Chapter Text
PRECINCT 41 – The repurposed silk mill looms before you. Red brick mottled with water stains and pigeon shit, adorned with rusting wrought iron decor. The domed glass ceiling casts colorful fractals of light onto the desks inside. Six wings extrude from the building, three on each side. Chimneys rise near the front, giving the whole building the look of a ladybird.
INLAND EMPIRE – You have stood here, paused on the first of a few short steps, countless times before.
ENCYCLOPEDIA – You only remember a few months worth of them.
YOU -
1. > Look around.
2. Look up.
3. [Shivers: Godly] Take a breath.
-5 It isn’t time.
4. [Volition: Easy] Go inside.
YOU – Glancing up and down the street, you see pedestrians shuffling determinedly to work or to home, umbrellas drawn against the pattering rain. Rainwater runs down the street into storm drains, swirling away into darkness.
A few patrol vehicles along with the Kineema are parked adjacent to the station, near the wing housing the garage. An officer returning from an early morning patrol hurriedly leads her mare to the stables, the clip-clopping of metal shoes echoing above the rain.
YOU -
1. Look around.
2. > Look up.
3. [Shivers: Godly] Take a breath.
-5 It isn’t time.
4. [Volition: Easy] Go inside. (Continue)
YOU – Looking up towards the dark sky -
COMPOSURE [Medium: Failure] – You blink heavily as a fat rain drop lands directly in your eye. You wipe it away, but now your vision is slightly blurry.
YOU -
1. Look around.
2. Look up.
3. [Shivers: Impossible] Take a breath.
-5 It isn’t time.
-2 Caught off guard by raindrop.
4. > [Volition: Easy] Go inside. (Continue)
VOLITION [Easy: Success] – You walk confidently through the main doors, the wet soles of your shoes squeaking slightly on the tile flooring.
PRECINCT 41 – The sights and sounds greeting you are incredibly familiar ones. A dappled array of stained glass casts colorful details on an otherwise unnoteworthy office space. Desks, located in a large main room, are divided into sections based on specialization, with C-Wing located near the back. Catwalks criss-cross overhead, with a few junior officers leaning on the railings watching the bustle below.
Various chatter can be heard everywhere, a cacophony of morning activities. A sergeant is calling out a list of names and locations, each followed by an officer rising to their feet and walking determinedly towards the stable wing doors. Paper shuffling and pens scratching against forms greet your ears as you make your way further inside.
ESPRIT DE CORPS – Your brothers and sisters, going about their duties.
MACK TORSON – “Mullen! You’re finally back,” the larger man has tossed his arm over your shoulders, shaking you a bit. Caught up in the sights and sounds of the station, you never saw him approach. “Where’ve you been? The Kits wouldn’t tell us shit!”
ENCYCLOPEDIA – “The Kits” refers to Lieutenant Kitsuragi.
EMPATHY – He hates the nickname, but it’s leagues better than “Kimball.”
YOU -
1. “I was fucking your mother.” (Lie)
2. “I’m sorry.”
3. > “I was sick all week, real bad shit.”
4. “What’s happened since I was gone?” (Continue)
YOU – “I was sick all week, real bad shit,” shrugging his arm off you add, “I think it was the flu.”
MACK TORSON – “Augh, gross, man!” He flicks his arm as if ridding himself of water, like that could possibly help with germs.
YOU -
1. “I was fucking your mother.” (Lie)
2. “I’m sorry.”
3. “I was sick all week, real bad shit.”
4. > Am I still contagious?
5. “What’s happened since I was gone?” (Continue)
YOU – Am I still contagious?
ENCYCLOPEDIA – No. You felt better by Thursday, but Kim suggested you take a further day off to recover. You didn’t argue.
YOU -
1. “I was fucking your mother.” (Lie)
2. “I’m sorry.”
3. “I was sick all week, real bad shit.”
4. Am I still contagious?
5. > “What’s happened since I was gone?” (Continue)
YOU – “What’s happened since I’ve been gone?” Making your way towards the C-Wing section, you notice Jean glancing up at you from where he’s leaning on his desk. Chester makes his way over as well, handing Mack a paper cup filled with black coffee on his path to their desks.
PERCEPTION (Smell) – The coffee is burnt, but still smells inviting after the rainy jog from the bus stop.
JEAN VICQUEMARE – “Husbands murdering their wives, kids getting stabbed in the street,“ he adds with a snort, “The usual shit.”
ESPRIT DE CORPS – These things did happen.
KIM KITSURAGI – “And a young woman found dead on 3rd Street in the early hours of this morning.” He is holding two cups of coffee, having followed shortly behind Chester.
YOU -
1. > “Kim!”
2. “Is that for me?” (Point to the coffee)
3. “A dead woman? On a Monday? Can’t these murderers wait until Tuesday at least to do their killings?”
4. “What’re the details?” (Continue)
YOU – “Kim!” You greet him with a huge, toothy grin.
KIM KITSURAGI – “Good morning, Detective,” he flashes a small smile, only perceptible to you. “I trust you are feeling better?”
EMPATHY – He knows you’re better, he was with you most of the weekend.
ESPRIT DE CORPS – This is simple pleasantries exchanged for the sake of professionalism. No one needs to know where he chooses to spend his time.
ELECTRO-CHEMISTRY – Twice this weekend, he chose to spend it between your legs.
YOU – “Uh, yeah. I am. Totally cool,” you say, tugging lightly at your shirt collar.
KIM KITSURAGI – “That is good to hear.”
YOU -
1. “Kim!”
2. > “Is that for me?” (Point to the coffee)
3. “A dead woman? On a Monday? Can’t these murderers wait until Tuesday at least to do their killings?”
4. “What’re the details?” (Continue)
YOU – “Is that for me?” you ask, pointing towards one of the coffee cups.
KIM KITSURAGI – “Khm. Yes,” he extends the cup, his gloved hand brushing lightly against yours as you readily accept it.
COMPOSURE [Medium: Success] – You take the cup with practiced ease. You even look kind of cool doing it.
YOU – Taking a sip of the coffee yields a warm feeling deep inside. It’s exactly how you like it.
ELECTRO-CHEMISTRY – Loads and loads of sugar, baby!
+1 MORALE
PERCEPTION (Hearing) – What’s that? What are Torson and McLaine talking about?
YOU -
1. “Kim!”
2. “Is that for me?” (Point to the coffee)
3. “A dead woman? On a Monday? Can’t these murderers wait until Tuesday at least to do their killings?”
4. > [Perception: Challenging] Tune in to Torson and McLaine’s conversation.
-1 Talking to Kim right now.
5. “What’re the details?” (Continue)
PERCEPTION [Challenging: Failure] – You can’t hear a word they’re saying. The usually boisterous men are speaking in quick, hushed tones.
ESPRIT DE CORPS – Is it about a case?
INLAND EMPIRE – No, but it’s important. Ask them about it.
DRAMA – Will they tell us?
SUGGESTION – Yes.
YOU -
1. “Kim!”
2. “Is that for me?” (Point to the coffee)
3. “A dead woman? On a Monday? Can’t these murderers wait until Tuesday at least to do their killings?”
4. [Perception: Challenging] Tune in to Torson and McLaine’s conversation.
-1 Talking to Kim right now.
5. > [Suggestion: Formidable] “Hey Mack, Chester, what’re you two whispering about?”
-1 Talking to Kim right now.
+1 Kim is used to you jumping around in conversation.
6. “What’re the details?” (Continue)
SUGGESTION [Formidable: Success] – Stepping over, leaning in and lowering your voice to match theirs, you ask, “Hey Mack, Chester, what’re you two whispering about?”
CHESTER MCLAINE – An unusual look of seriousness is plastered on the red head’s face. “It’s Delaney, Mullen,” brows furrowed, he adds, “Mack seems to think he’s getting too buddy-buddy with those fuckers in Ethics.”
ESPRIT DE CORPS – Officer Tim Delaney sits hunched at his desk in the internal affairs section, on the other side of the main room. He looks tired, but thoroughly engrossed in his paperwork, not much different than any other officer on a Monday morning. He scribbles thoughtfully on a “Use of Lethal Force” form, occasionally flipping back and forth between a set of notes as he writes.
ESPRIT DE CORPS – Internal affairs, or Inspectorate General, investigate the legality of uses of force, and pay special attention to those ending in death. A necessary part of the precinct, yet many, like Mack Torson, despise them.
MACK TORSON – “I’m tellin’ you, man, that guy ain’t to be trusted!” he exclaims in a hushed tone, “Even for the rat-squad, that guy’s seriously shady.”
DRAMA [Challenging: Failure] – It’s just gossip, sire.
YOU – “Yeah, sure guys. You got me all worked up over nothing.” Returning to Kim’s side, he remains ever patient with you.
JEAN VICQUEMARE – “I don’t know what you expected, shitkid. They’re always gossiping like schoolgirls in little skirts and shit.”
YOU - “I dunno. They seemed real serious this time.”
JEAN VICQUEMARE – He huffs, then greets Judit with a wave as she walks over, before they both sit at their desks.
YOU -
1. “Kim!”
2. “Is that for me?” (Point to the coffee)
3. > “A dead woman? On a Monday? Can’t these murderers wait until Tuesday at least to do their killings?”
4. [Perception: Challenging] Tune in to Torson and McLaine’s conversation.
-1 Talking to Kim right now.
5. > [Suggestion: Formidable] “Hey Mack, Chester, what’re you two whispering about?”
-1 Talking to Kim right now.
+1 Kim is used to you jumping around in conversation.
6. “What’re the details?” (Continue)
YOU - “A dead woman? On a Monday? Can’t these murderers wait until Tuesday at least to do their killings?”
KIM KITSURAGI – “I’m afraid not, Detective. Besides, we don’t know if this is a murder yet,” he takes a sip from his coffee. “Though, a young woman isn’t likely to die of natural causes in the street. We will know more after investigating the scene.”
YOU -
1. “Kim!”
2. “Is that for me?” (Point to the coffee)
3. “A dead woman? On a Monday? Can’t these murderers wait until Tuesday at least to do their killings?”
4. [Perception: Challenging] Tune in to Torson and McLaine’s conversation.
-1 Talking to Kim right now.
5. > [Suggestion: Formidable] “Hey Mack, Chester, what’re you two whispering about?”
-1 Talking to Kim right now.
+1 Kim is used to you jumping around in conversation.
6. > “What’re the details?” (Continue)
YOU – “What’re the details?”
KIM KITSURAGI – “Not much. A call came in around 04:00 this morning, reporting a young brunette woman lying dead on the 3rd Street sidewalk, near a closed corner store. The caller did not give a name, and it came from a payphone, so that is likely a dead lead.”
YOU – “Let’s get going then.”
---
YOU – As Kim parks the Kineema on the corner, you recall a date you had loosely planned before getting sick. “Hey, Kim, still down to visit the Lemonade sometime?”
ENCYCLOPEDIA – The Lemonade is a disco-themed roller rink located on Boogie Street. You heard about it not to long ago, from an ad plastered on a pole outside of your apartment building. It has been open for roughly 15 years, and, thankfully, sports no bar.
DRAMA – It’s perfect for us, sire! We can really boogie in there!
ELECTRO-CHEMISTRY – But what about the booze? We should bring our own!
VOLITION – No. I’ve had us on the straight and narrow now for four months, no thanks to you.
ELECTRO-CHEMISTRY – Spoilsport.
HORRIFIC NECKTIE – Who needs booze when we have beautiful lovemaking! Skip the stupid roller skates, bratan! Stay home and -
YOU – Giving your tie a slight tug, you tell it, “Not now,” and look back up at Kim, who is totally unfazed by your comment.
EMPATHY – He knows – and loves – your eccentricities. He is fully aware that there are many voices inside you, as well as the occasional talking necktie.
KIM KITSURAGI – “Khm, indeed. That does sound enjoyable,” he opens the door and steps gracefully out of the Kineema, “When were you thinking?”
YOU – Clambering out of the rear seat, you exit with much less grace than him. “You’re so cool, Kim. And uh, maybe tonight? After work?” He seems taken aback for a moment, so you add, “I don’t want to be there long, just testing the water, you know? Seeing if it’s really disco.”
KIM KITSURAGI – Closing the door behind you, he remarks, “Well, seeing as it is disco-themed, I don’t foresee you being disappointed.”
ABANDONED 3RD STREET CORNER STORE – The first thing that hits you is the smell. Not one of rot, the body has only been here overnight at most. No, it’s the metallic tang of blood. It pools, deep red washed pale with rainwater, and flows over the sidewalk, dripping into a nearby drain.
The abandoned store itself isn’t noteworthy. A drab gray concrete square, with busted windows and graffito covering most of it. Going inside, you’d find much of the same.
DEAD WOMAN – She is slumped unceremoniously against the building, her hands lightly grasping an area around her neck, her face contorted in pain.
ABANDONED 3RD STREET CORNER STORE – Hey man, I know you got investigating to do and all, but d’ya think you could get her out of here soon? She’s scaring away my customers.
YOU – What customers? You’re abandoned.
ULTRA-LIBERAL 3RD STREET CORNER STORE – Listen, it’s about the aspirations. One of these days I’ll be the most popular corner stores in Jamrock. I’ll be raking in the riches from my efforts. Just you wait and see!
SHIVERS – It is due to be demolished soon.
YOU – With only a short moment having passed, you return to looking at the woman. “Do you want the honor, or shall I?”
KIM KITSURAGI – “I believe it is your turn, Detective. I will take preliminary notes and fill the field autopsy report.” He reaches into his bomber jacket and retrieves his camera, “Here, before we begin, let me photograph the scene undisturbed.” He quickly snaps a photo, before returning both film and camera to his jacket. Grabbing his notebook and pen, he looks to you to begin.
DEAD WOMAN – Her pale, lifeless gaze is unwavering. Her hands, grasping lightly around her neck, slowly stiffening with rigor mortis are covered in her own blood. Brown hair is plastered to her head after hours of rainfall, which is beginning to subside as you start your examination. She wears a simple t-shirt and FALN track-pants, and a blue backpack is slung over one shoulder.
INLAND EMPIRE – She was surprised while returning home.
YOU -
1. > Examine the body.
2. Examine the belongings.
3. Examine the surroundings.
4. [Inland Empire: Legendary] Speak to her.
5. [Visual Calculus: Formidable] What happened here?
6. Bag the body. (Continue)
YOU – Moving closer and sliding on a pair of gloves, you note how strong the metallic tang is now.
1. > Determine the basics – Name, age, sex, date of death…
2. External examination – Clothes, build, lividity, injuries…
3. Internal examination – Respiratory, toxicology, gastrointestinal…
4. Description of injuries.
YOU – You begin to list the basic facts aloud to the lieutenant, with practiced ease.
ESPRIT DE CORPS – You’ve done this countless times before. Looking at dead bodies is your day-to-day.
YOU – “Name: Unknown. Age: Mid to late twenties. Race: Occidental. Sex: Female. Date of death: Likely early this morning or late last night, based on the onset of rigor mortis. What’s today’s date?”
KIM KITSURAGI – “I agree, she likely died in the night,” as he writes, he includes, “Today is the 24th, Detective. July.”
YOU – “Right.”
1. Determine the basics – Name, age, sex, date of death…
2. > External examination – Clothes, build, lividity, injuries…
3. Internal examination – Respiratory, toxicology, gastrointestinal…
4. Description of injuries.
YOU – “She’s wearing a gray t-shirt and black track-pants, brand: FALN,” gently moving her shirt then pants slightly, you add, “Blue sports bra and white underwear. And a navy backpack.”
“Build is lean to average. Height is roughly… 160cm? Yeah, lets go with that. Weight: about 60kg. Hair: long, brown. Stiffening of muscles has begun, lividity is consistent with her being here for…”
LOGIC [Medium: Success] – “Six to eight hours.”
YOU – “Yeah, what he said,” you take a breath before continuing.
KIM KITSURAGI – “Yes, that would put time of death around… midnight or 02:00am.” The lieutenant has been dutifully taking notes this whole time. He does not notice, or does not care that you spoke to yourself.
VOLITION – He has been our rock.
CONCEPTUALIZATION – Our light in the night…
EMPATHY – He is ever patient, ever caring.
YOU – “Injuries include: contusions on the cheeks and mouth,” moving her hands, you finally get a good view of what you knew was coming.
REACTION SPEED – Very few injuries can cause this much blood loss.
ENCYCLOPEDIA – Complete severance of the anterior jugular veins is one of them.
DEAD WOMAN – Her hands kept some of the dark liquid in place, and now it oozes down her front. A grizzly slash has come into view, nearly from ear to ear.
VISUAL CALCULUS – It’s a clean cut.
YOU – “And a deep laceration across the throat.”
KIM KITSURAGI – “Khm, it appears to have severed both arteries and her windpipe, which explains why there have been no noise complaints in the area,” he re-positions his glasses as he pauses for a moment. “Any indications of a struggle?”
VISUAL CALCULUS [Challenging: Failure] – None, aside from minor abrasions on her hands where she broke her fall to the concrete.
YOU – “No, but scrapes on her hands where she hit the ground.”
KIM KITSURAGI – “Right,” he glances down at you, “What next?”
YOU -
1. Determine the basics – Name, age, sex, date of death…
2. External examination – Clothes, build, lividity, injuries…
3. > Internal examination – Respiratory, toxicology, gastrointestinal…
4. Description of injuries.
YOU – “Internal?”
KIM KITSURAGI – “No. I see no need for an internal examination or toxicology report. This appears to be ah…” he looks at the woman’s neck wound, “Rather cut and dry.”
YOU -
1. Determine the basics – Name, age, sex, date of death…
2. External examination – Clothes, build, lividity, injuries…
3. Internal examination – Respiratory, toxicology, gastrointestinal…
4. > Description of injuries.
YOU – “Contusions on the mouth and cheeks, roughly the size and shape of a hand. Non-fatal. Likely from our perp covering her mouth to stifle sound.”
“Abrasions on the palms of the hands, consistent with a short fall. Non-fatal.”
“Deep laceration on the neck, anterior arteries and windpipe severed.”
KIM KITSURAGI – “Fatal.”
YOU – “Yeah,” you agree with a sigh.
1. Examine the body.
2. > Examine the belongings.
3. Examine the surroundings.
4. [Inland Empire: Legendary] Speak to her.
5. [Visual Calculus: Formidable] What happened here?
+1 Examined the body.
6. Bag the body. (Continue)
YOU – Her pants pockets yield a blue pen and some lint.
CONCEPTUALIZATION – Her favorite color was blue.
YOU – Her bag is much more promising, as you slide it off of her shoulder and out from behind her, you feel that it is heavy. One strap has been ripped, rendering it useless. Unzipping the main compartment, you notice multiple notebooks, each with varying degrees of wear and tear. Alongside that, is a plastic bag with what appears to be emergency toiletries.
YOU – She traveled often?
LOGIC – Regularly around Revachol, but never further than a bus could take her.
KIM KITSURAGI – “Here, hand me those notebooks so I can bag them for evidence. We can read through them back at the station. What else is there?”
YOU – Inside the smaller compartment, you find extra pens, pencils, and a small stack of cards.
YOU – Cards?
YOU – Picking one out of the stack reveals simple black font on a white background, reading:
ROSALIE GERARD
POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT & INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST
TO SCHEDULE AN INTERVIEW
CALL 01 708 22 13
YOU – “We’ve got a name, Rosalie Gerard,” showing Kim the card, “And a number.”
KIM KITSURAGI – “Great! It’s a business card. That makes it easier for us. Let’s finish up here, then we can call that number.”
YOU -
1. Examine the body.
2. Examine the belongings.
3. > Examine the surroundings.
4. [Inland Empire: Legendary] Speak to her.
+1 Know her name.
+1 Journalists like questions just as much as you do.
5. [Visual Calculus: Formidable] What happened here?
+1 Examined the body.
+1 Examined the belongings.
6. Bag the body. (Continue)
YOU – In front of you stands the abandoned 3rd Street corner store with grind-set ideologies, and a dead journalist propped against it. To your right, an alleyway with empty paint cans, wet newspapers, and bags slumped against trash containers. To your left, the corner of 3rd and Robin Streets, the weak summer sun dazzling the puddles as the clouds slowly clear. Behind you, the Kineema is parked near a halogen street lamp, and a few pedestrians across the street. Few vehicles have passed since you’ve been here, but it’s much busier earlier in the day. The woman’s blood still trickles slowly down the storm drain.
ESPRIT DE CORPS – It’s like any other street in Jamrock – dead body and all.
ENDURANCE – How much longer can we keep doing this, Harry-boy? Running around, solving murders.
PAIN THRESHOLD – Our leg never fully healed from the gunshot wound in Martinese. We will always walk with a limp.
PHYSICAL INSTRUMENT – We’ll keep going til the day we die! It’s what a real man would do! Don’t be a pussy!
SHIVERS – I STILL NEED YOU. SHE IS IMPORTANT.
VOLITION – We will keep going as long as we can.
YOU -
1. Examine the body.
2. Examine the belongings.
3. Examine the surroundings.
4. > [Inland Empire: Legendary] Speak to her.
+1 Know her name.
+1 Journalists like questions just as much as you do.
+1 Revachol needs you.
5. [Visual Calculus: Formidable] What happened here?
+1 Examined the body.
+1 Examined the belongings.
+1 Examined the surroundings.
6. Bag the body. (Continue)
INLAND EMPIRE [Legendary: Success] – As you reach out and place your hand on her chest to preform Station of the Breath, something shifts within her.
DEAD WOMAN – Must you keep calling me ‘Dead Woman’? I have a level of respectability to uphold.
YOU – I’m sorry, miss. What about ‘The Journalist’?
THE JOURNALIST – I like that. My title has always meant more to me than my name, anyway.
THE JOURNALIST – What do you want to know, officer?
YOU -
1. > Why are you here?
2. What’s with the notebooks?
3. Is your favorite color really blue?
4. Who killed you?
5. Why were you killed?
YOU – Why are you here?
THE JOURNALIST – In the street, dead? Or why was I here when I was alive?
YOU -
1. Dead in the street.
2. Alive in the street.
3. > Why not both?
YOU – Why not both?
THE JOURNALIST – I am dead in the street because it seemed as good as any other place to die, I suppose. I was alive in the street because I missed the last bus home.
YOU -
1. Why are you here?
2. > What’s with the notebooks?
3. Is your favorite color really blue?
4. Who killed you?
5. Why were you killed?
YOU – What’s with the notebooks?
THE JOURNALIST – I’m a journalist. It’s my job? My passion, even.
YOU -
1. Why are you here?
2. What’s with the notebooks?
3. > Is your favorite color really blue?
4. Who killed you?
5. Why were you killed?
YOU – Is your favorite color really blue?
THE JOURNALIST – Yes. Like the sky. Do you love the color of the sky?
ENCYCLOPEDIA [Impossible: Failure] – It’s a reference to something. Though, you’re not sure what.
YOU -
1. > Yes.
2. No.
3. Maybe.
YOU – Yes.
THE JOURNALIST – There’s so many colors…
YOU -
1. Why are you here?
2. What’s with the notebooks?
3. Is your favorite color really blue?
4. > Who killed you?
5. Why were you killed?
YOU – Who killed you?
THE JOURNALIST – The ‘who’ doesn’t really matter, it’s the ‘what.’ Every journalist that ends up dead in a street is killed by the same thing. Curiosity. Knowledge. Don’t bother asking the last question, you’ll get the same answer.
YOU -
1. Why are you here?
2. What’s with the notebooks?
3. Is your favorite color really blue?
4. Who killed you?
5. > Why were you killed?
YOU – Why were you killed?
THE JOURNALIST – I knew you’d ask anyway. I would too. But I told you, officer. It was curiosity.
YOU – “And satisfaction could not bring you back.”
THE JOURNALIST – I am never satisfied. Nor are you.
YOU – With that, you lift your palm from where is has been placed on her chest.
KIM KITSURAGI – “That is part of a saying, yes?” Despite his nonchalant attitude towards your many voices, the ‘talking to corpses’ thing still unnerves him.
YOU – “Curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back.”
KIM KITSURAGI – “It would make sense that curiosity could have lead to her demise,” he takes his glasses off and gently wipes the lenses before placing them back on, “Journalists are… persistent.”
CONCEPTUALIZATION – The case!
YOU – What? I’m working on it right now.
DRAMA – The saying, sire! It’s perfect!
LOGIC – They mean the case name. They want you to call it ‘CURIOSITY KILLED THE CAT’.
YOU – “Oh, that’s perfect!” Turning to Kim, you relay him the news, “We should name the case ‘CURIOSITY KILLED THE CAT’.”
KIM KITSURAGI – “Ah, that is a good name,” he writes down the information, “Great work, Detective.”
ELECTRO-CHEMISTRY – Praise? From Kim?
VOLITION – Now is not the time.
ELECTRO-CHEMISTRY – Now is never the time with you.
YOU -
1. Examine the body.
2. Examine the belongings.
3. Examine the surroundings.
4. [Inland Empire: Legendary] Speak to her.
+1 Know her name.
+1 Journalists like questions just as much as you do.
+1 Revachol needs you.
5. > [Visual Calculus: Formidable] What happened here?
+1 Examined the body.
+1 Examined the belongings.
+1 Examined the surroundings.
6. Bag the body. (Continue)
VISUAL CALCULUS [Formidable: Success] – In an instant, the scene transforms before you. The morning sun darkening to night, and the nearby halogen street light flicking on with a buzz. A figure approaches from your left – Rosalie – she is crossing Robin Street. Her steps are tired, but measured, and her bag is sitting snugly on her back. She passes the abandoned corner store, under the street light and…
REACTION SPEED – There!
VISUAL CALCULUS – A second figure, only slightly taller than the woman, launches itself from the alley, grabbing her face and pulling her body against theirs to pin her.
HALF LIGHT – She tries to fight, but it’s already too late.
VISUAL CALCULUS – The second figure has drug a knife deep across her throat, in one clean motion.
PERCEPTION – You can almost hear the gurgling of blood as she tries to force out a scream.
VISUAL CALCULUS – Just as quickly as they arrived, the second figure drops the woman and retreats down the alley. Rosalie, doomed to her fate, slumps herself against the wall and tries to stop the bleeding. The vision fades, leaving only the bloody woman on the sidewalk.
YOU – “We need to search the alley,” you say, pointing, “The killer fled there.”
KIM KITSURAGI – “That does seem likely, yes. There could be a blood trail. Let’s bag the body for processing first, though. She’s already been out here too long.”
YOU -
1. Examine the body.
2. Examine the belongings.
3. Examine the surroundings.
4. [Inland Empire: Legendary] Speak to her.
+1 Know her name.
+1 Journalists like questions just as much as you do.
+1 Revachol needs you.
5. [Visual Calculus: Formidable] What happened here?
+1 Examined the body.
+1 Examined the belongings.
+1 Examined the surroundings.
6. > Bag the body. (Continue)
---
PERCEPTION [Challenging: Success] – Small drops of blood are spattered a short way down the alley, where an overhanging roof protected them from being washed away. Just a bit further though, and the trail disappears completely.
YOU – “It’s been washed away. I’m not sure if we’ll be able to get anything from here.”
KIM KITSURAGI – “I think you’re right, but let’s keep looking. Just in case.”
ALLEYWAY – As the two of you make your way further in, the smell of wet, rotting trash from the adjacent buildings clogs your senses. The warm summer sun finally having emerged from behind the clouds on exacerbates the reek. Having reached the end opening out onto 4th Street, finding nothing of note, you both opt to return to the Kineema.
CONCEPTUALIZATION – This place reminds you of somewhere…
SUGGESTION – Here, kitty, kitty.
YOU – “Hey, Kim? What’s this place remind you of?” You ask with a grin, as you emerge back onto 3rd Street.
KIM KITSURAGI – “Khm. Let me see,” he says sarcastically, a finger tapping his chin in mock pondering, “A murder scene?”
DRAMA – He doesn’t actually know what this place reminds you of, but he likes playing along.
YOU – “No! Well, yes, but not what I meant,” you say, leading the way over to the Kineema, “It’s like where we found Tip-Top!”
KIM KITSURAGI – A rare grin breaks out on his face, before he composes himself once more, “Ah, yes. You’re right, it does look similar to where we found her.”
SHIVERS – A little cat, living in a soundless world, feels the vibrations of a motor carriage and is mystified. She emerges from a trash bin, bits of paper sticking to her fur, to see two men exiting the carriage. One is taller, wearing many bright colors that dazzle her senses. The other is short and lean, with round glass that makes his eyes sparkle. The tall, colorful one leans down to her, flapping his mouth and beckoning with his hands. The one with sparkly eyes looks at the other with love. She knows she is saved.