Hangetsu began to wonder if the entirety of his job assisting Tae-yeon was answering the door and the phone so the detective could keep an air of mystery. Once he peered through the spyhole in the door and saw a fellow police officer Hangetsu seriously considered hiding in another room and have Tae answer her own damn door.
Internal Affairs officers and gumshoes weren't popular among cops and Hangetsu Tsukishima was both.

Some officers were unrecognizable in civilian garb and to his dismay Hangetsu had to test that. He hoped that his white zoot suit served well enough to hide his identity. Inhaling through his nose and then holding his breath for a moment Hangetsu braced himself as he opened the door.
"Hi. Have a seat," he gestured to the chair in front of Tae's desk. "The detective should be out in a moment. I'll get you some coffee."

He found it sad that his awkward greetings were still better than those of the woman whose name graced the door of the detective agency.
When Hangetsu considered how much more comfortable he was grinding beans and steaming milk for coffee than dealing with people that he might have been in the wrong business. The wrong two businesses, in fact.

The man in the white zoot suit handed his fellow flatfoot a cup of coffee hoping that Tae would come and break the tension...or create tension...whatever took the focus off of him.
"What's the trouble?"

Yensin was relieved at the rather warm welcome, only to become disappointed once more after discovering the greeter was not the individual he was seeking.

With a slight smile on his face, the young officer replied, "No thank you, just had some coffee earlier today, don't want to be too hyped up before my shift." He chuckled softly after saying this. Again, he began to think to himself, "Strange, normally I'm not this casual with strangers...unless...."

Yensin felt as if he recognized the man standing before him, "Excuse me, but your face seems....somewhat familiar. Have I seen you somewhere before?'

Yensin has served Republic City for nearly ten years, and he has seen dozens of officers from both shifts, and he swore that he had seen this face once at Headquarters. While not always positive, Yensin rarely forgets a co-worker's face.

Crossing his arms, Yensin's eye's became stern once more, and his shy complexion became one of pressing, or rather demanding, curiosity. Narrowing his eyes, he waited "patiently" for his answer.

The Office of Choi Tae-yeon, Private Eye

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Noticing the look of bewilderment on Hangetsu's face, Tae-yeon sighed. "You don't know of their work, do you? Nevermind that it's only the most front-running research into Air Nomad culture and artifacts, conducted by some of the best archaeologists of our time." Drat that bumbling Hangetsu! Didn't he even read the paper? Pinching the bridge of her nose, she sighed. "Morning paper, Hangetsu. Read it. Daily."

"No, but when it comes to missing persons we give up after less than a week. A week passes and we tell people to check the morgue."

Of course they did. And that was why people hired private investigators. Trust the police never to get anything done.

"What makes this Professor think his friend is still alive? Maybe he just skipped town with a coed or owed money to the wrong people."

"Don't be ridiculous," said Tae-yeon. "There is nothing more deceptive than an obvious fact. The missing Dr. Kang is well-paid and well-known."

It is a capital mistake to theorize before one has data. Insensibly one begins to twist facts to suit theories, instead of theories to suit facts. Tae-yeon was inclined to study the Professor's work and all travel documents involved in the case. Ignoring Hangetsu's question, she continued with the facts first.

"On this particular expedition, they uncovered a cipher carved in a stone tablet and three black keys. Apparently a couple by the name of Sendai acted as guides for the professors on the voyage. They're familiar with the region, you see." She proceeded to recount, as the Professor had to her, how the tablet cipher, Dr. Kang, and the Sendai couple had all disappeared around the same time, before a translation of the cipher could be completed. Only the bottom half of one of the black keys remained behind.

"Apparently the good Professor has had trouble with the broken key," Tae-yeon continued, lighting a cigarette, blond tobacco with a hint of vanilla. "It seems to be a hot commodity. Multiple break-ins at both his office at the university and his private residence. Which brings us to the obvious question: who knows he has this artifact? Why do they want it?"

A knock at the door gave her pause. She wasn't willing to discuss this case with prying ears. "Go get the door," she said unceremoniously, getting up and taking with her the documents from the desk drawer. She'd be stashing them in the safe whilst Hangetsu answered the door. They could continue this discussion later.

As she sashayed to the back to safely lock up the goods, Hangetsu answered the door and let in someone whose shoes made the same metal-bottomed sound that his did. Tae-yeon frowned. Another policeman? Drat that bumbling buffoon! Was he going to bring in all his pals in metal to stuff up her office with their lubricant and egotism? Fie on them! She waited for a moment, but no enlightening conversation ensued. Sighing, Tae-yeon came out from the back.

"Hello," she said unceremoniously, sitting down behind her desk. Taking a cup of coffee from Hangetsu, she leaned back in her chair. "What seems to be the trouble? Don't mind Hangetsu. He'll be taking notes."

This guy seemed to be a very neat type, likely overburdened with responsibility and self-importance. Tae-yeon would've laid money on a bet that he was here involving some sort of family trouble that he didn't care to take to the Police detectives. A family member involved with gang activity, perhaps? A wife he suspected of having a lover? Whatever it was, she hoped it was juicy. She did so love to see the police put in what she felt was their rightful place — down in the trenches of life with everyone else.

[OOC--I apologize for the delay. I was writing this earlier and my browser consumed my post, and I lost the will to rewrite until just recently. *bows*]

Raeya chuckled. "well, whatever suits your fancy is fine with me." she noted, "just know that I'm not necessarily that type of do-gooder or anything. If you wish to follow in the footsteps of your father, then by all means go right ahead... as long as it's your choice, of course. I'm certainly not about to tell you what to do with your life or anything."
It was said in a friendly manner, as most of Raeya's words were, but that was one philosophy that she staunchly lived by. it was always about the individual doing what they wanted, not what other people thought they should do. But, it wasn't Raeya's business to be butting in, as she commanded the same respect be given her.

Raeya chuckled, partially at how much Ling was stuttering, and also because she was flattered by the request.
"Name a time and a place," She chanted, "I'm not exactly known for having a tight schedule, and I can always fit something fun like a dinner in..."
women... men... Raeya wasn't exactly discriminatory insomuch that she did not let gender get in the way of friendships, dates... romances... or anything else beyond that point. generally, it was a matter of restrictions of any kind, which got on her nerves. The freer Raeya was, the happier Raeya was. it was that simple. She was not sure the exact details of Ling's feelings towards her, but she would let them unfold as they would. There was no need to get inquisitive so early and botch it all up.
"so..." she added at the end, "is it a date?"

~Raeya~

Never before had Hangetsu ever thought that his patience was such an easily drained resource. Tae-yeon not only had his grandmother's deductive ability but also his grandfather's ability to push his buttons hard enough to cause them to stick.
He plastered on a polite but oh-so fake smile.
"Paper. Yes, that thing with those weird scribbles."
Quickly, he turned his head to hide at least a portion of his reddening face. He felt like an impudent teenager again. Sarcasm wasn't becoming for an officer of the law.

"Don't be ridiculous. There is nothing more deceptive than an obvious fact. The missing Dr. Kang is well-paid and well-known."
That time the assistant didn't have a sarcastic response to the detective. He found that he preferred it when Tae was condescending over the times she was correct about something. It was far less annoying.
Hangetsu banished all other thoughts from his mind while trying to pay attention to the detective. When he had to answer the door he was relieved...until he saw it was one of his fellow officers.

Much to his dismay Yensin had mentioned he looked familiar. It was only a matter of time before someone found out.
He placed his left palm over his right fist and bowed his head to Yensin.
"Hangesu Tsukishima, RCPD. Um, I work here part-time assisting Miss Choi." Hangetsu prayed that Yensin wouldn't ask where exactly he worked. People didn't refer to Internal Affairs investigators as treacherous rat vipers in a complimentary manner.

Hangetsu pulled a small, leather-bound notepad from his pocket along with a pen to take notes, but first he ripped out the page of doodles and ideas of where to go on his next date.
"Go on."

Hotaru's Hotstand

Hotaru wondered for a moment what kind of books Byakko had. She hadn't really had time to read in recent years with her busy schedule, nor had she found the need to buy them. Perhaps she could start up again. Byakko quickly finished his meal and stared into Hotaru's eyes. She felt like so much had changed in such a short amount of time. Her whole life had been altered by this one encounter. She smiled warmly, the boy's brown eyes colliding with her amber ones.

"The pleasure is all mine, Byakko," Hotaru bowed the familiar Fire Nation bow. As soon as she straightened up she saw an older man eyeing her menu with something denoting interest. She noted the potential customer and smiled at Byakko, "I suppose I shall see you very soon. If you need help moving your things, let me know." Hotaru figured that moving Byakko's belongings wouldn't take much effort considering that he had just explained it was mostly books. Still, it didn't hurt to offer help.

Hotaru turned to the older man and bowed to him, "Welcome to Hotaru's Hotstand, the finest Fire Nation cuisine in Republic City."

Yensin revealed a quick but satisfied smirk. His expression remained unchanged however, and he only stared at the individual before him.

"That's what nine years gets you I suppose." He thought to himself.

Arching an eyebrow now, the young man had a rather intuitive look about him. Inspecting the man before him, he was half-tempted to continue this conversation for as long as he could, but he refrained. Shaking himself from this topic, Yensin decided it would be best to continue it once his current business is taken care of.

Eyeing the pen and pad in the man's hands, Yensin cleared his throat, and spoke more audibly thanks to his recent discovery. Speaking in an assertive yet slightly demanding tone, "I very much like to meet this....detective in person thank you. I'm not really fond of dealing with....er.." Yensin strained terribly to find the words, but his mind has blank. "Assistants." He added with confusion.

It's not the fact that it was a mere "assistant" that bothered him, it was the fact that a fellow officer would be working in a place like this. Over the years that Yensin has served Republic City, the only thing that annoys him is laziness. Seeing an officer holed up here while he could be protecting the city seemed....dissatisfying to him.

"I truly wonder why the hell he's stuck here." The young officer thought as he began to look around the office for anything that might catch his eye. Specifically the detective that he has not yet seen. All the while he forgot about the rather rude statement he had just given....

The Office of Choi Tae-yeon, Private Eye

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What, were they here to discuss Hangetsu's employment? Please!

Tae-yeon raised her eyebrow. "I am the detective," she said, voice no longer sweet. "If you have a problem with a female detective, you came through the door — feel free to leave the same way. Otherwise, please tell us why you are here and I will decide if I feel your case worth my time." Each word was perfectly pronounced; she was highly annoyed. Trust a Metalbender to walk into her office and insult her instantly. She was of a mind to send him away to find someone else for his case. Perhaps his own department ought to be helping him.

Which led to the question: why didn't he just ask a policeman pal to do this work? Tae-yeon was curious, but her curiosity was not enough to overcome her annoyance at the man's sexism. She flicked her eyes to Hangetsu. Poor thing, having to work with this type of person every day. How did he manage? Tae-yeon took in the officer, his proud stance and harried manner. He certainly had something he considered weighty on his mind, and he was definitely thinking insulting thoughts about Hangetsu.

While Tae-yeon was no fan of the police in general, that bumbling buffoon had insinuated himself into her life, and she now felt protective of him. As such, seeing him insulted didn't sit well with her. "I'd like to remind you that Hangetsu and I will be taking your case together, and if you have a problem with that, well — the offer of the door still stands."

((OOC: Sorry, this is extremely short; but I think you may have missed something in my previous long post. ))

Hangetsu Tsukishima considered himself a student of human nature, but it took working for Tae-Yeon Choi to discover that people often resented having to go through assistants. This officer seemed the same, but Hangetsu couldn't hold that against him. He himself had been annoyed at such prospects until he found himself in the position of being between a woman known to be, put kindly, abrasive and potential clients.
It didn't take long for Hangetsu to get defensive when it came to assistants.

While Yensin took in the atmosphere of the office Hangetsu took in Yensin. Before he could accurately gauge the man Tae-yeon entered. The assistant's relief was short-lived and ceased when she began speaking.
Yensin didn't seem like the type to mince words and Hangetu knew that Tae never wasted a breath saying anything pleasant. Times that like that made the metalbending assistant wonder how Tae functioned without him mediating.

Han, Hangetsu's grandmother insisted he learn different shorthand forms. He always thought it useless until he began working for miss Choi. He didn't have her sense of recall and he could only take so many sighs of disappointment each time he did not recall something. Along with the words, Hangetsu described Yensin's body language and noted the change of tones. Every day with Tae-yeon meant the possibility of pop quizzes.

It didn't take perusing his notes to gauge the mood of the room. Hangetsu smiled and stepped between Tae and Yensin to be a physical obstruction between the two as well as an emotional one.
"So...officer, what can we do for you? The more details you can provide the better. Are you sure you don't want to sit down?"
He gestured to the chair in front of Tae-yeon's desk.
Once he was at Yensin's back and facing the detective Hangesu silently mouthed the words: Be nice.

Yensin felt a swift shudder sweep across his body once the detective come in. Yensin's mind had just went into a state of extreme unpreparedness, and he felt as if his voice had permanently ceased to function. Dozens of questions began to flood his thoughts, but the most obvious one stood out.

"So young...." Were the words that continued to endlessly plague his mind while he attempted to forcefully bring his voice to obey him. However, before he could even attempt to introduce himself, he was abruptly interrupted by the assistant. Arching yet another eyebrow as the man dropped him a soft whisper, Yensin calmly took the seat that was offered to him, while hoping that the young detective would do the same. Mustering his willpower, he found his lost voice again, and he cleared his throat quickly before saying, "My name is Yensin Zhang, I'm an officer of Republic City, and I um...." He suddenly paused, unable to continue his sentence strangely.

"Come on, think, THINK YOU IDIOT!" He thought. But the next words came out somewhat soft and shakey, "I er...need your help." He tried to hide his embarrassment, while he fought with his own thoughts, "REALLY!?!? THAT'S the best you can come up with?!?" Sinking subtly in his chair by a few centimeters, the officer began to wonder if he should just leave the duo's presence. He had already insulted this woman's assistant, and now he had just barely stumbled to find his own voice. Yet among all of this conflict, there was still one thing that glued Yensin to that seat. The safety and well-being of his family.

While an officer of the law, Yensin has always taken a "Family-First" approach to his life. He was always looking out for his younger siblings, especially his brother Rozai, who has always had the habit of owing one too many "favors" to an unruly crowd. But this time, Yensin has yet to have seen his brother in a week, save for when he comes home to sleep. But by then , Yensin is already working his usual night shift. Now, his flooded mind was entirely about his brother again....

The Office of Choi Tae-yeon, Private Eye

tag: hangetsu[/center]

Inspecting her perfect nail beds, Tae-yeon propped her boots up on the surface. "I asked you what the trouble is," she said. "Are you planning to get to the point any time this century? Because I have other cases — large cases — that require my attention. If you have a problem working with a woman detective, get the hell out of my office." Hangetsu mouthed at her to be nice, to which she snorted in derision.

Be nice? To one of these metal-suit-wearing fatcats, who dared to sashay into her office and start out with insults? This Yensin fellow was even giving her to dubious eye, as if he doubted her skill. Annoyed beyond all measure, Tae-yeon sipped her coffee. "Last chance," she said. "Get to the point." She hoped he realized too that her services were far from free. For a policeman, the fee would likely be doubled just out of spite.



((OOC: Please respond to *both* of us when you're replying — it looks like you keep responding mainly to Hangetsu, but when playing with multiple characters your character needs to acknowledge and work with them all. If this isn't possible we may need to reconsider threading as a trio and you may want to find a single partner for the time being??))

To Hangetsu's senses Yensin seemed like someone unlikely to trust someone not in uniform, while Tae's belligerence of those in them was well known. It seemed the best and worst place for a police officer who worked part time as a detective's assistant.
"I'm sure our client here just needs a moment to collect his thoughts. After all, we don't want to rush the man and get bad information."

At times Hangetsu wished he could transmit his thoughts to Tae but she seemed to know what he was thinking at any given time anyway. Communicating to Yensin would require less subtle means.
"I interviewed every gumshoe I could. Miss Choi is the only one I trust." As much as he hated complimenting Tae-yeon while she was in the room Hangetsu felt that Yensin required a hard sell to become a client.
"I aced the detective's exam. I was trained to be one at a young age. Do I seem the kind of man who would make coffee for just anyone? Miss Choi can solve your case, there is no doubt in my mind. The sooner we can hear your problem the sooner she can solve it."

At that moment the part-time assistant and full-time fool decided to keep his mouth shut and his pen ready. He knew it wasn't his job to reassure clients, only to do what was asked of him. Coffee, notes, cleaning and sometimes picking up lunch, that was all. At times it was hard to stick to those small jobs when he wanted to do more for her, but he remembered that often when dealing with people of a skill level far above his own that it was best to stay out of their way.

office of choi tae-yeon, private eye
tag: zombi

Yensin sighed slightly as he resigned all doubt from his mind. He felt as if he were at a crossroads with these rather polar "detectives". On the one hand, Yensin was somewhat comfortable having a policeman within his presence. On the other hand, he had this rather obnoxious female.

It appears her youth has added a noticeable amount of impatience.

Ignoring the young woman's comments, and appreciating the man's reassurance, Yensin began to speak out his dilemma. Still with a mildly soft voice and a worried tone and expression, "It's...it's my brother. He's been missing during his usual hours of the day. Normally, —-" Officer Zhang quickly cleared his throat, "every week, I see him before my night shift. But now, I'm afraid I have yet to see him at all, and my family is too busy to interrogate him once he gets home a night."

Turning slightly to Hangetsu, "And of course the department is already hand-tied ensuring the safety of Republic City to deal with simple matters such as this."

Drawing his attention once more to the young woman, and sighing once more, "All I'm asking is for you to find out we're he's been off to. I'm worried that he may have gotten back into his old gambling habits. But...look....my family is not the most...prosperous in Republic City but I'm sure that we could pay off by the end of the month..."

Yensin's face lost some of it's color as he said that.

Why why WHY!?!? Would you bring up the damn price so quickly?!? Are you TRYING to exclaim to the world that you're poor? Is that it?

The Office of Choi Tae-yeon, Private Eye

tag: hangetsu[/center]

Tae-yeon sighed, taking her boots back off her desk. Drat that Hangetsu and his social mores. Ah, well. If this man's case was worth taking and he could pay, so be it. While waiting for him to lay it on her, Tae-yeon examined the man. Scuffs on his boots suggested he'd had the same pair for a while. He was taking her in with the air of a man who thought she was a child — laughable, really. While Tae-yeon had a youthful face, the woman was twenty-six years old, nearing twenty-seven. The policeman couldn't possibly be much other than she.

"I'm sure our client here just needs a moment to collect his thoughts. After all, we don't want to rush the man and get bad information."

Right. Tae-yeon summoned as much of her patience as she could and waited. Slowly the cop spilled his story, laying out some tear-worthy tale of a younger brother who had possibly gotten back into the gambling game. The detective wanted to ask why the man hadn't just checked out his brother's usual haunts before hiring a detective, but decided not to say anything. The man might not even know them. She'd have to question him.

Bringing her hands up and putting the fingers together, Tae-yeon leaned on her desk. "I only charge for work completed," she said. "Even for people like you." It was clear she meant 'policemen' when she said that. "We'll discuss payment after we discuss the case. Can you tell me where your brother has been known to gamble? Do you know any of his associates?" She asked also for a description of him. Tae-yeon never took notes, having an eidetic memory allowed her not to, but she knew Hangetsu would.

"Now," she said, "suppose we find your brother, am I to take him out? Would you like us to haul him off from the gambling establishment, ear betwixt our fingers?" She tilted her head, regarding Yensin with unblinking eyes. "Or would you like to do the hauling yourself?"