Description: Detective Daniel seeks out Elias at his Shelter in Sunshine City, only to find the priest is out. Instead he finds the priest's young ward, the sullen and shy Alice. As the questions run long the Detective senses something sinister in the girl...something that might spring upon him if he's not careful, whom is more dangerous the Dragons he seeks or the girl he questions?
It's been a long journey, Elias.
The sun beats on the back of the pork-pied sleuth that walked down the street of Sunshine City. A long road it was to the rumored location of Elias. From Metro City, to Newark, to here in Sunshine City again. It was too long since Daniel had been in the watch-theft ridden city. The detective wasn't surprised it took him back to the crime of scum and villainy. After all, Elias would be close to the truth of the watch theft.
The truth of the Black Dragons.
Daniel Jack approaches the rumored site of the one Priest. A homeless shelter. A fitting place for a man of the cloth. Walking up to the worn door, the detective swings it open, entering the shelter. Tipping his hat, he removes it, gazing across the interior. The small play room for the children. The lounge with the countless donated couches, situated around the television. The kitchen, which is unfortunately between meals for the detective. Danny adjusts his red shades, scanning the room once more before calling out, inquisititively.
"Excuse me? Is anybody here?"
It had been quiet in Sunshine for a while, despite recent events in the world Sunshine was relatively the same as it always was. Especially the part of town that Elias' shelter could be found in. Though currently it was one of the least busy times of the day, not many people here and of the few that were here most were out back playing, well the orphans were, some of the older homeless were watching over them and the few remaining were in the living room watching TV and a few were playing checkers on an old well used board.
Stepping ever so mechanically down the stairs from the room shared by the orphans was Alice. Clutched to her chest as though she were using it to both protect herself and to in turn offer it protection was a old book that had seen better days, though it looked like it might've been repaired a few times as well. The door swings up suddenly giving the poor girl on the stairs a mild start....
And suddenly there was a man in the doorway hish eyes hidden behind red sunglasses and looking intently about the room.
For Alice's part she can't but help to shrink into herself a bit as the gaze glides over her. Then with a large swallow she takes another step down the stairs, "H...hello? Do you...do you need help?" She stammers shyly while using the book to hide the lower half of her face behind, her eyes lingering just above the frayed edges of the old hard bound book, curious eyes falling on the detective while she awaits an answer.
Danny watches the homeless, feeling a bit... dressed up for the shelter. He hoped he didn't come off too gaudy. Daniel Jack wasn't letting his wits about him fall apart..
Well, she was a meek thing.
The detective looks over the small teenager with skeptical eyes. Lolita fashion. Daniel Jack knew it well while living on Gedo Street. It was fashionable with the young girls wishing to have a sort of 'elegant' edge to them. This young lady seemed to be... off though. Daniel Jack couldn't quite put his finger on it. The book was interesting though; the detective eyes it closer, trying to identify what sort of book the shrinking violet was carrying, before answering a confidence, sharp air.
"I'm looking for a Priest named Elias. Is he in?"
While Daniel might be dressed a tad better than most at the homeless shelter, it seems there has been some generosity in Sunshine City as a number of them have some newer clothing that is in very good repair and everyone is surprisingly clean and well groomed, Elias runs a tight ship it seems. But they are still fundamentally homeless and unemployed...so Daniel does stick out a bit, maybe if he mussed up his hair just a bit?
Meanwhile upon the stairs Alice ducks down slightly hiding her eyes now behind the book as Daniel focuses on her again. It begins with a little shiver, but the longer she is stared at the more she starts to shake but she continues to use the book as a shield...the tome in question being a well thumbed through copy of Arabian Nights.
"Father Elias...isn't here...right now." The girl says after a moment of silence in response to Danny's question. Slowly the book is brought back down so that her eyes can regard him again, "Wh-why are you looking for him?" She takes a step down the stairs and the wood squeaks only faintly as it seems the slip of a girl doesn't weigh all that much.
Daniel Jack looks at the girl as if she was just two steps away from a melt down. There was just something frail about her presence. While the detective's somewhat long, slicked-across hair was a bit tacky, he wasn't going to 'fit in' by mussing it up! Eyeing the book, he nods to himself. A bookworm. Why was she the only one talking out though? She seems that it is taking everything within her to stand up to the detective. Daniel tries to keep himself from scaring the girl further. The shivering was a red light, and she might just start crying right here.
And that might end up causing more problems than fixing them.
The detective softens his tone, trying not to intimidate the girl too badly with his unusual appearance and surprise entrance. "I need to ask him a few questions. I heard rumors from people that he is the man I need to talk to. When is he coming back?"
The detective seems to let slip a bit of... passion in tracking down the man.
Alice while seemingly shy and frail, while Elias is away she takes on tasks such as this though there are always people around to help her if she can't handle it on her own. Not that Daniel would know or gather that from anything other than a few of the homeless looking over to the detective and the girl on the stairs from time to time. None of the looks are hostile though, just concerned and curious...
The softening of the tone does seem to have a noticible effect as the girl stops shivering and manages to come down two more steps, three more to go to reach the bottom of the stairs, "Oh....I see." She pauses for a longer than normal moment as she considers the question, "Sadly, I don't know." She looks sad about that but quickly hides slightly behind her book, "What did you want to...umm ask him?" She asks from behind her shield one of her eyes peeking out from the side as she asks, "I might, be able to answer it." She sounds slightly hopeful as the last words leave her lips.
Then suddenly the book comes down completely, "I'm...very sorry, I...I forgot my manners." Her British accent a bit more apparent now that she's spoken a bit more in longer sentences, "Please take a seat, would you umm like some tea, perhaps?" Her voice sounding just mildly embarrassed as her gaze starts to shift to the kitchen and she begins descending the last few step hurridly, passing well within grasping range of Daniel after mentioning she might be able to answer any question Elias could.
Well, she wasn't a Marz.
Well, maybe she was like Marz. Maybe this is what Marz used to be, before Vega dug his clutches into the poor German girl. The detective mulls quietly to himself, as the girl begins to grow less terrified by the gumshoe. Keeping his manners, the detective keeps his grim, if gentle exterior. As she lowers the book, the terror seems have left her heart.
"Well, you might be able to help."
Daniel Jack nods, walking towards the kitchen. "Doesn't bother me none, it's a real peach for you to take me in and help me out! I take mine with nothing." The detective watches Alice with those unending, piercing eyes. "Strange that Elias skipped out." The detective begins, before asking Alice with a penetrating tone.
"Is he your guardian, miss...?"
Alice is both like and unlike Marz, they are different in that Alice has her own will but alike in that they are not whom they were to begin with before events played out that changed who they were originally.
The book is now clutched firmly to her chest again, her face now fully visible though from time to time her bangs fall down into her eyes concealing one, the other, or every so often both for a moment before she brushes it out of her face. A sigh and a muttered, "Need a haircut." Is the girl's only commentary on this. "So...what can I...help you with?" Her gaze shifting as she walks down the hall towards the kitchen. Alice actually smiles very very faintly at the thanks for the help but it quickly disappears at the slightly accusing way Daniel phrases Elias'absence, "The Father is a very busy man, he can't always be here." There is no shyness in that response, no stammering, and to be honest a bit of iron.
Stepping into the kitchen proper she points to a set of stools next to a wide kitchen counter while putting her book upon it as she starts gathering everything she needs for the tea, leaves, water, kettle, cups, strainer. Then with a small nod, water is poured into kettle which is then placed upon the stove. She then finally turns and suddenly realizes how she's been acting and gets self conscious quickly looking to the ground...
"Y...yes he is."
Daniel Jack looks for the dining table, and takes a seat. Placing his hands on the table, he leans back, looking at Alice. A guardian. Daniel didn't think anything odd about Elias keeping care of a girl like Alice. The detective did it himself, and would be a damned hypocrite to think it was anything other than charity. Danny looks across at the girl, watching her as she defends the man.
She was covering for him.
"I saw the book. You like Arabian Nights? Aladdin, Ali Baba, and Sinbad? I mean, some of that stuff is pretty risque. You might be a bit young for it. Anyways, let me get to the real meat, you dig?" Ass Alice gathers the tea materials, he decides to cut to the chase. He reaches within his jacket, and draws out a single, ornate knife. Jamming it hard in the table, he sticks the strange knife straight up, before answering Alice's overarching question.
"I'm looking for information on the Black Dragons."
Alice carefully prepares the tea in the strainer for once the water begins to boil, the cups are set before Daniel and the other next to her book. Her eyes never quite meeting Daniel's as she is still embarrassed by her earlier behavior, it was just that for Elias...she could be strong and would have no one say anything bad about the man that had done so much for her!
The intense gaze was also starting to get to her again and she swallows a bit nervously.
She looks up as the man mentions the book she's rereading, "It..it is not that risque, no more so than The Divine Comedy or the original Grimm's Fairy Tales at least." Her tone thoughtful as if she is more saying this in debate to herself than directly in response to Daniel. Then she looks at him, "The meat?" Her eyes shyly curious before going wide with surprise as he draws the knife..
And that is when the whisper shoots through her, 'He's here to kill you!!! You've seen one like that before~!' it chirps right next to her ear, her fearful eyes instantly darting to that side of her face as she practically leaps the other way, "Nononono..." She mutters before getting ahold of herself again, "I...we..." She looks down, "They...they are bad people and you-you should leave them alone."
She swallows hard and stiffles a sniffle, "Just stay away...while you can." The voice pipes up in her head, 'He's one of them, he's one of them, and he's here for us~!! Let me kill him' She clutches herself to stop from shivering digging her nails into her shoulder to drive off the voice for the moment and get some control again, "T-tea will be done in a mo...moment."
Daniel Jack should have kept the dramatics under wrap. He couldn't help himself when he wanted to add that intense flare. He had no idea of what was going through Alice's head. But he could see that terrified presence coming back again. Playing hardboiled with the girl was likely not going to get nowhere. But still, Daniel Jack continues. "They are bad people, young lady."
"And I want to stop them.
Daniel Jack looks at the knife, palming the handle as it stays fixed on the table. "I was downtown in the industrial district, on the case of a watch thief. I come across this thug, and we spar a bit. And he tells me about something, right before he is stone dead. His last words before I found this knife driven right in his back?"
"Black Dragons."
Daniel Jack pauses, looking at the table. "... I'm sorry. I shouldn't have been so intense. It's hard for me not to be intense sometimes, miss. But I'm not gonna back away from these 'bad people.' Have they..." Daniel Jack tries to approach this gingerly, not wishing to worsen the poor girl's psyche further.
"... Have they threatened you before?"
The kettle whistles and while surprising it helps snap Alice back to reality and the rote memorization of preparing the tea always her to mindlessly do the task before her while calming her mind though the voice has awakened and it was going to torment her now whether she gave into it or not. 'Lying, lying lying!' it sing songs in her head as Daniel speaks, 'If you don't watch out, he's going to give you a pretty ruby smile ON YOUR NECK!'
Squeezing her eyes shut, taking a deep breath and forcing herself to be as calm as possible she turns back, water now in a proper tea pot, she returns and pours the tea into each of the cups. "You...should stop." She warns sadly.
She shivers at the mention of the dead man that gave Daniel a clue, 'He'll do the same to you!' it trills against her temple this time and she scrunches her eyes and nose in pained panic for a moment before schooling her face back to normal. She takes a dainty sip of her tea and a deep breath, "Umm..would..would you like some biscuits?" Nothing odd going on here just a shy girl in over her head..really.
"It's..okay." She reassures, 'Wouldn't he look better covered in blood?' For a moment Alice finds herself staring at a blood caked, lacerated version of Daniel, "...we all, make m-mistakes at times." The bloody Daniel sprays Alice in the face with blood as he speaks and she shivers slightly her tea cup rattling just slightly against her saucer, "Y-you should...awful things happen around them."
Her eyes close as she takes another sip of tea, then slowly she opens one to see that Daniel no longer seems to be covered in blood, "Elias has had p-problems with them before." She neither confirms nor denies if she was there and had issues with them.
Daniel Jack was getting uncomfortable.
There was something unnatural coming from the girl. "Stop? Eeeh." The detective states, moving to pull the knife out of the table... and stopping. He begins to move the chair to stand up... and stops. Daniel Jack stays in his seat, and does NOT move the knife. He wanted to ask if she was okay. He wanted.
But he couldn't shake that feeling that he was with a murderer.
"Yes, I would like some biscuits. Thank you!" The detective smiles warmly, taking the cup. Sipping it, he inhales the warm moist air. "This is very good, kid. You are a natural at making tea, or just experienced?" Daniel Jack takes another sip, eyeing Alice with a hint of caution. "Well, if Elias has had problems with them before; then we must be on the same side. What do they do? Where are they located? Why are they called the Black Dragons?" The detective pauses, and takes a deep breath.
He needed to control his intensity.
Alice tilts her head as Daniel stops reaching for the knife wedged in the table, then starts to stand up and stops. It's clear she's confused by his actions and that he was uncomfortable...was it her? Was she doing...like she always did? She always made people uncomfortable, it was her curse and part of her punishment she was sure, 'You do deserve it.' The voice sings to her.
With a small sad frown she forces it away again mentally. A look of mild sadness passes across her features as she stands up and walks over to a cabinet and pulls out a package of chocolate cream filled what Americans might call cookies and what Alice would argue were clearly biscuits. The praise doesn't have the intended effect though as it merely gets a wane ghost of a smile, "I...make a lot for people here." She looks down sadly at the table.
"I...don't know, they are very careful, they usually try to attack Fathe Elias and he defends himself..." Her speech has slowed and her tone becoming more and more monotone by the moment, it's clear she's depressed about something now. 'Useless, Useless, you can't do anything right...' The tune it sings to sickeningly sweet, '..except kill, maim, and generally inflict horror hahahaha!' Its cruel laughs echo in her head, "I don't know much besides that...sorry."
Looking very much the epitome of the sad lonely girl, Alice stares intently at the table, 'You really should embrace me, I could deal with this man sooo much better than you can, talentless wench~.' Alice's eyes get watery but she refuses to cry as she sips on her tea slowly.
Daniel felt like he was on the edge of that knife.
The detective couldn't hear the voices going through Alice's head, but he could see that something was bothering her. Something hidden far away. Something deep under the skin. Perhaps Alice had inner demons, the detective wondered. "Thank you for the... cookies?" Danny looked at the treats that Alice had brought to the table.
He expected biscuits!
Shrugging it off, he continues his line of questioning. "They come here often to attack him?" The detective weighs out what this means. If they were after Elias, then they would, at some point, come back here. A scheme rots in the detective's mind, a cunning plan that would keep Alice in place, and would give him the next lead to the Black Dragons. He would just stake the place out. And Alice could help him. The detective reaches back into his jacket... and draws out a card.
"Hmm, do you know what they look like? Any distinctive gang symbols?"
Alice continues to battle her demon. For the moment and with a great amount of will Alice forces the voice away.
"Oh..you're welcome." Still depression seeps from her words as she speaks, was she ever going to be free and normal again or was she doomed to be a monster...the thing that killed her parents? That thought makes her grip her cup tightly her knuckles going white for a moment before she forces her grasp looser, she would not think about that again not while it was so close to the surface already. "Not...often."
"They just do things...that the Father does not approve of and he stops them when his goals and theirs cross paths." It was enough of the truth that it should be the truth, "No...I'm sorry I do not, nor do I know their gang symbols, the Father does not want me involved and...I have to respect his wishes, it is the least I-I can do."
She takes the card and stares at it, "I...I'll try and help if I can, but...I'm not very..." She pauses as she looks for the right word, "...reliable."
The card is a simple contact information, and rather crudely done as well. The office was set in Southtown, so most of the information seemed to be useless... except for the cell phone number. Daniel Jack begins to explain, nervously pawing his hands on the table. "Elias probably has it right then. You should avoid trouble. If trouble -does- come knocking on your door, though, just give me a call on the cell phone. I'll come over and see what I can do to help. "
"You've been a real help kid."
Daniel Jack finishes up the tea and biscuits before he rises up. Glancing at the knife. He begins to reach for it, but recoils. No intensity. "I'm gonna pull out the knife now, and put it away in my jacket." The detective mutters towards Alive before pulling it free. Rising up, the detective begins to head for the door. "I'll be around for a few days. If you need anything, or me to change something, just give me a call, would you ring me up with anything odd." The detective starts to head for the door, before stooping, during around to leave one last question.
"What is your name anyways, kid?"
Alice takes a moment to look the card over and while she recognizes that the address is somewhere in Southtown but she's not overly familiar with that City, or well anywhere outside the Shelter and immediate area of Sunshine City...save her home town in England. "I do...m-my best." Alice's voice is oddly quiet even for her as she responds to Daniel's statement, "...and I'll keep that in mind."
Alice nods once in reply taking the finale sip of her tea as she does so.
The girl watches Daniel as he reaches for the knife thinks better of it and then explains to her what he's doing, she tilts her head and tries to keep the frown from forming on her lips, 'He thinks you're dangerous...like a rabid dog~ He doesn't know how right he is! Hahaha!!!' The stinging comment causing Alice to grimace for a moment before she shyly nods back at the detective, "Of course." She sets her empty cup down and follows the detective on his way out as he says he'll be around, "...i-it won't be necessary...hopefully, but thank...you." She sees him out the door and then he asks his question...
"Oh, I'm Alice. A pleasure to meet...you."
Daniel Jack was unnerved by the kid. There was something... otherworldly about her. Something alien. Daniel Jack could see how on edge she was with him around. She was a frightened child, and without Elias around... she was afraid. However, the detective was mulling about the evidence as well. Elias seemed to be connected somehow to the Black Dragon gang, but not as an ally. Still, this was the first trail he found that connected the two organizations directly. Black Dragon was likely here in the city, or at least some of the operations. A last thought comes to his mind. Pausing, he responds to Alice.
"Alice? Huh. A strange place to have a wonderland."
Tone softening, the detective tries to put on his winning smile. "It was a pleasuer to meet you as well. Just one last question though." The detective turns around, looking at Alice with the utmost seriousness, but a glimmer of warmth as well. Looking at the young girl, he asks his one last question.
"Do you know where I could find some watches?"
"The Black Dragons are notorious watch thieves, you know."
Alice knows she's creepy and off putting, she doesn't want to be she just is, and it hurts her when she notices she has put people ill at ease...she has seen it so often Daniel has no chance to hide it, she knows her oddness has bothered him. Thus she is looking down at the ground listlessly partially wondering if Elias would be returning soon and partly worrying what would happen if the Black Dragon's showed up, would she be able to hide from them or would her otherself come out and go wild...she shivered at that thought.
Hearing her name she looks up and nods to confirm she is indeed called Alice, then he mentions wonderland and for a brief half second a crazed cruel grin splits across her face and her normally expressive if dulled violet eyes shrink down to pin pricks of color overshadowed by the whites of her eyes. Then it's gone and Alice takes a deep breath and wobbles unsteadily for a moment, "...wonderland is-is where you make it Detective."
It had almost gotten lose the distress and then mentioning wonderland causing her to lose self-control in her surprise. She nods he head quietly as she stares intently at the front steps of the shelter while Daniel talk. She starts to retreat back into the sanctuary when he turns and asks another question of her, half concealed by the door she peeks out shyly as a thoughtful look replaces her normal forlorn expression.
"I..I'm not sure...but I think there might be a place that sells clocks and repairs w-watches near the jewlery district...I think."
%She blinks curiously at the last comment.
He saw that.
Damn straight Daniel Jack saw that brief half second of madness. Daniel Jack steps back when those eyes appear, just stopping himself from falling into the defensive stance of Todoh. Throwing up his guard might provoke a fight with... that thing. Those weren't innocent eyes. Those were killing eyes. For that brief moment, Daniel Jack saw the darkness hiding behind the girl... and it came out at the mention of Wonderland. Maybe this is why the priest kept her close. It wasn't to protect the child, but protect everyone from that beast. That crazed creature. The detective considers, briefly, to ask about what he saw.
But Daniel wasn't going down that rabbit hole.
When Alice gets control back, the detective untenses. But he doesn't turn his back on Alice as he walks away. "The jewelers might have my next lead then. Thanks kid- Alice. Thank you, Alice." A fairly safe distance away, the detective finally feels safe enough to turn around. "And remember! Any trouble, just give me a call!" Facing away from the shelter, the detective's mind was abuzz. The jewelry district, the sleuth ponders. That would be where you would sell stolen watches. And where you would hear about how watches are stolen.
The game was once again afoot.
"Yes...of course." Alice says in reply to the reminder to call if there is a problem. "...be...be careful Detective. If you're going to do this at least be careful." The sullen girl says shyly as she uses the door to hide behind. Then once it is clear he is leaving she shuts the door quietly. 'Now now..wasn't that fun, maybe next time I can play with him for real~! Hehahahahe.' Alice grits her teeth and heads back to the kitchen to fix herself another cup of tea and read her book, letting the words drone in her head and putting her otherself back to sleep.
Log created on 00:24:16 04/13/2012 by Alice, and last modified on 16:14:29 04/19/2012.