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ladytrollfishes · 6 years ago

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The Copy Cat Cultist: Hour Five

Sniffer goes to talk to the coffee lady who Munvit was friends with and learns more about the victim’s social network. Firewall, Download, and Virus continue interviewing the quads of the victims, none of whom seem to have solid alibis as the crime occurred very early in the morning. Neither Lugnio the swampdwelling oliveblood, Ascemi the yellowblooded barista, Diorxu the indigoblood party planner, or Seafti, Diorxu’s brownblooded assistant have good alibis.

At the end of the hour, Seafti gives the officers a disturbing call.

Sniffer

The park is bustling with the lunch hour. There are people everywhere enjoying their lunches in the fresh air, sitting on the benches under the statues, buying food and coffee from the carts that line the park. It's a fairly big park, and not the best kept, but it doesnt seem to have affected their popularity. It's more blue collar around here, the people populating the park are wearing factory uniforms and work clothes rather than the suits of the upper cities. There's lawns are starting to out grow their paths, the paint on the benches are wearing away. There's a cart selling hot chocolate and coffee on the corner.

Sniffer glances around the area, cringing hard and putting a hand to her head. It's way too loud her and it's driving her nuts. Too loud, too many people to potentially interact with. Too many people talking directly to her whether she wants to hear them or not. Wonderful. She grabs her notepad, checking her notes several times before she's able to focus on her own words. This job is a pain sometimes. Right. Find the lady who sells coffee and hot chocolate. Since there's a cart for it over that way, that would probably be the best place to start.

The cart lady smiles up at Sniffer as she approaches. She's got an open, friendly face, freckled. Her eyes are still grey, but you can see that her irises have a hint of brown to them. "Hi," she exclaims. "How can I help you?"

"Hello ma'am!" She exclaims, keeping her voice cheerful despite her badly worsening headache. "I actually had a question for you, if you don't mind." She clears her throat, wincing again. Ow, head. Ow, head. Ow. "Would you happen to know a troll named Munvit? He's red. I was told he might come here sometimes?"(edited)

The coffee lady's face stays the same as she blinks questioningly at Sniffer. "Um, no, I don't know anyone like that," she says. Munvit hadn't stopped by earlier that day like he usually did. And now some greyface was coming to look for him at her coffee stand? She doesn't like the sound of that. "I'm sorry you came out all this way."

If her first thought was that she doesn't know why he's missing, the odds are high that she's not involved in his murder. But still, anything she could find out would be helpful.

"Are you sure? Maybe I'm at the wrong coffee stand." Sniffer knows she isn't. She proceeds to give the coffee lady a physical description of Munvit, minus the being dead of course, right down to what he was wearing. "Are you sure you haven't seen him?"

The anon gives her a good description of Munvit, including what he was wearing yesterday. The coffee lady stays smiling but there's an uncomfortable tinge to it now. "I'm really sorry," she says. "I don't think I can help you."

Sniffer sighs, quietly pulling out her badge. She didn't want to have to do this the hard way. "Ma'am, he's missing and very important to a case. We need to find out where he's been and who he's been talking to if we're going to have any hope of finding out what happened to him."

The coffee lady stiffens as the badge gets brought out. She was so insistent that she knew something- a very good tip? Perhaps some mind reading powers? She would be in very much trouble if she lied from here on out, of that she was very certain.

"I-" she stammers. "I mean, I've seen him around." She hesitates. If this lady was really a cop, then something must have happened. "Is he alright?"

"We don't know yet." She lies, feeling quite bad about it. But it may be in the best interest for this case right now to pretend like Munvit could still be alive. "We have reason to believe he could be alive still, but we're investigating. And anything you can share about him, who he was with, and what he was doing when you saw him last could help us significantly." A pause before she adds. "I'm only here for information."

She's lying. Munvit was a street rat. No one would take notice of his disappearance unless something had happened. And where would she have gotten Munvit's name? "I- I-" she hesitates. "He would come by every so often. He was a sweet kid. I gave him hot chocolate sometimes, especially when it was cold."

"When was the last time you saw him?" She asks, pulling out her notepad. Now they were getting somewhere. Poor kid, though. "Did he seem like something was bothering him?"

The coffee lady shakes her head. "Yesterday morning. He was upset about something, but he wasn't talking to me about it, not in any detail." She had thought it was maybe quadrant trouble- Sanzas often stopped by with him but she hadn't seen the two boys together in a few days. She's not sure she wants to bring Sanzas under the eye of the PDPO though.

"Was he alone?" She asks, raising an eyebrow. Something was bothering him? It could have just been the fight with Sanzas. But that's still a good note to jot down.

The coffee lady nods.

She nods back, making another note. "If I could have your name and where to contact you if I need further information, that would be lovely."

The Coffee lady grabs a napkin and scribbles her name and a handle on it. Eithie Oskizi. coffeeLady. "Here," she says. "Would you like some coffee as well?" If the cop was going to take up her time, then she might as well have a cup, really.

"Ah. If you're offering, sure." She's keeping a close eye on both Eithie's hands and what she can pick out of her thought stream as a safety measure. But honestly, she really could use the pick me up right about now. "That would be very nice, thank you."

Eithie pours Sniffer a cup of coffee and gives her a handful of sugar packets and cream. "That'll be five caegars," she says.

"Haha, that's fair." She pops the money down on the table, along with a bit extra for the tip. "Thank you very much for your time, ma'am." Hopefully you won't need to come knocking on her metaphorical front door again. Or literal, for that matter, Sniffer thinks as she takes the coffee. She stops. "Ah, one more question, please. Which was was Munvit heading when you last saw him leave?"

Eithie points Sniffer in the direction of the city proper, towards the part of the city where Munvit's body was found.

"Thank you. Have a good day!" She calls out as she heads that way, taking out her communicator to relay her findings to the team.

While she's walking away from the park, Sniffer decides to take another peek through the files to see if the previous suspects had any relations to the area Munvit came from.

As she looks through, there's a few connections! The park is perhaps a ten minute walk from the bus stop where Munvit was found. Diorxu and Seafti's event planning agency is a couple blocks away and Ascemi's place of work is a short train trip over.

Sniffer clicks her tongue, flipping to a fresh page in her notebook to start making a diagram. The park is here, the bust stop is there.....She quickly draws a triangle between the most relevant places on her diagram. Now the next step, she thinks, is to figure out when everyone was working in comparison to the murder time.

She pulls up a map on her phone to compare her notes to. It's an indigo they need to watch out for, but unless the indigo was very sick and very weak (or very young), that doesn't line up with the profile they have of someone fairly weak pulling off the murder. Could the killer have possibly been another child? Or someone pulling the strings in the background? Something about these connections are making Sniffer nervous and she decides to message her team to share her thoughts.

Virus

Lugnio Akioz is a marshtroll, living by the swamp and runs a ferry to take people through the forest. She can be found at the edge of town. She's an oliveblood, and the murdered yellowblood's former auspistice.

In rubber boots up to their knees, Virus wades through barely ankle high water and soft ground to get to Lugnio. The first spot they look is the pier where her ferry is supposed to be.

The pier sits out in front in the muck, empty. A small hut is built on a patch of dry land just as the marsh begins. Virus can see a face poke in from the window, and a large troll steps out. She's tall and heavyset, wearing marsh waders that come up halfway to her thigh. She's olive, clearly, wearing a vest that declares her hue. Her hair is in curls around her face with large square glasses. She raises an eyebrow when she sees virus coming, and points to a narrow strip of land near covered in marsh grass. "Ye missed the path there, stranger," she says.

Virus looks to where she's pointing, at their boots, and then at her. "Probably", they agree. Stepping up onto the path, they rummage for their badge to show it to Lugnio. "PDPO. No trouble, I just want to ask some questions about Drezum. Can I?"

Her eyes narrow from behind her her glasses, then sighs and gestures for them to step up. "Of course," she says. "I'm still waiting on the return ferry. Would you like some water?"

Virus taking off their mask would mean that she sees their cracked mouth corners - and that they would have to touch a strange glass. They'd rather not.

"No", they tell her, "enough of that out here. But thanks." They step up, waiting for her cue to come inside or not. "I have a case file, but I don't understand it. Maybe you know more." A beat, and they crane their neck up at Lugnio to watch her more closely. "Why no struggle?"

She pushes the door open and gestures for them to come inside. "Wipe off your boots please," she says. It's a small office with a desk of paperwork and what are probably financial logs. There's a small, open air kitchen to the side where Lugnio pours herself a glass of water. She gestures towards the chair in front of her desk for V to sit in. She takes her glass back to the desk and takes a deep drink from it before she looks back up at V.

"I'm sorry?" she says, like she has no idea what V is talking about.

Virus makes very sure to wipe their boots off properly, probably too sure to not be awkward. They sit when Lugnio invites them to, then sighs when she has no idea what they're talking about.

"Night of their death, the body was found in an undisturbed hive. They wouldn't just let someone kill them, yes?" 'Pretty stupid', they don't add, but only with a lot of tongue biting.

Lugnio considers them for a moment before shaking her head. "No," she says. "They would have never laid down and died. They were an exceptionally proud person."

"Yeah. Weird, no?" They pull a thoughtful face under the mask. "Any idea about that? Did they have allergies, weaknesses, blind spots?"

Lugnio shakes her head. "Nothing of the sort," she says. "Only that they were a lowblood, and more susceptible than most to mind control. That is my theory."

"Hmmmmm." It's possible. "Did they have a feeling of being watched or followed?" Virus drums their fingers on their lap. They would've liked that glass of water, actually. "Or a regular schedule? Were they easy to predict? Alone a lot?"

Lugnio sighs. "I don't know about being followed or watched. Drezum had a delivery business that took them all over town. They were visible, but not regular, and most of their deliveries they made alone."

"Then why at hive and not out in the open?" It's more to themself than to her. "...Anything else you think I have to know?"

"Why have you come, asking about a case that has been closed for three sweeps?" Lugnio asks. "I can't imagine I have anything to add that you don't already know.

"It's open again", they grumble. "Shit around here never stays quiet. So I'm just rolling everything back up. Who knows." Sniffing, they add: "Also with the other people. Clade of old victims and all that. There's that support group thing - do you go to that?"

Lugnio frowns, her eyebrows drawing in close as she eyes Virus up and down. "Did they catch the wrong troll?" she asks. "Someone else is dead? I did attend a few of them but it was not my sort of meeting. I prefer to deal with grief myself and my own quadrants. Drezum was not my only one."

"Is there ever a right troll?", they deadpan. "So no contact with anyone there? Don't think I would go either." Virus looks out the window and into the marsh land. "Did your other quadrants know them?"

Lugnio scratches her head. "I talked with Ascemi and Seafti for the most part," she says. "I thought Diorxu doted on them as a replacement for their moirail, and I did not want to be a part of that. They have gone on their own paths as I have mine. My other quadrants met Drezum, but they have not met the others who were involved in the investigation. Have you spoken with Niosno?"

"Ew." Virus makes a mental note here: Check Ascemi and Seafti to confirm. "Not yet. Why?"

Lugnio sighs and takes another long drink of water before she answers. "Niosno dislikes talking about this period of our lives. He adored Drezum. He Ascended about a sweep ago and refuses to stay in contact with me. I believe he prefers to pretend Drezum never existed, his heart was so broken."

"Damn." V considers this for a moment, decides they would do the same thing, and pushes it away. "Cold." "Can you give me contact info on your other quads? And another thing. What were you doing 3am this morning?"

Lugnio writes a couple names on the back of the business card. "Camrai is my matesprit. Skiori, my moirail." She wrinkles her nose as she looks Virus over. "Well. I was hive, asleep, like most people at that hour, I would assume. There was a murder then."

"You could say that", Virus deadpans, taking the card. "But that's all I can say. Are there any cameras around here? People who can confirm that?" Everyone is guilty until proven innocent. They can't let their sympathies get in the way of that.

"My moirail was hive with me," Lugnio says. "There are no cameras around my hive. I'm afraid to say."

Their moirail of all people. Virus sighs. "Anything else? Any emails with timestamps you sent, tv shows you watched, people you called?" Probably not at three in the morning.

Lugnio still looks calm as ever as she shakes her head. "No," she says. "I was asleep as would most of your suspects would be, I assume."

"Yes." Virus agrees. And, after a beat, "That's going to be a problem." As they get up, they take one last look around the hive to see if anything is suspicious, or if they maybe have an epiphany. "Call me if you remember anything else", they tell Lugnio, just as a distraction, before they slide her one of their business cards.

There's nothing unusual about the office. Lugnio accepts their business card and nods. "Of course, officer," she says. "Good luck."

"Thanks", they say, with the feeling that there's something vital that they're missing.

On the way out, Virus' phone rings. Caller ID shows that its Download.

"Yeah?", they grunt, after they've made sure that the door behind them is closed. That's all Download gets.

"Hey V," Download's voice comes in. "So we may have a slight problem. One of the interviewed witnesses is missing."

Download and Firewall

Ascemi Everra, you find is a barista in a little coffee shop in the city. They're a yellowblood, and the interview notes them as highly nervous. They were the deceased Izlato Crefex's moirail.

Firewall looks at the file dubiously, then back at the coffee shop's facade. "They're nervous, D," she says. "I'm going to scare the piss out of them if I'm not careful."

Download grins at her. "Then be careful you dolt. Smile a little, and don't make sudden movements. I'll soften you up a touch."

Firewall makes a dramatically pained face, then slides on a pair of moonglasses to hide her staticky psi-eyes. Shaking herself out slightly, she pushes the door open and stalks into the coffeeshop, scanning the staff for someone matching Ascemi's description.

There's actually quite a few people bobbing in and out of the coffee shop, business trolls and workers on their lunch breaks, grabbing a bite to eat. You don't get a second glance in the fuss. There's a small group of baristas working the orders, and you spot one that matches their description. They're a weedy little thing, with horns that curve around their head to the back. They've got a round face, and giant, round glasses that sit on a big nose, and they're busy mixing coffee in the back.

Firewall scowls and elbows her way to the front of the line. She drums her fingers sharply on the table to get attention, then signs, "Hello, we're here to speak to Ascemi Everra."

After a pause, she adds, "They're in no trouble."

Download pulls out his badge and flashes it towards the barista, and says. "Hi, we're Download and Firewall from the PDPO. We need to speak to Ascemi Everra." The barista glances back uneasily.

"Don't worry, they're not in trouble." The barista glances towards their coworker, whose calling out the name of a customer to step forward to accept their coffee.

"Ascemi!" they say, and the two exchange a few quick words. Ascemi glances at the two cops nervously. "Hi," they say nervously. "Um, I need to get my manager real fast."

Firewall gestures acquiescence and tries to arrange her face into a softer, gentler expression. How well she fares is.... dubious. "We only want to talk," she says.

"Um," they say, and then dodges really quickly to the back. The barista in front holds a hand up, as if to prevent pursuit. "It's the lunch hour and we're busy," they say hastily. "We just need some... back up out here?"

"It's fine," Firewall says., craning her neck to watch Ascemi go. "We wouldn't want to... disrupt your..." She looks to Download for help, clearly floundering under her unaccustomed diplomacy. "Operation of business?"

"We wouldn't want to make this harder on anyone here," Download says. "We can wait."

Ascemi comes hurrying out the back again, followed by a tealblood manager, short and nearly square shaped, with little round spectacles sitting on his nose. "If you would please step aside so business may continue?"

"Of course." Firewall attempts a pacifying smile. "We only want to question Ascemi about an old case they were involved in, if they wouldn't mind speaking to us." As Download translate this, she steps back from the counter, gesturing to a nearby table.

The manager gives them a sharp look. "So they are not in trouble?" he asks. Download smiles down at him and shakes his head no. "We're simply here for a new perspective."

Ascemi takes off their apron as they come out from the back, nervously stepping around the two officers to sit down at the empty table. "Hello," they say, a slight waver in their voice. "What can I do to help you?"

Firewall sits down across from them, slumping a little in her seat to appear less imposing . "Would it make you more comfortable to have your manager stay with us? We want to talk to you about Izlato."

Ascemi glances behind the counter where their manager has taken their place in the working line and shakes their head. "It's fine," they say hesitantly. "Why do you want to know about Izlato? Did something happen?"

"We're taking another look into the case, in light of some new evidence." Firewall adjusts her glasses uncomfortably. "Did Izlato have any interest in or encounters with the occult in the nights before their death?"

Ascemi fiddles nervously with their lenses too. "No, they were very on the straight and narrow," they say. "They were studying for their Ascension exams when they were-" They look down. "You know. They were studying to be a legislacerator. They had hoped to work with the ISE."

"That must have been terrible for you." Firewall thinks about patting their hand, but decides nah, too much. "Did they notice anyone following them? Did you?"

Ascemi shakes their head no. "I don't think so," they say. "I know we were rails but they mostly took care of me instead of the other way around. I didn't notice anything strange, and I don't know if they would have told me if they did notice."

Firewall leans in a bit. "And their other quadrants? Can you tell me anything about them? Were you close as a clade?"

Ascemi shrinks back a little, as Firewall leans forward.

"Um," they say. "Well. Izlato's ash, Delmei, they're dead now. It was a bus accident a sweep ago. Izlato's red, um-" They turn a little yellow as they rub the back of their neck. "She's scary. Somria never liked me. She Ascended, almost right after Izlato died."They smile hesitantly up at the two officers. "Well, neither of them liked me so much," they say. "Izlato sort of kept me away from them."

Firewall leans back again and takes notes on her phone. "I see. And you haven't been in contact with her since?"

Ascemi shakes their head. "No. She's in space now primed to lead some Mirthful ship."

"Mirthful? Is she indigo, then?"

Ascemi nods. "She and Izlato were aiming to be partners within the ISE."

Firewall's eyebrows go up mildly and she glances sidelong at Download. "Interesting. Just a few more questions -- did you ever meet with the clade of the other victims? I understand there was some support group organized." She looks back at Download. "Say I want to hear what they think of the other trolls in that group, but like. Nicely."

"We understand that there was a sort of support group for the clades of the victims," Download says with a gentle smile. "Can you tell us how those meetings went?" Ascemi blinks owlishly up at you.

"Oh," they say. "Yes. It was really just Diorxu and Seafti most of the time, and I came quite often. Lugnio too, sometimes? She didn't come very often too."

"It was nice, to talk to someone about it," Ascemi says. "Since Somria and Delmei didn't really like to talk about it. Seafti was devastated and Diorxu seemed just sort of lost."

"How long did you continue having these meetings? And what did you talk about?"

"Well, we had them all the way up until they caught the leader of the cult," Ascemi says. "And then we met up a couple times after that, before we stopped having them regularly. I still talk to Seafti sometimes though."

Firewall nods and tries to look understanding. "And this morning, where were you?"

"This morning?" Ascemi frowns, confused. "I was hive, getting ready for work."

"When did you arrive here?"

"Seven?" Ascemi asks, glancing between Download and Firewall, like an answer will suddenly appear on their faces.

Firewall raises her eyebrows again. "Is there anyone who can confirm your whereabouts at around three? It's very important."

"Um," Ascemi says, alarmed. "I was at hive, asleep. I live alone.""Am I- Am I a suspect? Handmaid, do you think I killed Izlato and the rest?"

"Of course not," says Firewall, but Download can probably tell from the way she's signing it that she's being completely insincere. "We have to ask everyone these routine questions for... administrative reasons."

Download repeats what she says but in a much more believable and charming way. "It's really just routine procedure," he says. "Don't worry, about it. But we may need to contact you later. Do you have a good number to do so?"Ascemi nods shakily, only half convinced, and gives you their number.

"Much obliged," says Firewall, with the slow, lazy gestures that are her version of a sarcastic drawl. "We'll leave you to deal with your work again now."

"Thank you," Ascemi says, and runs back for the safety of the counter, where their coworkers and managers all ask about what the heck is going on. "What do you think?" Download signs at Firewall.

"Seems shifty," she signs back. "Could just be normal shifty, though, not suspicious-shifty. No confirmation for the alibi, either."

Download simply shrugs. "Well it was very early in the morning. Most people just aren't up then. Let's go."

Firewall nods and opens the door for him with a flourish.

Firewall's phone rings as she leaves the coffee shop. Neither Download nor Firewall recognize the number.

She fishes it out, squints at the number. After confirming Download doesn't know who's calling, either, she answers the call, putting it on speakerphone but not immediately answering.

A thin shaky voice comes out the speakerphone. "Hello, Officer Firewall? It's Seafti, remember? The- the assistant?" Download pauses, glances up at Firewall, then leans over to speak into the receiver.

"Hi Seafti, this is Officer Download. Firewall is right next to me." The next bit of words come out in a bit of a rush. "It's... It's Diorxu. They've been acting kind of weird since I got back? I gave them the projector, but it was like it wasn't important anymore. They asked me to get some weird things and snapped at me when I asked questions and... I'm sorry to bother you but I thought I should... I should maybe call."

Firewall's eyebrows shoot up. "Tell her thanks," she signs rapidly. "Tell her she was right to let us know. Ask what Diorxu wanted her to get, and where they are now."

After Download translates, Seafti says, "A wig, a file, an envelope they had stashed in the bottom of a drawer... um, it was kind of thick but I'm not sure what was in it. Um, um. I'm at the wedding from earlier and I-" There's a crash through the sound on the phone. "Oh shit." is the last thing you hear before there's a short scream and a crunch, and the line goes dead.

Still holding the phone, Firewall looks at Download -- her eyes are wide as she signs (and mouths) the same words they just heard: "Oh shit." Then she swings into action, pulling up the address of the wedding. "We need to get over there," she signs. "We need to be over there ten minutes ago, but I'll take ASAP. Come on."

END HOUR FIVE

#the copy cat cultist #pdpo

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ladytrollfishes · 6 years ago

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The Copy Cat Cultist: Hour 3

Installment #3: Sniffer talks to the street kid who tackled Virus. Virus does a deep dive into the previous case files. Download and Firewall contact the last surviving cultist- who has been helmed.

SNIFFER

While the rest of the team was doing their own thing, Sniffer was standing in front of the door to the kid's hotel room. The trip there was hell, to say the least. At least there was only one person to contend with inside, she thought as she quietly knocked on the door.

There's a pause, then she can hear the kid's voice emanate from the room- "Who's there?" he shouts.

"It's me!" Wait. He won't know who 'me' is. "Sniffer! We spoke earlier?"

There's a pause, and the door nudges open. The kid from before floats up near the ceiling, cautiously peering over the door. Sniffer can hear his suspicion ease, and he lands, and opens the door wider.

"Do you have food?" he asks. "Ah!" That's right, food. She completely forgot about food. At the very least, she can offer up this granola bar she shoved in her inventory at some point.

"It's not much, sorry." She says, apologetic as she steps inside and holds out the bar to him, shutting the door behind her. "I kind of forgot to grab anything before I left."

"Bring something better next time," he says, but Sniffer can hear him think eagerly about eating the granola and he tears it open accordingly. "Whaddaya want?"

"Excuse you!" She says, resisting the urge to stick out her tongue. She's a professional, damn it. "And, well,"

How does one talk to a child about dead quadrants and do it smoothly? Where is Download when you need him? Might as well just get it out and over with. "I need you to tell me more about Munvit."

"Oh," the kid says, and flops onto the pile in the room. Sniffer can see that he's had a bath since he's gotten the room. The police lady doesn't care about him, obviously. She wants to know everything about Munvit, but she hasn't even asked him what his name is.

Oops. Does Sniffer feel bad now? She feels very bad now. This kid doesn't really have too many people who care about him, she imagines. Luckily for her, the kid doesn't exactly know about the trick up her sleeve. "Speaking of-" She knees down to his level, smiling and holding out her hand. "I don't think I ever got your name.

The kid spits in his hand and shakes Sniffer's hand. It's a sign of bonding! He's doing it because he knows adults think it's gross and maybe she'll leave them alone. "I'm Sanzas." He says.

Sniffer makes a face, steeling her nerves before grabbing his hand and shaking it. Ew ew ew. "Nice to meet you, Sanzas. How's your leg, by the way?" She forces herself to smile despite her crawling skin.

It itches more than hurts, unless he touches it. "It's fine," he says, smirking at the forced smile on Sniffer's face.

"If you'd like it wrapped, let me know." Oh, this little shit. You know you walked right into that one. "Stop that." She says, a hint of humor in her voice before she sits on the edge of the pile proper to talk to him.

"Tell me about yourself." She gestures to him, deciding that maybe the roundabout way if getting information might be better than direct questioning. Sanzas definitely seems like the type to give you the runaround if he doesn't want to answer the question.

Sanzas scratches his head, unsure of what Sniffer wants to know or what to say. “I’m Sanzas aaand,” he says. “I like farts.”

That one earns a confused laugh from her. What even? Is this what pupas are normally like?

"I'm glad to hear that!" She manages between giggles. "Tell me more about where you live." She suggests, narrowing it down for him.

Sanzas smiles a little before he forces it down to a frown. He thought she wanted to talk about Munvit, why did she want to know where he lived? It was small and rundown and in the swamp. “I dunno, it’s mine,” he says. “It’s a place.”

She nods, her brows furrowing together. Was it possible the new killer came from around that area? Maybe. Especially if they're not very strong like the senior officers suspect.

"Did anything out of the ordinary happen there in the last few days?"

Sanzas squints at Sniffer, unsure of what she’s asking. “No,” he says. “Ain’t a lot of people in the swamp.”

She nods again, feeling the anxiety creeping in. She can speak just fine to adults. But kids from the swamp? S. O. S. Though the mention of not a lot of people hits her. There really would be nobody to find someone who died there.

"I'd imagine not," She tucks her hair behind her ear. "I was thinking more, were there any strange trolls prowling around or something of the sort." Another pause.

"Ah...how long were you and Munvit separated for after your fight?" Sanzas thinks for a second, but there’s been no one creeping where he’s been. “Three nights,” he says, kicking the back. Three nights. So that gives you a time frame between when he was last seen and when he was found.

"Can you tell me more about his other friends?" She's not going to ask if he even had other friends, but the thought does cross her mind all the same. If the place is that isolated, the answer is probably not very many.

“He talked with the coffee lady in the park lots,” Sanzas says, scratching his head. “She liked him and gave him hot chocolate sometimes.”

There was a bunch of other pickpockets he’s run with too, but whatever Sanzas was, he’s not a snitch and he ain’t telling the police lady who else is running around stealing wallets.

Sniffer definitely is not about to inform him that he did, in fact, just tell her that. "Do you know the coffee lady's name?"

Sanzas shakes his head. “She’s always in Alestir Square Garden,” he says. “Sometimes on Freeman and Bolstic. But usually on Alestir.”

Sniffer pulls out her notepad and pen, jotting that down. If she's usually there and they're that close, maybe Munvit went to go visit her sometime during their separation?

"Who else did he talk to regularly? Anyone new?" Besides the obvious pickpocketing victim, of course. ...If he was a randomly picked target of someone he stole from, this case is going to get a whole lot harder to figure out.

Sanzas shakes his head. “Munvit doesn’t talk to new people easy,” he says. There was a bunch of new kids trying to take more turf down the block but Munvit wasn’t talking to them any, but maybe one of them killed him. It’d figure- start picking off the old gang and take up the old territory.

Another note in the pad. More turf, but Munvit didn't speak to them. That could be another angle to look into. There could be a chance of someone wanting to win a turf war and using the old case to make a statement. "Did you know any of those other kids personally?" What old gang? Sanzas shakes his head no. He’s crossed paths with a couple of them, but no real words exchanged except insults.

"Hmm..." She taps her chin with her pen, eyes flicking over her notes as she thinks. "Another question..." Her voice drops slightly. This IS someone's quadrant she's talking about here.

"Do you know anyone who was just particularly not fond of Munvit?" He was a lowblooded pickpocket, of course someone would want to hurt him and of course lots of people probably didn't like him. But a ritual killing? That's a different story. Narrowing down his list of enemies might serve you in the future, if any names on the list ever pop up further in the investigation.

Sanzas shrugs. Well. “There’s a shopkeeper who hates him,” he says. “She runs this corner shop he hangs around.” Sanzas pauses. No, Munvit won’t do that anymore. ‘Cause he’s dead. “Hanged around. He stole a bunch of stuff from her once. Dunno her name.”

“Also, Ashant doesn’t like him since he punched his pale crush in the face,” Sanzas lists off. He doesn’t like Ashant or the shopkeeper lady either. Sending the cops after them should cool their jets a little. If anyone did it it’s Polflo and her dudes.

More notes. More names. More leads to look into. Ashant, Polflo...She briefly wonders if maybe Download would know any of these names, despite not having lived down in that area for a while. And of course, there's more pangs at Sniffer's pumper.

"Hey." She says, putting the pen down and forcing herself to smile. She'd be halfway dead inside if anything happened to her team and she's not even quadded to any of them. "We're going to find who did this to him, okay? I promise."

She starts to put a hand up then drops it. "I'm going to talk to my team for a bit. And when I come back, would you like anything in particular to eat?" The least she could do is bring him some food, right?

“Barbecue ribs,” Sanzas says immediately. “With a strawberry milk shake and bacon cheese fries.”

"Hey, strawberry shakes are my favorite too!" She laughs. "I know the best place to get one, too. I'll be back later today." She winks at him, waving as she approaches the door. "And-I probably don't need to tell you this, but it's my job. Keep the door locked and don't open it for anyone until I get back, okay?"

She looks over her shoulder at him, watching him. "Okay,” he says and nods, bouncing on the pile. If he needs to leave he’s gonna leave. But this is pretty nice also.

"I'm serious. We need to-" No, no. You can't tell him that part. "Ah. Keep the door locked and stay inside or no shake for you, Sanzas." Sanzas groans loudly.

“Fiiiiiine,” he says.The food would make it worth it.

She can't help but giggle. He's obnoxious, but kind of adorable. "See you soon."

She steps into the hall and closes the door behind her, immediately pulling out her communicator when she takes a few steps down the hallway. She's got information to relay.

VIRUS

There's a lot still unclear to Virus here. So while their teammates are out doing more exciting things, Virus sits down in the PDPO and shuffles through file after file. If they're honest, that's what they're good at anyways. First of all, and starting in hemo order, they want to see the individual cases. Mask pushed down and nursing a coffee, they stare at the first file.

The first file states that the first victim- Diafke Uksuso was a maroonblood who lived in the slums of Malseka. Their body was discovered on the outskirts of town by two teenagers looking for a quiet place to take mind honey.

Uksuso had several neighbors who gave comments on their unpleasant personality and did not have close friends or quadrants.

Diafke was murdered with blunt force trauma, a blow to the head, and was taken to a flat area in the woods where their chest was broken open, a sigil was drawn in their blood and their heart was crushed. The case was assigned to a pair of other detectives first- Poppyseed, Disaster, Informer and Freelock, and then reassigned to Shadeeye's squad in Major crimes when the second body was discovered.

Virus takes several notes on this: Blunt trauma, ritual held in remote place, no one who would miss them. Then, solemn, they flip to the next victim

The next victim, Terrat Engate was discovered in an abandoned warehouse. The search for the body began after his moirail, Diorxu Ildoh, an indigoblood reported him missing and noted that their rail had been feeling like they had been followed for some time. Security footage recorded Terrat walking to the warehouse of his own apparent will followed by a hooded figure. Terrat was strangled on site, a sigil drawn in his blood, his chest opened and his heart crushed.

Virus takes notes again: Remote location, probably scope out victims for some time, which lines up with what Shadeeye and Steelwit reported. Possibility of mind control or good liars. Then they flip to the next file.

Drezum Hielru was murdered in their hive. They were a fairly powerful psion and used it to make a deliver business that allowed them to live beyond what lowbloods usually have in Malseka. However, there was no signs of a psionic struggle. The door was not bashed in prior to discovery of the body, and the hive itself in a fair amount of order. Drezum was discovered by Khedes Zuskus, one of their regular customers, after a package wasn't delivered on time.

Khedes knocked down their door to discover the body an called the police. Drezum left behind a matesprit and an auspistice, Niosno Eiscax and Lugnio Akzioz.

Second instant of a missing struggle. Signs are increasingly pointing to mind control. Again, body wasn't left in a public place, unlike the current murder. Virus scribbles down the different contacts, also going back to do it for the other two files, then moves on from the yellowblood.

Crinix Dancio was kidnapped from their hive. The PDPO was lying in wait for the cultists that night thanks to Odddream's tips. There was a fight that resulted in a near even trade- PDPO captured Tildia Diammi, but Crinix was taken away. Crinix was found in a back alley not far from the crime scene. The theory was that Crinix was killed in the getaway car and a few cultists had left it to complete the ritual while the others drew the attention of the police. Crinix was strangled, barehanded, her chest carved open and her heart crushed. Crinix's matesprit, Seafti Istuye found the body while passing through to visit her matesprit.

Olive murder was a rush job due to intervention, but still not in a public place. Cult still tried to pull through after loss of personnel, so they probably don't need a high number of people for their rituals, or even a specific one. Possibility of a one-man-operation? Virus closes the file, tapping their fingers on the desk next to their cooling coffee. The alleyway doesn't make sense. It's like the killer wanted the PDPO to find the body. Then they move on to the next report.

This is Odddream's murder. Odddream had returned hive early to sleep and see if they could dream up any more hints. Steelwit was the first to go hive with a headache to find Odddream's body in their living room and a cultist's hand in Odddream's chest.

Steelwit spotted two cultists in cloaks and masks, and when she arrived with her gun drawn, she fired and killed the one who had crushed Odddream's pumper. The remaining cultist fled out the back but a third cultist was waiting there and shattered Steelwit's knee. She shot the cultist who injured her in the side but they fled the scene.

Steelwit was unable to move and her phone battery was dead so it wasn't until Shadeeye returned hive, late, that she was able to get mediculler help. Unfortunately her leg never recovered. Thanks to the injury Steelwit inflicted on the cultist, a patrol was able to identify the culprit and two cultists were caught.

Steelwit came home early to find the victim, possibly suspicious. Virus pushes themself away from the table. The last puddle of their coffee is cold, but they still throw it back.

Finding one of their squad members dead like that - With the empty mug in hand, they take a moment to just stare at the wall. And then they shake the images of their dead friends out of their head, because they're a fucking professional, and keep working the case.

They'll have to see later if there's any footage of the fight between Steelwit and the cultists. Because if there isn't, she's a prime suspect. She even has the injury as an alibi; it's almost too perfect. They'll also have to see if there's a standard uniform for the cultists. Note: Cloaks and masks. Then they move on to the teal case.

With the information gathered from Tildia, with the additional two captured cultists, they learned there were 6 cultists left. Town hall discovered the missing files of the victims, and alerted PDPO which allowed them to arrest the cultist who was stealing files. Izlato Crefex was the final victim.

PDPO had ID’d her as the next victim from the missing town hall files. However, she insisted on maintaining a normal schedule with police protection.

Unfortunately she disappeared from her escort’s sight. Her body was found in a back alley in town. She was murdered on her way home from work. She was strangled, barehanded, her chest carved open and her heart crushed. There was a wound on her hand from the same knife that carved open her chest that the ME speculated was self defense.

She was put on a sigil drawn in her own blood and found by the garbage people several hours later when they were doing their rounds. Izlato left behind three quads, ash, pale, and pitch. Tildia gives the name of the cult leader, Girrea Inrifa, a navyblood who served as an advisor in city hall, and arrests are made accordingly.

The captured cultists turn on each other for offers of leniency and quick deaths as opposed to forever tortured and the final members of the cult are arrested and sentenced.

DOWNLOAD AND FIREWALL Download looks at the slip of paper that has the helm's captain's contact info on it- "Keenfire, tumblingOdyssey" with the sale paper of the ship "The-Silent-Dive-Of-An-Owl's-Wings-As-It-Springs-Upon-It's-Prey" formerly Tildia Diammi, ex-cultist.

"Shall we?" he asks Firewall.

She nods briefly, then her lips quirk up as she signs, "Do you think they call it Silent? Bit ironic, that."

"Who knows?" DL shrugs and smiles back. "Maybe his pan nanny ensures it."

Firewall mimes laughing and marches over to the -- i presume the PDPO has some sort of video-call conference room -- to ring up the captain.

The call spends some time ringing, before a tanky tealblood picks up the call- their face is round, with tell-tale Rickshaw splotches over their ears and cheeks, and they blink nervously into the screen before coughing into their fist.

"This is Captain Keenfire speaking," they say in slightly accented Standard. "This is the- er, Policeradication Department for Peace and Order? How may I help you?"

Firewall gives them a pleasant smile, which would maybe be less worrying if she stopped showing off all her damn teeth while she does it. She starts signing.

"Greetings, Captain Keenfire. We understand the helmsman of your ship was involved in a case of cultism and serial murder several sweeps ago, and we would just like to ensure it is still functioning properly."

Keenfire blinks surprised several times and looks back to where you presume the helmblock must be.

"I have noticed no such malfunctions!" they say. "When I purchased it on auction I was aware of it's history and so I've kept restrictions to a high standard, but it's been working splendidly as a helm for three sweeps now. Not a blip of malfunction."

"Is there anyway we can speak to the helm itself? I'd like to question it about its compatriots, if possible."

Keenfire hesitates then considers the request. "Well I suppose I could lower the restrictions to allow access to this an only this video channel," they say. "Yes, yes that should be possible. You're lucky we're docking at the moment."

Keenfire types for a moment, then the screen splits in two, one half to a security footage shot of the permahelm in Keenfire's ship, the other remaining on Keenfire's face. A tinny, mechanical voice comes from the console. "Fuck you."

"Fuck you too," Firewall signs amicably. "Did any of your cultist friends escape the raid three sweeps ago?

"Now, Dive," Keenfire says and fiddles with the keyboard some more. "That is not very pleasant. I am sorry officers, I have kept it on silent for so long I haven't turned on any of the profanity filters. I will fix that immediately."

"Knew I'd get one shot at that lol," the helm says. "Three sweeps of silence and I get one F bomb out. Anyway you know, I still don't see any eeny weeny teeny reason I should tell either of you a single thing."

"Not even for relaxed privileges? A meal of real food, perhaps?" Firewall taps her claws absently on a table for a moment. "Or perhaps my forbearance in not demanding your immediate execution."

"Hey!" Keenfire squawks. "Dive is my property, and I paid good money for it! There is nothing dysfunctional in its ability to helm, and it's only though my goodwill that I am allowing you to speak to it at all. You have no papers requisitioning my ship, and I am currently quite a few lightyears away from Alternia as it is."

"Yeah what they said," the helm drawls. "Honestly, you'd probably be doing me a favor. I'd put my eyes out if i have to watch this pompous mother lover prance around naked in the mirror and gel their hair again."Keenfire turns bright blue and slams a key and shunts away the helm again.

Firewall briefly closes her eyes and inhales deeply. Down by her side, where the video doesn't catch it, she signs, THIS MOTHERFUCKER to Download.To Keenfire, she continues, "It's succeeding in baiting you, I see. Kindly bring it back."

Keenfire shakes their head and sniffs. "I see no reason why I should!" they exclaim. "Are you going to continue making threats you cannot enforce? You do not have a warrant and I am far outside your jurisdiction so you cannot force me to do anything. I will not sacrifice my helm for an investigation I care nothing for."

Download puts a hand on Firewall's shoulder and steps forward. "It's a very important case," he says. "We'd indebted to you if you gave us a hand."

Firewall is dying internally, but she shoots Download a grateful look. Diplomacy is nowhere near her strong suit

Download gives Keenfire his most charming smile. "We're obviously not going to requisition your helm, Captain," he says. "And any promises we can make to Dive will be made with your approval, since of course, it is your helm."

Keenfire settles his ruffled feathers a tad and sniffs. "Of course," they say. "I'm not objecting to helping what I'm sure is a deserving cause, officers, but there is a limit to what I can give!"

"Of course of course," Download says. "This is such a key piece of information, honestly, any sacrifice you'd make should be honored, right Firewall?" He glances towards her and nods. "Perhaps it'd even deserve a plaque."

"Oh by all means give the pompous asshole a plaque." Firewall keeps her face in a bland, polite smile. "Don't tell them I said that. Thanks for making nice."

"It's twenty caegars for a trophy," Download signs back. "It doesn't need to be official, we just need to get this guy to talk."

"A plaque would be appropriate," Download translates instead. Keenfire huffs. "I see what you're doing," they say. "I don't need a plaque, young man, but you cannot have my helm. What would you want to promise?"

Firewall pulls a face. "What does it want? And what is the captain willing to offer it?"

Download signs back a shrug instead of showing Keenfire exactly what he's thinking. "Well," he says out loud. "The helm did make a request regarding your habits in front of the mirror." Keenfire turns blue again.

"I do not want to hear a word about my 'mirror habits,'" Keenfire snaps back. "What I do in my own time is not any of your business or any of my helms. I am very close to hanging up, officers."

Firewall continues to die inside.She signs, awkwardly, "Sorry, Captain. We have been under a lot of stress lately. What does your helm want? And what would you be willing to give it?"

Keenfire sniffs. "How should I know what a helm wants?" he says. "I do not talk to it." "Perhaps," Download begins. "For a one time deal, your helm insults you for sixty seconds. We don't have to listen to it, but your helm gets sixty seconds to say whatever it wants before you shut it down again."

Keenfire hesitates. "Alright but I want the plaque."

"Tell him we'll get his damn plaque." Firewall smiles politely at Keenfire. "And then, like, shoot me in the head."

"You'd deserve nothing less," Download says. "Now can you bring back Dive? We have to ask it if it'll accept the terms." Keenfire takes a breath as if to steel themself for the oncoming barrage of insults, presses a button and the helm is back.

"Yes," it says immediately. "I'll do it. I will take that deal. With profanity lifted." Keenfire nods stiffly. "Tell us what you know first," Download says. "Then the captain will lift the profanity filter."

Firewall nods her assent and motions for the helm to continue.

“Well,” the helm says. “You probably won’t like what I have to say.”“It’s still worth sixty seconds though. You just gotta put your head to it for a sec.”

Firewall irritably signs, "Get on with it."

“4 dictionaries, 3 anthologies, 5 religious, 5 kashi-hon, 35 fantasy, 6 love, 1 out-of-print, 8 wisdom, 12 epics, 1 radioplay, 7 bilingual, 4 yearbooks, 100 journals, 2 outsider, 1 historical, 5 non-fiction, 122 gothic, 4 apocalyptic, 2 liturgicals, 3 satires, 262 wordless, 7 outdoors, 12 remaindered, 1 textbook.”

The words flash across the screen as well. Keenfire blinks rapidly. “What was that?” They exclaim.

Download squints at the screen and quickly takes a screenshot.“I know what I said before, but I don’t wanna die,” the helm said. “So I’m not telling you more. That’s still worth sixty seconds yeah?”

"What." Firewall massages her temples. "Okay. Cryptic bullshit gets thirty seconds. Thirty seconds more for every clue you give us."

“Fine fine. Uhhhh what else do you wanna know? I don’t know jack about what’s going on back there,” the helm says.

“What if this is useless information?” Keenfire demands. “What if this cryptic mess is simply a cryptic mess?”

"That's possible, Captain," says Firewall. "But it's essential that we find out this information. Helm, can you tell us how many people were in your group total?"

“1”“2”“One, two?” Download asks.“Put it together jerk.”“Three? Twelve?”

"Gotta be twelve, three's too few."

“They only did get ten of them,” Download signs back.“Is that thirty more seconds or do I get ninety total?”

"Thirty for the library list before, thirty for the number, you're at sixty right now." Firewall rubs the back of her neck. "What entity did you serve? What were you trying to summon?"(edited)

“Cae’thergungnam”

"Ninety seconds. Does anything matter about the sacrifices besides their caste?"

“Nope”

"Hundred-twenty seconds. Were there any secondary hideouts aside from the one the police raided?"

“No.”

"One hundred and eighty. Download, anything else to ask?"

“I think you’ve got it covered, boss,” Download signs. Keenfire sputters. “No one said anything about _a hundred and eighty seconds. Am I to stand here for a full three minutes and be insulted?”

"Well," says Firewall innocently, "you could always sit down."

Download snorts and translates it as is. “Don’t worry,” he says. “We’ll send you two plaques.” And signs off.

Firewall glances at him sideways, clearly suppressing a laugh. "Two entire plaques?"

Download grins back at her. “Two whole plaques.”

She laughs soundlessly. "Did you get all of the list the helm showed us? We'll need that later."

Download nods and pulls on the screenshot. “It’s obviously some sort of cipher.”

"Oh, yeah, for sure." She leans over his phone to get a closer look, brows knit.

“I wonder why he told us like this instead of just. Answering the question.”

"He said he didn't want to die. I assume that means he fears retaliation from the cultists -- or the entity itself."

“Eugh,” Download shudders. “That would.... suck.”“It’s probably not the cultists though- he’s out all the way in space.”

Firewall pulls a face. "Oh, gross, I don't want to deal with some horrorterror on top of its loyal fans. We're going to have to sit down and look at this cipher... but maybe we should check back in with the others, first?"

Download nods. “We should keep each other updated.”

END OF HOUR THREE

#the copy cat cultist #pdpo

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