maskormenacelogs | Early one mornin' while makin' the rounds

Entry tags:

Early one mornin' while makin' the rounds

WHO: Duo + The Major
WHERE: Maurtia Falls Catholic Shelter
WHEN: Beginning of this month sometime!
WHAT: The Major following up a lead on Constellation; Duo sniffs out an ally.
WARNINGS: shouldn't be any!

[Maurtia Falls was a rough town, and the folks who came through the homeless and displaced shelter here reflected that. Not only was it the most populated of the imPort cities, it wasn't uncommon for there to be fights, overdoses- the sort of nastiness, even here in a house watched over by the Almighty.]

[Father Maxwell's understanding manner had earned him at least as much respect around these halls as a man of the cloth got- at least as equally as his tougher side had, and if folks were going to start something they didn't do it around him. Luckily, he'd only had to get serious once or twice; it wasn't right for a priest to be tumbling with his flock, after all. Still, it meant that if someone was visiting the shelter looking for information about imPorts, looking for information on any of the nastier stuff that got dragged in through God's house sometimes, the denizens would be tighter-lipped if it might be something that implicated their favorite priest- whether they knew it had anything to do with him or not.]

[Any outsiders would find it a tough time to get anything out of the people here- but these people were desperate, and loyalty could be bought from the desperate. Duo's ears are close to the ground as always, and when he starts to hear the gossip about the strange looking woman- probably a cop, some said with a sneer- that was walking around looking for information- it doesn't take him long to find the source.]

Afternoon! Something I can help with? [He asks, smile easygoing and obfuscating. An imPort alright- he recognizes this one from the networks. Not cop. Military. He's on his guard.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[The Major wasn't particularly well-liked by the shadier elements in Maurtia Falls--she's caused them too much trouble over the years. Whether it was with the now-defunct Archangel or just investigating on her own, most criminally-inclined types knew to avoid her. So it wasn't really that much of a surprise that she couldn't seem to pry much information out of the less upstanding patrons.

She appraises Duo quickly when he approaches. She doesn't have much use for religion herself, but she knows that plenty of people confide in the clergy when they might not give anyone else the time of day. As for herself, she's as unreadable as ever, face expressionless but betraying a keen intellect behind discerning eyes.]

Maybe. I'm working an investigation. Do you mind if I ask you some questions?

[It's enough that the people around here are wary of her. Duo figures she's just the sort to be kicking asses and taking names around here, even if she's not directly involved with RISE, from what he could tell. Considering his own precarious situation with imPort elements, it was dangerous to be speaking with her.]

[He gives a sympathetic glance about the halls, of a few of the stares cast their way, and bows his head slightly.] It's always something in this city, isn't it? Ask away, and I'll see what I can do.

[He gestures towards an office down the hall- something a little quieter, away from the ears of others. And somewhere where he can use his powers unseen by the rest of the residents. If he has to.]

[Leading her down the hall, he speaks first.] What's your investigation? Something related to all those explosions and robots whizzing about recently? I don't know if anything here will help with that.

[She follows him, while trying to get a read on him. Honestly, his appearance isn't exactly like any priest she's ever seen. Maybe he's genuine, maybe it's just a bluff. Time will tell.]

Not exactly. There was a heist of sorts about a month ago, and a stash of weapons were stolen from some of the criminal organizations operating in the city. I've been trying to track down what happened with those weapons.

[She pauses momentarily to judge any kind of reaction from him. Perhaps an odd line of inquiry directed at a priest, but then she continues.]

At the very least, I imagine you've encountered some of the victims of the reprisals here.

[Duo doesn't seem to suspect anything, not a flinch of nerves as he leads her down and into a quiet corner clerical office off of the main facilities, and closes the door. He offers a seat, then settles into his own behind the desk with only the slightest casual slump to it breaking the overall affect of dignity.]

[Look, it wasn't like much of the dignity was real, anyway.]

Weapons, huh. [He breathes in a slow sigh, glance trailing out towards the window looking more solemn and wistful than avoidant.]

[So that's what this was about? Well shit.]

[The quick pause of tactical consideration that precedes his reply is barely perceptible.] ...In this town, I'm afraid that's no surprise. I did hear about some big shakeup amongst the power that controls these streets though, yes. So that was the cause? [Victims... Yeah, his victims, he thinks bitterly to himself. It was the least he could do to continue helping them as best as he could while he tried to clean up after this mess he'd made.] Carjackings, arson, ransoms. Yes, I've seen the collateral.

I'm afraid I can't force anyone here to talk-- and there's confidentiality in the words given to God, you know. But if you give me something more specific... [This time, his eyes meet hers head-on, and they're not entirely wiped clean of his natural slyness.] Maybe there's something more specific I can tell you.

[She takes a seat across from him, crossing her legs casually and seeming completely at ease. She always plays it cool.]

You want to know who I suspect is responsible, I take it?

[Honestly, she has a hard time trusting him, especially when he plays the 'I know more, but you're going to have to say the magic word first' shtick. But if he has information, she might as well try to coax it out.]

It's not hard to draw some conclusions. [She leans in slightly, folding her hands in front of her.] The weapons haven't been seen since the disappearance. The police haven't taken credit for a successful raid. A rival gang hasn't gloated or used any of the missing weapons in their operations. That leads me to believe that it was probably an ImPort-related crime. It's hard to believe that any single ImPort would have a need for so many weapons, but perhaps a shadowy, borderline-militant organization might.

[She leans back again, watching carefully for anything in his reaction that might betray knowledge of the event, or the group she's alluding to.]

And a vehemently pro-ImPort group might not care about collateral damage directed mostly at natives.

Edited 2017-08-17 01:45 (UTC)

If you had a suspect in mind, I'd think you'd be questioning them, no? [Duo chuckles quietly, expression devoid of incrimination.] But I should hope that if you do, it's no one here. The folks in this place have hard lives, but I'd hope none of them were --involved in that sort of thing, even when they face difficult times.

[Hope was empty, of course. He knew that desperation well; when times were tough, you did what you had to. He couldn't fault anyone for that. Fear of death made anyone go to extremes. Almost.]

[He listens to her evidence, nodding slowly, thoughtfulness placing his eyes in a point just above the Major's head towards the back wall. He gives a concerned hum at the end of her summary, not flinching when she brought the suspicion onto imPort shoulders, onto imPort machinations. But on the inside, there was a curl of guilt that pitted into him at her last words. 'Might not care', huh. No... Constellation wouldn't care, which was why he'd been able to get out of this situation without the blade falling on his neck. Theirs, anyway. The weight of his own many mistakes cut again and again, as it always did.]

[Collateral. Human collateral. Like himself.]

There's not a lot of fans of them in this town. [Duo admits slowly, perhaps reluctantly, taking his leisurely time to form a response to her line of reasoning- as if he was still processing it.] ImPorts. I suppose I can't blame anyone for that.

[He gestures towards her in a nod.] I don't advertise, but that has more to do with the crazy media attention it draws than anything. 'course, some imPorts do all they can to attract it.

Pro-ImPort, huh... Aside from the people whose lives have been destroyed by them, who exactly is anti-imPort?

[Of course he's an imPort, it seems fairly obvious now that he's brought it up. No wonder he seems so... unorthodox for a man of the cloth.]

I suppose that depends on where you fall in the imPort debate. The government would probably say it's the Russians, who view us as unpredictable weapons of war. And organizations like the Constellation would say it's the government itself, that wants to use us as their unpredictable weapons of war.

[She leans back in her seat, crossing her arms.]

I would say that the only ones truly anti-imPort are those who want to wield imPort power for their own personal gain. With an organization like the Constellation, you have to ask who benefits most if imPorts and the government reach violent conflict. And it's not the average imPort or native.

The Russians, hm. I haven't been here long, but I haven't heard a peep from them since I got here. I suppose whatever tensions are on-going must not be especially strained, right now? [Duo muses, remembering what Erik had told him about them kidnapping imPorts and holding them captive for a while.] It's preferable that things are peaceful as they are right now, but the most of the disasters that have happened recently... The clone disasters that we just faced, those were home-grown, if I understand correctly? [Heaven Scent, OTO, DARPA... These were all new faces to him, but he was fairly certain they weren't especially Russian.]

Being that those conclusions have been drawn to light, would you say that those organizations are anti-imPort? Or maybe they fall under your definition; that they wish to wield imPort power for their own gain. Well... That could be anyone, but 'anyone' doesn't make a good face for an enemy, I suppose.

[He hums thoughtfully. For a priest, he was well-versed in politics, now wasn't he?] ...Maybe we've gotten carried away. In relation to these missing weapons you're here about, what do you suppose is the connection?

It's a cold war with the Russians that occasionally runs hot, but I'm sure the government considers them the ultimate enemy of the republic, and by extension the enemy of all imPorts that reside within it. [At least she's always taken the stance that the imPorts were brought here as something akin to a nuclear deterrent, though the government wasn't particularly effective at deploying them strategically.]

As for home-grown opponents, I haven't investigated the clone debacle to draw any firm conclusion there. Certainly stealing imPorts' genetic material without any consent is as egregious a violation of privacy as possible, but I'm not certain what they hoped to accomplish. Being a profit-driven corporation, I'm sure they hoped to gain something from it, so it would fall under my definition.

[She shrugs slightly.] That's what I'm hoping to find out. Few people steal guns simply to horde them, though. The most obvious use would be to arm members of the organization. They could simply be trying to sow the seeds of chaos among the native population. Any shadowy cabal working behind the scenes wants to create uncertainty and chaos among what they perceive as their opposition.

[A nuclear deterrent, given what Duo knows of the wars of this era, would certainly make sense. The deterrents of his era were-- well, the Gundams, for one, but the fortresses with their laser cannons that began with Barge and Libra and became the hot thing for every terrorist group to build in the crumbling vacuum OZ and White Fang's fall left.] That organization responsible for the clones is certainly negligent at best, but if I'm understanding their background correctly it's entirely the government's negligence that has allowed them to get this far. Certainly, I think imPorts have much to be concerned with on that front. There's a somewhat cavalier attitude the government takes to many things regarding us.

[Duo leans back in his chair, blasé and thoughtful.] If I was a cloak and dagger operative looking to acquire mass weapons, though, I don't know that I would do it so ... loudly, when I could simply find an underground source to purchase them. I'm sure the illegal weapons trade is alive and well in this world. [He smiles, a little. Self-deprecation.] You know, some people are just paranoid. Fear is what really makes people arm themselves. And there's a lot to be afraid of here. [His gaze flicks back towards where the residents were in the shelter dining hall.] Especially for the most vulnerable.

Ah, but I'm just a priest. I know what I see amongst my flock, and little else. [He smiles directly at Motoko. Without proof, he wasn't likely to give anything more than his two cents; what did she really have on him, coming here directly?]

[They've had their fun, discussing the government and imPort politics, but it's time to cut to the chase. She reaches into her pocket and produces a single shotgun shell, placing it on the desk in front of her.]

I don't know many priests who wield shotguns in the course of their duties.

[She leans back again, waiting for a reaction. She's played her hand, now it's time to see how he responds.]

[...Ah. So that's what this was about, huh? Duo sighs internally. If only the country hadn't decided to explode with clones and innocents hadn't needed to be saved......... His cover would still be intact. The road to hell, etc.]

[His body language changes in an instant, taking on a slight slouch in his chair, smarmy smile replacing the quiet one he'd worn. He raises his hands defensively, open.] Okay. Ya got me.

I caught them operating around my vicinity [He motions just outside the very shelter they were in], and I don't like bad guys sticking their business where they're not needed. So I decided to chase 'em off- get some supplies in the process.

...The violence that followed was ...not planned for. [He adds, expression sharpening into annoyance, despite his continued smirk.] I screwed up. That is, I figured the cops had enough tabs on the pulse of things in the underground that it wouldn't spill over, way it did. Guess I overestimated 'em.

[Before he continues, there's a pause, and Duo makes very, very sure that he's concentrating so that his muting power is activated throughout the room- running even through the desk in front of him, and into Motoko as well via touch.]

...But Iunno what any of that has to do with those Constellation folks, huh? [He flashes a challenging smile.] Sure, I got some stashed weapons- not easy to arm yourself when you're Unsettled. And I suppose it's not a secret that I'm critical of this government either. But a group that proclaims themselves to be "justice" the way they do isn't exactly my style.

[He raises a brow. Well, soldier?] 'You know'......?

[She smirks slightly as the facade drops.]

You're a piece of work, kid. Maybe it happened like you say it did...

[An eyebrow raises, and she flashes her own challenging grin.]

...But you've been bullshitting me this whole time, and if you're still doing it, do you really think I won't find out?

[She drops the grin and shrugs slightly, leaning back in her chair.] And besides, if you do know something about the Constellation, that makes you much more valuable than just someone who stole weapons for his own personal stash. And if it's the latter, I'm sure there are plenty of interested parties who'd love to know who has those weapons.

I guess the question now is, what exactly is your style of justice? [I.e., he could be a valuable asset in bringing down some scumbags, or she'll be more than happy to let it slip that she happens to know who has the weapons. Either way, a certain manner of justice is achieved. But one is more helpful than the other.]

Edited 2017-09-02 00:18 (UTC)

Don't take it so personally. I bullshit everyone. [Duo snorts, waving a dismissive hand. He tilts back precariously in his chair as he kicks his feet up, the motion childishly fidgety in contrast to the smile lines on his face.]

[The threat doesn't cause any change in his expression, half a dirty smirk and half his mind elsewhere, plotting perhaps, or maybe he really was considering her words.] Well, for one thing, I'm not the type to be obsessed with throwing the word 'justice' around in the first place. [His smile quirks up a little more to himself; perhaps a quiet, self-satisfying inside joke?] But I am the kind of guy that just doesn't like to see people frown.

Whether they got anything in common with me or not.

[His sense of 'justice', huh? A common humanity, a sense of compassion... these things weren't justice. They were merely basic decency. Funny how many people couldn't even achieve that.]

And I like people who are competent and honest enough to tell the difference between justice and revenge.

[He's certainly an artist of bullshit, she'll give him that. Which could definitely be an asset, especially if he is somehow involved with the Constellation but not completely on board with their methods or goals. Is he trying to play some kind of long con?

She crosses her arms again. Time for him to get to the point.]

And do you think I'm competent enough to recognize the difference?

[Down to business. Nice.]

You're competent. [He pauses] But we just met, I think it's a little early for me to determine that, huh, sweetheart?

[Not entirely true- he remembers seeing some of her posts on the network. Past dealings within Maurtia Falls, trying to clean the city up and her frustration at being stymied from doing so. That was enough for him to determine her relative trustworthiness. He flashes a grin, before he drops his feet to the floor again, straightening in his seat. Okay, if she wants him to stop fucking around...]

[His demeanor shifts again and while there's still a slouch to his posture, his eyes have hardened into something distant and analytical, elbow leaning on the desk across from her.] What have I got that you won't just leave me to the wolves once I tell you what they don't want you to know? I can just as easily do this myself, sister.

Fair enough.

[He drives a hard bargain, but she feels that they're getting close to an understanding. But as far as assurances...]

I don't have anything concrete for you, but I'm ex-military, so I'm not used to leaving any man behind. I've never lost a teammate, and I don't intend to start now.

Am I your teammate now? [Duo gives her an even look, as if trying to determine if she was feeding him a line. But probably, he'd already made his decision about her before she even sat down with him.]

Okay.

[He leans back again, rests his elbows on the armrests of his chair.] But I'll determine what I'm feeding to you. Don't come asking me for things, because there's a reason for what I give and don't. And don't think I'm the type that plays by the rules, just because I'm not trying to see the world turned upside down by some kooks chasing after power.

Capisce?

[The Major stands up from her seat. The negotiations seem to be coming to a conclusion, and she's reasonably happy with the terms.]

It seems we have an agreement, then.

[She extends a hand, more as a formality than any kind of 'let's shake on it' gesture.]

I don't think I've actually properly introduced myself. I'm Major Motoko Kusanagi.

So it seems. [Duo stretches out of his chair, a slinking, lazy motion not at all like the play at a dignified gentleman that had walked through the door in the first place. It's now that he gives her a casual flick of a once-over, considering her anew now that everything has been laid out on the table. On this time around, he supposes he should have known. Her body language, her demeanor... He wonders whether she's the type that tends to work alone when she can't find an equal, or the type that seeks out those missing pieces she needs to complete her task.]

[He chuckles to himself as he extends a hand, a handshake that was as casual as the rest of his movements.] A pleasure doin' business, Major. These people know me as Father Maxwell, but you can call me 'Shinigami'.

[There's a pause as he considers risk management, and then adds] And those people call me 'Charon'.

[Getting a theme, here?]

[She smirks slightly. She does sense a theme there. Maybe eventually she'll figure out why such a smarmy priest has so many death-related names.]

Very well, Shinigami. Per our agreement, I won't directly reach out to you, but my ears are always open.

[Considering their negotiations at a close and reasonably pleased with the results, she turns to leave. Hopefully, she'll be hearing from him again soon.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Early one mornin' while makin' the rounds

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

sorry this is super late

np!

no subject

no subject

no subject