Match of the Millennium

Description: Isn't a noir mystery supposed to start with a dame walking into the office? Well in this case, she shows up in the middle of it. What does she want and how does it involve that strange dagger that Brandon Malone recently acquired?

[BRANDON]
When one walked into the office of the Knights of Swords and Wands it looked like the stereotypical noir private investigator agency... almost. It had the usual mainstays of an agency, a desk, a couple of chairs, the wooden coat stand with a fedora and trench coat hanging from it, file cabinet, book shelf, blinds, desk blotter, he even went the full mile and had a replica of an old fashioned rotary phone on the desk. Not plugged in. It was for there for the look. He had a cellphone for that type of thing.

Where his office veered off from the standard noir agency aesthetic was in the small effects like the crystal ball and amulet in the shape of a claw clutching orange orb, on the shelf on the wall and the fact that in addition to books on law, there were books on the movement of energy and use of crystals and other assorted mystical subjects. There was also that deck of tarot cards sitting on his desk.

As for the detective himself, he was hard at work studying the recently acquired dagger in the now open box as he attempted to devise a ritual to allow him to prevent possession by the dagger by someone touching it so forensics would be able to study it in depth.

[CHUN-LI]
That was when there was a knock on the door, and a woman in a tranchcoat walked into the agency. She was sorta short and she wore a tranchcoat, complete with a fedora. It seemed like it was just there for the look, not for function. She didn't pry around, but she did look at the various books as she adjusted her hat. "Glad I have my hair loose today. I don't think I'd be able to keep my hat on if I had the buns." She says to herself as she tilts her head at the books on movements of energy. "Mmmm....must be books on Chi and the like." She wasn't smiling...yet, but she was sounding amused.

[BRANDON]
Brandon looked upon hearing the knock. It was a good thing he was only in the study phase of dealing with the dagger. A distraction during the ritual phase could've been catastrophic.

The arcane investigator lets his eye brow lift slightly as he watches the woman in the trench coat walks into the room.

"I wasn't expecting to see you again. To what do I owe this honor?"

He closes the box with the dagger in it. And rises to his feet to help her out of her trench coat and put it on the wooden coat stand should she wish it. Either way he will offer her a seat.

[CHUN-LI]
The Woman looks over and nods to Brandon, especially once she takes her hat off and hangs it up. "I did want to apologize for being a complete stranger on the investigation yesterday. I'm running my own investigation into this as well." She says rather pointedly as she shrugs out of her own trenchcoat and hangs it up. Whether or not the woman looks familiar now is beside the point.

"I'm trying to find out if there's any sort of connection between this group you're investigating and another called 'Shadaloo'. Your investigation comes first though." She says as she sits down.....stretching her legs out a bit.

[BRANDON]
Brandon Malone heads back to his own seat and leans back as he takes in everything that the Interpol officer has told him. There's a few moments of quiet before he speaks.

"I think I'm missing some information here. I was where I was because my sources told me that particular weapon was on the Metro City U campus. That was the most logical location for it."

He was not about to say he scryed for the location of the dagger. If there was one thing he knew most investigator got weird when mysticism got involved. The only reason he's enjoying the current relationship he has with the MCPD is due to the mess with a chunk of the city getting pulled into Majigen and even then he knows he needs to avoid specific terminology for when he deals with them and their paperwork.

"If possible, could we start from the beginning? What is Shadaloo and what would they have to do with Metro City University?"

He was beginning to wonder if he stumbled onto something way bigger than the police department was letting on.

[CHUN-LI]
"Well....first of all, I'm Zhang, from Interpol....as you've guessed. The next one is that I'm just looking for any sort of leads right now. Shadaloo is......a global shadow network of criminals, gangs and junk like that. Interpol's pulling their hair out trying to even get a lead on them since they're working so undercover." And Chun-li won't say the other reason why she's involved.

"But it seemed like just about anything that was spiritual in origin, seemed to, somehow, come from Shadaloo. So....that's the reason why I'm 'sticking my nose' into this. I'll still help you, if I can, but....you know I have my own agenda into this as well."

[BRANDON]
"Interpol..."

It didn't quite fit with his image of Interpol. Based on what he had heard from his former mentor who had joined their ranks and from others he had talked to, Interpol wasn't as open minded to world of the mystical so Chun-Li's interest in the idea of conducting a ritual to allow forensics to examine it and lift what they could from it struck him as incredibly odd.

"You strike me as oddly open minded for an Interpol operative. I like that. Theoretically speaking, if this investigation isn't connected to Shadaloo, what are your plans?"

[CHUN-LI]
"You haven't fought a guy that has his hair so flat, it looks like you could land a plane on it." Chun-li says with a laugh. "You also haven't been in a tournament with a guy who can breathe fire and extend his limbs so far that it's practically impossible. So, it's either open-minded, or you quit because your brain hurts."

"If this investigation isn't connected....on to the next one....when this one is finished after all. I'm not the sort to just go 'Oh...it's not connected...I'm out!'. I don't do things like that." She says as she crosses her legs at the knee. "Justice isn't convienence..."

[BRANDON]
"No but I've fought in a tournament with a woman with acidic sweat and blood that spontaneously combusts upon air contact."

What remains unsaid is the comment about how it was a bad idea to respond to her insulting you the entire fight by mumbling in annoyance something about hating to see what she'd do to a tampon. That particular fight spiraled completely out of control.

"In that case, I appreciate your help. As you probably saw from the door, I'm Brandon Malone of the Knights of Swords and Wands. It's an honor to meet you and work with you."

[CHUN-LI]
"I should re-introduce myself then. Chun-li Zhang of Interpol. And.....acidic sweat? Ew. Sounds like a movie I watched. her name wasn't Ripley, was it?" she then chuckles. "It's nice to meet you, Mister Malone, and the honor is mine. You probably know a lot more about this sort of thing than I do."

Log created on 13:50:42 01/24/2017 by Brandon, and last modified on 23:41:22 01/25/2017.