A Meeting of Minds

It was early evening and the sun was still up in the blue-grey sky, casting everything in a pinky-orange hue. A chill breeze brought the temperature down a couple of degrees as it blew through the city.

Etain was at home, preparing for a meeting. It wasn't a usual meeting with a client, and it, unfortunately, wasn't a date. Still, a first good impression was everything. So, freshly showered, she stood in front of her cupboard, in a towel, searching through her dress clothes. After rummaging around for several moments, she picked on one, smiled and, carefully, placed it on her bed. She dropped the towel and dressed. A little makeup later and she was ready. She wore a simple white blouse, under a dark suit top, with a dark skirt that stopped just above her knees. With final look in the mirror on the inside of her cupboard, she closed the door and left her bedroom.

She grabbed her bag, slid it onto her shoulders and slipped on her dark dress shoes, with a half inch heel. She picked up her keys and left her apartment. Walking down the stairs to the carpark, she unlocked and opened her car. Starting the engine she pulled out and headed downtown.

She pulled up in a carpark, got out and walked the short distance to the restaurant she was meeting the person she was supposed to meet.

The woman who met Etain at the door smiled at her, which Etain returned. 'Etain Adair, table for two,' she said. The woman, who was a natural beauty and shouldn't wear as much makeup as she was, Etain decided, lead the red head through the restaurant, towards the back. Etain arched an eyebrow as she was lead to a booth. It contained a table, on which were two menus, a drinks menu, a candle, and two chairs. Etain thanked the woman and sat as the woman left.

Placing her bag on the ground next to her feet, her foot hooked through the handle, Etain settled down to wait for whoever she was meeting.

Kari woke to the sound of an alarm going off. With a muffled groan she slapped the snooze button and forced herself out of bed. She'd been on patrol all night and filled out paperwork into the morning. She shook the sleep out of her eyes and tried to remember why she was waking up. Alexi, he'd set her up on a meeting with some private investigator or something. She rolled her shoulders and leaned back until her back popped. "Naoko, you home?" she called to her sister. Hearing no reply she shrugged and checked over the outfit she'd chosen before going to sleep. She nodded to herself and went into the adjoining bathroom to clean up, a process that was interrupted by the alarm clock going off again.

When that was done, she changed into beige slacks and a white cami. Checking the weather, she grabbed her light blue windbreaker just in case. Having dressed, she set about the task of her hair, which she decided to just blow-dry and comb down. She applied very little makeup, this was a professional meeting so there was not reason in her mind to show off. That said, some showing off was in her nature and it didn't seem like it would rain so Kari decided to treat herself to a trip in her baby.

She entered the garage and let her hands slide over the body of her hot little convertible. She grabbed the keys off the hook and hopped over the door and into the driver's seat. The garage opened up and she patted the dashboard as the machine purred beneath her. "Attaboy." It was over too soon as she arrived and had to park her car but she arrived with a smile and a bit of a glow. She locked up the car, putting the top back on, and grabbed her purse, taking a moment to smooth out her hair again.

Kari approached the restaurant and gave it a quick once over. It seemed pretty normal for two people to meet, very middle of the road which was a definite plus. She entered and smiled at the hostess. "Hello miss, I'm here for a meeting, table of two. I don't know if she's here yet though, Etain Edair?" She waited while the hostess checked the pad and then escorted her to the table. Kari thanked the hostess and greeted the woman. "Hello there, you must be Etain Edair, I'm Kari Velasquez, pleasure to meet you." Kari offered her hand to shake before sitting down across from Etain. She had expected some grizzled old PI in their fifties, not a woman who seemed to be the same age if not younger. She wondered if maybe she should have put a little more effort into dressing up and maybe more makeup.

Putting her glass of water down, Etain reached down and picked her bag up. Opening it, she rummaged around until she found what she was looking for. She looked at the card that she had been given by Alexi, which held the name of the person she was meeting. Karida Velasquez, Etain thought, reading the name on the card. Beautiful name, she thought with a smile. I wonder what this Karida is like? Knowing my luck, probably some desk cop in her fifties. She sighed, sliding the card back in her bag, before doing it up and placing it on the floor by her feet. She picked her glass up and took another sip. Just then she heard a voice from besides her. Turning she couldn't keep her cheeks from colouring slightly, nor her eyebrow from arching slightly

Standing besides the table was a woman, an attractive woman, roughly her own age. She had brown hair, and blue eyes, and was probably a good foot taller than Etain. What the woman, who introduced herself as Kari Valesquez, was wearing made Etain feel overly dressed. Maybe I should have just gone for the shirt and jeans, she thought with a mental sigh. Clearing her throat, Etain stood and shook Kari's hand. 'Yes, I'm Etain Adair. Pleased to meet you.' She smiled up at the taller woman, giving her her most disarming smile, before indicating the empty seat across the table from her. Well, this meeting is certainly looking up, she thought as she sat again. 'Would you care for a drink? Something to eat?'

"Well breakfast seems a bit of a write off but I think a nice dinner would be a pleasant prospect." Kari said, picking up a menu. "Alexi hasn't told me much about you, apparently you're a private investigator and that's really all I know. I half expected a scruffy beard and dirty trenchcoat," She smiled behind the menu, "imagine my surprise." She glazed over the menu, despite her comments on dinner, this really would be like breakfast for her so she scoured the page looking for something light but sweet that wasn't just dessert in disguise. That wasn't really the impression she wanted to make right off.

"Alexi also failed to tell me why I should come here but I owe him a lot of favors so here I am. I expect that you want information from me, but your lack of trench-coat proves that I'm not always right. So what can I do for you, without breaking the law of course." She said it casually but you always had to be careful with people who weren't briefed. Reporters were the worst but private investigators probably weren't much better. It all seemed like murky water to her but she trusted Alexi and if Alexi thought she could help this woman, then Kari would certainly try.

'Indeed it would,' Etain said with a slight giggled. She picked up her menu and perused the food on offer. When Kari started talking, Etain glanced over the menu at her, her eyebrow arched. 'Well, the scruffy beard and dirty trenchcoat are at the cleaners. And this is all I had left.' she said, indicating herself, and what she was wearing. 'Hope it's okay,' she added with a wink. 'Alexi also didn't tell me much about you either,' Etain continued. 'Other than you're a beat cop. So I imagined a scruffy out of shape guy.' She tried her best not to smirk, and only just succeeded. 'Imagine my surprise.' She shot Kari another wink.

Glancing at the menu again, Etain still couldn't decide on what to have. She wanted to have something substantial, as she hadn't eaten since breakfast, but she didn't want to have too much. She didn't want to seem to be greedy in front of Kari, nor did she want to spill anything on her outfit.

Just as she had narrowed the choice down to three, Kari mentioned Alexi again, and that she could help her. 'That's about right. He said you might be able to help with with some information,' Etain said. Sighing she closed the menu and put it down, her appetite suddenly gone. She placed her hands flat on the table in front of her, before clasping her hands together, fingers interlaced. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, held it then slowly let it out. She opened her eyes and looked into Kari's. 'I need information on a case.

'I need information on a... a murder. The... name is, was Noemi Matsuoka. She was twenty seven when she died. Just over t... two years ago.' She picked up her bag, rummaged around in it and pulled out some paper, handed it over to Kari. 'This is the time, date and location the body was found,' she said. 'Also... their relations, and who found them.' The time said 19:23, the date was July the 24th, two years ago. The other two had Etain's name, calling her Noemi's "Partner". Etain was trying her best to keep professional, to not cry, but it was hard. Even thinking about that night brought up the memories of Noemi's body. Etain gritted her teeth and pushed those thoughts, those emotions aside. If she wanted to cry, she would. Later. With some beer and ice cream. Now, now was business.

'So. C... can you help me? Please?'

Kari laughed, it seemed Etain could give as well as she got which was a nice trait. One of several nice traits, if she was being honest and unprofessional. "Looks quite nice, better than what I'm wearing. They don't let me drive patrols very often, if they did, you'd be a lot closer to right." She replied. Kari returned to the menu but something in the woman's voice told her to put it down again. Kari hadn't expected anything too important to come of this meeting. Private eyes didn't do important things like taking care of the actual crimes, they were there for the puppies and cheating spouses. This, however, this sounded serious.

"Murder..." Kari wasn't in the homicide division, investigating that kind of thing was out of her field, at least for now. She took the documents and started looking through them. Her lips moved slightly as she read though any lipreader would get only gibberish. It was a trick she'd been taught by Alexi that was now second nature. It made the officer seem a bit simple but also protected information. Perhaps it wasn't the best thing to do, nor the most comforting, but she was falling into old habits. Her eyes locked onto key phrases, partner was one and there was a spark of interest though it was an unpleasant one that brought on a little guilt. Kari pushed that away and focused on other words, names, times, and she also looked at the words that were missing, suspects, cause of death. It really wasn't hard to see the obvious things, make easy conclusions about what happened, but if things were that easy, the case would be solved.

"It's been two years. Cases don't often get solved after such a long time." She frowned. "Looks like Alexi was involved with this one. That explains some." She kept reading, occasionally biting the corner of her bottom lip. She waved away the waitress, asking for a few more minutes before she set the papers down. "You don't have much. I'm afraid that it's quite likely we only have a bit more than you do. I can't promise you anything, Alexi was a far better cop than I am but I'll dig through some old records for you. Maybe I can fill in a few blanks that will help you out."

Hearing Kari laugh, Etain couldn't help but join in. She liked Kari already, and she knew how to take a joke, which was good. The fact she was attractive certainly was an added bonus. 'You look great,' Etain said. 'Though I bet you'd look good in anything.' Sure, it wasn't professional, but neither was Etain, if she was honest. She preferred a less professional atmosphere as people tended to be more honest when they were relaxed. But, as much as she'd like to continue to get to know Kari better, it would have to wait. Business first.

Watching as Kari read the documents, Etain found herself drawn to the womans lips. Not for purely unprofessional reasons either. Despite herself, Etain found herself smirking as she watched Kari's lips, knowing that she was just moving her lips, rather than mouthing the words. Etain looked from Kari's lips, to the whole of her face, smiling again at the whole effect. She looked like a stereotypical, slightly simple cop. But the fact that Kari was doing that, and the quick wit she'd shown thus far proved to Etain that she was anything to slow.

When Kari looked up from the documents, Etain blinked, focusing on the womans eyes, rather than her lips. Though when Kari went back to reading, Etain smirked again when Kari began to bite her lower lip, the red head wondering if she knew how cute she looked when doing so. 'I know it's been quite awhile since then,' Etain said, trying to keep her mind on business. 'But that's not everything.' She reached into her bag again and pulled out some more papers. 'These are my own notes on Noemi's death.' She handed them over to Kari.

They detailed how Noemi was found; under a streetlamp, on the road outside the apartment they shared. Noemi was unmarked, arms out to the side, legs shoulder length apart. Fully dressed, no signs of assault, everything on her. But the other page showed details of three other deaths across the city, all found in the same way. The next page showed the details of at least a dozen more deaths across the prefecture.

'There are at least thirty across the country,' Etain said. 'Maybe more. There appears to be on each month, every month. But they're so scattered that no one suspected that they're connected. Until Alexi,' she said with a smile. 'He's the one who got me looking into it.' She sighed and smiled. 'Thank you. I found cases like this going back at least ten years, but I could only get newspaper reports, most of which were nothing more than reports of unusual deaths. Maybe you could find more concrete details. If fingerprints or the like were found. If there were traces of poison.' She sighed, took a deep breath, let it out. 'Thank you,' she said, smiling at Kari. 'Anything you find will be a great help. And the fact you're even thinking of doing it means a lot to me.' She placed her hands on top of Kari's, gave them a gentle squeeze.

More documents, more information, more cases. Kari flipped through them, there was far too much to go over here but she was starting to see the scale of the thing. Name after name came out at her, date after date, if they were all connected, and she had faith in Alexi, then this was one of the biggest serial killers in the country, if not several countries. It wasn't until she felt Etain's hand on hers that she realized that her fist had clenched up. She looked up at Etain, "Somebody," she said through clenched teeth, "somebody is going around killing people in my city. This cannot continue." She set the papers down and took three deep breaths. "Do you have copies of these? I'm going to need them for myself."

This case was bigger than she had realized, than she had ever guessed it would be. Why had Alexi passed it on to her? It must have been confidence, a show that he believed in her, but she wasn't anywhere as good as he was, she didn't have years of experience, there were so many other, better options. There had to be something, but that was something she'd have to ask him about later.

"If I pull out a couple of favours, I can probably get a lot deeper into this thing. I think I know a few places to start but it's going to take time, I'll be going through the official channels and that means red tape." She leaned back in the chair and sighed. "I'm going to need your help, I know you came to me but this, this is police business. This is crime and you're a citizen. I don't know how your jobs work but I might have things I need you to do, they aren't going to pay me to investigate what looks like a closed case, especially since I'm not homicide. That means we'll both be pulling some late nights on our personal yen. I don't know if that's what you were expecting but this is now Police priority one, at least for my office." She didn't bother mentioning that her office was a single desk.

Watching as Kari went through the documents, Etain tried not to smile. Alexi had been right to point Etain in her direction. Her passion, her devotion to keeping people safe was obvious. Maybe she could help stop this killer. She squeezed Kari's hands again, before releasing them.

'You can keep those,' Etain said, nodding to the papers she'd given Kari. 'I've got my original notes, plus the copies on my computer and USBstick.' She smiled as she listened, and watched Kari thinking of how they would pull this off. 'Of course I'll help, anyway I can. I came to you for help, not to just dump this on you and walk.' She leaned forwards. 'This is going to require us to work together. And don't worry, I can keep going all night, and the following day.' She smiled at Kari, fighting the urge to either hug or kiss her. Finally! She had someone she could talk to about the case, someone to share notes with! Sure, there was Riko, but Etain couldn't keep going to her for information. Though, maybe...

'I've got a few sources and contacts I could call on if need be,' she said. 'And don't worry, I figured we'd be doing this on our own time.' She reached out and squeezed Kari's hands again. 'Thank you, you don't know what this means to me.'

Kari nodded. "Alright, thanks. You should probably keep a third backup somewhere just in case. A usb somewhere safe. Kari leaned forward in her chair and began to shuffle the papers into a more neat pile. She smiled at Etain. "We can do it, together. This is why I became a police officer and there is nothing that is going to stop me now that I'm on the case." And she meant it. Whoever this psycho was, they were going to see justice done. "I'd like to meet your sources sometime too. The more eyes and hands we have the quicker things will get done."

"In the meantime, all this passion has lit a fire in my belly and I could use some tea. I'll need a clearhead and preferably a full stomach to take this evil bastard down so let's say we order up and then head over to my place afterwards. I'll be able to access some databases and a put in some official requests." She bit her lip and looked hesitant. "I mean, ugh, if you want to. I could do that on my own." Kari laughed, "Well I guess I've put my foot in my mouth. You're pretty, I like your style and I think we should spend more time together, but I should be more restrained when something as important and personal as a case like this is the forefront. So let's split it up. Tonight, whatever you like, come with me or go back to the office, but it's all casework. However, I've got a day off Tuesday, so would you like to go to dinner with me? Then we can go back to the frustrations of life until the next time if you want there to be a next time."

'Good idea,' Etain said, wondering where she could keep a third backup. 'Maybe send it in an email?' she mused. 'I supposed I could send myself an email, as an attachment, and maybe send it to you as well.' Etain looked at Kari. 'I'll need your email address, so I can send you a backup.' She smiled and nodded. 'Of course, though a couple won't like that you're a cop. Though I know one would definitely like you.' She smirked, thinking of a certain young detective with a penchant for cute girls and attractive, older women.

'Oh, aye, this passion has certainly lit a fire in my belly as well,' Etain said, elbows on the table, chin resting on her laced fingers. 'We're certainly going to need all the strength we can get if we're going to do it. And a full stomach is the best way to go.' A smile spread across Etain's lips as Kari spoke. 'That sounds like a plan,' she said. 'We have our meal, then head to your place for some official requests.' She arched an eyebrow as Kari continued. 'Splitting up does mean we'd cover more ground, but it also means we'll have no one to bounce ideas off, to talk things over with.' She beamed, her cheeks colouring. 'I'm free next Tuesday,' she said. 'Dinner sounds great. And why wouldn't I want there to be a next time?'

"Alright, give me a second." Kari pulled out a small flip notebook with a golf pencil in the rings. She pulled it out and jotted down her email and her phone number down. "That's my phone number if you feel like listening to my voice. If I'm not there, Naoko can give you a clue to where to find me, that's my sister. You might meet her tonight, she doesn't really get out as much as she ought to." She passed the paper across the table and put the pad away. "Well we're all in this together, whether they like the police or not, we're here for them."

Kari felt the smile grow on her face as Etain responded positively. "I just wasn't sure if you were, you know, interested in me. I know I'm attractive," she said placing three fingers over her breast and then moved the hand in front of her with a single finger raised, "but not everyone is interested in a rose like myself." She smiled and laughed a little. "But in all honesty, I didn't want to accidentally take advantage of a pretty woman who needed my help. So next Tuesday it is."

Kari picked up her menu and started looking over it again. "Well you know, I live a very crazy life with odd hours, I bet you do too. Maybe you can't keep up, maybe there's too much stress. Maybe I'm just really crazy and need to leave work tools at work." The last one was said quite bitterly and it was quite obvious that it was a direct quote from her past. "Point is, a lot of relationships don't last for all kinds of reasons, so I kind of take things as they come."

As Kari scribbled down her email address on a notebook, Etain pulled out one of her business cards, and scribbled her phone number on the back. When Kari passed her the paper with her email address, and her phone number, as an added bonus!, to her, Etain smiled. 'Here's my card, and my number. While I remember,' she added with a wink. 'Well, I live a lone, but my sister, Hannah, doesn't get out as much as she should either. Maybe we should get our sisters to met, they might get on.' Etain chuckled. 'Well, one or two aren't exactly above board,' Etain admitted. 'But they've given me good information in the past that has helped me in a few cases. But I think I might be able to persuade one or two to trust you.'

'And why wouldn't I be interested in you?' Etain asked, returning the smile. 'And, you are attractive, passionate, driven and you have a sense of humour. What's not to like?' She laughed. 'Who said I didn't want you to take advantage of me?' she asked with a smirk, winking at Kari. 'I can't wait.'

Taking her cue from Kari, Etain picked up her own menu and looked through it again. 'A crazy life with odd hours? Yep, I definitely do. And I can keep up with you, don't worry.' She frowned at the bitterness in Kari's voice. 'Work tools?' she asked, her eyebrow arched as she imagined what tools she would keep. If they were what Etain thought they were, it would certainly lead to some... interesting times. 'Aye, a lot of relationships don't last for various reasons.' She sighed, before she smiled at Kari. 'I take things as they come as well.'

Kari took Etain's card and number and slipped it into her pocket. "Oh the younger generation, what would they do without older sisters." she said with a smirk. "Well even the police have made deals with the less than scrupulous sort when we're after a big fish. It's how the world works. I expect you're in a better position to deal with them though, you can almost be on the same level, we've got to do things like threats and stuff. It's just trouble in the end." Kari shook her head and set her menu down. She'd decided on soba with octopus.

"Whether or not you approve is hardly the issue. I have to be professional and that means following rules and being responsible. If I don't, I'll never become chief of police and let me tell you, I've got some strikes on my record there already. Mostly just car stuff which is why they don't let me go on traffic duty anymore but it's still a smudge."

"Oh it's nothing, just an old boyfriend who was in academy with me didn't really like when I suggested bringing in some of the training equipment to bed with us. I thought it would be fun but he wasn't really up for it, if you know what I mean." She shrugged and smiled. Kari turned to the passing waitress and motioned her over. "Hi, I'd like the cold octopus soba and a cup of coffee, milk and sugar on the side, I'll add it myself thank you." She turned back to Etain. "I know it's terribly cliched but I find that tea is far better when relaxation and bed is on the mind."

'Indeed,' Etain said with a melodramatic sigh. 'What would they do without us?' She looked at Kari and giggled. 'I guess that's true,' she conceded. 'And I've had to make choices like that, yeah. A couple owe me as I did a couple of jobs for them. All legal mind,' she added. 'But some times it can leave a nasty taste in the mouth.' Etain sighed and closed her menu, deciding on chicken yakisoba, and some takoyaki.

'I know, I'm kind of the same. I have to be professional, and follow the rules of the trade. One of which is confidentiality. On top of obeying the law.' She smiled when Kari said she wanted to make Chief of Police. 'At least you have a goal, and one that you could reach.'

At the mention of taking training equipment to bed, Etain's eyebrow shot up and her eyes sparkled. 'Oh, I know what you mean,' she said, smiling at Kari. 'And, to be honest, I like the sound of it. It sounds fun. I'm willing to try almost anything once. And if I like it, more than once,' she added with a wink. 'And can I have chicken yakisoba and some takoyaki, please, with a coffee, no sugar. Thank you.' She flashed the waitress a smile, then turned her attention back to Kari. 'I'm not a big tea drinking, usually, not during the day anyway. But it is good for relaxing after a tough day, and just before you got to bed, to sleep,' she said with a slight smirk.

Kari's smile grew wider. Well today was full of surprises. "I'm glad to hear that, Miss Etain. I hope we find something we both like when Tuesday comes around." She tilted her head to the side and made a small humming sound. "I find it's quite good for relaxing the body and loosening up the muscles and it's important to be limber if you want to do the things I do." Kari said with a cat like smile and a wink.

"So what kind of things do private eyes do?" she asked as they waited for the drinks and food to arrive. "Other than take beautiful but underdressed police out to dinner, of course." Kari was quite enjoying the banter, when Etain smirked it did pleasing things to her face and she had a wonderfully devious glint in her eye. It spelled trouble and it was almost assuredly the fun kind of trouble. "If I'd known that a date was an option I might have dressed up a bit more."

Watching Kari's smile grow, Etain arched an eyebrow. 'Oh, I'm sure we'll find something we both like by Tuesday. And maybe by Wednesday,' she added with a smirk. Her smile grew, as did the slight blush on her cheeks at Kari's words, and her smile and wink. 'Well, being limber is important for doing certain strenuous exercises,' Etain said with a mischievous, arching an eyebrow at the final word, her eyes narrowing slightly.

'Well, other than that, it's, unfortunately, what people think we do,' she said with a sigh. 'Missing pets, infidelity cases, that kind of thing. Not glamorous, but they help pay the bills. And I like seeing the smiles on the clients faces when I return their missing pets to them.' She smiled. 'Some times that makes it worth while.' She turned her smile on Kari, leaned forwards on the table. 'To be honest, this is the first time I've taken on a 'Date a Cop' case. And I have to say, I'm certainly enjoying it.' Her smile spread and her eyes sparkled as she continued. She was enjoying the banter with Kari. 'I can't wait to unravel the case and get to the bottom of it.' She chuckled and shook her head as she ran her eyes over what she could see of Kari. 'You look perfectly fine from here,' she said. 'Though I can't be sure with this table in the way.' She leaned back slightly, indicating what she was wearing. 'I feel over dressed, and if I'd have known a date was an option, I would have worn something more... less appropriate.' She chuckled again, her eyes sparkling with a mischievous glint.

"Or maybe just something less." Kari said, "Well we'll have plenty of time for limbering up on Tuesday. I expect there are a lot less smiles going around with the fidelity cases." She leaned back as the waitress brought out the drinks and set them in front of the dining pair. "There's nothing like coffee in the morning, or at least after you wake up. Technically it's morning for me. I've been on night patrols this week. Seems like criminal activity is on the rise again." She added a small cube of sugar and a dash of milk. "All kinds of weird crazy things keep getting reported. I'm sure you've heard about them. Kids in costumes running around fighting and all sorts of nonsense like what happened a few years ago. It's all happening again."

Kari shook her head. "What I wouldn't give to find the lot of them and lock them up. Not much we can do but be seen around the streets more. People want reassurances that they're safe, you know?" She sighed and sipped her coffee then added a second sugar cube to it and began to lightly stir. "That's the thing, I'm not some crazy superhero type person, I'm a regular girl with all the superpowers a thin piece of stamped metal will give me. Let me tell you, they aren't very utilitarian." She sipped at the coffee again and added another sugar cube to it.

'Something less definitely,' Etain said with a chuckle. 'And I must remember to go to the gym before Tuesday.' She smiled at Kari, then up at the waitress who had brought their drink over. 'There are almost never smiles in those cases, except on the rare occasions there's nothing going on.' She picked up the small jug of milk and poured some in her coffee. She stirred it and took a sip. 'Oh, nothing beats coffee in the morning after you've woken up. Well, almost nothing,' she added, winking at Kari over the lip of her cup. 'Oh, I'm sorry. Alexi never said anything. If I'd have known, I would have insisted on a different day. Sorry if you had to wake up to meet me.'

Nodding, Etain took another sip of coffee, added some more milk. 'I've heard stories about these kids in costumes. I've heard they're some sort of costumed vigilantes.' Etain took another sip of coffee. 'Another one says they're just a publicity stunt for some game or something.' Etain nodded again. 'I remember hearing stories about this kind of thing happening a few years ago. Wasn't there also a spate of people just collapsing with no memory of what happened?'

'There's not much that can be done, unless you know who they are, and where they're going to turn up next,' Etain said looking in her cup at the coffee. 'Or you're just really lucky.' She took a sip of coffee and looked up at Kari. 'I know,' she said with a smile. 'And seeing you on the street gives them the reassurances they need I'm sure.' Chuckling, Etain shook her head and smiled. 'Well, I'm sure you'd look great in a leotard and a cape.' She winked at Kari. 'And that thin piece of metal does give you powers. It might not allow you to fly, or give you x-ray vision, but it allows you to help people. And that's something special.'

Kari shrugged. "It's really not that much of a problem, I have to wake up at some point and if I didn't have things to do I'd probably be in bed until my next shift. That's no good to anyone, especially me." She sipped at her coffee and then returned to stirring it idly. "And we don't need vigilantes, people running about without the right training, especially kids, will just end up getting people hurt or worse. I've heard all the rumors too, but for some reason, nobody wants to bring the police in on it. At least not my department." She sipped at her coffee and added another sugar cube. It was just about where she liked it. "I was still in the academy then, with some luck I'll be able to help avoid any epidemics like those."

"Well I'm sure I can find a leotard given enough time but I'm going to veto the cape. What it comes down to is anyone can help people. Everyone should be helping people. My place, and pretty much all of us, just have a different way of helping, basically stopping the people who like hurting. If even half the rumours about what those vigilantes can do were true, take those abilities and give them to a properly trained law enforcement agent instead of some midget in a schoolgirl uniform and they could do a lot of good in the world. It'd be like a special task force. Then we could see that everything is done properly legally, no worries about causing a ruckus and excess property damage." She took a large gulp of the coffee. "That's the worst of it. We show up at the aftermath and all we hear is two people in masks that nobody's seen before tore up the park or a sidewalk. There's nothing we can really do about that sort of thing."

'Especially if you don't have someone to keep you company,' Etain said with a wink. She sipped her coffee, enjoying the taste. 'No, I agree. Vigilantes, especially kids, are just trouble. They could get others, and themselves hurt.' She stirred her coffee as she listened to Kari. 'Well, being saved, if the rumours are true, by a bunch of kids isn't the kind of thing you want reported, I'm sure. Especially if you're a bodybuilder say.' She poured the last of the milk in her coffee, stirred. 'I was in the first year of collage when the first incidents happened. They were the talk of campus. I didn't take part in that gossip. I was... preoccupied,' she admitted with a slight blush. 'And I know you'll do your best to stop anything like that happening again. And for my part, I'll help in anyway I can.'

Etain tried not to chuckled as she imagined Kari in a leotard, which wasn't a bad image at all. 'Shame about the cape.' With a sigh she nodded in agreement. 'Definitely. That's part of the reason I became a PI. To help people. Okay, to help myself as well, but I want to stop others from going through what I have. I also want to stop people from hurting others, especially those who can't help themselves.' She took a sip of her coffee and nodded, though she giggled at the description Kari used. 'That could be useful, I guess. It could be abused by the wrong people, but almost anything can be.' She stirred her coffee again, took a sip. 'It must make you weary, turning up after the fact, and having to deal with the aftermath. All you can do is take notes and ask questions.'

"Well it's not really your problem. You've got other things to focus on and I expect we'll get a few leads soon enough. Especially if they're just kids. Crime shows aren't really the best place to learn how to hide your existence and I expect that's where they get most of their tips." She shrugged and drank her coffee. It really had frustrated her, all these people running around in masks were causing trouble, more than that, none of them had ever been identified. All the strange attacks, all the unpleasant things, they had to be tied to the masked people. Rarely did anyone report on seeing one without seeing the other and fighting always ensued. It was just dangerous and something the police needed to take care of.

"Well I'm sure the people you have helped are mighty thankful. And it looks like I'm about to be as well." Kari said as the waitress walked over with their food. She moved the papers beneath her chair for safe keeping since she hadn't brought a bag large enough in with her. Kari thanked the waitress with a smile and a nod. "Itadakimasu." she said and began to eat. She'd never been a talkative eater, despite all appearances, but she thought it best to make some sort of allowance to her dinner partner. "How is your food?"

'I know, but you'll be doing a lot to help me, so passing on any information I find out to you is the least I could do.' Etain smiled at Kari. 'Besides, these kids seem to be about the same age as Hannah, sixteen to seventeen.' She frowned. 'Though I've heard of kids that seem to be younger.' At the mention of crime shows, Etain couldn't help but chuckle. 'Oh, aye. A simple mask, while it makes it difficult to identify you, doesn't make it impossible. Cop shows get almost nothing else right. Like the way they portray PI's as grizzled old men who alway break into places without a problem, and always get away with it. Except when the story dictates they be caught.' She shook her head, chuckling. 'The PI and the arresting cop come to a deal, exchange info and suddenly realise who the criminal is. They then arrest him together.' She sighed before she took a drink of her coffee. The thought of kids, her sisters age and younger, both frustrated her, and worried her. What if Hannah was one of them? What if she had been caught up in one of these incidents?

'Well, some of them are, yes. There are some who aren't thankful, and some who actively dislike me.' She shrugged, then arched an eyebrow. 'I think we're both going to be thankful.' She leaned back as the waitress placed their meals in front of them. Etain smiled at the waitress and thanked her, before turning to her meal. 'Itadakimasu!' she said, before she began to eat. She wasn't much for talking during meals, mainly because she usually, well, always, ate alone, so she hadn't needed to use her conversational skills in quiet some time. She just didn't know what to say at a time like this, so she focused on the food, wondering what she should say. But Kari saved her from that. Swallowing the bite of takoyaki, she smiled at Kari and nodded. 'It's wonderful,' she said. 'The takoyaki is cooked perfectly, that melts in the mouth. I haven't tried the yakisoba yet, but it looks, and smells gorgeous.' She smiled at Kari. 'Though the company could have something to do with that,' she said, her voice dropping slightly. 'Beautiful company makes even a simple meal a wonderful feast.'

"Well there's a great beauty on both sides of the table so this is certainly a feast to remember." She said before returning to the food. The noodles were quite pleasing. She tried a small bit of the octopus, it was delicious so she slipped it back in the bowl and focused on the soba. She kept pushing the octopus to the side as a final treat once the noodles had been polished off. She ate in silence, sipping at her coffee and needing to refill it once. After which she added sugar cubes one between each sip again until it was the way she liked it.

When she had finally finished with the noodles, she began to slowly eat the octopus, chewing slowly and enjoying the taste, even if the texture was a bit overdone. Once her bowl was finally empty, she placed wiped her mouth with a napkin and smiled. "That's an acceptable breakfast. I expect dinner is going to be less so, there's never anything really great open that early in the morning and I can't actually cook. Fortunately, neither can my sister so it all evens out." She laughed. "So, would you like to get dessert or go straight to work?"

Giggling, Etain shook her head. 'This is most definitely going to be a feast to remember,' she said, brushing her annoying fringe from her eyes. She moved the last takoyaki aside and started on her yakisoba. It was wonderful, everything was cooked just right. She finished her coffee off, got a refill, then continued with her food in silence.

Finishing the yakisoba, she pushed the bowl aside and finished off the takoyaki, savouring the flavour and texture. She put the chopsticks down and wiped her mouth with a napkin, before placing it on the plate. She smiled across the table at Kari, before she took a sip of her coffee. 'Well, this was the first cooked meal I've had all day, so I guess this would count as lunch for me. Well, I can cook, so if you wanted, I could cook you dinner,' she said, slightly teasing, slightly seriously. 'Hannah isn't the best cook either,' she said with a laugh. 'She can barely heat anything on the hob!' At the mentioned of dessert, a smirk spread across Etain's lips as an eyebrow arched. 'Dessert sounds nice,' she said, her voice low, her eyes running over Kari. 'But I guess we should get on with some work. Dessert can wait until Tuesday I guess,' she said with a wink.