#openrpstarters

The detective makes her way inside the department, absolutely drenched by the relentless storm raging outside, carelessly leaving a trail of water dripping behind her. 

She doesn't seem to mind her current state at all, instead focused on the bundle of fur she held underneath her coat. It was a tiny, grey and white kitten, equally soaked by the rain despite Harper’s best attempts at keeping it dry.

The poor thing had been cowering in an alley nearby. Ideally, she would’ve taken it straight home, but she was still on-the-clock.

Detective Reign kept a low-profile among her peers at work. Generally, her reputation was that, while she was one hell of an investigator, she was a loner. A few had tried to reach out initially, with invites to the bar to celebrate solved cases, but were politely turned down each time. Harper respected her peers, even worried about some of them. In another life, she might have made close friends of them. But the reality remains: secrets are simply easier to hide alone. And Harper was practically spilling at the seams with secrets. So, she opted for the company of her work, her cat Valentine, and the occasional glass of wine.

Until one day, a Cyberlife official showed up at the department. He was dressed in expensive attire, an academic and stuffy air about him, asking around for Reign--somehow managing to be condescending with just a few words. He found her at her desk and the two exchanged hushed words. She must not have liked what he had to say, as the detective calmly stood from her desk and, without warning, landed a sickeningly loud punch square on the man’s jaw. He certainly had not been expecting it, as the impact landed him on the floor. He scrambled to his feet, anxious to leave. Harper felt the shocked stares piercing at her, tensing.

*Please read my RP guidelines and Harper’s About page before interacting*

Harper’s heels click succinctly on the cold, concrete floor as she enters the room. Her expression is illegible, neutral grey eyes hiding whatever her true thoughts and feeling may be—a blank slate.

She paused at the table on the middle of the room, opening up the case file sitting on the table. The detective has yet to even so much as glance at the accused. Her eyes scan over the information printed within the file—a heavy silence weighing on the room.

Finally, she takes a seat and turns her gaze upon the suspect sitting directly across from her.

*please read my RP Guidelines and Harper’s About page before interacting*

Harper had been searching the neighborhood for hours for her damned cat. She had no idea how he got out of the house, but she’s starting to think she should have named him Houdini instead of Valentine.

She walks down the sidewalk, shaking a bag of cat treats. “C’mon, Val! Where are you?” 

*Please read my RP guidelines and Harper’s About page before interacting*

Harper stared at her desk, an expression drenched in disdain evident upon each and every feature--as if she were looking at the most revolting thing upon this Earth.

Her desk was lined with sparkly garland, paper snowflakes hanging from the side. Envelopes of what she could only assume were half-hearted holiday cards from her coworkers scattered her desk.

She forcefully threw her bag down on her chair. She skipped the office Holiday party for a reason, damn it. The holidays weren't the same anymore, not after everything--they were too painful. When she sees decorations like this, all she can think about is her family back home celebrating without her; no matter how many years had passed, the holidays never got easier. She gathers the envelopes and shoves them in her bag--she’d toss them later when no one was looking. She wasn’t that heartless.

*Please read my RP Guidelines and Harper’s About page before interacting*

“Shit,” the detective hissed under her breath. They were on to her and she had no back up—curse her hubris for allowing her to think she could handle this alone. She locks eyes with the Red Ice dealer across from her, assessing her situation through her peripheral vision—she was surrounded by the dealer’s ‘friends’, all of whom she could safely assume were armed. Her assessment? She was absolutely fucked.

“Funny,” the dealer grinned, knowing he had the upper hand, “I heard there was a snitchin’ bitch going around undercover, but didn’t think I’d have the pleasure of runnin’ into her myself.”

Cool-blooded under pressure, Harper’s hand slowly slipped into her jacket, but just as her fingertips graced the concealed, government-issued handgun, she felt the cold metal of a pistol barrel at her head.

*Please read my RP Guidelines and Harper’s About page before interacting*

Harper rolled into the department just in time to clock in for her shift—not too early and never late. She wasn’t sure what would be on the agenda today. Yesterday, she’d spent her time tying up some loose ends on a case report, which meant Captain Fowler would be assigning her a new case at any time. Until then, maybe she’ll dig up some cold cases to pass the time.

Her heels clicked on the floor as she took her usual, confident strides over to her desk; however as she approaches, her observant eyes find something that catches their attention. The desk across from hers, which until today had been empty now had belongings strewn across it. A new detective, perhaps? Or just an officer being promoted?

She slipped her coat off, which was slightly damp due to the melting snow that had landed during her walk here, hanging it neatly across the back of her chair. She decides to get her shift started off with a cup of coffee, retrieving a mug from a drawer on her desk and heading to the break room.

One cup of coffee and some small talk with a few officers later, she returned to her desk, only to find that someone was now occupying the desk next to her. She chooses to sit down, and to get logged into her computer before addressing them.