Aug 17, 2018 19:41:18 GMT -6
"How vain it is to sit down and write
when you have not stood up to live."
"虎穴に入らずんば虎子を得ず。"
---
“Would you say that the terror attacks in the area have had a large impact on your profession?” Takumi absentmindedly clicked his retractable pen as he reviewed the few notes he managed to acquire. Apparently people were less inclined to answer a few simple questions to anyone but an actual investigator.
Maybe I should have gone into criminal justice, rather than journalism.
“Listen, kid, you’re asking for trouble. What’s going on in this damn city is the real shit and if you go sticking your nose in it, nothing good will come of it.” With a grunt, the fisherman hauled a length of rope as thick as Takumi’s wrist over his shoulder. “These docks are a breeding ground for violence and unless you wanna end up dead, you’ll keep your head down.”
With another heave of his load, the burly man made his way down the dock, pointedly ignoring Takumi’s presence. It was clear this conversation was bordering on a lost cause, but Takumi trailed after him nonetheless. If he allowed himself to be easy to shake off then he would get nowhere in his research.
“B-but if it’s causing problems, then why ignore it? Should the citizens not be asking questions when it concerns them and their livelihood? Are the TRS as capable as they make themselves out to be or-” Scampering in front of the fisherman, Takumi held up his notebook to stop him in his tracks, “or is the very fact that the citizens are leaving these matters in the hands of an organization an act of complaisance? Is it only further enabling criminals to take advantage of their fear and dependency on so-called professionals?”
It was clear Takumi’s pestering was only serving to annoy the man, judging by the none-too-gentle shoulder check he received in passing as a reply. Were people honestly too afraid to even discuss the matter or were they simply so willing to leave it to the Terror Response Syndicate and attempt to go about life as normal.
Even with people dying around them…
“Have you honestly seen an improvement or decrease in these attacks and crime? Maybe the TRS’s approach…” Takumi called after the fisherman, one final attempt to gain his attention. Though it proved pointless as he went on down the dock all the same “...maybe there’s a better way to go about all this.”
Takumi frowned, his words trailing off into the open air. This was his fifth attempt at getting some information and opinions from actual citizens, yet they all ended in the same way: glares ripe with suspicion and a hasty retreat. He had barely a couple pages worth of useful material. Mostly it all emphasized the stigma against discussing AP and criminal activity, at least in the ports. Tourists had little to say and those who worked in the area were reluctant to talk, as if it would immediately bring the terrors down on them. Takumi knew he could just watch the news like any ordinary person. But he desired more than the opinions of political leaders and TRS members. He needed to know firsthand how the citizens of Lorsette were coping with the violent outbreaks and rise in crime and if they too thought something more could be done about it.
But it appeared this would be easier said than done.
Sighing, Takumi made his way back up to the boardwalk, gaze downcast with disappointment. The few words he managed to get from that fisherman were lingering in his head. Keep his nose out of it? If Takumi were to be honest, he felt as though he was doing a fine job at restraining his curiosity so far. For example, he was not rummaging through the Outskirts looking for remnants of terror attacks in the middle of the night...yet. He would be lying if he said it was not on the agenda. But at least he was starting small and gathering information where he could to gauge the danger level.
But if no one wants to talk, then this entire day has been a waste of time.
Takumi leaned on the wooden railing of the boardwalk overlooking the beach. The ocean twinkled in the dwindling light of the setting sun, waves crashing gently with the low tide. Around him crowds were making their ways home from days on the beach or working in the port. Simply going about their lives, it truly baffled Takumi that they could tolerate what was going on. But perhaps there was value to such willful ignorance. Life continued to push forward, even when it unexpectedly ended for others.
And yet, Takumi could not let matter rest. Not when people were dying, not when crime was at an all-time high. Not when it potentially involved the whereabouts of his mother. Something about this city and the violence gripping it had called her back. He was determined to figure out exactly what it was that drew her to such a dangerous place. With any luck he would find her in the process and be able to get a few of his own personal questions answered as well.
Like how one manages to forget about someone they’ve known for-
BANG!
With a start, Takumi stumbled back from the railing, gaze whipping about as crowds panicked. Criminal activity was not exactly high where he was from, but recognizing a gunshot did not take experience. Chaos ensued as people screamed a the crowd thickened, pushing in the direction presumably away from where the shot was fired. People stumbled, grabbed their loved ones and ran. Nearby Takumi could hear an older gentleman already on the phone with the police reporting the shot.
Naturally, Takumi ran towards the action, safety be damned. But the journalist within him was rearing to get a better view. Fighting against the stream of people fleeing the scene, it was only by some miracle that Takumi did not trip and wind up trampled underfoot. He fumbled to get his notebook open and pen at the ready as people shoved past him. If he could only get around the crowds still pouring out of the area. It appeared that the police were already nearing the scene judging by the sirens quickly rising above the din. If possible he wanted to get within viewing range of whatever was going on before they closed the area off completely. But with the horde of people slowing him down, when Takumi finally managed to break through there was already a barricade set up. Even other news vehicles were quickly approaching.
“Dammit!”
With reporters and other curious onlookers already pressing against the police line for a better look there was little hope for Takumi to see what was going on. He would need a different approach. If he called the map of the city he had skimmed online most of the back alleys of the city connected to each other. With the crowd distracting the officers nearby he could easily slip through one just before the barrier without suspicion. It was a risky move, as it would take time to navigate, but with a photographic memory navigating was the least of his worries. He just hoped he would not miss anything making his way behind the various buildings and warehouses that made up the port.
The back alleys were not exactly the most pleasant route to take. Littered with crates and other discarded shipping supplies, the cramped spaces reeked of fish and crude oil. But the noise of the crowds was significantly dimmed by the encompassing brick walls and at this distance he could hear vague shouts that Takumi could only assume was from the scene. Once or twice he found himself hiding behind steel drums or crates at the sound of approaching footsteps in branches off the alley, but they all seemed to fade. Gauging his position from the map stored conveniently in his photographic memory, Takumi peered around one last corner. He was still a great distance from the actual scene, but at least he could make out a few officers and hear orders shouted to “search the area”.
Enraptured as he was by the action unfolding before him, Takumi paid little mind to his own wellbeing or that he might not be the only one maneuvering the alleys. It was not until he heard the rapid approach of light footsteps practically at his back that he had the instinct to focus on exactly where he was and the danger he had potentially placed himself in. And, naturally, it was too late.
words:
1439
aside:
I figured this setting would be more interesting than them just happening to run into each other in the crowd lol. And the Japanese at the top is just a saying that has the same meaning as the title ("If you do not enter the tiger's cave, you will not catch its cub.") because aesthetic. XD
(Arlo Norwood )
