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Post by Alex Cooper on Oct 5, 2015 9:51:28 GMT -5
Alex shook her head, absolutely sure of that. "It's only weird if you make it weird," she recited, referring to her motto in life, which she seldom followed when it was important. She was usually super laid back and chill about everything, mostly because she never got offended by anything had to say about her. She believed you chose to be offended, just the same with being upset.
Of course she was a huge hypocrite, but it helped her justify some of her actions.
October 1st, 2015. 12:11 PM.
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Post by Allison Cooper on Oct 5, 2015 10:05:25 GMT -5
Allison sighed, nodding along anyway. "Right. Well let's get our drinks and we can go over? It's uh... is it still closed off though?" She referred to the fact that since the incident the building had been sealed off from public access for safety reasons, though she was distracted from her concerns as her name was called from the other side of the counter.
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Post by Alex Cooper on Oct 5, 2015 10:27:40 GMT -5
She snagged her coffee once her name was called, immediately taking a drink of the hot, refreshing drink. "Maybe, but that doesn't matter. The A Team is on the case," she announced, raising both arms above her head, doing a half spin, and hip checking the door open. "What if we uncover a secret government plot to destroy Rock 'n' Roll once and for all?"
October 1st, 2015. 12:12 PM.
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Post by Allison Cooper on Oct 5, 2015 11:54:06 GMT -5
"Then I may start to worry about why we're in a bad anti-establishment 80's movie." Allison grinned as she took a sip of her coffee. Her voice dropped a bit as they moved away from the counter and back toward the door. "I don't think even the A team is allowed across police tape Alex."
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Post by Alex Cooper on Oct 5, 2015 12:14:24 GMT -5
Alex shook her head, turning around to walk backwards yet again. It was important that Allison see her face when she spoke. "Except it'd involve us, so it'd be the best anti-establishment movie ever made. We'd be the Space Jam of the film industry." She didn't make it very clear if she was talking about the movie or the song. It could've been either, honestly. Or both.
"It'll be fine, Alli. The investigation has been at a standstill, and we're not the first hooligans to walk in on a crime scene. If anything, we have every right to be there, considering what happened."
October 1st, 2015. 12:13 PM.
Alex Manipulation + Persuasion (Justify) 5 Pool 2 Successes
vs.
Allison Wits + Composure (Sense Bullshit) 3 Pool 1 Success
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Post by Allison Cooper on Oct 5, 2015 12:19:30 GMT -5
"I don't think Space Jam is as good of a movie as you remember." Allison grinned as she spoke, stil following after her sister despite her concerns. As Alex pushed the point further she gave a dramatic shrug before pointing up at her. "Alright fine... but if dad asks we spent the afternoon at Auntie's."
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Post by Alex Cooper on Oct 5, 2015 12:26:28 GMT -5
Alex beamed, the kind of smile she gave when she got just what she wanted. "Dan the Man won't have to worry. We swung by the Riverfront and got shaved ice while we were at it," her usual excuse when she wanted to hide something from Dan. They were addicted to shaved ice as kids, and since coming back Alex treated Allison to it a lot. Some things don't change with age.
A little over ten minutes later had them standing outside a charred building. Police tape warded the place from the entry of the morally pure, but was useless against Alex and her rebellious ways. "You ready for this?"
October 1st, 2015. 12:25 PM.
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Post by Allison Cooper on Oct 5, 2015 12:32:54 GMT -5
It was a simple thing to go along with Alex, she always painted such a simple picture, made it seem so easy. Of course sometimes when they got to the point of her latest scheme reality would rear it's head. Staring at the scorched out building, bright yellow police tape being the only visible source of color, Allison couldn't help but hesitate one last time.
"You sure about this Alex?" She asked as she moved up, gently tugging the police tape with a single finger. "I mean... coming back here, this is where... you know?"
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Post by Alex Cooper on Oct 5, 2015 12:44:29 GMT -5
Resting her hands on both of Allison's shoulders, Alex made sure to make eye contact before giving her the rousing speech she so desperately needed. "Hey, don't worry, kiddo. Remember the happy moments. You know how Monday always liked to see that doofy smile of yours. It hurts, and it's not going to be easy, but moving on is important. Remembering them for the good stuff is the best thing we can do. I've even forgiven Tanner for that twenty bucks he owed me," she said, ending with a soft nudge against her shoulder.
"Come on, time's a wastin'." With that she ducked under the police tape, blocking off the alleyway beside the building from the street. The sun was luckily hidden behind a thick blanket of dreary clouds, so at least they weren't skulking in pure daylight. It could've been bright sunshine anyway, because Alex slipped into full stealth mode. Her steps were careful and practiced, like she may have done this before.
She led Allison to the door, which had a padlock on it to prevent unauthorized entry. "Got a bobby-pin in your bag?" she asked, gesturing to the padlock. It was no secret that Alex knew how to pick locks. When they were kids Alex would fiddle with simple padlocks like some children would play with Lego's or Rubik's Cubes.
October 1st, 2015. 12:26 PM.
Alex Presence + Empathy (Rally) 3 Pool 1 Success
Dexterity + Stealth (Move Quietly) 6 Pool 3 Success
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Post by Allison Cooper on Oct 5, 2015 12:53:11 GMT -5
Alex's speech was successful in steeling Allison, and she took a deep breath before nodding. "Right. Good moments." She blinked, realizing her sister was already moving on under the tape, "Alex! Wait! Dammit..." She quickly ducked under, scampering after with considerable less stealth than her sibling.
Alex was already at the door, a padlock blocking further access. "Uh. Yeah, probably." She said in response to the question, digging into her bag and eventually managing to pull one out from the bottom. Offering it over to Alex, she turned to look back out and see if they'd drawn any attention, taking a nervous sip of her drink as she did.
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Post by Alex Cooper on Oct 5, 2015 13:13:58 GMT -5
Alex had already finished her drink, allowing her both hands in the lockpicking attempt. "Child's play," she muttered, working the bobby-pin carefully against the tumblers. A few clicks later and she had the padlock open. "Damn, I'm a badass. Come on," she commented, praising her own work as she set the padlock on the ground by the door, opening the entrance to the ruined building.
She took a moment to fumble with her phone, finding the flashlight app and turning it on to make up for the darkness inside the old factory. Years of neglect and parties had forever changed the floor of the building. Conveyor belts and presses used to take over most of the building's free space, but plenty of scavengers had stripped the machines down for parts, or young teens looking for a place to hang out had reorganized to leave plenty of room for activities. Youths.
Since the incident, only a few things remained in the large factory-turned-warehouse. The smokestacks remained, the two of them, as did the wooden stage that they performed on. Bricks, wood, and other debris lined the floor, making it a little difficult to walk around without being careful. A hole in the ceiling on the far wall let some light come into the building, just enough that if their eyes adjusted to the dark they could see without the need for a flashlight, which Alex realized and opted to conserve battery for.
What was unusual about the building was the hole made from the explosion. If the supposed bomb man was in the center of the party, and the bomb had gone off there where the flash originated from, then there should have been more damage done to the center of the room. Some of the floor may have been cracked or missing. Instead the explosion had to have . . . speared out from the center, punching a hole in the far wall like some sort of missile had been shot. Upon further investigation, there was one other odd detail. One of the smokestacks had been damaged, a sizable chunk taken out of it, completely ruining the foundational support of the hollow pillar. Instead of falling or even leaning, it remained perfectly upright, like nothing at all had happened to it.
Alex seemed interested in the hole in the wall, peering at it and making confused faces as to how the explosion reached it.
October 1st, 2015. 12:29 PM.
Alex Dexterity + Larceny + Lockpicking (Lockpicking) 6 Pool 2 Success
Wits + Composure (Perception) 5 Pool 1 Success
Allison Wits + Composure (Perception) 3 Pool 1 Success
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Post by Allison Cooper on Oct 5, 2015 13:33:08 GMT -5
Allison rolled her eyes with a small smile as Alex got them inside, though the smile dwindled as they stepped inside and were finally able to properly see the damage. Not as used to rummaging through places as her sister, Allison pulled out her phone for use as a flashlight. Deciding it could help make sure nothing was missed.
Not very knowledgeable on how bombs work, Allison dismissed much of the damage as resulting from the explosion and left it at that. Instead she slowly made her way toward where she thought she'd seen the two men, shining her flashlight over the area.
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Post by Alex Cooper on Oct 5, 2015 16:47:57 GMT -5
With the aid of her phone's flashlight, Allison was in a significantly better position to see than she would have been on her own. Alex remained fascinated by the hole in the wall, trying to figure out how it had been made.
Where the two men had their scuffle, the average eye might have overlooked a subtle detail. There was a distinct lack of debris where Allison was just positive the two men had been. The spot also smelled faintly of rotten eggs, or sulfur for those familiar with the stench.
Either due to incompetence or not wanting to disturb the crime scene, Allison found herself a clue that the police had missed. With her flashlight she spotted . . . something. It was hard to explain, or understand. Underneath a stone by the blast zone was a rock, which seemed to be covered in some sort of glitter, but only in her peripheral vision. When she stared right at the stone, it felt like they were magnets trying to push away from one another. Yet despite the eerie push, she felt drawn to it, like it was something she had never seen before and she needed to get a better look.
Underneath the strange brick was the true prize. An expensive leather wallet, filled with cards, cash, folded scraps of paper, and best of all an ID.
October 1st, 2015. 12:32 PM.
Allison Wits + Composure + Equipment 1 (Perception) 4 Pool 3 Success
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Post by Allison Cooper on Oct 5, 2015 17:29:19 GMT -5
"Huh." Allison said, noting the lack of debris, "Maybe it just... got blasted... away by the explosion?" Shaking her head, she was about to move on when a glimmer caught her eye. Turning toward it though, she found a rock that didn't seem to have any obvious glint to it. Still it was odd, as if it was pulling at her and she knelt down to pick it up. Turning it over in her hand, she was about to call Alex to look at it when a true prize caught her eye.
Sitting where the rock had just been was a wallet. "Alex!" She called, putting the rock in her bag to free up a hand for the wallet. She quickly popped it open to get a look for anything that could help, ID or a credit card or similar.
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Post by Alex Cooper on Oct 5, 2015 18:04:27 GMT -5
Alex almost jumped out of her skin at the sound of Allison's voice, not at all expecting such a sudden noise. "What? What? Did you find something?" Stupid question, but one worth asking anyway.
The wallet itself even smelled like genuine leather, not at all scuffed or marked by the incident it had clearly been in. In fact it hadn't even been broken into or molded by the cards it carried inside of it, like it was brand new off the shelf. Inside was a Californian ID of an middle aged man, with short black hair and a beard that was well trimmed and made him look like a foreign, much less muscular Hugh Jackman. Attractive but not a total hunk. The name was registered to one Tiberiu Bălan. The name fit the face at least.
The cards in the wallet matched several different names, none of them belonging to Tiberiu. One was even made out to a John Smith. Also included in the wallet was a black and white picture of an older man, with a beard that screamed Saudi Arabian Santa. What was interesting about it was if you added a few decades to Tiberiu's face, he'd likely look just like the man. Grandfather, perhaps?
October 1st, 2015. 12:33 PM.
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