perry-flynn

[perry-flynn]

It was disarming in an entirely new way, to realize out of the blue one afternoon, that the odd conversation he could overhear from where he was sitting at a bench in a park, was a conversation being had by geese.

The monthly transformation, that had been a very obvious thing. Disarming in it's own right, yes. But singular and non-changing, on a precise schedule. Learning you could talk to animals... Perry didn't have the words for it.

He shuffled a bit awkwardly in his doorway as Cass processed the information, and was grateful she didn't pepper him with questions he'd rather not answer. "It keeps things interesting, that's for sure. Unfortunately, they all know where to find me, but clients do seem to get a kick out of it if someone wanders inside during a meeting, and a little levity can be good in that situation, so I put up with them. There's a cat around, too, but I can't talk to him. Wish I could, he's a bloody terror."

@auntcass-hamada

A Different Angle | Perry & Cass

[perry-flynn]

The stranger and more vague a case, the more Perry wanted to solve it. Not for his ego or the right to call himself just that clever, but for... Well, for the person behind the case. Whoever had come to him and said, I know it's unlikely, already defeated and throwing whatever has half a chance of sticking at the wall.

For every handful of times he'd had to admit defeat, there was one or two when he got to turn around and say, actually you're in luck, and in that moment the world was as bright as it could get. That was why he had to try.

He got the feeling even if there was little to know about this case he didn't know it all yet, but that was alright, "I can certainly take a look at what reports might've been filed. I'm more interested in whatever information they might reveal about potential witnesses or relatives and the like anyway." Perry nodded, biting his tongue on further questions about a murder charge for now-- the justice system could be a strange and slippery thing, he knew that.

Perry nodded, tapping his pen against the page and hesitating over what he wanted to say for a moment, "I have to warn you- I mean, we are looking for a dead man so I'm sure you're not expecting sunshine and roses, but by my estimate in a case like this it's more common that you won't be too pleased with whatever I can dig up..."

@eilonwy-notjustgirl

A Dame Walked In || Eilerry

[perry-flynn]

Hiro-- he didn't seem the type to look up to anybody, but Perry supposed he'd forgotten that was the inclination of teenagers, and they did spend a decent amount of time together. He wasn't about to follow Cass into running a bakery, was he? So, yeah. She had him there, he needed to be more careful.

In general with this whole agency he was still pretty much winging things, so, feedback from citizens was always important. Even if it was a pointed critique on how he needed to take better care of himself. He'd heard it a dozen times, of course, but here was hoping this might be the time it sunk in.

"Oh." Perry chuckled, "yeah, he's just- a menace is what he is, frankly." His assessment is protested by faint quacks from inside, "I can speak to some animals. The aquatic ones." Granted it didn't fit very well in the box of what sort of person he appeared to be. Perry Flynn, private detective... And friend of the local fish population. At least it didn't sound like a curse when it was isolated from its context, made it easier to digest. "So, you know, some of them wander by every now and then. The ones that can." Perry squinted up at the sky, "looks a bit like it might rain later, s'probably why he's here, he hates it."

@auntcass-hamada

A Different Angle | Perry & Cass

[perry-flynn]

Perry was the type to use things until they were all the way used up. Shoes were worn until they had holes in, t-shirts until they fell apart in the wash, drivers until they started breaking into pieces. He just didn't care about the look of something as long as it continued to function.

The newest thing he had were the new desks in the office, so that Errol wasn't taking up his anymore. "Maybe I need to set up a real expenses card for the office." He muttered, mostly a mental note to himself.

Most of the time, it was fairly inexpensive to run, and a lot of costs were covered by clients, but he supposed it would make sense if the operation was going to get any bigger. He snorts a laugh in response to the idea that sounding like Errol wouldn't be so bad, unserious, but narrows his eyes back in on the report after a moment. "Ah. I've been trying for years, it still eludes me a lot of the time."

@hngrylikethewoolf

worse for wear || perol

[perry-flynn]

There was little information that was entirely useless, especially in a scenario like this were facts were clearly so sparse to start out. Perhaps it'd be worth a trip up to Wales himself, visit the grave and get a feel for what was in the area.

Might even get lucky enough to com across someone else wanting to pay their respects- sounded unlikely, but never impossible- especially if he actually was from the area, like it seemed. A murder-- tragic, of course, and his face softened at the news, but he did make a look to try and dig up whatever criminal case might exist. He nodded, still writing. "Do you... Know anything about an investigation, if one took place?" It might lead to an officer, which might lead to a relative or friend they'd spoken to during their work.

"It's certainly not a lot to go off." He tried to say it gently, truly not wanting to get her hopes up too much in this situation, "but I'm certainly too intrigued to turn it down. I might have to travel up to Wales myself to get some of the answers you're after, so I expect it to take a while, but if you're happy to be patient I will see what I can find."

@eilonwy-notjustgirl

A Dame Walked In || Eilerry

[perry-flynn]

It was the first animal that pestered him so much that he couldn't actually talk too. There was the duck and the toad, too, who made fairly regular visits, but the both of them were more like having proper company. The cat wasn't his pet, exactly- Perry was quite sure he'd be offended by the idea- but for whatever reason, it was Perry's stoop he slept on, his door he scratched at when it was raining.

People who look up to you.

His brow furrowed for a minute, not sure who she meant, but then-- on who else's account would she be here, really, if not for her nephew who he was sure had enough bad habits as it was, and didn't need Perry's. "...Right. You're right, I-" He had the good grace to look contrite, but his fumbling attempt to regain some dignity was interrupted by the warbling of a duck- warbling to Cass, anyway, chattering away to Perry- that was headed towards the agency.

"Oh leave it out, mate. I don't need it from you too." He waved a hand dismissively, but the duck was undeterred, skittering past his legs and through the door, still talking. "Oi, you- yeah, there's water for you too- sorry, Cass." Perry shook his head, "ignore him, he's... Well he's just a duck, but I know him, so it's fine. Anyway, I was saying I'll try to be a bit more reasonable with my late nights. Old habits die hard though, hm? I won't keep you- there's a sofa bed in my office so I'll grab some shut-eye, it's a good idea."

@auntcass-hamada

A Different Angle | Perry & Cass

[perry-flynn]

"I had no complaints about the state of my tools 'till a freeloader started taking them for his own use." Perry pointed out, glancing at him over the top of the file. It was something that always made him feel a bit strange-- people in his space, among his things. But Errol had snuck in so quiet like, half the time Perry forgot he was even there.

Perry shook his head, but was chuckling regardless, "could be worse, I could sound like you." he quipped, "good. No need to burn bridges until we have to, I suppose. Though I'm sure everyone will get sick of doing me favours eventually. Maybe I need to start making pals with the cops here"

@hngrylikethewoolf

worse for wear || perol

[perry-flynn]

The more she talked, the more it sounded like a real mystery was unfolding for Perry to sink his teeth into. So he was dead-- not missing, they knew where he was now. But he was still an unknown, and this was a far less common kind of case.

Perry nodded, jotting down more notes, though it became evident the information she had was incredibly limited- didn't even know if there was anyone else important in his life, so that closed a lot of the doors he normally would've knocked on first. No other contacts to talk too-- not yet anyway, perhaps he would find some. He didn't have a lot of connections in Wales, but he was sure he could sort something.

"So... What's their relation to you? Do you know if he's from Wales or was just potentially residing there around the time he went missing? And even less likely but worth asking anyway, do you know how he died? Or even, did you hear anything potentially nefarious about the circumstances or not?"

@eilonwy-notjustgirl

A Dame Walked In || Eilerry

[perry-flynn]

He leaned back a bit, surprised by her impassioned speech. She was right, technically, the sleep enabled the brain to function better. But every good cop had a moment where they couldn't see what was right infront of them until they were too braindead to overanalyse. It was possible he used that as an excuse a bit too often. He nodded a bit dumbly, honestly afraid of arguing back.

"Well the cat had dinner, so I did too.." He responded, rubbing the back of his neck, "and... A scotch, at around midnight." Perry cleared his throat, already fearing the repercussions of such a confession; she'd probably meant water, or something. "S'just a late night, Cass. Happens with work sometimes, right?" It wasn't like he doubled his fee for late night work, or anything.

@auntcass-hamada

A Different Angle | Perry & Cass

[perry-flynn]

Perry's own family wasn't that expansive, and the already distant lot had become quite fractured by his sudden and still mostly unexplained disappearance. His parents had the bare bones details of what had happened, but he'd asked them not to share too much with anyone else. So, maybe things being the way they were was his fault, and he should call his mother more, but that had always been true.

He finds the mug and takes a sip, no hand free to wave off Errol's point, "they're my tools if I break them that's my business." He said instead, "maybe I needed the head for something." He couldn't remember, but it was certainly possible.

His responding nod is a bit absent as he scans the report, "well, you should always be kind before you're mean, because you can't be kind after you've been mean." Perry recited, still thinking of his mum.

@hngrylikethewoolf

worse for wear || perol

[perry-flynn]

Perry ushered them back through to his office and closed the door, settling behind his desk and flipping his notebook open to a fresh page. He didn't comment on her demeanour; lots of people felt a bit strange being here, and generally the reason for their visit was altogether unpleasant.

She'd come prepared though, which made Perry wonder how spontaneous of a visit this really was, and the case she presented was definitely intriguing. He flipped open the file and took a quick glance at the information inside- he didn't need long to take it in, there wasn't much.

"...How do you know they're missing if you don't know who they are?" He asked, examining the drawing further. No real photos, he'd assume. Perry's brow was furrowed as he started making a few notes of his own, but he was biting back a bit of a small smile, too, excited by the impossibility of the case being set in-front of him. "And if you have a timeframe, how long have they been missing? Do you know if a report was ever filed with the police?"

@eilonwy-notjustgirl

A Dame Walked In || Eilerry

[perry-flynn]

Hopefully, he'd find sharing his workplace was like riding a bike. It had been many, many years, but at one point Perry had work surrounded by dozens of other officers, so even if he'd come to enjoy the peace of this place, this was part of moving forward. Besides peace had been hard won around here for a while anyway, with Errol and Hiro and the nightmare cat, occasional visits from that duck that hated the rain.. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad, another more consistent presence, and it shouldn't be too hard to get used to her rhythm of working.

He grinned at her and nodded, "good- and you know, even the cases that seem a bit cliché on the surface can turn out odd, I'm working with this bloke at the moment, reckons his wife is cheating. Funniest thing, because it really seems like she's trying to make it look to him like that's what she's up to, but I'm still trying to figure out what she actually is doing." Perry gave his head a shake and chuckled, "right, well I still tend to take Sundays off myself so that can be one of your days with no issue- if you wanted two in a row you could take the whole weekend, or the Monday depending on what it is you have to get sorted. Maye we could keep a weekly schedule on display around here somewhere for both of us to fill in, so we can keep on top of when to expect eachother around the office. I mean, even if I'm not here I'd probably be free to give you a hand if you needed support with a case."

Honestly the likelihood that she'd ever be here at a time he wasn't was slim, because Perry was here more than he was home, but he wanted to make sure she knew regardless. "I'll help you get properly set up and go through how to handle financial transactions with with clients later, of course, but as an idea on rates the norm is to charge by the hour, and I'll settle up on a weekly or monthly basis with individual clients. It's also totally normal for the number to fluctuate over the course of a case, depending on what you're up to- I'll charge much less for a week spent sitting around my office reading charts and analysing credit reports than I will for a week spent travelling and personally tailing someone, for example. That said my usual is around eighty an hour these days, but when I first opened shop I was only charging about sixty, and... Well, like I said, I'm still prone to taking a bit of a hit to my own weekly income if I feel a client really deserves the help. The highest I've ever charged was one hundred and twenty per hour, but that was for some really intense work done over just a couple of days and not a whole lot is going to warrant so high a cost, especially when you're first starting, but it happens."

@sonotthedrama

Can't Go Back Now || Perry & Kim

[perry-flynn]

"Suppose I can't be sure." Perry shrugged. He'd never given it much thought, until he had to vanish himself. Now he always had contingencies, escape plans for every eventuality. "Suppose teenagers might toy with the idea a bit more often, though, if you'll forgive a bit of a generalization."

Working outside law enforcement had its pros and cons; Perry couldn't drag this missing kids' buddy into a station and work the truth out of him there, couldn't even get near him. He'd tried, figuring friends were the best place to start in a case like this, but parents didn't tend to like even the insinuation that their child could be involved in something shady.

Nothing he said was new, of course, but Perry was impressed how quickly Hiro put pieces together, steepling his fingers under his chin as he spoke. "Fear of your mundane life is still fear." He pointed out, "escaping your life, I can't think of what else might've motivated him to do it beyond that, I just..." He trailed off, knowing any too intimate details had to be handled with respect for the family, "mothers have a good gut instinct, in my experience, and she thinks there's more to this, even if he did have his own intentions." Perry heaved a sigh, suggesting, "if you buy something illegal, and it's not the quality you expect, you can't go to any kind of legal authority about it. If you're planning to vanish, and someone exploits that... There's no-one to go to then, either. Everyone already thinks you've vanished. It just seems... Like he was preparing, but still surprised, somehow."

@superhiro-hamada

Every Superhero Needs an Origin Story || Pero

[perry-flynn]

The early morning light was making him squint, so Perry shifted to lean in his doorway since it was apparent there was no immediate threat, happy for the shade. For a moment Cass sounded a bit like his mother, lecturing him as he hid away up in his room. He was sure such a comparison would be offensive, though.

He'd worked like this for years, and this was the first time anyone had seemed offended by it. Perry wasn't sure what the issue was-- his name on the door, he could be here whenever he wanted.

He rubbed his temple for a moment, blinking slowly and trying to make his brain kick in to conversation mode. "I've been working late." He confirmed dumbly, like she couldn't tell. "Crime never sleeps." It's meant to be a quip but he can't drum up the proper amount of enthusiasm. "The opening hours on the door are... More about client visiting times." He waved a hand dismissively, "I'm fine, Cass. Just working hard on a case."

@auntcass-hamada

A Different Angle | Perry & Cass

[perry-flynn]

Walk-ins were common. Some people were too nervous to make an appointment, and some people only had the idea to even ask for help when they saw the place themselves. Maybe Perry should've been doing more advertising, but that was pricey.

He was alone when someone knocked this afternoon- save for the cat- which had become less common of an occurrence. Perry shuffled out of his office and into the reception, smoothing down his jacket before he opened the door. He recognized the woman on the other side vaguely, but didn't actually know her by name.

Perry straightened up and opened the door a bit wider, "come on in, please. Here to talk about a possible case?"

@eilonwy-notjustgirl

A Dame Walked In || Eilerry

[perry-flynn]

Right, right, it honestly hadn't been that big of an inconvenience, in the end, Lilian's appearance at his door. Amusing, if nothing else, A story to tell- Perry didn't have a lot of them that were funny, so maybe the ordeal had been worth it. And the kid couldn't make such a bold move again under the radar, so that was a plus.

Perry didn't really have anyone in his life who'd do something like that for him, go so far. That had its perks too though, going on the run had been a lot easier. "Tell her to call ahead next time, at least." He chuckled, attention turning to the file. "Right." He narrowed his eyes as he scanned the report, brows furrowed. "You use them as much as I do, maybe you're not taking care of them." He pointed out, reaching blinding for his mug for another sip of coffee.

@hngrylikethewoolf

worse for wear || perol

[perry-flynn]

It was late. Or early. All Perry really knew was that he’d headed to the office at 9am when it was nice and bright outside, and it had since gone dark. And then it got light again. So, time had slipped away from him. It wasn’t uncommon, a habit that had followed him most of his life- immersion to the point of forgetting the world beyond whatever puzzle he had set to work out- but he’d been less prone to it, as of late. Perhaps all the company around the office was draining, or just the help they provided was enough to mean he could get home at a slightly more reasonable hour sometimes. 

Not tonight though. Tonight saw notes scattered all across his desk; surveillance photos and transcripts, card transactions, vehicle logs. What the hell was this guy's wife up to? And why was she seeming to lean into an affair as her cover story? He’d left enough cups of coffee to go cold that he’d allowed himself a glass of scotch instead, figuring that might help him think where the caffeine hadn’t. 

He’d just leaned his head out of the back window to light a cigarette while he pondered some of her financial history when there was a knock on the front door. It was out of hours, Perry knew that much. But he was here, and maybe there was a reason they couldn’t wait until he officially opened. He pulled himself away from the window frame with a groan, stubbing the cigarette out quick and sticking it behind his ear as he headed through the agency. 

When he saw Cass at the door, a knee-jerk reaction made him grab the cigarette and pocket it instead, like she might not have noticed it yet. (Which she might not have, Perry did remember that she was a bit flighty that way.) Like it mattered either way– he was an adult, he could smoke if he wanted. He ran a hand over his face and blinked a couple of times, “sorry- Cass, is something wrong? Is Hiro alright?” 

@auntcass-hamada

A Different Angle | Perry & Cass