Welcome back to One Life. A quest that was originally intended to be a one-shot, it's getting a third thread and will likely get a fourth one after this.
Updates are once a day unless I'm too busy or tired.

Previous threads:
https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive/2024/6013758/
https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive/2024/6050129/

As a reminder: [Hard Mode] was chosen in Thread #1, so the difficulty is increased.

>>6089875
>You feel your hands turning into fists [COMMENCE COMBAT
first time here, what's this quest about ?

>>6089875
>You feel your hands turning into fists [COMMENCE COMBAT] You will get the run down of how combat works in this thread. Don't worry I'll try not to put in too many surprises since this is the first 'combat' option, just take note that

>>6089904
I strongly recommend reading the last two threads. it's tough to sum up, really. it's a surreal quest about an amnesiac taxi driver in an eerie town, trying to figure out who he is and what's going n while in a state of constant paranoia, with an undercurrent of supernatural unease. My main suspicions are that we're dead, having a schizophrenic episode, or have been abducted by aliens.

>>6089904
tldr: you are Johan, the local amnesiac and taxi driver. He has three 'interesting' ways of thinking (represented in three different colors) and tries to makes sense of the world around him. Generally there's light paranormal undertones.
Currently Johan is in a "charity" carnival for some vague reason he doesn't really understand (but is justifying it as gathering information), and just got done questioning a strange electrician.

Most other details and characters can be found in the previous threads, it's really not that big of a read.

>>6089938
>My main suspicions are that we're dead, having a schizophrenic episode, or have been abducted by aliens.
I don't want to spoil much but one of these theories will (probably, or at least mostly) be disproved/clarified in this thread, with the way things are going.

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>>6089904
>>6089938
>>6089971
Oh, and this is important: we're going to pork a mime.

>>6089875
>Go as quickly as you can [MINIGAME START] You will run from the encounter. This will require an initial roll, and then choosing a 'path'.

>>6089980
That all depends on what choices you guys make, but I won't rule it out.

>>6089904
>>6089938
>First Fist Fight

>>6090032
>Pathway Peril

Writing.

But first, a small intermission:

--- Combat Instructions:

A single 1d20 roll will be made by an anon, representing an action you take. I will then ask for more d20 rolls: these will be for the enemies that act.

- You can choose one of three stances in every fight:

Offensive - Specializes in attack and speed at the cost of defense. Maneuvering and the ability to evade attacks is easier.
Risk and reward.

Defensive - Specializes in defense. You can choose to 'focus' when doing an action; this ability makes Johan immune to any distractions or mental effects by the enemy (has the downside of Johan gaining tunnel vision).
Immovable object.

Flexible - Keeps Johan's attack, defense, and speed at a stable rate. While easily adaptable to most situations, even being able to nullify certain attacks if you're harmonized properly, it doesn't specialize in anything and risks rendering Johan passive.
Flowing like water.

---

You feel your hands turning into fists.

This isn't something you're willing to run from, nor will you be rolled like some carpet and taken out to be beaten, there must be another option.
And, like a fire lighting up within you, you find it.

Adrenaline runs through your veins. And you feel life courses upon your hands, a blood-red outline on them that ends at your coat's wrists.

While vague, you can make out how many of these 'phantoms' there are; two by your right, one almost directly behind the other, and one to your left. Now that you've gained your bearing more, you notice their actual movements are slow yet erratic. They aren't doing anything you can notice, until you see the leftmost's vague outline begin to subtly shake. They are waiting for something to happen.

>A rush passes into you, making your body feel agile [Offensive Stance]
>Steel your mind and body [Defensive Stance]
>Maintain a calm mind and work with the flow [Flexible Stance]

Note: Since this is the first battle I won't be too harsh here. I'll probably write fight scenes twice a day instead of my usual one-update-a-day standard since these are relatively short, but that's liable to change depending on how busy/tired I am.

>>6090126
>A rush passes into you, making your body feel agile [Offensive Stance]

>>6090129
>Offense Is The Best Defense

Writing.

A rush passes into you, making your body feel agile [Offensive Stance]

You feel yourself become nimble. The strength in your hands seems to grow twofold, making you almost break into a smile.

A strong, violent desire to punch something (or someone) enters your mind. But you don't let it control you, at least not yet.

The two beings on the right, once seemingly content to shift passively but now seeing that something was afoot, moved the upper parts of their bodies unnaturally from side to side in a fluid motions. The 'ghost' to your left, whose outline is now merging into itself, merged its 'arms' into one another, forming a strange scythe-like tendril that protruded from its left.

With that you think you'll...

>Sucker punch one of the beings.
>Jump behind the bench, then look for a projectile to throw at them while keeping your distance.
>Act reactively and try to counter any movements they make towards you.
>Write-in.

>Concentrate on a side this turn? (If so, right or left?)

Remember to roll a 1d20 for any action you take here, I'll take a Bo2 for now.

Rolled 13 (1d20)

>>6090408
>Jump behind the bench, then look for a projectile to throw at them while keeping your distance.
>Concentrate on a side this turn? (Right)

>>6090422
>Over And Around

The vote isn't closed yet, I'll probably leave it open 4-5 hours from now (which is when I'll have some free time again).

In the meantime I'd like a 2d20 from any anon.

Rolled 1, 12 = 13 (2d20)

>>6090408
>Sucker punch one of the beings
>Focus on left

>>6090449

Rolled 2 (1d2)

>>6090584
1
>Sucker Punch
>Two Left Arms

>>6090422
2
>Over And Around
>Right Two For One

I'll start writing soon.
That crit fail is going to hurt the enemy pretty badly. Johan got lucky the rolls weren't higher than his.

With one quick motion, you jump behind the bench.

And you did it not a second too late, as creature to the right closest to you stopped its moving and lunged in your general direction, barely grazing you. This played out in your favor since at that very moment the scythe wielding being seemed to have cut into one of the 'arms' of the creature that lunged towards you, if the guttural sounds and the fact they were now fighting with one another, was anything to go by. They both were trying to attack you at the same time. Such a lack of coordination and care for each other on the enemy's side was reassuring to your current position. Then again this was a real Looney-Tunes business that just happened, even witnessing the remaining rightmost 'ghost' clobber the left one on the head a few times. You'd of found it funnier had you not been in the middle of such an unnerving situation.

But you shouldn't let your guard down yet. For this is no time to muse about things, find a projectile to throw at them!
And so you did start looking around. At first there didn't seem much of anything small enough to throw, which was worrying. But after a few seconds you find two rocks, one smaller than the other. It wasn't perfect, but it would do. You pick them up, and notice that the same blood-red outline seemed to seep from your hands onto the soon to be projectiles.

Without more than a second's hesitation, you throw the larger rock. And it lands true, breaking off a large chunk from the rightmost one that lunged towards you, and even piercing a bit of the other right one. It was a strange sight, as they both seemed spill both shadow and light from where you had punctured them. You're almost tempted to gaze at the sight in wonder, but you recall that this isn't over yet.
The former, with one last unnatural noise and shake, vanished into mist. The latter of the two rightmost, now with its attention divided between you and the scythe-armed being, paused for a moment and began to close its wound. You could have defeated them both had you focused on doing so.

The left being swings its arm again, this time towards the remaining creature.

>Just stay back and watch. You'll pick off whoever survives from this the moment the other vanishes.
>Join one of the sides and fight the other. (Right or left? Against which?)
>Try to finish off the both of them with the small rock you still wield.
>Write-in.

>>6090616
>Just stay back and watch. You'll pick off whoever survives from this the moment the other vanishes.
Never interrupt your opponent while they make a mistake.

>>6090616

>Just stay back and watch. You'll pick off whoever survives from this the moment the other vanishes.

>>6090654
>>6090726
>The Guide For Any Battle

Will start writing in a bit.
Can I get a 2d20 in the meanwhile?

Rolled 14, 9 = 23 (2d20)

>>6091443

>>6091456
Thank you anon.
Seems like the scythe-armed one wins this battle.

----

Watch them tear each other apart.

Why should you do otherwise? No need to correct an opponent's error, especially when victory was so cleanly set on your lap. All you needed to do was play smart and with any luck you'd come out of this unscathed.

Meanwhile serene feeling is overcast in the air all around. Time, while still stopped for everyone else around you, seem to further slow as the two beings now fight each other.

Swiping from the left's scythe was deftly dodged by the right one's movements. It was a dance you were glad you had no part in. Of course, that was all liable to change in a moment.

With stabs and lunges, you were surprised at how compact the fight was, resembling more of a duel than anything. More and more the two pushed each other's power, movements becoming increasingly blurred as its violent flow became almost beautiful.

As terrifyingly elegant as this had become, in the end only one could remain.

If it had not been apparent before, the one on the right was posed to lose. Though it's movements were impressive, the attacks from the being didn't connect. Add the fact that it was hurt and the result only seemed clearer.

A part of you couldn't help but feel sorry for it, but such was the way of things.

Soon, after a particularly brutal finishing move by the scythe-armed one, it vanished into light and mist just like its companion.
The remaining creature was a bit bruised from what you could tell, spilling a bit of light from the strange arm it bore.

>Waste not a moment longer and attack the scythe wielding creature while its still distracted (Johan will default to throwing the rock at its head, but you can specify doing something else if you like).
>Hide behind the bench. You aren't sure it will even do much to help you, but with some luck it might buy you some time.
>Find a more strategic spot to fight the being, something that could deny it from using its scythe comfortably.
>Write-in.

And remember to roll a 1d20 with any action you take.

Rolled 5 (1d20)

>>6091473
>Waste not a moment longer and attack the scythe wielding creature while its still distracted (Johan will default to throwing the rock at its head, but you can specify doing something else if you like).

Rolled 9 (1d20)

>>6091473
>Waste not a moment longer and attack the scythe wielding creature while its still distracted
>>Tackle, grapple, demand to know what it is and what it wants

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>>6091526
>>6091619

>>6091620
It’s fine. We just gaslight QM into making them passing rolls.

>>6091526
>>6091619
>Waste Not A Moment

Writing.
Well the good luck had to run out eventually.

Waste not and attack!

Once that whole ordeal is done, you opt on an offensive strategy. Feeling the rock upon your hand, you pause while thinking on what to do exactly.
Pocketing the rock for later, you decide to simply tackle the being and try to grapple, with the intention of interrogating it.
Going over the bench again with another jump, you mused about how this leap was similar to the pounce that was almost done to you by the 'spirit' that had vanished into mist and light. Something in the back of your mind bothered you about the action you were doing.

Not hesitating like last time the being slashed at you without even turning. And there it was; you made the same mistake the other daemon did, a tactic this opponent was wise to. It was a bitter irony that you were countered in the same way as the other enemy had been. Still, while you didn't have the advantage of mobility like the other foe, you were blessed by that blood-like 'aura' now being extended to your arms. Any pressing questions of what that was could wait, for now you merely felt the adrenaline and speed course through you. And you acted like your life might be in the line which it very well might be.

You feel something cold as the tendrils of the creature in the ensuing slice against your upper body. There was no pain, and instead a numb sensation runs over the skin that was touched. For the lack of a better term a feeling of 'decaying' was there, even your clothes weren't spared by the discordant yet physical discoloration. You wished to yell out, but you find cannot say anything. Any words, exclamations, or sounds for that matter, that you wished to make are gone, your vocal cords not responding in the slightest. It was like that same pressure from before when this strangeness had started.

[1/2]

>>6092015
For another moment, as you're deflecting and evading, you think about communicating with the creature in the same way Mimi was 'speaking' with you, namely pantomimicry. While you have a good grasp on understanding it, actually doing it escapes you. A part of you regrets not taking the time to be better at it when you had the chance, but then again it would've been a distraction had you done so.

While not in the middle of dodging the being's comparatively sluggish swings, you're able to make some distance. You still feel the rock in your pocket, and you're grateful that your throwing arm wasn't affected by the numbness.

You feel tired and slightly battered. The 'phantom' doesn't look much worse for wear, although it has slowed down considerably.

[2/2]

>You have a clear shot, don't get greedy and end this already. Potential [COMBAT END] if the rolled d20 is over 10.
>No. You'll try again to interrogate despite your muteness... somehow. This will take a high DC of 19-20.
>Jump behind the bench again and do your best to speak, or at least try to figure out why you aren't able to do so as you keep evading. Whether or not this will be a fruitless endeavor you're not sure, but you should at least try.
>Write-in.

For any action remember to roll a 1d20. It's a Bo2 for now.

Rolled 18 (1d20)

>>6092022
>You have a clear shot, don't get greedy and end this already. Potential [COMBAT END] if the rolled d20 is over 10.

>>6092026
>Clear Shot

Writing.

A chance to end this quickly presents itself, and you'll take it.

You grab the soon be projectile from your pocket. And with one swift movement you throw your stone.

It pierces the being close to what would be its heart, leaving a small cavity that quietly drips down its chest in a beautiful chiaroscuro. As the brush strokes of light continue to fall, and the 'phantom' divides its 'scythe' back into something resembling more human-like arms.

With them there was an attempt mending, yet this was in vain as the hole simply grew and continued to spill out. It seemed to not be as proficient as the other two in its healing, a fact which you found interesting and would store for later.

Your mind goes back to the stone, imbued with such a strange power, being capable of causing this damage. It leaves you at a loss of words. Not like you could say anything now if you tried.

Adrenaline, once circling through your mind, was wearing off and leaving tiredness to catch up to you. That numb sensation was still a constant, and you dearly hoped this wouldn't be a chronic ordeal you'd have to deal with.

As you were thinking these things, the being in front of you soon started to follow the same fate at the other two before it.
Merely mist remained. And that too soon was gone.

You're about to get your bearings, perhaps even try and figure out what's going on, until you [greed]another sense of unease grabs a hold of you.[/green]

And you find that...

That the world was beautiful once again.

Even as the clouds descended, enveloping you like a fog.

You felt a tugging, and you followed it. It was condescending, perhaps, but you felt a strange pride swell up in your chest. Like you'd done this before, even.

And the feeling fit like a glove. It was almost like greeting an old friend.

And as the fog broke time seemed to resume. Fist as a minute, then another, and another after that.
Like an old train it started with a hiss. And life came back to life, that you would speak again.

Carnival music played in the background. People moved from this place to that. The numbness of those slashes was a ghost of itself, barely a memory. And you could talk again.

You're still standing where you were, proving your existence, with your mind on the situation that had just occurred.

>Go back to your hotel room and rest. You might as well of run a marathon with the way you're feeling, despite outward appearances. You're pretty sure you could sleep in your car if you tried to.
>Enter a bathroom, or at least someplace private with a mirror. You want to check up on yourself, and see if anything had happened to you or anything on you.
>Look for the man you last spoke to. You recall the direction he left in. You had questions and were certain he had answers.
>Write-in.

>>6092271
>Enter a bathroom, or at least someplace private with a mirror. You want to check up on yourself, and see if anything had happened to you or anything on you.

>>6092271
>Enter a bathroom, or at least someplace private with a mirror. You want to check up on yourself, and see if anything had happened to you or anything on you.

>>6092331
>>6092500
>Reflection Reveal

Writing.
I've been feeling tired, so this update might get done in the morning.

>>6093314
Rest well, QM.

>>6093316
I'll try to, thank you anon.

----

See if there's anything you should be concerned about.

While you're sorely tempted to either run after and look for the man that presumably sent you here or just go back home, you know that it would be wiser to discern if there's anything wrong first and foremost.

And so you leave, going back into the crowd. Finding a restroom, specifically one that isn't an outhouse (you'd checked and they don't seem to have any mirrors around), was more difficult than you'd expect. One would think that there'd be more of them scattered around considering the amount of people, but it seems like the people that designed this park didn't have that as a worry in their minds.

After asking directions from a surprisingly helpful stall operator, you get pointed towards a bathroom that was installed into the park's design. Unfortunately for you there seems to be a line outside, and a toll for it, to boot.

Other than that there was a house of mirrors, which couldn't be counted on for accuracy for obvious reasons. And there were probably some places behind the scenes that had mirrors, but you had no access to them. At that point you were better off going home or to a hospital, though the latter was somewhat scarce from what you've seen.

[1/2]

>>6093338
You resign yourself to pay and start waiting in line. While it might be an agonizing experience at least you don't really have to relieve yourself like the rest of these poor saps. Still a part of you wonders why they don't go to one of the at least three outhouses to use. Ultimately you cannot truly blame them, as some of those places were filthy.

Still after some time it's finally your turn. As you enter you find that it's clean (for a public toilet at least), but after some looking around the only thing odd about the place was a stray cockroach scurrying about. There were mirrors, to your great relief, which you used to look at yourself. While nothing seemed wrong with you while you looked at your own body without the mirror, either from inspecting or from touch, with the reflection you saw what looked like a nasty grey scar in the place you had been slashed and myriad smaller ones.

For a moment you can simply look at it, tracing over them with your finger. Only the ghost of a shadow's feeling remained, and even then it slowly started to vanish. The latter was in the physical sense too, as some of the smaller scars seemed to gradually go away, small bits of fatigue disappearing along them.
Within you the thoughts battled about how to deal with this and on whether or not to tell anyone about your condition.

You do an inventory check and find everything is where it belongs with nothing missing. Good. You let go of a breath you realize you've been holding.

You're still not sure what to think when you hear some banging on the door and a muffled shout. How rude. Yet understandable. You'd hate to be waiting out in the cold for who knows how long.

[2/2]

>You'll just check yourself once again before leaving, and see if you can get rid of that main scar somehow.
>Just leave and go somewhere else. You still aren't done getting information, now more than ever (Anyplace in specific? Johan will default to going back to the bench, but alternatively could go to some of the operating games, and perhaps even try to speak with one of the other two people he though worked in the big top).
>Suddenly, you have a bad feeling about your taxi. Did that electrician from before touch it? You had cameras that could prove any tampering, and you weren't afraid to check them even now while the carnival was in full swing.
>Write-in.

>>6093344
>Suddenly, you have a bad feeling about your taxi. Did that electrician from before touch it? You had cameras that could prove any tampering, and you weren't afraid to check them even now while the carnival was in full swing.

>>6093344
>Just leave and go somewhere else. You still aren't done getting information, now more than ever
The big top.

>>6093357
>Sudden Feeling

>>6093494
>Big Top Again

I don't think I'll be able to write today, but tomorrow should be free for me.
I'll try to write in an hour or two, or at least roll between these, but I can't promise anything today.

Rolled 1 (1d2)

>>6094134
>1 Taxi Checkup
>2 Big Top

Will probably finish writing tomorrow.

A bad feeling courses through you.

And you immediately rush outside, opening the door and unfortunately pushing over a now outraged woman. You hear a few exclamations but pay them no mind as you course by the carnival's now maze like crowds.
Thankfully, you think to yourself, I've been around here enough to know where the entrance is.

Deciding to not go full sprint and instead walk at a brisk pace, soon enough you're able to navigate well enough. This doesn't mean you're in the clear, you haven't even gotten close to the entrance yet (you felt that this place wasn't always as big as it is now), and are in need of cutting through some places in order to get closer. Most notable of these was the house of mirrors you'd seen not so long ago and a dunk tank with a familiar, but now miserable looking, clown. You didn't know how he went from entertaining in front of a ride's line to where he was now, but you had more pressing matters on your mind currently.

Thankfully you were able to blip by the events, only gaining a few side eyes from some operators, and soon you were at the parking lot. That was rather fun, wouldn't you say?

As you cross the packed lot, having to avoid people that were still entering. While you made sure not to forget about where you were parked when you got here, it still proved a slight challenge to actually get there despite how close it was to the entrance. You couldn't imagine what it'd be like if it was further away.

But either way you're able to see it up close. Looks good from the outside. And you unlock the trunk, finding nothing out of the ordinary there.
You almost face palm as you start looking around, feeling conspicuous about your actions. Thankfully nobody seemed to care, and most are just going about their ways. With that as at least temporary assurance to placate your mind, you look inside the vehicle's guts and find nothing out of the ordinary, both in the engine or beneath it.

After that is done you finally decide to enter the car, and looking at the mirror in it you come to the epiphany that you might've been able to use it to look at your scars. Testing it by pulling your sleeve up, however, proves that for whatever reason it doesn't work here. That was equally troubling and intriguing for different reasons. But, not to get sidetracked before you think too long about other things and forget what you're doing, you look at your cameras and see what they've recorded. As it turns out, it's a large amount of nothing.

You feel relieved, and a little disappointed. It was a familiar feeling.

[1/3]

Rolled 5 (1d5)

Don't mind this, just rolling for something in the background.

>>6094683
Getting out of the taxi seems like much less of an ordeal than getting in. But that's to be expected, since you aren't exactly strapped for time anymore. It was two forty in the afternoon currently. Around half an hour has already passed since you came to check on the camera's of your car, and you're not even sure if you want to feel annoyed or happy that you've been able to kill some time before the big top opens. You lean back against the taxi's door as you think about that. Tempted as you were to go there, and maybe gain some more information, it might not have been as productive as you think it was. Compared to this it might've been. While that's true, you can't really say that checking up on this car was a waste of time either considering how not that long ago it-

And it was then, getting you out of your thoughts, that you see a familiar face...

"Evening, Johan. Not surprised to see you here" it was Mike, one of the Noirs. He had somehow creeped up on you, startling you for a second.

"I can't say the same about you. I haven't seen any of you guys around here, what are you doing here?"

"Oh you know, we've been up and about. No reason not to come here, eh?" Mike then takes out a box a cigars from inside his overcoat "want one?" he says as he takes one for himself out of it.

>No, I'm fine thank you.
>Sure, I'll have one.
>Actually, I'd rather you didn't smoke.
>Write-in.

"Say, you seem to really like that thing" he aloofly motioned to the taxi with his free hand.

"Well, I have to. It's my job and only means of getting around" you say not missing a beat. He only gives a noncommittal 'hm' in response.

[2/3]

>>6094691
"Thanks again for breakfast. Mrs. T makes some mean pancakes."

"It's no problem really" you were half tempted to ask about who that Mrs. T was, but you can assume from implication that she was at least one of the cooks at Dingo's.

"Guessing you've been to the carnival already?" Mike looks at you as he says this.

"I was, I just came back to check up on the taxi. I got a bad feeling about it, you know how it is" you think that should be enough of an answer to make his inquisitiveness be satiated. You knew firsthand how intuitive the Noirs could be.

"Yeah, I know how it is. More than ya think" he looks away after saying this.

[3/3]

>"Anyway it was nice seeing you here, I'll talk to you later. Give my regards to the rest of the Noirs." And you'll go back into the carnival. While it's still too early to get into the Big Top, you can still gather information independently. Maybe the Clown or Strongman from before could be a good start.
>"It may sound silly but it's a bit weird seeing only one of you guys around here. I was half expecting all of you to either come to the carnival together or not come at all. Especially since you guys like to eat lunch at Dingo's in the weekends, right?" According to Mimi, at least two people matching the Noir's descriptions were around here earlier this morning snooping around. You aren't going to accuse the Noirs of anything, but you're curious if Mike will talk at all about what they're doing.
>"Hey, I'm not planning on leaving yet. If you and the rest are here we could meet up. I mean I'm pretty new around town, so I could use a tour guide." Even if he declines it might give you some insight on where they'll be if you want to meet with at least one of them.
>Write-in.

>>6094691
>No, I'm fine thank you.
>>6094706
>"Hey, I'm not planning on leaving yet. If you and the rest are here we could meet up. I mean I'm pretty new around town, so I could use a tour guide." Even if he declines it might give you some insight on where they'll be if you want to meet with at least one of them.

>>6094691
>Sure, I'll have one.

>>6094706
>"Hey, I'm not planning on leaving yet. If you and the rest are here we could meet up. I mean I'm pretty new around town, so I could use a tour guide." Even if he declines it might give you some insight on where they'll be if you want to meet with at least one of them.

>>6094715
>Clean Hands

>>6094885
>Smoke

>>6094715
>>6094885
>Tour Buddy

I'll probably start rolling to tiebreak the first vote and get to writing when I have some more free time, which will be around four to six hours from now.

Rolled 1 (1d2)

>>6095644
>1 Decline
>2 Cigar

Writing.

As much as I hate to do this while in the middle of writing I'll have to postpone the update until tomorrow. There are irl things I need to fix some pipes in the sink that are leaking pretty badly are happening now and I'll be too tired to continue writing tonight after I'm done, sorry.

>>6095862
No worries, i happens. Thanks for the heads up, and good luck!

>>6095864
I appreciate it, and thank you!

----

"Hey, I'm not planning on leaving yet. If you and the rest are here we could meet up. I mean I'm pretty new around town, so I could use a tour guide."

"I didn't think you'd be going anywhere. There's nothing much to do, other than this shebang right there" he motions towards the general direction of the carnival and lets out a puff of smoke from his mouth. That cigar was firmly lodged between his thin frown. He seemed to have a talent for keeping it there while speaking. You were curious as to how he did it, but not enough to take one yourself and find out. Smoking was unhealthy, was it not?

"We may speak about about how much people like it, but from here it's obvious this that it's popular."

"It sure is. Just look at them" says Mike "like moths to a flame."

You turn towards where he's staring, and see that he's looking at the entrance of the carnival. A trickle of people, not as many as earlier but still enough to notice, enter the gaping maw of the park. Hardly any were leaving, and you couldn't shake the feeling it was going to stay that way for a while.

You also take note that he hasn't given an answer about meeting up with the rest of the Noirs.

"Say" before you can say anything he continues "you didn't happen to go by that tent in the middle."

"As a matter of fact I did" it's probably not wise to hide that from him "they're closed until four. At least that's what they said to me and all the rest of the people gathering there. Before they shooed us, that is."

"Hm, I see... I noticed there's a bit of overlap with the workers there and the usuals at Dingo's" another billow of smoke comes out between his lips, Mike not sparing a second to pause "a few familiar faces, too busy fixing the pretty lights and shining the big-shot's boots to talk. But that's life, see?"

"Yeah, that's life. But hey, sometimes you have to punch back, right?" you say, recalling how Mike used that phrase before. It was something you followed almost literally against certain 'ghosts' you'd come across, and had the scars to prove it. Well you almost has the scars to prove it. Looking back, you feel lucky to have gotten out of that alive.
And while in that train of thought something bothers you. There is a certain topic you wished to discuss. It was on the tip of your tongue, but you cannot quite recall it.

Yet you're not able to bring an end to that thinking as you can see Mike assessing your face. Something that happened not too long ago as well, it was-

"I think I know where a couple of the guys are" Mike agreed, surprising you out of your recollection once more "'sides it shouldn't take that long to show you around, since you've been around this joint already."

"That's great" you say "when can we get started?"

"Now's a good a time as any."

And with that you two are off.

[1/2]

>>6096589
It doesn't take too long to slither back into the hustle and bustle of the carnival. Mike wasn't one of the more talkative Noirs, a group that didn't communicate much to begin with, but he would point out certain things about the place which when prompted.

You felt like you had a more fundamental grasp on things. From how certain stalls and some of the more modest acts were actually connected to the park more than the carnival (confirming some of your theories after 'talking' to Mimi), to certain places that were less populated by the visitors The latter included a gravel pathway which, according to Mike, would lead to a bridge and a river if followed for long enough. He also seemed to know about the history behind some rides. The most intriguing to you was the roller coaster; which apparently had an entire team and storage system dedicated to its maintenance and assembly. It was far older than both the carnival and even the park itself, by at least a century (a fact which you found odd for some reason).

However you couldn't help but notice how he didn't speak much about the food, and would actively avoid speaking of apples, whether in bobbing barrels or the caramelized counterparts (the latter more than any of the rest). When pressed, he merely muttered about "not trusting the chow 'round here." You personally think he's just speaking from a certain bad experience.

All in all these pieces of information would be expressed in only a few sentences by Mike, within broken tidbits and colloquialisms, and rarely continued on their own organically without your further questioning.

Eventually you would both meet up with two more Noirs, respectively...

[2/2]

>Albin and the Lady. The former talking to a stall operator while the latter was sitting down by a table and reading another book.
>Jamesfield and Shapes. With Jamesfield scribbling something in a notebook while Arnold was swinging a hammer in a Whac-A-Mole game.

>>6096593
>Albin and the Lady. The former talking to a stall operator while the latter was sitting down by a table and reading another book.

>>6096593
>Albin and the Lady. The former talking to a stall operator while the latter was sitting down by a table and reading another book.

>>6096595
>>6096605
>Bookworm And Veteran

Writing. Might take a bit.

...Albin and the Lady.

The man was speaking, somewhat amicably, with one of the game operators. You couldn't exactly discern what the discussion was about, but Albin seemed to deal well with the opertor, giving smiles that didn't quite reach his eyes and making questions that nudged the conversation in a different direction as they went about with some meaningless chatter about money.

On the other side of the area, in a table by herself, was a woman sitting by herself by a table. You wondered how she could keep to her own so well, with how many were around.
A part of you thinks you'd feel rather lonely in such a situation. Perhaps this was diminished from the fact she was near someone she knew; namely Albin, the old detective. At least you were pretty sure he was one. And soon Mike would be here as well to boot, with you in tow. You knew the Noirs were friends, or close acquaintances at minimum. Something tells you that she would feel fine either way, so long as she had a book to absorb.

You and Mike approach the two. While you'd feel fine in just waiting for a bit, Mike had the idea of bouncing into the conversation with brute force.

"-but that doesn't have much to do with how the customer feels. Most of them are just happy to pay for a prize instead if given the choice. I can assure you that profits have gone risen by three-percent this year, up from the previous time I set up around here" the man speaking wore a red bow tie and a bowler hat with a red stripe around to match it. He talked in a way that would make you think he is curving, and as strange as that comparison is you had no better way to describe it.

"Say, how's life going?" the voice was immediately recognized by Albin, who turned around to greet him. After a few more words with the operator (and mumbled comments by Mike), the three of you went to join the Lady where she was sitting at. You greeted one another, both to the Lady and Albin. Then as the greeting came to a close it lulled into a pensive quiet, and you would've felt awkward had you not simply known that this was how the Noirs acted.

"So, I got shown around the place by Mike" you decide that enough time has passed in a silence surrounded by the noise of the carnival "I actually learned a few things."

"From Mike? Now that's a surprise" Albin said without bite to his words "I'd be surprised if you figured out which plane of existence we were on with him around."

"You'd be surprised, old man" came the reply from Mike as took another drag from the cigar. You saw the ghost of a frown appear upon the Lady's face from the corner of your eye as he did so "I just like to take care of the things when no one notices, see? Unlike you, with your side projects."

[1/2]

>>6097725
"No need to be so dramatic, 'take care of things when no one notices', bah" but after this banter he became pensive, scratching his head and closing his eyes "you know, that sort of thing doesn't come without practice. You know, it reminds me of when I was younger-"

"Before you serenade us with another one of your stories, gramps" Mike interrupted "Johan here tells us that some of the men from earlier were at Dingo's" not your exact words, you feel. And what did he mean by 'some of the men from earlier'? You did meet with a Blue Collar Worker today while in the carnival. He might be talking about some of the workers he'd seen earlier, but it could be something to look into. Perhaps the Noirs might know about that electrician from earlier.

"Tell us something we don't already know" Albin said with half a scoff "we aren't here for any average apples."

"A turnabout is happenin' around here" was the, you think unintentionally, shrill reply of the Lady. She put down her book and looked at Mike "and any type of apple is the least of your worries" there was such a serious expression on her face you couldn't tell if she was joking or not.

"Yeah, yeah, I get it" Mike seemed unfazed by the whole ordeal at this point "say, speaking of apples, you find any bad ones around?" his inquiry seemed directed at both Albin and the Lady.

"Half a dozen" was the reply from the Lady. She pointedly too no notice of the smoke Mike blew out after she spoke.

You felt like you were out of the loop. And you sense another silence rearing its head.

[2/2]

>"So, any plans for the day from any of you guys?" A bit straightforward, but it's not a bad question.
>"Hey Albin, just out of curiosity what were you talking about with that operator over there?"
>"Lady, what do you mean by 'a turnabout is happening around here'?"
>Write-in.

>>6097728
>"Lady, what do you mean by 'a turnabout is happening around here'?"
Enough pussyfooting! These guys talk like the gamer operators all curving and indirect, like the event horizon of the black hole at the heart of matters. What is going on??

>>6097728
>"Lady, what do you mean by 'a turnabout is happening around here'?"

>>6097929
>>6098038
>What She Meant

Writing.

"Lady, what do you mean by 'a turnabout is happening around here'?"

"What we talked about earlier" she replies "the hostile takeover. It's closer than we thought."

"Hostile takeover? What's closer than we thought? What are you guys talking about?" You really don't feel like being subtle anymore. Sure this may be a public place, but you've waited long enough for answers and are willing to take that risk.

"It's about that Lucian fellow's company Material World, and how they're consolidating things" Albin speaks in "usually it takes a few years for it to happen, but it's going in too hard and too fast for it to be normal" ah, that would be putting it lightly.

"And what does that have to do with the carnival?"

"Nothing. Initially, at least. But it looks like the E.V.L. got spooked and is pushing for somethin'. They have a buncha ground workers on site" the Lady replies in what you think is a lower tone. You don't know if it's her grating voice, but you can't help but feel annoyed. However it's not like she can help that.

"E.V.L?"

"It's the main charity behind this place" Albin clarified. He must be talking about the Edifying Volunteers in Livelihoods you think. At least that's what you remember it being called.

You take the following silence in stride as you think to yourself. Or, as much as you can think with carnival music and countless conversations happening in the backround.

"Bad memory, eh?" Mike says. Mike breaks the silence. And it's just as well, you couldn't even hear your own thoughts with how much was happening. But after listening to what he said clicked, you feel a bit of a shiver down your spine. Had you been too easy to read? After a nod from your head he just grunts and seemingly doesn't notice "can't really blame you, it isn't common knowledge, even though they plaster their names on anything, from postcards to flyers" he pauses for a moment "say, you don't really know much about this stuff do ya?"

[1/2]

>>6098536
"Not really. This is above my pay grade" you sigh, more out of relief than what you imagine appears as exasperation "sometimes it feels like things are going too fast and out of control."

"Tell me about it" Albin says "sometimes life just goes haywire, son. And you gotta learn the ropes before they're tied around your neck" speak for yourself. What's wrong with going fast and taking a chance? But what Albin said is true. It's good to learn before what's going on around before you're taken unawares.

[2/2]

>Ask why they are doing this. You could phrase this like an innocuous question, like how they became detectives, and go from there.
>Ask where Jamesfield and Shapes are at. Seeing the Noirs separated, even in this regard, is still a bit odd to you.
>Ask about something else (there's the electrician Blue Collar Worker that they may know of, or you could ask Albin about a story of Hotel Oasis, or you could even just ask Lady's name and why she's called that, or any combination of anything really).
>Write-in.

>>6098537
>Ask why they are doing this. You could phrase this like an innocuous question, like how they became detectives, and go from there.

>>6098730
>The Reason Why

I'll try to write, but I can't promise I'll be able to update today.

You think about asking them why they are doing this.

Yet you'll go about this in a way that won't be accusatory. Letting your thoughts realign, you think for a few seconds after politely thanking Albin for the advice.

"What made you guys decide to be detectives?" you decide to ask. It's a legitimate question that had been present in your mind, quietly lodged up in a corner, since you've met the Noirs. It could be seen as a bit of an ice breaker if framed a certain way.

"We each have our stories to tell" Albin begins "but to clear things up; it might surprise you that not all of us are detectives" and indeed it did, to say the least.

"The only two that are in the business are Jamesboy and Albin. More a hobby than anything else for the rest of us" said the Lady.

Yet the determination behind their personalities that pushed them to act in this way seemed too deep to be a mere hobby. They also seemed to be pretty invested into some high profile cases, at least from your point of view. You think about voicing this, yet realize that many people can be highly passionate about certain things (and you have the sneaking suspicion that overly aggressive inquiries would only get the tables flipped on you).

Further chatting showed that Mike was apparently a kickboxer of some sort, and the Lady was a librarian. It was honestly not too surprising for you, once you got over the fact neither were actual detectives.
After some more chatting you find the oldest member of the group speaking out about his experiences: he was once part of the police force's official investigations unit, but was eventually discharged due to him finding about some corruption and incompetence within there.

"it wasn't what it used to be, you know. Or who knows, maybe it was always this way and I was too caught up in catching crooks to notice" although he seems to be reminiscing wistfully you can sense a slight bitterness in his tone "I don't think you'd care much to hear about an old man rambling about the good old days, would you?" he laughs at his own joke.

The conversation devolves again into some smalltalk. While interesting by itself you feel like you haven't been able to get any progress.

[1/2]

>>6099134
"You know" you start again, trying to find a good way to even begin between the banter and talk "I still don't really know how you guys got interested in this sort of work to begin with."

"I like the mystery behind it" was the succinct answer from the Lady "so much to see and uncover."

"It's no different from any other fight. But the punches come without the fists, see?" Mike takes the now half used cigar out of his mouth and lightly taps it, causing small bits of dust gently descend down towards the ground "every once in a while we're lucky enough to see some guy go to the big house because of it."

"The big house?"

"Jail" said the Lady.

"Ah" you replied intelligently.

"You already know my story" Albin said.

"But do you guys actually pursue people, or take any cases?"

"Only Jamesfield and I do that" the old man looks at you with what seems like amusement "the official job of a detective isn't nearly as glamorous as you might think. It's inclined to mundane stakeouts to check up on whoever your client put you up to follow. Occasionally there's the missing person file that gets brought, but those tend to be cold on arrival."

"The more interesting stuff is found when you look for it" mentions the Lady.

"As long as it doesn't involve reading half a dozen books and a stack of old newspapers in one evening, I agree" Mike quipped, making the Lady blink in response to the banter.

"Ahem" Albin spoke up again after clearing his throat "you know it's not like we've done much other than watch what others do and cover after ourselves so far."

[2/2]

>"Speaking of, what do you guys think of the big top? Any theories?"
>"Something I just don't understand is what's the deal with those Livelihood charity guys."
>"Since you guys brought up watching others, there's this person I would like to know about..." Describe to them Daryl, you think his name was, the electrician. He was the last person you'd spoken to before you were attacked by those 'spirits' earlier.
>Write-in.

>>6099135
>"Since you guys brought up watching others, there's this person I would like to know about..." Describe to them Daryl, you think his name was, the electrician. He was the last person you'd spoken to before you were attacked by those 'spirits' earlier.

>>6099135
>"Since you guys brought up watching others, there's this person I would like to know about..." Describe to them Daryl, you think his name was, the electrician. He was the last person you'd spoken to before you were attacked by those 'spirits' earlier.

>>6099139
>>6099615
>Somebody You Might Know

Sorry about not saying anything, I slept for almost all of of yesterday and just woke up. I'll update later today, probably four to five hours from now.

>>6099860
I'll get to writing.

>>6099860
I hope you're feeling okay, QM?

>>6099979
I did get slightly sick near the end of the week with food poisoning and didn't get much rest the day before that, so combined with working through the day I didn't have a fun time. But I'm feeling much better now.

----

"Since you guys brought up watching others, there's this person I would like to know about..."

"Alright, shoot" Albin gave you the prompting.

And you describe Daryl to them, how you think you saw him at Dingo's once or twice in passing, as well as a few things you got from the conversation with him. You don't talk about what happened afterwards, figuring that sharing it now might be too reckless and lead to much digressing.

They all listen intently.

"Daryl?" the first question said out loud after you were done, courtesy of the Lady. You confirmed that's what he called himself and saw a subtle hardening in Mike's face. The Lady simply gave out a 'hmm' while keeping the near stoic look on her face.

"I don't remember hearing about any Daryls" Albin spoke once more "but I do recall someone with that appearance. Son, are you sure you didn't see him sometime before last month?"

"I'm sure I saw him today" you reply. It wasn't that long ago, you're certain.

The Noirs scrutinize your face intently. The amount of times this has happened today is odd. You're left confused. Do they think you're lying? Why would you lie about this? Apparently your feelings are contagious, since the Noirs present soon gain perplexed expressions of their own as well. Seems like you passed that silent test. If there was one to begin with.

"Either you oughta get your eyes checked or there's some Oasis-tier funny business going on" said Mike before putting the cigar back in his mouth and leans back "cause that man kicked the bucket."

[1/2]

>>6100046
"What?" dead? But how was that possible? You feel your thoughts run cold as you try to formulate a sentence after that. But you're able to calm yourself and grasp onto clarity for an instant, it spreading through your mind soon after and taking you forward.

"Yeah, six feet under" says Mike, before being chided by Albin. You ask about the man they know about, at least.

Both the Lady and Mike look at each other, but Albin speaks first before their silent conversation can end "it isn't much, but..."

You get the story soon enough: a man by the name of Joseph Quinous was an electrician who often came by Dingo's to drink in the night. You were correct in your assumption that he was a Blue Collar, or at least he would hang around that group more often than not. But some months ago he died in a work related accident while fixing a transmission tower. You're informed that he had no known living family members, but many friends. Other than his death his life was seemingly mundane.

Albin asks you where it was you saw last saw him, and you tell him about the bench you two sat in.

With this new information, and the Noirs now thoroughly interested, it's decided that...

[2/2]

>You and the rest would stay here and continue to talk about it while Mike called the rest of the Noirs to come here. Perhaps you all could try to figure out who that was or what happened if you brainstormed?
>One or two of the Noirs will accompany you to the bench where you met 'Daryl' while the other(s) go find Jamesfield and Shapes. (Which ones go to where?)
>Try to get another lead from somewhere else. Maybe the Clown you saw a few times earlier, the Strongman, or even the ice cream man from the entrance (Daryl had an ice cream as well, and you haven't seen an ice cream stall in the carnival proper). (Which of the Noirs will accompany you? At least one of them will go to get Jamesfield and Shapes).
>Write-in.

>>6100052
>One or two of the Noirs will accompany you to the bench where you met 'Daryl' while the other(s) go find Jamesfield and Shapes. (Which ones go to where?)
Lady & Mike will follow.

>>6100070
+1

>>6100052
Glad you're feeling better, at least.

>>6100070
>>6100077
>Back To The Bench

Writing.
I won't be able to update tomorrow due to how busy I'm going to be.

...the best way forward was going backwards.

And you would retrace your steps to the place where you met Daryl.
As this was being discussed the Lady and Mike looked at each other in wordless conversation. Both said, almost spoken at the same time, that they wanted to accompany you. On your part you had no particular qualms, at least none that came to the front of your mind for now. Albin then offered to get the other two missing members.

After briefly agreeing on where to meet, you went your separate ways. Is what you would say had you not been leading the two other Noirs towards the aforementioned place.

Going back didn't feel nearly as tedious as you would've thought, but that may simply be due to the 'event' that happened there. You pass the house of mirrors (which Mike had given you an abridged history lesson about the owner, a short mumbling man in a blue striped shirt that had a business in glassworks apparently, last time you passed it), the dunk tank, and the test of strength on your way without seeing a familiar face.
Neither Mike nor the Lady were much in the way of talking, and you had one less topic of discussion with Mike since you had expended your unofficial 'tour' of the place with him not too long ago. And so most of the walk is characterized by bouts of silence occasionally broken by a few sentences. From these you are able to get a bit of smalltalk in, and figure out that the Lady tends to take out most of the books she reads from the library she works at while Mike once won in a local fighting tournament.

[1/2]

>>6101076
Soon enough you, Mike, and the Lady are there. The bench is just as you remembered it, with it's slightly odd but not too strange design choice of having armrests on either side of it. You can see a line for a popular attraction from here a little distance away, you think its for some carousel, but the bench itself is mostly bypassed by the people coming and going. It simultaneously gave both a sense of privacy and a lack thereof.

"Here it is" you say. However Mike and the Lady immediately start inspecting it without saying a word. Mike is a little more active going as far as getting his hands dirty and looking beneath it, while the Lady seems more content to inspect from a distance.

You look around you, and to your relief this doesn't seem to have made a scene.

"Say, Johan" dusting his hands on his shirt, Mike didn't get them clean and now had some dirt on his clothes "this is the place you last saw him, yeah?"

"Yes, it was" you confirm again.

"Weren't there any people that saw you both talkin'?" said Mike again, flicking the stub of his cigar into a nearby trashcan "just 'cause people are goin' about here and there don't mean there isn't someone that saw nothin', especially from a dead man."

The Lady was quiet in this interaction, still looking at the bench from a distance, but decided to add a question of her own "did you see where he went to? A direction, at least?"

They both looked at you with their eyes.

[2/2]

>Focus on answering Mike's question, since there were some people that were speaking to him before you yourself started talking to him. Leaving out the part where strange humanoid beings that attacked you after speaking to 'Daryl' of course.
>Focus on answering the Lady's question. Although you only had a general direction you saw him going towards, it may be enough to find him. Or it may be a red herring. It has been some time since you saw him, and he may very well be in another place (if he was still in this carnival to begin with).
>Answer both of their questions to the best of your ability, while keeping the fight you had while time was at an apparent standstill to yourself (which would open a whole new can of worms at minimum). But other than that you would at least try to be as helpful as possible here.
>Write-in.

>>6101084
>Focus on answering Mike's question, since there were some people that were speaking to him before you yourself started talking to him. Leaving out the part where strange humanoid beings that attacked you after speaking to 'Daryl' of course.
Aw yiss, it's Mimi o'clock.

>>6101084
>Answer both of their questions to the best of your ability, while keeping the fight you had while time was at an apparent standstill to yourself (which would open a whole new can of worms at minimum). But other than that you would at least try to be as helpful as possible here.

>>6101087
>Social Seeking

>>6101100
>Double Answers

I'll roll between these and start writing in a few hours.

Rolled 2 (1d2)

>>6102197
>1 People
>2 Double

Writing.

Answer them both.

"Well, there actually was something..."

And you speak to them about the direction he went towards to the best of your discretion. Pointing in the general direction, however, made both of the Noirs theorize he either went towards a gap in the carnival leading to the river or to the roller coaster. That is assuming he continued on in a straight line and didn't just decide to merge with the rest of the crowd, going somewhere else entirely.
This keeps them both interested, and it would continue to keep conversation going had you not spoken again in response of Mike's question.

"I did 'talk' to a person before him, and saw a few others who might know a thing or two."

"Why do I feel like there's a catch to what you're sayin'?" said Mike. And you can't help but smile at the comment.

And you tell him of that mime, Mimi, whom you 'conversed' with. This drew a few strange looks from Mike, scrunching his nose when you spoke of how she talked in pantomime. You also talked to him about some others who seemed to be around, who despite you not interacting with them could give some answers of their own, like the probably-miserable Clown you saw earlier that or the Strongman weight lifter. These seemed to gain more of his interest.

"It's better than nothin' at least" Mike commented after you were done and sat down on the bench, inspecting it again before he did so "a lil' part of me feelin' like this is gonna either go somewhere or be a waste of just running around in circles."

"Hm" the Lady hummed, looking off into the distance "let's wait until the others come by before we make a move" she said. Mike grunted in agreeance.

You decide to keep quiet in this interaction, seeing if they would go somewhere or not. Unfortunately it seemed like another lull in conversation, a habit the Noirs seemed a bit too fond of in your opinion, had once again taken hold of them as they patiently waited for their fellows.

"So, we just wait?" you repeated.

"Yes" the Lady said without hesitation.

"Least until something happens. Or" Mike commented aloofly from the bench, almost reclining against it "unless you got any more info we could use?"

"No," you say after a moment's thought, but then decide to expand on that "at least not anything that would be helpful."

A part of you wanted to say right there and then about the strange beings that you saw, and subsequently attacked you. But a better sense takes hold of you, making you think about it not being the right moment and could take away from your focus.

[1/2]

>>6102339

After that, mostly out of a desire to not let things go quiet again, you try find other things to talk about. Yet it mostly goes back to talking about the same findings and theories from before, now even going as far as to plan out where they would find any leads or if it would come to anything. You eventually try to get them to talk about Lucian again, but there seems to be no developments (that they know of at least) in that front. You do however find that Dingo's was going to remain open for more time than usual for the next few days.

Soon enough you see Albin approaching in the distance, with Shapes and Jamesfield in tow behind him. Jamesfield is as conspicuous as ever with that overcoat and fedora, but Shapes seems to have worn something more casual to your surprise. Albin waves, something which is halfheartedly reciprocated by Mike, the Lady then turning, likely noticing something from the corner of her eye.

"Took you all long enough" Mike spoke as he inclined back on the bench more. You were inclined to agree with that yourself.

"Good to see you again too" Albin replied with a smile "and from the looks of it I'm sure you've gotten some work done sitting down there, no?" Mike grunted again, this time in annoyance as Albin chuckled.

"Don't you all worry, the cavalry is here. Albin filled us in with the scoop" Shapes declared, drowning out Mike's retort.

"Johan," Jamesfield said, not bothering with pleasantries as he looked at you immediately "Mike, Lady, you were all able to find something" he did not phrase the last part as a question, you felt.

"Eh, sorta" Mike spoke again, replying first.

"We got some more information that might be useful" the Lady spoke after that, and then looked at you.

Stopping a sigh once again you elucidate to the newcomers about the mimes, clowns, strongmen, as leads and as well as possible directions the man went. Repeating yourself did get a bit boring but it was good to create clarity.
Jamesfield was quiet while you spoke. But Shapes asked a question every once in a while, either trying to get some clarity on if Daryl was really here or something of that nature.

Soon enough, after a few passerby glance over in this direction, you all silently realize that you couldn't just stay here and keep talking forever.

Jamesfield put out the idea of going in teams of two, something with the other Noirs agreed with. It was then decided that...

[2/2]

>Searching around for the man, where he could've gone, or some material evidence he might've left was ideal.
>Following the leads and talking to people was a good start. Although you had only really 'talked' to Mimi before and established some familiarity with her.
>You would do both, half of you going to look for people and the other to look around for him.
>Write-in.

>Optional:
>Any of the Noirs in particular you want to go with?
>Want to focus on speaking or searching? (Only available if the third option is chosen)

>>6102341
>You would do both, half of you going to look for people and the other to look around for him.
Focus on speaking.

>>6102341
>Following the leads and talking to people was a good start. Although you had only really 'talked' to Mimi before and established some familiarity with her.
You already know how I'm voting.

>Bring Mike

>>6102365
>Split In Half And Twice Over

>>6102784
>People Priority

>>6102784
>That Rough Fighter

Unless I fall asleep I'll roll in an hour or two. I might not be able to write today because of how tired I feel, sorry in advance.

Rolled 1 (1d2)

>>6103018
>1 Half
>2 Leads

Sorry again, really underestimated how quickly some things would get done irl. Will start writing in around 5-6 hours, which is when I'll probably have some free time.

>>6103201
I'll start writing soon.

>>6103408
Waiting warmly!

Sorry in advance for this taking so long. I lost part of the update when I was halfway done.

----

... there would be two groups: one for asking around, and the other for searching.

You would focus on speaking.

As that was being settled teams were made: Jamesfield and the Lady would go on to search in the potential directions 'Daryl' went to. Meanwhile Albin and Shapes would talk to one of the other individuals, with two of the most relevant leads (that being the Strongman and the Clown) whom you were happy to share the little you knew concerning them, and where they were last seen.

And with some quick goodbyes they all left. With the exception of Mike, that is. He in turn simply took another cigar from his case and shadowed you quietly, both of you in silent understanding of where you were to go. Just in case, you explained that you'd plan to meet with Mimi, and were about to retell to him about what you knew of her. Mike on his part waited with both a look of impassiveness, and almost out of place patience as you saw the smoke swirl up from his cigar. That was when you realized you had forgotten about telling the Noirs about that card Mimi gave to you.

However, you hesitated to show him the small card she gave to you. You did think it was something that Mike, and the Noirs in general, would doubtless be interested in. But you weren't sure it was something that Mimi would like.

>Show them the card that Mimi gave you. The Noirs would doubtless be happy about gaining another connection. Or at the very least, be able to see any connections more clearly.
>No, you'll keep it to yourself for now at least. You recall that she didn't show it to you until you had first introduced yourself near the end of your conversation. Which might mean nothing, but you'd still like to ask her first before risking a breach in her trust.
>Write-in.

On the way to the place where she was last performing you're met with a surprising amount of mimes (which by your count was three, including the one that had bothered you in the test of strength), none of which were of any help in finding the mime you were seeking or anything else for that matter, as Mike would find out after some failed attempts of his. And all of them seemed to only care about entertaining themselves or the passerby, much to the Noir's annoyance. And why would they not? It is nothing short of folly to presume they might render assistance, when in reality, they exist merely as purveyors of amusement. But that isn't necessarily true, considering Mimi was able to help you once you took the time to try and decipher her pantomimicry.

[1/2]

>>6103480
And with that thought, you had managed to find the woman in question. She was in the middle of an act surrounded by half a dozen people. You are tempted to just barge in and talk to her but restrain your impatience, considering that it would be impolite in the best of scenarios.

From what you could see she was pretending to work in construction, perhaps as a nod to some of the things she's probably witnessed in the last day or so. She was very committed, almost to an impressive degree, if the climbing an invisible ladder, exaggeratedly nailing in some stakes, or driving an invisible truck and taking some invisible boxes out of it were anything to go by. In fact, some of the things she did seemed to be borderline impossible.
Looking back at Mike, he seemed to not care much for the performance, currently checking his watch as he breathed out some smoke. Not even a few seconds passed before he noticed you were looking at him.

"Is this the gal?" he inquired. You responded in the affirmative, earning you a nod and a "got it" in return as he looked back at the time.

After what you think was five more minutes she gave a bow and a flourish, signaling the end of her show to some polite claps and money thrown at the upside down hat on the ground, save for Mike who still didn't seem to care much. You yourself also threw in some money of your own before approaching her.

She sees you, then instantly greets with a wave and a smile.

"Hey there, Mimi. Good to see you again. Nice performance by the way. Did you practice for it?" you say. She shakes her head in response. It feels like it's been ages since you saw her, when realistically it hasn't been that long.

"Anyway, Mimi this is Mike. Mike, this is Mimi" you gesture to them both as you introduce them to one another. Mimi tilts her hat up with a grin, and Mike merely responds with an 'evening'.

After the introductions, she puts a finger on her chin, tilts her head to the side somewhat, and squints her eyes when seeing Mike.

[2/3]

>>6103484
"What?" Mike says, a bit of frustration from before seeping out "go something on my face?" but he is met with silence from the mime.

"Say, how 'bout you make this easier for all of us and talk like a normal human being?" Mike then comments, clearly annoyed by some of the previous encounters with the other mimes.

After another second of thinking she takes her hand from her chin and snaps her fingers.
She looks at you and does a pantomime: It was somewhat convoluted, using callbacks to when you were 'speaking' with her, but you understood that she was basically saying "I think this is one of the guys I saw snooping around earlier."
It almost certainly confirmed that the Noirs were indeed sneaking around this place, likely without anyone working here (save for a certain mime) being the wiser.

Mike looked at her, then at you, with an eyebrow raised.

[3/3]

>"She's saying she saw you here this morning."
>"Alright, well we'd like to ask you some questions about someone we're looking for..." Best to get to the point about 'Daryl' as soon as possible, even if she saw anyone with that appearance in passing it could be helpful.
>"I noticed there were a bunch of mimes around here. Is it usual for there to be this many?" Start with some silent smalltalk, you'll get to Daryl eventually.
>Write-in.

>>6103480
>No, you'll keep it to yourself for now at least. You recall that she didn't show it to you until you had first introduced yourself near the end of your conversation. Which might mean nothing, but you'd still like to ask her first before risking a breach in her trust.
No fumbling the mime GF.
>>6103491
>"Alright, well we'd like to ask you some questions about someone we're looking for..." Best to get to the point about 'Daryl' as soon as possible, even if she saw anyone with that appearance in passing it could be helpful.

>>6103480
>No, you'll keep it to yourself for now at least. You recall that she didn't show it to you until you had first introduced yourself near the end of your conversation. Which might mean nothing, but you'd still like to ask her first before risking a breach in her trust.

>>6103491
>"I noticed there were a bunch of mimes around here. Is it usual for there to be this many?" Start with some silent smalltalk, you'll get to Daryl eventually.
Warming her up, Mike. Totally not just, you know, chatting up the cute mime lady.

>>6103524
>>6103566
>Keeping It Quiet

>>6103524
>To The Point

>>6103566
>Friendly Pantomiming

Will start writing in a few hours or so before I roll and write.

Rolled 2 (1d2)

>>6104137
>1 Point
>2 Friendly

Writing.

"I noticed there were a bunch of mimes around here. Is it usual for there to be this many?"

You decided to keep the information she presented to yourself, at least out of concern to not have her on the Noir's list of suspects or anything of that nature.

Starting it off slow, some smalltalk would be nice you figured. Well, more like small-pantomiming when it came to her. It honestly started to grow on you.

"Ain't no doubt, there's a whole crew of 'em shufflin' around this joint compared to the last few visits" Mike gave his two cents in the matter, eyebrow no longer raised.

Mimi, on the other hand, seems to be thinking about this carefully. You can tell she just wants to give a shrug and leave it at that, but after thinking better about it she starts a charade in response. And does so by pretending to be 'setting up shop', bumping into people and looking around, then pointing at the hat she has in the ground, as she shifted surprisingly quickly between bowing while holding out said hat and then like an audience clapping.
You gathered it was about how mimes aren't really part of any organized act here, but as more people came by more mimes and the like 'set up shop' to perform, much to the misfortune of people like Mimi who were here before.
The more you thought about it the more it made sense it made as to why there were so many of them.

[1/3]

>>6104346
"I see" you say, and glance at Mike. He seemed to lose interest somewhere in the middle of that pantomime of hers, and was checking his watch again "more people means more of a chance to get money" you put your thoughts into words as you look back at her "it makes sense" Mimi smiles and gives a thumbs up.

"Well, I mean you did say you weren't working for the carnival directly. Has it caused you any trouble over the years?"

At this the mime frowned, and did an elaborate pantomime that consisted of somehow kicking herself out of an invisible door and sneaking back in, only to be thrown out again. She then begrudgingly took out some money from her pockets and held it out to a version of herself that demanded it.

"Ah, I see. They're making you pay to act here even though you usually pantomime in this park" another smile and a thumbs up are her reply. You recall she did relate to you about being 'shooed away' by people around here, but you thought it only applied when she was nosying around the place.

"I hope you're doing better at least" you add, to which she uses her hand to give a so-so gesture.

And so it continues, with you asking her about how she's been and so on. You find that she was renting out a room in Moonlight's Cafe, the a place where she mentioned in that little card she gave you, where she also worked part time in apparently. She even had a few innocuous questions of her own, like your job or what you usually did in your free time, which you were happy to answer.

You hear the tapping of a shoe. Usually you wouldn't pay it any mind, considering the amount of people around but the way that this tapping went on made you feel like it was deliberate.

[2/3]

>>6104347
And immediately you feel sheepish as you saw Mike with an irked look on his face. You had almost forgotten about him. Noticing how he now had both of your attentions, he cleared his throat.

"Hey, it's all swell and good you two are chattin', but we ain't got all day to burn" he said, extracting a nub that was once the second (or was it the third?) cigar from his mouth, flicked it to a trash can that was a notable distance away "my pal and I got some questions for ya, see? We was hopin' you could lend us a hand."

"Right, we have some questions" you repeat, trying to get your thoughts in order again. Mimi merely gave a slight tilt of her head to the right as she looked at you with the usual impish grin on her face, curiosity evident.

"We were wondering if you had seen a man named Daryl, an electrician by trade..." you describe the man, what you know about him, and the strange situation you found yourself in because of him. Leaving out the part where you fought the shadow demons or whatever they were after he helf, but that went without saying.

Whatever mischief she had been thinking before, it was now replaced with a certain thoughtfulness. She gestures for you to repeat your question.

After a few more minutes, which you have the sneaking suspicion that she's dramatically stretching out to annoy a certain impatient Noir, she points to the direction with an exit towards the river, and then to the big top. After you ask her to elaborate, she reveals with another pantomime that someone looking like the person you described had come out of that exit and had gone within, and likely worked inside, the big top. You relay what her thoughts are to Mike.

Ultimately it doesn't really surprise you, considering your exponentially growing reservations concerning this 'Daryl' person.

"Funny how it all circles back to that..." Mikes says under his breath as he turns away.

>Thank her for the help she gave and make your way to leave. You and Mike then agreed to meet again with the rest of the Noirs and share your findings.
>Give Mimi thanks for the assistance and depart. Mike has suggested to seek out another person, intending to find more information and paint a better picture.
>You'll ask Mimi another question... (Anything in particular?)
>Write-in.

>>6104354
>Give Mimi thanks for the assistance and depart. Mike has suggested to seek out another person, intending to find more information and paint a better picture.

>>6104354
>Give Mimi thanks for the assistance and depart. Mike has suggested to seek out another person, intending to find more information and paint a better picture.
>You'll ask Mimi another question...
"Hey, wanna grab coffee sometime? Since you live at a cafe and all, and it sounds like an interesting place..."

>>6104363
>>6104707
>Another Person To Paint A Picture

It'll be another hour or two before I write. I'll add the coffee question to Mimi too if there aren't any issues with that from anyone.

>>6105035
I'll start writing.

Sorry about yesterday. I got distracted by a wild animal that was making some noise by one of the windows, and after it went away I sat down thinking I'd just have a few minutes of rest, and ended up falling asleep there.

----

You and Mike looked at each other, and in silent agreement decided that you'd both soon depart to search for another person in order to paint a better picture.

But before that, you had one more question for the mime. After chatting with her some more as she pantomimed back, you let it flow naturally.

"Hey, wanna grab coffee sometime? Since you live at a cafe and all, and it sounds like an interesting place..." she looks at you, half surprised, before nodding and giving a smile. "Sure, that sounds great!" you could almost hear Mimi say, despite the mime keeping completely silent. You've been able to practically 'hear' her speak in this way after extended exposure to her pantomiming, practically seeing it as actual speech at one point.
Mimi pantomimes again, pointing to her wrist, acting like she was reading the time, and then towards the sky. Probably a question about when it should happen. You mentioned as much, seeing her give another smile at you knowing what she meant.

It was decided that you would both meet at:

>Tomorrow, at four in the afternoon.
>Noon, the day after tomorrow.
>Write-in.

She played with her hair for a few seconds as the conversation, and that was stretching the definition of one you admit, came to a lull.

"Get a room, you two" Mike breaks the silence, and you can practically hear him roll his eyes in exasperation. Mimi, jolted from her thoughts but not shaken, merely responded by blowing a raspberry.
With a sight you clear your throat and thank her for the help she's given, and the mime smiles happily and waves the comment off. As you and the kickboxer make way to depart she gives a final--noticeably friendlier--wave to you. Perhaps mimes were not so bad after all. A sentiment Mike didn't seem to agree with, if the look on his face meant anything. But then again, it may just be Mike being Mike.

As you think that, however, you realize once more that you've been keeping Mike waiting again. It can be determined that the only reason he's not as angry as he could've been is because he knew the exchange was ending soon.

[1/2]

>>6105153
"Right, thanks for waiting" you say, feeling it best if you cleared the air a bit as you both walked.

"Eh, forget about it" Mike replies "that’s a walk in the park, no pun intended, next to how long the old man can yap" you assume he's talking about Albin "he could talk and listen for ages to squeeze some dirt outta somebody."

"Speaking of" you say "who should we go for next? The Strongman or the Clown?"

"The musclehead's our best bet" he said with no hesitation.

"Hm? Why is that?" you wanted to hear his reasoning.

"I know Albin is best at dealin' with them Pagliacci clown wiseguys. I give him an eighty outta a hundred for him convincing Shapes to take that lead, leavin' us with the big mug to handle."

Of course, Mike would know more about Albin's strengths and expertise than you would, having been around him for longer.

With that being said, you and Mike go to the test of strength first, the last place you'd seen the Strongman.

"Step right up! Step right in! Show your strength and win a prize!" that same shout was still being used.

Unfortunately you find that the man you're looking for isn't here. Talking to the operator, who seemed rather invested in getting Mike to 'take a shot at it', and Mike, for his part, seemed more nonplussed than anything. The both of you were able to find some information about the whereabouts of the Strongman; he'd heard him mentioning going to see the house of mirrors.

"Friend of yours?" the operator said.

"You could say that" Mike replied cryptically before you could get a word in.

"Shame that the fellow left" the owner began to lament "he brought in some good business, I tell you. Who wouldn't want to show it against some musclehead?"

He went on for a few more minutes before you both politely (at least in your case, you couldn't say much about Mike's behavior) excused yourselves.

The house of mirrors wasn't much better. As you both approached, no sight of the Strongman could be found. The bumbling and almost constantly muttering owner was of almost no help either.
However a person working there, a pale young man revealed as the son of the former, was able to provide directions on where the Strongman went after apologizing on his father's behalf.

And so, armed with further instructions, you both entered one of the smaller tends scattered around the carnival. This one in particular was somewhat on the fringes of the park, closer to one of the official exits in the back. While somewhat run down from the outside, it had a variety of games and puzzles neatly lined up, with people wasting money on them at their leisure.

A few rows off, you find a familiar burly man sitting on a barrel. He looked rather bored, and was eating a sandwich.

[2/2]

>Both of you talk to him, no reason not to.
>Let Mike start conversation instead, with you waiting within earshot by pretending to play on one of the machines nearby.
>Approach him yourself, but ask Mike to wait as backup instead.
>Write-in.

>>6105153
>Tomorrow, at four in the afternoon.

>>6105156
>Both of you talk to him, no reason not to.

>>6105153
>Sorry about yesterday
hat a spooky series of events, had they happened to Johan.

>>6105153
>Noon, the day after tomorrow.
>>6105156
>Both of you talk to him, no reason not to.

>>6105171
>Tomorrow Afternoon

>>6105232
>Midday The Day After

>>6105171
>>6105232
>Dual Approach

>>6105171
>spoiler
Honestly it was probably a racoon or something. I slept pretty well that night otherwise lol

Will start rolling then get to writing in two to three hours.

Rolled 2 (1d2)

>>6105525
>1 Tomorrow
>2 Day After

Writing.

You both walk up to him.

And yet he doesn't seem to take notice of this until you're both just a few steps away from him.

"Hey there! How cah I help ya this nice evenin'?" the man sitting upon the barrel looks up, a surprisingly rustic elegance he portrays himself with and the hint of an accent. The latter is familiar to you, almost like you'd just heard something similar this morning and the days prior, but the placement escapes you.

The Strongman is clean shaven, wearing a striped sleeveless shirt with red and white lines. The choice in apparel is likely to show off his--and almost all other Strongmen that worked here shared this sort of informal uniform--strength more. His shorts matched said attire, despite being a plain red. His face, clean shaven as it was, came into contrast with jet black hair that was neatly combed backwards.
Another contrast came in the way he was sitting. The man had hardly moved from his spot but he clearly exuded confidence. You also noted that the mostly-eaten sandwich he was consuming, a common peanut butter and jelly, had left some smudges by his lips.

>Comment on it. Maybe not the most polite thing to say when just meeting someone, but who knows, there's a chance he might appreciate it.
>Don't say anything. At least for now it's better to ignore it, especially since Mike hasn't said anything about it yet.

You and Mike both look at each other for a split second, before breaking eye contact again in an almost silent agreement. Mike swiveled his gaze towards his watch again, giving it some attention.

"We were hoping to ask you some questions" you began.

"Hm" the Strongman gobbled up the rest of his sandwich with a couple of bites. After which he wiped his hands by the sides of his shirt, fortunately nothing seemed to stain and it was no worse for wear "what sort of questions?"

"The normal sort" replied Mike, looking up from the time "don't worry 'bout it too much. We’re just tryin’ to get the lay of the land and sort out some business with the people in here."

"Are you?" the Strongman himself now queried again "well, I’ll admit I might look like a guy with the answers, with these guns and all" he flexes one of his arms, then the other, in a sort of a stretch or perhaps a type of warm up, as if that explained something. He then crosses said arms "so I can’t fault ya fer thinkin’ that. But I am, ultimately, just some guy that carries big things."

[1/2]

>>6105575
"As long as ya lend us some answers, I don't see no heat comin' this way" the Noir says, not particularly impressed.

"I reckoned it was a bit nippy out, so I'm not fussed 'bout a touch o' heat" you'd think that this was really some sort of declaration or challenge from the Strongman, but he legitimately seemed a bit confused by Mike's statement.

Mike seems to catch on as well, and he merely grumbles that "it's a figure of speech."

[2/2]

>"We should start with introductions. My name is Johan and this here is Mike." Perhaps some introductions might help, you could attempt to find out why he's even here since you haven't seen many Strongmen that were connected to the big top be out and about.
>Ask about the big top itself. A bit more blunt, but he doesn't seem to concerned about formalities too much.
>You should ask about 'Daryl' the electrician, before getting too sidetracked.
>Write-in.

>>6105575
>Comment on it. Maybe not the most polite thing to say when just meeting someone, but who knows, there's a chance he might appreciate it.
There’s ways to go about it smoothly as long as it ain’t the very first thing Johan says.
>>6105576
>"We should start with introductions. My name is Johan and this here is Mike." Perhaps some introductions might help, you could attempt to find out why he's even here since you haven't seen many Strongmen that were connected to the big top be out and about.

>>6105575
>Don't say anything. At least for now it's better to ignore it, especially since Mike hasn't said anything about it yet.

>>6105576
>You should ask about 'Daryl' the electrician, before getting too sidetracked.

Play it cool. Let Mike take the lead on this one. We tested his patience a bit with Mimi.

>>6105577
>Food On Face

>>6105681
>Don't Say It

>>6105577
>Introductions

>>6105681
>Electrician Inquiries

I'll roll then write in around four or five hours.
I might not be able to update today though since I'm feeling pretty tired from all the work I've done today and will probably be more so later.

Rolled 1 (1d2)

>>6105876
>1 Comment
>2 Don't

Rolled 2 (1d2)

>>6106022
>1 Introductions
>2 Electrician

Will hopefully start writing soon.

You and Mike will focus on Daryl for now.

You motion for Mike to begin, to the kickboxer's visible relief.

"We got a fella we're itchin' to hear about. My pal here's gonna spill the beans, see?" he begins.

"Oh?" says the Strongman, and Mike looks at you and waits for you to start.

You start to describe the electrician, and the situation behind him. You'll admit, a part of you feels a bit disconcerted about telling too much. Generally, you take pointers about what to talk about from Mike's facial cues. You silently thank your lucky stars for being all your interactions with pantomiming today, as it's help can't be overstated, although it could've been better. With this strategy you and Mike end up telling the Strongman about Daryl's words to you, how he was presumed dead, and less important details like him eating ice cream at the time, while almost completely omitting Daryl--or Joseph Quinous--was a regular at Dingo's. You let Mike take over a few of these parts, and he smooths a few details here and there. As time goes on a growing part of you honestly doesn't think you needed to worry about covering your trails with this guy, seeing how he was more interested in the ice cream than anything, and you had the sneaking suspicion he was only paying half attention to what you both were saying. Still, better safe than sorry. It would be best not to be caught unawares, and underestimating anything could be deadly.

"So the only place ya coulda got ice cream is from the front, huh?" the Strongman says.

"From what my buddy here says, you betcha it's true" Mike responds.

"Y' think the stall's still 'round?" he inquires. Mike looks at you, and you in turn look between the both of them before giving a shrug.

---

For a moment you hesitate, and wait a moment longer after the first words are being spoken between the Noir and the Strongman.

"Hey, uh" you start somewhat awkwardly "you got some of that on your face."

"What?" the man said. And you could tell Mike was tempted to roll his eyes. You heard him grumble about something, but it was too low to make out the words.

"A bit of sandwich on your face" you try to clarify.

"Oh" he says, and searches around in his pockets for something.

"Here" Mike says, producing a napkin from his overcoat. The Strongman thanks him, and after a bit of trial and error he manages to get the offending smudge on his face. The napkin is disposed of in the nearest trashcan. They nod at each other after its done, seemingly coming to an understanding of some sort.

For some reason you feel a bit of tension disappear from the air.

---

[1/2]

>>6106080
"Anyway, about electrician... Do you know anything about him?" Mike presses on for now.

"Hm, Daryl" the Strongman closes his eyes for a moment, deep in thought, before suddenly opening them "nope. I got nothin’ 'bout any Daryls, sorry."

The disappointment is palpable in both you and Mike's faces. You're about to cut your losses and thank him before he continues.

"But I did hear 'bout some electricians that got hired a few weeks back. Somethin' 'bout not havin' enough juice for a 'Big Show' or whatever" now that was much more helpful news.

"Can you tell us more about that?" you asked.

"More 'bout what?" the other man asked back at you.

[2/2]

>"About the electricians."
>"About this 'Big Show' you're talking about."
>Look at Mike, and motion for him to respond.
>Write-in.

>>6106082
>Look at Mike, and motion for him to respond.

>>6106083
>Mike Motioned

Writing.

Motion to Mike.

He accepts the offer with confidence. The Noir takes the opportunity to pace around a few steps before responding.

"I got a question for ya... But first, mind if I smoke?" Mike seemingly doesn't deign himself to wait for a response. He takes out a cigar, a lighter soon following alongside it on his other hand. The Strongman tenses.

"Sorry bud, can't have you smoke in here. We're in a flammable tent an' all. Just gotta step outside if you wanna kill your lungs, you know how it is" he says all too quickly and gives a brittle smile afterwards.

"You sure?" Mike said, and a steel can be seen in his eyes "and it's not 'cause you're sitting on a powder keg?"

The two men stare at each other for a few seconds. Indeed, now that you take a closer look, small bits of grey powder litter the floor, proving that it is indeed a barrel of gunpowder. You can't help but feel a growing worry, but it doesn't take away from the initial shock. That is, until the Strongman starts to laugh lightheartedly, injecting enough jubilance to make the area feel lighter. Had things been just a little more tense, you feel like this situation would've devolved into something worse.

"Well, guess the cat's outta the bag" he says "yeah, we're cookin' up some fireworks for tonight. Jus' a lil' special treat for the folks."

"Is that so" says Mike, putting away his cigar and lighter "this is the first I'm hearin' about a lightshow, see?"

"Well yeah, that's 'cause it's s'posed to be a surprise" the man says. Mike gives a 'hm' in response. You know as a fact that the Noirs in general tend to have a good knowledge on things ahead of time, so you find it odd.

Thankfully, also to your disappointment, Mike seems to drop the subject and return focus to prior conversations.

"Anyways, we were talkin' about them spark plug guys and that 'Big Act', see?"

"Right, yeah!" the Strongman responds as if just remembering himself "well, you see, there were some rumors 'bout logistical messes an' all that. Especially once we got more fellas showing up. I think they brought on, like, three more electrician guys? Maybe four, can't say for sure. But that's 'bout all I caught wind of" he gives an apologetic half-shrug.

"Is that all?" Mike asks.

"Well, that's all I heard from the grapevine. Never actually met any of 'em."

[1/2]

>>6106361
"Let's move on to the 'Big Show', then" Mike moves on "it's gotta be a real shindig if it needs so many people."

"I heard it’s gonna be a real classy gig. Lots of performers an' critters an' such. I ain't high enough up the chain to know the deets, just gotta keep an eye on things down here and not ask questions," he pauses for a moment "honestly it'd be wicked better if guards knew what they were guardin', if ya ask me."

"I suppose it would, like how ya in the know 'bout these firecrackers-to-be that you're sittin' on?" Mike says.

"Yeah, sorta like that" the Strongman smiles sheepishly. Mike doesn't reply, other giving out another 'hm'.

"Well if that's ev'rythin', I gotta get a movin'. Work's callin', and all that. I could prob'ly squeeze in one more question if it's quick" the Strongman speaks again, breaking the few seconds of quiet.

[2/2]

>Now seems like a good time to wrap up the conversation and go meet with the other Noirs again.
>Maybe you and Mike should exchange introductions with the Strongman. It wouldn't be the first time you've had introductions happen near the end of a conversation, and another connection might be helpful.
>Ask a question. (Anything specifically?)
>Write-in.

>>6106363
>Maybe you and Mike should exchange introductions with the Strongman. It wouldn't be the first time you've had introductions happen near the end of a conversation, and another connection might be helpful.

>>6106363
>ask if he's seen any shady, even SHADOWY, guys around. Grim, a litrle ghostly in demeanor. Play it vague, see how he reacts.

>>6106390
>Exchange Introductions

>>6106486
>Shady Guys

Will roll between these in a few hours, then I'll get to writing.

Rolled 1 (1d2)

>>6107035
>1 Late Intro
>2 Shady

Writing. Might take a while.

Introductions might be in order, as you've done before.

"Before you go" you said "my name is Johan" you stretch out your arm.

The Strongman looked at your outstretched hand for a moment, seemingly considering something before responding "name's Anton, good t'make your acquaintance" he uncrossed his arms and shook your hand with cold, callous fingers. His grip was firm, but awkward.

"Mike" the Noir curtly added, but made no further action.

"Right-o" Anton then said "so, if there's nothin' left t'do here, I'm gonna take my leave" he got up from the barrel he was on, stretched, walked forwards a few steps before stopping suddenly and turning around "you guys mind keepin' that whole fireworks thing hush-hush? Might make me look bad if it gets out, ya know?" he gave another smile, teetering on the edge of an emotion you couldn't quite place.

"Might be too late for that. I might not be the only person that would've noticed, most likely. If the worst hasn't happened yet, odds are it won't, so I wouldn't sweat too much" Mike said, probably predicting the feelings going through the Strongman's head "besides, Johan and I don't really go around spreading rumors, far as I'm aware at least."

When it came for your to speak something, you...

>Voiced a similar sentiment as Mike's, backing him up with his way of avoiding the question.
>Assured Anton you wouldn't talk about it actively, but made no promise to lie if it came up.
>Write-in.

"If you wanna find me just ask 'round for a 'Fyo'. You'll track me down eventually, especially while the carnival's in town. Have a good one, folks" he tapped his index and middle fingers against his chest, in what you imagine was some sort of goodbye. You look at Mike for answers, but he seems to have either not payed attention or simply not cared for the gesture. A question to remember--if you could--for later, perhaps.

[1/3]

>>6107260
With all that said and done, you and Mike make your way to leave.

Exiting the tent you find that there is confetti gliding gently through the wind all around the place. While it gave the carnival a more colorful and wistful appearance, you couldn't help but imagine how much of a nightmare this would be to clean up.

"Huh, interesting..." you say as a you let a small piece fall on your hand. Cheap, but it got the job done.

"Yeah, they pull out the confetti every year at 'round this time" Mike explained. He waved off that got too close to his face, then mumbles under his breath "more trouble than it's worth, see?" and you did see, with a piece almost getting into your eye. You could see how this would become annoying in certain circumstances.

"Well, I think it gives the place a nice aesthetic" you say, getting another grumble from the Noir for your troubles.

"So, what did you make of that?" you ask Mike after you two make what you consider to be an acceptable distance from any prying ears.

"That mug ain't as sly as he thinks. You saw how he was 'bout the fireworks, almost like they was his gig? Puttin' on a show like he’d take the heat if it got out? There's some funny business brewin’ behind the scenes, and he isn't gonna go spillin' his guts out anytime soon."

"What makes you say that? About the 'funny business', I mean. He doesn't seem like the type of guy capable of managing that sort of responsibility" while it may sound condescending, you honestly imagine it being the case. You wanted to mention the fact he was having his lunch break while sitting on top of a gunpowder barrel and use it as evidence, but the absurdity of it seemed to finally hit you after a bit of delay.

"Call it a hunch" he takes out a cigar, thinks better of it when a couple spots of confetti land on it, then returns it back to his pocket after swiping the small bits of paper off it with an annoyed grunt "listen, just 'cause the guy ain't got the chops doesn't mean the heat ain't on him. That kinda racket goes on all over this joint, see? I'm willin' to bet he's makin' moves now, shufflin' those gunpowder kegs someplace else."

[2/3]

>>6107263
You thought about that for a little while, but you still couldn't see it. Mike apparently noticed that from your expression.

"I'm not sayin' he's a big wig, just that he's got more cards than he's showing, get me?"

"Yeah, I get you. But you kno-" your sentence is rudely interrupted by a piece of confetti flying into your mouth. You spit it out, and realize with displeasure that said annoying-confetti-circumstances seemed to befall you sooner than expected.

"I'm starting to see what you mean, Mike" you say again, and can't help but see Mike's own satisfied look that practically said I told you so.

Anyway, you both decide that...

[3/3]

>The two of you will actively seek out the rest of the Noirs. Mike said he had a method of asking if they needed help or not without giving away anything. This could definitely prove useful if something was going on that might be relevant enough that'd you'd wish to see it for yourself.
>Waiting in the spot where you'd agreed to meet with the rest of the Noirs would be prudent. Mike would call them, he said. It would just be a matter of waiting, and perhaps give you an opportunity to gain more clarity on what Mike was talking about or just think by yourself for a bit.
>You would both try to locate that Clown. It might seem redundant, but you both wanted to be thorough. But really for you personally, it's mostly just curiosity getting the best of you.
>Write-in.

>>6107260
>Assured Anton you wouldn't talk about it actively, but made no promise to lie if it came up.

>>6107266
>The two of you will actively seek out the rest of the Noirs. Mike said he had a method of asking if they needed help or not without giving away anything. This could definitely prove useful if something was going on that might be relevant enough that'd you'd wish to see it for yourself.

>>6107260
>Voiced a similar sentiment as Mike's, backing him up with his way of avoiding the question.
>>6107266
>Waiting in the spot where you'd agreed to meet with the rest of the Noirs would be prudent. Mike would call them, he said. It would just be a matter of waiting, and perhaps give you an opportunity to gain more clarity on what Mike was talking about or just think by yourself for a bit.

>>6107267
>Assurances

>>6107306
>Likeminded

>>6107267
>Active Searching

>>6107306
>Wait And Talk

I'll try to roll in four to five hours to decide if I'm still awake by then. Though I might not be able to write today.

Rolled 1 (1d2)

>>6107749
>1 Assurances
>2 Likeminded

Rolled 1 (1d2)

>>6108108
>1 Active
>2 Wait

I've been surprisingly busy today, so I might only be able to finish writing later on. Mostly just rolling now to get started.

You and Mike agreed to search for the Noirs.

And after some discussion it was settled. Things ended with Mike taking the more proactive approach with the search, while you smoothed things out with anyone either of you happened to talk with. While initially things were far less intensive than seeking out the Strongman--Anton--it became considerably more tedious after hitting the first few places. It didn't help that Mike seemed to oscillate between silence and annoyed murmurs about the little flying pieces of confetti as you two walked and dodged said multicolored paper. Where did that stuff come from, anyway?

Passing by familiar structures and faces, for what feels like the third time at least, the walk stretched on. It was rather annoying to keep repeating things, but still better than doing nothing.

Retracing both your steps, and the assumed steps of the others (according to Mike at least). Soon you both encounter evidence of where the Lady and Jamesfield went to, after asking a question to a man selling balloons by one of the entrances who confirmed their descriptions. They already came back from one of the exits, and Mike puzzled that they were headed towards that little known exit here that connected itself to the river.

While in the middle of going there, you both by chance happen to spot Shapes in one of the lines for a ride. Said line was difficult to miss, both due to its length and the attraction itself: the rollercoaster.
Mike approached him after seeing that Shapes wasn't kept by anything. Mike motioned you to wait by, and so you did, keeping watch, and saw what appeared to be some angry stares from people in the back, followed by an exchange of words between the two Noirs. You couldn't discern what they were saying, but it would seem that nobody likes anyone that cuts through the line. While Mike ignored this he also, however, didn't provoke them by keeping his distance from the line itself.
After another minute or so he came back and brought you up to date on what was going on.

[1/2]

>>6108340
"Looks like Shapes and the old man figured it’s best to split, get a wider net out there" he said in a near whisper as you two kept walking "they dug up some more leads from that clown guy. Shapes is gonna sniff around for details on the fella runnin' this rollercoaster, who could be tied to the big top someways. I bet the truth is he just wants to kick back and enjoy himself on the ride, see?" you could see a subtle scowl form on his face as he made the last statement regarding Shapes "Albin, thanks to that Pagliacci fella, is hot on the trail of some manager's breadcrumbs, sniffin' around a rumor about the cops bein' in here making a move" the police? That was interesting "I wouldn't hold my breath for that one, they ain't getting their hands dirty with the real troubles. This sorta stuff is outta their league, no matter what they say. I wouldn't be shocked if they're in cahoots with some funny business."

"If it's true it could be big."

"Eh, not big enough to change anything goin' on" Mike said, pessimism blemishing his voice.

[2/2]

>You'll both go and find Jamesfield and the Lady. They seem to be more isolated, and might need the help.
>Both of you would look for Albin and follow the paper trail, so to speak.
>Perhaps separating, like Shapes and Albin did, isn't such a bad idea. (Who goes where?)
>Write-in.

>>6108343
>You'll both go and find Jamesfield and the Lady. They seem to be more isolated, and might need the help.
>Ask Mike if this town is really that bad, and how long it's been like that

>>6108343
>You'll both go and find Jamesfield and the Lady. They seem to be more isolated, and might need the help.
We probably shouldn't waste our time.

>>6108343
>Perhaps separating, like Shapes and Albin did, isn't such a bad idea. (Who goes where?)
Johan goes after Jamesfield & Lady. Mike goes after Albin.

>>6108373
>>6108377
>Isolated Assistance

>>6108407
>Split Paths

Will start writing in around a few hours. I'll also include asking Mike about the town if there's no objections to that.

>>6108982
Writing.

After some slight deliberation, it was decided that you'd both go to find Jamesfield and the Lady.

It was the natural choice, considering that they were both in a relatively isolated area and if encountering any danger would be in trouble. Both you and Mike would go; seeking strength in numbers just in case worse came to pass.

While you both wouldn't be openly running towards them--since that would gather unwanted attention--a brisk pace was silently agreed on as the standard.

In the meanwhile, you decided to inquire something that had been bothering you, as the two of you weaved through both crowds and flying slips of paper.

"Hey, Mike?"

"What's eatin' ya?" he said, paying more notice to his surroundings than the imminent conversation.

"Has it always been this way?"

Mike frowned more than he already had been, as much as was possible without concealing his efforts to not scowl, as his forehead became wrinkled.

"You gotta be more clear than that, bud" said he. A bit more attention was on what you'd just said now at least.

"What I mean" you cleared your throat while you deftly avoided a couple of playing children that ran in front of you "has this town really that bad?"
You were acutely grateful that the myriad conversations and sounds surrounding you kept any eavesdroppers from figuring out what you two were saying. While lip readers could bypass this, if they could get a good look at you both for an extended while that is. But as it was, the crowds and attractions brought good cover. Not only that, there-

"In what way? That could mean a whole lotta things, see?" Mike reiterated, making your train of thought drop you off from your daydream.

"Well," you tried to find the words "about the corruption, incompetence, embezzling, and all of that stuff that's happening right now even. Has it always been this way?"

"Sure, it can get pretty rough" Mike said. You had the distinct feeling he wanted to have a smoke right about now "especially if you ain't savvy with what you're doing or what to watch out for. If you wanna know if it was peachy back in the day, you're askin' the wrong guy. Gotta have to ask Albin or someone without rose-tinted glasses about how things were. But for the average Joe today, life ain't too shabby, see?" he pointed at a random family that was playing in one of the stall games. You think they might be the same family of four that you talked to when first arriving here. And sure enough, like Mike said, they looked happy. Yet you couldn't help but notice a sense of resignation in their faces. It was that same soft and subtle brush of melancholy that could be found in most people around here if you payed enough attention.

"As long as you keep a low profile and get lucky" Mike murmured this last line with a hint of bitterness.

"A low profile, huh?" you repeat to yourself, but gain no further answer from the Noir.

You both continue the walk in silence.

[1/3]

>>6109112
Eventually the entrance, or exit, depending on how one sees it, is reached after slipping out of the crowds.
It is an opening between some run down brick walls. From the way it was designed you assume there once was a gate here, but it seemed to have either been removed or worn down from age. A gravel pathway stretched forward with trees and shrubbery that flanked it on either side. Everything was rife with grass and dandelions, the latter's seeds being picked up by a now gentle breeze and making it's currents known. Birds chirped happily. The relative sereneness of the area, after being amongst rowdy crowds and the near constant backdrop of the carnival, made things far more surreal than they had any right to be. But you could not linger any longer, at least not until your mission regarding the Lady and Jamesfield was done.

After looking back to make sure there wasn't anyone following you (Mike taking the time to light up another cigar), and being satisfied with the result, you both went forward. The crunch of the ground accompanied each step.

While you wanted to move faster since there was little need to worry about the crowds now, Mike seemed to be more on the side of moving forward cautiously. Eventually he relented, his own impatience getting the better of him, and you both began to go at a jog like gait.

Mike, despite his shorter stature, was able to keep up with the quicker pace and even overtook you in a few occasions. And this turned out to be rather good for you in hindsight, since he stopped you with an arm to your shoulder. Without a word, he motioned for you to be quiet as he pressed his index finger against his lips. At first you were confused, but then you realized something: it was quiet, unnaturally so. You both snuck forwards, stepping out of the pathway and now silently leaving footprints on the soft ground. The trees eventually became smaller in number and further apart, and the placid silence gave way to the sound of water. In the distance a stone bridge came into view, and beyond it the remains of a wooden fence alongside the distinct marks of tires on the dirt. So this was the place your taxi nearly flew from one side of this very bridge to the other. Good times.

[2/3]

>>6109116
Your attention, however, is rudely taken away from recalling that event to the sight of Jamesfield with his hands in the air. The Lady, from what you can notice at this distance, is sitting down with her back against a larger rock, either unconscious or asleep. There is a third party there, a strangely familiar man whose appearance you can't quite recall. You see the gleam of a knife in his hands reflect the sunlight. A fourth person is hanging behind with his arms crossed, saying something indiscernible.

Both of you had the good foresight to peek from behind a tree before going forward. It wasn't too far away, perhaps around three meters or so, and they had their backs turned to you both. You and Mike glance at each other. You could see the burning fury passing through the Noir's eyes, and the feeling infected you. It would soon be silently decided that...

[3/3]

>>You'd go on the offense:
>The two of you would sneak towards them for an ambush.
>One of you would rush forwards while the other stays back and flanks them after the first distracts them. (Who stays back?)
>Mike and you would look for some rocks, or some other projectile, to throw at one of the people there. Then you and Mike would rush in after hopefully disorienting them.
>Write-in.

>>You'd try to solve this diplomatically: Warning: Mike will not be happy about this. Unless a clever write-in is made Mike will go on the offense.
>Attempt to talk this out. Perhaps this is a misunderstanding?
>One of you would remain hidden as backup as the other approaches the situation.
>Try to sneak closer and gain as much information as possible before doing anything.
>Write-in.

>>6109124
>spoiler
*go on the offense by himself.

>>6109124
>One of you would rush forwards while the other stays back and flanks them after the first distracts them.
We distract, Mike flanks.

Eesh, I hope Lady's okay...

>>6109124
>One of you would rush forwards while the other stays back and flanks them after the first distracts them.
Johan distracts.

>>6109129
>>6109130
>Flank Forward

I'll start writing in a few hours.

>>6109680
Writing. Might take a while.

You would distract, while Mike prepared to flank them.

A nearly synchronized nod between the both of your heads finalizes it, and a plan is formed with hand motions. You break off and approach silently. Thankful that the grass and ground muffled your steps.

Jamesfield's expression subtly changes when you come into view, yet he makes it a point to not look back at your face. That is an act you can appreciate.

"... ah, I see that sum has taken your interest" the fourth person, a lithe looking man with a strangely soft voice spoke. It made you angry to listen to. You assumed he was misconstruing the changing sentiment plastered on Jamesfield's face "I'm not surprised you'd care about money, with this economy being the way it is."

"Life is full of surprises, ain't it?" Jamesfield said in an aloof tone. You could practically feel the frown on the other man's face. If Jamesfield's words weren't a cue to act, you didn't know what was. So you move to strike at the closest adversary, who happened to be the same man with whom Jamesfield was talking to, hitting him in the back of the head and stopping any soft-spoken reply from formulating in the enemy's mouth. He staggers for a bit and almost loses balance, but rights himself quickly. He swirls back at you with a look of indignation.

You move to the side, reflexes honed from the earlier fight you had with those 'shadow' beings, and much like then adrenaline was coursing through your veins once more. You fully anticipate a slash from the knife wielding man, now that you're in the spotlight.

Said slash would never come, as you see someone flying like a bullet towards the said person, punching him from the side of his face. Mike was here, and on his fists he bore a pair of brass knuckles. Like lightning he changes targets and flies against the one you had hit from behind, hitting him in the gut and making him double over. He changed gears again and followed placed his attention towards the one who had the knife. From the edge of your eyes you see Jamesfield joining in the fray as well, the two of you keeping the soft-spoken man, who happened to be more resilient than his frame might indicate, on the defensive. In the meanwhile Mike was dodging and weaving as he strategically made punches against any attempted shanking. They seemed to be on an almost equal level, both with a swiftness that was nearly blinding.

[1/2]

>>6109789
Something was bothering you about him. And that's when it hit you; the knife wielding man was left handed, just like the man that had threatened you not too long ago. He too seemed to come to a similar realization as well, hesitating for a moment. It was this misstep that allowed Mike to successfully disarm the man from his knife with a well delivered punch to his left fingers. It flew from his hand dramatically, stabbing the ground some distance away, close to the river.

It was fortunate that Mike was here with you. Had the kickboxer been absent, things might've ended up differently.

Looks like you three had them on the defensive. But how to keep this up seems to be the question.

[2/2]

--Choose a stance:
>Keep up the fight, hitting fast and hard has worked so far. Offensive
>Don't get greedy, and focus on reacting if they do anything. Defensive
>Keep yourself balanced, and cover for the other two if help is needed. Flexible

--What is the goal the three conscious men have?
>Capture them. As for whether to send them to the police, or interrogate them yourselves, that is something you'd discuss later. [Hard Roll]
>Make them flee. Straightforward and effective. [Medium Roll]
>Keep yourselves alive, preferably with as little bruises as possible. While this is easy enough to do now, it won't change the situation much. [Easy Roll]
>Write-in.

Give me a 1d20. Best of two.

Rolled 20 (1d20)

>>6109791
>Keep up the fight, hitting fast and hard has worked so far. Offensive
>Capture them. As for whether to send them to the police, or interrogate them yourselves, that is something you'd discuss later. [Hard Roll]

>>6110049
Well there we have it.

Rolled 2 (1d20)

>>6109791
>Keep yourself balanced, and cover for the other two if help is needed. Flexible
>Capture them. As for whether to send them to the police, or interrogate them yourselves, that is something you'd discuss later. [Hard Roll]

>>6110051
And thank goodness for that.

>>6110049
>>6110225
>Fight On

>>6110049
>Offensive Stance

>>6110225
>Flexible Stance

>20
Well this should be interesting.
But sadly I don't believe I'll be able to write an update today. Should get back to it tomorrow unless something unexpected happens.

>>6110369
See you tomorrow, QM!

Rolled 1 (1d2)

>>6110369
>1 Offense
>2 Flexible

I'll start writing in a bit.

You would aim to capture them, despite the risks it would present now and afterwards.

Filled with resolve, you keep going on the attack. Deftly, you evade some jabs the man you and Jamesfield were fighting against was throwing. Deja vu about the previous battle today filled your muscles, and you felt the crisp air enter your lungs. Jamesfield helped, distracting with sucker punches while you acted as the main hard hitter.

The feeling of adrenaline keeps coursing through you.

You throw a punch. It feels sharp and angular. More attempts are made by him to attack, but with how sluggish those punches of his are you can tell he doesn't have much left to keep going. A fist towards his abdomen followed by an uppercut courtesy of Jamesfield and he goes down.

You don't waste any time in looking him over, and go fight that familiar knife wielding foe.
He and Mike are still head to head in terms of speed and technique. It was almost a thing of beauty, to see such violence unfurl. But there was no time to stand around, and you intervene. Despite two of them on almost equal footing, he was still was slowly able to guide the fight into a position where he could dive for the his weapon of choice on the ground.
With you entering the fight, the scales are tipped.

You decide to make some light punches, seeking out weak spots and places were he his guard is down, forcing him to defend against you. Doing this, you allow the brass-knuckle ally ample opportunities to assist you in whittle his stamina down.

He stays still despite knowing he would be beaten he still didn't flee. Whether that was folly or something to be commended, you did not know. But the outcome was nevertheless set in stone the moment Jamesfield also joined. Even then he still held you three back for a surprising amount of time.

It was done.

The Noirs and you had won this battle almost unscathed, only letting out a bit of sweat from the whole affair. However the same couldn't be said about the only woman here, the Lady still seemingly unconscious. Your thoughts first press you on making sure she won't die or anything as drastic, and you make to voice for that now that there isn't any urgent threat to take care of.

"Will-"

"She'll be fine" he said, foreseeing what you were about to say. He catches his breath before continuing "the talking guy" he pointed a thumb at the man that had spoken to you, now knocked out cold "snuck up on us and got her with some chloroform. Blade-slinger over there popped out right after and said he’d shiv me if I tried anything funny."

That explained that at least. You're about to ask for the details but Mike beats you to the punch.

[1/2]

>>6111059
"What's the story here?" Mike said, carefully taking off his now bloodied brass knuckles. You look at everyone still standing, and you think it's fortunate that there aren't any bloodstains on any of you three's clothing. At least, none that you noticed currently. You saw Mike look at the river, Jamesfield following his gaze as well. Likely going to wash his weapons, then. It would be wise. Not as wise as doing so in private, away from anyone watching. If none witnessed the fight, then it is unlikely anyone would care about a man washing something in the river. But still, it wouldn't hurt to be cautious...

"... then the guy offers me a deal to keep my trap shut if I told the Lady we just got robbed. Lucky for us, you two showed up right on time" you realize too late that Jamesfield was well into giving an explanation on what happened, and mentally chastise yourself for getting distracted by your thoughts.

"It was lucky, yeah" Mike said, slightly disturbed "I dunno if I'd call myself lucky if I was you" he pauses "were you actually going to go through with the deal? What 'bout the Lady?"

"The Lady is a tough cookie, she's seen worse" he glances at her for a few moments as he says this, taking off his jacket, folding it, then placing it beneath her head with a strange yet nostalgic melancholy in his eyes.

"Go through with it..." Jamesfield repeats soon after "with what? Keeping quiet?" he looks back at Mike incredulously "after seeing that I don't think I could if I wanted too."

"Yeah, can't blame you" Mike says, and falls silent.

[1/2]

>"I'm sorry, I don't think I caught that first part of what you said, Jamesfield."
>"So, what are we going to do with these guys?" A plan needs to be made sooner rather than later.
>"Well this is fine and all, but shouldn't we get the Lady someplace safe before anything else?" Seeing to the unconscious should be a priority. This will likely have the consequence of getting the Noirs to congregate again.
>Write-in.

>>6111061
>"I'm sorry, I don't think I caught that first part of what you said, Jamesfield."

>>6111061
>"I'm sorry, I don't think I caught that first part of what you said, Jamesfield."

>>6111070
>>6111314
>Conversation Catch Up

Will start in around a few hours.

>>6111671
Writing. Might take a while since I'm feeling tired.

"I'm sorry, I don't think I caught that first part of what you said, Jamesfield."

Jamesfield was about to speak, but seemed to think better of it.

"The Lady and I found something before those two got the drop on us" Jamesfield stated "it ain't exactly a pretty sight..." he seemed to trail off. After a minute passed, a part of you found this stalling to be annoying. While the other part was still riding the coattails of adrenaline, which were now mixed with a tinge of curiosity.

"What?" you say, almost feeling self-conscious "look, if you don't want to say it, then just show me."

He and Mike looked at each other for a moment before looking back at you.

"Sure, if that's what you want" the leader of the Noirs shrugged, before turning and walking away. Mike remained where he was, saying he'd keep watch over the two men and the Lady just in case anything happened.

The two of you walk about in somber silence for around ten minutes, the river's flow becoming more deafening, despite its gently flow, as you two went down the slope leading to it. You both approach the underbelly of the bridge, but before entering beneath, Jamesfield leads you downstream of the river. The stroll continues almost hugging it's edge, but not close enough to have the fear of falling or slipping in the waters. Soon enough you both arrive to a distinctly sharp curve by the river's bank. A mild stench can be smelled here, something which you can't place your finger on at the moment. It is some ways away from the road now, closer to some trees that created some cover (yet a few of which, you note, were nothing more than stumps) and notably disrupted large rocks.
You two stop there. For a moment you feel confusion at what you're supposed to be looking at, and only when noticing where Jamesfield is looking do you see it.

A large black bag, enough to hold a human or two if it tried. And that analogy is aptly used, because protruding from said bag was a human hand.

To say you feel a bit speechless is putting it mildly. You take a tentative step forward, and stop when you realize the smell from earlier originated from said bag.

[1/2]

>>6111795
"That right there is good old Joseph Quinous. Leastways, if we're goin' by the scar on his hand, it checks out."

The logical part of your mind soon enough notices that fact as well. His left hand is similar, almost identical to the one you saw earlier (as far as you can recall, at least), but you latch onto a small inconsistency. Try as you might you don't recall seeing any scar upon either hand of Daryl's, and one was present on this thumb here.

"... I don't remember seeing that scar on Daryl" you blurt out.

"Really?" the Noir says, glancing at you "hm" he remarks before closing his eyes to think.

A million emotions pass through, but eventually after getting your bearings you finally feel...

>Nothing in particular. It may sound cold to you, yet this sort of situation requires concentration and stoicism. There is a law and procedure regarding these subjects, and you will follow it.
>Alive, and happy to be here, strangely enough. This is nothing to be enthusiastic about, obviously, but in this lies a mystery, and you are thankful beside you is one that could help unraveling it.
>An odd sense of calm. Perhaps you could uncover something from this, perhaps not. It was ultimately not something for you to decide.

"Well, I hope that answers that" Jamesfield says after a bit.

"You could've just said it, you know" you say, averting your eyes from the scene. You see a fish swimming near the surface of the river, going against the current.

"Maybe. But you did ask for it" that you did. You grumble to yourself, in a way somewhat reminiscent of a certain kickboxer.

"Besides, it isn't a pretty thing to talk about" the Noir says before turning back to the way he came.

"It's a much less pretty thing to look at" you say back, but the Noir merely shrugs again before agreeing.

[2/2]

>"Wait, should we really just leave this here? What if someone comes by?" It is a legitimate worry, but still you run the risk of leaving your fingerprints and the like on it if you do bring the bag with.
>"You still didn't say the first part of the conversation, you know." Perhaps a bit of smalltalk could lighten the mood. But you also want to know how he and the Lady came across this exactly.
>Just go back up with him quietly, there isn't much to say, and you'd like to think for a moment.
>Write-in.

>>6111796
>An odd sense of calm. Perhaps you could uncover something from this, perhaps not. It was ultimately not something for you to decide.
>"You still didn't say the first part of the conversation, you know." Perhaps a bit of smalltalk could lighten the mood. But you also want to know how he and the Lady came across this exactly.

>>6111796
>An odd sense of calm. Perhaps you could uncover something from this, perhaps not. It was ultimately not something for you to decide.
>"You still didn't say the first part of the conversation, you know." Perhaps a bit of smalltalk could lighten the mood. But you also want to know how he and the Lady came across this exactly.

>>6112108
>>6112167
>Strange Serenity

>>6112108
>>6112167
>Catch Up Take-Two

Writing.

"You still didn't say the first part of the conversation, you know."

Jamesfield stopped, glanced back at you, then turned forward again.

"That much is true. Alright, let me spill the beans on how things went down."

Said 'beans' were rather enlightening, it turns out. Jamesfield started by speaking about how he and the Lady used to work together in the past. Before becoming a librarian she was apparently some sort of assistant detective under both her and Jamesfield's 'Old Agency'. You're tempted to ask about the story there, but instead opt on letting the Noir continue his flow without the fear of him digressing.

"We were using some old techniques, keeping an eye out for anything off about anything. That gate back there? It looked just like it always has. Same business with the woods. We checked and double-checked both. But it was when we went out to the river that we found signs of people comin' and goin'. Like that, fresh from today" he points at an indentation in the grass, and you see the subtle displacement and breaking of plant life. It was something you likely wouldn't have noticed had Jamesfield not made it specifically known "there were tons of little tells that told us this place was tampered with. It was just a matter of followin' the breadcrumbs before we found that bag" he looks down and sighs "it was tough convincin' the Lady to not open it up like some sort of picnic basket" again you're solely tempted to ask about this, and again you keep such inquiries on the backburner and let him continue on "after that we decided to go back and tell the others, but some guys got the drop on us, the Lady got knocked out, and you know the rest."

You nodded your head. That about explained everything, as far as you could tell at least. You were both halfway back to where Mike and the others were. Climbing up the inclination you're able to appreciate the little things in life. The chirping of the birds, the breeze from the river, even the lingering smell of the dead. After the storm that was the fight, and the revelation of a dead body; and yet the world was peaceful still.
You took a breath. You felt that same peace envelop you.

"So, about that body. You really think it's that same electrician we were talking about earlier?" you ask after a few moments.

"I can't be too sure until we see the rest of the man himself. Or what's left of him, at least."

"Didn't you-"

"No" he says, cutting you off "not without any gloves. I know for a fact Shapes has a few pairs in his car. And I have some of the more professional detective stuff at home. I didn't expect things to go as they were, but here we are."

[1/2]

>>6112225
Mike soon comes into view, and beneath him all the unconscious. Nothing seemed to have changed, except for Mike now sporting a cigar in his mouth as he reclined against the tree you and he both hid behind not too long ago.

"I hope you haven't been leaving cigar butts around the place" Jamesfield frowns. That is something you have not considered. Surely, he would flick them into trash cans or the like, right? For some reason you feel rather apprehensive about this revelation, even though for all intents and purposes you shouldn't really care. Why do you, then?

"Pipe down, would ya?" Mike replied. And for a few minutes the two of them go on about this. As if they had not just been in a fight against some clearly criminal elements.

You think about interjecting by saying something.

[2/2]

>"So do we have some sort of smelling salts, or something to wake these people up? I mean, we can't just leave them here."
>"I think we should check the pockets of these guys here or at least tie them up, just to make sure they don't do anything funny." Jamesfield did make a good point about gloves and such, but at least the three of you could figure out something just in case they wake up before you're ready to deal with them again.
>"I guess it's time to call the rest of the gang, right?" This is going to happen either way, no reason to waste time and stall (will Jamesfield or Mike look for them?)
>Write-in.

>>6112227
>"I think we should check the pockets of these guys here or at least tie them up, just to make sure they don't do anything funny." Jamesfield did make a good point about gloves and such, but at least the three of you could figure out something just in case they wake up before you're ready to deal with them again.

>>6112228
>Pocket Pressure

Writing.

"I think we should check the pockets of these guys here or at least tie them up, just to make sure they don't do anything funny."

This does stop the minor bickering, but in its place you gain the disapproving face of Jamesfield.

"Like I said, I'm not too keen on makin' a move like this without gloves or my usual stuff. Besides, where we gonna score anything to tie them up with in these parts?" he says this, but Mike is already checking the pockets.

"Take it easy, will ya?" the heavy hitter says "I got somethin' that’ll do the trick, see?" just as he says so he stops, uncrouches and produces a napkin from with the initials M.D. on them. You assume they're Mike's initials, the 'M' checking out. The frown on Jamesfield's face doesn't go away.

As the other Noir doesn't say anything further, and Mike takes it as a green light to go forward. He unfolds said napkin, then envelops it around his hand. He pats the sides of the two people unconscious men. Mike stops at a certain point, and carefully extricates a knife belonging to the soft-spoken man with said napkin. It's a good thing he was knocked out before he could use it, or give it to his now sleeping buddy. Mike puts it behind the rock the Lady was sleeping, in a place that wouldn't be found by just giving the area a superficial look. Other than that, apart from a ballpoint pen on the smooth-talker, Mike seems to find nothing else. It's unfortunate that there wasn't anything that could identify them, but that would be too convenient you feel. At least you and the Noirs can scrutinize their faces.
Throughout all of this, both are thankfully still out cold.

"Alright, that settles that" Jamesfield ended the focus in the air with his words "with any luck that should put us in the clear. I am surprised, though" he continues after a pause "that they didn't have more weapons. Or any poisons. Unless there's some hidden on them. Speaking of," he suddenly seems to have some sort of revelation as he moves to action. He pries open the mouth of one of the men, and after a quick inspection moves to the next. Your confusion soon ends after his next words "here we are. Do you two see this?" he points a finger at a distinct looking molar "a fake tooth."

"So this guy had some bad habits and knocked out a tooth, big deal" Mike responded.

"It's not that simple. In fact, if you'll take a closer look" you obliged. He pointed at what looked like a crack on said tooth, ridged in an unnatural way. He then tapped it from the side "it's hollow."

It sounded ridiculous at first, like something out of a spy movie. But you've seen enough strange things to shake away your skepticism. Adding something like this wouldn't be too far out there.

"Wait" you said, thinking you also had an epiphany "you think he might be hiding a cyanide pill in there?"

[1/2]

>>6113081
"Unlikely" Jamesfield replied "the regular size for those types of pills would be too large to stash inside a tooth" that sounded fairly less fantastical, and helped with believability.

Yet otherwise you honestly feel a bit excited at the prospect of finding something more, but the calm emotion from before tempers this.

"So what's the hold-up? We just rip it out and let the good stuff spill, see?" Mike voices your thoughts before you could be further tempted to do so yourself.

"Because it could wake him up. Or it might need to be opened in a certain type of way for it to dissolve anything important that's inside them. Or any number of things. Really it depends on what type of fake tooth this is."

"Aren't you the detective here? Can't you tell how it's supposed to be done?" you ask.

"Albin has a better feel for these sorts of things than I do" Jamesfield begrudgingly admitted.

[2/2]

>"In that case, I think we should call the rest of the guys here. At least so we can have Albin look at it. Any volunteers?" If what Jamesfield said was true, then he would be the best to deal with this.
>"I have to agree with Mike, why not try to take it out ourselves? It can't be that hard."
>"There's still the issue of them being untied. We could always just use one of our coats to tie them up or something." Yet given how cold both the air and the weather are, you feel like this could an idea you would regret.
>Write-in.

>>6113082
>"In that case, I think we should call the rest of the guys here. At least so we can have Albin look at it. Any volunteers?" If what Jamesfield said was true, then he would be the best to deal with this.

>>6113082

>"In that case, I think we should call the rest of the guys here. At least so we can have Albin look at it. Any volunteers?" If what Jamesfield said was true, then he would be the best to deal with this.

>>6113097
>>6113336
>Converge

I'll get to writing.

"In that case, I think we should call the rest of the guys here. At least so we can have Albin look at it. Any volunteers?"

"You took the words right out of my mouth" said Jamesfield to you.

"I think you should" Mike said, looking at the Noir leader "Albin will probably want to hear it out of the horse's mouth, see?"

"That much is true" Jamesfield agreed "I'll go. Keep watch around here, you two. I don't think there's anyone else around, but that's no reason to keep your guard down" he turned around, but suddenly looked back at you both "and don't tamper with them, alright?" he pointed in the general direction of the two men unconscious men as he did this.

Neither you nor Mike voiced any opposition to that, so after a nod (and one last look at the Lady) he left.

Some time passed in silence, with you trying to process everything that had happened. Nonetheless your thoughts were jumbled enough to lose focus, but at least your calm mind kept you in place. A part of you thought about just trying to relax tomorrow, given how hectic these last few days have been. But you knew that tomorrow would likely bring about many problems, if today was anything to go by. Hopefully the day after that would give you a break, considering you were planning to meet with Mimi that noon.

You look at Mike, and he seems to be halfway done with his cigar. Granted this was the very same one from before, that is.

"Hey Mike" you break the silence "does this sort of thing happen often?" at that he gives you a strange look.

"Didn't we already have this conversation?" he shook his head "I already told you how it's like-"

"No, I mean, this sort of danger specifically."

"You tell me, buddy. You're the wiseguy that nearly got carved like a pumpkin in your jalopy"

"You're one to talk, you almost got shanked by that man in the fight" he made a good point, though. Danger might come no matter what you do. Mike grumbles about 'it not being half as bad as some fighters he's faced in the ring', then takes another drag from his cigar and exhales before continuing.

"Look, to get back to what you were talkin’ about, it all hinges on what's cookin', see? I ain't foolin' myself, I know I'm the muscle here, and sure, things can get a little hairy once in a while. But I feel like you don't want to hear my blabber, so I'll answer your question: no, it's rarely this hot unless we stir the pot, which I reckon we did this time around."

"Seems like that's the case" you were half relieved to hear this wasn't the usual. You wondered, though, how far this little mystery could go.

You looked at the Lady, recalling how she and Jamesfield seemed to have a connection of some sort. Any attempt at getting it out of Mike was rebuffed, him saying that 'it wasn't my story to tell' and things of that nature. But otherwise you let the time pass with either useless smalltalk or peaceful quiet in order to fill the silence.

---

[1/2]

>>6113795
Around thirty minutes later a cotton candy wielding shapes, a neutral faced Jamesfield, and a grim looking Albin enter the area. It seems like both Shapes and Albin were notified pf what was going on here, given their expressions. The two newcomers greet you and Mike, but clearly have their minds on other things.

Albin, without a word, kneels down and examines the clearing where the three unconscious people lay.

"The place 'round here is eerie. The difference between this area and the carnival is like night and day" Shapes shares a feeling you can empathize with. He looks at the ground, towards the two unconscious attackers "... looks you guys were busy, huh? Jamesfield told us all about it while we walking" he faces towards you and Mike "we were also able to find out about some things while asking around, too."

"I bet you had a blast over there on that rollercoaster" Mike mumbles without looking at him, a bit bitterly at that. Shapes catches his words, and defends himself by saying he only went on it 'once, for research purposes', but this doesn't seem to make Mike any less annoyed for some reason.

"This is the one you were talking about, isn't he?" Albin points at the one of them, the one bearing who once bared a knife and has a hollow tooth. Jamesfield nods.

[2/2]

>Mediate between Mike and Shapes, the last thing you need here is an actual argument happening. You are curious about what Shapes, and Albin for that matter, have found. It could potentially be connected to the situation at hand.
>Observe how Albin and Jamesfield remove the tooth, as the senior Noir seems to be preparing himself to do. It may not bring you any foreseeable benefits to just look and ask questions, but it is very interesting nonetheless.
>Try to make sure everyone is on the same page and strategize on what everyone should do next. It would be ideal if the Lady were to be able to participate as well in this, but it's good to have a start. Besides, you all need to work together in order to deal with the fallout of this.
>Write-in.

>>6113799
>Observe how Albin and Jamesfield remove the tooth, as the senior Noir seems to be preparing himself to do. It may not bring you any foreseeable benefits to just look and ask questions, but it is very interesting nonetheless.

>>6113799
>Try to make sure everyone is on the same page and strategize on what everyone should do next. It would be ideal if the Lady were to be able to participate as well in this, but it's good to have a start. Besides, you all need to work together in order to deal with the fallout of this.

>>6113852
>Pulling Out Teeth

>>6113886
>Same Page Progress

Will roll and start writing in a few hours.

Rolled 2 (1d2)

>>6114279
>1 Teeth
>2 Strategy

Sorry anons but unfortunately I won't be able to write today. Tomorrow might be the same story, but I'll try my best to squeeze out the update if I can.

But for now you will try to get everyone on the same page and up to date.

"Before everyone goes on, I think we should take a moment to talk about what we've found before we do anything" you speak to the awake Noirs in general, vying to start a strategy. A small voice in the back of your head makes you think it might be in vain, but it seems to have gotten the job done. Well for the most part at least, Mike seemed to still be annoyed.

"He's right" was the response from Jamesfield, now taking over "we should make sure we're all on the same page. We don't want to come to any assumptions while we're working here. Anyone wishes to start?"

"Let's get this over with" Mike said. You both looked at each other, and with a nod, began to recount what had happened while you two were gone.

Compared to what happened here, it was rather minimal. The search, the Strongman, and the gunpowder which would soon become fireworks were spoken of. Shapes commented on how it's illegal to have fireworks without a license, but Albin countered by saying how for a place like this it was nothing. Jamesfield brought up how suspicious the whole thing was, and the rest of the (concious) Noirs agreed. Albin stated that he would look into it later.
Other than that, there was nothing much else to comment on save for the fortunate decision you and Mike had deliberated upon to seek out Jamesfield and the Lady.

"This is the part where me and the Lady come in, I'll handle it from here" said the Noir leader, after you and Mike had clearly finished speaking.

He retold what he had said to you almost word for word. There were a few added superfluous details, such as how the last bars from the gate had been removed, how the chloroform doused fabric that was used against the Lady was likely still under the coat of the man, or how there were more dandelions this year than the last. When the subject was reached, Albin was keenly interested in the section about the corpse along with Jamesfield's certainty that it was the body of the electrician--Joseph Quinous. Shapes on the other hand was uncharacteristically silent through the whole thing.

You personally had reservations about the whole thing.

"But you mentioned we couldn't be sure about that part until we could look at his face" you said, referring to the connection between the corpse and the man you saw earlier.

"Now we can" Jamesfield puts his hand under his coat and takes out some rather surgical looking gloves "I got a few things that might help."

"So what are we waiting for?" Mike said. Like Shapes he had been silent, but that was more due to him already having the gist of what was going on.

[1/3]

>>6115201
"Not so fast" replied Jamesfield "we still got some tales left in the tank" he motioned to the rest of you "we all found some interesting things, I gather."

"I know I did at least" Albin says "but this whole situation puts it in a bit of a different light."

"Yeah, you and Pagliacci really hit it off I heard" commented Mike.

"I wouldn't say we were on the best terms, you know" Albin said with a chuckle "I believe he finds me good company, at least. But that's not really relevant in terms of what I've found, you know?"

The most senior Noir continued on, speaking about a manager who was, in Albin's own words, 'not just corrupt, but sloppy'. It was apparently quite the ordeal to pinpoint his location, despite the man leaving 'painfully obvious' evidence of his being wherever he went. This manager, a Martin Espinoza, had a wide collection of people under him. Many of whom shared a strong dislike of him, but others seemed to think highly of him for reasons Albin didn't have the time to find out. Espinoza was deeply connected to the E.V.L and the I.A.C, and from what Albin understands was likely was put into the position of manager due to nepotism. While the old Noir searched for any connections this manager might've had with the police, looking at the rumors as a guide, but they proved to be fruitless. However, he did find proof that there were some 'half-undercover' (as Albin put it) policemen prowling around here. Yet more concerningly he heard about a deeper security service that ran down the ladder of the E.V.L, likely clandestine in nature.

"... but it's best to take all of that with a grain of salt. I've only been able to confirm what I could in the time I had" Albin concluded "now, if you don't mind" he then proceeded to take his attention back towards the unconscious man.

[2/3]

>>6115202
"Shapes?" Jamesfield said. You all, save for Albin and the Lady, looked at the man in question.

"Yeah?" said he.

"Find anything?" Jamesfield said.

"Sort of" Shapes cleared his throat "but nothing like Albin or you guys found. The ride was lousy" Mike rolled his eyes "and not in the way you think. It was rusty and janky, lookin' like it was gonna bite the dust after how fast it went. I'm not seein' it lasting the weekend, let alone a whole 'nother year. The head-honcho of the place wasn't any help neither. Just said she was just there to punch a clock, nothin' more."

"Wasn't the fella that ran the place a guy named Murrey?" Mike interjected.

"Not anymore. He's outta the picture for a new gal; a broad called Milly, and I’m thinkin’ she’s tied up with the big top. They had a bunch of security like theirs at least."

"You manage to nail down anything?" Jamesfield asked.

"Sort of?" Shapes repeated with a shrug "the only person I could talk to was Milly, she had a bit of a creepy smile like Bea's" the Noirs that were neither unconscious nor in the middle of pulling out teeth glanced at each other with a knowing look "and she knew how to keep mum at the right times, but the security did what she wanted 'em to when asked."

After that the three Noirs continued to compare things with one another, mostly repeating and reevaluating. Thankfully it seemed like Mike's annoyance had dissipated for the most part, mostly thanks to Shape's lack of sheepishness. You saw the Lady stir from the corner of your eye. Jamesfield turned his head to her, having noticed her movement as well.

[3/3]

>"Who's Bea?" You'd like to know, at least for context's sake, while Jamesfield tended to the Lady.
>"So, we can all agree that these two are probably part of the 'deeper security' Albin was talking about, right?"
>"I think the Lady might be waking up." Best to bring notice to it, you suppose.
>Write-in.

>>6115206
>"I think the Lady might be waking up." Best to bring notice to it, you suppose.

>>6115206
>"I think the Lady might be waking up." Best to bring notice to it, you suppose.

>>6115221
>>6115432
>Wake Up Call

Writing.

"I think the Lady might be waking up."

That seems to take the attention of all the Noirs (save for Albin, who is preoccupied), and they gather around her.

You see her open her eyes and slowly look around. She blinks once, then twice, and gets up with Jamesfield's help.

"I missed something" she states matter-of-factly before brushing dirt and dandelion seeds off of herself.

"You did" said Jamesfield "want the quick of it?"

"If you would" says she "but first, here" she gives him back his coat, which he had placed behind her head "thank you, but you'll get a cold without it."

And so with a nod Jamesfield puts on the article and fills her in, first informing her about what happened immediately after she passed out before telling her about about what everyone else found. Shapes and Mike were speaking to each other as she was being brought up to speed, the two men now talking about the potential connections between the woman Shapes had met and some other past case Albin was apparently presiding over. The two simultaneous conversations sometimes merged with each other or overlapped.

"Hmm" she said "that's unfortunate."

"Her and this Martin fella, I bet they're tight with the same crew" says Mike to Shapes, in reply to a theory he was entertaining. Despite talking to him, the fighter seemed to have his concentration on other things.

"It does look obvious" replied Shapes "that's why I think there's more to this. I mean, it'd be a real snooze if they're both just connected to the E.V.L" Mike seemed to agree with the first part, but then frowned more than usual at the second.

"What is unfortunate?" you say this, trying to focus on a single conversation with medium amounts of success, after the Lady doesn't elaborate further.

"The whole situation" she says impassively "this will take a while to shake off, especially with how the cops are."

"Not if I have anything to say about it" Albin seemed to have been done with the tooth extraction "it might've been years, but this old man still has clout in the force. If worse comes to worse, I can call in some favors" you'll admit that is reassuring to hear.

[1/2]

>>6116165
"How did it go?" asked Shapes.

"You're talking about the tooth?" said Albin, Shapes confirming with a 'yeah'. You admit you had almost completely forgotten about that "it was a success. Remember that case with Oasis?" he says, and both your and Jamesfield's interest is piqued "well there was-"

Without warning, Mike pounces on one of the seemingly unconscious men. It was the one that tried to shank him earlier, you realized. The man twitches, then suddenly opens his eyes, and after a second and a half he jolts with nearly impossible speed. But his flight was folied by a cruel kick from the kickboxer, and was knocked out cold again. After this Jamesfield checks the other man, smooth talking and now with one less tooth, and confirms he's still out for the count.

"... I think it's time to tie them up" you say. The rest of the Noirs agree, and Jamesfield takes out some twain rope.

With the Noirs all bunched together again, you feel they're rubbing off on you. Consequently, your awareness has increased.

[2/2]

>You and the Noirs will discuss on what to do with the two attackers, and if they should be interrogated now or just handed over to the police (suggestions can be made on what to do with those two, just be aware of the possibility of Johan not being able to convince them. Johan will default to going along with the Noirs if no suggestions are made).
>Albin and the Lady were curious about the body, and now equipped with gloves provided by Jamesfield they wished to look at it. You would follow them, whether out of a desire to confirm the identity of the electrician or mere morbid curiosity.
>Before getting interrupted, Albin was about to say something about that tooth and connection to the hotel you were staying at. You and Jamesfield wished to find out what it was, and asked him about it.
>Write-in.

>>6116166
>Before getting interrupted, Albin was about to say something about that tooth and connection to the hotel you were staying at. You and Jamesfield wished to find out what it was, and asked him about it.

>>6116166
>Before getting interrupted, Albin was about to say something about that tooth and connection to the hotel you were staying at. You and Jamesfield wished to find out what it was, and asked him about it.
That's more personal...

>>6116170
>>6116209
>Tooth And Nail

Writing.

The tooth related to a more personal matter.

And with that in mind you decided to find how it related to the hotel, if at all, sooner rather than later.

You, Jamesfield following close behind, approach the oldest Noir. He is speaking to Mike and the Lady about something or another.

"How this sort of thing was able to go under our radars is strange. I'm sure there would've been some notice or evidence, especially with how we looked at the archives" said Albin.

"Don't remind me" grumbled Mike.

"We have more knowledge for next time, so it wasn't a waste" you had the suspicion she was subtly defending a stance of hers that you weren't aware of "knowing how things are run, I doubt this was written down in the books or seen by the eyes of the fuzz."

"You never know" replied Albin "incompetence is never to be underestimated and stranger things have happened before."

"There's a 'strange thing' by the river if you wanna look at it" Mike quipped.

"I'd be glad to. However, I think I'll be delayed on that front" he turns his attention to both you and Jamesfield "I'm guessing this is about the tooth."

"Yes" Jamesfield confirmed in a nod.

"I was more interested in how it connected to Hotel Oasis" you explained.

"Makes sense. You're staying there, aren't you?" asked Albin. He already knew the answer "but that requires a bigger story to provide context."

"The tooth?" you inquired.

"More specifically what I found in it" Albin stated "get yourselves comfortable, this might be a long one. Depending how many details you two want, that is."

"This has to do with one of those 'stranger things' you mentioned, right?" you recall the Noirs talking about how the Hotel Oasis was a 'hotspot' for oddities. Other than the gym exploding you haven't really noticed anything out of the ordinary. Then again you have only been booked there for less than a week. Hardly enough time to get a good feel for things.

"Yes and no. It was a missing person case, a couple years before the 'gym incident', mundane in one of the worst possible ways. We found out it was a kidnapping, and the person responsible had a tendency to leave gilded nails as a signature of sorts."

"You're saying these people were kidnappers?" you glanced at the criminals in question, now bound to a tree.

"No, that is someone else entirely" a small relief, you think. Albin produces the tooth in question and gently pops it open "yet our 'friend' here has some interesting bits and bobs lying around."

A golden nail, less than half the size of a pea, was lodged in one of the walls in the inside of the tooth. It had four carvings of arrows, each pointing to a different direction like a compass, ingrained on its head. These were surrounded by small square dots that were by the edges of the head.
There were some other objects alongside it, the most notable being a miniature playing card (a Jack) and a what looked like a minuscule kitchen knife.

[1/2]

>>6116848
"Is there any way to contact this kidnapper?"

"Last we heard he died in prison. Although that might be in question, seeing how people like that electrician were apparently still walking."

"That all hinges on if it's the same stiff that Johan laid eyes on earlier" Jamesfield said.

"Wait, what does this have to do with Hotel Oasis?" you asked, trying to get back on the topic.

"I was getting there" Albin continued "the last place the kidnapped had been seen was in that hotel. We went there to investigate, not too long before something else had lead us there. I think this was when the staff was starting to get enough of us, that Bea girl in particular was pretty annoyed. It was there that we found the nail, almost identical to the one I just showed you but exponentially larger, smack in the middle of the room's chaos like the eye of a tornado. There were quite a few others, each bearing a different message and symbol on them. It was quite the chase" the Noir reminisced fondly "but eventually it had to end. I'll spare you the details, but we were able to trick him into coming back to the hotel and set up an ambush. Well I say we ambushed him, but it was Mike who did most of the heavy lifting in the fight."

Somewhere in the middle of that conversation Albin had closed the tooth again and placed it in a small, clear, ziplock bag. Shapes made a comment about the Hotel, specifically referencing the attic as being 'a place that gave me the heebie-jeebies'.

[2/2]

>"Would it be too much to ask about the missing person?" It could help you get a new lead. Another Noir will probably accompany you if you decide to get answers this way, however that might not be entirely bad considering the situation.
>"Anything about the other items in there?" You find the collection of things inside the tooth to be bizarre.
>"Do you guys think that the hotel will be affected by this sort of stuff?" It is a bit worrying.
>Write-in.

>>6116849
>"Anything about the other items in there?" You find the collection of things inside the tooth to be bizarre.
Objects to keep an eye out for. But what do they mean?

>>6116849
>"Would it be too much to ask about the missing person?" It could help you get a new lead. Another Noir will probably accompany you if you decide to get answers this way, however that might not be entirely bad considering the situation.

Rolled 1 (1d2)

>>6116851
>Objects And Answers

>>6116907
>Witness Protection

Will roll between these now to get started. Might not be able to write today.

"Anything about the other items in there?"

You point at the tooth right before Albin is able to put it in one of his pockets.

"Yes" says the old Noir.

"Will you tell us what it is?" you ask after he doesn't elaborate.

"I need to properly verify these before making any assumptions" said he "it wouldn't be right to just give off an opinion that might lead us to chase geese from a first glance."

"Isn't it the job of a detective to make assumptions about the things you see?" you say. You're not really sure that's how it goes, but it sounds about right "and shouldn't it be the police's job to look after evidence?"

"That depends on the situation" he looks at you for another moment. You don't miss the odd look he and Jamesfield gave you in the latter question you'd made "but if you really want to know about these things, I can give you my thoughts."

"I got a hunch where this is headin', but I'd also like to hear it straight from you" Jamesfield interjected. You voicing a similar desire to hear his opinion soon after, though still in the dark about the implications.

"Very well. But don't expect this to be the be-all end-all, you know?" he gave a quick smile, it being tempered as he spoke on "with that said, there isn't much to go by except wordless messages, microdots, and potential symbolism. There were a few small compartments in this fellow" he lifted up the bag with the tooth in it "and with many potential things places to 'store' items in there. Which leads me believe this was some sort of message we've intercepted."

"Probably a briefing on the stich, if you ask me" Jamesfield adds.

"I was assuming the same thing" said Albin, turning to him briefly "sort of like what Mike likes to do, in a way. Although, he wouldn't be prideful enough to just keep on fighting."

"Unless they wanted to get captured?" you propose.

"Unlikely. I've been in my share of scuffles, and I know when mugs are givin' it their all. They put up too much fight for that" Jamesfield gave his imput.

But on the subject of Mike, you looked around to see his reaction for what you imagined was a mixture of praise from both Albin and Jamesfield, especially since he'd been rather quiet lately. You start to feel alarmed when you realize that he, and the Lady for that matter, were gone.

"They went to check out the corpse" Shapes clarified. When did that happen? You feel a bit ashamed not to have noticed.

[1/2]

>>6117786
"Something I'd like to get to as well, you know?" said Albin as well, as he moved towards the place in question.

>"Wait, can you tell me what the 'symbolism' could mean?" It'll take some of his time, and might be meaningless in the end, but you're too curious to leave that hanging.
>Let him go, you can always ask later. It's clear he wants to look at the body, so it would be best not to delay him.
>Write-in.

"With that" Jamesfield continued a few minutes of silence had descended from Albin's departure. He looked at the two criminals, still knocked out and still tied to that tree "I’m startin’ to wonder if these two shmoes had nothin’ to do with that other fella gettin' whacked."

"Why's that?" Shapes asks.

"I dunno. It's just a gut feeling" he responds, closing his eyes in deep thought for a minute before taking out a notebook from his coat and flipping through the pages.

[2/2]

>Try to see what the Head Noir's hunch is all about. You might be of help, but you may just as likely get in the way (if picking this choice roll me a 2d100, best of three).
>Might as well catch the others that are looking at the dead, see how they're doing. You'll probably catch the tail end of what's going on, but you'd still like confirmation nontheless.
>You would inspect the two men that had attacked you both. This could be redundant since the Noirs have already done so, but who knows you might find something they overlooked.
>Write-in.

>>6117787

>"Wait, can you tell me what the 'symbolism' could mean?" It'll take some of his time, and might be meaningless in the end, but you're too curious to leave that hanging.
>Might as well catch the others that are looking at the dead, see how they're doing. You'll probably catch the tail end of what's going on, but you'd still like confirmation nontheless.

>>6117787
>"Wait, can you tell me what the 'symbolism' could mean?" It'll take some of his time, and might be meaningless in the end, but you're too curious to leave that hanging.
>You would inspect the two men that had attacked you both. This could be redundant since the Noirs have already done so, but who knows you might find something they overlooked.