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Post by Ian Wolf-Park on Jul 5, 2011 0:22:26 GMT -5
After he was finished gardening, Ian decided to head to town for a bit to see how much the people of the town were worried about the murder and if they would be the next victim of the mafia. Without even realizing, he had grabbed his notepad, along with his wallet, off of the small table that stood near the front door and placed it in his back pocket.
As soon as he reached town, he quickly noted that although the people did not seem like they were worried, he could literally smell the fear and terror in the air. However, he could not work on an empty stomach, so he made a beeline to the closest place that he could see, a deli. It wasn't until he reached the deli that he realized that he had grabbed his beaten notepad in addition to his wallet, causing him to slap his forehead.
"Oh, I am such an idiot, bringing my old investigator notepad out here when I'm supposed to be retired," he loudly cried out.
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Post by Tam on Jul 5, 2011 1:48:56 GMT -5
After an arduous climb up the hill to Town Square, Mr. Amati's cart rolled to a stop. The sky had begun to cloud over, and there was a pleasantly cool breeze darting around the square. The old man sighed, smiling down at his cat.
"Feels like rain today, Sugar," he said.
Sugar yawned in reply.
After a few moment's thought, he decided that if indeed it was going to rain today, which he was fairly confident about, a sensible person would probably try to seek shelter of some kind. He pushed his cart a few more yards into the square, stopping under an immaculately groomed elm tree a respectful distance away from the young miss Chane's deli. Sugar had suggested to him on countless occasions that he should park his cart closer to the deli, pointing out that customers leaving the deli were often in need of a quick desert and that such a location would surely mean more business for a cupcake salesman, but Mr. Amati was stubborn. He didn't want to be rude. He wasn't entirely sure why moving his cart any closer would be rude, but he had a feeling it would be.
After he had set the brake on his cart and slowly lifted the display of cupcakes to its surface, polishing a little road dust off the glass, he unfolded his stool and carefully lowered himself onto it. His bones creaked as he settled into his new seat contentedly.
"Seems like something's caused a bit of a stir in folk today," Mr. Amati observed, taking note of the somewhat-more-agitated-than-usual conversations occurring around the square. "I wonder what all the hubbub's about." He had a vague feeling he ought to know what was going on, but no explanation came to mind offhand. He wasn't terribly concerned.
Sugar blinked up at him.
"You're right, Sugar," Mr. Amati said. "You're one hunnerd percent right."
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Post by Strife on Jul 5, 2011 3:27:41 GMT -5
"I smew feew."
"You smell what?"
"Feew."
"Feel?"
"No, feew."
"You smell a few people?"
"No, I smew feew."
The palm of Dr. Strife's hand slid down his face. "Nevermind."
Mawk and Strife had arrived at the town's central square. He had swapped his laboratory coat for a black raincoat before leaving his residence. Mawk decided to hide under his fedora, making his master's head seem slightly taller than usual.
"Now, we need to determinate the location of the scene of the crime..."
Just then, he heard a voice cry out nearby:
"Oh, I am such an idiot, bringing my old investigator notepad out here when I'm supposed to be retired!"
A private investigator? Just who he needed.
"You, good sir!" began Strife, marching towards the man in an almost comically triumphant manner. "I am Dr. Strife, Senior Florensics Specialist at the Netwaffle Academy. I was called down here to examine the body of the murder victim."
"Ooh, dewwi," squeaked Mawk, lifting a bird-paw out of the fedora towards the local deli. Strife quickly pushed down the hat to lock him in place.
"Eheh, blasted wind," he continued, keeping one hand on top of his hat. "So, would you happen to know where the body is at this time?"
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Post by Kozma on Jul 5, 2011 4:20:46 GMT -5
Quintrell was slightly shocked to have Madame Ginz approach him and ask if he'd like a palm reading; hardly anyone in town bothered to talk to him, aside from those who would frequently badger him because of his inaccurate weather predictions.
Being distrustful of psychics, mediums, fortune tellers, and generally anyone dealing with the occult, Quintrell would, on any normal day, refuse such an offer. However, these were uncertain times; a murder had just occurred and the atmosphere of the town was saturated with insecurity and rumors of more murders to come. There was no telling what the immediate future would bring and nobody other than Madame Ginz could even guess what was in store for the town.
While he most certainly did not suspect Madame Ginz of committing such a deed, there was no indication of who actually murdered Hunty. Anyone in town could have done it, and Quintrell figured that if he started spurning anyone, particularly those who were showing kindness towards him, he could be the next victim.
Between the uncertainty of his future and the lack of a true suspect in the murder, Quintrell reluctantly held out his hand and opened his palm. "Perhaps," he thought to himself, "this will be beneficial."
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Post by Deleted on Jul 5, 2011 6:32:03 GMT -5
"Yes, we'd have to be careful," Chane repeated, then muttered, "I can't say the notion appeals to me. I want to hope for the police to take care of the matter, but given all the gangs swarming the Netwaffle...aaah. It's hard to take them seriously these days." Luna then popped into the deli and, mentally scribbling down her order, Chane replied, "Twelve dollars and fifty cents." She haphazardly plopped slices of smelly smoked turkey onto rye bread (she never kept track of which bread she gave the customers; she assumed everyone in their right mind loved rye) and dripped mayo onto them. She gave the meal to Luna, smiling and stating the usual "enjoy" mantra.
Chane had never been close to the deceased girl, but she recalled seeing her looking critically at the deli--especially when it was in less-than-pristine condition. This always exasperated Chane, though in a bit of an ironic way. Part of her liked to think the townsfolk conspired to shut her deli down and replace it with a cupcake shop. The other part said no, that's stupid. Nobody in Netwaffle likes cupcakes more than sandwiches and greasy gribenes. Except for Chet Flash, maybe, but he was irrelevant. That said, Chane would sometimes wonder if she was so dedicated to her deli that she would go and kill a floozy. This always made her shake her head, though, because as much as she loved the horribly unkempt establishment, she would never go and kill a floozy. She lacked the nerve. She had convinced herself of this a long time ago.
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Post by Lizzie on Jul 5, 2011 10:14:10 GMT -5
Candy beamed at Luna, putting a sticker on her arm, before wandering over again and covering Drake's forehead in stickers after he finishes.
"You know," she murmured, "a neighborhood watch could be useful."
Candy paused. "Wait, turn on each other?" she looked slightly sad. "I don't want to suspect you guys..."
She fixed her hair and flopped into a chair, looking at everyone in the deli.
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Post by Jayeee on Jul 5, 2011 10:18:36 GMT -5
Joseph Maximillian III smiled to himself as he listened to Miss Celes Teal complain about the citizens of Netwaffle. If there was one thing he liked to do on a gloomy day in town, it was to sit alongside an upper-class young lady and talk about the incompetence of the people around them. What a perfect day; well, almost. He was sitting on a public bench after all, and the thought of whom else might have been there previously was repulsive. Perhaps that floozy frequented it.
He coughed quickly to mask his sickness at the very idea of the unsavoury dame being anywhere near him. “Ah, I feel the same about Meowington.” He went to point behind him to his faithful butler, but quickly remembered that Meowington had stayed behind at the mansion. He took another sip of tea instead. “He does like to wander off occasionally though. Two of the servants stumbled while carrying me down the foyer staircase this morning. Can you imagine? They made a dent in my top hat, so naturally they were fired immediately. It is horrendously difficult to find good help these days.” He made a mental note to himself to scold Meowington later for not being there to tend to him every whim.
Ariana Kelland caught his eye as she walked past and waved at Miss Celes Teal. Of course, Joseph Maximillian III assumed that she was waving at him, for who wouldn’t want to catch his eye? He raised a perfectly shaped eyebrow in response to her; he certainly wasn’t a fan of Miss. Kelland; far too paranoid for his liking. But she was part of the aristocracy after all, so that meant that she was at least worth a raised eyebrow.
“Oh good gracious me, how inappropriate of me to imply that you would have ever associated with somebody of that floozy’s calibre. I cannot apologise enough, my dear,” he said with a bow of his head. “I simply detest what this town is becoming. Murders and floozies walking the streets.” He shook his head slowly, before taking another sip of tea.
“Ugh.” Joseph Maximillian III wrinkled his nose as he caught a whiff of the nearby deli, shortly followed by the sounds of Doctor Strife marching towards it. “Some people have no self-respect,” he called towards the establishment, pursing his lips together in disgust.
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Post by Terra on Jul 5, 2011 10:23:27 GMT -5
((Nat - the girl with the camera is Robyn, who isn't actually deceased. ^_^ ) Terra peeled the sticker off her head and looked at it. It was a shiny blue star with a smiley face on it. Strange. "Where'd you get these, Candy?" Drake munches his lunch while listening to the girls talk. After finishing about half his meal his wipes his mouth and looks at them, after peeling a sticker off his head. "A neighborhood watch could come in handy. That way we can all watch each other and the others around us. Of course that can also cause a panic. Just imagine how people will accuse each other, then the chaos truly begins." He takes a few more bites of his meal. "Then who do we worry about? The Mafia will be the least of our worries, especially when we start turning on each other." He finishes his meal. "The point is, we need to be careful. I can tell there are a number of people who will panic over anything." He stares out the window at the people in the town square. "Hmm..." Terra considered this. "I guess that's possible, but even if there are a few people who throw around accusations, I think the possibility of preventing crime outweighs that disadvantage." Probably. "We'll see, anyway." Terra heard the door open and turned to watch the town blacksmith walk in. "Hi, Luna," she said. "How are you?" In response to Chane, she said, "Waiting for the police to take care of everything hasn't done much good, though, has it? What harm can it be to keep an eye out? I'm not saying any of us need to risk our lives or anything. We wouldn't get directly involved - we'd just report suspicious activity to the police. If we can see the crimes happening, we have a better chance of stopping them, don't we?" Terra could understand people being scared, but she couldn't understand not wanting to do anything about the crimes. It wasn't as if they were going to stop on their own. "Wait, turn on each other? I don't want to suspect you guys..."Terra looked at Candy, concerned. She had been thinking the same thing... "Neither do I."
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Post by Lizzie on Jul 5, 2011 10:42:53 GMT -5
Candy smiled at the stickers. "I ordered them off the internet. They were for my scrapbook, but this is much more fun," she said, giggling.
She looked up at Terra. "Who do you think would do this sorta stuff?"
Candy glanced out the window, noticed Joseph calling at the deli, and said, "Guys, I'll be right back."
She stepped out of the deli and stomped over to where Joseph and Celes Teal were sitting, and curtsied at Celes.
"Hi, Mister. I heard you comment on how people with no self-respect go to the deli that I was sitting in with people that I could consider my friends. Well, did you ever realize... maybe you have too much self-respect?" she said calmly but icily, "Maybe, just maybe, you could be a little nicer, talk with the lower classes?"
Candy glared at the servants, before taking Joseph's top hat, spilling his tea, and darting toward the deli, calling out, "BYE MISTER SNOBBYPANTS!"
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Post by icon on Jul 5, 2011 10:50:17 GMT -5
Robyn and Icon dashed across town, racing the whole way. "Alright, let's go over the list. Camera? You've got it, great. Notepad? Yup, that's mine. Pens, pens, I've got a couple pens... Robyn, you've got an extra roll of camera film?"
"That I do. Looks like we're good to go, then. Remember the plan?"
Icon looked over. "Ask everybody we can see what they know happened and what they think.' Robyn, we've been over this like fifty times! Of course I know the plan. Will we be splitting up?"
Robyn paused. "Mmm. Normally I'd go with a 'no' for that, but what with all the recent unrest maybe it'd be better if we stick together."
The duo reached the square and looked around, examining potential interviewees, wondering who to question first. Many members of the town disapproved of their "snooping tendencies", but the two were determined to reveal the truths about the town, no matter how ugly.
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Post by Terra on Jul 5, 2011 10:53:54 GMT -5
"I have no idea who'd do this," said Terra. "I don't want to think that anyone in Netwaffle would be that cruel, but, well, someone had to -"
"Guys, I'll be right back."
Candy suddenly stomped out of the deli.
"Candy, what -" Terra hurried out after her and saw her walking rather angrily up to Celes Teal and Joseph Maximillian III. She froze and watched with apprehension. This could not end well.
Still, when Candy tore off Joseph's top hat and spilled his tea, she had to resist the urge to laugh. She had never really liked the upper-class snobs...but still, she knew that they had enough influence to take away her parents' jobs if they wanted to, and could probably even take away her newspaper delivery job. Maybe Candy didn't care, but she did.
All she could do was duck back into the deli and hope they didn't notice her.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 5, 2011 11:44:28 GMT -5
Ariana sat at her balcony, writing her fears and feelings in her journal, when she saw Candy tear off Joseph's hat. She laughed. Joseph was such a snob, and he had finally gotten what he deserved.
By that point, such lighthearted happiness had driven away any thought of the murder. Ari just laughed and laughed. Then she began to daydream as she often did, about what life would be like if Meowington were the aristocrat and Joseph the butler.
(Also, when are we starting the actual game?)
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Post by Ian Wolf-Park on Jul 5, 2011 12:29:24 GMT -5
"I smew feew." "You smell what?" "Feew." "Feel?" "No, feew." "You smell a few people?" "No, I smew feew." The palm of Dr. Strife's hand slid down his face. "Nevermind." Mawk and Strife had arrived at the town's central square. He had swapped his laboratory coat for a black raincoat before leaving his residence. Mawk decided to hide under his fedora, making his master's head seem slightly taller than usual. "Now, we need to determinate the location of the scene of the crime..." Just then, he heard a voice cry out nearby: "Oh, I am such an idiot, bringing my old investigator notepad out here when I'm supposed to be retired!"A private investigator? Just who he needed. "You, good sir!" began Strife, marching towards the man in an almost comically triumphant manner. "I am Dr. Strife, Senior Florensics Specialist at the Netwaffle Academy. I was called down here to examine the body of the murder victim." "Ooh, dewwi," squeaked Mawk, lifting a bird-paw out of the fedora towards the local deli. Strife quickly pushed down the hat to lock him in place. "Eheh, blasted wind," he continued, keeping one hand on top of his hat. "So, would you happen to know where the body is at this time?" Ian looked around, bewildered at who was calling him, until he saw a doctor marching strangely towards him. He went up to the doctor. "Did you just call me a private investigator, doctor? For the record, I am not, rather a retired detective from a nearby police force, so technically, I'm not supposed to be investigating, but spending the rest of my days enjoying my retirement. As for the body, you're a doctor, shouldn't you have received it for the autopsy?" Ian was starting to become a little bit wary of the person who 'claimed' to be a doctor
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Post by Luna on Jul 5, 2011 13:42:11 GMT -5
"Twelve dollars and fifty cents."
"Okay." She placed a 10 and three 1s on the counter. "Thank you." She smiled and nodded at Chane, then noticed Candy had put a sticker on her arm. She looked at the sticker and laughed a bit, then took her sandwich and went to sit at a table next to where Drake, Candy, and Terra where sitting.
"Hi, Luna," she said. "How are you?"
"Hello Terra. I'm okay, I needed something to eat after makin' things. And the murder got me scared of who will die next. I mean it's not like they will only kill one person then call quits, right?" she took a couple bites of her sandwich and listened to there conversation about the murders.
"Guys, I'll be right back."
She watched as Candy marched out of the deli.
"Candy, what -"
She watched Terra quickly follow her, then saw her freeze.
She stood up herself, dropping her sandwich down on the table, and went to go look. She then saw Candy pull off Joseph's top hat and sipped his tea, then come running back to the deli after yelling to them "BYE MISTER SNOBBYPANTS!".
She tired pretty hard to resist laughing. She hurried back into her chair so Joseph won't see her.
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Post by Strife on Jul 5, 2011 14:17:05 GMT -5
Ian looked around, bewildered at who was calling him, until he saw a doctor marching strangely towards him. He went up to the doctor. "Did you just call me a private investigator, doctor? For the record, I am not, rather a retired detective from a nearby police force, so technically, I'm not supposed to be investigating, but spending the rest of my days enjoying my retirement. As for the body, you're a doctor, shouldn't you have received it for the autopsy?" Ian was starting to become a little bit wary of the person who 'claimed' to be a doctor "HOW DID YOU READ MY MIND- Oh, uh, I mean, no, I didn't say that," said Dr. Strife, squinting his eyes at the detective. "Neverthelessons, thank you for enlightening me on your true profession." The doctor crossed his arms. "As for the body, no, I haven't received it yet. That's why I'm down here - to retrieve it for said autopsy. Apparently the boys at the station thought it would be amusing if they made me march all the way down to the square to ask directions from senile townsfolk." "Dewwi!" came a muffled voice from his fedora, after which it seemed to take off into the misty sky. "ERAAGH!" snarled Strife, shaking his fist at the air. "Curse you, Maw- I mean weather man!" While Strife and Ian continued their discussion, Mawk fluttered erratically inside the fedora, guiding it in the general direction of the local deli. He landed in the alley just to the left of the front door, then waddled out on his hind paws and entered the building. He scurried around randomly on the floor, muttering things like "Excews me" and "Comin fwoo" as he zigzagged around the legs of various customers.
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