16701/A new case for the chimp

A new case for the chimp
Date of Scene:	28 December 2023
Location:	Chimp's office
Synopsis:	Info is gathered but the client disapears
Cast of Characters:	Detective Chimp, Frank Noble, Nettie Crowe

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Detective Chimp has posed:
Detective Chimp is sitting in his office. He has his feet up on the desk, a cup of spiked coffee on his desk, as he is looking over a tablet in his hands, swiping a page on occasion. "Really they think I am him, I mean I got a gun, but I aint a hire killer." He says to himself.

Frank Noble has posed:
Frank Noble walks in, sane for the first time in years despite the lingering gibbering deep in the back of his mind, wearing a suit and tie. He is a scientist and CEO, so he cleans up nice but is no Tony Stark. Its a nice suit though and speaks to wealth. He is nervous, as anyone can tell with insight into the human condition but the nervousness does not seem to be about WHO he is hirng so much as the why. He knocks on the edge of the door, politely waiting but making his presence known.

Detective Chimp has posed:
Detective Chimp will sit up and put the tablet down. He takes a sip of his coffee, and a puff of a cigar he has in an ashtray but sits it back down "Come in." He calls out.

Frank Noble has posed:
Frank Noble says, "My name is Frank Noble. I have...an unusual case. The kind of case that frankly, not many people have publicly available offices to consult with. And I wont lie...I'm terrified about the results. This might literally all be in my own mind. The case will have obnoxious strictures that I cant explain, but neverthless, I am morally compelled to at least attempt to try to look into it. Vague, I know but I dont want to waste your time if thats not of interest." There is hesitance in his voice, but absolutely none at his non human status. Oddly, it seems he is quite used to dealing with sapient non humans on even a daily basis."

Detective Chimp has posed:
Detective Chimp 's brow raises a bit to this and says "Well, depending on the case, and what it has entails." He admits. He is curious but he does not comment to more, till he knows more about it. "Lets hear what you have."

Frank Noble has posed:
Frank Noble says, "let's start with the two salient facts. The first is, I have been committed to a mental institution. It was hostile. It was illegal from Industrial Espionage, my brother got me out but it was legitimate mental tramau caused by a telepath trying to get something out of my mind that I did not allow them to take. All cards on the table there. The second, is that I have a two year memory gap starting last week. I cannot tell you where I believe I was....but have vague clues. I cannot allow you to search my office with the most obvious clue but am willing to verbally describe it to you. Not wont...can't. There will be...problems, if I allow you access. Memory gap or no, there are visual, financial, auditory records of someone with most of my skills and apparently intimite knowledge of my life has been pretending to be me sufficient to foll my business associates and family into believing they were me.""

Detective Chimp has posed:
Detective Chimp 's brow raises a bit to this and says "And why can you not let me actually see the office?" He asks as he listens to the explanation not showing much reaction to it "And your I take it you do not want to see another telepath?"

Frank Noble has posed:
Frank Noble says, "I dont know a telepath, and while I am confident of certain heroes who have far better things tod o than this...the ones that I can simply call in the phone book are the mercinaries I dont want in my mind ever again. And, to be honest Mr....er...Chimp...its a variant of the same problem with my office. The more I describe the reason WHY I cant show you the riskier it is, even dancing around the issue concerns me, but the necessity of understanding what's going on mandates..." outside a large pidgeon SLAMES into the window of the facility having seen its own reflection and attacked...it is not hurt but it is extremely distracting. As if for an explanation, Frank raises his hand at the window."

Detective Chimp has posed:
Detective Chimp looks over and says "Pardon me a moment." He will step outside to check on the pigeon and asks it if it is ok, and why it dived into his window. The fact he can talk to anything living does have it's advantages after all.

Frank Noble has posed:
"Did I get the bastard? That was my bagel...mine....hey you can speak Pidgeon? Yeah I'm OK man thanks...hey you got any food on you? That bagel was mine! MINE!" It is highly agitated, a little stunned, but otherwise fine.

Frank waits patiently. What other choice does he have?

Detective Chimp has posed:
Detective Chimp hmms and scratches his head a bit to this. He will fish around in his pocket, and pulls out some trailmix, and offers it to the bird. He says to him "You will be ok and I will deal with him." He leaves the mix on a paperbox nearby for the bird. He walks back into the room with Frank and says "You had a bagel recently?" He will ask the man the odd question. He moves to sit back at his place.

Frank Noble has posed:
Frank Noble blinks in surprise at this, "I ...have not had a bagel....since...2021. No." It was absolutely not the question he expected, but he is more than happy to answer it. There is a distinct eense that...except for the one thing, he will answer any question asked. Indeed, as time goes on, there is a slight amount of fear at the validation with another sapient being at what he has hithertonow perceived. Its real. Its really real and that means his suspicions likely are too but he has to be...SURE. "I dont need to know why...I mean, if you can find that, great, but mainly, I need to confirm that what I heard was NOT in my head, and that I can trust my mind...." most of the time.

Frank Noble has posed:
The Bird is ecstatic, "You are alright buddy. If you need me to popp on someone's head, you just say the word." HE looks up and spots another bird, "Mine you jackass!" And eats it before flying away.

Detective Chimp has posed:
Detective Chimp hmmms and says "Well, I am willing to look at it, but I will need to charge a bit more than normal, what with the limitations and the possibilities of problematic wildlife." He sips his coffee, and writes a number down and slides it over to the other man "Thats a day and need a week up front."

Frank Noble has posed:
Frank Noble nods and takes the card. He doesnt even bat an eyebrow, "Whoever was actually running my company was running it very well. Its doing better than it ever has despite an absolute stagnation of actually new innovaton. I can give you access to any area in the company or my home...just not my office. There is one more salient fact that I can mention. When I became aware of the memory gap, I heard a scream in my own voice and went into the other room, only to see a suit of empty clothing. I need confrmation that whoever was walking around pretending to be me for the last two years wasnt me....Its..impossible to more on from it until I know what I believe to be right is right. I cant keep second guessing myself...."

Detective Chimp has posed:
Detective Chimp nods a bit and says "Let me make a call, and see if I can get someone to come in and check a few things for me." He pulls out a phone and sends a text to Nettie.

Frank Noble has posed:
Frank Noble finds a chair and sits. He patiently waits. He isnt doing anything else until this is settled....well...besides fight THE FORCES OF EVIL...but there is no evil here at the moment. He gets up again and gets some water at the gym water cooler and sits.

Detective Chimp has posed:
Detective Chimp waits a bit and says "Have a seat, my friend should be here shortly. Care for some coffee?" He will ask since it is a legit client not.

Frank Noble has posed:
Frank Noble says, "As long as there are no bagles," he smiles wryly and sits down. As he waits he tries to remember something his grandfather told him once wondering if its simply a remarkable coindincence. Probably. Then again, since learning what he has about his life now, coincidence is common place."

Nettie Crowe has posed:
    AT THE MOMENT THERE WAS NO EVIL. And then there's the crash of lightning! The Rumble of Thunder! The flickering of lights and -- okay, none of that happens.

    Instead, a gray haired, short lady makes her way in, turning and looking at the oddity of the crashing birds. Her own two remain on her shoulders as she ducks a moment, her lips pursing as she looks to the two crows -- one a normal, black carrion crow and the other a pied hooded crow -- and she gives a small huff.

    "Abso-bloody-lutely remarkable weather we're having for this time of year yeah?" she calls out, shaking off a jacket. She's wearing torn black jeans and a striped T-shirt announcing that Bird is, indeed, the Word.

    She adjusts her wire half-moon glasses and looks between Detective Chimp and Frank Noble.

    "So," she asks, producing a duffle bag. "Detective. What's all the fuss about?"

Detective Chimp has posed:
Detective Chimp smiles and stands up. He walks over to the coffee pot, and pours some water into a mug which he pulls out from a cabinet,. The mug had some tea leaves in it already. He offers it to Nettie, and says "I have a new client here, who seems to have had some interesting things happened in the past couple years, and some effects still. I was wondering if you could check see if you can sense anything odd around or on him, that might be causing some of this."

Frank Noble has posed:
The window opens of its own accord, and the wind blows in the room briefly, the winds of Portent. To Frank, it is significant in that his natural intuition tells him it means something but he cant tell what. To the other two people in the room it feels like many things, a cross roads, a door, a key, and an obfuscating mist all at one....just as much as the windos open, they shut. The message is clear as mud except tht it was a message.....Frank....sips his coffee...and says nothing letting people who clearly know a hell of a lot more than him here do their thing.

Nettie Crowe has posed:
    Nettie tilts her head back as the window opens. She purses her lips. She looks to the Chimp. "You called upon the Greywitch to figure out what's up with this gentleman?" she asks, motioning to Frank.

    She takes the cup of tea. She drinks it down, piping hot, and then with a sudden SLAM bowl-down to the table she turns it clockwise three times.

    Corvax and Torny, the two crows on her shoulders, give alarmed sounds, and flee to different chair backs to balance themselves, flapping wings as Nettie looks to Noble with a toothy grin.

    "Hullo, Duckie. I'm Nettie Crowe. A pleasure to meet your aquaintence. Now if you would allow me a moment of your time --" that grin turns feral.

    "I'm fascinated by the ill wind shows, desolate crossroads bound with snows, a touch of grave chill and fleeting sight, but oh, what does tempt me on this night!" the witch cackles.

    "We'll begin with what a tea cup speaks -- SPEAK, CUP!" she bellows out, and then turns over the cup to see where the tea leaves lay.

Detective Chimp has posed:
Detective Chimp looks to Frank, and says "Since your issue seems to have some odd behavior to it, I thought my friend here, who is a bit of an expert in odd maybe able to help out." Chimp knows a decent bit about magic, but Nettie actually casts it, and can find out a bit more than he can in that way.

Frank Noble has posed:
Frank Noble nods, "I appreciate it. Its not exactly like Wizards are in the phonebook. And magic makes as much sense of the nonsense I am dealing with than anythnig."

The Tea Leaves Speak.....There is a legitimate peal of thunde rin the far horizon, and a second. One is clarion and silver...the other is dark and ominous. What the tea leaves here is that they show two great powers; one is a case of mistaken identity, a force of vibration good and salvation loudly yelling "SQUIRREL" as loudly as it can and the other is Fae of a kind but also something more. Neither wants to be looked at. One is far more local and actively planning to defend itself...the other....looks back. Two something looks back. Images of madness, a man in a hat with bright yead eyes, armies of elves and orcs and zombies, a giant robot fighting things with flaming wings and explisions...Good Guys Bad Guys and Explisions as far as the eye can see....and finally the tea forms the shape of....a Shaving Basin....

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the city, the Greter Dwele Hacker Collective is playing a prank because someone's ex girlfriend called him an incel...well, he would see about that...and a benign flash mob has a minor address changed. The group at the momment meets and is quietly donningcostumes under trench voas and moving to the agreed on addess, giggling at the well rehearsed musical number, but has not yet arrived. There is a flash of flickering light adn the fales address that they were given, is replaced by another inccorect address entirely.

Frank gets a tick in his eye. Somewhere, the FORCES OF EVIL are gathering and must be stopped, but he fights it off more than he ever has beore. Not NOW.

Nettie Crowe has posed:
    That is a LOT for a teacup to show. Nettie stares for a moment as she looks to everything going on in the back of her mind because she might not have shown it, but she did take the warning very seriously.

    And that was ... A Lot.

    She tilts her head. She looks to Frank Noble, and she leans forward, aqua eyes narrowing until she whispers:

    "... Good. Lord. Above."

    "What the hell have you done, lad? Everything?!"

Detective Chimp has posed:
Detective Chimp 's brow raises a bit but he says "That is part of the problem, he does not know what he has done for the past couple years, and it seems there was someone or something pretending to be him at that time."

Frank Noble has posed:
Frank Noble blinks. "Just a couple of bank...." he pauses, "deposits....this week. And um...checking the mail." What? He's accidentl invoked an infernal power on a magical haven, fought two powerful super criminals, a few jaywalkers and dime store level evil....nothing that would make an actual WIZARD look at him with respect. It does make him look at the Lunatic with a slightly more benevolent light, but he nods, "There is a two year memory gap starting three days ago; Christmas...." he pauses, wondering, "Is this tied up with Christmas some how?"

Meanwhile, the flashmob swings into action right outside the street. Cars begin honking and the police escort that was expected to be there for their recreation of Santa Baby to tap dance is one block from where its supposed to be; five blocks from where the permit gave. The gang that was lied to to attack the flashmob is farther away. But something pulls at Frank...a wrong that needs to be righted. Time was bought by the move but it cannot stop the attrocity. "

"Um...excuse me...is there...a restroom?"

If so directed, the instant the door closes, he changes costume at ludicrous speed and leaps out the window. This looks like a job for....GRENADEMAN!