Following the leads (Closed, ooc welcome.)

[Star Lin]

(ooc: A joint RP done between John Waterstrike and Paul Desmond.)

 

 

John Waterstrike let out a breath, looking over the Silver Bazaar.  What Paul see is a blue/purple hair miqo’te, maybe in his early 20s.  He relaxes as the fairy settle on his shoulder, in his arms is a notebook that has several pieces of paper sticking out of it, and it seems a few of them look like newspaper articles.  His upper left arm has a thin slash mark that though is heal, if looks old yet it looks as if it had just healed.  His lower right arm has several thin scars lines, almost like the skin had been peal from the area and then heal back.  John’s eyes land on the blond hyur in black.  “Are you Inspector Desmond, Sir?”

 

Paul Desmond was wrapping up his conversation and then says as step away, “Tell me as soon as you hear anything.”  He then looks for the sound of the voice and locates it.  “I am… who are you?”  He turns around and takes several paces to John.

 

John felt his face heat up, “I’m um, John Waterstrike, Sir.”  He isn’t sure if Paul had received the letter he had sent the day before.  His tail flickers as he says, “I was hoping to um, thank you for offering to help when I was kidnapped, Sir Desmond.”  He shifted the notebook a little, giving an unsure glance to it.

 

Paul then pieces it together.  “Ah, John was it?  It’s good to see that you survived.  I know from experience most abductions the victim doesn’t sur-“  He stops.  He thinks about what he is saying.  His Lissa may not survive the first two days.  “Ah, what can I do for you?”

 

John straighten his shoulders before nodding.  “I um, wasn’t sure myself, about surviving that is, but I was more afraid for Kit.”  The fairy cuddles into John’s neck.  “I, um, won’t keep you since you, um, seem to be working on a case right now but…” he trails off, looking down at the notebook.  “But, um, I think there was a… Sir, Ehvar may not have been killed by The Viper… I’m sure there was another there…” and trails off again as his nerves gets the better of him.

 

Paul wipes his hand over his mouth and then drops it to his side.  “You think there was someone else there?”  His interest peaks a bit.  “What makes you say that?”  He eyes John with a perceptive look, trying to ascertain if he is being truthful.

 

“I’ve been following the case… in the paper at least,” John said, looking up at Paul before flipping the notebook open.  “In all the articles, The Viper has killed with poison and daggers.  Every single one.  Yet…” he flips the page, looking over the article to gather his thoughts.  "The bloodflowers are new and from… from what a friend told me a little goes a long way but the fact that there was a bullet wound…”  His eyes narrow a bit before he looks at Paul.  “Sir, it’s a long distance weapon that was used.  Viper gets up close, he wants them to see death coming.  The fact that Ehvar has a bullet hole in his chest goes against how Viper kills.”

 

Paul nods slowly while listening.  He thinks over the information for a moment then looks back up at John.  “Would you happen to know anyone who might attack like this?  Anyone who may use bloodflower in their poison?”

 

John ducks his head and blush.  “I don’t know, Sir.  My friend… he said that he doesn’t know of a source but…” he said, flipping back through the book.

 

Paul looks at him curiously.  “But what…?  What is it?”

 

John looks over the article.  “Um, she probably isn’t involved but she might have an idea on who could be making it.  I think she was free by the Viper a while ago but… I could be wrong on it too.  Her name is um… M’lissa Keht.”  He frowns a bit.  “I still feel like that didn’t involve the Viper either,” he mutters, rereading the article and tapping his finger again a part.

 

Paul nods slowly.  “Ah, yes.  I remember her.  And you just concluded this from the papers?  Those stories lead you to this conclusion?”

 

Kit looks over the article from her place on John’s shoulder.  ‘Dealt the poison but why attack the guards?’ she asked.

 

John worried on his lip.  “Maybe… she wasn’t involve in that death…”  Did the Viper have information that would have freed her?  He blinks and blushes.  “In… in all of them it has been poison and daggers.  Every single article up to this last one…”  He ducks his head, realizing that he must have look foolish with trying to solve the case just from reading the newspaper.  “It just doesn’t fit his MO…” he said.

 

“Hm…”  Paul thinks fora moment.  “You bring up some valid points.  One thing is for sure, though.  There are two to worry about: Viper… and this Fleur.  Do be careful, John.  They are highly dangerous even with what you suspect.”

 

John jerks his head up, blinking at Paul.  “I… I understand, Sir.  Especially if my friend is right and Viper has… has lost himself to the Code.”  He closes his notebook.  “If this is something to try and set the Viper in a bad light… um, not that taking justice in your own hand is right…”  He clears his throat.  “He probably was thinking that it was, especially if I’m right about a leak in the Blades…”  He blush this time.  “Ah, I’m probably reading too much into the articles again.

 

“Please be careful, Sir.  If Pic…my friend is right and he has lost himself to the Code… then he might do something to see the next one that needs to be punish may go very wrong.”

 

Paul put up his hands.  “Woah, hold on.  What was that about losing himself to the code?  What code?”  Paul pondered in his mind what this could be, but if John knew something about it, he would hear it.

 

John blinks this time then smacks his forehead.  Pick did say that Rogues weren’t really known outside La… was it right to tell Paul.  “Um, that, um, what my friend said… that there’s a Code and…”

 

“You’re ‘friend’, huh?  Alright, I think I get the idea.  I don’t think that the Viper operates with them or in their moral gray area.  You mention something else: a leak in the Blades.  The transferred officer?”

 

John breath a sigh, though it did make him concern that Viper wasn’t part of the Rogues like Pick had been before he had to get away from the blood that stain his hands.  “Um, yes… if the officer was killed that means he might have been leaking information to… to someone else.  Either he was the leak to the Viper or… or the Viper found out that he was leaking information to someone else.  Since he was the only one attack and poison then I… I think he might have been sending information.”

 

“Valid concern,” Paul says with a nod again.  “No doubt investigators are considering this.  But I was taken off the case months ago, or rather, I’m focusing on other things.  Again I urge you to be careful if you hear of him or his alleged accomplice.”

 

“He also might not be the only leak.  Someone has to be feeding information to Viper about the ones that do slip through the cracks.  It could be an arresting officer on the cases…or one of the lawyers working with the city to put the criminals behind bars…” John trails off as remembering that one of the articles mention Sir Desmond wasn’t working the Viper case any longer.  “I will be and I’ll try to get word to you if I hear anything, Sir.”  He looks up at the sky, noticing the way the sun was hanging.  “Ah, I’ve kept you long enough, Sir.”  He places the book in his pack.  “I should head out too.  Warren will be expecting me to help out with healing at the Grindstone.”  He bows to Paul.  “Also, please be careful, Sir.”

 

Paul makes a curious face.  He was a perceptive one.  He thought perhaps he’d keep an eye on him where possible.  “And you, John.  May the wind be on your back.”

 

“May Thaliak’s wisdom guide your way.”  John whistle for Safire, climbing onto the bird.

 

Kit giggles.  ‘If you ever need a healer, we’ll be glad to help,’ she said, waving her tiny hand at Paul.

 

Paul looks at the fairy and makes a pain smile.  He waves back, “Isn’t that nice…” he says softly.

 

John is about to start off but notices the pain.  “Sir… are you alright…”

 

“I’ll be fine.  Be careful, both of you.”

 

“Kit’s right, Sir.  If you need healing… I’ll be glad to help… um, you don’t have a reaction to aetherical healing do you?”

 

Paul shakes his head.  “That I do not.”

 

John moves his chocobo over.  He places his glove hand on Paul’s shoulder, feeling the vibration of his aether through his gloves.  His aether gathers in his hand, letting it soak into Paul to ease not only the pain, but whatever wound he had.  “It’s not much but this should help until you have someone check you over.  It won’t do for you to go into a fight injury.  I learnt that much from healing at the ‘Stone.”  He gives a quick smile.  “We’ll be fine.  Take care.”

 

Paul smiles and then gives John a two-finger salute.

 

John pulls his hand back and makes Safire head for the gate of the Bazaar.