And trouble came walking in...

[thelongcon]

the film noir meme


-Post with your character and fandom, as well as any preferences.
-Go here and generate a random number between 1-10 for the setting
-If you want, you or the person tagging you can roll a number between 1-8 for relationship as well!
- You know what to do next, honey.

Possible settings:

1. Crime Scene: Dead body? Burglary? Whatever the crime, the area's been sectioned off for officers to investigate this nefarious deed, and you're getting front row seat.

2. Bar: There's always some hole-in-the-wall frequented by all sorts. The bartender keeps an eye out for trouble, and other things. Of course he keeps an ear to the ground, but it'll cost ya. Perhaps a cop or two will show up demanding answers, but no one ever takes that seriously.

3. Docks at Night: The breeze caressing your face, the sound of the water, the boats passing by...maybe you were called here, or maybe you just like the peace it brings.

4. Alleyway: There's only one way in and out of this little corridor, and what happens in it is up to you and the other character. Just watch for the shadows, if you can see through the fog.

5. Detective's Office: Not too clean, not too messy. Just perfect for the person that's needed to get this mystery cleared up.

6. Rooftop: The wind dramatically blowing about, it's the perfect place to get that person to come and meet you so you can tell them what you want. Or if you're evil, why not kill them up here? It'll be hard to escape you.

7. Dressing Room: For some reason, you're backstage after a performance, and you've gotten into one of these. The mirrors, the costumes, the flowers from fans and the various personal affects...all are present and will be your silent witnesses to whatever occurs.

8. Hideout: You've gotten to the antagonist's spot of choice. Is this a glitzy nightclub with a private room, or is this an abandoned warehouse where they-or you-carry out their plot? The choice is yours.

9. Nightclub: Someone's showcasing their talent tonight, and you may or may not care about it. But it's classic, dimly lit, and it's easy to hide in here.

10. Free choice

Possible relationships:

1. Friends: Maybe you're an unstoppable team, or perhaps your relationship is getting strained. But whatever the situation, you know this person, and you'd be there for them.

2. Coworkers/teammates/classmates: You might not be friends, but you know this person well enough to remember their name. And right now you're being thrown together for a reason.

3. Lovers: This is the one you wanted to stay with for now. Married, dating, or maybe an affair, but you two care about each other enough.

4. Enemies: Utter hatred flows through your veins when you hear this person's name. This is the one you want to take down, and you just might stop at nothing to achieve your goal.

5. Family: Perhaps it's a sibling you're meeting. Or your parent, or some form of relative. Remember that phrase "blood is thicker than water"? It just might apply here.

6. Mysterious Stranger: Someone's been eyeing you from across the room, or you've been eyeing them. Will you two speak, or shall they float out of your life? Do they hold information you seek, or do they want something from you?

7. Femme Fatale: You are or have encountered a mysterious and seductive woman, whose charms ensnare her lovers in bonds of irresistible desire, often leading them into compromising, dangerous, and deadly situations. Watch out, you might just get yourself into a real mess of trouble, hot stuff.

8. Free Choice
Originally from easycompany, with minor modifications.

Comments

[ingoodcompany]

Never long enough. [ That's his professional opinion, and he stands by it. He keeps an eye on the door while Allison works the locks, alternating his attention between that, and the drawers near the desk and going through their contents.

Spare pens, binder clips... another personnel's access card, he's tempted to pocket it, but that will be missed. There's a lot of the the usual clutter that builds up, so he's not too worried about putting everything back exactly as it was.

He flashes a smile at Allison. Perfect.

A noise down the hall, tells them Schyler is making her way back, and he takes the time to put the file back together, looking at it one last time for anything they can use. ]

Body's in freezer 37. If we want to see it before we go.

[proudofus]

[ Allison nods. It'll be good to get a firsthand look at the body. That always beats a written description. She makes her way over to the freezers. She's far from squeamish, looking at dead bodies just doesn't get to her anymore. Looking to Stiles, she nods to the door of the freezer.]

You ready?

[She barely waits for an answer before she opens the door. Pulling on the end of the metal support their Jane Doe is laying on, Allison slides the body partially into open view. The smell of chemicals preserving the corpse is intense and Allison puts a hand to her nose. The woman is in her prime, probably her early thirties or late twenties, and as far as Allison can see she doesn't have any tattoos or scars. She does, however, have a birthmark that looks a little like a lima bean on her collarbone. It's valuable information Allison will remember for later.

Allison looks up from the body to Stiles to see if he notices any pertinent details. They can't have much longer before Schyler returns from her break.]

What do you see?

[ingoodcompany]

[ Stiles nods, taking a deeper breath before the freezer door opens. He helps to pull out the metal table, folding off the sheet to reveal the corpse.

Breathing shallowly, he looks around to find a box of disposable gloves, turning the woman to see what marks there are. The body has some cuts and holds from the tubing used to pump embalming fluid through the body, the neat incisions paler than they would be had they been inflicted while she was alive.

Where he would expect to find a head injury from the crash, there's nothing. No lacerations, no trace of blood, just pale unblemished skin. He continues to go over the body, there's some bruising over her ribs, and a careful touch tells him that they've been broken. ]

She might have bled out before they tried to stage that crash.

[ He quickly pulls off his gloves, balling them up and tossing them in the trash. ]

Her ribs were badly broken, and I can't see anything else that could have killed her. It definitely wasn't the crash.

[proudofus]

[Allison purses her lips slightly and shakes her head. Of course it couldn't be as simple as a car crash. It never is. At least they're on their way to figuring out who their Jane Doe is.]

Someone thought they were pretty clever masking her death like that.

[She slides the body back into place, closing the door behind it.]

I like a good challenge now and then, but it would have been nice if this had been a cut and dry car crash.

[Allison sighs, her head snapping up as Schyler opens the door and walks back into the room. She smiles at the woman, acting like nothing is amiss.]

[ingoodcompany]

Why, though? That they went to such lengths to stage it could be important. Do you think they're trying to get someone's attention?

[ He can think of several easier methods of making this seem like something it isn't. Without the discrepancies.

Stiles looks sharply over towards Schyler when she walks in. Stepping over towards the table and straightening up the papers she'd given them, and handing her the file. ]

Thanks for letting us see these.

[proudofus]

[ Schyler barely lets out a grunt of recognition, nodding at the two gumshoes and getting back to her own work. Allison is careful not to say anything in the woman's presence. She nods for Stiles to follow her down the hall back to the car. Once they're back in the hallway and out of earshot she speaks in a softer tone of voice.]

Maybe. Or our Jane Doe is more important than we think. I'm not really sure right now. Maybe the jeweler can tell us.

[She lets out a heavy exhale. Even with the custom bracelet they don't have a whole lot to go on. They've worked with less before, but that doesn't make it any less frustrating.

Allison waits by the car door for Stiles.]

What do you think? Is your gut telling you anything?

[Stiles is a pretty brilliant PI. His gut instincts are second to none. Allison is always willing to listen to what he has to say.]

[ingoodcompany]

[ Stiles makes sure to keep the door from slamming behind them, the tension that always builds up when he's at a hospital, any hospital bleeding from him the farther they get.

Rather than getting into the car right away, he leans over the hood of the car, hands spread out over the hood. ]

Neither of us recognized her, so she had money, or knew people who had it. The Jeweler can give us another name.

[ He's looking at that positively. There's a chance that what they get won't be true, but that tells them more. There aren't many reason to hide someone's identity: either there was an affair, or the person was connected to the criminal underground. ]

I want to start looking into the people from the DMV files. I don't think she owned the car herself, and it's not like four people is a lot to look into. There was a Harrison, right? Pretty sure I've heard that name before.

[ He's a visual person, likes to map out relationships and connections until there's barely any space left on their walls at the office. ]

[proudofus]

[ Allison nods at his theory about money. If the girl was wearing custom jewelry, Stiles' theory is extremely plausible. Not just anyone goes around buying custom jewelry. It takes cash that the average joe just doesn't have. She suspects they'll find out more at the jeweler.]

There was a Harrison.

[ She nods. The name does sound familiar. You train your ears to pick up on familiar words and names. Allison has heard the surname dropped more than a few times as of late in certain circles. The family, while not the wealthiest in town, has money and influence. ]

A Harrison could be the kind of person who might afford to buy a custom bracelet for someone.

[ Allison shrugs. ]

It's just a possibility, though.

Notifs are down for me right now.

[ingoodcompany]

They're still considered new money, if I remember correctly. [ And he does remember correctly, there's always talk in the rumor mill about the well-to-do, all that posturing and jockeying for position throughout the city... hard to reach those heights without a couple skeletons in their closets.

And those skeletons are the kind that can get people killed. ]

Maybe they're going back to their roots, if the bracelet was one of theirs.

[ It's a good lead, and might just get them the break they need.

If they don't piss off the wrong people in the meantime. Of course, that's as good a clue as any that they're headed in the right direction. ]

[proudofus]

It's entirely possible.

[ Allison nods, putting her hands on her hips. This is a good lead. Unfortunately, it seems like the closer they get to solving a case the deeper they get into dangerous territory. ]

We've got to watch our backs, Stiles. These are exactly the kind of people we don't want to tick off - the kind with any sort of influence at all.

[ It's in both of their nature, though, to not censor their behavior a whole lot. They're both capable of tact, but they're also both capable of sarcasm and acerbic wit. ]

There's only one way to find out about the bracelet, though.

[ She tilts her head to the side and shrugs. ]

[ingoodcompany]

[ He stills when Allison mentions being careful about how they go on, the last thing they want is either laid up in a hospital, or worse. But he knows they won't get anywhere without pushing.

Not this time.

Stiles scrubs a hand over his face before looking back at Allison. ]

We still gotta take the chance, Allison, if we want to get justice for that woman. But I can look into some arrangements.

[ Like find a alternate location they can duck into if things get too hot and they need to lie low for a few days without being found. ]

We take this too carefully, and they're going to slip right through our fingers. [ A breath. ] The place will still be open, right?

[ Though considering the time now, they might not make it before the shop closes. ]


(ooc: going to be traveling so will be afk for a few days! Did you finish your testing?)

[proudofus]

[ Allison sighs. He has a point. Some risks are worth taking. There's nothing more satisfying than getting justice for people who can't get it for themselves. ]

You're right. [ She smirks and half-grumbles. ] As usual.

The jeweler's should still be open at this hour unless they've stepped out for whatever reason. If our good luck continues we should be able to catch them. Good luck and traffic permitting, I mean.

[ She stuffs her hands into her pockets and sighs. ]

We'd better get a move on, then, if we want any chance of talking to the guy.

[Ah, that's cool! Classes start for me Sunday night. Yes, I took my test! It was a placement test and my studying paid off!]

[ingoodcompany]

[ Stiles nods, unlocking the doors of the car. ]

The road's cleared up some by now, we'll have no trouble getting there. The shop's downtown, right? Near the high-end district but only just,

[ The fashion district tends to shift, when styles fall out of favor. Stiles knows where the shops are supposed to be, generally. But he's doesn't spend much time there to know them well.

And even if traffic was a problem, well, he drives with a lead foot every chance he gets. ]

(ooc: Congrats! Good to know that it went well!)

[proudofus]

(ooc: Thank you! I'm still getting used to the pacing of this school. Already I've been assigned my first paper.)

[ Allison nods, smiling faintly. ]

That’s the one. You know your jewelry, Stiles?

[ It’s a friendly jab, one they don’t really have time for, but Allison wants to lighten the mood a little bit. She sighs, her smile fading just slightly, and she gives a nod to the road ahead of them. ]

Let’s go. I bet we can make it.

[ Had she been driving they probably would have missed it. It’s not that she can’t drive fast, but rather that she has the bad luck to hit every speed trap the cops in the city have set up. Stiles is luckier. ]

[ingoodcompany]

Well, I can tell my golds from my silvers. [ He plays along. And recognize a jeweler's marks set into the items. Beyond that, he leaves things to the experts.

He pulls the car back into traffic; it's not that Stiles is luckier, per se, but he does have an idea as to where the local cops like to camp out to make their ticket quotas.

They reach the right area of the fashion district soon enough, bright neon signs on top of storefronts proclaiming the different brand names and tailors that made up the strip. ]

[proudofus]

[ She shakes her head with a smile. Right on time. They can probably question the jeweler before he even thinks about closing shop for the day. ]

This is why you drive.

[ The car is still in the process of being parked when Allison unbuckles her safety belt, though she waits to hop out until it's come to a complete stop. She doesn't have a death wish. She closes her door behind her and walks over to the driver's side, waiting for Stiles before she makes a move to enter the jeweler's.

The shop appears empty through the front window, but she suspects once they make themselves known the owner will as well. No one leaves that much jewelry completely unattended. ]

[ingoodcompany]

[ He ducks his head, hiding a smirk. He's always liked speeding around town more than he'll admit; even just driving around, even. ]

I really do like it when things go our way.

[ Getting out of the car, he joins Allison on the sidewalk, then through to the store. Door chimes ringing to announce their arrival to the clerk - who makes his way out from the back rooms where the workshops are located.

Or maybe he's the clerk, Stiles doesn't know for sure. ]

Are you the jewelry maker?