Justice of Interpol! Or.... maybe just localpol... (for Tatsui)

"Hmmmm... can I get away with it..."

It seemed that the child was now planning a very big form of mischief that has yet to be implimented.  She has yet to actually gotten to explore the Police Station.  It was always an unwritten rule not to bother them if she could help it.

Today seemed to be on the fence as to if it should be an exception or not.

"On the one hand... I could get into a looooot of trouble for traspassing, and Selenus would get mad at me for that too... on the other hand... I've never gotten to explore here... there has to be a way to fully explore this place, but the last time I tried the safe method..."

Earlier...

"Pleeeeease, please please let me tour the place?"

"Hah, kid, go back home, this is for authorized personal only..."

"But I really really REALLY want to see what goes on in here!"

"Kid, I know you want to, but this is a place for grownups.  Let te grown ups do their thing."

"But-"

"Please go.  We have work to get to."

Present time...

"They just shrugged me off cause I'm a kid!  I bet if I was a Cadet they'd let me in even if I was a kid!  Uuuugh, this is the frustrates!  But I need to explore that place!  There could be short cuts that I can use!"

And so the deliberation continues...

Ugh. I honestly don't know how I am going to get through this situation. Well, good thing the cadets only go once they get leads, since there are too few of them to patrol. Speaking of leads, the police station.... I wish there was some way I could get intel out of them about their leads on psyche terrorists, then we could act accordingly about such scenarios, but we would also have to make sure that it isn't obvious that we have access to their intel. Otherwise there would be investigations about it, and that would only end poorly for us. So basically, we would have to gain intel via breakins and make sure no evidence is shown, or so little it isn't noticeable. *Sigh* Can't believe I am thinking of breaking into police stations, stealing their files and hacking their computers. Well, I shouldn't loiter around a police station, they might be offended by it or get suspicious because of it. Hm? What's a kid like that doing there? ..... She seems to be talking somewhat loudly. Wait, did she mention something about Selenus? Hmmm, the kid doesn't seem to be considering other dangers involved with police stations, so maybe she just met him? .....That sounds absolutely fucking ridiculous now that I think about it. I mean, a kid, meets a robotic dog, and doesn't say anything? Hmmm, I hope that she has good sense. What? They want to break in to find..... shortcuts? .....That is the dumbest excuse I could ever think of to invade a police station. But she seems to have a passion for them... maybe I could coax those secret shortcuts out of her. I walk up and approach the kid.

"Hey kid, what are you doing here? And did you say something about Selenus?" I say cautiously. The child probably knows of Selenus, but she likely doesn't know shit about him and me being Psyche Terrorists.

Quite possibly the most loaded question this person could ever even consider asking of a child, let alone this particular child.

Her eyes went impressively wide at the mention of Selenus. Did this person know Selenus too? No... that would be too much of a coincidence, wouldn't it?

Maybe another Selenus? She needed to be sure, but how to go about this without exposing Selenus's secret? She definitely did not want the police to over here about this, nor did she want the Cadets to find out through them! That Lawn Ornament has been through enough as it is.

... or at least she assumes as such.

There was only one sure fire way to get the information she needed out of him.

She looked at him with a "very confused" look. "Um, I have no clue what you are talking about, officer," she said playfully, "I have no intention of doing nefarious misdeeds for the sake of my own amusement. And what do you mean by a Selenus? Unless you're actually talking about my Lawn Ornament, because if you are, that would be kind of creepy and would suggest that you've been breaking into my home just to speak to my Lawn ornament..."

Perhaps this was not the most well thought out of information gathering plans, now that she said it outloud. But she was already this far in. She may as well keep going until she was called out on her rather elaborate lie.

Hmm, bingo. Eyes widen. So this kid does know about Selenus. She seems to be thinking about something. Maybe she is cautious about revealing information about Selenus? Heh, since that Robo-pooch is quite methodical, I think he would get a kid to keep quite about him. Heh, too late to act confused now kid.... Wut. "I'm 16 you know. Not a police officer. *Sigh* Come here for a second." I say beckoning the child safely into an alley. "Your bluffs, they suck. I know Selenus and all his robo-poochiness. And..... did you think he was a lawn ornament?" That has got to be the most ridiculous thing Selenus has probably ever done to disguise himself. I mean seriously, he is a bloody metallic dog. Normal people don't get that shit, especially not as ornaments. Also he stands out like such a sore thumb, anyone would notice him, and likely deduce his roboticness. "I've known Selenus for a while now, and even consider him as a friend. Heh, quite silly eh? But anyway, this isn't about my relation to a sentient machine of war. I seem to have overheard you saying something about breaking into the police station to find shortcuts? First of all, not advisable. The police get very antsy if they find you doing illegal stuff, and breaking and entering is definently high on that list. Secondly.... for shortcuts? I wouldn't risk angering the police for a couple of shortcuts in a dangerous area. Speaking of which, your a kid and alone. Please be more cautious. Wait, if you saw Selenus and thought he was a lawn ornament.... did you break into the Trinity residence?" I ask inquisitively (No Spanish Inquisition). *Sigh* She does seem to have the right look of a trouble-maker child. Let's just hope that she doesn't get into an unpleasant situation because of it..... like stumbling upon the supernatural. I child like her ain't ready for that shit. I should stop questioning her, children don't deal well with unpleasant situations. "*Sigh*, I am not going to ask you to stop with your 'Explorations', but you should be more careful, and not get caught up in stuff you aren't ready for." I say with a semi-haunted look in my eyes.

"You are still older than me, good sir," she replied, "ergo, my senior, ergo, sir!" She gave a salut as she finished that sentence.

There was some questionable logic in following a stranger into an alleyway.  Then again, she was so good at running away that it was difficult for most adults to catch her.

Sooooo, she decided to risk this and see what he had to say.  It may clarify things, plus maybe he wanted to respect her wishes about Selenus!

Then she gave something of a gaping mouth stare of shock.  Did... did he just say a dirty word?  Didn't his parents teach him better?  What would they say if they found out about this?  What would her own parents say?

Wait... she doesn't live with her parents anymore.  She lives at the dorms, all by herself.  She can say as many dirty words as she wanted!

"Why yes, darn it, he looked like a flipping lawn ornament.  He was holding so perfectly flipping still that he looked like a fricking fancy new darn decoration!   And he's a war machine?!  Fricking awesome!"  Ah yes, it felt so good to litter her language with such dirty dirty words... or at least the dirtiest she felt brave enough to say.

Then came the warning about invading properties again.  Well, okay, it was a warning about angering the police, but it sounded very much like Selenus all over again.

"Okay, okay, you win, gosh darn it, I won't invade their property," she added, "But it's such a shame.  All the short cuts I could have discovered, not to mention a chance to explore the police station!  Maybe even their prison compound!  If only I was a Cadet, then they'd let me in.  Heck, I'd even accept being a Psyche Terrorist, then I can be a Phantom Thief!  That would be so cool!"

Whelp, now that he has her here, she may as well see what she can learn about him.

"So, Mr. Mutual friend of Robo-pooch (I am so calling him that now), whats your name?  Mine is Tatum Waldie, Endymion Explorer extraordinaire!"  She even held out a hand for him to shake.  Apparently being a mutual acquaintance of an acquaintance meant that he was trust worthy?  Well, she at least felt that Selenus was earnest from her earlier encounter with him, so any one who is his friend and knew his secret AND bothered to keep it must be a decent person in their own right.

"Yes I am older than you, but I am not any sort of authority figure. So please stop with the salutes and sirs." I say with exasperation. Jeez, this kid doesn't seem to know how bluffing works. Hm? Why is she gaping at me? I don't recall saying anything...... oh right I said her bluffs suck. Shit that's right she is just a child. Damnit. ".....Kid, your too cute to try to curse yet. Wait a few years on that okay? Well, yes he is, I believe he was a military grade robot. Heh, yeah that is pretty cool." But not as cool as that bloody King Frost. It chilled us to the bone about how cool it was. Oh god damnit i'm thinking in puns. "It's only one building, which you should definently avoid at all costs. ......I don't think you should become a cadet, besides, you are probably too young for it. ......." I pale. The kid is so naïve that she wants to become a psyche terrorist? Nola already became one because we were too stupid to keep her away from this sort of stuff, but i'm not dragging a bloody child into this! I quickly grab both of the child's shoulders. "....Don't say anything about the Psyche terrorists, especially about wanting to be one. If you.... for some foolish reason became one, and blew your cover, you would die, and I also don't know what would happen to your parents." I finish with a haunted look in my eyes. If I fuck up my parents are going to likely be taken away by the government, but I don't want a child with the responsibility of that on her shoulders. Rgh, I hope I didn't give away too much from that warning. Selenus might trust this kid with his existence, but she isn't ready for what comes with the label of Psyche Terrorist. I cool down for a bit to get over my fear. Hopefully the warning will be enough. I smile. "Nice to meet you Tatum Waldie, my name is Tatsui Kitao. Oh really? You know, I might just ask you about those shortcuts of yours sometime."

Wow, that was a rather strong reaction.

"Whoa, chill, I just said it would be cool! I mean, I'm just a kid, I don't think I could actually do anything like that. Do I look like I have super powers to you? Though admittedly, spidey powers would be awesome. Or at least healer. I'd like to be a healer. No wait, Elsa! I'd want to be Elsa! Then I can make it winter whenever I wanted! Assuming it doesn't hinder anyone else of course..."

Hopefully that would put his mind at ease. After all, sneaking out of her home when she should be studying is one thing, but taking part in dangerous activities? That was not something her parents would ever be able to sleep well with at night. That would be a dangerous responsibility to have.

Wait, he was interested in the short cuts?

"So you want to make use of the short cuts, huh?" She replied, walking around him and giving him a good and serious scanning.

"Hmmm... you know you just might be able to make use of them... how good is your jumping? There are a few that I can't make use of because, well, I'm not that good a jumper, but if you are absolutely, one hundred percent confident in your ability, then I could show you."

Hmm, looks like she isn't one of us, but it would be best to have her avoid becoming another member. Don't need her running face-first into a demon and then forced to summon the supernatural to fight the supernatural. Here in Endyimon, only the cadets are allowed to do that. "No you don't. .....Wut." Now this kid is rambling about spider powers and healing and Frozen Characters? What? Oh dear, looks like this kid is disregarding my warning somewhat. Shit, and I can't repeat it without drawing suspicion, which thankfully this kid has none yet. "Yes I actually would. They might come of use to me, you know, getting to school faster, avoiding bullies, that sort of stuff. My jumping? Yeah it's pretty good. I don't work out often just so I can look good." Heh, if only there were just a couple of other reasons..... not a third and dangerous one. "Yeah, I would definently be interested in you showing me them." I just hope that some of them don't involve going into people's houses. That would be very awkward and dangerous. Because if I stumble upon a person while in my disguise, or even out of it, they would report me to the police, and if in my disguise, the cadets. I am definently not ready for the anti-supernatural state force. But these shortcuts could help me avoid any enemies in pursuit of me, or who are in my way.

She couldn't help but grin a little. Perhaps it was pride. Perhaps there was a part of her that was eager to see her knowledge put to good use.

"I don't know how much you know," she replied, "but all in all, I'm willing to share what I know! However, you should know that what I know I only know from months of exploring Endymion, and I imagine I won't know all the secrets without several YEARS worth of exploration. Now, I imagine you're not the type who likes to invade on others properties, so I'll just share the safe ones with ya. Or, at least I'll share the ones that I haven't gotten in trouble with, for some reason or another. Be forewarned that you have to be absolutely sure about your skill! Most are easy for if you're just on foot, but there are a few clever ones that I've theorized are possible that require some practice and creativity. An amateur will get hurt trying those. Trust me, I speak from experience on that!"

She couldn't resist patting her chest in pride, confident in her knowledge accumulated from practice and many a cut and bruises.

"For the record, what I'm going to share can't be shared in just one day. If you really really REALLY want to learn this stuff, then we're gonna have to get together several times during the week. I can tell you about them, but it's much better if I just show you. That way you'll get a much better feel about how to get to these short cuts. I'll even teach you my way of exploring if you like. That way you can find your own short cuts on your own time! Though, I should warn you, Endymion exploration is time consuming. Don't go into it if you aren't ready to dedicate many an hour to it! Oh, and unless you're good at roof hopping, don't even bother trying roof top short cuts! I'll show those too you if you want, but I'd rather not find out the hard way that you made a misjudged jump and it made you go splat!" It seemed she was letting her pride get the better of her, somewhat. Or was it that she was all too eager just to share what she knew?

Or perhaps it was just an excuse to get to meet with someone multiple times during the week?

Hmm, so the child is grinning with pride, wait no, Tatum. "Not very much in fact, after all, I live.....away from here." Shit I almost just blew that I live in practically the other side of the city and I have no business being here. Even a child could notice that, especially an inquisitive one. "Yeah, that is definently understandable. You might even have to recheck areas for temporary shortucts. Some people have habits and those habits give access to things sometimes." I say shrewdly. Habits are easy to capitalize upon if you can notice them. Same for quirks. "Yeah that would be best.... and why am I not surprised you are a fan of breaking and entering and exiting. Yes I am sure of my skill. Trust me, I am not an amateur when it comes to maneuvering." Not anymore that is. A few brushes with certain death tends to boost your reflexes and maneuvering capabilities. Looks like Tatum is quite proud of her accomplishments. "Ok, Yeah that's definently okay. Yeah, that would likely be best, hearing about something is definently not the same as experiencing it. Yeah, that would definently be good." Except I might look suspicious as hell, I mean, a young adult climbing around shit and snooping around is definently bound to look suspicious, but a child? Less so. Might have to leave that snooping for night.... which could also be dangerous shit. "I would definently be ready to dedicate time to it. .....I can jump quite a bit if necessary." Maybe if I can unlock a new ability with my persona I could easily hop over buildings. "Yeah, just showing them would be fine, I could go about them on my own time." Because my own time would be me in my masked form likely trying to escape the Police and the Cadets.

She decided to wait till he's said his piece, taking each and every bit into account.

Habits, huh? He's right, you know. People's habits can lead to new roads if you know how to use them. Something new to consider. And he says that he's confident in his jumping and stuff. Guess that means he's getting the full tour. I wonder how much he knows on his own? Don't wanna end up giving him stuff he already knows about. Let's just give him the basics for now.

"Allllllright then," She said, having made her decision, "We'll do this on a section by section basis. We'll pick a place, pick a day, and a time frame, and we'll dedicate a little bit of time to helping you learn the secrets of the short cuts! Though if you want an early start, big major tip. Alleyways. Each and every Alley way holds a secret you can use, especially if you're good at climbing and slash or jumping. Dead-ends become obstacles in your favor. Fire escapes become the high road. And since you seem confident in your roof hopping, then any path that takes you to the roof is a good path. Does that make sense?"

"Ok. Heh, learning secrets... I like that. Oh, Alleyways huh?" Hmm. I guess that does make sense to me. All those fire escapes, parkourable objects, windows, loose bricks. Great for maneuvering around. And the fire escapes get me onto the roofs where I definently have a good chance to jump around and escape.... unless they get a helicopter. That would be the worst thing. Hmmm, If the alleyway has climbable garbage I could use it to jump over them if they pursue me in, or  get a high-ground attack, maybe even find a way to get out. A dead-end could provide a funnel, we could escape using fire escape ladders, or based on my outfit I could blend in with the shadows of the buildings. We could go to the rooftops, disperse, and vanish into the night. Heh, just two things are giving me lots of ideas on escape and maneuvering around enemies. "Yes that definently makes lots of sense Tatum. I'll definently want to talk to you about this and even experience it with you." I say smiling at the young child. How odd that a curious kid could be unknowing giving me advise that will save my life. "Oh dear, I need to get going. So, um, see you again!" I say waving to Tatum and heading back to Sunlake Palms.

Le [Exit]

He already had to go? Bummer, she was getting to like this guy. They seemed to share a common interest.

Still, it seemed like they had a plan, and are ready to set things into motion.

Oh, wait, he was heading off already?! Better make a quick plan while he was still in ear shot!

"I'm at the Metro every day right at four o'clock!" she called out, hands cupped to her mouth to amplify her voice, "Normally I just pick a place and go, but if you're serious about this, try and catch me between four and four thirty! If I don't see you before four thirty I'm gonna head off, got it?"

I'm sure he's got it. This way, if he misses a day, then he'll have the next day available. Guess I'll head to Arcadia! I bet there are a few fun things to watch people do for a while. With that, she sprinted at full speed to one of her favorite hangouts.