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It is twilight in Revachol. Darkness falls over the city in fits and spurts, hiding away a dark alley here, wrapping around a heated conversation there, as the sodium lights flicker slowly on. The screeches of motor carriages, the rise and fall of conversation on the street, are joined by the rustle and chirp of crickets, together forming the sound of Revachol's breathing: rising and falling, inhaling and exhaling.
You are waist-deep in a pool of runoff water, already beginning to smell faintly of sewage, following the siren song of the box of trash that's bobbing in the middle of it.
Kim, back on the pavement, leaning against the Coupris Kineema, says, "Detective, I hope you understand that you're not going to set foot in this car until you are both clean and dry."
DRAMA [Trivial: Success] - He means it, sire.
"Kim," you say, stepping carefully closer to the box, "where's your sense of adventure? Your sense of investigative curiosity? Your detective's soul - "
"Have you considered," the lieutenant says, "that my investigative curiosity is primarily focused on the scene of the murder-suicide two blocks away that we're meant to be investigating at the moment?"
ESPIRIT DE CORPS [Medium: Success] - He's not uninterested in the box. He doesn't understand why you're interested in it, but he's seen you fish through garbage and come up with clues - or, at least, interesting tangents - too many times to discount your instincts. He feels obligated to remind you that you have an actual murder scene to investigate, but if he felt strongly that you ought to be there instead of here, you would be there.
"You know what I think, Kim?" you say. You size up the box.
VISUAL CALCULUS [Easy: Success] - It's within arm's reach now.
"I suspect you're about to tell me what you think," Kim says.
"I think you're interested in the box, too," you say, and lunge for it.
INTERFACING [Medium: Failure] - The force of your lunge sends water flooding towards the box, pushing it just out of reach of your fingers.
CONCEPTUALIZATION [Formidable: Success] - It bobs there, just out of reach, mocking you with its nearness. Tantalizingly close, yet eternally just beyond your grasp.
"That's an interesting hypothesis," Kim says. "Perhaps I'm just curious exactly how drenched you're planning on getting in the course of this endeavor of yours. Are you ready to go to our crime scene yet?"
VISUAL CALCULUS [Medium: Success] - The box is out of arm's reach, but you could reach it with a tool of some sort. Maybe a prybar?
SUGGESTION [Formidable: Failure] - "Kim," you say, "throw me a prybar."
Kim, when you half-turn to look back at him, is raising a single eyebrow, otherwise expressionless. "You want me to throw one of our prybars at you, from here, so that it can fall to the bottom of the sewage water you're wading through? No."
RHETORIC [Formidable: Failure] - "I can catch it. Just try me."
Kim's eyebrow ticks up by another hair.
COMPOSURE [Godly: Failure] - "Probably," you say. "I can probably catch it."
"No."
You turn back to the box and start to sidle, slowly and carefully, towards it.
SAVOIR FAIRE [Challenging: Success] - You manage to move back into arm's reach again without pushing it further away. You reach out and -
INTERFACING [Medium: Success] - Ha! Got it.
"Got it," you crow, and start to retreat out of the water, dragging the box with you. By the time you emerge, you're dripping all over the pavement.
Kim sighs a little.
You dig through the box. Four reál, which you pocket; some tare, which you tuck into your bag; and -
"Kim, look at this." You flick on your flashlight so you can study the empty gas canister in more detail. It's pockmarked with -
"Bullet holes," Kim murmurs, studying it over your shoulder. He's standing exactly close enough so that he can see without you dripping on him. "And - is that heavy fuel residue?"
PERCEPTION (SIGHT) [Medium: Success] - It is.
ENCYCLOPEDIA [Challenging: Success] - That's government-issued, for government vehicles, but the gas stations around here should primarily be serving ordinary citizens; none of them ought to store heavy fuel.
LOGIC [Trivial: Success] - They shouldn't be having shoot-outs, either.
"Yes," you say. "But there shouldn't be government vehicles being serviced by these gas stations."
"It could be RCM vehicles," Kim says.
ESPIRIT DE CORPS [Easy: Success] - The slight shift in his weight betrays his instinct to glance back at his beloved Coupris Kineema and the heavy fuel oil sitting in its gas tank.
He goes on, "Especially if there are stations near here that anyone from the 41st frequents. Alternatively, the fuel could be illegally appropriated."
INTERFACING [Medium: Success] - Heavy fuel oil isn't necessarily higher quality than ordinary fuel oil, but it is more consistent since it's held to more rigorous quality standards.
LOGIC [Medium: Success] - Probably used by somebody who cares a lot about minor fluctuations in the performance of their vehicle, and probably not a legal activity if there's gunfire involved.
"Would the mob use heavy fuel oil?" you ask.
"Maybe, depending on the activity," Kim says. He taps his fingers against the bullet hole thoughtfully. "But I think street racing is more likely, if we're considering the potential illegal uses of heavy fuel oil."
INTERFACING [Easy: Success] - The consistent performance of their vehicle is very, very important for a street racer.
"How do you explain the gunfire?" you ask.
Kim shrugs. "Argument over winnings? How should I know?"
"Let's go find out."
New task: Investigate area gas stations for potential illegal activity.
Kim says, "Need I remind you that it's not our job to shut down illicit street racers?"
ESPIRIT DE CORPS [Easy: Success] - Though he wouldn't mind having an excuse to poke around the street racing scene.
RHETORIC [Easy: Success] - Why don't you give him one?
You unveil your trump card. "It could be related to the case," you say.
"We have no idea whether it's related or not, because somebody wanted to investigate a box floating in sewage runoff instead of the crime scene," Kim says.
LOGIC [Easy: Success] - It is highly unlikely to be related to your murder-suicide.
ESPIRIT DE CORPS [Challenging: Success] - But you've been right about these things before. More importantly, he's curious now.
"Ah, fuck it," Kim says. "Let's go canvas some gas stations."
#
The clerk at the gas station is chewing bubble gum and studying her magazine intently.
CONCEPTUALIZATION [Challenging: Success] - A spiritual sibling to the clerk at Frittte.
DRAMA [Challenging: Failure] - "Ah, hello," you say. "We're, uh, two members of the, uh - Revacholian Institute of Fine Arts."
She looks up at you. Her face scrunches up a little bit.
PERCEPTION [Easy: Success] - You still smell like sewage, and you are dripping onto the floor in front of her counter.
"...Right," she says, "that's - good for you?"
Kim says blandly, "We're investigating using heavy fuel oil for an artist's next exhibition, and were wondering if your station stocks any?"
COMPOSURE [Formidable: Success] - He hides it well, but his mouth is twitching.
"Right, yes!" you say. "That." You shoot a sidelong glance at Kim - any more help here, Kim?
He raises an eyebrow at you very slightly.
ESPIRIT DE CORPS [Easy: Success] - You're the one who wanted this investigation, he's thinking. Well? Go on, detective; lead the way.
Right. You can do that.
You lean against the countertop and say, "So, about that heavy fuel oil."