Vitam et Mortem IC - Occultatum Alley

Chloe Summers

It was not unusual for the two friends to spend several nights of the week out in a bar, in a club, drinking at home (either alone or together), or generally ending up plastered by the night's end. Chloe is a firm believer in "work hard, play hard" and the overachiever certainly works hard and applies that same level of intensity to her drinking. If she kept in better contact with her parents, her mother might be concerned that the tall blonde is becoming an alcoholic.

Because of their frequency in going out, there were a long list of clubs and bars to choose from. However, tonight was a celebration which meant not just any old place would do. Chloe considered her best friend's question for a moment before smiling. "The Heat?" It's a night club in down town Philadelphia not too far from the Occultatum border, making it a popular choice for both humans and sorcerers. There was also a cute bartender there that Chloe had been eyeing. It was also the place where Kennedy was hosting that silly birthday party she'd been invited to. But free drinks for two hours? She'd probably end up going.

Provided Trix had no objections to Chloe's suggestion for the evening she'd part ways for her friend to get some actual work done, as well as informing her boss that she had, in fact, passed the bar, and was a full fledged lawyer now. He gave her a pat on the head and sent her on her way.

That would have Chloe fuming for a few hours, but by the time she got home to her two bedroom apartment and fed her familiar, she'd moved on, choosing to get dolled up for the night out. High heels, dresses and skirts and make up would be all laid out so she could take the time to come up with a well planned outfit for the evening, going through the same process she went through every morning for work to carefully pick out each article of clothing, each accompanying piece, and the right shade of lipstick and eye shadow.

When she was finally ready she'd meet Trix at the club in a tasteful dress, a set of high heels, and hair and make up artfully done. There would be a bit of a line outside of The Heat but it would move fairly quickly, both girls flashing their IDs to get waved in. Chloe clutched her friend's arm and the pair would push their way through the crowd.
Continued here


Kennedy Alice Sparks

The perky blonde would be a few minutes earlier to The Bar snagging a booth, planning to order dinner as well. If you can't share a meal with a person, how are you ever going to live with them? While she waited she ordered an iced tea with the smiling waitress and held off on placing her food order, skimming over the menu as if she wasn't going to order the same damn thing she ordered every time she came here. Her phone was out on the table, set aside in case Fena tried to reach her. She'd sent a picture of herself, just as she had with Margret, so that the other girl could recognize her as soon as she entered. She was looking forward to meeting another VeM member, too. Which led to the sorority girl bouncing a little in her seat, always a little hyper-active.

Frequently her eyes would lift from the menu and flit toward the door of the restaurant/bar, looking for someone entering through. Nothing, yet.
 
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It wasn't even three minutes to when Fena walked in The Bar, lax smile gracing her lips and hips swaying happily as she walked in. With a nod to the hostess waiting at the door, she explained she asked if Kennedy had already arrived. Upon learning that the girl had, Fena made her way into the restaurant, looking for the face she'd received a picture of. She hadn't sent one in response, hesitant that with her bad girl appearance, she might scare off the potential room mate before the woman got to know her. Spotting the blonde woman nodding off a waitress, she waved when those grey eyes fell on her, walking towards the table and pulling the chair out for herself before pausing.

"Hello, I'm Fena Mittove. Kennedy, right?" She asked, vaguely recognizing the name from VeM whispers. "I don't remember if I mentioned it, I'm a wind sorceress, currently working as a wand repair specialist, my schooling being used in full." She greeted, lifting a hand for the girl to shake and waiting till it was taken before sitting down and scooting her chair forward. She rested her elbows on the table, setting her chin in her hands as she smiled warmly at the younger woman. "So, how has your day been?" She asked, shoulders relaxed and eyes interested as she waited for an answer. She was wearing her typical biker jacket, the VeM symbol proudly displayed on the lapel, the patches from her other gangs littering the leather. She didn't want to hide who she was to this woman now that they were face to face. She knew how people usually thought of bikers, and she was here to prove them wrong tonight. Sure, she might have a biker's temper, and loyalty, and love of bikes.... But she was different! She swears.

The blue haired woman glanced up when the waitress returned, smiling as she put in an order for lavender tea with licorice and hints of orange and spearmint. She declined the offer of honey and when the waitress, Nancy asked if she wanted to order, Fena shot Kennedy a raised eyebrow, questioning. She knew what she wanted, she was here often enough she didn't even need to look at the menu, but she wanted to make sure Kennedy was ready to order before she did.
 
Kennedy Alice Sparks

"Kennedy Alice Sparks," Greeted the blonde, chipper and bright as she took the proffered hand and gave it a firm, business-like shake. "Water. Studying Herbology and Business Management. I'm a student Arcadia." She, like Fena, look exactly like she is. A rich sorority girl, but there's more to her than meets the eye! Because she works! She's smart! And there's not a second of judgement in her eyes as she takes in the leather jacket, the biker boots, and all the patches. The bubbly personality and bright smile didn't waver for a second as she took her seat and picked the menu back up again, confirming her earlier choice. She started to answer the other girl's question but they were interrupted by the waitress. "I'm ready if you are," She'd respond to Fena's questioning look and when the other girl confirmed she was ready to order, Kennedy would order the pot roast with sweet potatoes substituted for the mashed potatoes.

Once Fena had placed her order and the waitress had made her egress, she returned to their conversation. "My day was pretty uneventful. Interviewed a few other candidates for the apartment, one of which was a little loony and is a definite no. Had class. Not much else. How's your day been?"

Alex Morgan

Credit to @CaerBear for writing the part of the police/CSI

For the remainder of the afternoon, Alex spent time carefully going over her open files, the active ones at least, with Tildy. Luis dealt with the creep in the interrogation room.

Alex had been on a date. Rather, she'd been trying to have a date. The guy she'd been attempting to share dinner with had been completely uninteresting; a flat personality and self absorption to rival her mother's. When her work phone went off, she quickly apologized for the rudeness of answering her phone, though she couldn't be more relieved. Dispatch and there was a body. Her relief was short lived when she heard the description. Young, pretty, and a redhead. It was a body she'd be adding to an open file. He was back.

She'd been quick to end her so-called date (she'd already forgotten his name), explaining that duty called. She'd thrown cash down to pay for her meal. Alex went for a handshake, he'd gone for a kiss on the cheek; he'd asked if he could call her again, and she'd given him a firm no as she climbed into her car. The entire exchange had been incredibly awkward. She'd changed on the way, calling Luis to see if he wanted her to pick him up on her way. He never answered and she arrived tot he scene alone, and when she'd arrived? The scene that had greeted her was... it was awful.

The girl was young, though every one before her had been. She had red hair and bright green eyes, just as all the girls before her. Her wrists had been sliced from palm to elbow, the throat cut from ear to ear. She was hung upside down, crimson silk tied around each ankle to suspend her. And just like every girl found before her... She'd be completely nude. There was blood on the grass and the tree but the amount did not add up to the blood loss from the woman who would be found to be completely drained. The worst part? The wounds in the woman's body: small and scattered, like thousands of razors of varying length and width had been thrown into her.

The conversation she had with the crime scene investigator chief (another sorcerer) had shaken Alex. The runes that were carved into the ground, on the tree, around the woman.... they looked to be calling to someone. Something.

The most terrifying part about the entire scene was the responding officer handing her a note, written in red ink:

I hope you enjoy my latest present, Alex. It's all for you.
Getting back into her car she called Luis once more and then Tildy leaving both a message to meet her back at the station.

Meanwhile, in the alley behind The Bar, there was a scuffle. Short, minor, and would end with a masked man running out from the alley, a large knife in hand dripping with blood.
 
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Agrafena Mittove

Fena smiled at the greeting, shifting the weight of her cheek into one hand while the other started playing with her wrapped silverware. Her eyes would flick to her fidgeting fingers now and then, but they stayed trained on the younger girl for the most part.

"So I guess I should expect some plants around the apartment if I move in?" She joked, liking the idea already. She really didn't have much luck with living things, that was more her sister's and grandpa's area. She gave the waitress her order when Kennedy gave the go ahead, flashing a charming smile at the young woman as she took down her order of steak tips with fries for the potato and an add on of garlic butter mushrooms. Their mushrooms here were great, and Fena got them whenever she failed at talking herself out of it. She'd already had bread sticks today too, so that was out. This was the next best thing.

Lush lips curled, grey eyes sparking when Kennedy asked after her day.

"Oh, the usual. Hung out with the gang, shot a little pool and did a little racing." Her eyes drifted towards the ceiling as she went through her day mentally. "Visited The Big Event and beat a friend's high score on the Popeye game." She grinned wickedly, eyes distant as she thought back. Grey eyes fell to Kennedy and Fena tilted her head. "Sorry, The Big Event is an arcade, heard of it? It's in the Cherry Hill area. I actually visited the skating rink over there today too, got the blisters to prove it." She chuckled, "Millennium Skate World, it's a lot of fun and their staff are awesome."

Fena blew blue strands of hair out of her eyes then, leaning back in her chair in a relaxed posture. "That's about it for me though, didn't do much productive today really." She shrugged before a thoughtful look crossed pointed features, thinking back to what Kennedy had said about her own day. "Crazy one, eh?" She picked at the paper binding on her silverware. "If you need me to take care of a creep, just ask." A wink of a grey eye and she tapped her VeM patch. "We watch out for our own."



Tildy Garnuckle


Her day had been busy to say the least, settling in to her desk, getting everything set up just how she wanted it. Not to mention all the introductions and learning where everything was. Tildy really wasn’t sure she’d remember all the names, or all the rules for that matter. She knew for sure she’d be ignoring the rule on shoes, the sorceress wiggling her free toes where they were hidden under her desk.

She’d been slowly merging herself into the precinct. Letting everyone see a rare glimpse of her face, trying not to hide too much as was habitual for her. She couldn’t be doing it constantly anymore after all, Alex wouldn’t like it. It’s not that she really worried about the other’s opinion of her… but that she did.

Trust, it was something important, something partners had to have between one another, and it was something Tildy hadn’t thought of before as something to consider. She was considering it now though, and doing her best to earn some of that trust from the female detective.

Tildy had seen the woman leave earlier that day, electing to stay later herself just to get all the things being a new addition to the station entailed over and done with. She would not enjoy dealing with days of this, her goal to finish with the introduction phase by the next day’s end.

She was in the middle of sorting her files and things onto her desk when she uncovered her phone, the cell having been buried earlier. Pale brows arched at the blinking message alerting her to a new voicemail. Interesting, she hadn’t even heard it go off. Flipping the device open, Tildy listened to the message, lips thinning at what she heard and a darker mindset replacing the bored one she’d been entertaining nearly all day. So the killer of the redheads was back.

This killer wasn’t someone she’d heard too much of, her previous precinct set nearly across the city from where the killings had taken place, but it didn’t mean she didn’t know who he was. She’d overheard her station’s chief complaining about keeping the murders quiet and away from the regular human population’s attention. Mind you she hadn’t been the intended audience for that particular conversation, having caught it while wandering around cloaked, but she had picked up enough to know exactly how ‘magical’ these murders were.

The killer was dangerous, and Tildy was never happier about her blonde hair color.

The young detective decided to stay put, shooting Alex a short text to let her know she was already at the precinct and she’d be waiting for her. Despite the horrid circumstances, Tildy couldn’t wait to get into action.
 
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Liam slid into the front seat of his car with a satisfied sigh. He'd been on his feet almost all day. He worked with the big cats. The two Amur leopards they had in their care - Kira and Emma - had gotten into a bit of a scuffle, triggered by the younger Kira taking a bit too much food than Emma was willing to tolerate. Emma had to be tranquillised before she did any big damage, and both of the big cats had to be taken away to be treated. Liam couldn't even calm them down, which was something he was pretty known for. Apart from one big event, the rest of the big cats had just been complaining, all day. They were growling and roaring and all sorts, snapping at one another and even at keepers. Trying to calm them all down had drained him, mostly magically, but also physically. At his break, he napped instead of doing any of the countless other things he was meant to do. Which meant that he still had a letter to write, and he was fucking starving. At least he didn't fall asleep on duty.

He drove back to Occultatum Alley, parking as close to The Bar as he could get. If you tallied up all the times he went to The Bar in a year, it would be...either sad or worrying, or maybe both. He covered himself in deodorant before he got out of the car. He picked up the stationary and headed down the road to The Bar. He passed an alleyway that was right next to the restaurant, hearing a bit of a ruckus as he went by. He didn't look, in case it was some bums that would turn on him. He walked into The Bar.

He ordered a steak pie and a coke and took a seat near the back door of the restaurant. While he was waiting for his meal, he pulled out the letter writing supplies to distract himself from his stomach. He reached into the pocket of his khaki shorts and pulled out the folded up letter that Mia had sent him the previous day. It was about really trivial things. Tests and school work and a passing mention of her History of Hunters class. Nothing about Maxine and nothing about Mia's boyfriend - which he knew very little about, but he knew he existed. He needed to find a way to make Mia open up about that kind of stuff. He sat at the table, tapping the edge of his pen against the table. Just as he was about to put words down, there was a yelp and a fumble at the door.

He looked over his shoulder to see an older teenage girl tumbling through the door, shaking head to toe and eyes wide. "Hey, everything alright?" He asked, one hand on the back of his chair.
The girl looked from Liam to the door, and just pointed, stuttering and sputtering. Finally, she burst into tears.
Liam stepped away so fast the chair nearly fell over. "Here, here, don't worry about it. I'll deal with whatever it is," he said quietly. It was probably just those bums from before. He lead her to his chair, making sure she was sat down and would be able to calm down before heading out into the alley.

It was darker in the alley, and he struggled to see for a moment. He went into the inside pocket of his cheap buttonless waistcoat and pulled out his wand. He whispered a spell and a big, fat lightning bug appeared on the tip of his wand, shining light into the shadows. As he turned to look deeper in, towards the bins, he saw a full bin bag sitting discarded by the trashcan, various bits of waste spinning out. As he got closer, he saw why the bag might have been dropped.

The body of a man was sprawled out in the alley. There was blood pooling all around him, but Liam couldn't see where the wound was. His hand dived into his pocket, and he pulled out his phone. He frantically dialled the police as he ran away from the body, forcing himself to calmly tell the operator what was in the alley. When asked if the man was alive or not, he said that he didn't know, and begged the woman on the other side to not make him go back and check. He was told to head to the entrance of the alleyway so that the police would know exactly where to go, but he was already there. He breathed a 'thank you' as he hung up. He leant against the wall, staring at his phone in his hands and keeping his gaze away from the alley at all costs. If he heard a sound down there, he'd lose his shit.
 
Kennedy Alice Sparks

The blonde would check her phone, a slight frown etching into her features before her bight, energetic smile returned. The offending piece of technology was tucked away into her purse and she turned her attention completely on her potential roommate. "Maybe a few, though I tend to keep that stuff separate. Uh, you'll find that I'm a bit minimalist in my living arrangements, which is actually rather important to note. " She grabbed the little ceramic container with the sugar packets and begin reordering them by packet color, mostly for something to do. "The shared spaces, mainly the living room and kitchen, I'd like to keep as clean as possible. I like to avoid things cluttering up the counters and such. However," and here she would wave a dismissive hand, "your bedroom and bathroom--which would be shared with the other roommate if that's how it ended up--you're free to do with as you please."

It was important to Kennedy that this be noted up front. Too much clutter and she'd start to feel claustrophobic and it had to be set out right on the onset that those spaces were to be kept clear as much as possible. "I know that some things can't be avoided."

"Ohh, I've been to the skating rink, never heard of the arcade, though." Her eyes slid down and to the left, a little white lie, embarrassed to admit her love of video games even to the girl she might be living with. The energetic blonde opened her mouth to say something else, but all thoughts of games and skating and roommate interviews and sweet gestures from another VeM member were driven from her head as a trembling girl entered into the restaurant/bar. The door had opened and the blonde's eyes had automatically flickered toward the movement. She would have paid the stranger no mind except for the fact that she looked absolutely horrified. All color was drained from her face. "Uh, I'm sorry." She turned an apologetic smile toward her new friend (all people she met were automatically new friends) and then tilted her head toward the girl that was just standing there. Some guy had spoken to her and hurried outside where she'd pointed but now she was left all alone with her thoughts of whatever had frightened her. Kennedy would stand and whether or not Fena would follow her, she'd approach the scared girl, offering a gentle hand and smile. "Hey... are you alright?"

It would be a really short wait for Liam for an officer to arrive, the nearest precinct being literally across the street. It was standard for an officer to secure the scene until a detective could be called, but as soon as the officer walked into the alley he'd immediately back up and put a call back into the station, murmuring in a low voice. "You're going to have to wait a few to give your statement," He'd tell Liam as soon as the call had ended. Whatever had happened in that alley it had the officer worried.

Alex Morgan

Alex was quick in getting back to the precinct. There still had been no word from Luis, but she was glad to see that Tildy would be there. To get started. She'd head straight for her desk, grabbing the file as she passed and heading into what they used for the conference room for active cases. Already the images from the crime scene were being set up on the board and as she passed Tildy's desk Alex would gesture for the new girl to follow inside.

"I'm sure you've heard a bit of gossip and a bit about what's on the news. We've tried to keep as many details as we could to ourselves, but of course the biggest thing that he's mainly killing redheads has been kept a secret. We've known he was a sorcerer for a while now, looks like wind, though." She wouldn't really give Tildy a chance to say much, jumping right in to the catch up of where they are currently at in the killer's case. "We really don't know a whole lot about him and it's frustrating that he's been so good." In the middle of the pictures of the current crime scene was a photo of the letter that had been left for Alex. That would be where her dark brown eyes would focus. Her name, written in red ink--the lab had yet to determine if it was written in blood and she was fairly certain it was, but until she had confirmation, she'd continue to think: ink, ink, it's ink.

"Today's scene was a bit--" Her sentence would be interrupted by the door opening, their captain standing there looking stern and barking out both of their names with a quick gesture to follow him. Alex blinked in surprise, tearing her eyes from the crime scene images and to her boss. She shot a look toward Tildy, as if the other girl would know what was happening and then she'd follow her captain out into the hall.

"This is going to have to be put on the back burner, Morgan." He'd start sternly.

"But, Sir."

"Luis was just found. Dead."
 
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Agrafena Mittove

Blue strands fell in grey eyes as Fena nodded along to Kennedy's list of expectations, an absent hand lifting to brush them back again. Fena respected all the rules, even while she realized the girl would faint if she ever stepped foot in her room. She'd noticed the worried glance at the blonde's cell and her lips thinned, but she refrained from asking. The sorceress assumed the girl would bring it up if she needed help with that creepy applicant she'd mentioned. 'At least,' Fena thought to herself as she watched Kennedy tuck the phone away again, 'I hope she'll speak up about it.'

"The only mess I might make is when I get home. I have a tendency to drop my keys and wallet on the nearest flat surface once I make it thorough the door." She explained, giving a wincing smile in apology. It was really the biggest thing she had to worry about, other than that, she could keep her mess to her room. "To be fair though, I'd be taking them with me when I leave anyways?" She offered, trying for a truce over her old habit.

A wide grin split her lips when the blonde mentioned she'd been to the skating rink, the blue haired woman trying to think of the next date she'd planned on going. Maybe she could invite Kennedy and the other possible room mate along?

"That's awesome." She grinned before nodding slightly. "I'll have to take you to The Big Event sometime, it's a blast. Their old arcade games are in great shape and I love trying to beat my buddies scores on them." Fena explained, excitement coloring her tone as her eyes lit up happily. "I think you'd love it, the young kids can be a bit annoying, but they mostly stay around the newer games. So we can have our nostalgia in peace, right?" She winked before chuckling, eyes drifting to where the blonde's misty blues had been drawn to the entrance. She paused at what she saw there, smile bleeding off her face as her eyes grew stony and slightly worried.

"No no, its ok..." She mumbled as Kennedy got up to go to the pale and scared looking girl, dark brows drawing together in worry and contemplation before she lifted herself from her chair and followed. She pulled a chair back at the table the man had seated the younger girl at, settling herself in it slowly and keeping to open movements as she gave the teen a smile she hoped was comforting. The girl was so pale and shaken, it had Fena on high alert. Glancing to the side as Kennedy asked if the girl was alright, Fena caught their waitresses stair and jerked her head slightly, summoning the woman over.

"I'm Fena, this is Kennedy." She introduced them to the girl with a gentle smile, turning her attention back to the teen as the waitress came up beside her. "You look a bit shaken, doll. Did you want some hot tea or coco? Don't worry about the tab, I'll pay." She paused, letting the girl accept or decline, too absorbed in looking the her over for injuries to pay attention to whether or not she ordered anything. Fena waited for the waitress to step away before refreshing the smile that had shrunk after taking in the girl's obvious fear. Something was wrong here. Her eyes hardened even as she widened her smile, putting out as calming of an aura as she could while being tense with worry. "What happened?" Fena asked lowly, keeping her voice calm and reassuring. "I'm-" She flicked grey eyes quickly to Kennedy before meeting those fearful orbs again. "We're here to help."



Tildy Garnuckle

Light blue eyes flicked up and followed Alex across the room, Tildy dropping the cloak she'd been holding around her desk so she could finish organizing without anyone bothering her again. She'd been at it for around an hour when she'd finally put the cloaking magic up. She'd had enough and decided it was time block others from attempting to talk to her out of some misguided attempt at socializing with her. She was more than happy to see Alex though, as it meant she had something important to do finally. Tildy dropped her magic the moment she noted the detective.

At the crook of her partner's finger, Tildy was up and out of her chair. Ears open and lips thinned the slight sorceress followed Detective Morgan through the precinct, listening intently as their newest case was detailed. She nodded mutely along, pausing just behind and to the left of Alex to stare up at their murder board, picking out the letter bearing her partner's name. Blue eyes narrowed and cut swiftly to Alex's profile, a thousand questions popping into her mind at the curiosity the killer seemed to have with her new partner.

Her questions and Alex's continued explanation were cut off when the door opened, both women turning to watch the captain stare at them grimly from the door way. Tildy blinked in surprise, meeting Alex's quick glance when the chief beckoned them with a hand while expectantly listing their names and exiting the room once more. She watched the older woman follow the man, rolling her eyes before trailing behind and slipping through the door. She stood next to Alex to listen, the three of them making a cozy little circle. Tildy couldn't help but glance back towards the entrance of the building then, wondering for the first time since he'd left, where their third was. Blue eyes widened and flitted back to the conversation however when the chief said he was putting the redhead killer case on hold for something new, Tildy silently echoing her partners complaint.

'What in the hell?'

The short woman shocked though at the captain's next words, eyes widening before narrowing and flying to Alex's face. Tildy fought a small internal war with herself before raising a hesitant hand to place it on the dark haired woman's arm in as comforting a gesture as she could muster. She hadn't known the other man well and she didn't get along well with others, but he had been.... nice. Speaking her first words in around an hour, Tildy narrowed her eyes at the chief.

"Where and when, chief." She murmured quietly, tone hiding underlying steel as she gave Alex's arm a light squeeze. "And are you sure we're the best people for this?" She knew that based on human nature, Morgan would want to work on this. Tildy had a higher place in this though and knew how emotional states could effect work quality. It was almost rude of the chief to ask a Detective to work their partner's death anyways and Tildy's eyes told the chief exactly what she thought of that.
 
Liam Al-Hashim

Though usually Liam would offer any officer a polite smile, he couldn't summon up the soul in him to do it. He just watched as the officer went in, and then came right back out. He tried to listen as the officer spoke into his walkie-talkie, but couldn't make anything out because of the low voice and the sound of his blood pounding in his ears. He looked up at the officer with wide eyes and a pale face, and gave one, quick nod. "Right," he answered, mouth like California in a drought.

Without really realising, he slid down the wall and sat on the ground. He put his hands on his ankles and his forehead on his knees, but soon enough realised that the darkness he could see from this was messing with his brain. What little he saw of the body flashed into his mind, and he lifted his head so quick he hit it off the wall behind him. He held back a cry and stared directly out of the alleyway, trying to avert his thoughts and avoiding eye contact with the people that stared; and people fucking stared. A guy, obviously not a bum by the way he was dressed, curled up by the front of an alley, barely holding back his tears, with a police officer standing nearby looking just as shaken. Wouldn't you stare?


The waitress sat in that chair, practically vibrating from the fear. She wrapped her arms around herself and stared at the floor, trying to comprehend what she had seen. She visibly jumped when the two women approached, staring at them with these big blue eyes before relaxing a little. She looked at the blond woman's hand, and despite her want to comply with the workplace's formal codes, she gently took it, her trembling hand stilling in the woman's grip. She wiped at her eyes with the back of her free hand, smearing mascara across her face. When asked if she was okay, she resignedly shook her head.

She turned her gaze to the other woman, who, despite the way she looked, seemed friendly. "Y-you don't need to d-d-do that," she stuttered through her tears at the offer of a drink. She did order a hot chocolate from her co-worker, but wouldn't let the leather-jacket wearing woman - Fena - pay for it if she was given the chance to fight for the tab.

The girl lifted her shaking hand and tucked a strand of brown hair that had escaped her bun behind her ear. She glanced at the door over her shoulder, taking a shuddering breath. "I...Th-there was..." Her brain was in a hundred different places at once, and she took a deep breath to try and calm herself. She turned her eyes back to the table and stared at the wood surface she knew so well. "Th-there was a m-man. O-out there." She squeezed Kennedy's hand for comfort. "H-he was just l-l-lying there, o-on the ground. I-I-I think he was h-h-hurt, b-but..." she trailed off. Her throat visibly jumped as she swallowed. "I don't know." She looked up, looking for reassurance in the eyes of the two women.
 
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Kennedy Alice Sparks

"Hey, it's fine. We've got it." One of them would pay for it, she needn't worry about any of that. The expression on the sorority girl's face was warm and calm as she'd attempt a comforting arm around the woman. "Hey, it's okay. You're okay." Who knows about the guy, but the woman was just a little shaken up. "Whatever has happened, it will be taken care of, but you. You're safe." Her eyes darted to Fena, grateful to have another face there for comfort. She'd try rubbing a soothing hand against the other girl's shoulder, moving away to give the girl space when her drink had arrived.

"Hey, what's your name?"

She wondered if Fena would still want the room after seeing how effortlessly the blonde had entered into someoneelse's business.

Alex Morgan


The officers standing outside the alleyway didn't know what to do with the man. He'd barely been on the force a few months. This was his first call to a body and sure, they'd talked about what to do with witnesses and the like but he just seemed so... Well, Officer Gerald was at a loss with how to handle the situation. He tried clearing his throat to get the guys attention--he really should be getting a statement--but he wasn't loud enough and eventually the officer gave up, content to wait for a detective to show up.

Inside the precinct Alex was at a loss for words. She should be... she should be doing something, saying something. But in her mind, over and over again she kept hearing the Captain say the same words. Luis was just found. Dead. Dead.

She'd just seen him this afternoon. He'd left early and...

Dead?

The dark haired detective hadn't realized she was pacing, muttering to herself. It didn't... it didn't make sense. Wide eyes blinked at her boss and then at Tildy, her partner. Her only partner now. The girl's voice was forming words, making sounds but none of it registered.

"Across the street. In the alley just behind The Bar." And just like that everything was back in focus; the volume had been turned back up and Alex had stopped pacing.

"The bar? Well, then we go there." She nodded, already heading for where she dropped off her coat.

"Morgan," He barked, but she didn't stop. "I think Garnuckle should take the lead on this."

Now she did stop, throwing a glance toward her partner. "No offense, but... she's new and... it's Luis." She really didn't mean to offend Tildy, but how could she just sit back and do nothing?

"You'll be there with her, but let her take the lead on this. You're too attached. If you can't handle that, then I'll put someone else on it." He was doing her a favor, letting her be on the case at all.

"Right. Okay." Slowly the jacket would be put on while the captain would turn back to Tildy.

"The two of you come see me when you're done at the scene. There's something you both should know."

By her desk, Alex shoved her fists into her pockets, waiting impatiently for Tildy to join her for the short walk across the street.
 
The waitress didn't fight against the comforting gestures. She leant into Kennedy's arm, and looked more lonely when she moved away. She looked at the hot chocolate that had been put in front of her. The other waitress that had served it must have seen her drinking before, because it was all piled up with whipped cream and mini marshmallows. A tiny smile went across the teens face as she reached out and picked the mug up. Her hands were still shaking, and the hot drink sloshed around, dangerously close to spilling over and ruining her uniform. She took big gulps, and didn't seem to care that the drink was visibly steaming and scaldingly hot.

She looked over at Kennedy, whipped cream across her top lip. She wiped her mouth, adding whipped cream and pale pink lipgloss to the mascara and salt water that was smeared across the back of her hand. "Diane," she said after a deep breath, looking between Fena and Kennedy. Her voice was still a little shaky, but she wasn't trembling like a leaf in a storm, and the waterworks had stopped. She cradled the mug between her hands, holding onto it like it was a lifeline.
 
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Agrafena Mittove

A thousand thoughts were circling in Fena's mind, none of them plesant.

"You're not hurt, are you?" She asked lowly, snatching the napkin near the girl's elbow to gently grip the her face and wipe away the dark tracks from her makeup. The biker had slipped into big sister mode, not being able to help herself around the girl that was most likely the same age as Zoia. Fena could see light tremors running through the girl's hands and lifted a steadying hand to keep the hot coco from sloshing and burning the already scared girl. "Careful now." She murmured, voice lightly chiding even while her expression stayed pinched. "No sense in burning yourself."

Fena gave a stiff smile when the girl introduced herself, approving of the comforting arm that Kennedy had slipped around the teen. her thoughts turned a bit darker though, now that this girl, Diane, was calmed down some. She'd seen a man hurt in the alley way? Was he dead, or did he need help? Just getting ready to get up and go check, Fena paused, looking out the front window of the bar. She could see a police standing near the side of the building, next to where she knew there was an alley way. The blue haired sorceress guessed the man that'd run out of The Bar had gone to check on what Diane had seen and he'd already called the police. Fena pursed her lips, turning back to the shaken teen with worry coursing through her. Here came the hard part.

"Diane?" She started, using the girl's name to get her full attention. "Now, I don't know what you saw, but I do see police out there." She stared into her eyes, keeping her expression smooth and tone neutral so as not to set the teen into hysterics again. "I'm guessing they're going to want to ask you a couple questions. I'm willing, and I'm sure Kennedy is, to go out with you to talk to them. You will need to talk to them though, alright?" The smile was gentle and her voice as encouraging as she could manage. It would be easier on Diane if the girl agreed to go and be questioned, but she would most likely be forced to talk about it one way or another.




Tildy Garnuckle


A nod met the chief's answer, thoughts already swarming through Tildy's mind as she considered their next step. All that was interrupted though when Alex stepped away from her. She lifted her head, watching the dark haired woman start gathering her coat and preparing to head straight over there. The blonde's lips thinned, the hand she'd lifted in comfort to Alex curling into a half fist at her side, hidden under the long sleeve of her cloak. This wasn't good, Alex shouldn't be working the murder case of her long time partner. That in itself was just asking for trouble. Morgan would be emotionally compromised, she would miss things, mess things up. Let feelings dictate her thoughts. Tildy's small button nose was already scrunched up at the idea of the mess Alex would make of things.

She stayed silent while the chief tried to convince her partner to back down and let her take the lead. Tildy kept an impassive expression at the small and unintentional barb at her competency for the job, shaking her head slightly with a sigh. She wasn't so new she wouldn't know what to do, and just because she didn't know Luis personally, didn't mean she didn't feel anything about his death. She may not like other people much, but she did respect the other declivities and cops that worked at the precinct. They did the same thing she did, they went out every day and put their lives on the line. They went out to help others and make the world a better place. They understood the risk and did it anyways because they were stubborn like that. Just because she didn't know him personally didn't mean Tildy didn't feel. For heaven's sake, that could have been her laying in that alley way! It was always startling and worrying when a cop dropped dead.

The small woman sighed when Alex finally agreed to give her lead on the case, nodding to the chief and padding over to where her new and only partner was standing. She lifted her hand again, resting it on a stiff shoulder, tilting her head back enough to meet dark brown eyes with her own stormy blue from under the cloak's hood. She simply kept the eye contact for a second before breathing out a sigh.

"He'll get the justice he deserves Alex. We'll both make sure of that." She stated simply, keeping the eye contact for a few seconds more before dropping it and walking past her partner and out the door.

Tildy pulled her hood forward more as she stepped into the street, sharp eyes already picking out the police officer standing next to what she assumed was the alley way that housed their crime scene. She could see people staring at the officer from inside the restaurant, the big open windows showing far too much to the public. Tildy tisked to herself, they would draw a crowd. Were already drawing a crowd based on the people slowly gathering near where the officer was standing. They needed to get this area corded off as soon as possible to keep people from destroying any possible evidence. It also wouldn't do to have Alex upset by the local news station and journalists taking pictures of her dead partner to spread all over the newspapers.

Drawing closer to the officer and growing crowd, blue eyes picked out a man huddled on the ground next to the alleyway. He had his head turned to the side, seeming to be avoiding the eyes of the curious onlookers with a somewhat shameful expression twisting his features. The detective huffed through her nose, rolling eyes hidden by her hood. She was close enough that she could start her magic. A slender hand disappearing into her cloak for a moment before she pulled it back out, letting the sleeve cover what she was holding.

Pointing her glow maple wand at the ground, Tildy began muttering quietly to herself, eyes sharp as she pulled the idea of nothingness into the forefront of her mind. She started right next to The Bar, walking a semi circle around the mouth of the alleyway until she met the wall of the building next to the restaurant. She did this three times, holding the idea of nothingness strong in her mind while focusing on the picture of the police, Alex, and the witness in with that nothingness. Finishing her final circle back against the wall of the bar where she had started. She watched the spell take effect from there, the few in the crowd who hadn't been as interested wandering off now that they really couldn't see anything. There were a few who stayed though, able to see through the magic that was spread so thin. Those were the ones that would be bothersome. They were interested enough in what was going on that the spell really didn't effect them, and they wouldn't be going away anytime soon. The small blonde shook her head slightly to herself, having done what she could. Blue eyes found the man curled on the ground and the officer once more.

Now it was time to get to work.

"My name is Detective Tildy Garnuckle and this is Detective Morgan." The small woman started, speaking to the officer before glancing at the man huddled against the wall. She pulled her hood down so it was pooled around her shoulders with her wand stashed in her robes once more. She held her badge up for the officer to see before meeting his gaze. "I need you to call for backup, and don't forget to warn them about the cloaking spell." A glance to the crowd still trying to catch glimpses and Tildy narrowed her eyes. "I want that crowd gone, no statements to any reporters and no answers to any nosy onlookers." She lowered her voice. "We've lost a detective, they'll find out when we want them to." Finished, the blonde turned to the man huddled on the ground.

A glance over the man told her exactly how shaken he was, and a look back at the officer showed her exactly how difficult of a time he was having. Tildy didn't remember talking to him that day, one of the introductions she'd missed. His uniform looked pretty new and his lost expression made her sigh. A glance at his chest gave her a name: Gerald.

Tildy turned back to the man on the ground and paused for a second before settling on her haunches, crouching slightly off to the side to get on his level and to alleviate any further panic he might feel about being crowded against the wall. Bare toes peaked out from under the hem of her cloak. Tildy looked him over, eyes sharp and expression closed as she took in every detail she could. A sigh and her expression seemed to melt, warmth flooding her eyes and comfort radiating off her expression. She looked almost like a different person.

"Sir, I understand that you're shaken. Something horrible has happened here though and I need your help to figure out what." The blonde's head tilted to the side then, almost like a bird's would when examining a bug it was about to eat. Her comforting expression held. "I need you to tell Officer Gerald here what happened. Can you do that?" She asked with an encouraging grin, barely giving the man five seconds to respond and completely ignoring anything he said before she moved to leave. Standing, Tildy gave a cold nod to the officer and steeled herself before turning towards the alley way.

Time to see what she was working with.

The smell was the first thing that hit her. A moldy combination of wet and rotting that had evaporated into water and was drifting through the air from the vents in the alleyway. There were hints of felines in the area as well, the lovely scent of their urine making Tildy nearly flinch. The steam was light and barely noticeable, but it left the distinct feeling of dirty that an alleyway typically brought to mind. She could see the body now and stopped in her tracks, slipping her wand out once more and murmuring a quiet spell. Disappointment swept through her when her sweep for recent magic turned up blank. Looks like they couldn't narrow it down by the magic user. Dark blue eyes flicked around the shadows, cataloguing everything as she came to it and noting the lack of second exit to the alleyway. The other side was a dead end. She started with what was closest to her, eyes on the ground to see if there was enough dirt and grime they could get a shoe impression, her lips curling down when she found nothing but cobblestone.

Eyes roving up from the ground, she examined the trash bins huddled against the wall. There was a single trash bag dropped outside the bins, the weak light in the alleyway showing discarded bits that Tildy assumed were from the restaurant next to them. They looked like they were dropped in a hurry, someone having gained quite the shock from the body Tildy assumed. She didn't think the man the officer was now questioning was wearing a uniform, but she'd have to ask him anyways. Moving on, Tildy took a closer look at the bigger bins, dancing around the trash littering the ground until she was right next to one of the large ones. Hooking her knuckle under the corner of one of the lids and levering it up for a peak inside, she whispered a spell to herself. The tip of her wand shimmered to life with light and Tildy pointed it into the darkness of the bin while standing on her toes. She held a deep breath, doing a quick sweep with her eyes that only revealed more trash.

The lid dropped with a bang, Tildy looking over the cardboard box turned home that sat next to the piles of trash. A poke of her wand turned flashlight showed her a pair of shoes gnawed on by rats, clothes littered with holes from hungry moths, and some neater piles of rotten food. She wrinkled her nose at the food, wondering how anyone could eat anything that was past the expiry date. She also made a mental note to ask around about the person that obviously lived in the little box. Carefully stepping around a pile of what Tildy assumed to be cat excrement, the detective made her way towards the centerpiece in this mess. The body.

Even Tildy flinched as she looked over the dead man. It wasn't the first body she'd seen, but to have known the man before hand, even poorly.... It was still weird to see those features so still, almost as if they were paused in time. A deep breath, and the blonde continued with her work, if a bit stiffer than usual.

Lois was sprawled on his back like he'd fallen, there was no apparent smearing of blood or extra puddles that told her he'd been moved, so Tildy found it safe to assume that he'd been left as he fell. Casting her light forth over the body once she was close enough, the detective took in the details. The front of his navy blue polo dark and shining black with blood, more of the stuff pooling under him. He was wearing jeans and brown dress shoes with his ensemble, Tildy looking over the clothing for anything out of the ordinary and blowing a hair out of her eyes when she found nothing. Just cutting defensive wounds on his hands and more blood. She would have the forensics unit search his clothing for anything more. Standing, she took another glance around the alleyway, noting the blood spatter on the walls and the general dinginess of the place.

What a horrible way to die. What a horrible place.

"What do you think?" She asked, turning to Alex with a tilted head and unreadable expression. Tildy doused the light her wand produced and stashing it back in her robes before picking her way back to where her partner stood. She shook her head, not expecting a reply. A hand was placed on Detective Morgan's shoulder and Tildy let out a deep sigh. "I'll give you a few minutes alone before sending in forensics. I'm going to have them look everything over with a fine tooth comb. So far I don't see anything damming or even pointing a finger, Alex. We might be in for the long haul with this one." She finished, speaking without looking Alex in the face. Even for someone as cut off as her, she wasn't sure she could handle what expression the detective might be wearing. "I'll go talk to the officer to see what he's got and then I'll talk to the witness myself. Come get me when you're ready to send the team in." With that, Tildy squeezed Alex's shoulder once more and stepped away, giving her partner space to deal with her loss.

Exiting the alleyway the blonde made eye contact with Officer Gerald, arching a brow as if asking what he had learned.
 
Diane Gibbs

The teen looked down at her legs. Her tights were ripped over her bony knee and there was a slight graze, but it had stopped bleeding pretty much as soon as it started. All that was left now was a bit of dried blood, that she scratched at now with a bitten down nail, the blood flaking off and falling around her skin. "I-I tripped a little, but I just landed on my knee." She picked at the ripped fabric. "I'm fine." Simultaneously, she turned her head and Fena took her jaw. She flinched away, like a deer in the headlights, but after a second, she let Fena go ahead. The rough napkin was sore on her delicate skin, but she didn't let it show past a furrowing of her brow. Her chin trembled in the leather clad girl's hand, her watery grey eyes trained on the other woman's similar grey ones until she could move away. She looked down to the hot chocolate in her shaking hands. Looking a bit embarrassed, she put the mug down on the table. Drinking so fast was making her feel a bit queasy.

She moved herself around so that her legs were under the table and held onto the hem of her pleated skirt to try and make her hands stop shaking. She kept on looking between Kennedy and Fena, and watched as the blue haired woman peered through the window. The look on her face when she turned back was enough to make Diane draw back, cringing and dreading. She hugged her arms around herself as she listened to what she would have to do. She pressed her lips tightly together. Her first instinct was to shout. 'I don't want to!' Maybe if she put up enough of a fight, she wouldn't have to. She'd go home and sleep and then she'd just come back in the morning and it would all be totally normal. But she didn't have the energy in her to be stubborn, which was actually pretty normal for her.

She stayed sitting. "Can you come with me? Wh-when I have to go." Her voice was starting to tremble again. She swallowed a couple times to steady herself. She wouldn't go out until it was totally necessary, until she saw someone with a big police badge come out looking for her.



Liam Al-Hashim

Since he was looking out towards the station, Liam saw the two detectives approaching. At least, who he supposed were the detectives. One of them was totally covered in a cloak, so he couldn't see if it was a man or a woman or someone old or someone young or what. It was putting him on edge, frankly, more so than he already was. All that he could really see of the mystery person that was humanising was that they were tiny, at least one foot smaller than him. The other detective was a woman, maybe just a few years older than him, with dark hair. As they came closer, he wiped at his eyes and pushed himself up the wall, though still leaning against it. He shoved his hands in his pockets as he watched the two come over, trying to not look like he was totally terrified. He watched as the detective in the robe walked back and forth from the mouth of the alley. For a moment, his fried mind struggled to comprehend what was going on, and the only hint to what was really going on was the fact that the cloaked detective put their wand away afterwards. He sighed, just accepting that he didn't understand, and turned his head to watch the detectives approach the officer.

He listened in to conversation the cloaked detective was having with the officer that had come around before. Liam had kind of forgot he was there. If the fauna sorcerer been able to think straight, he might've found the surname 'Garnuckle' funny, but his mind was just in so many places at once that he was struggling to even comprehend that they were introducing themselves, as well as the other detective. He watched as they pulled their hood down, revealing a woman with short blonde hair. The mention of 'that crowd' made him turn his head back towards the entrance of the alley. He made direct eye contact with someone, a woman with a sleeping child in her stroller. She didn't seem to be looking at him, but she was squinting and stretching her neck as if trying to see without glasses. She let out what looked like a sigh, by the way her shoulders fell, and turned and started to walk down the road again. Liam watched her go, and looked at the rest of the crowd. Most of them were doing the same sort of thing, coming close to some imaginary line in the dirt, but eventually seeming to get upset or angry or fed up and turning down the road again. His frazzled brain still struggled to comprehend that there was a field up.

The mystery had distracted him for long enough for him to miss the rest of the conversation. When he looked around, the woman in the robe was standing right by him. There were a few seconds of absolute silence and absolute freeze, where the woman was just watching him, creepily, and Liam was too shocked by the woman's quiet approach and also by the general situation to say anything that wouldn't come out as something weird and irrational. He listened to what she said, and slowly nodded. "Okay," he said, though the woman had already turned and was walking into the dark. Better her than him.

He looked towards Officer Gerald. "I-I was just waiting for my food when a waitress came in. She started crying so I came out to see what was the problem, and..." he gestured towards the alley. "That. The waitress should still be inside." He spoke quickly but quietly, getting all of the info out as fast as he could before he could think too hard about it.
 
Lilithan Dover

The grim-faced shop-keep sighed as she heaved herself to her feet, feeling the creak in her muscles as she grabbed her cane and started hobbling around the counter towards the front of her shop. Her keys jingled as she pulled them from an apron pocket and dark eyes flicked around the shop as she mumbled to herself.

"Swept, restocked, inventory done...." She took a second to glance back at the register. "Counts done and in the safe." Lillithan nodded to herself, satisfied that she'd run through her checklist and she could go home. Stopping at the door, she reached out to flip the open sign. The advertisement she'd put up earlier that day caught her eye and the old woman grumbled to herself, quickly averting her eyes and shoving the door to her general store open. She slammed it behind her with just as much finesse and locked it before stuffing the keys back in her pocket.

The old sorceress sighed a deep breath as she stared out across the street, taking in the couples and young 'uns that were out late partying. She tightened her grip on her walking stick and tucked her purse in close to her body before turning and starting down the street. She didn't personally own a vehicle, the woman not seeing the point in a car when the bus would get her where she wanted to go. The walk was good for her anyways.

Making her way to the bus stop that would take her home, she had to pass by the police station and that damned addicting restaurant, The Bar. She didn't have the time or energy to stop there tonight, so she only gave it a longing glance in passing. Lilithan was quite surprised to see a large crowd doing the same exact thing, surprised until she saw that they were focused on something else entirely though. Lilithan glanced curiously in that direction, elbowing a rude young man out of the way when he stepped in front of her.

"Back off and mind your damned manners." She grumbled at him, sharp eyes making the boy take a step back instead of objecting. She turned her attention back to the spot that seemed to have everyone interested, brows lifting when she found herself finding nothing of import to stare at. "Curs'ed veiling magic, I want to see." She grumbled to herself, mumbling a quick spell with a tight grip on her staff until she could just make out what lay behind the curtain of magic.

A greying brow arched at the police officer and man that stood at the entrance to the alleyway, a younger woman with short blonde hair striding out of said alleyway to talk to him with a look of seriousness about her. Or at least Lilithan thought it was seriousness. For all she knew, the girl was constipated. This veil was really quite difficult to see through.

The clay sorceress decided to stick around, see how this all played out before she went home. She hadn't had a good spot of entertainment in a while.
 
Beatrix

For the sake of 'professionalism' (gross), Trix dyed her hair back to its natural mahogany brown which she then pulled into a French twist. After searching throughout her closet, she had finally found a black pant suit from her days at an internship to further her college experience, and miraculously it still fit. She paired it with a fuschia blouse just to add a splash of color. Her makeup was even toned down to pink lipstick and mascara. Essentially, she looked nothing like herself, but this was important.

She snapped a picture of herself and texted it to Calvin, who hadn't responded to her texts since last night. Do I look professional? Going to court today.

She walked into Chloe's office building and found her way to her friend's office. She knocked on Chloe's door before peeking her head inside. "Excuse me," she said in her best snob-accent, "I'm looking for Chloe Summers."
 
Chloe Summers

This time when Trix approached, she would not be treated with the same disdain the receptionist had previously shown. There were no second glances. The blonde lawyer glanced briefly up from her paperwork. "I'm sorry, I don't have any availability today, I'm due for a meeting in a few minutes." Already she had turned her attention away from the dark haired stranger. "You can make an appointment with the receptionist in the front.."
 
Trix

Trix stared at her friend for a full ten seconds and then giggled, "Chloe, it's me, you dufus." Stepping into her friend's office, she made a little twirl. "You said professional, so I obeyed for once. Will I pass?" She stuck out her tongue at her friend before coming up to stand behind one of the chairs and resting her hands on it. Her fingers picked at it nervously. "You feel confident about this?"

Her phone buzzed against her thigh, and she pulled out her phone, a tiny, if sad, smile dimpling her cheek as she read Calvin's message. She typed out a quick reply, Ex bf trying to ruin my business. About to meet, talk to you later. Have a good day.
 
Chloe Summers

Looking up from the documents she was skimming, Chloe blinked at her best friend, confused. "Aw, hon, you didn't have to get rid of your hair." She smiled, though, delighted at her friend's professional appearance. "You look gorgeous, though, of course." She waited, expecting a bright remark or some confident sassy retort, but instead the other girl was... texting and giving that same sad smile she gave to most of the previous exes. "Oh no, I know that look."

The blonde hopped up from her desk, gathering her materials and carefully placing them in her bag before marching over and plucking the phone from her friend's hand, throwing that in her bag, too. "Please tell me you're not getting back together with him? You were miserable together and he's trying to ruin your business." She picked up the bag and slung it over her shoulder, eyeing her friend. "Or is this about the guy from the Heat?" She groaned, "Don't tell me you're attached already?"

She shook her head at the blonde, carefully fixing her hair over her shoulders before opening the door and gesturing for Trix to go ahead. "They're waiting in the conference room. Have been for fifteen minutes now." She sounded quite gleeful about this. "Now. You look great, remain calm, don't smile, and don't even look at him look at his lawyer. Okay?"

Kennedy Alice Sparks

"Of course we'll go with you," Kennedy assured, offering her arm to the girl once more now that the drink had been set aside. "It'll be easy. Just a few deep breaths," she demonstrated, "and then you tell them exactly what you saw. They give you their number in case you think of anything else and then you're done, on your way." She was guessing, based on what she'd seen from TV and movies, but surely it wouldn't be much more than that. All she'd done was stumble upon the body.

The blonde leaned to the side, a bit, trying to see what was going on. She'd watched the police come from across the street and now there was what she guessed would be the CSI team to clean up the mess, take the pictures, establish time of death, etc. She really needs to watch less Criminal Minds, probably. "Why don't we stay in here, though, and wait for them to come talk to you?" There was already a bit of a crowd gathering, despite the late hour, and she wasn't sure the girl... she peeked down to read the name tag of the waitress, Diane. She wasn't sure how Diane would do with all that attention.

Alex Morgan

The detective was finding that she was reluctant to approach the scene of the crime. Every step put her one closer to seeing it for herself, her partner lying dead on the ground in some back alley like some criminal. As Tildy created a barrier, Detective Morgan examined the scene. It smelled like old sweat, garbage, and cat piss all of it effectively drowning out the smell of the blood and the... the body.

Nope. still not ready.

"You need to get someone on crowd control." She snapped at the Officer. It wasn't his fault, but her nerves were shot. First the redhead girl and that note, and now Luis. It was a lot for one day.

Following her partner, her only partner now, Alex would take in everything except for the... Victim. The piles of trash, the obvious homeless person hideout. When Tildy stepped away from the dumpster Alex stepped up and with a gloved hand she lifted a few of the bags. "Tildy," She called her partner who had already moved back to talk to the witness. "I think I found the murder weapon." Inside the dumpster there was a knife, still covered in blood. With a wave of her wand, the weapon would rise from the garbage and hover over the dumpster.

As Tildy approached, so did the Crime Scene team, moving past the observing people and right through the visual barrier. The officer Alex had barked at finally stirred into action, setting up a better perimeter, moving those standing around further back. It wasn't until the coroner lifted up Luis' shirt to get a better look at the wound that Alex turned to look at the man who had been her partner for the past four years.

While the doctor was looking at the wound, Alex caught sight of something else, a tattoo, a very strange tattoo. But the doctor was done. She'd have to get a closer look at that after his autopsy.

While the doctor was looking over the... body and cleaning up the scene, Alex followed Tildy to interview the witness. She was gentle as she looked at the shaken man, realizing this was the same guy she'd almost spilled coffee on just this morning. She took down everything he said and looked to the inside, catching sight of two women, polar opposite, huddled around a frail terrified looking woman. "Yes, I think she is." She agreed. "Was there... did you notice anything else when you came out here? See anything?" She prodded, gentle as she could. She was eager to go inside and talk to the waitress, but she didn't want to rush away from another potential witness. She'd learned that the last time. "Maybe with in the last hour or so, hear or see anything?" She didn't actually know the time of death, but he'd probably been at The Bar for that long, give or take. He might not even realize he knows something.
 
Trix

A wrinkle of her nose was given to the comment about her hair and she shrugged, "I'm going to try a different color after all this is straightened out." She swiped her thumb along the phone's screen to scroll through the messages...at least, she was in the process of that when the phone as snatched right out of her hand. She made a grab for it but Chloe was too fast.

"What? Hell, no, I'm not going back to Fuck Face Trent. I hate that guy!" Her arms crossed defensively, and she chewed her lower lip a little anxiously. "I mean, yeah, I kinda fell for Calvin, but nothing's going to come of it, so don't worry about me." She knew she shouldn't continue texting Calvin, but she just couldn't stop herself. At least Chloe had taken her phone away from her, though Trix's fingers were itching to get it back.

She followed her friend to the conference room. When she stepped inside, she tried very hard not to look at the asshole seated at the table next to his lawyer. Trent Jernigan was a tall, lanky man with a fringe of multicolored mohawk from his forehead to the back. His face was pierced almost everywhere. He just looked like an asshole, and now that they weren't dating, Trix wondered what she had been thinking. She took her seat, crossed one leg over the other, and folded her hands on the table. She turned her gaze to her friend/lawyer. The sooner this was done, the sooner she could get back to her shop.
 
Diane Gibbs

Just like she had before, she took Kennedy's hand and held on tight. Now, she was less scared, and more anxious, by the feel of her clammy hands. Kennedy was making it sound so easy, but Diane wasn't so sure that it would really be that cut and dry. She kept on glancing between the two older women, but their attention was on the window. Diane instead looked down at the table. The man, who was now outside being interviewed, had left pretty much all of his things out on the table. A letter on lined paper, and a similar piece of lined paper that only had an address, the date, and 'Dear Mia' in weird, messy handwriting. When she lifted her hot chocolate mug, there was a ring of brown liquid near the bottom of the page. Shit.

She lifted her head to look at Kennedy. She nodded stiffly, but now there was anxiety sitting her in her stomach because now she would have to wait. Who knew how long that would take? Or if the man out there would even mention her? Well, he would have to, otherwise that would probably be counted as lying to the police, or something like that. Diane moaned lightly, putting her elbow on the table and running her empty hand over the top of her greasy bun. She really didn't want to be here.



Liam Al-Hashim

Liam had barely finished his frantic half-account of the last five minutes (or so) when the tiny and the more regular detective came over. Maybe in a couple hours, he'd look back on his memory and recognise the latter of the two detectives, but in that moment he just saw two strangers. He moved back to the wall, thinking that it was up to the detectives and the waitress to sort everything out from that point. The question was unexpected, and it took him a second to think. He shut his eyes, like a teen trying to remember the bullet points on a study guide. He opened his eyes, but keept them to the ground. "I wasn't really paying attention," he said with a remorseful shake of his head. "I don't know."

The 'last hour' made him think harder. He felt like there was something. It was like when you hear a scratching in your house, and you're not sure if you're imagining it or if there's mice in your walls. He scratched his temple and let out something that was a mix of a sigh and a grunt. "I-I don't know. I don't think-" he stopped mid-sentence, eyes flicking open suddenly. He lifted his head exactly like he had before, clobbering his head off the wall behind him. He ignored the pain, swivelling his head around to meet the dark-haired detective's eyes. "Wh-when I was coming from my car." He pointed off in the direction of his car, though didn't break past the barrier (which he was still unaware of). "I heard, like, a fight in here. But I just thought t was some hobos." He pulled his phone out of his pocket and checked the time. "That wasn't that long ago. Like, half an hour, max."
 
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Tildy Garnuckle

A quick conversation with the Officer Gerald told Tildy that there was another witness they needed to talk to, she turned to tell her partner when she noticed the woman already looking in that direction. From here, the young detective decided to follow her partner's lead. Now that they were away from the body, Alex seemed to have come back to herself some, and it could only help to let her work on solving the case. Tildy would be there if she needed anything and she would catch anything Alex missed, just like her partner had caught the knife she'd missed. The blonde wanted to talk to the waitress, but she'd follow Alex's lead and stay with this witness first. She stood back silently as her partner questioned the man, arms crossed and eyes narrowed as she looked over the crowd with disdain. It was a sick lot that liked to peep in on crime scenes. Though, she mused to herself, they probably still didn't know what had happened.

Stormy blues flicked to the man when he mentioned a scuffle, brows raised as she glanced over to the station just across the street. They should easily be able to pull the footage from the cameras, there had to have been one pointed this direction at the right time, it was just a matter of finding it. She really wanted to take a look at that knife as well, anything they could find out about who made it and how common it was would help lead them in the right direction. Her lips pinched as she looked at their witness again.

"No faces though? Nothing you could give a sketch artist to work with?" She prompted, corners of her lips downturned as she took in just how little they were working with on this one. "You didn't hear any voices or anyone say anything important?" She prompted, turning to the man fully now with her displeasure fully on display. "Really, anything could help." She added, arching a brow at him.


Agrafena Mittove

Blue eyes followed the girl's movements, a half smile warming her features as she lifted a hand to rub soothing circles into her back.

"Hey now, don't go getting so down on yourself. I know this is a really bad situation, but remember that Kennedy and I are here for you. You will need to talk to them, but if it's too much at any point just tell me, alright? I'll ask them to step off and make sure they listen." She spoke softly, trying to relax her stance from before. All she'd done was frighten the poor girl, and that could only be making this harder on her.

Fena sighed as she looked up and out the window again, setting her jaw when she saw the two lady detectives walk out of the alley again. It wouldn't be long before they came in to talk to Diane. She flicked her eyes back and realized how much attention they were still drawing, staring down a few pairs of eyes that looked like they were looking for trouble. She could already see one girl texting quickly on her phone while sending the three of them furtive glances. She stared that one down until the girl asked for her check.
 
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