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[ open ] one track mind

Who: Akechi & OPEN
What: Akechi does some investigation
When: Early March
Where: Raccoon Room

Akechi's luck with this whole detective thing has actually been pretty good - so long as he doesn't consider this one particular case. He's found his share of thieves, conspirators, and those that have committed assorted petty physical crimes. But his target since early January, the Darkblood woman with the art shop and the proclivity towards self-indulgent violence, has been much better at avoiding any sort of unwanted attention.

But Akechi finally, finally has what feels like a solid lead in the form of a description of the woman and another hobby of hers: music. He hadn't seen her at the Red in January, but he'd spoken to more than one person that had. She seems to be avoiding the place since then, and seemed to realize that frequenting Earworm is too obvious.

Granted, Akechi thinks the Raccoon Room is equally too obvious, but maybe being run by Sleepers makes a difference he's not seeing. So he wanders in on a sunny but brisk afternoon, stepping out of the sunlight and into the cool interior of the music club. He's been here a few times before and enjoyed it each time, but even though he's here on business he puts on airs like he's not. He approaches the bar, makes himself comfortable, orders a (non-alcoholic) drink, and strikes up a conversation with whoever might be near - another patron, the bartender, a musician taking a break. Whatever the case, he keeps the conversation light and casual for a few moments before finally pivoting to business.

"By the way, I was wondering if I could ask you something."

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[Kokichi had just gotten to this...whatever this was as of a few days ago. Admittedly, he was still grappling with a lot - the entire idea of the place, if thought upon too much, would make his head spin - but he tried to brush it off in his usual normal nonchalant way. Nothing bothers him. Nothing is a problem.

Everything was a problem, but he wasn't going to dwell on it.

So he'd gone about exploring his new environment, and eventually that'd led him here. The Raccoon Room. Seemed like a decent enough place. A music club. Kokichi can't help but think of Kaede and how she might've enjoyed being there, and then put those thoughts back to an even further recess of his mind. She wasn't here. That was that. This was home now. It didn't feel it yet, but he also didn't know anyone yet.

Still, he'd gotten himself a non-alcoholic drink (always grape, forever with the grape flavor) and sat at the bar, taking a sip from it. That was when a boy who looked to be around his age approached. Well-combed hair, poised smile...there might've been something missing behind the eyes, something less perfect and collected than everything else about him, but...that also might've been Kokichi being overly suspicious.

'Overly suspicious'. Like he knew the meaning of those two words combined. To kokichi, there was only 'reasonably suspicious'. That was all.

He took a sip of his drink, and the boy and he exchanged light conversation for a minute - nothing of substance, not even exchanging names before the conversation seemed to pivot. I was wondering if I could ask you something. Very direct words. It's something he'd imagine Shuichi saying.

Which might've been why he was inclined to answer.]

You can. I don't promise you'll get the answer you want, but you sure can.

[People could do a lot of things. Whether they should do them was more of a debate for the ages.]

[ Koichi is right to think there's something missing to Akechi's demeanor. He's perfect polite, his tone easy and light, but look hard enough and a sort of flat banality becomes evident in his friendliness. It wouldn't be entirely inaccurate to call it insincere, but the better term would be uninvested. ]

I promise I won't take offense either way.

[ Though the pleasant facade stays in place, there's finally some substance behind it, a sharp interest that lends his voice and gaze a steadier quality. ]

The first thing I'd like to ask is whether or not you're an artist, or if you have any particular interest in music beyond simply listening?

[Yes, this boy was the type to only truly latch onto a conversation if something was interesting. Kokichi could understand that, respect that, even, it was something they had in common. He hums lightly - he won't take offense either way, but, you know, promises promises.

At the question, he chuckles. Someone he assumes to be a detective asking him about music. How familiar.]

Nee-hee-hee. Not by trade, nope. But I've done my fair share of art here and there. I know some piano. [He can read music and translate that to playing if he tries, but he's only ever taken an interest in piano for the times when he couldn't be found and a certain Ultimate lab was empty.] You looking for an orchestra to join?

Or... [his eyes narrow curiously, Akechi's own interest being matched in turn] did someone get too creative with piano wire? [~~Kirikirikiri...~~ He takes a sip of his drink.] Just a guess.

[ Creative with piano wire.... Akechi smiles at that, unable to keep the genuine amusement from his expression. ]

Nothing so gauche as that. She's had the sense to avoid overly mixing her business and personal life.

[ A piano wire murder would be almost fun to solve at this point, but unfortunately he's dealing with something considerably more subtle this time around. ]

She has been seeking other creatives, however - people that seem like they might be interested in assisting her on a project. Sound familiar?

[That's something that elicited his amusement. He's definitely a different breed than Shuichi, who would've chastised him if he wasn't frozen in panic from the sheer mention of piano.

Nonetheless, he lets out a small 'tch', his smile not disappearing for a moment as he shakes his head.]

Awww, really? What a shame. Mixing business and pleasure is so fun. Wouldn't you agree, In-spe-ctor~?

[He's teasing, purely because he's just as amused. His brows arch at what Akechi mentions next.]

I might've heard something...it's vague.

[It has his interest, at least. Sounds cult-y. That's fun.]

Something involving...corruption?

[He's pretty sure he overheard something once...if he has any hint of a lead in this, even at the worst of times, he has a habit of wanting to involve himself. Habitual at this point, almost as much so as his lies - if not moreso, actually.]

[ Ah. He's that sort of person, then. Akechi's own expression doesn't shift, but he mentally readjusts how he's approaching the conversation. No point in being delicate, but he should expect to not be taken entirely seriously. He can work with that, though. ]

Corruption is a concern, but more of a side-effect than the cause In this case - or so I'm lead to believe.

[ He doesn't have solid evidence for any of this, just witness testimony and a good deal of conjecture. He's pretty sure he's right, though. ]

Corruption is still a point of interest, of course.

All of it is a point of interest to me, really. From my understanding, you're looking for a woman in the artistic field who is presumably leaving a trail of bodies...or corrupting them. The latter is probably worse. She target Sleepers specifically, or what?

[His own eyes have flickered with interest.]

I'll admit I'm relatively new in town, buuut....I'd so love to be of service, if I get details.

Not Sleepers specifically, no - but I'm suspect that her interests will turn that way if she's left unopposed long enough.

[ As far as Akechi knows, she's not yet aware of how much of her actions have been uncovered just yet - but he's certain the second she does her behavior will escalate.

As for Kokichi's offer, Akechi doesn't know him... But he's gotten a favorable enough impression that he's willing to take a gamble. ]

I have an entire case file you can look through, if you like.

[ Finally, he offers his hand. ]

Goro Akechi, by the way.

A reasonable assessment. And could be troublesome if not sniffed out soon.

[Oh? Kokichi's grin stretches across his face.]

You'd be so kind to allow me to, even without official credentials~? How kind. I'd love to.

[He shakes his hand.]

Kokichi Oma. A pleasure.

It's not as though my own credentials count for much here, either - and I've learned the value of seeking help from unorthodox sources.

[ He's been an 'unorthodox source' in the past, himself.

Akechi reaches into his bag and withdraws a portfolio, the thin canvas kind that's relatively cheap by the standards of Trench. He offers it over to Kokichi without explanation or fanfare. ]

This has all of the information I've told you already, plus some maps, crime scene sketches, and notes I've gathered from other people.

[ It's not everything Akechi knows, but it's a substantial. ]

Take as much time as you need with it.

Edited 2022-04-12 21:40 (UTC)

Fair point. And an astute one, at that.

[Shuichi was sure used to 'unorthodox sources', Kokichi amongst them.

He takes the canvas with eager hands, pawing through it and looking it over carefully.]

Thorough. I'm impressed. And thank you, I will.

[He's committing all this information to memory. While he does, he remarks--]

What are the plans for if you find this culprit, anyway? Death brings returns, so I'm told, and I'm not even sure if there's a ruling body, much less a judicial system. Is it just vigilante justice at its finest? ...A stern warning?

[Honestly, that's the whole crux of it, isn't it? Criminals could hardly be punished if there was no system apart from 'don't fuck with the wrong people, but even then, you'll come back'.]

[ This guy continues to prove his talent for going right for the most interesting possible question. This time, Akechi doesn't have to think about how much he wants to say before he answers. ]

That's the trickiest part, isn't it? If she's not a Sleeper I won't need to worry about her returning, though the Hunters may have some words about me taking matters into my own hands.

If she is a Sleeper, and she does return...

[ He shrugs. ]

Death has been known to reset corruption, so the problem may handle itself - though I suppose then I may have to worry about her seeking revenge.

[So it is like that, huh. Normally, Kokichi wouldn't - couldn't - approve of killing another person. But the circumstances of the normal world, of the killing game, and of Trench were entirely different scenarios, as he was discovering. And so, in a world without any laws in particular...

He could rationalize it. He'd never be fond of carrying out the deed himself, but he could see the necessity in it, if only in circumstances when no other option were available.]

Oh, they definitely might. Not that I'd let that stop me, personally. If it's putting an end to a problem they're not getting to, then they should be grateful. Bu~uut considering most of those in that line of work seem to be puff-out-your-chest bravado types, that'd be expecting too much.

[He just likes to prod at the obvious flaws around him - that's a consistent with Kokichi.]

So we have to hope she's not a Sleeper, otherwise you might be in for a bit of a rivalry you might not be in the market for.

[He liked to pick and choose those, himself, though he had an oddly romanticized light with rivalries. That might've been because Shuichi was remarkably easy to romanticize, in himself, never able to hurt a fly - to be a criminal, or better yet, a phantom thief opposing him would never lead to him being caught unless he wanted to be.

Now, the detective he was accompanied by presently...that something missing about him was a sign things would be significantly more grim. Less 'fun'. Unless you proved 'interesting'...

Still.]

...Yasu-chan. [He snorts.] A very fitting name to someone who betrays. [Congratulations, Akechi, you found one of the people who gets your little joke there.] Multiple aliases, though, apart from that...mmm. If it were so easy as to appear undercover and backstab, that'd be one thing, but there's a lot here that's unfortunately down to circumstances being very exact. Right place, right time.

[She glances at him as he pivots from casual (something she was nervously having trouble keeping up with), to something obviously more serious. She's not an expert on the games people play with their words, she doesn't do that. She speaks honestly and openly about her thoughts, refusing to engage in the passive aggressive and snide double meanings that so many others rely on.

There's something practiced about his posture, and about his tone. She doesn't know what to make of it.]

Go ahead. I'll answer it to the best of my ability. [She had come here for her own reasons, largely related to her own business. She read a report about some old hidden passageway created by an old mad blood mage, and came to make an attempt at asking the locals about it, but so far she's just gotten furrowed brows and puzzled looks.

Might as well take on this business. She is a detective in a lot of ways, though unlike Riz she was never awarded with a license.]

[ The 'something' might be the extremely practiced way that he holds himself. Though his posture, tone, and expression are all friendly and non-aggressive, a hard enough look will reveal that he's not exactly relaxed. There's a touch of deliberation to everything his does, though the sharp interest that enters his expression when she agrees is unscripted. ]

I appreciate it.

[ He's silent for half a beat, weighing how much he wants to say and how he wants to say it, before he decides that being blunt is the best way to go. ]

I'm actually looking for someone - a short, Darkblood woman with fair skin, curly brown hair, and a fondness for both art and music. I heard she started frequenting the Raccoon Room this past month.

I've, uh, only just arrived in Trench, so I can't say really. Although... [She frowns, thoughtful.]

...I do think I overheard a conversation about a regular dealing with corruption. Darkblood.

Are you a detective?

Is it that obvious?

[ Akechi doesn't think he's being that obvious, but he asks in a light, amused tone all the same. Mentally, he notes that Adaine is probably at least a little sharper than the average person.

Since she's already guessed, he gets right to the point. ]

She's a murderer, actually, but I wouldn't rule out corruption. My understanding is that she has... [ How should he put this? ] ... psychologically destabilizing interest in her work.

I work with a private detective. [She shrugs.] I guess I just know what to look for.

[She might have gotten more if she tried insight, but whatever, sometimes you dont need it.]

Hmmm. That could have very different connotations depending on if she's a Disciple, Hunter, Blood Minister or Arcane Scholar. [She drums her fingers on the bar, fiddling with her straw in her drink.]

Based on you asking about her to strangers, I'm going to go out on a limb and say you haven't been able to pin down her location. I might have a lead for you if that's the case.

Edited 2022-03-12 12:13 (UTC)

Everything I've discovered so far suggests she's none of the above, actually. I don't believe she allies herself with any of the major industries, though if she does she's most likely a Night Walker.

[ Which isn't the most relevant bit of information, but it's one that struck him as interesting. Thus, he's pleased to share it.

Her assumption about being unable to pin her down is an accurate one, but he doesn't look irritated to be called out. Instead he looks keenly interested her the 'lead' she mentions having. He gestures for her to continue, saying only: ]

Go on.

[ He's prepared for the fact that she might want something in exchange, but rather than offering it outright he leaves the task on asking on her shoulders. ]

[She's not actually duplicitous enough for that. She was more waiting for silent confirmation that she had what he's looking for, which, she would consider the lack of a refutation to be more or less the same.

She fishes out a notebook, opening it up to a sketched out map and a taped on series of photos to match.]

So, Trench has been around for... a long time, it would seem. There's any number of old buried secrets seemingly out of reach. One of them is an old series of tunnels and safehouses that connect to the sewer system. They used to be for an old gang of criminals before the leader committed some sin grave enough to get the Reckoning's attention, and everyone walled it off and scattered.

However, apparently someone found a way into their old routes. I assumed Blood Cultists, personally, but it seems like it would be a good way to evade any attention left by murders committed. And based on all my research, it seems like it could only be somewhere surrounding this business, if not inside. My next guess was one of the houses nearby... specifically this one. [She points at a sketch on the notebook, pointing out a very gothic looking two story home, almost bizarrely narrow.] Based on an old photo, this one's been here the longest.

[She pauses.]

That's what I came here to investigate. Seems like we might as well work together if that's the case.

Edited 2022-03-26 19:53 (UTC)

[ 'I work with a private detective', Adaine had told him, but she's acting like she's the private detective. Akechi listens to her explanation with keen interest, turning the information over in his mind. The possibility of underground networks had occurred to him, and he's found information concerning them, but they existed in his mind as nothing more than a possibility. As Adaine says, they'd been sealed off for years.

But apparently there's more merit to the idea than he had realized - and it reminds him of another wrinkle he hadn't yet smoothed out. ]

These underground tunnels - is there anything to suggest there are larger atriums or open spaces in addition to the regular pathways?

[She nods. She appreciates that he's listening, it makes her feel more sure of herself and her deductions. In truth, she's more of a researcher or an academic than a pure investigator, but when half the jobs you get are mysteries, you pick up a few things.]

Yeah. People were living down there, so I'd assume there's some kind of underground compound. The tunnels have to connect to somewhere if they were using it to hide. I think it's at least worth investigating whether your culprit is down there or not.

[ Oh, that's promising. Akechi has the information he needs and might feel compelled to bounce without further discussion... but it's an interesting discussion, interesting enough that he's curious to hear Adaine's take on another matter. ]

That might be an answer to a different problem I've encountered: where she's storing her 'artwork'.

[ He probably doesn't need to clarify that he's not talking about a painting. ]

She had an entire gallery for her previous pieces - small, but functional. I can't imagine she would leave her new works to languish where she made them.

And if there's access points all over Trench that means she could transport them relatively easily, huh.

... What happened to her gallery?

Precisely.

[ As for the gallery... ]

Abandoned, but intact, and full of paintings that don't suggest a single unseemly or alarming thing about her.

They're astonishingly mundane, truth be told. It may be the strangest aspect of the entire case.

If Wu had his way, they wouldn't be open at all.

He'd wanted to take a proper honeymoon or something, relax into wedded bliss, and he's still kind of pouty that Mako's making him work when he thinks he should be on vacation, which is part of the reason Mako is down here solo right now, with only quiet jazz from an old-looking phonograph scratching through the air.

The guy who comes in seems perfectly pleasant, normal—familiar? Mako maybe saw him on the beach once, he think—and Mako's happy to make a drink for him.

He's not great at the small-talk part of this job, which is truly excellent considering he's the only bartender, but he follows along, makes Akechi his drink with some of the leftover citrus juice from the wedding and sparkling water Wu had dredged up from somewhere, and lets the conversation flow over him, much more focused on whether or not he's going to have to wake Wu up to actually intro the show tonight, Probably: he's taking their wedding as an excuse to sleep in every day, and the quiet in his head suggests that he's doing that exact thing right now, even though it's nearing 4 pm.

The question jars him from his thoughts and he glances up in the middle of polishing one of the dustier bottles, pulled from a wreck and never used, his brows rising.

Polite. Casual.

Intersting.

"Sure," he says, aiming for casual and landing somewhere a little careful. "If it's about the show tonight, though, Wu has the schedule and I think he's asleep."

Wu... Is one of the co-owners, right. Akechi makes a mental note that he's apparently the least reliable of the co-owners, then moves on.

"I'm not worried about the schedule - though I'm looking for someone who might be."

Akechi had been undecided on the exact angle of attack he wanted to use when he first approached Wu, but just a few moments of conversation has settled the debate for him.

"There's a Darkblood woman that's been frequenting establishments dedicated to the arts, lately. She would have been pleasant and unassuming at first glance, but also keenly interested in recruiting collaborators for a 'project'. Sound familiar?"

That piques Mako's interest all at once. That's the kind of question he would've asked back in Republic City, did ask a couple times when he was working with Beifong to curb the Triple Threats. They'd been stretching their legs into Crystal territory just before everything went bad, and Tokuga had been ridiculously hard to track down.

Casual as anything, he finishes polishing his bottle but sets it down on the bar instead of back in place and leans forward, focusing on the question. He knows plenty of Darkbloods, but.

"Wu would probably've been the one to talk to her, if she was here," and it's a pity Wu's still asleep, but, well. "But I don't remember him talking about any kind of project, and he gets pretty excited about stuff like that. What's she after?"

"Collaborators." Akechi's response is immediate and confident, but barely half a beat has passed before he adds, "But so far she's only found victims."

Which is a statement that probably bears clarification, so Akechi gives Mako a moment to digest the information before he continues.

"In December, when Darkbloods and Coldbloods became obsessed with hunting down Vilebloods and Warmbloods, she took a keen interest in participating in those activities and found it enough to her liking that she's continued ever since. But she's just an artist. She's clever, but she's not particularly tall or fit, and she's largely used her magic for artistic pursuits in the past. She's been approaching those that might become her literal partner in crime and, when she finds them lacking, kills them instead."

Again, Akechi gives Mako a moment to digest the information before he continues.

"This is all conjecture, of course, pieced together from people that know or have encountered her. I believe it's an accurate summary of the situation, however."

Mako lets out a low, impressed whistle, half at the neat summary of the situation and half—well. If they have an actual murderer on the loose, and no police force to do anything about it, that's a real problem. It's exactly the kind of thing Min was talking about, carte blanche to do whatever you want to people without real fear of punishment.

Recipe for disaster, whispers a voice that sounds entirely too much like Beifong. Something twists in Mako's belly, not exactly unpleasant. It's anticipation, almost, curdling together awfully with something like longing. Before he knows it, he's leaning on the bar, his face alight with interest.

"You got a name, any other description? How exactly is she bumping people off?"

Mako asks his questions and Akechi mentally re-categorizes him as the practical type, more concerned with the concrete facts of an investigation than the theoreticals. That's not a bad thing, though - quite the opposite.

"She's a short Darkblood woman with fair skin, curly brown hair, and a fondness for both art and music. It's my understanding that she started frequenting the Raccoon Room this past month. As for a name..." He drums his fingers against the bar. "I've heard her called a few different names that I believe are aliases - Pastel, Lapis, Sinopia... Personally, I've taken to referring to her as 'Yasu' to make things easier."

Because 'Yasu is the culprit', see? It's a joke he fully expects many people won't get.

"As for her methods, by my best estimates she enjoys luring her victims into traps and immobilizing them. Then she, essentially, tortures them to death in the process of harvesting their blood and other body parts for her art."

He doesn't quite say this cheerfully, but his tone is even and undisturbed. He could be describing the meal he just ate.

A proper serial killer, it sounds like.

Mako had been tracking one of those back in Republic City before everything with the election had gone sideways. A waterbender, he'd theorized, drowning their victims and then burning their clothes to try obfuscate the crime. Everyone knew, of course, that firebenders were the most dangerous benders, prone to violence. They'd terrorized Dragon Flats for years, hadn't they? He'd been assigned the case and the other officers had just given him look after look until Mako had snapped at them to mind their own business.

He'd never gotten a chance to solve the case. Wu had swanned in with a real need for help, and Mako couldn't just leave him like that, terrified for the future of a country he hadn't even wanted to lead. He'd been trying so hard to be a good leader.

It hadn't really occurred to Mako until this precise moment that he'll never know whether or not Beifong ever caught the culprit. She hadn't mentioned it when they'd briefly gone back home, and it's not like Mako can count on her showing up here or remembering anything he does.

It's a sobering thought, and it's also distracting him from the point here, which is, "I'll keep an eye out, and check the ticket logs. If she bought one, she'll be in there. Lapis sounds familiar," he hesitates on that last line, looking at the man across the bar. "You a detective or something?"

Lapis being familiar is a good sign. It's a somewhat uncommon word and an even less common name, so if it's registering as a person Mako has heard of then the odds may be favorable.

And really, that should be all there is to discuss with Mako. His followup question could easily be answered with a simply affirmative and Akechi's quick departure. But Akechi has (somewhat begrudgingly) learned that helpful and helpful information can come from all sorts of unexpected avenues. Besides, he's still giving this 'making friends' thing a shot, so...

"I'd say 'or something' is the more accurate assessment. I've assisted the police back home with investigations a fair amount, but never in an official capacity. I suppose you could call me a private investigator."

Finally, he offers out his hand to shake.

"Goro Akechi."

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[ open ] one track mind

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ngl i've been peeking at the other threads bc i've no idea if u have actual set details or not rofl

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the bartender!

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cw: discussion of stalking, murder, torture

cw: discussions of murder by drowning

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