Realistic or Modern Decadence [Accepting]

[VariksTheLoyal]

"We don't know their motives yet. I was going to suggest to Cyrus that we try and catch one of them and bring them back for questioning to see if they'll let slip about anything." Yuki shook his head. It was a far fetched plan, but he ran out of ideas two weeks ago and it seemed like the best one of the bunch. "They won't tell us who the leader is, if they know. But as long as we have something from them, it's a start."
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[Luxury Hotline]

"We've done our own fucking interrogations. They all either truly don't know anything or just claim to not know." Vadim sighed, just dropping the empty bottle on the floor and slumping further in his seat. "Just please fucking get them." He spoke, looking up at Yuki with wide eyes. "I'm probably next. No. Not probably. They're gonna try to have my head again. And soon. They fucking hate me."
VariksTheLoyal

 

[VariksTheLoyal]

"Just as I thought..." Yuki murmured, dropping his gaze for a moment before looking back up at Vadim. "We'll do our best to make sure you don#t come to any harm. We can have some officers over alongside the guards...no, that won't work." He sighed as he realized that the two killers had more power over them all than he liked to admit. Sending his own force here would be to send them to their death, and he wasn't going to be made responsible for that. "If you see anything or hear anything, call us. We'll keep an eye on it for you."

 

[Luxury Hotline]

"Mm thanks." Vadim sighed, sitting up slowly. "Could you maybe get me another bottle of wine? I don't fucking care which one." He asked, staring at the cooler and feeling like it was much too far away. "I'm not feeling all that good today. Haven't felt this way since..." He paused. "Nevermind, I forgot."
VariksTheLoyal

 

[VariksTheLoyal]

Yuki slowly moved Vadim's legs off his lap, getting up and opening the cooler. It was stocked full of all kinds of alcohol, and he daredn't ask if it was all for himself or for entertaining guests. He figured it was the former as he took out another expensive looking bottle and handed it to him. "Hopefully this one's to your tastes."
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[Luxury Hotline]

"If it tastes like forgetting then I'm fine with it." Vadim grumbled, uncorking the bottle and chugging a bit. He pulled the bottle away with a pained gasp, coughing for a good few seconds. "I'm fine. Completely fine." He wheezed. "You can go now." He waved off Yuki, voice rasping.
VariksTheLoyal

 

[VariksTheLoyal]

"Alright, maybe we'll see each other again." Yuki didn't even pretend to try and show concern for Vadim, assuming he actually would be fine. Whatever 'fine' meant. He made his way swiftly to the doors, pushing them open and then shut behind him as he exhaled shakily, just to let some of the tension off. The good part was that they had something t work with now rather than grasping at straws and assumptions. Turning to the guard, he tried to look as composed as possible before speaking. "Do I need to be escorted out?"
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[Luxury Hotline]

The guard nodded, making his way back to the elevator. "I'm surprised you're alive." He chuckled, stepping inside and pressing the button for the bottom floor. "But, you made boss laugh. I don't think I've heard him actually laugh or sound remotely happy for a long time." He added with a smirk. "Even if what you said was so stupid it made him laugh."
VariksTheLoyal

 

[VariksTheLoyal]

"What can I say? I live to entertain." Yuki laughed. Even if the memory of what he said made him burn with embarrassment, it was a start. He couldn't tell if Vadim liked him or not, but a laugh was enough. "He uh...sure can drink, though. Snd I did think he was going to try and kill me. But as long as he had some kind of fun."
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[Luxury Hotline]

"Well, if he's drinking, he'll hopefully be too hungover in the morning to cause any trouble." The guard huffed, stepping out of the elevator once on the ground floor. He made his way to the doors, holding the front door open for Yuki. "You have a good evening now."
VariksTheLoyal

 

[VariksTheLoyal]

"You too." Yuki nodded, stepping back out into the balmy heat. Moving swiftly to the car, he sat back in the drivers seat for a few seconds before starting the car, nerves fraught from the encounter. Eventually, he turned the key in the ignition and backed away from the building, making the journey back to the station. Glancing at the sunset, he hoped that he'd catch Cyrus back there before he headed home for the night, not wanting to forget a single word that Vadim had told him. He pulled up outside, parking up near the entrance and going inside to look around for the chief, if he was even back.
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[Luxury Hotline]

Cyrus was sat at his desk with a small TV and multiple VHS tapes. The lights were all out, save for the faint bluish glow of the recording playing. He didn't even move when Yuki walked in, simply waving him over as he kept his eyes fixed on the TV. The only noise was the low hum of static accompanied by faint voices speaking Russian.
VariksTheLoyal

 

[VariksTheLoyal]

Yuki scurried over beside Cyrus and pulled up a chair as he went, putting it down next to him to watch the tapes. He took a glance at the pile next to him and almost winced in sympathy for him, although some selfish part of him was relieved that he wasn't the one having to sit hunched over a screen all day for a few minutes of footage. Turning his attention back to the running tape, he sat forward and watched with Cyrus.
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[Luxury Hotline]

Cyrus paused the tape, pointing to some glass sliding doors. "Watch there." He spoke softly before starting the tape again. A few seconds later, there were two distant gunshots accompanied by flashes in the distance. The two mobsters fell to the ground. "And now..." He spoke, pausing the tape and fast forwarding through what looked to be mostly nothing for around 10 minutes of the tape's time, and then pausing on a frame when a man wearing an octopus mask came into view. "Now here." He played the video at normal speed.
The masked man stared directly at the camera, getting a slip of paper out of his pocket, pointing at it, and slipping it into the pocket of a dead mobster before running off.
"I checked the scene from top to bottom, but I never found any fucking paper like that." Cyrus growled.
VariksTheLoyal

 

[VariksTheLoyal]

"What the..? I never found anything on anyone either. And we know the Coyote was there too from the way one was ripped open." Yuki exclaimed, now more confused than ever. At least they had all the evidence they needed to claim it was the Octopus, but his actions only opened more questions than they answered. "Is it meant to be a message for someone? Or for us, and someone stole it?"
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[Luxury Hotline]

"No, I know someone stole it. Because now..." Cyrus played the tape again, briefly pointing at the body the message was planted in. He skipped a few minutes before the screen went black for a solid few seconds, only to come back with seemingly no difference in the scene. "It's barely noticeable, but that mobster's jacket moved just a hair. I've watched this over and fucking over and I'm almost certain it did."
VariksTheLoyal

 

[VariksTheLoyal]

"Yeah, that definitely moved." Yuki nodded, leaning back in the chair and pushing his hair back out of his face.. "Whatever's going on, they're being smart about it. How are we supposed to know who took the paper with no footage to use? Who's to say he didn't come back and take it to trick us?"
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[Luxury Hotline]

"I don't think putting himself clearly in front of a camera that long would be worth it for a trick. As well as leaving evidence that would have his fingerprints." Cyrus grumbled. "We're getting a few more tapes tomorrow from surrounding buildings and maybe we can find some potential witnesses. Hopefully."
VariksTheLoyal

 

[VariksTheLoyal]

"Hopefully." Yuki echoed. Except he wasn't all that hopeful. Witnesses were few and far between with the masked murderers, but if the tapes had something, anything that exposed more of their actions and plans beforehand,it could help. Still, he felt sorry for Cyrus having to sit there and review the tapes over and over. He couldn't imagine how hard and monotonous a ob that would be. "Vadim told me they're doing all this for some kind of patriotic cause. At this point, I wouldn't put anything past them."
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[Luxury Hotline]

"I think he's right." Cyrus spoke, taking out the tape and rewinding it. "I thought it was just attacks targeted against the mafia by a local gang at first. But then these types of killings are just getting more widespread. And then that murder of the Russian ambassador not too long ago kind of just made me realize Vadim was right about it all along." He continued, standing from his chair and giving a stretch. "Fucking hell, what time is it?" He asked once realizing how dark it was.
VariksTheLoyal

 

[VariksTheLoyal]

Yuki blinked up at the clock, squinting in the dark. "No idea, but it's late. We should probably head home for the day. My dogs are going to miss me." Of course he only had one thing on his mind other than hundreds of Russians being murdered all along the east coast. He leant back in the chair and cracked his back, sighing with relief once he felt it click. "Once the new tapes arrive tomorrow we can look at it more in depth."
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[Luxury Hotline]

"Mhmm." Cyrus grumbled, rubbing his eyes and yawning. "At least I'll sleep decent tonight." He muttered as he walked out with Yuki. "I mean. After seeing all that shit at the scene, I can still somehow sleep like a baby. How fucked is that?" He scoffed, shaking his head. "Like I care about each and every one of those victims. Their families. Even if they are mafia. But I can't help but feel desensitized to it all. Just another case."
VariksTheLoyal

 

[VariksTheLoyal]

"I guess it happens once you've been at this a while, and I feel kind of the same. Don't feel bad about it." Yuki reassured him. "As long as they all get brought to some kind of justice, then it's worth it." He wasn't so sure though. With how the case was playing out, he felt like it would be months before they got anything reliable, or even managed to catch the perpetrators. That or they killed themselves. He wasn't sure which would come first.
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[Luxury Hotline]

"By the way, how's Vadim?" Cyrus asked, shaking his head slightly. "There goes me, forgetting why I sent you out there in the first place." He laughed softly, though it trailed off quickly. He was genuinely concerned for the kid, being shoved into such a stressful role and having nobody to guide him. And he hoped at least his occasional visits help put him at ease, even the slightest bit. And he hoped Yuki could do very much the same.
VariksTheLoyal

 

[VariksTheLoyal]

"He's...a little unstable. I made him laugh for the first time in a while, one of the guards told me." Yuki hesitated before starting his summary, careful to avoid anything that could suggest they had a bit of a spat. "I think he's just upset about it all, understandbly. Kept saying he was fine even though he wasn't. I don't know if he liked having me around or not, but I promised we'd keep an eye out for the killers. He thinks they'll come for him next."
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