CLOSED PARALOGUE The Evrensel Conflict: Paralogue 2 -- Thieving in Space

LenxKaitoYaoi

Yaoi Queen, Angst Connoisseur
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Luer had mostly just been listening from his seat as the others debated back and forth on this whole situation. He gave a small shake of his head and mostly ignored the obviously drunken man someone addressed as Boyle. Instead his attention was drawn to someone else that spoke up. He crossed his arms, looking down at his lap for a moment as he took in the man's words. That was true, and all the more reason he preferred his bow in hand these days even when just lounging- the last thing he wanted was it to up and disappear. Not that he would consider it something to be found a thrift store. The damn thing was crafted specifically for him, after all.

Another thing surprised him though; Ryan addressed the new voice by name. He knew him? He will have to ask the dragon more about the man later then, since the archer was entirely unaware of who the hell he was. He looked to said dragon when he made his own conclusion on Columbo's words. That made sense, in some way. If there unrest and distrust amongst them (more than already anyway) it could easily cause the whole crew to fall apart. Which could be a problem in the long run.

Either way, he smiled and got up as the others started listening to Ryan. His personal bias aside, Ryan had a point. Aware as he was that there are people here he would prefer not to associate with, the archer also knows the importance of teamwork- and how fragile it can be. With Boyle taken care of and the cat girl agreeing to offer her help, he focused on Columbo as he took lead.

He hummed thoughtfully to himself. Saying he did not have a preference for a team was a lie. He knew he was more observant than anything, investigating to notice things out of place would be easy for him. Though, he also knew if he could convince random people to pay him for sex even underaged, coaxing a truthful alibi out of them should be easy. "Forgive me, Lieutenant, for my personal bias here, but I have no shame in admitting it. I would prefer to work with Ryan on this. So whichever team he goes, I will help." He stated. Honestly, just spending time with Ryan was all he wanted right now, and if he got that in the form of helping catch a thief, well, who knows? It might be fun.
 
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"Alright then. Sounds fine to me." Columbo answered back with a casual tone, since Luer's tone suggested he was making some sort of statement. Rather than just personal preference. "... Are you two not already together?" Columbo then asked as he looked between Ryan and Luer with some confusion.

"What I mean is, I just assumed you two were at least seeing each other, if not already involved. 'Cause I saw how you two came into the bar, and overheard some of your conversation. I didn't mean to pry or anything, you were both just very close to earshot." Columbo clarified, since he wasn't the type to lean into gossip about people's lives... Well, at least off the clock.
 
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All throughout the discussion, Batman's strategic mind was at work. The lieutenant - he's the man in charge, despite his unassuming appearance. Clearly has some sway over the group gathered and his ex-military training might prove useful in a confrontation. Get his trust, or at least his respect.
The dragon-man seemed to retain some degree of leadership, but was eager to hand it over to the lieutenant. Confirms my suspicions about this 'Columbo.'
The Major is unimpressive. Projects the image of authority, without having any in truth. Like Otto, he tries to be the scariest man in the room, but unlike him, Lorne lacks his cool.

When Columbo finished speaking, the Batman stepped forward, cape dragging across the floor as he did so, its mass completely covering him. His movement was almost specter-like, gliding across the floor with no noticeable leg movement. "I can help you," he said to Columbo, careful to make his voice as commanding and deep as possible. Impressions were the key to everything. "This is my field. I want to be on the investigation team - I believe I can do better work there."
 
Ryan Morganyag

Ryan watched with fascination as Columbo spoke with the cat person and Evan. Such an unassuming man, and yet, so charismatic. What's his secret? Regardless of his admiration for the man, Ryan remained focused, glad his words had enough weight behind them. He was happy that he didn't had to use his draconic glare, or something harsher to make people cooperate. "For the love of..." Ryan shook his head as the drunkard was taken out the bar, catching a whiff of Boyle's alcohol aura.

Columbo suggested splitting up and look for clues, while others interviewed suspects. Ryan was about to speak up when Luer popped into the conversation. Caught a bit off guard by Luer's statement, he looked back and forth between Columbo and Luer exchanging words in silence. When they halted, another man stepped in. A mysterious figure in black appeared from the shadows of the bar, or so it seemed. He offered himself to help with investigations, as did the rest interested in helping...

With that in mind, he cleared his throat and jumped back into the fray "I'll take care... Or rather, we will take care of interviewing suspects". Ryan affirmed as he pointed to himself and his dear archer.
 
Initially, the archer nodded when Columbo agreed to his statement. He had felt the need to point out he was not going to go along with being on a separate team from Ryan right now, and he had felt doing so immediately was better than if they were assigned so and he argued it. So when Columbo's question came, Luer tilted his head in his own confusion. Why was that a relevant question?

As the man continued to elaborate the archer's own confusion was not absolved by any means. "W-well yes…" He answered first, his brows knit in thought. They were dating as far as he was concerned and knew. But that still seemed irrelevant at the moment. It was only relevant in the fact he has made it apparent he wanted to be close to the dragon right now.

He looked up for a moment as Batman appeared, giving the strangely dressed man a once over before settling on Ryan when he spoke up after. He smiled rather happily when the man corrected himself and pointed to the both of them. Something about it made his chest flutter. He nodded, taking hold of the hand that pointed at him.
 
"Alright then, think we're all settled then," Columbo told the group, a small smile on his face as he looked at the strange ragtag team of detectives. "Major, if you would," The detective then signaled to Lorne, and with a nod, the Major then lead them out the bar and to their destinations.

----------------------------

THE SCENE OF THE CRIME!



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The Evrensel Detective Agency's™ first stop was to the latest crime scene. Located on the lowest floor of the newly renamed 'suits,' the theft in question was of an electric toothbrush by the resident in the fifth suite. There were ten in total on the floor, five on a lower section of the floor, the other five above them.

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The brutalist architecture of the station made everything look and feel lifeless, with a strong mood of existentialism among many. The lighting was minimal, the shadows long and creeping, and those walking around seemed aimless. They were now being told the multiverse, once a concept to many in their reality, was real, and there was a slim chance of returning home. Lorne's men had done well to close off the area, setting up boundaries to the entrance of the crime scene, but many looked out of it.

Some sat there along the metal stairs pondering, others looked out the corners of their eyes with aggravation or anxiety of those around them. A sense of a fight about ready to break out between two strangers for no reason than the bottled up motions of the insanity of what had become of them. It made figuring out the thefts all the more important if such a feeling turned into rioting and looting, or something much worse.

"Here," Lorn told Batman and Columbo, his men moving aside to let the three pass through. "Our tenant made a complaint about a missing electric toothbrush, believing his neighbor stole it. We haven't searched her place yet, because... Well, you'll see." Once inside, the suite looked more like a workshop than a home. There was a mini-fridge, but there were only oils and lubes inside that needed to be kept cold, and while there was a bed, there was no bathroom, and the bed itself looked like it had never been used. It even had wood shavings on it.

And that wasn't the strangest part of this scene. The resident?

Jimmy Carter.

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"Hello there!" The former president began to say, as he was focusing on measuring a couple blocks of plywood with a ruler. They looked like they had been ripped off from a rowboat. "You must be the men I was told to meet with. I'm Jimmy Carter," he raised up his hand to shake theirs.

Columbo was in awe. "....... Uhh....." He had such a dumbfounded look on his face, before it turned into a big smile of disblief. "You're.... Jimmy Carter...."

"....YYYYes I am," Carter confirmed.

".... Current President, Jimmy Carter." He was still in office in Columbo's world.

"Former in my world. I've been out the white house for the last two years now, to the best of my memory." Carter explained.

Still dumbfounded, he put a hand over his forehead and wasn't sure what to say for the next few seconds. ".... I'll be a son of a gun," finally, he shook Carter's hand, "It's a pleasure to meet you sir!" He shook it vigorously, using both hands, as his smile seemed to grow even bigger. "A absolute pleasure, my wife just adores you!"

"Oh, why thank you." Carter took the compliment in stride, smiling back to Columbo, even as the detective's handshake began to go on perhaps a bit too long.

"I tell ya, whenever I get back to her, she'll get an absolute kick outta this. Everyone she knows down at the beauty saloon constantly talked about how all politicians are crooks, and after Nixon, they were never gonna vote again. But my wife, she says to them, 'if all politicians were crooks, how come you have men like Carter?'" Columbo continued to say to the man, finally letting go of his hand, "She got the girls all wound up and come voting season, she convinced them all to vote again."

"She sounds like a lively woman to be with," Carter complimented.

"Oh, she's one of a kind." Batman and co were pretty much put into the background by how much glad handing Columbo was doing with Carter.

The room was impeccably well organized. There was wood dust and shaving on the floor, but each of the tool racks were kept well organized and very well clean, especially with how quickly the former president moved into the room. The room also felt colder than outside in the large hallway, like there was a draft that lowered temp by several degrees. Besides the fridge, nothing else with an electric pulse was emitting anything cold.

There was also no food in any of the cabinets, nor drink. Or anything that had running tap water. Just tools and appliances for crafting. Along with various pieces of wood and metal gathered together for whatever crafting the president would make.​
 
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The fact that part of the corridor was blocked off, well that was enough to indeed attract some somewhat unwanted attention. The beings here have little else, and so any sort of out of the ususal droll of daily existence is welcome.
"A thief?"
"Someone shot?"
"…tried to escape…"
"garbage all over!"
The murmurings of the crowd is low (as murmuring usually is), hushed. None really want to get involved, most just don't want to be here period. The air is electric, that unspoken tension just hanging there. But there is at least one that seems ignorant of such things.
++I saw it all++ the voice has a faint mechanical edge to it. It had come from the open door to the suite, and the originator of the voice half standing in the doorway. Her head tilts to one side as she stares in, a single green throbbing light moving along those gathered. Her 'eye' perhaps. Her height seems to be about 8feet, her skin shimmering gently in what light is offered. She now steps more into the room, despite the others attempting to move her away. She pushes their hands off of her effortlessly, though they had no want to hurt her and so didn't go all in with dragging her away. She points towards the President and speaks once more. ++I happen to have seen the whole thing. Cor-tar's device, gone! Thieves dissapearing into the dark!++
She exclaims dramatically, her hands thrown up as if to accenuate her point.
 
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Before the robot came, Batman had been both quick, and subtle. While Columbo drew the former president's attention, the detective scanned his workspace, and more notably, the wood. He looked for any markings, before snapping up a few errant splinters and placing them in a small plastic bag, which he then inserted into his utility belt. His hand then drew a notepad and a slick black pen.
'Carter's office - covered in wood shavings. Unsurprising. The house looks otherwise untouched, almost uninhabited. Carter is two years out of office. Strange chill.'

He flipped back to the page he had dedicated to Columbo. 'The lieutenant is good at his job. Earning the trust of Carter and establishing some form of familiarity. Getting ready to interrogate Carter without the president even knowing it.'
The dark knight turned his attention to Carter to ask a question, but the robot appeared first. "Can you show us?" Cor-tar. Does she mean Carter, or a new third party?
 

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After the hole in her memory Reegan had woken up on top of a heap of moldering debris. The last thing she remembered was being in skyrim again looking for the dragonborn and something about a space station they had to attack. The time on skyrim had let her focus on her self and growth so she could channel the reaper more properly. It separated her abilities, but the people on the station seemed more concerned that she appeared from a door walking about after shedding her armor. After tying the armor into a bundle with ropes of her hair was headed up to see a carpenter to drop the armor off. It was ironwood after all and could still be useful and shaped. The humans insisted she wear some clothing though and provided a nice dress roughly her size in some soft flexible material.

She arrives in a long dark purple cut-out dress that draws the eyes of security as she walks barefoot toward them the amber eyes fixated on someone who knew what they were doing. The dress was thick but smooth, so it could flex around her form if she needed to regrow her armor underneath it.

When she told them she was looking for the carpenter to give him some ironwood they didn't seem surprised and as another talked on the radio looked mostly upward toward the reaper's seven-foot stature as she just replied with a smile. They stammered momentarily as she reached down and tapped one on the temple with her finger since they seemed stuck. That got them moving as she was led like the others through halls filled with worry and embers of growing anger. Something was stirring on the station but she didn't know what. In passing one just staring at the floor vacant and lifeless she broke off a sprig of her long white-belled stems for hair and gave it to them as she passed. Something not quite so cold for them to look at that wouldn't wither quickly.

The faint scent of petrichor and lily of the valley rounded the door as the long strings of white bells swung to one side for Reegan to lean into view at the doorway behind the robot still larger than herself. Though one section of her hair had a slowly advancing shoots of fresh green as they regrew. As the rest were already talking, the dark olive hand of Reegan waved at batman and the others waiting politely so she didn't interrupt.
 
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Kaathe Oolacile, Dark Elf

Fate was laughing at him, and he knew it. The Dark Elf known as Kaathe had been thrown into a foreign place. He had been locked in an unknown prison. He had been mysteriously freed and watched as other strangers ran off and either killed each other, got killed by something else, or generally panicked and got lost somewhere. Amidst this chaos, the dark elf simply walked about. He wandered, he rested, he watched as fate played with its toys, including himself. Eventually he would find his effects, and continue his wandering through the metal labyrinth everyone had found themselves trapped in.

Today was different from the other days he spent. This day, he found that someone had stolen his hairband. Normally this would simply be an annoyance, but as it turns out, many people seemed to have an.... admiration of his appearance. He found individuals of many kinds attempting to woo him into a moment or two of carnal pleasure. He did not appreciate their advances, and they did not appreciate him paying them no mind. Some even attempted to grab him in a fit of both lust and anger. Kaathe was too fast for them. As he ran, his thoughts found that what was supposed to be a mere annoyance, had become a hinderance to his search for a way back. So, accepting the challenge that fate had given, Kaathe refocused his efforts onto findhis the one who stole his hairband.

Eventually, Kaathe would encounter a group of... strange people. Their appearances and clothing, and even species were almost completely foreign to him. Still, after eavesdropping on them for a moment, he found that thy too were victims of theft. Perhaps there was a petty thief. To steal from such bizarre characters... This thief must be bizarre as well. Perhaps they would be up to the task. After all, they all seem but a moment away from noticing his hidden presence.

Kaathe did not make a sound as he approached the group. He spoke not a word as he joined their little party, and he hoped that none of them would mind his participation. Kaathe's appearance was beautiful. His long hair was silky and silver-white. His skin was smooth and filled with a vitality. His beauty was such that he looked like a woman. This beauty was what attracted so many people to him earlier, and was even the reason they attempted to have their way with him. He somehow believed that even if they found out he was male, they would overlook this to sate their lust for a beautiful partner.
 
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After the hole in her memory Reegan had woken up on top of a heap of moldering debris. The last thing she remembered was being in skyrim again looking for the dragonborn and something about a space station they had to attack. The time on skyrim had let her focus on her self and growth so she could channel the reaper more properly. It separated her abilities, but the people on the station seemed more concerned that she appeared from a door walking about after shedding her armor. After tying the armor into a bundle with ropes of her hair was headed up to see a carpenter to drop the armor off. It was ironwood after all and could still be useful and shaped. The humans insisted she wear some clothing though and provided a nice dress roughly her size in some soft flexible material.

She arrives in a long dark purple cut-out dress that draws the eyes of security as she walks barefoot toward them the amber eyes fixated on someone who knew what they were doing. The dress was thick but smooth, so it could flex around her form if she needed to regrow her armor underneath it.

When she told them she was looking for the carpenter to give him some ironwood they didn't seem surprised and as another talked on the radio looked mostly upward toward the reaper's seven-foot stature as she just replied with a smile. They stammered momentarily as she reached down and tapped one on the temple with her finger since they seemed stuck. That got them moving as she was led like the others through halls filled with worry and embers of growing anger. Something was stirring on the station but she didn't know what. In passing one just staring at the floor vacant and lifeless she broke off a sprig of her long white-belled stems for hair and gave it to them as she passed. Something not quite so cold for them to look at that wouldn't wither quickly.

The faint scent of petrichor and lily of the valley rounded the door as the long strings of white bells swung to one side for Reegan to lean into view at the doorway behind the robot still larger than herself. Though one section of her hair had a slowly advancing shoots of fresh green as they regrew. As the rest were already talking, the dark olive hand of Reegan waved at batman and the others waiting politely so she didn't interrupt.
"Ahhh, wonderful!" Carter, not really caring to listen to his neighbor's continuous ramblings, made his way over to Reegan to grab the Ironwood she produced. "Thank you very much, Miss Reegan." The President thanked, before moving over to one of the empty walls in his workshop.

Columbo, as Batman spoke to the strange robot, was ever more baffled by the sight of the plant lady. "You know this thing, Mr. President?" Columbo asked Carter, looking back and forth between Reegan and Carter with total surprise on his face. As if seeing all the other aliens and robots on this station didn't already make him feel out of place, now there were walking trees.

"Indeed I do, detective," the President told Columbo, before feeling his hand over the empty wall he walked towards. He always forgot where the 'sweet' spot was, and found it after a few moments searching; giving the wall a slap where two panels met together.

Suddenly, the whole wall opened up, and another section of the workshop opened up. This one was like a storage closet full of materials, from planks of wood neatly organized in piles, to a large pile of metal junk, to even some rolled up pieces of cloth from discarded clothing. It was the size of a living room, but didn't look quite as well put together as the rest of Carter's workshop. "Miss Reegan and a few others have been helping me gather all sorts of stuff from around the station. I'm hoping to use it to make some furniture for people, like beds or wardrobes. If I can't lead the free people of the US, I might as well put my other skills in practice." Carter explained to the team, placing the Ironwood in its own pile.

"That's very kind of you, Mr. President." Columbo told him back, looking around the space.

"Please, call me Jimmy." The president told him, removing his jacket to wipe off the dust.

"Oh no, I-I wouldn't feel right about that, sir." Columbo explained to him. "Would it be okay with you if I called you Mr. Carter instead?"

"That'd be fine with me," Carter answered.

"Thank you, Mr. Carter." As Columbo spoke, he noticed finally Kaathe entering the room. Who the hell was letting in all these people, did they not have guards at the front door to the PRESIDENT? "..... Can I help you, ma'am?" Columbo asked the feminine looking male Dark Elf.
 
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The odd looking robot looks between all of those gathered here, and she nods rapidly. ++Show you? Oh of course!++ The man clad in the dark suit and the cape is the one addressing her, and she nods once more. ++Cor-Tar++ she motions to the president ++Will get bored with talking to them soon, and then he will want to help us hunt those villains!++ She motions Batman to follow, and she walks in the exact direction they came from. ++They went this way, they did they did. There were 6 of them. All about as tall as me. And covered in fur.++ She looks towards the dark detective as she leads the way. ++I can nullify them if need be. I could nullify you, too if I need to.++ She nods once more.
@Apothecary Bruce
 
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Reegan reached out with the bundle as Carter came to take the armor plating wrapped with the thick vines of her white-belled flower hair. The wood slightly numbed to the touch but never seemed to get to frostbite. Despite the hardness, it wasn't heavy and didn't make a clang when put down as much as a soft clunk.

She looked at Carter as he opened the workshop, "I wondered where you kept all your tools, Jimmy. It's good to see all the remnants go to good use."

"Everyone passes through the tree of life eventually," She looked to Colombo, "I'm one of the last ones who would call your name. I'm here to help the cycle to turn. It's not just the purpose to end."

She looks aside at the robot, "Well, maybe only if you ever eventually need us. If you know where thieves are, I'd prefer you don't needlessly break cycles for petty thievery."
 
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