Hey who the hell is this guy? (Open & Closed)

[quizpersona]

Who: A man who isn't going by "Gogol" right now
Where: Aldrip (now with better accuracy!) The Inn, an abandoned house at the edges of town, at a diner.
What: The assorted shenanigans related to a certain local murder clown who has faked his own perma-death to assume a different identity. There will be various toplevels in the comments. This is "closed-ish" because it's not 100% closed but there's a lot of ooc plotting and scheming going on so please come join in on the plotting scheming instead of blitzing in with a "hey you guys that's obviously Gogol" when other people are investigating.

Getting short-lived CR with the nice, helpful, and well-mannered salaryman is 100% open though because frankly that's funny.

Edit: now including a top level for his sentencing failure.

Warnings: Kidnapping, nsfw dialogue, law advice for the dubious, torture (includes finger trauma).

Comments

Where's Waldo?

[quizpersona]

[ Hey this is a top level for any kind of investigation going on re: the disappearance and/or how the hell he committed organ crimes. Enrichment in the enclosure for the detective-types. You tell me where or what and I tell you... secrets. ]

The scooby doo gang breaking in

[murderingjustice]

[It had already been over two weeks. And the clown was nowhere to be seen. According to information he had collected so far from the prior cases he should have been revived by now. So, to say that this was both driving Akechi mad yet.. pinged his interest. Of course, he was curious about whether they he had truly somehow managed to break the cycle. But even more than that, the detective in him was very drawn towards the potential mystery at the hand.

'lil enrichment in the enclosure, for sure.

So, he had contacted Naoto Shirogane, the only person he truly believed to be able to help him with the case. Luckily the phone he had nabbed off Gogol's body contained enough data for them to track down the location of his living quarters. After all, it was the first place where one ought to look for clues about whether he had been brought back or not. And hey! It's really a good thing that Naoto excels where Akechi is lacking: picking up a lock.]

You'll need to stand on the watch while we are inside, Narukami-san. In case something suspicious comes up you'll need to send us a text, not call -- understood?

[Oh right. Yu is there too.]

[izanagis]

[Somehow, Yu has found himself third-wheeling a scenario including Goro Akechi once again. How? Hard to say, but-- here he is, the wildcard between two Detective Princes as they prepare to break into clown town. His life sure is weird these days.]

Leave it to me. Be careful.

[He trusts that Naoto will give a signal if she needs backup, even if he's not as sure about Akechi. He's also hoping they won't need it.]

[killjoyprince]

[She really did not expect her first job as a detective here to be breaking into a murderous clownman's house. It was a good job she kept some of her tools on her. That lockpicking set would come in handy. As would her gloves.

Naoto was still unsure about this. While she'd not seen the body, she'd heard it'd been rather...decisive. People she'd trusted had told her that death wasn't permanent here. It was a strange thought.

No matter. With what the man had done to Dara, it was best if they looked more into him. So here she was, crouching by the lock and feeling out the pins with her tools. Focusing on that instead of talking.]

We will. [Though she wasn't going to admit that Akechi made a good call with the texting. The Investigation Team had made some choices.

She made a small hum, reached for the handle and the door opened. Just going to step away from it and peer around the frame, got to make sure there's no booby traps right by the door.]

Hopefully, there aren't any more snakes.

[So many places for them to hide here.]

[quizpersona]

[ There are no snakes today—at least not in the entranceway as the door creaks open. All that meets them is a dark room and a silence that aligns with the theory that no one is home.

If someone were to squint through the dark there would be shapes on the wall across from the door. Those are hard to discern the nature of in the darkness. There really is no light source present currently in the apartment and the windows must be at one of the far walls. ]

Breaks the order for a moment

[killjoyprince]

[Reaches into pocket, grabs a pen?

Oh wait, it's a flashlight that looks like a pen.

She was ready.]

jdfksdj loved that

[murderingjustice]

[Wow, thanks for the vote of confidence, Yu. Akechi might be difficult to deal with on a good day, but he does want to see this through properly. So, while Naoto works with the lock Akechi grouches down on the ground and opens up his briefcase to take out the proper equipment. If either of them happen to catch a glimpse of neatly folded white fabric inside, no you don't.

Akechi equips himself with a pair of disposable gloves, face mask and pocket flashlight. He even offers his companions gloves if they're not wearing ones already. Then, he shuts and locks the briefcase, choosing to leave it with Yu as they go in. He shines light inside the apartment, relieved to see that there is not any visible booby traps. He looks down at his senpai once and proceeds forward.

So far so good, huh? ]

[quizpersona]

[ Equipped with flashlights to illuminate the situation better there are a few things they'll find in this room alone.

There are many places that are empty in a way that's loud. The stand for some kind of musical instrument. There's an ornate brooch in the shape of a bird left upon it. Coat-hangers with nothing hung up. A bottle of a clear alcoholic smelling beverage abandoned on the corner of the counter. Baked goods that are well past the expiration date left in the pantry.

Closer to the centre of the main room there are old droplets of paint that dried there months ago. Above that there's a... monkey on the ceiling? The author of this artwork signed it. The owner(s) of the place never cleaned it up. It was far too amusing to keep.

They'll be able to spot what was left on the wall across from the door, too. It's some sort manner of symbol drawn in a dark flaky red. This is recent. It doesn't match with the rest of the hollow environment.

There also remains a door slightly ajar. Natural light streams out of the crack. Perhaps a bedroom? ]

[izanagis]

[The briefcase, that flash of fabric -- it's an interesting detail. Akechi definitely seems like the type to carry the former, but the latter?

... Yu doesn't have the lockpicking skills to sneak a closer look, but sorry Akechi, he's not going to forget that little scrap of information. He gives them both a slight, reassuring nod before he crosses to the bench across from the entryway to keep watch. He slides the briefcase between him and the arm of the bench and takes out a book.]

[killjoyprince]

[Naoto was slightly in front of Akechi, from where she'd been lockpicking. She'd heard the briefcase open, items being moved, but she didn't have eyes in the back of her head to see what was there.

Her nose crinkled at the smell of rotting bread. If they checked the fridge there'd probably more expired food, maybe dust that could give them an indicator of when someone was last here.

She slowly made her way across the room (platform shoes on, they were clean), scanning the floor before she stepped.

Other than the obvious signs of absence. The strange mark on the wall and locked door were what caught her attention. So she was going to that side of the room for a closer look.

Not attempting to pick the lock to that just yet though. She'd check the other room first, but for now the wall.]

Do you recognize this?

[She didn't recall the symbol at all.]