Joke's On Us (Afternoon)

He had a name.
He hated everything that was going on, but he had a name, and he was going to make sure he learned what he could.

With any luck, the detective would know something.

After everything that'd happened last night, it was no surprise that Raidou would find herself lost in thought, contemplating the events as she slouched idly in the black chair. She wouldn't even notice the sound of the door opening at first and only Gouto brushing past her leg underneath the desk would draw her back to reality fast enough to correct her posture and address the incoming client. "My apologies. I wasn't expecting customers this close to evening. What can I help you with today?"

She was in...good. That meant all was well so far.
Cecil had tied his hair back into a ponytail - the way Nadia had said before she liked. He took a seat in the room before the distracted detective, settling in.


"No, don't worry about it, it's fine." There was a nervous tension in his body despite the smile he plastered on as he sat down. "So, uh...stuff's been happening. Don't know if you heard about the inn. And now...I have questions. He was beating about the bush. He had to just come out with it.
"...there's an individual known as Joker. A...psyche terrorist, I'm confident. It...seems like they're using people like puppets to attack people."

"...I want to know more about them."

"The... inn? I can't say I have. Are you referring to the one in Sunlake Palms?" Though Raidou was certainly well-informed, the crime Cecil was referring to had occurred very recently. Not much time had passed at all, far from a day even, and to boot it happened in the wake of a massacre in the same district; the incident at the church was still all too fresh in the public's mind and had claimed many more lives than what happened at the Vagabond Inn today. Ultimately there was no way she'd be capable of picking up on it that fast (especially with her network of Demons devoting a good chunk of focus to East Eden following the events last night).

Whatever the case though, it didn't particularly matter. She could more than guess at what'd happened there after he dropped mention of Psyche Terrorism. It was shocking to hear of yet another alleged case within such a short frame of time, but she'd manage to keep her composure and would stoically rest her head on her hands, closing her eyes while she mulled over what the blonde-haired boy was saying. "I can't say I know of any Psyche Terrorist by that name, but if you're willing to pay the fee, I can tell you what I've heard about a JOKER. That's all I can offer." She'd reply after a brief silence.

Service:

He nods at the question. He supposed that made sense...you never could be sure how far things might spread, though. "Yeah. The Vagabond Inn. Apparently someone there was attacked by faceless men, who just...died, right after. It's...scary, to think of something like that happening in public during the day."

...so...they weren't a known psyche terrorist. That was...probably not good, honestly. That meant they were under the radar, so far. But if they were anywhere near the same person, this was the best he'd get. "...alright. I'm willing to pay."

Faceless men... The details were minimal but they were beginning to line up. Making a mental note to herself, Raidou would nod as she accepted the payment, and after carefully choosing her words she began to speak once more. [Post continued in PMs...]

Cecil stands up, stretching out. "I think that's all. Seriously, thank you." Going around, he walks to the door and looks back one last time. "Good luck with any future investigations. I hope all goes well."
Exiting the door, he sighs and starts thinking things over as he paces off again.
That was this done, so...time to get moving.

With a small smile and a tip of her hat, Raidou would watch Cecil carefully as he exited, waiting a few minutes to be sure he was gone before releasing a heavy sigh of her own and utterly breaking her posture to the point where she nearly slid off her chair. Gouto crept out from under the desk, but the normally snide cat wouldn't say anything, merely laying down next to her side while she stared up at the furiously whirring ceiling fan. "This city just can't catch a break, can it? Looks we have our work cut out for us..." She remarked quietly. Part of her was curious about the boy, but it was better to stay out of it; it seemed probable enough that he was just scared by the incident he'd described and wanted some knowledge to make sense of it. And if he wasn't, well, it was likely best to keep her nose out of it anyway. Her workload was increasing with each day: all she could do was hope for his safety.

The storm brewing in Endymion had already claimed more than enough victims.

SQ Gained: