knifemonopoly | IC inbox

[ They're leaving from the same place for the same place, which is funny. It'd be so much simpler to just have this conversation where they live. But, at least for Riley, her apartment has seen so much death and pain that she'd rather not. She'd really rather not.

She leaves through the fire escape, not even taking to the roof. She's a little lost in thought, a little turned around, and the result is despite her superior flying skills, she still winds up getting there, just as he's walking down the stairs, with a nervous little knock that echoes through the stairwell. ]

Come in! It's open!

[His voice echoes up the concrete stairwell as he calls up in response to the knock. He'll stay by the lower door, and hold it open for her with a blue, clawed hand, until she's inside.

(He also stays by the door to make sure the person he's just invited in is the person he's expecting. But it's Riley, so it's fine.)

The room looks largely the same as it did the last time Riley was in here -- only there's dust covers over most of the devices and workbenches. Atem's taking a break from the high-intensity stuff. He's on demon vacation.

But there's a drafting table that's still uncovered, which is where Atem heads, notepad in hand, once they're both in.]

Make yourself at home. Want anything to drink? There's soda in there.

[He nods at the mini fridge in the corner, which has ramune and calpis from the conbini.]

Edited 2022-01-10 16:19 (UTC)

[ Riley takes just a moment to breathe out before striding down the stairs to Atem’s murder basement of death. It seems…like she last saw it, nothing new to cause alarm, but it’s still strange coming down here. The hairs on her arms that remain stand on end, and her feathers almost follow.

He looks at her so casually, though. The manic energy he had when he lead her down here last…it’s absent. So, she wills herself to relax. ]

No thank you, I’m…not really thirsty. [ Pleasantries aside… She breathes in deep herself as she goes to join him at the work bench. ] I’m…sorry to just kinda spring this on you, especially at the…start of the new year.

That's all right! If I'd known, I'd have kept a closer eye out, but...

[He opens the notebook he takes with him on his cases to an early page, propping it open with a clawed hand, settling on the chair, his tail making a lazy curve behind him. Atem considers going through it, but then realizes, he's doing this out of order. So, instead of looking at his notes, he looks up at Riley, shifting from talking to listening.]

...hm. First of all, what sort of person do you consider "bad"?

[Let him rephrase. It's how she put it, but it might not be the best approach...]

What kinds of things, if someone did them and wasn't sorry, would make you feel okay with hunting them?

[That's what he'll need to know first. No questions about why, or haven't you tried anything else, or what's wrong with the soup kitchen -- just one that'll give him an idea of the kinds of kills she can live with.]

Parents hurting their children.

[ That's the immediate answer on her lips, the obvious one. ...But she follows it, a moment later: ]

But, I... The orphanage is...already too... [ She shakes her head. ] I can't do that anymore. Not now, not...like this.

[ She fears slipping. She fears throwing more kids into an even more complicated situation in the guise of rescuing them. She fears disappointing those around her again, being the kind of person they would turn away from. ]

So...that's out.

[Ah. So, those were her targets before, sometime between their conversation in July and now.

....when she puts it like that, he gets it -- wanting to help the kids in question is at odds with wanting to punish the parents, and if Bavan's orphanages are short on resources...]

If the orphanage they went to needs extra help, go to Lust. She's got charities she organizes specifically for surviving family members of monster victims.

But, for now...we'll focus on something different. People who don't have someone depending on them...but who still use their power over others to hurt.

[He starts flipping through his detective-job notebook for ideas, stopping at a page that has a name in a circle.]

This guy's bringing counterfeit goods to Cairo's shop. Fake art, things like that. I don't know much about him, and if it's just for money I don't care, but if we dig, there might be someone connected to him who's greedy and taking advantage. Then...

[Flip flip flip.]

Here's someone. The way he was acting when I asked to look around the back of his shop was pretty suspicious...he turned out to not have anything to do with the missing person, but I got a bad feeling about him.

[Flip flip flip.]

This guy was in a restaurant I was watching. His date had to ask the person at the bar to sneak her out in order to leave...and, when he found out, he got mad. Made a scene.

[He glances back up at Riley.]

Sorry...I sort of got most of the obvious ones when I was a nephilim.

[He ate a lot of souls that month.]

[ She nods along to his advice. That's...all very good, all things she should've done, beforehand. She's too ashamed, to really detail that the orphanage being low on resources is her fault, so she listens instead, just quiet as he flips through his notebook. ]

No, uh— it's okay, this is kind of an...unexpected question, after all. [ And...yeah, it makes sense that he went completely off the wall when he was a nephilim. Man, she hates those. ] Do, um... Do you have any— ...have you looked in on any...teachers?

Teachers?

[The way Atem says that -- he sounds surprised, but not in an appalled kind of way. It's much more, why didn't I think of that?

(Because he isn't being put through high school anymore.)]

No -- but I'll bet we can find out. Do you have a good relationship with any school-age locals? We can also check administrative records for disciplinary warnings, but...

[...his tone of voice betrays just how much mistrust Atem has for schools as institutions and their willingness to penalize a teacher for bad behavior.]

[ It's not at the forefront of her mind. But Riley's been...thinking, a lot, about that schoolboard that refused to do anything to help, even when she asked and begged. They'd hand out a big fat diversity scholarship to Eva, to make themselves look better, but they wouldn't listen when she tried to ask about removing Farrah from the team. What her determination became... It disgusts her. But the first time she approached them, after she noticed Farrah showing up to games drunk, it was out of concern. Or...at least mostly out of concern.

It's not just the schoolboard, either. Teachers who rolled their eyes and let the other kids mock her. Coaches who left the kids to their own devices, who put all the pressure on their captains, acted as glorified babysitters. Counselors who gave a moment of lip-service to an upset student and then sent them on their way.

It's not just the parents, Riley's realizing. It's so much—so many people who could be failing children out there. Who...failed her. ]

...I can ask at the orphanage. The only kids old enough... Well, one of them had been skipping school, before, um...before I brought him and his siblings there. But, the oldest— she's fifteen and highly opinionated. If there's at least a place to start... I think she'd know it.

[He nods. Orphaned kids...the ones without parents to look after their specific needs, the ones who might show up to school in clothes that aren't right for them, from whom other kids might smell blood in the water...they're very likely to know.]

Yeah. Kids like that...they'll know who cares if they live or die, who doesn't, and who's taking advantage.

[He closes his own book, with his own nebulous future targets, and tucks it in a pocket. He stands.]

Let's go!

[A thought strikes him, stops him halfway through his first hoof-footed step toward the door.]

Unless -- would you rather go alone?

[Atem would like to come. He'd like to come along on this hunt, if Riley will have him: he'd like to speak to the kids and teenagers she knows, and he's got no love lost for teachers who use their position over the vulnerable for their own gain, who fail the people depending on them.]

Well... [ Riley hesitates, for a brief moment. ] ...No, you can come with. Just...let me do the talking. Or, like...lead the talking. These kids know me, but...some of them are a little wary of outsiders.

[ Kajsa in particular. Being older, she's had longer to develop her defense mechanisms. She's a cunning girl, always wanting to prove herself—but Riley sees the insecurity and fear. She's pretty sure it's only because she killed the girl's father that she trusts her, and even then they had to talk for awhile. ]

[He nods, his hair brushing against the broad blue horns on his head. That makes sense to Atem -- he doubts they'd talk if he asked them, a strange demon they don't know or trust -- and also, it's Riley's hunt. It's right that she takes point, makes the calls, does the investigation.]

Questions like that should be asked by someone they know. I'll follow your lead.

Edited 2022-01-19 15:51 (UTC)

[ Alright. Okay, then, a little nervous, she leads the way, out of the bunker and into the sky. She just kind of assumes they'll be flying, because flying is how she gets around, especially since her wing regrew. She makes sure Atem can keep up, however, checking back periodically. It's possible she flies a little slower than she normally would, despite herstrong impetus to find something that works.

She's nervous. Nervous, and maybe a little ashamed that she needs this.

They land outside the Persephone Orphanage at a convenient time, as Kajsa's just getting home from school. The girl's fifteen, with brown-orange hair and a serious expression. Upon seeing Riley, it relaxes, just a little...but the sight of another, unfamiliar monster hardens her once more. ]

Hey. It's okay. He's a friend. Kajsa, this is Atem. Atem, Kajsa.

[ After a moment, she greets him, though it's somewhat lackluster. ] "...Hi."

[A clawed hand lifts in greeting, from where he's landed behind Riley and to the side, arms folded, relaxed -- she's in charge, he's here to help, but not put any further pressure on anyone. He doesn't respond with hostility or overt friendliness -- he's not trying to win her over, doesn't expect anything from her, just replies with a casual--]

Yo.

[(He kept up fine at flight, but her bird wings could've outstripped his bat ones if she was trying.)]

[ One somewhat awkward introduction later… No, this is fine. They’re doing fine. Riley lowers her voice. ]

I was hoping to see you. We need… Well, I’d like to ask you a few…questions, if that’s okay? About…school.

[ And Kajsa’s eyebrow raises, slowly. She studies both of them, quizzical. ] “Why school?”

Well. [ Riley lowers her voice more. ] It’s not really something, uh, that…can be talked about, right…out in the open, you know… More like…a secret, or- something like…we talked about the night we met.

[ And just like that, understanding dawns on her face. ] “Oh. …Not my brother?” [ The tone is…warning. Almost possessive. ]

No. I promised, after all.

[ Kajsa nods, and then she just…starts walking, expecting they follow. Riley does almost instantly, despite being older and, well, a monster. ]

“I know a place.”

[ That’s all the explanation given, and it’s all the explanation Riley needs, as Kajsa leads the two down a few blocks, to a more empty part of town. The Persephone Orphanage is still the nicest building in blocks…and it seems some business owners gave up trying to renovate or set down roots. It’s made for a nice little hangout area, for some local teens.

The building in particular that Kajsa leads them to is some kind of old strip mall store, no remnants of whatever used to be there. Around back, jiggle the knob… Riley isn’t about to ask what the other girl does here; a lifetime of Bavanian memories has told her, sometimes the teenagers of Ryslig have some weird coping mechanisms. But Kajsa gets her schoolwork done, she helps every so often with the younger kids. As the oldest of the orphans, she most definitely has her own life…and Riley knows she’s not exactly one to be lecturing, so long as she seems safe. ]

[Atem's hooves clip lightly along behind them. This kid...she's not far from his age at all. Would they have known each other, he wonders, if he were Adam?

He doesn't bat an eye at the stripped-down strip mall hideout. Even if he were inclined to comment, he's following Riley's lead. This is her investigation, not his. Atem does note this down as a high school safehouse, though...it might be worth protecting as a location, or keeping an eye on for leads. A good place to know about.]

[ It's impossible to tell what the last business here was, but from the style of shelves, it looks to be some kind of retail. Maybe it sold chips and snacks, maybe hair products. It doesn't matter now. Kajsa leans against one of them like it's familiar and easy.

There isn't much here. The barest makings of a hideout, especially in the winter. It looks like it hasn't been lived-in for months, probably when the snow started to come.

Or...maybe when Riley started her crusade against the unfit parents of Bavan. Either or. ]

"...He teaches science. Mr. Johanssen."

[ Kajsa starts naming names once Riley takes a cautious seat on the counter. At first, her eyes drift to Atem every so often, and she's careful with her words. But as she goes on, as her voice clips the end of her sentences and her brows knit more and more together, it's like she forgets he's here. A fervor overtakes her. This one screamed at his class in a fury when one of the boys didn't want to dissect a frog, calling them all future monster food. That one made the kids who got the lowest scores on their tests stand for the whole class period, ridiculing them the whole time. This one is too friendly with his young female students.

They're disgusting. Kajsa finds them all disgusting and it's clear from how she speaks.

Riley listens. She listens intently, only looking away to take quick, shorthand notes with a sparkly glitter pen. To be honest...it almost seems like she's forgotten Atem's there as well. The two girls are, in a way, cut from the same cloth. Kajsa, of all of the kids, most connects with wanting to kill the people who've hurt you. ]

[Well, that kind of behavior is both disgusting and familiar.

Atem would have punished those teachers for that much. A hell in his own mind for one, where he'd be subjected to screams, and screams, and screams forever...a standing endurance-game, maybe with some low-set buzzsaws...

...until the sparkle of her pen catches his eye, and the corner of his mouth twitches up. It's not mocking--far from it! It's stylish.

Riley's glitter pen isn't Atem's revenge aesthetic, but by god, he respects it being hers. He also respects this hunt as hers: she's doing great on her own. Getting these teachers removed from their posts -- permanently -- will stop some of these kids from being hurt. Riley's leading; he's just fine with being a fly on the wall, especially if Kajsa's comfortable.]

[ By the time they're done, the sun has left the sky. Riley has a nice big list of people she has to investigate, with names and descriptions and places they frequent. She doesn't want to just jump on this. She thinks, perhaps...a little planning would be best, like the planning she did when looking for kids to help—but better, this time. She's not going to go after someone with a family depending on them, no matter how awful they are. She's not going to get swept up again.

She has to be smarter. She has to be better.

Kajsa, at the end of it, seems...tired, a little nervous—but also somehow lighter. She's unburdened herself, and Riley's listened. ]

Thank you, Kajsa. I appreciate you taking time like this. It's is gonna help, a lot.

[ A nice, sustainable list, of people to hunt... If she hunts, regularly, maybe it'll get out some of that aggression. Maybe she'll stop wanting to hurt people she knows.

She offers to walk Kajsa home—no, insists. It's only after this that she remembers Atem, actively, and checks: ] Is, uh- that's okay, right, if...you can come with...?

I don't mind at all!

[Good work was done today. There's a lot of people for Riley to look into...it should keep her busy for a while, it's precisely what she wants.]

It's safer to walk together, especially after dark.

[He remembers being a human in Ryslig, how scary living in Bavan could be. Even if the odds that you yourself would get picked off were low...you always knew someone who knew someone who had.]

[ Riley smiles, gratefully. She mouths a thank you, as Kajsa's collecting her backpack. If her brief surprise is anything to go off, it seems the human girl forgot Atem was there too.

It's only once they've gotten her back to the orphanage safe and sound that Riley feels she can really address Atem, in all of it. ]

Thanks for this, uhm... I'm sorry, you really didn't get to...do much...

[ It turned out all she really needed to do was ask someone close to her. Amazing. ]

That's okay. I just wanted to be sure it went well...it looks like there's a lot you can do to help.

And that girl, Kajsa -- she trusts you a lot, doesn't she? It's good that she had someone to talk to about this!

[ Riley hesitates, the almost-smile on her face somewhat awkward, somewhat sad. ]

She...was really hurting. I don't really... I made a lot of...mistakes, with all of this, but— I'm...glad...that she still feels okay to talk about this with me.

....

[He, with all of the tact of a demon, decides to stop dancing around the issue.]

Her parents were hurting her, and you killed them. Right? Her, and others?

[He's not judging her. Not in the least. Atem absolutely understands how this happened. His tone's the tone of someone who wants to know for sure: something like how you'd say, when you say gone, you mean dead, right?]

[ Her eyes drop in obvious shame. He may not be judging her, but she hasn't forgotten the feeling of it. She hasn't stopped feeling awful, not for a moment.

Riley nods. ]

That's...what I was doing. In November.

WELCOME TO YOUR PRIVATE CHANNEL, PLAYER1. FOR SECURE COMMUNICATION, USE 10.11.0.0.01 * PLAYER1 has joined 10.11.0.0.01 <PLAYER1>** If you're looking for someone you knew as Yugi before June, you've found him! It's Atem, leave a message.

-> action

no subject

no subject

cws for murder discussion all the way down in this thread, that's what it's for

cw assume murder discussion for the whole thread tbh

cw escape from an implied-to-be-coercive date situation

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

cw: abusive teachers, teacher/student implications

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject