[Console] video;

[skeletonenigma]

[Video;]

[The magical disguise Skulduggery uses generates different features every time he uses it, with the result that no one will recognise his face when he turns the console on. The skin's a little waxy and he doesn't seem to blink, but apart from those minor details, he looks normal. Only his voice, smooth and Irish, is the same as it usually is. A little jarring for those who know him best as a living skeleton.

Because of that, a brief introduction seems appropriate.]

My name is Skulduggery Pleasant. I'm a freelance detective.

[The 'freelance' part is important, since the whole point of using video is to make it clear he doesn't work for the Snakes - or anyone else.]

I'd appreciate any information anyone might have on attempted thefts of the soul jewelry. This is a request extended to everyone in the city; I don't think the kedan are organising an attack on Foreigners any more than I think Foreigners are organising an attack on them, and I don't much care about whether a witness can shapeshift or not. Or a victim, for that matter.

[There's always the possibility kedan have been mugged in the same strange conflicting style, but are too scared to come forward.]

The network isn't secure, so if you'd be more comfortable talking face to face, I'm happy to arrange that. You can leave a message for me with Anton Shudder at the Midnight Hotel - he'll make sure I'm the only one who hears it.

Thank you for your help.

[And the feed clicks off. Most, if not all, of his responses to this post will be audio, and will be made from consoles in cafes around the city - leaving the Hotel console free for anyone else to use.]

~~


[Audio;]

[Sent directly to Midii's inbox.]

Anton's now running an informal census at the Hotel. I can't guarantee it'll find everyone, but it should give us a much better idea of how many Foreigners we have, and hopefully how spread out we are.



[Sent directly to Wan's inbox.]

Some of the students at the university are talking about water levels being higher than they'd expect. Have you noticed anything like that?

Comments

Video

[irishthor]

[Have one Irish-American who's examining the image in front of him intently. His senses are top notch, and he's heard that voice before.]

What's a freelance detective when it's at home?

audio;

[skeletonenigma]

A detective who identifies as freelance.

[It's a flippant answer. A minute or so later, and Skulduggery corrects himself, having remembered that the man he's speaking to is from the eighteenth century.]

A detective inspector who doesn't work for anyone else. He can be hired by anyone, including himself, and he can work on whatever he likes.

[irishthor]

And, coincidentally, what is the job that a detective inspector tends to work?

[They don't have those, yet. Spoilers.

And, yes, that is a rather flippant answer back.]

video;

[gistful]

Ah? I will, will I?

[Blithely.]

audio;

[skeletonenigma]

Oh, I'm sorry. Should I have asked you first?

[It sounds perfectly genuine to anyone who doesn't know any better.]

audio;

[gistful]

[He's just replying every time he passed by one of the Hotel consoles, so his replies are consistently delayed.]

Some people would consider that a basic courtesy.

FORWARD DATED TO THE 21ST || Audio

[pushtheboundaries]

[after his most recent encounter with Skullduggery, he debated touching base with him about it, but- in the end, he takes the risk.]

Skulduggery, it's Robert. My piece was stolen last night.

[a beat. and here's why he's reached out-]

As well as...another item I'd like to recover.

audio;

[skeletonenigma]

[It takes him hours before he responds, though he heard the message almost right away.]

You haven't recovered the gem?

[Since that's the more life-threatening theft, that's the one Skulduggery starts with.]

audio;

[pushtheboundaries]

Not yet. It was a rough night.

[he sounds like he didn't get much sleep, either.]

audio

[valevectorian]

Hey Detective.

[Because calling someone by the name 'Pleasant' just feels weird.]

I don't care who knows that I'm meeting you, but I want to meet up in person.

audio;

[skeletonenigma]

Alright. Any particular place?

[valevectorian]

There's a cafe on [street name, somewhere near the border between metal and central] called [cafe name]. You know where that is?

audio || Private Inbox

[unetrustworthy]

[The message was...a slight surprise. Not because of the subject--she recalled their prior conversation quite well--but the fact that he had followed through in contacting her, personally.]

That's wonderful. [Far better than she had originally suspected, to be sure.] If word gets out, then there's a chance more people will check in, too.

It's more than we have now.

audio;

[skeletonenigma]

Actually, it is what we have now. If I agreed with you, I'd be saying the census was more than the census.

[There's a faint note of amusement in his voice.]

audio;

[unetrustworthy]

[Very faint, and in fact, it took Midii a moment to realize what he was saying.]

You're...making a joke.

[More of a statement than a question. Hesitant on her end, if only because she hadn't been expecting it. Not that she didn't have a sense of humor on her own. But time and a place.]

Or do you mean he already completed it? How would we even know if it was done?

[inkulcation]

[Sometime over the course of the day, following his post, China tracks Skulduggery down, mostly by dint of making a circuit of the cafes with consoles in Fire sector and looking for the people who have seen skeletons recently.]

[She is at least considerate enough to wait until Skulduggery is not actively responding to someone before she makes her way over to lean against the console.]

Have you taken up crowdsourcing your investigations now?

[skeletonenigma]

[Skulduggery knew China was there the moment she entered the cafe. Her patience is both surprising and not, but he takes full advantage of it for as long as he can before finally turning off the console.]

There isn't any sort of central authority for the Foreigners. I certainly don't intend to become one, but with the recent muggings, it helps to have a face to associate with help.

[Effective help, at any rate.]

[inkulcation]

'A' face.

[China's amused by that. Skulduggery has infinite faces. She should know.]

[But there are worse things than a Dead Man in a position of authority. Some.]

I think a good number of them might rebel if anyone tried to set up something like authority.

Do you plan to spend less than half an hour per day talking to people, then?

[confirmationbias]

Nice face. It doesn't look rubber. Some kind of shapeshifting ability, like the Kedan?

audio;

[skeletonenigma]

A magical disguise. If I could shapeshift, I wouldn't need to worry about frightening unsuspecting newcomers.

[confirmationbias]

Unless you like frightening unsuspecting newcomers.

[video]

[theideaguy]

Can't say I know too much about the disappearance of soul gems at the moment, but I must say, I do think I found a really good disguise. I mean, it almost looks completely lifelike, it's that good.

[Smug grin. After all, Sokka's never quite seen Skulduggery like this.]

audio;

[skeletonenigma]

[A sigh.]

Hello, Sokka. Did you come up with that all on your own?

Video; dated to the 17th

[aquanimity]

[Aqua looks very distraught when she appears on the video: something has clearly happened, something very bad, and with Skulduggery identifying himself as a detective a few days earlier she's hoping a great deal that he can help.]

Skulduggery, I'd like to speak with you in person, as soon as possible. My- my student, my friend, she was attacked last night and her gem stolen.

[She obviously has spent the whole night awake.]

I'll be at the Midnight Hotel. Please, if you can, come quickly.

[Aqua is unwilling to go into greater detail over the network, for Xion's sake. One last desperate look, and the feed ends.]

audio -> action;

[skeletonenigma]

[Another mugging, even with the Snakes doubling patrols and prowling the city streets. Whoever the perpetrator is, they're extremely confident they won't be caught. And the annoying thing is, so far they seem to be right.]

I'm on my way.

[Five minutes later, he's there, striding unmistakably through the lobby in search of the blue-haired woman he's only met before over the consoles.]