2019.12.24: The Scooby Gang and The Knowledge Gap

The Scooby Gang and the Knowledge Gap
Part 1: Computer detectives that don't know computers.
IC Date	12.24.19
IC Time	Morning
Players	Bobbi, Roxy, Kadin, Oksana, Martine
Location	Wyldman Library

There's a chill in the air today, a slight mist settling on the city that's cutting visibility down to just a few blocks, though it doesn't stop the usual flow of people. Today, however, the coats are out, pulled tight as they scurry back and fore, gathering gifts for the coming celebrations or heading to or from work.

The lights of the library illuminate the street outside, while inside, Roxy is keeping out of the cold, pulling up a seat in the foyer where she sits with a foot resting on the opposite knee, a borrowed magazine resting in her lap that she's flicking through while waiting for her friend to arrive.

Bobbi slowly hobbles along the street, wearing a brown military coat with the hood up. A stranger is nice enough to hold the library door open for her. Entering the library, she briefly blows on her hands for warmth before looking around the library. Seeing Roxy, she raises her left hand in greeting, showing off a now familiar palm sigil tattoo. Shambolically she moves over to Roxy, and hunches down slightly beside her, putting her weight on her cane. "Hey," she whisper as she offers a hug.

The tap of the cane catches her attention, Roxy looking up curiously until she spots the familiar face, her own immediately brightening into a smile. "Hey Bobbi!", the magazine closed and tossed back onto the nearby table. The hug is accepted as she rises from her seat, lifting Bobbi gently back to standing to take the weight off her leg. "Thanks for coming." she says, squeezing before taking a step back.

"I don't know how this works..", looking up at the layers of floors up above, ".. I can find you some medical books, but searching old news..?", a shake of her head. "I don't know where that is.". Reaching over, she 'boops' the end of your nose with a fingertip, "You okay?", she asks with a little smile.

Bobbi grins as she is booped and mock rubs her nose, then flips her hood back. With a practiced hand she twists her dreads around themselves into a hybrid bun-ponytail. "Yeah, I'm doing alright, yourself?" she asks at library volumes. "I kinda like a little bit of cold weather for the holiday season, this is nice. Well, today I'm going to introduce you to the wonders of microfiche. They basically store all the newspapers on tiny film that you can view. It would be impossible with actualy newspapers with retrieving, conservation, and space considerations. We're going to get the basic details of this crime, and use that to look up the appropriate newspaper. Then get the microfiche. Then ... well after that is the next step. Any questions before we put on our detective hats?"

With a tilt of her head, Roxy considers the question, "I'm.. okay? I've been feeling a little weird. Maybe it's just nerves." she shrugs, still looking cheerful all the same. "It'll be nice to clear my name at last, if we can find something. I can join the Legion again then, I bet Florida is really nice this time of year."

"So, where do we go?", she asks, looking up again at the many levels, "I've seen those things on some movies. There's a big machine that zooms in or.. I don't know.", she chuckles. "Have you been alright? I haven't seen you since that night. I know it must be horrible, not seeing me in all that time, me being so wonderful and all..", she laughs, giving you a playful nudge with her elbow.

Bobbi hmms slightly, then whispers, "Well, I'd miss you, but I'm not going to hold you back. This is important." Then she nods, "I'm alright as I can be. Paranoia got a real grip over me for a minute there. Found out some people were lying to me about some important stuff, and it just sort of spiraled from there. I'm going to have to have a real long talk with Dawson that I'm not looking forward to. I figure save it for after Christmas, but I want to be sure to unburden myself before the New Year starts. Bad vibes to go into a new year with this sort of weight on you, it will color everything." She then gives Roxy a playful nudge back, "Anytime you want to have another slumber party, you're welcome over. You don't have to give advance notice, but I have it, I can stock up on the essentials first." She looks around, "Well ... the first thing is to know the details as best as you have them. That will determine if we need to do some googling first, or if we head right to the microfiche. I mean, all we need to get started is the when and where ... other details could help, but that should be enough to get searching. So? What is it, then? Do we microfiche or google first? Tell me what you know."

Kadin is here. He is reading a newspaper and looks up over the edge of it. Of coruse he was not here a moment ago. "Dawson....I know that guy." He offers a small smile, "I'm really good at research if you ladies would allow me to help."

"Uch.." Roxy wrinkles her nose hearing about people lying, ".. I hate that. One small lie can cause so many problems, like, you start questioning what else might be a lie and.. Yeah." a shrug. "What did Dawson do? He never leaves that bar, he always seems to be there.", she chuckles.

"You're coming to my place next time, I'll buy a single bed for the other bedroom. I have a nice kitchen so maybe, if you're really unlucky, you'll get to experience my cooking." she chuckles. Pulling her jacket around her more comfortably, she replies to the more serious question, "We were all pulled in the twenty sixth of November, so it could be a day or two before that, depending when the body was found. And I only know it was in the Harbor district. Do you think that'll be enough?"

Where did he come from? Roxy turns her attention to Kadin, looks at him curiously, perhaps Bobbi knows him. Her gaze switches to the woman at her side and back again. Let Bobbi deal with this one.

"I asked Dawson for some information, he ended up lying to me about what he found out. However, he fucked up the details of the lie and set off a ton of red flags. Then someone else was all 'He admitted to me that he lied and was trying to protect you, so now you should just trust him.' Made me think she was in on it too. I came up with some vast conspiracy that was way worse than the truth, because everyone had good intentions but shit methods. Dawson's kind of lucky that I know he's an asshole, because if I didn't I would think way worse of what he said to me." Bobbi hmms, "Didn't think much of my place, huh? Well, if you have me over, I'd insist on cooking for us. I'm an excellent cook. I used to prepare communal meals twice a day at Tent City. After awhile, people stopped grumbling about it all being Vegan." Then Kadin speaks, and Bobbi realizes everything she has said has been heard, and heard by someone that might do something with this knowledge. A flash of paranoia, as the idea that the conspiracy might have another layer crosses Bobbi's mind, but she pushes it aside and chalks it up to coincidence. "Oh, uh, I ..." she looks to Roxy.

Kadin sees the looks on the ladies faces and his countenance drops from the smile to one of concern, "I am sorry. I did not mean to intrude in your affairs. I'm really good at keeping secrets and just try to help out where I can. It is beneath me to interfear what transpires between peoples unless I am permitted and it is desired for me to do so." He motions to the main library room, "I was hear doing a little research myself. I can leave you now...if that is what you would like." A small breeze that smells of the deep forest, oak and willow, moss and fern, seems to find Kadin and riffles his clothing a little, messing his hair, and then a door shuts someplace that the breeze dies.

"He always struck me as a liar.." Roxy admits, ".. but I suppose that comes with the territory, you know, the things he gets mixed up in. It's not up to him to decide if you need protecting though, if he knows something he should tell you and let you decide if you want his help or not.".

"I don't know, some people.." she mutters, looking back at Kadin with a curious twinkle to her clear blue eyes. Another shuffle of her jacket, perhaps a slight change of posture to ensure he catches the biker tag on the back of her jacket, a tilt of her head, "If you want to help a murder suspect, that's up to you and Bobbi. I need all the help I can get.", looking back to Bobbi to see how she feels about it. "You are /so/ welcome to cook, by the way, my kitchen is so clean because I barely use it. It's all microwave for me." she chuckles.

Bobbi nods to Roxy, "Yeah, I agree I should have been able to decide for myself. Also, the lie he came up with just as bad if not worse than what he was trying to protect me from. I mean, he didn't intend that, but he screwed up some details, and the only way what he described happening could happen would be in a ... bad ... way." She shrugs, "I got no problem with someone helping us, it's your case, so up to you how much you want known or not known. I'm just here to help you." The Bobbi grins at Roxy, "I might force us to eat Vegan this time, but I swear to you it's not going to be as bad as you might think. In fact, it's really good. Most people associate Vegan food with people who can't cook or deseprately still want to eat, so like ... over-steamed kale or frozen burgers made out of beans ... nothing could be further from what I would cook. I have a hearty winter recipe I like that I think you would too. It's a vegetable protein in a hearty grave, with little bitty onions, carrots, and mashed potatoes. Optionally I could make a crust for it and you could have that pot pie style if you like. But yeah, I love to cook and the hot plate doesn't quite scratch the itch."

Kadin nods a little, "I like to find out the truth of things. Truth taste like wine to me, sometimes sweet, sometimes dry, sometimes bitter. So, if it is a thing of truth you are seeking to find, I would enjoy helping. Puzzles...I adore puzzles. Some have said I am the best there is at such things." He shrugs a little and then chuckles, "It seems to always come down to food. In times of happiness there is food, times of stress there is food, and times of sadness and people's passing there is almost always food."

It's possible to hear the soft rumble coming from Roxy's tummy at the mention of food, leaning out she gives Bobbi a playful nudge with her elbow. "Shut up, you're making me hungry." she chuckles, "You're so coming to my place once we're done." a little wink and a smile, then she turns her attention to Kadin.

"If it doesn't bother you then sure. I'm accused of murder..", she lets that sink in for a second, then continues, ".. but I wasn't there. I wasn't even in the city at the time, but the police don't want to listen to that because I don't have an alibi. Or, I do, but that would put me in jail too.", a glance to Bobbi, she hadn't mentioned that before, "So we're trying to clear my name. All I know is that I was pulled into the precinct on the 26th of November, so it must have happened before that, I've seen pictures of the victim and it was a lot of knife wounds and I know it was somewhere in the Harbor district. So.." a shrug, a little smile given to Bobbi, "If you think we can maybe find where it happened, or who it was..?"

Bobbi says, "Sounds like a plan." She then hmmms, "Oh, ok. I thought you knew when this happened. Having that date will help us, as it obviously happened before then, but ... did it happen the day before? a week before? a month before? We might want to hit up the google for stabbings at the harbor before we get into the microfiche territory. I'm good with microfiche, but looking through every newspaper article for a few weeks or months might be a little bit tedious." She starts hobbling to one of the library computers, "Either one of you should work the computer, or promise not to laugh at me when I do. I only just got my first computer, and it's ... going slowly."

Martine comes in pushing a stroller, one of the stupid overpriced ones with built in toys and offroad wheels youll never use but hey we got traction! There is a baby inside, a little indian girl around one or two years old. The baby is messing with the toys and making a mess of herself eating cheerios from a holder at once.

Kadin says, "Computers...yes...I have not learned to talk with them yet. You'll just have to manage. I'm more the hands on person. Give me books or a trail to follow...that is where I excel. So, I won't laugh at all." He looks to Roxy to see if she understands better on how to work computers. He says to her, "It does not bother me to help anyone."

"I don't really know computers either, I could use the one in the hospital.." Roxy notes, following Bobbi along to where the computers sit, "I can try, Google kinda knows everything, doesn't it?" she smiles, a little sheepishly perhaps.

Taking a seat in front of one of the keyboards, she looks back at Kadin, "Well, why don't you try working backwards from the 26th and I'll see if I can find anything here? I don't really know what I'm doing, so you'll probably be finished before I am." she chuckles. "You can both try, maybe?" she suggests to Bobbi, "I'll poke here, and you two share the micro-things..?"

Oksana walks into the campus library, tugging on her pony tail which forces the scrunchee to go closer to her scalp. Yes, she's tightening her ponytail so that no locks of hair can escape. Nothing silly, otherwise. She is making her way to a computer, near some of the folk that are gathered here; however, she appears to be on a mission. She does mutter something to herself in Russian as she boots up the computer.

Bobbi takes a seat in front of one of the computers, and after a moment figures out how to turn the screen on. She hunts and pecks, very slowly, and types 'Google' into the 'Bing Search Bar.' Bing provides the URL for Google as it's top link, and after a few minutes, Bobbi finds it. Again she slowly hunt and pecks, 'Oeospect jarbpr stbbinh' She furrows her brow and looks at the confusing spam results, before seeing the link to correct the search to 'Prospect harbor stabbing' She clicks on the first link, a paid advertisement, and begins to look it over to see if it contains any relevant information about a stabbing. It takes her awhile to realize it only contains information about family events at Prospect harbor. She looks back to Roxy and Kadin, "Looks like there might be a cover-up, I'm not finding anything ..."

Martine parks the stroller near one of the machines. She is clearly here for a reason, scanning through the machine rapidly for her goal.

The baby looks up to the machine but loses interest when Oksana's ponytail activities take center stage. She points at Oksana and looks back at irritating Martine who could care less. "Ehhhh..."

Martine looks sidelong at Kadin but then her ears perk up. "A cover up? What are we talking about? I love cover ups."

Kadin starts in on the microfiche machines. He seems to catch on quickly and starts scanning. He says at Martine, "Oh..hi there. Love your eyes." He points at Roxy, "You'll have to ask her. I don't even work here." To that actually watching Kadin, he seems expertly adapt..or...fast...he is just fast. Those actually staring might even see his fingers blur a little.

Oksana is about to type in whatever she's looking for when she overhears a cover-up. She furrows her brow, and then returns back to her own typing. This is when she notices Baby Yoda - wait, no... Baby Martine in the stroller. She smiles warmly as one might with all young children. Even does one of those cute tiny finger waves. The only problem is that instead of saying hello in English, she says "Privet." It's a playful 'baby' voice.

Kadin starts hitting random keys on the computer. Somehow he starts to get the hand of it. He says at Martine, "Oh..hi there. Love your eyes." He points at Roxy, "You'll have to ask her. I don't even work here." To that actually watching Kadin, he seems fast...he is fast. Those actually staring might even see his fingers blur a little. It is obvious Kadin doesn't even know how to use a computer. He keeps looking over at Bobbi to watch how she is using it. "Oh look. Congress is trying to impeach someone." Then, "Are people spraypainting bunny rabbits now?" And then, "A boat sunk out at the harbor four weeks ago."

Looking at the computer in front of her, Roxy realises the system has timed out and gone back to the login screen. After trying a variety of passwords, from 'library' to 'justletmeinalready!', she decides to give that up and rolls the wheeled chair over to crash in against Bobbi's. "Hey!" she chuckles, straightening up her seat. "Let me see..", leaning toward the screen to get a better view. ".. it's probably like a virus or something.".

Reaching down, she pokes the reset button and the screen goes black, starts booting up again, jumps straight back to the search screen once it's all done.

Meanwhile, Kadin has found an article in his own search from a local newspaper, dated the 25th, a murder at a home above a local convenience store in the Harbor district. Both online and on paper, it includes the full article and even a couple of photographs of the location with the store in view, the windows of the room above, a police officer standing guard and 'police line, do not cross' tape spread about liberally.

"Okay, so if I type..", Roxy's fingers taptap, entering 'Prospect Harbor murders with knives', she does get a lot of hits, mostly gang based it seems. There might be something in there somewhere. ".. that, then.. uh.. that's a lot to look through.", she glances at Bobbi, not sure where to even start.

"Conspirators and hackers covering up a murder with computer viruses? This goes deeper than I thought ..." Bobbi says, the paranoia she just got over beginning to manifest again. "They might be watching us right now ..." She looks up as Martine speaks, "Oh, uh ... I was asking her to borrow some cover-up make-up," she laughs nervously, and then looks to Roxy gesturing to Martine with her eyes.

Martine tilts her head askance to talk to Kadin. "Thanks they were a gift from my mother. I need my glasses for far away, your just an outline. You know Im a journalist I might actually be able to help right?" She smiles widely.

Jordan (the baby) smiles at Oksana. "Purvet," she mimics.

"What did you just say Jordan? Whose a pervert?" Martine scowls at Oksana.

Kadin says, "I remember a time when I was in India. There was this group of assassin called the Vishkanya. They were masters at poisons. It was like that Prince's Bride Movie when they talk about Idocaine powder. Others have used poisons as well. There was even a myth about a giant scorpion that hid beneath the desert sands that would stab people with it's tail. But there is always a clue somewhere. Always a trace left behind. Oh look at this article....."

Oksana blinks and looks at Martine as if she's not quite sure where /that/ came from. With raised eyebrows, she turns her attention back to her own computer search. Clickity-clickity-clickity. She sighs and seems to have her own issues with computers, but she's being polite. There might not be a swear jar nearby, but there is a child - which is worse than a swear jar. Especially when the child's mother is right there, and the mom is a big meanie, poopy head! Ha! Take that thought bubble and like it! She looks at the screen, wrinkling her nose, "Nyet, not vhantink turkey recipe for Zanksgivink." She sighs and goes back to her typing.

Bobbi looks to Martine with a paranoid eye, then to the article Kadin found. "Looks like they could hack one computer's google, but not all of them. Ok, November 26th at the harbor, we can probably look that article up on microfiche next." She looks at the article again, "Wait, they have microfiche articles on computers nowadays?"

"It'll be okay.." Roxy tells Bobbi, laying a hand upon her arm as a form of comfort, ".. we'll get to the bottom of it. Hmm?". Her attention switches to Martine, looks at the eyes, "What?". But the mention of articles from Kadin has her attention.

With a push, her chair slides across the floor, twirling in motion until she drifts to a stop next to Kadin; precision parking. "What article..?", leaning in to take a look. "Oh, that looks promising." she admits, reaching past the man to grab the mouse and scroll down a bit, reading the details. "Mica Carroll.. never heard of him."

Turning her gaze back to Bobbi, her guide in all this - the paranoid who can't use a computer - she asks, "What do you think? Worth a look?"

"Could be an alias," Bobbi suggests. "It's good information, but you can't be too sure anything's for real. We at least now know the date they're saying the murder happened. Now, that still doesn't mean a murder necessarily happened, but at least we better understand the narrative that they're trying to create in the midst of this web of conspiracy. Now that we know the whens and wheres, and maybe a who, we might want to pile into the mystery van and head to the harbor to see if we can find more clues. This was just less than a month ago, there might still be a chalk outline or something."

Kadin says to Roxy, "I found something useful? Well. That happens to me." He offers a small smile. He says to Martine, "So you are adept at such things. Maybe you could teach me things I don't know." He says, "I do so adore cats...they are the most amazing creatures. Once I followed one across an entire continent..but that is a long story." He looks to Bobbi, "Now...out and about..that is more me."

So many voices, too much information, who is doing what and where; Roxy breaks down into little giggles at the mention of a 'mystery van', creasing forward, forearms resting on her thighs to keep her upright. "Oh my.. what is happening right now?" she laughs, shaking her head, clear blue eyes twinkling with amusement.

Sucking in a breath, she puffs it out into a smile as she sits upright again. "They do have the address there if you want to take a look..?", she asks, reaching up to run a hand through her hair, curling a few long strands behind an ear. "You want to come too?", she asks of Kadin, looking at him curiously, as if she's just seeing him for the first time. "Who are you? I'm Roxy, this is Bobbi.", a hand motion to the woman.

Oksana is too wrapped up in her own search and investigation for her to be paying attention to everything that's being said. Of course key words like murder, dates, addresses pique her curiosity; however, not to the point of making herself known. It's like a glance up from the computer screen and then down to what she's typing. She scrolls through some things, while pursing her lips in confusion.

"I should warn you ..." Bobbi starts. "There's not actually a mystery van. In fact, I kinda hate moving vehichles. We're either going to need to find some Xanax or it's going to be a bit of a long walk, what with my leg. We'll also need to pick up some supplies along the way, but that shouldn't be too difficult. We'll either need to stop in a grocery store or rob a church, depending on how much money we have between us." Bobbi looks to Roxy and Kadin, to see if they are as broke as she is. Stupid holiday season.

Martine moves over to Kadin's machine. "So this killer wants to be found. Otherwise he wouldnt leave these coded trails to follow. He wants to be found but you have to be smart enough to find him. The things your looking for probably are not on the microfiche machine because those files dont change but where they came from is where you want to look."

Ok, that causes her to break from her own research. Oksana looks towards Bobbi, shaking her head, "Not nice for robbink church. Churches helpink poor people durink holiday season." She frowns, "Not good Christmas spirit if vhantink steal from Church."

Kadin says, "I take the bus. They let me ride for free. I'm really good at using the bus system." He pulls some coins and a few crumpled dollars out of his pocket. Fortune is with him as one of the bills is a 20. "Hey...I have this I can contribute." He looks to Martine, "All killers want to be found eventually. Either to gloat, or their soul impresses them to make mistakes so they an be caught and punished. I know so many..," he lets the sentence remain unspoken.

Martine says, "Look at the citations on the microfiche it will take you to the websites you are looking for but your probably going to need to get on the dark web which you shouldnt be doing here in the library."

Bobbi looks to Oksana, "I know, I know, I'm hoping one of us has some cash, that way no one has to rob a church ..." and then she mutters under her breath, " ... and no one has to lose a pinky." She shakes her head to Kadin, "No, no, no. Busses are way worse. Those things are literal death machines. No way. If you get me some Xanax I'll get on a motorcycle, but I'm not going to put my life at risk by getting on a bus. Are you crazy?" She looks at Roxy like 'can you believe this guy?' "We can try that, but I don't know. I might end up throwing up on your back, hopping off, and hobble flailing into the night. Up to you if you want to take that chance. I wouldn't mind a Xanax either, but no idea where we could get that around here. Plus, a walk would be nice, it's only a mile or two, shouldn't take us more than three hours."

No coffee? Roxy looks at the printout again, reads the address she needs to reach, then folds up the sheet and tucks it into her jacket pocket. "I'll let you two work it out.." she says to Kadin and Bobbi, ".. I'm going to go ahead and take a look at the place. I'll meet you both there.".

Moving over, she gives Bobbi a quick hug, "Thanks so much for helping. See you there!", then she's moving off, pulling her jacket around her as she heads for the exit back onto the street.

As if sensing the word drugs, a hippie makes his way over to Bobbi. "Heh heh hey Bob-beeeee ..." he says with a stoner drawl. "Missed you at Schpongle. They played Divine Moments of Truth for the encore." Bobbi gives the hippie an incredulous looks, "They always play Divine Moments of Truth for the encore, the predicatability is part of why I stopped going to Schpongle shows." The hippie doesn't know how to take this. "Hey, you wouldn't happen to have any ... " "What do you need mama bear?" "Some benzos?" "Got any 'cid?" Bobbi gives the hippie a look like, 'do you realize who you're talking to?' "Of course, but it's blotter." "Better blotter than notter." Bobbi nods and they both reach into their pockets and exchange something clandestinely in their hands. Then both of them toss their scooby snack into their mouth and nod each other. "Catchya later Bobs," the hippie says as he departs. Bobbi looks to Roxy, "Hey! Wait up, I'll try the motorcycle, I'm just going to need fifteen minutes." Nothing like a drug deal in a public library. Ah, College ...

Martine shrugs. "I mean I have a car but yeah, murder investigation with Jordan isnt happening." She hands Kadin a card. "Give me a call though. I can help"

Kadin takes the card and looks at it, "Yes, no telling where things might go." He offers a small nod with a smile and pops a few of the berries into his mouth. He stands, "I'll just fly on down to the harbor address and meet you there." He doesn't say that to anyone, but everyone. He then heads towards the doors.

Turning around but not slowing down, Roxy nods to Bobbi, "I'll bring the bike around..", offering a smile then a wiggle of her fingers in a wave. But then Kadin comes out with that little gem and she looks at him a little oddly, "Is he serious..?", she quietly asks of Bobbi, but lets it go. With a twirl, she's out into the street and heading over to where she parked up her motorcycle.