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Post by neverlandlostgirl on Aug 7, 2016 6:31:16 GMT
"Yellow eyes?"
The thoughtful expression never left Ralph's face as he suddenly opened a drawer in his desk and produced a notepad and pen. He quickly jotted down everything that Aqua had said, underscoring words like 'fire' and 'yellow eyes' and 'security spell.' Once he had finished writing, he tapped his chin thoughtfully with the end of the pen before looking back at Aqua.
"Did his eyes regain their normal coloration at any point? Also, I'll need the medical report done on Terrance after the fire. Think you can get your hands on a copy for me?"
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Post by skyeknight on Aug 8, 2016 12:08:27 GMT
"No. They didn't." Aqua said.
She would have been lying if she said that hadn't disappointed her. Terra had the loveliest of blue eyes before the accident. She blamed herself for it. It was the lingering feeling that she was somehow responsible for what happened that worried her. She had been reckless as a rookie. If her 'go-get-em' attitude got him in trouble or had hurt him, she wasn't sure if she would be able to forgive herself.
"I have a copy of the file. I can bring them to you." She said. "And all of our case files."
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Post by neverlandlostgirl on Aug 10, 2016 5:38:18 GMT
"Good. I'll want copies from just before the fire and until his disappearance."
Ralph continued to add information into his computer and only paused to jot down notes on his notepad. After a few minutes of doing this and asking Aqua no further questions, he finally paused in his typing to turn and look at the young officer.
"Alright. This will give me a foundation to start my investigation on. As for you, try and keep this from getting around the BPD. Things could get complicated otherwise for the both of us."
He took a moment and tapped his knuckles lightly against the table before asking his final question.
"One last thing, can you think of anyone, anyone at all who Terrance might have made an enemy of?"
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Post by skyeknight on Aug 11, 2016 1:59:07 GMT
"I can do that." she said. "If you need something, just tell me. I'll get it."
She just finally needed some answers. Banging her head against the problem didn't seem to do her any good so she had to turn it over to someone else, someone who wasn't as attached to Terra as she was, someone who wouldn't get emotional and act irrationally. Or rather, someone who could do the job. She had read a little of Ralph's background, enough to know he was a short fuse before she realized it was probably an invasion of privacy and she closed the file. A vindictive little part of her was glad of his temper because if Terra had done something wrong, or someone else had done something to him, they would get what they deserved.
"Terra... had a lot of enemies." she said. "He had a good record as a cop. Put a lot of people away. People forgot all the good he did once he was accused of something bad."
Those same people turned on him, as if trying to feed him to the wolves. They said that a smile he would give after a case was settled was smug satisfaction. In cases where he had to fight the person he was arrested, they claimed he had been too violent. Left and right they questioned his morals, his integrity and his honor. The media dragged the former duo through the mud until only Aqua was left standing in the tarnish, alone to deal with the repercussions.
"We should probably talk payment while I'm here," she said.
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Post by neverlandlostgirl on Aug 11, 2016 2:34:44 GMT
Ralph didn't say anything but thought he understood the look on Aqua's face well enough. After all, he'd made his own share of enemies during his career with the BPD and still did as a private investigator. The biggest difference was that he was a Giant, someone you didn't mess with unless you were ready to have your head crushed like an egg. Of course that was one of the reasons he had 'quit' in the first place, the threat that if he couldn't control his temper he would be let go.
They never understood. My anger is what saw me through some truly horrific cases, saw evil people but away and punished for the things they had done even if it had to be by my own hands. They say the law is made to protect everyone, to see justice served. Yeah right, just another pretty little lie to feed the masses.
He thought all of this as he continued to watch Aqua, feelings of hurt and betrayal clear on her face.
"I'll need a list of them as well. Anyone who could have bore him a grudge."
It was only then that Aqua brought up the topic of payment. Ralph rocked back in his chair for a moment, assessing how much he should be charging for his services given the case and who was sitting in front of him.
"Well, my standard fee usually runs about $50 a day for the investigative period. Then, based on what I find and how it effects the outcome in court, I usually charge a commission fee of $100 to $500 based on the case."
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Post by skyeknight on Aug 11, 2016 11:51:49 GMT
Aqua nodded slowly. She had a copy of each of their case files, as far back as the department kept record of before shipping the physical copies off to storage facilities. She had made her copies and returned the files. Perhaps it was a minor obsession with the case and a need to find out what happened to her partner. It had slowly consumed her life as she searched for answers.
"The names of the people accusing him of blackmail and bribes are in the notebook." She said. "And I'll email you a list with the other names."
It almost felt like a relief to know Ralph was taking the case. She knew she wasn't out of the woods yet and that he could drop the case whenever he felt like it, but this did take a burden off her shoulders. The cost alone was why she took Namine on as a roommate. She had been afraid she would have to sell a few things in order to pay him, or take out a loan. His prices were reasonable and fair, probably because he got to pick and choose his cases whereas she had cases thrust at her.
"I can pay that," she confirmed.
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Post by neverlandlostgirl on Aug 12, 2016 5:07:36 GMT
"Good. Just because you're from the Others Unit doesn't mean I'll do the job for free."
Ralph's tone was half joking and half serious. He finished typing up a last note on his computer before saving the information and turning his full attention back to Aqua.
"This will give me a firm foundation to start on. However, it's going to take some time to look into this and, in the meanwhile, try not to obsess over this. Ok?"
Ralph might not be great at holding his temper, but he was pretty good at guess people's emotional state and he knew that this investigation would probably be all that the BPD detective could think about for the time being.
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Post by skyeknight on Aug 12, 2016 11:49:09 GMT
"What? No police officer discount?" She replied with a half hearted smile. "Oh well..."
She wouldn't short him the funds. She was almost willing to pay anything to finally have some answers. She needed to know. But the joke did help her frayed nerves. For that she appreciated the gesture. She pulled out her wallet, laying out a week's pay in cash on the desk. Her wallet felt much lighter when she pocketed it once more.
"I'll... Try." She said. "I'm trying to move past this. It's why I'm here."
She couldn't keep banging her head against rocks trying to find answers. Instead she was hiring someone should could crush the rocks and the people hiding answers. She always had such a hard time with suspects because no one ever saw a Seelie Faery as intimidating. It also didn't help that she was a female officer. Lots of thugs thought less of women and even less of cops.
"Just... If you do find him, let me know first, before the rest of the police and before the media." She requested.
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Post by neverlandlostgirl on Aug 16, 2016 1:20:20 GMT
This time Ralph didn't say anything to Aqua, but his expression said it all. It was a look of sympathy but also a look of concern. He could see how much this meant to Aqua and there was no telling what he would uncover about Terrance and his disappearance. She might hope for the best case scenario and really, who wouldn't? But there was also the very distinct possibility that this investigation would reveal some the painful truth about who her fellow officer had really been.
However, he kept his mouth shut and merely wrote down some brief information on the back of a sheet of paper before handing it over to Aqua. Written in blocky but legible letters were his phone number and cost.
"Here. If you have any other questions or find something that could be useful, give me a ring. Other then that, I've got a job to get started on."
Ralph rose from his seat and briefly stretched before waiting on Aqua.
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Post by skyeknight on Aug 16, 2016 14:12:00 GMT
"I'll be in touch." Aqua said.
She in turn handed him her card. She had her personal cell on the back, written in soft loops and gentle slopes. A contrast to his own writing, she noted. She felt exhausted after talking about all of this, especially since she hadn't told anyone about it in so long. Who knew that this would be so emotionally draining? She hadn't anticipated on it. But his expression certainly made her feel distinctly uncomfortable. She didn't want him to feel sorry for her. She was trying already to be so strong but pity could break her.
"Thanks," she said. "For listening."
She knew she shouldn't thank him for the case just yet. They didn't know where this was going to end. They may very well be going down the rabbit hole. Once they went in, there would be no going back. And maybe ignorance was bliss, but she couldn't live with the grief of not knowing what happened.
"I'll be off," she told him.
She headed to the door and out of the office already feeling like she had aged twenty years in one conversation.
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Post by neverlandlostgirl on Aug 19, 2016 3:17:37 GMT
Ralph saw Aqua to the door, his face an exercise in thoughtfulness. However, just before the Seelie was about to leave his apartment, the Giant moved his arm so that he slightly blocked the doorway. He gave her a long look, seeming to be on the break of saying something but at the last moment merely shook his head before moving out of the way.
"Look after yourself, Aqua."
With that, he let her leave and shut the door, ready to begin his investigation.
(End Plot)
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