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 Posted: Tue Dec 08, 2020 5:08 pm
Jeremy was quiet for a moment, tapping his finger on the wheel. He could see Yu in the rearview mirror, small, when he held his knees to himself like that. It made him think of his little brother, the way he curled into himself when he was stressed or shutting down.
"Don't know what kind of trap you think I'd set outside of the station, or how much free time you think I've got to lay a trap. I promised you I'd get you a ride back if you came to answer our questions. You've answered every one I asked, so you don't seem like you've been disagreeable enough to warrant however many hours you spent back there today. Besides, the last thing we want is for someone to get the bright idea to issue you a parking violation."
Because, such would be the way of the world for the unfortunates in it.
"...Fireman do get a better reputation than cops, yeah? ...I've been doing this for over a decade. Soon as I was old enough, I enrolled. Of course, I always thought cops were the good guys while I was growing up. The people you trust to keep you safe, to make sure you're taken care of. But part of keeping people safe means making sure the bad ones go to jail. I guess sometimes people just get desperate to give someone that closure. I don't know," he said, with a heaviness to the words.
"Fireman are just so black and white--they put out fires and that's that. Maybe that's comforting to people."
Or, maybe it was because you didn't have to wonder if you could trust a fireman. His hand gripped the wheel of the car a little tighter as he felt the familiar wave of sickness churning in the pit of his stomach. They were nearly at the car, at least, and Yu could go home and be done with today--and hope tomorrow was better.
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Posted: Tue Dec 08, 2020 5:40 pm
“They save people too, carry them out of bad places… That’s more than a lot of people can say.” He said and rubbed his arm, trying not to think of parking tickets. It wasn’t working. “God If I got a parking ticket…. god if they towed it…aagh…” He thumped his head on his knees. “I’ve known beat cops who weren’t so bad, but they aren’t the ones solving cases. Plus, they aren’t getting much better. It’s a power trip… you get a rush when you’re stronger, or more powerful. Everyone knows it, just not everyone admits it.” He shrugs. “But I guess you go where you find yourself. Thanks for the ride man. I hope I don’t see you soon, no offense.” He was at least familiar enough with the area that he knew they were close. It was going to be so good to get behind the wheel of his car, to go...home. Whatever fall-out of questions might follow could wait. Getting there was a priority over any other thoughts or concerns.
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Posted: Tue Dec 08, 2020 6:51 pm
"None taken," Jeremy said easily. "I don't want see you again, either. I'm not the detective looking into the case, not the burglaries or the fire. But I've got a hand in writing the report, so I'll make sure what we talked about gets in there."
He turned down the road and slowed; they passed the charred remains of Priam's house on the way to Yu's car. The whole neighborhood seemed empty, like everyone suddenly had somewhere else to be. After he stopped behind Yu's car, he kept the keys in the ignition and put it in park. He unbuckled, opened his door, and opened Yu's to let him out.
There was already a card in his hand--J. Fischer, his precinct number and address, and a phone number.
"...I know it's not much, but if you think of anything else, call me first. I don't know that they've even assigned a detective yet, but I'll keep an eye on things. I can't promise you'll get a good investigator, but I don't think you did this. Which isn't saying much," he shrugged, "Detectives and their power plays, don't really care so much for a beat cop's opinions. But something's better than nothing. You take care of yourself and stay out of trouble, all right?"
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Posted: Tue Dec 08, 2020 7:09 pm
He blinked at the card, reaching out, but taking it cautiously only after a moment. “I will… I’m pretty good with smells, you can cook a lot based on smell and touch.” He murmured. “ He wasn’t sure what else to do, so he dug awkwardly in his pocket and fished out one of the stupid coupons that his work sometimes had. Normally just ‘free desert’ to get them in to buy the pricy part of a meal. Better than nothing right? He offered the coupon. “Unless this like, counts as bribery, in which case sucks to be you, they do really ******** good deserts. I’ll be out of trouble because I’ll be working, and trying to comfort the man who lost his damn house.” He slid out and fished out his own keys. “Be safe too I guess, this city is weird.”
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Posted: Wed Dec 09, 2020 7:44 am
It was obvious that the officer wasn't expecting anything, but he took the coupon and nodded contemplatively. "All right," he agreed, and there was a hint of amusement on his face, if only because of Yu's somewhat hostile defensiveness.
But, the smile faded, because someone had lost their house, and everything in it.
"Good luck with your friend," he said honestly and then raised a hand in a simple gesture of parting. The was cold and full of the smells of winter, even if the scent of char and ruin lingered heavily upon it.
He trusted Yu getting into his car, just as he got into his own.
He looked at the house, burned and destroyed, and wondered if there had been anything else that could have been done, if it was an accident. If all of this was just some unfortunate fluke.
But then, Destiny City had always been unkind to its unfortunates.
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