Private Criminal Currents in a Serendipitous Sea

[Ra Akimo]

DENON
Time: Midnight
Weather: Light Rain, 291.15 K (18 C, 64.4 F)​

The windshield wipers swept from side to side as the heavens cried. A lone passenger sat in the driver's seat of the hovervehicle. Its engine parked, the scene was all too clear. Bright lights lit up the weathered facade of nearby buildings, and smeared itself over the windshield as water fell and was swept away. Again and again while the nameless, faceless masses outside idly sought to peer across the law enforcement barricade. A morbid act taken in vain as the professionals sought to maintain the scene of the crime in its entirety. What little wasn't washed into the nearest sewer.

Metal fingers gently pressed against the top of a wide brim hat, and soon it was lifted off the passenger seat. After it was perched atop her raven strands, the lightly tanned amazon popped the door open. Out into the chill air made all the less hospitable by the relentless downpour. At least her coat and hat would keep the worst of it off if it worsened.

There was no need to rush, of course. The crime was over. The threat passed. Being too anxious you'd overlook a vital clue and end up wasting your time in pursuit of a ghost. Her boots rhythmically stuck the street of Denon, which carried her through the holotape and toward the shattered ruins of someone's life. Even victimless crimes had ripples that distorted the lives of others.

Ra held up her badge, which affirmed her off-world status, but nonetheless afforded her access to the scene. Scene was under the jurisdiction of the locals, but sometimes you needed someone whose authority didn't end in orbit. Some solicited bounty hunters to find criminals, but most simply had to sit and wait for the criminal to drop themselves back into the not-so-long reach of the Law. She liked to help the latter, but she wouldn't turn down the former.

As the rain slid around the brim of her hat and cascaded down the back of her dark coat, Ra stood and surveyed the scene of the crime up close. Time to find the tail head.

Tag: Laramie Kamryn​

 

[Laramie Kamryn]

There are a few officers on the scene. It seems they're standing outside of an office building of some sort. The men peer warily when the woman approaches, until she flashes the badge. One of the men at the scene, one noticeably not in typical uniform, approaches. He's an older man, just a human. Probably somewhere in his sixties. Wrinkled face, trimmed grey beard, messy hair, and bags under his blue eyes that signify many sleepless nights. He's dressed in a simple longcoat with a button up shirt, and jeans with brown leather boots. Typical business casual. He's got a deathstick between his teeth, which he takes a drag from as he approaches the arrival. "Ah, a fellow investigator? I've looked the place top to bottom. You're not gonna find much, but you're free to look." He gestures to the door, and he follows behind her as she enters the building.

She's lead to an office a few floors up. There's nothing to signify any form of break in outside of the crime scene itself, which is a single office room. The old man opens the door for her, and they step inside. The office looks fairly typical. A desk with a window behind it, shelves up on the wall, a few holoprojectors and computer systems, leather chairs. It's a nice office. Though there are some big signs of entry. The window behind the desk as a massive circular hol carved into it, there's a broken lamp on the floor, likely fell from the desk in a struggle. The dead body isn't far from it. Three gash marks, as if made by claws, straight across the throat.

The old detective takes in a breath of his smoke before speaking up. "Ain't seen nothing like this. There were no gloves used by the killer, the handprints on the body show that but....there are no handprints, just......" He shines the light from a pen onto the dead fellow's arm, showing a handprint got certain, but no details. Just the outline of a hand with long slender fingers, likely claw tipped judging by the indentations left where the fingertips were. He then moves the light over to the lamp, which causes small refractive green light amongst the broken glass. "There's also those. If I had to guess, scales. But not the scales of any creature I know, especially not a sentient. Whatever it is took a hit from that lamp." She now had free reign of the crime scene.

Ra Akimo

 

[Ra Akimo]

"Never do, Detective," Ra replied evenly as she began to move toward the door. "All we need is a thread." If the crime scene solved the case all on its own, the Constable Knight wouldn't be there. Easy cases weren't her purview. Protecting others by preventing further criminal activity was what she did, and that meant pursuing the cunning or careful criminal. One with intellect to pre-plan events, or wherewithal afterward to cleanup.

The tall figure slowly removed her hat after they entered the building. Ra made sure to drain it by the entryway before they progressed further inside. A few gentle flaps then helped shed any drops that clung to her coat. Crime scenes didn't appreciate being soiled by outside dew.

Once they arrived at the office in question, Ra lifted a small holodevice up and affixed it to her right ear. A gentle tap started the recording. Silently the raven haired woman followed the Detective's generous tour of the scene. Her milky white eyes surveyed the wounds for a few seconds each. Length, breadth, depth, size, placement, quality of the edges to the wound... all qualities identifying the weapon. Perhaps now not, but later.

Ra lifted her hand up and slightly out to one side before a sharp flick of the wrist caused a small evidence bag to appear in her hand. A pair of tweezers were suddenly in the other hand when she set to collecting three of the discarded scales. "Any indication of what they were after?" Evidence of robbery or a hidden safe, perhaps. Polite conversation as Ra worked. It'd only be a moment before she'd survey the room for such signs personally.

Slowly she rose and moved over to inspect the lamp briefly. Blood would be useful, but if the assailant had been a reptile the thicker skin wouldn't succumb to a mere desk lamp. From there she took account of the window, the lamp, and the body's location. A little mental reply of the sequence of events. Not someone the victim knew. Had they walked in on the unannounced entrance, or been sitting at the desk surprised by the intrusion? "Any sign of how they got up here?" Scaled the wall? Repelled from the roof? Hadn't been a jetpack, she hoped; far too flashy. Just coming at the place from outside could draw too much attention on its own - even if people didn't tend to look up.

Tag: Laramie Kamryn​

 

[Laramie Kamryn]

"Ain't no clear sign of anything. Though, this fella was a major stock trader it seems. Made his profit off of short selling business." He pauses momentarily to rub his eyes. "My guess? He short sold the wrong one. We got a notification that he had some form of open contract on his head. We had officers guarding the building the night it happened. Hence why it was found so fast." The body was still fresh, it's obvious death was pretty recent. At least five hours or so. The detective makes his way up to the hole in the window. "Look closely at these ridges actually." he leans through the hole, looking down on the ground below. He then turns about to face Ra once again, hands in his pockets. "Looks like claws, or some other small utensil cut the glass. Though, I'm wagering claws because of the scales."

Then she asks how the criminal got up there. "That's another reason I wager reptile...or amphibian." He takes that light out of his pocket again, and shines it on the glass under and beside the hole. The same handprints that were on the body appear. They were blank, but it was obvious someone climbed the glass. "You know of any species with scales like that who can do bullshit like this?" He asks, pointing a thumb behind himself at the hole in the glass. "Whoever did this was good. They weren't even using tech, security cameras didn't catch a damn thing due to how they entered, and they somehow knew instantly which office was his, but the glass is tinted. They would have had to investigate from the inside first....and not a single reptile based lifeform entered this building within the past few months. I'm at a loss, detective."

Ra Akimo

 

[Ra Akimo]

Guarding? Ra listened to the man as he spoke, but questioned how closely they'd been monitoring the victim. Had the guard been inside the building? Normally they would have been in another building with view to the office from outside. A possibility that could lead another to them, perhaps. "You were protecting them because of the open contract?" One placed by an unknown party given the 'guess.'

"Professional assassin. If they are reptilian then perhaps a species with the ability to disguise themselves as well." The Detective seemed at a loss how the hitman so easily found their mark. Ra was less impressed by that than by how seemingly little evidence had been left behind. Well practiced. Desk lamp not withstanding.

Curious, however. If they could disguise themselves, why bother entering from outside of the building?

The Arkanian turned to look at the doorway from where she stood near the window. Someone entering the room from there would naturally draw the man's attention. The distance between them would be greater allowing for slightly more reaction time -- though hardly any worth speaking of if they'd used a blaster. The kill had been more personal though. A vicious strike at the neck. A message, or a preferred means of killing? Entering through the window would give them the advantage... provided they were quick. Cutting glass wouldn't have been silent, and with the man sitting right there was it any wonder there'd been a struggle? Slapdashed as it may have been.

"Any other deaths matching the way the victim died recently?" Ra turned to regard her guide curious what they'd already found out. "Specifically, throats being slashed by claws." The rest might change, but this one suggested the killer wanted to kill with their own hands -- one facet that might be least likely to change between crime scenes.

Tag: Laramie Kamryn

 

[Laramie Kamryn]

"Yep. We prefer not to have murders on our hands. Also you know how Denon is with how it defends the rich tooth and nail." He states, shrugging slightly. "I've told you all I know. You got access to more files than we do right? I can only access what's happened on this planet, you can access others, right? Maybe those scales will pull up a DNA match there." He recommends, pausing to take a drag from his deathstick. Also, shapeshifting? I don't know of any species that can do that. The most I've heard about are those sith folk who can cloak themselves in an illusion or something like that." The detective mutters, looking befuddled.

"The most confusing thing for me here is the handprints, detective. They clearly didn't wear gloves, yet the print has no identifying marks. Every race has an identifying print. Even trandoshans have a unique scale pattern on their palm. What the hell are we looking at? I mean, I can gather some stuff. A lack of tech, along with how the victim died, alludes to someone more...wild and prima than the average civilized person. At least that's my take." He turns about to look out the window once again, shaking his head.

"We've had a few assassinations in the past few weeks...but nothing similar to this. Considering the lamp on the floor, showing that the victim fought back, and how little evidence was left....I'd say our assassin made a rare slipup. We've had assassinations recently with even less evidence. Whether we can attribute it to this reptile? There's no proof to say. There's a portable DNA scanner in one of the transport shuttles outside. You can hook up to your datacenter or whatever and see what's what if you want." He makes his way towards the door to lead her there.

Ra Akimo

 

[Ra Akimo]

Ra slowly turned and investigated the contents on top of the desk as the man spoke. If there was a computer terminal she'd briefly interact with it using her cybernetic hand. Maybe it was just a hit for money, but it didn't hurt to keep the options open until they were ruled out. There was a motive behind the assassination, after all. It would be best to capture both the one hiring the killer, and the killer that was hired.

"Yes, the handprints," the Arkanian woman agreed patiently. Shapeshifters or changelings weren't garden variety. They were rarer than Force Sensitives so it made sense people knew nothing about them. Ra, however, was not just anyone. She'd been trained in numerous schools of thought and been exposed to quite a large variety of lifeforms. Perhaps she was not the greatest warrior or the wisest sage, but Ra liked to think her prey were worse off having such a knowledgeable person pursuing them. As to the handprints... identifying marks were simple genetic traits. Seemed reasonable a changeling could suppress them to a point.

"I wouldn't call them 'wild,' Detective. They're quite smart. Brutal, perhaps, but also bold and adaptive. A dangerous combination. They don't need to rely on blasters, blades, or jetpacks." Which meant they needed to be caught or there'd be a long list of corpses in their wake.

Content of having surveyed the contents of the room, Ra followed the man out. Perhaps they would find a record of this person in the database. Though whether it would help them locate the assailant now was a different question entirely. "We cannot leave any stone unturned," she agreed.

Tag: Laramie Kamryn

 

[Laramie Kamryn]

The computer is full of copious amounts of stock market info, as expected of someone in this line of work. There's nothing highly suspect. Angry messages from the owners of multiple companies. The poor bastard probably never saw his death coming. It wasn't exactly undeserved, but jail time would have been a more fitting punishment. Too late for that now. The only other thing she'd find from observing the room is foot prints with a scanner, which were booted feet that lead back out of the hole. Not overly useful evidence.

The detective nods as Ra speaks about the perpetrator. "Brutal and adaptive. That explains most reptilians I meet." He shivers a bit. "I just wonder how many others this reptile has done in. For every slipup, there are ten smooth operations. It's like tracking a damn force ghost." He leads her along back outside. It's a quiet elevator ride down. The poor old man wants to go to bed and get all this over with, it's easy to tell.

Once they're outside, he makes his way over to a speeder van that's waiting on the curve, and opens the door for her. "Look, I'm tired, and need to go to bed. Like...badly. Gettin to old for this shit. I trust that you have it from here." With that, he continues to his own speeder down the street. Within the shuttle is a mini lab for evidence. A scanner for DNA, and a holocomputer for her to see the results. Since she can see results from other planets, unlike the basic authorities on denon, she may be able to pull up more results than they did on those scales.

Ra Akimo

 

[Ra Akimo]

"Of course," the Arkanian replied softly as she was left behind at the scene. She had the long and short of the situation, now all that remain was putting it to use in catching the criminal. A more difficult task than usual given the nature of the perpetrator. Well, Ra wouldn't complain; after all she set out to help those in need even if the need wasn't quite as...desperate as others. Sometimes the humble admission of being out of one's depth was a quieter desperation.

Slowly the tall woman set to work sliding the scanner out to inspect a sample taken from the scene. At least the rain had let up for the most part now. Just an earthy smell battling with that of a city-planet stench now. Ra's milky white eyes surveyed the area as she waited on results from offworld databanks. The sheen of water on metal or the deep contrast it made on paint and stone was quite the sight. It felt more...natural. The City of Metal could use more of that. More trees, really, but at least Denon weren't as bad as Coruscant. Yet.

A soft, but sharp chirp drew her attention back to the screen. Time to learn if there was a name or at least a species to put to the Sentient of Interest.

Tag: Laramie Kamryn

 

[Laramie Kamryn]

What she finds in the results is odd. The dna is a mixture of too many different things to count. Trandoshan, human, mon kalamari, it's all there. To much for the editing of genes on a live person. So the idea of a modded person, as such was popular on denon, was instantly made out of the question. It's likely all these different dna segments are what allows for the sentient to transform and shapeshift. Various different chameleon species throughout the galaxy are also mixed into the dna. Whatever this thing is, it's a freak of modern science.

Onto the match results. They're even more worrying than the dna scan. Bright side, there are results. The issue? they aren't very telling. The four case files are under the suspect's title. 'The reptile' it seems to have been called by the authorities. One result is on Coruscant, another result is on Naboo, the next result is on Corellia. Then the final result, dated the oldest, is on Denon. The first three files have no info other than the dna composition filled out on the documents. It seems that's all that could be found before the case had to be closed. Not a good sign.

The only hint of information was in the final file, possibly the scariest revelation of them all. It details the raid of a lab on Denon, an arrest due to illegal gene experimentation. It seems the creator blew his own head off before they could get to him, and only brief details from documents could be found. This creature was created in a vial, a literal vial of liquid is what it was before it achieved sentience. A subject was forced to drink the vial, causing a transformation based off of the rakghoul plague. It overwrote the drinker's mind and soul, creating a clean slate for whatever sort of creature they turned into. Whatever of the former person existed was gone, replaced by the reptile. The raid had happened before extensive experimentation could begin, so lots of abilities remained unknown. the only thing that was known was the ability to shapeshift found in the documents. It seems this being can not only shapeshift into whoever it sees, but also imagine new forms to transform into it's onw originally created shapes. This had made tracking it down nearly impossible. The only photo on the file is a picture of a serpentine tail going up into a vent, titled 'subject's escape'.

Ra Akimo

 

[Ra Akimo]

Ra read the information thoroughly. Sadly, none of it helped suggest where the assassin was at that moment or what they intended. The best lead the Constable could see was if this 'lab' still contained any personnel or records that would help identify the killer. A low probability given the time that had passed, but that didn't mean a Detective didn't bother trying. Long as there weren't better leads to follow-up on.

She gestured for the officers on scene that she had what she needed and would be in touch. Ra might contact the coroner later to see if there was any other forensics evidence on the body. Hardly seemed likely, but if the scene had been staged or if the 'Reptile' possessed paralytic enzymes a humble Arkanian Detective would like to know these things.

Without further ado, she climbed back into her vehicle and sped off toward the lab on Denon.

If the lab was still open then Ra would pursue the legal avenue of entry -- permission. Living witnesses or owners might shed light on historical events as well. On the other hand, if the place remain abandoned then she would simply let herself in. The notes from the raid were quite intriguing, if only there wasn't the matter of murder to preoccupy Ra's time.

Tag: Laramie Kamryn

 

[Laramie Kamryn]

The lab's location and current status were both detailed in the case file. Currently, the building was abandoned, sitting in a decrepit part of town. A strange place for a high end lab, however, everything around the lab had once been high end as well until the wealth started going elsewhere, leaving the neighborhood old and uncared for. Such was the nature of economy, it drifted like the tide, and was not always kind. Old 'do not enter' police tape was over the entrance to the building, which looked like a normal apartment from the outside. The tape was half worn away, as if touching it would make it fall to dust. One strange thing to be noticed was that the buildings windows...all of them were closed. All but one, which was left open. Was it recent or always like that? It was hard to tell.

Upon stepping inside, she would find a single dark hallway, with a line of doors on both sides. In the middle of the hallways on either side, there were stairs leading up to the higher floors. The conditions could certainly be better. Trash on the floor, broken pieces of glass, even some droplets of dried blood, This place had the stench of terrible events surrounding it. Though it's a bit hard to see without a flashlight, there's stairs that go down at the end of the hallway, where a faint hint of light can be seen.

While going down the hallway, she may notice, one of the vents above her head hangs open. The very same vent she saw in the image on the case file. An open window and an open vent. It's hard to tell if these were left this way, or if there has been a recent arrival. Either way, the case file stipulated that the lab was on the lower floors, not the upper ones, making it likely that the stairs leading down are where she's supposed to go.

Ra Akimo

 

[Ra Akimo]

Ra stepped out of the vehicle before the abandoned building. The Arkanian woman made no effort to hurry toward the door, as her eyes roamed the structure before her and then scanned up and down the street. Anxious as she was to catch a criminal rushing in could get you killed. The open window might just as well have allowed people in as well as out over the time the lab had been shut down. No telling who might be inside. Seemed like a good neighborhood to get lost.

With the tape torn away, Ra stood before the doors as they parted at her instruction. A dark and unkempt interior presented itself. Presumably the result of the previous tenants being butchered and the lab shuttered.

Almond-shaped eyes soon floated into the depths as the Knight crossed the threshold. A touch of The Force that granted her sight though it made her milky-whites dimly glow as a result. One step at a time Ra surveyed whatever was in sight of the main hallway. Unsurprisingly there was little to see worth remarking on. It would have been more brow-raising if something stood out after all this time.

She paused at the top of the stairs that led into the depths. A faint glow was remarkable. Worthy of investigation given the state of the building. Anything of value should have been cleared out by the authorities or the destitute by now; which meant someone had decided to make this place their own. Whether that had anything to do with the assassination or not only time would tell. Assuming it was unrelated -- especially lacking anything better to work with -- would just be foolish. Time to pay the new tenant a visit and find out.

The Constable slowly began to descend doing her best to not making any noise, and attentive for any sounds that might suggest who or what might be waiting below.

Tag: Laramie Kamryn

 

[Laramie Kamryn]

As she descends the stairs, all the tension would flow away, or increase, depending on her view of things. Some big creepy creature stalking the hallways? Skittering hissy creepy crawly in the vents? None of that. Down the stairs was a lobby area that led to the lab. For some reason, one of the lights still worked. Under that light, sitting on an old leather waiting chair, she would see it. Laramie was certainly an odd sight, no discernable gender in their form whatsoever. They were covered in small green scales, making it look like regular green skin from far away, if a bit rough. Their hair was partly shaved on both sides, creating a sort of fluffy hair strip which went down into wavy locks that stopped at their lower back. The reptile was dressed in a black wetsuit, and a pair of skinny jeans over them. No shoes or gloves. They had no worries for such things.

The reptile pours itself a glass of wine from a bottle it had bought, a coffee mug taken from an old office desk being used to drink it. They had just started to take a sip as footsteps echoed on the stairs in their sensitive ears. One of those long ears flicks a single time, and they turn to face the sound, reptilian tail swaying back and forth. "Well well, I should have thought better of you." They state, voice equally as feminine as it is masculine. Yellow eyes with black reptilian slits meet with Ra's milky whites. "You seem to have caught me in a state of undress. How embarrassing." They cackle, showing off a mouth full of sharp teeth that fit together like a puzzle. "I do get absorbed in my wine. Oopsy, I suppose. Now, draw your gun or whatever it is you plan to do so I can skitter into the shadows like usual." She gestures to Ra. "Come on. Or are you just dying for a glass of wine?" They ask, holding up the bottle playfully.

Internally, they were irritated. They made a mistake taking a walk down memory lane while the heat was on them, and now? Now they were an in an edgy situation, and they had been seen.

Ra Akimo

 

[Ra Akimo]

Ra stopped in sight of the reptilian sentient a short distance before her. The assassin, presumably, given what it said. It could talk, however, which was both pleasant and an inconvenience. A mere beast was easily dispatched, but a person warranted judicial application of force. One didn't dispense justice by being injustice; though locals could always disagree on whether 'justice' was served. A humble Knight followed her own path, and tried her best to uphold the local laws.

The wine was an interesting touch. In a coffee mug no less. A juxtaposition fitting someone that didn't fit the usual molds -- for a shapeshifter.

"There's no need to rush," the Arkanian replied calmly, "and I don't carry a gun." Ra slowly continued to move forward to see how far her... opponent would permit entry. "My name is Ra. I hope you will tell me your name. I know little about you and I'd prefer if I didn't need to refer to you in the abstract." The reptile could always lie, of course. Maybe it would tell the truth. Either way Ra would add it to the short list of known 'facts.'

"Not the best accomodations for wine tasting. Nothing to eat with it? No company to enjoy the aroma of a...cup together?" Why would a Constable be asking a perpetrator about their wine? Seeing how the species and potentially gender were unknowns, learning the nuances of the person -- their character and knowledge -- might prove useful. After all, this person knew the ins and outs of their facilities far better than Ra did. If they tried to escape it would be difficult to get ahead of them. Preparing for the future was a sound investment, even if the topic of conversation seemed nonsensical.

Tag: Laramie Kamryn

 

[Laramie Kamryn]

"Don't carry a gun you say? That implies you've got other assets that'll be troublesome, no? No hunter lacks fangs, after all." They say, emphasizing their words with a wide grin that shows off those sharp reptilian incisors in their mouth. As Ra gets closer, they pick up an old pen from the desk and toss it to the detective. It lands at her feet. "You're testing territory, hm? That's the limit." They take another sip of the wine. "My name? Laramie Kamryn. Though it's of no consequence. That's only today's name after all." They cackle. "You people call me the reptile, correct? I've snuck in to check my case file a few times. Guess it's getting an update?" They shrug. They seem to be a cryptic creature...Judging by that statement however, it seems the creature plans to let Ra leave alive? Why?

When Ra brings up the accommodations of the building, they chuckle slightly. "You are indeed right. Usually I'd spruce myself up a bit with a new character and hit the club, no one the wiser. Though in it's own way, it's a tragic way to live, no? Sometimes, you just feel the need to shed that fake skin, be your true self. I can only do that in private. It seems you've interrupted that privacy and caught me by surprise." They wink. "Bravo." A character, they said? Doe they view the forms she takes as characters? Like an actor in a play? Curious. Despite their origins, they seem quite adapted to a social environment, if a bit of an oddball.

"Oh! Whoopsy. you asked for a glass. I forgot, how rude of me." They place the wine bottle on the floor, and that serpentine tail reaches down to push it towards the intruder. "Go on, take it. Lean over to reach it over the line, no stepping over that pen." A good move. Ra could reach the wine bottle by reaching over the line without stepping over the pen, therefore letting her grab the wine while not having the proper footing to do anything hostile. "I lack another glass, but the wine in this cup is good enough for me. You can have the bottle."

Ra Akimo

 

[Ra Akimo]

"Violence is a last resort," the Arkanian replied simply as Laramie pointed out the truth. It would be pretty naive to walk into a criminal's hideout incapable of defending one's self believing you could talk you way out of every situation. No need to share what last resort she'd resort to, however.

Ra stopped when the reptile tossed a pen to indicate the extent of the inhabitant's tolerance for their unwelcome guest's presence. Not intent on provoking a fight, the Knight stopped at the indicated point. "I would recommend the local authorities increase their safeguards, if it would make a difference." So they were interested in their own case? No doubt they found it mildly amusing -- more that they could do it rather than anything put in the file. After all, the local authorities knew practically nothing.

"Can you?" The milky whites of the Knight's eyes never wavered from the reptilian in her sights. "Be yourself in private," she clarified. "Most in your position tend to lose their self to the parts they play. Little to call their own. Alone, there is very little opportunity for you to explore your own identity." Her voice was level and carefully paced. No aggravation or snide tone coloring Ra's words. It was just an observation as part of the conversation that the Reptile had started. No insult intended.

Slowly, Ra bent her legs to lower herself down to retrieve the bottle across the invisible line. No bending at the waist begging the Reptile to leap atop her. Just retrieving the bottle at all was enough risk without being wide open. With it in hand, Ra regarded it with a glance. "I have that cup to thank for a lack of genetic material on the bottle." No point looking for fingerprints given the state of the crime scene earlier. Saliva would have been nice, if they weren't so proper even if they lacked an appropriate chalice for the wine.

"At the risk of asking the obvious, why did you kill that man? Or any one after leaving here?" It didn't hurt to ask even if the response was the most obvious, direct, and least insightful of answers. Sometimes people surprised you with a colorful story, or even let the smallest detail slip in how they responded or what they said. Like any thing in an investigation, it never hurt to look into something if you had the time. Seeing how the culprit was lounging in front of Ra at that moment it seemed like she had all night.

Tag: Laramie Kamryn

 

[Laramie Kamryn]

"The local authorities of this world lean too much into the comfort of tech. They expect heists, espionage, and all those other things to be achieved by some form of tech. When these things are done without tech." They giggle. "Those fools lose sight of it all very quickly. For once, I'd say technological advancement is a downfall. Never depend on anything too much. Though, I've yet to fail myself. However....I suppose you finding me is a case of that." They shrug, giggling a bit. "Oh well, I'll have a different name tomorrow."

At Ra's words, they look ponderous. "Be myself? Well, I haven't been around too long. I haven't really developed myself too much as a person, though I can be myself. Let's just say not all my forms are....actual people. I make the form myself. You won't know who I am after today anyways, so it's safe to tell you. After all, how do you know if this is my actual form?" It was true, the reptile was truly elusive. They could come up with forms, not just copy others. Truly a terrifying ability. Those scientists really went overboard. "Anyways, my point is, I can be myself when I'm not copying someone else. Through that, I've discovered a taste for clubbing and wine.....Swimming, parkour, blind dates are fun." They chuckles, counting the hobbies off on their fingers one by one.

As Akimo picks up the bottle, lamenting the loss of genetic material, the reptile winks. "Been in this game a while, getting caught typically doesn't happen. I'm....very thorough. Tell me...does it anger you?" They raise a brow. "The emotions of others interest me, I'm still learning to understand how you warm blooded beings work. Except trandoshans. I believe even I am a finer breed of reptile than they are." They state, giving their hair a smug flip.

"If you'll believe me, I only killed the one man tonight. He was scum, crushing smaller businesses under his heel through shortselling on the stock market. I won't discern my client.....professional integrity and such. Anyways, the world won't miss him and I'll be richer for it when I turn in the job. I have a preference for handling jobs where the target is of...a more morally compromised nature." They grin widely, showing off those sharp teeth. "Something about when they die gives a sort of....catharsis."

Ra Akimo

 

[Ra Akimo]

Ra managed to suppress a sigh as she flexed the mechanical digits of her right arm. What the Reptile said Ra knew too well. Everything except the creature's over abundance of confidence -- or arrogance.

"Anger? That you declined to willingly hand me evidence I could use against you?" A slight tug at the corner of her lips followed the question. "I expect you won't surrender willingly, nor allow anyone to capture you easily. Your refusal may prove frustrating -- especially as you continue to kill others -- but I won't let such a challenge anger me. That only clouds a detective's mind." Perhaps it shouldn't be surprising to hear them say they didn't understand 'emotions' to a great degree, but it was an unusual thing to encounter. It was rare to encounter someone figuratively 'born yesterday.' Aside from droids that were perpetually perplexed on such matters.

A confession and admission of working for a client. Confidence bordering on arrogance, indeed. Likely the result again of their being relatively young. If someone had yet to experience true failure they might think everything all together too easy. No one was perfect, however. Ra wondered how many more crimes would have to occur before a mistake; not exactly something a Constable could wait on.

"Morally compromised," Ra echoed. "You aren't as inexperienced as I hoped. You've established a career for hire, and developed your own sense of morality. Which makes me curious, what is it you're after?" The Reptile indicated they weren't consumed by a desire to identify who or what they were per se. Supposedly they were perfectly fine inventing their own identity when and how they wanted. A very flexible mindset. Dangerous given their abilities... they could be quite difficult to catch. That arrogance might be the only thing that would give them away if they were given reason enough to 'tease' or string along those chasing them.

Tag: Laramie Kamryn

 

[Laramie Kamryn]

Laramie smirked. A real cop in this case? How rare. Half the cops they were met with on this planet were equally as crooked as the reptile themselves was. To find one that stood resolute in the pursuit of justice was interesting. Annoying, but interesting. It showed a defiance of corruption they'd yet had the experience of seeing in a sentient. "Mmmm, you are correct, I will continue to kill others. Not much can be done about that. However, don't you worry. Those that will perish aren't the sort that will be dearly missed. Save for the money they put into an executive's pocket. I'm sure that will be quite missed." They chuckles slightly, pausing for a moment to observe their own fingernails. Though, quick as can be, those eyes dart up once again at Ra.

"What is it I'm after? Well well, that's a fair question. Honestly? I dunno. I'm still discovering the world around me after all. I have figured one thing though. This world? Runs on currency. Whatever I choose for my goal to be, I wager I'll need credits to do it. So I might as well start lining up some of that now, right?" They shrug. "This is a good way to do it. Long as there's two people left in the galaxy, someone is gonna want someone dead." They take another slow sip of wine, looking quite pleased with their way of putting that statement. "I should write that down." They point at Ra with their toe. "What do you think?"

Ra Akimo