[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

[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?

[skeletonenigma]

Yes. 'A' face.

[A good number of them probably would try to rebel. A good number of the kedan, too. Yunxu would probably try to sabotage the attempt, though anything which angered the Snake leader was, in Skulduggery's humble opinion, probably the right direction to go in.]

I plan on breaking the news of my death as gently as possible to those who don't already know, and in the meantime I have a wealth of information simply for appearing normal over the consoles. [He tilts his head.] Speaking of which, may I ask why you're here? I doubt it's to help.

[inkulcation]

[Well, if he doesn't see a problem with expecting people to simply take his different appearances at face value, China isn't about to disillusion him. The skull really is more distinctive, though, and after all this time it's strange to see him with skin again.]

There's only so gently you can break that particular gem.

[Especially given she seems to recall it used to entertain him.]

[To the latter, though, she raises her eyebrows and straightens, one hand on her hip.]

Oh? Far be it from me to disappoint your expectations, but I'm hardly in the mood for the local equivalent of tea. Clearly I must have gone out of my way simply to criticize your investigative procedures.

[skeletonenigma]

[Skulduggery looks at her. Just looks.]

I appreciate the thought. I also appreciate your skills of observation are such that anytime you decide to criticize me on a whim, you know exactly where to find me. Was that all?

[inkulcation]

If you don't want the extra help...

[It's nice to be appreciated, she supposes, but for some reason it loses something here. China gives him a carelessly elegant shrug, and turns to go.]

[skeletonenigma]

[He'd really rather not need the extra help. Unfortunately, he does, and China's certainly been in Keeliai long enough to have built up an information network Skulduggery doesn't have access to. She might well know something useful.

He sighs.] Wait. What is it?

[inkulcation]

[Aww, he needs her.]

[China turns back around, and doesn't even bother trying to hide the tiny smile of satisfaction.]

I'll let you know if my sources bring me anything directly relevant, of course.

There's also a few smaller things that don't seem connected, but are... anomalies. For instance, did you know there's an abandoned building on the outskirts of Earth that's been seeing mysterious lights in the night, with curiously little evidence left behind in the morning?

[As much as she hates to say it, Skulduggery might be able to do more with some of this than she can right now.]

[skeletonenigma]

[Bite your tongue.

... An abandoned building. Hm. Seemingly irrelevant to both the muggings and the shadow thief, but of course even the seemingly irrelevant things could turn out to be important.]

What was the abandoned building before it became an abandoned building?

[inkulcation]

[Never.]

Something like a factory. It's been unused since before any of us came, apparently.

[China pauses there, thinking about it whether or not she actually wants to share everything with Skulduggery.]

[Even if she doesn't necessarily want to, it'll be more useful to do so, and she's not making much headway on her own yet. She'll have other bits of knowledge to hold over his head eventually.]

There have also been a number of thefts on the Palace grounds. Mundane items, for the most part: the sort you wouldn't think people would generally bother stealing, and therefore not a priority for our charming caretakers of law and order. They don't seem to be stopping, however.

[It goes without saying that they're in numbers great enough China considers it strange rather than just part of the natural course of life.]

As I said. None of this seems connected, but they don't make sense taken by themselves.

[skeletonenigma]

[Skulduggery doesn't like abandoned factories as a rule. He watched his best friend being turned to stone outside one, so the dislike is admittedly biased, but the idea of an abandoned factory being a meeting place for person or persons unknown is just so bland. In his opinion, if a group of people are planning something diabolical and/or evil, it must be something they care quite a lot about, and hence they could easily come up with a slightly more original conduit for their plans than the cliche of an abandoned factory.

Still, he's not one to ignore potential clues just because they bore him.]

Mundane items? [Hm.] When Malicant abandoned the Palace just before we defeated him, the library turned out to hide a secret entrance to an underground cavern where less-than-savoury deeds were taking place. Ritual sacrifice, experimentation, that sort of thing. The entrance has since been closed off. I'm not sure who did it, but I doubt they were trying to do anyone a public service. With the library laid bare, we might just be making someone somewhere very angry.

[And they then decided to steal a variety of mundane items from the construction ground? Something there doesn't fit.]

[inkulcation]

Anger isn't the right motivation.

[She might have only the barest of ideas about how any of this fits together, but she's pretty sure about that much.]

Theft no one notices for days is hardly an effective demonstration of anger. It's someone needing something, and choosing the subtlest avenue possible to acquire it.

I suppose you think they were hiding evidence?

[skeletonenigma]

I would, yes, but if the thefts are carried out by the same person who engineered the Dust outbreak, I'd hardly call that a subtle avenue.

[Not anger, then - or at least not hot anger. China's right. Whoever it is, they need something, and they need it before they're discovered. But there's definitely an element of bitter revenge attached to the whole thing. Skulduggery might even have called it the human element, if humans were involved.]

Abandoned factories and pointless thefts. You're fast becoming reliable again.

[inkulcation]

[Reliable again? China thinks she might have to be insulted. She is always reliable. One can always rely on China Sorrows to do what's in her best interests.]

Neither thing fits with the rest of what's come to me, that's all.

[She's not just offloading every bit of random information on him, really.]

It may be worth looking at the building in the night.

[skeletonenigma]

[The rest of what's come to her. Of course. Why wouldn't China be implementing herself as the premiere information broker in the city? There isn't any reason for her to reveal everything.

Fortunately, she's not the only information broker Skulduggery relies upon - back home or in Keeliai.]

It might. Would you like to know if I discover anything?

[inkulcation]

[Other information brokers. For shame, Skulduggery.]

Of course. Presuming, of course, I don't go myself.

[Though why would she expend the extra effort, when she can get him to do it instead? She just wants to establish she doesn't need him for that information.]

I won't be particularly surprised if there is a Dust link.

[skeletonenigma]

[She won't go herself. China was never prone to getting her hands dirty.]

Dust, or any one of the myriad of other things plaguing the city.

[He doesn't elaborate on what the 'myriad of other things' are, or how he knows there's more than the Dust or the muggings. There's a good chance even Skulduggery doesn't know how he knows, or wouldn't even have known he knew if it hadn't slipped out just then.

Try saying that ten times fast.]

Is there anything else, China?

[inkulcation]

[Only if absolutely necessary.]

There are always other things. Nothing especially relevant, though.

[He'll be the first to know. ...Probably.]

By all means, return to your crowdsourcing.

[skeletonenigma]

Thank you. [Flatly.

And if there's nothing else, he's going to turn back to the console and let China make her own way out.]