Sep

Vanguard: Calder City

She looked serene. Dominic felt she looked as if she had been sleeping, the blue and red flashing lights did little to change the atmosphere. Little spots of rain continued to fall, a silent drum beat admist the cacophony of a night in Calder City. He had taken the photos he needed long before the 'real' detective arrived. Being careful to not touch the body, any farther than he already had in closing her eyes, and did a scout of the perimetre. Hidden in a plastic bag down an adjacent alley now was one fancy looking shoe. No doubt the compatriot to the one that 'Eve' was wearing. Calder Citys own retelling of Cinderella, now with more murder and mystery.

He watched as the medical examiner, an eccentric old man called Doctor Buckley, and his assistant a niave young woman named Pilar studied the body. He took notes ofcourse, her liver temperature was colder than the ambient temperature meaning that she was killed, stored and cooled and then dumped here. That made guessing a time of death, especially here in the field next to impossible. Dusk merely nodded along, and took notes as the Detectives did their thing. They could have asked him for his photos, and his sketches. Instead all they asked for were his fingerprints, and boot prints, in order to eliminate them as possibles.

As if they didn't already have his fingerprints on file anyway.

Eventually the body was moved onto the gurney, raised and then placed in the back for transport and taken away. Only then did the lead detective approach him. Dusk didn't look her in the eye, and just continued to look at the spot where the body had been. The outline now the only trace that there had ever been a person there. "Same as all the others huh, good catch Albie. How did you find her, busy night on the town?"

He ignored the stab. "This is the third I've seen. Same circumstances, same clothing, some bald head. I guarantee that Buckley will find she's not an ounce of blood left."

"Right. Why don't you come into the station, see if you can't help us identify her-"

"I'll pass. Just let me know what you can."

Dominic could feel the touch before it made contact. The shadow on the ground recoiled from the contact, though his body didn't betray him the same way and stood firm. He turned back to look at her.

"Work with me here Albie."

He pulled his shoulder free. "I am. That's why I called you, and not anyone else. It didn't have to be you, hell this isn't even your case anymore."

"Why won't you trust me, just let me into that big brain of yours-"

Dominic looked at the two junior detectives, who very quickly looked away and suddenly found something very interesting to do at the otherside of the crime scene. Albert lowered his voice. "You know why I won't trust you, why I won't let you in. You're here because you're a good detective. Thats it." He could see the sting in her eyes. He would have been lying to himself if that didn't sting him a little bit too, but another part of him felt some level of satisfaction.

He wasn't sure which side he hated more.

She appeared to regain her composure. "Very well then. We'll be in touch once we've made an arrest."

"Come on now Lucy, you know this isn't how this works."

"How this-" Detective Lucy Wilcox pointed between her and him. "-Works, is that you have very correctly called in a crime. I will now go and do my best to solve that crime, and then I will tell you once I have done so if you are required to attend court." She slapped her notepad closed. "That is how this works."

"Now who's being difficult." He called as she turned and walked away, but she didn't reply which was all he needed to know that his time at this scene was over. Unbeknownst to Lucy he already had several things to follow up on, for starters he knew who the victim was. He had seen her face in the dozens of missing-persons reports he had stored in his office, during his hours of parousing trying to find a link between the missing victims.

Dominic Dusk bent down and under to go under the police-tape, not looking back even as he could feel eyes on him as he walked away. He needed caffiene, this looked like it wasn't going to be a night that stopped anytime soon and he had important work to be done.

Vanguard: Calder City

Melissa is working on the lore doc so we'll go through our pending sheets tomorrow!

Vanguard: Calder City

<Snipped quote by Eddie Brock>

@Roman

Working on Dusk #3 tomorrow, leaning into some collabs now.

Vanguard: Calder City

The pedestrian traffic flowed like a river, and Dominic Dusk moved against the current. Moving in and out of the light his shadow defied all expectations, had anyone sought to pay it attention. The smells of alcohol and bad decisions clung to the air, the noise of a weeks worth of pent up stress and frustrations. People tore off in a myriad of directions, into a vast assortment of destinations. Cafés, restaraunts, diners, clubs and pubs. The Strip was where you went if you wanted to go for a night out, and you wanted to not break the bank, or be left beaten and broken. In a recent societal shift Dusk had noticed a new wave of clientele from elsewhere in the city, as Steel Acres and the Docks became 'hip' and 'trendy' places to live.

Also known as; cheap. It had its benefits, but many people these days found themselves unwelcome on the Strip.

Dominic allowed his thoughts to flow, as the invisible thread of pure instinct pulled him along. The crowds thinned as he moved away from the strip into the Docks proper, the sweet stink of alcohol and the musk of weed was replaced with the salty bitter air and the comforting smell of old rust. There were still pedestrians here, however they either moved in groups or with purpose. Nobody wanting to be caught here all alone, by themselves and unaware. He was broken by his thoughts when there was a crash down an alleyway to his right. He saw the man stumbling and bumping into things, a long list of vulgarities spewing from his mouth.

Part of him just thought he was another wayward drunk. Though the thread that brought Dusk here pulled his head back towards the figure. "Hey buddy, you alright?" He called, though he didn't approach. His right hand slipping down and under his jacket, palm resting against the side-arm he kept there in its holster.

"That bitch!" The courseness in his voice was of a man who had been shouting for far too long.

The man removed his hands from his face, and Dusk took half a step back. The mans eyes were bloodied, bruised. Marks from where someone had seemingly tried to claw the eyes from their sockets. "That cunt, I'll make sure she fucking pays-" Realisation dawned on the mans face as he noticed Dusk stood there, wary. Looming. "Are you with her?" What remained of his eyes scanned Dusk up and down, narrowing as they focused and his face contorted as he appeared to make a decision on Dusk identity, lunging forward.

"Who is she?! Where is she?! You fucking emo bastards all stick together, you'll know her-"

As he lunged, Dusk reached out and grabbed the mans arm. Pulling him in close, twisting his body and turning. Bringing his other arm up off his weapon he used both hands to push the man away. Who went stumbling, trippling and falling into a nearby puddle. With a very satisfying oof. "I don't know who you're talking about, but if she's the one who did-" Dusk gestured towards the mans face as he rolled over, blood, mud and other secretions and fluids upon his face. "All that, I'll hunt her down while you go to a hospital."

The man reached down to slip something out from his left boot, and Dusk just sighed. "Go." Dropping his right hand very visibly, and very purposefully to his holster. The mans eyes widened, and then he nodded. Scurrying off leaving Dusk to turn around and make his way through the labyrinth. Casting his thoughts out, he tried to seek for the thread that had slowly been pulling him here all night. Leading him to this moment, this confrontation. It wasn't long till he could hear singing.

”You make me forget myself.”

He followed the voice. Followed the pull, he heard another voice now. Calling, shouting out to the womans voice. Eve. Dusk concentrated and pulled the shadows around himself, blending into the alleyway he approached, he could see her now. Dancing. Twisting and spinning, one hand outstretched. A finger pointing and thats when he saw the body.

Lying on the ground, bald, pale, and serene. The same as the others. He should have jumped out, drawn his weapon. Told them to freeze, called in for help. Something told him to wait. The man kept shouting at the woman, trying to get through to her and still she sang and she danced. From her outstretched finger, seemingly invisible to her and the other man stretched what looked like a line of shadow. It twisted and weaved as she danced to the song she sang, coiling around her body. One end on her finger, the other attached to the chest of the women. Then as the song hit its peak, and came to an end the strand snapped. The spell broken. Landing on her hands and knees.

The two spoke. Luca, Eve. Harborlight. Luca was somehow connected to her father. Did she do this?. She swore she didn't kill, there was emphasis on this. What was the significance? The man looked directly at him before he reached down and picked her up, as he threw her over his shoulder he ran and Dusk had to take a sidestep to stop him from colliding headlong into him. If he noticed the slight shift in the shadow he didn't react. As Lucas running footsteps echoed in their retreat Dusk stepped out of the shadow and went to kneel beside the dead woman.

Dusk recognised her as one of the missing, and a pang of regret shot through him. If only he had done more, if he had been more succesful in his invesitgation then this wouldn't have happened. Pulling his cell from his pocket with one hand, he closed her eyes with the other as he hit his speed-dial #2. It rang twice before it clicked in answer.

"Hey, it's me. We've got another one."

^{Indirect collab with @Stormyx}

Vanguard: Calder City

<Snipped quote by Sep>

This is why you take the kneecaps first.

@Lord Wraith

We've been over this. Maxx won't hold me down for you

Vanguard: Calder City

I won't go down without a fight

Vanguard: Calder City

<Snipped quote by Lord Wraith>

You want to GM?

@Melissa

Wow okay just publicly announce my forced retirement.

I see how it is.

Vanguard: Calder City

One more shift then it's time for some days off, and I can write these posts to try and keep up with you maniacs.

Vanguard: Calder City

Whoops phone freak out

Vanguard: Calder City

Not up to us but maybe Melissa will change her mind or maybe not. I guess we will see what she thinks tomorrow.

@Theyra

Melissa is in EST. In EST it is still the 7th