ROLEPLAY HQ - now-you-see-me

TW: May contain ERP scenes, TBD

"Those things'll kill you faster than any crook." Sage glanced over at the other man in the car as he drove, who was smoking a cigarette with the window rolled down. "Eh, who cares? Our line of work's dangerous enough as it is. Better to live in the moment." It was the same response he gave every time it was brought up. The same generic, annoying response. Letting out a sigh, Sage tapped the wheel a couple of times as they pulled up to a small apartment building. Stepping out of the car, the two men quickly went inside and up several flights of stairs. Getting to the apartment, they stopped outside, where a cop was standing. "What're we looking at in there?" "One male, early 30s. Several stab wounds to the chest, signs of a struggle. Some valuables are missing from the apartment, so we're thinking robbery gone wrong." The officer explained. Sage nodded, glancing to his partner. "You head in. I'll ask around, see if anyone saw or heard anything." "Can do." The man said before disappearing into the apartment. Without another word, he began going down the hall and knocking on doors and asking questions, trying to figure out who had been home and who had seen anything. A suspicious person, sounds of a fight, anything that'd be useful to him. @💙ShayBae💙

“~~I’M TELLING YOU, HE WAS COVERED IN BLOOD WHEN HE LEFT!~~” In the lobby of the apartment complex, a woman was frantically yelling at the people who were meandering in and out. They all glided right past her, almost snubbing their nose at her as if she wasn’t really there. Not a soul paid attention to her and why would they? She was dead after all. Sydney Martin had died over twenty years ago, a horrible acceding invoking a speeding car and a distracting phone call, but that didn’t stop her. She was always moving in life and that didn’t stop when she died. She had been a journalist, always sticking her nose where it didn’t belong and in this moment, she was no different. She had been walking by the apartment complex when a man in a black trench coat nearly ran into her, not that either of them would feel it. Her bright green eyes darted towards him and saw blood covering the front of his shirt that he was trying desperately to hide. Being the overzealous person she was, she immediately ran into the building to try and get the attention of anyone who would listen to her. Being dead for over twenty years, she knew that it was extremely rare for someone to see her and when they did it was always for just a few seconds. The police had had arrived and not a one of them paid any attention to her either. By the time the two detectives arrived, she had given up on trying to call attention to herself. She sat down on a chair in the lobby and when someone happened to look her way, she began shouting again. Surely her voice would’ve carried through the entire complex if someone could hear her. When the individual who she shouted at walked right on past her, she made her way back to the chair she had been sitting in and pouted. “~~The man in the trench coat did it…. In the apartment… with a knife…~~”

03:42

. She quoted her favorite board game as she say with her arms crossed, rolling her eyes at the people who passed when she spoke. It was a pain in the ass to witness a murder and not be able to tell anyone about it. This had to be her own personal hell. A journalist who couldn’t speak… @Cecil

Sage was knocking on several doors when he heard some shouting from the lobby. He wasn't getting anywhere with how few people were actually answering him as he went around trying to gather information, and he just needed something. Some kind of lead. Moving back to the lobby, he looked around for the person who was shouting, quickly noticing Sydney. Walking up to her, he looked at her with a raised brow. "What's with all the shouting? Do you know something about what happened? And why are people ignoring you if you do?" He was looking at this woman with a confused expression. As he waiting for a response, he couldn't help but feel something was weird. A tingling in the back of his mind. With a small shiver, he shook his head quickly. "If you know anything, just tell me and I can leave you be, okay?" @💙ShayBae💙

There she was, sat with her legs and arms crossed in the chair next to the front door, tossing information towards the people who were walking right by her when she heard another voice. Her eyes moved up to meet the man who was walking towards her. Her eyes went wide and she almost recoiled as he walked up to stand right in front of her. ‘Whats with all the shouting? Do you know something about what happened? And why are people ignoring you if you do?’ “A—Are.. Are you talking to m—me?” ’If you know anything, just tell me and I can leave you be, okay?’ If she had a beating heart it would be pounding out of her chest. She just sat their, frozen in silence as he questioned her, looking directly into her eyes. “Umm… A man… in a coat…. Blood…” She was shocked that he was still looking at her. Usually people ran off and screamed at this point, mainly because to them she simply disappeared and she guessed she could understand, but this man was different. He hadn’t run away yet… If he tried to touch her in anyway, she would aggressively recoil, jumping out of the chair if she had to to make sure he kept his distance from her. “I SAW..” She cleared her throat and tried to regain some form of composure. “I saw a man leave the building with a black trench coat and blood all over him. He went down 34th street.” She pointed down the street as if they were outside and he could see where she was pointing. Her eyes never left his, waiting for that distress of seeing her disappear before their very eyes that never came. @Cecil

He saw the surprise in her eyes, but shrugged it off. Of course she'd be surprised about a detective suddenly walking up to her if everyone else was ignoring her. "Yes, i'm talking to you. Who else would I be talking to you?" If she had seen something, maybe she was just in shock about it. But she had been shouting? Maybe the shock just took time to set in. When she jumped out of the chair to get away from him, he raised a brow at her. "Ma'am, i'm not going to hurt you. I need you to calm down." When she explained what he saw, Sage cursed under his breath before grabbing his radio. "Suspect is a man in a black trench coat. He was covered in blood, last seen headed down 34th. Get down here and we'll start looking for him." Shoving the radio back on his belt, he looked back at her. "Thanks for the tip, ma'am. You have a nice day." With that, he turned and jogged out of the apartment building, getting into his chair and waiting impatiently for his partner to get down there. Of course, nobody else even seemed to notice Sydney as they left, and soon the two detectives disappeared down the road, looking for the killer. @💙ShayBae💙

‘Thanks for the tip, Ma’am. You have a nice day.’ She was still too focused on the fact that the man could see her to notice he was leaving. As soon as he turned to leave her arm came out and as he stepped out of the door she managed to find her voice. “W—wait!” It was too late. He had run to jump into his car to go search for the killer while a flurry of cops rushed into the lobby from upstairs to get to their cars. Of course none of them noticed her, but she was staring out the door at the man who had spoke to her. As that cop car sped away, she remained staring at it until it disappeared, mumbling to herself. “~~He saw me…~~” She didn’t know if they would catch the man or not, but she knew one way to guarantee he would speak to her again. She ran up the stairs to the apartment door where the caution tape was stretched across, phasing through it and leaving it undisturbed. She walked into the room and saw the corpse lying on the floor and she simply shook her head. ‘~~Aye. It is a poor sight, isn’t it? I didn’t know what hit me! One minute I was trying to relax after a rough day at work and the next, Gregory Larson busted through my door and stabbed me!~~’ “~~Do you know why~~?” ‘~~No! The fool didn’t tell me why he murdered me before he did it! I’ve been sitting her stewing about it since he made off with my jewels! If he needed money, he could’ve just asked me!~~’ She crossed her arms in contemplation as she listened to the specter. Well, she had a name for the cops to look into, but no other motive besides robbery. She nodded and started to make her way out before she turned to the poor man. “~~If you’re here, it means you have unfinished business. Try finding out what that means before you’re stuck here like me with no one to talk to.~~”

13:43

. Without giving him a chance to respond, she ran out of the room, down the stairs and out of the building, trying to remember where the police station was from there. When she mentally figured it out, she would rush to the station as fast as she could to try and give that cop a name on his suspect. She thought about manifesting at the office, but if anyone there was like him or too weak-willed, they would’ve seen her and she couldn’t have them ruining her only chance at having a friend. @Cecil

The detective was standing over a table with a map of the city, a group of officers around him. He seemed to be coordinating a search of the possible areas the killer could have gone. "Roberts, take a squad and head down 34th. Look for any discarded clothing or weapons, if he was in a black trench coat like that, he'd stand out too much with all that blood. Check dumpsters and trashcans." He seemed so.. focused on the task. This was his city, and he wasn't going to let a murderer get away with killing in the middle of town like that. The officer nodded and rushed out of the room, with several others getting their assignments and leaving. Soon enough, Sage was alone in the room and let out a sigh, rubbing his temples. "I'm going to catch you, you murdering bastard.." He stared down at the map, eyes narrowing on 34th Street. "But who are you? Why'd you do it..?" The quiet musings of the detective led to him adjust his sleeve and his gloves to keep his skin covered. @💙ShayBae💙

Sydney ran through a town that couldn’t see her in the slightest. She huffed and panted as if running, breathing or whimpering had any effect on her body whatsoever. The people around her either all but ignored her or turned with a worrying glance when they felt a cold wind crash into their side. When she finally arrived at the precinct, she casually walked in behind an officer who was walking out and looked around the bullpen for the detective she needed. She didn’t see him right away as the office he was sitting in was in the back corner and conveniently hidden away from the front doors. She took a deep breath that she didn’t need and made her way for his office. She couldn’t open the door herself. She could phase through it, but there was no way she was alerting the man of her nature to scare him off, not when he could actually see her for more than a few seconds. Instead, she walked up to his office door and stared at him through the glass, holding her hands in front of her and looking at him with a coy expression. She needed him to open the door and then she had to slide passed him without touching him. @Cecil

The detective was still staring at the map, eyes narrowed as he went over the most likely places that the killer would've gone. Of course, there was only so much he could guess without knowing motive. Suddenly, he noticed that strange tingle in the back of his mind again and looked up, glancing around the room until he looked out the window. When he saw the woman from the apartment building, he raised a brow and quickly readjusted his gloves, walking to the door and opening it. "You again? Did you see something else at the apartment building? You know you can call stuff in or tell it to the front desk. How did you even get back here anyway?" @💙ShayBae💙

Stepping back when he opened the door, she kept her distance from him as he spoke to her. She held her hands up as if to calm him and tried to think of a quick explanation. “Umm… I … Listen, I know who did it…” She was so nervous around him. He looked right up from his desk and saw her. It sent a shiver through her spine and when he addressed her, it made her breath catch in her throat. How was she going to explain to him that she knew who did it… Before he asked, she would have to come up with something. “Look up Gregory Larson… I’m sure you’ll find the same trench coat coated in your victims blood.” @Cecil

"You know who did it?" He looked at her, surprised. "How long have you known, how did you find out about it?" He turned and rushed over to his desk, grabbing his phone and dialing in a number. "Hey. It's Sage. Do we have anything on a Gregory Larson? Yeah, I can give you a sec." He pulled the phone away and looked at her. "Take a seat. I'll need to know how you found out about this so I don't make a fool out of myself." @💙ShayBae💙

His questions came in rapid succession and when he offered her a seat, so much had happened in such a short time that she wasn’t sure what to do. She swallowed her fear, watching his eyes the entire time. He was still trained on her, he could still see her. Sitting down on the seat he had offered, she held her hands tightly together and kept her gaze locked on his. “Umm… I just found out when you left… I…” Quickly thinking of something she could say that he couldn’t prove, she answered as quickly as she could. “I am a Medium. I… I talked to the victim…” She didn’t exactly lie. She could talk to the dead and she had asked the victim… Watching his expression, she didn’t care if he didn’t believe her. Her information would check out, she was sure if it. She was more intrigued though that during the entire span of him conversing with her, he hadn’t seemed to lose her once. He always knew where she was and he could always hear her. Was something wrong with him? Was he… also not human? @Cecil

This woman was very nervous, which made sense. If she had witnessed a murder or had seen the murderer, of course she'd be jumpy. "A medium, huh?" He raised a brow at her. True mediums weren't all that common.. The only ones who could really see ghosts and spirits were people like him.. Not that he'd ever reveal that to anyone. He adjusted his glove again before pulling the phone back up. "Yep, i'm back." He nodded a couple of times. "Really? Okay. Get that over to dispatch. Let's catch this guy. Thanks." The detective hung up the phone and looked back at her. "Well, i'll be damned. Looks like you're onto something. Forensics found evidence that Larson had been in the apartment recently. He's our prime subject now." @💙ShayBae💙

‘A medium, huh?’ She didn’t like the was he raised his brow at her, but she also knew how absurd it sounded. The truth was far more unlikely, but she knew she was right. When he started talking into the phone again, she let out the breath she was holding. She couldn’t have been happier that the victim knew exactly who the person was. The man in front of her could see her, hear her and she had been helpful! ‘… He’s our prime subject now.’ She gave him a soft smile, watching as his eyes landed on hers and not through her. It suddenly became all to clear to her what was likely going to happen next. He was going to thank her for her time and send her on her way, which if she was alive, probably would’ve been wonderful, however, she was not and found herself deeply hurt that she wouldn’t be able to see him again. She slowly rose from her seat, twiddling her fingers and shyly spoke to him. “I’m s-sure you’ll find everything you need… If.. If you ever need some help again, I’d be glad to volunteer my time.” This wasn’t normally like her. She was loud, flamboyant and very blunt with the way she worded her point, but she was far too anxious to scare this man away; she was scared to go back to being unheard and unseen. She simply couldn’t relax until she was sure the one person in the world that could see her would keep her around. @Cecil

"I appreciate your help, ma'am. We'll get this all sorted out." He adjusted his glove again and stood. "I'll see you out." There was something about this woman that just seemed off to him. Was it something about how she acted? This didn't seem like the same person who'd be shouting at the top of her lungs about seeing a killer. She was too.. shy. "Sorry, ma'am, but I can't ask a civilian to put themselves at risk. This is a dangerous occupation, after all. I wouldn't want to have you get hurt under my watch. Besides, I don't think the Chief would appreciate me having a civilian help me." @💙ShayBae💙

She swallowed hard as he rejected her offer of help. The previous intensity he had first seen from her bubbled up in her eyes as she stood. She was chewing on her bottom lip as he started to make his way around the desk and she knew he was slipping through her fingers. “Yeah? Would your chief appreciate these criminals to be found in a timely manner then? How long would’ve taken you to find Larson had I not been there?” She was suddenly very aggressive with her words, staring daggers in his eyes and stepping out the door if he continued on his path to open it for her. Her eyes barely left his and when what she said hit him, she fired another shot at him. “He doesn’t have to know… I don’t need money, or recognition… I… I just want to help.” @Cecil

The detective raised a brow at her reaction. "Are you implying that I can't do my job without a supposed medium helping me? That my men are that incompetent?" He walked over to her, looking her in the eyes. "And you're telling me that you're suddenly a lot smarter when it comes to finding criminals? I've been doing this a long while, ma'am. I know their tricks, what they'll do to try and escape, and where they'll go. There's just a process to these things." "Just because you want to help doesn't mean that it's safe for you to do so. What would happen if you got yourself hurt?" @💙ShayBae💙

She raised her eyebrow as he chastised her. Obviously they had been solving murders since before she showed up, but she was willing to lay her ethereal life on the line that it hadn’t been solved as quickly as this one. When he came towards her, she backed away with a flash of fear in her eyes. If he phased through her, she would be done for. Her breathing quickened out of habit and as he continued, she refrained from interrupting him and only spoke when he was finished. “It’s not that I think you couldn’t do it without me. I don’t know how long you’ve been doing this, but I’m sure it’s long enough to know what it is that you are doing, however, I walked up to that apartment and within five minutes I had a name, a motive and a description… Now, are you going to tell me that that is invaluable to you? If you want to solve these crimes so bad, wouldn’t you want to have every resource available to close the case as quickly as possible?” Her voice was firm and she stood her ground, even if she took a few steps back to do so. The doorway separated them now and she knew all he had to do was close that office door and she couldn’t do a thing about it, but she kept her bright eyes trained on him. She wasn’t going to back down this time. “I understand you have a process and I understand that most might not like what I am, but they don’t have to know. Let me help you and all you have to do is come up with how you found out what you did. I don’t want pay, I don’t want recognition. I just want to help.” She wanted to be around him, to relish in being seen for the first time in years, but he would just have to go without that piece of information for now. @Cecil

When he approached, he noticed the fear in her eyes. Why was she so scared of him getting closer? Did she have an idea of what he was? A hand went to the door, resting against the handle. Her breath was quickening as well.. That meant she was nervous about something. There was more to this story than what she was telling him.. "I don't like the tone you're having with me, ma'am." His free hand went to his hip, and he raised his brow at her. "While it's certainly useful to me, how am I supposed to prove it? Oh, suddenly I know the culprit of every murder in the city, why they did it, and where they went. Either i'm the smartest man in the world, or i'm making shit up. How am I supposed to prove all of what you'd be saying?" Letting out a quiet sigh, he tapped his finger against the wood of the door. "There's more to why you want to help. There's something you're not telling me, isn't there?" @💙ShayBae💙

‘… How am I supposed to prove all of what you’d be saying?’ She crossed her arms and quirked her eyebrows at him as a mischievous smile threatened to pull at her lips. She shifted her weight from foot to foot as if she was trying not to laugh. “Well, that’s why you get paid and I don’t. If you’re such a great detective you should be able to work that out on your own, but I bet it would be easier to watch for mistakes when you know exactly who committed the crime. All you would have to do is wait for them to slip up.” She couldn’t help but smile then, even holding that smile through his next question. Letting out an exasperated sigh, she turned to look throughout the precinct before turning back to him. “I just want to be seen… to be useful.” She didn’t lie, even if she phrased it in a way that wasn’t exactly what she meant. She needed him to say yes, to accept her offer or else she would again have no one. Eyes that saw right through her was no way to walk the streets. @Cecil

He let out a sigh, meeting her gaze. "You're a stubborn one, aren't you? That's a good trait to have in this line of work, at least.." This'd be a very strange situation. A strange 'medium' offering her assistance in solving crimes, but was extremely nervous about being around him. She was right in saying that it'd be easier to find something to pin the crime on the suspect if he knew for certain that they were guilty.. "..Fine. But if you don't want to be seen, you'll need to get to crime scenes on your own, and we'll need to meet separately." He crossed his arms and met her gaze, his own intensity in his eyes. "And you don't do anything dangerous. The moment weapons get drawn, you leave the area entirely. Got it? No heroics from you." If she really didn't want any recognition.. Then working with her would be great for his career. Suddenly, he'd be catching criminals left and right. Any detective who valued their career would want this opportunity. He just thought that there was something odd going on with this woman. Something about her just.. felt different. Not quite wrong, but definitely not normal. @💙ShayBae💙

‘You’re a stubborn one, aren’t you? That’s a good trait to have in this line of work at least….’ Before he even accepted, a bright shine took to her eyes. She had managed to convince him and she had to stop herself from jumping up and down. It didn’t matter what restrictions he put on her, she would accept them. She needed to be able to talk to someone and if it meant becoming an undercover cop to do it, she would. She nodded at him rapidly as he gave her the rules, commenting on the last one with a slight chuckle. “No heroics. Got it.” It did bother her a bit that it took so much convincing for him to accept, but she was much too excited to care in that moment. She took a few steps back before she spoke again, making sure he wouldn’t get the idea to shake her hand. “I feel this is the start of a beautiful partnership. The only issue I foresee is that I don’t have a cell phone.. How will I know if you need me? I’m sure you don’t want me showing up here every day.” @Cecil

He turned and walked into his office, grabbing a marker. He tapped a small park on his map, not too far out of the way. "Right here. We'll meet at 11 pm after my shifts. There, you can give me a report on anything you find." It'd give her time to figure out information on the culprit without getting in the way of his routine, and since the park wasn't too far from his home, there wouldn't be questions raised if he was around there often. @💙ShayBae💙

She walked towards the desk to see the place he pointed to on the map and nodded. She knew exactly where it was and would have no problem getting there, possibly a little early every time as she had nothing better to do. “Alright. Do you have anything for me tonight?” She crossed her arms and looked back up at him, making sure to keep her distance while she waited for a response. If he had any other victims, it would’ve much easier to speak to them as soon as she could. When souls wandered off it was really hard to find them again. @Cecil

"I'm not assigned to any other cases for today. The chief wasn't expecting me to get this one done this quick, so he didn't assign me more than one." The detective shrugged. This'd be a nice, easy evening for him. Just some paperwork once the culprit was caught, and then he'd be clear for the night. "But who knows, murders happen all the time, unfortunately. Maybe i'll have something for you tomorrow." Taking a seat at his desk, he watched her reactions. "I'll keep you posted." Sage turned his attention back to the computer in front of him, beginning to fill out some of the necessary paperwork. It was tedious, and he's very easily get bored while doing it, but it was a necessary part of the job. Hopefully there wasn't too bad he'd need to do, and then he could get out for some dinner quickly.. @💙ShayBae💙

She nodded as he told her he would keep her posted. She had no problem making her way to the park every night to wait for news. It wasn’t like she had any plans with anyone else. Her brown hair bobbed as she nodded to him again as he turned his attention to his computer. “Okay. I’ll see you then.” She quickly turned on her heels and made her way out of the station, finally forcing herself to breathe once the outside air hit her. If her heart could race it would be as she made her way down the dark street. Her mind flooded with thoughts of what had happened over the course of the day and she couldn’t believe it. Finally, after all this time, someone could see her. She remembered the sharpness of his features and the mannerisms he had while they spoke to each other and as she did, she recalled him tugging at his gloves a lot. Did they not fit? Were they scratchy? Were they uncomfortable? Maybe she could buy him new ones as a thank you. Sydney made her way through town until she came to the park he wanted to meet her at the next day. It was clean and small, a place she would’ve loved to sit at when she was alive. A soft smile came to her face as she sat down on one of the benches. Crossing her arms and watching the leaves fly across the park, she decided that as soon as the sun rose, she was going to go to a local store and purchase him a pair of gloves as a thank you. After all these years, she knew that she passed through people, but for some reason she could hold inanimate objects. It was just that they would seem to float unless concealed in her clothing, clothing that she could shift to appear like a new set. The human eyes were not as complex as she had once thought and were easily manipulated by the ethereal. “Maybe tomorrow.” She hummed to herself as she sat there, watching the sky darken and lighten throughout the night as the moon slowly moved across the sky. @Cecil

The rest of the day passed fairly uneventfully for the detective. He finished up his paperwork for the day, and then he grabbed his things and walked home for the day. His life at home was fairly plain and uneventful, honestly. He just cooked himself a simple, bland dinner and sat down to watch TV for an hour or so before doing the dishes and then going through some stretches to ease the tension in his body that came from hiding shit every day. Sage stood in front of the mirror, brushing his teeth and staring at the intricate pattern of markings spead all over his hands, arms, and torso. It was a sure sign that he wasn't fully human, since they were a bright cyan that really seemed to create some kind of discomfort at times, and he never knew why. Now that he thought about it, talking with that woman seemed to set it off for some reason. There was just this gnawing feeling in the back of his mind that something strange was happening, but he couldn't put his finger onto why.. Once he was done preparing for bed, he flopped down onto his bed without even bothering with the covers. It wasn't cold enough in his apartment to need to worry about it, and it just felt stuffy under the covers most of the time. He'd rather lay on top and be able to breathe just fine. His mornings were also fairly routine. Get up before dawn, go for a half an hour run, get a shower, get breakfast, head into the station and start his job. There wasn't too much going on, although later in the evening they got a call about a body found under a bridge, stabbed all to hell. Guess now was a good a time as any to go grab that medium and take her there, right? Getting in his car, he drove over to the park and walked over to the designated meeting spot, taking a seat to wait for her to show up. @💙ShayBae💙

While any normal human would’ve found what Sydney did impossible, it was one of her favorite things to do. She sat in that park bench throughout the night and studied the people as they walked by, the wildlife that scampered around the park and the kids who passed by when they thought they were alone. She saw all the quiet parts of humanity that night, the parts people thought they hid when they were in public, and as soon as the sun came up and the shops began to open she made her way through town to see what she could snatch in the way of gloves. She made her way through town until she came across Leatherworks, a store that exclusively sold leather products. Waiting until a gentleman pushed open the door to leave, she slipped through and walked slowly down the aisles until she found where the gloves were kept. Picturing his face and what he had been wearing when she saw him for the first time, a pair caught her eye immediately. She wasn’t sure if it was his style, but the brown leather and the black cotton material on the inside looked warm and cohesive enough to his style. Looking around, she tucked the gloves into her long, tan, cotton trench coat before making her way out of the store as someone was walking in. It was a common misconception that ‘ghosts’ could walk through walls. She found over the last couple decades that inanimate objects were still as solid as ever, it was the people who could walk right through you and only feel a cold spot where your body was. It made her feel empty and alone a lot of the time, but ever since the detective had seen her all of that was starting to turn around.

03:50

. Instead of making her way back to the park, she started perusing the city herself. If he didn’t show up, then maybe at the very least she could go to the station and bring him a case. She made her way through restaurants, bars and even apartment lobbies, listening to the chatter to see if she could find out anything suspicious. At the last bar she hit, she overheard something about the police at the bridge that connected the two land masses of their area. Her ears perked up then, wondering if it was something the detective would need her for. Rushing out the door, she made her way to the park as fast as she could and when it came into eyesight, there he was. If her heart ever beat, it would’ve stopped for s moment when she saw him. The excitement that coursed through her body made her legs move faster and she did finally reach him, she slowed to a walk when he looked at her. Once within about ten feet of him, she would greet him. “Hello, Detective. Any news?” @Cecil

The detective turned, his expression showing annoyance. "Yeah. We got a body, come on." Without another word, he turned and walked back to his car, opening the door for her and shutting it behind her when she climbed in. Then, he got in and they were off. "Body found under a bridge. Several stab wounds to the torso, cuts along the arms, obvious signs of a fight. Don't know if they were killed here or just dumped afterwards." He seemed.. annoyed. Angry. This was his city, dammit, and it had barely been a day since he caught the last killer. When will he ever have a break? When will people just stop killing eachother? It was a ten minute drive to the bridge, and Sage got out of the car, walking down toward the crime scene. Which didn't look too messy, all things considered. A quick glance told the two of them that the body had been dumped here, there wasn't enough blood for them to have died here. The victim was a young woman, likely around her early 20s, and the cause of death was evident as well: several stab wounds to her stomach, with her clothes stained dark with blood. The detective's eyes narrowed as he inspected the body. @💙ShayBae💙

She realized when his sharp command came out that she had been smiling at him before that. Of course, murder was awful and she felt for the poor souls that had to experience it, but this was more than just a business meeting for her. It wasn’t until he jumped in the car as well and started explaining the scene that it truly struck her as such. The scene he described was terrifying when one thought of it as their last moments and when he finished, she saw the anger plague his face. The hand that had been reaching into her coat froze and gently fell to her lap as she stared straight ahead. “That sounds messy.. Let’s see what we can see.” She kept her eyes focused out the windshield as well, trying to think of what bridge they could be driving to. When they pulled up to the scene and all the police lights were blinking away, Sydney squinted as she made her way with Sage to the corpse. The closer they got, the more nervous she became. The body had been dumped, which means the soul likely wasn’t around her her to communicate with. She immediately started scanning the area, only taking a moment to glance over the body before kneeling down to Sage. “The body was dumped here. Her soul is missing. We need to find out where she was killed or else I’m just going to be scouring the whole city.” Knowing he was angry at the situation, she pulled herself up and stood a few feet behind him to wait for his findings. If more officers showed up, she would head back to his vehicle and wait there for his return. @Cecil

He didn't look over at her until after they arrived at the scene, nodding to her as they arrived. While he was going to, or at, a scene, he seemed so.. uptight. Focused. Dedicated. "Not a lot of blood.. She had been dead for a while before she was moved. At least eight stab wounds to the chest, several to the stomach as well. Whoever killed her obviously didn't like her much.." His attention turned to her arms. "Several bruises on her hands and forearms. She fought back fiercely. Looks like she might've drawn blood with her nails, there's too little blood on her fingertips for her to have tried to cover her wounds, and with how her nails are broken, she scratched at her attacker. Forensics might be able to get a lead on that.." Standing up, he walked over to Sydney. "Once we get the victim identified, we'll be able to go check her place out. With any luck, that's where she'll have been killed and you can do your thing." There was still that tension in his voice, the disdain in his eyes as he scanned the scene. "Could be a jilted lover. Crimes of passion tend to be this violent.." @💙ShayBae💙

Sydney waited for Sage to join her at the car, hanging onto his every word as he explained what their next move would be. She didn't like the idea of waiting any longer than she absolutely had to. Waiting for the lab to come back with a DNA hit would take far longer than she cared to wait for. The strain in his voice and the intensity in his eyes was plain to see, especially when he spoke again. 'Could be a jilted lover. Crimes of passion tend to be this violent...' She crossed her arms and listened to him explain who he thought was at fault for the murder. While his eyes were busy scanning the scene, she turned to look at the road behind them. The woman's apartment was the next logical place, but if that wasn't where she was, then they were wasting time. Her foot started to tap for a moment before she spoke to him, trying to keep her anticipation. "Alright... Well... We can't linger around for too long. Is there anyway we can figure out where she lived? Maybe where her clothes were from? Anything!?" She could feel herself getting more antsy by the second. She could just see the poor woman's soul walking around the town without a clue as to what was going on and she knew they would never find her. Her eyes were pleading with Sage to try and find something, anything. They couldn't wait days. @Cecil

"It's hard without any personal effects." He replied to her question about going to where she lived. "If we don't know who she was, we can't find out anything about her." He started pacing around his car, glancing at the scene from a distance. His finger was twitching, tapping against the car when he leaned against it, eyes narrowed at the body from a distance. ..Then, he brought a hand up to his temple, blinking several times as he shook his head. All of a sudden, he was getting a headache as he stared at the body.. That was weird.. He hadn't gotten anything like this except when he was first starting out.. After several moments, it passed and he stopped leaning on his car, quickly opening it and stepping inside, pulling out his phone and calling the station. "It's Sage. Can you look for a missing person's report with the name Caroline?" After a minute or so, his grip tightened on his phone and he nodded. "Get me her info. I'm headed to her apartment." With that, he hung up the phone and looked over at Sydney. "Get in. I've got a lead." @💙ShayBae💙

Sydney watched Sage pace and lean against the car thoughtfully. She understood it was hard to find out anything about her, but she needed him to know that she was practically useless until they had a lead. When he opened up the car to hop inside, she followed suit on the passenger side, sliding in as he phoned the station. Her eyes were completely on him as he spoke, waiting for any direction in where they were taking the case. 'It's Sage. Can you look for a missing person's report with the name of Caroline?' There was a brief pause in his words as his demeanor slightly changed. She watched his hand tighten around the phone as her eyes bore holes into his. 'Get me her info. I'm headed to her apartment. Get in. I've got a lead.' She turned to see her door wide open still, tsking herself as she reached for the handle to pull it closed. Immediately turning back to him, she questioned his phone call and where they were headed. "Caroline, huh? Where did you get that name? I thought I was the one who was suppose to have the crystal ball." She teased, fastening her seatbelt as she smiled over at him. If she was honest, she was simply thrilled to have a lead instead of standing their twiddling their thumbs. As he pulled away, she looked over the scene again and watched the people meander around the crime scene. It was a shame the girl wasn't there, but maybe she would be wherever Sage was taking them. @Cecil

TW: Death, Crime, Loneliness, TBD

When she asked how he knew, Sage just shook his head. He didn't have an explanation that would make any sense, or that he would like, so it was better to just run with what they had instead of trying to explain it. He already was the weirdo of the station, no need to seem weird around Sydney as well. The drive to Caroline's apartment was a quiet one, with little being said from the detective. The entire time, there was a mix of focus and being distracted from him, his finger tapping against the steering wheel rhythmically. How did he know that woman's name? It felt like he almost knew her. But he didn't know anyone named Caroline. It didn't make any sense to him. After several minutes of driving in silence, Sage turned into the parking lot of a small apartment building. This was.. This was the apartment building she lived in. Why the hell did he know that? Rubbing his temple, Sage shook his head before looking at Sydney. "Come on." With that, he stepped out of his car and started walking to the building. @💙ShayBae💙

She watched as Sage shook his head at her question. She expected him to give her at least a half answer, but instead he put the car in reverse, then drive as they departed from the crime scene and made their way towards town. When he made no motion to try to answer her question once they hit the road, she assumed she wasn't going to get one. It was likely covered in red tape anyway and if he didn't feel comfortable disclosing, she wouldn't pry. At the very least, it was a lead. It didn't take long for them to reach the apartment building in question. It looked like any other building on the block and while she trusted his judgment, she hoped he knew her apartment number. Opening her mouth to ask him just that, she was silenced by his voice just before he exited the car. 'Come on.' "Well... Okay then." She jumped out of the car as well, looking up at the tall building with most of the lights off. A small sigh left her as she walked around the car to follow him towards the front of the brick building. "You know her apartment number, right? I'd really rather not go knocking door to door in this neighborhood this late at night." @Cecil

He narrowed his eyes as he stared at the building. Why had he felt called to this place? It looked like just another apartment building. With each and every step, he felt a stronger pull to the building. "I.." He opened his mouth to speak before closing it again. How was he going to explain this? He hadn't gotten any information from the station about where this woman lived. "I've got a pretty good idea of where she lived." Dammit Sage. You should have better than that. Whatever. The detective stepped inside and quickly started climbing the stairs. She lived on the fourth floor. Alone. Stairwell came to the end of a hallway. Walk forward, come to a branching path. Keep moving forward. Another intersection. Turn right here. It felt like his feet were carrying himself, like he didn't know where he was going, but he knew where he was going. Something, deep down, knew. Something was guiding him to this place. But.. why? Suddenly, Sage stopped in front of the fourth door on the right. "..This is it." He reached for the doorknob, turning it and opening the door. The apartment on the inside was what you'd expect from a young woman on the spiritual side. Tokens and trinkets on shelves and on counters. Sage could feel a weight in this apartment.. This was the force that called him here. Something wanted him here so that he could solve what happened to Caroline. Looking over his shoulder at Sydney, he nodded. "Do your thing. Maybe you can find something here." @💙ShayBae💙