First Reply (The) Escapee From Midwich Valley

[Amea Virou]

Blood, fresh. Victim, a twenty-something starlet. The smoke hung in the air with a smell of tobacco mixed with perfume and all manner of bodily fluids. This wasn’t the place someone went to with pure intentions. Less earnest than many yet brighter than most forgotten corners, it was a good place to get lost or found if you had the right connections. Unfortunate as it was the woman who laid spread in a chalk outline on the floor she had once been the former before the latter snuck up on her.

Amea had never liked the investigation jobs but they paid well. She was familiar enough with her own handiwork to know the difference between a crime of passion and a well-planned assassination and so far it was hard to tell which group this particular case fell under. The petrified expression of terror that had twisted a firm hold on her face betrayed the horror in her eyes, yet there was a distinct lack of a struggle. The occasional piece had been knocked over, a glass of water had been spilled with a wide splash against the wall, but more than that there really wasn’t anything.

“Lacerations,” Amea muttered as she lifted a blonde lock from the woman’s cheek. “Bruises.”

She made a note on her pad. This woman had a connection to the Hex, and that was just about the only reason Amea was even here. When the Hexmaster themselves get in touch with you, saying no is very rarely on the table. This woman partook in movies far from the kind Amea would publicly admit to watching. It was a matter of principle, the industry had always seemed shady to her. It was an industry built on exploitation more than anything else.

But then, which industry wasn’t?

Amea shook her head. There was little to nothing to go on, but she’d solve this with or without the others that were investigating the room. There were a few other clueless souls scattered about the otherwise luxurious apartment, going through documents and files, going over the refrigerator in a hurry, some gathering unimportant mementos.

Whoever they were, it was reasonable to assume that they were not here on account of any proper division of law and order. For one, it would have meant the rule of law held any importance in places like these.

… They didn’t.

 

[Griffa Jallen]

Griffa sighed sadly, looking down at her hands. She needed to survive... and surviving meant doing things she didn’t like.

“I know Lieela.” She whispered to the baby Nexu in her arms,”But we have to do this.”

The Shi’ido was currently in the form of a young girl of about 14. It was her most comfortable form because it was her age.

Placing Lieela in her purse she looked around the crowd in front of her until she found a woman that looked businesslike. Then she turned on heel until into the alleyway and morphed herself into the exact replica.

Blinking slowly as she got used to it- she straightened her shoulders. Now she looked like a sharp lady in her mid-twenties. Walking out of the alleyway, she turned towards the luxury appartment.

She wasn’t a thief- but today... she needed something from there.

 

[Amea Virou]

Amanda Yetari. Age, twenty-four. Homeworld, Coruscant. The flimsy plastic badge identifying the woman shimmered in the dimmed lights as Amea twirled it around in her hands and held it up to check the authenticity. Shadow didn’t add up to the face in the picture. Withdrawing her pocketknife Amea would gently scrape it against the surface of the card to scratch the additional protective layer. It was a masterful fake, but it was definitely not real.

The image came off and left Amea staring at a woman around the unidentified woman’s age, although not even close in appearance. A frustrated sigh burst through Amea’s nose as she discarded the badge with a careless toss in any random direction. It slid across the ground before inevitably coming to a stop by the bar. The brunette pushed herself off the ground and looked over at the man stuffing his face from the fridge.

They locked eyes, his upon hers as she gave him a disapproving nod. The man in turn gave her a careless shrug before he licked his fingers and began to open the cupboards and pantry to look for further clues.

There was something wrong about all these other investigators. Something didn’t add up. If this woman was even nearly as important as the Hex had made her out to be you would have figured that they’d ensure only the best had access. The way these people acted made it seem like they had never seen a crime scene before, which in and of itself was enough to give Amea the creeps.

A wary eye remained on each and every one of them. What was she missing?

 

[Griffa Jallen]

Griffa stepped into the luxury flat, now looking very buisness like. Maybe now she could pass for an inspector. She NEEDED to get in there. Lieela was safe in her bag, staying wuiey

Looking around, she was relieved to see that most of the people there were extremely incompetent. Then her eyes fell on a woman who was ACTUALLY doing what she was supposed to. Investigating.

Kriff- Now to try and pass off for one.

“Hello there. I apologize for being late. It seems you have started without me.”

Griffa walked with clear purpose over to her, head held high. And she offered a hand to shake.

 

[Amea Virou]

Griffa Jallen

Another investigator arrived. Amea turned to look at whoever it was, and out of all the people in the room it seemed that this one favored her. Something seemed off, just like with the others. Maybe it was the nerves getting to her but the more people seemed to pour in the more this just seemed like some form of elaborate set-up. It put her on edge, made her body tense up in preparation for an attack that very well might not even happen.

“You will understand if I don’t make friends at a crime scene.” She said and slowly leaned back, arms crossed before her as she gently squinted at the other woman. “Didn’t know we had a time when we were supposed to be here. Some of the others had already been here long before I even showed up.”

“What did you say your name was?” Amea asked and withdrew her pad and a pen. “What is your connection to the victim, or who hired you?”

Some of the others began to look at Amea with a curious glance.

 

[Griffa Jallen]

Griffa cursed inwardly, of course, suspicion.

“You will understand if I don’t make friends at a crime scene. Didn’t know we had a time when we were supposed to be here. Some of the others had already been here long before I even showed up.”

Griffa nodded in response to the first, "I set my own time- I was late for that. "

“What did you say your name was?” Amea asked and withdrew her pad and a pen. “What is your connection to the victim, or who hired you?”

Er- my name?

"My name is Stallia grey." Griffa said in her posh and serious voice,"I have no relation to the victim, but I was hired by-"

A simple nudge in the Force was all that was needed to draw the distraction away from her. One of the others there accidentally knocked over the rather large cabinet. Griffa scowled, "Incompetent fools. "

She walks over to the cabinet, released to be away from her. She scolded the man, scanning the room while doing so.

Where is it?

 

[Amea Virou]

Wh- what? Amea looked incredulous for a second as she replayed the response in her head a few more times over. Set her own time? Late for that? What? The brunette blinked in disbelief for a moment longer before she noted the name in her pad. More than likely it was a codename, or an outright lie, but it never hurt to look it up earlier — or have the Hex do it.

“Right, hired by incompetent fools.” Amea scoffed and shook her head. “Join the club, I suppose.” Her eyes wandered over towards the others who glanced back at her. “You’ll fit right in.”

And with that Amea wandered over to a nearby desk. She moved to open one of the cupboards. It was locked. The brunette woman let her eyebrow rise for a moment as she glanced down at it and then squinted at the others. No way in hell they would have missed this.

Her finger touched against the cupboard and the mechanical lock called out with a loud clap and click before the entire room turned to look at her and the newcomer. Now they squinted, Amea reached her hand into the cupboard as the others slowly began to glance away.

There was a memory stick somewhere in here.

At the very least she could recover that if the crime scene ended up being a bust.