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Post by Esfiel on Jan 19, 2010 15:41:06 GMT -5
The way he repeated what she said back to her using different words but the same story made her feel like the whole situation was ridiculous. Suits, maybe she already knew that, but the way he said it it made him sounds like he didn't trust her or thought she was lying. Before she could expand on the thought he said something that shocked her into looking at him. She had to look at him to see if he were joking. He really didn't seem like the joking type.
Why couldn't he have told her that as he was dragging her to the station? This was exactly the sort of mind games a Tugley would play, wasn't it? He didn't need to be joking, he just needed to be cruel. Whether cruel for waiting this long to tell her or by lying she wasn't sure.
Aima was at a loss for words for a moment, staring at him as though he'd just told her he was sentencing her to a life as an acrobat. She thought she wanted to yell at him, demanding why he waited this long, but another thought won out. Did this mean she'd get to be home in bed before the sun came up?
No, it didn't seem like it. He still needed her to catch the thief. Couldn't this be marked as a failure and call it a night? The woman had her money back, and they could both go home. At last the martin sighed, trying to recall the details.
"It was dark and sudden. I was utterly confused while it was happening. I know he was bigger than me, but still was still in animal form. He was one of the more common canines I believe. I think I would have remembered if he were a wolf or hyena or something of the sort. Realm.. colors.. ah.." She tried probing her head, her paws going up to her head, but she was having a difficult time remembering. "Light colors and dark markings, but the exact colors are more like a blur.."
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Post by Lucca on Jan 19, 2010 17:00:57 GMT -5
Aberforth waited patiently while Aima seemed to need some time to absorb the revelation that he thought her innocent. Really, he just hadn't been sure until he'd heard her story and seen her nearly fall on the stairs, and even now the paranoid, distrustful part of him wasn't sure it wasn't all just an act. Of some kind and to some purpose. Luckily his common sense told him she was telling the truth.
When she began speaking again, he was frustrated inwardly by the lack of details. 'Light colors and dark markings' could describe at least half the known realms. But he supposed this was usually the sort of confused reports police officers had to deal with, so he tried to make the best of it anyway. "I see. Thank you Miss Aima," Aberforth said, after scrawling it down in his notebook. He thought privately there was little chance of finding the petty thief...and if he hadn't actually stolen anything, then what was the use anyway? Frowns across the table, thinking.
"And you'd never seen either him or the victim before, correct?" he asked, determined to come away from this stupid pointless exercise with something he could use.
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Post by Esfiel on Jan 22, 2010 15:28:06 GMT -5
With his continued questions Aima lost hope. She'd probably have to put all her tests tomorrow on hold. She would need that time to sleep so that she could work properly the next night. The thought of it was discouraging, and for the first time she found herself thinking she needed a vacation to somewhere nice a sunny.
Aima sighed as she put her brain back to her situation and the question she was now being asked. This was going to be a very frustrating hour, or two, or however long he kept her here. These were probably questions by the book. They were too innocent to be his own. On the bright side, at least there didn't look to be anything he could hit her with.. unless he used the chair.
"No, I've never seen either of them before." Not that she'd gotten a good look at either of them, but she assumed that if she'd known them that hopefully they didn't feel the need to set her up or condemn her to this. One had just given her a headache whereas the other one had landed her in this room. She almost wished she did know them, then she could give them a piece of her mind alongside one eerie Tugley. Ha! She'd see how they enjoyed that.
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Post by Lucca on Jan 22, 2010 16:43:26 GMT -5
Aberforth nodded, recording more details in his notebook, filling the page with a fairly messy scrawl (well, he only had his mouth to hold the pencil in, so could anyone blame him?). Being done with this, he looked over his notes silently for a moment. Well. Good to know this entire thing had been a waste of time. One big, fat, inconvenient waste of time. He put the notebook back into his bag with a sigh, probably the most emotion he'd shown all evening.
Then he turned his weary, but steady, pink gaze back to the Corvie. "Well, that settles it...Miss Aima, I do not think you committed this crime," he said, still in the same bland tone of voice he always spoke with. But she'd come all the way to the station...and he wasn't going to be leaving again to try to get home, at any rate. There was just no point. So he thought he might as well...try to be hospitable. Ugh. Of course, given her really bizzarely paranoid behavior thus far (like he was one to talk) he didn't think she'd take him up on the offer.
"Would you like some coffee, or something, before you go on your way?" He got up as he spoke, clopping and echoing his way to the door and opening it back up again. Hopefully this would give her the idea she was free to go, in any case.
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Post by Esfiel on Jan 23, 2010 14:03:15 GMT -5
Instead of giving her more questions to answer he surprised her by putting his notebook away and signing. She might have thought how strange it was that he let her see him sigh, but she was far too amazed as he told her he didn't think it was, all official like, and offered her coffee. She was really free to go? He even opened the door as to prove it. Her amazement was such that she didn't get the eerie feeling from his echoing walk. It couldn't quite register.
Aima got up slowly, not yet answering, and fumbled with her crutches. Was this a trick? Was he planning on slamming the door just before she reached freedom? He seemed serious, but then he always seemed serious. How was she to tell for sure? How strange, how bizarre! Still she couldn't trust him, but the fact that this was over was really getting through to her, even if the fact was taking its time.
"Really? Coffee?" she asked, sounding as though she was still unsure and expected him to say no. Without intending it to, it sounded like a hesitant yes rather than the no thank you she would have actually given him if she weren't so paranoid. The martin was inadvertently contributing to her own prolonged torture.
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Post by Lucca on Jan 23, 2010 16:37:17 GMT -5
Aberforth nodded, stiffly, though he found himself now almost regretting the offer. Now that their official business together was over, the Goat realized this was becoming a social visit, and...he was abysmal at socializing. Not that he cared what people thought of him, since they were all selfish, dangerous, untrustworthy people at heart...but sadly outside of the Wood it was impossible to live life as a hermit, he was finding.
Especially if one were stupid enough to get a job as a cop. Aberforth walked quickly down to the staff room, where he knew there was always a pot of coffee, and sometimes a few donuts left of the dozen brought in every morning by some of his coworkers. Carefully, he poured two cups of the coffee, which he sniffed and determined was still fairly fresh, and then set them on a tray, which he took in his mouth to carry back to the room.
If Aima was still there, she would hear him coming long before she saw his white form. Aberforth half found himself wishing the Pine Martin would have done what she obviously wanted to do and left before he returned, but he didn't count on it. After all, life had never gone his way before, why should it start now?
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Post by Esfiel on Jan 24, 2010 0:33:23 GMT -5
Aima watched the goat and police officer just walk off without anymore words and only a nod. Was that a yes? Was she supposed to wait for him or just leave? Was he getting her coffee or did he just blow her off? Why did Tugleys have to make life so complicated?
To make her final decision she decided to follow logic. Nods usually equaled yes, therefore she would wait. Aima sat back down in her chair, decidedly feeling extremely awkward. Why had she let her surprise show through her words? Why couldn't she have just said no? I don't really even like coffee. I'm more of a tea person.
The martin sighed while she waited, angry now more at herself than the one who had brought her here. Freedom had been so close. Then she heard it. That echoing. It seemed to amplify while the echoes from his walk created echoes in the hallway. For the first time in her life she felt twitchy. Couldn't he just.. turn it off?! Wasn't offering her coffee supposed to be a friendly gesture? Then it hit her. He was trying to irk her more before he let her go. The nerve!
When he returned he would find her twitchy and pale faced with an irritated look about her face, which really wasn't too different from how he'd left her.
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Post by Lucca on Jan 25, 2010 9:18:34 GMT -5
Aberforth was very distressed to find that, upon returning to the room, not only was Aima still there, but she looked annoyed. Why did she look like that? Was it something he'd done? Did he not make it clear enough she could just leave if she wanted to? None of this anguish showed on his face as he set down the tray carefully on the table and nodded again towards the cups, indicating that she should take one.
He debated leaving her alone with it, but then, was he supposed to leave civilians alone in the police station? Most likely not. Aberforth sat in the chair across the table, brought his own cup of coffee closer with a hoof, and took a sip of it, listening as the awkward silence stretched on. He wasn't going to be the one to break it. He had nothing to say to this Pine Martin, now that he'd firmly (well, as firmly as he could have, anyway) established her innocence.
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Post by Esfiel on Jan 28, 2010 0:25:03 GMT -5
When he walked in Aima said nothing. When he set down the tray she still said nothing, though she did reach forward with her paws to take one of the cups. For a moment she let herself think that she really ought to get a biped form. Then she could drink normal cups with one hand! She almost laughed at how absurdly happy that thought made her, despite how simplistic and common it was.
She couldn't long distract herself, though. By now he was sitting down with his own coffee and the two shared the awkward silence as they sipped their drinks. He seemed determined to not talk. Or at least maybe it only seemed that way because she couldn't read his emotions. For all she knew he liked this type of situation and was at home in it.
If he would not talk, she decided, she would not either. Let them sit there until they finished and she could take off. Stubborn as she was, though, her curiosity and uneasiness were starting to get at her. Would it be so bad to talk? Maybe talking would upset him, and that would be a nice change form how awkward he made everything!
"Have you ever met a Tugley named Mrs. White?" she blurted before she could fully think to stop herself.
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Post by Lucca on Jan 28, 2010 10:14:05 GMT -5
Aberforth was more comfortable with the awkward silence than he would be with equally as awkward small talk, to be perfectly honest. Though of course he'd be far more comfortable in solitude, back at his own small, dark apartment where no one bothered him. Not that Aima was bothering him, persay...she wasn't so bad as far as other Cards went, when she was quiet at least. And then...she had to open her mouth.
He was nearly finished with his coffee, and he took the last swallow before regarding her with pink eyes. He was about to say 'no,' but then he paused, forehead wrinkling a bit in thought. He recalled an experience a few days past, where he'd stopped a thief (Capital City was rife with those sorts of petty criminals) who had stolen the purse of a rich Duck. And he remembered his maid, who looked even more untrustworthy than most Cards...
"Yes," he replied, staring at his Styrofoam cup. "If she's the Feline who works for a Card named McDuck." He had the man's business card. It was in his apartment buried on his desk with all his other useless papers. His eyes flashed with sudden comprehension. If Aima had met that strange Card...that may her reason for disliking his Realm so much. Well, not that he would dissuade her from her opinions. After all, trust was a luxury and refuge of the fool, especially trust of someone that...odd.
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