Pullin' at Straws

Mawricio... The distant ancestor, from lands of old, we seek you out in grave panic and concern for your world. Something must be done to circumvent this and only the might of the sun can save you Mawricio. ONLY THE SUN!

The crocodile woke up from his bed in a cold sweat as if his body had been possessed. "Those voices again..." He had been getting dreams from old crocodiles dressed in golden clothing that seemed to radiate an almost holy glow from the cloaks and headdresses, he had no understanding as to what they were referring to and had been mainly blowing it off as after-work stress. He had bigger concerns on his mind anyway.

He slowly slumped out of bed, sitting in the warm glow of outside for a short while before getting up and stumbling through his creaking apartment, it was relatively small and was akin to a caravan in the wall but it was cheap and a roof over his head so it wasn't concerning to him. He grabbed a frying pan, spread some butter into it and cracked a couple of eggs and some bacon onto the pan, the scent waking him up, even more, taking a large sniff of the aroma he let out a heavy sigh. "What a lovely little morning I have myself here..." He muttered happily to himself before forlornly looking at an answering machine on the chipped kitchen table that looks like its been under heavy use recently. "I wonder if today is the day".

He plates up his meal and sits at the table before turning on the answering machine to a slow, whirring sound. "One message unread" Mauricio lit up in his eyes and desperately pressed the answer button "Kurezai?!" He stuck his head close to the answering machine "Is that you buddy?!" He was getting louder and noticeably shaky in his voice, finally, the message clipped through.

"Uh yeah hi, this is the landlord, just reminding you that your rents due next we-"

He angrily slammed the off button on his device before turning back to his meal, eating slowly and chewing deliberately. "It's been three months since you disappeared off the map, where did you go?" He finishes his meal and gets dressed, his floral Hawaiian shirt and sandals go on like a charm but his hip satchel has trouble getting on, it must not fit him well much anymore. It had been a long time since he got it, it didn't have an adjustable strap. "I should have futureproofed more" Mawricio chuckled to himself before turning the hob off and leaving the room. The rest of the apartment building was in a worse state than mawricio's pad, the walls had pieces of plastering missing and patches of mildew danced across the ceiling as Mawricio left the building to head on his morning jog.

Meanwhile in another part of Town

A menacing purple Fox sits in the park, his legs crossed in a relaxed pose, smirking as if he's waiting for someone, in particular. Wrapped up in a black hoodie and tracksuit bottoms with earrings on and a cigarette in his left hand, he gazes up at the sky looking at the clouds. "huh, the park is pretty nice this time of year, I wish I could visit more" he mumbles to himself. "I guess I have a nice excuse this time" he chuckles.

A small grey fox sat in his rental apartment, while the pay from his work was decent, in order for him to stay in this part of the world, or even in this part of the country, especially this close to work, the rickety old apartment was the best he could afford. The landlord was an absolute nightmare and the tenants were... a mixed bag, but in the 2 months he'd spent there, there were only a few occasions he had had to wait out drunken neighbours banging on his door at 12am thinking it was their apartment.

It was certainly better than any of the other locations he'd stayed at during the 10 month trip thus far, so he couldn't complain that much. The fox had had his own dreams, and while even at home they were nightmarish apparitions, being away from there had slowly introduced a new aspect into them, one of... newness... he supposed was the best word to describe it.

The monthly rent was due though of course, and as such the pestilant landlard had sent everyone in the complex a message, reminding them of the fact that it would be time to cough up money in a week. But it wasn't any answering machine that woke up the fox, but his own alarm, signalling time to head off to work, although luckilly today wasn't any important day in his work cycle and it was usually about this time of month that the chatter in the office died down as the big cases were usually handled in the begining of every month, so being late, or even skipping work completely on occassion wasn't entirely unheard of.

"Oh god."

The fox said, tempted to throw the small alarm clock at his apartment wall, before lazilly remembering that the wall was paper-thin and the clock would more than likely end up in the apartment next door. Instead he simply slammed his hand onto the 'off' button as hard as possible from his prone position, which wasn't very hard at all. This was what the average morning looked like in the life of this grey fox, he was not a morning person at all and after slapping his own face a couple of times, he was concious enough to heave himself out of bed.

Wearing nothing but some blue shorts, the fox stumbled over to his fridge, pulling out cold leftovers and a can of some cheap-branded energy drink. Breakfast. Rather reluctantly and slowly, the fox ate what was available and finished off the can before moving over to the lopsided dresser and sliding roughly into his uniform, which for the day consisted of a lab coat and the usual navy blue trousers, but of course no matter what his assignment was for the day, the uniform always had the same gun-metal grey boots, which at this point he had begun to despise.

With a thud in his step and a weary look in his eye, the fox stepped out of his apartment, keys in hand, and locked it behind himself, not even bothering to clean up whatever rubbish he had left on the table.

"Some prestige."

He muttered, begining his walk to work, which would take about 20 minutes and lead through a small park.

One fox, unlike the other, was very much a morning person, having already awoken much earlier than she'd need to be. One would think early mornings and late nights would screw with the girl, but she either powered through by sheer force of will, or there was something else that meant that she simply didn't need that much sleep. After this many years, she would guess the latter.

Having had a relatively simple breakfast of buttered toast and coffee, Raito was ready to head off to work, dressed in a leather jacket, jeans, and combat boots, all in black. Of course, it wasn't her uniform, as that was kept at work to keep it all fresh and clean (despite it still smelling of smoke after being caught in a fire at a bunker they were clearing just months ago).

She grabbed her phone, noticing it had one new voicemail. She answered it, putting the device on speaker as she walked to the laundry room, unloading some laundry and taking it back to her room, hanging it up slowly and methodically. 

"Hey, Raito, it's me," came a voice that was somewhat younger than hers, though not by a massive amount. "Just letting you know that your bike's back up and running. Few scratches and dinks, though. They said to only get it running, and that anything cosmetic'll have to be at your expense. Sorry."

"Ugh, why am I not surprised?" She said to herself as she finished hanging up the laundry, and headed towards the front door. With a sigh, she grabbed her keys and wallet, shoving them in her pockets, before heading out.

Her bike was indeed of need of repairs after the last case, having been fried by some weirdo with a flamethrower and a machine gun, so Raito had to walk to work, usually taking around forty minutes. It was long, sure, but perfect to clear her head. The small park she had to pass through on the way being equally perfect. Her snow white fur moved softly as the wind picked up just a little, letting her know it was certainly a chilly day.

Mawrico jogged slowly through the city, taking in as many of the sights and sounds as he could, the air was cold and the wind patted gently against his scales as it billowed through windows and trees without much of a care in the world,
it helped that he was jogging but the element certainly snapped at him at times, cars occasionally came past, the rumble of engines and the faint whiff of burnt petrol lingered in the air for quite a while, there was a pizzeria
not close by that was slowly warming up its ovens for the day and the light coming through had an almost festive vibe to it "its payday today" Mawricio muttered to himself "perhaps I could treat myself a bit?" he shook his head and kept
ongoing, unnerved by the prospects of spending money he doesn't really need to.

the park slowly came into view, "Station Square Gardens", it had a little bit of rust on it but nothing you wouldn't notice unless you passed through daily, either side of the gate two large oaks stood proudly yet weakly, old
and drained by the autumn weather, their leaves scattering the entrance, leaving a satisfying crunch underfoot. the crunch changes to a soft and welcoming rattle as the gravel shifts underfoot, the birds chirping suddenly coming
earshot along with the recently hatched chicks. The crocodile shone the first genuine smile he's had all day, as his jog turned in a pleasant jaunt through the paths and alongside the lake, its banks covered in the feathers of
hyperactive ducks quacking wildly for some passerby to chuck food at them. He gazed across the lake for but a moment and he froze...

His smile died down, and slowly turned into a fierce scowl, he spotted a fox acutely familiar to him across the way, he slowly approached unceremoniously, it didn't take long for the purple fox to notice. "MAW BOY!~" the fox
swooned in a playful tone "how are you doin pal? had a good morning so far?". The crocodile didn't really budge, he just kept glaring "What are you doing here." The fox whistles surprisedly "Well, that was a rather cold introduction, I
might even shed a tear" he grins "I'm here to make a deal". Mawricio giggles a little bit to which the fox twitches annoyedly at "why would I work with one of my bosses competitors? and an aggravating one to boot" Mauricio jeers, dusting
off a fallen leaf before turning away.

The fox's grin comes back. "You still miss your little friend maw boy?~"

Mawricio twists his head back fast and violently "What."

the fox starts to chuckle like a child "I do believe that your friend kurezai is missing~ and oh maw boy..." He slinks over to put an arm around mawricio "I'm with you here, my heart aches for him, I just want the poor guy back!"
Mawricio shoots death stares at the fox, but they're smoothened out by desperation and loneliness, the fox goes on "But! I do believe I have the pieces to the puzzle! I might be able to... find... kurezai."

Mawricio clenches his fist in anger and remorse, he doesn't believe a word he's saying but he doesn't have an option in the slightest, its either this or nothing, and as he stands there in deep thought he sits down on the bench the fox was
sitting at and starts to ponder, the fox sitting with him with a friendly smile at least at face value.

The park had come into view, with the foxes small, metal-clad feet trudging across the dull grey pavement of the city and making their way to station-square. A chilly breeze blew its way through the street, and although the fox wore little more than the lab coat on his back and the trousers of his uniform, he'd begun to sport a thicker coverage of fur now that the climate wasn't so tropical, so the weather was a small concern most of the time.

He shot a small glance over to the pizzaria that had all but enslaved the grey fox's eating habits. And gave a reluctant nod of recognition to whomever inside the parlour cared, acknowlegding that Station Square had stuff superior to Glasby any day. But at this point, it mattered very little, as his boots had already found themselves walking through the gate into the park. "Station Square Gardens", the slightly rusted but otherwise surprisingly good-conditioned sign read. The fox's grey fur floofed a little as another gust of wind blew past him, and a car horn blazed a little further down the road from the park. While one of the only sources of green in the city, it was still in the city, and the smell of car smoke and greasy smog lingered still.

As the fox had begun attempting to enjoy the scenery that the gardens had to offer, it became apparent that... something was happening. And while at first he brushed it off as just another public dispute common within the City and continued walking, he figured that with the current lax attitude at work in attendance why the hell not, and attempted to casually sit down at one of the many benches in the park, close enough to catch an odd word from the conversation, but hopefully not close enough to warrent any unwanted attention.

Raito pulled at the collar of her jacket as she started to move a little quicker through the streets. Soon, she arrived at the well-rusted but much-loved gates of Station Square Gardens. She supposed the gates fell into disrepair because there was never really a reason to close them; it was a favoured park used day and night. 

It wasn’t too busy, considering the sun had barely risen in the sky. Some street lights were even still illuminating the well-trodden gravel pathways. Some joggers were already starting their workout routine for the day. She couldn’t help but laugh quietly to herself. Part of her wished the only exercise she ever got was an early-morning jog, but at the same time, the idea of there being yet another high-octane motorbike chase or shootout kind of excited her. 

She had to curb that thought, as she spotted a couple of suspicious-looking folks. One, a fox, purple in colour, loud in volume. Another, a large, grey crocodile. His admittedly more summery attire clashing very much with his scales. The larger one seemed angry at the other, and the fox seemed like he held something over the crocodile. Interesting.

Raito stopped beside a nearby tree, leaning against it and pulling out her phone, knowing exactly how to stay covert in a situation like this. Was she being nosy? Sure. But what if this was important? Or, dare she say, illegal? It would be careless to simply pass it up!

Mawricio slowly started to loosen up again, his mind at odds between the prospect of finding his friend and the prospect of telling his boss he was working for his enemy, in the end, he caved into idealism.

He thought back to when he had first met the grey hedgehog, he was a lot younger back then, he still was but he was starting to near the middle of his lifespan none the less. it was during the middle of a conversation with his boss, he seemed, excited about it which was surprising, he told mawricio that he had successfully managed to adopt a son of his own, and escorted in by mafioso was a young hedgehog, his quills were frantic, shooting out in any direction they were feeling at the time as their greyish sheen clashed well against the single light dangling in the middle of the room. He had topaz-colored eyes and his muzzle was a beige, the contrast as sharp as his gaze, but they bounced around time to time as if he was scanning his surroundings. Mawricio extended a hand to him "excellent to meet you" he said, his Peruvian accent thick and full of stoicism.
He slowly extended out his hand and shook it back "Likewise brother" the hedgehog responded, a small, genuine smile curving up in the corner of his face. A chuckle came from the crocodile "amicable aren't you?", the hedgehog waved his hand in dismissal "Well... I guess yeah". It was in this moment despite the hedgehogs streetwise exterior inside he was excruciatingly lonely and seeing the hole in the boy's heart be slowly filled warmed mawricio, he decided at that moment that he was a boy worth protecting however he could.

He snapped back to reality a moment later, Del Rio staring at him intently and excitedly "sooooooooooo".

Mawricio exhaled deeply. "who's the hit on?"

The fox practically squealed in delight "Maw-boy!~" practically swooning by now "it doesn't need you to kill anybody now ya brute, I just need ya to collect some debt for me, that's all, in and out with the cash about, your tough enough to do that right?"

Mawricio nodded "I wouldn't suppose you'd bother if you thought otherwise" the fox just grinned maliciously, that was enough info for Mawricio. Del Rio gave him a business card with details on the debt collection and skulked off "I'd like it done today maw-boy!" he heckled as he left. The crocodile simply slotted it into his pocket before standing up and getting ready to head off. He had to finish his jog and to explain to his boss the sh*tshow that just occurred.

The grey fox remained seated, doing his best to remain silent and simply appear to be enjoying the park. And while he quietly eavesdropped Darken made a note that the park was not actually all that pleasant. The busy streets were far too close to either side for his comfort, the lush tropical rainforests south of Adabat were more his style, but alas beggars can't be choosers. 

As the scientists feet shuffled about they sort of clunked when making contact with one another, loud enough to make him stop for a moment and make sure nobody had looked over, but not enough for the fox to not do it again.

But what did stop the fox in his foot-bashing was the breath of the word 'hit' particularly the sentence, 'who's the hit on', said in what Darken read to be resentment. But no matter what tone it's said in, it means the same thing, at least to the fox and his job. He wasn't on-duty so he was able to breath a slight sigh of relief but was no less troubled as his own thoughts began to drown out the rest of what the two odd figures had been discussing.

He would have to report it in...? Well... what GUN didn't know wouldn't hurt them, or rather, what GUN didn't know he knew wouldn't hurt him. If he didn't report it in, they'd never know and less paperwork, but at the same time... he couldn't just let it happen? Very conflicting to say the least.

He was pulled out of his thoughts as the purple fox called back to the crocodile, apparently having finished their conversation during the time he had been lost in his thoughts. Today. It was gonna happen today.

Thank god he wasn't needed at work today. The fox shifted a little on the bench, allowing himself to see the crocodile in his peripheral vision, and resolved that he'd begin following the figure once there was a safe distance between them. At least just to make sure there wasn't some sort of ring or syndicate involved. That, that he'd definately feel pressured to call in...

“Who’s the hit on?”

Raito’s ear twitched as it twisted around to listen in more on the conversation. Were they seriously this amateurish as to discuss assassination in public, like this? A commander’s directive was to always listen, always ensure the public’s safety. 

This appeared to grow worse. It wasn’t just an assassination. This was some kind of shady debt collection. That could easily descend into Mafia or terrorist activity. A G.U.N. commander couldn’t just stand by and let this happen, right?

She stood there, waiting for one of them to leave. It’d be much easier to interrogate if one is alone. As if answering this wish, the fox left, his laugh echoing through the park.

As the crocodile got up to go, Raito stepped from behind the tree. “Stop right there. You don’t look like a sheriff to me, so you’re gonna tell me why you’re collecting debt  without using the proper channels. Better yet, you’re gonna tell me why you’re collecting it, and how you plan on doing it.” She crossed her arms, a neutral expression across her face.

((Lemme just slide in here! Permission granted by ecolusian))

Yet another fox was walking along the sidewalk next to the fence of the park, coffee in one hand and his phone in the other. The fox in question was heading back to his car a few blocks away, and was quite content as he strolled down the sidewalk. Sam barely noticed the wind, being from a colder climate, although it was a bit annoying when his coat flapped about in the wind.

The white fox sighed, putting his phone away and taking a sip of his coffee, when he came to the gate at the entrance to the park. After a moments deliberation, he walked through the gates, thinking that he could walk through the park for a bit and enjoy his coffee, as he wasn't in any rush.

It soon became apparent, however, that another fox was confronting a crocodile in a bright Hawaiian shirt about something. He walked by them, and sat down at a bench a bit farther away from them, and, taking out his phone to appear as though he didn't notice at all, Sam hoped to catch the conversation. Sure, it was nosy, but hey, might be interesting to hear. Besides, he didn't really have anything to do today.

That entire encounter with Del Rio had left a horrible taste in Mawricios mouth as it slowly dawned on him more and more on what he just agreed to "how desperate have I become... I've been reduced to yet another criminal... I wasn't a saint but I had my codes... not anymore I suppose, but if it gets me closer to find him, surely it will all become worth it right" His mental argument would have continued if it was not for a sharp yell piercing his brainwaves, he looked ahead to see a fox standing with her arms crossed in front of him, her fur was white from what he could make out and she had a completely unfazed expression on her face 


"You don’t look like a sheriff to me, so you’re gonna tell me why you’re collecting debt without using the proper channels. Better yet, you’re gonna tell me why you’re collecting it, and how you plan on doing it.”


The crocodile raised an eyebrow and took in her visage more: the combat boots, the leather jacket, the quick and direct line of questioning.



"ah... w-well" the crocodile quickly came to realize this was more than just a nosy citizen, at best this was a rookie cop doing a good first beat, at worst it could be a member of G.U.N, he steadies his breathing as best he could, her neutral expression a lot more pressuring than any scowl could give, he steadied out his breath and eased his body "remember what the boss said, no good comes for being reactionary, stay collected and you'll be fine" he reminded himself mentally but given what she was asking about it was certain she spotted what he was speaking to Del Rio about and once again the reptile froze "I... um... y-y'know..." she probably wouldn't know now that he thought about it, and if she did she would let enforcement know as well.


He was well and truly cornered, in the end, a fish out of water "Its..." he unleashed an enormous sigh of exasperation and defeat "F*ck, I can't get locked up now, the bail would take too long and the raid needs to happen tonight or I may never learn what happened to kurezai" He steadied once again and spoke "I collect debts to pay my own, and I plan to do it through an honest conversation, I have no intentions of harming him, that man is somebody is would not want to speak to on any day of the week but" the honest truth slipped from mawricio "My family is on desperate times, we need closure however we can get it" he stood up straight and looked at the fox expecting a reply, his body language shifting to being more confident from a more limp and nervous stance.


But deep down he knew this could make it or break it, if it goes wrong here its either he never sees his friend again or he betrays his ideals even more.


He feared this... because in fight or flight he knew which one he would pick.

The grey fox sat very still as another individual approached the crocodile, a fox, wearing combat boots and leather jacket. They seemed oddly familiar, although exactly how or where he had seen them before Darken couldn't place. Whatever the fox said to the crocodile, it had caught him off guard. And that being said, it didn't seem to be any much better of a conversation than he'd heard prior with the purple fox.

He should probably do something now, the grey fox didn't want things to escalate any further than they already had, what with the hit and all, and judging by the stance of the other fox, the crocodile would likely be much more appreciative of a different approach. Which, if Darken was lucky, he could offer.

Standing up, the grey fox, adorned in nothing but his lab coat, navy blue trousers and GUN boots, begins trudging over to the two, rifling through his pockets for any sort of identification he can use to prove his affiliation. 


"Uh.. Hello!" he calls out to the fox and crocodile. 

Finally his hand grasping ahold of his researcher ID, Darken pulls it out, holding it out in front of him as he walks over to pair. "rE-" He starts, voice cracking, "Researcher Darken." the grey fox manages to get out after a cough, "I'm with GUN. What seems to be going on here?" 

The crocodile was shaken, despite trying his best to keep a poker face. That much was clear. Raito, after all, was trained by the best, and could take in every single sign that pointed to it. The stutter, the way his eyes flicked around, as though waiting for a chink in the fox’s proverbial armour to appear. 

That’s when he seemingly pleaded for her to leave him, as his family were supposedly on the line. Raito let out a long sigh, already exasperated at the reptile’s poor acting skills. “Look, buddy, there’s not point in lying to me. I trained for three years learning every trick in the book. For example, you looked to the right when you made up your story. Generally speaking, the subconscious mind forces our eyes to look left if we’re remembering something truthfully. Now, you’re gonna tell me or-“

Raito was cut off by the emergence of another fox, dressed in a brilliantly white lab coat. He claimed to be from G.U.N., giving the name of ‘researcher Darken’... yes, that was the name of a researcher that she had at least sent a few emails to, before. He glanced at him, replying “Raito Bolt, commander of G.U.N. Epsilon division. I’m talking to this guy about suspected financial terrorism.” The fox takes out her ID, holding it up to show Darken. “I can handle this situation, I’ll call for backup if needed.”

Sam, at this point, was listening quite intently. Today might be interesting after all...

Regardless, he didn't really want to get involved with what sounded like a rookie cop questioning a mafia or gang-related enforcer. But the crocodile did say some things that convinced Sam that there was at least some truth that his family was on the line. Should he get involved? He frowned in the general direction of the other fox and the crocodile, thinking.

While Sam was weighing the pros and cons of getting involved, yet another fox went over and joined the crocodile and the rookie cop/investigator. When the grey fox introduced himself as Darken, Sam immediately remembered meeting Darken several months before. After Darken and the other fox exchanged a few words, Sam learned two things, one being that the supposed rookie cop was a member of G.U.N., and that her name was Raito.

With a long sigh, Sam stood up from the park bench, put away his phone, and walked over to the three others. With his peacoat and general demeanor, Sam probably looked like some sort of private investigator, which was far from the truth. He reached the group, standing a bit behind them, and said, "Ya know, looking to the right isn't always guaranteed. And even when it does happen, it could really mean nothing,". Sam was acting really casual at this point, but it was clear that the crocodile kinda looked ready to fight.

Mawricio twitched slightly, his entire body tensed up somewhat "what do you mean I'm a liar? All I've done is tell you truth you Amaterasu looking cow!" he took a deep sigh and was about to speak before another fox grabbed his attention

"rE-" He started, voice cracking, "Researcher Darken." the grey fox manages to get out after a cough, "I'm with GUN. What seems to be going on here?"


Mawricio tried not to chuckle at his voice break before the thing he feared most set in like an arctic wind. "F*CK, THEY REALLY ARE GUN" his eyes widened massively at this realization before another barbed comment harpooned his mind

"Financial terrorism"


The realization that he was being labeled as a terrorist set his skin to an almost albino color "listen, I am not a terrorist, my family really is in trouble and I need to get this done!" He grunted trying to keep his cool but he quickly realized he had uttered fighting words. Almost as if by divine luck, a third fox showed up as well: "Ya know, looking to the right isn't always guaranteed. And even when it does happen, it could really mean nothing,". Mawricio quietly smiled and nodded "I'm telling the honest truth, I swear on my father I have the best of intentions I assure you!" Mawricios breathing was speeding up and his fist was tightening outside of his control "CALM CALM CALM!" his mind was screeching not unlike that of a banshee, he couldn't act more suspicious if he tried but the tension was getting to him, he was used to police, but G.U.N? The boss had only met G.U.N once and that was the only time he ever got a sentence. And so mawricio stood there... quietly listening with intent... his fist balling more and more by instinct.

The myth of eye movements was certainly one he had heard enough of to understand where commander Raito was coming from, but more often than not eye movements, let alone looking to the right could simply indicate panic or a personal mannerism than actual lying. He had met Raito in the field before, a long time ago, but the two at least seemed to have cooperated ok. During that time things had changed not only for him but he could bet for her as well.

Backup might be needed, but not yet. At least not in Darken's opinion. He hadn't seen anything that would indicate immediate danger and the crocodile didn't seem to be packing any sort of heat, let alone even have the pocket space to do so.
"It's fine for now, we won't need any backup right now. If push comes to shove we can make the arrest."


"I understand where you're coming from. Both of you." He looked over to the white fox approaching, a familiar face to be sure and a pleasant suprise but with his mind getting pushed back into his job he couldn't think of any sort of informal remark other than, "Hi." He said, not entirely sure if the individual was who he thought him to be, but even if it was, his response had probably been a bit blunter than the grey fox had intended.

"But its more often the hands that give away a lie. So far I haven't seen him do anything with his hands besides flex them, a sign of panic." Another factor was stuttering, which was definately present when the crocodile had tried to convince Raito of his intentions, but when it came around to reasoning, so far the croc had been quite straightforward and fluent in his speech.

The grey fox looked around at the park, perhaps the 3 rather heavilly dressed foxes confronting the crocodile looked to be some sort of gang confrontation in and of itself, and he wanted to break up the situation as soon as possible, or at least to not have to stick around here for too long.


"As a member of G.U.N It's my job to let you know that while your family may be in trouble, any sort of financial exploitation of a business is a crime. That being said, I'm willing to consider that since you haven't actually committed it yet and that you're being... Extorted? Into doing it? We can probably help you out with your family. What sort of trouble are they in?"

At least one other person in the congregation had seen the grey fox get all professional like this, Interrogation was part of his job, but it rarely came to light, and he wasn't nessecarilly good at it, but darn he was gonna try his best.

Ratio was becoming more exasperated by the minute. Not only did a fox in a pea coat come and immediately discredit Raito’s words, but the G.U.N. researcher did nothing to back her up. She looked over at the one in the coat, replying bluntly “look, buddy, this is official G.U.N. business, please go and talk crap to some other girl with more time and more patience.” 

She turned to the researcher “as for you, Researcher Darken,” she rubbed the bridge of her nose, sighing and saying “do you not understand basic intimidation tactics. You get a potential target riled up and they either attack, proving their guilt, or they crack and talk.” She crossed her arms “and I’m not talking about needing backup right now. I’m sayingI don’t need you interfering, and if I needed backup, all I’d have to do is make a single phone call.”

She sighed again, louder this time. “Look, guy,” she turned to the crocodile “can we just wrap this up, already? Either you tell me where you think you’re going or you’re coming with me in handcuffs. Trust me, the guys who you’ll have to deal with then are way less nice than me, so just make it easy for yourself.”

As Raito made her snappy, quite heated comeback, Sam had a small smile on his face. He raised both his hands, saying "Whoa! That's a bit harsh! I was simply stating a fact. No need to be so... unprofessional." Sam still had a small smile on his face, a smile of amusement. 

Sam had begun to turn away to leave, giving a small grin and nod to Darken, when he heard Raito say something that made him whip back around. "I'm sorry, but what did you just say? If they attack, they prove their guilt? Wooow... That's some real crooked cop stuff right there. Of course the guy'll be angry and confrontational! One of his family members got taken!". Sam, at this point, looked quite annoyed but not really surprised. After he stopped talking, he stood with a disappointed look on his face, shaking his head at Raito as if she was a kid who broke something. Sam had dealt with people like this before, but was a bit surprised about how openly it was done. Regardless, he just looked at Raito, shaking his head.

((If italics would work for me, it'd be so much better... AAAAAAA LACK OF EMPHASIS IS KILLING ME INSIDE SEND HELP))

Every word, every inflection, every motion that took place around mawricio he picked up on, he was very close to lashing out, he was petrified. it was his last opportunity to save his friend and if he made a mistake at this crucial time again he would either need to accept prison or fight and bring an entire government organization down on him which he would be more than willing to do... if it wasn't for one of kurezai's wishes.

"Those politicians ain't so bad y'know, sure they can be cunts at the best of times and I swear they have cotton in their ears when it counts but if you always try to spit on em then you won't get anything done. Put some faith in one of those types sometime and you never know how well it could pay off"

After this thought set in, he heard what felt like a stage call “Look, guy,” the fox turned to mawricio “can we just wrap this up, already? Either you tell me where you think you’re going or you’re coming with me in handcuffs." After that and some speech from what he had gathered by a private dick who said some quite strong words that mawricio could help but chuckle at in agreement, he shouldn't have done by any means but whatever levity he could offer his soul he could take.








He braced himself and nodded before taking a deep breath "Darken was it?" he spoke in a clear voice maintaining strong eye contact "yes, I would say this is extortion, the reward on this debt collection is information on my missing close friend kurezai, of whom I have known for 5 years. The information I suspect the man who forced me to do this, Angelo del Rio, possesses is a video recording of the CCTV that was around the alleged area of his abduction, as that was what I could glean from eyewitnesses. You have all the reason in the world to be concerned, this is the kind of thing that I would try and stop myself if it was targeted towards my client. However, I have hit a dead-end in my pursuit and as such, I've been reduced to this... unsavory... option."









He then turns to the fox, keeping his eye contact "Your a private dick correct? Either way I agree with your sentiments, I thank you for providing them also, it's not easy keeping a straight head while your being surrounded on all sides by people trying to pick you apart."









Finally he turns to the woman referred to as raito, he took a deep breath and kept eye contact throughout his words "I have already mentioned why I'm doing this however where this was mean to take place is an office called Danmaku Supplies, it's your usual loan shark gig. I admit I have made a grave error considering this, my parents would be spinning in their graves, that much cannot be denied. However, I have a back against a wall. There will be no need for back-up, I have no intent in harming you or anyone here. I have a time and a place for self-defense but I'm professional enough to know this ain't one of those times."









He stood there after his speeches, his body cold but resilient, his eyes slowly welled up with tears, he could only now pray that he would be believed, but he made one last addendum before he went to wipe his eyes.


"And if still you are not convinced, you can speak to my boss, he is this legal guardian of kurezai and can tell you more than I could... I could take you to him myself"

And with that mawricio slumped into the nearby bench, remaining hopeful but with the unshakeable feeling of defeat... he almost instinctively held his arms out to accept handcuffs, but he didnt... he wanted to keep the hope alive... as long as he could.

Darken let out a sigh, there were many options available to him, all but one of which were extremely unproffessional, and since he was already walking on a fine line today, the grey fox really didn't want to risk anything, so he let himself breath and flexed his hands to releive tension.

"Maybe that works for yourself, Commander. But I do believe our fields of work are slightly different, you deal with people who need the shit beaten out of them to get the truth. Not everyone responds so well to that type of interrogation." He gave Sam a wink, "I've found that the best way to prevent a crime is to convince the suspect that you're just like them. Make them comfortable, loose lipped."

He let out another sigh. Good Cop, Bad Cop. Except this time neither cop wanted to work with the other. 

There was a bit of an exchange between Sam, Raito and the Crocodile, but eventually he turned to the grey fox. "Darken was it?" he asked, trying to avoid eye contact with the others, particularly Raito. "yes, I would say this is extortion, the reward on this debt collection is information on my missing close friend kurezai, of whom I have known for 5 years. The information I suspect the man who forced me to do this, Angelo del Rio, possesses is a video recording of the CCTV that was around the alleged area of his abduction, as that was what I could glean from eyewitnesses. You have all the reason in the world to be concerned, this is the kind of thing that I would try and stop myself if it was targeted towards my client. However, I have hit a dead-end in my pursuit and as such, I've been reduced to this... unsavory... option."


"Yes, Darken..." A particular thought popped into his mind as the crocodile spoke, one that would likely sound... stale or presumptiuous. "Abduction and Extortion? This isn't... Gang related by any chance?"

The grey researcher was more than happy to call in the boys back at the office and request for some CCTV footage to be brought up, it might take a while, but if he did it himself it could be over in a day. But, if there were Gangs involved, the fox would be stuck in a hard place if he got involved.

"Sorry. Your name was?"

Raito ground her teeth against each other as the kid turned back around, accusing her of being some kind of “crooked cop”. She stepped forwards, about to say something, before letting out a sigh “kid, I appreciate the help. Maybe you should apply for a position at G.U.N. Sometime. Until then, please stop interfering.”

She looked at Darken, letting out another sigh of exasperation “as for you, of course my line of work involves beating the shit out of people. I’m making sure researchers like you don’t even have to pick up a gun. Unfortunately we don’t have time to give every criminal warm milk and cookies.”

Finally, the crocodile was talking, though. Loose lips were finally a-flapping. Maybe it was useful to have a good cop figure for this guy to talk to. Raito crosses her arms, closing her eyes as she listened carefully. “See? If you’d have just talked in the first place, this whole mess  would’ve been completely missed. Definitely sounds like a kind of extortion...” she put a hand to her chin “BUT I bet you want to see your friend again... Hmm... Is there any chance this Angela Del Rio’ll show up? Maybe we could stake the place out.” She suggested, seemingly already much calmer than before.

"A private dick? You mean a private detective? If that's what you mean, then no. I'm just kind of... private security? Regardless, I feel ya, pal."

Sam turned to Darken, a quizzical look on his face. "From what I remember, it was more of a conversation. If I didn't want to tell you anything, I wouldn't have." Sam still was very casual, with a small smile on his face. He took a sip of his coffee, looking at Raito. "If I joined G.U.N., I'd have to deal with people like this guy!", he said, as he elbowed Darken. "Regardless, I'd like to help." Sam says, with a confident smile.

Mawrico had his head down defeated, his only though was of apologies to kurezai... for not saving him... for letting him down... for being a terrible friend. As these thoughts clouded his mind tears finally started to accept defeat.

Until everyone's words swamped over him; words of sympathy, words of understanding, words of wanting to help. He looked up at them all from a moment before a massive smile sprung onto his face, he couldn't believe it "Holy sh*t! thank you thank you thank you!" 

He swiftly grabbed darkens hand and shook it with immense enthusiasm even though it wasn't extended. "Yes my friend, mawricio caracerro, and that complete b*stard who set me up for this has his own gang, I work with gangs the same way police work with them; I tell them to beat it." 

He looks over at Raito and gives her a disheartened expression "I'm afraid not, he's too much of a rat to go to his own hits but he will send one of his higher up's there, it should be immensely easy for him to spit out where Del Rio is... he deserves to be behind bars for what he's done." 

He looks over at sam finally and gives him a confident nod of the head "If you wish to help me, my friend, I would be happy to take you to my boss, he can explain the details of the situation is better detail than I could."

He looked around at the 3 Mobians before him almost triumphantly, was be being over the top? there was a chance of it be he didn't care, he got a light at the end of the tunnel, and he was going to see it through to its bitter end however he could, now that the fight for the opportunity seemed hard-won.

Darken felt a vein bulge in his head, " I’m making sure researchers like you don’t even have to pick up a gun." Was what caused it to happen, and his mind began to race at a million miles an hour, filling with all sorts of possible aggravated responses, none of which would have been logically or proffessionaly appropriate for the circumstance, "Researchers like me-" he began, before receiving a gentle elbow to the gut from Sam in regards to something completely different. It brought him back to reality, and forced the grey fox to put a smile on his face and forget any level of personal offence he thought he'd received. 

"Hey, I knew you weren't a criminal, It was just a similar tactic, doesn't mean I was lying to you either. I was telling you the truth in return for the truth." He nodded then, as Mawricio, he'd introduced himself, rather excited grabbed his hand and shook it fervently.

He was a little perturbed when the crocodile had mentioned that there was indeed gang involvement, something that the grey fox would have a hard time explaining away should any gang members catch wind of his involvement in whatever ordeal takes place following this greeting. Or if any other member of GUN did for that matter, it was already hot water enough that Commander Raito was here, if she wrote a report on this then thing's'd get dicey back at the office.

It was at least helpful enough to hear that this wouldn't be any sort of Gang-war involvement. By the sounds of things Maw wasn't in one of his own, although at the same time there were a few bits and peices that might suggest it, at least as far as he could tell.

"Ok, so this Angelo fellow... Wait, let me get this straight. So Angelo Del Rio, the fox you were just talking with, you suspect to have CCTV footage of the abduction of your freind named Kurezai. He is trying to extort you into robbing a shop for some cash in return for the footage." Darken sighed, "I can ask the boys back at the office to dig through some files and see if we can't find this CCTV footage for ourselves if you like? I'll need some information on where you think it might have occured or at least when in order to do that."

"Then back to Del Rio. So he'll be sending a hitman to the location that he was also sending you, and you're saying that we should be able to get Angelo's location out of his hitman?"

It seemed to be a 3 part puzzle, the crocodiles friend: a fellow named Kurezai. The Hit on an office by the name of Danmaku Supplies. And Angelo Del Rio. It was all something the fox was at least agreeable enough to do so in a discreet enough way that he wouldn't get too much fire at work for, provided Raito was persuadable.

"I'd be..." He said, raising an eybrow to the white fox, Raito. "willing to help."

“Yeah, that’s part of the job description. Researchers do all the thinking so we commanders can focus on strategising and, when the time calls for it, fighting.” 
Raito said, surprisingly level-headed in response to the non-detective’s joke.

She closed her eyes, listening to Mawricio and Darken. “I doubt it... street CCTV is handled by local police, and there was a security breach in the Central City systems not too long ago... there’s a chance this Del Rio owns the only copy of this recording.” Raito sighed, using one hand to straighten the brown fur atop her head. “So, best the snot out of a hitman and find Del Rio, and make him talk. My directive calls for me to respond to this, anyway, but I’m not gonna lie, this sounds fun.” She said, grinning as she looked at Mawricio. “So, who’s your boss? He know anything about this?”