I'd say you're looking at a Boeski, a Jim Brown, a Miss Daisy, two Jethros and a Leon Spinks...

[darkinferno]

WHO: Dante, Ritsu, Isa, Naoto, Gabranth, Togusa, Juzo, Fynn, and Ardyn
WHERE: Around town, the Recollé Art Museum, the Recollé Police Department
WHEN: Forward-dated to April 27th
WHAT: Bad friends, bad decisions, bad results. Dante tries to help out a pal and ends up in police custody as the RPD captures the wrong guy. Shenanigans ensue! Don't piss off the police force, folks.
WARNINGS: None ATM, will edit if any come up!



It's a pretty normal day, all things considered, when Dante finds himself being grabbed and hauled off the street by a vise-like grip around his forearm.

He's reacting the moment his brain realizes what's happening, twisting over his shoulder and wrenching his arm free, but he's already halfway into the alleyway, and once he recognizes the dirty brown hair and too-wide eyes, he steps the rest of the way into it himself. "Jamie."

"Hey, Dante."

Dante folds his arms, taking a half-step back to rest his weight on his back foot. "I haven't seen you in years. What're you doing here?"

"I live here now," the boy says, giving him a wide shrug and a grin. "Have for a while. I've seen you around, you know. Just haven't talked to you. Been busy. Lots of stuff to do. Can we talk?"

"We are talking."

"No, not like that," Jamie says, shaking his head. He's gotten taller, Dante notes, but he still has a lot of the same mannerisms. The sharp, quick movements, the way his eyes are constantly moving, checking around them at all times for something, anything, that might warrant his attention. "I want to talk. You know, like we used to. Jobs."

Ah. Dante frowns, realizing what this is going to be about, but nods. "Sure, why not? Tell me what you've got planned."

"Not here." The boy shakes his head again, eyes roving the alley. "Too many people. They might take shortcuts. Follow me."

He leads the way, picking alleys and streets seemingly at random until they reach somewhere that seems secluded enough for Jamie's taste, perched up on a wall that blocks off the end of an alleyway. Then and only then does Jamie turn his attention back to Dante, brown eyes wide with excitement as he leans toward him. "I've been picking up jobs again. Like the gang used to, back in Maldon-on-Hudson."

"Picking up? You mean you're working for someone?"

Jamie shakes his head, seeming pleased with himself. "I make my own jobs. Stake a place out. Watch and see where their security fails. Then strike. You know that jewelry store three weeks ago? That was me. And the computer store a week and a half back. Easy targets. They didn't know what hit them."

"And I'm guessing you're coming to me now because you've got another place in mind." Dante folds his arms, leaning against the building behind him, considering the idea. He's already certain this isn't something he wants to be a part of: after all, it's getting wrapped up in idiocy like this that got him into trouble in the first place, sent back to his amma like a pet that had had more energy than its owners had expected. His parents had only been trying to protect their legacy by sending him back; he'll be risking that again if he agrees to help Jamie out.

"Yeah." Jamie nods, his excitement evident in his eyes. "I've got everything figured out. I just need someone beside me."

"I don't know. I've been keeping my nose clean, Jamie. I kind of want to keep it that way."

The other boy looks almost offended at his words. "You? Keeping your nose clean?"

Dante mirrors his expression. "I didn't get into that much trouble!"

"Got nabbed transporting, didn't you?" Jamie snorts. "That's trouble."

"Hey! You're the one asking me for help here!" Dante exclaims, scowling. "If you're gonna dig that up, you can break in wherever it is you're going on your own."

"Quiet down!" Jamie hisses, expression growing darker. "You wanna tell the whole city my plans?"

"Nobody's listening." Dante gestures to the streets around them. "Quiet as the grave. Now, if you want my help, start talking. Where, when, and what do you need from me? I'll decide whether I'm in based on that."

"Uh-uh. Commitment first. Then details."

"No way. You wanna hitch your wagon to my star, you tell me what we're planning first. I'll be damned if I'm going in on a job that's doomed to failure from the start."

Jamie scowls, seeming to consider Dante's words, then sits back. "Fine. But you're not gonna hear me out and then go narcing on me, right? I'll know who it was."

"I'm not gonna narc," Dante says, rolling his eyes. "Now where's the target?"

For a moment, there's silence between the two boys. And then Jamie seems to relent. "Art museum, Thursday night. Probably midnight, 1 A.M."

"The art museum?"

"Yeah. A few good pieces there. Easy pickings. Cut 'em outta the frames, done deal. We can split it 70/30."

Dante frowns. "And how are you planning on getting in?"

"We'll go from the top. It's why I need you. You can get us equipment for a top entry."

Yeah, this sounds like idiocy. "So you want to break into the art museum by going in through the top--give me more details, dude."

Jamie shakes his head, looking as though he's refocusing himself to the conversation. "Okay. Roof's got an access hatch. Locked, I can't get it. But you--you can pick it, right? Then we go down the hatch, into the top floor. I know the layout, the cameras, the guards. I can get us around."

"And you need equipment?"

A nod. "Picks. Transport cases. These're gonna ship out to NYC. Can't have them getting damaged. A kid like me, I buy 'em, I'm suspicious. You, you got money. You can buy 'em without suspicion. Something to disable invisible fences. You can get that, can't you?"

"By Thursday night?"

"Yeah."

"What'd you do with the stuff from the jewelry store? Or the computers?" Dante asks, trying to buy time. It's a stupid idea. A monumentally stupid idea. A jewelry store, fine. An electronics store, fine. Maybe stupid, but fine. The art museum? Jamie is all wiry muscle and dexterity, but Dante still can't see how this is going to work. More likely the boy's going to get caught, and wind up doing time. How old even is he? He's got a couple years on him, sure, but Jamie still can't be more than 21 or 22. The kid can't even grow a beard yet, even though it's apparent from the uneven stubble he's trying.

"That? Fences in the city," Jamie says, waving a hand. "Don't know much about art, though. Got a guy in New York who'll sell 'em. So what do you say?"

If he says no, he's not entirely sure that Jamie won't try it anyways. He's always been the type of person to go for the long shot, even when there's no chance of it actually working out. But if he says yes, and then shows up without any of the equipment they need... maybe he can turn him around? At the very least, he can convince him that through his own scoping out of the place, it'd be too impossible as a target.

"All right," Dante says. "Thursday night. Meet at 11:30 on top of the art museum. There's nothing to watch out for up there, right? No cameras or perimeter alarms?"

"None."

"And we split it 50/50."

"You don't need it! 70/30."

"You aren't getting in without my help, are you? 50/50."

Jamie considers it. "...60/40. It's my mark. My job. I'm just inviting you."

"Deal." And Dante reaches out to shake hands.

Thursday night.

Comments

THE TIP-OFF

[darkinferno]

THE STAKE-OUT

[darkinferno]

SPRINGING THE TRAP

[darkinferno]

[Dante makes sure to get to the art museum early. After all, if he's going to try and shut this whole thing down, he doesn't need Jamie to be already halfway through the door when he gets here! So while the two boys had made plans for 11:30, Dante's getting there at 11:10. Honestly, he's expecting Jamie to show up closer to 11:45 or midnight, but whatever, he can keep himself occupied while he waits.

He's dressed in dark colors, wearing the half-gloves that had somehow found their way into his bag last month (he still isn't sure where he got them...), hood pulled up over his head as he makes the jump from dumpster to fire escape, pulling himself up and over the railing without dropping the ladder down to the ground. From there, it's a fairly easy climb to the top, placing his feet carefully to avoid the noise of footsteps, keeping his attention focused so that he doesn't clip the edge of a step in the darkness. And then he's reaching the rooftop, wide and open, dotted here and there with fans and HVAC equipment and a door that looks like it must be the stairwell down to the museum proper.

Up here, the chatter of the city seems a little bit more distant, as though he might stand apart from it. Dante stretches both arms over his head, leaning side to side to loosen up his body, and then... he waits.]

CELL BLOCK SOLILOQUIES

[darkinferno]

[Well, this has gone just swimmingly, hasn't it? Anyone passing by the cells might see Dante sitting in one of them, arms folded, a scowl on his face. You've got to be kidding him--try to do something good for a change, try to help a guy out and keep him from screwing up, and what happens? You get thrown behind bars. Fine, see if he ever tries to do anything good again after this...

Come and bug Dante--he's not going anywhere!]

INTERROGATIONS

[darkinferno]

[It doesn't matter what room they're in, who it is that's facing him, what they're going to try and pull on him to get him to talk... Dante's annoyed to be there, and he doesn't care who can read it on his face as he's led to the interrogation room. There's not much he can (or would, even if he had the information) tell them about Jamie, no matter whether they're trying the carrot or the stick, the good cop or the bad cop. So why do they even bother?

The door to the interrogation room is opened, Dante's led in... how's this going to go this time?]

Re: THE STAKE-OUT

[standalonehuman]

Detective Gabranth had been the one to pass the tip off down, and truth be told, Togusa was surprised to get chosen to come along. If they were expecting trouble, there are better choices. But when it hits Hour Number Four, Togusa suddenly vividly understands why he's here: this job requires more patience than anything else.

The ironic thought comes to him that the other side of this needs patience, too. Somebody's out there seeing if they can find the security while they're here trying to find the person that doesn't belong here. First person to run out of patience and reveal themselves loses. So he'll do his best to stay alert to the outside of the building.

[truedetective]

Naoto knew that there was no way the police would let her go on an active stakeout. This is late at night and, grandfather's influence aside, she has school. There are actual criminals here.

So she'd gone anyway. Better to ask forgiveness than permission, after all. She'd get experience, she'd help solve the case. After all, hadn't she been there to overheard the tip-off? She knows what's going on. Another set of evidence-gathering eyes and ears can never hurt.

Being small and able to get into the bushes unseen helps, though.

[esperimental]

Jamie was careful, but not careful enough. To his credit, a small boy like himself should not be anywhere near or within suspicious alleyways where these sort of dealings happened. Ritsu had begun wandering off the standard path to home ever since he realized how little he tried to make this new city his home, and went off the beaten path. Very, very far off the beaten path. What was he searching for exactly? Well, if it was trouble, he had found it. Or it had found him.

He didn't like the hushed tones combined with disproportionately excited intonation-- particularly from the first of the two voices, however it seemed the other raised no objection. That was bad news no matter which way you threw it. Having ducked behind a large trash bin nary a second before he could have come into their line of view, Ritsu carefully slid out his phone from his pocket and began recording as soon as he heard the boasts of former break-ins.

"(...) you're coming to me now because you've got another place in mind."

Another one for the garbage bin, being proud of this lifestyle.

Ritsu kept his quip to himself, behind a said garbage bin, because boy he would be in a world of trouble if he was caught. He crouched still and silently, and when they were gone, his steps were tentative in getting back up. He replayed his recording, to see if it had caught each of the details in crisp sound. As expected, it wasn't perfect with the phone being an older model, but it helped that they had picked out someplace so remote from the rest of the city noise. The conversation should be solid evidence, even if he hadn't seen what the two looked like.

He wastes no further time loitering as he steps out of there, probably having caught on some of that grimy musty smell from where he hid. Ritsu steps up to the police department's door, looking deadly serious. --That may have been his default look actually, but most adults wouldn't know that. And as soon as he opens it, it's all business.

"Who do I approach about suspects on a crime?"

[outpunch]

[If somebody outside work asked him about Dante, he'd probably just shrug. Like hell he would like to talk about that brat. But this, this is completely different. Once he hears a familiar name, his lips quirk up in a wicked smile. It's always good to know that guys who are full of themselves also screw things up sometimes.

And from the sound of it, he screwed up big time.]

Yo. It's been a while. Need anything? Something to drink, eat? Or maybe you're tired of all this shit?

[After that rather casual greeting, Juzo takes a seat in front of him. He's not even trying to hide how amused he is.]

[darkinferno]

[Dante's got a deadpan look on his face as Juzo takes a seat in front of him. For a moment he has to think, trying to remember who it is that this is... "It's been a while" means that they've talked before, so...

His eyebrows raise in an expression of what might be skepticism were the rest of him not so deadpan--and then it clicks, and a flicker of a smirk crosses his face.]

Depends. If I say yes how many times are you going to fuck up the online ordering this time? I'm only one guy, I can't cover for all your mistakes.

[recusancy]

Isa took over the front desk today, covering for an ill coworker. He glances up when he hears the door open, and as the teenager approaches, his expression is neutral, but expectant.

And then his eyebrows tick up a little in mild surprise. That definitely wasn't where he thought this was going.

"Me," he answers plainly, pushing his chair out from behind the desk. "Are you prepared to make a statement?" He'll have to find someone else to sit at the front desk in the meantime. He could always appoint Naoto, but he'd rather use this time to provide an additional learning opportunity instead.

[outpunch]

You know what?

[How long will he keep himself in check, that's the true question here. Honestly, he's already boiling with anger but tries to not to show it too much.

One look under the table and it would become clear that he's not doing too well, given how hard he's clenching his fist.]

It took you only one fuck up to get there and I'm surprised that we're seeing each other here only now, you brat. But I guess it was just a matter of that, with that shitty attitude of yours.

[Time for some bluffing, even though he'd rather go straight to the bad cop act.]

I don't know what my colleagues told you, but you either spill the beans now or you're in real trouble. You do know what real trouble means for you, right?

[darkinferno]

[It doesn't matter; Dante knows he's scored a point, and the way the smirk grows probably makes that obvious.

He's also reasonably sure that they don't have anything they can charge him with (right...? The worst thing he'd done was stand on top of a building?), so Dante's leaning back into his chair, trying to affect an air of indifference.]

Not really. Why don't you enlighten me? Because the way I see it, it's you guys who are in "real trouble" if you can't get me to cough up some fake charges you can try and catch me on.

Still open to others tagging in, but gonna slide in here anyway

[standalonehuman]

You know what is the exact kind of behavior that Togusa is keeping an eye out for? Someone sneaking into the bushes. He peers at the side of the building more cautiously. He's not going to speak up until he knows for sure that he saw something, because of the exact problem he was just thinking of. He isn't going to be the one to blow the stake-out's cover unless he's certain that he's got someone.

But, the longer time ticks on, the more he is considering speaking up, just so that they don't accidentally enact the exact scenario that Ardyn Izunia had joked about a few days ago.

[standalonehuman]

Let's. Try this again. It's Togusa's turn, and, unfortunately for everybody involved, he knows damn well who Dante is going to call when they give him the opportunity for a phone call. Dropping both Izunias into this situation is only going to make it better. So Togusa is only going to advise letting that happen when he's ready to just burn this entire situation to the ground.

Because right now, he's more curious than irritated at Dante. (That will likely quickly change.) So he walks in, nothing in hand, doesn't even have anything to take notes on. "Hey." As if this is just some casual social visit. He sits, and tucks a hand under his chin to prop his head up.

We're starting with Togusa's burning curiosity first. "Why- the art museum? That is absolutely the last place in the city I would have ever expected to find you?"

[outpunch]

[A point? More like 100 points, honestly. One glance at Juzo's expression should be enough to come to that conclusion. And if that's not enough, shortly after he's slamming his fists on the table.]

Enlighten you?! Don't fuck with me, idiot. What were you doing up there? Fucking napping?! Took your sweet time to stop there and admire the view?!

[He shouldn't be allowed to do interrogations for his own good.]

[darkinferno]

[Yeah, it was a bad plan to let Juzo do this alone. Dante's smirk splits into a grin--it's way too easy to get him going.]

Well, I don't know if you looked or not, but the view was pretty good up there. Wouldn't have been a bad place to take a nap if not for all the noise. You guys aren't exactly quiet.

[darkinferno]

Dante uses the time between interrogations to re-center himself. There's no denying that he enjoys the verbal sparring matches, but he also knows that if he lets himself ride too high on that enjoyment, he's going to slip and say something he'll regret. Sure, he doesn't think there's much the department can get him as things stand, but all it takes is a sarcastic joke about breaking in or a sneered comment about assault to find himself being hauled up in front of a judge trying to plead his innocence--a consequence he'd do a lot to avoid.

But for some reason, he's not expecting it to be Togusa that walks into the room next. For a moment, Dante's bemused, but then he settles in. Time to see what tact he's going to try and use.

It's obvious immediately that he's going to have to be on his toes a lot more around Togusa; his modus operandi (at least so far) seems to be to play it casual, develop a rapport. But while Dante's got some amount of respect for him, this is a different situation.

So in response to Togusa's question, Dante lifts a shoulder in a large, overacted shrug. "Who knows?" he says. "Maybe I just felt like looking at the exhibits. Why wouldn't you have ever expected to find me there?"

His own curiosity's going to get him in trouble sometime.

[standalonehuman]

Whether it makes his approach obvious or not, Togusa is a cop for the people. He can't let himself wander too far from remembering how his job actually helps people on an individual level. And Dante is not just a dumb kid like some of his colleagues have tried to narrow this down to. Don't underestimate Dante like they are.

"Buddy of mine's an artist, I know the type of people who usually hang around the museum. And you don't seem like you'd have the patience for them."

Oh, because that's the entire reason? "And also because, for a nighttime hangout spot, it's weird to pick one of the only places in the city that has night security staff." Despite the fact that the guy wasn't helpful at all, there was a security guard present.

[darkinferno]

He's right, but that doesn't mean Dante has to admit it. "Oh, I don't know about that. I've been to plenty of art museums in my life. My mom's pretty big on them."

She was pretty big on arranging for him to be taken to them, at least, though the couple times he can remember her going along with him she'd seemed enthralled by all the works they'd seen.

"You shouldn't judge a book by its cover, officer," Dante continues, a half-smirk curling at his lips. "I can be patient when I want to be."

He just doesn't have the time for it, most of the time.

[standalonehuman]

Togusa tilts his head to the side, "Is that so..? I wouldn't have guessed it." About the museum or about Dante's patience? He'll leave that up to interpretation.

"What's different about Recolle's museum, then?" Togusa knows what's in there. They're still uncertain of what the eventual target of the theft was, they just know that Dante's no mastermind.

[darkinferno]

Good question. But all Dante suggests is, "The fact that I haven't been inside it before?"

[standalonehuman]

Togusa leans back in his chair and fixes Dante with a 'fucking really?' look that is usually reserved for Fynn Izunia. "So buy a ticket like everybody else." He raises his eyebrows and grins sarcastically. "College students even get in free on Wednesdays."

"Those woodblocks look way better in the daylight. Not that you're gonna get to find out, because I'm pretty sure you got banned for trespassing. If the museum decides that's all you were up to."

[darkinferno]

There's a grin that comes to Dante's face at the Look, leaning back in his chair to match Togusa and shoving his hands into his pants pockets. "What a shame. There go all my plans to scope out the exhibits so I can take my girlfriend and pretend I'm some kind of art connoisseur."

To be honest, though, he hadn't considered the idea that there'd be consequences from the art museum for having been up on top of their roof at night. Maybe he ought to have, but... oh well. Dante shrugs to himself; it's a problem he'll deal with later. Depending on how all of this goes, maybe he can make a donation to the museum or something to clear up the misunderstanding.

"Anyway, what do you mean, if the museum decides? If they're the ones making the decision, then I don't see why I'm here talking to you instead."

[standalonehuman]

"They're not the only ones deciding, but we're not the only ones deciding, either." Togusa spreads out his hands to indicate two sides of an argument.

"Let's pretend for a second that you've been completely straight-up with us. Wrong place, wrong time. Okay. If that's true, then you have the worst luck of anyone I've ever met." Togusa shrugs. "We asked what you were doing prowling around in the dark, so what were we doing prowling around in the dark? Four cops in body armor don't usually show up for a trespassing call."

"We'd gotten a tip-off that someone was going to try to rob the museum tonight. Our stakeout was working on conjunction with the museum security. The culprit escaped because half of our guys were out of the planned position because we were arresting you."

Togusa holds up a single finger. "Now. Gabranth has his way, he gets to slap an 'interfering with police investigation' charge on you purely by accident. You're old enough, that one'll stick. I might be able to get him to back off, but it would help if I had a different reason for you being there. That one might not stick anyway, a good lawyer would be able to argue that one down, it's obvious that Gabranth is trumping up charges. Even though it was causal that your presence let a suspect get away."

"But it gets more complicated when you take the museum into account." He pauses to make sure Dante is following him so far.