[open log] [harassment welcome]

[decideformyself]

On January 2nd, a few people are going about their everyday lives.

---

Philip can be found in the library for much of the morning. He's working there for a couple of hours but, for once, leaves immediately after his shift is over.

Around noon he stops by the shop to pick up a couple of things and gets distracted by trying on some clothes. It would be nice to have more than just the jumpsuit, he figures. He leaves the shop carrying a few bags and a humongous whiteboard, heading in the direction of G-Block.

That evening he has a shift in the cafeteria. He can be found with his nose in a book even as he shovels food onto other inmates' trays.

---

Chaplin Sukegawa is stuck on laundry duty for much of the morning and janitorial duty in the cell blocks in the evening. She can also be found in the cafeteria at meal times, and out in the courtyard for much of the afternoon. After spending so long cooped up inside, it's nice to get some fresh air. Feel free to bump into her in the halls at any point, too.

---

Kousei Kougami has cafeteria duty in the morning. After that he spends a couple of hours in the kitchen, and most of the afternoon out in one of the courtyards manning his cake stand. Various cakes are on sale, available whole or by the slice. He also takes special orders for anybody who would like a particular kind.

He's back in the cafeteria at dinnertime.

Comments

Philip you nerd

[tanteiotaku]

Finding that note in the tip box had made his whole day. And he'd only just finished his coffee. After dipping back to his cell to change out of the jumpsuit and into the pants, shirt, and tie from his costume. He switched to the white hat that had been Philip's.

After that, he went to go find Philip in what he thought was the most likely place: The library.

~~~~~

So that hadn't been as immediate as it probably should have been, given the urgency of the note, but it's less than an hour after the unlocking of the cells that they arrive together in the courtyard. Suddenly Shotaro wished he had a jacket. But the wind was nice to feel. He should get outside more.

He was a bit surprised to find John waiting for them. "Hey," he said, fingers on his hat and giving him a nod. "Are you in some kind of trouble?"

[decideformyself]

Yep, Philip was in the library.

He was just finishing up his shift, re-shelving some books, when Shotaro approached. He didn't react at first because, well, books.

[tanteiotaku]

He took one off the top of the stack Philip was re-shelving and looked at the cover. Theoretical physics? He made a face and put it back. "Hey, I've got a hit in the tip box." He showed Philip the note that had been left for him that morning. "You up to checking it out with me?" He was fully prepared to go on with his life as if that incident with Terui the day before hadn't occurred.

[decideformyself]

Wow, Shotaro. Physics is a very fascinating subject. Ask Philip about it one day, I dare you.

He looked at the note with interest, though. "I see. As consultant to your agency, I suppose I may as well." He also felt as though he owed Shotaro something after yesterday -- which was an unfamiliar feeling, but not an entirely unwelcome one. "Very well. Let me finish shelving these and then I'll go with you."

[tanteiotaku]

He is quite sure he had a long list of things he'd rather do than have that conversation. Or lecture, as it would more likely be.

"Great! I'll be over by the doors." He just hoped Philip didn't get distracted by something interesting along the way.

He took up some very stylish leaning position just at the entrance to the library.

[decideformyself]

Philip didn't get distracted. He already had the maximum number of books checked out thanks to Shotaro the day before, so there was no point in lingering.

He adjusted the clips in his hair as he joined Shotaro by the door. "Is that note all you received?"

[tanteiotaku]

He smirked at Philip's hair, but didn't make a comment. "That's it." While there was a risk that it was Terui looking to finish what was started the day before, he wasn't going to avoid answering what could be a genuine cry for help.

And that possibility wasn't the only reason he decided to collect Philip. The kid had a mind like a steel trap, and he may have come across something useful. "Do you recognize the handwriting or anything?"

[decideformyself]

At that question, he reached out to take the note from Shotaro and read it again. He took a careful look, squinting and turning it sideways. Finally, though, he shook his head. "I have never seen this handwriting before."

[tanteiotaku]

He sighed a bit, and took the note back from him before tucking it back into his shirt pocket. "You feeling okay?" Because it'd be terribly rude of him to not check on him, especially after the loudness yesterday.

yo yo yo yo yo yo i am here

[starcharted]

When Shotaro and Philip arrived, John had been hunched over on one of the benches, elbows on his knees and his chin in his hands. It seemed to take him a moment to remove himself from his thoughts, but when he did he gave them both a slight wave and a vague smile. Had circumstances been a bit brighter he would have been up to greet them in no time flat, but the troublesome nature of their meeting hadn't particularly put John in his usual cheery spirits.

"Not me particularly, no." He shook his head as he straightened his back. "Though I have reason to believe the future may hold some unpleasant things."

He had to be at least a bit vague at first. He had hoped to wait longer before he approached the detective, but things had changed and without Joan to guide him it was all up to him to make the smart choices.

[decideformyself]

Oh it was John. Philip nodded in greeting, looking confused. "What is your request?"

[tanteiotaku]

Shotaro had a feeling that his fight yesterday was only the cusp of what ugliness this prison had in store for him, and that things were rather intricately woven here. Not that it scared him, per se, but it was going to be a big barrier to overcome.

He put a hand up for Philip to hold his questions. He was going to take the lead on this. This was a good way for Philip to finally see what the old man had taught him. He took a seat on the bench with John. "Can you tell me what's going on from the beginning?"

[starcharted]

John opened his mouth to speak, but quickly shut it again. His own intuition told him that these were people he could trust, yet he also knew that basing who he could or couldn't put faith in based on only his gut instincts could easily spell trouble.

He wracked his brain, trying to figure out what Joan would have done in this situation. She believed in people just as he did, but she had been smart about it. She had always read between the lines. In the past he might have fancied himself at least somewhat skilled at doing the same, but when people could be hurt because of his misjudgment he was left feeling lost.

Finally he turned his attention to Shotaro again, the expression on his face more serious than it had been moments ago. "Before I tell you anything, I need to know I can trust you without question. Promise me I can trust you."

[tanteiotaku]

Shotaro had to think hard about that. Trust was a tricky question here in prison. How could he prove that he was trustworthy?

He reached up and took his hat off his head. "Trust is earned, not given. But I can promise you that anything you tell either myself or my consultant," he jabbed a thumb over at Philip. "Won't go any further than us. My clients' safety and faith in me is the most important thing."

He fiddled at the brim a bit before he continued. "But since you're sticking your neck out on faith, I'll do the same: I'm in here because there was someone that needed saving. If this is the cost I have to pay for that, then I don't regret it at all." He put the hat back on his head.

[starcharted]

John nodded, more to himself than anyone. Shotaro's words had a sort of sincerity to them that he didn't imagine anyone could replicate. Philip with all his intelligence didn't seem to distrust him either, which helped to ease his worry a bit. All John could do was take what Shotaro had said at face value and hope that he was doing the right thing.

"Joan Watson and I were working on a case together." He began, just a trace of sadness in his eyes when he spoke her name. "It was regarding a threatening anonymous poster on the network. We believed that there was a chance they were going to take violent action against certain inmates and were trying to track down their identity."

He leaned back, gazing up at the winter sky.

"We were doing alright. We had leads. I even found a potential suspect... but I never got to tell her." He smiled, albeit sadly. "Unless you agree to work alongside me on this case it's going be up to me to figure it all out on my own. I don't think I can do it alone, Detective Hidari."

[tanteiotaku]

Shotaro listened closely to what John had to say. When he was finished, he gave John an encouraging smile and reached over to clap him on the shoulder. "Don't worry. I'd be happy to pick up where a woman like Joan left off." They didn't talk much, but it was obvious she was brilliant and had a great head on her shoulders.

He leaned back and got comfortable. They would be at this for a little while. "Do you have the text of the threatening messages and who they were directed to?" This seemed to predate his arrival by some time. He'd have a lot of catching up to do. But the messages themselves were as fine a place to start as any.

[starcharted]

"I could forward you what we had put together so far, but one of our major problems is that their threats were quite encompassing." He put his hand to his chin, trying to make sure he didn't pass any important details. "They stated that they were out to punish liars, but that could be just about anyone. They're likely to have specific people in mind of course, however from our angle it's extremely hard to tell who they might be targeting."

He sat silently, thinking to himself for several moments before speaking up again.

"If I wasn't clear before, I will be working alongside you on this case. I made a promise to myself that the people in this prison would be under my protection. I can't just up and run away now."

That and he wanted to finish what they had started. In her memory.

fo philip in da library

[schizophreniac]

Scratch was hardly the type for reading, but treading the same floors everyday without any deviation was something he couldn't stand. He'd picked up a few books here and there, but nothing held his attention for very long unless it had pictures. It wasn't so much that he didn't have the mind for things more complex as much as it was that he was entirely apathetic to everything he found.

Well... except one thing, but it sure as hell wasn't a book. One sight of Philip was all it took for him to head over and make himself comfortable right beside him as if he had been invited.

"What's on the study regimen today? Friendship and hangovers?" He raised a brow, his grin of the teasing variety.

[decideformyself]

Oops, Philip got caught up in a book when he was supposed to be checking in new returns. He looked up hastily when he heard Scratch addressing him.

"Ah, no-- I just saw this and thought it looked intriguing." He held up the book he'd been flipping through, a history of tulip farming in the Netherlands.

[schizophreniac]

Scratch gave the book about two seconds of his attention before completely losing interest. Who honestly gave a shit about tulip farming?

"You have one weird idea of intriguing, kid." He was still smiling though.

[decideformyself]

"In the seventeenth century, the prices of tulip bulbs reached an all-time high." Sorry, Scratch. "But in 1637 prices abruptly dropped, possibly due to the spread of the black plague. It's an ironic twist, as the plague itself was in part due to the economic bubble's expansion in the first place!" Grabbing the book, Philip stepped closer to Scratch, perhaps uncomfortably so. "Human history is truly incredible, isn't it, Arsen?"

[schizophreniac]

Scratch had to fight pretty hard to hold back a grimace, so instead he focused his attention on holding his smile. He had stopped listening about halfway through, but he had his doubts Philip had even noticed.

"You know what? I happen to know a girl that loves that kind of thing. Nonon's her name. Bet she'd love to hear this stuff." Giving Philip a new victim was probably his only chance of hearing an end to tulip farming.

[decideformyself]

"Nonon? I'll have to look for her later. But for now..." Philip flipped the book open to a random page, but he didn't even glance down as he kept talking. "In one case, a merchant was jailed for eating a tulip bulb that he mistook for an onion."

[schizophreniac]

"Make sure you do. She'd be sad to know she missed out." He gazed at Philip, a practiced earnest expression on his face.

... aaand the second Philip continued on Scratch let out a stifled groan. At least there was a chance he had spread the joy on to Nonon. He wondered for a moment if he would have even approached Philip had he known how truly annoying he was, but it didn't take long for him to conclude that the anwer was yes. He would have.

"What the hell for?" These facts were so asinine that they were starting to blow his mind.

[decideformyself]

"Tulips were that valuable," he explained. "Imagine somebody eating a brick of pure gold nowadays!"