ic The Line Between

[TheAbsurdist]

"I hate fish people,"  said Det. Boyle.  The fifteen veteran of the FCPD groused as his partner, Det. Kirkendahl pulled their car up at the Cline Building.  In his early forties, Boyle was a hardbitten looking man, from a job that tended to create hardbitten people.  He had been assigned to Major Crimes for a year, or so, before getting put to STAR, it is possibly a punishment.  His dark hair was streaked with grey, and thinning at the top, but he kept it short.  Dark eyes always probing and being inquisitive, crows feet in the corners to match the various worry lines, as a map of cynicism (realism if you asked him).  There was a sense of being lived in, though he kept his off the rack suits meticulous.

 

"Now, Boyle, you can't use those terms this day and age.  We have be modern and understanding, besides, it's been forever since they invaded," Kirkendahl responded to the grumpy grousing of his partner.  He was lighter, dirty blonde hair, and a less careworn face, but he was actually older than Boyle by a couple years, though they had pretty contiguous lengths of service.  Though he had actively sought out duty on STAR as a challenge, in opposite his partner.  He parked the sedan, and turned to his partner and smirked, "Besides, this... Thaelia woman is a Princess, which y'know good for us schmucks to hob nob with the upper class."  He was slightly more crumpled looking, but then his suits fit less due to recent weight loss, so he had yet to update his wardrobe.

 

The withering glare he received was indicative of Boyle's general countenance, as well as his joy at what Kirkendahl said.  "Do I look British?  Besides she is living in a project, sure a Super project, but a project.  Let's get this over with before she does some bizzare fish person thing."  And with that he was out of the car, and striding towards the lobby, and then the elevator.

 

"A little!  Around the eyes!  You like Lana Del Ray, for Chrissake!"  Kirkendahl had to pull on his suit jacket, before following, but he made his way after him, and into the elevator on the way up.  "After this... wanna get some dinner?  I am feeling sushi."  Unable to hold in the Cheshire grin on his face as he did that.

The response was a stony silence.

 

*                 *                    *

 

A short while later they were knocking at the door to Thaelia's door, before hitting the little intercom button.  "Your Highness?  This is Detectives Kirkendahl and Boyle, with the FCPD, we're here to talk to you about a classmate of yours, may we come in?" asked Kirkendahl, his finger pressing on the button, before rocking back on his heels and glancing to Boyle and releasing it.  "Think we may have to call her?"

 

"I don't think fish people have phones."
 

[Brown Dynamite]

Thaelia opened her steel framed door.  It was firmly set so even the enthusiastic wouldn't rip it off the handle.  In theory.  The tall Atlantean raised.  "Welcome enforcers of law.  To what do I owe this honor?"  She didn't get many strangers knocking on her door.  Especially strangers working in law enforcement who would be more likely to request her presence from the embassy.  Usually in request of compensation for something she broke while apprehending a villain.

 

"Do wish for me to regale you with tales of the heroic deeds this classmate?"  Upon realizing that regular students didn't partake in punching out bad guys the Atlantean princess realized she needed to backtrack a little.  As ever Thaelia was not a capable liar.  So her attempt at covering up was with the truth.  A selective version of it that was.

 

"Even without masks my classmates were people to be admired."

[TheAbsurdist]

Her exuberance was not entirely expected.  At least Boyle didn't see to immediately latch onto it, though he and Kirkendahl were prompt in pulling out their IDs and badges.  They had done this before, their experience shown on their faces.  It was the darker hair Boyle who pushed the lead, "I see, well ma'am... We are looking into the whereabouts of a friend of yours.  I believe he goes by Elias Silvestri?  Mind if we come in about it?"

It was clear they knew, or at least knew of something, as her slip up didn't really get to them, didn't cause some outward sign of re-assessment on their faces.  Kirkendahl followed, "Y'see, he's gone missing, we are looking at his associates and the like to see if you might have an idea of what could have happened.  We'd rather have this conversation in your apartment, if at all possible, your Highness, just to keep discrete."

[Brown Dynamite]

"Step right in. I have not heard from Elias since...graduation"  Thaelia's voice trailed for a moment before returning to her armor of pep.  Stepping out of the way to allow both men to enter her abode.  What surprised Thaelia most of all was that someone reported Elias missing.  Not that he wasn't missable.  But, his mother hardly seemed the type to involve the authorities in such matter.

 

"I am afraid I do not have refreshments to serve you.  Are you positive he is missing?  Elias is a very private person."  She stated with a hint of optimism.  "I am afraid I do not have refreshments to offer you other than water.  I was not planning on entertaining guests"

[TheAbsurdist]

"Well, yeah, you were just a known associate of his, so we had to follow up..."  Kirkendahl was nice, gentle, as he stepped on inside, with Boyle following afterwards.  "Thank you, no.  But we appreciate the sentiment, but we're not guests, we are on the job."  Kirkendahl frowned, and pulled out a notepad and started to jot down what she was saying.

 

Boyle's lips were pressed together tightly as he looked at her, lingering near the entrance of the living room, and letting his gaze sweep over her things, not that he expected her tchotchkes to really be informative.  "So you're saying you don't really know the guy?"  His brows arched as he rested his eyes on Thaelia.

 

Kirkendahl stopped the notetaking, shooting a glance to his partner, before he looked to the Princess somewhat apologetically, "I am sorry, what my partner means is, can you offer any insight into him?  His neighbors and landlord kinda agree on the quiet, keeps to himself.  Even his roommate..,  You sure you haven't talked with him since last summer?"  

 

Edited April 18, 2016 by TheAbsurdist

[Brown Dynamite]

"I have not spoken to him."  She asserted.  "However, I would not say I do not know him.  He is a brave soul, disciplined, and perhaps a bit too inclined to eat anything he finds on the ground.  Although he keeps to himself, he always takes others into consideration...Elias is a good person."

 

"His mother warned me of his having a tumultous relationship with his father.  After insulting my honor."  Thaelia mumbled the second sentence.  Still irked at the memory.  "I should note, that for Elias leaving without alerting anyone as to his intentions is not out of character.  He could simply be taking a vacation."  Of course now that Thaelia knew that the police had reason to believe him missing, she'd go out of her way to confirm this herself.  Regardless of his habit of running off alone.

[TheAbsurdist]

The more severe looking man pressed, though, "We had heard that you two had a romantic, or just passably intimate, relationship with Mr. Silvestri.  Is that not the case?  What was is Kirk?  What was it described as?"  For someone like Thaelia, this behavior would be more fruitful than their conversation with the Clines, after all, she was far less worldly, when it came to the surface, than the elder villains turned heroes.

 

Kirkendahl frowned as he looked at his partner, "... they said he had the Mermaid fever."  The brown haired man started to check his notes before glancing back to her, "I apologize for the bluntness of that your highness.  The problem we are having is that the picture we got from his day to day associates is a little... bit different, and you said yourself it's been a year...  Maybe you could give us something more concrete?"

 

Boyle jumped back into the conversation, "We know he is a vigilante.  We also know that no records of him booking travel out of the city, and his car is still parked at his apartment.  He missed work, and one of the places he volunteers, that is who called us about it.  Apparently him vanishing is strange enough for other people to make note of it.  It looks like he was abducted from his appartment sometime after midnight four days ago.  Do you know anyone who might want to do that?"  

[Brown Dynamite]

King Theseus and Queen Ariallis raised Thaelia as if she were their own daughter.  To the point that the queen chastises Thaelia if she ever calls her anything other than 'mother'.  They were a fine example of a loving couple to grow up under.  But, the fact remains that even their former Freedom League teammate's can attest to the fact that they were the last people to realize they had fallen for one another.  The relevance to Thaelia's own ignorance was downright hereditary.

 

Flustered, she parted her lips to speak.  "I-I-I did not know Elias was dating a mermaid.  Well that is good for him. Not that it involves me.  The Umiquans are a tried and true ally of Atlantis."

 

Upon the realization that Elias had not been making a show of hiding his heroing there was a sense of relief.  As Thaelia could honestly express the thoughts in the back of her mind.  Recalling the conversation with Elias' mother.  Warnings that the young man's father was far from a caring individual.  And the research she conducted on her own afterwards.  "His family situation is tumultous.  I believe his arrival to this city was contested by his kin.  But, he is no longer a child.  The time to act would have long passed, would it not?"

[TheAbsurdist]

Boyle stopped, and was just bemused by the response from Thealia.  And then he laughed, a short, sharp bark that broke through his face as he shook his head and looked down.  "I am sorry for not being clear, the mermaid fever was in reference to you.  It was a comment we heard from others describing his relationship to you."  The older, and more severe looking detective did read her response, which didn't tell him much, but he connected that up to cultural differences.  As the girl came across as nice, but... odd.

 

Kirkendahl just gave Boyle a withering glare at the back of his head.  "I apologize for my partner's lack of tact Your Highness.  A lot of the information we have is cobbled together from many sources.  While we know he is a vigilante, that is because of the amount of times he availed himself to medical assistance for your people, we don't know his specific activities.  We feel that that aspect of his life would garner more enemies... So there is something a bit more specific about his family life we should know about?"