yogen | Gentle Persuasion (closed)

[Childe's never been one to favor subterfuge - given the choice between a lock pick and a battering ram, he'd pick the latter every time if only for the satisfaction - but he's of a keen enough mind to recognize when it's necessary.

This one really isn't his fight. He has a few horses of his own in the race, sure, given the fraternal nature his relationship with Noah has progressed into. If anyone deserves to be at the driving force for this one, it's the kid himself given he was the one who had actually lost someone. That doesn't mean Childe has no intentions of getting involved, of course; on the contrary, it simply means he's planning on pulling some strings somewhere outside of the spotlight.

There's an annoying kind of amusement to be had, knowing that Signora would patronizingly approve of his decision to wait. Even so, remaining still for so long made an irritating itch form beneath his veins, and it was high time he got around to scratching it. It had been a few days now, meaning that seeking out the current person engrained into his piqued interest might have fallen into a false sense of security. Which in turn might afford him the upper hand needed to launch a surprise attack.

Metaphorically. He didn't think this would come to blows, although he wouldn't exactly mind if it did.

And hey, if he was wrong? No undue attention would be drawn to the person in question. It truly was a no-lose situation. Childe wasn't entirely sure if there was any winning to be had just yet, but it was worth a shot.

Currently he was loitering about outside of room 1-E, arms crossed and a seemingly bored expression on his face as he watched students shuffle past to get to their own respective classes. The fact that he and the guy shared a homeroom felt almost fated, and it certainly made everything a lot simpler to execute. The plan was to stop Shiraishi before he could enter the classroom, and from there take a walk to somewhere a bit more private. To chat.

Just a friendly exchange of words pertaining to just why he'd seemed so shady the day of the murder. Well... maybe if he was lucky, Childe would get to throw at least one punch. Just one. As a treat.]

[ Shiraishi sees him, to be honest. The moment he opens the door from the stairwell to head for his class -- he's been attending because he's never really been in high school and so it's fun to experience. It doesn't seem like he notices though, not with the PDA in his hand, which he's been thumbing through idly as he walks at a leisurely pace without care of whose way he might get in. Even now, as a matter of fact, a rather frustrated other student whose path he was blocking in the doorway rushes past him, showing signs of annoyance.

He doesn't mind that either. In fact, eyes still glued to the screen and whatever he was reading on the message boards, he continues his stroll with the same exact infuriating airiness, and he doesn't look up when he speaks to Childe either, once close enough for a conversational tone. ]

There you are. I was surprised you didn't do this on Saturday already... after all, you didn't seem like the type to wait around at all.

[ Whether that's meant as an insult or sarcasm in any way, God only knows, it's all hidden behind the trace of light smile on his face, with which he finally sets down the PDA to glance up. He slips the object into his pocket and then his hands behind it, to where it might be impossible for him to look more casual if he tried. Not concerned at all with the possible dangers, it seems. ]

I've been told I need to exercise more restraint. Figured I would give it a shot for a change.

[His tone is just on the edge of dry sarcasm, and he'd very clearly become a lot more attentive the moment Shiraishi came into view. Studying him up close, mostly in the sense of trying to sus out any blatant weaknesses that might be easy to exploit. Tactical appraisal, that sort of thing.

Just in case.]

Nice weather outside today. [He hasn't really checked the weather since his journey here from the dorms, so for all Childe knows it could be raining hellfire and brimstone outside right now. Which wouldn't be surprising, given... Yogen.]

Kind of a shame to spend the day all cooped up indoors, don'tcha think? What would you say to a little jaunt around the grounds?

[ Which means, he's at least decently good at listening to advice... Shiraishi writes that down in his mental profile for Childe as well, before turning in the direction he came from, leaving only a glance behind over his shoulder. He does have to admit he's pretty curious as to whose advice it was, at least, but maybe he can ask about that later; either way, from his body language it seems he's got not issues with the offer.

Even though it's kind of cloudy outside, with the sun obscured; clear for now, but still not exactly what one might call nice weather. ]

Sure. Maybe around the running track? Can't help but feel it's quite appropriate for what you had in mind.

[ Acting as if Childe's an open book to him, like he already knows what he's thinking without issue -- or maybe he's testing? Testing if the other knows what the track can do in the first place, or for some other tidbit, who knows. Believe it or not, this isn't even really Shiraishi being difficult, it's just how he acts. Either way, he waits for the other to fall in step before walking, back to the door and the stairs and honestly wherever Childe does want to lead him.

It doesn't matter that much. ]

[The arms come down from across his chest, hands instead pushing into his pockets in a demeanor that's nothing but casual.] Sounds good to me, pal. I've been rather fond of the place since we found it, so I can't think of a better place to go to and enjoy the morning.

[He's heard bad things about the track, of course, and from the general vibe of things he's learned that it's bad news to step on. He is also, however, a psychopath. And he kicks off his mornings with predawn runs to get the blood flowing.

He likes the danger of it all. Although he's very careful to only run and not loiter. Danger is only fun if you don't die to stupid shit.

Childe seems rather content to walk alongside, picking up the pace just enough to get a stride or two ahead when they approach any doors so that he can hold them open for the two of them to pass through on their way outdoors. He's very polite and considerate for someone about to begin an interrogation, as you can see.]

[ Not their matching hands-in-pockets poses... love it for them. If Childe's kind enough to open doors too, they're in perfect sync since Shiraishi's the type who walks through them without a shred of concern -- like, you know, if you're giving this to him he'll take it, thank you. Less work for him.

It isn't until they're outside, a light breeze in the air and the last few students who are almost late for classes rushing past them, that he speaks again. In a casual tone, like they're discussing breakfast and not a gruesome murder that just happened, while looking out towards the buildings in the distance and around the corner of the school, where the track mostly is. ]

Come to think of it, the track isn't far at all from the pool. The second one aside, don't you think things might have gone a loooot smoother for our first-half culprit if they'd thought to use it?

[ Much less of a mess to clean up than from burning a body, so one does have to wonder, why didn't they use such a convenient means to kill at their disposal, hm? Much to think about. ]

[It's like when cats do that thing where they mirror each other's body language to fit in. He's glancing over towards the pool building as he continues to walk, letting out a thoughtful sort of hum at Shiraishi's words as if he hadn't thought about it from that angle. His gaze lingers for just a beat longer before his attention turns to the track field itself. Really not much of a journey at all, in fact. Five minutes tops, if you're taking your time.]

Oh, definitely. Easier to peg as an accident too, considering... Well. It could happen to anyone, foul play or no.

[It's actually sort of genius; all you'd have to do is push them down onto the track and let nature take its course. No fatal wounds to cover up, no external damage - other than maybe a bruise or two depending on how hard you push. Quick, easy.

Boring. But in a pinch, useful.]

You think about improving the methods of known murders often?

Yup. Aaaall the time.

[ He says it with a chuckle, finally forced to break the standstill of his stance because there's hair in his face, stirred by the wind that picks up all around them. So much for nice weather indeed, at this rate they'll be lucky if it doesn't start raining soon -- not that it's too surprising, he supposes. If they're truly in Japan, they're well on their way to mid-autumn now and this is par for the course.

RIP Childe who's been isekai'd and wouldn't know. ]

Although, personally I do wish they'd think about improving those methods on their own. Otherwise, my job becomes that much more boring and I do so hate working on things I'm not interested in.

[They're far enough away from any of the loitering students that he had intended to transition right into the meat of his questions, but before he can the mention of the guy's job has a bit more curiosity rising up to be sated first.]

You one of those... Detectives? Legal consultants? [He's come across both in his journeys across Teyvat, and while he personally has never been to Fontaine he's heard enough talk about how the Archon of Justice tends to handle things over in that little corner of the world. It's a concept he's rather familiar with. A look of amused surprise crosses over his face.]

I hope you don't take offense, but I wouldn't have thought you the type at first glance.

[ Him...? Take offense? It's a little funny to think of, but maybe that's another cute little point in Childe's favor. It seems like he's the type who takes courtesy pretty seriously when he goes for it, despite what he might look like. Quietly, Shiraishi stirs them towards the pool building, or more precisely towards the area he was watching from back then, at a distance. If Childe's perceptive, he'll notice right away how visible that spot makes everything, including the entrances and people who might be walking in or out (not many at this hour for obvious reasons), or very likely the efforts he'd been making at the time to look around. You know, searching for footprints and all that stuff. ]

Close enough. But both of those involve a little more fieldwork than I'd like, so I'll pass.

[ There's a little amusement in his voice as he says it, but that answer itself is earnest... ish. Maybe Childe will find this one to make more sense, though. ]

I'm what's commonly known as a criminal profiler. It's my job to analyze crime scenes and known events, and based on what we find, attempt to reconstruct the motives and mindset of the perpetrators.

[A brow is arched at the redirect, although Childe doesn’t verbally protest and simply follows direction. He notes the spot as where they’d had their little staring contest, running his eyes across the section he’d guarded before giving a soft hum of acknowledgement.]

You might want to work on that poker face of yours, then. Few days back, I was entirely convinced you’d had something to do with the murders, not that you were trying to put together a... Criminal profile.

[The term itself is a foreign one, though the concept is not.] Sounds like you’re pretty useful, though. [And dangerous.] What do you usually look for when building a case?

Pffft... Ahaha!

[ Probably not what Childe expected, but Shiraishi feels hardly able to hold it in as he laughs with abandon, sounding one hundred percent like he's having the time of his life. And that's because he is. Hold on... give him a minute to draw in breath. There. He can probably form sentences again now. ]

Sorry, sorry. That's because those few days ago, that was exactly my intent. To make you think I did something... or maybe that I myself was the murderer. After all, that was the fastest way to screen you for the same thing, if I was going to employ your help.

[ He knows he hasn't exactly answered Childe's question yet, but well... they're getting there. This was kind of a necessary explanation towards that first, you have to admit. Also Shiraishi kind of only works at his own pace, I'm sorry. Gotta hate catboys. ]

[It absolutely was not the response he had expected to receive, in fact, and for the briefest of moments genuine surprise lights up his features before he’s putting his own careful mask of impassivity back on. What he cannot hide is the way his curiosity peaks in pitch, his left brow quirking upwards.]

To employ my help. [He repeats the phrase as if restating it with his own voice will somehow make it snap into sense, and when it doesn’t he resolutely decides that it couldn’t hurt to bite the bait. The barest hints of an amused smirk play against the edges of his lips.] I’ve been told I’m not the best at following orders, so you’ll need to be more specific on what you’re interested in here, buddy.

[The quip comes easy, though it’s not an outright dismissal. He is at the very least interested in hearing Shiraishi out.]

Is it really that surprising...?

[ Plot twist: if Childe's surprised, Shiraishi's surprised by Childe's surprise. He thinks he's been pretty clear to follow so far, but that's just because he has no common sense or ability to match himself to others, too bad his assistant isn't here to explain his atrocious lack of skill at fitting into society though. Childe will just have to piece it together on his own, but regardless: ]

It's just like I told you. I happen to be skilled at analysis, but I hate the boring stuff such as gruntwork or witness interrogation.

[ He casts a glance at the entrance to the pool building, which is where he'd initially spotted Childe that day, walking around all over the place to look for physical evidence of the culprit's presence. And then there's the fact that he's talking to him right now, like this... Surely he can grasp the meaning. ]

But neither of those seems to be a problem for you.

[Childe gives a slow blink, processing the statement before he’s huffing out a slightly disbelieving chuckle. The hands come out of his pockets now, and he’s folding them across his chest again, tilting his head back to watch the sky for a moment. This is a little bit surreal, if he’s being honest.]

So just... Okay. Hold on. To make doubly sure we’re both on the same page here... [His words are slow, like he’s trying to choose them to be as precise as possible.] You loitered around a murder scene, purposefully acting as suspicious as you possibly could to draw attention to yourself. As a test. Which I apparently passed?

And because I passed this test, you want me on the payroll. To help you solve murders. Or... Put your profiling together. Which... I’m assuming the end goal of is to solve the murders?

You want me to help you solve murders.

Only the interesting ones.

[ The rest of them are on their own. ]

If there are any you don't feel curious about, I won't keep you from sitting out, and I won't help with any that don't pique my curiosity either.

[He is approximately zero percent sure on how he should play it from here. What he is certain of is that any amount of time spent knee-deep waffling over how to respond the way he currently is will be a sure fire way for him to look suspicious.

Although he’s fairly certain he’s going to end up in hot water regardless. If not now, then later on down the road, considering... Well. His own hands aren’t exactly clean when it comes to the things going on here at the school.

He - someone who has killed a lot in service of the Tsaritsa, and who will most likely end up doing so again - is really being asked to help solve future murders. This... Well. It could be useful to get on Shiraishi’s good side, that’s for sure. But it’s certainly the biggest plot twist he’s been served here so far.]

One last thing, if you wouldn’t mind the indulgence. [Overall, he’s fairly confident he’s hiding his internal dilemmas rather decently, especially considering any hesitation could easily be written off as lingering confusion. Even so, his voice comes out just as steady as it had been moments prior. Think on your feet, Ajax. You’ve always been good at that.] What exactly was it that made me seem so trustworthy? I didn’t think that I did much aside from guard an entrance.

[ It's okay, Childe. This annoying ass solves murder for sport so there's clearly a very simple solution to that: just stab people in the hallways, make it artless and boring, and he won't care enough to bother. But either way, whether any of the other's inner conflict makes it through to Shiraishi or not, he doesn't really show it, blinking instead as a droplet of water from what seems to be the beginnings of rainfall falls right into his eyelashes. He's never... really been concerned with determining the morality of his culprits to be honest; he sees them more like puzzles, little games to be solved and then moved on from. ]

Oh, that. It's actually fairly simple. I tried to bait you to follow me with what you yourself admitted was a convincing act, but you opted to stay behind. Because your friend had asked you to watch the place, I presume.

[ You know, mentioned on the public network, and as evidenced earlier, it's something Shiraishi does quite keep up with. Like an entertaining morning read of sorts. As for the rest of it, the part that was conjecture or a guess relating to Childe's character... well, we can consider that a free sample of his "profiling" skills. ]

Trustworthy is a pretty selective word, so I'll hold off on that, but at the very least you're clearly capable of seeing your jobs done through the end.

He didn’t ask. [It’s a negligible thing to make such a small correction to, but for some reason Childe feels like he needs to.] Kid had just lost the person who meant more to him than anyone else in the whole world. I just wanted to make sure he could grieve in peace.

[The rest of it, though... Childe himself had to admit sometimes that he was stubborn as all hell, and that when he had a goal set in mind there was little anyone could do to deter him from his path. His own ambition to conquer the world was a prime example, as even given the circumstances of being fully removed from his home, that hadn’t waned. He was still going to do it, no matter what it took to get back there.

Honestly, this was the third time that his personal fascination with violence had somehow landed him a job offer. It was starting to become a pattern, and he wasn’t sure how to feel about that.]

It’s good to see you’re smart enough not to trust so easily. [He’s sighing then, mulling things over for just a brief moment longer before he’s rolling his shoulders up and into a shrug.] Fine. I’ll play along and do some legwork for you in my downtime here and there. But I’m not signing anything. [He’d had enough of contracts to last a lifetime.]

[ It might be negligible... or it might not be. It's sort of the kind of thing that ripples cleanly through the character of both people involved, lending them just that slight trace of a different nuance that can change quite a bit of how they're classed in his mind. So Shiraishi makes note of that. ]

You make it sound as if someone conned you before.

[ He's a little curious about that, but maybe it's a question for a different time, if they ever sit down for a more leisurely chat. For now, it's starting to rain for real around them, and while he normally couldn't care less about what sort of environment he puts himself in... this place seems like it would make it a real pain if you got sick. You know, in that survival of the fittest sense where they should both take care not to expose themselves to any unnecessary weakness.

So after a second, he pulls a hand from his pockets at last, holding something thin and long that stays hidden behind his fingers. It has the vibes of nothing dangerous though, and he makes certain to keep at least that much clear, since he doesn't wanna ruin his work. The thing is, he deposits it into Childe's pocket instead, or whatever opening in his clothing he can find if there aren't any of those on his current outfit. When checked, it appears to be a single random cigarette of whatever make. ]

There. Found a whooole bunch of these on the roof above the classrooms when I woke up, stashed away in a little corner. Whether they're relevant to the mystery of this place or not, I suppose it can't hurt to ask around a little.

[ Maybe Childe's first task, if he finds it intriguing too. He can have a little plot clue sharing, as a treat. ]

[There’s a very obvious flash of some old seated annoyance that flares up at the mention of past double crossing.] You could say that. [He also makes the decision to not delve into it at this time, although his reasoning is less about the weather and more about the fact that he just doesn’t like to dwell on his single greatest loss. Not when he’s yet to make up for it with a victory to overshadow it, at least.

The rain isn’t exactly something he minds much anyway, given his own affinity for water. The most the falling droplets receive from him is a passing thought about how much he’d love to be back home right about now, so that he could go fishing once it lets up.

There’s a cautious look once Shiraishi reaches directly into his pocket to deposit the prize, and for a moment he’s under the impression that it’s something he’s not allowed to look at in public. That is... Until Shiraishi just sort of starts talking about it immediately, which earns a puzzled look before Childe is pulling it out of his pocket so that he can just... Look at it. Which he muses would have been a lot easier if it had just been. Handed to him.

He’s not particularly familiar with cigarettes themselves, but tobacco has to exist somewhere on Teyvat. Probably in Snezhnaya. Because Fantasy Russians™. Given that, a cursory sniff of the thing is enough for him to piece together what it’s for.]

I’ll see what I can dig up. Can’t imagine it would be too difficult to find someone who over indulges in a smoking habit. The scent tends to linger, after all.

[ It's okay, if Snezhnaya doesn't have cigarettes exactly, you can't tell me the fake French people don't, I refuse to believe it. But anyway, don't worry too much about why it was handed to him in the way it was, Shiraishi just lives to be annoying, make no sense, and test people's patience without even trying to half the time.

He brushes damp hair backwards over his shoulder, before sticking his hands back in his pockets. ]

Someone... or a group of someones, but finding even one in these cases tends to lead easily to the rest.

[ For obvious reasons, but regardless, he turns to start walking towards the school again, when he seems to remember something and lazily offers it back over his shoulder in the process. ]

Oh, right. I almost forgot since we veered from the topic, but about what we mentioned earlier.

Normally, the sensible assumption about the track would just be that the culprit forgot it, maybe because they weren't thinking clearly in the moment. But in this case... coupling it with the specificity of the victim's state, [ you know, burnt to a crisp and thrown into the pool as a snack, ] it's a lot more likely it didn't serve their purpose.

[ Now, what purpose could that be? A mystery... Basically, this is only further evidence that the burning has to have been on purpose, that there's a reason for certain why they didn't want the identity of the body in the pool to be known. Or maybe they'd even wanted to sink it, for it to never be found at all, and the burning was a backup plan which... obviously, had been a good idea given how things went. ]

[SOMEONE has gotta have cigars at least. You can’t tell me Signora wouldn’t walk around holding those long smoker things like Cruella. He’s opening his uniform coat to tuck the cigarette away in the inner pocket, that way it’s a lot less likely to get crumbled up and destroyed during his day. A glance up at the sky tells him that yeah, he should probably head inside about now as well. He’s got a mostly perfect attendance record to uphold after all, and so he ends up trailing along behind Shiraishi back towards the main building.

This meeting of theirs had included a lot less physical fighting than he had anticipated, though that didn’t seem to be all that bad of a thing given the amount of intrigue that was now dangled in front of him. He’d never been a big fan of puzzles, but this one seemed like one he wouldn’t mind sinking his teeth into. Given the company he was now keeping, it seemed like it would - at the very least - be entertaining.

Staring contests aside, he felt like he knew enough about Shiraishi now to form an actual opinion. He was eccentric, though in a way that reminded him less of Dottore and somewhere more along the lines of Zhongli. There was that sort fundamental lack of understanding of basic social cues that was almost... Endearing. When it wasn’t focused on conning him out of a Gnosis.

Yes, he rather enjoyed the company, and it made him feel just a little homesick. Not enough to let his guard down just yet, of course. But that was a given.

He gives a little thoughtful nod, absentmindedly drawing ahead once more so that he can hold open the door again once they inevitably reach it.]

Yeah, you’ve got a point there. Definitely seems like covering something up, doesn’t it? Especially considering... Well. The lack of actual clothing. The robes they were found in weren’t burnt, which means they were definitely wearing something that would have probably identified them fairly easily. [He pauses, a light smirk crossing his face.] Hey, maybe they actually did use the track. And then the burning came afterwards, sort of as an afterthought? I can’t recall if the body had any grievous wounds other then... Well. The fire. And the legs.

Gentle Persuasion (closed)

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i'm in tears

this thread is ending me im deceased

SAME i've been laughing like a loser

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