so give me coffee & TV

[typhlopid]

Who: Snake (typhlopid) & Diego (beenwaitinglong)
When: Monday, 9/25, afternoon
Where: A coffee shop near SPU
Summary: Snake invited Diego out for a cup of coffee.
Warnings: n/a, will change as necessary

Comments

[beenwaitinglong]

[Diego could be fairly free with his work schedule when he wasn't involved with a case, and being between cases, he was looking for any excuse to get out of the house. This coffee shop was a good choice-- The Black Bloom, a trendy and modern-styled place trimmed in elegant decorations.

He headed into the shop and spotted Snake fairly quickly, recognizing a braille book sitting in front of him. He hesitates for a moment, then heads over to the table.]

Mr. Snake, I presume.

[beenwaitinglong]

Well now... fortunately, I've never had to dive into that particular cesspool. My abilities have absolutely nothing to do with any aspect of my job. [Siiiip.]

It's really a bit of a crapshoot. Though I would never rely on supernatural abilities to gain insight on a case, or even consent them to be used at all. If it can't be proved with evidence, then I have no case.

[typhlopid]

True. Anything gained through notraditional means could be inadmissable.

I am surprised, however, that there has not been more of a precedent for using such dubiously legal procedures. [He's getting close to the answer and insight he needs, but attempting to proceed without a direct hint at his own abilities - though it may be obvious enough that is why he's asking, Snake will not and cannot be that direct due to its dangerous nature - is somewhat difficult.]

Do they employ voids in the courtrooms, then? What about within criminal investigations?

[beenwaitinglong]

I'm surprised too, now that you ask. Generally, the police department and the prosecutor's office know what each of their employees can do. If your ability comes up as a potential source of trouble, they'll keep their eyes on you a little more closely.

[He swirls his coffee in his cup, taking a sip.]

That's not to say they would be forbidden from serving. Just given a few extra stipulations.

[typhlopid]

But in spite of evidence gathered in a dubiously legal fashion, aren't there advantages to that extra information?

There was a couple in the news not long ago. They stopped a burglary due to their telepathy. [Leaving out, of course, that the 'couple' had been Snake and his sister, and hoping Diego hadn't read that article that day, or at least wouldn't acknowledge the fact that one of the crimestoppers was reported as blind.]

Was it necessarily ethical to use information from someone's head against them? Probably not, but it may have saved someone's life.

[beenwaitinglong]

[Diego regards him with a thoughtful expression, now having some idea of what, exactly, he's getting at. He smiles and takes another sip of his coffee.]

They were civilians, weren't they? That's another matter entirely. [Siiiip.] The odd civilian tip that leads to an arrest isn't a big deal.

It would get sticky, however, if it was found that a member of law enforcement was using undocumented abilities. With full disclosure? I'm sure such abilities could be accepted as evidence.

[typhlopid]

But that would require a lot of trust in that individual's ability, would it not? And in their honesty as a person. In other words, they would have to be a known reliable witness. Would the prejudice of this city tolerate a newcomer in such a position? That is why I wondered if there was already a legal precedent.

[Snake sets his coffee down for a moment, his fingertips dancing over the rip, feeling the resonance of Diego's body brushing the table through the cup. He thinks he has a good idea of what he must look like, everything but that confounded contraption on his face.]

In terms of hypotheticals, it is interesting enough for me to consider further research into the legal system as well as the aforementioned criminal psychology.

[beenwaitinglong]

It would, yes, on both counts. They'd either have to be reliable, or someone who a reliable person might vouch for.

[He finishes off that cup of coffee, setting it down on the table with a thunk.]

I'm afraid there is no precedence. But that doesn't mean it's a "no" either, hm?

[typhlopid]

[There is amusement touching the corner of Snake's mouth, and his voice, a suggestiveness:] I suppose there is always room for exploration.

[Snake is not finished with is coffee, prefering to linger ver it, but he can hear from the weight of Diego's mug (as well as infer by how much he's been drinking) that his is empty.] Will you drink more?

[beenwaitinglong]

Exploration is the most worthwhile pursuit of the human mind. That's one of my rules.

[He fiddles a little with the empty mug, then answers.] Mmhm. But I won't ask you to fund my usual consumption.

[typhlopid]

I may be a mere college student, but I can afford a second cup of coffee. [Snake smiles.] After that, however, you are on your own.

[Once the buying of more coffee is settled out, the gray-haired young man has a more pressing question:]

So, what led you to explore the justice system? What landed you on such a calling? With your attitude, I would expect an artist, not law-man.

[beenwaitinglong]

Ha...! Fair enough.

[There is another cup of coffee on the way, and Diego settles into his seat.]

It's not so hard to see, really... I was an aimless teenage kid from a low-income family just trying to make my way in the world. I thought that people like me and my family were on our own. My grandfather was accused of a crime he didn't commit, and I had never felt so forgotten. Who cared if some warehouse worker went to prison? And who cared if his family couldn't make ends meet?

[Diego smiles crookedly at the memory.]

Then a man, a defense lawyer, stepped forward and defended my grandfather pro bono. I didn't know people like him existed. But I saw him in action, a champion for those who have no other allies.

I wanted to be just like him. From that day on, I knew there was no looking back.

[typhlopid]

[Snake nods, listening to the story attentively. He realizes that his question was actually quite a personal one, and he is quite vindicated that Diego is so willing to share his experience with a near-stranger. Perhaps it's for that reason that he is willing to share as well:]

I have always admired criminal investigation for a similar reason. I was rescued, along with several other children, from a kidnapping that would almost have certainly ended in death for all of us if not for a detective who risked his life following a tip.

Unfortunately for all of us - and my sister and other children, who were taken to another location and later retrieved - those responsible were not brought to justice.

[beenwaitinglong]

[There was a time Diego wouldn't have told that story-- a time when he tried to pretend that it had never happened to him and that it was part of someone else's life. That time was over precisely because he had feared forgetting memories just like that one. He didn't mind it at all anymore.]

That's a shame they didn't get caught. But I'm glad you were all safe. [He can't stand people who hurt kids.]

[typhlopid]

All of us but one.

A girl, eight years old, was burned alive.

We couldn't get to her in time.

[Snake lifts his cup. It seems to take a long time for it to make the journey to his lips, but his movement, while slow, is still precise.]

My family was... recommended not to speak of it. To the tune of having all of our... all of my medical debt erased.

[He does tap the mug against the table, once, when he sets it down.]

I apologize. I have never spoken to anyone about this before, not even my sister.

[beenwaitinglong]

[Diego goes quiet for a moment. Wow. Heavy. He grits his teeth and shakes his head after a moment.]

Sorry to hear that.

[There isn't much else to say to that.]