danger/u/
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[Setting] Caramel Anne Afterhours

| > With the sun wittled to only a sliver of ray in the sky, Caramel Anne shows to be resisting its closing hours.

> Many of the staff have fallen to their tired body, defeated by the chaos of a dying man outside.

> The patrons, on the other hand, are doing their best to avoid, help, or otherwise act the situation to their wills. Whatever it may be.


| >Anri enters the bathroom without a care
"Hey there, Ai-chan, you called?"
>She speaks with a deadpan voice, as if it were a matter of fact for her to intrude


| >>581947
>Aikawa sees a pair of feet enter the doorway as she continues her efforts to beat the junkie's heart for him. Her eyes follow them upward... to find that they're connected to Anri. Great. All this for a fucking cup of coffee.

"Not... for you... I didn't!!"

>She hollers past the girl into the cafe.

"Can SOMEONE go next door and ask LITERALLY ANY BUSINESS if they have an AED?!"

>The 5th cycle ends, and she stops to check the victim's pulse. This is getting ridiculous.


| >>581996
"Aw come on, love."
>Anri takes a knee to eye the man
"Man, that dude is gone. Surprised he ain't dead yet. Anything I can do to help? Besides going around, can't very well get in trouble right now."


| (Jesus Christ, I leave for one night and this shit got maxed out...love you /cyb/, haven't had this much fun derailing someone's thread since Neko Park ;3)

>>581996

>Just at that moment is when the sirens could be heard, approaching from down the street. GCPD and EMS services have finally arrived on scene, complete with a hover-ambulance ready to float right to the nearest hospital.

>The junkie on the ground, however, has broken ribs from CPR, and his pulse is still absent.


| >The paramedics burst in through the front door, and look around.

"Where is the emergency?!"

>They see the commotion in the bathroom and run over there to see the scene.

"Over here! Over here guys!"

>They run over with a defibrillator and a crew of 7, ready to do whatever they needed.

"Everyone stay clear! We need to come through with a stretcher!

>Everyone besides Aikawa is sort-of nudged out of the way by the paramedics. Their first priority is the life of the dying man.


| >>582035
>The girl pulls up her hood and steps out of the way
"..."
>The flames in her eyes are gone


| >The paramedics begin to pile into the bathroom and fill the compact space as best as they can. One sees the mirror-table, and grabs it with protective gloves on, setting it on the ground carefully in the corner of the room away from everybody.

"Nobody touch that, leave that here for the police to test."

>Said paramedic then put another pair of gloves on, while everyone else begins to set up an AED and get ready to revive the man.

>One turns to...

"...You're...nevermind."


| >Said paramedic looked down to do his job, but the lead female paramedic turned to Aikawa.

"How many cycles? What else have you done? Do you know what the drug is? How severe is the head inj-"

"Not just head, spinal. Keep the spinal cord straight."

">>>Spinal injury? How does it look?"


| >>581867 "Ah."
> It seemed Miro was still a bit shaken up by what had happened at the cafe, and Uni's condition; otherwise he'd probably be more talkative. He drove steadily regardless.
"Well, it's not too much farther... what time do you want me to report in tomorrow?"


| >>582035
>... No ROSC.

"Fuck--!!"

>But really, what else could she expect? Only epinephrine and electricity start the heart again-- "give 'em medicine, or give 'em Edison." She's working blind; and her worry is that if this guy was in an arrhythmia when this started, it's devolved in to asystole now. In plain English, this dude might have fucking flatlined.

>>>"FUCK--!!"

>Aikawa growls, and goes back to performing CPR... then hears the EMTs busting into the cafe. At last!!


| >>582038 >>582060
>That defibrillator sure is a sight for sore eyes. Aikawa is immediately flooded with a sense of relief, and her resolve is renewed. No more buying time; work needs to get done. As the emergency staff file into the room, she does her best not to get distracted and lose her pace. She tries to catch someone's eye so she can have them switch with her and free her up for hand-off.

"Someone else come... break this man's ribs for me...!!"


| >>582064
>As the familiar chatter and bickering in the room begin, Aikawa grits her teeth, feeling her hackles start to raise. Where's a true team lead when you need one?

"Oh my >>>god--"

>... Hers is back at home, unfortunately.

">>>Yes head; assume spine-- will>>>somebody fucking help me... put pads on this guy?! Guys can have... your argument about... what downed him later!! Immobilize his neck; cut his shirt off; fucking>>>move!!"


| >>582064
>Can't leave the rest of the captain's questions unanswered-- that's just rude. Aikawa continues her report with as little berating in between as she can manage.

"6 cycles plus whatever... Impulse did; >>>he gave him IV... caffeine and patched him up... this guy>>>look like he can just stand up and... piss in a cup for a tox screen...?! Leave that shit to the cops!!"

>Minimal berating, huh...


| >The girl watches the paramedic go to the bathroom and she herself smiles with a smirk, pulling up her phone and dialing someone
"Yeah Paramedics got here, I got the sample though--"
>She leaves, ending the call and making her key chains spin around as she walks away
"Too easy"
>Exit Scene


| >>582121
(Whoa whoa whoa. Excuse me? No you didn't. You didn't even RP that out. The paramedics specifically grabbed the mirror and set it in the corner. You don't get to walk up and mary sue your way into a scene like that. You literally walked into the scene like you belonged here and knew what was going on, when this is a random cafe in a random part of town with a random junkie and a random drug. You would have zero way of even knowing that this isn't actually K or something.)


| (There's no way that isn't mary suing or extremely situational that you would have even known that this was a new drug, or that you would have had any reason to even be here in the first place. You're gonna have to explain yourself, because without a good reason I'm not letting you take a sample. Nice try.)


| >>582144
(Discord helps fix these kind of things, you know who I am, hmu)


| >>582142
(Situation resolved, it was a placement misunderstanding, The samples have been got but the paramedics will notice the drug having gone missing, this will bear consequences, discussion fixes things folks)


| >>582145 >>582148

(Yep, everything resolved folks, we're good. ^^)


| >Anri is still standing outside the bathroom, yawning as she taps her phone
"Hey, Atronach, I need you to do something for me, plox. Aw come on, don't be like this, I promise I'm not the culprit this time, guy OD'd on his damn own."
>She laughs
"Well, fine then, get Lili on the line, or Face. Thanks."


| >Just then a hovercraft lands somewhere close to the cafe, and a moment later, a small team of armed people in combat gear comes through the door, on their plate carriers is a patch that reads "NDSec" and on their arms are a small badge with the same writings. One of them also has a red cross patch under the arm patch
"NDSec Trauma Team, we have been reported that there is an emergency here"
>One if them shout


| >>582198
>Aikawa hears shouting from outside the bathroom, announcing the arrival of even more medics. Too many cooks spoil the kitchen. She groans loudly-- whose bright idea was it to summon an entire trauma team to the cafe?! 7 (well, technically 8) emergency personnel resuscitating one (1) doped up scummer is already way, way past overkill as it is. Once one of these teams takes over-- and she couldn't care less which-- it's time to slot and run.

"Ugh, fuck this..."


| (Will reply today guys, moving so I'm pretty busy ^^")


| >>582108
"Here, let me take over-"
>Quickly, one of the paramedics hopped in to relieve Aikawa of compression duty.
>>582112
>As Aikawa was demanding so, one of the paramedics was already cutting the shirt off while the other begins setting the defibrillator pads into place. This team seems to know what they are doing, at least.
>>582114
">>>Caffeine? Who in the hell gave a guy with a name like>>>Impulse caffeine IVs? Jesus Christ."
>The team lead was upset, but still determined.


| >>582198
>As NDSec entered the cafe, the paramedics couldn't help but hear them enter, but they were already in the middle of attempting to revive the man. The team lead stood up to confront the newcomers while the rest of the paramedics continued to turn on the AED and prepare it for activation.

"You've been reported too late, corpmeds. We've already got this. We appreciate the assistance, but there's nothing more you can really help with. Who called you?"


| >As she looked back towards the patient, she pondered for a moment.

"Actually...there is something you could help with. Do you happen to have illicit substance testing equipment on hand? We were going to wait for the police, but you could test the drug for us in the meantime while we revive this guy."


| >>582429
>Finally able to step away from the patient, Aikawa quickly scuttles out of the other paramedic's path. She leans into the adjacent wall, not able to stand at her full height immediately-- stopping to rest with her hands on her knees while she watches the team get their equipment ready. When the pads are finally applied, her expression becomes tense.

"IV start kit-- need a way to push epi-- hand it over!!"

>She extends an arm, opens her palm, and waits.


| >>582430 >>582439
>She hopes to god they don't have to push /anything/-- because if they end up needing to, it means the night's going to get even longer. She hopes-- no, /prays/ for a shockable rhythm to trace on the monitor. "If we can shock 'em, we can save 'em..."

"..."

>And if they can't... all they can do is compressions and epi, until someone either calls a time of death, or the patient beats the incredible odds stacked against them and regains a pulse.


| >>582431
"Of course, that is a part of what we are here for, where is this drug needed for testing"
>The same guy says, before calling out to one of the non-medic guy to grab the testing equipment


| >>582080
"Uni has the schedule. Guess how she is now?"

> Lucetta gestures to Uni, who is currently staring emptily into an unseen distance. She seems to respond to presence of the two people in the front row now, but she does nothing to react to their voice.

"If you wanna' come, all you'll be doing is helping Uni with her chores anyway. You know, go-here-go-there-everywhere."


| >The pink haired girl is still talking on the phone, all the while fixated on the bathroom door
"Lili, if I call you. It's... please stop crying..."


| >>582459 "I can do that. She... is going to be alright, right?"
> He made a turn as they neared their destination.


| >>582439 >>582440
>As the AED is turned onto defibrillator mode, and prepares to shock, the paramedics back away.
"STAND CLEAR! Shocking in 3...2...1...Now!"
>The man's chest convulsed as he was shocked with enough electricity to fry the average person, and luckily enough, the heart monitor on the AED began to restore a beat!
>It seems that, for now, his heart was successfully brought back. This junkie must've had a miracle in store for him...
"Check for breathing!"


| >As they begin to look and check if he is breathing...
"Guys, he's not breathing though!"
>They quickly begin to go through the process of checking for breathing constrictions, such as anything blocking the airway.

>>582446
The team lead turns to the corpomeds:
"I'll get it to you in a second, can you guys go grab a stretcher?! He needs evac right now!"
>She then spurs into action to go with NDSec and grab a stretcher for the man. Now that his pulse is back, he can be transported.


| >>582597 >>582599
"I want a spine board and an LMA!! Get him on there; put him on the stretcher-- where's the BVM?!"

>Aikawa retrieves her phone from Ray and starts barking instructions at the EMTs, while the team lead works with the NDSec medics. Gotta establish an airway, and fast-- the longer he goes without one, the less brain cells he wakes up with... if he wakes up. Pre-hospital intubation is a specialty of Aikawa's, but right now she's opting for something more simple.


| >>582659
>Without hesitation, she unlocks her phone and calls one of the few numbers she has on speed dial, wedging it between her ear and her shoulder to keep her hands free. When the line connects, she doesn't give the person on the other end time to speak:

"Expect. TBI, SCI--"

>She falters as the recipient answers, then slowly looks around the room as if she's seeing it for the first time. She listens for a minute, then goes to hang up.

"... Call you later."

>That's right.


| >>582663
>She slips her phone into her pocket, looking a bit dejected, and lost. That's right. This isn't a job anymore. It's just a hobby.

"..."

>The anger comes surging back, but the spark that was in her eyes before the call has lost some of its life.

"Laryngeal mask airway!! Bag valve mask!! Let's >>>GO!!"

>She snaps, and the crisp click echoes within the bathroom.


| >The pink haired girl has finished her call and still stands guard outside the bathroom
"... yup, that's the spirit."
>With every second, Anri Germain found herself looking forward to the next


| >The team lead sighs. Clearly, the one who got fired still thinks she's on the job. However, she was right about these things being necessary, so she ran back into the bathroom.

"Didn't you hear?! We need equipment, let's GO!"

>Three of the paramedics leave the bathroom to go and get the equipment, which is precisely when the GCPD began to enter the building.

"Okay, everyone that does >>>NOT need to be here, CLEAR THE AREA! Anybody who knows anything about this, come see me!"


| >These barking orders came from an older sergeant, with clearly dyed black hair to cover the grey patches and a black moustache over his lip in the same shade. His skin, however, showed his age more than the rest of the area.

"We need to shut down the Cafe for the time being. Everyone in here who was here at the time of the accident, come see me. Everyone else needs to leave, right this instant. This is a crime scene."

>Something has gone subtly unnoticed about this situation.


| >The pink haired girl nods once, that's her cue
>She stays outside the door, hiding in the dark recess of the corridor


| >As soon as the junkie's heart restarted, instantly, the Matrix connection once again cut out. Anyone connected is no longer connected for the time being.


| >The paramedics re-entered the building with all of the equipment necessary, as well as the stretcher. It seems NDSec was a little too slow. However, the paramedic team lead turned to the corpomeds as they walked by:

"Talk to the police about how you can help, we're a little busy."

>The sergeant quickly whistled.

"Where's the owner of this place?"


| >>582675
"Let me."

> Ray steps out of the commotion and knocks on the staff room. He seems wary, knowing his boss' attitude in this moment of distress. Of course, it was obvious he would receive a loud shout of "WHAT?!" after his act.

"The medics need you for something!"

"…Yeah! Tell them I'll be out in a zap."

> He backs out, echoing what Alice said from behind the room.


| "Not this drek again..." >The asian woman mutters as the cafe loses access to the Matrix.


| >>582578
"I never had her on a full disconnect. I have no clue."

> Lucetta's own words were unsure. Although she spoke in a brisk monotone, she expresses a strong concern, shown by her own nonverbal communication.

"I can always fix her. And you can always come to work. That's the deal between her. I haven't got the papers to sign, but this is under secrecy. Got that?"


| >>582680

>The sergeant sighs.

"Okay, then >>>you talk to me. Were you here? Did you see what happened?"

>Meanwhile, the paramedics finally entered the bathroom with the spinal board, stretcher, LMA and BVM. They begin to prepare him for artificial breathing, as well as for putting him on the stretcher. The process goes quickly, and before they know it, he is on the stretcher, preparing to be moved into the hover medevac.


| >>582685
> Ray shakes his head. Rapidly. Then point to Sora, which Sora received not-so-kindly.

"The hell, man?!"

"You're the one that saw it first!"

> Despite his hatred for the situation as a whole, Sora takes his steps from the counter, showing beside Ray for convenience and because he looks to be ready to deal with whatever Ray throws at him.

"Don't think nobody saw nothing. He's been like that when I first found him."

> Sora says.


| >>582689

>The GCPD sergeant approached Sora, but recognized that he was stressed out.

"Relax son, take a deep breath. Collect your thoughts, purge your emotions, then start fron the beginning. If you need to cry, cry for a second, but then please, tell me what happened tonight?"

>You could tell he had the experience of someone who's dealt with first-timer crime scene witnesses many times. He was somehow both patient and urgent in his voice. He needed answers, but wasn't inhuman.


| >>582685
>Aikawa sighs once the scummer's airway is secured, and wipes the sweat from her brow with the back of her forearm. The summer heat and the small space of the bathroom, combined with seemingly endless compressions have not been kind to her. She's drenched in sweat. She pulls some of the damp fabric of her t-shirt away from her chest, and makes a face.

"Gross."

>She staggers out of the bathroom, looking to the counter for her companion.

>>582682
"... How's the coffee?"


| (I'm a little busy so I can't reply today, sorry
-Impulse)


| >>582697
(That's fine, you will still be able to talk to the police, even if the junkie and paramedics leave the scene.)


| >>582683 "Got it."
> He decided not to ask exactly WHAT Uni was, even if he was curious. She didn't look like a lilim.
"I was just worried. I'm worried about the people back at the cafe too, but I guess there's nothing I can do about that."
> He made another turn. By now they were a few minutes away, if that.
"I'll be here to help with whatever you need tomorrow morning. Hopefully before long I'll have my car here and I'll be able to get back and forth on more short notice."


| >>582692

"Delicious, thanks." >She says, smiling.

"Are you alright?"


| >>582692

>As the paramedic gets up, the chummer with the green mohawk pulls out a phone and plays with it.


| >>582691
> Sora takes the deepest breath he can do, given the situation, he isn't able to take any proper ones — let alone a deep breath.

"When I… like… when I found him, he is like that. He only came for the bathroom, then… what was that again?"

> As he speaks, Alice is already walking towards him — grouping the remaining Caramel Anne staff into one place.

"—Lady. A lady came in a gas mask. After that, there was a loud banging inside."

> She continues Sora's report.


| >>582703
>Aikawa stretches her neck to each side, producing an impressive series of popping noises that would make every grandma who told you "don't crack your knuckles" roll over in their graves. She makes her way over to where the bespectacled woman sits, dragging her feet as she walks.

"..."

>She plops herself into the seat near where she left her drum, and turns to qipao lady.

"I'm fi--"

>She realizes she can't make that sound convincing, so... she drops it.

"... Tired."


| >>582700
"I know you've got questions. And I've got answers. Some answers."

> Lucetta's eyes glow a dim, noticeable red. It grows stronger as Uni can be seen to try voicing something.

"That's why I hope you don't regret working for me."

> She turns to Miro, giving a wide smile for him. Her red eyes can be seen with clarity.

"Instruct: Public key; Uni, rollback. One hour."

> A whirring sound is heard in the back, where Uni is now.


| >>582714 > Miro wasn't sure what to think about the eyes. Vampires weren't real, right? Childish thoughts aside, he once again decided not to ask.
"I'll save my questions for tomorrow."
> The driveway came into view, and the GPS directed Miro to it.
"Well, one question, if it isn't a bad time to ask... I should probably know how much I'm getting paid working for you."
> He ran over some figures in his head. Rent was 10k a month, and he had enough for a few, not counting food etc.


| >>582721
"I said SOME answers."

> Lucetta clearly wasn't the one who manages the budget around the household. Of course, seeing her aloof attitude, one can only assume she cares very little about such manners.

"Uni did say she has that in tabs. Don't worry tho, I won't leave you living on the streets eating soy. I'm not THAT cruel, ya-know."

> Meanwhile, the whirring sound kept playing. It sounds ever so close to a ticking gear, except faster.


| >>582776 "Fair enough."
> He parked the car. By now he was acutely aware of the whirring. He glanced at Uni before getting out. An image of a ticking time bomb appeared in his mind, though he quickly dismissed it. He theorized that the 'rollback' meant she was going to be restored to how she was before the incident, somehow... or something like that.
"Yeah... definitely going to have some questions tomorrow... though I guess most of this is none of my business."


| >>582778 > After he got out, he opened the door for her.
"Well, unless there's anything else you need, I should head home now."
> He gave a brief, respectful bow.


| >>582779
> As Lucetta was coming out of the car, Uni too — in a state of daze — followed. She looked at her surrounding, spotting Lucetta and a stranger by her Master's side.

"Wh—… Master? Have you arrived early?"

> Lucetta gave only a pat on the shoulders, then dismissed Miro with a wave.

"I'll see ya' around, new guy. Don't be too stiff, ya-hear?"


| >>582786 > Uni's reaction seemed to confirm Miro's theory. This was all very strange.
"Alright. Have a safe night, you two!"
He gave a wave and began his walk/jog home. Hopefully tonight would be relatively safe for him.


| >>582787
"Your acquaintance I am not aware of, Master?"

> As Miro leaves, Uni turns to Lucetta, wondering who or what the person might be to her Master.

"It's a new guy. I did the interview expertly. Like, without you. None. Did it all by myself."

> Lucetta proudly announces before she herself took a route home. Uni following behind, still dazed.

"Is that… Mr. Fox?"

"Oh yeah. I think. Was it Fox? You should introduce his name to me later."

"Master…"


| >>582675
>One of the NDSec medic(The ones with the red cross band) nodded, two non-medic walks outside to find the GCPD


| (What happened to the drug again? I forgot)


| >>582799
((>>582121 Sock girl took some of it; paramedics have placed the mirror table it was on towards the back corner of the bathroom iirc))


| >>582711

>The asian woman offers her coffee.


| >Aikawa looks on as the sergeant continues to grill Ray and Sora for answers, and as the paramedics load the source of the night's "excitement" onto the stretcher. Some of their faces look familiar-- perhaps they had been starting around the time she was terminated. Let this be a lesson, kids: don't kidnap your patients for their safety. It's not worth it. Her eyes then drift towards the street punk a few seats down from her. Whew. What a hairstyle. How'd she miss him earlier?


| >>582900
>Aikawa is brought out of her melancholy by the scent of the coffee she's being offered. She places a palm over her eyes, trying to rub the heaviness out of her lids, then brings her gaze to the cup in front of her... and the woman holding it.

"..."

>She feels herself beginning to grow flushed-- and not from the heat or her hard work earlier. Always been bad with pretty women. She takes the mug, and nods before she has a sip.

"T-thanks."

>She's right. It is good.


| >>582904

>The woman gently raises an eyebrow. She's about to inquire if Aikawa is alright, until something dawns to her- causing her to involuntarily redden too. She breaks eye contact, looking for something else to settle on.

"I-It's nothing," >She says, as she watches the corpers leave,

"If anything, I should be thanking *you* for the coffee- and, um, taking... you know, everything, so well..."


| >>582916
>It's like a positive feedback loop of embarrassment-- the more the woman's face colors and she stumbles over her words, the closer Aikawa's cheeks draw to the crimson shade of her qipao. She clears her throat, and takes another sip.

"D-don't mention it."

>No, literally, don't. Aikawa reflects on how foolish she must have seemed screaming for coffee in the middle of CPR.

"Wanted at least one of us to enjoy the place."

>She rubs the back of her neck with her free hand.


| >>582916
"Everything?"

>What? Does she mean what took place in the bathroom just now? Or... what led to Aikawa stepping in?


| >>582926 >>582927

>She nods and rubs her non prosthetic arm with her prosthetic one.

"...it wasn't, um, an exactly... peaceful place when you first arrived. Far from it, actually." >She sighs.

"Then, of course, everything would *blow up* soon after." >A beat.

"We really appreciate what you and Roy did for the kids, you know?"


| >>582931
"... Not exactly like we came from a peaceful situation."

>Aikawa sets the cup down in between the two of them, thinking it rude to polish it off. It's amazing how much more mild-mannered she becomes around company like this.

"..."

>Things blowing up? She must be referring to Roy having a conniption over those... new acquaintances they've made.

"Glad we could be of some help. Walker... he does much better with kids than me."

>"Kinda cute," she thinks to herself.


| >Annoyed by how long the two PMC took, the combat medic tell another guy to find the two he sent earlier guy


| >>582943

"Hm? You say that, but I think you handled Meiko pretty well."

>The woman gently takes the coffee and sips from it.

"She was gushing over the dressing you wrapped her in."


| >>582974
>Aikawa raises her eyebrows in surprise, and the tiniest hint of a grin plays at her lips.

"... Y'don't say."

>Patching the kid up had been an interesting experience-- after all, the nature of Aikawa's work isn't really tending to "boo-boos" or soothing hurt feelings along with skinned knees and elbows. Leave that shit to someone else... is what she normally would have said, but for some reason she'd found herself thinking differently that time.


| >>583011
"Long as the others don't get jealous and start doing stuff to get their own..."

>She had been afraid that drawing the smiley face on the little one's dressing (at Roy's suggestion) was going to attract jealousy from her friends-- which would mean Aikawa would end up burning through what little medical supplies she had left in the blink of an eye.

"Don't let 'em get any ideas."


| >>583013
"I sure am jealous, Ai-chan."
>The pink haired girl eminces herself into your conversation from a short distance away
"Hey there, mind if I borrow her for juuuust a sec?"
>She asks the women in the china dress


| >>583011 >>583013

>The asian woman smiles...

>...for all of three seconds, dropping into a neutral glare when the pink-haired girl appears. >>583017

"...do you know each other?"


| >>583024
"By name. I just need teb mins, won't do anything weird."
>Her gaze is dead
"Pinky promise?"


| >>583024 >>583017
"... We've met. Wouldn't say I know her."

>Aikawa's gaze at her companion is steady-- she seems to be trying to communicate something-- a warning. "Be on your guard," her unwavering stare seems to say.

"Don't care to, neither."

>She addresses Anri, her voice flat, like her expression.

"I mind. Thanks for asking."

>Her eyes narrow.

"Rude to interrupt."


| >>583041
"Well, I'm sorry, but I honestly just want a word. If you feel unsafe, I'll let your friend tag along, how about it?"
>She sighs
"Or if you want to, I can just call you, so long as I'm not shouting in a café."


| >>583046
>Aikawa raises her chin and an eyebrow as she looks towards the woman next to her, as if to say, "What d'you think?"

"... No way in hell am I letting you have any record of my number in your phone. Don't carry a burner on me, either."

>What she does carry on her, however, is her compact dummy barrier. She fishes this out of the jacket tied around her waist, and clicks it into place on the back of her neck.


| >One of the asian woman's hands slides surreptitiously off the table...

>>583046

"...if you don't mind, my friend has had a very long day, and already expressed a disinterest in speaking with you."

>Her face remains neutral- uncomfortably so.

"I ask that you leave both of us alone. Now."


| >>583053
"And what if I say no? You're going to stab me, Miss Ally of Justice?"
>She sighs
"Well, if you refuse so intentely, I don't plan on losing my time. But I hate the way you look down on me like a pest."
>Her eyes are alit with raw hatred
"You're no better. Now tell me, will you listen to me, or do you refuse out of fear?"


| >>583058

"There's no such thing as justice." >The asian woman responds, her voice level.

"But I see that even a pest can be self aware."


| >>583059
>Her gaze goes back to empty
"A boring answer fit for someone who's given up."
>She sighs deeply
"Well, Aikawa, will you listen to my words, or will you not? No matter your answer, I won't do anything to you or your friends."


| >>582710

>As the Caramel Anne staff grouped together to speak to the sergeant, he listened intently to Sora.
"So you're saying you saw a lady who looked like a stripper in a gas mask walk into the bathroom, and after she left, you heard a thud and found himvlike this?"

>Another cop behind him of lower rank was writing this all down, as the sargeant continued.

"Okay, are there cameras here that we could view to identify these people? Where's the owner?"


| >Meanwhile, as this is happening is when the paramedics finally begin to pull the junkie out of the bathroom and wheel him to the ambulance. He is being artificially breathed for by a paramedic, but as they get to the door, the paramedic holding the mask trips on a chair, falling and taking the mask painfully off with him!

"Jesus Christ, what are you new?!"

>The Junkie's exposed face on the stretcher reveals a slight trace of the powder residue on his nostril.


| >>582798

>The NDSec personnel outside find two GCPD talking with the paramedics.

"You must be the ones that arrived to help with the test kits. Here, let's go get the mirror, we'll test it and see what we can find."

>The cops walk into the building just as the paramedic falls.

"Holy shit, are you okay?"

>The cops swoop down for one second to help the fallen paramedic up.

>The junkie is now in the middle of the cafe, on a stretcher.


| >>583061
>Aikawa runs a hand over her face, looking upwards and pulling her skin taught as she does so. She just wants to leave. That's all she wants. She wanted to come here unrecognized, grab her shit, and leave. Now, she's being badgered by some "harmless" murderer. This bratty, unstoppable and insatiable killer schtick is getting old, fast.

"We can't talk here?"


| >>583063
"You're looking at her."

> Alice answered, then she points to the one lonesome camera installed by the entrance of the cafe.

"We only have that."


| >>583066
>Aikawa cups a hand around her mouth and shouts to the paramedics over the top of Anri's head:

"Hey, get that airway back in!! He's gonna be a >>>vegetable!!"

>The cadence of her voice makes it sound like she's heckling a bad standup act, or booing an opposing sports team. She's established she's in the sidelines now; this is /their/ show that must go on.

>>583061
"... We talk, we stay in plain view of >>>everyone in this bar."


| >>583066
>The NDSec operatives goes inside after the cops
>And one of the medics inside approaches the cops
"I'm Ross Klanx, head of NDSec Second Trauma team"

>>583130
>One of another medic rush to do just that


| >>583079
"Well, I just don't enjoy being so near the cops, you see. I don't want to cause any more issues to the establishment."
>She scratches the back of her neck
"So?"


| >>583157
"Harassing and causing >>>me and>>>her issues's fine, though. Right."

>Aikawa folds her arms across her chest and jerks a thumb towards the woman next to her. She looks down her nose at Anri, the frown on her face beginning to deepen.

"Really don't know what you want with me."

>What she said in >>583130 still applies.


|


| >>583144

>The NDSec medic runs in to put the help airway back into the junkie. The cops continue to help the other paramedic up, getting him back up quickly, as another paramedic grabs the mask. As the NDSec medic puts the air valve back in, he gets some of the powder on the junkie's nose on his hand.

"Jesus man, go wash that shit off!"

>>583130

>The team-lead hears Aikawa.

"Don't try to tell me how to do the job that >>>you got fired from, lady! At least I still have a job!"


| >>583117

>The cop sighs.

"Jesus, this is a fucking mess...Please, can we get the tape from that camera, so we can identify this girl who walked in?"

>He then looks around the Cafe, and yells loudly.

"I don't think you heard me, EVERYONE FUCKING OUT OF THIS CAFE, RIGHT NOW! This is a goddamned crime scene! Out, NOW!"

>>583144

>He turns to Ross.

"These people just don't fucking listen. Anyway, come with me, let's test the sample."


| >He turns back to Alice.

"Thank you for your cooperation, another cop will be in to get the camera tape, I need to go do my job. This had to have been hard om you guys, why don't you close the Cafe for the rest of the night and let your employees go home? They look traumatized, especially that one."

>He points to Sora.

"If you guys need, we offer crime-scene therapy and counseling services. You can get the number from my partner when he comes in for the tapes."


| "Come on, Ross."

>As the paramedics get the mask and valve back into the junkie, they take him out of the front door and to the ambulance. Coincidentally, as this happens, Matrix service begins to restore itself to the Cafe. The signal interference is, it seems, gone.

>The cop walks over to the bathroom, with the NDSec head in tow.


| >>583339
>The mocking ends abruptly as Aikawa experiences the verbal equivalent of a slap in the face.

"..."

>She's rendered mute by an unsightly amalgam of rage, regret, and humiliation. The heat swells in her face, showing on her cheeks, her ears.

"..."

>Her jaw works furiously as she tries to say /something/ in response-- anything-- don't think, just act--!

"... Hell of a way to say 'thanks for carrying me and my team'; fucking >>>arrogant >>>glitch!!!"


| >>583346
>The cop promptly turns around.

"I SAID, GET THE FUCK OUT OF THE CAFE, FOR THE LAST GODDAMN TIME! What are these people fucking deaf?!"

>He facepalms.

"Before we test the sample, we get everyone the hell out of here.

>He walks up to the little girl, Aika and the Asian lady.

"Out. Now. This is a crime scene. Come on. Let's go."

>He points to the punk with the mohawk on the side, as the younger cop walks over to him.

"Party's over, you need to leave sir."


| >The cops begin to shoo out everyone inside the cafe to the front doors. They are evacuating the scene.


| >Meanwhile, the paramedics have already loaded the junkie into the ambulance, and they started it before promptly driving away, floating through the sky and into the night towards the hospital. The junkie has left the scene.


| >>583349
>Aikawa grabs her box drum and slings it forcefully over her shoulder, the case coming just shy of hitting the sergeant's side. She motions to the woman in the qipao, and places a credstick on the counter before sliding out of her seat. Her feet hit the floor a tad more forcefully than intended.

"... Save your breath. Happy to leave."

>She puts her flat cap on, pulling the brim back into place so that it shades her eyes.


| >>583354
>Anri sends a glare to the paramedics before following a step behind Aikawa
"Well, like I said. I just want a word, nothing more. After I'm done, we can each go our own way, chances are you'll never see me again."
>She seems to be growing impatient
"I can't force you to listen, and I won't. I get that I come off as a threat, and it's true that I'm not really trustworthy from how you see things. But please."


| >>583354

>No need to ask her twice. The asian woman follows close behind and moves to put herself between Aikawa and >>583359 Anri.


| >>583359

"Hey, I said you need to leave, follow your...friends here or not, but you need to get going."

>The sergeant spoke to Anri, seeing that Aikawa and the other girl were already walking away. He turned to check if the punk on the other side of the Cafe was also getting up and leaving.


| >>583359
>Aikawa is at the end of her pitiful rope at this point: exhausted, feeling as if she's been eviscerated-- the subject of disdain-- it's all compounding on itself and amounting to be more than she can take. As soon as they're outside the cafe and away from the exiting crowd, Aikawa whirls around and slams her hands down on Anri's shoulders.

"WHAT?! >>>WHAT?!"

>Her throat is already raw from all the screaming she did earlier. This hurts.

"THE FUCK DO YOU WANT?!"

>Tears.


| >>583364

>The asian woman bites her bottom lip as she watches Aikawa break down.


| >>583364
>For the first time, you can see Anri's eyes soften, as if some shred of emotion still remained somewhere in her lifeless eyes, trapped by some unknown force
"... I just wanted to thank you, Aikawa."
>Her voice is softer now
"You, and your partner saved the life of the person for which I care most in this world. It might feel unwarranted to you, but I honestly cannot rest without repaying this debt. Even if it wasn't your intention to help me, you did."


| >>583364 >>583366 >>583368

>The sergeant decided not to touch this scene, they were finally out of the Cafe. This just left one person...

>He walked over to the punk.

"Hey, didn't you hear me, like, four times? You gotta leave. Now."


| >>583368 >>583366
>Anri can feel Aikawa's fingers start to loosen their grip as her hands tremble... eventually leading to the rest of her body doing the same.

"..."

>This is too much. It's too much. She lifts a hand from one of Anri's shoulders, and drags her forearm across her face to wipe at her eyes before she cradles her face in her palm, shaking her head. How should she feel right now...? She wishes she knew.

"..."

>"しょうがない。"


| >>583370

>The punk appears to be talking to the air, his eyes focused elsewhere.

"...ousand nuyen. Aight. Nice doing business with ya, chummer." >He finishes as the officer approaches. His eyes flash and he notices you for the first time.

"Fuck you want pig?" >He says as he turns toward you and starts moving toward the exit.


| >>583372

"..."

>Clearly, there was something up with that guy, but it wasn't the sergeant's job or department to interview everybody at the scene. All he needed was enough info to figure out what happened to the junkie, and all he needed for that was camera footage and the sample of the drug. The guy probably had nothing to do with it, and if he did, the footage would show it.

>He shrugged as the last patron of the Cafe left the building, leaving the staff, NDSec and the cops.


| "Alright, finally..."

>He pointed to Ross, the NDSec lead.

"Now, we can test the substance. Let's go see the bathroom."

>The younger cop, who was writing the story down, walked back over to Alice and the staff of the Caramel Anne.

"Okay, why don't we get this camera footage situation worked out, eh? We can all go home after this."


| >>583376
"Ray, do you know where Horace usually have his keys?"

"Should be in the slit in the counter somewhere."

"Gotcha."

> Alice nodded, as though excusing herself, then walked off to find a key for something. There's more to it, however, as the 'key' she mentions is an ID card; which she shows to the other staff.

"All right boys, recording's by the staff room."


| >>583371
>Anri looks unsure of what to do, as if the emotions you were feeling right now were fully foreign to her, like her entire being oozed unease
>After sending the asian women a glance, she put one hand on Aikawa's back
"I'm... sorry. But I had to at least tell you."


| >>583394
>In the distant parts of her conscious, Aikawa can't help but wonder who Anri's talking about. Does she want to know? Would that make it better? Worse? More, or less meaningful?

"..."

>At a loss for words, she struggles to find some, anyway.

"... Okay."

>It seems to be the only word that fits-- something indicative of acceptance of the situation at hand. Aikawa can't bring herself to say much else without somehow being dishonest. She squeezes Anri's shoulder, and nods.


| >>583395
>Anri lets out a deep breath
"Thank you."
>Her eyes seem much kinder than before
"Thank you..."


| >>583396
>She continues to nod, and removes her hand from her face. Her cheeks are ruddy, but they've stayed dry. The dam is still holding, if only just barely.

"... I'll tell him?"

>She figures she doesn't need to specify who she means when she says "him". He might be able to process this better than Aikawa is right now, anyway. If anyone would know the right way to respond, it'd be Roy.


| >>583393

>The younger cop goes with Alice to see the recording.

"Must've been hectic. I have cards with numbers for people to contact if they feel like they need to talk to someone about this. Thanks for your cooperation, by the way."


| >>583400
"Yeah, I... I'm just going to close the cafe later for a week-long break or something. Those kids can't handle these or that."

> As they enter the staff room, aside from the several tables and lockers strewn about, a flat, wide TV can be seen by the right edge of the room. It is accompanied by a table underneath it, a nodescript box with toggles, switches, and key input on top.

"Here ya' go. Bit old, but it works."

> She waves ID card on the box, powering the TV.


| >>583340 >>583376
"Alright, Mister"
>Ross, along with the other two medic, follow the cop. The rest of the group stay behind to guard the door, in case anybody try to get in


| >>583401

>The cop observes the TV screen, watching it whir up.

"How is the footage stored, does it get recorded on a hard drive somewhere, or is it like, uploaded to a server?"

>>583405

>The sergeant walked over to the bathroom with the NDSec crew in tow, and gloved up to pick up the mirror.

"Wait a minute..."

>He looked at the mirror carefully.

"This is the kind of makeshift table used for a powder drug, but powdered drugs always leave residue...Where is it?"


| >He observed it carefully, and turned around to Sora.

"Hey, was there powder left on this table when you walked into the bathroom? Like, not enough for a full line, but some residue?"

>Christ! He forgot to ask the paramedics about it!

"God damnit, god damnit god damnit...I think someone took the rest of the substance at some point, there's nothing left here. No sample."

>He turned to Ross.

"Did you happen to see anything about this? Was there anything there to test earlier?"


| >>583476
"Actually, no. This is the first time we enter here too"
>Ross answered


| >>583475
"It's in the storage."

> Alice looked at the box. The buttons took her more than a minute to figure out, being confusing with the labels and all — but a button press turns off the TV whilst popping off a storage medium from the top of the box, similar to a cartridge of an old game console.

"There's the storage. Horace is one with the technobabble stuff, questions go straight to him; assuming we can even connect."


| >>583481

"Shit, shit...Someone took it, I know it."

>The sergeant was now extremely frustrated.

"Knew I should've questioned that punk with the mohawk...Or maybe it wasn't him, godDAMNIT!"

>He looked at the mirror table, and then back to Ross.

"Well, sorry you brought your crew out here for nothing then, Ross. Junkie's gone, and there's no sample to test, so we don't need you for anything else. You can send your guys home. I need to see this camera footage..."


| >With a heavy sigh, he reached out to shake Ross's hand.

"Thanks for the support, anyway."

>>583542

"That's fine. Can we just keep that tape? We prefer to upload our evidence to a digital server, makes it easier to manage than...well, all of this, no offense. We'll send you over a digital copy to watch when we're done processing it."

>The younger cop spoke, as he looked at the entire setup. He couldn't help but think how hard it would be to deal with all of that outdated tech.


| >>583589
"Hold on"
>One of the younger medic speaks up, it's the one who reconnected the junkie's air valve
"I got some of the substance on my glove when I was reconnecting the valve, can this be used for testing?"
>The medic show the cop his glove, which is partly covered in the powdered drug


| >>583398
>Anri shows a weak smile
"Please. And I know it might not mean much but... If you ever need my help,"
>She hands Aikawa a card with a phone number scribbled on it
"Don't hesitate to call me. Although I hope you'll never need to."


| >>583589
"Offence not taken. Didn't say this is a good setup. Just that it works."

> Alice takes out the storage tape, analysing it before slotting it back to where it was. The TV turns back on, now showing the live feed of the cafe from the sole camera's perspective.


| >>583628

>The sergeant turned to the medic, and breathed a sigh of relief.

"That should suffice! Thank goodness. Do you guys have a test kit, or do you want me to grab mine? We'll deal with whoever took the rest of the sample later."

>>583717

>The younger cop looked at Alice put the tape back in.

"Don't...we need that tape for the footage? If I'm understanding this correctly, that's where its at isn't it?"


| >>583806
"We've got the test kit"
>The third medic take out a small portable rest kit


| >>583715
>Aikawa nods mutely, and takes the card-- turning it over a few times before she removes her phone from her pocket, and takes a quick photo of the number scrawled haphazardly over the stiff paper. She gently places the card back in Anri's hand, careful not to make it seem like she's refusing the girl's offer, as that isn't necessarily the case.

"... Might lose this; better if you keep it."

>>583366
>She glances at her companion, her expression weary.

"... Let's go."


| >>583806
"I was making sure. Sometimes it breaks after being ejected."

> Alice ejects the tape again, trying to be as careful as possible, seeing that neither this nor the recording box is within her realm of expertise.

"—The guy handling this left hours ago. We were closing 'fter all."


| >>583831
>On the reverse side of the cards is a set of words: "Rio Ashina" along with the phrase:
>"Call me anytime, for anything. I can at least lend an ear."
>Anri takes the card back and bows a little before leaving


| >>583831

>The asian woman nods- as they leave, she looks back every so often, watching the pink haired girl.


| >>583812

>The sergeant sighed in relief, as he looked at the test kit.

"Scrape a little bit of the powder into the testing tube, then drop a couple droplets of the reagent into it. That's a field kit, so it should hopefully tell us what it is if its one of the more popular substances. It won't tell us if its a novel substance or at what purity, but we can at least narrow down what >>>kind of drug it is using this. Just don't touch the reagent liquid with your hands, it burns."


| >>583832

"Oh, understood miss. I'll be careful with it."

>The younger cop smiled as he took the cartridge carefully.

"Here's some of the contact cards for our crime sceme therapy service. You can hand them out to your employees, just so they can consider it."

>He pulled out a stack of cards to hand to Alice.

"Thank you for your cooperation, again. When we get a copy of the footage, we'll send it over to you digitally."


| >>584097
>The medic did as the sergeant said, scraping a small amount of the powdered drug into the tube, followed by some reagent


| >>584098
"Happy to help. Just between you, I don't want my cafe to be known as a junkie's death yard. Anything that helps me from that I'll do."

> Alice answered while taking the cards. She glances at them, before taking back her focus to the cop.

"I'll get those two into one of these. Guess they won't be all okay from what went today. Except for Ray; guy's a weird one."


|


| >>584253

>When the reagent hit the powder, it instantly turned a dark orange color for about 10 seconds, before darkening to a black color. The sergeant checked the chart for what result that could've been, but...

"That's not on here. That test reaction isn't on this chart. Whatever that stuff is, it isn't a drug which our test kits know to test for. The only other drug which turns an orange color like this is ketamine, but it doesn't turn black...This is something new."


| >He sighed.

"Well, our only other option is to send it off to a lab to get it properly tested. Our field kits are useless against this stuff...That throws a wrench in things."

>He looks to Ross.

"Alright, well, again, thank you for your help, but there's not really much more to do here. You guys can all go home, I'll send this glove off to the lab and they'll test the substance further from there. You've done more than needed, so you have my thanks."


| >He stuck his hand out to Ross for a handshake.

"I'll make sure you guys get compensation for helping me today, and for the resources you spent to get here."

>>584264

"Sadly, junkies like that are common in Glitch City. Its a common trick to go into public bathrooms to get high on whatever their drug of choice is, since they're often the closest source of an anonymous lockable door for homeless folk. We suggest you only open your bathrooms to your customers who buy stuff first."


| >The younger cop smiled.

"Well, I hope you have a better night than you've already have, and if you have any other problems, don't hesitate to call back."

>He tipped his cap, and walked out of the camera room back to the sergeant.

"We're all done here. I've got the tapes."

>The sergeant turned to his younger partner.

"Good timing. Just got done testing the substance, gonna need to send it to a lab for better testing."

>He grabbed a plastic evidence bag to drop the glove into.


| "Alright, we will take our leave then"
>The team salute the police, then leave the area in their hovercraft


| >>584799

>The Sergeant and younger cop both nod back to the NDSec team, before turning back to the Caramel Anne staff.

"We're sorry this happened tonight. We are working vigilant to make sure this kind of thing doesn't have to happen. Again, we suggest opening public restrooms only to patrons who have purchased something at the Cafe and not to folk who just wander in. My partner here left you guys some cards with numbers to contact a crime scene therapy service."


| "If any of you feel like you need to talk to someone about what you went through today, please don't hesitate to call, the first two visits are free on us. We hope you all have a better rest of your night."

>They both smile and wave, before exiting the Cafe and walking to the squad car, exiting the scene with the camera footage tape and the sample of the drug on the glove.

>It seems now, the Cafe can finally rest easy, and close for the night.


| >>585069
> Alice sighed. She was the last to greet the members of the force. With the other two staff left to clean up what's left they can — at least for Ray, that's the case. Sora is left trying to calm himself, with a broom by his side.

"Guess you both ain't coming tomorrow."

> She said to the two.

"Got some therapy to attend."

> Sora sighed. His face is pale, devoid of any attempt to smile.

"Gotcha', won't tell mom about it."

> Alice replied.


| > Ray, having finished his share of scrubbing the corners of the cafe, left the staff room with an ambivalent expression. For sure, it was different from when there's a customer around, but it's unmistakably him.

"Boss, is it okay if I take a day off tomorrow?"

"Hell, take the week off if it means you're going back without something from the DSM-X."

"DSM-wha?"

"Come back here without the crazies, you hear?"

> Ray nodded at Alice's words, agreeing to her idea.


| > Shortly after, Ray left the cafe with his uniform on him. With only two living soul inside, the cafe felt strangely devoid of life. It was only Alice and Sora, with silence and the sound of Uptown outside.

"How long are we opening?"

> Sora sat on one of the cleaned seats, carelessly doing so while inviting a leer from Alice.

"Well, 'till I feel like going out."

"When's that?"

"When Horace's taking the shift."

"…Geez."

Total number of posts: 159, last modified on: Tue Jan 1 00:00:00 1564755382

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