Vestigial Memories, Session 3: The Witness

Scene setup

Scene Countdown Event Check:
[D8]: [2] => No Event
The clock is ticking, but the city holds its breath.

Scene check
[D8]: [2] => challenging. Requires one or more skill checks. Witness is reluctant to answer questions or answers are evasive.

The flight to the Red Light District usually takes ten minutes, but today the sky is weeping a thick, oily rain that turns the commute into a twenty-minute crawl through the fog. I set the Spinner down in the Kumite parking lot.

The building across the way is drowning in kipple—layers of abandoned junk and forgotten lives. Inside, however, the structure hums with the desperate energy of the disenfranchised. I find Apartment 234 and press my ear to the door.

Q: do I hear anything?
Question Check Roll:
[D10]: [5] => no

Silence.

I hit the buzzer. After a long beat, a voice like grinding gravel comes through the speaker.

Esposito: "The hell you want?"

Locke: "LAPD. Open up."

The lock clicks. Inside, the apartment is a jarring contrast to the hallway—decrepit, yes, but meticulously kept. It smells of old paper and stale time. Nombeko Esposito stands near the inner door, looking like he’s ready to bolt. I hope he doesn't; it’s too wet for a chase today.

The Interview

Locke: "You know why I’m here. Kasper."

A spark ignites in his eyes. He doesn't say a word at first, but the tension in his shoulders tells the story.

Esposito: "That sonofabitch is still alive. I swear it. I saw him at the Fish Ladies in Animoid Row four days ago."

Locke: "What was he doing there?"

Cipher Table Roll:
[D6 + D12]: [3 + 8] => Escape

Esposito: "Running. Like his life was forfeit. One can only hope."

Locke: "Was someone on him? Following him?"

Esposito shifts, his eyes darting toward the window. He’s holding back. I lean into his space, letting the badge and the ten years of grit do the talking.

NPC skill roll:
[D8]: 1 => unskilled [D6/D6]

Manipulation Check:
Locke [D10+D12] vs. Esposito [D6+D6]
Result:
Locke [7+5 ] vs Esposito [3+2] => 1 success for Locke vs 0 for Esposito

He’s wary of crossing a Blade Runner. The wall cracks.

Esposito: "No... I didn't see anyone behind him. He just burst out of the shop in a hurry. I recognized that mug immediately—I’ll never forget what he did thirty years ago. I followed him."

Locke: "To where?"

Location table roll (in Animoid Row):
[D6]: [3] => Runciter Zoological

Esposito: "Runciter Zoological. He ducked inside. I waited, but he never came back out. When I went in to look, he was gone. Must’ve used a back exit."

Locke: "Thirty years is a long time, Nombeko. You sure it was him? No mistakes?"

Esposito: "I'd know him among a thousand."

Locke: "Did he look different? Anything unusual?"

Cipher table roll:
[D6 + D12]: [4 + 11] => Hunt + obsession

Esposito: "He acted like he was being hunted. And he was clutching a package like his soul was inside it. A box, maybe the size of a shoebox, with the Fish Ladies logo on the side."

The Connection

I take a gamble on his history at the Snake Pit.

Locke: "You were there the night Rhea Lang died. Did you know her?"

Question Check Roll:
[D10]: [9] => yes

Esposito: "Yeah. She was a regular. Twice a week, never a problem. I helped her out once with a guy who wouldn't take 'no' for an answer. We became friends after that. She even helped me with my taxes. She was an accountant at Tyrell, you know?"

Locke: "Did you speak to her that night?"

Question Check Roll:
[D10]: [5] => no

Esposito: "No. She’d just arrived when... Kasper... that bastard."

He has a motive beyond the reward—he’s looking for justice for a friend. His testimony is solid.

Locke: "That’s all for now. Thanks for your time."

Esposito: "Just catch him, Officer. Sooner the better."