[semi-closed]

[dehallow]

Who ⬤ Barok van Zieks and associates!
What ⬤ Event things and the immediate event aftermath!
When ⬤ During Tanabata and in the following week.
Where ⬤ Underground, Kaigo no Bou, places.
Content Warnings ⬤ Alcohol, internalized homophobia. More to be added if needed.

[ This is a place to dump closed starters - but if you want a thread you are very free to hit me up on my plotting comment! ]

Comments

🔓 NORIMUNE

[dehallow]

[ Happy morning after disaster - or maybe more like 'happy afternoon', because even Barok had to get some sleep after overseeing interrogations until morning. He's not sure if he's hung-over or just exhausted, but neither will stop him from going back to work to file through all the notes that were taken yesterday.

Before that though, he wants to check in with someone he has barely seen in the commotion last night. Norimune is going to get a quick text. ]

Are you in your office right now?

[kikuichi]

[What a night, huh? Norimune did manage to catch some sleep and a change of clothes after they left the party. As nice as his yukata are, they're not proper work uniforms.

He's in the middle of checking his notes, pouring over them when he received a text message. After a quick glance at the sender's name, he respond back.]

I am. Are you coming over?

[dehallow]

I am.

[ There is no question for permission here - shit is serious and they need to touch bases. But after one second of thought, he adds a second message: ]

Do you require fresh coffee?

[ Barok certainly does. ]

[kikuichi]

[If it's any other day, Norimune would love to joke and tease. But now is no time for pleasantries and kaomojis.]

Yes, I do. Just black is fine.

[Norimune can always have his leisurely coffee another time.]

[dehallow]

[ Barok appreciates it - trying to decipher a face made from punctuation would probably worsen his headache a good bit. This is to the point and he can work with it.

It's only ten minutes until he shows up at Norimune's office with a thermos of coffee and two cups from the department kitchen.

There is no greeting, he'll just walk in with Business Talk ]

Kaberou has disappeared and everyone I've talked to has some measure of fear for the Iron Bear. It seems Sakamoto was truly fortunate to get away with his life despite interfering with the Iron Bear's trade.

[kikuichi]

[Straight to business, such a familiar state for him. Without missing a beat, he's already shifting his notes aside to make space. And take the thermos to pour the coffee out for both of them. Not one drop will stain his desk (and notes) by mistake.]

But unfortunately, the young miss Ringo got kidnapped in all of that mess. Without a doubt, they took her because of Kaberou being her father.

[A hostage situation...]

As for the dead assassin: His gear and weaponry are heavily improvised. There's evidence of wind-burn on him, along with a unrecognisable tattoo. The style seems like it's from the Jomon era, one of the earliest periods in Japanese history.

[dehallow]

[ This is actually news to van Zieks and it makes him feel that coming to see Norimune right away was the correct choice. It is nice to be able to rely on a coworker. ]

Traditionalists... or a clan that traces itself back far too long for comfort.

[ Ugh. He sits down across from Norimune and crosses his leg, instantly moving to sip some of his coffee in hopes that it will make his brain less mushy. ]

I have been giving Kaberou's file a cursory glance and he seems as 'innocent' as a major financial pillar of this town can get. Whatever infraction caused the Iron Bear to target him like this is completely unknown to us.

[kikuichi]

Most likely. Captain Shiki and I speculated the Iron Bear and the Haniyasu being possibly connected as a result. But without further information, it's simply speculation at this stage.

[Nothing conclusive, yet. Norimune take a sip of his coffee, feeling the strong flavour filling his mouth. On his desk, there's a sheet of paper with an unfinished, drawn picture. His attempt at recreating the tattoo design, which went rather poorly.]

I'm not surprised. I tried to ask those close to Kaberou. None of them are willing to talk, and their lawyers said they'll "offer a statement to the Department at a later date".

[Whether they will say anything useful or not, those statements might come too late.]

I also get the impression that Kaberou didn't trust us to rescue his daughter. He struck me as the type to do it himself. Personally, I think it'll get messy.

[dehallow]

[ Barok nods at that assessment and presses two fingers to the bridge of his nose as if that could alleviate the headache they are currently dealing with. ]

I want that man found before he can cause an even bigger mess.

[ But in Jigoku-cho, a city basically built from the ground up to be nothing but loopholes and hideouts? Success seems unlikely. ]

But we can't mount a full scale search - Miss Miyamoto and Mister Sakamoto would have my head for that. [ It's surprising to him that the Shuten clan has been most graceful about all the warrants lately - or maybe it's that they don't believe in talking and instead will just come to beat him to death sometime soon. That also seems likely. ]

After the Iron Bear has proven how easily he can break through our security, we also do not have any credible witness protection to offer to those who would be filling to deliver information...