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What a Crazy Night! (Zack)
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Post by Hanako Hoshidate on Aug 8, 2021 0:04:53 GMT
Hana happily hummed to herself as she finished stapling a handmade flyer to a wooden pole. She and her holosuit-disguised partners had spent the afternoon putting up flyers advertising that the General Affairs Investigative Agency (or GAIA, for short) was open for business, and it was now starting to get late as the sun started dipping below the horizon. Data was acting as a nearby lookout while Hana put up the posters, while Rush was distracted by a caterpillar crawling across a patch of grass.
"I think we should probably call it for the day. It's getting dark, and this isn't somewhere you want to be wandering at night." Data warned as he watched the setting sun.
"All right, I guess this should do for now." Hana conceded as she put the remaining flyers and the stapler back into her backpack. She quickly paused when an unfamiliar man stepped out of the shadows and walked straight towards the trio. The man looked disheveled and definitely sketchy, made even more obvious when the guy pulled out a knife.
"Your friend has a point about this not being a friendly neighborhood, and you really should've listened to him. Now, how about the three of you hand over whatever cash you've got on you, and nobody has to get hurt?" The man said with a sly grin on his face as he twirled the knife in his hand.
"Are you... seriously trying to mug us? Because that is not a good idea." Hana replied in confusion, as Data casually straightened his holosuit's glasses and casually started walking up to the mugger.
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Post by supesman on Aug 8, 2021 2:09:53 GMT
Data wouldn't get the chance to walk all the way up to the mugger before something streaked out of the shadows where the mugger had come.
"The lady's not wrong, dirtball." Zack said with the practiced confidence that, if examined, really only broadcasted how out of his depth he probably was. If not for the next series of actions showing that he was VERY aware of what he was doing. One of his heavy boots shot out sharply, kicking in the back of the mugger's knee, dropping him to one knee where Zack, with a slight hop, spun with his other foot to land the tip of his other boot directly across the right hand temple of the criminal, his head jerking with a loud, cringe inducing THWACK that sent the knife spinning from his hands.
Zack didn't even give the prone man a second to think, picking up the knife and pitching it, spinning unsteadily through the air, into a nearby sewer grate where it landed with a final splash. He tucked his hands into the pockets of his glittering golden leather jacket, even through the heavy modified motorcycle helmet he was wearing his expression was clear. He was DARING the unlucky robber to even think about getting back to his feet. Which was apparently intimidation enough to send him scrambling on all fours as far away from the vigilante as possible.
The more important thing, however, for Hana and crew, was the unmistakable shape of a Digivice hanging from the loops of his belt as he stood, if only for a moment, examining the fleeing criminal before he turned to them.
"You folks alright? This part of town can get a bit...rough, especially for young folks. best to head up town before it gets any darker." He said, spinning to leave unless someone stopped him first.
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Post by Hanako Hoshidate on Aug 8, 2021 2:37:10 GMT
Data had certainly thought that nothing could surprise him anymore, but he was proven wrong by the vigilante in what appeared to be a DIY attempt of a Kamen Rider outfit systematically disarm and scare off the attempted mugger. The sight of the digivice on the vigilante's belt snapped him back into reality, though. "Your assistance is appreciated, but I assure you that I could've easily taken care of that mugger. After all ... it would take more than a simple criminal wielding a knife to take down a Guardromon."
Clearly, that blatant admission should catch the vigilante's attention, although even Hana would facepalm at just how blatant it was.
"Smooth, buddy. Just shout that out for the whole neighborhood to hear, why don't you?" Hana groaned in resignation. Well, there was no going back at this point, so they might as well go all in. "Is there any chance we could at least get a name for the guy who helped us out?"'
As for Rush? He was so focused on the caterpillar that he hadn't even noticed anything that had just happened.
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Post by supesman on Aug 8, 2021 2:46:16 GMT
Zack was taken aback for a moment, if only a moment until he threw his head back and started laughing a dead, heavy, good natured laugh that bounced off the walls around them before he coughed into his fist in order to clear himself of the impulse, clearing his throat afterwards.
"Ho-ly hell it seems like I can't go on one patrol at night without running into one of us." he said, placing his fists against his hips and running his eyes over the assembled trio in front of him. "Come on, we shouldn't just talk here on the sidewalk, people live around here and you can never tell which windows are open, if you know what I mean." he said, jerking his thumb into the alley where the criminal had come out of, jerking his head there and walking behind the corner, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed in order to give them a more private place to talk, reaching up and unclipping his helmet to pull it away, exposing the pale skinned, fair haired American to their collective gaze. "The name my mom gave me is Zack, Zack Zello. Though out here I go by the name Digi Rider, which is as cheesy as it sounds mostly on purpose."
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Post by Hanako Hoshidate on Aug 8, 2021 3:19:50 GMT
Yep, Data was right on the money with pegging the kid as a wannabe Kamen Rider. At least the kid had some skill to back it up, as evidence by his proficiency with dealing with the mugger.
"Yes, that does seem to be the curse of those involved with the Digital World." Data quietly said as he picked up his brother and followed Zack and Hana to a more private location to talk. The disguised Keramon pouted at being pulled away from his new insect buddy.
"Well, it's nice to meet you, Mr. Zello. I'm Hanako Hoshidate, and these two are Data and Rush. They're twins." Hana said, introducing herself and her partners to the vigilante. The Tamer girl pulled out a simple business card, only having GAIA's name, description, and a phone number on it, and handed it to Zack. "We came out here to promote the detective agency we're starting up. We're still finding our footing right now, but once we're fully set up we fully plan to try and make Shibuya and the digital world a better place, one case at a time."
"Okay, Hana. You're coming off a little strong there, so you might want to tone it down a bit." Data warned, causing Hana's face to go red from embarrassment.
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Post by supesman on Aug 8, 2021 3:31:33 GMT
"Actually I think she came off just the right amount. it's clear that you're a woman who cares a lot about improving the lives of the people around you and that's more important than anything. Don't be ashamed of that be proud of it." He said, a soft, warm smile spreading from one cheek to the other as he shrugged, pushing off the comment as something casual.
"Yea! and I like her hair too!" Came a tiny, high pitched voice from somewhere on Zack, one of the pockets of his coat zipping itself open and popping out a tiny, golden insectoid head with a crimson scarf wrapped around its neck.
"Oh, right duh. Where are my manners. Hana, Data, Rush, this is my daughter Marigold." He said, gesturing to her, prompting a tiny, nubby handed wave as she peaked out from behind the edge of the pocket. Zack rummaged around in his back pocket, pulling out a single slip of paper with his information written on it. "Well before I forget and before we do anything else, take my number. Detectives and vigilantes tend to go hand in hand plus it could come in handy if you ever need some extra muscle on a job, you know what I mean? Don't hesitate, any time of the day or night, if you need us, Digi-Rider and Marigold will be in your corner." he said, offering the slip freely with that same winning smile. "In fact, I'm trying to put my own name out there to people that need it. if you feel comfortable, why don't you take us back to your office and I can leave a copy of my info there for your clients and I'll do vice versa with anyone I come across that needs more than some knuckle dusting." He chuckled.
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Post by Hanako Hoshidate on Aug 8, 2021 13:55:42 GMT
"I meant that it sounded like she was giving a sales pitch ... you know what? Never mind." Data said with a sigh, dropping the subject.
When Marigold poked her tiny head out of Zack's pocket, Hana's eyes lit up and she started hopping a bit in excitement. "Oh my gosh, she's so cute! She's the cutest thing I've seen since Rush was still just a little Kuramon!"
"And what am I, chopped liver?" Data jokingly said with a small smirk.
"You're handsome, not cute, which suits you better." Hana replied, eliciting a chuckle from the disguised Guardromon as Hana took the offered paper from Zack. "Anyways, our office will be located in the Shibuya mall, but everything is still being set up so it won't be open for a little while longer. Buuut, I will definitely get in touch with you once the office is ready for business. I will actually have to talk to the other members of our team before anything can be finalized, of course, but the more people we can work with, the merrier."
As Hana had been talking, Rush had actually dropped his holosuit and wrapped his long arms around Hana to hug her from behind. As he hugged her, the Keramon looked at Marigold and made a 'blep' face where the tip of his tongue was just sticking out of his mouth. "Bee baby."
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Post by supesman on Aug 8, 2021 15:53:28 GMT
Marigold puffed up her tiny cheeks in an attempt to look bigger and angrier, which of course, as it always did on children, only made her look chubbier and cuter to the eye of the beholder.
"Not a baby..." She said, looking up at Rush and sticking out her own tongue, giggling and seemingly dropping whatever momentary grudge she had against him for the perceived slight after her tiny, bell-ish giggle.
"Mmm hmm, yes you are, you're my most littlest, perfect-est baby in the whole world." He said, scratching on the top of her head with the nail of his index finger, making her giggle and stutter an attempt to stop her father from embarrassing her, an attempt that seemed to be failing on every front going. Zack turned to Hana and her twin partners with a slight bit more seriousness in his voice. "Well if I can't help you, maybe you can help me." he said, pulling a newspaper clipping from his back pocket.
"LOCAL FAMILY'S SENGOKU ERA JEWELS REPLACED!" Read the bolded font at the top of the header with a picture of what looked like a gorgeous set of jewel bracelets that the articles described as cheap glass replicas.
"Local family, never did anything to anybody had an heirloom stolen out from under them in the middle of the night. It's not about how much the gems are worth, it's about the family history they represent. And they're the fifth or sixth family to get robbed like this. These are family's histories and the sanctity of their homes at stake and I can't make heads or tails of the evidence." He said, pitching the story to the trio with a raised eyebrow but also an emotion in his eyes that broadcasted total sincerity.
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Post by Hanako Hoshidate on Aug 11, 2021 20:25:06 GMT
"Well, isn't that familiar..." Data said with a chuckle as he looked between Zack calling Marigold his baby and Hana hugging Rush hard enough to squish both of their cheeks together as it caused the Keramon to giggle like a little kid. It really was almost like seeing double.
The cute scene would be broken when Zack pulled out a newspaper clipping and asked the trio for help with a robbery case, instantly snapping the trio to attention as Hana and Data read the article.
"Alright, you have our complete and undivided attention." Hana said to the Kamen Rider-esque vigilante. "This is too sudden of a request to bring the rest of the agency in on, but the three of us can try and help out to the best of our abilities. What have you got so far?"
"Agreed. But we should also make sure we don't get in over our heads here. There's only so much that Rush and I can do to keep the three of you from getting hurt, so we need to be smart about this." Data added.
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Post by supesman on Aug 12, 2021 1:41:58 GMT
Zack turned to Data and, with a grinning little tilt of his head let out a gem that would perfectly encapsulate the young man and his mission.
"I'm never smart about anything if I can help it but you keep here safe. I wouldn't know what to do with myself if you guys got hurt on account of me brining you up on this." he said, smiling and handing Hana the clipping to hold so that he could dig into his backpack for something, pulling out a slip of paper with an address on it. "it's maybe ten minutes walk from here, maybe less if we hurry. One of the previous families to get robbed is staying in a hotel and the police presence isn't as heavy because it's not the hottest trail. You guys up for a little recreational B an E?" he said, reaching out to offer a hand to Hana to shake. If he was going to bring these three in on this, he needed them behind him, one hundred percent. For the sake of the victims, for the sake of themselves and for the sake of his own peace of mind.
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Post by Hanako Hoshidate on Aug 12, 2021 2:43:08 GMT
"I'm not sure I feel comfortable with breaking the law like that." Hana nervously said, fidgeting a bit in discomfort. She sighed before she continued speaking. "I know GAIA's purpose is about finding the truth, but blatantly violating the law to do so just doesn't sit right with me. It feels like it would undermine the agency's integrity and violate everything we stand for. I'm sorry if that bothers you, but breaking the law to solve a case is a slippery slope I'm not willing to go down."
"Wow, I had no idea you felt so strongly about that." Data said in amazement. This was a mature side of Hana that the Guardromon hadn't seen before.
"I'll look the other way this time if you do decide to go through with this illegal plan of yours, but you'll be on your own for the actual breaking and entering part." Hana clarified.
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Post by supesman on Aug 12, 2021 4:15:42 GMT
Zack shrugs, patting at his pockets in an attempt to find something. If he was put off, upset or offended by Hana shooting him down he didn't seem to show it.
"Eh, that's fair. Who are we without our principles right? If that's too far over the line for you, perhaps you can maybe bend a little bit less harshly when I show you this." He said, pulling what looked like a perfect, intricate jewel from his side pocket. It looked like a perfectly carves sapphire in the shape of a tear drop, but when he handed it to her it was much too light for the crystalline gem and once she took a closer look there was an almost mistakable molding seam where there had been a slight amount of run off when the duplicate was casted. "I was able to snag that from the most recent crime scene after one of the CSIs made a typo in his catalouging. They won't notice it's gone for a while. it's our only lead other than scoping the scenes ourselves."
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Post by Hanako Hoshidate on Aug 12, 2021 22:43:52 GMT
The sight of Zack pulling out the fake gem he blatantly admitted to stealing from the cops left Hana stunned at his sheer audacity and disregard for the law. As Zack held the fake gem out to her, Data took the replica instead in order to avoid contaminating the evidence with fingerprints and examined it. "Hm. Pretty well made for a fake, although the slight runoff and weight gives it away. This was clearly made by someone who knows their way around glass, rather than an amateur."
As the Guardromon's thought broke her out of her stupor, Hana rubbed her head to soothe the growing headache she was developing from the situation. "I was already borderline on this plan at the suggestion of breaking and entering, but blatantly stealing and contaminating evidence from the police? Now you're just pushing your luck regarding how much law-breaking I can tolerate."
His partner's stern words spurred Data into handing the glass replica back to Zack, while Hana just gave the vigilante an irritated look.
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Post by supesman on Aug 13, 2021 0:50:15 GMT
Zack sighed, tucking the fake gem into the pocket of his jacket, zipping it up. He tilted his head, giving Hana a serious look and taking a moment to choose his words. he wanted to be stern with his explanation but not insulting or belittling.
"Hana...I'm a VIGILANTIE. Working outside of the law is the baseline activity of what I do. Any second of any day my actions, including saving your life JUST now is highly illegal in the most inflammatory way." he said, explaining himself sharply, letting all of his thoughts out on the line as he wanted to be diplomatic without letting Hana look down on him for what he was doing. "We are talking about someone breaking into the homes of people in a bad neighborhood in the middle of the night, stealing not only a piece of their history but also their sense of security in their own homes. Look around you, look at the neighborhood you're in. Can you honestly, with your heart, tell me that you have ANY faith that they're going to stop this guy before someone stumbles on him in the middle of the night?" He asks, showing that he wasn't doing what he was doing on a whim, evidently he had been thinking about why he did what he did for a long time and from a lot of angles. "You ever seen what happens when someone gets up to go to the bathroom and stumbles on a burglar? Hmm? Because it usually ends one of two ways. Either the bugler goes down with a kitchen knife in his ribs...or the burglar decides that thievery isn't the only crime he's capable of."
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Post by Hanako Hoshidate on Aug 13, 2021 1:54:21 GMT
"Look, man. We would've been able to protect ourselves from that guy just fine even if you hadn't shown up. In case you forgot, I. Am. A. Guardromon. That guy's knife would have done absolutely nothing to me, and I was between him and the others." Data pointed out.
"Besides, it isn't you running around saving people that I have a problem with. THAT I can overlook since the only ones being hurt by that are the criminals. Messing with evidence is different, because it means it's gonna end up being much harder for the cops to put this guy away after we find him, which means he could end up getting off scot-free to continue robbing people until one of those two possibilities you brought up does end up happening. What happens then?" Hana added, giving her rebuttal to the vigilante's words. "We need to figure out a plan of action that won't make it harder to actually put this guy away once we find him."
Realizing that this argument was getting out of hand, Hana took a deep breath to calm herself down. "Look, I get what you're saying. I really do. You're not wrong, but we need to be careful or we're gonna end up shooting ourselves in the foot, or worse."
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