Vestigial Memories, Session 9: Runciter's Zoological

Scene setup

Countdown event check:
[D6]: [6] => no event
Scene check:
[D8]: [6] => Routine. Probably does not require a skill roll. Witness is cooperative; there are obvious clues at the crime scene; the data you seek is easily retrieved.

Clues
Meaning:
[D8]: [5] => connects to a new location
Evidence Descriptor:
[D6 + D10]: [5 + 2] => Missing. It should be here but is not
Evidence type:
[D6 + D12]: [5 + 3] => Marking / Stain

Old Emil Runciter is an institution in Animoid Row. He’s been running Runciter’s Zoological since before the Blackout. I’ve known him for years—mostly because I’m a regular customer. My cat, Greta, is a bio-synthetic animoid I bought from him six years ago. She’s high-maintenance and moody, but in this city, she’s the closest thing to family I’ve got.

Runciter: "Ah, Locke! How’s little Greta?"

Locke: "Annoying as ever, Emil. Thanks for asking."

Runciter: "Nonsense! She’s top-of-the-line. Best the market had to offer!"

He beams with pride, but his smile falters as he sees the look in my eyes. I’m still favoring my cracked ribs, and the grit of the precinct is all over me.

Runciter: "So, what do you need? Bit early for her maintenance, isn’t it?"

Locke: "I’m here for business, Emil. LAPD business."

The Shakedown

The air in the shop shifts. The chirping of artificial birds and the hum of incubators suddenly feel too loud. I slide the mugshot of Kael across the glass counter.

Locke: "Ever seen this guy?"

Runciter: [Wary] "Mmm... I dunno. Maybe. Hard to tell in this light."

I lean in, my voice low and heavy with the authority of the badge.

Locke: "Think hard, Emil. This is big—Vestige big. I’m going to get to the bottom of this one way or the other. I’d hate for the department to have to serve a warrant and tear this place apart looking for answers. The attention wouldn't be good for the 'stock.'"

Manipulation vs Insight:
Locke [D12 + D10] vs. Runciter [D10 + D8]
Result:
[11 + 8] (3 successes) vs [10 + 4] (1 success) => 1 Success for Locke

Cipher table roll:
[D6 + D12]: [5 + 3] => Persuade + Secret

Runciter pales. He knows I’m not bluffing. He looks around to make sure no other customers are listening.

Runciter: "Listen, Nathaniel... I’ll tell you what I know, but you have to keep my name out of the reports. If the people he was running from find out I talked..."

Locke: "I’ll do my best to keep you in the shadows, Emil. Talk."

The Surveillance: Logistic Hub D

Runciter: "Okay. He was here four days ago. Burst through the front door like the devil himself was at his heels."

Cipher table roll:
[D6 + D12]:[6 + 4] => Preserve + Surveillance

He pulls me behind the counter to a small, flickering monitor connected to his security feed.

Clue table roll for Evidence type:
[D6 + D12]: [3 + 9] => Garment

I watch the grainy footage. Kael sprints into the shop, clutching the shoebox to his chest. He looks terrified. As he stumbles past a cage of synthetic owls, a lanyard swings out from under his jacket.
I freeze the frame. It’s a corporate ID badge. The logo is unmistakable: Tsingtao, a small-time logistics firm operating out of the Warehouse District. Beneath the logo, I can just make out the text: "Logistic Hub D."

Kael doesn't even glance at Emil. He bolts straight for the back exit and disappears into the rain.

Locke: "He didn’t say a word?"

Runciter: "Not a breath. Just ran like his life depended on it."

Locke: "Maybe it did. Thanks, Emil. I’ll make sure your name stays out of the file."

Runciter: "I appreciate that, Locke. Truly."

Locke: "Think it’s worth a discount on Greta’s next maintenance?"

Runciter: [Grinning weakly] "We’ll see about that, Detective. We'll see."