ic Something Fishy

[Supercape]

"The bouncers?" replied Lord Steam, rather taken aback by the ritual. "Jolly good idea. Although they look like they were employed more for their size than their cerebral qualities, I must confess. Simple pugilistic brutes, no doubt". He sniffed the air in disgust.

"Rotters!" he added, for good measure.

"In any case, I have interviewed and investigated many a crime. Perhaps I could be of service with getting something out of these plebs. By diplomacy and cunning first, I find. Although threats work too..."

He rubbed the back of his neck.

"Quite the show, that. Very good" he commented at Leviathan. "All done with mirrors, I should imagine. Splendid work. "

[Tiffany Korta]

“Bless you!†Lucy said almost automatically to the Detective.

“That was a pretty amazing Leviathan, thank for allowing us to share it all. “

She listened to both the hero’s comments before adding her own.

“Well I might not have the audacity of Lord Steam here.“ she flashed him a smile “But I can more than handle myself in most social situations. And if it turns ugly I might have a surprise or two for those bouncers.†A broad confident smile

“If there’s nothing else to be found here I suggest we go find these gentlemen and lady from this vision of yours.â€

[Airon]

A uniformed cop arrived and whispered something in the ear of a still embarrassed Detective Beck. He nodded, then talked to the trio.

“We called the club’s owner, she is on her way. If you’d like to lead her interrogation, she may be able to direct us towards the bouncers or the client you saw.â€

He had just finished talking that a navy blue Ford sedan stopped by the yellow tape. A tall woman in her forties, with long, messy black hair and fair skin got out of the car, sipping from a large cup of coffee. Her heavy frame was dressed in jeans and loose-fitting white sweater; huge bags under her eyes and trailed steps bore witness of heavy lack of sleep.

“Here I am, detective.†She mumbled while massaging her temples “I just left this place two hours ago. What is it?â€

[Supercape]

“Here I am, detective.†She mumbled while massaging her temples “I just left this place two hours ago. What is it?â€

Lord Steam stepped forth boldly and gave a slightly exaggerated bow.

"Lord Steam, at your service, madam!" he proclaimed. "We would be most awfully grateful if you would help us piece together the events of the last twenty four hours thankyou..." he continued, not giving her time to decline or consider.

"...your help is very much appreciated now then..." he sped on, pausing momentarily for a lungful of air.

"...I understand you are the owner of this classy establishment, hmmm?" he asked, pointing at the club with his cane. "Or manager? we would be dearly like to talk to some of your doormen, they may have valuable information, might have seen or heard something. Of course, it is not beyond the bounds of possibility that you might have too, do forgive me for ignoring your perceptive faculties...that is, if you have been in the vicinity of this establishment recently?"

[Airon]

"What... yeah, 't was Friday night, 'f course I was here. Wouldn't be that good for PR 'f I didn't show up for the big night of the week, don't you think?" she kept rubbing her eyes, trying to make them stay open. Her corneas were rapidaly growing red. She gave Steam an oblique look that probably meant who the hell are this fre...colorful characters?, took another sip of coffee, shrugged and kept talking.

"The bouncers... yeah, I'll have to look up the sheet, but on Friday 'nd Saturday they 're pretty much all here. 'Nd thank Heavens, y'know, because there was some ruckus, I think with one super-powered folk... they keep popping up where there's trouble! Some guy wearing a vest of some sort of shell, I don't remember... he was bothering the 'mbassador 'nd her date, 'f I recall correctly. Got 'im thrown out. We don't get people like the 'mbassador that often, y'know? Gotta treat them well, good for the PR."

Hearing the word "ambassador" moved something in Lord Steam's mind, something that had been bothering him since the ritual ended.

[Supercape]

"

Hearing the word "ambassador" moved something in Lord Steam's mind, something that had been bothering him since the ritual ended.

"Ambassador, you say?" replied Lord Steam, tapping his chin thoughtfully. Now she mentioned it, the pieces fell into place. He didn't keep awfully up to date with current affairs (perhaps not as much as he should, being an ambassador himself). But then, he was still getting to grips with this strange dimension - plus he had the politics of his home dimension to keep track of. And all his scientific and investigative work. He may have been a genius, but he could only cram so much into his brain.

"Yes, I do recall her now..." he continued, some newspaper articles swimming into his brain. "...just came back from the sea depths, a few months ago if I recall correctly..."

"And she was on a date you say. Well now, I begin to smell the birth of a motive" he smiled. Nothing conclusive of course, but his detective alarm bells were ringing.

"What do you know of this date?" he asked politely.

[Tiffany Korta]

A little out of practice and feeling a little out by her success with the garbage men she was happy to allow Lord Steam to take on the bulk of the interrogation. Still it wouldn’t hurt to make her think they knew more than they did.

Walking over to Lord Steam she stood beside him for a few moments arms cross looking as stern as her little frame allowed her.

Then standing on tip toes she cupped her hand in front of his ear before asking in a whisper.

“Care to tell us exactly what you know about this ambassador?“ She smiled mostly to herself “When the time is right of cause.â€

She then returned to her stern watch.

[Airon]

“The date? Well, ‘t’s hard to tell… at first I thought ‘t was this guy†she pointed at the corpse “but… no, I guess not. I think he was ‘nother one of them, though. He was dressed normally but, you know: the skin, the hair, the movements… I think she brought him back from the depths, ‘f you know what I mean. He looked younger than her, too, but I guess ‘t could be a genetic thing and he’s one hundred years old ‘r something...†now that she awakened a bit, the club-owner was also more talkative, even if she kept chewing on every word in her weird accent “He didn’t talk much during the discussion between that poor guy and the ambassador though… they seemed to treat him as a child ‘r something.â€

She looked at a piece of paper, then handed it to the trio “I don’t think the bouncers can tell you much more, but here’s names and phone numbers. I gotta tell you though, they pr’bably won’t answer to anything short of a ram through the door till noon ‘t least…â€

[Supercape]

“ “I don’t think the bouncers can tell you much more, but here’s names and phone numbers. I gotta tell you though, they pr’bably won’t answer to anything short of a ram through the door till noon ‘t least…â€

"Well, far be it from me to cast aspersions on the intoxicating past - times of the pleb's" said Lord Steam, casting aspersion on the past times of the Plebs. "I guess we will have to wait for that interview. My experience of doormen has been less than savoury, at least considering the less refined nocturnal establishments. Grumpy, one might call them. I wouldn't dare to interview them at a time that would compound their nature..."

He trailed off, coughing politely, having enough insight to realise he was being a tad undiplomatic.

"...and in any case, madam" he said, giving a gracious smile "your wits and eyes have already served us well in our investigation. And quite lovely eyes they are too, if I may say so! Positively Aphroditean!"

"Now, to the matter of this mystery date, I would like to have words with this chap. Very much indeed. But where is he?"

[Tiffany Korta]

Lucy carefully paid attention to everything the woman was saying, she wasn’t as skilled as Lord Steam but wasn’t completely without skills.

“Well some people are very spritely in there hundreds…†Lucy smiled at some private joke “And I’ve really never had a problem with bouncers.†She looked a little thoughtful for a minute

“Are you sure there was nothing that marked out her date as special?†she gently nudged Lord Steam in the arm “And could you stop flirting with the witness for just one minute?†he wry smile showed she wasn’t completely serious.

“Anyhow I agree, let’s go find this man.â€

[Airon]

The City was waking up and that gave a little boost the investigation speed. The trio of detectives interrogated several other club-owners in the proximity.

"Yes, the guy was definitely a young Atlantean, you could see the little gills on the side of his neck, even with the collar of that Armani shirt he was wearing. He's a bit young for her but, hey, good for the ambassador I guess..."

"It's not the first time they come around either. In the last two months they been here at least once every two weeks... and my buddy who works at the Pavillion in the Theatre District says they're a pretty common sight there, too."

"I've seen them getting off a cab together a couple of times, and leaving together, too."

Even more helpful was the cab company "Yeah, we get them to the City quite a lot - at least twice a week. They usually want to be dropped in the Theatre District. I sent Nikola last night."

"Yes, I picked them up last evening" said Nikola "It's good. Big trip, big tip, you know? Ah ah! And I was kinda curious to see the Purple Porch. What? Yes, it's how we call that mansion the ambassador has up in North Bay, near the shore. Really fancy stuff, that house, and those climbing flowers around the porch, they're still colorful in the fall. What? The guy? Yes, that guy gets in the cab with her there at the Purple Porch, guess they're together or something. Maybe he lives in the poolhouse, eh? Ah ah ah!"

[Supercape]

Lord Steam slightly loosened his cravatte. The evening was drawing on and he could feel a little tiredness taking the edge of his razor sharp mind. Nevertheless, the investigation was proceeding nicely.

"SO, it seems the Purple Porch should be our next port of call" he said, addressing his co-investigators "all roads point there, and I suggest we take one, literally speaking..."

He leapt into Bessie, his steam powered automobile. It had sufficient space for all of them. He resisted an urge to honk the horn (stopping his hand halfway to its destination). The sound would be rather ungentlemanly at this hour.

"All aboard?" he asked "or do you chaps and chappettes fly under your own steam?" he said with a slight twinkle in his eye at the pun.

[Eviscerus]

Leviathan

The interrogation process rolled along well enough, and considering Veijlial's less than stellar people skills he spent the time studying the techniques of his compatriots as they went about the business of investigation and interrogation. To learn that the murderess was the ambassador to Atlantis was shocking enough, but to hear it could have simply been over a love affair with a younger Atlantean was almost too "day time soap opera" to be believed. Veijlial had a feeling something greater was happening here, but seeing as he had little clue as to what that was, he decided to keep the thought to himself until he could further evolve his theory.

When Lord Steam offered them a ride in his ridiculous car Veijlial raised an eyebrow in incredulity, but considering that if he were to teleport near the mansion he would have to drop his Atlantean disguise, Veijlial weighed the options thoroughly.

"I see no harm in us all traveling together. It will afford us a better opportunity to bounce insights off one another."

Veijlial walked up to the passenger door and held it open for Revenant, bowing and gesturing in the cab.

"After you, Miss. I shall relinquish unto you the rights of "shotgun" as it were."

[Tiffany Korta]

There was something about Lord Steam’s car that reminded her of a Tin Lizzie, a nice little reminder of her past. She ran her finger down the across the hood as she wandered over to the passenger seat.

“How could I not accept a ride in such a wonderful machine?†she clambered up into the seat giving Leviathan a little nod of thanks.

“I feel I should be wearing goggles of maybe a scarf. I hope this automobile has a good turn of speed, if he’s involved he could be making his leave as we speak.â€

She settled back for the ride even if she suspected she could run faster.

[Supercape]

. I hope this automobile has a good turn of speed, if he’s involved he could be making his leave as we speak.â€

"The very best!" replied Lord Steam, welcoming Revenant and Leviathan, making sure he was particularly gracious to Revenant - opening the door and bowing as he showed her to her seat (in a quite unnecessary but polite fashion).

He pulled a few levers, adjusted a few knobs, and a dash of steam piped up from the bonnet.

"There she is! listen to the sound of her!" he said, leaning back and smiling at his passengers.

He gripped the steering wheel and pressed the accelerator down. With another puff of steam and clanking of gears, Bessie took off. Despite the outrageous engineering, Lord Steam had not made an idle boast. Bessie had the power and speed of a top range sports car, and was if anything even more luxurious inside, with its plump leather seats and silver plates.

I wont mention the Gatling Guns for now... thought Lord Steam to himself as he sped off. He was a good driver, and handled Bessie well as they hurtled towards the Purple Porch...

[Airon]

to be continued in Something Fishy - part 2