WEEK 5

[bathymetric]

That's three murders now - and this last trial got more than slightly out of hand. It looks like you might be in for another tough week... or at least, maybe that's just the refusal of this place to change too much. You lose Saturday again, but maybe six-day weeks are starting to feel normal by now. Who knows? The cycle of day and night continues apace, changing so little.

Speaking of change, though, there's a new area to look through, the biggest and most complex yet. And the end of one wing of the facility, from the looks of it - though you can probably guess where more areas might start to open up.

And speaking of opening up (segues!), this week if you're out particularly late, you might sometimes see Angel out and about! So hey, maybe change is on the horizon.

Just gotta hope it's a change for the better, don't you?



SUNDAY | MONDAY | TUESDAY | WEDNESDAY | THURSDAY

[ ooc: Welcome to Week 5! Remember to turn in AC here, threads for regain coins here, and if you feel so inclined you can visit Angel's office hours over here! Or, if you want Angel to come to you, that's now an option! Simply put a prompt after lights-out into your toplevel and indicate you want Angel in the subject line, same as investigations! ]

Comments

[snackooed]

After five weeks, you start to get to know a person a bit, you know!

[ Don't think she doesn't see you trying to hide that laugh-- ]

Anyway, this is probably going to smell a bit pungent once I start taking it out, so hold your nose or something while I spread this. Don't worry, I'm going to clean it up really thoroughly, so you won't even know it's here...

[bolderfell]

You could put it on one of those paper napkins. Easy to get rid of that way.

[All the same, once he takes another sip of his drink, he sets it aside to hold his scarf over his face. Really, though, there's no question Therion's smelled worse. Sometimes, Therion smells worse.]

[snackooed]

Well, I could do that, but I want to show you what happens when I, you know, really, really get in there and clean. I'll be quick about it, I promise. With lots of soap...

[ And as she spreads a good amount of it on the bartop and cleans it up well, she takes the glasses off the top of her head. ]

You'll need these, by the way.

[bolderfell]

[Bemused, he accepts the glasses, gets them on, slides them down a second to confirm, yeah, that horseradish is super gone to the naked eye, and readjusts the way they sit on his nose. They probably look pretty good, with his color scheme.]

Like that, right. Why?

[snackooed]

Perfect, they look good on you! Now, watch this.

[ Once the bar is clean as a whistle, bone-dry, and there's no trace at all of the horseradish, out comes the luminol. She gives the bar just a couple of good sprays, and lets it sit for a second... ]

It's too bright in here to see it without them, but if you put on your glasses, you should see exactly where the sauce was.

[ In bright, bright blue, no less! ]

[bolderfell]

[Oh! He lifts the glasses by the frames again a couple times to see the blue vanish and reappear, then laughs, impressed.]

I'll be damned. Very neat trick. Or... a cool trick, right?

[The things she's done to this medieval gremlin's vocabulary.]

Wow, Ema. You're so amazing. ...Scientifically speaking.

[snackooed]

[ She can't with this doof..! ]

See, look, I told you! Isn't it great to look at? If you use it in a dark room, it'll pop up clear as day, but with those glasses of mine, you'll see it whenever and wherever you want! So you better not steal them! They're a heck of a lot more than a fashion statement!

[ But she's glad to see he got such a kick out of it! She knew he would! ]

Let's hope I only have to use it on horseradish, though!

[bolderfell]

[He laughs again, a little brighter, and hands the glasses back to her.]

I won't tell you how tempted I've been to just snatch them off your head all this time. If I'd known they were one of your tools, though, I'd have made a note to leave them alone. Can't deprive an artist, after all.

[Actually, he totally can. Some of the things you can have him steal in the game... boy.]

[snackooed]

Oh, to call me an artist really couldn't be further from the truth. If you saw how bad I am with yarn and crochet needles, you'd be walking back on that in no time.

[ Though she does take her glasses back and smiles, as the blue of the luminol starts to fade out. There's something about the sight of that that just doesn't get old, like watching a sunrise... ]

You probably have more dexterity in your pinky finger than I do in my whole body, Therion.

[bolderfell]

I'm an artist of my craft, sure. Same as you are of yours. If I didn't have more than the average dexterity in my hands, I'd make one sorry thief.

[He pauses, then. And then he brings something out from under the folds of his scarf and slides it across the bar to her.

Did you remember to put your horseradish away, Ema?]

Though I guess this would count as one of your tools, too. Sorry.

[snackooed]

Huh?!

[ When did he...oh, that sly little-- ]

That was fast...you really aren't kidding! I didn't even see you move to grab it...

[ Talk about a demonstration..! ]

I knew you weren't just all talk, but it's impressive, to see it in person!

[bolderfell]

[He chuckles.]

You were busy wiping down the bar, that's all. [He returns his attentions to his drink, still looking pretty pleased with himself.] Been a while since I could show off. And I did say I'd teach you a thing or two in return for all your lessons.

[snackooed]

Is it all just fast reflexes and waiting for the right opportunity, then? I imagine a lot of it kind of comes from learning with experience, but I'd also think there's only so many times you could slip up before things get a little hairy, so...

[ The solution would be... ]

Just don't get caught?

[bolderfell]

...Or if you do get caught, know how to slip your bonds. [Shrug.] Thieving means a lifetime of balancing risk and reward. Observing people, avoiding traps, putting on a convincing show... As long as I've been at it and as much as I've honed my skills, even I still make mistakes. Reflexes only get you so far.

[snackooed]

[ It sounds like a position of last resort, from the way he talks about it. Use all of the tools at your disposal to get away, and live to steal another day.

She takes another sip of her drink, but the chocolate tastes a touch more bitter, now. Maybe it's her imagination. ]

Something tells me I wouldn't make it very far, even if I had you mentoring me.

[bolderfell]

...Well, that's why, instead of burglary, you've got a ready career in tavern-keeping to fall back on.

You're resourceful and observant, but the rest of your talents would be wasted as a thief. Orsterra doesn't have the... technology your world has, but we still have our scholars and apothecaries. Bet you'd love something like that--studying your brains out to harness magic. Teaching. Helping people.

[snackooed]

That does seem kind of like fun, honestly. I've actually thought about teaching science, before, in a couple of those moments where it seemed like forensics wasn't really happening.

[ Of course, a change in career paths like that when you don't really have much money isn't exactly the most feasible thing in the world. ]

I stuck with the police because I felt like I was...it's like it was so close, yet so far, you know? The thing I wanted to do was right there, but I just couldn't get to it. I thought it'd motivate me to keep trying, but sometimes, it felt a little more like salt in the wound.

But it helped that Lana was a detective, too. Following in her footsteps was never a bad feeling.

[ But still, she's not her sister. ]

[bolderfell]

You really... admire her, huh? Your sister. Enough to go into the same kind of work.

[snackooed]

I don't think I told you this, but both of my parents passed away in an accident when I was young. Too young to really remember anything about them. Lana just turned eighteen, and it was hard, but she raised me all by herself after that happened, all the way up until I was sixteen.

[ Even through college, and law school... ]

Lana's my hero. When I was a kid, she was everything I ever wanted to be, when I grew up. Smart, and selfless, and brave...I looked up to her a lot. I still do. If I can make her proud, I know I'm doing something right.

[bolderfell]

She must've never let you down.

[After a moment, he stops looking contemplatively into his drink and gives her a little half-toast. A wistful, little half-smile.]

If she could see how hard you've been working for us--for total strangers, not even from the same world--I think... maybe you'd be her hero. Don't even know if we could've made it this far without you.

I'm sure she'd be proud.

[snackooed]

She couldn't let me down if she tried, Therion.

[ And from the bottom of her heart, she means that, too. ]

Besides, I wouldn't call you all total strangers. I mean, you were at first, don't get me wrong, but I've gotten to know the lot of you at this point, enough to call more than a few my friends. That's reason enough for me to work as hard as I do. And when everyone else is working hard, too, I can't just sit back and let them pick up my slack. But if we're talking about whether or not she'd be proud of me...

Well, I don't think that's a question. Just like Lana would never let me down, I wouldn't dream of letting her down.