jaebird (jaebird) wrote in rrinitiative, @ 2013-01-19 08:28:00 |
|
|||
Entry tags: | day ten, jae, jae and wu, wu |
on the case
Characters: Jae and Wu
Setting: Spiritual Room (Block A), 4 P.M.
As much as Wu had believed during the first nine days here that he wouldn’t have to take charge, that he could quietly wait out however long this experiment lasted until revenge could be had? He knew he was wrong. Becka and Meg were proof of that; reminders of men that even he considered foul in their midst and the necessity of catching them. Wren was proof of it, with her quiet urgings for leadership, for collaboration in the name of the greater good.
That idea alone... ‘greater good’, it was absurd. Yet here Wu was, waiting patiently in the spiritual room as the time he’d asked Jae to meet him rolled closer and closer. Here he was in the running for some sort of leadership among the residents. Still, it felt natural to even be in contention, and if Wu had genuinely wanted it instead of seeing how suited he was for it? He would’ve already seen to this Charlie boy instead of coming here, waiting quietly.
Jae had had an interesting day so far. Like getting handed a case before the voting even started, which she was fine with. Either way, she had a shit ton on her mind as she headed to the spiritual room to meet up with Wu.
Walking in, she was just the faintest bit early. When she saw Wu, she bowed in respect. "You got my attention." she told him, figuring he wasn't calling her there to talk about anything fluffy. His message had been enough to make her want to get down to business, and he seemed like the type who would appreciate that.
The bow was unexpected, and could’ve been amusing if there had been less severity on Wu’s mind. Clearly, Jae knew how to defer when she had to. She’d probably had a good career before it landed her in this place, but now that she was here? Wu would use the clear asset. “There is a rapist among us,” he said plainly, “The loss of power provided him opportunity to strike. That must be opportunity he does not find again.”
Jae's features hardened immediately. "Do you know who it is?" she asked. "Who was the victim? Where did it happen? When? Give me as much of the rundown as possible." she requested.
“I have suspicions,” Wu answered first, his brow lining darkly at Jae’s request. “What you are told will not be repeated until the victim finds the strength to speak up.” He didn’t need to explain that, or qualify it for any reasons. Not with her, this was almost immediately clear, and it was a relief. It was almost like having a proper lieutenant again.
“Becka was asleep when he entered her room. She was restrained and gagged, raped, then abandoned. She did not see his face, he did not speak, and he wore protection,” he recounted evenly, though both hands were curled tight at his sides. “The when of it is imprecise. Some time after power was lost, when the rest of us would be asleep or trapped elsewhere. I suspect the man named Ryan.”
Becka, the little blonde. The girl who'd been there first at the scene of Caroline's death. Clearly the universe had it out for her. She listened, however. "What was she restrained with?" she asked. "Did they do a rape kit? Do we even have those here?" she asked, not sure about that. She would guess yes? But who the hell knew. She'd never been down to the clinic. When he said 'Ryan', Jae's eyes narrowed. "Never did trust that shady son of a bitch. Do you have a reason why him?"
It was a lot to field at once, and Wu had to admit to himself that he didn’t entirely know. “Some sort of tie-marks were at her wrists, she was too distraught to focus when I spoke to her,” he admitted first, “And her hair smelled of flowers. Shampoo. I believe she showered. All the same, I escorted her to the clinic for an examination. I will speak to the doctor and the other nurse for any results they may have found.” Which would be delicate, both from the subject and the fact that the doctor seemed like a bleeding heart. Wu had no patience for such men, hopefully his nurse would prove more useful.
At the question of why Ryan, though, Wu’s eyes narrowed intently. “There is a pattern to his conduct. His time in the stockades was earned for first breaking into two womens’ rooms, which shows forethought and practice with intrusion, and then for ‘continued trespasses’ which were never defined for the rest of us, but merited sterner punishment than whatever Caroline may have done,” he noted. “His room is close to Becka’s, they must have passed each other many times. And among us all, when pressed over our crimes, he is one of a small handful to claim innocence. Reread his writings that are public. They are glib, and even his admission for trespassing slips from professed homesickness to hints of sexual escapades.”
He knew it was thin, that in the normal world it would get nowhere. But for the first time, Wu realized that being here was an advantage. They didn’t have to play by the rules that were followed out there... “The power outage would limit travel between blocks, so our offender would need familiarity with this section to have enough confidence to strike. Familiarity with that room in particular, and those around it. I intend to check the condom supplies of every man in this wing. Those whose are lower than what was supplied will merit consideration, and will be wise to provide alibis for the use of each.”
"We need to know where everyone was during the blackout. See who was even on Block A." Jae said. Christ, I'm already thinking like a goddamn cop. I have two cases and haven't even got the job. "I don't like Ryan. When I talked to him when he was in the stocks, he didn't add up to me. I didn't think his reactions were where they ought to be for the story he was selling." she said, knowing it was vague, but her instincts told her it was fucked. Instincts were difficult to quantify. "Well, two guys on Block A who've been getting their dicks wet are Reece and Ryan. They've both been banging Susanna."
“I am meeting with Reece shortly, I will use the opportunity to appraise him,” Wu shared with a nod, grateful that Jae was already thinking along the same lines as him. “He is a fool in many ways, though. His dalliance with Susanna saw no protection, a fact I chided him for. I do not think him a man with much foresight, but he will be considered until I see evidence otherwise.” Reece was brash, lazy, a bit slow, a bit arrogant. A rapist? Wu hadn’t gotten that cruel tone off of him. But he wouldn’t be here now if he was always right in his impressions of others.
“As for Ryan, his story did not appease me either. He would make sense as a companion to Susanna, that is a woman skilled in appearing as something she is not.” Which, again, was just an instinct. But in their tea time, Wu hadn’t believed the tears she’d shed, or even the airs she put on. Not entirely. He was a thug who’d learned culture, he knew how possible it was.
Jae made a pained face. "Seriously? He's going bareback? Fucking idiot. Fucking possibly psychopathic idiot." she added. "When I spoke to him he came off as a remorseless fuckwad." she shared. "As for Slutpants, I haven't had the pleasure, but I'll keep in mind she might not be what she seems."
There was nothing to share in Jae’s assessment of Reece; for all Wu knew, she was right. It sounded like a bad situation that had landed Reece in jail to begin with, and maybe his dry sarcasm was defensive? But maybe he was simply detached, or darkly amused. All Wu knew was that for now, he was useful. “She is here for murder. A stabbing. Do not give her your back, should you meet,” he advised before reaching into his coat to produce one of the sets of improvised lockpicks he’d prepared, offering it over. “And if you are willing, there is a great deal of condoms to count. I was provided twenty, I assume the same for the other men. Not all of them will freely offer to let their stores be counted, however. Intrusion may be necessary.” And with two blocks to cover and alibis to establish? Wu knew he couldn’t do them all alone.
Jae noted the shit out of that. Reaching out, she took the offered picks, figuring them out for what they were pretty much straight away. She nodded. "I'll see what I can do. I want a list, though. Not just of condoms, but I want to know where people were when the blackout hit. I want alibis."
“They will be provided,” Wu promised solemnly, committing himself to the idea. If he wanted to prove this crime and not sully his hands with the punishment? He’d need as much plainly-conducted proof as possible. Less menace, less shadow-work. Not so little that he’d remove it entirely, but it’d be crucial to be able to show the more foolish members of this group that he’d played by some semblance of rules.
Jae nodded. "Okay then. I also have another case I'm looking into, so...I'd better get rolling on this. I'll get back to you.” she promised. “You want the ground floor to start with, I’ll start here?" She quirked a half smirk at him. "Not even on the job yet, might not get it at all, but here I am. Best get to work."
“That is agreeable,” Wu answered with a nod, starting for the door out of the spiritual room without hesitation. “Neither of us have official tasks yet, Jae. This does not mean we lack the compulsions that make us suitable for them. Only that we were nominated with good reason.” And it wasn’t quite humor in his eyes as Wu gave her a flicker of a smile from one corner of his mouth before opening the door, but it was close. It was, in fact, a look very few people ever saw in him: gratitude. “I am in your debt for this.”
She smiled at him. "I'm just glad you brought me in on this." she told him, because she was. She appreciated it. And with more than one person working on this, she hoped to hell they could nail whoever did it. "We'll speak soon." she promised. She was going to have a long ass night, but that was just fine. She had work to do. A mission. And she always did thrive on a mission.