Mysteries Unlimited

Aster laughed. "A war? Please, Rainn. They're small-time criminals, not soldiers." She then resumed eating, oblivious to her cultural misstep.

"So, Jasper." She resumed. "What we have here is classic. He's not a veteran, but he's close enough. He's seen action, he's seen his friends die, and he's clearly shaken by it. Gangs love those types."

She then turned back to Rainn. "This.... Manicelli. You know him?"

Rainn: "Yes. Like I said, I met with him a few hours ago. He's the boss of our local mob."

*Rainn munched on some of his food, and swallowed.*

Rainn: "It seems that there's another pattern here. Two of the masked men had a rough past that made them viable recruits for the operation. Something tells me the man in the rabbit mask likes patterns. Which means the robbery is happening tomorrow, regardless of whether or not we're on to him."

*He smiled*

Rainn: "Good work everyone! You're off the clock now, and can go home at any moment. If you need to stay at my house, there's an extra bed near the office. Tomorrow morning, we'll drive to the Dank Bank to help the police arrest the culprits. But for now, let's enjoy dinner."

((I'll either do a time skip or you can RP the rest of the night. Your choice.))

"I think I'm gonna go now." Aster said, finishing off her fries. "Call me if you need me, Rainn." She dumped the food's cardboard packaging into the bin, kissed Rainn on the cheek, and left.

OOS: Time skip!

<Sulrai Private Eye>

*They ((that means everyone, even Masketta Man)) had woken up early that morning, and met outside of the private detective office. They all then entered Rainn's car as he drove to the Dank Bank.*

*He had a puzzled look on his face as he made his way through the traffic.*

Rainn: "Something's off. Don't you all feel that this was a little....too easy?"

---

<Dank Bank>

*Meanwhile, a legion of police officers was stationed at the bank. Commissioner Nathaniel Benjamin was also present. He was eager to catch the thieves that, in just a few short days, had terrorized an entire city.*

Commissioner Benjamin: "Keep your heads up, everyone. The moment they enter the bank we'll stop them from in here, and our support team will flank them from behind. They'll be completely surrounded!"

Lt. Foley: "We'll finally get those hotheads! Good call on hiring Sulrai."

*Officer Will Billson smiled from afar. Inspectors Botros and Chung were chatting with each other, merrily sipping coffee. The case would soon be closed. Another officer walked up to Lt. Foley. Despite the fact that he was in a well-light building, he was wearing sunglasses.*

Officer Jace E. Denton: "I am prepared to perform my duties."

Lt. Foley: "We all are, Jacey."

Aster suddenly had a horrible realisation. "They must have an inside man in the police."

She suddenly lunged at Rainn, and grabbed him by the collar. "What did we tell them?"

*Rainn lost control of the steering wheel as Aster grabbed him, and the car nearly swerved out of control. He pushed Aste off, and wildly went back on course*

Rainn: "Are you insane?! We could have been killed! Of course we know that they have a mole, but that's irrelevant. We'll be after him once the Zoo Thieves are apprehended. It's not like..."

*The pupils in both of Rainn's dilated.*

Rainn: "Getting caught was part of their plan."

*He spun the wheel at an intersection, and swerved into a U-turn.*

Rainn: "It was a trap from the beginning! The mob needed to get rid of the police to establish dominance over Task City, so they hired several people to lure them in. The man in the rabbit mask came up with the idea of staging several robberies so that everyone would make a profit while at the same time baiting their mutual enemy. Because of the man's love for patterns, each one would follow the same modus operandi. An inside man, everyone getting tied up, leaving a note. The notes may have been out of order, but they each illustrated the location of a robbery. They hoped that this would catch the attention of one of the Inspectors, and cause them to think that the next target was the Dank Bank! Our presence interrupted the pattern. I should have noticed it!

*Rainn looked at Jasper*

Rainn: "Jasper, remember how none of the inside men were found dead save for Louis? And Aster, remember how the mastermind mentioned the others as being dead? Louis was killed on the spot because we forced their hand, we made them desperate. The crooked cop informed them that the Commissioner was hiring a private detective agency. They had to speed things up, enraging the man in the rabbit mask. He ended up taking out this rage on Louis Fastero, killing him without hiding the body. Now why would they continually threaten us if we would end up helping them trap the police?"

"But how the hell are they trapping the police?" Aster asked. "Where's the trap?"

"Clever... devilishly clever." Jasper said. "And to think, we were this close to finishing their little game to completion. Without your sharp-as-sword skills, Rainn, we would never have been none the wiser!"

While he audibly praised Rainn's quick thinking, Jasper was silently cursing his own foolishness... and he noticed a feeling of unease creep up on him. If these hired guns were one step ahead of them the whole time, perhaps their fate has already been decided by the powers that be?

Rainn: "They want to eliminate everyone in one fell swoop. But how would you be able to do something like that? A firefight is impractical so you'd probably have to...."

*An expression of pure shock spread across Rainn's face. He turned to those behind him*

Rainn: "CALL THE COMMISSIONER ON MY CELL, NOW!!!"

Aster grabbed Rainn's mobile phone, and flipped through the contacts looking for the Commissioner's number. She finally found it, called, and put the phone up to Rainn's ear.

<Rainn's Car>

Rainn: "Commissioner!"

Commissioner Benjamin: "Hello, Rainn. What's up?"

Rainn: "The whole thing was a set up. There's a bomb nearby!"

*The Commissioner gasped.*

Commissioner Benjamin: *To the police* "I WANT EVERYONE ON THIS BLOCK EVACUATED AND FAR AWAY. CALL THE BOMB SQUAD IMMEDIATELY AND GET OUT OF HERE!"

Jace E. Denton: "A BOMB!"

Commissioner Benjamin: "How did you know?"

Rainn: "I'll explain later. Godspeed."

*Rainn hung up, and continued driving*

Rainn: "Think quickly, everyone. Who is the mole in the police force? Given that the mob was aware of how much we know, it has be someone who was part of the investigation. It cannot be the Commissioner, because he got us involved in the first place. I heard Foley's voice in the commotion, and the mob would never kill off a useful mole. They could kill a myriad of policemen, but there would still be many more to take their place. They'd need to have their mole far away from the explosion. That leaves us with the three inspectors, and Officer Will Billson. Now, there must have been a giveaway at the crime scene. The mole wasn't expecting Fastero to be dead, and he or she had to have been uncomfortable around us. That rules out Billson, who was cracking jokes about Fastero not flying so good or something."

*Rainn cleared his throat and slowed down. They stopped at a red light*

Rainn: "That leaves us with Botros, Chung, and Armstrong. Think back, everyone."

Aster thought back to the crime scene, and suddenly opened her eyes wide as she realised something.

"Armstrong. I think it's Armstrong. He told me all about the maps, like he was trying to make sure I connected the dots right." she said quickly.

Jasper furrowed his brow. "You're right, Miss Aster, but my money's on Chung. Remember when that boy Matthias suspected Fastero of being involved in the robbery, and Chung tried to throw him off by telling him not to jump to conclusions?"

Rainn: "It's not an easy choice. But I just realized something."

*Rainn called the Commissioner again*

Commissioner: "What is it? We're in the middle of an evacuation!"

Rainn: "Which detective called in sick today?"

Commissioner: "Uh, Armstrong I think. He said he came down with the cold that's been going around."

Rainn: "Thank you, we suspect that he may be a mole. Where does he live?"

Commissioner: "WHAT?! Hold on, I can't let you have that information, i-"

Rainn: "Lives are at stake, Commissioner. Hurry!"

Commissioner: "......325 South And M."

*Rainn hung up, and nodded at the detectives*

Rainn: "Good job, Aster. Close enough, eh Jasper?"

--

*After a few minutes, Rainn's car arrived at Armstrong's house. Sulrai emerged, with the other detectives hopefully following him. Coincidentally, Armstrong was leaving his house at the same time.*

Inspector Armstrong: "RAINN?! What are you doing here?"

Rainn: "We know everything, Armstrong. You set your entire police force up for the takeout. You cut a deal with the mob: you leak out information, and they'll keep you alive, maybe orchestrate a promotion for you in the future or something. Then, the Rabbit Mask came up with the ultimate plan to get rid of Manicelli's worst enemy: Commissioner Benjamin. At the same time, they would make a lot of money. You'd receive a cut, and keep your life in exchange for leading everyone on. Coincidentally, you'd get sick on the day of the bombing to save your own skin."

*Inspector Armstrong's eyes widened. Suddenly, a van drives up, and the men in the animal masks get out. Rabbit Mask begins clapping, and he removes his disguise, revealing him to be the blonde man that Rainn bumped into the previous night.*

???: "Bravo, Sulrai. You figured it out! I guess you really are a true detective. Honestly, I underestimated you. I don't intend on repeating that mistake. Instead of blowing you up, I suppose we'll have to shoot you."

*The men in the animal masks all reveal sub-machine guns. They start firing at the detectives*

Rainn: "THEY'RE SHOOTING AT US! THEY'RE SHOOTING AT US! FIGHT BACK BUT DON'T KILL THEM!"

*Rainn jumped to the other side of the car, and pulled out a pistol.*

Aster jumped behind the car, and pulled out her own pistol. "THANKS, RAINN! THANKS, RAINN! SHUT UP!" she yelled.

She leaned out from behind the car, and fired two shots at one of the masked men.

Still in the back seat, Jasper ducked under the rear window and shouted in astonishment as it was shattered by bullet-fire. Looking around him, he realized he had nothing to fight back with, other than his trusty cane.

"Curse this gunfire!" He muttered to himself, peeking up to see the mobsters still shooting at them. Ducking down again, he proceeded to unscrew the ornate head of his cane, and turn it around in his hand. There was a large brass button on the bottom of it, which he pressed after a moment of hesitation. The head of the cane was then thrown out of the shattered window towards the mobsters, and within a few seconds it exploded, distributing knockout gas over the area. He covered his nose and mouth with the sleeve of his coat, and silently prayed for it to work.

*The masked man Aster shot at quickly collapsed and fell unconscious. The knockout gas began to take its toll on the criminals. They started to cough and fell back. Rabbit Mask rushed away from the head of the cane. He triumphantly stood in front Rainn's car.*

???: "Fancy tricks won't save you! You broke it, and for that you must be punished!!"

*Rainn leaped up and shot his gun at the Rabbit Mask, hitting him in the leg. The villain's eyes widened as he fell to the floor.*

*Rainn hurried over to the Rabbit's body, and checked his pulse. Inspector Armstrong slowly attempted to run away.*

???: "G-good.....good shot Rainn. D-damn you...This isn't over. My blood shall not be the only one that is....shed...."

*He fell unconscious.*

Aster saw Armstrong running away out of the corner of her eye, and sighed. In the blink of an eye, she shape-shifted into a cat and began to chase after the turncoat.

Within seconds, she caught up to him. Screeching loudly, she jumped on his shoulders, and reassumed human form. She held onto Armstrong's shoulder tight, and used her ice power on him.
Armstrong suddenly felt very, very cold.

*Armstrong screamed in fear, and started shivering. Rainn looked at Aster from afar with a shocked look on his face*

Armstrong: "What the hell are you?!"

Rainn: "That's enough, Aster!"

*The police arrived, and pulled out their weapons*

Rainn: "She's with me, officers! These are the men behind the robberies, and one of them has betrayed your department. There are bullet marks and more to prove it!"

*The officers started to grab some of the thieves, placing handcuffs on them. One policeman radioed for an ambulance. He then pointed at Aster*

???: "Ma'am, step away from him please."

*He noticed the ice, and slowly reached for his gun*

*Rainn put his gun away, and laughed. He called the Commissioner*

Rainn: "Sir, we've got them. I'm ready to go to the station to explain everything. Case closed. Aster, Jasper, let's go."


OOS: Thanks for playing! Case closed. Now it's sandbox gameplay until the next case comes in. Don't worry, there will be a time skip in my next post.

Aster stepped away from Armstrong, and turned to the police officer. "Happily. Oh, and you should probably give him a blanket for a while."

She was about to walk away when she suddenly broke out in a coughing fit, and keeled over in pain.

OOS: Yay! I'll send you the details of my case soon, Klak.

<South and Main>

*Rainn yelled in shock and ran to Aster. He helped her up while three ambulances arrived. A paramedic dashed over to Rainn.*

Paramedic: "Ma'am, are you alright? Do you need to go to the hospital?"

Rainn: "She's alright. If anything, we'll take you to your doctor tomorrow."

Paramedic: "Are you sure?"

Rainn: "Yes, yes. We must leave to the police department for a moment. Goodbye."

*Rainn gets in the car with Aster, and hopefully Jasper and Masketta. They drive away.*

OOS: TIME SKIP!!!


*Later that night, the group was at Rainn's HQ. Sulrai sat down in front of Aster, and rubbed his chin.*

Rainn: "How are you feeling?"

OOS: You all can do whatever you want here.

---

<Darktown>

*A set of black Mercedes and Cadillacs drove down the street. They each stopped in different locations near the curb. Men and women in suits wearing sunglasses all stepped out of the cars with an attendant holding an umbrella for them. They each approached a wall next to an unmarked brick building. One man tapped the wall six times. The "bricks" moved, revealing that they were actually "painted" onto a metal door. A Herculean guard standing behind the door nodded at the group, and pointed to a strange computer to his left. The servants waited outside, while the others entered and waved their hands in front of the machine. It registered their rings, and made a beeping noise. A door opened to the right of the machine, revealing an elevator. The suited people entered it, and were scanned for weapons. The elevator lowered itself to the basement of the building, where an Asian-American man wearing a red tie, a woman in a white suit, and a brown-haired man were all sitting at a conference table.

The other suited individuals sat around the table. The Asian-American man turned on a match, and began smoking his tobacco pipe. All of the attendees chanted something in Latin, and the man with brown hair stood up.*

???1: "We have all heard of Manicelli's most recent failure. It is only a matter of time before he screws up again. I don't want him to start asking our mutual friends in the government some...inconvenient questions. It would be against our best interest that he is given any inkling about our existence."

*A suited man shook his head.*

???2: "Do not worry. Our friends in the City Council are prepared to field any questions. The mayor and the police department are out of our hands, but Manicelli wouldn't dare show his face in either area."

???1: "Good, then we can proceed with our plan with no need to rush things."

*The Asian American man shook his head.*

???3: "The Triads are getting restless. While they are unaware of our existence, they know that their new benefactors are going to ensure that they will gain control of the criminal underworld. The events of today prove that Manicelli's power is starting to wane. This will provide an ample opportunity for them to strike, but they are continually asking when."

???1: "I'd say we need a month or two. Manicelli is panicking because he knows that the mob and its Russian allies don't trust him. He was stealing all that money to prepare for war in case someone decides to foment a coup. He also wanted to get rid of his enemies in the police department. That failure will bring out skepticism in some of his allies."

???4: "And the money?"

???1: "Police found it. Apparently the masked men didn't value it."

???2: "That's what happens when you put a maniac in charge."

*The woman nodded.*

???5: "Indeed. However, let us focus on the future. Manicelli's mob, the Russians, and the Triads will soon clash, and hopefully collapse into infighting."

???6: "The fighting might get out of hand. Do we contain it to Crimeton?"

???1: "Why contain it? Let it spill over the schools and churches, let the bodies pile up in the streets. In the end, the city will beg us to save them."

???3: "And the Cult of the Knife will completely rule the city once again."

???6: "What about those private detectives? They solved a mystery that was taking the police a week in two days..."

???1: "They cannot be that relevant. Even then, if they become a problem we will simply eliminate them."

Aster coughed, and replied. "Like someone tried to pull my lungs out. " she said, sipping green tea. "Great way to wrap up the case, eh?"

<Rainn's HQ>

Jasper absent-mindedly twirled his cane in the couch that he was sat in. Something was bothering him.

After a few more minutes of silence, he stood up, put his hat back on and marched towards the exit before turning back to face his comrades.

"Rainn. Miss Aster. I figured I'd better pay a visit to my niece while she's still in town... assuming she hasn't already given up on me. I will be a few hours at least, but if not, I shall return in the morning! Farewell!"

With that, he opened the door with his left hand and leapt out into the night.

----------------------

<Upperton, thirty minutes later>

Walking hastily down one of Upperton's all-too-clean streets, Jasper muttered an address to himself that he needed to remember: 473 Ingrid Spire. Unfortunately for him, he had no idea where this "spire" was. He wasn't even sure it was in Upperton - the only reason he had travelled here is because his niece, Emily, had a habit of draining the Silverton's funds as much as she possibly could, and Upperton seemed like just the place to do it.

"Ah, excuse me?" Jasper called out to a bald, bespectacled man who passed him by. The man stopped in his stride and swiveled round.

"Who, me?"

"Yes. Sorry for being a bother, but you wouldn't happen to know where Ingrid Spire is, would you?"

The man smiled and pointed to the cityscape behind Jasper. Jasper followed his gaze, and saw a cluster of glass spires stretching up into the skies above Task City.

"Right over there," said the stranger. "Ingrid Spire's the one to the right and closest to us with the blue tip."

Jasper thanked the stranger, who responded by nodding respectfully at him before continuing on his way. He then called a cab using his phone, just like Emily had showed him, and before he knew it a taxi pulled up to the street corner. He took his hat off, opened the door and took his seat in the back.

"Where to, friend?" The driver asked.

"Ingrid Spire, to the right, over there. Sorry, I don't know what the whole complex is called."

"That's alright, I got ya."

The taxi sped off towards the spires, and incidentally ran over a hedgehog on the way there who was someone's OC.

<Rainn's HQ>

*Rainn waved goodbye at Jasper*

Rainn: "Aye. You all did well. The Mayor called me earlier and said that they'll be giving us an award soon for our assistance. The Commissioner was extremely grateful. The team deserves it. Even if only a handful of us were present at the end of it, everyone had a hand in helping us solve the case."

*He looked at Masketta Man, Calvin, and Matthias.*

Rainn: "Um, if you don't mind, I refused any monetary compensation for this case. Pro bono is the best thing in the world. I'm sure we'll be payed for the next one. Or the one after that."

Aster couldn't help but facepalm. "Oh, Rainn. Oh, my poor. poor Rainn." she said, shaking her head in disappointment. "Have I taught you nothing?"

<Sulrai Private Eye>

Rainn: "No. I'm the teacher here, you're the student."

*He smiled*

---

<French Quarter>

*Ludovic Marois sat down at the bus stop. He adjusted his coat as he shivered on that cold and rainy night.*

Ludovic Marois: "Pas Possible!"


OOS: It's your turn now, DRJ.

<Sulrai Private Eye>

"Clearly it should be the other way around." Aster rolled her eyes, and took another sip of her tea. "You're a good detective, Rainn, but you don't know the first thing about business."

-----

<French Quarter>

At the same time, a white hatchback car drove down the same road. The driver was a tall man, wearing round glasses and sporting a bushy black mustache.

Suddenly, to the bemusement of what few people were still out at night, he stopped by the bus stop, and wound down his window. He looked at Ludovic, and smiled. "Bonjour," he said.

The driver suddenly pulled out a gun, and before Ludovic could run away, he opened fire, hitting him in the head twice and killing him instantly. He then opened the door, and grabbed the heavy bag Ludovic had been carrying. He dumped the bag in the passenger seat behind him, and drove away, his car's tires screeching in the night.

Roused by the hellish noise outside, one local resident got out of bed and looked out the window, just in time to see Ludovic lying bleeding on the ground under a street light and a car speeding away. Shocked, she immediately called an ambulance as well as the police.

OOS: And thus it begins.

<Upperton>

After finding Ingrid Spire, Jasper walked into one of the elevators and took it to the 20th floor. He wandered around for a while, greeting various wealthy citizens as he strolled along the corridor. Eventually, he found Room 473, so he knocked on the door. Emily opened it with a surprised expression and stuck her head out to look down the corridor herself.

"Jasper? What are you doing here?"

"Well, a case I was working on got solved so I have some... time off, and I thought I'd pay you a visit."

"Oh, you got accepted then?"

"Yes, yes! We have much to discuss. Can I come in?"

Emily couldn't find a reason why not, so she pulled back the door and let Jasper through. As the hours went by, she listened to Jasper as he recounted his adventures, including the reappearance and treachery of Alex Combes. After hearing that name, her eyes widened and she nearly dropped her cup of coffee.

"W-what? He's here? How could he be?"

"I don't know," Jasper replied, "but it's one hell of a bad crowd to fall into. I assume he was arrested after we'd discovered what his little gang was up to."

"Do you think he followed me here?"

Jasper paused, and put his cup down. "Why would you think that, my dear?"

"Well, he wasn't exactly happy when I called off the wedding."

<Sulrai Private Eye>

The next day, the phone rang in Sulrai HQ. A police inspector was waiting for Rainn to answer. This case looked like a tough nut to crack.

OOS: Kon, as soon as you finish your subplot, just skip ahead a day.

Masketta Man didn't know what to do. It was if he was on autopilot this whole time, just doing what to do to do pretty good. He was somewhat irritated Rainn refused the money, Masketta kind of needed the money. He decided he'd leave for the day, and come back tomorrow, as he had to run some errands.

-Time skip to the next day-
Masketta Man arrived early morning, and went to go eat some breakfast while waiting on the next job.

<Sulrai HQ, the previous day>

*Rainn smiled and winked at Aster*

Rainn: "Sure, let's go with that."

---

<Sulrai HQ, the next day>

*Rainn picked up the phone*

Rainn: "Sulrai, Private Eye. This is Rainn speaking."

<Sulrai HQ>

"Hello, I'm Chief Inspector Alexander. I know it's only been a few days since you finished up with the last one, but I have a case you might be interested in." the inspector said. "You see, someone keeps killing gangbangers in the French Quarter. Nothing out of the ordinary, you might say."

Rainn didn't say anything, so Alexander dragged on. "We've had four victims so far, the last one yesterday. And that gives us a problem. You see, we identified the victim. Unlike the others, he wasn't in a gang."

<Sulrai HQ>

*Rainn looked at the award the award the mayor gave them earlier that day.*

Rainn: "Interesting. Perhaps the victim was a witness, or a relative of one of the gangsters. Do you need us to look at the body?"

Alexander coughed. "I would appreciate it, yes."

Rainn suddenly heard a cat meow behind him.

<Sulrai HQ>

There was a knocking sound on the door at the front of the building. Jasper's face could be seen through the glass, pressed against it with a look of confusion.

"I say, hello? Someone's locked the door!" his muffled voice came through. "And my feet hurt! Rain? Aster? Anybody?! It's cold out here..."

<Sulrai HQ>

*Rainn raised an eyebrow and was about to turn around until he heard Jasper knocking at the door.*

Rainn: "One moment, Chief Inspector."

*He walks up to the door and opens it*

*Will Billson just happened to be passing by. He laughed once he saw Jasper going free*

Will Billson: "Was getting caught part of your plan?"

Rainn: "Of course not! Sorry, Jasper. Task City gets cold in February, that's one thing you'll have to get used to."

Will Billson: "Well, congratulations!"

*He laughed, and left*

*Rainn turns around to face the cat, or whatever was meowing at him*

<Sulrai HQ>

Jasper frowned and shook his coat before buttoning it up and stepping inside.

"Yes... yes, I suppose so. Anything new to report?"

The observant detective would notice that the cane Jasper has in his hand now is identical to his first, but with a different head.

<Sulrai HQ>

Before Rainn and Jasper's eyes, the cat shape-shifted into Aster. She took off her trenchcoat, and hung it up.

"What?" she said. "Your cat flap was open."

Rainn and Jasper looked over the door. There was no cat flap and Aster must've known that, but she just kept on smiling.

"So, like he said. Anything new?"

<Sulrai HQ>

Rainn: "I'm not even going to ask, Aster."

*He put the phone on his ear*

Rainn: "Sir, we will be on the case. Yes, we'll be there later today. Goodbye, now."

*He hung up, and looked at Jasper*

Rainn: "Nice new cane. How did you sleep last night?"

*He looked back at Aster*

Rainn: "We have a new case. There has been a string of murders in the French Quarter. Most of the victims have been involved with gangs, save for one poor fellow who was killed last night. Now, I'm not saying one life has more worth than the other, but that seems out of the ordinary. As far as I know, the police believe that they are tied to each other, so we can assume that they have the same MO. What are your thoughts o-?"

*He stopped*

Rainn: "Where's Masketta?"

Masketta then appeared in the meeting room. "I'm right h---" Masketta Man then began glowing. He looked around, confused, but his body started phasing out. His legs disappeared, then moved up.

"It seems I'm fading o--" Masketta Man's head then phased out, leaving behind no trace; nothing, as if he never existed.

Aster looked at the spot where Masketta Man had been standing only a few seconds before for a few minutes.

"Not again....." she said, shooting a glance at Rainn.

Jasper was sure that if he had tea to spit out in surprise, he would have done so by now.

"Good lord! Is this some sort of... regular occurrence to you, then?"

He then remembered what Rainn said, and turned to him to answer.

"Not very well, I'm afraid. My niece's spare bed was quite uncomfortable for a hotel that is held in such high regard. Still, I am prepared to perform my duties."

Rainn's eyes widened, and he reached his arm out to where he last saw Masketta. He turned his head to Jasper.

Rainn: "I figured, your grace. The look in your eyes, along with the fact that you're slightly more hunched than you usually are, helped me arrive at my conclusion. Anyway, this isn't that regular, but it is not as surprising. By now you've probably figured out that Aster and I aren't from this planet. Masketta is likely not from here either. Now, I know Earth has grown even more accustomed to extraterrestrials, but I wouldn't want to attract the wrong kind of attention. So, I ask that you keep that a secret. Only a handful of people should know. Let it remain a rumor that Rainn Sulrai is an alien."

Rainn looked back to where he last saw Masketta.

Rainn: "I'm holding out my arm in an attempt to grab him when he re-appears."

Meanwhile, on the outside of the HQ, a yellow circle being, with floating hands and feet, two eyes, eyebrows, and a mouth. He had a Sherlock Holmes hat, a pipe, and a magnifying glass. He also wore a plaid robe, possible with other things under it.
He then knocked on the door to the HQ. Rainn then answered.
"Yes, Hello, is this the local private detectives office? I'm here to apply for a job."

*Rainn realized the futility of what he was doing, and approached the door.*

Rainn: "Oh, hello there. My name is Rainn Sulrai. You're in luck, we just had an opening. One of our detectives is erm...on sick leave. You don't seem like you're from around here, what the heck is your name?"

"Sir Hecklock Homie. It's a pleasure to meet you, Rainn Sulrai." Hecklock put out his disembodied floating hand to shake Rainn's, whom he did. "Would you mind if I moved in immediately? All my baggage is already on me."

Aster looked over Hecklock from head to toe, which didn't take long, and briefly wondered how such a bizarre species could ever evolve.

"How'd you get here without being spotted?" she said, clearly referring to his unusual appearance.

"They just didn't give a heck. The trenchcoat works well in the shady environment. Gotta just use the heckless field generator." Hecklock pulled out a device from his coat, just a small button. "This makes the people around me not give a heck, so even if they notice me, it's irrelevant."

Rainn: "Truly, you do not seem to give a heck. Welcome, Sir Hecklock. You've arrived just in time. We're about to investigate a murder."

*Rainn explained the case to Hecklock.*

Rainn: "We can get going, if you all want to. I'm sure we'll learn more by looking at the actual body."

"Yes, let's." Aster said, going to open the door. "So, Hecklock. What exactly are you good at?"