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Scene Title | All Kinds Of Hounds |
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Synopsis | In searching for a murder suspect, Elisabeth and Devon cross paths with their doppelganger first. |
Date | February 11, 2020 |
The firebrand of a girl from the Thanksgiving eve booking block had identified herself as Roxanne Lopez— with absolutely 0 paperwork to back it up. She had been fired up about her missing dog who was injured in the fight and ran off. She'd insisted she was of age, but without paperwork to back up and how relatively young she looked, coupled with her homelessness, she'd grudgingly agreed to go with CPS' suggestion to have her placed in a group home in Phoenix Heights.
It was all of three days before she disappeared again.
If the materials left behind in the room at the condemned office building were any indication, she'd been busy in the intervening winter months. What was left behind under the Pure Earth graffiti were unquestionably the building blocks for a bomb. Well— several bombs, potentially, if they'd been put together. The motherly woman from the building had said that the two boys, Evran and 'Roman', had moved in about two months prior— which fit with the timeline for when 'Roxie' disappeared.
So where had she gone now?
The dog, to Liz, would be the thing that put Roxie back on the radar. If she cared about the dog, she'd likely go through lengths to feed it better than she would otherwise. So, pet stores were put on an alert to look out for her.
And a week later, bingo.
A pet shop in Williamsburg had her pass through with a dog, accompanied by a boy who appeared about her age. The boy with her paid, in cash, for a bag of food and a dog toy. He didn't match Evran's description or the photo, and they were working to identify him, but having the shop as a frame of reference gave them an idea of an area she was likely to be frequenting. Patrols were on alert for her.
Elisabeth privately held concerns that might not be enough, and that it wouldn't be fast enough.
So she decided to do her shopping this week out in Williamsburg.
It was nice, in a way, to see the difference in the variety of offerings in this neighborhood versus the storefronts in Jackson Heights off of Raytech's campus. The shop they pass now is smaller and family-owned, a lot of things were sourced locally— but this wasn't why she was here, or why she'd brought Devon with her and left Aurora at home.
She's got her eyes open for signs of the missing teen. They both do.
With her hands shoved into her pockets as they walk, Elisabeth murmurs to Devon, "I'm not sure whether Roman or Roxie is the kid's correct name, honestly. But if we do find them, … I don't want to go in guns blazing on this if we can avoid it. It could bring down a lot more trouble than we want to have to deal with in public like this." She grimaces. "I can't believe we're still fighting the same fucking fights, Evo versus non. There are days when I honestly think I should have just …" kept Aurora away from all of this.
And it's not helping that with Richard home and in possession of the goddamned conduits on top of an upcoming arrest of the fucking mayor that she can't talk about to anyone, things are a little stressful.
They're always going to be fighting the same fight. The weight of that fact is carried in the glance that Devon angles at Elisabeth. Not that he blames her for complaining about it, he's done the same in other circumstances. “There's always going to be hatred in the world,” he reminds the audiokinetic. “Someone is always going to imagine they're owed something and gather followers to their cause.”
Not that now is really the time to be philosophical. The Wolfhound pulls a pair of sunglasses from the collar of his t-shirt and slips them on. His hands tuck into the pockets of his bomber jacket after. Even to a keen observer he could probably pass as just another college-aged nobody out for a walk. “It'll be fine,” Dev goes on with a roll of his shoulders. “This isn't my first rodeo.”
This is true.
It's not true for the face they're searching for.
Up ahead, they can hear the sound of a tennis ball hitting concrete before they see a russet mutt come round the corner of a building, walking backward with excitable little jumps up of his front paws. The language he uses is universal. Play. Those eager hops indicate it right away. His muzzle has some white to it, and so does his chest… like the dog from the security footage.
Hollow rubber hitting pavement resounds again, and then, a second familiar face steps into view. The boy from the footage. And a second later, Roxie herself.
They're angled in the direction of the park across the street.
Roxie - Or is it Roman? - is doing something that Liz didn’t see at that Precinct…. The girl was smiling, teeth flashing as she teases Goober with the ball. “You want this?” Goober answers with a few yaps and a quick spin. «Throw! Please throw!» Staying between Joaquin and Emily's places had allowed her to start relaxing around them, especially about the man walking next to her. Maybe it was Goober’s associating the boy with the concept of pack, but… he had been clearly accepted.
While her black biker jacket is the same, her thread worn hoodie under it had been replaced with a nice new gray one. In fact, it was the subject of conversation. “I told her no, of course….” Roxie is saying conversationally, to her companion. “But then my old hoodie disappeared. Not sure if it was Emily or Finch… but…. I mean they were fucking right. It’s kinda comfy.” Who knows when the last time she got new clothes was. “Just I need to figure out something to give ‘em in return. I can’t…” She can’t just let it stay a gift.
Goober gives an impatient bark, so Roxie throws the ball ahead of him and then hooks her hand on the strap of her backpack. Goober’s excitement of that moment fills her, making her shake her head… It was still a wonder to her, this new ability. Little legs have to work so hard and nails scrabble for momentum, but Goober manages to catch up to the ball, with a snap of jaw. The sight of Liz and Devon gets a brief wag of greeting, before he hurries back and drops the ball at Joaquin’s feet.
Roxie stops in her tracks at a familiar face. “Shit…” she hisses under her breath.
"It's probably both of them," Joaquin can be heard, his amusement about the hoodie-winked Roxie pseudo-lamenting her original clothing disappearing audible in his chuckling. But who knows? Maybe he's in on the clothing caper. "Either way, glad you got a new sweater out of it." He too ponders what could be a fitting return volley, but Goober's enthusiastic barks draw him down to the dog.
"Mmm. What about, like… lunch? Like, a picnic." Something the girls might enjoy? Food was always a thing, right? Especially since the food shortages awhile ago, people have been loathe to give up the little niggling worry about another possible disaster, and prices are still soaring.
When Goober returns with the ball, Joaquin stoops to receive the slobbery sphere and shakes off some of the wet drips. He's about ready to throw, but Roxie's swear catches his attention. "Huh? What?" He follows her gaze towards the other pair of pedestrians.
Well, that wasn't exactly how she hoped to locate 'Roxie' or 'Roman' or whatever name the teen is using now. Elisabeth isn't familiar with Joaquin at all and even as Roxie's gaze meets Liz's, the audiokinetic's hands come up to show she's not carrying and not a threat. "Dev, that's her." She pulls in a breath and offers a small smile. "I see you found your pup," she calls out casually. She's not certain exactly whether Roxie is a suspect. Right now, she just wants to talk. She walks a few steps closer and squats down to offer Goober a hand, if the friendly dog wants a sniff. Maybe if Goober stays, Roxie will too. "He's cute. I'm glad he wasn't hurt."
The dog is recognized about a full minute before the girl is. Devon had seen both at the pumpkin patch with its corn maze. He hangs back some when Liz adjusts her path to intercept. Better to let the audiokinetic make first contact in general since she has a little more of a repute with the younger woman. Joaquin is given a small nod, a brief interruption from his observations of Roxie and Goober.
Furry ears perk forward at the offered hand and a sniff is taken, however, the pups tail barely moves. Maybe it is the anxiety pouring off his human, but Goober back up a few steps and gives a woof. He comes to a stop when his rump bumps into Roxie’s leg, issuing another huffed sound.
Danger?
Roxie wasn’t quite sure, but she does know at least one was a cop. Shoulders are stiff, watching the pair, and she wishes she could get the pounding in her chest to settle. Liz’s words almost make the homeless woman jump. Whatever is said to her doesn’t quite register, as she blurts out, “I ain’t fucking going back.” A finger points at Joaquin, while she takes a step back. “I have a place to stay,” Which is only partially true, she still prefers sleeping on the streets rather than imposing on the man’s good will. “I don’t need a fucking children’s home.”
A wariness enters Joaquin's posture upon the older woman's approach, the way any child taught about stranger danger would respond. Roxie's added anxiety heightens the young man's suspicion but it's not enough to trigger any fight or flight. "You two know each other?" he puzzles out with the interaction between the women, and a sliver of that focus settles on Devon hanging in the background.
It's after Roxie's defensive words settle in that Joaquin shifts his full attention back to Liz. He lifts a hand - the free one not holding Goober's slobbery ball - to stave off the younger woman's growlings. "It's okay, Roxie," he attempts to mediate. "So… can we help you with something, ma'am?" Polite, calm, Joaquin quirks his head and blinking down with watchful eye over Goober and Liz.
Moving slowly, showing no intent to move into Roxie's space and keeping her hands visible to the younger adults. "I'm hoping you can, yes," is Elisabeth's answer to Joaquin. "And I've no intention of taking you to a children's home, Roxie. But we do need to talk." She tips her head slowly, considering. "About someone named Roman. Because what I'm looking at right now doesn't fit what I saw the day we met, and I need some answers. Will you talk to me for a few minutes?" She has no idea who Joaquin is, but she's grateful for the young man's willingness to facilitate matters some.
“We're actually hoping Roxie can help,” Devon adds with a casual shrug. “Some people saw something,” he explains to the younger two adults. “Liz thought she recognized Roxie in a picture they had, but…” He's looking at the two now like he has some serious doubts — more serious than his doubts toward Goober — about the situation. “I'm not so sure.”
“And yeah, I sorta know her,” Roxie says dismissively to Joaquin. “She was at the PD when I got arrested for beating up on some evo-hating bastards that hurt Goober.” He knows that story, after all it’s how Goober ended up in Joaquin’s care.
Roman.
The name means something to the young woman and it shows as plain as day on her face as all color seems to drain out of it. “I don’t fucking know who you’re talking about,” Roxie blatantly lies. “You’re barking up the wrong fucking tree, lady.” Eyes shift between the older woman and Devon, her body tense like a wild animal ready to bolt.
At Roxie’s feet, the small dog's back fur stands up and his head lowers as a soft warning sound escapes as he watches the older woman. His human was Scared? This meant the people in front of him were Dangerous.
Every part of Roxie is screaming at her to run, but her feet manage to stay planted firmly thanks to Devon. One wrong move or word though….
Joaquin winces slightly at Roxie's choice words of 'evo-hating bastards' because he's heard the story now, and there's a whole mess of feelings to go along with what he associates with that type of person. There's something else, though, in the initial anxious reaction Roxie gives off. He takes a half step closer to the girl, closing ranks around her and Goober in support. In a very 'what seems to be the problem, officers' tone, he follows, "So, what'd you see? You got the picture? Roxie's not done anything wrong… And who's Roman?" Still, a curious narrowing of Joaquin's gaze is sent to Devon as he recognizes him.
"I think we both know that's not true… although I can understand why you wouldn't want to be associated with him, given the people Roman's apparently hanging with." Elisabeth's tone is gentle and she makes no move to block Roxie in or otherwise threaten her in any way. She pulls a piece of photo paper from her pocket and she holds up so that Roxie and Joaquin can see it. The picture of Roman, who might be Roxie's twin if it's not Roxie herself, and the other three teens is the one she got from the people living in the building they cleared for demolition.
"Roman's implicated in a murder, Roxie. Associated with Pure Earth. I understand if you don't want to get involved. But if I can get them off the streets before someone else gets hurt, that really would be my preference."
“We were doing some social work, getting some of the homeless moved out of a condemned building.” Devon has no issue with giving a bit more detail, while still leaving out the meat and potatoes of why they're there. “That guy in the picture, Roman, was allegedly in the building at the time we were there, stabbed someone, then fled. Elisabeth thought we should check in with you since… I mean that looks like you.” He shrugs, not implicating that the two R’s are one in the same or that Roxie has anything to do with the murder. Aside from the unfortunate circumstance of looking exactly like Roman.
If Roxie was pale before, she is deathly white now and then the pain of seeing the man in the picture. Goober’s growling takes it up a notch, lips peeling back from sharp teeth. He looked older, but then she was too. They always joked about how they looked alike, neither quite one gender or the other in looks.
A half of a glance goes to Joaquin when he steps closer, which has Roxie tensing even more, but she can’t seem to look at him. His actions were confusing for someone who’s never turned anyone.
“I don’t fucking know any of them, alright, and I sure as hell ain’t him.” She knows they think it, cause she looks just like him. “I ain’t seen him since…” Roxie can’t say it, the words catch in her throat and looks pissed off about it. This was a part of her she never wanted anyone to know about. She looks down at the small brown dog at her feet. Stop.
Just like that Goober stops, if a bit reluctantly, to look up at his human. I was good boy?
The woman nods a bit and his tail starts up, because he was a Good boy and Roxie told him so. “I haven’t fucking seen him since the trials,” she says flatly, looking over at the two questioning her. The Albany Trials she probably means. “So I don’t know and don’t exactly care what shit he’s up into.” Or maybe she is just trying to convince herself of that.
Joaquin leans in to have a look at the proffered picture and studies the faces. Surprise wipes onto his face when he spots Roman and Roxie. There's no doubt on the similarities. "Wait, murder? Pure Earth?" The echoed accusation nearly doesn't make it out of his throat. "N-no, that's. Roxie's not…" He struggles with the weight of the implications, fighting off an urge to frown at Devon when he mentions Roxie's lookalike status. "That doesn't mean anything. She hasn't done anything."
Right, Roxie? Right?
Joaquin turns back to his friend, confusion and tell them writ into his eyes. Goober's growl, however, recaptures his attention. Though Roxie has the pup handled, Joaquin swallows down the faint knot in his throat and takes a longer, calming breath. His head shakes, adamant in the claim. There is one small hiccup: the trials. The newest bit of info turns him from one face to the next as he tries to figure out how to deal with this unexpected drop of rather heavy info. "So… so now what? We don't know where this Roman guy is, and— and we got nothing to do with Pure Earth."
"No, I don't think Roxie has anything to do with it," Elisabeth assures quietly. "I was hoping she might know how to find Roman — given the resemblance." She shrugs slightly. "It's a long shot — Differing viewpoints on the Evo issue has torn apart more families than I can count. But it was a question I needed to ask." She tucks the picture away again, looking at Joaquin. "And now nothing. I came asking the question, I have an answer, and I'm not looking to cause Roxie problems."
There's a faint smile. "And I'm looking the other way on the group home thing… but if you need the help, I happen to know there's a group of former Ferrymen-raised teens and adults around town who'll help you out if you need it — and they have a tendency to keep such help on the down-low. So I thought maybe I'd drop that information in your ear while I was here. So that you knew there's a place to go, if you want to or need to."
“I’m not trying to imply she had anything to do with it,” Devon offers, trying to smooth out the wrinkles, calm the worries. “Just trying to learn whatever we can about Roman. This is just the first of many resources that we’re looking into. I mean, if Roxie’s not got contact with him then that's what it is.” He lifts a shoulder, beginning to roll it into a shrugging motion.
Then Liz brings up the group who'd been raised by the Ferry and Dev tips a slightly surprised look at her. Brows raise, and that look redirects to Joaquin. “No better group to hang out with,” he says casually, addressing Roxie. “Especially if you need a hot meal or a couch to sleep on. Joaquin could take you by their place and introduce you, he knows them. Lance, Brynn, and Joe are usually there.”
It’s clear they’re not going to arrest Roxie so she manages to calm down enough to rest a reassuring arm on Joaquin’s arm. His obvious discomfort is worrisome, but she can’t understand why she even cares what he thinks. Feeding off his person’s worried emotions, Goober leans heavily on Joaquin’s legs and looks up at him with a tail wag.
“Yeah… thanks.” The bland tone says Roxie isn’t sure what to think of this group, though she gives her friend a curious glance. “So can we fucking get back to what we were doing before you showed up?” She isn’t as bristly as she was before, but there is still a defiance to her. “Goober here is out of treats.” The word snaps the dogs attention to Roxie, ears swiveled forward towards her waiting for a repeat.
"This all sounds a little too much like a coincidence," Joaquin casts dubiously still, but the reassurances that nobody is actually about to be placed in cuffs has him loosening the twisted knots in his middle. Reference to the Lighthouse brings up a wan smile. He glances to Roxie's hand on his arm, down to Goober, then back up to human faces. "She knows about the Lighthouse," he says, nodding slowly. "I mean, kinda hard to turn us down." The group was always very insistent with their charities and offerings, especially to the more youthfully aged disenfranchised. "That being said, yeah. Um. What do we do if we do run into… if we find Roman?" Joaquin holds up a hand to stay Roxie's worries about the suggestion in silent note that he's not about to run off and play investigator. "You know, just in case we do."
As the younger people in front of her relax some, so does Elisabeth. "Good — it makes me feel better that people are looking out for one another." She smiles a bit. "If you hear anything, you can pass word a few ways, I think. You don't have to come to the precinct or anything. Give it to one of the Lighthouse — I know Lance in passing, but someone there will know how to get to me, I'm sure. Or you can leave a note at RayTech or even in Cat's Cradle. The bartender there knows how to get me too."
Her blue eyes focus on Roxie and she says quietly, "Be careful if you do run into him, okay? Pure Earth…. it looks like they may have been grabbing people off the streets. I don't want you or your friends to be crossing my desks as missing persons, okay?" Having young Squeaks missing is bad enough.
“Give him my name, tell him he can find me at the Bastion.” Dev keeps a straight face when he answers Joaquin’s question, but his tone hints at a promise of more than just a simple warning to knock it off. He’ll have to give Avi and the other Hounds a heads up, but chances are good they'd be keen for some street cleaning, too. “And, like Liz said, be careful. Ask Lance and his siblings to teach you some evasion maneuvers.” Yeah, he knows the Lighthouse and their practices pretty well.
“Sure,” the word is drawn out with uncertainty and no real promise to do so. Honestly, Roxie doesn’t want to have to explain to the cops what she does know and how she knows it. Instead, a hand grips Joaquin’s arm and tries to drag him back with her as she starts to put a bit more distance.
Roxie looks down at Goober who follows her with a bright puppy smile and a wagging tail, and her brows furrow. “Honestly, I have no fucking interest in seeing my brother, so being careful should be pretty damn easy.” Even as she says it, there is a small whisper at the back of her mind telling her that she’s lying to herself.
Normally, Joaquin would be all about family, about seeing one's blood brother - twin brother - again. But these are extraordinary circumstances to say the least. He nods again in the slightest indication of understanding and mild acceptance of the instructions produced by the law-enforcing pair, though at the same time being pulled back a step by Roxie's tug unsticks the young man from the invisible mudpit of thoughts. "Okay," he verbalizes halfway into a conclusive agreement. "Um, guess we'll see you around," Joaquin offers to both Devon and Liz with a small wave, shaky smile, and a quick turn with Roxie's arm to head off. "C'mon Goobs, time to go get a treat."