/ have." He looks at the weapon. "So that's a potential murder weapon and I'm just gonna touch it and get my fingerprints all over it." Staren paces. "Yeah I'm not sure. It doesn't make sense. Why would you care enough about the affairs in the rest of Revachol to murder somebody? But I don't know what I don't know." He turns to face Iosef. "The last of what's worthwhile, huh? So you sit here, all by yourself, moaning about bygone days, insteada /doing/ something about it. Unless that's just what you did, but if you can push Revachol back to communism by shooting one guy, /I'm/ sure not gonna mess you up." Staren takes a breath. "Tellya what. You haven't talked me into supporting Communism, but I'm willing to take you to the gate. If this means all that much to you, you can go out into the Multiverse, gather power, and come back and try again. Or found a communist paradise somewhere else. Or do you wanna stay here pissin' and moanin' about gotterdammerung?"
Abigail Barton	Kim gets an approving nod. It's not entirely what Abigail wanted, but every good negotiation needs budging on both sides. Alas, it seems that Ruby's not so keen on that idea, and the fake-blonde furrows her brow after a moment in digust. "I see... Hn. That does pose quite the problem, doesn't it? And it'd take me too long to..." She doesn't finish that sentence. Not with a cop around. Besides, she's still interested in digging up more about what she's heard now, and she's going to need Kim and Ruby on her side if she wants to do that digging effectively. "If that's the case, then... I'll be the go-between while you stay under the radar. I'm not a cop, and I'm not from here." First, she turns to Kim. "The cops you mentioned... If you know any, I'll need their names." She doesn't say why before turning to Ruby. JAM Project stops disabling their arms, and Abigail finally stretches hers out to get that soreness out. "Your mob bosses, too. And your version of events. I wouldn't recommend staying here, though. The area's already compromised." Back to Kim. "If we compare the testimony with hers, we'll have a better idea of what happened. Maybe draw some connections and root out the disease."
Pazkar	Pazkar hands the badge over, and nods. Perhaps... Perhaps Raphael can do great things, learning from this. Pazkar might have slightly damaged their working relationship, but, hey, they'll grow from it.
Raphael Cousteau	The old hermit's eyes are heavy. He coughs. "...I am a deserter, a partisan, and a prisoner of war. This is my termless surrender." He waves his arms around to show the island. He slowly rises. His bones creak. "I'm waiting here for her to return." His gaze moves to the sea. "For the girl child, Revolution. I'm not leaving this spot for your flashy lights. For your slick cars." He glares at Staren, spitting on the ground. "I'm no fool. The historic opportunity for a revolution has passed. No matter what I do. There's no flames to fan." "He sighs. "...I left my unit. I watched Revachol burn. I don't care anymore." He..takes another pill. It's weird. He's taking painkillers, but he continues to seem agitated. This is not, in fact how painkillers work. "The bourgeois are not human." He coughs a few times. He spits again. This time, it's blood.
Raphael Cousteau	Kim Kitsuragi knits his brow. "I am...somewhat unwilling to open up what is RCM Internal Affairs accords to an ...outside source I have only met once." Ruby has, for her part, turned the machine off entirely by now. Ruby shifts her arms a little. They seem freer. Weird. "...This is...this is just how he'd do it, though," She says, lifting the gun again. "...It's just like that fucking officer. He sweet talks you, and then..." Her eyes widen. The gun is raised. It's back in her mouth. This may not be the best route to go down.
Staren	Staren shrugs when the man says that being a hermit is his intent and the only thing he'll move for is a new revolution. "Suit yourself." He eyes that bottle of painkillers (prescribed by who, sourced from where?) Then he rolls his eyes. "Ah yes, dehumanizing the enemy. That's what you tell yourself to make it /easy/. Well you can't be a commune of one. If there are any future communists in Revachol... they're out there, and they're people. Seeya around. Or probably not, actually." He turns to fly off. He'll try to find that policewoman he met before and let her know about the potential suspect. She and Raphael can... detect him, or something. Staren doesn't see the point of hanging around on the island further.
Raphael Cousteau	Before Staren has a chance to fly off, the man starts to his feet. "..You don't know -shit-. Go fuck that whore for me, you sc--.." He falls to his knees. [:][.] He begins to make the noises one associates with vomit. It's blood. It's absolutely blood. Staren can* leave. He can go 'tell someone to pick up the body'. But it's entirely possible this man will not make it. It is, in this moment, up to Staren. Does he have all the facts? No. But.. [::][:.:] Didn't Raphael say, in the very beginning, way back, after talking to the corpse, 'Communism killed him, but love did him in'?
Staren	Staren rolls his eyes as the man speaks, but his ears turn back towards the man when he hears vomit, followed by the rest of him. His eyes widen, and then he sighs. He puts the gun in his matter manipulator, injects the man with some medical nanites to help purge toxins and repair microscopic damage, and then puts the man's arm around his shoulder to carry off. He can work out what to do next once the guy's in a healing vat.
Abigail Barton	"Do you care more about the people of this city, or protocol?" Abigail directs another pointed question at Kim. "I don't care for either of those things. All I know is that there's a cancer on this city that needs to be removed, and it's already gotten deep enough that..." She never did get Ruby's name, did she? "... That Miss Ruby here would rather die by her own hand than face whatever mockery of justice your protocol would give her." There's some straight up venom in her voice now, yet she doesn't bat an eye at the gun in Ruby's mouth nor even move to stop her. Instead, 'Cynthia' pulls out a pen and a notepad, then starts writing quickly. She tears a piece of paper in half, writes on what's left, then tears that out as well. One goes to Ruby's free hand, and the other goes to Kim. Ruby's paper has an address for some apartment and a phone number. Kim's paper has the same phone number, but the address to a P.O. box. "I'd appreciate the assistance speeding up the process if you could, Officer, but I'll leave that decision to you." She steps back after that, watching the two closely to see how they'll proceed with that information and the not-so-subtle choice left at the officer's feet. Or mouth. Or... Whatever.
Raphael Cousteau	The old man collapses unconscious. Staren is, for better or worse, about to basically kidnap an old man who wants to die, on an island. The nanites manage to repair... well, he's got cancer, at bare minimum. This is a man in his late sixties who has barely eaten anything, and is dying of cancer. Who was talking about 'a whore'. Well, at least Staren can worry about it later. He has bought time, and temporarily arrested a suspect for later questioning. This is basically policework, right? That's probablye xactly how it works.
Raphael Cousteau	Kim Kitsuragi pinches his nose. "We have enough issues with the Revachol's Citizen Militia being considered vigilantes. Adherence to protocol is what separates us from such. Please do not use the aberrant behaviour of a witness to make an overall statement about our police force." Ruby just steps back with the gun, slowly. Holding the piece of paper. Kim is done with this. He's completely done. "...We will let you go. It is clear you are unrelated to the murder." He turns around, even given that Ruby has a gun. The piece of paper is tucked away in his notebook. "And therefore, you are unrelated to the investigation I have been trying to get back to for a long while."
Abigail Barton	"I don't doubt there's plenty of upstanding officers in the force as well. Those that wield the badge as a shield for their misdeeds, though..." Abigail clicks her pen a few more times, then sticks it back into her pocket before nudging her glasses back into place. "Sorry. I... Usually don't get worked up like that." It certainly helps that Kim's not pressing the matter further, and she offers Ruby a quick nod of the 'hey see it's fine' sort. "We've gotten a good amount of information for that, too, at least. And... I'll conduct my own into the other matters. Until then, though..." Abigail starts to leave, then stops and turns to Ruby one last time. "... You may want to wear a hat for a while."