[Flashback Thread] A Trainee of Justice and a Cheery Copper

[Tokoz]

 Lassa didn't respond for a moment. Then he sighed. "Changing shape and form is a bit more dramatic than you make it sound. It's not like I'm a Zoan user. I just... well. Sometimes I feel more like a woman, sometimes more like a man. So, since I'm trained as a doctor, I took a few shortcuts to that." Shrugging slightly, he gestured to the unconscious people.

"Also to be fair, at least half of those were due to you. Intentionally or not. I did nearly get cut by that swordsman, but thankfully I managed to avoid it, honestly." He pointed at the ladder. "Those two distracting him helped, I wouldn't have been able to surprise him if he hadn't been too distracted to notice I faked getting hit."

Then he frowned. "As for Miguel, though..." He stood up and picked up a chair, flipping it back up and sitting down in it. Resting his elbows on his knees, he hummed for a moment. 

Simon had something of a point. If Miguel was really that bad, he would mess up again. Corruption wasn't unheard of, and while it was problematic, it seemed as though there was at least a chance of him getting scared back into line. Assuming he listened to Simon.

Looking back at the police officer, he tilted his head. "Convince me. According to the laws of the World Government, these smugglers should be turned over to a Judicial Ship to be tried and then hanged. Miguel should be following after them for betraying the duty of his office. The rot should be cut out, lest it spread and infect more."

He gestured with one hand, miming a scalpel. "That's what I was taught, growing up. That's what I learned as a doctor. For the health of the body, sometimes flesh or even whole organs must be lost. For the health of society, someone must do the jobs that need doing. Some people must be removed, or they'll hurt the rest. Whether by malice..." He gestured to the smugglers. "Or by greed." He pointed at Simon's pocket where the paper disappeared to. 

His tone was not cold, but almost flatly curious. "When your sergeant sent you with me, he must have known what we might find. He could have gotten you killed with just as much blood on his hands and guilt on his head as the murders he sent you to find. The ones you weren't ready for, and we both know that much is true."

"So. Convince me, Simon Rickshaw. Tell me why I should show mercy to the guilty.... and why your sergeant deserves the noose any less than these men do."

[Bobbie]

“I KNEW IT! YOU WERE A WOMAN!!” he blurted out in a big exclamation of victory when Lassa admitted that he could shift between the two. It wasn’t such a big issue now that it was confirmed, but it made Simon feel a bit better for several reasons. It was more than just reassuring himself that he was in fact not losing his mind, but also that he was right to feel confused and conflicted on more than just the account of logic and reason.

That feeling was replaced with a subtle sense of pride as he looked back at the ladder, now lying broken on the ground. He couldn’t believe that he actually helped while trying to avoid being hacked to pieces by the cutlass-wielding smuggler. Then everything grew more serious when he addressed the more pressing matter of Miguel.

With a sigh, he copied what Lassa did and grabbed a chair, setting it down on its four legs, but decided to test it first before he sat down, knowing his luck would more than likely warrant it to be broken than steady. Once he determined it was safe, he sat down across from Lassa and listened attentively. Unfortunately, however, this didn’t ease the tension as much as he thought it would, being in the very centre of their attention making him nervous. The manner in which they leaned forward made him feel like this was going to be something of a court case, and in a way it could have been – he had to put forward a defence to prove someone’s innocence, it just wasn’t his own.

There was a lot to think about and he needed to word things carefully. Clearly this was a very intelligent person he was in conversation with, and there would be no fumbling about with words. A long silence would follow Lassa’s plea for Simon to convince him that Miguel deserved this, because, in truth, there were many reasons that he didn’t as well.

“He hasn’t betrayed the duty of his office.” he replied, followed by a sigh. “He’s upheld the law in many ways and has been in its service for a very long time, longer than many people at that precinct even despite his young age in comparison.” He explained, considering whether he should disclose the rumoured information he had heard or not. Nodding to himself, he leaned forward in similar posture to Lassa’s. “There’s always been a rumour going around that Miguel joined the police force, strictly off the record, at the age of 14. He’s been giving it his all ever since he was a kid, so don’t tell me that this one time he’s been caught doing a disservice is enough to outweigh him giving up his entire childhood to serve Water 7. To serve the citizens of Water 7.”

He sat back with a light shrug, “I’ve never found any proof, honestly, and he’s never confirmed it… but he’s never made any attempt to deny it either. I believe it. I think he’s just… tired.” He concluded for lack of a better word. “He’s had a lot on his plate for too long a time, he made a mistake.”

As Simon uttered those words, he began to feel his argument falling flat. Would being ‘tired’ excuse a killer from making such a mistake and killing innocent victims? Not likely. He needed a new angle.

“Look, I don’t know all these people, and, yes, we may have been in a pretty dangerous situation today, but can you honestly say, with absolute certainty, that there is definitely no possible justifiable reason why people do the things they do? Haven’t you ever taken a shortcut that you shouldn’t have while on a job? Maybe you were in a hurry to get home and take care of a family, a pet, see a loved one in a hospital bed who could die any moment. Haven’t you ever been more aggressive than necessary to somebody who didn't deserve it? Maybe you’ve recently lost a family member and you’re struggling to extend an act of kindness when the world has been so cruel to you.” Simon rattled off these possible scenarios where people did supposedly ‘wrong’ things for understandable reasons, until he came to a halt and leaned forward again. “Now what if the situation is that your family has no food? No money? No shelter, no possible way of surviving in a world where we both know acts of kindness don’t come for free… don’t you think that then, maybe then, you might be driven to do something viewed as abominable in the eyes of the law if it were the only way to ensure your survival?”

He reached into his pocket and took the paper out again, unfolding it and reading some names that he recognised other than Miguel’s. “Look, Hardy, he’s always run a fair trade with his business, he owns a bakery a few streets down from here. He’s one of the very few merchants left who still give out complementary desserts with no additional cost, children flock around his store the second he opens shop and without fail I have always seen each and every one of them fed." Admittedly, he knew very few names on that list, but he had to make do with what he had. "Uhh, let’s see who else… Joan! Joan’s husband is an ex-marine, he was discharged after sustaining an injury and he was the breadwinner of the family. With four kids, do you really think it’s possible for their family to make a living off one man’s pension and no additional benefits?” he shook his head, “These people aren’t villains, they’re victims. And they’re desperate.”

Of course, there was also the added more selfish reason that Simon wanted Miguel to be spared, but he was too ashamed to state it. “All I’m asking is to give them another chance, Lassa. A strike system, let them show you that they’re not the wicked people that putting their names on a pointless list paints them out to be!”

---

Simon: #d2ce2f

[Tokoz]

 Lassa sat silently during Simon's speech, not responding, not interrupting. His self-control had always been a trait he valued, and he didn't let anything show on his face as he listened. When Simon stopped, he relaxed slightly, and rubbed his chin for a moment. 

"Pointless list... you may have something there." 

Narrowing his eyes, he tapped his finger on the side of his face for a moment as he considered. 

"You're right, at least. The other people you mentioned... they don't deserve to be arrested. The thugs here, I think they do. They had weapons. They drew first, and they were urging each other to shoot you. At the very least, they need to be taken away for people's safety."

His hand fell, and he grasped it with his other hand. 

"Where does the line fall, then? How do you decide what you let slide?"

He seemed to be genuinely asking Simon this, even if he didn't quite give an immediate chance to respond. 

"Miguel... he may have done good service. Say I let this slide. I might even say the next one or two mistakes should be let slide. When is it too much, Simon?"

He was staring past the police officer for a moment before he refocused. 

"There's plenty of justifiable reasons to do all sorts of things. So I have to have some sort of rule I work by, and up until now that's served me well enough. Otherwise you let things go, let things slip, and the next thing you know you're sailing under a skull and crossbones or lifting the Red Flag."

After a minute, he sighed. 

"Do you really think Miguel is a good person? Even if he is, do you think he should stay in his job if he's so tired? I don't know. But ultimately, it's not my job here to investigate your Sergeant. It's not my job to decide what happens to these smugglers. I just need the information they have, and I was told to break up their ring." 

Standing, he clapped his hands. "So!"

Turning, he gestured to the tied up men, and then to the note Simon was holding. "You decide, Simon. You are the one here whose job it is to protect Water 7, not me. So I'm leaving the choice up to you. After what you said, I'd like to put these men in lockup, have the ship impounded, and then quietly inform your sergeant that despite his efforts at sidelining me, I managed to locate the people I was after anyway."

He tilted his head the other direction. "Or, we can let these people go. Tell the station the hideout was empty, but we've crippled the operation. Maybe they will find something else to do, straighten up. Maybe we don't talk to Miguel, or I don't, but you let him know that you talked me down."

"It's up to you."

[Bobbie]

When it seemed Simon had convinced Lassa, he visibly relaxed. How things took such a dark turn, he had no idea, but he was glad that it seemed he had successfully swayed Lassa into holding off on taking action against Miguel, at least for now. As his questions followed however, so did the uncertainty return.

Simon didn’t have an answer to his questions. It would be very convenient if things were as black and white as simply having a code to run by with clear instructions on what to do and how to do it, but it seemed that such a simple life was a luxury. Still, he could still dream of it.

This is why I never wanted this stupid promotion. He silently grumbled to himself as everything became more complicated by the second.

“I don’t know…” he replied, answering all three questions at once while Lassa seemed to be staring past him, offering a brief opening. A brief one that was more than enough for his answer, which was about as useful as a blank sheet of paper on the day of an exam. Then he continued talking and Simon continued listening. He frowned a little bit at the suggestion of things getting out of control, surely Miguel wouldn’t follow such a path. He's sleazy and a bit unpleasant, but he wouldn’t stoop that low… he was so sure of it – until he wasn’t.

Interrupting both Lassa and his own thoughts, perhaps in an attempt to stop his doubts from burrowing their roots into his mind, more than to slow the conversation down, he nodded and replied immediately as the question was put forward to him, “I think he is.”

With the clap of his hands, Lassa was up on his feet, Simon looking up at him. It took him a moment before he could bring himself to move and stand up after him. Having frowned for far longer than on any given day, even in the company of Miguel, Simon felt compelled to change that as he smiled. Their conversation seemed to be nearing a close and it would soon be decision-making time, and boy was it one tough decision.

Simon already knew in which direction he was leaning, but as pangs of guilt shot through him, he couldn’t take that step as easily as he thought he would. He supposed, at least, that had to be a good sign… the guilty feelings… but he wondered if this was how Miguel felt before he made these shady deals. He wondered what drove Miguel to do something so stupid. If he did this, how long would it be before he himself filled those shoes and became just like Miguel? The turmoil was written all over Simon’s face, clear as day, as his smile once again faded, and the next emotion that he felt was anger. Anger toward Miguel for forcing him into this situation by even getting involved with smugglers to begin with!

“What if we can do both?” he asked, trying to find some kind of middle ground that would ease his conscience and have the troublesome thugs here dealt with, without compromising Miguel’s position as sergeant, and ultimately his own as well.

“You do whatever you need to do with these men, and I’ll talk to Miguel.” He muttered, before hesitantly holding the note out toward Lassa. “Do more digging before you take action. That’s all I’m asking. I can turn Miguel around and get him out of this before you do anything. Maybe even Hardy and Joan.”

---

Simon: #d2ce2f

[Tokoz]

Lassa tilted his head, frowning for a moment. "I'll be honest... I'm not especially concerned with the horrible moral corruption of a baker acting as an accomplice to an accomplice, so to speak. They probably should have turned things in to the cops, but if the cops weren't listening, then I'm willing to let it go. Hardy and Joan are safe, just tell them to be more careful."

He coughed lightly. 

"As for what I need to do with these men... well... unless I'm letting them go, I assume I need to take them to the lockup. Which is in the police station."

He paused, turning back to look at them again. 

"Actually, I might need more cops to help me deal with them. Tell you what. You run back, get some other officers to come over here and help me bring them back to the lockup. You can stay at the station and talk to Miguel while I'm doing that, and I'll finish up here and then meet you back at the station for the best part of all."

He waggled his hands sarcastically. 

"Paperwork."

Once Simon had left, Lassa turned around to look at the thugs. 

A harsh slap woke up the leader, and he growled for a moment before recognizing the firearm held in a hand, pressed close to a face. This time, Lassa was using more traditional methods of aiming, however. 

"So, we have a few minutes. You need to be in one piece when the cops arrive, and frankly, I'm not here for you. You've just made yourself a problem. If you make yourself a BIGGER problem, I'll come back. That time? You won't be walking out of whatever rathole you've hidden in alive. Understand me?"

The man could only nod, and Lassa smiled. A cold, satisficed line, that hid the internal debate still raging in his head. "Good. Because now we're going to talk about your boss, and just what you can tell me about them. Why don't you begin?"

As the terrified smuggler began babbling, Lassa opened his notebook and began to write carefully, making sure not to miss a word. 

[Bobbie]

Simon nodded to everything Lassa said, quite grateful that he agreed to let Hardy and Joan go, while Miguel gets off with a warning. Had he been more assertive in his demands, there was no question that Simon wouldn’t have stood a chance against someone with the fighting skills previously displayed in the fight against those smugglers. This was another thing to appreciate – words seemed to take priority over fists.

“I will alert the officers at the precinct and they will send a team out here to help round these people up and get them back to the station.” He paused, unsure if what he was about to say next was necessary or not, but he figured better an extra word said than not at all. “Thank you, Lassa…”

With that, Simon hurried off through the only exit that was left, since the trapdoor could no longer be reached.

Simon quickened his pace, taking this as no leisurely walk as time was of the essence. While he wanted to put all his faith in Lassa, he had to consider the chances that he might be gone if he took too long, or the smugglers could wake up and somehow break free of their restraints and outnumber him. Either way, it would be a bad situation.

***

As he stormed into the precinct, out of breath from the run, he began to announce, “Dock… under… the bar… smugglers…” it was so difficult to get a coherent sentence out with the lack of oxygen as he was left entirely out of breath.

“Simon, nobody has any idea what you’re babbling on about like that. Sit down and get some air, then try use your words.” Miguel, who was sitting on the edge of a desk and conversing with another officer who seemed to have nothing better to do, replied to Simon rather dismissively while some others laughed. “Special Investigator Lassa Layton…” he tried again, having caught his breath a bit now, “We found a group of smugglers… a whole operation… we’ve rounded them up but he needs assistance getting them back here.”

“You WHAT!?” Miguel’s jaw dropped – not only did this pesky investigator succeed at finding something, but he did it with SIMON by his side. How in the hell…

Simon grinned proudly and he let out a laugh, “Yeah! Pretty unbelievable, I was in complete shock too. I did not expect all of this to happen on my first day! That Investigator is really something… anyway, can we send out a team to Dock 5, right beside that renowned bar, uh… what was it called…”

“Parker’s Bar, I know the one.” One of the officers helped him out, getting up from his seat and already getting ready to go.

Miguel was starting to sweat as he looked at the officer who had just named the bar so close to the location of the smugglers' hideout, smugglers who would definitely have his name listed somewhere. “Yeah, let’s get moving…” he barked out the command for which officers will be joining them, but Simon walked up to him the second he was finished.

“Not you, sergeant… I would like to sit here and talk to you about everything that happened.” He said, nervously. “A-As my supervisor, I need to run some things by you?” he added, knowing that would be a request he couldn’t get out of.

Going cold, Miguel nodded and sighed, hiding how nervous he was behind his usual nasty façade, “It was a pretty straightforward task, Simon, but fine, I’ll waste my time here going through procedures you should already be well-acquainted with. Speaking of, where’s the handbook I left with you? It’s not on your desk.” He snapped, before shaking his head, “Let’s go somewhere quiet and talk while the other officers handle this.”

With a sigh, Simon followed Miguel to a more private room, the same interrogation room where he had previously spoken to Lassa. Meanwhile, a group of five officers headed out to the bar’s location at Dock 5 to meet Lassa and help with rounding up some criminals.

---

Simon: #d2ce2f

Miguel: #ffdfb2

Officer: #3838ff

[Tokoz]

 When the smugglers finally ran out of things to talk about, Lassa gagged him and settled down to wait. Soon enough, a small squad of police officers filtered into the basement docks, and he stood up.

"Investigator Layton?" 

"Indeed. And these would be the smugglers in question. Shockingly well-armed, too." He picked up his leather bag, patting it slightly as he placed his gun back inside a shoulder holster. "I took some notes, but all the contraband is free for seizure. I certainly don't want to pack it all up in my luggage." He chuckled slightly, nodding at the crates. 

"Some of it might be stolen, but otherwise I think it's good to go into lockup to be used as evidence, and then from there, you all decide what to do with it."

This seemed to cheer up a few of the officers, as at least some of the smuggled goods were definitely kegs. Chuckling, Lassa felt the small weight in his bag tap against this leg. That one particular good had been a shock, but he wasn't about to leave that for the cops. No, that would be a good ace in the hole if it ever came to it. 

"Well sir, thank you for the work. We'll leave a few men here to guard the contraband." The officer said. Lassa nodded, and headed up the stairs as the rest of the officers lead the tied up crooks up the basement stairs and out into the light.

It took a few minutes to walk them to a Yagara Bull and then ride back to the station, but once they arrived the group was marched over to a holding cell and checked for weapons. Accepting a few compliments from the officers, he stretched slightly and moved over to the Sergeant's office.

His smile faded, and he knocked once on the door before opening it. 

"Sergeant Miguel. Just a quick chat before I get started on the paperwork with Simon, no?"

If Simon was still in the room, he would nod at him briefly, but for now, he wanted to have a polite word or two with the man in charge. 

[Bobbie]

Simon and Miguel would have a pretty long talk, as Simon told him all about the list that his name was on and about how if he didn’t change his ways, he would end up being taken down. It was made very clear that Simon did his best to get Lassa off his back, but for things to remain that way, he would have to stop all engagements of illegal nature, such as this one. Any other details of what he witnessed Lassa do were omitted entirely, as promised.

Of course, Miguel did not take kindly to any of Simon’s accusations and saw his kind act as no more than some twisted attempt at power play over his sergeant. Knowing that it was all true, however, Miguel’s heart sank – horrified to hear that he had been found out and this could cost him his entire reputation and status, but perhaps more horrifying was the fact that this left him indebted to Simon. Luckily for Miguel, Simon was not really one to hold onto favours and collect such debts, as he was far too good-hearted to take advantage of terrible situation like this one and use it for his own benefit.

“Mark my words, Simon, you better hope your little investigator friend is as good as his word, because if I go down, there is no way I'm letting you hold onto that badge!” he hissed at the younger officer, his hands slamming on the table just before there was a knock at the door.

Simon jumped in his seat at the loud bang of the sergeant’s palms hitting the desk, easily startled by the sudden outburst as his previous fear was just confirmed. He didn’t stand a chance. Looking toward the door, he was happy to see a familiar face, but he hoped that Lassa hadn’t heard what Miguel just said. If it did, it certainly would cause his previous argument of Miguel being a good person to lose some of its credibility if not all of it.

Clearing his throat, Miguel recomposed himself and turned to look at Lassa, a heavy frown on his face that he didn’t even bother masking.

“Yes. If officer Rickshaw could give us the room.” He stated, coldly, without looking in Simon’s direction. Why can't anything ever be simple with Simon... that fumbling monkey somehow just manages set fires where there's no fuel!

Raising his eyebrows slightly, Simon stood up. “Sergeant.” He headed off toward the door, nodded to Lassa on his way out with a little smile before he let out a tired sigh and went back to his desk to try and get started on sorting out some paperwork.

---

Simon: #d2ce2f
Miguel: #ffdfb2

[Tokoz]

 Entering, Lassa gave Simon a passing nod as they crossed paths in the doorway, before sitting down at the desk opposite Miguel.

He didn't say anything for a moment, before a soft smile crossed his lips. "You know, Simon really is a good person. He and I had a long talk, after I stumbled across those smugglers. He may not be the best cop, or a dangerous fighter, but he really genuinely wants the best for those around him, even if it might be optimistic or naive."

The smile stayed on his face as he leaned forwards, eyes growing cold and staring once more into Miguel's eyes. "It's your lucky day, Sergeant Miguel. Because I? I am not a good person. Simon had to BEG to get me to let your little petty corruption scheme slip past, because I answer to a higher power, and I am not best pleased with your attempts to stall my work."

This was technically an undercover training exercise for the Intelligence operative, but for a member of the police force? It would be best to impress upon him just how fatally stupid it would be to try and deal with this or pass Lassa's description around. No, if he kept playing the part of the normal investigator, Miguel might want to chase him down. He might think that he could plug this little leak himself. 

Time to make it clear that wouldn't go well. "You might not like working with Simon, but you should be aware that if it hadn't been for him, I would have come back here and arrested you for interfering with a Cipher Pol investigation. Yes, Cipher Pol, as in the World Government's own law enforcement agency. If you had actually been helpful, that might have been quite the boost to the career you prize so much."

He leaned forwards, glare boring into Miguel. "Instead, you tried to screw with me. I would be nice to Simon, Miguel. You may have a hold on his badge. But he's the reason you don't have a noose being woven for your neck."



Lassa stood, walking over to Miguel's filing cabinet. His smile returned as he rifled through it. "That being said, I have to congratulate you again on your lucky day. It's the first day of the rest of your life! I won't be looking for you, or keeping tabs on you, or anything like that. The only piece of evidence is the one Simon handed to you, after all! So as long as you don't generate any more, you have nothing further to worry about. As far as you're concerned...."

Reaching in, he removed a file with his name, and the communication he had put together. "It's like I might as well not even exist." Placing it inside his coat, he turned and exited the door.

"Have a nice day."

From there, he walked over to the desk Simon was at, and nodded. "Need any help with the paperwork before I head out?"

[Bobbie]

Miguel eyed Lassa like a hawk, very unhappy with how the situation turned out. Clearly, this was not what he had planned for the day, but this was just the way things were, it seemed, and somehow Simon of all people came out the hero. He sat down at the desk and leaned back in his seat, waiting for his company to speak first. Simon had said enough, Miguel had very little to say. What would be the point? Was he supposed to plead innocent? Or was this the moment he would supposedly get down on his knees, beg to be forgiven and take a vow that his behaviour would not be repeated?

His blood boiled as he heard all the flattery go toward Simon, like he were some sort of saint, always giving, always… smiling. That was it. Optimistic, naïve little Simon, always doing good…

As Lassa suddenly leaned forward, the sergeant instinctively pressed his back against the chair, but his gaze did not leave Lassa’s, staring back into his eyes with nothing short of a glare as he narrowed his own. Lucky me… typical Simon to beg, like the coward he is. His thoughts ran on, his ears growing red with rage although he didn’t say a word.

However, upon Lassa’s reveal, Miguel flinched as his brow furrowed even further. “Cipher Pol?” he repeated, now beginning to regret his initial approach to dealing with the situation. Sending him off with Simon was clearly a mistake, having underestimated either Simon’s bad luck of getting himself caught in these sticky situations or the agent’s good luck to successfully get through one with Simon by his side, against all odds. “You’re one arrogant worm, has anybody ever told you that?” he scoffed as Lassa stood and walked past him to the filing cabinet.

Despite his words, the sergeant made no attempt to stop Lassa from what he was doing and offered no resistance. Standing, he turned to sit on the edge of his desk, his eyes once again fixed on him, his hands completely tied as his files were rummaged through and one was taken out to obliterate any form of evidence of this young man ever being here.



At his desk, Simon was trying to block out all the chattering going on. He was relieved that there was no banging or other signs of any struggles coming from Miguel’s office, but the silence was, perhaps, more alarming. Either way, it was clear that Simon was not to get involved. While he made show of his attention being entirely on the paper work, filling in a form, his mind was certainly elsewhere. What a day… he sighed to himself.

He was so lost in his thoughts that had he not seen Lassa’s shadow cast over his desk, he might have left the young man waiting there for a long time. He raised his head and looked up at him, putting on a big grin. “Hey, sorry. I was just uh…” he let out a sigh and then shook his head. “No, I’ve got it… thank you for your service today… Special Investigator Layton…” he muttered the man’s title with a slight tilt of his head. Simon wasn’t sure how much of his name was a lie – if any of it – but he figured that if any part of it would be fabricated, it would be the last name, and so that would be the name written in the report.

Simon couldn't help but feel a slight pit in his stomach as he wondered if he'd ever meet this person again.

---

Simon: #d2ce2f
Miguel: #ffdfb2

[Tokoz]

 The "Special Investigator" tilted his head, then chuckled. "Hey, call me Lassa alright? Although maybe don't put that in the report. Investigator Layton will do." After all, if anyone questioned where this Investigator had come from, it would get directed back to some very serious men in suits who would inform the person asking to shut the hell up. 

Doffing his hat, he gave a quick stretch and looked out the door. It was mid-afternoon, and there was a ferry soon. The training mission had gone quicker than expected, but also gotten much more complicated. Still, he could afford to pad the report to HQ a little bit. All in all, he was calling this one a win. Especially as the separation from Simon had given him a chance to sneak something out of his bag while waiting for the cops. 

"I'll see you around sometime, yeah? And if you really need to get ahold of me, send a letter to this post office box in San Faldo. Have a good one, Simon." With that, the lanky man ambled out of the building, and down the street. He walked for a few minutes, then ducked into a pub, ordered a drink, and excused himself to the restroom. On the way there, a file was discarded into the fireplace, crumpling into ash and soot.

One ripped suit dropped out the window into the dumpster to reveal the dress beneath and a braid tied quickly into place, and Lassa stepped out of the bathroom, quietly snagging her mug as she strode out the door. She would have to get some Takoyaki on the way to the ferry, she had been craving that stuff all day. 

And with that, Investigator Layton vanished entirely from the shores of Water 7, at least for the time being. 

[Bobbie]

Simon quite happily took note of the post office box in San Faldo, as his question was quickly answered. “Yeah… Yeah, I will.” He smiled more genuinely now, there being no need to pretend to be happy in such a situation. “Take care of yourself, Lassa. I’d very much like for you to be in one piece the next we meet.” He replied with a little chuckle and with that the young man was gone.

Spinning in his seat to get back to his desk, he couldn’t help but continue smiling, despite all the work that needed to be done.

“Today was a pretty good day.” He said to himself as his entire mood shifted so drastically by such a simple gesture from somebody whom he had only met today. “I think I’ll like this new position after all.” He nodded, before he continued to fill in the report of the day’s events, writing it all out to sound like an incredibly successful day – smugglers were captured, goods were confiscated, and, in the end, nobody was seriously hurt for it. 

What more could I want?

While he mused to himself, the rest of the precinct began mumbling among themselves, as the newly promoted police officer at Water 7 became the talk of the day. That is, for everyone other than Miguel, who was so furious that he took the rest of the day off on emergency leave, storming out of the building and not to return before the next morning.

---

Simon: #d2ce2f