evierose

Centuries (SoulStealer + evierose)

The Angel's question stopped Aqua in her tracks. She turned around to scrutinize him. Tilting her head at an odd angle, she leaned closer, maybe a bit too close for comfort. She squinted her eyes and made a circular motion with her head, much like a snake before it strike to attack.

Finally, she said, "You're a detective and you're on the case now, so it would be a part of your responsibility to shed light on any clues you've come across. We're grabbing at straws here with how little we were able to find so far, it would be very nice to gain any new information." Maybe the boy would be tolerable if not for all that unease. God forbid he knocks something with those twitchy wings.

Centuries (SoulStealer + evierose)

lmao I just realized I haven't quite gotten over certain mixed-up spelling pairs and misspelled "angel"... so...

Hi there, Milo, are you acute twitchy angle? do you happen to fluctuate between 89 and 1 degree?

I have a terrible sense of humor, I know

Centuries (SoulStealer + evierose)

"Seems like the common theme around here. I'm not complaining about getting this case, but it is definitely not a crowd favorite."

She produced a thin dossier from her side, labeled with a case number and a scratchily written "PA" in the corner. It was a habit to keep her active case files handy. Plus, it was a great prop to look busy in the office. "This should get you started. To be frank, we really don't have much right now." The dossier contained the initial crime scene photos, victim and suspect profiles, an autopsy report on the girl's body, and a transcript of the first suspect.

Without giving time for the Angel to start reading, she turned on her heel and led him into the building. "We're questioning our second suspect right now, you're welcome to watch." The office and the interrogation rooms were in the same general direction, so she didn't need to make a decision on which way to go. "Of course, if you'd like to get yourself settles and take some time to go over the files, you're welcome to find an open desk." She pointed towards the cubicles.

Centuries (SoulStealer + evierose)

It took a moment -- a long moment -- before the Angel's words registered in Aqua's brain. Blinking a few times and looking him up and down, "You're my new partner?" she stuttered out. She brought her hands up to rub her face while groaning. They really weren't gonna make this easy for her, were they? She would be fine with anyone, no matter their age or experience, as long as they didn't resemble this nervous wreck of a humanoid.

No, she told herself, stop that. Remember, don't judge a book by its cover; don't knock it until you've tried it. Just, breathe. She pep-talked herself. Honestly, she should be glad for any help right now. Keyword: should. She went back and forth in her head. In the end, her logical voice had the final say: work is work and she just had to deal with what she'd been dealt.

By now, a good couple of minutes had passed with Aqua being absorbed in her thoughts, not at all minding the young Angel standing in front of her. Her hands had left her face after she rubbed it good, and he was left to see an expressionless face somehow become even more expressionless.

"Sorry, about that, let me start over." What seemed like a grimace formed on that face. Her attempt to smile was worse than the one she showed before. "I'm the detective in charge of the Morchanivic case. We'll be working together starting today. No one sent me your profile beforehand. I wasn't expecting someone so... energetic." She tried to explain away her reaction, all the while without insulting him.

Centuries (SoulStealer + evierose)

Pasqualine Aloia had been assigned to the murder of a young girl that happened shortly after the former king's. As the station had just settled after the high-profile case that was the murder of King Orthis, few of the seasoned detectives were willing to partake in a second round, especially when it lacked the sensitivity of the first. That was how the new case landed in the Nixie's laps.

Since the forensics report provided minimal information, and the task force had no other clues, they could only interrogate the 3 suspects and hope for something. Pasqualine, or Aqua, as her peers called her, had just organized the interview with the second suspect and left one of her subordinates to do the actual questioning. She had planned to watch the interview from behind the one-way window, but someone was due to arrive soon -- her new partner. Her people were competent enough to be left without supervision. It wasn't like she expected any new or crucial information to turn up, if the first suspect's interview was anything to go by.

Her ghastly blue skin seemed more ashen than usual, and dark circles were clearly visible under the bright lights of the station. Paired with her messy black curls that resembled a mop more than a bob, she looked the image of a Nixie out of the legends rather than the refined species they've come to be known as. Her boots clacked on the floor as she walked briskly to the front doors. They had told her that her new partner would be arriving sometime around now, but not the exact time, or anything about him, for that matter. It was hardly the standard procedure, but who would listen to her complaints?

Arriving at her destination, she noticed a fidgety Angel. She took him as someone trying to report a case, or maybe he was looking for someone. The thought of him being her partner never crossed her mind. He was too young and too nervous.

Looking around to see no other bodies loitering around the entrance, she weighed her options and decided to approach the lad. Maybe she could point him in the right direction before her new partner arrived. She strode over to him. "Hey, kid, you need any help?" She offered. A tired, lob-sided smile was the most friendly expression she could muster. With her general appearance, though, it may have appeared menacing to some.

Centuries (SoulStealer + evierose)

Wait, question, how did the police determine that the two cases were related? Did the former King also have a white string in his hair (that's what I thought at first, but I reread your wording and became unsure)?

Centuries (SoulStealer + evierose)

Name: Pasqualine "Aqua" Aloia
Species/Race: Nixie
Gender: Female
Profession: Detective

Character at a glance: Middle-aged and waiting for her next big break, Detective Aloia has been experiencing some midlife crisis. She left her water-dwelling family for the large city at a young age, as she was born with neither passion nor talent for music. She eventually found her way to her current job, climbing through the ranks and all. She may not be a hard worker by all means, but she is stubborn. Her life isn't the greatest, but it isn't the worst either. It is simply... stagnant. She didn't stand out in terms of accomplishments and connections, so her current position was as high as she can get... Unless this new case becomes her express ticket to the new King's favors.

Abilities/Skills: (will be updated with story progression maybe)

• Shape-shifter: can change into an animal/non-humanoid creature at will; can gain senses of said creature, but not their special abilities or language

Evie's Compendium of Forgotten Ideas

Alice in Wonderland

background

Wonderland existed because of Alice. If there was no Alice, there would be no Wonderland. Alice was magical. Alice was crucial. Alice meant everything. Throughout the ages, there were many Alices. They were all Alices, the Alice, but they were also all different. Wonderland, too, changed with the Alice.

It all began with a child named Alice Liddell. She was a curious child, bringing wonder to Wonderland. There was Alice Kingsleigh who learned to grow and brought growth and change into Wonderland. Later, there was a Japanese Alice, by the name Ariko, who suffer mental trauma, which twisted Wonderland beyond recognition.

But now, Wonderland is crumbling because there was no Alice to be found. Sure, there were many named Alice, male or female, birthname or pseudonym, but none of them were The Alice. Grabbing at straws, the citizens of Wonderland summoned a group of such "Alices", hoping that, perhaps with time, one of them would become The Alice and save Wonderland.

The premise could go a number of ways:

1. A big group that competes in certain events. (arena)

2. A smaller group who live in and explore Wonderland, and either become The Alice as a group, or simply struggle as outsiders trying to help (and maybe eventually succeed/find an alternative to The Alice). (adventure party)

3. Mix between the previous two, where players all become students of the Alice Academy. They will be taught about The Alice, and have exams to determine their progress. There will also be things happening outside the school that they get involved with voluntarily or not, as Wonderland is still crumbling. (school)

Evie's Archive

愿长夜 / Wish for the Long Night

---

君生我未生，我生君未老。
我去君还在，永念我可好？

Thou wast born ere me,
Yet thou hast not aged as I.
I hath passed hence while thou dost still abide,
Pray thee, remember me?

_{(excuse my poor attempt at Victorian English)}

---

Inspired by the Chinese poem whose first line/sentence I used in its entirety save for one character, which changed the entire meaning/context.

In the original poem, the author is in love with a man much older than her. The pair loathed their age difference, which took away so much time that they could've been together for. (I wasn't born when you were; you were already old by the time I was born. You loathe me for being late; I loathe you for being born early)

By changing one character, the man changed from "already old" to "not aged". The story was now about a mortal who was in love with an immortal (or at least someone who aged much slower than normal). The speaker still loathed their age-related predicament and decided to curse the immortal to remember her for eternity.

Behavioral Analysis Unit: What's to come

Oh my god, you guys, just as I came back to after being offline for nearly a month (jokes)

@OddApproved Good luck moving! It's always a big hassle to move, so, take care!

@Lord Wraith Congrats, again, and best wishes! There's a surge in travelling due to restrictions being lifted everywhere, hope it hasn't gotten too bad yet.