fracturamods | [break-in 2] this is a crime and it’s punishable by crime.

[POOR KANGAI, he never asked for this life.

Lan Wangji, meanwhile, probably got his note and was immediately suspicious, so he's on high alert here and definitely armed. Also, even if Tsukasa is technically a cop, Lan Wangji isn't about to let these young people waltz into a potentially dangerous situation if he can help it... so he hold out a hand.]

Careful.

[Please let him be the one to move the newspapers, guys, y'all shouldn't have to be the ones to discover like. More missing tongues or whatever]

[ This isn't the first note he's gotten about kidnappings, and this one is at least more promising than someone fussing at him about them, so. That's nice. They've sure got an interesting bunch too - Kangai was the guy those two mentioned, right? Hmmm-hmmm. He wanted to ask him questions, but...

well, not the time.

And. That's very nice of you, Lan Wangji, and he appreciates the gesture. He does!! But he's still going to very gently push his hand aside. Away. Whatever. ]

...My apologies, sir, but this is sort of my job. [ so, unfortunately, you know. he's a teen and he's ready to go recklessly throwing himself into shit. ] Please allow me.

[ :'| He'll check what's under the papers. Please don't let it be more missing tongues. ]

[ :)

The newspapers do, at least, look as if they are trying to cover something up. When Tsukasa nudges them out of the way, they'll find a small, vintage luggage case sitting on the bench. There's a note stuck under one of the leather straps keeping it closed. All it says is,

For Lan Wangji]

[well, kangai sure is going to let the police officer have the right of the way because he doesn't want to get arrested for obstruction of justice!

but he'll take those newspapers and give them a quick glance just to make sure there's nothing weird about them. knowing anna, a clown's on the front cover.]

[I take it back I quit this break-in

No okay but Lan Wangji is not, in fact, turning around and leaving like he should--in fact, his poker face doesn't change at all, although he's now Even More Suspicious. There cannot possibly be anything good in there.

GOOD TRY, TSUKASA... but he's moving forward again, bracing himself for the worst. He doesn't really want to open this in front of two kids in case it's MORE SEVERED TONGUES OR SOMETHING but he doubts they'll listen if he tells them to leave, so he kneels down, pulling out a knife from. Somewhere. To cut the straps open.]

Step back.

[if there's a body in here I stg]

—Right.

[ He'll step back as requested, but not by like, a lot - just. Literally a step back, because he's polite enough not to look at things addressed to other people but too nosy to not want to see anyway- ]

[Kangai will find that the front page is decorated with an advertisement for the upcoming Lantern Festival; there's an old-looking photograph of a previous festival in place, to show people what it will be like. At the bottom of the front page, however, is another advertisement. This one is for a traveling circus--one which will be coming in the following month.

Under Lan Wangji's knife, the straps cut easily. The latch swings open, and the lid lifts. Inside is...

Wei Wuxian's head!

Just kidding. Inside is a hand telescope. It extends and retracts, and if Lan Wangji peeps through the right end, he finds he can see pretty far into the distance! There's nothing else inside the box, not even another note.

But there's a party still going on inside the brothel, and if they look at the building, one of the windows on the second story has a curvy shadow in it. Someone is looking out at them, but then the shadow quickly disappears.]

[STOP I WAS KIDDING ABOUT THE CLOWNS i hope that isn't a plot-important detail because i refuse to look further

while lan wangji presumably looks through the telescope, kangai glances around.]

... Hey, we're being watched.

[At least it wasn't (yaywon voice) Benedict

But honestly this is--he can't even say it's better than expected?! IT STILL SEEMS LIKE A THREAT, HONESTLY. He looks back at the note for a moment, checking to see if he recognizes the handwriting, and he'll tuck it into his pocket and re-sheath his knife before he takes the hand telescope.

He does look through it--first down one side of the street, then the other. He's about to start looking in the dark buildings first ("closed" signs don't mean shit if you're a criminal, okay), but when Kangai speaks, he looks up sharply, following his gaze. BAD.]

Are either of you armed?

[Considering it's mafia town and one of them is a cop, it's a valid question]

[ That is a valid question, actually. ]

...I am. [ He pats his very legit wooden police baton - he also has a pistol, as sacrilegious as that is to type, and a pair of handcuffs. The pistol's more hidden though he doesn't like showing it off :'| ] I hope it won't come to that - the last time I was in a brothel, the ladies were very kind.

[ ... ]

We were called in to deal with a disturbance, n-not to visit them for any other reason. I'm just saying. [ hew ] Anyway - let's play as nice as we can for as long as we can. Mmm... If they don't give us any trouble, we don't give them any trouble.

[ don't turn this into a "han solo shot first" situation ok ]

Uh, no?

[kangai is definitely not armed because he is a hapless citizen, you wacky mafia.]

... Let's just get this over with.

Edited 2020-02-09 15:57 (UTC)

[THESE ANSWERS... Lan Wangji has to hold back a sigh. Y'ALL ARE TOO MUCH. Also Tsukasa can visit a brothel for whatever reasons he wants, okay, he's not going to ask. He's (usually) capable of minding his own business.

To Kangai, he holds out the hand telescope. He could put it in his coat pocket, and he kind of doesn't want to hand it off since it was addressed to him (STILL BAD), but he figures that this way, Kangai can make himself useful, and he can also use it to hit people with if anything happens.]

Stay behind me.

[THAT ONE IS TO BOTH OF THEM but he's only expecting Kangai to listen; Tsukasa can walk beside him if he really wants to. Who allowed the teenage police he's so old and tired, please save him. He nods at both of them, though, and doesn't actually pull out any weapons right away. THAT'S HIS CONCESSION.]

Edited (ACK) 2020-02-09 16:54 (UTC)

[ take up the existence of the teenage police with god lwj that's who allowed it

anyway tsukasa looks a little torn but he's a good boy at heart, so he'll actually let lan wangji go first with a short nod; he's better at support anyway, he has. learned this. very quickly recently. him taking charge does Not do him or his party any favors. it's a truly sad thing, but it's fine, he only had good luck when he dealt with wwx's chocolates like the first week of mafia family fun time: world edition. ]

We'll- [ a beat. hm. he'll correct himself with an apologetic glance at kangai. buddy... we cannot be "we". ] I'll have your back.

[It's a good thing Lan Wangji goes first!

Or maybe not. The front room is booming with people and traffic. This is Xian Le territory, and so everything looks expensive on top of being dramatic and lavish. Nearly all of the girls are topless, but if they aren't, they're in clothes which don't leave very much to the imagination!

But rather than having girls rush to greet them and hang off them, they seem to be... avoidant. Lan Wangji, Kangai, and Tsukasa all get high-held noses, or turned away from. Hm. Most of the girls pretend like they are busy with other patrons. So the three of them have to keep walking until they get to the horseshoe bar on the opposite side of where a small stage sits. (There's currently a dance going on, like a cabaret.) A woman dressed more flashy than the others nearly bumps into them when she turns away from the bar. They get a pretty skeptical look.

She asks:] You lost or somethin'?

[kangai is a good boy who listens to what he's told, except for when it's things like "don't touch things from the crime scene, kid." so he stays behind lan wangji! and yeah, that's all on you, tsukasa.

he feels so out of place here and pointedly avoids looking at any near-naked woman. very glad they're avoiding them!

anyway, he leaves responding to someone else.]

Mm.

[To Tsukasa, noncommittal--as soon as Tsukasa proves he's not too innocent to be here, Lan Wangji will be a little less exhausted by his enthusiasm. GOD.

OFF THEY GO THOUGH AND YEAH THIS IS A TERRIBLE PLACE FOR THIS GROUP. At least Lan Wangji (probably?!) handles business with Mori-owned brothels sometimes... his face doesn't change but he very pointedly doesn't look at any of the scantily-clad women, except to note that no one is looking at them either. THIS SMELLS LIKE A FUCKING TRAP or maybe it's just because they're so Clearly Awkward. Hard to say.

Either way, he'll nod his head in greeting to her, because it's important to be polite even if people might want to kill you.]

I believe we were expected.

[ "because it's important to be polite even if people might want to kill you" lan wangji you GET IT, tell shinobu this so she can stop fussing at tsukasa for making his jail nice

tsukasa is also... not looking at the girls, exactly, just out of the corner of his eye - it's important to be aware of your surroundings, even if his ears are red and he wants to lowkey die. the dance is nice-- somehow this is so much worse than the kumou twins' birthday party, or the last brothel he was in. just, somehow. he lets his gaze drift to wherever the stairs are i assume there are stairs, there's a second floor? to just watch there. mystery curvy person... ]

...That's right. We each received a note. [ he's at least smart enough to not talk about the contents of such a thing, so. ] Was that any of your number, miss?

[ it's important to be polite. ]

[Both of the woman's brows rise. Lan Wangji, Tsukasa, and Kangai get a slow once-over. She doesn't seem convinced they're expected, but what does she know. Maybe someone is into Daddykink and infantilism, but, like, at the same time?]

Dunno what you're talking about, but wait over there.

[She points at a door along one of the walls. Right now, it's shut, and there's no chairs or anything outside of it. The three of them will have to stand.] I'll be right back. [She turns around and taps two fingers on the bar at the bartender, and then she walks off to disappear in the crowd of people.

Guess the three of them will have to wait by the door for now.]

[i'm sorry, we have to burn this thread to the ground now to purify it

kangai will stand where she pointed, fidgeting with the telescope. he can't sense a dead body in the vicinity, right. please tell him no. he's so tired.

actually, if he uses the telescope, can he see anything through, like. the door crack or whatever.]

[Petition to kill Anna

Lan Wangji will go with them, standing with his back to the wall next to the door. He'll survey the room while they wait, looking to see if he might recognize any of these girls (for some reason?!), and also keeping an ear out because this door is so fucking shady.]

Do not let your guard down. [Quietly, to both of them. HE STILL TRUSTS NOTHING ABOUT THIS AT ALL.]

[ kangai's a pervert huh............. making some mental notes here-

Tsukasa sighs, leaning against the wall too. Whichever way Lan Wangji's surveying, he'll survey the opposite, so like, they just keep some sort of weird constant watch- he's focused more on anything out of the ordinary. ...Blatantly weird, that is, because his assumptions of what goes on in brothels are "many not-very-dressed girls" and "men who are deplorable enough to pay for a smile" in essence. ]

[Such well-behaved, obedient boys! :)

Which is to say, the three of them will be standing around for some time. The woman doesn't? come back? Weird. Thankfully, Kangai does not sense any dead bodies! We will come back to the door crack in a minute.

Lan Wangji looks around, but none of the girls seem familiar. They all look healthy and vivacious (and topless, don't forget), without any kind of scratch on them. It seems Xian Le girls pride themselves on being perfect.

Tsukasa also doesn't see anything out of the ordinary in the other direction. Men and woman alike are being rather deplorable, maybe one grope away from getting it on right in front of God and everyone. The dance on the stage ends, but another girl steps up to sing into a microphone. She is maybe only half as good as Minako.

The telescope can be used to look through the door, but the only crack is at the bottom. So Kangai will have to nearly prostrate on the ground to see under; however, after he gets down low, the door swings wildly open and several girls about step on him coming out. Their squeal is lost in the music and the singing luckily.] Pervert!! [They rush out around him and flee into the crowd. The room looks like a VIP room of some kind. Very fancy and private.

And empty of people.]

[this is fine.

kangai takes a moment to stare up at the ceiling, wondering how his life reached this point and how much aki—wow i hate there's a character named aki in his canon and she's as much of a hellion as rl aki—would never let him live this down if she knew.

anyway.]

So... I guess...?

[go into the room?? he'll be doing that to look around even if it's empty of people. please kill him now.]

[RIP Kangai...

But, hm. If they were all mafia adults here then Lan Wangji would suggest sending one of them off to go check on the woman who disappeared, but alas, he's too responsible to let these two roam around in a suspicious room by themselves.

SO IN THEY GO. Lan Wangji will be looking over the walls for hidden panels, creepy two-way (I think it's two-way) mirrors, anything that could function as a second exit.]

Watch the door. [EITHER ONE OF THEM CAN DO THAT please don't lock them in here]

[ weighs hands. kangai might be useless being a guard dog, so tsukasa'll just watch the door for them instead. there's... no sense... in letting a Newly Known Pervert watch the outside room. ]

...Do you really think we're going to find anything down here? [ huff. ] I'm starting to doubt those notes actually meant anything.

[ which would be VERY DISAPPOINTING but at this point in his short police life, not unexpected. anyone can fake a lead. ]

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject