private Enigma's Mysteries (Private w/Illiad Easle)

[Sphinx-Ara 3,517]

@Illiad Easle

Enigma nods "You're right, it would seem that old stallion had some good reason for staying silent so long and being too scared to speak up, if what we've found out is correct" she'd stretch and stand up "And yes, lets check out the arcade.." she then pauses for a moment "though, maybe we ought to speak to your friend first, make sure he knows we have clearance to be in there" she'd suggest to him, making her way to where she parked the van.

[Illiad Easle 2,973]

@AzureMoon

Hard would nod, "If the police are in on this, it'd be good to have someone on the inside to warn us if something is going down. I'll call him on the way there."

Once they were outside Hard would return to the veiled code they had been speaking earlier. "Now that I see it in a different light, when was the last time you got this washed?" Which was meant to ask if the van was clean of any listening devices

[Sphinx-Ara 3,517]

@Illiad Easle

She'd nod "Got her washed just the other day" she says, which meant that she had checked and it was clean "Lets get going and honestly, after this I need a rest" she'd say, driving towards the arcade, checking her rearview mirror every now and then. "Clear" she'd say to Hard and sighed in relief "This has got to be the craziest case I've ever been on"

[Illiad Easle 2,973]

@AzureMoon

Hard shrugged, "We haven't seen anything yet, for all we know we might just be paranoid. We haven't had a threat made against us yet after all, nor have we seen anyone following us."

Despite his cynicism, he kept an eye out the window to see if they were being followed.

[Sphinx-Ara 3,517]

@Illiad Easle

Enigma nods "Regardless, I'm glad you're here with me Hard Line, I feel a lot safer knowing you've got my back" she would say "and I hope you know I got yours in turn" she continued the drive before they hit a set of traffic lights "But you are right, it could just be us being paranoid, and honestly, I hope that is the case"

[Illiad Easle 2,973]

@AzureMoon

Hard Smirked, "I haven't traveled with a partner in... well a good long while. It's a nice change of pace to be honest. And I agree, only a fool would seek out a dangerous case, but only a coward would run from one when it is found."

[Sphinx-Ara 3,517]

@Illiad Easle

Enigma nods "Not that, if anything the old stallion told us is true, then it might be likely that it isn't something we can easily run from" she'd say, continuing towards the old arcade "Well then, lets get this done, shall we?"

[Illiad Easle 2,973]

@AzureMoon

Hard would get out of the van, scanning their surroundings for anyone who might be watching before pulling out his phone to stark taking pictures of the exterior, he'd let Enigma lead the way inside to bring up the rear himself.

(This is where you describe the scene, tell us what's outside and inside the arcade)

[Sphinx-Ara 3,517]

@Illiad Easle

The outside of the arcade, was what one would expect. There was a large sign on the front with the words ARCADE that looked like they hadn't been changed in decades. The sign itself was worn from age and weather, along with disrepair. As per the Arcade being shut down, all windows and doors were boarded up, save for the back door, which for some reason hadn't been boarded up, just locked.

As they unlocked and opened the back door, leading into the Arcade, Enigma would shiver a little "Might just be with how old and abandoned this place has been, but there certainly is a atmosphere here" she would say, switching on her flashlight. 

Going through the many halls from the back of the Arcade towards the main area, there would be the tell tale signs of it being an Arcade, having arcade machines of both the electronic and mechanic design. There were the usual game machines, along with some older attractions such as a carousel, mini ferris wheel and a small roller coaster. "Wow, this place had it all just about, this is like a mini amusement park" she'd say, then shiver again "certainly something here" she'd whisper, beginning to lead the way to the maintenance area.

[Illiad Easle 2,973]

@AzureMoon

Hard would follow behind Enigma, pulling a black-light out of his coat to scan the area for any suspicious stains on the ground that a normal light wouldn't detect. He also would close the door behind them, locking it if he could. "Don't want anyone getting in behind us too easily. But in any case let's get the lights on. No sense looking around in the dark." He would continue taking pictures of everything as he went. "If you see something suspicious, photograph it before you touch it. Wouldn't want to break a clue that could help us."

[Sphinx-Ara 3,517]

@Illiad Easle

Enigma nods "I won't touch anything, not until we've got an all clear" she would say, finding a power box. "Ah here we are, the new owner did say that the power should be connected and  working" she says, and looks into the power box. She opens it and tsks "Ah, here we are, a few fuses are blown, hmm.." she'd go to where spares would be found and looks around, "Ought to be a few spares around here" she says, sweeping the area with her eyes and the light of her flashlight. "Gods, this place is a mess, hmm..." she picks up the fuse box and shakes her head, "All dead"

[Illiad Easle 2,973]

@AzureMoon

Hard would come over to investigate the box as well, "Just take out the blown ones, it's not like we need to turn on all the machines or attractions after all, so just move any good ones over to the lights and leave the rest empty and it should work."

If they had one working fuse they'd be able to at least turn on the lights in one section, then they could move the fuse as they investigated each section. It would be less than ideal, but better than wandering around in the dark.

[Sphinx-Ara 3,517]

@Illiad Easle

Enigma facepalms "Of course, I was thinking of this like as if I was at home for some reason" she chuckles, taking out the dead fuses and then rearranging the working ones for the lights, then switching them on. Soon the lights flicker on "Ah now that's better" she would say "We should still be careful though" she says, moving back to the main area, "Now we can see where we are going, and maybe find out where this supposed murder happened"

[Illiad Easle 2,973]

@AzureMoon

Hard would resume his investigations, photographing things as he went along. "Any leads on how the guard was murdered? That might narrow down exactly where it occurred." He gestured towards the boarded up windows, "If it was here in the main room there won't be much evidence left, the workers would have trampled it when they closed it up. I'll stark checking the back areas, maintenance and the like."

That said, he would start to look for a way back to the offices and maintenance areas. Given the attractions here there was more than likely an underground area around the coaster and Ferris wheel, the question was where the access would be.

[Sphinx-Ara 3,517]

@Illiad Easle

"I think I saw the access to the machinery for the ferris wheel and such through a door in the maintenance area" Enigma states "I might look around the main area some more, you don't think there'd be any cameras around, do you?" she'd ask, looking around, thinking to herself just what exactly the new proprietor could want with the place. She shudders a little "Hard Line, I certainly felt a presence near the mechanical entry" she says, making her way to the old fashioned rides.

[Illiad Easle 2,973]

@AzureMoon

Hard would hesitate at Enigma's warning about a presence. "Well then, shouldn't you do something about that? Spiritual presences are your thing after all."

Hard would find the access to the maintenance, but rather than enter, and risk disturbing this presence that Enigma had felt, he decided to look through the offices for any documents that could be clues. "I don't think they'd have cameras, seems too old for that sort of surveillance."

He would motion for Enigma to come over to the doorway, "Come on, let's see your magic in action."

[Sphinx-Ara 3,517]

@Illiad Easle

Enigma nods as she makes her way towards the entrance to where the maintenance for the mechanical attractions were. She would light up her horn and nod "Certainly something here" she would say and sniffs the area, it was musty but for some reason it wasn't as thick as one would expect. "Benevolent" she'd say softly, leading the way in and getting out her chalk and salt. "I need to draw a circle of protection, just in case"

[Illiad Easle 2,973]

@AzureMoon

Hard would watch intently as Enigma started to read into the presence that she had felt. He hadn't personally noticed anything different when he passed by, but by her comments and actions he hadn't been looking for the same sort of things she was. 

In all it was interesting to see how seriously she took her work, though getting any real results would be the true test of it all. 

[Sphinx-Ara 3,517]

@Illiad Easle

Enigma finished with the circle and shut the lights off, before lighting up some candles "Alright, now for the ritual" she would say, sitting in the middle, cross legged and closing her eyes, performing the ritual, which entailed chanting in Latin.

After a bit, there was a spectre standing there "Why have you summoned me?" the spectre would ask "I have done no harm"

[Illiad Easle 2,973]

@AzureMoon

To say Hard was surprised, would be an understatement. It made him rethink what he had previously assumed about the world.

He was speechless, afraid that if he said anything it would break whatever spell that Enigma had cast. Nonetheless, Enigma and the spirit had his full attention for whatever would happen next.

[Sphinx-Ara 3,517]

@Illiad Easle

Enigma would slowly open her eyes and then look to the spirit "So, I guess the rumours were true" she would say "You are the employee that was murdered here?" she would ask. The spectre nods "I am indeed, or more like, I was" it says "Why have you come here?"

Enigma sighs "The new owner wants us to..make this place safe before he opens it up again"

The spectre tilts it head "After three decades?"

Enigma looks to Hard "We think..there might have been a cover up"

[Illiad Easle 2,973]

@AzureMoon

Provided Enigma didn't stop him, Hard would speak up, "We want to know more about when you were murdered, do you know who killed you? Who might have wanted you killed? Why they wanted you dead? That sort of thing." Hard had heard that ghosts often had issues with cameras, so didn't take pictures, but he took out his notebook to take notes on whatever the spirit would say in answer to his questions.

[Sphinx-Ara 3,517]

@Illiad Easle

The spectre would nod "It was the mafia" he says flatly "For years they had been using the arcade, or more like the back alleys of the arcade for their human trafficking" he says "right under the owner's nose, must have used a shroud or something" he finishes, looking to the two "I stumbled upon them by chance, and of course they didn't let me go, and killed me here" he'd say with a somewhat saddened tone, "I am assuming they had people in the police force for the cover up to have worked" he says.

Enigma then looks to Hard Line "This is..bad" she would say "Can you get your friend here, he needs to hear this"

[Illiad Easle 2,973]

@AzureMoon

Hard shook his head, "There's nothing to tell yet. Do you know how many crime groups in this city call themselves the mafia? And believe me, the cops have been trying to bust the mafia for years, to find out they're also trafficking ponies, if they didn't already know about it, only adds to the long list."

He turned his attention back to the ghost, "Not to look a gift horse in the mouth, but you wouldn't happen to know any names would you? Be able to describe a cutie mark? Further, I doubt they'd still be using this spot, but could you show or tell us where they were doing their operations? If we get something substantial then we can get Detective Trace on the scene."

[Sphinx-Ara 3,517]

@Illiad Easle

The spectre would nod, sadly there were a lot of 'organised' crime groups in the city that called themselves the Mafia, Triad or Yakuza. He would think for a moment "I can say that what I did see, the one that looked to be calling the shots, the one that ordered my murder, very well dressed in a expensive suit, black slicked back mane, sunglasses, so I didn't get to see...oh wait, he lifted them once and I did get a look, violet eyes." he'd say "He also had a ring on his finger..it looked like a blood diamond...cutie mark, dollar signs and..he had a thick accent"