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Post by Deleted on Sept 6, 2019 13:52:05 GMT -4
It was the middle of the night and unlike many other Pro's that he knew of, Ryoma was in his element. He preferred functioning at night; in some ways, it prevented him from forgetting his time as Vigilante and why he pursued being a hero. Of course, his night time escapades didn't do much for his reputation though - most people were asleep when he was busy doing his thing. But it wasn't all about the fame or his brand, right?
But, tonight things were especially interesting. Normally, he arrived on a scene - but tonight, he was summoned. It was very rare that he was called over to a crime scene, especially after the crime had already taken place. He wasn't a renown detective or anything, so it left him wondering what this was about.
Riding in the passenger side of a squad car, he started out the window - the street lights overhead rising and fading overhead as they passed each one. Slowing down to a stop, Ryoma could already see the yellow tape surrounding a store front - a pet shop. There was already an investigation going on, but how far in they were - he didn't know.
Stepping out of the vehicle, some onlookers and officers pointed out his status as a Pro, but most didn't really know who he was. Expected. His blue overcoat and otherwise black attire made him stick out among the authorities who guided him passed the tape and towards the building.
"Artisan, right?" A street cop said "Follow me, there's another Pro on the scene but - well, they wanted you to see this." Ryoma raised his eyebrow before responding.
"Lead the way." Artisan said, a man of few words. He did his best to step over and around any potential evidence, but the closer he got the worse things began to look. The animals inside were all unharmed, some were sleeping while others were riled up thanks to all the commotion inside. However, all of that meant nothing to what he was currently looking at.
The smooth, white and black tiled floor was coated in a thick red liquid - presumably blood. The trail took him to the rear of the store, through the farthest aisle closest to the wall on his right. All of the items on the shelves at eye level were neatly placed onto the floor and in their place - a series of red arrows, that seemed to be drawn on by a... brush?
His eyes began to widen, words were written on the wall in all capital letters between each arrow.
WARMER. -> Ryoma followed the trail to the back of the store and needed to make a turn. He began to sweat a little, this feeling was all too familiar - and he knew exactly what was waiting for him at the end. His pace quickened.
WARMER. -> Walking, he grew a little more rushed and frantic. Leaving his police officer escort behind. He turned to his left and there was his next confirmation; the chilling humor of the perpetrator.
<- OOH. COLDER. The wall read, trying to turn him in the other direction. It was clearly done for fun, there was no need to write that other than to have Ryoma look at more of his work. There were already spot lights on where he needed to go; the lights were all tilted at a large pool of blood. A paint bucket was on the floor, clearly full of a red liquid.
YOU'RE ON FIRE. Artisan arrived to his destination and young male body rested lifelessly in a sizable pool of blood. The body was covered in severe lacerations around vital points. Ryoma's eyes squinted for the first time in a long time, he felt genuinely worried. The man lying on the ground had his shirt neatly cut open and on his chest... a little message carved into the torso.
HI LONG JACKET!
Ryoma brought a hand up to his mouth and stroked his cheek with his thumb. He knew who it was, but not exactly. Not quite a good enough answer for anyone, but his mind was racing a mile a minute on a number of topics. Not only on who this Villain was, but the implications of this was on his status as a Pro Hero. The media would have a field day with this and almost no one would envy his predicament.
He knelt down and sighed, muttering "I'm so sorry." This was on him and Ryoma knew it.
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187 Posts
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"The Informant"
Rookie-Rank Quirk:
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Post by Tobias Murakami on Sept 8, 2019 3:38:17 GMT -4
MODUS OPERANDI IN THE STERILE FLUORESCENT SPOTLIGHTS of the crime scene buzzed angrily, perhaps over being put to use long after usual business hours. The light was pointed unflinchingly towards the deceased subject, who was presently being surveyed by a dark, statuesque figure. The reflected light emphasized the hard angles of his obsidian-lined face, glinting whenever the tilted his head one way or another. To smoldering pools of lava were set back in crater-like eye sockets, pointed speculatively at the victim form behind a pair of silver-rimmed glasses.
Night calls were not exactly Tobias's cup of tea-- but when there was suspected pro hero involvement, Tobias was the one who was often summoned. His summons came at ten o' clock, when the middle-aged librarian had been settling into his favorite spot-- the reading nook in his living room-- with a cup of tea and his most recent book. His phone rang, displaying the insignia of the hero association. When Toby answered, his presence was requested at the local pet shop immediately. Tobias went.
The stony-shelled Tobias was staring speculatively at the deceased. His mind churned over the tea-gone-cold that he'd left at home, his hands clasped solemnly behind his back. When a pair of brisk footsteps became audible in the quiet din of the crime scene, the detective lifted his gaze. A dark-haired man had arrived at the scene, not in police wear-- at the sight of the body, he brought a hand to his mouth.
Tobias watched, his hands clasped patiently behind his back. The man knelt at the sight of the victim, murmuring something unintelligible to the elemental's ears. Tobias waited-- and, once he was sure that the other man had no more to say, he finally spoke.
"Artisan?" Tobias finally spoke-up, his tone low and careful. The man seemed to be relatively normal. At the very least, his hero costume wasn't exceedingly eccentric, "Good evening. Thank you for coming out at such an unseemly hour."
When Tobias spoke, his mouth was also lined with magma, and glowed in the low-light. The gentleman extended a jagged obsidian hand, offering a handshake to the fellow pro-hero. Besides his clearly-mutated visage, Tobias was likewise a fairly normal site to behold-- dressed in a suit, over which he wore a formal winter coat.
"I am the Informant," Tobias explained, "I am the one who sent for you, just as I was sent for."
He smiled a thin, mirthless smile. It was probably lost in the darkness. He wanted to be at home, not helping process a crime scene.
"We may have some matters to discuss, if you would be so kind," Tobias spoke in his patient, mellifluous tones. He extended an arm, gesturing towards the aquarium section of the store, "There is an employee office that has been generously provided for our use. If you would please accompany me."
While Tobias spoke mindfully, he also spoke succinctly-- they had a limited number of hours before daylight, and he wanted the crime scene closed before daylight. Although sunrise felt a long ways off, Tobias didn't want to risk wasting any time.
| ft. ryoma nijima 517 words tl,dr: he's doing his job, but he's butthurt about his tea going cold at home. |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 8, 2019 13:25:20 GMT -4
A moment later, a low voice called his name. Turning his head quickly, it almost seemed as if Ryoma jumped a little - clearly caught off guard. Placing his hands on his thighs, he stood up from his crouched position in order to avoid contaminating the crime scene. He gave him a respectful nod and greeted him.
"Informant, huh? So, you're the hero they mentioned to me earlier." Artisan casually added, collecting himself by tidying up his blue-hued jacket. Ryoma was familiar with the Pro, but only by name. It seemed many Heroes had been this way; if his new friend Izanami was anything to base this conclusion on.
"And don't worry about it. I do my best work at night. I'm sorrier you were dragged out here." Ryoma added as he looked over to the body and back to Tobias, making it abundantly clear that Artisan preferred working at night. But with the brief pleasantries out of the way, he nodded as it was time to get down to business. Slipping his hands into his pockets, he followed the Informant.
Ryoma didn't have to be told what this was about. His Vigilante name was clear for everyone to read and Informant had questions. Ryoma wished he had all the answers, but he didn't and that might have been made clear by his remorseful and sulky expression.
Approaching the office, he entered with his peer and with the flip of a switch - the room lit up. The room wasn't particularly cramped, but it had clearly been busy. As expected from a place of business, let alone a pet shop. Stacks of paper and both used and unused goods were riddled about the room. A large brown desk and a handful of bruised leather chairs were at the rear center of the room. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary; clearly, their suspect didn't care for anything back here. At least, not from what Ryoma could tell. Though he presumed that the Informant was much better suited for making that call than himself.
Ryoma examined the room and started to speak to Tobias. "So... I'm sure you have questions. I'll answer as best I can." Ryoma commented while walking around the room and examining things, addressing the very clear elephant in the room. His name appearing at the scene clearly involved him.
"I don't know how you work, so I won't jump into a long story. But for context..." Ryoma finally turned to face Informant. "I don't know if you know about the Nakano Murders from a few years ago, but I started looking into it when I was a Vigilante. And when the killer caught on to me, well..." He pointed outside of the doorway. "That started to happen."
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Tobias Murakami ooc: feel free to add whatever personality traits or things you can think of for the perp as we go. if you need anything feel free to dm or just tag me
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187 Posts
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"The Informant"
Rookie-Rank Quirk:
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Post by Tobias Murakami on Sept 8, 2019 23:02:21 GMT -4
MODUS OPERANDI THE OBSIDIAN-SHELLED MAN BOWED faintly at the waist. When his proffered hand was not shaken, Tobias simply secured it behind his back once again. A hum escaped him-- perhaps humored, perhaps mildly discontent.
Artisans hadn't shaken his hand, or even bowed. He had nodded. The audacity of some people, these days. Tobias's expression was grave as he led Ryoma away from the scene, past the blue-lit walls of aquariums, towards the cluttered office. Regardless of the form he held, Tobias had an enviable poker face. As such, it was easy for him to conceal his churlishness over the flubbed introductions.
He blinked blearily at the glaring fluorescent lights overhead, allowing Artisan to enter first. Tobias followed shortly thereafter, closing the door behind them. It was a smallish room, particularly for a man as robust as Tobias. But it was the only area they'd cleared, and he wanted to speak privately. Tobias meandered towards a pair of leather chairs, taking a seat in one of them.
The man remarked about how Tobias must have had questions, as he bobbed aimlessly around the room. He was probably a little frazzled. Who in their right mind wouldn't be, after finding a crime scene personally addressed to you?
The obsidian golem watched the other man, but he was preoccupied with fishing an audio recorder out of his chest pocket.
"Yes, I always have questions," Tobias confirmed, a note of humor in his tone. He crossed one leg over the other, gesturing towards the vacant chair beside him. Whether the man joined him or not, Tobias held the recorder to his mouth, murmuring the date, the location, and Artisan's name, before setting the recorder on the arm of the chair.
Artisan spoke freely, and the Informant listened. He mentioned a case by name, one that the Informant was unfamiliar with. He pulled a small, spiral-bound notepad and a metallic pen from his chest pocket. He opened to the first blank page. "Nakano Murders" was written in small, precise text. Underneath, he wrote, "Artisan investigated these as a vigilante."
"What leads you to believe that it's the same perpetrator?" Tobias murmured. All this was information he'd find later when he pulled the case files. But it would be helpful to get a firsthand account. And a full firsthand account, but they didn't need to have the full exchange on-scene.
"Please allow me to… illuminate what my role is, in this process," Tobias requested, "Perhaps it will… help focus your narrative, yes?"
A dry smile touched his features. He adjusted his glasses with his forefinger and middle finger.
"I am a support hero that works independently from the local police department," Tobias began, "I specialize in cases that directly involve professional heroes-- either investigating on their behalf, or looking into cases that may be related to them."
It was his job to know about heroes, and find information for or about them. Hence his name.
"In less glamorous terms, I'm a grunt. I serve the professional heroes whose work is predominantly combat in the field. It's my duty to protect and serve you."
In other words, he was on Artisan's side. He wasn't trying to implicate his fellow hero in anything.
"I was summoned this evening to consult with the local criminal investigators regarding the codename that was left behind. When I confirmed that it was your former codename, I saw fit to summon you."
Perhaps he was repeating himself, but he wanted to be transparent with Artisan. He did not serve the cops. He was independently contracted to serve heroes.
"We can, of course, schedule additional meetings at later dates," Tobias assured the other man, "But, off the top of your head… can you describe to me your findings in the previous cases? Witnesses with whom you spoke, perhaps, similarities between those homicides and this one… whatever comes to mind. Anything that you think will help me."
| ft. ryoma 651 words tl,dr: he's here for you, but only if you shake his hand. |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 12, 2019 22:46:26 GMT -4
Ryoma had wasted enough time examining the room for now. Might as well get this over with. Ryoma thought to himself and approached the chair by Informant. Not particularly skilled at profiling others, Ryoma could at least tell that Informant was all about business. He wasn't so unlike himself in some ways; Ryoma wasn't known for his range of expressions. Despite his state of mind and racing thoughts, he did his best to keep his poker face - even if his physical actions betrayed him.
The first question came his way and it was easy enough to answer; although, he had to admit that the thought of a copycat would scare him even more.
"It's possible this person is a copycat, but this..." he paused to find the right word "brutality... screams of the Nakano Killer." Raising an arm up and rotating it at his own chest. "Each scene where he left a message, the lacerations and carvings were on the victims chest. And to top it off? They called me 'Long Jacket' and not 'Artisan'. Most people know me by my hero name now and would probably use that."
He gave him a tidbit of information, but Informant felt the need to clarify his role in this process. Registering as a hero netted him all the rules and regulation; among them, this contingency was familiar. However, even Ryoma hadn't thought that he would've needed this kind of support so soon in his career.
"Understood." Ryoma added; the explanation was concise and whether Informant knew it or not, just the way Artisan liked his explanations. Despite being information worth soaking in, his mind still worried about the task at hand.
"Well, that's good to hear." Ryoma commented on Tobias' future involvement. "There's a strong possibility that I could use the help to connect more of the dots later." Artisan's words seemed positive, but anyone keen enough would've caught on to how pessimistic he was being. Ryoma was well aware that with the killer out and about, it was only a matter of time that another victim would surface.
"Right. The other five cases." Ryoma sighed, it was best to start from the beginning. "The first victim I found" he emphasized "was during a regular night patrol of mine nearly five years ago. She seemed to be a completely random target. Young, dark hair, maybe around university age and she dressed for a night out. I found her already cold and bloody in a narrow street just outside of Nakano Station. But unlike this one, there was nothing neat about it."
Ryoma finally paused, there was a lot to explain. The first case was easily the roughest of them all; it was the first time he was exposed to that kind of violence and graphic material. He could never forget it or how inexperienced he was then. He continued after catching his breath.
"Her wounds though... were a lot like this one. Just, less controlled. The lacerations were scattered, wild even. I remember them being just about anywhere the killer could reach and very fine. Like scalpels. Even with the claw-like shapes on her skin." Ryoma added, explaining it the only way he knew how.
"I called the authorities and made finding who did it my priority." He gave Informant some time to process this all; to write down, comment and ask whatever he needed to. There were four more cases and the clock was always ticking.
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tl;dr welcome to flashback city, first victim was a young lady with some scalpel/claw-like wounds
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187 Posts
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"The Informant"
Rookie-Rank Quirk:
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Post by Tobias Murakami on Sept 22, 2019 19:19:29 GMT -4
MODUS OPERANDI AS ARTISAN SPOKE, THE OBSIDIAN GOLEM would nod attentively, his luminous eyes boring-in to the other hero to show that he was listening. Periodically, he would avert his eyes—only to jot down a note on his steno-pad—before returning the molten stare to Ryoma. Some were unnerved by Tobias’s tendency to stare—but it sprung from a place of respectful attentiveness, at best, and a desire not to miss a single tell, at worst.
His notes were shorthand, perhaps unintelligible to the outside observer, but perfectly sensible to Tobias:
- Look-in to Nakano killer
--> Compare previous cases to current, copycat??
“It is an odd detail to include,” Tobias agreed, touching his ballpoint pen to his mouth, briefly.
- Look-in to Artisan’s/L.C.’s previous contacts.
Tobias let the pen rest, for a moment as Artisan did his best to delineate the earlier cases. All this was information he could likely glean from case files, but he saw benefit to speaking with witnesses (or investigators) firsthand.
A straight line was drawn across the page, and concise number “1” was circled in the upper-left corner, following Ryoma’s segue into the first case he investigated. His pen flitted over the page, recording each of the details that Artisan recounted. Tobias elected for less… descriptive ways of recording laceration, opting for the strictly clinical as opposed to making assumptions.
Young adult female target, dark hair, at Nakano Station five years ago. Multiple, thin lacerations with no discernible pattern or localization.
- Other cases attributed to NK prior to Artisan’s involvement? Research.
He sighed. Violence, while prevalent in plenty of literature, was different in-person. Who could have imagined that this quiet, unassuming librarian would soon be neck-deep in such grizzly investigations? He tapped his pen twice, then added.
- Art reported to PD, request case files ASAP.
He noted noting about whether or not the target was random, or what the lacerations looked-like. He’d discern that later when he compared cases. Tobias drew a line across the page, and wrote “2” before circling it.
“Thank you,” he said quietly, “Please continue.”
He was not the type to ask an abundance of questions. He listened, he wrote, and then if anything came to him at the end, he’d ask. It was part of the reason why he saw-fit to write notes. Besides which, he didn’t want to bias any of Artisan’s accounts by supplying leading questions. He wanted the information raw.
“I apologize for not being a more engaging investigator,” The Informant remarked, as per Artisan’s silence, “I prefer listening. As you move forward in your retelling, please highlight any similarities or differences you noticed.”
Crime was, unfortunately, common wherever there were people. As such, location wasn’t enough to suspect one person for numerous crimes.
| ft. ryoma 460 words tl,dr: toby is a man of few words, and very concise notes |
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Post by DrTentacles on Jun 7, 2020 20:10:17 GMT -4
Graded!
Toby: +17xp Ryouma: (Uncounted because of account error)
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