Easthaven Brewery Crime and Punishment

[Alexius]

Fit

Alex felt the surge of fear.

It stirred his hunger but not enough to drive him mad for it. The spike was intense and then little more than a sad lingering pulse. He moved through the dull running paint colors of the world he saw, each step moving him through one image to another. Each step closer to that spike of fear than the last. A dozen steps and Alex was next to the washed out van gogh-esque image of... an alleyway he thought. He moved closer and a person formed in front of him, the figure blurry and hunched over the ground. Alex thought about himself, imagining a overcoat with a nice color to contrast the night and a decent shirt, something with stripes. His own image became more solid before he knelt next to the hunched figure, a man by looks.

“Hey there.” he said, his voice echoing as if through a tunnel. The figure looked up.

It was grim.

Broken jaw and a mass of blood.

This was another ghost. One crying over his own death and not even able to speak about it. Its jaw waggled but no sound came out. Alex frowned and tried to see more of the ghost but it was all... too much of what the man had been. Bits of his life, his tastes, his preferences. Alex looked into the ghosts eyes and just nodded a bit. “I'll see what I can do.” he simply said. Then he stood and looked around. In the time he'd spoken with the spirit the painting of the world around him had drastically shifted.

No longer a dreary alleyway it was now a crime scene. Yellow tape marked the entrance to the alleyway and lights illuminated the area, where little yellow cards with different numbers marked exactly where everything was. Even then, it didn't look like too many detectives were paying too much attention. It should be fine.

Alex focused on the world, the cold air, the sound of sirens, the flash of lights. The feeling of being close to those who were alive. In a snap he was there. In the alleyway. Visible. Physical. Still very dead.

Alex crouched down and started to look at what the cops at marked on the scene... the scene of a man who appeared to have been murdered with a lead pipe, his face bashed in.

Alex has manifested DC2

[Lavender Wise]

It was late in the Lower Fens and everything, including the Easthaven Brewery, was shut down for the night. For all she knew, something was busy fermenting behind those walls, but that did not affect her or impact what she had to do.

Livvy paused outside the yellow tape, holding a take-out cardboard cup of black coffee, and slowly turned in a full circle, taking in the surroundings and the various paths to and from the alley on this end. Lots of places people could hide, lots of places people could run and they would not have to run very far to completely separate themselves from the crime scene. When she was facing the yellow tape again, she looked at her new partner. This would be their first case together and would give them an opportunity to learn their strengths and weaknesses when it came to investigating. That was the positive.

The negative was the life that had been taken, requiring them to have this job and be at the mouth of an alley, at eleven o'clock at night, while a windy January stirred small pinwheels of last year's leaves across the pavement. It was a full moon, too. That's when the crazies usually emerged.

“Well,” she said to her partner. “Guess we might as well dive in, Reyes.”

[Emily Reyes]

Detectives Wise and Reyes had the unenviable duty of being the detectives on-call that week, which meant they were out here near midnight. Like with all things, Emily approached this new case with her usual thorough stoicism. While Wise took a look around the entryway to the alley, Emily went over the initial police report, and the investigators on scene, trying to get a sense of what to expect and how to plan the course of the investigation. It was sure to be something ugly, but she was getting used to really ugly things these days. There weren't a lot of things that could shock her anymore.

Wise pulled her from her notetaking and she looked up, nodding. The rings on her left hand clicked on the side of clipboard as she tucked it under her arm. In the same motion, she checked under her coat for her maglight and a pair of latex gloves.

“Right, let's go,” she sighed, pulling on the gloves and then checking the watch on her slender wrist. “Time is... twenty-three oh one.” Then she glanced down the alleyway, spying a tall man in civilian garb, crouching next to the markers on the ground. “Is that a witness? Has anyone talked to him yet?”

[Alexius]

Alex moved from one object to the next.

A wallet tossed to the side... a mugging gone wrong? No. Don't draw any conclusions yet. He moved over a bit and looked at a few other things. A smashed bottle that may or may not be tied to this or just part of the alleyway. A cigarette butt. The outline of the body that had yet to be moved. Alex moved in a crouching walk as he angled himself around the small space to look at it from different points. He didn't touch anything, but that was more due to his own nature than any respect for the crime scene in place. His eyes went to the tossed wallet, it looked too thin to have much in it, then he glanced back at the body. A wedding ring and watch on the left arm. A small silver cross necklace around the neck. For a mugging those were obvious things to leave behind? Alex wondered if it had gone south, a mugging turned murder.

The alleyway stank of fear, but nothing that compared to that first spike that drew him in.

In his effort to examine the scene, the spirit didn't see the two detectives. Too used to passing by unseen, to ignoring those that didn't call out to him in some way or another. Too used to hunting instead of sleuthing. Alex put a hand to his chin, as he had often seen an old burnt out PI do in dreams, and tried to fit the scene together. How did the spirit he saw come to be from this mangled corpse. Why wasn't there more fear if it was a mugging or even a fight. Did the victim not fear for their life until the very end? Was that normal? Alex hadn't been alive in so long the idea seemed alien, he could only guess from observations when someone should or shouldn't fear for their life. Then again... part of him was intimately familiar with how people reacted to fear.

He frowned having trouble with the scene.

[Lavender Wise]

Reyes had been flipping through the reports on her clipboard and was now getting ready to approach the scene. While she was talking and pulling on her gloves, Livvy bit lightly into the rim and lid of her cup and held it there while she fiddled with her own latex gloves. She was not a fan of them, as she found them awkward to pull on and doubly so to get off, since you really did not want to touch the exterior when you were done with a crime scene.

She tugged the last finger into place and snapped the glove against her wrist. Grabbing her cup with one hand, she wiggled her jaw from side to side to relieve the bit of tension that had built while she was hold her cup of coffee in her mouth. When Reyes said something about a witness, Livvy looked into the alley. Surprised to see someone who was not immediately recognizable as a member of the Force roaming around the markers, she said, “Nobody told me there was a witness.”

Livvy ducked under the yellow tape and walked calmly toward the mouth of the alley as if she was approaching a neighbour. “Hey,” she called out, not rudely but just to get his attention. They did not have the facts yet and yelling right out of the gate at a scene was not her style unless she had due cause. “Hey, guy in the pink coat. What're y'all doin'?”

[Emily Reyes]

Emily's first thought had to be witness because it boggled the mind to think that a civilian would just wander into a crime scene and start fiddling. Witness, a plain clothes, or maybe even a PI. Hell, Exchange, if it really came down to it. All of these were options, but when Wise seemed just as surprised as her, Emily raised both eyebrows in mild alarm.

With a lot of personnel around, they weren't in any danger, but this guy could be tampering with valuable evidence. Following her partner past the tape, Emily fixed the man with a shrewd look, taking in his long rose-colored coat. Eccentric and certainly out of place. Rather than voice her theories on him with a question, and potentially muddy the waters, she left the floor to Livvy, noting the time once again for their notes.

[Alexius]

Alex did a crouching quarter turn as he tried to get a different side of the scene, only to realize that someone was talking to him. His eyebrows knit together as if he was considering how to speak... which is what he was doing. He knew how but... ah he was putting too much thought into it. He stayed crouched next to everything as he looked back up to the two. Both women. Both of similar height.

Based on line of sight alone they must have been? What? nine or ten feet tall? That was-

Alex realized he was still crouching and stood up suddenly, putting him above the two women. Yes, this made more sense. They were probably around five and a half feet. Both thin and in good shape. Good enough to beat a man to death with a lead pipe? Maybe but it seemed unlikely they would just wander back into the alley if that was the case. Probably not good suspects for this case then. Why were they here though? Alex's eyes glanced past the girls to the yellow police tape, they must have walked right under it. Civilians shouldn't do things like that but the two seemed perfectly unconcerned.

Deduction? They were supposed to be there. At least that was his gut feeling.

Not that he had guts anymore.

Alex realized he had been silent for a very long time. Awkwardly so as he looked at them and around and back at them. He coughed into his hand feeling awkward, though the cough made no sound. He centered himself, trying to feel as much like a person as he could before speaking again. “Hi there. I am trying to help someone.” he said. His voice came out clear... but quiet. The ladies would have little means to know he was trying to speak as loudly as he could. The real world just seemed to always try to devour his voice no matter how hard he tried to speak.

He suspected it was a remnant of his other side leaking between the two of them.

[Lavender Wise]

Livvy had a sip of her coffee as she approached the alley, her eyes never leaving the man, who stood and seemed to acknowledge her. His lips moved, but she did not hear anything he might be saying. She glanced over her shoulder to make eye contact with her partner and paused just outside the alley.

Looking back to the man, she said, “Sorry, Ah didn't catch that. What'd y'all say?” She could not see any visible weapons, so that was something. “He doesn't seem to be armed.” This was said quietly to Reyes as she stepped up beside her. “Thoughts?” Livvy considered Reyes to be the senior partner, but felt comfortable speaking up.

[Emily Reyes]

In the intervening time between their question and the man's answer, Emily grew more and more convinced that he was not meant to be here. When Livvy glanced back at her, she shook her head, a sign that said 'not buying it'.

Finally, when he spoke, it was barely audible, but Emily caught some of it from watching his lips. Trying to help someone? He looked serious about it, but between his sudden appearance and his strange outfit, she shook her head again when Wise approached her. “Shellshock, maybe? Maybe he knew the victim.” Raising her voice, she gestured him over to them. “Sir, come on over here. We might have a few questions for you.”

[Alexius]

Alex watched the two women talking, one of them seemed to be mostly ignoring him in deference to the other one. A commanding officer? No that was the military wasn't it? Superior? Regardless they mostly seemed interesting in looking at him instead of the crime scene which seemed pretty odd to the phantom investigator (PI, get it? Ba dum tsk). He was pretty sure he was audible right now so they must have heard him. Oh, maybe they were deaf! No, that made no sense they were talking to each other just fine. As Alex considered things one of them gestured and asked to speak with him.

Before he moved, Alex sniffed at the air not unlike a dog.

All he could sense though was the stale peak of fear from before. These women were not afraid of him. Which was good. He smiled nicely for them as he walked over. He felt tall next to them, and right away started hunching and slouching a bit so that he was slightly more on eye level with them. He spoke, again trying to be as loud as he could and only managing to speak softly. “Hello. What can I do for you?” he asked, pleased to get to enjoy a polite conversation in the middle of this investigation. Oh, he hoped the victim didn't get mad waiting on the other side.

[Lavender Wise]

Livvy watched the man's reaction closely and wondered why he was hesitating to emerge from the alley. She hoped it had nothing to do with concealing evidence or stashing a weapon. Was he... sniffing the air? Livvy sniffed, too, but could discern nothing much beyond vehicle fumes and the smell of her coffee.

When he finally walked toward them, his height became apparent and so did the rest of his colourful outfit. He was at least a foot taller than her and Reyes, but then he slouched, so perhaps he was self-conscious about his height? They had to study the alley, but getting this man sorted first was necessary. He was smiling and spoke so quietly, it was almost as if he was apologizing for being tall.

“Hello,” Livvy said. Reyes would probably take the lead for questions, but she could ask an obvious one. “What're y'all doin' in the alley?” She nearly added that it was a crime scene, but the word 'duh' came to mind and she decided not to insult his intelligence until proven otherwise.

[Emily Reyes]

Emily wasn't thinking about seniority, even if it was true, but she was aware that she knew the procedures and culture of the Easthaven PD better than Wise. That was just natural, having been there as long as she had.

Her partner was asking the reasonable pertinent questions, however, so she saw no reason to interrupt. Rather, she lifted the clipboard into a writing position and started taking notes in skilled shorthand. She noted down the time and the interloper's description. Her pen paused and she looked up, awaiting the man's answer.

[Alexius]

Alex did his best not to loom over the two women and to look friendly.

He was a thin man with a young face. The two women were paying attention to him, which was nice. It made him feel, well not alive but something close. The first greeted him, she had a fun accent that Alex liked, and asked what he was doing here. The other woman held up a little clipboard and started taking notes. Alex liked that, the idea of taking small notes felt very appropriate. Even as he thought it he felt the shift in weight as something formed in his pocket. A small black notebook and pen. He held up a finger as if asking the two women to wait then pulled his coat over in front of himself so they could see he was reaching carefully into his pocket. From the outside it probably looked like he was putting on a show so the women didn't think he was going for a gun or weapon.

In truth he had never actually used his coat pocket before and wasn't sure how deep it was or what angle it fell at. Likely whatever depth or angle he wanted considering it wasn't a real coat anyway but he was very curious to find out. He dug in and found it exactly as deep as he had expected and a perfectly straight drop, perfect for holding a notebook. A second later he slowly pulled out a small black book, worn from years of use, with a pen fit inside the spine that left just enough space for it. All black and grey, even the pages looked to have been dyed that soft grey. Alex immediately loved it as it reminded him of the black and white detective stories some people dreamed of.

He flipped open the book but it was all empty, and taking out the pen he started to make notes too.
Crime scene.
Man murdered.
Very little fear
Not a mugging.
Met Two women. (Police?)
Made a notebook.

Then he looked back up remembering the two. He smiled again as he spoke, his whisper soft voice coming out a touch clearly this time- that seemed to happen when he felt more like a person. “I already said. I am here to help someone.”

[Lavender Wise]

For reasons she could not quite identify, Livvy did not tense when the man reached into a coat pocket. It likely had something to do with the fact he was deliberately telegraphing that he was reaching for something, thus avoiding any misunderstandings about what the pocket contained. He pulled out a small black notebook and a pen. He seemed delighted to find it there, which was a little odd, but then he started to write in it, as if Reyes and her were not waiting for his answer.

Ohhh-kay...

She gave a side-look to Reyes, who was all set for taking notes, before returning to regard the man. “Y'all might've said that, but we couldn't hear you. Thanks for repeatin' it. Who needs helpin'?”

[Emily Reyes]

Here to help someone... Emily lifted an eyebrow, openly skeptical as she noted this down. It wasn't an act--what was Pink Jacket going to do in the middle of a crime scene to help? He already seemed like he was out of his head between his demeanor and the way he regarded the notebook he pulled from his jacket.

“And do you have any identification?” Emily followed up, not expecting a proper answer, but covering her bases anyway.

[Alexius]

Alex frowned when the woman said she hadn't be able to hear him. That made him feel... anxious. But they were hearing him now so that was good. Proper.

Then came the question of who hebwas helping. Alex glanced back over to where he had talked to the spirit but it was gone- probably just wandered. Didn't feel the type to just move on that fast.

Turning his gaze further, Alex pointed at the body in the ground. “Him.” the ghost said. “Told him I'd see what I could do.” Alex said. The tensing of his neck muscles as he loudly spoke didn't match the quiet, though admittedly louder than before, tone if his voice.

The question if ID threw him and he seemed to seriously consider it. Did he have ID? Alex made a show if searching his pocket again when his hand closed on something thick and wallet sized.

He pulled out a black flip badge, throwing it open with a wrist movement to see his own image. It looked like it had been taken just a moment ago, even the alleyway was in the background. It had his name: Alex Shudder. Everything else though? At a glance it was covered in the proper writing but the closer you looked the more blurry the letters and numbers were.

Alex turned the badge around, where the women would be able to see it, then he pulled a business card from the back of the flip badge holder. A plain white card with black times new Roman lettering. It simply said Alex Shudder.

He offered the card to the women, unsure if they'd even be able to hold it or if it would vanish the moment it was out of his immediate grasp.

[Lavender Wise]

Livvy had an uneasy feeling about this encounter. She did not feel threatened, it wasn't that, it was just so very... odd. All she and Reyes had to do to fit in with this man's impersonation of Charlie Chaplin was get a police wagon, some old-fashioned hats and a truncheon each: the Keystone Cops.

When he rummaged in his coat pocket again and pulled out a badge, she wondered what else he had in there. The identification itself was unclear. As in, no matter how hard she tried to bring the words into focus, she couldn't seem to be able to read them properly. She managed to understand it indicated some sort of authority, but that was it.

Livvy accepted the card he offered and read the name. Though the paper looked like usual card stock, the weight of it was more like a receipt from a grocery store.

“Okay, Mr. Alex Shudder, so, for the record, y'all told the man... in the alley... that you'd see what you could do?” She passed the card to Reyes. “He's the one y'all wanted to help, right?”

[Emily Reyes]

Once again, the strange man--Alex Shudder--went digging around in his jacket, seemingly confused at being asked for his identification. Emily felt a bite of impatience, but didn't let it show, maintaining her professional veneer. By now, she was worried this clown had tampered with the crime scene.

Then, when she saw his badge and the way his name and information seemed to squiggle in and out of focus, she was sure he was taking them for a ride. He couldn't even get a good printer for his fake ID? Who had let him into the crime scene to begin with? When this conversation was over, Emily was about to make herself momentarily unpopular with her fellow officers, but she wasn't known for being soft around the office.

In the meantime, she took the man's business card and placed it on top of the clipboard, looking it over. More of the same nonsense. It felt strange, a little weightless, but blunted to magic like she was, Emily attributed that to the type of paper first before anything supernatural. Rather than say anything, she continued to let Wise lead the conversation, ready to take his response down since it was on record.

[Alexius]

Alex was pleased to see them look at his card and place it with other information. It made him feel very official which was nice. The one woman kept talking to him so he focused on her for now.

Alex looked back at the man on the ground and nodded. “He was scared... yes. I told him I would help him.” he said. His voice was the clearest it had been yet.

He turned back to the women as a thought came to him. “You two are police right? Is this a team up?” he seemed genuinely excited and his voice was finally at a normal audible range and it didn't look like he was trying to shout anymore.

He smiled at the two ladies. “We should compare notes. I don't have many yet but I will I promise.”

[Lavender Wise]

Alex Shudder finally said something they could understand. Not only was it a coherent but she could hear him. Reyes seemed content to continue recording their conversation, which was fine.

“Yes, we're with the EPD,” Livvy assured him. It was the least complicated of the things he was saying. She didn't know what he meant by a 'team up'. This wasn't the Super Friends.

“Okay, we'll compare notes later, but right now Ah wanna hear more about why this man was scared and why y'all was here to help him...”

[Emily Reyes]

On paper, this man was starting to sound less like an investigator and more like a Good Samaritan. Perhaps an extremely confused one, but his insistence that he was here to help painted a solid enough picture. At least, without any knowledge of the supernatural.

Shudder went on and Wise circled back the main point. For her part, Emily wanted to know why this man hadn’t been processed as a witness yet.

“You found the victim while he was alive?” Emily pressed, a look of sympathy alighting on her face. Did that explain his erratic behavior?

[Alexius]

They did want to compare notes. Oh brilliant. Just like normal detectives. He felt rather human over this whole ordeal and it was reflected in several small details on his person- many of which too fine for a mundane mortal to note. He had a touch more mass and weight, his clothes moved more smoothly with the wind and air around him, he even started to give off a slight scent. Nothing out of the ordinary for a perfectly normal human, which Alex almost was. He was very much enjoying his talk with the two women.

They wanted to know information though, pooling resources right? Alex was pretty sure that was the term. He nodded happy for the help in solving this one.

“I don't know why he was scared, just that he was. Briefly. Just before he died.” Alex explained, trying to skirt around the details of how he knew that since it would ruin this warm fuzzy feeling of humanity he was enjoying.

“And I'm helping because I told him I would.” Alex explained, his tone implying it was the most reasonable thing and completely beyond further scrutiny. Then came the big question, found the victim while he was still alive. Ah, that would have been nice because he could have tried to save him. Some of the life, those little unnoticeable, slipped away from him and his voice grew slightly softer in volume. “No. He was already dead. I think he's moved on by now.” Alex explained, his eyes scanning around them briefly just to be sure.

“His mouth was already a mess too, so he wasn't able to tell me anything. I should make a note of that.” Alex said. Even as he considered the the letters blurred onto his notepad out of sight.

Victim unable to express who his killer was due to injuries.

[Lavender Wise]

Livvy listened attentively and watched the facial expressions and body language of Mr. Shudder. He was very animated and very interested in the whole process of being at a crime scene. She felt he genuinely wanted to help, saw no reason why he shouldn't wander beyond the yellow caution tape like he belonged.

And just about everything he had told them indicated he might have recently escaped from an honest-to-gosh asylum.

“Well, okey-doke,” Livvy said with a smile. She gave Reyes a quick look before she continued, sounding quite reasonable. “We want to make sure we understand what y'all's sayin' here, so let me just summarize.” She took a breath. “You know he was scared when he died, but he was already dead when you found him. You told the dead guy you'd help, I guess, avenge him, sort of help, because with him bein' dead an' all, there wasn't much else to do.”

Livvy was not going to go into the part where the dead man was unable to tell this guy anything because he was dead, and the condition of his mouth wouldn't make a damn bit of difference.

[Emily Reyes]

Cinder Activate pumpkin charm, true sight, extraordinary success

With the way the man was going on, he was making himself a suspect in the worst way. Understanding the man’s fear before he died was a special kind of gruesome, and that along with saying he would help him… Emily was in agreement with Wise without having to say so. The man sounded insane.

Wise’s summary laid the insanity out plainly and Emily felt bad for the guy. They’d have to process him, see if he could get a lawyer, and then let the system sort him out. Unless…

Speaking to the dead was not entirely beyond the realm of possibility for Emily anymore. There was no harm in making sure she knew what she was dealing with.

After carefully writing everything down, the woman shifted about in her pockets, slipping her fingers into the little pouch of baubles she kept. Picking the one she wanted by feel, she sparked it like she did one of her charms. The pumpkin bauble dissolved into nothing and the magic zipped up her fingers.

It had not been wise to try this out without practice, but the glimpse Emily received of the world, bright and glimmering with the veil stripped away gave her what she needed. Alex Shudder was absolutely soaked in magic. The witch felt like she might puke, her eyes swimming with color, and she was silent for a few seconds as she recovered. She pretended to be reading her notes.

This explained quite a lot. To the mundane ear, his testimony lacked context. With what she knew now, things started to fall into place. Although she couldn’t begin to say who or what Alex was, he clearly had insight they didn’t. She just needed to conduct this in a way that didn’t have Wise thinking she was as mad as Alex, and find ways to look for admissible evidence with their new information stream.

Emily smiled at Alex, this time a little warmer. It was easier when she understood more, although she was still professional and somewhat wary. He might not be crazy, but she didn’t know what he was instead. “He’s not around? I know his mouth wasn’t working, but was he able to point at anything?” Glancing at Wise, she nodded. If anything, Emily hoped she just looked like she was playing along, greasing the wheels, although she was completely earnest in her questioning.

[Alexius]

Alex nodded along with the detectives run down of events, though he paused on the word avenge. Frowning he held up a finger. “I just said I would try and help. I don't know if avenging would actually do that so I'd rather not use that word.” he explained. A sensible enough request when one was bound to do as they promised.

The other detective asked if the spirit had pointed to anything and Shudder shook his head. “I think he was too new... too mixed up from the transition. He just looked... sad I think.” Alex explained.

He'd seen a few brand new ghosts, and when they died bad they were usually a confused mess. He wondered if his other half was like that too. The fact that neither could remember their beginning likely pointed to yes.

Turned half-way away from the women he pointed at the crime scene. “The wallet is tossed aside, but the victim's jewlery and watch are still there. Might be prints in the wallet, I don't have anything to check.” he said. He wondered briefly how other detective took prints... he'd have to look into that later.

“That fear too... it was a sharp spike at the end. It's how people normally feel if they're in a struggle... I think he was surprised.” Alex said, his eyes lingering on the corpse as a tinge of yellow filled his gaze.

[Lavender Wise]

Reyes decided to join in the questioning. Livvy noticed the nod and look, genuinely curious at the direction her partner was taking the conversation. It was similar to the one they were already on - forward, with a hint of crazy. The questions were two in number and simple to answer: was the ghost still around and did he point to anything? The answers seemed to be 'no' and 'no', though the detail of him being 'too new' was unusual. Prints on the wallet, that would be processed, but the fear...

This guy isn't the killer, right...?

She thought the man's comment on the word 'avenge' was interesting, insightful, even. Why had she chosen that word? To make sense of why someone would want to help a person who had allegedly been killed? The old 'I-swear-I'll-find-who-did-this-and-they-will-pay' scenario.

Livvy decided to join the crazy and asked, “Sadness, fear and surprise. Okay, do you think he was surprised that he should die so soon or surprised that whoever killed him was someone he knew?”

Perhaps all these questions should be asked back at the station, but they had not seen the crime scene yet. Livvy wanted to complete their tasks here before leaving, and if that meant speaking with Mr. Shudder now, so be it.

[Emily Reyes]

Emily followed Shudder's glance back to the body, and then cut a look at his face. Keyed into the moment and hyperaware of the details, she caught the way his eyes started to shift. She didn't know what to make of it--it could've even been a trick of the light, but with the information she was slowly collecting, she decided she couldn't ignore it.

And something about it was unnerving--she was blunt to magic, but she still knew her gut. She rubbed her thumb across the middle ring on her hand, feeling the runes on its inner curve press into her skin. “And... you could just... sense these things?” she added onto Wise's question.

It wasn't such a wild proposition or question, Emily thought. People claimed to be empaths or psychic or spiritually sensitive all the time. This might be that or something similar.

[Alexius]

Alex kept watching the body for a long moment before looking back to the two detectives. Theybwere still taking notes and that was good. His own notebook was slowly filling with small observations he had never actually written down.

The first detective, he frowned a bit not liking the idea of thinking of them in terms of first and second. His nastier half would have thought of them in terms of their fear but Alex wanted a more human touch.

Regardless, the first detective asked about the nature of the fear. The specific flavors of it... Alex glanced back at the body as he considered the idea. “I could.... maybe find out. But I would rather focus on the physical evidence.” he said honestly. Feeding on the fear to learn it would only make him... hungry.

As for the second detectives follow up. Well that was an easy answer. “Yes.” he said matter of factly. Then changing track quickly he looked back to the women. “What can I call the two of you?” he asked.

[Lavender Wise]

Livvy slid her partner another side-look, wondering where she was taking them with this question. If Mr. Shudder thought he was 'sensing' emotions from the victim and the woman beside her was following that 'lead', then there was something decidedly whoo-whoo going on.

It wouldn't be the first time, but it would be the first time in her capacity as a detective with the EPD. And she was learning something new about -

“Detective Reyes,” she said, answering the man's question and gesturing with her coffee cup to her partner. Touching the cup to her shoulder, she said, “Detective Wise.”

[Emily Reyes]

“Mm,” Emily hummed, meeting Wise’s eyes and nodding again, although she kept her face carefully neutral. She didn’t make any assumptions about what her partner knew or believed. It could really run the gamut from pure materialism to the high strangeness of indigo children, and that was just the mundane stuff.

The supernatural dipped into that but tended to be fairly straightforward, Emily thought. That said- the guy was allegedly an empath, and one who would claim the power but not want to focus on it. It was a strange tact to take, and distracting overall. They still needed to get to the scene.

Introductions made, Emily finished off her notes, and at the bottom wrote a small that read:

Psychic medium, I guess? Want to humor him, see where this takes us. Might need to book him though.

She tipped it in the other detective’s direction. It was written in normal script rather than Emily’s skilled shorthand, so it would draw her eye, but Emily kept it angled away from Shudder.

At the same time, she said, “Alright then, why don’t you show us around? Tell me you didn’t touch anything, though.”

[Alexius]

“Detectives, Reyes and Wise.” Alex said pointing to one then the other as he seemed to be locking in a name with a face.

The back of his mind railed at the simple association of a word and a person. A person couldn't be summed up in a word, or if they could not those words. A person was so much more, they were everything in their life up to that point. Every shudder of discomfort, every shriek, every raised hair, every scream- if there was a single word for a person it was fear. Alex pushed the part of him that thought that deep down and looked at the two women intently once more. Reyes and Wise. “Ok, groovy.” Alex said with a smile. “Nice to meet you both.”

Then one of the detectives, Reyes, asked to show them around. Alex smiled a bit at that pleased at being asked to help. He turned away from them and looked at the scene, his focus shifting from the detectives to everything around them. “I promise Detective Reyes, I haven't touched anything here.” he said pleasantly. Moving with slow careful steps he almost glided around the body. “Point One. Victim. Male. Older. Heavy set. Severe injuries to the head. Died afraid.” he said indicating the man. “Point Two. Wallet discarded here.” Alex moved over to the little yellow card and the wallet, using numbers in clear violation of the yellow tag's lettering system. “But if you look at Point One, you can see he still has his watch and ring on his person. Easy marks left behind in an apparent mugging.” Alex said, comiting a crime scene sin by theorizing before he had all his evidence.

[Lavender Wise]

Mr. Shudder probably didn't realize it, but he had exceptional timing. He turned away from them just as Reyes finished writing something she then angled toward Livvy. A glance was all she needed to read the short note. She made a quick nod that could easily be interpreted as agreeing to follow their Mystery Man on a tour of the crime scene. The man didn't pay any attention to them, so the subtlety of their silent communication wasn't really necessary.

They followed him. She let Reyes take the lead, since her partner seemed to have a theory about the strange man in the pink coat. As for being a potential psychic? Not impossible, as she had come to understand. As for being someone used to reading a crime scene? Livvy wasn't buying it. He used incorrect terminology and formed conclusions without any apparent information from sources other than his own statements of the obvious.

Unless you counted the victim as a source...

“So, not a mugging,” she said, her voice level and expression thoughtful, as if everything Mr. Psychic Hotline had said would not have occurred to two trained police detectives.

[Emily Reyes]

It was a novel experience being shown through a murder scene by someone who was clearly new to the whole business of detective work. Shudder offered them insight that was, to them, no insight at all, but Emily understood that this was where one started. Creating conclusions, rebuilding the scene. She tried to keep an open mind, even if she would've much rather processed it normally.

At the very least, he was careful around the body and the scattered evidence.

Livvy named the conclusion Shudder was hinting at, although Emily was sure both detectives had their doubts. It could've still been a mugging, but something of greater value might've been taken. Or nothing at all, just a mugging gone wrong. Regardless, she nodded along with the strange man's points.

“If not a mugging, then what?” she asked the next logical question, though she would be careful not to let the suspected psychic's poison the well.

[Alexius]

Alex Cinder Empathy [7d6] 2 pass (Partial Fail)

Alex crouched at the body, his eyes slowly tracing the lines of the bloody mess. He didn't know enough about this kind of stuff yet. All he saw when he looked here was a victim. With more experience he might be able to see the details of an attack... he needed to visit the dreams of more people with the knowledge to help teach him. He felt bad though knowing that doing so guaranteed them a pretty grisly nightmare for the trouble. Letting his eyes roll down he focused on the arms and hands and felt there was something there worth noting but not really sure what.

The detectives would likely note the same and have the skill to deduce a lack of defensive wounds. Not the most uncommon thing, if this was a mugging maybe the man wasn't able to defend himself or was hit with the wrong side of the fight/flight/freeze reflex.

For his part, Mr. Shudder frowned as he looked around and then back up at Detective Reyes and her question. Not a mugging then what. “I'm... not sure. I haven't done this part on my own before.” he said. There were a few dreams he had been visiting to get the hang of it, he had taken a break though. Too many nightmares back to back wasn't good for those retired minds. Too many relived crime scenes just for a ghost to play Private Eye in. Alex began to worry with his right hand, rubbing his fingers as if holding an imaginary coin. A nervous tick he didn't even remember came from a time when his blood ran warm and he had a different name. He let out a slow breath that moved no air and his shoulders slumped a bit. “Just a second, please.” he said.

His eyes grew a few shades pale yellow as he seemed to focus on the space above the body. He sniffed at the air a bit like a dog then blinked until his eyes were dark once more. “Its gone stale...” he muttered, though not so quietly that the detectives might not have heard. He wasn't used to keeping his thoughts to himself after all. He could still smell the fear but it wasn't something he could track to the spirit... or rather he could if he was less Alex... His other side could run it down easily but that spirit if it was still afraid was better off not falling prey to that hunger.

“What do you two think about all this?” Alex asked, hoping the detectives would share their insights so he could learn from their examples.

[Lavender Wise]

Stale...

“The... trail might've gone stale, sure. Let's give him a look.”

Livvy had not noticed the change in colour of Mr. Shudder's eyes. She was looking where he was looking, which in her case meant a section of brick wall. She didn't notice anything in particular, of course, and when she surreptitiously sniffed the air, all she smelled was garbage and fumes from recent traffic behind them.

She stepped closer to the body without crossing into territory that might have compromised the scene. She saw the wounds on the victim's arms, which the coroner would provide more detail on in her report. The alley was tarmac, so no mud around for any footprints or the like, not that a car could fit in the alley, but still...

There was the usual debris: papers, discarded wrappers, cigarette butts, and so on. Nothing else really seemed to be of note, other than the victim's injuries.

“For all we know, maybe what was 'stolen' was information.” Livvy stepped back and turned her head to look at Reyes. “What do y'all think?”

[Emily Reyes]

While Wise focused on the crime scene, Emily kept an eye on their strange companion. He was just as much a part of the mystery at this point. As a result, Emily noticed the way his eyes shifted, and kept her quiet surprise to herself. When he sniffed the air, he reminded her of a hunter. It wasn't the strangest thing she'd ever seen, but it did lend credence to her suspicions.

“It's a possibility,” she allowed for Wise's question. Figuring out what that information might be would allow them to build a case for a motive. Looking down at the body, she made an impassive noise. It was gruesome, but the sight didn't hit her in the gut like it used to. She composed her thoughts in a steady, matter-of-fact tone. “From the severity of the injuries, I suspect this was personal. I'd want to start with interviewing his friends.”

[Alexius]

The blond detective, Wise, suggested that maybe it was information that was stolen. Alex frowned, a look of concern creasing his brow as he considered it. Reyes said it was a possibility... Alex's words came slow and hesitant. “Maybe... I don't know about things like that. Just the fear.” he said looking concerned. By its nature knowledge worth killing for was an intangible thing, and the dreams Alex had been visiting to learn how to be a private investigator hadn't covered anything as nuanced as that. He frowned then looked back at the two women.

When Detective Reyes mentioned starting interviewing friends Alex nodded. That made sense... he could probably find them in their dreams once he met them in the Real world. All he had to do was get a sense for what they were afraid of and he could trail it back to them. Except most of them were probably asleep right now, so interviewing them was likely going to be something that happened in daylight. Which would be... a problem.

“How long do you think that will take? I can only be here for a little while longer.” He said sounding worried.

Time was... messy. Sometimes it seemed to last forever and other times it flew by. Maybe it was because he was dead, or just because he spent so much time in dreams. Either way he honestly wasn't sure how long he had until sunrise, just that he would feel it whenever it did start.

[Lavender Wise]

Fear. That part of your ancestral genetics, your primitive lizard brain, which told you to never hunt alone, hide when it grew dark and screamed at you to fight or flee or freeze and die when confronted with a saber-tooth tiger - or, whatever. Mr. Shudder claimed to know fear, seemed to recognize it on an intimate level. Psychic, private investigator, looney or criminal, the focus on the fear of the victim was interesting.

So was the little throw-away line that their tall friend could only be here for 'a little while longer'. What would prevent him from staying however long he pleased? Sure, it was going on midnight, but it wasn't like he had to go pick up his kids from school or make dinner. Maybe he had a dog that would need a walk before there was an accident on his living room carpet.

“Ah've no idea how long it would take to track down this guy's friends or family.” She nodded down at the body. “Ring, so married, presumably. Let's check the wallet.”

She was still wearing her gloves and had no issue with picking up a piece of evidence. She hoped there would be some ID or a photo or both. Otherwise, they would have a bit more difficulty if they relied on matching a name to the victim given the state of his face. There were several pieces of ID, but as she uncovered each one, she couldn't stop a heavy sigh from emerging.

“Well,” she began, addressing her partner more than Mr. Shudder, though she did include him with her eyes. “The good news is there're pieces of ID, with photos. The bad news is, they're all different names.”

[Emily Reyes]

Notebook still in hand, Emily stayed out of Wise's way while she handled the evidence. She watched her partner while she quietly parsed out Shudder's concerns. How long did they have? It spoke more to their strange companion than the case at hand, and knowing he wasn't what he seemed, Emily's mind favored supernatural explanations.

“It's likely we'll be chasing leads for a while,” she murmured, answering honestly, especially since the man seemed to have more than one ID card. She cut a glance over at Shudder, lifting both eyebrows as she asked. “How much longer can you stay?”

[Alexius]

Alexius Cinder 7d6 Fear: 1 pass (Failure)

Alex was rather enjoying talking with the two detectives. They were like a group of peers and he was pleased they were showing him so much respect and talking through this with him, just like the picture shows.

He was clueless that he was a suspect, suspicious, and or just a madman in Detective Wise's eyes. Little better in Reyes' eyes either.

A pang of hunger rolled through Alex and he leaned over as if in pain. His face creased in concern but the feeling passed. He glanced up and around trying to figure out what had caused the sensation. His hackles were suddenly up and his posture that had been so relaxed looked worried now.

His eyes glanced back at the ladies and he worked to compose himself. “He should only have one or two IDs right? Not that many.” he said, pleased to be pointing out that detail so they could all add it to their notepads.

At Reyes' question he glanced up and pouted in thought. “I am... not sure. When is sunrise?” he asked in turn.

[Lavender Wise]

Livvy nodded at her partner's observation of their new challenge. It was usually straight-forward when they had one name and an identity could even be discovered without ID through fingerprints, if the victim was in a database somewhere. Multiple identities was not the norm.

Mr. Shudder suddenly bent over, as if in pain or about to throw up. The latter would not be good at a crime scene. Livvy was going to ask after his health when he asked about the sunrise. She looked at Reyes, her eyebrows raised. Turning back to their odd companion, she thought he didn't look like a vampire, one of the supernatural beings who would be concerned about the sunrise. She had encountered some during her time in Atlanta. Not an experience she had really enjoyed, though there were vampires that had been quite nice and cooperative when it came to dealing with some of their 'wilder' or 'new' or 'broken' brethren. Their words, not hers.

“Well, given its late January, Ah think that makes dawn around seven or just after, so it ain't here yet.”

[Emily Reyes]

If there was any doubt about his supernatural nature before now, Shudder wiped it away with that question. Eyebrows lifting, Emily kept her expression neutral. She wasn't surprised, just deeply curious, and she lifted both eyebrows. The dead man at their feet still held priority, but apparently there were to be two mysteries in one here.

What sort of things couldn't go out after sunrise? Vampires came to mind... However, the things Shudder talked about and the way he acted didn't track with common folklore about vampire. Then again, Emily had very little experience with the supernatural. Max didn't act like a typical werewolf, so would she recognize a vampire if she saw one?

But if he wasn't a vampire, was he a ghost? Some other undead? She didn't have enough information to draw any satisfying conclusions, so she left it be, but a gentle shiver of adrenaline went down her spine, especially when the tall man started to curl in on himself, seemingly in pain. Concern flit across her face, but at the same time, she ran her thumb across her rings. Fortunately, he seemed to recover.

“Right. About eight hours from now. We won't have everything together before then,” she informed him. She inclined her head, lifting an eyebrow. “What happens at sunrise?”