#justonemorethingsir

[x]

Zora hadn't really expected or planned to run into Columbo again anytime soon. Between the experiences that they had had.. they understood that he typically meant well in ways that most associated with the law certainly did not but they still had plenty of reasons to be wary. To be exhausted. Because whatever it took for him to get what he needed out of someone information wise... well, that could take a toll that's for sure.

They had almost enjoyed the reprieve, the ability to focus on their own affairs in the way that they needed to.

So when they had seen him again, there was a distinct sense of ambivalence. Not really even certain what to say - knowing full well he would see them anyway in passing.

"Yeah.. it's.. definitely interesting seeing you as well." They responded with a slight nod, they remained a little guarded.

"Might as well, since I was already going to grab a bite anyway.." Zora casually took up the seat next to him while looking at the menu.

"Do you know what else is good besides the chili? Just to narrow things down a little further."

They glanced at him, raising an eyebrow when he mentioned wanting to run into them again. Now that was something they hadn't expected either.

Today was just filled with odd surprises huh.

Sass looks at the badge with what again seems to be passing interest. And then they're absorbed in scrolling on their phone again. They speak in an odd monotone, no inflection to their voice whatsoever. Entirely flat.

"you're kind of a long way from los angeles, aren't you." A question stated more like a fact because of their tone. "what brought you to the bustling metropolis that is lakeview, pennsylvania."

He can ask them questions, Sass has already decided not to try and worm their way out of this, but that doesn't mean they're going to make anything easy on him. They have questions of their own.

"well, ask away lieutenant. let's solve a murder, shall we." Sass can reasonably say that the head of security, Morgan Settlemeyer, was likely about as unhelpful as unhelpful gets. Calling him the head of anything was a joke. They can also assume that the local cops were called, but Sass is sure they weren't prepared for an actual murder in this tiny town-- there was only four of them for the whole damn place. So was it all just a convenient coincidence that this Colombo guy happened to be in town when the murder happened?

Or was he already there for something else?

🎪— Big red eyes peered off to the side in the direction of where a group of policemen and detectives had gathered around. It seemed like a nasty murder had ensued on the fairgrounds last night and the town’s lawmen were trying to figure out who the criminal happened to be… Normally the circus was a happy place. It was a rarity to see something as dark and dangerous as a murder. From what could be said, a young girl had been murderer just outside the circus’s main entrance just last night. Meaning that the fairgrounds were closed until further notice.

“Uh… there’s not much I can say… I wasn’t around when any of this happened…”

The clown shaped vacui stood with his slender arms folded against his chest. Hoops didn’t really care about things like this. After being in this particular world for over 100 years, he had seen countless situations like this. Sure, he felt bad for the victims and their families— but none of that ever applied to Hoops, so there was never a reason for him to be concerned in any way.

“I know that’s not a good excuse, but I never saw anything.”

It was true, on the night of the crime, Hoops was out feeding on handsome men like he always did. He was always doing that when he wasn’t at work. Having a large appetite meant that he needed to get as much blood as his stomach could hold. Hoops was pretty greedy when it came to things like that.

“If I did, I would have tried to deescalate the situation with some tricks!! I’m sure if that criminal had a big smile on his face, things would have gone a lot better.”

The smile on her lips is casual, though there is quite a bit of worry on the inside. She has to keep telling herself that no, she is not being followed. People cross paths all the time like this, and it’s not like she’s even done anything worth being followed. Probably.

(She has absolutely no idea what her records might look like. Or if he’s even seen them? Would he have? Oh god, she’s overthinking everything right now.)

It’s weird. Rain usually hates cops, always does, but she’s not really sure if he is a cop in the first place. There’s a different energy to the guy, and she wonders for a moment if he might actually do something.

Zora found themself not really wanting to think about Columbo any more than they absolutely had to at a given moment.

But, they had found themself asked to give an assumption they had made... which leaves them in itself fairly skeptical about saying much.

"For what purpose? So he can do the things that he does to undermine them or something? I just.. I believe that there are things he just does because he has been like that all his life.

@justonemorethingsir continued from x ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★

🎪— Being interrogated for a thing such as murder certainly wasn’t what Hoops had thought would happen to him today. The possibility of him being a suspect didn’t surprise him one bit though. There were such a thing as ‘killer clowns’ in things like movies and urban legends— so it was common for some people to instantly think the worst of someone like Hoops simply because he was indeed a clown. It was normal for certain kinds of people to be afraid of clowns. Which Hoops understood and had accepted. So it wasn’t anything new to him.

When he was asked more about where he was specifically last night, the clown shaped vacui looked a bit uncomfortable. Hoops never really liked flat out telling people that whenever he wasn’t at work he was out sucking the blood of the living. There were probably more people out there who were more afraid of vampires than clowns. Hoops himself wasn’t a vampire however— he was a vacui. But anyone who didn’t know the specifics would assume he was a vampire since they were pretty much the same thing.

“Uh… I wasn’t on the fairgrounds last night…”

With his slender arms folded over his chest, Hoops looked off to the side. Probably acting extremely suspicious. His uneasy behavior definitely wasn’t making him look very innocent whatsoever.

“I never knew about the murder until this morning. I didn’t get into work until around 6am today.”

Hoops tried to give somewhat vague answers so as not to expose the fact that he was a rather dangerous monster beneath his silly, colorful demeanor. If the people of this town were to find that out— he would be out of a job and have to move to another circus far away. Hoops had been to a good handful of different circuses in his 100+ year old lifetime, but the one he was currently tied to felt the most comfortable to him. So he really didn’t want to leave if he could help it.

“Thank you, by the way.”

He smiled at the other in response to the compliment he gave about the fairgrounds. It always made Hoops happy when someone noticed the wonders of the circus like he did.

“This place is pretty old. I’ve been here for a long time and it never seems to change… I love it here.”

@justonemorethingsir Asked: “Excuse me, do you know the time?” (from @justonemorethingsir if you don’t mind a visit from Columbo lol. For whoever you’d like!)

Not good not good not good. She knew that Ares' would probably make an ass of her again, but like this? Stuck in an unknown time, in an dark house that obviously was vacated. Broken, old glass shattered all on the beige carpet, Paneled walls with minimal lighting made it a little tough to see aswell. She would have said that the distant sound of a lamp clicking on would be nice...if it wasn't for the fact that a Satyrian shouldn't be loitering around a, what seemed to be, a relatively recently empty home.

Soon, watching the man walk in, it was...obvious that he must've known someone was here. To ask the time was very bold, given that if she were in this older man's shoes, she'd be absolutely mindful of the situation.

Still, hiding behind the old Knoll couch, She hatched a brilliant idea. Maybe...if she just...hid behind long enough, he'd leave.