recolle | [OPEN] No faith in your world, create my own to thrive

(( CW: Mentions of death and crime ))

[ There has been quite a bit going on in Recolle, as there usually is. It's easy to become numb to the comings and goings of different oddities and Akira in particular has felt that the general populace emulates that to a T. It's disappointing, to say the least.

But he has found something else entirely to occupy his time and energy. Something worthwhile.

Which is why he's stopped in front of a store window in Tisse where the news plays on a series of televisions. ]

...and the body of Karley Sebby was found in her home after having called "911" only minutes before. Call logs indicate that Sebby recited a few lines from a Hemmingway poem before giving directions to her location. First responders found nothing to indicate why. This is the fourth member of the criminal organization known as "The Collective" to be found dead in the past three weeks.

[ Akira hums thoughtfully. ]

How big of a loss is that, really?

[ The question is seemingly posed to the air, but he trades a glance to a person beside hm. ]

What do you think?

W-What?

[Gar had only been half paying attention to the news. In truth, he had more been wondering if he had saved enough money to buy one of those sweet wide-screen LCDs.

...Also he's sixteen and his notions of morality are pretty squishy.]

Uh.

I, uh -- I guess she... I mean, she felt bad for what she was doing, right? So, uh, you shouldn't... kill yourself, because you can't fix things if you... do.

[he has no idea what he's saying]

Like... she could have told police how to get everyone else involved... Ya know.

Do you think so?

[ Akira knows very well that the duplicitous nature of the organization hardly lended to guilt. If any of them had remorse it would only be because they were finally served a fitting punishment.

But he doesn't say as much. ]

I suppose you could be right. They wouldn't likely announce that during an open investigation, would they?

Well.

...I mean, maybe it was a hit that made it look like she killed herself. ...But people don't... commit suicide unless they're really struggling...

I don't think.

[Gar continues to look uncomfortable.]

[ People should be uncomfortable with this, he thinks. They've swept these things under the rug for too long. But, instead, he smiles at the younger boy. ]

You like to see the best in people, don't you?

Me?

[He blinks.]

Oh -- no. Uh. I mean. Maybe. ...It's not like I knew her or anything.

[He gives a little awkward shrug.]

But I guess it's kind of sad.

They've said she was a criminal and a larger part of a greater circuit, but you still feel for her. That's very kind of you.

[ And naive. But the world needs more people like that. ]

Uh...

[He's really not sure whether or not he's being teased or if this is genuine praise. He's generally inclined to think the most negative, but.]

...Yeah.

I just don't like anyone dying.

[A little bit of a helpless shrug.]

I take it that capitol punishment isn't something you're fond of, then?

[ Considering that's...kind of what this is. ]

What, you mean the death penalty?

[Why does he keep asking him these questions....]

...Well. I mean... if it's like, some guy who's kidnapped and tortured little kids or something... And you know, there's a lot of evidence and stuff and the courts think he can't be... put back in society or whatever.

But there's like, you know. A level of how terrible you are you have to reach.

So you'd say that this woman hadn't earned that level?

[ He asks because...well, he can. He wants people to consider these things. ]

Uh... I dunno what she did. It just said she committed suicide...

[He gives a slight shrug.]

I guess she gave herself the death penalty...

Maybe she saw the fault in her ways, as you said.

[ It's maybe a little too close to planting the idea, but he goes for it anyway. ]

She came to the realization that what she was doing was harming others and thought it was the only way to atone for her crimes.

Uhh... Yeah...

[In his normal life, Gar would be far more uncomfortable with this conversation, and he certainly wouldn't have shared his thoughts so freely. This is not his normal life, but even this particular version of Gar is beginning to feel as if it is best if he stops engaging in this conversation with a stranger.]

...I guess if that's the choice she made...

[This guy... sounds like he's happy she died. It's not a very pleasant thought.]

'K, I gotta go home... See... you.

[Whoever you are...]

Depends.

[ oda watches the news with furrowed brows, as if seriously thinking of the subject. ]

For the people that didn't know her or were victims of the organization's crimes, then it probably isn't a big loss. But she probably had a family. Friends. Those people must miss her.

[ Family and friends.

Yes.

But how little do those actually mean to people like this? Akira believes he knows the answer and it's incredibly self-serving. My family didn't matter is a childish response, after all. ]

More than likely. We can't see all the sides of a person, but what really matters the most?

[ upon the stranger's question, odasaku falls silent, deep in thought. what matters the most between what? the pain the victim's relatives must be feeling or the fact that, in some bizarre way, justice has been served?

unsure, oda scratches the back of his head. ]

Both are equally important, I think.

[ Akira gives a small hum in response. That gray moral area is where confusion sets in. But justice isn't about middle ground or grays, really, and too much gets away when that line widens and widens. Too much leeway. Not enough action.

Justice is most definitely served in all manners, he thinks. But he doesn't expect everyone to understand that, especially not given the details he has. That would give away his position too easily. ]

There are victims no matter the circumstances, then. How unfortunate.

That's usually how it is.

[ he sighs, but his expression doesn't seem all too sad. in the back of his head, he wonders what she felt in her last moments. regret? was this her last act of redemption? ]

But that won't matter to most. They'll think she's a criminal, so they'll be glad that she's dead. Some may even think that she got what she deserved. So maybe you shouldn't listen to what I say.

[ Akira finds it in himself to smile--those are exactly his sentiments, but perhaps he's a little biased as he's seen the cruelty of the Collective first hand. And frankly, he's tired with it messing with his life. ]

Not at all. Your empathy is...refreshing.

A life is a life, isn't it?

( a life is a life, but not all lives are worth preserving, he's told.

he'd slowed down while passing by, the announcer's voice catching his ear. he didn't seem the type, but he kept up religiously with the news. it wasn't ever anything pleasant, but the things they put up to the public, and the things they refused to tell . . . they were of interest to him, and his friends like him. )

But it's a shame. A life may be a life, but it seems how they chose to spend it is what determined their end. ( it seems to be deserved, in short. ) It makes one a little worried they may face retribution next . . . doesn't it?

( he says this lightly, as though joking that they - of certainly ordinary lives and committing ordinary slights - were on any level near whatever this criminal had done to earn this fate.

but miai's good at faces; he recalls akira, regardless of how well akira recalls him. these deaths were all in the collective; whose to say family wouldn't be targeted next? whose to say their partners?

miai, though, can't find himself afraid. )

Edited 2018-08-23 08:58 (UTC)

[ Now...this is the sort of response that intrigues him. He expects most people to struggle that balance between sympathy for death and a desire to see criminals punished, a line that clearly calls for people like Akira to take action.

The voice is familiar and Akira gives the other boy the courtesy of his full attention, so he turns to face him. AKira is usually fairly good at placing names and faces, but where is this one from? ]

It should hardly be unexpected in that line of..."work", I agree.

[ Ah, wait...could this be...? ]

Ah, retribution? What do you mean?

[ Akira feels like he knows exactly--punishment for crimes, this being the fourth death, but he doesn't want to lead. He wants to hear it on his own. ]

Well, perhaps "retribution" might be too harsh?

( he knows that's not what's being asked, but enough years of evangelizing has taught him to be gentle when broaching the violence of god. )

Some people might call it karma; the universe attaining again equilibrium. Joining an organization like that isn't done lightly; there is a commitment to it, a level of wrong to which you wed. So you carry out, let's say, all sorts of atrocities that follow suit . . . And so you receive recompense of equal measure. Your life, in exchange for all those crimes stacked up on their backs.

To call it retribution makes it sound as if there is a greater Entity with His watchful eye, punishing them for their misdeeds. Not everyone believes in that, no . . . But with the deaths coming so consistently, it seems a little too fair to call it simply natural or chance.

( he laughs, though, and waves a hand. unfortunately for akira, miai is the type to like to talk. )

Of course, that's simply only one perspective. Everyone tends to see things a little bit differently.

(( CW: Attempted suicide, then death ))

[ He wanted to see this one.

So many of his choices had been to...test things, and this was no different. Not intentionally public or private. Bramante was the only not to suffer a heart attack, but that had been luck alone. Akira had written "choking" next to his name and had found out that it had been on his lunch at a diner. Someplace public was...of interest. To make a true spectacle while gaining useful information at the same time.

Goro might be amused.

Ugo Acy wasn't someone that either of them liked. Frankly, Akira fancied him for a possible hands-on individual in their father's death, so it held some satisfaction in using him as a new test subject.

No. Sacrifice.

Just because he grew up in a crime family doesn't mean he enjoyed it.

That's what brings Akira to the overpass. There are sidewalks on either side for pedestrians which means it's perfectly reasonable for him to be there. He rests against a bus stop, looking down at his watch. Also reasonable for someone waiting for public transit, but his gaze shifts across the road to the other end of the pass. The freeway traffic below is audible.

Ah. There is Acy.

It's 1:17 PM.

Right on time.

Akira can feel his heart rate increase when he sees the man climb up onto the edge.

He's doing it!

He's really doing it. ]

Ugo Acy.
Filled with guilt from his crimes, goes to the
overpass on 148th AVE above I-18 on August 8th.
At 1:18 PM, he throws himself over the edge
and is run over.

[ social media and technology is a fabulous thing. back in the day, someone with Kara's power set would have had to have been in the proximity of the act to even catch wind of it happening in the first place. super senses are only as good as the person using them, and Jen was too busy having a coffee with a friend of Kara's (her own, now, maybe?) to be watching or listening to everything at once.

chance is thus, also, a powerful contributor to her discovering the scene witnessed now. a woman, late to some appointment or other, was at the bus stop and was watching the man's strange behavior intently. reporting it as suspicious to the person on the other end of the line, at the other side of the cafe from Jen.

moments later, with the position recognized and trajectory confirmed, Jen made a literal beeline for the bridge. she landed nearby with a heavy impact, the gust of wind and cracking of concrete startling those otherwise distracted by the man who was very apparently very serious about what he was about to do. she didn't even bother to brush the dust off her bare knuckles or her jeans. ]

Wait! Back away from the edge - please! [ she's catching her breath, as it's the hardest part of moving at such incredible speeds. Jen approaches, carefully, hand outstretched. ] Whatever it is, we can talk it over. It doesn't have to be like this!

[ said hand is shaking. she had said before that she never wanted to see anyone end their life in such a way, but talking about prevention and acting on it were entirely different matters. Jen could rescue him if he falls, but she'd like to prevent that in the first place. after all, what if she freezes up? despite this body of hers possessing so much power she was, at her core, only human. ]

[ This--

Is not what he had planned. Not with the grand entrance nor the ground shaking beneath them. The sudden appearance of--wait, he knows her--she went to school with him, didn't she? Akira frowns, glancing back down at his watch.

1:18 PM.

It's now. His gaze levels on the scene.

Jump.

The man, sparing a glance towards Jen in his shaken state, suddenly has a look of determination. Filled with guilt from his crimes, he sees images upon images of people he's wronged and swindled on the best of days. ]

No...no, I can't take this anymore. I can't live like this!

[ There's a gasp in the ground as he makes that leap.

Yes! ]

[ everyone always says time slows down in moments of crisis like this. it isn't quite like that for Jen right now, but it does seem to dilate all the same as she leaps into the air and over the edge of the expressway herself. all sound around her including her own wailing, desperate cry just warps and bends until all is lost save for the loud rush of air moving past her head.

there is a pronounced "oomph" as she all but tackles the falling man out of the air, hands around his waist as she drags both of them in a trajectory that places them at the side of the street rather than in the middle of it once their feet touch down. in the next instant, Jen releases her grasp to let him fall to the grass so the sudden stop in momentum doesn't risk causing any other injuries.

well. some injuries might be okay. if he felt the sting of scrapes against his knees and palms then maybe he'll never think of trying something this dangerous again. ]

I-! I did it! I stopped him! [ she shouted, proudly, to no one in particular. except there's no time to celebrate as she takes a knee next to the stranger and places her hand on his shoulder. his heart is going a mile a minute. of course. adrenaline. that's only natural. hers is beating hard, too, but she'll come down off that soon enough. ]

[ That---

--That Akira hadn't accounted for. His fist clenches at his side. He exhales sharply through his nose. He has the Death Note in his laptop case. He could--he could try again, write something else...maybe have him just walk out into traffic at this point. At least he knows part of his plan had worked, though a failed result was still a result. Apparently he needs to accommodate interlopers.

But...he doesn't need to.

The man clutches his chest, heaving sharply.

Akira's eyes narrow.

The man grasps at the blonde-haired girl, eyes wide in shock as his heart convulses and finally gives out, leaving him twitching, and then limp.

...He...died? ]

[ that was bad. it wouldn't have been as bad - but still very terrible - if the man hadn't practically died in her arms just then despite her best efforts to save him. Jen would also have not been shaken to her core were she not keenly aware of the exact way his body gave out on him.

it was his heart. the desperate gasp of a dying man is a sound she'll not soon forget, eyes wide and mouth agape as she processed the shock to his system and to her psyche.

there is absolutely no ready way to explain what happened, either. seconds and minutes seemed to drag on into eternity before she was shaken out of her surprise by the EMTs who arrived on the scene along with the police. they would have questions for her, too, but first she needed to give them space to work.

Jen just sort of stepped back, numbly, still not sure precisely the order of things. there's the ridiculous, but readily available notion that she had somehow caused it. the unexpected outcome of her swooping in to rescue the man ... could it have contributed to his body giving up on him like that? or was there some kind of preexisting condition or weakness that he was trying to preempt by leaping to his death?

she just stared at her hands until she'd be approached again, not knowing what else she could do at this point. she had given it her all but, in the end, it had not been enough. ]

(( CW: Suicide, drug abuse, potentially mentions of drug/human trafficking. ))

[ He finally did it.

The top. The pinnacle. The last domino to fall in this completely fucked up ring that had taken over his life. His brother's life. Had taken his father's life, stupid man that he was for getting involved in the first place. Akira had wanted revenge, of course, but the more he worked the more he realized he also had something to prove. That he could be better than them, that they didn't have the control that they thought that they did.

That there was never crime without punishment. No one was safe from judgment.

He thinks he's proven that, now.

Of course the death that he had set up wasn't going to be a blaze of glory. Akira was smart enough to know he should stay well away from the crime scene to avoid suspicion, but this one in particular...it was hard to resist. And knowing that Erick Hartgrove's office, which doubled as a front for a legitimate real estate business, was in the heart of the business district, it made it easy enough to swing by.

He shouldn't have been pleased by the police cars and tape that surrounded the scene, but he couldn't help the way his heart pounded with excitement.

It worked.

Of course it worked. It had worked seven times. Now eight.

Akira moves to stand with the small crowd that has gathered around the opposite side of the police tape, next to a red-headed man. Time to play innocent. ]

What happened?

Someone called in a tip. Sounds like they've found a body in the building.

[ That someone being Daredevil, but the police seem to be trying not to speak about that fact. Matt doubts they're doing it to protect the vigilante if anything those who comment on it are likely skeptics. It's not like he's best friends with the police. Thankfully he merely has to stand outside with the rest of the curious crowd to listen in on the commentary between those processing the scene. ]

Oh?

[ Akira turns back to the building, brows raised in mock surprise. Called in a tip? That was arguably quicker than he would have imagined but he's not too worried. What makes up for his lack of surprise is his curiosity. He sighs, shaking his head. ]

That's horrible. This isn't really that kind of neighborhood.

Edited 2018-08-30 05:54 (UTC)

Crime rates have dropped in the past six months city-wide. I think we were all hoping that meant this type of thing wouldn't happen in Recolle.

[ Want to guess what made the crime rate drop other than the distraction of unusual events? ]

But maybe I'm jumping to conclusions, maybe this is the result of an unfortunate accident.

[ Matt's mouth makes a thin straight line. He doubts that the crime ring leader he had finally tracked down had simply taken a tumble. Come on coroner, any hint at a cause of death? ]

[ Akira nods, seemingly in understanding. What's been reported might have dropped, he thinks, but doesn't voice it. His family has always been a little on the unscrupulous side, so he knows that his window to the world was a little shadier than others. There was always something bordering on illegal going on. ]

You mean like some medical emergency?

[ It's a seemingly innocent question, but Akira stops himself with a shake of his head. ]

Ah...there wouldn't be police blocking off the area if that were the case. Sorry, stupid question.

[ Matt shakes his head. ]

Not stupid. Sometimes people die of natural causes in strange circumstances and an investigation is necessary to confirm that no crime was committed. Seems we're here too early in the process to hear any official statement.

[ Not too soon to eavesdrop on the events inside though. ]

[ Akira nods. He is right, of course. If the body was only just discovered they're still in the preliminary stages of the investigation and the conclusion will be exactly as he intends--suicide. ]

I can't imagine that's going to help the neighbors much. Things like this can change the reputation of an area for decades.

Yeah. People like to exaggerate stories too, unfortunately...

[ Brings back memories Matt tries not to think about. The way people would slow their cars and stare or walk over to the stretch of street where the accident had claimed his brother's life even after the wreckage had been cleared away. ]

They have a real fascination with places they know someone died. For better or worse.

Mm...

[ All the reason true crime shows and paranormal investigations are such a big hit. Akira has his own interest, of course, but it's not so macabre, at least in his mind. ]

Hopefully they'll have something to release soon. At least the buzz should die down.

[OPEN] No faith in your world, create my own to thrive

[OPEN] August 4th

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[CLOSED] Jen, August 8th

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[CLOSED] Matt, August 11

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WOW i thought I replied to this FOREVER AGO

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