"Tears in acid rain..." A cyber punk mystery (Open for one female... for now)

[Gothic Shujin]

"Tears in acid rain..." A cyber punk mystery (Closed for Lick My Kitty & Myself)

Enter Daniel Cage...Detective

Youd be suprised how slippery the street can get.

If your not carefull you could slip and bust your ass.

Its a good thing i never run anywhere. I mean ANYWHERE. Not to the corner to catch a port... not to the street when theres a bomb scare at the station house... and not to my car when the acids falling something fierce.

The harsh chemicals adopted by the atmosphere, by way of factory and other forms of pollution, had already done a number on my Squad car. I still missed my old modern... im some what of a retro junky... and i despise how tires just "went of of style". Another casualty to science and technological advancement... fuck that. Gimme reliability, Gimme a nice modern over these hover cars anyday.

Still..it was mine... and i had no desire to be put on a re-issue list anyway. Id be either a captain or off the force by the time the thing went through.

I stopped to think long enough for the hand print identifier on the door handle to read it was me and let me into my own ride. Once inside i removed the wet and smoking newspaper from off my head. I should of worn my rain hat and coat but the weather said it would be a clear red sky today...

Thats what i get for trusting those bastards.

The display on my monitor flickers to life... i see the captains fat, twisted face yelling at me. I un-mute it in time to hear how I missed my meeting with Internal Affairs. Oh well...i suppose that little issue of the missing drug money will have to wait another day. When hes done working on his second heart attack i get transmission from dispatch....

The guy got himself another one.

I close the horizontal door and punch in my destination... buckling myself in. I pat myself down, making sure im wearing my detective code and sidearm. My hand carresses the cold steel of my concussion gun and i realize im not sure if its been charged recently or not.

No time for the small stuff details now.

My car takes off..straight into the sky after purging for liftoff. Above the city, it actually looks peacefull... and not like the crime diseased cesspool it is...

I have a personal interest in this one.

A few days ago, the scumbag raped and murdered my new girlfriend. There werent wedding bells yet but she was sweet... i really liked her. A hell of alot better than my last couple of lays. This one cared... this one i actually started to care for.

My neighbor found her contorted body in the garbage can outside of our apartment building... she had a pair of those sexy high heels on and nothing else. Her pale skin starting to stiffen as rigor set in...

We call him NeoJack (for jack the ripper) and hes been killing anything with tits that he can get his hands on. We know its a guy cause he always leaves a little twisted present inside them... a bunch of traceless dna (most likely due to either radiation or some form of alpha disease) in the form of his seed. Even it was usefull its not like we could do anything about it...theres no one in custody... hell of a department, huh?

My squadcar touches down just outside the lazer ball dome... ive lost alot of money around here.

I step outside and push my way past the hookers...some of them i know.

Mostly of that loss being on betting...but not all.

"Where the fuck is this one?" I light a cigarette... not feeling like hunting around for the police line.
"THIS one? you should have a little more respect for the dead Daniel..."

I turn around... instantly smitten.


(OOC - Ok i dont have any specific designs in mind for this... i mean i have SOME ideas but who knows what can happen. I need a female player to pick up from here. it can be Daniel is breaking in a new partner, it can be a long lost girl friend who is a target... it can be anything you want... just try to keep with the theme of the story, ok? Pm me if your not sure... open to one, we might add more later)

 

[Gothic Shujin]

(OOC: let me set the mood a little...)

Around the time the united states were colonizing other planets...

All hell broke out on this one.

Thats what happens when you take your eye off the ball... ask any Lazer ball star, that is when their finished getting caught on tape performing illegal sex acts.

New York in the year 2810... was decrepit... old... falling apart... a fadding symbol and symptom of the disregard the government has for its one "flagship" planet.

The rain gets more lethal every year... and the tall, sky scraping buildings... once momunents to capital and trade, now house homeless and or future crime bosses.

Its never as bright as it once was... anyone alive now has to watch movies or ask their grandparents to remember what a blue sky looked like...

This is hell...

Welcome.
(OOC: k back to the story, i think i have a co-author now...)

 

[Lick_My_Kitty]

My name is Riza Nakashime, I'm working as a partner to a man named Daniel. I'm new to the squad, and from what I've seen, they need more here then just me. I've just started working, and though I hadn't been able to meet my partner yet, I've been told by a few that he's...different then most of the other's. There's been a man that my squad has been tracking for a while...A rapist who apparently has quite a reputation. He hasn't been caught yet, despite the DNA samples that have come into our lab. That's where I had been working up until I was told I was being moved to field work.

I had gotten the call while sitting in my apartment that overlooked what used to be town square. The owner of the building had died a while ago, along with most of the residents, but I stayed. My apartment was nice enough, unlike the crumbling city around me, it was out of most of the death zone. It was dark outside my windows, and I could only imagine what the night would bring. So much for having a clear sky…

One thing that caught my attention was that I was going to be working with Daniel. I wasn’t too sure what to expect, but apparently we were going to the slums. What could be called the slums in this god forgotten hell hole anyway. It was the hooker district. “Big surprise about finding a rapist there.” I muttered to myself as I slid out of my pajamas and into a black corset and tight black jeans. I of course couldn’t forget my trench coat and boots.

As I jogged down the stairs of my apartment, the belts criss-crossing in the back of my trench coat at my waist and the four that clung to my thigh-high boots clinked softly with each of my steps. I was actually kind of excited about meeting Daniel…even if it was over a rape case. Go figure. As I straddled my bike, my long, raven black hair fell across my face, shadowing out my left eye as I slid on my helmet. The slender heel of my boot hit the gear at my left side near the bottom of my bike, and my baby roared to life. True…this was a bit of an orthodox way of getting around the city, but I wasn’t trading this for anything.

The few lights of the city zipped past me as I made my way towards the laser ball dome…A place I didn’t come too often.

The roar of my sleek black bike slowed and quieted to a soft hum, and as I removed my helmet, I was greeted by dangerously short skirts, disturbingly low shirts, and to my disgust, a few corsets that seemed oddly like the one I was wearing…maybe I should have rethought that one…

I sighed softly as I looked around for a crowd, and to my surprise, Daniel wasn’t that hard to find…he seemed to be the only man standing here that wasn’t entwined with one of the women. As I walked over to him, I caught glances from men and women alike, and each was met with a glare by me.

"Where the fuck is this one?"

I heard the string of words escape his lips, and my hands met my hips, a light smirk bowing my lips. “ This one…? Oh come now Daniel…” I cooed, my voice more like a purr then anything. “Have a little respect for the dead…”

 

[Gothic Shujin]

(OOC - Im impressed... and thats pretty hard to do very nice... this is gonna be interesting...)

She was his walking wet dream.

Built like a goddess... dressed like a Dominatritx bitch slut from heaven... he assumed she was one of the "pros" at first but when he computated that she knew his name, he scratched that from his mental list of possibilities... although STILL possible... none of them were stupid enough to call him Daniel in front of the other officers...

"Do i know Y-"

"Daniel!," the whisper was more of a scream. It came from over his shoulder, from the porty officer bronson who was questioning so called "eye witnesses" wich were little more than street walkers looking for a hand out or a get out of jail free card for the next time they got caught with somebodies "hand" in their cookie jar "thats HER!"

"Who...who the fuck are you talking ab-"

"Its your new partner asshole... the desk jockey, chick."

Oh.

Dear lord. He thought to himself...

So the rumor about him being punished by having to baby sit some newly "ordained" street dick who was once pushing papers and running labs was true. He usually dissmissed that kind of talk..since everyone at the station...hell the city knew it was EXACLTY how to push his buttons. He was a loner... always had been. His stone cold ex partner was just testiment to that fact...and Daniel Cage had no plan to take on another... but apparently his fat ass captain thought this was funny...

Either that or shes worth her salt.... we shall see...he decided.

A female partner.

He never had the pleasure of that before... he wondered if the rumor was true. And wondered if THIS was the best case to find out on or not.

"Er... I mean... Hi. Im Daniel... Daniel Cage...and you are?" He extended his hand... the clean one.

 

[Lick_My_Kitty]

To say the least she was a bit confused by the conversation that had aroused between Daniel and Bronson, though she sat back and listened. Apparently the man hadn't been told that she was coming onto this line of work.

As Bronson quieted down a bit, Riza shot a glare in his direction, her long black hair falling over her left eye. “You didn’t tell him…?” She said with a bit of a sneer. “Why the hell not?” Riza quieted herself and shook her head quickly. “Never mind.”

Riza’s harsh glare broke as she turned to Daniel once more and smiled a bit, walking over to him, her hand slipping into his. "That’s a little better” She cooed, his conduct around an investigation was less then suitable, even by her standards. “Riza Nakashime." She said with a bit of a smile still bowing her lips.

“Sorry that he didn’t tell you sooner.” She said, motioning over to Bronson. Riza had worked with him a while back, and when she was assigned to Daniel, Bronson took up the job to deliver this to Daniel. Apparently it never got there.

The smell of arousal and erotic play filled the air and created a somewhat sexual tension around the crowd of entwined people. Barley anyone was left without someone down their throat. The whole scene was somewhat arousing, though somewhat awkward on Riza’s part. A blushing had since laced across her pale cheeks, and though she hated that horribly awkward habit of hers she doubted anyone could see considering how dark it was.

“Uh…wh-where is the woman…?” Riza said softly, biting her lower lip gently. Sexual play was nothing that really surprised Riza, she was fine with most of it, it was just this many people, and the heavy tension that hung in the air was getting the better of her, and as moments passed, she could feel the rise and fall of her own chest in her breath’s and her heart pace quickening ever so slightly.

When silence fell over the two men, Riza blinked slowly, her eyes looking over the two. “The body I mean…” She paused a bit. She first needed to find out where the body was. She had the unsavory job of performing the autopsy. “Who was it anyway…?” She said her head tilting off to the side a bit in curiosity.

All in all, Riza thought it was strange that so many people had been here, and yet none had bothered to step in when the rapist had come and claimed his latest victim. She passed over the thought that maybe the men and women were too caught up in their own pleasure that they dismissed the girl’s screams as ones of pleasure and not fear…

Scenes like this always made Riza edgy, how someone could degrade a woman like that. It made her half sick. She looked to the ground after spying yet another couple involved in their sinful pleasure. She had had enough of the hooker district of the slums. It brought back memories that she didn’t want to be brought up.

Her mother was a prostitute that used to work here. Her mother had died a while ago but she could always remember tagging along with her mother when she came here. Riza never enjoyed these trips. No one here ever touched her, her mother made sure of that. But Riza never understood why she never took that care in herself. Riza has stayed a virgin for that vapid distaste for what her mother did, and that reason alone.

“…Could we go somewhere else to talk this over…?” Riza said, her eyes darting up to Daniel once more. Her expression remained calm and collected, as if nothing was wrong. It was the expression she wore most often. She was a hard person to read, and she enjoyed that mental seclusion. “I’d like to get out of here before things start getting really nasty.”


(OOC-Thank you very much, I'm glad I could make this interresting <3)

 

[Gothic Shujin]

(OOC - great post hun)

“You didn’t tell him…?....Why the hell not?....Never mind.” She was obviously annoyed, Daniel decided to not bust her balls about the while issue. Bronson scoffed at the remark but looked a bit shamed... typical of every cop in a 40 block radius, apathetic and over worked...

Daniel wished he had known sooner but the news would of meant about as much to him then as it doesn now. He didnt like it...not one but. Sure she was a sight for his sore middle aged eyes... but this would only complicate an already sensitive investigation. He heard the voice of his "sensitivity" trainer in the back of his mind. Its required to speak with one at least twice a year if your on the payroll of the city. She had told him he was a pig... "a relic of a chauvinistic past.. clinging to his last remnants of manliness by adopting broad generalizations and cultish superstitions as a code of honor for himself" ...whatever the fuck THAT meant.

“Riza Nakashime." She smiled as they shook hands... he thought her name was beautifull... and wondered where her parents were from..you couldnt tell anymore... not in the melting sludge pot that NYC had become.

She appoligized for him not finding out sooner... after the two of them decided whats done is done... she suggested they go somewhere else... the street was filling up rathe fast..for a place that was supposed to be shut and locked down about an hour ago....

He could notice she was blushing... curious... Det. Cage thought... her reactions to the grisley scene and the way she carried herself had already told the veteran volumes about her character. Maybe this wasnt a total loss after all.

After Riza asked to see the body as Daniel did, officer Bronson showed them...

She was mutilated almost beyond recognition... at least her face...arms..stomach...legs and back were... the genitals and breasts were in tact... bruised and beaten but in tact. Her ass..or what they could see from it was whipped and bitten, she was slumped over to the side... one leg drapped over the other... like she was about to shoot a photo for penthouse. It was explained to them that her name on the street was Hilary... she didnt have any ID and no one theyve asked knew a thing so far. A few girls had seen her work this corner before but left her be since it was pretty much a U.N. corner (what pros called areas that were free for alls...were any prostitute could peddle her wares).

The body needed to be examined... that would be up to Riza, but still some statements and photos needed to be taken..along with some on site mug shots.

He noticed she was more at east around the Hookers than he expected... usually women that dont spent alot of time around whores were uneasy... either due to their own inadequacy... their disgust... or something deeper. But it ALWAYS gets a reaction. His new parter was not a stranger to the oldest profession... intersting for someone who had previously rode a desk. He made a mental note of it.

The fact that no one was talking told Daniel one of three things... 1) either the perp is too well known... meaning he has too much juice. 2) Hes good...and avoided being seeing...wich in this part of town was next to impossible unless you had a camo patch... wich was becoming increasinly more common... punk gangs used them to gain "invisibilty" for about 1-3 minutes at a time. It gives you a quick high too...actually starting as a drug. or 3) he dumped the body here... and cut her up somewhere else....

Riza broke him out of his reverie... the image was definately not going over well with her... well at least something shook her up..now he knew she wasnt a fed... or internal affairs... she really WAS a rookie...to the jungle game anyway. He relaxed a bit... instantly liking her more now that those options were off his mental list.

"Yeah lets get outta here... jsut one second" Det. Cage walked over to a group that had gathered near the police field... "GET THE FUCK OUTTA HERE...NO PRESS... CANT YOU SEE THIS IS A FUCKEN CRIME SCENE YOU SCUMBAGS!" He ordered several black and whites to strip some of the onlookers of their cameras and they had to get rough with a few of them...but once the sulking media was shut down he returned to Riza.

He escorted her to his car... then making note of her bike....

"Holy shit... im impressed... you like to ride huh?" his statement came out sounding like a line... he winced inwardly... realizing how stupid that sounded "Well take my car... or would you rather follow...dont know if you wanna leave your bike in THIS neighborhood."

 

[Lick_My_Kitty]

The whole scene of the woman’s deathbed was almost enough to make Riza lose herself right there. She had seen some damn nasty cases, but ‘rape’ was an understatement for what happened to this woman. She wasn’t just raped and killed; this woman was taken advantage of and then slaughtered. As she moved over to the body, poking gently at certain things, she wondered if there was really much to look over here in the autopsy considering there wasn’t much left.

She sighed softly and shook her head, standing and looking to the ground, slipping off the gloves that she had slipped onto her slender fingers, tossing the two gloves into a bag off to her side. She walked over to Daniel once more, already loading film into her camera. She had heard his rant with the media, though; she figured it was a bit hard not to.

“You might want to calm down a bit around them…” She said softly, looking up to him with a playful smile. As much of one as she could muster right now anyway with the given circumstances. “They tend to bite back.”

With that said Riza went about her work, taking pictures of the way the woman’s skin was cut, what was in contact and what was splattered elsewhere. All in all, this sight was one of the worst she had seen. The bodies that she had gotten for autopsies had looked nothing like this. The skin was still intact for the most part, save for a few scratches, and all the man really left was his seed. This time though, it was so much different.

Riza winced lightly as she looked over the woman’s corpse once more. The thought crossed her mind at how someone could be so heartless to do this after stripping them of their dignity. It was all a bit hard to grasp for her first time out in field work.

She rolled her eyes slowly as she walked back over to Daniel, figuring she had enough pictures to suffice for now anyway. As she got to Daniel, he was already ushering her to his car, and though it took her a moment to figure out who was talking to whom and who was asking her what, she managed a smile.

She couldn’t help but laugh at his comment about her riding, though she quickly quieted herself with a soft cough. “Yeah…I’ve had it for a long time….ever since I started driving. And I’ll call to have it towed back to my apartment building….It’s no big deal really.” She said softly, her steps to her surprise, matching the rhythm of his.

As the two of them continued walking, Riza’s hand moved to the small choker that was tied around her neck. It was a black ribbon and the only thing adorning its satin length was a small pendant that resembled a crescent moon. This was something that Riza never took off; it had belonged to a good friend of the family whom of which had taken her in after her mother’s death. Her picking at its smooth surface was a nervous habit that she had never really grown out of.

The silence between the two of them made Riza a bit uneasy, and after a while, and after a few more coughs passing her lips, she looked up to the sky, her long, raven black hair sent cascading over her shoulders once more. “You can almost see the moon…” She said softly. True, this was such a frivolous thing, but to Riza, there was nothing she looked foreword to more. That and it would break this damned silence. “…Do you think it will rain tonight…?” She asked, looking over to Daniel once more.

Not really giving him any time to reply, a thought slipped into her mind. “Oh….Daniel…uh…Where exactly are we going…?” She asked her head tilting off to the side lightly as she came to look ahead once more.

(Aw, thank you <3)

 

[Gothic Shujin]

“You might want to calm down a bit around them… They tend to bite back.”

He laughed, though her words were true enough. Even in these days of aggressive law enforcment the media still filled the empty minds of their viewers with more than enough accounts of police brutality and "insensitivity". As was aforementioned... he did NOT want to take any more of those courses. Hoever treating "little people" (what everyone in law enforcement called anyone not in law enforcement) like shit was one of the last bastions of joy that Detective Daniel Cage still had as far as his job was concerned.

He admired the collar around her neck again, it was beautifull... rarely did he see a woman displaying such an enticing adornment, in these harsh times most flashy jewelry was saved for nights on the town or high society parties...neither of wich Cage ever had the pleasure of being apart of anymore. He would have to ask her about that later.

“You can almost see the moon…” She said "…Do you think it will rain tonight…?”

Daniel was suprised by her question... he arced an eyebrow and looked up. As he did he patted himself down trying to find a pack of cigarettes...

"I wouldnt be surprised...would be just my luck for it to rain twice the one day i forget my protection..." he looked at her... her hair was very lovely.... reminded him of his ex. In the moonlight...what little of it there was that got through the now forming smog... she looked lovely... pale and lovely. He sighed. 'Dont start that shit Cage... not again'... he reigned in his emotions and broke the new silence;

"That body wont be ready for you for a bit, we can examine those pictures you took but there is not a hell of alot i can do right now...not till they make some sense out of this carnival... you wanna... go for some coffee..or a beer? Of course if you really wanted, i could just take you down to the station instead... get you settled in your new desk. Its quite different from a lab."

It was a lie about him not having anything to do. He could always recanvas the neighborhood for leads and interrogate some of the hookers, he would no doubt get more out of them than the others did. After all he knew them better. But he was feeling lazy, and didnt want this case in the first place. Besides... he was starting to warm up to having a female partner. 'That didnt take long...did IT?' his ego scolded him.

 

[Lick_My_Kitty]

Riza nodded to the sound of his voice, agreeing with what he had to say about the photos and the rain. Her eyes carried over to his form as the two of them continued walking; a few shouts to Daniel from the hooker’s around them broke the pauses that interfered with their conversation. After a moment, Riza smiled and nodded. “A beer would be nice right now…” She looked off to her side and sighed softly, muttering under her breath. “Maybe something stronger…”

The images of the distorted woman were still fresh in Riza’s mind. What better way to forget those with hard liquor?

Her eyes scanned the few lingering faces around them, most of which belonged to a drunk or a whore. Riza wished to be free of this place as soon as possible. The shouts from the hookers to Daniel had ceased for the time being, the women who those voices belonged to were now either occupied or had just given up.

Riza’s arms crossed beneath her chest, her fingernails picking at one another as the events of the night filled her thoughts. She knew she thought too much, and really there was nothing she could do until she got the photo’s developed, or until the body was ready for the autopsy, but still she found herself going over frivolous things over and over again. This case was starting to wear on her last nerve.

With a frustrated sigh the two of them came to Daniels car. As soon as the doors were open and had lifted Riza was sitting, cross-armed and her legs crossing over one another, sending the belts around the calf’s of her legs clinking loudly. Her fingers never left the silver pendant that dangled from her collar; it was a sort of nervous habit that she had never grown out of, along with her blushing.

Her eyes stared aimlessly out the window as she waited for Daniel to get in. The car was a bit cramped, her shoulder was pressed to her door as the two made their way to…well to wherever Daniel felt like taking them. Her legs crossed and uncrossed every now and again, of which she hoped wouldn’t annoy the man next to her; his patience was something she did not want to test the boundaries of.

Finally she calmed her movements, leaning back into her seat, her head resting on the back of the chair, her eyes shutting softly, a soft, elongated sigh passing her slightly parted lips, a few stray strands of hair lacing the pinkish skin. She didn’t know why she was so uneasy around him, he seemed nice enough, though he did have some rough habits and some things Riza herself would question about doing, but then again who didn’t anymore.

Her eyes fell on him once more, her long, dark hair caressing her flesh as she moved, her long tresses falling past the right side of her face. She said nothing, and the two of them sat in silence, though her eyes were content on his rather strict looking form. There was something about him that attracted Riza to him, though she couldn’t put her finger on it.

 

[Gothic Shujin]

Daniel realized too late that it would of been "gentlemanly" if he had ushered her into the car... he was never very much of a gentleman. Hoping she didnt take any offense to his lack of social manners, he joined her inside the hover car.

With the doors closed the lights inside dimmed a little bit. His mouth pursed close, swallowing a bit...it was dry all of a sudden he opened his lips to say something but as he turned his head he found her head back...relaxing... and stopped before a single sound escaped. He choked back his question and looked towards the dashboard. Pressing a button the sound of soothing jazz filled the car... emanating from speakers on either side of their headrests.. right by their ears.

"I hope you dont mind... it helps me relax"

Detective Cage turned back to his console and began the purge. The cars expelled gases and the thrusters began to propell them up... climbing high above the city, the rear jets kicked on after seizing a bit and they were off...

As the soft jazz played inside the car... inside their own personal world for the time being, Daniel let out a relaxed sigh. It felt like nothing outside could hurt them, like they were on a small personal vacation or something.

A flashing red light broke his reverie. Pushing it he checked his voice mail to hear the chief bitching at him. Quickly shutting it off, Daniel again turned to admire his new partner....

He looked at her crosses legs... taking in her black glossy boots and heels. His eyes travelled to her thighs and her coat... and further still to her abdomen and tight stomach...

"How long you been on the force?"

 

[Lick_My_Kitty]

Riza looked up to him quickly, not really expecting to hear his voice until the two of them arrived at the bar. “Oh…they didn’t tell you that either…huh?” She asked in a rather timid voice. She smiled a bit and shrugged. “I’ve been working in the lab for about….two or three years…I was surprised that they took me right out of school…though they said I was lacking in field work…so all of this was just kind of sprung on me too…”

Her eyes turned back out to the world beneath them. This wasn’t her first time in something like this, but she always loved being this high up. She loved the view, for no matter what it was like on the ground below; up here it was all so pretty, it was like none of the problems that were going on down on earth could touch them here.

She looked over to him, a light blush lacing her cheeks. She looked him over. This man really was quite attractive. She shook her head gently, figuring that if she kept thinking these thoughts, she would thrust herself back into arousal, something Riza rarely ever got the chance to let off, herself.

As she looked him over, her eyes followed his, and the pink tint that was lacing her cheeks, turned red. “Um…Wh-where exactly is this bar…?” She asked, trying to pique his interest, or at least interest him in something other then her form for the moment.

She looked down to her lap, then out the window to the sky and earth below. She couldn’t stop thinking about him, and to say the least, the smooth jazz really wasn’t helping, if anything it was setting her already seductive mood farther into the gutter. She bit her lip gently, her hands clasping tightly. “H-How about you…?” She asked with a bit more of a blush.

 

[Gothic Shujin]

It was rather embaressing... she had caught him admiring her figure again. He tried his best to pretend to be piloting the hovercar but truth be told, most of the "navigation" was all preset coordinates. Destination...speed... all input sets and then BAM the rest took care of itself. He looked at her now from behind his sunglasses... another relic from his beloved retro past. There sure as hell wasnt enough sunlight to warrent wearing sunglasses but Detective Cage liked the way he looked in them.

She was very lovely... and he was already missing his dead girlfriend. He wasnt normally this close to a woman, and the last time one was in his hovercar...well... he had just paid her to get in...

"Oh? well, the bar isnt far...actually... there it is now... that is, i mean to say, there is the building its below."

Daniel pointed to the smokey outline of a large commercial high rise. Down by its base, one could only see the smog of the streets and ghetto below. He pressed a button and the vehicle began its descent. Using thrusters to balance and safely land them well into the smog. As the air thinned out they reached the streetlevel... the smoke and pollution now above their heads... it was like entering a fish bowl and being able to suddenly breath in water. Only this was no fish bowl... this was a slum.

"To answer your question... Ive been on the force for 15 years... been a detective for 3 of them... sometimes i regret not going into your kind of work... Im sure its alot more agreeable," he mused. "Well, here we are."

The verticle doors popped open with a pressurizing hiss and the cool air of the conditioned car grew warm immediately. The hovervehicle sat in this parking spot in front of a small dive with a red and purple neon sign that read "The Comet". It was a small building, attatched to the base of the commercial skyscraper... it looked dark inside save for some more neon light and a few irredescent bulbs. A long bar was visible from the door, and there was even a small order window in wich you could directly approach a bartender. It was obvious the drinks were priority around here. Soft music, laced with a light pumping, suggestive base could be heard, and a few well dressed patrons were spilling out the street wich was lit by a single crime light.

Daniel walked to the other car door, remembering his mistake ealier and extended his hand to help her out...

"Trust me it looks alot better than it is," he joked cracking a smile.

 

[Lick_My_Kitty]

Riza was just about to get out when he reached out to her. She blushed a bit once again, and lightly took his hand in her’s, a small, innocent smile cracking her mostly emotionless visage. She slid from the car, her free hand moving to fix her corset. “I didn’t think you would be such the gentleman…” She said with a smirk as she started to walk past him. “Though I do enjoy that…I like my gentlemen dirty <3”

She knew that she was stepping way out of line on this one, but the way she saw it, if he wanted to watch, then she was going to play a little bit too.

She winked as she walked past him, the slender heels of her shoes clicking on the pavement with each step. The sounds of her trench coat and her belts fluttering softly with her movements broke the eerie silence of the night, she wasn’t too sure but this bar wasn’t like the one’s she’s been to, the one’s she were at usually had drunks practically spilling from the building, and though she was sure that this was a regular bar, but the well dressed people that seemed to litter the street suggested something else. It was the slums though, so Riza doubted her thoughts.

Not hearing Daniel behind her, Riza turned, her long black hair fanning out over her shoulders and falling over her left eye, shadowing it out already. “Why are you still wearing them…?” She asked softly, pointing to his sunglasses, her head gently tilting off to the side.

She knew that striking up a conversation at this point might be a bit awkward, and she was starting to resent what she had said a moment before. Her hands slowly moved to clasp in front of her, her fingernails gently, and almost nervously picking at one another as she waited for him.

She felt the blush still burning into her cheeks, and she wished, as she stood there, that it would just go away. She was tired of having her emotions given away so quickly, and the worst part of it was that she couldn’t do a thing about it.

She stood there watching him for a moment as he moved to catch up to her, the doors to the car shutting with a soft hissing sound, then a quiet thud, showing that they were locked.

 

[Gothic Shujin]

“I didn’t think you would be such the gentleman...Though I do enjoy that…I like my gentlemen dirty <3” she walked past him... shooting him what he deciphered as a playfull glance... a wink.

He laughed, it was from a place inside that he hadnt heard from in a while. She was something else... beautifull... funny, obviously intelligent to hold the possition she had previously held on the force... and apparently open minded. Most women would be bitching about the "class" of this place by now.

"Well... dont think me too gentlemanly...," he began as he clicked a button on his belt... starting the cars laser alarm "more than likely im just trying to get you to lower your defenses before i start pawing at you like an animal" the laughter that followed suggested he was kidding... but if the situation was slightly different it wouldnt be too far from the truth.

He lagged behind a bit... watching her ripe apple of an ass wiggle back and forth from underneath her trench coat and just below her corset. 'MMmmm' he thought, 'the japanese cant make a better one of those.'

She stopped and turned around... her hair fell in front of her face, it was so sexy, like that cartoon woman in that rabbit movie that came out years and years ago... only she was no cartoon and way more attractive for that reason...

“Why are you still wearing them…?”

He had been waiting for her to ask him that all night... the truth was too foolish to admit so he went with...

"Its easier for me to scan for perps and things, anyone knowing I am, with them on. Its a little trick i learned my first year as a Dick..." Not a complete lie... she was more than likely naive enough to buy it. Him simply liking the way he looked and being able to gaze upon her form unnoticed wouldnt of flown to well he decided.

Daniel removed his trench coat...folding it neatly and hanging it against his left arm. Beneath he had on a tight black turtleneck and Dark Leatherpants... for his age...the fact that he was athletic was visable even from beneath his apparell.

"Im half hoping that body gets lost in the shuffle... maybe itll give us some more time to relax," his forwardness shocked even himself... perhaps the idea of him being able to drink soon was impeading his intelligence. He smiled at her warmly as he held out his arm and elbow for her to grab.

 

[Lick_My_Kitty]

Riza laughed at his joke, her eyes looking him over once more. “I gotta tell you…” She said with a coy smirk. “I like being pawed at like that…” Her blushing was starting to leave as she felt herself becoming a bit more conferrable around him. She found that the two of them weren’t too different from each other, though she noticed, that what she was saying, she was wanting to happen. There was something about him that made her heart skip a beat.

Her thoughts were quickly interrupted though by the sound of his voice, and her head shook quickly, her eyes blinking a few times, and her blushing quickly returning to where it had been, though not without a soft curse from under her breath.


"Its easier for me to scan for perps and things, anyone knowing I am, with them on. Its a little trick i learned my first year as a Dick..."

Riza raised an eyebrow to this, and her smirk grew even more wicked as a thought crossed her mind. “Oh is that so….?” She asked with a bit of a chuckle. In a way, she could understand him being concerned about his appearance, and she had to hand it to him, he did look good in them. Though, she doubted perp’s were all he was looking at, a man wearing sunglasses in the middle of the night was sure to draw attention more then one that was simply staring.

As he held out his arm, she hesitated a moment, but took her arm in his, smiling up to him warmly, her wide, darkly innocent eyes meeting his. Though this was only after she had taken a look at what he was hiding under that trench coat of his. “Do you come here often…?” She asked, referring to the bar. She had dismissed the comment about the body, though…some time alone with him, she figured, wouldn’t be so bad.

In a way, she found herself hoping the same thing.

 

[Gothic Shujin]

“I gotta tell you…I like being pawed at like that…”

The games had begun. He shot her an equally wicked look and nodded his approval. She appeared to be blushing and he found it absolutely captivating... yet it didnt quite go with the "Huntress" look she currently sported, maybe thats what he found appealing about it... how comfortable it made her look. He was glad they were beginning to build a relationship... but wondered if he was going about building the right one... she was his "partner" after all.

"Oh you do do you?, well you know what they say.... 'Dont invite the wolf to dinner unless youve hidden all the sheep'..." He smiled escorting her to the door, an extremely much more built, larger man stood at the entrance...

“Do you come here often…?” she asked him.

"Mr. Cage... how are you?," the brutish bouncer greeted the Detective and his "date", answering her question before he had a chance to.

For some reason he felt embaressed...as if it was admitting he was some kind of alchoholic or notorious bar fly or something...wich he was not. Though he wasnt a stranger to the bottom of a shot glass....

"Fine just fine Scuzzy... Were on the clock... so were gonna need our pieces ok?"

The bouncer didnt frisk or even pay a second glance to them... soon the two slipped inside and the casual, and erotic music filled their ears...

The Comet was rather elegant inside... despite its outward appearance. Littered with rows of artificial velvet couches, it seated many. The bar stretched the entire lenght of one side of the bar...and had enough stools for two cyberball teams. There was a small descent on the black and white checkered floor, where a dancefloor sat. The colors in the floor changing in time with the beat. Mirrors layed flat and in 90 degree angles along the cealing reflecting light from the whole bar. It was both "niche" and yet average at the same time... perhaps that why Daniel liked it.

Pushing past both attractive and unattractive patrons, He led Riza to a secluded corner and helped her to her seat in a couch booth. He smiled and sat himself putting his feet up on a small reclining stool that sat low to the ground. A table stood in the distance between them.. and a small buzzer was built in.

"So...." he muttered "whats your pleasure Riza?"

 

[Lick_My_Kitty]

Riza was quite surprised by the look of this place, though, to say the least it was a pleasant surprise. Her head gently found Daniels shoulder as they continued walking, her body pressing against his as the two weaved their way in and out of the people in the crowd. The bouncer had answered her question; Daniel did come here a lot. She thought no different of him though, she herself had seen much worse.

The two finally found a seat in the back, and once more, he helped her into her seat. Apparently chivalry was not dead yet. She smiled up to him from across the table and let her head rest in the palm of her hand, watching him contently. When he asked what she wanted, she shrugged a bit. “Vodka will do just fine…” She said softly, smiling a bit up to him.

As the two sat there, her fingers found their way to her collar once more, toying with the pendant, the lights glinting off the metal every so often. “So…” She said softly. She could feel her heart pounding to the erotically intoxicating beat of the music, it made her simply shiver.

Not being able to finish her own thought, Riza rested her head a bit more, her other hand moving from her lap to support her head, as the other moved to her collar. “Do you…” Her thoughts were once more interrupted by the bussing of the vibrator of her phone going off. She rolled her eyes gently and held up her index finger. “Hold that thought…” She cooed, picking up her phone from her pocket, flicking it open.

Riza turned, her back towards him, though even as far away as she was, screams could still be heard from the phone. “WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU TWO!?” The voice screamed into Riza’s ear. “DANIEL ISN’T ANSWERING HIS PHONE AND YOU-“ Riza glared and flicked the phone closed, her eyes rolling as she turned back to him.

“We’re gonna catch hell for this you know that right…?” Just the tone of her voice told who had called, and as she turned, she slipped her phone back into her pocket and her head back into the palm of her hand.

With a chuckle she smirked up to him. “Though….right now I couldn’t really care less…After we’re done here…Would you wanna come back to my place…?” She asked softly, smiling innocently.

 

[Gothic Shujin]

She had extended her comfort to him... he wouldnt forget that. She made it obvious that she enjoyed his company and maybe even needed it right now... he thought recalling her head on his shoulder.

"Vodka huh?... thats my girl," he cooed.

Daniel Cage pressed the small intercom buzzer wich rang directly into one of the bartenders...

"Its Detective Cage... my new partner and I are working on two hangovers. I need a bottle of the V. and two shot glasses... and hurry up!," He spoke to them like he was speaking to a perp.... he didnt know why... some situations simply called for him to take charge... while others required more finess...

Some on the other hand...could benefit from both....

He looked at her... and was dissappointed by his sub concious choice of seating. He was distancing himself from her again he realized...staring at the empty cushion beside her and the table between them... or maybe he was just being professional... his mind struggled.

“So… Do you…," Her cell phone began to buzz "Hold that thought…"

"It was YOUR thought," he laughed pearing over his shoulder to see if the drinks were on their way.

He caught the one sided conversation on Riza's cell and his good natured expression sank. The body and scene was probably ready. Canvas most likely done... this meant they were trying to reach him... Daniel wondered how long Cap. had been yealling into HIS voicemail... he sighed.... looking up he was expecting her to leave her seat... instead.... she closed the phone...placed it in her purse and smiled at him.

Apparently she had no intention of leaving yet.

He was glad. This was good for them.... and could be better still.

“We’re gonna catch hell for this you know that right…?”

It was so cute how she was leaning against her hand...looking out at him across the table. Det. Cage rose and strode across the checkered floor..bridging the gap between them he sat right beside her.. a large transparent smile on his face.

"More than likely yeah...id say that was a fair assesment, partner."

A robot waitress unit began hovering up to them.. it was carrying their "order".

“Though….right now I couldn’t really care less…After we’re done here…Would you wanna come back to my place…?”

The temperture of Daniel's seat rose a good ten degrees suddenly. He looked at her with what he hoped wasnt as astonishing a glance as he felt it might of been. He arced a brow and grabbed the bottle of vodka 'phew..just in time' he thought. He chuckled some... attractively, a happy content resignation...

"We can do that... we can DEFINATLY do that... if you decide you still want my company after i get a few shots in me," he joked... pouring her glass after his own, with a wink in his eye. "I can always feign some sort of car trouble or emergency right around the corner... besides," he continued "i dont remember ANY message from the station... DO YOU?"

He leaned closer into her and held his shot glass up, his eyes glinted in the barlight a bit and the hardened lines of his burned up cop expression melted as he looked at her....

"Heres to a wonderfull new partnership..." 'and maybe more'...he finished in his mind.

 

[Lick_My_Kitty]

To the bit about the hangover’s Riza couldn’t help but laugh, she was glad she did so after the phone was back in her purse. “Who said I had any plans on getting drunk?” She smirked a bit, situating herself in her seat a bit more.

Her eyes followed the waitress that brought them the bottle and shot glasses as she came and left. And once her eyes were back on where Daniel was sitting, he was no longer there. Hearing him off to her side made her jump a bit, though a smile soon found her lips and a blush returned to her pale cheeks, giving her that innocently dark look once again.

To her question, the look he gave her almost made her take that bit back. Maybe it was a bit out-of-terms. Though this thought quickly went away when he smiled, a reassuring ‘we can DEFINATLY do that’ giving her the OK.

The smell of the vodka was strong, though not overbearing, it was pleasant. To tell the truth though it had been a while since Riza had been able to drink; most of her time was spent at home and in the lab.

She shook her head quickly. This wasn’t a time to think about all that; it was time to drop it. As Daniel raised his glass, she in turn, raised hers. The closeness between the two of them made her blush a bit more; oh this wasn’t helping her at all. The thing was, she figured Daniel probably knew that.


"Here’s to a wonderful new partnership..."

Riza smiled, and as her glass met his, her lips met his cheek, kissing him gently, playfully. “I’m looking foreword to it.” She managed to whisper before leaning back into her seat again. She took a look at the liquid that rippled in the shot glass, and then downed it. Though this wasn’t without a cough or two.

It was stronger then Riza remembered.

“What brand is it?” She said, referring to the bottle. Her eyes looked down to her glass, and then took the last few sips that remained at the bottom. Looking up to Daniel once more, she held the small glass in the palm of her hand, every once and a while turning it with the tips of her fingers.

In the back of her mind, Riza knew she wouldn’t last long. She wasn’t an easy drunk but she got there fast enough. For now, she figured that was enough, and set the glass back down on the edge of the table.

The sent of the vodka hung thickly in the air, the intoxicating aroma mixing with the rather erotic beat of the music made the atmosphere heavy. It didn’t help that Daniel was here, and this close either. She didn’t really mind though. She really didn’t expect to go much farther then a few drinks, but this new turn of atmosphere was starting to tell her otherwise.

Gently, she bit her lower lip, her fingers moving to toy with the ribbons that held her corset together. Once more, she uncrossed, and crossed her legs, her dark eyes every once and a while moving to meet his. Each time Riza swore her heart skipped a beat. And each time, she would shake her head, and once more turn her attention elsewhere.

‘It’s just the vodka…’ She thought to herself, her eyes watching the people filing through the door. Most were men, women clinging to their shoulders. ‘It’ll go away soon enough.’ She sighed softly, nodding lightly and turning back to Daniel, a light smile painted across her lips. Her legs moved to cross over each other on the chair, and her hands moved to her lap, her arms pressing to the breasts of her corset, giving the woman that same innocent, though somewhat tainted, air about her.

 

[Gothic Shujin]

“Who said I had any plans on getting drunk?”
"And who said your the only one with plans here," Daniel teased... another playfull wink hitting its mark.

His eyes looked into hers as their glasses clinked together, a ritual promising good luck and usually good times. Hopefully sooner than later.

“I’m looking foreword to it.”

She leaned in and placed her soft supple lips against his rough, dry face... kissing his cheek. A bit of the 15 years worth of ice around his heart chipped off. Here was an adorable young girl, he had only just met... showing him such a small token of affection, but it affected him more than just a simple kiss. She had an innocent niavetae that apparently trusted him enough to be endearing, and as amazingly sexy as Riza looked, he felt not unlike an older brother suddenly. Not in a bad way... he was still attracted to her, but her company was simply as refreshing as any he had had in a long time... he suddenly felt bad for the XXX rated carnival that was working overtime in his mind... with her as the main attraction.

He tried hard to not visualize stripping her boots off her long slender legs, exposing pale round calves and petite, adorable feet. He attempted to staff off the image of her breasts coming into view as her raised her top above her head, her arms eagerly raised trying to help him. The two round orbs bouncing into full view... eager nipples awaiting a touch...

She asked him what brand it was...

Lifting the bottle he checked..since he had no clue "Its called Der Sturm... wich means 'The Storm'... Ive never had this brand before... but its not bad."

He set the bottle back down as well as his shot glass after his third shot. He didnt wanna get too sloshed or smelly for that matter. He felt his watch vibrating... no doubt another call from the captain. They couldnt ignore him forever... but its not like the body was gonna get any deader.

He successfully returned to the present moment... respecfully nodding to Riza as he closed his eyes and finished his second shot. He noticed her glass was on the table and she was apparently done. 'Makes sense' he thought 'she still wants to remain sharp... more than likely she cant hold as much liquor as i can." Truth be told Daniel often worked intoxicated... some days were just hard to deal with sober... at least thats how Daniel felt this last year.

Riza's eyes were a bit glazed and her face flushed... Daniel figured it was due to the small amount of drink in her. He watched every motion of her uncrossing and crossing her amazing legs... and of her nervously fidgeting with her outfit... it was cute actually...

"So," he began "Is this the most... gruesome case youve worked so far?" A bit of the shop talk might kill some time he thought. He needed to calm down, since right now he couldnt even stand without his 'condition' being painfully apparent.

He leaned in a bit more... his lips only about a foot away from her face, thankfully the vodka was sweeter smelling than not, but still he tried to keep from getting too close.

Detective Cage placed a hand around her... his forarm reaching behind her back and neck..his hand hanging next to her shoulder. He was just getting comfortable but obviously wouldnt of done this if his new partner was male.

 

[Lick_My_Kitty]

Riza nodded as he read the brand from the bottle, her eyes watching his movements with careful contentment. Her movements with her corset soon stopped, and she seemed to calm down a bit, but really, her mind was racing more so then she wanted to right now. Every once and a while, she squirmed in her seat, and every once and a while, she would bite her lip once more, her hands clasped tightly on her lap.

“I-I’ve never heard of that.” She said softly, referring to the brand of vodka, still trying to keep her wandering mind at bay. Her eyes looked up to his as his watch started buzzing; it was in an almost pleading way. “But you’re right, it isn’t bad at all.”

She couldn’t help but smile; he wasn’t even giving his watch a second look. Smirking, she slid over, gingerly taking his wrist in her hand, gently slipping it off. Without a word or second look she slipped it into her purse, moving back onto her own seat.

“There” She said with a bit of a smirk still lingering along her lips. “That’s a bit better.” She smiled up to him once more, her head tilting off to one side with her smile; her long black hair sent cascading over one shoulder, a few stray strands slipping across her lips.

There was a light pause, and she figured that she’d best break it, though before she had the chance to, Daniel spoke.

"So," She heard him start, her eyes moving from the bar, to the entrance, then quickly back to him. "Is this the most... gruesome case you’ve worked so far?"

Riza was about to answer, when he leaned in, his lips only a few inches from hers. Slowly, her back arched, and she gasped softly, she hushed herself though, praying he hadn’t heard. Her fingertips gently dug into her seat, she herself leaning in some. Gently, she bit her lower lip once more, feeling the burning of her blush once again stinging her pale flesh.

“N-no…” She said softly, leaning back into her seat once again, smiling as much as she could right now. “I’ve had worse come in. I mean…this is my first time seeing how mangled a body can be on the field, but I work with autopsies most of the time, gruesome and gory are what I do.”

As she spoke, she felt his arm slipping around her shoulder, and slowly, she leaned into him, her hands placed gently on the space of the seat between the two of them. “I…I’m glad I got to get out on the field…” She said quietly, looking up to him, then back to her own eye level, about his neck and shoulder. “The lab was getting a bit crowded.”

Gently, she leaned into him, resting her head right under his shoulder. Her hands remained on the seat, the only real boundary between the two of them. Her heart was already racing, she could hear it pounding with the erotic beat of the music. The two matched almost perfectly.