Me? Kill someone? Not this time

[Willulf Montari]

It was a pretty normal day on Coruscant for Willulf as he rose out of bed and walked over to the kitchen counter. He heard some stirring on the bottom floors and he walked towards the windows to see what was going on but soon dismissed the noises after seeing nothing. There usually weren't any disturbances around this area so it seemed strange to him. Willulf was interested in knowing what the source of the commotion was but making a cup of coffee came first. Even a young man such as himself needed that extra boost to starting the day, complete with lots of creamer. Once he finished making the coffee he turned on his computer and sat down at the desk. "Let's see what happened."

He tilted his head slightly when he found out why there was a disturbance. A man was killed on the first floor of the apartment that he lived in at the time. "Murder huh?" he grinned. Willulf kept reading, the weapon was apparently a lightsaber. "Oh?" this information made him grin even wider and start to laugh. "Rest in peace you poor bastard." he shouldn't be grinning at something like this but he couldn't help himself. As he read on more, he saw that they were investigating the incident. Willulf believed it'd be simple to solve the murder case, but he had to place in detective work and he could care less about one man's death. He sipped on his coffee before placing it down and standing up to stretch.

Willulf relaxed his body and turned to view the TV. "Just for a bit. Then I'll go on a run." exercise was important to him but so was the television. He made his way over to the couch, grabbed the remote and sat down.

[member="Seo Linn"]

 

[Seo Linn]

The victim of the murder was a Torne Khaar​. A rodian that may or may not have deserved to die. Being aware of what can happen in back rooms and out of sight, she wasn't going to judge him before she learned more. At this point, he was a simple victim of a random crime and she would do her duty and attempt to figure out why it happened. See if he had a family and tell them what happened to him.

Looking in on the crime scene, the fact she was a Jedi allowed her to see what had happened. Another detail that helped was whoever did the murder appeared to use a lightsaber. The local authorities were at a loss as to how to approach a Forcer that had committed a crime.

"You know you guys should contact somebody in the Alliance. See if they can bring in somebody that might be better at this."

One skill she had learned on Lorrd was psychometry. This allowed her to read into the history of items. Bending over, she touched his shirt. It was in contact with him when he died and might have a clue to what happened. Closing her eyes, she picked up on the recent history of the item. The memory provided showed a shadowed form without details, but the color of the blade was what she expected and withdrew from her meditation.

"I'm going ask around the complex here and see if anybody can provide any additional details."

She requested names of the people living here and figured those that were further away would not have heard anything and took them off her list. That left about twenty-five percent of the people to talk to. Letting out a small sigh, she decided not to waste any more time and approached the door of a Daxter Noth. Raising her hand to give the door a knock, Seo stepped back so if he was inside, he could get a clear look at her.

[member="Willulf Montari"]

 

[Willulf Montari]

Willulf grinned, though it was barely noticeable. The show he'd been watching recently was a good one. He liked shows with comedy and crime, ironically. Someone trying to escape a past life of crime might leave the room when a show revolving around it came on. Not him though, he stayed and enjoyed it. He got on his feet again, remembering that he forgot his coffee at the desk. Willulf walked quickly so he wouldn't miss what happened in the show. He grabbed it in one swift motion without spilling any and returned to his seat. Just as he was about to sit down, there was a knock on the door. His whole body stopped in place as his bottom froze in the air for a moment. Willulf eventually unfroze and he set the coffee on the table in front of the couch. Next, he moved towards the door while calling out, "I'll be right there."

He was cautious and moved slowly, in a way that a predator will stalk their prey. The recent murder in his apartment building gave him enough of a reason to not trust the person behind the door. Willulf's presence in the force was hidden so if it was the murderer, he could have some advantage over them. Of course he assumed the killer was a force user due to their choice of weapon. The time was in between morning and noon, he hadn't had much time to change into his daily clothes but instead he wore his pajamas. Willulf unlocked the locks on the door and opened up the door slowly, in attempt to act as normal as possible.

The one behind the door was a light-skinned female who appeared to be a little under 6 feet tall. Her blonde hair and gold eyes were very appealing to him. Willulf favored blonde hair when choosing a romantic partner, Alison being one. He had no such interests at this time however. Wil didn't even care about gaining friends, let alone a partner. "Hey there, love. Can I help you with something?" she didn't seem to be dangerous but he remained cautious.

[member="Seo Linn"]

 

[Seo Linn]

She was a Jedi to her core by now and her alignment wasn't in question nor did she bother to hide this fact. After what had happened below, the time it took for the man to answer the door didn't surprise her at all.

When he opened it, he was wearing pajamas, but appeared to more awake than asleep. He also looked to be a few years younger than her and almost a foot taller. However, his approach wasn't violent or hostile, cautious certainly though.

Seo openly displayed her own lightsaber and that was clipped to her belt, her hand nowhere near the weapon. A woman of few words and more of body language observed him for a moment before speaking. Getting right to the point of her visit, she looked him in the eyes as she spoke,

"My name is Seo Linn and have been requested to investigate the murder of a man. This man Torne Kharr. He was a Rodian that lived on the first floor of this building. Do you know or have any information I might use in this investigation?"

Holding out a slim file of information on what she already knew, she stood outside in the hallway and silently wondered if he would invite her in to have this conversation.

[member="Willulf Montari"]

 

[Willulf Montari]

Willulf didn't notice her affiliation in the force, it was probably because he wasn't concerned but the lightsaber may have also took his focus off of it. A lightsaber was used on the victim and his eyes narrowed as they stood there. Wil knew there were two sides that used the weapon but he didn't feel her presence yet in the force, so he had to be even more cautious. She appeared to be analysing him before she began to speak. That made him feel a little uncomfortable, but then she said some words and handed him a file that had information about the murder case enclosed. He grabbed the file and opened the door all the way. Wil went through the file briefly before looking up and putting on a smile, "I can't have you out there with a murderer running around. Come on in, Miss Linn." he said in a friendly tone.

He pointed to the couch without saying a word, eyes buried in the book. Willulf closed the door behind him, moved towards the kitchen, and continued to read the information. Once he'd read over all of it, he closed the file and set it on the counter. "Would you like some tea, Miss Linn?" he asked as he started to boil a pot of water on the stove. Wil didn't give her a chance to decline the offer, he'd started making it already when he asked. "Oh and don't worry, I'm not the murderer. Well, not this time," he allowed a pause and then he laughed. "I jest." he said with another pause following. Willulf crossed his arms and rested his bottom on the kitchen counter. "Okay. I know nothing about this Mr Kharr...however the whole thing baffles me. A murder on the first floor? The cost of living should go up the higher you go, right? If that's checks out this man wasn't very wealthy. I know because my room isn't expensive, first floor rooms shouldn't be either according to my theory. So why? Why target a less fortunate man?" he really didn't know anything about the victim, that much wasn't an act. Wil wondered why the man was killed though and he'd try to help if it meant he'd figure that out.

[member="Seo Linn"]

 

[Seo Linn]

Being one to read body language, Seo noticed his glance fell to her saber, but as she spoke he appeared to relax. Opening the door the rest of the way, he invited her in and looked through the file she had given him.

Following him in, she noticed his motion to the couch and she took a seat there.

"Certainly. If I thought you were the murderer, then I would be here taking you into custody instead of asking if you had any information that might help with the investigation."

Even though he said he was teasing about it, Seo could tell by his body language he wasn't the murderer in this case. Listening to his theory on the placement on the room and murder of Torne Kharr, she gave it some thought.

"Conversely if he was trying to hide his wealth or keep a stronger hold on it, why not rent a cheaper room? It leads me to think he might be victim of gambling gone bad though. If your theory is accurate."

[member="Willulf Montari"]

 

[Willulf Montari]

The victim could've potentially tried to hid his wealth by buying a cheaper room, he nodded. Seo proposed the idea that it could've also been the result of gambling gone wrong. He nodded once more, both were possible in this instance. Wil was definitely interested in the case but helping the good guys wasn't his style. However he ended up contributing anyways, speaking after a sigh. "I'm am no professional ma'am but I trust myself on this one. If I'm correct, sure he may have been a gambler. But what if he saw a different crime going down and the criminal noticed. To avoid punishment he killed the spectator, Mr Kharr." He paused, allowing her to take in all of the information he presented. "It'd be nice if it were as simple as that, huh?" he said while looking down with a poker face.

He walked over to check on the boiling water and then returned to where he stood before. Talking about a dead man with a woman wasn't all that appealing so he changed the subject for a moment. Miss Linn, tell me a little about yourself." he insisted that she did. Wil didn't usually ask about other people's business, he just needed a break from the dead man talk.

[member="Seo Linn"]

 

[Seo Linn]

The other theory he proposed was probably a better one since the murder was done with a red lightsaber.

"I'll go with you on that one. Maybe it was as simple as that. However that begs the question, what crime was comitted the first time?"

He closed himself from her reading his body language pretty well, as if he knew she could do that. Growing up on Lorrd, she had learned to communicate through small tics of a gesture or facial expression.

Moving away from her, he went and checked on the water for the tea and returned to where he had been before. It was clear by how he moved, he wasn't comfortable with the topic. There wasn't much more he could offer to help her out other than theories so he changed the subject. What he asked about surprised her a little. However, other than her name and purpose of her visit, she had left out anything about her.

"Mister Noth, if you like we can exchange little bits about each other. As I said before, my name is Seo Linn. I grew up on Lorrd."

It started out simple and more would be shared as time progressed.

[member="Willulf Montari"]

 

[Willulf Montari]

It is really possible? He thought his theory was a little far-fetched but Seo holding on to it was reassuring. Though with that came an important question that he'd most likely have no answer for. Wil believed himself to be capable of figuring out what happened until he remembered there are so many crimes one could commit. Luckily, there are also certain crimes that occur more often than others. Murder and trafficking were the ones Willulf thought of instantly, casting the rest aside. He took a second to add to his theory and set the scene. Okay, illegal trade happens anywhere and everywhere. A man from this area wouldn't say anything to the law even if he did see a drug deal. No, he must've saw something really bad, a corpse, and ran away out of fear. The killer may have heard him and returned to the area, then noticed Mr Kharr and followed him to his apartment where he unfortunately took his life. This made a lot of sense to Wil and he was ready to tell Seo, but he didn't. He decided to wait until after their friendly conversation.

She had began her introduction, stating her name again and place of origin. "Lorrd? Can't say I've heard of such a place," he truly didn't know about it. "Okay, I'm Daxter Noth. Dax. I was born here on Coruscant. My parents left me at a very young age. I was orphaned as a result. Now I'm seeking the ideal job." He gave a little more information trying to encourage her to do the same. Wil wasn't all that interested really but something had to fill the silence.

[member="Seo Linn"]

 

[Seo Linn]

The line of questioning opened many more issues than the simple murder case that was presented to her. Seo could read the confidence in Wil until he realized there were many more issues as well. She could almost see the thoughts as they went through his mind since he seemed to have a bit of a distant look on his face when it happened.

He didn't give voice to whatever his thoughts were though, but continued on with the next conversation. He said he had never heard of Lorrd which was not too surprising. Up in a corner of the galaxy on the other side of the Sith currently. They were human there, but had what would be an odd culture to outsiders. Having the ability to communicate through tiny body motions, facial expressions or other various non-verbal means, meant Seo was easily able to read what another person left unspoken.

As Wil spoke, she picked up the blink of one of his eyes when he said he had been orphaned at a young age. It was a subtle clue he was trying to deceive her. Everything else he said was true. Made her wonder why he lied about such a detail in his life.

"What is it you are looking for as a job, Mister Noth?"

[member="Willulf Montari"]

 

[Willulf Montari]

Willulf saw her eyes watch his every movement. That was interesting... it was normal given that a murder had taken place a floor away, but he hoped she hadn't caught on to his lying. Not that they were lies of importance but still. If she did know, he was curious how she found out. Wil usually showed no signs of being dishonest voluntarily. What did he do to give it away? He sighed after thinking about it and turned to look at the water. The water appeared to have bubbles forming, it was time to cut off the heat.

As he walked over the the pot she asked him a question, one which he had no answer prepared for. He'd shut off the heat and grab two cups while he thought up an answer. We'll go with gardener, gardening was the only thing he could thing of that would make sense with his past story. Willulf filled each cup with hot water and placed a tea bag in each. I hope I'm making this right, he thought. The brewing part would take a few minutes so he turned around to give her an answer. "I think serving a household would be best for me. Specifically, I'd love to do landscaping or gardening. I helped at the orphanage with that kind of stuff and I enjoyed it." Wil wasn't exactly lying with that one but at the same time, he was. He asked her a question immediately after his answer. "What about you, Miss Linn? You work with the law, right? A detective?" He knew regular law enforcement didn't carry around laser swords but he was curious to see how she handled his question.

[member="Seo Linn"]

 

[Seo Linn]

His sigh was telling, even if he did it unknowing. Everybody had secrets they wanted kept and Wilulf had many she was sure. However, it wasn't her current job to figure him out. After the murder was sovled, Seo could turn her attention to him.

"A servant? Why not open your own business and work for many people? More money to be made that way."

Money was a universal la​nguage and it spoke to pretty much everybody.

"I am a Jedi actually. Due to certain clues left at the scene of the murder, I was brought in to help with the investigation."

Not lying or keeping anything hidden from him, the reason for the lightsaber would now be known openly. If he had any issues with her being a Jedi, they would soon be clear. The possibility that he was murderer was also still in her mind, but he didn't carry himself like a man guilty of this murder.

[member="Willulf Montari"]

 

[Willulf Montari]

He nodded when she talked about the money to be made from better jobs than servant work. Willulf didn't care much for money. Sure, he needed it to eat and own a living space but earning the sufficient amount was all he worried himself with. He was forced to work for greedy bastards for a decade so that didn't help either. "Money? I like money like any other person... but not enough to become a corporate slave." She probably wouldn't understand why he had that outlook with the background he gave her. Saying that was a little revealing, and he had no intention of letting her know the truth about his past. Hell, if she was a jedi nothing good could come from confessing to murder and crime.

Willulf nodded again as she informed him on her occupation. Jedi were no problem in his eyes as long as they stayed out of his way. He didn't run around doing illegal things nowadays though, so there shouldn't be any issues now. "A jedi? Interesting. The murder is that complicated then?" The tea appeared to be done, he added some sugar and gave it a stir. Wil grabbed both of the cups containing the tea and carried them to the coffee table. He sat down next to Seo and set her cup down on the table in front of her. "Forgive me if it's not to your liking." He sipped some tea. "So, Miss Linn, how did you become one of those fancy jedi? I imagine you need more than a pretty face?"

[member="Seo Linn"]

 

[Seo Linn]

Keeping her thoughts to herself on what he said about his feelings on money and not liking it enough to become a corporate slave. It was something she understood, maybe not to the degree he meant though. At one time, she could have become such a slave and chose not to.

"According to the clues left behind, the murder was done with a lightsaber. Who better to call in than a Jedi? It's not something we would normally do, murder people that is. Thank you for the tea."

Seo accepted the cup he offered to her. A form of trust came from her as she did not feel he was trying to poison her. She did not detoxify the drink and sipped it as it was. Setting the cup down on the table, she turned her head to look at him as he sat down next to her.
​
Not unexpected, it was a sign from him that he felt comfortable enough to be within such close proximity to her. His question and phrasing did catch her by surprise. One was easy to respond to, but the compliment was something else entirely.

Answer him she did though and told him of her childhood on Lorrd and what happened there. The deciding factor on what lead her to join the Jedi.

"What lead you to want to be a gardener?"

[member="Willulf Montari"]

 

[Willulf Montari]

That was true, a Jedi would definitely be the specialist on the field when the case involved a weapon that they themselves used. Willulf wasn't too experienced with lightsabers but he was always told a skilled person like himself needn't worry about them. He'd dealt with people who used swords, knives, and any sharp object that they could find in his past, but no lightsabers. The day will eventually come when he does have to fight against such a destructive weapon, hopefully not soon though. From the looks of the murder... maybe he'd encounter one in the near future. Of course that's if he decided to get even more involved.

He listened to her story and sipped on his tea all at the same time. Wil was paying attention but his mind might've drifted off elsewhere unknowingly. This happened to him a lot after starting his new "life", if living a fake one even counted. Alison was always on his mind and there was no way to remove her. Not even meds helped. It wasn't a sickness, no it was nothing a pill could fix or treat. The problem was him ultimately. He couldn't let go and I was affecting him mentally. Wil got most of what she'd told him but he remained silent, then she questioned him.

What made me want to do gardening? He questioned himself, unable to come up with an answer right away. Telling her such a silly thing out of all of the choices... he sighed. "Well, you see Miss Linn, I think it'd be a change of scenery. I mean, look at where we are right now. Coruscant. It's not exactly the brightest of places. Gardeners work in bright areas and I'd like to see how that goes." It was a terrible answer to give after a pause but it'd have to work.

Willulf wasn't thinking when he offered up the couch as a seat. Right below them, under the sofa, was a case which contained a rifle. He wouldn't change his facial expression as it didn't alarm him but he wandered if she'd find out, and how she'd react. His pistols were also laying on the computer desk behind them. It was just a thought, he doubted she'd notice either weapons.

[member="Seo Linn"]

 

[Seo Linn]

As she told him of her past, saying as little as she could, but still telling him the important details, Seo could tell his mind drifted. The look in his eyes grew distant and unfocused though he did his best to at least pretend to listen. Her own question brought him out of his state and he was silent for a few moments.

That pause was very revealing. He was feeding her a partial truth. Maybe he did want to be a gardener, but it wouldn't be here. As he stated they were on a city world. Not much life here as a gardener.

Concerning the scattered weapons, obviously she could not see under the couch to know about the rifle. The other weapons were out in the open and those she noticed. However, weapons were common in the galaxy so Seo thought nothing of them. None of them were lights sabers. While a hilt was easily hidden, she did not feel he was the killer of the man here. Besides, she openly carried her lightsaber on display.

"Now Mister Noth. Unless you feel you have any additional information I might be able to use, I feel I have likely outstayed my welcome here. However, I think I would like to have you along to assist in my investigation. If you want to join me."

He would need to get into something else for clothes as holding an investigation in pajamas wasn't something usually done.

[member="Willulf Montari"]

 

[Willulf Montari]

Seo wanted to leave his apartment and he had no issue what that. The reason for that was she felt like her welcome had been outstayed but he knew the case was still open and needed to be handled. She offered to bring him along with her to assist in the investigation if he was willing to do so. Willulf in the past wouldn't have helped with a police investigation. A criminal getting another criminal locked up was silly. It definitely wouldn't end well for him if he did something like that at the time. Now though, it was a little different as he had a new legal name and background. He nodded after deciding to go along with her. "I think we can work together on this, Miss Linn"

He asked Seo to wait on him so he could change into something more appropriate. Going into the streets with pajamas on would surely be improper of an investigator. It wasn't like he was a legit one but proper dress was still a must. Once he got the clothes on, which was his old work coat plus holsters for his weapons on a utility belt, he moved towards the door. Willulf stopped all of a sudden when he was only a few feet away from it. Something felt off... yes, it was as if someone stood outside the door waiting for them to leave. Well, maybe not him but the Jedi who took on this investigation.

Willulf motioned for Seo to step back, almost all the way back to the sofa. In a whisper he warned her, "The murderer is here. Get ready." He took cover behind the wall adjacent to the door with one pistol drawn and aimed for the entrance. Hopefully she heeded the friendly warning. Just when he thought they'd be entering the room, the presence vanished. Wil immediately holstered his weapon and slowly backed away. With a sigh he began to speak, "I think we're fine now, Miss Linn. Shall we he-." The same feeling he had earlier suddenly returned but intensified, growing progressively stronger... like a fuse.

The person was gone and he doubted another one came along. They left something behind. He was hesitant in doing it but Wil opened the door only slightly. No one was there outside as he suspected but something else certainly was, a duffle bag. He didn't have to think about what was inside, it was clearly an attempt at taking their lives. A bomb. Willulf quickly ran in the direction of the window while grabbing Seo's arm forcefully, not really giving her any time to resist. Just like you would see in a movie the bomb went off before they jumped out. He broke the window with a force push to suffer minimal injuries. To protect his new acquaintance he practically hugged her and made sure he break her fall. It'd hurt of course but he'd survive. The entire room resembled, quite literally hell. As for Willulf, he did too. However even while in pain he stood up showing no sign of injury on the outside. "You're being targeted, Miss. Still interested in solving this one?"

[member="Seo Linn"]

 

[Seo Linn]

Please Wilif agreed to work with her on this investigation, Seo nodded when he excused himself to change his clothes. Not one to look through another person's belongings without a reason, she left his things alone. Finishing the tea while he changed though when returned, she almost couldn't help but admire the way he looked. Much better than he had in pajamas for sure.

Standing up to follow him out, his motions to step back weren't missed and she did just that. Basically back as far as the couch since she hadn't gone far, Seo listened to what he had to say and kept silent. He said the murderer was there and to prepare to fight. Placing her hand on the hilt of her saber, she waited for the door to open. After only a few tense moments though, he said he thought they were safe to leave.

Taking her hand off the hilt, she would start heading to the door with him. Before getting there though he had turned, grabbed her and jumped out the window. A heartbeat later, the floor they had been on exploded outward and then they crashed to the ground. He had hugged her on the way down, but didn't wait for long after they landed to stand up.

"If I had known you wanted a hug, you could have just asked."

A small sense of humor showed through, even with the chaos around them, she was able to keep her head together.
​
"You should get your injuries tended to and I'll file this report. I think this case needs more people."

[member="Willulf Montari"]

 

[Willulf Montari]

The past few seconds had been very chaotic, luckily they managed to get out of the building alive. As for the others who lived on that level... the same couldn't be said. Willulf didn't really care about other's safety in actuality but he'd show some concern. Seo made a funny joke and he gave a small grin in return. He wasn't the type of person who laughed a lot but making things awkward would be worse. "Sorry about that, Miss. I don't usually throw women out windows."

Then she insisted he should take care of his injuries while she files the report. He nodded very quickly without thinking. Willulf knew this case wasn't his business, besides the fact that his apartment was blown up, but a little part of him wanted to deal with the murderer. He suspected the murderer would keep killing more until all pursuers were eliminated. That'd make Seo the number one target most likely. After a long sigh he decided not to help. Getting involved with this stuff would stand in the way of the normal life he so desperately desired.

"Sounds like a plan. Contact me if you need any help, I'll be around this area." He offered to help if she found herself in a sticky situation.

[member="Seo Linn"]