Connecting the Dots

Ling

Aug 8, 2017 9:36:46 GMT -6

The rest of the day passed without incident. Ling filed away her expense reports and findings for other cases, tried again to call Jia (no answer, but that wasn't uncommon with Jia's odd work hours), and headed on home.

Her mother, Shi'ren, had a nice hot pot of pho waiting for her, with thinly sliced raw pork nearby. The beauty of raw pork pho was that the broth was so hot the meat cooked itself once you added it — it made it so fresh and tender, unlike meat that had been cooked with the stock. She loaded up on lime and fish sauce and dug in, feeling like she hadn't eaten in days. Which was not true, as the once-again full bin of discarded pork bun wrappers in her office could attest to.

Mei-zhen eventually ambled out of bed looking tired but content. She loved her job at the clinic, and Ling wondered — not for the first time — if Mei-zhen should just pursue the path of a healer without worrying about the agency. But... she was also selfish. She loved working with Mei-zhen, who was not just her partner and sister but her friend. They played off each other like Yin and Yang — Ling, the charismatic, too-often inappropriate improvisor; and Mei-zhen, the levelheaded, organised plan-maker.

Ling was just slurping up the last of the broth in her bowl, Mei-zhen long since departed for her shift, when the phone rang with their specific tone. Shi'ren was in the bathroom, so Ling lept up from the table to get it.

"I'm coming, hold your horses!" she admonished the phone as she picked up the receiver and held the mouthpiece up. "Hello, Yao residence, Ling speaking."

Detective Sek's voice crackled to life on the other end, letting her know of a break in the case along with some 'bad news' as they phrased it. Ling smiled a small smile that had nothing to do with the information.

"You're not interrupting anything, I'm definitely free. We could meet up at my office, if you'd like? I can be there in about ten minutes." After a pause, Ling nodded absently. "Oh, yes, that sounds fine. I'll see you there."

She hung up the phone and called out her goodbyes to Shi'ren, pulled on her (father's) trench coat and started out the door when the bowl on the table caught her eye. Feeling a little sheepish, she picked it up and placed it in the sink, running the tap for a few moments to rinse out any residual food. While she was in the kitchen, she opened the refrigerator and stuffed a couple of pre-made pork buns into her coat pockets.

—

Ling hadn't been in the office too long when Detective Sek arrived, but she did have the presence of mind to call in a tea delivery from the Lotus Café. The daily special was a yuzu-infused green tea paired with honey cake, and Ling took great care to set up the tea service nicely.

She had just finished setting up when they arrived, and Ling ushered them in. She hadn't forgotten to put on a couple of dabs of her father's aftershave, either, making a mental note to see if she could find something similar so as not to use up Mei-zhen's treasure.

"Come in, detective" she said pleasantly, flashing her trademark grin. "I"ve got some hot tea to warm your bones." She gestured to her desk where the tea sat in Mei-zhen's pretty china cups, hot and inviting. "What's this about bad news?"

This user is from the WT

Anonymous

Aug 9, 2017 9:47:34 GMT -6

"We could meet up at my office, if you'd like? I can be there in ten minutes."

"Oh, absolutely," Sek responded, checking their wristwatch. "I'll try and be there as soon as possible." When Ling had hung up, Sek had gathered all the items that they could leave with, and got home as fast as they could. Spirits knew that they stunk to the next life of old paper and damp after spending many hours in RCPD's archive basement.

—

After a quick shower, glad that the stench of damp had been replaced with the sweet smell of mangoes, Sek made sure that they had everything they needed before storing it in a sturdy bag. With motorcycle being their main mode of transport when off-duty, everything had to be stored safely lest the wind took it. Next went on the riding boots, brown jodhpurs and leather jacket. The open-face helmet was next, with Sek carefully adjusting the goggles so they rested comfortably on the shrapnel.

The Sato Flying Squirrel was a reliable motorcycle, both off and on-road, and had enough seat space for two. It was well balanced along with being sturdy, as it had helped Sek with plenty of chases pre-metalbending gear.

It didn't take long to get to the Yao Sisters Detective Agency, thankfully, and by the time they had pulled up their hair was mostly dry. As soon as Ling had opened the door, Sek had got a whiff of the aftershave Ling had used and this time, somehow, it smelt better. "May I ask what you use as aftershave? It's the nicest thing I've smelt in a long while — it suits you." When Ling had directed their attention to the hot tea, Sek's eyes widened. "Tea? Oh, you're wonderful. The wind was biting tonight."

Letting themselves take a seat, they sipped slowly at the tea for a minute. Once thoroughly warmed, they put their helmet on the desk, and adjusted the bag between their legs. "I'm going to be blunt with you: we're hunting a serial killer called TOMES." They pulled out the paperwork they could bring from the office out of their bag and spread it upon Ling's desk.

"I looked into similar suspicious deaths around the Dragon Flats district, all around dens, and they were all eerily the same. Same white powder, all with drug-free records, all had some form of connection to Mr. T, O, M, E, S." They pointed at each of the initials as they said it.

"Xiaolong was right with them all being the same person, because those initials spell out Tomes. Tomes has been profiled as a serial killer by the RCPD and we've been trying to catch them for months. All we know is that they're a chemist, living in the High Street Boroughs, and they're high society. They like to get the drug-free, force them to try whatever they cooked up, and naturally it doesn't end well. And then they deposit them near the den, and go on the hunt again."

"You may be wondering how the RCPD missed this." Sek's face turned into a scowl. "Because a significant portion of the deaths were Dragon Flats residents, detectives didn't feel the need to thoroughly investigate because of Dragon Flats' reputation. We only know of Tomes themselves because they've murdered a few high society members. I have been disgusted all day, if I'm honest. Imagine picking and choosing which people get justice, law and order. Absolutely vile."

"So, we have a theory, a motive, and someone who's looking rather guilty." Sek's finger tapped on Tomes' profile. "The next thing is catching them, and considering we don't even know what they look like and no detective in the past year has gotten close to them... well. I didn't say it was going to be easy."

This user is a former member

Ling

Aug 13, 2017 13:46:10 GMT -6

Ling quirked an eyebrow as she grinned. "Thanks. It's sandalwood, but I don't know the brand. My father wore it."

Settling herself in her seat, she looked with interest at the papers the detective laid out before her; a serial killer wasn't unexpected, really, but it was still a disappointment nonetheless. Sek's face darkened as they scowled, and Ling gave a dismissive shrug. "No need to wonder," she said bluntly. "We're used to it here."

Her brows furrowed as she studied the evidence before her. Something wasn't sitting quite right. "You know," she said slowly, running her finger down Sek's meticulous notes, "what we're missing is motivation. Why would a chemist seek out Dragon Flats residents and High Street residents? The only thing that the people in Dragon Flats had in common, aside from being drug-free, is that they were all broke and desperate for money. Look."

She pointed to one ME report, a young woman. "Mother of five, no husband in the picture. Would be desperate for cash."

Then she pointed to another. "Young man, recently laid off from his job at a factory. Would also be desperate for cash."

Next, she pointed to the ME report on the murder of a High Street resident. "But this... there's no financial motivation. A middle aged man in a lucrative shipping business, unmarried, no children."

Sipping her tea, Ling made a face; Mei-zhen called it her "Turning Gears" face and swore she could hear the mechanical clacking of Ling's brain whenever she was presented with a puzzle. What could link together these murders?

Then it hit her. "A chemist..." She pulled out a piece of paper, doodling scribbles furiously. It was nonsense, but it helped her think. "A chemist, that is searching specifically for drug-free individuals. They have different physiologies — a poor mother, likely malnourished in order to feed her children first; a middle-aged man who had no obligations to anyone other than himself and so could live lavishly; and so on." She tapped her pen, still concentrating on the flow of ink from device to paper.

"Think about how current substances are distributed right now, Detective. They have to give away free product in order to get the individual dependant, then slowly raise the prices. It's considered an expense, but a necessary one.

"But, what if one dose was enough for instant addiction?" She pointed to a line on one of the reports that stated there was white powder underneath the victim's fingernails. "The chemist would need to test it on a variety of people, who don't already have a history of usage, to find out what the appropriate dosage was. They'd need people who have different body types, varying degrees of health, to try and eliminate any unforeseen effects."

She paused. "It wouldn't make sense for a chemist to kill properly paying customers, though, so there must be something else, something that these people either knew, or saw, that made them a liability."

This user is from the WT

Anonymous

Aug 13, 2017 14:35:27 GMT -6

Sek intensely listened to Ling: she was of a sharp mind, and listening to her theorise was a breath of fresh air. When Ling had brought up why a chemist would test on varying types of people, combined with a theory on instant addiction, Sek audibly gasped.

"By the spirits, you're right. I could kiss you right about now." They flicked their notes back around, and began writing again. "Instant addiction would bring in more yuan than one could feasibly need to leave comfortably in a lifetime, but you'd still need to test it. Prey on the vulnerable, people looking for money, and you have yourself a market. Now, why would the rich do it? Maybe they're bankrupt, or maybe they got blackmailed, but those are just theories."

"So either the mixture is that volatile that Tomes has killed off more than they originally intended to, or wanted to, or they have their hand in somebody's pocket, or it's the mixture itself. Illegal cactus juice can get explosive in its purest form, psychedelic properties notwithstanding, considering what it did to my face. Anyway," Sek cleared their throat, "it must be something that not even the most desperate of person could stand. Maybe non-consensual testing? Trafficking? Or maybe what they plan to use the concoction for, other than possible instant addiction."

Sek flicked the notes back around and pulled out a marked map of Republic City. First, though, they rounded the table and leaned over where Ling was sitting. They ignored the fact that their front was pressing into her back, and their nose got whiffs of that Sandalwood aftershave stronger than ever before. "Every serial killer has an area that they're comfortable to work in. When they get more confident, and kill more without getting caught, they expand their area. The red X's are where murders have happened." They tapped a red X on the map, trying not to turn to face Ling, as they would be sure a blush would rush into their cheeks. "If we can find the earliest bunch of murders, we could find an original stomping ground. That would be a fantastic place to start. What do you think?"

This user is a former member

Ling

Aug 23, 2017 22:59:43 GMT -6

Ling stiffened slightly as Sek moved behind her and leaned in close; there was a jolt that went through her skin and made it crackle like electricity. Ironically, perhaps, since neither of them were firebenders.

Blinking a few times to refocus, Ling zeroed in on the map and where the detective was pointing. She tilted her head to the side, feeling the two wiggly cowlicks at the top of her head bob with the motion. "I think that's a good idea, but I think we need to look back pretty far. My knowledge of chemicals is limited, but I suspect that they would have started farther back than the last couple of months. We might want to look also for unexplained poisonings or illnesses that doctors may not have identified — botched attempts, but ones that weren't fatal."

Suddenly, she slapped the table in excitement. "You know, I can ask my sister. She works at a clinic further downtown. I can see if she or her boss can remember any patients who came in with any unusual poisoning symptoms from an unknown cause."

This user is from the WT

Last edit by Ling: Sept 17, 2017 11:18:39 GMT -6

Anonymous

Sept 9, 2017 14:29:18 GMT -6

"You brain is fantastic, Ling." Sek complimented, and they genuinely meant it. "And I didn't know you had family, that's nice to know." They stepped back to give Ling some space again, and already they missed the warmth permeating off Ling's body.

It made them want to go back in and get close to her again, but she didn't know if Ling swung their way, let alone towards nonbinary people.

"Is she at work currently? I'd love to question her as soon as, and if we need to get anywhere, I've got my motorcycle. Unless you're afraid of motorcycles, which is absolutely fine." They placed their well loved motorcycle helmet on Ling's desk, and drummed their fingers on it, eagerly awaiting a response.

This user is a former member

Ling

Sept 17, 2017 12:20:30 GMT -6

Your brain is fantastic, Ling.

The compliment — for how could it be anything else? — rang through her ears and made her feel warm all the way to her toes. No one had ever complimented her brain before, and she turned her head under the premise of examining the wall clock as her face flushed in pleasure.

"Yeah, my older sister, Mei-zhen, and our mother, Shi'ren. Mei-zhen sometimes works with me as a private eye but lately the clinic has been taking up most of her time." It was said a little sadly, but with no bitterness. Mei-zhen had already found her calling before Ling had decided to put her ruffian skills to more productive use, and had joined in her venture to help her out. Ling had no resentment when Mei-zhen decided to put her true calling first. In some ways, she was a little envious that Mei-zhen had one; investigation was interesting, but Ling wasn't sure if she could see herself doing it until she was old enough to retire... especially considering the pay was sporadic and not always that good.

The clock read half past three, but it was a pretense to turn her head. Mei-zhen had left the house before her, after all, so Ling already knew she was at work.

"She should be there, yeah," she said after a slight pause. She picked up the phone and spoke to the operator, providing the district and number of the clinic. Luckily, Mei-zhen answered the phone.

"Jiejie, it's Ling. Are you guys busy right now?" Ling listened for a few moments then nodded her head, forgetting Mei-zhen couldn't see. "Gotcha." She quickly explained the situation using references only sisters could understand; if any prying ears had been listening in at the line, they would have been left completely baffled. She paused for a moment as Mei-zhen replied, using the same coded language. "And you're sure he's okay with us coming down? ... All right, see you soon. Bye."

Ling turned to Sek with a wide grin. "We're good to go," she said. "Looks like clinic owner has been wanting to talk to someone about this sort of thing, but then the attack on the Temple of Koh happened and they've been swamped, so he's looking forward to meeting us."

She'd only met the clinic owner a few times, each of them brief. The older man was so preoccupied with his work that each time they saw each other, it was as if for the first time — he'd express surprise that Mei-zhen had a sister, vaguely would recall some off hand mention of it, then enquired as to her name.

What Mei-zhen saw in him romantically was beyond her understanding.

Ling locked up the office behind them and had intended to hail a cab to the clinic, but Sek had other ideas.

"A motorbike?" Ling looked from the vehicle to the detective, grinning nervously. She took the proffered helmet and stuck it on her head, clipping the straps under her chin with slightly trembling hands. She was by no means a nervous person, but she had never been on a motorbike before. There was something unnerving about the idea of zooming through the streets with nothing but a bowl on your head to protect you.

She hopped on the bike behind Sek, acutely aware of how her thighs cradled theirs, how the only way to hold on was by wrapping her arms around their waste. The only way to sit comfortably was to lean forward a bit, her head resting gently on her back.

There was a split second when Ling wondered whether or not they could feel the thumping of her heart, but when the motorbike roared to life she forgot all about it. Instintively she tightened her grip around the detective's waist as they sped forward. She kept her mouth shut, for the most part, opening it only to mutter an obscenity when they turned, or to shout directions to the clinic over the rushing wind.

By the time the two of them got to the clinic, Ling felt a little green around the gills. She tottered off the bike, a little unsteadily, handing Sek the helmet and wishing desperately that she was a flask-carrier as she could use a nip of medicinal whiskey right about now.

Mei-zhen was waiting for them at the doors, eyebrow raised in such a fashion that, despite their physical differences in height, weight, eyes, and freckles (or lack thereof in Mei-zhen's case), showed an unmistakable family resemblance. Ling shrugged helplessly when her sister's eyes slid over to the motorbike, then to Sek. Don't ask, was her unspoken request. Mei-zhen turned to lead them to the clinic with just the slightest wave of her hand. I wasn't going to, came the nonverbal reply.

As she expected, the clinic owner looked slightly startled when Mei-zhen introduced her as her sister. Ling smiled brightly, flashing her signature tooth gap. "Hello!" She didn't mention that the had met before. He'd just forget anyway. "This is Detective Sek Hei-Ming, they're working with me on this case."

The healer's eyes narrowed at the police title, and Ling held up her hands. "Oh, sorry, please let me explain. The detective and I are working this case together off the record. We're here just to ask about any mysterious illnesses you may have gotten lately — any symptoms of poisoning with no explained cause, or anything like that."

This user is from the WT

Last edit by Ling: Sept 17, 2017 12:32:04 GMT -6

The Avatar RP

Previously, on Avatar...

The Moderation Team

Latest TARP News

Previously, on Avatar...

The Moderation Team

Latest TARP News

Connecting the Dots

Post by Ling on Aug 8, 2017 9:36:46 GMT -6

Post by Deleted on Aug 9, 2017 9:47:34 GMT -6

Post by Ling on Aug 13, 2017 13:46:10 GMT -6

Post by Deleted on Aug 13, 2017 14:35:27 GMT -6

Post by Ling on Aug 23, 2017 22:59:43 GMT -6

Post by Deleted on Sept 9, 2017 14:29:18 GMT -6

Post by Ling on Sept 17, 2017 12:20:30 GMT -6