Grief In the Shell: Madokapunk IC Thread

[Draken]

[Neo-Mitakihara, Ward 1]
[NMSF Headquarters, HS Interrogation Room 36]

People just become much more obvious in their lies when they only see the unblinking glow and hear nothing but their own voices and the machine humming.

Well, and there was this one case of a heart attack. But the medical bay saved deader people before.

*Bzzszzt* "It is an interesting story, indeed. Better than that, it is an useful story for me."

Leon looks to the side and stops talking as Omoikane transfers a message over to him. He takes a moment to send a call.

Spoiler: Novak

Show

Need you at headquarters soon as possible. Got a lead to follow up on.

*Bzzsszzt* "Yes. Truly useful, as it turns out. Tell me, how would you feel about coming out public with your tale?"

[strawberryman]

[Ward 6]
(Yumeiji Tower, Koizumi Residence)

Rio is... in her costume as Haru walks into the apartment. She continued to struggle with what to wear even as the appointment hour drew closer, so, just for lack of options she really -liked-, she decided on just putting forth who she was as a mashou. What could go wrong, right?

Nonetheless, she offers a respectful bow, her hood gliding up over her head which she awkwardly pulls back down. But... it appears there was at least one trial to pass first. Kin stands between Rio and Haru, sitting quietly and staring the newcomer down. Intensely. For just a few moments, but it feels longer. ...but eventually, he seems satisfied, and pads off back to his bed nearby, still keeping a close eye on Haru. Rio scratches her head nervously. "...um... sorry. Kin is kind of... protective..."

She is okay, master.

Rio seems distracted for a moment. Um... yeah. Thanks, Kin-chan... Good boy. Kin perks his head up and barks happily, tail wagging. Which... seems to reflect on Rio as she offers a small smile and wanders off to the couch. The Koizumi living room is arranged for casual meetings, given Chiyo's line of work, with an angular C-shaped couch taking up much of the floor space, and a good sized coffee table in the center. The spotless baby grand piano sits off to a side facing the balcony sliding glass doors, and the kitchen is only a half-step up and few paces away, where Akio is... preparing something?

But, as impressive as their apartment is, this is about Rio. Who sits down on one side of the couch, with the likely assumption Haru would sit on the opposite side. She takes up a tablet with her notes and just goes over them again to calm herself, before looking back up to Haru. "...um, right... Hi, and... I guess mom told you about me before. She's told me a little, and, um. I've read about you. You were an online talk show host, and um... you're trans, right?"

Akio approaches with a plate of plum strudel (apparently he made plenty with the idea that there would be visitors, just one of his uncanny skills). He's smiling a little awkwardly, like he does when he believes Rio sort of... crosses a line in polite conversation. "...here, if you like. And... uh. Well. Maybe you have some more business questions, Rio? But... you can answer if you like, Ikeda-san. Rio's just curious."

Rio fidgets a bit, maybe getting the idea she was being rude? But... just waits to see if it's off the table or not.

[Ward 13]
(Warutsu Towers)

Nadica wakes up in a bed in one of her apartments. She's not entirely sure when she got there. But she can surmise she probably just wandered out in a drunken haze, collapsed and blacked out. She rubs her eyes as the haze of grogginess transmutes into the crushing oppression of a hangover. And there was some unholy ringing noise too. Like crystals rolling against each other, or something. She starts to roll towards the edge of the bed before meeting some resistance. She turns and realizes there's a solid wall of orange and black fur and muscle laying on one of her arms.

Without much hesitation, she knees and shoves the tiger. "...oi, Patches, you fat oaf, get off me." As she wakes up further she realizes what the ringing sound is, and that's her communicator on the floor nearby. Patches grunts as Nadica continues her (gentle) assault. "Enough, you stupid tiger, I've got a ****in' call. GEDOFF!" She finally pushes the tiger off as it rolls a bit and that combined with her pulling causes her to roll onto the floor with a crash.

Facing the screen of the communicator from a weird angle, she pokes it and sees Leon's message. And also that it's 6am.

"...it is too early for this ****." Nadica picks herself up, as well as the communicator, and a nearby crutch. She'd answer Gomie when she was properly awake. And that meant coffee. Or an energy drink. Maybe both.

"Honda, start the brew, and add some Irish cream. Otherwise straight black."

Honda responds from nearly invisible speakers hidden in the walls. Basically the entire floor was wired with her network, so every bit of tech was answerable to her. "...As usual. And I'll make sure to spit in it as well."

"Don't start that smartass **** right now, I'll fire you and get some bimbo KAMI instead."

"No, you will not. You'd have me back within the week anyway." Touche, Honda.

Nadica plops on a stool, an automated dispenser brewing gourmet coffee, which is then hovered over to her by a small drone. The writing on her mug is hardly appropriate for a TV-14 show, so... we'll assume that's just censored out or dubbed over.

Once she's taken a few blistering sips of the beverage of the gods, she pulls the comm back out and shoots a response to Leon.

be there in 10

She doesn't leave immediately, just sipping on her coffee. She had to push Leon's buttons a little, or else he'd forget who she was.

[Ward 1]
(NMSF HQ)

It's more like two hours and 15 minutes by the time Nadica rolls into the station, sipping one of those energy drinks that is basically a controlled substance. It's a wonder it isn't illegal. She heads for Gomes's office, shooting winks and other wildly inappropriate gestures at the officers.

[Kuroimaken]

[Old Mitakihara]
[Miki Harmonics Center]

"I was talking to Nuan about escape routes on the way here. For a meeting point, I'm going to suggest the mall. You can enter through the roof, or a lot of the broken windows, and it's almost impossible to find someone in there without magic or knowing where to look. On the second floor there's an old food court that's easy to keep watch in and doesn't have a ton of access routes. I'd propose there. I can sketch a map if you want. Nuan shouldn't have trouble escaping, her mirrors are a really strong tool in that regard, and if we're lucky we can all just use them to ditch without getting separated. If worse comes to worse though, I know this city as well as they do, better than a lot of them probably, so I have routes in mind."

"Which leaves you. You strike me as the sort to go over this place's blueprints with your morning toast, so I'm guessing you didn't bring it up without a suggestion of your own. Let's hear it."

"I did try. Came up mostly empty-handed. The topography in this part of town shifts a lot, and I couldn't get any accurate maps without tapping into some sources that would have given us away before we started. Satellite imaging was also no good for anything, thermal simply doesn't penetrate deep enough into the old buildings.

I do have an alternative that'd give me a lot of insight into the area, offer my own suggestions. But no way in Hell you're gonna like it."

[Dorizzit]

[Neo Mitakihara]
The Catacombs

Leysa emerges, dripping, from the water, the gyro rifle clutched delicately in one hand. She hands it off to Satou before transforming back. Thankfully, transforming before hitting the water meant that shifting back dries her, as well.

"I've heard of wet work, but this day has been friggin' ridiculous."

She pauses.

"Well, two days, I guess."

She stretches as the damaged disposal press grinds in complaint. She smiles innocently.

"I'll pay the city back for that."

Leysa's assistance has been surprisingly valuable during the chase. While clearly not as experienced at investigation as Satou, she has proved herself more than capable of keeping up and has regularly had valuable insight into next steps, noticing small details and having an excellent ability to coax information out of witnesses. Perhaps even more impressively, she's shown no signs of slowing down whatsoever from lack of sleep; she's still the same as she was the morning of the previous day.

[Beans]

[Neo-Mitakihara, Ward 3 -- ZT HQ -- Sublevel B5, Research Lab Draugr, HGWI Testing Chamber]
It's been an interesting couple of weeks all 'round. After all, it's not often they've had a major researcher more-or-less unavailable for a fortnight, much less because said researcher went into deep meditation in a High Gamma-Wave Immersion pod. Oh, she'd been hooked up to speech synthesizers, text readouts, and even to social media---but they'd had to delete about 40% of the tweets. People were still trading screencaps of those ones, though the incessant meming was starting to die down by now.

Truth be told, a lot of the other researchers here had relished Dr. Masaki's semi-solitude, as it gave them space to breathe. They joked about her behavior, about how "she's going to eat the lot of us"---but in a way, they sometimes worried about just that. She was good at pulling people into her work, and though they were sure she didn't really mean anything by it, they did have their own projects they wanted to work on.

As the pod opened, its top flipping open like the upper half of a giant maw, some of them wondered if they'd get pulled back in by that skinny, lanky, twitchy woman. A nurse strapped a nebulizer mask on her, every breath expelling plumes of vapor. As he reached for the zipper of her wetsuit, she slapped his hand away, mumbling something about "fuggoff, 'll d-d-do't mysel---do it by---do it m-my-myself," as she did in every situation like this. And if the woman wasn't keen on being seen naked or nearly so, that was her call. They moved her from the pod-bed to a stretcher, wheeling her out to another room.

As the nurse got close to pull the nebulizer off, the woman jerked forward and snapped her teeth (how many were real, how many replacements?) a centimeter from his nose. As he squeaked and stumbled back, she laughed---her breathy, slightly wheezy cackle that always trailed off into a mild cough. Hauling herself up, she made her way across the room with the slaps of wet bare feet on tile, grinning. "Re-r-r-reflex---reflexes'r sti---s-st-sti-st-si-still... uh, pr'good." She yanked open the door to the shower chamber and left the medtechs to sigh and shake their heads. That, they informed the newbie nurse, was just how Dr. Masaki was.
Weird, usually hovering between alarming and embarrassing, but heck if she didn't get results.

In half an hour, she was limping out again, dressed now in her usual jeans, flannel shirt, and labcoat. For a lady with nerve damage and motor problems, she could move fast---a sort of high-speed herky-jerky scuttle like a very big redheaded spider. She waved away the medtechs, insisting that she was as fine as she was going to be (which was to say she was a scarred, twitching, brilliant mess) and that she had work to get to. Reaching her office, she settled into her chair and put on her arglasses, calling up a spread of screens. Projects in progress were waved away, giving space for files and feeds on about 35 mashous.

"F-f-fin'ly, ge'in ba-b-bac-b-back t'm'real wor---m'real, uh, work." She sighed, crossing one leg over the other and leaning back.
And she had so much work to do.

[Sucrose]

[Neo Mitakihara]
The Catacombs

Satou takes the rifle, and shakes his head. He gives a half-hearted smirk at Leysa's innocent grin.

"You're deputized, and I can verify that you had to do it. The NMSF can cover it."

Whether Satou has slowed down during the last two days is a bit hard to say. Outside of combat, he always seems exhausted, and, that little scrape with a couple overeager Yak brats over the escaped leopard aside, there wasn't really any combat since the raid. Still, it certainly doesn't hurt that the invincible mashou was around to point things out.

"Good work. I'll see what I can pull off of this without damaging it, and then we can see what the main labs can get after that. That'll probably take a while.

Unless the Chief has something new for us, or they were sloppy enough to get something we can follow up on right now, probably wouldn't hurt to rest until Turnbull's up."

He gets a large, black, boxy device out of his bag, and inserts his left hand into it, while his right, with a series of taps on some buttons on his hip, activates a specific program for his leg servos. Small LEDs start blinking, and a few buttons light up. He punches a few of them, then locks his arms in place, one hand above the other. His right holds the recovered rifle, while the portable lab powered by the left begins to emit a series of low-energy lasers of various frequencies, scanning the device for anything that could lead to a particular use style, maybe a few fragments of a particular sort of cloth...

He then begins to slowly walk, unnaturally smoothly, walk back toward the entrance, his servos compensating to essentially negate jittering, and the rescanning necessary with it.
____________________________
[Ward 15]
(Sango Gardens)

Within Sango Gardens, a tall, bald, muscular man in an astonishingly gaudy Hawaiian-themed tuxedo walks. He smiles as though he has nary a care in the world, even as a series of thumps and crashes can be heard above him. He jogs up the stairs, to the floor where these sounds come from. He walks in the direction of the disruption, coming to a stop before the one reinforced door in the complex, and a keypad. He pauses, as though considering something, then enters seventeen specific digits. The door...opens on the first try.

He walks in, casually dodging the ricochet of a ballistic crock pot, which imbeds itself in the opposite wall.

He turns the corner, to see a scene of culinary devastation. The only thing that he's interested in, though, is his client in the middle of it. Mia, the Justice Spear, is covered in a wide array of condiments, spices, vegetable bits...basically, she's wearing her fridge. However, she's also wearing a slightly rueful grin. At the sight of this, his smile grows much wider, and he throws open his arms.

"Miss Mia! Is so good to see you in high spirits! Have you had enough breakfast, or can I cook you something?"

[Dorizzit]

[Neo Mitakihara]
The Catacombs

Leysa snaps her fingers.

"Oh, good, I was afraid I would have to lower the level on one of my swimming pools full of money."

Leysa is one of the wealthier inhabitants of the city. Any Mashou could turn fame into money, and Leysa more or less leads the pack on that front. Plus, she's been at this for a long time. Folding her arms behind her head, she trails after Satou impassively as he conducts his scanning procedure. Definitely wasn't the first time she's seen impressive technology from the NMSF. She stays quiet until it's clear that the scan is going along just fine, then pulls into the lead, turning around and walking backwards to face him.

"So are we heading back to the station, then? That's probably where he ended up."

[strawberryman]

[Ward 15]
(Sango Gardens)

Mia is also rocking a really short hair cut. And... given her long, red locks were part of the knight-mashou's image, that might come as a bit of a shock. She laughs a bit and scratches behind her head, picking out tomato seeds and viscera from her hair. "...yeah, I uh... don't think I actually managed to cook anything in this mess. So go right ahead, if you can find anything left." Her fridge is still hanging open, propped by a pulled-out shelf.

"...shouldn't have taken a shower before this. Gonna have to take another one." She gives an 'oh well' shrug, picking herself up and leaning on one of the counters. "...so how're you doing, Vic?" There's... possibly an unmentioned hope for a return on that question. If Vic wasn't pruning his rose bushes or anything ridiculous like that the whole day yesterday, he probably heard the news, and then heard where Mia's place in that news was. That place having been right in the center of a secondary nearly-lethal bomb blast.

[Selinia]

[Old Mitakihara]
[Miki Harmonics Center]

"If you're talking about your powers, you can stop right there. There's no call to use anything so invasive." Nuan's generally agreeable tone shifts to a sterner one for a few moments. A teacher's voice. "Doubly so given that we are planning a last resort here. Unless things go very wrong, this shouldn't come down to fight or flight at all."

"If you can't find a way in, you're just looking in the wrong places." Hoa reaches into the pocket on her worn hoodie, producing a piece of folded paper and pushing it into Makoto's grasp. On inspection, it is... a map, actually. Hand-drawn on low quality paper with a variety of colored pens. It seems to cover the school and surrounding areas, and while it's no architectural blueprint, there are a multitude of annotations, sketched-in shortcuts, and navigational tips.

"Grabbed this from a stall a floor below us. Reminder, Kujoh, people actually live here. The ruins do shift, and there's good money to be made keeping tabs on everything. The cartographers may not be perfect, but you learn to trust their work. The unreliable ones don't last long. Organized crime makes sure of that. Same note, don't expect to find hideouts or the like on these, but that shouldn't be relevant to us." Hoa folds her arms. "Study up, and don't hesitate to ask questions. Both of you, for that matter."

[Neo-Mitakihara, Ward 1]
[NMSF Headquarters, HS Interrogation Room 36]

"That depends. Do you have an actual plan, or are you just kicking a hornet's nest to see what will happen? I don't know if this goes to the top, but it goes pretty damn high. Actually going public is bound to piss someone off, and there's a decent chance it'd be someone with enough authority to actually do something, even to you. I'd like to know what I'm getting into before I jump into that mess."

[Neo-Mitakihara, Ward 6]
[Yumeiji Tower, Residential Levels]

Haru raises her hands, waving away the implied apologies in the air. "Oh, no, no. It's fine. It would have come up eventually, no doubt. But yes, Rio, that's right. I suppose you could even say it's why I got into this line of work. I saw a lot of mashou on my show whose managers or families were really pushing them to be something they weren't, and truth be told, it really rubbed my all the wrong ways. Oh, it's a natural fit for some people, to be sure, but it was just tragic watching these bright, wonderful young people wilting in the spotlight because nobody is taking proper care of them. Or worse, losing something important about themselves trying to fit in."

She sighs, shaking her head a bit. It's a little theatrical, but doesn't come across as less than genuine.

"So I decided to do something about it! It's always been what drives me in this job. I believe that everyone has their own sort of beauty to share with the world, if they can just find it. It isn't always easy, and goddess knows I've learned that lesson firsthand, but there's really no feeling in the world like helping someone else find theirs. Audiences feel it too. There's a world of difference between a mashou being squashed into a mold, and one that's being herself."

[Kuroimaken]

[Old Mitakihara]

Hoa's map actually brings a little surprise to Makoto's face. He never really figured that maps would be a necessity to everyday life in the ruins. It takes him all of fifteen seconds to stare at the map. Then, he hands it over to Nuan, produces pen and paper, and proceeds to furiously copy the entire thing off his memory.

Then, he compares the two to see how well he did. He only had one pen, so he couldn't copy the color codes, but he substituted those for a handy key code instead.

"Right: so what does this one exit over here lead to? It only says it's an exit, but it doesn't say anything about where it leads."

_________________

[Yumeji Towers]

Chiyo's eyes widen at Rio's question. Not because her kid crossed a line (she was guilty of that often, to the point that she considered it a genetic trait more than any social inability on her daughter's part) but simply because she was genuinely unaware of the fact. She considered it poor form to talk about one's coworkers when they weren't present, and the subject never came up between the two of them. So while that may prove surprising to Haru herself, it isn't too out of the ordinary considering Chiyo's habits.

Still, her explanation gives just a touch of pride to the mother for picking her as a candidate. Not that she doubted Haru's professionalism; still, to see a personal involvement in one's work to the degree Haru did made Chiyo reassured that, should she be picked, Rio would be in good hands.

[strawberryman]

[Ward 6]
(Yumeiji Tower)

Rio nods, satisfied at that. "Okay." And that's that. It's hard to tell if she was impressed, but that's just Rio for you. With that, she takes a composing breath and continues.

"What mashou have you worked with?"

"Who's, um... been your best client?"

"How long have you been doing this? And why?" She thinks about that for a second. "...I guess you already said why..." There's a bit of nervous shuffling before she goes back to her list.

"Who do you think you've helped the most?"

"And, um... how do you think you can help me?"

[Sucrose]

[Neo Mitakihara]
The Catacombs

Satou nods, continuing to walk, and keeping an eye out at the path ahead.

"Yeah, Rei got confirmation from Turnbull's Miko. ...Kid's been a good addition to the force, but he doesn't know how to pace himself."

Interesting talk for a man who's probably going to end up awake about as long, if there's anything to go on at the station.

"...Speaking of, how're you holding up? We've done some long investigations before, but this's still a ways from solved. Oh, watch your head."

He tilts his head in the general direction of a low-hanging beam behind Leysa. Whether his concern is for the metal or her noggin is up to interpretation.
___________________________
Neo-Mitakihara
(Sango Gardens)

Victor looks over the place, and turns to her cupboards. There's a few packets of ramen noodles, and the oven isn't disconnected from the wall....he experimentally turns on the one untwisted heating grill on Mia's stovetop, and, while it occasionally sprays a spark or two, it does start to glow.

"We are in the business!"

He manages to find a pot, and the faucet still works, so before long, some water is heating. Then, he turns back to Mia, and his smile takes on a slightly rueful shade.

"Well, I am glad that I was not the most up-to-date on the news yesterday. I was helping my brother move. He plays his music too loud for me, so I'm paying for an apartment of his own. By the time that I heard of the ....um, not-bombing? I also knew that it was all undone. So, I did not have to worry! ...You are....okay, yes? Trying out a new look?"

[strawberryman]

[Ward 15]
(Sango Gardens)

Mia idly pulls some paper towels out and starts wiping herself off. "I mean... good for you on that, but what do you bet he'll end up crashing at your place more often than not anyway?" She gives a slight grin.

Then, it shrinks a bit as she really thinks about the other half of that statement. "...Yeah, I... messed up. I went in there all hot-blooded and angry and... I almost didn't come out. Somebody saved me." 'From myself' is unsaid here, but it's strongly implied. "...and then some kid just undoes everything, right? So where am I in all of that? It's really making me think." With a sigh and shrug, she wanders over to the couch to pick up her phone, grimacing as she goes through the messages from her mother.

"H-heeeeey *hic* Mia-chaaaaaan. It'sh mama, ssshouldn't you be cashing in on thish thing more? People don't like a losher, you should t-*hic* try to embull... erm... enbell... embellish it more! Call me back, shweetie~"

"Sssshooo you're just gonna give credit to a little kid? What happened to *hic* the hot-blooded hero everyone lovesh? Don't mess thish up, Mia-chaaaan."

"Heeey, you know that credit card you shaid wash for emergencies, wweeeeelll... I needed to pay my tab, sho don't get angry, riiight? It'sh kind of an emergency!"

Mia rubs her temple angrily. "...sometimes I really wonder if that bitch is my mom."

[Sucrose]

[Neo-Mitakihara]
(Sango Gardens)

Victor's hand passes over the top of Mia's phone. His smile has grown a bit sad.

"....You can put her out of your head, if you want. I could deal with her for you."

He then lifts his hand, to put it on her shoulder. It'll need some washing before tending to breakfast. His other hand waves back and forth as he speaks, placing emphasis where he thinks it appropriate.

"But, more importantly. Where you were, from the start, was a good place. You wanted to help! Sure, maybe you made a goof, might have done better with cool head, but you were still doing the right thing! That is the important bit! I am sure the one who saved you saw that, too.

Just maybe learn how to do it even better; I am sure there are many who could help you. You are rising star, but there are lots who have been doing this for a long time! They know all sorts of little tricks, to help you do your thing! If you want, I could go and talk to them for you. I can be very discreet!"

[Dorizzit]

[Neo-Mitakihara]
Catacombs

Leysa grins again.

"Well, hello there, Mr. Pot. Nice to meet you."

In a single smooth motion, Leysa spins on her heel, ducking under the pipe and walking forward once more. Her hands slide into her jacket pockets.

"I'll start getting tired enough that it affects me some time tonight, but I can keep going for a good chunk of time past that. I'll try to catch some shut-eye today or tonight, though."

Leysa withdraws her phone from her pocket.

"Let's check the news, see if anything came up."

Leysa flips through the channels, catching the beginning of "Wake-up Sunshine!" and staying on that channel as the show's commentators discuss the events of the previous day. With the press of a button, Leysa switches the phone to projection mode so that Satou can see and hear as well. Leysa tunes out at the first commercial break and powers the projection off.

"My, my. News travels fast."

Leysa starts going through her messages. Her Miko was set with a number of automated responses for periods where she was unavailable due to work, but she still wants to keep up with everything being sent to her. Satisfied, she starts going through the Wishcraft Foundation channels, monitoring to see how things are going among her colleagues and juniors. She begins talking again, still looking at her phone.

"How quiet are we trying to keep this case? If we're trying to prevent anything from getting out to the public, we may want to keep a lower profile."

[Beans]

[Neo-Mitakihara, Ward 3]
(ZT HQ -- Sublevel B5, Research Lab Draugr)

All ZT board members are informed of Dr. Masaki's return to active duty---not a high-priority message, but it shows up in their inboxes.

The woman herself is reviewing all the coverage she can find on this little... incident with Mia. This could have promise, but she just needs to figure out what to offer, how to offer. Teenage girls are fickle enough before the addition of magical powers, after all.

[Sucrose]

Spoiler

Show

[Neo-Mitakihara]
Catacombs

Leysa grins again.

"Well, hello there, Mr. Pot. Nice to meet you."

In a single smooth motion, Leysa spins on her heel, ducking under the pipe and walking forward once more. Her hands slide into her jacket pockets.

"I'll start getting tired enough that it affects me some time tonight, but I can keep going for a good chunk of time past that. I'll try to catch some shut-eye today or tonight, though."

Leysa withdraws her phone from her pocket.

"Let's check the news, see if anything came up."

Leysa flips through the channels, catching the beginning of "Wake-up Sunshine!" and staying on that channel as the show's commentators discuss the events of the previous day. With the press of a button, Leysa switches the phone to projection mode so that Satou can see and hear as well. Leysa tunes out at the first commercial break and powers the projection off.

"My, my. News travels fast."

Leysa starts going through her messages. Her Miko was set with a number of automated responses for periods where she was unavailable due to work, but she still wants to keep up with everything being sent to her. Satisfied, she starts going through the Wishcraft Foundation channels, monitoring to see how things are going among her colleagues and juniors. She begins talking again, still looking at her phone.

"How quiet are we trying to keep this case? If we're trying to prevent anything from getting out to the public, we may want to keep a lower profile."

[Neo-Mitakihara]
Catacombs

Satou sighs, closing his eyes for a little bit as he speaks.

"Details of what we've found should stay quiet, but the fact that we're out on the street shouldn't be. ...Probably should call a transport to take us back to headquarters before anyone sees that we've got the gun, though. Rei, take care of that."

Already done.

Huh. Smug. That's a bit new.

He opens his eyes, evidently having thought through enough.

"Might complicate things a bit more if the culprits knew we had this much. And we still need to stay careful with messages to those outside the case."

Shouldn't be long, now, before the two of them get to the grill that had granted access to the depths of the city's plumbing.

"...For those inside the case, probably should send an update. I'll get ahold of the Chief."

With that, Satou begins constructing the message for Gomes through his subvocal mic, Rei cutting out pauses as he collects his thoughts, and keeps his eyes out for anything problematic within the sewers.

Spoiler: For Leonardo Gomes

Show

"Leysa and I have the weapon. Scanning it now; will send you the results, and have it for the labs fairly soon. Anything further we should know, yet?"

[Draken]

Spoiler: Comm to Satou

Show

"Yoshi has given me quite the story for what she believes happened to the Mayor. It is classified for now, so have a look once you are at headquarters.

[Neomitakihara, Ward 1]
(NMSF Headquarters)
Interrogation Room 36

Gomes rose from his seat and looked down at Yoshi as the lights returned.

*Bzzszzt* "I have the preliminaries of a plan in the works. You will stay our guest while I work out some kinks. An officer will come to take you to detention block G."

Ah, detention block G, the NMSF's 'gilded cages' as they were called. Mirage cells set to produce a somewhat pleasant illusory reality. It was the illusion of a prison, granted, but a nice prison.

And with that, the captain was gone.

-----

And many, many hours later, Nadica arrived. And was greeted by Leon's face in one of the monitors nearby.

*Bzzszzt* "Took you bloody long enough. I am waiting for you in training room six. Roll your ass in here."

[Dorizzit]

[Neo-Mitakihara]
Streets

Leysa pops up ahead of Satou as the grate comes into sight. Old and in poor condition, the grill squeals loudly in protest but offers almost no apparent resistance to Leysa's efforts to push it open. She hauls herself onto the streets, then holds the grate open with one hand while offering the other to Satou. Once they have both reached street level of the city, Leysa brushes herself off to clear out the dust and gunk from the service tunnels. After a few seconds, she finishes by flicking a bit of muck off her shoulder.

"Well, that was fun. Any news back from the chief?"

[strawberryman]

[Ward 15]
(Sango Gardens)

Mia scratches the back of her head for a minute, considering with a thoughtful frown. "...naw, I got this." She walks away a few paces and dials her mother's number. She taps her foot for a few moments, then paces angrily as it rings, her blood visibly boiling until there's finally an answer. There's no time to even get a word in edgewise before Mia barks into the phone.

"Look ma, I don't need your crap right now, so listen up! You're done! I'm cuttin' you off! I'm not gonna pay yer bills anymore, and honestly, I don't wanna hear another ****in' word from you, because apparently you only care about the paycheck I bring than the fact that I nearly friggin' DIED in that tower. Did you ever ask about that? Don't answer that, I read your texts, and listened to your drunk-ass messages, and I know you never gave two monkey's balls about me. So it's over! Go find a sugar daddy to pay for your ****, you lowly, blood-sucking-" ...well the next string of words is really, really not nice.

There's a pause. "...huh?"

...then, Mia turns a bit red, and grits her teeth a little. "...oh. Uh. Sorry about that." A bit of embarrassed shuffling. "...yeah, I'll come pick it up, if she doesn't. Sorry again." She hangs up, and puts her face in her hands. "Oh my goooood. She left her phone at the bar. That was... uuugh."

Mia flops on the couch, defeated. "...it's not gonna be any different from the last times, is it." This was not the first time Mia went through the motions to cut her mom off. It inescapably went like this: Mia called her angrily, there was an hour-long argument before she just hung up angrily with an ultimatum. It lasted for about a week or maybe two. Then she'd get a call about her mom being in trouble, she'd bail her out, and the cycle started all over again.

It was probably pretty exhausting to watch.

[Ward 1]
(NMSF)

Nadica looks over with her eyebrow raised quizzically. "Didn't know you were feeling so frisky, Gomie." With that, she rolls, continuing the dialog.

"I mean, I gotta warn you, I might need to run to the little girl's room, 'cause I had a cup or two of coffee and it won't be long before I feel a rumblin' down there. You've got toilets adjacent, right?" Nadica continues literally crap-talking until she reaches the training room, rolling in with a still quite casual air about her.

[Draken]

[Ward 1 - NMSF Headquarters]
(Training Room Six)

It is a large place, and there is Leon on the other end, facing a wall, picking weapons, dressed up in his favorite demon armor.

*Bzzszzt* "Well, we are in luck that you are in such a particularly ****ty mood, I want to test out new sewer configuration for my wraith mock battle class."

The politically correct way of naming the two hour beatdown in which Leon terrifies new mashou to make them disappointed in the utter lack of tactics displayed by real wraiths.

The mirage room soon flickers as it changes into a hard-light projection of a sewer, even the smell and running filth feel real. And as usual, the captain can no longer be seen due to the winding tunnels.

*Bzzszzt* "The programmers filled some of the pipes with pressurized sewage to add another tactical option and I want to see how they play out."

It is impressive how well the illusion makes his voice and footsteps echo.

[Sucrose]

[Neo-Mitakihara]
Streets

Satou accepts the hand up, cleaning himself off well enough to at least not attract attention. Fortunately, his usual choice of attire is also one of the better sorts for hiding things like the gyro gun.

"Apparently, the Chief's got something interesting from Yoshi. We'll have to see what he's talking about back at headquarters."

With that, he begins prowling toward the nearest inconspicuous drop point for an NMSF transport. One thing that can be said for Satou; he knows these streets. Within five minutes of walking through narrow, unobserved alleys and back lots with no windows facing them, the two arrive at a small helipad, just as a transport settles upon it.

Within another five, they'll be back at the headquarters.

Spoiler: Continuing chat conversation with The Chief

Show

"Understood; we'll be there in ten."

Spoiler

Show

Sorry if I'm pushing too fast; just figured that Satou doesn't have a whole lot more to add just yet; feel free to add any interstitial action that I'm presently sweeping over.

____________________
[Ward 15]
(Sango Gardens)

Victor's shoulders sag, a bit, as he continues to stir.

"....If we don't do anything different, it probably will be no different. But, we can always change our approach! Could take some other steps to keep better separated...maybe the Wishcraft people can help...."

The Russian then turns around, his smile refreshed, as he presents some pasta, surprisingly well-spiced, to Mia.

"Anyway, it does no good to think on an empty stomach! Make plans over breakfast!"

[Dorizzit]

[Neo-Mitakihara]
Streets

Leysa nods.

"Cool."

Both of the investigators are silent as they make their way to the drop point, both for a lack of anything to talk about and exhaustion after a long night of searching. Leysa stares out the window for most of the flight, once again taking refuge in her own thoughts.

NMSF HQ

Leysa stands up as their destination comes into view, hopping off even before the transport has fully touched down in an egregious violation of safety protocol. She immediately pulls out her phone.

Spoiler: Text to Duncan Turnbull

Show

Satou and I got the murder weapon and we're going to meet the chief. He has "news." We're heading down from the roof if you want to meet us.

Satou gets a copy of the message, but doesn't need to release it; it goes straight to Duncan's phone since he's on the case.

[strawberryman]

[Ward 1]
(NMSF HQ - Training Room Six)

Nadica sighs, pulling a cig out and lighting it, before balancing on one leg and activating her mashou transformation. Her wheelchair flips and compacts, attaching to her back like a backpack, as she listens to the sounds around her with a slow pace forward, spinning a wrench in one hand, and holding her cig in the other.

"So why don't you tell me what this is really about, Gomie?" She exhales smoke, seeming off guard, but Leon likely knows better.

"I know your MO. You brought me here for a lead. And now you're switching things up? Tryin' to catch me off guard? To confess to something? Well, I mean, I can tell you that I have a stash of dirty magazines in one of my apartments. I have a few private swiss bank accounts that I don't mark on my taxes. I've bet on a few illegal boxing matches. I've taken a few bottles of scotch without paying. What else do you want to know?"

[Ward 15]
(Sango Gardens)

Mia gives a slight smile, shifting to sit up as she allows room for Victor to sit down, slurping at the noodles without much hesitation. "...I don't wanna bring other people into my BS, man. You know that."

She picks up the remote and flicks the holo-TV on. Some silly Sentai show pops up, and she flicks channels to... something boring. Like the news. Almost like trying to change the topic. The Kato bombing is still probably being analyzed, and when that's not it, it's probably Sato's murder.

[Draken]

[Ward 1]
(NMSF HQ - Training Room Six)

Gomes' steps suddenly change position entirely in the sewer system.

*Bzzszzt* "Omoikane has issued a city-wide investigation query for the Kato bombing, and sent me the result a few hours ago. He has the timings, the cover-up attempts, the scapegoat, everything. Everything but a concrete motive."

There is a second, faint noise along with the sound of his voice box activating, and then a splash from his original position, followed by the water in the room (however fake it might be) becoming electrified.

It would appear he turned on a lightning baton and dropped it in the filth.

"And that is why we are here, Novak."

"I want you to tell me the reason you did it."

However she deals with the electrified floor, Leon erupts from stealth behind her, swinging down another two of the lightning batons.

*Bzzszzt* "I also want to beat the snot out of you in the process, maybe save a video of it for the precinct to enjoy."

[strawberryman]

[Ward 1]
(NMSF HQ - Training Room 6)

Nadica taps her feet together and starts hovering off the ground a bit just before Leon comes from behind. But... it appears she was expecting that, as she darts back, pulling out a comical-looking gun that sparks with electricity, and firing a few rounds. The rounds seem to be made to disable power relays by overwhelming them with electrical charge. In short, a subdual method for those such as Gomes.

"I can't give you something that isn't there Gomie, don't you think it's a little ****in' convenient how tidy that is? I mean, I'm one of the best techies in the business and I hate Wishcraft to boot?" She skates backwards with an odd glow at her feet, rolling on the walls of the sewer at points.

"I've got no friggin' reason, no motive whatsoever, 'cause I didn't do it! It's a setup! They're countin' on Omoikane picking the first person the data points towards, whoever they are!"

[Draken]

[Ward 1]
(NMSF HQ - Training Room 6)

*Bzzszzt* "That is just the thing."

Gomes twists out of the line of fire, clutching the walls and entering stealth again.

"You were not first pick. That would have been Hanako, do you remember her from the ZT Christmas party last year? System admin, lovely woman. Enough to get herself a surprisingly useful stalker."

"Well, he's got a warning on this less than upstanding behavior, but it is being overlooked on grounds of sparing all of us a lot of embarrassment."

A gunshot bursts a sewage pipe right in front of Nadica's face. Followed by a salvo of live ammo. Toy guns are not of any use against an experienced mashou after all.

*Bzzszzt* "No, Novak, this is on you. And I better start hearing explanations."

[strawberryman]

[Ward 1]
(NMSF HQ - Training Room Six)

Nadica spins out at the sewage in her face, jolting up as she hits the floor from the electricity, but still trying to roll from the pain. After all, one little cattle prod couldn't lethally charge an entire sewer. She just tries to keep mobile, fiddling with something in her hands, before tossing it out. Some kind of... rolling ball? Then a second and third one.

They speed along the tunnels surrounding Nadica, pulsing... clouds of paint? Neon colored. Pink, yellow, green.

"Yeah, because I'd roll into ground zero of the secondary charges, and risk my own hide just to make it look good? I'm not stinkin' suicidal. What do I have to gain from this, man? I can't explain something I'm not guilty of!"

Nadica just continues rolling along evasively. "Whoever did this wants to destabilize the city, make it worry and fear for their lives. You can't count on a miracle every time. And you and I both know that will just bring the wraiths like blood in the water. With Sato out of the picture, too, nobody's gonna be swingin' for us. They want to destabilize Neo-Miki, and why the hell would I want that to happen to my own friggin' home? The place I've helped build Zeal's legacy? The place..." She gets a little choked up as she tries to continue.

"...that should mean more to me than ****in' anything. I don't have to like it, but Wishcraft is part of this city, and attacking it means attacking it's heart."

[KnightDisciple]

[Neo-Mitakihara]
[NMSF HQ, Ward 1]

[Neo-Mitakihara]
Streets

Leysa nods.

"Cool."

Both of the investigators are silent as they make their way to the drop point, both for a lack of anything to talk about and exhaustion after a long night of searching. Leysa stares out the window for most of the flight, once again taking refuge in her own thoughts.

NMSF HQ

Leysa stands up as their destination comes into view, hopping off even before the transport has fully touched down in an egregious violation of safety protocol. She immediately pulls out her phone.

Spoiler: Text to Duncan Turnbull

Show

Satou and I got the murder weapon and we're going to meet the chief. He has "news." We're heading down from the roof if you want to meet us.

Satou gets a copy of the message, but doesn't need to release it; it goes straight to Duncan's phone since he's on the case.

(A couple minutes before Leysa texts Turnbull)

Just outside one of the "crash rooms" (the basic quarters provided for exhausted NMSF officers to sleep off a hard shift in), loud music that's some strange mix of heavy metal and Scottish bagpipes starts blaring. Muffled curses and crashes are heard for a few seconds before the music quiets down quite a bit. Those with sensitive hearing might detect faint sounds of running water.

(Time of text)
It's the morning. It's NMSF HQ. Things are fairly quiet.

And then....

"ALRIGHT LADS AND LASSIES, WHO'S READY FOR A NEW DAY?!?"

Then Duncan Roddy Angus Turnbull III of the Clan Turnbull happens.

Just as someone seems ready to answer his...energetic...question, his phone buzzes at his hip. Dunny holds up a finger.

"Hold that thought!"

Spoiler: Text to Leysa

Show

THAT'S RIGHT PROPER! I'll be there don't you worry your pretty little magical head ya old woman! You and tha Old Man can count on me to be there!

Why is he even being-

"Looks like ah'm off again! Dinna worry yer heads off, we're on tha case!"

And then he's off to the roof, no one in the bullpen having gotten a chance to say...anything, really.

[Draken]

[Ward 1]
(NMSF HQ - Training Room Six)

Now, there is a certain aggravating, mildly disturbing noise that, generally speaking, 99% of people in Neomitakihara and, truth be told, the world in the 22th century, are not familiar with. It is the sound of an analog televisor that is turned on but receiving no signal.

You know, that noise. It is said that wraiths sometimes make that noise. Leon's Iron Lich definitely does make that noise at times. Those who keep track of his staunchly denied little quirks and tells would say that it happens when he is just so annoyed at something that he just shuts down and lets the wraith in the suit do the talking for awhile.

He is making that noise. Its low hum echoes in these fake-ass sewers. It is amplified by the emulated stagnant muck. It rings in tune with the iron song of the preposterous piping. This technological marvel of a mirage flickers for a moment into a bunch of static reminiscent of the terrible special effects of a B terror-movie.

*Bzzszzt* "Even accounting for those few times I have seen the utter emotional wreck you are Novak, that was entirely out of character."

Some of the clouds pop as a ridiculously colored Leon blasts through them at full speed, claws stretched out for Nadica's head and arms. He's even pulled out the extra arms for this move.

"Crying, really. People more likeable than you have tried that on me. You know that. And yes, you would put yourself on ground zero of the secondary explosions just to make yourself look good, those things wouldn't do much more than inconvenience a mashou for a few hours, as they did, and you have been through significantly worse over your excessively long career, the diversion even worked for quite awhile, didn't it? I believed it."

"As for why you did it, that answer is why we are doing this, in silence, might I admit. Surveillance is off. There is a political nightmare coming this way and I would rather use this bloody averted disaster than just sweep it into a case closed file, because believe me Novak, I have more than enough evidence to off you on the spot and donate all your belongings to an association of dog lovers before the Zeal board can say 'PR-vengers, assemble'."

"So stop pulling my leg and spill it, you ghoulish crone."