ROLEPLAY HQ - a-quiet-shop

In the middle of the city, hidden between two large, bustling shops, and only accessible by a cramped alleyway, sat a quaint little shop. Inside, there was nothing but a table with two chairs, and a single lightbulb hanging above it, sharply lighting up the nearly empty room. A heavy oak door sat on the opposite side of the room, though any attempts to open it led nowhere. What exactly was this place? Who would go out of their way to come here? Who ran this shop? Several questions, few of which were answered unless someone took a seat in the center of the room. After a solid five minutes of waiting in the empty silence, a figure stepped out of the heavy oak door, a young man, with blonde hair and a light green jacket. He wore black gloves, and showed very little except his head. Upon his entrance, the smell of the forest followed. Sitting across from the customer, this man would speak in slow, deliberate phrases. “Good evening. If you have found yourself here, then you seek to speak with those who have passed.” So this man was a medium of some sort? The way he carried himself was very strange. “All I will need is their name and relation to you.” Many times, what he told customers was enough to satisfy them. They always were teary-eyed by the end of it, and the man retreated behind his heavy oak door and sighed heavily. This was not his purpose in life, of that he was certain. He had fantastical abilities beyond simply being the dead’s mouthpiece. Not that he’d ever actually make use of them.. It had been drilled into him as a young child that he wasn’t anything special. That he was a monster, an abomination and a mistake. Behind him, he heard the shop’s door open once again, and he turned to greet his strangest customer yet. @juniper bee

This time, the man would be met by a young woman led by sheer determination and confidence. She had ash brown hair tied into a messy bun, dressed in a dark green turtleneck and a cream coloured, floral patterned dress, knee length. On her back was a satchel, weathered by time and clearly very full of something likely important. She came in with such purpose; focused, calm, but full of energy as she pushed the door open, hearing the gentle ringing of the shop's bell as she did so. Thea had heard rumours around the city of a mysterious man who spoke the words of the dead. He had been healing grieving hearts, giving closure to those that were in desperate need of it; all the things that Thea wanted to call bullshit on. But, in her current circumstance, a medium was a final and desperate last resort to her predicament. And what a predicament it was. Last month, a close friend of hers, Parrie, had died mysteriously in what had initially seemed to be an accidental fire, setting their home ablaze, with her dear friend inside. It had been a truly tragic case, until Thea began questioning things to herself. How come, in such a large block of buildings, was her friend the only one lost to the fire? Yes, there had been severe damage done to the adjacent homes, but none were harmed in the accident. With no autopsy to show any evidence of an intentional murder, with or without the fire, the case was dropped, to Thea's dismay. Something about the entire incident had seemed... off. And she couldn't quite put her finger on it. It may have been selfish of her, but this tragedy had allowed her a newfound sense of purpose in her life, of which she'd been searching for for what felt like eons.

1:17 PM

Parrie had been one of Thea's closest friends and there was no way in any world that she would let her friend down now, especially when she had worked so hard so far to grab as much convincing evidence as possible to present to the authorities of Parrie's mysterious accident. She slid into one of the chairs at the table for just a moment to set her things down, the satchel easily sliding off of her shoulder, along her arm and onto the floor with an audible 'thud'. She let out a deep, long sigh. This truly was the last place she wanted to be. Ghosts didn't exist, neither did spirits. She knew these things as facts. And yet, here she was, hoping to request help from medium. There wasn't enough of a link of... Well, anything, to tie the evidence she had collected all together, and the authorises wouldn't believe her otherwise. What she needed was a little push from her friend, if she could get it. For now, she stared at the door, expectantly waiting and watching as the door creaked open. (edited)

1:20 PM

@Cecil

The man with blonde hair entered the room with a calm, quiet expression, followed swiftly by the scent of the forest as he took a seat across from the young woman. His clothing made barely any sounds as he moved through the room with practiced grace, before black gloved fingers interlocked, resting against the table in full view. "Good evening. If you have found yourself here, then you seek to speak to those who have passed." The same practiced line, spoken with the same quiet sincerity. The same performance, time and time again, that he had gone through for years by this point. Because that's all he could do. It was all he was good for. "All I will need is their name and relation to you." Looking into the young woman's eyes as he spoke, he saw the pain in there. But it wasn't the same as those who had come here before. She was angry, suspicious. Skeptical. Clearly, she did not believe that the dead could speak. He did not blame her. @juniper bee

Thea impatiently sat through what the man had to say, though she had been mesmerized by his entrance for but a moment. It had been broken as soon as he had finished what he had to say, however, and Thea reached for the satchel that had been newly dumped onto the ground. This time, she swung it up onto the table, popping open the bag by the latch at the front. She dragged out file after file, paper after paper, photo after photo. Soon enough, the whole table had been littered with documents that the woman had carefully spread out, displayed for the man before her to see clearly. Once more, she set down the satchel, this time accompanied by the sound of its metal latch hitting the floorboards. "Their name was Parrie Lee. They were my best friend." Her voice was solemn and somewhat bitter. She did not want to be here, not in the slightest, but it was all she had left. If this man couldn't help her, no one could. @Cecil

He watched as this young woman brought out images and documents of their friend, this Parrie Lee. Upon hearing that they were her best friend, Sage nodded. "I am sorry for your loss." He was sincere about that, despite it being a line he repeated to all who entered. Death was, unfortunately, a common fact of life and one that he was intimately familiar with, because of his profession. The wounds caused by death took time to heal, and it was clear that this woman hadn't let them yet. Closing his eyes slowly, he felt a tingling sensation start from his fingertips and quickly spreading up his arms. To the outside world, it seemed as if he was just sitting there in silence for an extended period of time. To him, however, he was seeing into the life, and death, of the departed. Speaking with them. Understanding their experiences, and what ultimately led up to their death. "Young, perhaps high school. The thick smell of pant and sound of brushes against canvas. Wet clay and readied tools. You two met, and quickly became friends. They enjoyed flowers, though lacked the money to become the florist they wanted to be, so they worked retail instead. They supported your dream whole-heartedly, even putting money forward to get you into university and encouraging you to follow through no matter what, though that belief led to conflict when you dropped out. Like a disappointed parent, they argued with you about it before storming out." He paused for a few moments, his eyes never opening. Not many wished to hear of their loved ones deaths, especially ones so.. violent. "They cared about you, even to the end. You were like family to them, even after their own rejected them. You understood them." Slowly, his eyes opened. "I will continue if you wish, though I will warn you that what I see past this point is not for the faint of heart." @juniper bee

- (edited)

11:31 PM

Thea's eyes stayed fixed on the mysterious man's face, paying attention to his movements from the moment he closed his eyes. Likely for the dramatics of the ordeal, she had assumed. A job like this needed all of the frills and trimmings when it came to performance, scamming the bereaved of every penny they had. That was how she believed it to be, that is. But she was willing to bite and play along with it, for now. The price would come later, though she dreaded to think about it even now. The man spoke, and the longer he continued, the more shocked Thea became. Her heart dropped as soon as she realised how accurate everything this man was recalling truly was. She held each and every one of those memories close to her heart, even the painful ones. That was Parrie, her closest friend, there was no doubt about that. But none of this made any sense. How could he possibly know all of this? Surely, surely there was no supernatural business going on here. Maybe there was something in the piles of documents that she had laid out that had disclosed some of the information that he was retelling... yet Thea knew for a fact she had intentionally withdrawn any sort of file that would provide him with any personal information. At least, that's what she had thought. There had to be some logical explanation behind how he knew all of this and she'd be sure to find it out later. For now, she kept listening. This was all very nice for trying to prove that it was Parrie on the other side, but that wasn't what she was here for. The violence, the actual death; she needed to know all the details, gory as it seemed. She realised now that she was fully leaning forward, closer and closer to the man across from her. "Keep going. I have to know what happened." She spoke, forceful and urgent in her tone. "Tell me, I'm not afraid." @Cecil

With a simple nod, he continued with eyes closed. "The visions get blurry here. Perhaps they was intoxicated by alcohol or drugs, I do not know for sure. The room is dark, with the only light being a single lamp on beside them." He paused but for a moment. "They've been hurt, bad. Several stab wounds to the torso, bleeding profusely. It was a miracle they were still alive by this point. There was.. the smell of gasoline, the sloshing of a container, a thin figure dressed in all black with a covered face, spreading the gasoline around the room. They could not make out much of them, however.." His fingers, moving on their own while he was in his visions, began tracing something onto the table. "There was a tattoo on the person's wrist. The only distinguishing mark on their body." Slowly, grooves began to form in the wood of the table itself, as if he were drawing the tattoo into the table with a single finger. "Then, the smell of smoke quickly followed, and it all went black." With that, his eyes opened slowly. "I am sorry for the way your friend died. Nobody deserves to have their life taken from them like that." @juniper bee

Thea did not look upset in the slightest. Not upset, no, angry. Her gaze was now completely unfocused, staring at the words jumbled on pages before her, her hands balled into fists, nails digging into her palms enough to leave a painful mark once released. Her breathing was unsteady and unregulated. She said nothing for a good long while, taking the time and the silence to process the information given to her. How could they? Why did they have to choose Parrie, of all people? They had been nothing but kind to everyone they met, they had never dated to hurt a soul, let alone anger someone enough to provoke them into murder. Each word made her more furious, she was in utter disbelief at how this could happen. Then, the wave of realization hit her, hard. She had been right. No way had this simply been an accident. She knew there had to be some bad intention behind the fire, and the reason no one could find her dear friend's body, let alone know what happened to them. And she had a lead. A skinny figure with a tattoo, on the hand. It wasn't much, but... At least now she had some sort of profile, an image to go off of to find this monster of a human being. She swallowed thickly, her eyes lifting to look at the man across from her again. "Thank you. How much do I owe you, now?" There was no point now digging deeper for more answers, she thought. Pushing too much may leave her with less than she started with, especially if it would lead to nothing in the end. Now, the subject of payment was the first thing on her mind, so that she could get it out of the way and get to work with her newfound information immediately. @Cecil

He watched as she processed her emotions about the situation. The anger, the rage, at her friend's murder. Like many times before, Sage was ready to just let her go on her own path. He was just a messanger for the dead, after all. Not some detective or anything more. Like he'd be able to do anything else to help her, not when he was useless otherwise. "Fifty dollars should be enough." Unlike other mediums, he didn't charge an unnecessary amount for his services. After all, he didn't need very much to live off of. His food was cheap enough, and he didn't pay very much for rent, so a handful of sessions a week and he'd have enough to pay for everything. After she gave him the money, he nodded and pocketed it, a slight frown on his face that he quickly shook away. "..Good luck, Thea. I know that look in your eyes, and I warn you to not lose yourself in your search for the killer. It's a slippery slope that you may not be able to climb out of." @juniper bee

She paid him his dues without a second thought, though she knew later on down the road it may have been money better spent on something more valuable. Right now, this information on the killer was gold, and she clung onto it with all her might. It was all she had. Yet, there was something in the way Sage spoke to her. The warning not to venture too deep into something she should likely stay out of felt strange, despite almost expecting to hear it at some point from someone; she knew well herself that she shouldn't be sticking her head into places they didn't belong, but for the sake of Parrie, she felt obligated. It felt not sinister; it was rather more a foreboding message of a future soon to come to her than a warning, really. But she scowled at him. Who was he to stop her from doing what needed to be done? No one else would bring justice for Parrie, and who better to do that than their closest friend? It's what they deserved, at the very least. It wasn't as if he was offering to tag along and help out himself. Wait. Maybe... Maybe that wasn't such a terrible idea. Though she was still tentative around believing in such abilities, maybe his skill could be useful in closer proximity to the crime scene, if she could access it anymore, that was. She'd snuck around to try and take more pictures at unwelcome times, perhaps too many times for the authorities to have liked. But with a second pair of eyes, and ones that could look into the past, at that, maybe there would be a better chance at finding this killer.

9:03 AM

"So help me, then." Thea retorted, the scowl still very much plastered on her face, "If I'm at such a risk of slipping, you can help me if I get too close to that edge. Come with me." She knew it was hardly a convincing argument. Hell, it wasn't even an argument at all, but it may be enough to get him on her side. "I can pay you again. More, if you need it." She added, offering her opened wallet to him to see. There wasn't much cash left, enough to look a little enticing, but not a lot. "I promise, I'll pay you well." @Cecil

He wasn't going to stop her from doing whatever it was that she wanted. It was just a warning that he gave to those who sought vengeance for their friends and family after a tragedy. It was something that always went awry if left unchecked. Anger was a strong emotion, and vengeance had a habit of twisting it into something sinister in the weak-willed. He knew that look. That scowl, combined with the accusation in her eyes. Who was he to tell her what to do, he was sure that was going through her mind. He was a nobody, after all. Some man in an isolated shop that, while he did give her valuable information, didn't know her. Didn't know Parrie. He couldn't possibly understand the pain she was going through, at least that's what he expected to be going through her mind as she stared daggers at him. ..No, he didn't just understand the pain she was going through. He understood far greater pain from his past, though he'd never say that to a customer directly. Sage raised a brow at her demand. "Come with you?" A faint twitch of the corner of his mouth hinted at surprise. "Help you? I'm simply a messanger. Someone who carries the last moments of the departed to their loved ones. What use would I be of you in your quest for justice?" He almost slipped and said 'vengeance', but vengeance had just a negative feeling behind it. Justice was honorable. Justice was the good thing to do. Vengeance was what the broken sought. When she offered him more money for him to come with her, he shook his head. "..I'm not some private eye, Thea. You're better off taking this to the police, or a detective if they aren't cooperative." @juniper bee

The proposal Thea had set out was not going to budge, no matter how he disagreed or argued otherwise. The prospect of having another person on her 'team', per se, was enticing enough for Thea to stick it through to get him on her side. Besides, from the looks of the little shop, it didn't seem like he had much else going on. "You say that as if I haven't already tried contacting the authorities. Or several detectives." Was Thea's next counter to what Sage had had to say. "They don't care." She almost sounded hurt, then, but her facial expression remained stern. Of course, he wouldn't know about how hard it had been to scrape up any of the evidence she had gathered on the table today, and he certainly would have no clue how many times she had near gotten herself arrested for almost stepping right into the crime scene still under forensic investigation in times that felt as if they were aeons back. He wouldn't care, either. That didn't mean she was ready to give up. "You could help me find some more information on the killer, maybe have a look into the scene closer by actually being there. I don't know how your power things work or anything, but I could really use an extra pair of hands for this." Thea continued, trying her best to sound convincing for Sage. "Do you really want to spend your time here, waiting for people to come to you for help? I'm literally asking for you to come and help me right now!" She let out an exasperated sigh, hanging her head in a second of awkward, unsettled silence. Was she really going to have to beg for this guy? She'd do it. It wouldn't be her proudest moment, but she'd do it. She tried again, once more. This time, her voice was quieter. "Please? Please think about it, at least?" @Cecil

"I'm a medium, not a psychic. I speak for the dead, not read people's minds." He retorted. "I don't know what you've done before coming to me." He said, turning to walk to the oak door. She was right, he didn't know how difficult it was. But he knew how uncaring people could be. How if you tried at all to step out of line, even if you were just born a little different, it marked you as an enemy. His hand was on the knob of the door as she continued. "I'm not going to break the law just to get answers. I don't trespass, I don't break into places." He didn't need to stand out more than he already did, that was the whole point of tucking himself away, dammit. Her next question made his hand grip tighter on the knob. No, he didn't particularly enjoy the way he lived his life, but it was safe. Simple. It didn't involve running around trying to solve crimes or anything like that. Sage didn't want to make himself known to those who didn't need to know about him. He frowned as she spoke quieter, almost begging him to help her. Why would he even pity her? People died all the time. People were killed all the time. He helped people find closure, not justice! ..But could he really live with more blood on his hands if she got herself killed going down this rabbit hole? Or if she lost herself down the dark path of vengeance? Slowly, his hand left the knob. "..Fine. I'll help." @juniper bee

Her head shot up in surprise, truly not expecting all of that talk to have made any effect on swaying the man. It worked, he was going to help her. She got up from her seated position, approaching him carefully, "..Really? You mean it?" There was no harm in double checking, especially when it came to this situation in particular. She couldn't risk falling prey to some stupid prank or scam because she wanted answers. Clarifying his intentions wouldn't fix everything by any means, but it would ease her mind a little. She sounded so hopeful, it was hard not to see how much she was banking on any sort of assistance. Without another moment's notice, she hurried back to the table, smoothly gathering all of the documents into one big pile with just a few swoops of her arms, picking up her satchel and tucking each and every sheet of paper safely into its open pocket. "Thank you so much." The woman said breathlessly as she swung the satchel back over her shoulder, eager to set off again on her search, "Come with me. I can show you the scene." She made a beeline to the door, pulling it open with enthusiasm, until she paused mid-swing, thinking to herself. Was it a good idea to have this man dive straight into the crimescene without knowing a bit more about the whole ordeal? It might be a good idea to share what little information she had on the crime itself. Though, judging from his ability shown beforehand, he likely wouldn't need much filling in. She glanced back to him, apologetic. "Let me get you something to drink first. Do you like coffee?" @Cecil

He shrugged, adjusting his jacket. "Don't make me change my mind." With a shake of his head, Sage looked on to the outer door of his little shop. "The only reason I'm helping you is because I don't want to be responsible for you getting yourself killed." And he remembered when he was all bright-eyed and excited for things to turn out well. Which they rarely did, especially for someone like him. He wouldn't be surprised if him going along with her just made things harder for her. After all, nothing in his life was ever easy. But it didn't matter to her, he could tell, since she wanted any kind of help. Even help from him. Sage walked over to the door and leaned against the frame as she gathered up her pictures and documents, a slight frown on his face. What the hell was he doing? Why would he agree to something like this? Just so she'd leave him alone? Doubtful, and he wasn't a bleeding heart who was easily swayed by sob stories. Dammit, Sage, your actions make very little sense. When she walked over to the door, he pushed himself off of the wall and waited for her to exit his shop, hand hovering above the lightswitch when she paused. "..No, i'm more of a tea person. Coffee's too bitter." @juniper bee

Thea, on the other hand, had her mind fixed on a plan now that she had some more solid evidence. First, she'd get this guy up to date on everything she had. Then, they'd head for the crime scene and poke around, hopefully grab some more insight on the criminal (be that appearance or a hint at their lifestyle, either worked for her), and afterwards, she'd use the good old web to track them down. Okay, when she put it that way, it sounded overly simple. She understood it would all take time, a vigorous amount of searching. Hell, for all she knew, the killer could have bolted and left the city entirely. In her mind, so long as she found this asshole and made him pay, that's what mattered. No matter how fa away they were, she'd catch them eventually. But she was getting too ahead of herself. She blinked hard a few times to get herself back into focus, and found herself looking back at the man waiting for her to leave. "Tea person, huh? Me too. C'mon, I know a good cafe near here." She remarked, finally stepping back out into the alleyway. She took the initiative to lead the way, letting Sage take the time to close up shop if needed, but with enough eagerness in her step to force Sage to have to catch up with her as soon as he had finished doing so. @Cecil

This was going to be an experience, that much was already obvious. With a sigh, he turned off the light and stepped outside, quickly locking the door with a plain metal key before turning to follow Thea, his tall physique allowing him to quickly catch up with long, even strides. "You can slow down, y'know. We're not chasing anyone at this current time, and I highly doubt the killer's fled the city after everyone's dismissed the case, especially if he's a serial killer. Those types keep to their hunting grounds." Did Sage think that she'd listen to him? God no. He was absolutely wasting his breath, since she'd be too stubborn to listen to him on anything related to the case now that she had a lead. That much was obvious from the way she carried herself. And that's what worried Sage the most. Now that they were walking, it became clear that there was more to Sage than met the eye, as there was a thick sash around his wrist, several bags hanging from it. A moment passed before it became clear that that's where the scent that followed the man came from. Was he carrying plants in his bags? Why? "I hope you don't plan on making me spend all the money you just paid me. Cafes tend to get pretty expensive here." @juniper bee

Editing message: ```Thea simply rolled her eyes at him. There was absolutely no way in hell that she was going to even consider slowing down now. There was no time to waste! "You don't know that for sure, though, do you? Neither of us do. Which is why we have to keep moving." Already he was proving himself to be quite the stick in the mud, despite being the one to agree to joining her in the first place. "I never said you'd be paying! It's on me, I promise. Think of it as thanks for tagging along." 'Tagging along' was an understatement, really, and she was well aware of it. Sage could be risking his freedom, possibly even his life for her and her mission, ruining his whole little routine for a stranger he hardly knew. Speaking of strangers, Thea hadn't taken much time to look at Sage at all, even whilst she was sitting directly opposite him inside of his shop. Now, she took the opportunity, turning her head and giving him a quick up and down with her eyes. His outfit choice was curious, especially with those... bags hanging off his waist? How weird. Perhaps it was him and not whatever was behind the oak door that made that smell; they smelt very strongly of earth, she confirmed as she took in a deep gulp of air, realising that her fast pace would likely have her out of breath soon enough. "You keeping some herbs in there or something?" She asked him, gesturing to the bags swaying as he walked. She might as well get to know this man a little, considering that he currently had the upper hand in knowing quite a bit about her due to Parrie's life story. The pair quickly made their way out of the alley and turned, heading down a long and bustling street, full of people. A small neon sign poking out ovetop the heads of the people walking to and fro not too far in the distance shone with a welcoming glow, which caught Thea's eye. She pointed to it for Sage to see. "That's it there. Not too far now." (edited)

Perhaps it was because of how he lived his life, or other reasons, but the rushing through everything seemed.. unnecessary. People didn't move around all that much if they weren't threatened. He wouldn't call what he was doing 'tagging along'. It was more he was coming with her to prevent her from doing anything too rash or slipping too far. Honestly, the only reason he was coming is that he didn't want the guilt of knowing he could've stopped her from getting herself killed and chose not to come. Without even looking down at the bags around his waist, he nodded. "When you work with the spirits of the departed, certain herbs provide protection from dark spirits." It was all a bunch of mumbo jumbo to hide the real reason he carried the herbs with him, something that he had absolutely no intention of using unless he was entirely alone, or the people around him were not going to be leaving. As the two of them walked through the crowds, Sage seemed to look over his shoulder constantly, fidgeting every so often. He was never one for large crowds. They always hid more dangerous folk, especially for someone like him. When she pointed at the sign, he nodded slowly. "Good. Let's get going, then." @juniper bee

Thea only scoffed at the man's response to her question. Protection from the dark spirits just seemed like an excuse to carry about something more suspicious. For all she knew, he could be bringing some funky recreational drugs along with him to keep himself entertained, though she wouldn't have cared ether way. "Sure thing. Does that mean I need some, too, if the spirits are following you about?" She half-joked, half-teased. She did, however, notice how antsy Sage seemed whilst he walked through the stream of people. Perhaps he wasnt much of a people person, or perhaps he found the bustling energy of the city uncomfortable compared to the quiet calm of his own store? They'd be getting into the cafe soon enough, so hopefully he'd have the space to chill out a little and have a breather. If talking about a stranger's best friend and how they were murdered was relaxing in any way at all. Regardless of what his excuse may have been, she continued on, looking forward as they neared the cafe. The crowds thinned out as they finally made their way to the front of the cosy little place. Thea pushed open the door and held it open of the man to walk through. It was a fairly small cafe, filled with the smells of sweet fresh pastries and ground coffee, lit by warm golden lights. There were only a handful of people sitting at tables and waiting for their drinks, meaning there was plenty of choice for seating and ample space to find a quiet place to sit. "Tea, you said? Any kind? I'll go order it now, you find a place to sit." She ordered, though she hadn't really intended for it to sound so demanding. Thea was just really eager to get started. @Cecil

He shook his head after a moment. "There's only a risk of it during communication. While we're just walking around, we're not going to have dark spirits hunting us down or anything like that." At least, not in theory. It was always possible that someone out there had a problem with him, and would send something after him. His attunement to spirits would let him sense if anything was approaching, so he wouldn't be able to be surprised, at least. As they walked further through the crowds, Sage reached into his pocket and pulled out a small roll of paper, rolling it between his thumb and index finger, as if the repetitive motion brought some sense of calm to him. Despite this, he still checked over his shoulder every minute or so. Couldn't risk anyone sneaking up on them, after all. He needed to keep an eye out, especially now that he was getting dragged into hunting down a killer. If they caught wind of what the two of them were doing, it'd be simple to send someone after them to silence them permanently, right? Though, nobody had sent anyone after Thea, at least from what he'd been told, so it was unlikely that the killer wanted to cover their tracks that way. Never could be too careful though. He'd survived this long solely because he was careful. Stepping inside, Sage quickly pocketed the roll of paper again and looked around, taking a deep breath. It was better to be in a quieter place, somewhere that it was easier to see everyone. When she demanded he find a place to sit, he gave her a look. Did she really have to be so rude about it? Letting out a sigh, he nodded at her question before going to a table not too far from the entrance and sitting down, watching out the window while he waited for Thea to get their orders. @juniper bee

Thea made her way over to the counter to order drinks, already having some sort of idea of what to grab for the both of them. As she did so, however, her hands found the straps of her satchel and held onto them tightly, her thumbs grazing over the smooth material over and over. Just making sure that everything was still there within her reach. At the moment, that satchel was her entire world and it held information that she valued more than her own life. It was silly, she knew that, sort of. But she understood the worth of the documents, and the risk that it had for her own life. Right now, the most important thing to her was making sure Parrie got justice for the terrible death they'd been forced to have. Losing the satchel was a no-no on all levels. If she lost it, she's have to start all over from the ground up, and she couldn't afford to lose that time picking up information she had already spent so much time and effort getting once. Luckily, the wait wasn't too long, and after a few moments of searching for Sage and the table he had chosen, she brought over two large, steaming mugs of tea. As she set them down, Sage would realise one was a tea with milk (with the distinct smell of Earl Grey), and the other a green tea, no milk needed. "I wasn't sure which sort you liked better, so you take your pick. Be right back."

9:50 PM

Before Sage could even respond, Thea turned on her heels and hurried back over to the counter to retrieve one more item. When approaching, Sage would be able to see quite a healthy slice of a very fancy looking cake, which Thea gently placed in front of the man, before finally taking her seat opposite him. "There you are. Let me just..." She set her satchel down on her lap, without even taking a sip of her own beverage, and began pulling yet another item out of the bag. This time, it was a small bound notebook, with little bit of paper sticking out of the sides. Hooked onto the top of the cover was a little clicky pen, which she removed to begin writing immediately. Clearly there was a lot of information she needed to write down before she could start to relax just yet.

9:51 PM

@Cecil

Each and every person who walked past the cafe's windows were watched by Sage. It was.. strange. This had been the first time he'd left his shop for more than grocery shopping in several years. After all, that oak door gave him plenty of warning if someone was after him. Now, he was out in the middle of the city, essentially exposed, on some quest for justice with a woman he barely knew. Well, that wasn't entirely true, he knew plenty about her because of Parrie's memories. When she stepped back in front of him with teas, he looked at both of them for a few moments before taking the green tea. Sage absolutely despised excess things in his tea, like milk or sugar. It was one of the reasons he didn't like coffee, putting a bunch of stuff into it to make it taste good was unnatural. Raising his brow at the cake, he glanced back up to her. Was this some sorta peace offering? He didn't have much of a sweet tooth, but it'd be rude of him not to eat it. Taking a bite of it, he watched her write for several moments. "..So what's the plan here?" @juniper bee

Thea set her pen down upon finishing her scribbles to engage with Sage again. There was a lot that she had to lay out for him now they were working together, that was the top priority at the given moment. She reached for her cup of tea, leaning in the blow on it, watching the ripples of the liquid at the surface move in tiny little waves. "Then plan is to get you up to date on what I know and then head to Parrie's apartment to snoop again. We'll see how it goes from there. I'll be digging around the net to see if I can find anything on the killer using what you gave me." She said matter-of-factly, raising the steaming mug to sip on the tea. It was nice to stop and stand still, even if only for a moment. After running on adrenaline and anger for so long, the fatigue of all of her sneaking about and sleuthing alone for such a prolonged amount of time was setting in. Despite all that, she knew that the rest couldn't last for long, otherwise she'd lose sight of what really mattered. Thea took another long sip before speaking again. "Any questions before I update you?" @Cecil

He had plenty of questions. How did she get involved in all this? How far she was willing to take this? What she would do after dedicating her entire life to hunting down this single person for what they've done? He only asked one, though. "What do you plan on doing once you find the guy?" It was a simple question with a whole lot of meaning behind it. That question alone hopefully would get her to think on what kind of journey this would be for her. One for justice, or for vengeance. Knowing her intentions would also make it much easier for him to gauge how much of a leash he needed to keep her on. If she was out for blood, he'd have to keep it tight. If she was just going to try and get the guy brought to the police, then he'd loosen it. "Don't lie to me about your intentions, either. If you want me to work with you on this, you have to be honest with me." He knew the kinds of faces people made when they lied. The subtleties. He'd seen it many times throughout the years, seen people he was supposed to care about lie to his face. Sage couldn't stand liars. @juniper bee

Though she hadn't been fully prepared for all questions, this was one she had been expecting to answer at some point, form Sage or another person otherwise. Her family, despite their limited contact with her, had already voiced their concern at how in depth Thea had taken herself into the situation, given it had been a little while after Parrie's death. Everyone had their own methods of grieving, but this was... odd to them, to say the least. To Thea, though? It didn't matter what anyone else thought. This was for Parrie. The answer, too, was simple. Thea set down her mug, resting her face in her hands, her elbows propping them up from the table. She looked at the man across from her directly, a slight frown pulling at her mouth. "I want that killer put behind bars so they can rot for what they've done. I'll find them, track them down and report them to the authorities as soon as I can, and I'll hand in all my evidence against them, too." She sighed heavily, her eyes trailing down to study the grain of the wooden table. The thought lingered in the back of her mind that this wouldn't work. That the authorities would dismiss her again, ignore her efforts and hours of work because of their own scepticism. "If they don't believe me, I really don't know what I'll do." @Cecil

As long as she was doing this for getting justice for Parrie, then they shouldn't have any problems. With a simple nod, he was satisfied with that response. "Good. As long as you're trying to get the guy behind bars, that's what matters to me." Killing the murderer.. That'd be the easy part. The hard part was getting that that. Vengeance, while it seemed simple, was the far more harmful path one could take. Sage knew that all too well, better than Thea ever would, he hoped. Too often, he'd seen people go down the path of vengeance and lose themselves in the process, becoming no better than the monsters they were hoping to bring down. Hell, he'd even been on that precipice once. "Skeptics are everywhere. Whether or not they fully believe at first, I've got experience getting people to believe." He gave her a knowing look. He could still see the fire burning in her eyes. Sage was simply glad that it was for a good cause, something righteous. As long as she kept to this path, he doubted he'd need to step in much. He'd simply be there to help out, and once this was all over and the guy was behind bars, she could move on with her life. Just as things should be. "So. You've got stuff you wanted to fill me in on, huh?" @juniper bee

Her fingers absently traced the rim of her teacup as she listened to Sage, lifting her head as he finished what he had to say. Her piercing gaze met Sage's, a mix of determination and resolve shining through her eyes. She acknowledged his words with a subtle nod, appreciating his understanding and support. "Thanks. Parrie deserves justice, and I'm going to ensure that happens, no matter what." She spoke softly, her voice steady but laced with a hint of sombre reflection. With that, she reopened her precious satchel and brought out just a few documents, a handful of laminated photographs that she set on the table and gently pushed towards Sage to look at himself. "I managed to grab a few pictures off of the CCTV. Don't ask how." Thea said earnestly, her facial expression ever stern, still, "I found out that the fire started around 3am, and here there's someone leaving the apartment block around that time. It could just be coincidence, but it lines up. I tried mentioning this to the police but they didn't seem all that interested." Thea pushed forward one photograph from the pile in particular, "Here, you can't see their face, but you can see their outfit as they're walking out of the emergency exit. Judging from the height of the doorframe they're around 5'6". They didn't have a car or anything, from my understanding, as there were no records of new cars parked around the area during that day, so... that's all I have." She lets out an exasperated breath. "It's not a lot, but... I'm just hoping to god I can scrape something else up with the tattoo thing." @Cecil

Justice was something that Sage had a complicated history with, really. He understood its purpose in communities, but he felt that it was inadequately distributed in this day and age. It wasn't any better in older eras, unfortunately.. The systems just didn't do what they were supposed to do. Sometimes you just had to force it. Sage nodded as she spoke, looking down at the pictures that she gave him. He didn't really care all that much how things were gotten, as he didn't really care about a lot of the ways people governed eachother. As long as nobody got hurt, Sage believed people should do what they want with their lives. Narrowing his eyes at the picture, he frowned. "Coincidences rarely happen when it comes to things like this. Given the fact that there was a fire, it would've been safer to set off a fire alarm and slip out with the crowd. But no, they chose to walk out by themselves. They had a reason to do that." After thinking for a minute or so, he spoke up. "Perhaps it might be a gang sign. Members of gangs identify themselves with tattoos, right? They didn't tell me of any trouble they had with any gangs.. Maybe there was something they were trying to hide, or they'd done something that attracted the wrong kind of attention." He wasn't sure what that could be, but it was a possibility. @juniper bee

Thea leaned forward, her brows furrowed in thought as she absorbed Sage's perspective, and she studied the pictures along with him, nodding as he made his observations. "Exactly, that's what caught my attention too." Her fingers drummed lightly against the table as she continued, her mind racing with possibilities. "The way they left the scene, it's like they wanted to be seen, to leave a message or signal of some sort. It was an intentional move." "Gangs have their own codes, symbols, um.. affiliations, right? If Parrie and the person in the picture were connected to a gang in some way, it could open up a whole new avenue of investigation." Thea tilted her head as she thought, her mind racing, "Parrie would never willingly get involved in any sort of criminal activity, they cried at baby animal videos, for god's sake... But, maybe they stumbled upon something they shouldn't have, or maybe they were trying to leave a trail for someone to follow..." Thea's gaze sharpened, determination glinting in her eyes. "It might be a long shot, but it's worth looking into. I'll dig deeper into gang activity in the area, see if anything lines up." All of the brainstorming right away had her picking up her trusty pen again to scribble down every single note. No thought was left unadded, and by the time she had finished the entire page was filled by the ideas written in her pretty handwriting. @Cecil

His eyes narrowed as a thought crossed his mind. "Perhaps the killer's daring someone to come after them. If they're a serial killer and they haven't been caught for an extended period of time, maybe they're cocky. Maybe if they are a gang member, considering how quickly the case was dismissed, they've got people on the inside. Tell me, have you noticed anyone following you since you started poking your nose into this and brought it to the police?" If she had, that meant things could be so much worse. What had Parrie seen that made them a target, if anything? He had things he could do to try and get a further connection with them, but it was something he didn't like to do. It reminded him too much of the past. But, given the situation, if things didn't get anywhere soon, he might not have a choice. For now, he'd keep the possibility in the back of his mind. Better to not be hasty. The man watched as she jotted down each and every thought, point, and discussion they had. It was clear that she was in this for the long haul, and applied herself whole-heartedly, for better or for worse. It had been a long time since he'd seen someone so commited, or had been commited to something so strongly himself. To be honest, ever since he grew up, he'd felt directionless. Like he was aimlessly drifting through the sea, following wherever the currents wanted to take him. He'd been like that since he'd cut ties. "My suspicion is that they encountered something that a gang or something wanted them to stay out of, so they threatened them. When it became clear that they weren't going to listen, they sent someone after them to silence them- permanently. What they might've seen, I'm not sure, they didn't give me any specifics on that." @juniper bee

Thea's eyes met his, her expression thoughtful as she considered his words. She appreciated his growing interest of the case, though dedication was something she didn't expect from a stranger. Not only that, but his consideration of her own circumstances was quite the surprise. The only danger she had truly worried about was that of getting arrested. That thought stopped her in her tracks and she let her pen rest on the full page of notes before her. What if someone had been watching her? She hadn't noticed anything overt, but the feeling of being watched had crossed her mind more than once. Then again, it wasn't as if she was doing anything particularly of interest that would warrant being stalked. Suspicious, yes, but nothing that any ordinary person would count as criminal... or uncovering criminal. The only people that would care would be those of a gang under threat of being exposed, and she hadn't even gotten to that point, yet. If someone had wished to take her out, they surely would've done so earlier and saved the trouble of leaving behind all the evidence she had gathered. To think that someone was following her - that would just be allowing paranoia to get the better of her, and there was no way she'd let that happen. "It can't be possible," she replied, her voice low and contemplative. "I haven't noticed anyone following me directly, and I've not seen anyone suspicious around, either. I mean, who would follow me around, anyway?" The response seemed a little ignorant when put that way, but it was better than spiralling into hysteria over a situation she was determined to keep control of. "We can look into gangs in the city, ask around a bit to see what other people know, but I doubt they'd want anything to do with me if they could help it. I'm not wanting to expose them, just one person, y'know?" @Cecil

So, at the very least, she hadn't drawn too much attention to herself. Perhaps the cops she took this to weren't in the pocket of the gang- if one was involved, at least- that was good. That meant either she hadn't poked her head into the wrong place, or the killer was working alone. That made Sage believe that it was a single serial killer who was getting cocky, at least for right now. "Still, even if you haven't done anything to draw too much attention to yourself yet, if we are truly dealing with a group, then one person getting brought in because of your investigation could lead to the entire gang being threatened. After all, if a member of your gang gets captured, and you don't have anyone on the inside to make sure they don't say too much, then how much danger would you be in? Your entire group could be taken down because one woman decided she wasn't going to sit still and accept the fact that her friend's gone." It was a cold outlook on the situation, to be sure, but he needed to make sure that she understood what the possibilities were. "As long as nobody's going after you, then we should be fine to keep going. I'll see what I can drag up through my own methods. Are we going to be meeting up at various times, or should I expect a guest at my place for the foreseeable future, just in case someone is actually following you?" @juniper bee

Sage's offhand comment was duly and bitterly noted and she sighed heavily to show her distaste for it. Perhaps she had been too eager to share with this guy; he was a stranger, still, and his whole perception of her, from her perspective, didn't seem to be a certainly positive one. No one really got it "I'm fully aware of the fact they're gone, thanks." Thea snapped sharply, more hurt that he was missing the purpose behind all of her hard work than angry, though she dared not show that. She understood fully what she had been getting herself into, she didn't need reminding! Okay, maybe she had forgotten to consider the potential threat of the same person that killed Parried coming after her, but that was totally different, and she thought herself smart enough not to get cornered into that situation. She wasn't stupid or stubborn for not thinking of that right away, just goal-oriented. "It's probably better to meet up a few times, just in case you find something that I miss. So... I need a way to contact you for the near future, please. A phone number, an email or something. After we go and visit Parrie's place I'll let you go on your way and I can contact you again if something happens. That cool with you?" Thea's more demanding assertiveness was unrelenting, even now. Was it partially because she knew it annoyed Sage a bit? Yes, it absolutely was. But if she wasn't clear, that would leave room for error, and she didn't want any of that with so much to lose.

6:07 AM

@Cecil

His perception of her was that she was driven, yes, but that drive could easily get her into trouble if she wasn't careful. It was his belief that it wouldn't do him any good to get attached to any one person, so keeping her at arm's length was better for him. Even if that meant seeming distant or cold to some things. But that didn't mean that he wasn't surprised when she snapped at him. Had he said something that pissed her off? ..Reminding her of her friend's passing probably wasn't much of a good thing to say, in hindsight.. He sighed inwardly, knowing that he was by far not the best person to interact with. A long time of being isolated in his apartment didn't do much for his social skills. "..Sorry." His voice was quiet as he looked away, his gaze lingering outside the window, a slight frown on his face. "..I don't use my phone very much, so you'll have no trouble reaching me there." He took a piece of paper and scribbled down a phone number quickly. "..Then yes, we can go to their place and see what comes up." He nodded, still not looking in her direction. That could easily be interpreted as indifference, but in fact, it was him feeling guilty for what he had said. @juniper bee