ask me no questions

[nottheanswers]

WHO: nottheanswers, afeatherpillow & dogabuse
WHERE: NOHoPE
WHEN: 2am on Friday, the 18th
WARNINGS: I'll add any in as they occur?
SUMMARY: Vic pulls another sneak into NOHoPE, runs into a few people. One of these he didn't expect.
FORMAT: Quicklog?

[He'd been sitting on this one too long, it was time Vic got back to it. Luckily, they never found the entrance he used last time, so slipping in again was a cinch. Avoiding the cameras was another issue, but he still had their locations memorized, and he already had a plan if any of them caught him.]

Comments

[goryteller]

[Katurian's sleep is heavy, drugged, and when Vic nudges him, it takes his mind several seconds to catch up. All his thoughts are tangled up in each other, remnants of dreams slipping through his fingers.]

Ngh--?

[He grips at the blankets, vision blurry. He's trying to figure out if that voice he heard - the words vague jumbles of syllables - came from his dream.]

[nottheanswers]

[He doesn't move beyond tilting his head.]

Angelica Einstürzen. I need to know what you can tell me about her.

[goryteller]

[He whimpers, the world coming to focus. He catches Vic now in the corner, shadows obscuring his face. No. Wait. Are the shadows...? Is his face...?]

O-Oh God.

[He scrambles to sit up, his limbs catching in the sheets. He's shuddering and shaking so hard that he barely has the control to untangle himself, but he needs to get up, he needs to escape, but he can't and he's going to be kidnapped again, he's going to be killed and maimed and left somewhere awful for everyone to see--]

Get out!

[It's a breathless yell, hardly above a whisper.]

[nottheanswers]

[Maybe he hadn't thought this through enough. He was well aware of the psychological effect of the mask, around someone who was already paranoid certainly wouldn't help. But the cameras.]

I'm not here to hurt you. I just want to talk.

[goryteller]

T-This isn't fair. [He chokes on the words. His head is still heavy with the drugs, and he holds it, swaying, trying to find the strength in his legs.] This isn't fair! Y-You can't-- you can't keep doing this to me, I'm not meant to take this!

[nottheanswers]

Dammit, I am not here to hurt you!

[This is the last thing he wanted to do, but he wasn't getting much of an option here. He hit the button on his belt and let the gas engulf his face, then ripped the mask off and removed his hat.]

[goryteller]

[With his eyes down, he winces at the sound of the gas, curling up on himself. It's a few seconds before he gains the courage to look. Vic is familiar but unrecognizable, and Katurian blinks, frozen, his hands clutching the blankets.]

[nottheanswers]

[Vic did one of the breathing exercises Richard taught him years back, tried to calm down. When he finally spoke again, his voice was calm, collected.]

My name is Vic Sage, we spoke earlier. I need to know about Angelica Einstürzen, and you seem to know more than most people are willing to tell.

[goryteller]

Vic Sage. [He swallows. His tone is flat.] The detective.

[nottheanswers]

Yeah, that's the one.

[He eyes the camera warily for a few moments, then makes eye contact with Katurian again.]

I thought you should know that I not only believe you, but I don't have to. I already know the facts.

[He leaned up against the wall.] So let's talk.

[goryteller]

[He tries to maintain the flatness, the control, but his voice trembles with nerves and anger.]

What are you doing, sneaking into my room in the middle of the night?! What are you doing?

[nottheanswers]

[He cocks an eyebrow.]

It's a sensitive topic, Katurian. One that can be dangerous to discuss in public, where anyone can see.

[He shoots another glance at the camera, then back to Katurian.]

[goryteller]

I told everyone all of the things I know. [Harsher, raising his voice:] Did Edward send you?

[nottheanswers]

[His face reflexively scrunches up in disgust a bit.] Eddie? Please, I came here on my own.

You spoke of what you saw her doing, but I need more than that. I need to know about Einstürzen before she died.

[goryteller]

This is a fucking rotten way to find out! [He tightens his grip on the blankets, a quick squeeze, before stumbling his way off the bed and to his feet. He sways, unsteady.] This is illegal, this is immoral b-because-- because if you were really hoping to help me, if you were really a good 'detective,' you would have gone through the proper channels and you would have found a way to talk to me in secret without waking me up in the middle of the night wearing a faceless fucking mask! You would have let me know!

[nottheanswers]

The proper channels leave a trail. If I'm going to do anything, I need my involvement here to be invisible. That's why I even wear the mask.

You're already under observation, if she does anything to you, people will know. But me? How long would it take them to figure it out if I disappear? What might they be able to do to lock me up?

And while you may be safe in here, you need someone to be the eyes and ears, to do the footwork. I'm no good to anyone without secrecy and freedom. If there were a way to let you know in advance that I'd be here, I would've, but that isn't easy to do without leaving a trail.

[His eyes dart to the camera again, then back. He was visibly uncomfortable with this setup.]

[goryteller]

Why do you want to help me? [His anger dissipates into weaker trembling. Lost momentum.] You don't even know who she is.

[nottheanswers]

I've heard enough to know she's someone to watch out for, and if she's alive without anyone knowing about it? That spells nothing but trouble.

Her connection to this facility doesn't hurt, either.

[goryteller]

What did you mean before? When you said you already knew the facts, that you didn't need to believe me, what did you mean?

[nottheanswers]

[ugh do you just want all of his secrets katurian because no]

I mean that I have evidence. It's nothing admissible in court, but it's the kind I can't deny.

[goryteller]

You mean your powers. [It's an easy enough conclusion to make - with his own powers, Katurian has amassed a wealth of information too private (and too illegally obtained) to share with anyone else. But it's true all the same.]

I'm still telling you, I told everyone all I know. She experimented on children and she claims to be reformed but I don't believe her. I don't think she's safe. That's all.

[nottheanswers]

[He had his arms folded before, but he broke a hand free and pointed at the sound of one important word.]

Wait, wait. She experimented on children. Let's hear more about that.

[goryteller]

No. [There's a barely concealed horror under his words. He stares at Vic from his place by the bed.] Please, talk to the other police officers. Not me.

[nottheanswers]

[He sighs and rubs his temples before looking Katurian in the eye again.]

Like I said, this is a sensitive topic. Start asking too many questions publicly, you'll arouse suspicions, and cops never know when to keep their mouths shut.

If you won't talk, who do you think would? Who do you trust that would know something about her?