IC Inbox [Victory Road]

[angewiesen]

Please leave any mail for Jean here, whether of the electronic or physical variety! He'll get back to you ASAP!

Comments

[schachmeister]

Unfortunately, I was asleep when they broke in. By the time I was waking up, one had already hit me. They tied me up after and locked me in the bathroom, so I didn't have much of a chance to see anything. I could hear voices, and I know multiple people were involved in the attack, but unfortunately, I can't offer you much more.

[And he feels horrendous about that. Maybe if he had just woken up a bit sooner, or been a bit steadier after getting punched, or had been able to bust down the door, he would've been able to do something. Or, at the very least, offer some actual useable information.]

[angewiesen]

Shit. I should've guessed. You would've used that kind of intelligence already.

[Jean, of course, only meant this to solidify his high opinion of Armin, and that he was always one step ahead, even when paced against someone as wary as Jean was.]

Okay. Then... We need to think about that exact window of time. Since that day, people have left, and more people have arrived. Anyone who doesn't fit that alibi could be your man. That'd probably narrow things down a lot more than you'd think.

[Since people leave all the time, and sometimes large fluxes of otherworlders come at once. They could cut their possibilities down by something close to half.]

Is there a record of when people come and go? Or do we just have to search for everyone's first recorded use of the net?

[schachmeister]

I... don't think so. I could ask Angel. She understands technology so much better than I do. If there is a way to tell, she'll probably know it.

[Angel is a master of technology who has saved Armin many times from terrifying technological disasters (aka. anytime technology doesn't work exactly like he knows it should)]

But if there isn't, going by first post is probably as close as we can get. If we copy down the list of people currently on the contact list, we could probably already eliminate a bunch of them without needing to start digging. Anyone that arrived here within the last few months couldn't have been it.

[angewiesen]

That'd be a good idea. I don't know how to do something like that either; I just assumed it might be possible.

[Jean may understand the Gear a little bit better, because it was something that really interested him, but he was still a medieval boy at heart. Angel was definitely their best bet.]

It's probably the best start we have.

[schachmeister]

I'm going to talk to Shiro about this too. And Angel obviously. Maybe they will have any other good ideas. If not, we'll start working through things like this.

[Armin looks up at Jean.]

I imagine this is obvious, but please don't talk to anyone about this. Well, Shiro and Angel'd be fine, but nobody else. Even if it is someone completely uninvolved, to more people know, the more likely it is to reach the ears of the culprit.

wow fuck me for forgetting about this

[angewiesen]

I know. I won't tell anyone.

[Jean knew how important it was, for obvious reasons. He didn't feel the need to implicate anyone else either. He claps a supportive hand on Armin's shoulder.]

Between the four of us, we'll figure this out.

[schachmeister]

[Armin's eyes slide shut for a moment as he leans into the hand on his shoulder.]

Thank you. At least my Lapras should be safe. I changed things since... since that happened.

[angewiesen]

I know. I don't think lightning is going to strike twice here. Your Lapras aren't wimps either. They'll be okay.

[schachmeister]

The older ones aren't, but there is so many young ones, it would be hard for them to protect them all on their own.

But, that is why I've put the rest of my pokemon on that job. [Armin hasn't told anyone this yet, but Jean can be trusted to know.] You know how they all swim freely around the island? In part that is so they can all have their own zone to guard. I've trained them all to send out an alert if something suspicious happens in their part of the water.

[angewiesen]

I didn't know. [And if Jean didn't notice the set-up, it was very likely nobody did.] So they haven't told you about anything funny going on?

[schachmeister]

No, nothing.

Of course, according to that message, trying to capture my Lapras was a plan that had been in the works for months. So I won't rest easy just yet.

[His gym hasn't been open that long, after all.]

[angewiesen]

If they try anything at your Gym, call me over so I can hold them still while you beat the shit out of them.

[schachmeister]

[Armin can't help but crack a smile at that.]

I'm not sure if being beaten up by me is such a scary prospect but thanks.

[angewiesen]

Psh. You're plenty scary. You just save that face for the people that actually deserve to see it.