August investigations (open)

[detectiveofthewest]

Battleshots fired

Evening in the Black Bear Tavern, and someone had set up what looked like an oversized game of Battleship on one of the tables, with one major exception: all the ships had gleaming shot glasses carefully set into them at even intervals.

The bar was dark. The board was illuminated. There were cheesy underwater sonar noises involved. And Heiji stood on the other side of the board. "So. You ready?"

Handy Battleshots board here. Gameplay video here.


Battleshots works like Battleship. You and your opponent each have your own ocean grid, which is hidden from your opponent. You secretly place your ships on your ocean grid horizontally or vertically.

You and your opponent then alternate calling shots on the grid (for example, A1 or D5). If you pick a spot that your opponent has a ship in, it's a hit. Your opponent must then announce the hit and drink the appropriate shot off their ship. The middle shot on each ship is tequila served in a black cup.

Gameplay continues until you annihilate your opponent's ships, force a surrender, or someone passes out.

Groundwork (throughout August)

Heiji could be found throughout August in regular libraries throughout the city -- and libraries-underneath-libraries as well, looking through records and old archived newspapers. Or, occasionally, falling asleep with his face in a book or pressed against a handy keyboard. His topic of investigation? The East End Pack, and in particular one Derek Hale. It was all a matter of public record, which meant this was A-OK and totally aboveboard, right?

Right.

Reconnoitering (mid-August)

Lewisham was not a particularly safe place for the faint of heart -- in fact, it was a no man's land, a veritable hive of scum and villainy. But during a few evenings in mid-August, there was one extra supernatural beastie about: a black fox the size of a full-grown tiger, lurking about the rooftops and getting the size of the activity there. Heiji was doing a little reconnaissance work, though he could also be found scoping out the neighborhood in Havering.

[Or lemme know if you want anything in particular o7]

Comments

[detectiveofthewest]

"Well, I mean the main thing's having to worry about getting print on your face, but yeah, they ain't exactly the best place to rest your head." Did Heiji have print on his face? He checked quickly in one of the library windows, but didn't see any ink. Bullet dodged!

"I look like a student, huh? But nah, I'm just doin' this in my free time. I like to snoop once in a while, y'know?"

Was that normal? Sifting through old newspapers and records as a hobby? Hmm.

[eternull]

Kate rather comically squints at Heiji while he checks himself in the window. Hey, if he's distracted, then it's the perfect chance to study him out of sheer curiosity. "You do look like one, a bit. But then again I'm also an awful judge of character. I do hope it didn't offend..."

It's only a tiny lie, but it's not exactly a harmful one. Misdirection for fun and profit: everyone should try it. "Interesting hobby to have. Most people would pick something that allows fresh air, but I suppose there's value in learning what you can these days."

[detectiveofthewest]

Oh no, mistaken for a teenager... stop staring at him, Kate.

"Hey, I got other ones, too!" he protested, though with a quick smile to show that no offense had been taken. "Got a Hayabusa I like takin' out whenever the roads are clear. Drove it out to the beach the other day. It was nice."