audio; ft. doctor disasters + the last of takeshi kovacs' sanity

[kovach]

We have some information on a man who might be

[ the message cuts off, soon replaced with some actual voices which seem to be trying to whisper over one another in a bickering back and forth (“I’m just gonna send it in a text.” “No, no! Texting’s no good, can you imagine the most important information shared over a text? This isn’t Twitter — which by the way is a mistake. There aren’t even any emojis!”) before eventually things get sorted enough for one voice to be louder than the rest— ]

Fucking— fine. [ if the swearing wasn’t indication enough, it’s kovacs, of course. with a sigh, he diverts his attention back to focusing his voice on relaying his message to the rest of the orbers. ] The Docs and I did some digging. Found out from the staff that a man with red skin, named Noct Wood, was seen coming out of the Days’ car. As far as we’ve seen, he hasn’t shown himself having any association with the family otherwise, but—

But! Oh, it’s very interesting, isn’t it? Why would a complete stranger be visiting the Days’ car at all, especially right around the murder? Yes, right. So we did a bit of trailing, lost my trousers for a moment there but I found them again, not to worry, and I thought: that’s a bit odd, not the trousers bit, the association thing — and insert raising-hands-emoji here, we believe we’ve found out where he might be staying. Could be important.

No one else was spotted the night of Jove’s murder. Question: What drives an individual to stab a man multiple times on a train bigger than a small village? Answer, they can only want one of two things: revenge or taking something back. [ The Doctor takes a beat to ponder. ] ...Do you remember what you told me, Doctor? About Helios and Terra? The two had stopped by the Dance Hall on the night of the murder. One of them mentioning about ‘he’ not being able to let ‘it’ go.

Ah, yes! Suppose I did get a bit distracted for a moment there. The ‘it’ they were talking about seemed to be of some sentimental value to ‘him’, and they did mention something about the museum which we’ve heard a few things about by now. [ Yes, he snoops on the network from time to time. ] There was even a mention that it was quite valuable, and the museum would ‘pay them well’ for it.

[ The other Orber’s can’t hear it, but the other Doctor is pacing around their tiny shared space like a cornered raccoon. They had time to do their sleuthing around the Steamhallow Express and soon they have to put the pieces all together. ]

Then we can suspect that someone from the Day family or this Noct stranger needed this book for a reason. Money, perhaps? Possible coordinates to the orb? One’s sentimentality could be another’s drive to find the object of their desires. Quite, literally...

But if I were any of you, I’d be on my toes. And keep a low profile with any authority figures. We’d only further muddy the waters in this mess.

[ meanwhile, the one who's become more of a third party in this little announcement has already lit a cigarette, not visible to the orbers but the exhale of smoke can almost be heard in the audible sigh that follows the chatter between the other two.

this really could have just been a text. ]

We weren't able to get any dirt on Wood and he spotted us outside of his cabin once, so it wouldn't be a good idea for us to hang 'round there again, since this crowd doesn't exactly ... blend in well. [ clearly indicating the doctors beside him, although with his own broadness, he doesn't exactly hide along the walls either. ] We'll leave it up to the rest of you to see what else he might be up to.

[ Off to the side, someone is zipping (or unzipping) their trousers.]

And let this be a lesson to you, these closets are really rather squishy. I suggest you come equipped with a belt. Or very sticky velcro. [ A beat. ] Velcro’s nice, why don’t they do more with velcro?

No! Don’t say squishy! I’m against squishy. My trousers were perfectly secured before you went ahead and started playing ‘Where in the World is my Sonic Screwdriver’! There isn’t enough velcro in the universe to keep your tweed together.

Jesus Christ— do not take your fucking pants off again. Please.

I spilt on wine on mine!

[ And completely unrelated, and said simultaneously: ] That was a lack of velcro’s fault!

We’re texting this shit next time. [ and the feed cuts before another disastrous word can be said. ]


( for reference: black dialogue is kovacs, blue dialogue is the 11th doctor, and purple dialogue is the 12th doctor. )

Comments

Audio; un: belova

[laviny]

That would have been much easier to follow if you all hadn't been talking over each other, you know.

[bossily]

Are you all taking off your trousers without my being there? Awfully cheeky of you. And quite frankly, offensive.

[kovach]

That's what I was saying, but these idiots make it a point not to listen to me.

[kovach]

Trust me. Watching them do it — I felt pretty offended too.

text / un: solnishka

[peasant]

blink twice if you're being held against your will and need rescuing

text — un: the.doctor ;

[lateness]

rude!!!

[peasant]

i'm rude? you're the one taking off your pants

[lateness]

correction: i lost them

momentarily

we all sort of did in some way or another

[bossily]

I could go on about the lot of you fitting me into your busy pants dropping schedule, but I'm a bit preoccupied being wanted for murder and all.

Should I mention Noct Wood to the detective? Or keep that information to myself?

[laviny]

Next time maybe let them argue over their pants while you do a bullet point list in a text post.

[A beat.]

Assuming you want to work with them again.

audio; un: finn

[hatejakku]

How did- [ No. You know what? No, he doesn't want to know how anyone lost their pants, actually. ]

Never mind, just- One of the housekeepers told me that Jove had a big business deal fall through not long ago. They even suspected that the murderer could be whoever was on the bad side of it.

I don't know what kind of business Jove ran, but we should probably find out what Wood does for a living.

[peasant]

🤦‍♀️
i'm going to start stitching them onto you
which is unfortunate for you, because i'm not very good at embroidering

audio; doctor.disco

[attackbrows]

[ Because they're in the same room together. ]

Don't pull me or the ashtray into your little world of flimsy trousers!

audio — un: the.doctor ;

[lateness]

[ Never you mind, Finn! It's all water under the bridge, and all that. ]

That is brilliant, Finn. We should do just that.

It might help us learn more about this particular fellow's motives and why he may or may not know the Days at all.

audio — un: the.doctor ;

[lateness]

Please. As if you hadn't lost them first, and Kovacs — well, I don't know, I suppose he was feeling a bit left out. These small rooms certainly aren't meant for three young people-sorts to be squished up together, are they?

Always did look much, much easier in the films.

text | un; zewu.jun

[calmness]

Jove was attempting top sell the book his mother had found, the very same that went missing from the museum according to newspaper.

If the 'he' that they were talking about is Jove, it is strange that Helios and Terra did not believe he would part with an artifact he had been trying to sell.

[ and then a deep breath. ] On the matter of removing pants, please remember the importance of consent.

[kovach]

We don't have anything but suspicions yet, but — he is a person of interest.

He was seen coming out of the Days' car and someone said a man with red skin was seen with Goldie after the murder, so it could be the same guy. It might be nothing but if he's got some kind of secret association with the family, Pinot might have better resources for at least approaching him for questioning.

In the meantime, hopefully, we can get someone else to check into his cabin while he isn't around so we can get something more solid on him.

[ a beat, and then: ]

I don't think Pinot's in on this, Clara. He's too detached. We're running on limited time, so since you're stuck there for now anyway, use him to help us figure it out. I promise we'll get you out of there once it's all sorted.

[bossily]

Let me know the second someone gets into his cabin. If you can, grab whatever is useful that's found there. I'm gonna try to arrange for you to come in and collaborate with Pinot. See if you can present the evidence you have.

With any luck, that'll be enough.

[kovach]

If he wants to hear what I've got, I'll talk to him. I'll dig what I can in the meantime.

You got anything for me?

[bossily]

The only thing that may be of potential use is the fact that Rhysand and I spoke with Goldie. Before the murder, obviously.

She was fairly chatty, seemed honest enough. Mentioned that she and her brother Jove were close because they grew up seeing each other often and went to school near one another. In fact, I think she said she and Jove were the closest out of all the siblings. Which is why I find it strange that she's supposedly running around with some man not connected to the family at all right after his murder.

Especially since I remember seeing someone else mention word of Jove's business failing, and Goldie also mentioned her worry that the other siblings were only there to get their part of the inheritance.

[kovach]

I can tell you, my consent in all of this has been completely ignored.

[ as if he would willingly volunteer for most of these shenanigans. ]

But that's what I think too. From the sound of it, everyone would've been fine with selling it to the museum. Jove seemed to feel a lot cozier about it. Or wanted to get more money out of it.

[calmness]

Perhaps some educational pamphlets would help. [ even he's not this much of a hopeful fool to really think so. ]

It is curious, who the other buyer was and what they offered. The book has a shining jewel on the front, what we think is the orb, so were they willingly after it? Or was it all coincidence.

audio; un: alenko

[majorbiotic]

Man with red skin... Could be the same man I saw talking with Goldie. Did you notice if he had a metallic glint to his skin?

[kovach]

So she and Jove were close. Sounds like she should be the most devastated of the lot if they were that close.

There'd be no big deal about Goldie talking to someone after her brother's murder, if the guy wasn't so suspiciously secretive about this connection he has to the family. But asking her about it at this stage without more to go on probably wouldn't do any good.

Whatever it all is, it definitely all ties to money somehow.

[kovach]

Hard to tell with the interior lighting of the train. Plus, he kept himself mostly covered up — always in a jacket, gloves on, that kind of thing. But there aren't a lot of other guys with red skin worming around the family right now. Chances are it's the same man.

[kovach]

Is anything ever coincidences when we're thrown in?

Always a chance the guy we're looking for is the buyer since he's been hanging around the family enough, but we don't have enough to go on to say one way or another. Not yet anyway.

[kovach]

I'm blinking twice.

[kovach]

Do I have a choice? We're all on these missions together whether we want to be or not. Some of the support team is sort of all we got.

[bossily]

It just strikes me as odd that after the death of her closest sibling, she feels safe enough to be around someone that very well could be a stranger to the family. If someone I loved was killed on a train filled with strangers, I wouldn't be inclined to trust any of them enough to speak with them at great length.

I'm betting he's far more entangled with the family and knows more than he's letting on. He's not a stranger to Goldie. So the sooner we can figure out that connection, the better.

She also mentioned the fact that the siblings are going to pick up artifacts their mother had found on excavations. They'll be waiting at the station in Vrefesea. Everyone but Jove wanted to return them to the museum. But he spouted off something about wanting to keep them for "sentimental value". aka: a means to save his business

[bindsthedead]

Then let's get to it before they do. We've got Hortensia's letter, so we know the combination, and I think that the lines about 'think of your older brother' and 'think of your younger sister' are clues to the number of the locker. If those are referring to Oden and Luna... then the locker we want is probably 42. Possibly 24, if the order of the references wasn't important.

And I suspect by 'sentimental value' Jove actually meant 'make a bargain with it'.

[bossily]

Well, yes. That's why there are quotes around the words sentimental value.

But you're on the right track with the combination, sounds like. Will you and a few others be able to take on the task of retrieving the artifact safely?

[bindsthedead]

I'll do it, and I'll find a few others to help as well. We should probably also search lockers 31 and 13, if it's not in 42 or 24, just in case they use a slightly different system for days of the week.

[bossily]

That sounds like a solid plan, Sabriel. If by any chance I'm out of here by then, I definitely plan on coming along to help.

[majorbiotic]

Yeah, it is a little suspicious they were both covering their arms on a warm day. It could just be fashion, but we shouldn't rule out anything.

[calmness]

So far, I do not believe so.

We need more information on Noct Wood and what he does.

I remember someone also mentioned a deal the mother made with the museum. That the Day children needed to hold up their end. That sounds ominous and yet with all the information we have, there are still many loose ends.

[laviny]

Well, I meant specifically on a mission in this capacity. You could do recon with someone else next time.

Unless they are holding you hostage somehow? Are they blackmailing you or something?

[She's kidding. Considering the pants business she’s pretty sure they’re incapable of holding someone hostage.]

[peasant]

please tell me YOUR pants are still on, at least

[kovach]

They're always on.

[ never has a man ever told such a lie. ]

[kovach]

To an extent.

[ of course, he's exaggerating the extent of his agony. the doctors aren't actually that bad, and his reasons for being around them are ... well, it's not like he'd ever admit out loud that he does actually like them. ]

We had a common interest and working together seemed like the logical way of going about it. But I forgot that adding them on usually doubles the effort in getting something done.

1/2

[peasant]

[ narrator voice: alina had never seen such bullshit before. ]

[peasant]

i've heard a lot of made-up stories told before and i have to congratulate you on your creativity
that one really takes the crown

if i had to make one critique, though, i'd say it's not especially believable

[kovach]

you caught me without them one time.

[peasant]

multiple people caught you without them "one time"
we're going to need a support group, at this rate

[kovach]

what the hell do you mean "multiple people"?
you all gossiping about me to each other or something?

[peasant]

you caught me
we all sit in the mess hall on sundays and gossip about you over tea

[kovach]

knew it
figured you all couldn't keep your mouths shut once you got a look