mystery !

It was a surprise to see her standing there but he didn’t realize how much he missed that smile of hers till he was staring right at it. Nor did he realize how much he truly needed to have some company before everything from the last couple days felt like it was going to crush him. “I wouldn’t have said no even without the wine and food.” He shook his head in response to her interrupting as he reached for the wine with one hand only to take her hand with his free one and pull her into the apartment towards him. His hand slipped onto her waist about to kiss her when Loki came up right in between them causing Roman to move back a bit. “Well damn,” he huffed out a laugh, snapping his fingers which got Loki to move down, though still excitedly moving about wanting her attention. “Guess I’m not the only one that missed you.”

Everything with Roman was just so easy, so completely free of complications and that was exactly what Nina needed right about now, with the frustration from the lack of evidence in the most recent murders at an all time high. Nina was just about to completely lose herself in that kiss before letting out a loud laugh at Loki’s wagging tail and doggy grin. “Hi, big guy. Did you miss me?” Nina asked, reaching out to rub the top of Loki’s head, the back of his ears and on his neck before showing him a pout. “I’m so sorry I didn’t brin’ anythin’ for ya, big guy, but I promise I’ll save some of my food just for you,” Nina said before looking up at Roman, letting out a soft sigh when Loki’s attention was taken by something else, giving her a direct chance to wrap her arms around his neck and press herself up against him. “Did you just admit to missin’ me?” She teasingly asked before finally, finally pressing her lips against his, softly at first but unable to stop herself from deepening it. “I missed you too,” Nina admitted, mumbling the words against his lips. “We should-- we should probably eat first,” Nina said with a slightly breathless laugh when she pulled away from the kiss. “Don’t want the food gettin’ cold. I do have one rule tonight, though. No talkin’ about the case. Or dead bodies. It’s... it’s gettin’ on my nerves. I hate dead ends and I...” Nina paused as she gave herself the small pleasure of running her hands over his arms, and feeling the strong muscles on his back before pressing herself up against him again. “I’d rather focus on you tonight, mmkay?”

“You understand that I’m upset,” the words that were mimicked back were laced with so much vennom that Letty had noticed a few heads turn besides them. “You don’t understand shit.”

“Oh trust me I know what your job here to do is…” Her high heels made the already 5’6 woman tower as she closed the space between them. Her distain for cops started after her ex left. One could argue that they each choose their side of the law and he has chosen his badge. “You guys are going to pretend you’re working hard and then you’re going to give up because they were just two criminals right. Sounds about right to me. So why don’t you take your false sympathy and bullshit lies and shove it.”

Nina had been taught that upon questioning, most people involved would definitely not be the most welcoming. Emotions are high, but she was getting pissed off. Tonight was supposed to be her night off, and it ended up with two dead bodies and her having to get whatever information she could get to help with this case, when she was already working on so many others, and the woman’s words were so ludicrous that Nina couldn’t help but let out a snort. The nerve of some people. A fucking gang member too. “Okay, you know what? I’ve been workin’ as a private investigator for years, but I’ve been employed by Charmin’ PD because of my impeccable track record. I don’t have to prove anythin’ to someone like you and I’m goin’ try and explain this in a way that someone like you can understand, okay?” 

“In order for this case to move alon’, I need to actually ask the people involved what they know so I can get as many clues as I possibly can to figure out a possible scenario for what happened,” Nina said, showing them an obviously disgusted look. “And if you’re just going to insult my work ethic by talkin’ about how I’m goin’ to let this go when you don’t even know the first flippin’ thing about me, then that’s on you. Stay mad, but just know that I’m here helpin’ by actually tryin’ to figure out what happened, which is more than you can say for yourself because instead of givin’ us answers that might actually help, you’re just here itchin’ for a fight with the people who are actually doin’ somethin’,” Nina scoffed with a shake of her head. “Come talk to the police officers or detectives if somethin’ jogs up your memory that might help because we’re done here,” she said before walking off. 

“Like looking for a needle in a haystack.”  even if cctv did pick up the killer, it wasn’t like they’d be recognizable, hiding behind a mask was clever— even more so knowing whatever mask was detailed out on camera, it couldn’t be traced back. The whole of town buying a face covering from the same place? They didn’t have a hope in hell. He was frustrated and he wasn’t technically involved. He couldn’t and also wouldn’t be. “They’ll slip up eventually.” meaning the killer, this wasn’t going to turn into one of those unsolved Netflix documentaries in the future. That was more of a hopeful thought, than anything. Her embracing him into a hug was surprising, but his arm came around her, giving a soft squeeze. “Yeah,” he nods, even if he did need anything he wouldn’t turn to her, not because he didn’t want to, but because he was getting used to that distance between them. Pulling back from her hug, he’s taking in her features, resisting the urge he had to brush the little strand of hair. “And you– if you need anything,” he offers a smile, even if he wouldn’t follow through himself, if she asked him for help he’d be there, “How’re you doing, though? Stressed, got that.” he’s saying that more so she doesn’t state the obvious. “Anyone taking you home?” even if she was still working and no one was, he’d wait for her.

Nina had high hopes that what Mickey was saying would actually come true and that he wasn’t just saying it to comfort her. As a fan of murder mysteries ad documentaries, she knew that there was a high chance of figuring out who did this because he was right, whoever did this will slip up eventually. Nina highly doubted there would be more occasions such as this where literally everybody could hide who they are behind a mask, and now that this happened, everyone was more alert, hence making it harder for something like this to happen again. “Thank you,” she murmured, showing him a small smile. It was actually a nice change for the two of them to not end a night with fighting. Maybe it was because there was something much bigger tan themselves looming over every person in this town as of the moment. Maybe it was because Nina was actually silently asking for comfort, but whatever it was, it was a relief. She raised her eyebrows at his question before looking around. “Why? You offerin’?” Nina lightly asked. “I still gotta ask a few more people a few more questions so if you don’t mind waitin’...?” She asked uncertainly.

a small laugh escaped from her and she nodded in agreement,” god that’s true!” she was normally more impatient but things weren’t exactly normal. her nose crinkled a bit at the comparison to sam. that was not exactly something that happened all that often. she giggled and nodded slowly,” i guess  maybe she rubbed off on me.” she truly was tempted to just climb over the bar in order to make herself a drink. before she could figure out if she would really do it, nina was on the move. she had to stop herself from giggling the second nina seemed to turn on that southern charm in order to get some poor sap to buy them drinks. in mere moments a drink was being placed in her hand,” god you are amazing,” she said with a smile as she went to take a small sip,” i’m not quite sure how to answer that question.” she was being honest since things just felt odd lately,” sam and i aren’t speaking, i might have kissed a certain biker and now i’m just debating doing something that might be crazy but how are you?” 

With: Roman Maddox

@romanmaddox​

“I know, I know,” Nina said as soon as the door was opened and she showed him a sheepish smile. “I should have called first but I got wine and some takeout from Hale’s so I don’t really think you can say no to me,” she teasingly said, holding up her hands to show the bottle of wine and the packages of food she had brought. Even though they had seen each other at the masquerade ball, Nina still felt like they hadn’t really spent as much time together as she would have liked -- which surprised her. She had always been preaching about how she was so good on her own, but dang it, she can’t believe she missed him. Maybe it was because of how she felt around him, like she didn’t have anything to worry about, maybe it was the sex, maybe she genuinely liked Roman’s company but whatever the case, she decided to take matters into her own hands, hence why she was there at his doorstep. “I hope I’m not interruptin’ anythin’.”

She felt sober now, at least, her consumption of alcohol seemingly fading as she was straightening herself, almost as if she was putting her guard up—- not from anyone, but to make sure she was stable enough to walk out of the hall when time allowed and for her to get home without stumbling along the sidewalks. There was a feeling of it being unsafe, whereas the time before the guy came running into the hall screaming, had her feeling at ease. “I’d say I’m surprised but..” she faintly chuckles, spinning her words in more a light-hearted tone. Both of their jobs never really allowed them to have the night off. This situation proving true to Nina; unfortunately. “Yeah it’s..” there’s a small sigh on her part, not really being able to think of the words, “strange.” Whilst she loved the town, there were becoming highlighting reasons for her to not. There hadn’t just been one death, there had been two. In the same night. “I’m fine, just wondering who you can trust, you know.” she wasn’t being funny, but that lurking feeling of a killer being around them, wasn’t exactly thrilling. 

“It doesn’t help that when I’m askin’ one side, all they seem to want to do is point the figure to the other side, and it’s seriously exhaustin’ because nobody really knows anything as of right now,” Nina allowed herself this moment to complain because right now, she was talking to her best friend and not allowing herself to be muddled with work stuff. She definitely needed a vacation from this entire town. “You know, I would have thought the night would end with maybe a couple of drunks, maybe a fight or two. I didn’t expect to have to deal with it endin’ in a murder,” Nina exclaimed before showing Leyla a look of concern. “You got someone bringin’ you home tonight?”

Looking in her direction he offers a faint smile, before his features falter back to one touched with sadness. It’s for the deaths due to that deep rooted care he held, not just as a cop but as a decent human being. “Well enough.” His expressions held a hint of anger, also, he’s a cop mingling in the middle of an over the top ball, he should have noticed something. “No,” he answers, shaking his head. From his point of view everything seemed as normal as it could be. “Don’t think you’re missing anything obvious,” if she was, it’d be something that didn’t stand out, “I think the sick fuck knew everybody would be in here, so..” he turns to look at her, “Doesn’t seem like a move made on a whim, right?” to him it had to been thought out, at least that’s what he believed. “No I’m good, thank you, though.” he placed his hand on hers, giving it a gentle squeeze.

Nina felt completely out of her element since the night started. She wasn’t used to such lavishness, with all the dressing up and willingly putting on heels for hours at a time, and she definitely wasn’t used to being a witness to a crime. An investigator for the clues right after the crime has been committed, sure, but as an actual witness with literally no leads? It made her feel stumped and restless and she didn’t like it. Maybe that was why she was craving the familiarity that Mickey could bring. “No, I don’t think it is,” Nina murmured, knowing she should keep her professional opinions to herself but also understanding literally nobody knew what the hell was going on. “It’s also hard to account for everybody since you can’t really tell who’s who underneath the masks,” she said, heaving a sigh. “And I think the killer planned it that way. Blendin’ in’s a lot easier when you can hide behind somethin’,” Nina mused out loud before tentatively reaching her arms over to give Mickey a hug. Another thing that was out of her element -- public displays of affection. She could do it as frequently as she wanted behind closed doors but that usually happened after sex, so it was still new. Still, she figured the night warranted it. “If you need anythin’, you let me know, you hear?”

Nina very obviously looked taken aback by the question but she swallowed thickly, nodded her head and decided the easiest way to deal with this was to just answer it as quickly as possible and then move. “I’d fuck Mickey, marry Roman and kill-- Well, I don’t really know who to kill but I’d kiss Lena.” @mickeymontgomery @romanmaddox @lenamartiinez

With: Mickey Montgomery

@mickeymontgomery​

“Did you know her well?” Nina quietly asked after walking up to Mickey and just resting her hand in the crook of his arm, silently being there for him. She still had tons of other people to ask but she figured she could spend just a little more time here with Mickey and make sure he was okay, all things considering. “Did... did anythin’ seem unusual at all? Not just when it came to her or the Wolves but... in general? Was I missin’ somethin’ here?” Nina asked, a bit of her frustration seeping into her words. As much as she respected a good puzzle, she didn’t appreciate the fact that lives had been lost, and she also didn’t understand why this had to happen. As far as everybody knew, there was reasoning behind this but nobody just seemed to know exactly what that reasoning was, and Nina always hated dead ends. “Is there anythin’ I can do, by the way? For you?” She asked quietly. 

With: Leyla Oden

@leylaxoden​

“I can’t believe my night of dressin’ up turned into overtime for work,” Nina said, letting out a deep sigh once she walked over to where her best friend was. She sometimes felt like, with their jobs, they couldn’t see each other as often as they’d like, and while she felt selfish thinking tonight should have eben a night off for her, she didn’t really appreciate the fact that she could feel everybody’s frustration, causing her nerves to be shot. She felt like if she talked to another annoyed and frustrated person, she was going to lose it. “I still can’t believe this happened. I thought we were all inside, havin’ a blast, enjoyin’ the night,” Nina murmured, closing her eyes for a moment as she leaned against the wall. “First, the shot up town meetin’, now this? I just... It’s really... weird, for a lack of a better word, to think that someone amon’ us did this. How are you doin’, though, with all that has happened?”