Fantasy FTK: Black Rose Detective Agency

[Jodyguru]

Lautrec’s eyes fluttered awake. He lifted his head to look at Delilah.
“Leave me. I’m just your meal ticket. I don’t want to go on like this anymore.” He leaned his sleepy head against the window. “You can handle it. I believe in you.”
He seemed to be falling into a depression.

 

[alwaystheOptimist]

Delilah looked taken aback, hands resting on the car.
"M-meal ticket?! What the hell-get up," she tried to pat him on the cheek. When he took no action to move, she let out a defeated sigh.
"Do you want me to apologize or something? Last night you jumped off a bridge. I got scared. I thought you died, dammit," she slid into the space beside him, pulling out her pack of cigarettes.
"Want one?"

 

[Jodyguru]

Lautrec looked sullenly down towards the floor.
“I wanted an easy day. Just one where you don’t hate me, and I don’t hate you. A good day. Remember those? I don’t.”

 

[alwaystheOptimist]

Delilah stared at him for a second, before sliding out a cigarette from her pack, lighting it.
"Want one or not? I know you like them," she shook the pack in front of him.

 

[Jodyguru]

He looked at her. The energy to lift his arm and accept it was there, but she had the kind of aura that he didn’t want to enter the space.
He wanted to leave, but that would only set her off again. He cautiously accepted a cigarette and held his hand out, waiting for the light.
He puffed on it and sighed. He wasn’t craving one, or blood for that matter. He just felt alone in the world.

 

[alwaystheOptimist]

She took a drag, slowly letting the smoke fill the air. Had something gone wrong with his head? He never talked like this. At least, not to her.
"I...If I hated you, I would have made you walk," she said simply, taking another drag of her cigarette.
"And the flowers...the flowers are sitting in a vase. I didn't burn them, not planning to either."
She let out a small chuckle, "even Queenie liked them."

 

[Jodyguru]

He puffed and looked her way,
“I just... nice words are hard to come by sometimes. When I express myself around you I try to be genuine. Sometimes I feel like the bad guy no matter what. Today i could’ve done better, but I did the best I could. It wasn’t good enough.”

 

[alwaystheOptimist]

"You took Rheitz. You know Rheitz won't act calm and collected. She's impulsive," she chided, leaning further back into her seat.
"If you had gone by yourself, you'd have done a lot more good," she gestured to his bruised face.

 

[Jodyguru]

He stuck his arms out to gesture. “How in nine hells could I have predicted a slave being held captive in the man’s apartment? I can’t even have a cat in mine.”
He sucked his cigarette deeply,
“She’s quick and creative. Give her some credit. It took a lot of guts to do that alone. She got us a material witness. We should get that lizard talking. She might lead us further up the chain of command.”

 

[alwaystheOptimist]

Delilah gave him a small noise of acknowledgment, taking another puff of her cigarette.
"You mean you should get that lizard talking. She's into you, clinging onto your arm and all that," she had a strange bite to her voice when she said this, staring off into space.
Delilah leaned down, removing her heels and drawing her knees to her chest, wincing slightly in pain.

 

[Jodyguru]

He didn’t seem to know what she referred to. The past hour was a haze to him.
“You know I did suffer head trauma. She could’ve lit a fire under me. I was glued in place... that bothered you, her touching me?”

 

[alwaystheOptimist]

Delilah coughed in surprise, waving the smoke out of her face.
"Wh-why would anyone care if you were being touched? I was just worried since you don't like people touching you. Thought that steering wheel slam messed somethin' up in your head," she seemed to be trying to cover up a mistake and in the darkness her cheeks were starting to pink.

 

[Jodyguru]

Lautrec didn’t say any more. He finished his cigarette and tossed the butt onto the pavement.
“I need some rest. It’s been a long day.”
He wasn’t feeling good enough to return to the office. He just wanted his coffin.
Outside the car, the lizard woman watched them, trying to figure out what they were doing.
She walked away and looked to Rheitz.
“They are strange. This is strange. This place is too open for me. Can you find me a cage?”

 

[alwaystheOptimist]

Rheitz looked at her in confusion.
"A...a cage? Why do you want a cage? That's...," she studied the woman, and then glanced at the car.
"I think my Boss'll know. Ask him," she said matter-of-factly, opening the office door.
She was far too tired to deal with this woman's strange quirks.

....

Delilah eyed his face, turning back to face the windshield.
"I found some info on the tablets. The doc either lied to us, or that pharmacist is tryin' to pull somethin'."
She let out a sigh, happy that they had returned to talk about the case. She didn't do this mushy crap about feelings and the topic had made her feel nervous and uncomfortable, especially with the one man she made a point to dislike.

 

[Jodyguru]

Lautrec shook his head. “I scanned the body myself. If those pills aren’t what’s on the coroner report, then the pharmacist knew, or someone made a mistake.”

The lizard woman peered through the window again, trying to lick Lautrec with her tongue and tasting glass.
“Hello? Boss? Master?” She poked, trying to get his attention.

“Can you handle that please? She’ll listen to whoever gives her orders.” Lautrec pointed. “I think she was born in captivity.”

 

[alwaystheOptimist]

"What do you mean 'Can I handle that'? You brought her. Plus she thinks you're her master, not me," Delilah rolled the cigarette butt between her fingers, watching the last few embers drift to the ground.
"We'll have to do some interviewing then, huh? That pharmacist did seem odd," she flinched when the lizard woman began to tap on the glass.
"Take care of her, would you? She's dying to see you."

 

[Jodyguru]

Lautrec rolled his eyes. “Alright, but don’t get too jealous. I think she might be in heat.” He opened the door and approached the lizard woman.
“You, Reptile. I’m taking you home.”
The creature made a gleeful hiss and started eagerly following him to his car. She clung to his arm, though he resisted a little more now. He sighed and waved goodbye to Delilah. He got in the car and drove off.

 

[alwaystheOptimist]

"I'm not jealous, arrogant bastard," she muttered after him.

Delilah made no move to get out of the car once Lautrec had gone.
Instead she sat quietly in the back, staring off into space, the butt of her cigarette long dead.
Noticing that she still held the roll in her hand, she threw it out the open car door, arms wrapping around her legs.

"Hiya Detective Waters. I'm gonna head home now. I locked up the office." Rheitz peeked her head in through the open car door, giving her a small wave.
Delilah sat up straight in the seat. "Make sure you tell that boyfriend of yours. I'm sure he'll be worried if you don't," she said finally, waving back to the girl.

She moved back to her original position, reclining in the back seat.
"Maybe I should go check that fella out...," Delilah murmured, sliding on her heels.
In a few minutes, she was driving back to the station to confront the man himself.

 

[Jodyguru]

When she arrived, the Chief had left. He was finishing up for the day when they last spoke. An on duty officer named Roy Harding had made the initial arrest, and was in the interrogation room with Barber.
Detective Onsler was watching through the glass window. He was an experienced detective on the force, though showed little interest in Delilah or her affairs. When she found him, he turned towards her.
“You’re too late, Waters. I’ve got Barber and I’m not letting him go.”

 

[alwaystheOptimist]

Delilah stood next to him in front of the viewing window and gave him a glare.
"I just need to ask him a couple of questions, dammit. He might have something I need for my investigation."
She turned to look through the window, letting out a small laugh. Officer Harding had an annoyed expression on his face while Barber sat smugly in his chair.
"Plus, I don't think your officers are gettin' anywhere with him, Onsler."
Onsler and Delilah had never gotten along, even when they were in the force together. They had always competed to be the best and after Delilah had been discharged he had made it a fact to parade his new Detective title whenever she was present.
Thankfully the old chief had never assigned them to a case together nor did he make them partners or there really would have been sparks flying at Central all those years ago.

 

[Jodyguru]

“He’s still in training. I’m going in when he’s done. I want to know where he got the guns and the slave. I heard that you have the slave now. I guess the rumors from the street boys are true. You are a slave driver.” He laughed under his breath and walked past her to enter the interrogation room.
“Alright, I’m taking over here. You know what I want to hear so spit it out, save yourself two to five years and help a friend.”
Barber looked towards the window, seeing nothing but his reflection.
“It doesn’t matter what I say. I know you’ll throw the book at me no matter what.”
“I wouldn’t worry about the high courts, when I have retaliation in prison to worry about.”
“From who? I got nothing but friends.”
“That’s not what your little reptile friend said.”
“What?” He sounded surprised.
“Yeah she’s been really cooperative. I can ask her and put you away, or you tell me and stay out of the ice cooler.”
“I got her from Sadler” Barber spilled. “Eric Sadler. He raised the chicks and sold her to me.”
“You’re just making shit up now” Onsler said and stood up.
“No, no it’s true!” Barber said. The two detectives stepped out of the room. He shot Delilah a smirk.
“You can talk to him. Don’t say I never did anything to help an officer, even an ex-cop.”

 

[alwaystheOptimist]

Delilah rolled her eyes, giving him a small nod of appreciation.
"And I'm not a slave driver. Leore got her, not me," she muttered hotly.
Stepping into the room, she studied the man sitting on the opposite side of the table before shutting the door.
Delilah slid into the metal chair, throwing an arm over the back.
"So, let's talk Sadler, hm?"

 

[Jodyguru]

He smirked when he saw Delilah. “Dang, you’re a bombshell. You like bad boys, doll?” He looked her over.
“If I tell you about Sadler. What will you do for me?” He raised and lowered his eyebrows.

 

[alwaystheOptimist]

Delilah leaned back, cocking a brow. This bastard was like any other goon she'd met in this room; only interested in getting in her pants.
"Do for you?," she said airily, toying with the top button of her shirt, "Let's see if what you got is even worth what I can do for you."

 

[Jodyguru]

“Sadler is some hot shot doctor or something. I know he works with medicine. The lizard raising is his side hustle. He’s doing some big shit for the DeRosiers. I don’t have details, but he’s who you want to arrest.” Barber was staring at her chest while she played with the button.