The undisclosed self

RUSSIAN CRIMINAL JAZZ — BEBOPOVSKY AND THE ORKESTRY PODYEZDOV

      YOU — It’s the middle of the day, it’s a quiet afternoon, everyone on the wing is sitting quietly digesting a high carbohydrate meal. A rare moment of tranquillity that you’ve learnt to notice and catch the rush of sinking into. You sit at your desk and play with the *magical* pen, flipping it up and down.       PERCEPTION (SIGHT) — A blue, shiny liquid shimmers in the glass compartment of the pen. At the bottom is a simulated seabed, sand, small pebbles and even a miniature starfish. With a bang — and the earth became the sky and the sky became the earth — the bottom of the ocean, along with the rest of the liquid, changes position and rushes downwards.       CONCEPTUALISATION — When we turn the handle, it is as if we change our perspective and see a new reality, where before there was the ocean floor and the stars, now there is the sky and the earth.       YOU — Turning the pen is fun, back and forth, here and there.       INLAND EMPIRE — At the bottom of the sea I rest, will you turn me over?       VOLITION — Now you’re into poetry? Is it so fascinating?       INLAND EMPIRE — I don’t really talk about it.       YOU- You sit there doing the most *fascinating* thing in the world. Time passes and the seabed keeps changing its location.       KIM KITSURAGI — Detective,” your partner’s voice comes from behind you, out of the blue. You freeze like a child caught in the act of misbehaving.       PERCEPTION (HEARING) — There’s a distinct note of steel in his voice, giving it an even greater impact on you.              EMPATHY — He waits for your reaction.       ESPRIT DE CORPS — The Lieutenant has entrusted us with a task that we have sworn to complete by the time he returns. YOU- What task?!       ESPRIT DE CORPS — To read the paperwork on the new case and brief him. Normally it’s the Lieutenant’s job, but today you kindly persuaded him to go out for lunch instead of settling for a coffee.       YOU — Shit — you said it louder than you expected, much *louder*. Kim must have realised that you hand’t done anything.       KIM KITSURAGI — He sighs, a wrinkle forming on his face, between his eyebrows, — Detective, have you checked the information on the new case?       DRAMA — Tell him you have studied the information, but you need time, say half an hour, to do something. And that something will be to study the case!       VOLITION — You don’t have to make up any gibberish, he’ll cut you in half.       1. [DRAMA: Medium] — To say that you have studied the information, but you urgently need to finish the report.       2. [Volition: Difficult] — Tell the truth and deserve Kim’s disappointed look.       3. Sit down and keep quiet, you’re too scared.       DRAMA [Medium: Success] — Of course you did. I just didn’t expect it to happen so suddenly.       KIM KITSURAGI — He tilts his head to the side and waits.       VOLITION - I told you to tell the truth, he wouldn’t have believed that lie.       DRAMA — Shut up, let me turn.       YOU- I understand Kim, we’ll discuss the case, but first I’ll finish the report, it won’t take more than half an hour, I swear, — you put your hand over your heart and shake your head to convince.       KIM KITSURAGI — He raised his eyebrows again, — Remember, we have limited time. I hope you’ll have time to solve the case before the briefing.       YOU — Of course, Kim. I’ll focus on it and I won’t let up until I get to the truth. Don’t worry, I won’t leave any stone unturned. I will find the answers to all questions and do my best to find the truth!       RHYTHORIC [Difficult: Failure] — We’ve gone overboard with the pretentiousness of the speech.       DRAMA: That’s enough. KIM KITSURAGI — He sits silently at his desk and begins to review notes on a blue legal pad. Dark eyes move quickly over the painted pages, as if already beginning to piece together the puzzling pieces of a complex story. He squints slightly as he ponders something, no doubt very interesting. You stare at him for a while, just long enough for him to pay attention to you.       KIM KITSURAGI — Officer’s report,” he says quietly, his lips barely parted, without looking up at you.       YOU — You flinch and straighten up, a studied expression on your face. As if you hadn’t even looked at him.       LOGIC — You have to quickly check the case information before you turn into a piece of compressed cardboard under his pressure.       PAPER WITH STICKERS — A dark red rectangle lies on the edge of the desk, waiting to be used. It is covered in stickers with dates and labels. This is obviously not the first time this folder has been part of a complex investigation. It has thick, perforated edges, and its surface is a little scuffed from the many hands that have gone through its contents. If you try hard enough, you can see the imperceptible signs of time.       PERCEPTION (SIGHT) — The folder is marked with a case number, *03869*.       ELECTROCHEMISTRY — Sixty-nine! My favourite number.       YOU — You pick up the folder in your hand. There is little information inside, a description of the call from the person who discovered the loss, details of the missing person, contact information. The volume is standard for missing persons cases.       PERCEPTION (SIGHT) [Average: Success] — Missing is the lead attorney for a prominent law firm.       LOGIC [Medium: Success] — This data could be important for further investigation. Louis Katz may have been the victim of a crime or in a dangerous situation. Further research needs to be done and the circumstances of his disappearance need to be established. We need to go to the place where the missing man’s car was last recorded, talk to his wife and colleagues."Legal Horizon, Louis Katz. The victim’s wife reported him missing, she said the last time she saw her husband was Monday morning when he left for work, after which they called around noon to talk about plans for the evening.       YOU — You close your eyes and dive deep into your mind, piecing together the available data.       LOGIC — You could also go to the place where his car was registered. There may be footprints or witnesses who can provide additional information. It’s also worth checking with Louis' colleagues at Legal Horizon to see if he’s had any recent conflicts or threats. EMPATHY — It is important to keep in close contact with Catherine Katz to get additional details about her husband’s last days and anything and everything that may have caused concern.              YOU — You open your eyes, you blink, you come to your senses.       KIM KITSURAGI: He looks at you intently, resting his head on his hand.       HALF LIGHT — We told you we were going to make a report, and the place for that was to investigate the case. Our foolish lies will be exposed and then eviscerated.       VOLITION -We should have told the truth, Kim wouldn’t have been angry.       EMPATHY — You finally lift your shamefaced gaze from the floor and look at Kim. He’s not angry, in fact, he knew you were lying and was just waiting for you to finish with the pap.              AUTHORITY [Heroic: Failure] — Shame on you, not a leader but a schoolboy who can’t do anything without his mother. Making yourself look like shit again, you wimp.       YOU — Guilt pierces you with the force of a nine-millimetre Villiers bullet.       KIM KITSURAGI — Kim remains calm and unperturbed, his expressive features unchanged.              HALF LIGHT — That’s it, he’ll hate you for being irresponsible and never speak to you again.       VOLITION — Not at all, you’ve worked together long enough for Kim to get used to your jumpy state and inability to concentrate. He *doesn’t* hate you, so take a deep breath and tell him you’re ready to debrief.              YOU — You take a deep breath and try to pull yourself together.       VOLITION — That’s it, it’s OK, no disaster.       YOU — You regain your confidence and resilience — “I haven’t touched the file in your absence, but,” you emphasise and pause, “I’m ready to debrief and share ideas,” you cross your arms over your chest and lean back in your chair for extra confidence.       SAVOIR FAIRE — [Heroic: Success] — The chair creaks painfully under your weight, you almost fall backwards, but you grab the edge of the table just in time to keep yourself in place.       KIM KITSURAGI -The corners of his lips twitch at the fact that you’re the only one to notice, apparently your expression is truly worthy of his smile.       KIM KITSURAGI — Kim coughs and says, “Okay, glad you’re ready to continue. Let’s get started.”       YOU — You feel relieved that you’be managed to regain your reputation after that little embarrassment with the chair. “Yes, of course,” you reply, as you begin to analyse the data in detail and prepare the briefing.       YOU — You’re relieved that you’ve managed to redeem yourself after that little embarrassment with the chair. “Yes, of course,” you reply, as you begin to analyse the data in detail and prepare the briefing.       RITORIC [Medium: Success] — “The case of the missing lawyer from the firm Legal Horizon is that of Louis Katz. His wife called the station after he had been missing for two days, the last time she spoke to him was around noon. There’s a GPS tracker on the motorcycle,” you hold the transcript out to Kim, “and the vehicle was spotted on its way to the harbour.       KIM KITSURAGI — “That’s it? It’s not even enough data for a missing persons case,” he takes the folder from you and looks at its contents for a while, “It’s worth checking the place where the vehicle is supposed to be parked and questioning Catherine Katz.       ENCYCLOPEDIA — Grand Couron Beach is about an hour’s drive without traffic. The quickest way would be via Central Jamrock.       YOU -"Great, so we’ll go in the morning?”       KIM KITSURAGI — He looks away from the folder and at you, his glasses reflecting the light from the desk lamp, “Yes, I think that’s the best option. Let’s go to the Grand Couron.”       YOU — You shiver, as if from a draft, a swarm of goose bumps covers your body.       SHIVERS — The Couron, lower-middle class, and distributor after distributor is cutting city blocks in half. Seven-storey buildings disappear under the smog.       CONCEPTUALISATION [Easy: Success] — Forward, towards the solution of the mystery whose beginnings lie in the depths of the Grand Couronne. Nothing can stop you on your way.