Day 12 | Nexus and Elsewhere

[justichthys]

Who: Open post!
What: There are a few prompts that can be played with, but, generally speaking, space marines in 21st century Japan.
Where: The nexus … and a portal to Somewhere Completely Different
When: Day 12


What happens when you add together: 1) a dimensional nexus that transcends time and space, and 2) a formerly shattered-to-beyond-oblivion multiverse?

Well …

It’s the twelfth day since the nexus opened its doors. People — whether they’re brightly colored space marines, long dead Freelancers, or assorted others — have been doing as people will do; some minding their own business, others getting all up in whatever, or whoever, they can. No doubt that more than a couple of visitors have figured out how to make the portals work for them, opening up the gateways between universes. However, today … today, there's a slight twist to the tale.

The portals don't lead to the MoI, crashed or otherwise. They don't lead to Chorus, either, or a simulation base. No. Today, the portals allow access to twenty first century Japan — downtown Tokyo, to be specific, in the middle of summer. Bet you weren't expecting that! But wait, it gets better …

I. Prompt 1: Nice Costume, Cosplayer!

They're animanga fans, and they love your armor. They want pictures. They want pictures with you. Can they try on your helmet?

Or maybe you're just, y’know, trying to mind your own business while literally everyone stops and turns to stare. There may be a lecture about when and where cosplay is appropriate waiting in the wings, or maybe it’s just that nobody — nobody — is willing to take you seriously.

II. You Didn’t Do It! … Or Did You?

You were just accused of murder.

Yes, you.

Maybe you did it, maybe you didn't. Maybe you were actually caught red handed, smoking gun and all! Maybe you were in the wrong place at the time — or, hell, is there even a body? Whatever the case may be, you're the prime suspect, and the police (or sassy high school detectives) are never far away.

III. The Lucky Wildcard

If you're not being mistaken for a cosplayer or facing down a charge for murder in the first degree, what are you up to? Whether you're in Japan, back in the nexus, or in any of the newly linked universes; anything goes!

Comments

II

[purrtylittlewires]

[He's not actually accused of murder. No, he's actually one of the junior officers in actual uniform. Looking like he's already so done with everything because he's gotten used to how these murders seem to go.]

[Why is it NEVER the obvious suspect, why is the killing method always insane, WHY ARE THERE ALWAYS TEENAGERS? Aoko, why is your world weird.]

Re: II

[imaghostmotherfucker]

Remind me again why we thought coming here was a good idea.

[Church is also done with this shit. So many levels of done.]

Re: II

[purrtylittlewires]

Because we always run into world ending bullshit back home and because Aoko has us totally whipped.

Re: II

[imaghostmotherfucker]

[considers this]

...Yeah, point.

Doesn't make this any less stupid.

Re: II

[purrtylittlewires]

It really doesn't. At least it's only ONE of the teenager detectives and Habkua's track record is somewhat reasonable.

[It seems like the more teen detectives there are, the more insane the murders get.]

Re: II

[imaghostmotherfucker]

Still, you'd think they would've noticed by now that it's never the obvious suspect. Like, ever. Even when there's only one teen detective.

Re: II

[purrtylittlewires]

It is a pretty obvious pattern. Even if it is the obvious one, they never have such obvious clues. It's either obvious suspect, or plentiful clues, never both.

Re: II

[imaghostmotherfucker]

It's like living in a shitty detective story. That just keeps on going on and on.

And has kids running around.

Also magic.

Re: II

[purrtylittlewires]

I think we're mostly the magic.

At least I think the actual kid isn't one because of magic, I never did get that explanation.

[He saw one of Shinichi's memories, Conan was fucked.]

Re: II

[imaghostmotherfucker]

Dude, I'm not gonna believe there's not some kind of crazy magic bullshit going on here. It's the only way to explain all the stupid.

Re: II

[purrtylittlewires]

You do realize we dealt with a lot of stupid with no magic, right?

Re: II

[imaghostmotherfucker]

There's different kinds of stupid. This is the kind that you can't just explain with people being fucking idiots.

Re: II

[purrtylittlewires]

Not all of the stupid was people being idiots.

Some was being evil.

II

[justichthys]

[ Agent California, ex-Freelancer and current member of the Red team, has been here – in the middle of this familiar, far too familiar city – for no more than an hour when it happens:

A body plummets out of a high window, landing in a messy, broken heap on the sidewalk. She'd been in that building not even five minutes ago, buying herself a bagel with change she'd found on the floor and brainstorming, desperately, for somewhere she can safely stash her armor – no luck; she's still wearing all of it right now, including the helmet.

Then comes the shouting, the screaming. Cali edges back from the crowd, just in time for …

… The shrill, echoing declaration that oh my god, the cosplayer is the murderer! ]

W, wait a second … You're talking about me?!

[ Somebody save her. ]

Re: II

[purrtylittlewires]

[He just wanted his coffee, damnit. But now there's screaming about a murder and accusations and just. He should have known.]

[SIGH.]

EVERYONE CALM DOWN! And let me through, I'm a police officer! [At least he's got enough volume to get attention as he makes his way through the people.] No one leaves until we get your statements and information.

[He's pulling out his phone to make the call when he reaches the body.]

[And Cali.]

[And freezes, staring at her with wide, shocked eyes.]

[justichthys]

[ She startles at the sound of that voice, quickly looking up and over. No way … There's just no way; he couldn't be here of all places. Not unless she’d been right all of those hours ago, when she’d first woken up in an alleyway with towering Tokyo skyscrapers rising up around her: maybe this really is all just some messed up fever dream — some game being played against her. ]

… Wash—?

[ “It’s okay, officer!” One of the pluckier, evidently more self-important members of the crowd — there’s a Detectives of Japan fanzine poking out of his satchel, which may explain a thing or two — fastens his hand tightly around Cali’s wrist. “We caught the culprit red-handed!”

He either ignores or is completely oblivious to the way California goes very stiff and very still, valiantly fighting down the reflexive urge to twist the guy’s arm up his back and send him to the floor. Or throw him across the street. One or the other. ]

You caught me buying a bagel, you idiot. [ Somehow she manages to keep her voice on the “pleasant” side of frosty. Freak out later, avoid arrest now. ] Take your hand off me and let the — the officer do his job. [ She could easily wrench her wrist away. But with a crowd this worked up, there's every chance that it would only fan the flames. ]

[purrtylittlewires]

[Oh god. Yep. Yep, that's Aoko's voice, but that's ARMOR, armor he remembers from memories that still aren't his, and oh god oh god oh god-]

[Cali may recognize that whole shutting down every goddamn emotion to be in control.]

[He looks down at the body.]

It would be rather impressive if she was the killer.

Considering the distance of the blood splatter, that implies they fell from a high window. And considering when people were screaming, she'd have to go down several flights of stairs in....what? Two seconds?

[He looks up with a very deadpan face.] So it's not likely.

[Even if she COULD do that in the armor, but...well, no one needs to know that.]

[justichthys]

[ The way all emotion bleeds out of his voice and expression is as familiar to Cali as the city around her — or maybe even more so. What she doesn't understand is why. There would be no need for a figment in a crazy dream to shut down that way. No reason why Wash would need that distance to stay in control. No reason why Puma — thinking the name sends a pang through her even now — would recognise the armor, or her voice; the helmet and radios always lead to distortion. ]

[ She looks at him, really looks, searching for identifying markers or any sign of something off. He’s older, just a little. Better rested. He’s … ]

[ The detective nerd isn't convinced. “But look,” He insists. “She’s got the murder weapon — fuck, ow!!”

Apparently, if grabbing a twitchy space marine by the wrist is enough to test their patience, grabbing their pistol is enough to snap it. Cali smacks the guy’s hand before he can free the weapon from its mag-holster, and while it isn't a strong blow by any means, it's enough that he let's go pretty damn quick and hops away, cursing, clutching his hand. ]

Oops! Sorry! [ She tries to sound apologetic. Tries being the keyword. ] It's a delicate cosplay prop, you know; you'd have broken it.

[purrtylittlewires]

You really aren't used to cosplayers, are you? They can be pretty defensive about their outfit. Especially one like that. Probably takes an hour to get on on a good day.

That gun also doesn't exist. [He tilts his head.] The barrel doesn't match any gun I've seen, and I'm an expert on short to mid-range firearms. And the finger guard is rather big.

Made for a universe where space armor exists, so you'd just have the guard for the whole hand. One finger while wearing something like that would be ridiculous.

Are you saying she somehow built a whole new gun and apparently figured out teleportation, just to murder someone on a crowded street? Come on, someone THAT smart would find a way to do it more quietly and with less eyewitnesses.

[justichthys]

[ Our wannabe detective sputters indignantly, curled over his — undoubtedly bruised, but certainly not broken, the weenie — hand. The crowd titters all around them, some chiming in that the cop is right, some speculating that maybe the accuser is trying to cover up his own dastardly crime. A couple are whispering loudly about the craftsmanship of her cosplay. Gosh, it must have taken her forever to put that armor together … ]

[ “Wh — b-but … c’mon, man!” ]

[ Cali folds her arms across her chest. ] Stop wasting all of our time. The officer has a call to make, and he can't do it if he's trying to keep idiots like you from flinging around baseless accusations.

[ He's covering for her. He knows as well as she does that she'd have been perfectly capable of pulling it off, so either he genuinely doesn't think she’s the culprit, or … or … Well. Whatever the reason, it makes her stomach jolt with butterflies. ]

[ He skulks back into the crowd, pouting. ]

[purrtylittlewires]

[He's fairly sure she didn't do it.]

[He's also fairly sure if she DID do it, she wouldn't waste time throwing the guy out the window when the power armor could be used to literally rip the guy's head off and she could have stayed inside.]

This is a murder investigation. If you can't even answer how she threw a guy from a window and got down to the ground floor first, then you're getting nowhere fast. If you want to help, then watch that no one is running off.

[And he's pulling out his phone to actually make the call to the police, scanning the crowd briefly. Then again, Cali knows that's all he needs to do to get all he really needs for faces.]

[justichthys]

[ The guy mutters something mutinous, shoulders hunching up. Aww, poor thing, his pride has been wounded. But to his credit, he does make a token effort at crowd control, puffing himself back up importantly the moment any of the onlookers make like they're trying to leave. ]

[ As for Cali … ]

[ She stays right where she is, arms folded, as still as any statue. She tries not to watch him. Tries to ignore the butterflies, and the overwhelming surge of disorientation borne of worlds colliding. There's a body on the ground in the middle of her home city, he is there — he's a cop, he knows her — and Cali is … Well. She's there, too. ]

[ While Wash — Puma? — busies himself with following procedure, she forces herself to look out over the crowd, the crime scene, reviewing the facts. Three suspects that she can think of, cause of death is reasonably obvious (do people really think they can hide a poisoning behind blunt force trauma?), motive is — ahh, a little harder, but she doubts it would take much digging. Maybe they won't even need a high school detective for this one. ]

[purrtylittlewires]

[After the call is made, he starts procedure, having everyone take seats in the nearby cafe so he could get names, and getting taking pictures of the crime scene. And...taking notes?]

[Or rather, typing on his phone with his back to Cali, letting her seen the screen.]

['Megure and his people are coming. None from Nakamori's division. I'll try to swing it so I interview you. Kaito is going to get someone unknown to come to retrieve your cosplay and give you normal clothes. Pretend you called them. Your age should keep you from being recognized.']

[justichthys]

[ Kaito. Kaito. Kaito. ]

[ It's been so long since she last saw her childhood best friend, and the thought of being able to see him again, hug him again, hear him say her name—it knocks the breath out of her. Safely hidden behind the visor, Cali closes her eyes tightly. Breathes. And … fakes a cough, too mixed up to think of a better signal to let him know she understood. ]

[ Take away her armor, though? Ha. Right. Good luck with that. The only one here strong enough to lift it is Puma – and it's Puma, it's definitely Puma, she knows it now, oh god – himself. Then there's that little, itty bitty problem where the technology used is several centuries ahead of what's available now, and … well, he'll know what her problem is. ]

[ What one of her problems is. Still, when a nondescript stranger bounces into the cafe with a backpack of clothes and every intention of ordering themselves the most expensive coffee on the menu, Cali pulls off the act flawlessly. ]

[ Megure, along with Takagi and Satou, arrive within fifteen minutes, sweeping onto the scene and taking control with the brisk professionalism of people who deal with horrible murders every day of their lives. (It's not like it's not true.) They're happy to let their star rookie conduct a share of the interviews, including the cosplay lady's. ]

[purrtylittlewires]

[He knows. He knows she's going to hate being out of her armor. But the longer she's IN it, the more likely people are going to realize it's not just flimsy pieces of tin. That it's real, it has bulk, that it's got weapons, and things that don't exist. She's going to be uncomfortable, but until they got a handle on this, it's all they got.]

[Which is also why he got Kaito to get someone who COULD lift the damn armor without it being obviously several hundred pounds.]

[So the question becomes if Cali can even recognize Roxy after years, and a few years on the girl because she had shit to figure out with powers, okay. Then again, it might be hard to forget a girl who revived like she was half rainbows and sparkles. She's intercepted by Puma first, coming in with a rather bulky bag, and after a few words, she goes to order a coffee and moves over to Aoko.]

Sup, kittycat, got yer clothes. Lemme help with that costume. [She even offers a knowing wink. She has no idea what's going on, but when she gets a message of Shenangians and she sees UNSC armor, she can make some guesses.]

[As soon as he can, however, Puma moves over to talk to her.] So, as ridiculous as it is, you are currently the 'prime' suspect. If only to put the accusations to rest.