01 || [Video]

[sleuth_ing]

[Sup, Anatole. There is a confident-looking youth sitting at a table, centered in the camera. Close-cropped blue hair and a matching hat frame an androgynous face, and at first it is difficult to guess the gender of the person gazing keenly at the Forge. The voice, however, is female enough, although on the deep side.Hello. If I understand

Comments

[voice]

[photosbythebed]

All three are possibilities, but if you'll tell me what they are I can help with the lost and found.

You're a consulting detective.

[Headtilt.]

[voice]

[sleuth_ing]

Well, aside from a coat, which I've already replaced, there was a pair of glasses with blue frames. Another is... personal.

[Okay, it's a gun, but she's not sure she wants to go advertising that. The glasses sound more innocuous, so she'll stick with those for now. As for the detective thing...]

I am.

[GOT ANYTHING TO SAY ABOUT IT. HUH. HUH.]

Are you in the market for one?

video;

[unorthodoxies]

[ Japan, hm? 2012? ]

Missing items, huh? I'll help you track 'em down, sweetheart. Haven't got a goddamn thing to do, otherwise.

video;

[sleuth_ing]

["Sweetheart?" ...Twitch. And she's just going to take a good hard look at the person on the feed before she agrees to go gallivanting off with her. Or him.]

Naoto will suffice. Do you know the city very well?

video;

[unorthodoxies]

[ Bluntly - ]

Not at all. Just got here, myself.

But everyone's gotta start somewhere, right, Naoto-chan? And we might as well be in good company, when we do.

video;

[sleuth_ing]

[Okay. There's no need to get sour about the "chan." Some people just like being cutesy. She's going to let it go.]

I... suppose.

[That's not quite as confident-sounding as she was hoping.]

But I wouldn't want to inconvenience you.

[Or herself. She's not sure about this person's seriousness of purpose. They seem... frivolous.]

Video.

[onequarter]

There is a detective agency and a... "Police Force" available for application.

Video.

[sleuth_ing]

Thank you, I'll look into both of those. Do you have a number for either of them? Or are they listed in the Forge directory, perhaps?

[She's still trying to get the hang of sorting through it.]

Text. / man I just realized the inherent playercest involved in her suggestion

[onequarter]

i believe break_onthru is the detective. sakurabito commands the police

Text. / IT'S OKAY i figure Naoto will find Break too ridiculous to live and that'll be that

[sleuth_ing]

Thank you very much. I'll be sure to get in touch with them.

[supercilious]

That boy. Name of Souji?

[sleuth_ing]

[!!! She had been preparing herself for the eventuality that she was here alone. This catches her off-guard.]

Yes! [Er, wait. There is a pause while she regains a professional demeanor.]

Do you know him? Is there a way I can contact him?

[Having him here would go a long way to battling her sense of disorientation. Not to mention loneliness.]

[supercilious]

I'm afraid it's been... more than a year since he left this place. He probably wouldn't even remember it if he returned.

Sorry. Didn't mean to get your hopes up.

[sleuth_ing]

A-ah. It's all right. Statistically, the possibility that I'd know anyone here is nearly non-existent. If the Door really does draw from an infinite number of worlds.

[The facts are doing nothing to mask her disappointment, however.]

You said it's been over a year? [That seems like a staggering amount of time to her, for some reason.] So you've been here... all that time?

video

[calamitousnaiad]

[A Japanese, and from 2012. That saves Verity a lot of her own detective work. Not too far behind her, but just a year too early to know anything about time travel, assuming she was even from the same earth timeline Verity was.]

This place almost feels like a city out of time, doesn't it? Rather more contemporary to 1880 than 2012, certainly. It's an odd place, really.

[She smiles.]

You look so young for a consulting detective! I'm only a bit of an amateur detective, myself. Some might just say I've read too many mystery novels.

[... Ned.]

As to employment, I help run an odd jobs company. It's probably not what you're looking for, though. There is a police department and a little detective agency! I do a bit of work for the latter, myself.

[And then reading the texted names.]

I'm sorry, I don't recognize any of those names. But I'll see if I can help you find your things if you like?

video

[sleuth_ing]

It does. And I've never been to a place where architecture like this is prevalent, so it's been interesting to see and not just read about.

[As for the age thing, she's used to it. It's the gender thing she's been more touchy about.]

It may seem unusual, but it's been an occupation of my family's for several generations. I was raised for it, you could say.

[And wait. Amateur detective? Avid mystery reader? Verity, you might just be her new best friend. She smiles back, slightly.]

There's never such a thing as too many mystery novels.

[Said a bit carefully, like she's not used to telling too many jokes. And she doesn't think this is someone she wants to offend in any way.]

It might depend on the odd job. I have some knowledge of electronics, which seems to go a long way here. I have been informed of both establishments. Could you tell me a little about the detective agency?

[And about the names, she doesn't seem surprised. She'd seen no sign of them on the Forge broadcasts and is assuming the worst case scenario, that she's

video - jeez they're talking about a lot of things

[calamitousnaiad]

There are a few places in England that still have old buildings like this, but it's never quite the same as seeing them full of contemporary people. It's like they're... more alive. Less of a museum piece.

[Kind of like a lot of stuff from 2012, also. An interesting time, just a bit before the pandemic and the terrorist actions against St Paul's. Which somehow reminds her...]

I'm so sorry, I seem to have forgotten my manners entirely. My name is Verity Kindle, I'm from England. Oxford, to be very specific.

[Not going to mention the year if she can get away with it...

Her eyes light up a little and she smiles brilliantly at the little joke. Any excuse to have someone to chat about Lord Peter and Harriet Vane to...]Are you a fan of mystery novels, then, Naoto

video - SOB and Naoto can monologue like a boss when she gets going B|

[sleuth_ing]

Verity-san, it's good to meet you. I thought I recognized the accent, but I couldn't be sure. I've heard of Oxford, England, but I haven't had the chance to visit. What year is it where you come from?

[Sorry, Verity. She's taking notes. But she also sees the excitement in Verity's eyes, and feels an odd thrill of it herself.]

I am! -I mean, I've read very many from the time I was a child. Maybe that seems a little silly, a detective being so heavily into fictionalized mysteries... but I find them very enjoyable.

[And Break and Enter. Really.]

Well. Someone else gave me his number, so I'll give him a call. I don't want to rule out any possibilities, although it sounds as though I might be of more use in the technology area currently.

[Perhaps that's a nice way of saying she's not sure she's interested. Just a tad.]

...Berend's. Yes, I think I did see mention of it on the map...

[She leans down for a few seconds, scritch-scritching on an unseen piece of paper.] That does sound like a fitting starting point, thank you.