(Invisible Hands) Crime Scene Investigators

[Yumyumcrow]

The estate is quiet. A determined and ignorant quiet; a sound sucking and soulless quiet of neighbours turned inward, each hermetically sealed from the other. The carefully tamed lawns and concrete paths of the estate scream this: here is vacant space devoid of life. The feeling is palpable. The scattered lighting is radiant pools of yellow. The shadows are deep and mismatched. Marsh Street is a lurking menace; beyond the urban wasteland waits like a hungry beast. Even Broadway has quietened to an intermittent snarl. Muir Way, framing the western edge of the estate (where Marsh Street forms the east) is positively cowering under its canopy of trees.

There is nothing to see here.

A few nights back, the edgy danger of the city crept into the estate. Two men died; one flung from an upper storey window. The herd is spooked and determinedly secured inside their concrete cocoons.

There is nothing to see here.

But there are others beings moving in the night. And they are taking advantage of the situation to conduct their own investigation into what transpired in that upper storey flat...

There is nothing to see here.

Rina Yui Cabochard Brownlee Thomas Galilei David Regan Casitive Michael Redfill Matamune

[Cabochard]

Rina lurked across the street from the building, standing quietly in the shadows with her hands in her pockets. She had carefully chosen today's outfit, with light quiet shoes, and mottled dark blue, comfortable clothes. She even had a mask she could pull up over her face to conceal her identity.

She waited for the others, trying to look nondescript and non-suspicious. This would be a bad time for people to think she was a bad character, and it would bring the operation to a close very quickly, something that Rina would absolutely not accept. This was her first real operation in Sacramento, if it failed she was completely screwed.

Equipment

Dark clothes, light shoes, facewrap, combat knife, lockpick set, binoculars.

[Thomas Galilei]

Thomas' Beast recognizes Rina before his eyes do: Here with her . . . again. Remember what happened last time?

Thomas continues his approach, trying to shake the hatred from his head, but it persists. Leave . . . She's stronger than you, doesn't need you, Priest. You've seen the way she wields that knife; what if she turns it on you?

But he does remember what happened last time: she'd fought bravely, stood beside him without knowing him. She was inspired . . . and inspiring. Shut up, Thomas offers his Beast as counterargument.

"Ms. Yui," he says. He's no more prepared than he'd last been--an act of faith. God had supplied all his needs before and would do so again. He has his phone in his suit pocket, a collar too--as always.

A silent prayer: Lord, let me not grow complacent. I ask your hand of blessing of this woman, myself, and the men that follow. You do not call the equipped; you equip the called. So arm us with your wisdom and strength. Guide us in the fulfillment of your purpose. Amen.

[Michael Redfill]

Michael arrives shortly after David in a mid-price rental sedan. It has become a habit for him not to risk his Porsche on missions: it is far too expensive and explaining to the insurance company how you got sword slices through the body? Not fun at all. Tonight the Doctor is the Deputy, dressed in jeans and a leather jacket, concealing a set of lockpicks beneath it and wearing top of the production line athletic sneakers. He doesn't need weapons per se: his are always with him, even if they are Masquerade threatening.

Living with a Shadow, Michael can sometimes forget what they are and what their reactions to each other are. Perhaps, he should learn that Discipline himself some time? As an added way to ensure continued survival. It is something to definitely think of later. He approaches the other Kindred, leashing the wolf inside all the time. They have met a couple times but it is not enough to really pacify the wolf. Hell, it still bristles at Dillon and they see each other all the time.

"Good evening".

Equipment

Leather Jacket (+1 armor vs.Bashing), lockpick set, athletic shoes, smartphone on Mike, laptop in the car. Miscellanious: looking glass, dusting brush.

[Thomas Galilei]

"Gentlemen," Thomas greets David and Michael, wrestling down his inner growls. "Looks like we're all here." He'd had bad feelings about returning to the scene of the crime. And though he feels better for showing up with twice the numbers, he still doesn't feel good about being there.

Thomas stares vacantly at the spot where Ezekiel had lain dead. He coughs, and then points his finger. "There. That's where we found the first body: Ezekiel, the one whose wallet I gave you. Presumably, he leapt or was thrown from that window." Thomas points up to where the broken glass had sounded and started this whole thing. "There was something strange about his expression, though I'm not sure it's relevant. He was . . . smiling, a little . . . like he was at peace when he died. It may be nothing."

He isn't sure what to tell the experts, what they will find important. So he decides to tell them everything, lets them figure out what matters and what doesn't. "How do you want to do this? Should we go straight up to the apartment?" Thomas is half-wishing they'll say, 'No,' with the way things went last time. But faith sometimes looks like courage . . .

[Yumyumcrow]

In keeping with the brutal isolation of the street, the group are alone and unnoticed. Even the parked cars avoid the spot, as if the area was now stained with something noisome that drove them away. As a result, and in view of the harsh yellow hemisphere from a lone street light, they could see the place where Ezekiel's body had lain. There was an outline of... something... sketched in spray, or chalk, or whatever it was the local constabulary used to mark out where the slain fell - however, it was not stretched out in a crude rendering of limbs; instead, there was a roughly ovoid shape delineating where the unfortunate had fallen.

It was the right spot, sure. But Thomas remembered a broken doll, limbs splayed, face at peace.

[Cabochard]

Rina nodded politely at all the people who had arrived. All of them were here, and she understood that she needed them, as much as her Beast assured her that she didn't, that she could just leave them here, that they would only slow her down. She forced it down with the knowledge that she had had to call them in for a reason. Alone, she didn't have the investigative skills to fully study the scene. Besides, this would build a strange sort of bond between them, which she could exploit now and in the future.

But she didn't have time for small talk. Or any talk at all, really. As far as she could tell, nothing would be gained by looking around out here. The body had fallen in the street due to chance or one person's stupidity, not because of any actual intent. Any interesting clues were inside. So Rina pulled her hood tightly across her head and started walking across the street, not waiting for the others. She was sure they would follow. She stopped once she reached the stairs that led up, leaning up against the wall and listening before she headed up. She preferred if she was forewarned about people being up there already.

[Michael Redfill]

Auspex: Sight activated.

Michael looks at the window and focuses his eyesight letting the Blood whisper to him and push away the shadows. Everything suddenly comes into focus as Auspex takes hold allowing him to see better. The question is obvious: how to get in. He would like to divulge his powers as little as possible and it all hangs on the size of the hole and whether the police thought it necessary to seal it at such a high floor.

  Perception fail

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2014-10-13 13:57:58		Michael Redfill rolls 4 to Perception (Wits + Comp -2 for dark + 1 for Auspex) (10 Again)		5, 6, 7, 2		failure

Unfortunately, he is distracted by minute details and can't quite make it out:

"Can anyone see whether they sealed the window?"