Behind the Crown [IC], Behind the crown are shadows Options

[Koekepan]

Blue manages to make it back from his burner-dropping tour of the landscape sometime after midnight, but still in the small, small hours.

By this time, Karmakaze has received the key data from her contacts, and been able to collate it to a useful extent.

[Bastard]

When Blue returns early in the morning, Karmakaze is fast asleep. The couch-bed is pulled out for him, with piece of paper left on top. Its a note, reading, """BLUE - There's a sandwich in the fridge - There is whiskey in the desk - I got to make some calls tomorrow - what time should I wake you?"""

[Bastard]

While Blue sleeps, Karmakaze makes more calls. She doesn't find many leads, but PoliDemos turns up again. She makes another round of calls, but finds nothing new.

When Blue awakes, Karma is ready to pass what little information she has.

"""I didn't get anywhere, but our friends at PoliDemos are involved in this. They have been "cleaning up" the neighborhood of illegal activities, including prostitution. They may be involved with Daisy."""

Karma runs down the rest of her findings.

• Students of Justice is just a group of half-assed wannabe terrorists, no record of them being involved or associated with anything organized.
• Go-Go-Delivery is legit, and even sponsor local racing teams.
• No news on organized or other criminal rings in the area.
• The Japanese government is making a move on real estate, which the locals are against, and Ares Macrotech is working to make the grap difficult. If Ares don't keep them out, the elves might, and that could get, messy.

"""Hopefully your decker gets us something more concrete. I am going to visit the furniture guy and see if he knows anything. Then try to contact Daisy. After that, I guess it is back to PoliDemos, right?"""

[pbangarth]

Blue responds to the note before he settles in to bed. Let me have five hours. Then I'll check if Billie has something for us.

[Koekepan]

Karmakaze has the chance to find the retired joiner, and confirms what her online research revealed: that he lives in a tidy-looking little building, old but well-maintained by the looks of things, on a quiet street where the midseason sun cooks wisps of vapour off the tarmac. Everything looks peaceful, with traffic a muted rumble rather than a constantly present swirl. Not exactly a hotspot for the wildly criminal, in her eyes. Then again, with white collar crime being what it is, appearances may be deceiving.

At any rate, his doors are all closed and the loudest sound is an automated mail delivery drone tootling down the street .

[Bastard]

"""Alright Blue, let's check this last dead end and hope that it isn't one."""

Karma is dressed a little more business professional for this visit, but the armor and weapons are still there. Loose pants and a loose light blue button up fit nicely over her form fit armor, make her look more fit rather than slender. She stills wears her armor jacket, but between its style and it being Seattle, doesn't stand out. Her heavy pistol is on her hip, but the automatic is left in the car.

Karmakaze knocks on the door and has her PI badge and identification ready.

[Koekepan]

The door doesn't quite open. Instead a panel in the door, so perfectly fit that the seam isn't apparent, slips open and through the gap (about 40cm on a side) she sees a somewhat wrinkled, human, male face.

"""Can I help you, ma'am?"""

Yes, he does sound rather like an old-school craftsman used to dealing with very high-dollar clients.

And the air from inside smells like sawdust.

[Bastard]

"""Hello, sir. My name is Kris Kahless, I am a PI.""" She shows him her badge and continues. """I am looking for a woman from the enclave area, and I am hoping you can help. You may not have seen her, but you may unknowingly have some information that may help me locate her."""

Still holding her badge and ID up for the man to inspect, she looks over her shoulder and points at her companion. """That is my partner Blue."""

[pbangarth]

Blue tips his hat in response to Karmakaze's acknowledgement, and in respect to the prospective host.

[Koekepan]

The man eyes the ID for a bit, and then says: """All right. Let me go open the garage, and you can sit there."""

He slides the panel shut, and for a bit there's silence until the garage door opens. It's not so much of a garage, as it turns out, and more of a personal carpentry shop. He steps into it from inside the building, and gestures to a very elegantly assembled wooden bench - but so nicely rounded and polished that if it weren't for being all wood, one would be tempted to call it a couch. The rest of the space is taken up by beams and panels of wood, benches, pegboards, tables and a whole army of tools only some of which either Blue or Karmakaze could name.

He leans against a table, and says: """So what do you want to ask me?"""

[Bastard]

"""Thank you. I appreciate your time, sir."""

She waits for the garage door to open. When it does, she finds a well-equipped workshop.

---

Karmakaze enters the shop ahead of Blue. The carpenter asks his question, then she asks hers.

"""I have a few questions, but I hope I won't take too much of your time.

"""I am looking for a call girl by the name of Daisy. You were long gone by the time she was in the enclave area, but it seems no one in the area now is willing to share any information. Our investigation has lead us to believe some sort of land grab or gentrification project is happening, and she may have got caught up in it. I was hoping maybe you accepted an offer to sell, or maybe got threatened, or just figured out what was going on, and moved out. In that case, you might be able to lead us to who is moving in on the area."""

Karma provides him with a description of Daisy, just in case.

""""I know you were probably gone before she was working the area, but maybe you still have friends that will help us find her."""

[Koekepan]

He listens thoughtfully, nodding, while moving to one of his workstations where he takes a rounded piece off a lathe. Then he chooses a very fine sanding sponge and starts to meticulously polish the nooks and crannies of the turned wood.

"""I don't know any call girls, but sure, I can tell you why I retired. Things were going on, peaceful as they get, and then one day the folks from PoliDemos show up, tell me that they're handling security now. I ask them what it means for me, and they say that it means I take down the 'Star cams, and they will put up their own. For free; no cost to me. Sounded like a good deal, but I wasn't born yesterday and I know a squeeze when I see one. They weren't suggesting anything illegal, you know? But they were making it pretty clear that they were moving in. So I sold out and retired."""

[pbangarth]

Blue Doesn't want to interfere in Karmakaze's questioning. This is her bailiwick. Nevertheless, he also want's to be part of the conversation. He chuckles at the mention of PoliDemos.

"""Yeah, we've had some interaction with that bunch ourselves. Your impression is spot on, as far as I can see."""

[Bastard]

"""Thank you, sir. We knew PoliDemos was involved, but not to that extent. Do you have any friends, or know any other business owners that would be willing to help us? Any idea where they would house people they deem "criminals?" I think that is where Daisy is. Maybe we can locate some evidence to turn over to LoneStar, or post on the matrix, and have PoliDemos removed."""

[pbangarth]

Blue thinks while the conversation continues, +++I wonder what the hearth spirit for this place looks like?+++

[Koekepan]

"""No idea, sorry. I'm not in their inner circles. I don't think that they have a prison of their own anyway, I guess they just push undesirables out or something. I didn't cross them, and don't mean to. If your ladyfriend was pushed out, maybe she left with somebody else? I mean, if I were looking for somebody like that I'd look for where her last business manager went.

"""On the other hand, I don't know how many people actually, uh, dislike PoliDemos. They just aren't my style, but I know they were going around and I can't say I heard many grumbles. If you're looking for people who dislike them, check out ... hm. Maybe check the people who used to run the local business neighbourhood watch before PoliDemos closed that down. Surprised? You shouldn't be. The watch had been run by the 'Star, or at least sponsored, and I know that PoliDemos had broken that up."""

[Bastard]

"""I will check with the watch. Thank you for that advice. Anyone else I should contact? Any other business that left when you did?"""

[Koekepan]

"""No, I don't know anybody else who moved around the same time. Not that I would expect most people to; it's not as if PoliDemos was going to be bad for business when they moved in, rather than just a changing of the guard. If you're looking for the watch I'd start with Nordicaf. They're a sort of viking-themed coffee stand off Stone Way, and they were part of it."""

[Bastard]

"""Thank you, Mr. Svensson. This is the first positive lead I have on finding Daisy."""

She turns to Blue, """Do you have any questions that I may have missed? Or are you ready for a cup of Nordic coffee?"""

[pbangarth]

Blue looks around the workshop. """ Well, I do want to get on with the case, but first, Mr, Svenson, I see some of your work here. It looks mighty fine. What sorts of things do you make for people? I'm just wondering, in case I might want something down the road. """

[Koekepan]

He glances around his garage workshop, and chuckles. """I've done a little of everything, but joinery is most of my work. Furniture, like that seat, but also cabinetry. I also do woodturning, of course, but my house construction days are past me. Not that anyone builds that much with wood any more, and I gave up most of those tools long ago. Officially, I'm retired, but if you have a wardrobe or a cabinet that you need, you can give me a call."""

With that, he strokes a calloused hand over the surface of the workbench against which he's leaning, and Blue can tell from the precise fit that an expert craftsman assembled it lovingly.

[Bastard]

"""Again, thank you for the help, Mr. Svensson. Here is my card if you remember anything else."""

Karmakaze handed him her private investigator business card.

She smirks, as not many people use physical business cards anymore, """I am a little old fashioned."""

[Koekepan]

Svensson laughs when he gets the card, but accepts it and tucks it into his back pocket before turning around and, after a moment's rummaging in a toolbox on his bench, comes up with one of his own. It's on stiff white cardstock, and reads: Svensson Handcrafted Joinery along with contact information.

"""Ignore the physical address, that's where the shop used to be."""

[pbangarth]

""" Nordic coffee it is, then. """ Blue follows Karmakaze back to the car.

[Bastard]

Karma accepts the business card with a nod and a small smile.

"""Thank you. I definitely can use some of your handy work at my place. Thank you again for your time."""

She reaches to shake hands with Mr. Svensson before heading off.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"""Nordic coffee it is, then,""" Blue says.

"""Yes. Hopefully this gets us on track to find Daisy. I am hoping she is safe in some policlub prison, which is an odd thing to hope for."""