savetheearth | Entry #A-9: "Albatross" [Audio, Action for Employees or Anyone who would drop by ]

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Entry #A-9: "Albatross" [Audio, Action for Employees or Anyone who would drop by ]

[L sounds pretty calm and detached, as per usual. Rather than sounding natural, though, there's a vaguely forced quality to that calmness.]

Unfortunately, Espresso Yourself will be closed for the next few days, to reopen on Thursday of next week. I regret the inconvenience for employees and regular customers.

[He finishes recording the message, lowering his phone and staring at what happened to his business over the course of just one night. The espresso machine is smashed to pieces, and the cash register is open with the empty drawer chucked across the room. The mural painted by Solana is tarnished with anti-numbered slurs and threatening graffiti asserting the control of "Albero's Family" within Locke City.

Glass from the broken windows and the vandalized bar crunches under the soles of his converse sneakers as he drags a chair across the floor, grappling with a pair of wire cutters. It's enough of a problem that his grip is clumsy, but his hands are also shaking; though the features of the mannequin hanging from a noose in front of the mural are blank and generic, the large letter "L" carved into its chest is a message that's difficult to miss.]

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[ There goes his coffee fix. He has been stopping by lately but now he's going to have to find another coffee place on the way to work. ]

Did you make a police report?

[ He notice Albero's name in the wreck and is unwillingly reminded of the person whom he shared a mental connection to. Trying to get anything on the mafia hasn't been conducive but it's probably also due to Eugen's own lack of priority on the matter. He can't deny it, he's afraid of finding out the truth behind Reagan's disappearance... ]

No, I haven't. This is something I'd rather handle quietly, if I can; I fear that a police report would create more trouble than it would resolve.

[Because... yeah, anyone walking by can see the shattered windows and graffiti promising retribution to any who challenge Albero's authority.]

[ He switches to Audio too. ]

Putting this up here is not handling it quietly, isn't it?

[ Especially after Neil's warning about increased FBI activity just a while back. While their network isn't huge, it's big enough that it would certainly attract attention, especially when there are members of the law enforcement and mafia alike on board. ]

Handling it silently is, unfortunately, a luxury I can't hope for, with damage visible from the street. The business exists for numbered people and it's only fair to let them know what's going on... and to stay away until I've upped security.

I suppose you're right. With this here, I'm sure whoever among us who are on the force would see it and takes necessary action to help.

[ Pause ] What did you do to warrant this?

[Is L being investigated, now? Even informally, that's a bit of a problem.]

I suppose that this Albero sees attempts to publicly focus on helping numbered people worthy of punishment and intimidation. It's unfortunate; business was going so well.

[ Ever since Reagan's disappearance, he felt oddly conflicted in anything regarding the mafia who were involved in the matter. He had tried to investigate and even he could tell that they are no ordinary mafia. ]

That's all? Seems a little overdone for that one reason alone. [ If that's the case, why not wait for the store to be full before attacking it? It would have served the purpose better and send a louder message. At least, that's what Eugen thought and he's no investigative genius. ]

[Unfortunately, L's not great at playing dumb. Sometimes he can throw enough rhetoric into his bullshit to sound credible, but when people are paying attention, as this young man seems to be, it can be discouragingly ineffective.]

It does, doesn't it? Being the owner of a coffee shop, and having had no real experience dealing with the Mafia, I can really only offer conjecture on the matter.

You don't sound entirely ignorant, though.

[ He shrugs, although L can't see it. It's true that he's not ignorant about the mafia due to having research them as extensively as he can. He picks up on the tone though and wonders what it's all about. ]

I've heard about them and their methods. You don't sounds as ignorant as you try to appear either.

[A pause.]

I suppose I'll take that as a compliment. So... thank you.

What have you heard about their methods?

Kidnapping, murder, human experimentation. They are quite creative in their business.

[ Nothing anyone who snoops around wouldn't not find. ]

[Creative, indeed... and troubling, that this person knows as much. Either he's investigated as or more thoroughly than the obsessive L, or this is all more common knowledge than L could have ever guessed. Neither option is particularly appealing.

He's not sure he's ready to come completely clean and acknowledge that he also knows these things, though. He keeps his cards close to his chest.]

Human experimentation? Actually... those vandals that broke in last night had feline attributes. They looked like leopards. Perhaps that's a result of these enterprises.

[Obviously, they are.]

[ The lack of reaction, despite how some of it must have been public knowledge, especially where the Numbers are concerned, it's still somewhat troubling that this man has accepted his explanation so calmly. Still, he has no ground to suspect him because for all he knows, L could have discussed this with someone else, hence his lack of reaction. Or he knows more than he lets on, which is something Eugen already suspected from earlier on.

Neither which would provide anything more if he continues probing. Not with him anyway, a profiler might be able to. ]

They were feline? Shouldn't you have mentioned this first? This is important detail. You could have endanger our fellow Numbers if they go looking for the perpetrators of your shop's attack.

[ With how prone some of the younger Numbers are in looking for revenge and justice, he's worried they might walk right into a lion's den if they try this time. This bit of information is certainly going to his boss. ]

[There are a few reasons for L's calmness, and not all of them are readily apparent to someone speaking with him on the network. Natural temperament is one; anti-anxiety meds taken without a doctor's prescription or advice is another. The most important reason, of course, is that L knows so much more than he's letting on. This news shocked him at one point, but it was weeks ago now.]

As you said, endangering fellow Numbered people wouldn't be desirable. That's why I opted not to describe them; with some of the vigilante types we have on this network, I'm not about to make a revenge mission easier by spreading news of violent leopard-men. Imagine the panic that would cause.

You wouldn't be the only one attacked if they are sending out modified force to do the job. It'll better to warn the rest so they can buff up security in advance.

[ With this turning up to be much more serious than L has let on earlier, he feels it's better if this is in an official report so that further investigation can be done. ] I'm still in the opinion that you need to report this. If you're afraid of alerting the mafia, speaks to the FBI.

Hindsight is 20/20, as they say. I'm paying for being brash, now... I'm taking this one step at a time, and doing my absolute best to maintain a semblance of composure. I don't want to frighten the people who rely on me.

You're free to file the report yourself, if you wish... but I don't want my name attached to it. At least... not until I've fully processed this. You understand.

You're not only being brash but you're being reckless for thinking you can do something against the mafia on your own. That's not being responsible to the people who rely on you, however you want to spin it in your head.

[ If this is a video feed, L will witness the eyeroll Eugen has for him but alas... ] Your name will be tied to it whether you like it or not, it's your establishment that was vandalized. [ Which is to say, yes, Eugen will file the report. ]

Take care, L. [ With that, he ends the call knowing that he wouldn't be able to change L's mind. Eugen doesn't have the capability nor the patience required to talk someone out of something they'd decided on. He would present his points but ultimately, he knows the decision has to be made by the one that matters and that person isn't him. ]

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Entry #A-9: "Albatross" [Audio, Action for Employees or Anyone who would drop by ]

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